SLD08.07.16 19th Ordinary Emory Presbyterian Church Philippians 2: 5-11 Jill Oglesby Evans

“Richard Rohr – On the Edge of the Inside”

Philippians 2: 5-11 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.

Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Y’all, we have flat covered some territory this summer with our saints series. I mean, I guess we always do, but every year I’m yet again astonished at the breadth of lives and lessons imparted by the not-so-holy-but-waaay-interesting people we, you, choose to enrich our personal discipleship.

We started back in early June with a titillating tango between the Reformed and

Celtic traditions, one moment dipping into the depths of our depravity, the next spinning the threads of glory woven into the fabric of every human being. Eternal Mess vs.

Eternal Marvel – with most of us somewhere in between. So while we allowed as how

1 we could probably learn as much about discipleship from the first ten schmoes who wander by the church, what a fascinating list we anointed, starting with activist and first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt; followed by AME Church founder, Richard Allen; choral conductor extraordinaire, Robert Shaw; global public health miracle worker, Paul

Farmer; brilliant 16th century thought leader, Vittoria Colonna; reality-rearranging astro- genius, Galileo Galilei, gentle but influential educator and activist, Mr. Fred Rogers; exceptional autistic engineer and activist for the differently abled, Temple Grandin, to today’s globally recognized ecumenical elder, Richard Rohr. Next week Lisa Schrott will explore the intersection between creativity and spirituality through the artist

Rembrandt, and conclude our saint series the following week inviting us to step alongside 19th century activist and abolitionist, Angelina Grimke.

It’s quite a line up on which you will be tested on August 28, which, so you know, will be graded and count for credit toward your final evaluation in the School of Life.

Let’s turn now to today’s saint, contemplative activist and Franciscan friar,

Richard Rohr, who has in recent decades become world renown for his fresh, loving, authentic and evocative insights about all things related to God. Rohr’s own "wisdom lineage", that is those thinkers and movements that have most influenced his work, include the Bible of Nature and Creation; the Hebrew Scriptures interpreted by the

Prophets; the Gospels, the Incarnation and Jesus; Paul as first Christian mystic; the Desert Mothers and Fathers, the (or correct practices) in much of

Buddhism and , non-dual thinkers of all religions; early Franciscan , the unique witness of mythology, poetry and art; the non-violent recovery of Gandhi and

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Martin Luther King, much of ’s teachings; 12 Step spirituality, Spiral Dynamics and Integral Theory, whatever that is, and scientific evidence from the universe.1

Perhaps in part because of this eclectic mix of influences, Rohr has become something of a religious Rock Star, though I’m not sure he’d favor the characterization.

At the same time, as for many rock stars, there are those who are crazy about Rohr, and those who simply can’t stand him.

On the one hand, writer and retreat leader, Paul D’arcy, describes him this way:

“With the cutting skills of a surgeon and the heart of a Franciscan, Richard exposes the misperceptions and counterfeits that have shaped our faith. He then promises and delivers a ‘staggering change of perspective’ along with a taste of the intimacy of love, both human and divine. Every word (of his) is a rare gift from a true elder and a worthy guide.”

On the other hand, the group, Novus Ordo Watch, that tasks itself with “exposing the errors of the Modernist post-Vatican II ” regards Rohr as only just short of the antichrist:

“One of the most infamous Modernist apostates the Vatican II Sect in the United States has to offer under the label of "Catholic" is Mr. Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest notorious for his dissent even from official Novus Ordo doctrine on faith and morals, not to mention his rejection of traditional Roman Catholic teaching.”2

Me, it should come as no surprise that I’m crazy about Rohr, as are Rose Peach and Truette Stubbs, both of whom independently suggested him for this series, though for different reasons. Smart, thoughtful Rose, raised in the traditional church, has hung out around it long enough to be disaffected by it , even though she loves this particular quirky communion. To see what most frustrates Rose about organized religion, check in your bulletin for the list she drew up in 2006. For Rose, I think it’s fair to say, Rohr’s

1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Rohr 2 http://www.novusordowatch.org/wire/richard-rohr-modernism.htm

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Rose?

Rose

Some things that draw me to Richard Rohr:

1.) From pg. 40 of the book Yes, And..., a book of daily meditations by Richard Rohr:

“It seems to me that it is a minority that ever gets the true and full Gospel--in any denomination. Most of us just keep worshiping Jesus and arguing over the right way to do it. The amazing thing is that Jesus never once says, ‘Worship me!’ whereas he frequently says, ‘Follow me’...

Christianity is a lifestyle--a way of being in the world that is simple, nonviolent, shared, and loving. However, we made it into an established religion (and all that goes with that) and avoided the lifestyle change itself. One could be warlike, greedy, racist, selfish, and vain throughout most of Christian history, and still believe that Jesus is one’s personal Lord and Savior or continue to receive the sacraments in good standing. The world has no time for such silliness anymore. The suffering on earth is too great.”

I have had issues with most organized religion for a long time. This is one example of Rohr “calling it out”. And yet he continues to work from within the church.

2) He is inclusive, accepting of the whole--”good” and “bad”--(non-dual thinking) both in individuals and in the world. He asks us to sit with “what is” and not be judgmental. This is really hard to do. How wonderful if we could all be open to other opinions, to other perspectives, to other beliefs, without feeling threatened.

Reading several of his books (with plans to continue to do so) and receiving his online daily meditations have been part of my spiritual walk .

An example of how his daily meditations have affected me: On July 9, when I retrieved our newspaper and saw the headlines about the police shootings of men in Louisiana and Minnesota and about the sniper shooting of 5 policemen in Dallas, I thought to myself, “What would Father Rohr say?” The answer I got was amazing.

In my July 9th daily meditation that I get via email, I found this: “Spend some time meditating on the image of the cross. Allow your body, mind, and heart to be completely present to the suffering of Jesus. Welcome your own memories or sensations of pain, sorrow, grief. Hold them gently within the circle of God’s presence--God’s solidarity with human suffering. See if you can hold the suffering with

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God and, at the same time, rest in faith that from every death comes new life; in every wound there is the opportunity for healing and hope.”

Truette, on the other, while raised in the church, in this church, as a matter of fact, pretty much hadn’t fooled with this or any other one for nigh on to fifty years. Living high and fast was far more fun, and alternative spiritual paths, far more engaging. But as you’ll hear, in Richard Rohr Truette has discovered both fresh language for the gifts of Christianity as well as deep support for his personal contemplative leanings. Truette?

Truette

“Richard Rohr confirmed for me that I have indeed entered the second half of my life, that I have fallen upward. although my ego is very alive and well, showing up often, my values have strongly turned toward matters of my heart and soul. Rohr encourages me to consent to the presence of my spiritual and heart felt being he encourages me to be still and listen.

As a Franciscan Rohr encourages simplicity and service which have become my most cherished qualities. I fall far short of my mark almost always, but Rohr keeps showing me the way by his example of good humored service and gentle reverence.

That Rohr named his work in New Mexico the "Center for Contemplation and Action" tells all that our nearness to God must include work on His behalf. I am challenged to be in action with the courage to follow a Godly path in my daily life and with good humor as is displayed by Rohr. For me Rohr is truly a living saint.”

And, you know, many of you may be more familiar with Rohr realize since he has been not only my, but our collective, spiritual director during several liturgical seasons here of late, most notably last year’s Lenten ‘Shadowlands’ sermon series, and this year’s

Easter series on practicing Resurrection. Seriously, you’ve had way more than just a casual dose of Rohr’s lively and creative approach to faith language and understanding.

See if you don’t recognize some of these snippets of his beliefs3 4 5:

3 https://www.weareworship.com/us/blog/the-wisdom-of-richard-rohr/ 4 https://cac.org/love-god-in-what-is-right-in-front-of-you-2016-01-17/ 5 http://imagodeicommunity.ca/meditations-for-spiritual-life/meditations-from-richard-rohr/ 5

“People who’ve had any genuine spiritual experience always know that they don’t know. They are utterly humbled before mystery”

“Most of us were taught that God would love us if and when we change. In fact, God loves you so that you can change. What empowers change, what makes you desirous of change, is the experience of love.”

“One great idea of the biblical revelation is that God is manifest in the ordinary, in the actual, in the daily, in the now, … not through purity codes and moral achievement … which are seldom achieved anyway…. We do not think ourselves into new ways of living, we live ourselves into new ways of thinking…

“Christians are usually sincere and well-intentioned people until you get to any real issues of ego, control power, money, pleasure, and security. Then they tend to be pretty much like everybody else.”

“...Organized religion is no longer good news for most people, but bad news indeed. It set us up for the massive atheism, agnosticism, hedonism, and secularism we now see in almost all formerly Christian countries.”

“So how do we love God? Most of us seem to have concluded we love God by attending church services. For some reason, we thought that made God happy. I’m not sure why. That idea probably has more to do with clergy job security!

It is really shocking how little Jesus is shocked by human failure and sin. In fact, it never appears that he is upset at sinners. He is only and consistently upset at people who do not think they are sinners.”

“We have to pray for the grace of a beginner’s mind. The beginner’s mind is a posture of eagerness, of spiritual hunger. It knows it needs something. To acknowledge oneself as a beginner is to be open to transformation.”

“Grace will lead us into fears and voids, and grace will fill us, if we are willing to stay in the void. We mustn’t engineer an answer too quickly.”

“The only true perfection available to us is the honest acceptance of our imperfection.”

“The most courageous thing we will ever do is to bear humbly the mystery of our own reality.”

Recognize any of that? Certainly those ideas and others like them have been woven throughout our worship for some time now. And what’s not to love?

Yet Catholic priest Bryce Sibley of the Lafayette, Louisiana diocese writes that

“though (Rohr) claimed at his conference to sit in the ‘larger Christian and Catholic 6 tradition,’ he fails to demonstrate how referring to God as Mother, encouraging homosexual advocacy, denying the spiritual reality of Original Sin, denying the necessity of the Cross for redemption, and promoting pagan rituals resides within the

Catholic or even the Christian tradition.”6

Clearly even within his own tradition, Rohr remains a controversial figure. Yet he remains inside the church. Born in , he entered the in 1961, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1970. In 1971 he founded the New Jerusalem

Community in Cincinnati, Ohio, and in 1986, the Center of Action and Contemplation in

Albuquerque, New Mexico. And though his writings and teachings often place him at odds with the Vatican, Rohr persists in describing himself as unapologetically

Christian, unapologetically Catholic. Despite the fact that his reinterpretations of dogma and scripture to favor liberation and inclusiveness, his focus on incarnational mysticism, his eco-spirituality, and male spirituality, and revival of the ancient system of the Enneagram of Personality, all place him on the edge of his tradition, yet he remains inside it. Hence the title of this sermon – ‘The Edge of the Inside.’

And what does it mean to be ‘on the edge of the inside?’

A couple months ago in an op- ed piece in The New York Times specifically referencing Rohr, David Brooks noted that “In any organization there are some people who serve at the core, insiders who are in the rooms when the decisions are made.

Then there are the outsiders who throw missiles from beyond the walls. But there’s also a third position: those who are at the edge of the inside. These are people within the organization who are not subsumed by the group think. They work at the boundaries,

6 https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=6819 7 bridges and entranceways.”7 As for Rohr, he embraces his position on the "edge of the inside" of his tradition as a prophetic place from which to challenge and encourage the

Church.”8

Here, too, I believe we at Emory Church share something in common with Rohr.

To be sure, we’re on the ‘inside’ of the Christian tradition here – we look it, we act it, and most of us profess it. But stick around and scratch the surface and you’ll find out ’ how hard we work at building bridges with communities around us, how important it is to us to keep our boundaries open and welcoming, how little patience there is around the joint with any sort of ‘group think.’

The way I see it, like Richard Rohr, Emory Church is on the ‘edge of the inside’ of the Christian tradition. Not only in our beliefs and practices, but also in our diversity and our doubts, our dreams and our questions. And our Identity statement: ‘where ever you are on your spiritual journey, you’re welcome to join along with us? Really?

Yeah, really. And don’t think we haven’t been tested.

Remarks Rohr about his Center for Action and Contemplation, “the question for us always is “how can we turn information into transformation? How can we use the sacred texts, tradition, and experience to lead people into new places with God, with life, with themselves?” Hmm. Not a bad mission statement for us, either. How can we use the sacred texts, tradition, and experience to lead people into new places with God, with life, and with ourselves?

7 “At the Edge of Inside,” Op Ed, The New York Times, David Brooks, June 24, 2016

8 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Rohr 8

Both Rohr and Emory Church wish to “be radical in both senses of the word, simultaneously rooted in tradition and boldly experimental, …standing in a middle place, at the center of the cross, where opposites are held together.”

David Brooks again: “When people are afraid or defensive, they have no tolerance for persons (or institutions) at the edge of inside. They want purity, rigid loyalty and lock step unity. But now more than ever we need people who have the courage to live on the edge of inside, who love their …organizations so much that they operate on, and critique them, from the inside as a friend, and dauntlessly insist that they live up to their truest selves.” Now more than ever, I say, we need leaders like Richard Rohr and communions like Emory Church.

To the glory of God. Amen.

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