Copyright 2017: Mindy Louise Douglas ABSTRACT Membership in white mainline Protestant churches in the United States has declined over the past fifty years, particularly in recent years as an increasing number of people choose to define themselves as “nones” (meaning they have no religious preference) or “dones” (meaning they are done with attending a particular church and have abandoned traditional religious beliefs). This is in part, I argue, due to a loss of grace in the local congregation. This loss of grace is the result of the redefining of grace by United States culture, religious icons, and authors. It is also due to the judgmental, joyless, and unwelcoming nature of some church communities (perceived and/or real). In this paper, I explore grace as we find it in Scripture and as it has been understood by theologians (particularly those of the Reformed tradition) and offer stories and examples of how the church can be a community of grace through practices of hospitality, forgiveness, reconciliation, and attitudes of gratitude and joy. iii Dedication I dedicate this work to church leaders everywhere who respond in gratitude to God’s grace in Christ by faithfully leading communities of faith of every size and difference in the way of grace, giving thanks to God through their attitudes and practices of grace in everyday life. iv Table of Contents Abstract page List of Tables Acknowledgements Part One – What Is Grace? 1. Grace Redefined a. Popular culture defines grace b. Icons and authors define grace 2. Where Is Grace? 3. A Biblical Understanding of Grace a. The Old Testament b. The Gospels c. Paul’s writings 4. Perspectives on Grace from Theologians a. St. Augustine of Hippo b. Martin Luther c. John Calvin d. Karl Barth e. Paul Tillich Part Two – The Church Enacting Grace 5. Forgiveness 6. Forgiveness and Gratitude 7. Joy 8. Reconciliation 9. Hospitality 10. The Scandal of Grace in Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 11. Gratitude (revisited) Bibliography v List of Figures Figure 1 – Growth of the Religiously Unaffiliated, 1972-2016, p. 22. Figure 2 – The Great Decline: Religiosity in the United States (1952-2013), p. 22. vi Acknowledgments I believe that we accomplish nothing in life without the love, assistance, wisdom, and support of others around us. The completion of this thesis is no exception. To begin with, I am grateful for Ken Evers-Hood, who first brought this Doctor of Ministry program at Duke to my attention. A member of the first Duke D.Min. cohort, he encouraged me to apply to be a part of the third cohort and supported me throughout the process, even when I was so overwhelmed with the workload of the program I would hardly talk to him! I am grateful also to the members of that third cohort and for the work we did together when we were face-to-face, the time we spent online with Sakai, the wisdom they shared with me along the way, and the friendships we built that will last a lifetime. I am particularly grateful for the group that met during the writing stage of this program via text messaging, Google Hangouts, and the occasional face-to-face meetings – Natasha Gadson, Chris Girata, Victoria White, Raigan Miskelly, and Dixon Kinser. I can state without a doubt that I would never have finished this program without your support and encouragement along the way. It takes a village and these five have been an important part of my village! I am grateful for the friendships we have developed that sustain us across the miles. I have needed the laughter, joy and fellowship we have shared along the way! I couldn’t have done it without them! I am grateful for the two churches I have served during this time – for Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church and their unwavering support financially and emotionally! They were cheerleaders all along the way and are the ones who have taught me the most about what grace looks like in a community of faith! In this community, I shared my sermon series on grace and had the freedom to preach and teach about grace on a regular basis. The session, members, and staff members Nana Morelli, Mitzi Lesher-Thomas, and Jeremy Nabors taught me more and more about grace every day I shared with them. I am also grateful for First Presbyterian Church and the support they have given me during this final year of writing, and to my colleague down the street at Trinity Avenue Presbyterian Church, Katie Crowe, who met me once a week to write with me and offered wisdom, spiritual insight, and irreplaceable support along the way. My family went the extra mile, with my parents Minnie Sue and Jerry Douglas spending hours reading my thesis and acting as faithful and insightful editors along the way. They have taught me grace through their lives and I am endlessly grateful. I am grateful also to my son, Tyler, who put up with a mom who had homework at the same time he did and wasn’t always fully present those weeks we met in Durham and those nights when I had assignment deadlines. He has been very supportive, loving, and caring during these four year. We will both graduate in 2017! I truly don’t know if I would have finished this (or even gotten started) without the support of my supervisor, Amy Laura Hall. When others could not grasp what I wanted vii to say about grace, she did. When others looked confused as I tried to explain to them what I hoped to accomplish through this paper, she got excited and couldn’t wait for me to begin! Her insight has been uncanny and her edits have been spot on. Back in 2013, I asked my then-boyfriend what he thought about this D.Min. program. He was 100% supportive and encouraged me to apply. Since then, he has been through two years of classwork with me and another year or so of writing (yes, I took a break to recover from the classwork!). He has been unwavering in his support and has believed in me much more than I have ever believed in myself! He has a beautiful way of understanding grace and helped me think through this paper and how I would write it so that I could convey what I had experienced of grace in the church. He has been patient, understanding, kind, and insightful. He is truly a gift. Finally, I hope that this paper gives glory to God, the author and giver of grace. To God be the glory. Thanks be to God. Mindy viii PART ONE – WHAT IS GRACE? Chapter One - Grace Redefined Popular culture defines grace Mainline Protestant churches have forgotten their theology of grace. This should come as no surprise. Society has hijacked the word grace as a marketing tool, and “Grace” has become ubiquitous, watered down to a sunny, feel-good word applied generally. Everywhere the mainstream, reading public turns, readers find another book, blog, article, or class with “Grace” in the title. Many popular Christian authors writing today have written a book or two about grace.1 Leadership guides, novels, self-help books and memoirs often include something in their title about grace. Churches include grace in their name. President Barack Obama gave a speech about grace in response to the Charleston murders at Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in June 2015. Blogs such as “Grace Rules,” “Grace and Truth,” “The Path of Grace,” and “Defining Grace” are common today. In nearby Morrisville, NC Grace Park is a popular planned urban village and includes housing, retail, schools and dining in one walkable location. My husband and I found our new hound dog Finn at a beloved dog rescue in Wake Forest named “Saving Grace.” “Grace and Heart” is a California jewelry business. High-end restaurants around the world use the word to attract patrons. A Chicago restaurant named “Grace” has recently been named the most expensive restaurant in the city based on starting price 1 For example: Max Lucado’s Grace: More Than We Deserve and Greater Than We Imagine and Grace for the Moment: a 365 Day Journaling Devotional, and Philip Yancey’s Grace Notes, Vanishing Grace, and What’s So Amazing about Grace? 1 ($235 for the tasting menu).2 Other restaurants named “Grace” offer tempting fare in Portland, Atlanta, Denver, Fort Worth, Pittsburgh, Berlin, Germany and Bristol, England. Planners, developers and marketers across the nation use the word to attract customers who desire the warmth, peace and welcome grace has come to connote in modern culture. “Grace” is common in music, television, and film. “Grace” was a dance band in the 90s. Many songs use “Grace” as their title, including an Irish ballad about Grace Gifford, a 2008 song by Parachute Band from the album Technicolor, a 2009 song by Lamb of God from the album Wrath, and a 2000 song by U2. A 2014 drama film starring Annika Marks is called Grace (a 2009 horror film is, too). Television shows use the word in episode titles, including an episode of the TV series Stargate SG-1, an episode of the TV series Homeland, an episode of the science fiction drama Falling Skies, and an episode of the UK TV series Skins. The television show Saving Grace, starring Holly Hunter, had a three-year run on TNT (2007-2010). Grace is what we say before meals, what we name our daughters, and how we describe the way one moves, dances or acts. Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn, figure skaters and old-school gymnasts all embody the popular idea of women’s grace.