Eaton's lament is right on target, but we have to be careful not to let it
become an excuse for our having lost a hold of the disciplines of a Christian life. What Eaton is calling us to is the creation
of a new context for our lives, one in which life is not desacralized or trivialized. Only we can do this.
So, is a sacred, potent, rich and meaningful spiritual life impossible in a
secular society? Only if we say so. The truth is--as counterintuitive as this may seem--that the "secular" world is no less
religious than the ancient world was, just as bygone societies--for all their overt religiosity--were no less carnal than
our world is. In our scientific, technological, capitalistic, secular world, words like "religion" or "spirituality" will
assume new shapes and forms, but people still need God. Fundamentalism is a reactionary effort to unknow, to make believe
that we don't know what we do, in fact, know and thus to hide out from uncomfortable truths and avoid the hard work of being
competent and mature spiritual persons in 2005.
Being spiritual in our world will require a mixed bag of critique and celebration.
Critique (what we used to call "prophetic ministry") is still essential--just as it was in deeply religious societies like
ancient Israel
or medieval Europe. And the topics will even be the same for us as they were for Elijah or Isaiah:
social justice, peace, attacking greed and bigotry, even idolatry. In America,
I think the old gods of money and power (also called economics and nationalism) are as alive as they ever were in Assyria
or Rome.
But equally important is celebration. For all its flaws, I love our time and
have no desire to escape into the past. I love our art, music, theater. I love our multicultural identity. My family and I
walked through the streets of New York this summer and I was enthralled by the
energy and excitement of being alive in our world. The challenges are great, sure, but that is part of the joy! God needs
us to take up this wonderful/horrible world as a spiritual task.
We're all reeling from Katrina. We are horrified at the destruction. We are
ashamed at some of the racial and class divides that were exposed. We are worried by the environmental issues that are raised.
But we are also moved by the outpouring of love and self-sacrifice. We weep with those who mourn and we commit our resources
to helping a whole region of our country to rise again.
I was moved by the Episcopal priest saying mass with his congregation on bare
ground where their building used to be. He said, choking back sobs, our building is gone, but look, our church is still here!
The people are the church. And as we gathered that same morning to say mass, our lives were united to theirs. We were one
in the love of Christ.
I am a glad citizen of the modern world, secular and full of questions. But
my life is neither desacralized or trivialized. For I believe that in this world, as much as in first century Palestine, God's
spirit blows where she wills and invites us all to awareness that our context is still open to "transcendent Reality." The
issue today, as in every past day, is are our eyes open? Are we willing to hear the call?"
