Beyond the Museum Church

One more brief comment on Matthew Fox's book... I found that I resonated most strongly with Fox's call for a kind of Christianity that transcends the fixed boundaries which hierarchical officials tend to construct and enforce. While some degree of structure is necessary and it's up to all of us to discern where and how the Spirit is leading us to worship, I do think prophetic calls like those Fox and others articulate are compelling. For example, here's what Fox has to say relative to the Roman hierarchy:

"Pope Benedict and his 112 cardinals, whom he helped to appoint and who elected him pope, and all the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church, whom he also appointed (contrary to centuries of tradition dictating that bishops are chosen more or less locally) should be left to deal with their crisis of priestly pedophilia and the financial demands ensuing from their mismanagement of the Church...Let the museum church be unto itself and let spirituality replace religion. Let Catholics no longer hide in the pews, hoping not to be seen. Let them find a conscience and stand up and act" (21).

These are not easy words to hear but I do believe they are prophetic ones. Again, this kind of challenging call may inspire some ultimately to find their spiritual home outside the bounds of the Roman church, even while others may feel called to "stand up and act" in their own ways from within. Whatever our responses look like, though, to me the most essential point to realize is that the kind of mentality that would have us believe (whether explicitly or implicitly) that "outside the church there is no salvation" is, quite simply, false. Salvation or ultimate, authentic, integral happiness and fulfillment come not from "towing the line" and courting the approval of external authority, however apparently benevolent. Rather, true peace comes from uncovering the kind of spirituality within us that inspires what we all know to be the most noble, meaningful sentiments and inspirations in life - love, altruism, courage, kindness, forgiveness, compassion, fortitude, mercy, and others like them. All of these qualities can be encountered and cultivated in any number of religious and spiritual traditions, but the key is not to confuse the vehicle for the message. Instead, spiritual freedom and growth come as we discover that we're in fact not bound to any one tradition - in other words, when we awaken to the fundamental freedom, openness and compassion at the deepest part of our being, where our hearts touch God.