The irony is that I run into the same thing, and I'm a pastor. But then I remember some history. Ever since the Reformation, and probably a bit before, there has been an overemphasis on being "right." Karen Armstrong wrote "The Lost Art of Scripture." It's a great book that gives history of Scripture of a variety of religions, how they came about and their impact on their respective faith traditions. In the book she talks about how around the time of the Reformation, religion shifted from a balance of left/right brain to an overemphasis on left brain activity. Left brain being described as concreteness, tribalism, "correctness", etc. Right brain is more concerned with abstractness, relationships, emotion. This is her explanation for what contributed to all the fights and wars over religion. And ironically it also brought about a rise in more of the mystical elements of religion - the mystics like St. Francis and St. Therese, etc. Armstrong essentially is arguing that we need more right brain to off set the left brain. It would open people to more exploration and change the dynamic of conversations - especially with those that believe differently about religion, faith, the world, etc. It would allow a more open-mindedness. I agree with her assessment. The closed minded approach to religion really ends up being quite shallow. When Christians are closed minded, it often shows itself to me as someone who values being right above all else, and because no one can be that right, they have doubts. Often close-mindedness is a defense mechanism to divert attention away from one's own questions, doubts, and insecurities. I'm hopeful that with the decline of the institutional church, there will be enough change in enough Christians to let go of the addiction to certainty that has plagued the religion for far too long. Which reminds me of another book - "The Sin of Certainty" by Peter Enns. He makes a similar overall argument to Armstrong. At any rate, Thanks again for another thought provoking article that helps me to see Christianity in a different lens. And helps me to continue to see the work that lies ahead in changing the institution.
