I was doing my gospel reading recently. I read where Jesus said, “you have heard it was said...but I say to you.” It is as if Jesus is saying that there are areas in our faith that might be “biblical” but they need to be expanded and changed for the better.
He is showing that oftentimes we are convinced we are “right” but actually have bad interpretations, toxic theologies, and unloving practices that need to be rethought and reimagined. We can think our faith is “holy” but it is actually harmful.
It hit me: It is okay if those who are decolonizing and deconstructing their faith don’t have the answers yet. It’s okay if they haven’t healed yet. It is okay if they are enraged. The Bible and history is full of such journeys. Anger, confusion, and change are pathways to faith.
Today, many talk down on young people leaving churches. In reality, young people have given up on a brand of Christianity that cares more power than Jesus. In truth, many are holding on to Jesus while also living with our trauma, doubts, and hope. That’s faith.
Years ago I was deep into the political and religious Right, loud, wrong, and anti-Black. Then all that began to change. I hate the person I had become but also proud I had the courage and will to change. It’s okay to say that you’ve changed. That too is apart of your story.
I’m now at a progressive seminary and in ministry in a progressive Black denomination. Contrary to what others would say, neither my church nor my school moved me further from Jesus, the Bible, or my neighbor; it moved me closer. My change moved me deeper and made me more loving.
“Love takes off the masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within,” James Baldwin writes. Having the courage to enlarge and expand our faith is a way of love. It didn’t make changing easier or complete but it did make us better and more whole.
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