Lent: Living the Tension
For many, today will be marked by the giving of cards and chocolates, of date nights with their special person as Valentine’s Day is celebrated. For others, today will be celebrated a bit differently, marked not by the exchanging of chocolates but by a cross of ashes placed upon their foreheads. It is Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday. The beginning of Lent colliding with a day set aside to celebrate love. Quite honestly, I can think of nothing more fitting. Though Lent is often seen as one of the more melancholy seasons of the church calendar, the truth is that it is designed to lead us deeper and deeper into the heart of Christ, into the heart of love. Yet, due to its connection to the themes of repentance and holiness, many miss the beauty of Lent. Truthfully, the Christian teachings of repentance and holiness have been misused in ways that have not only tarnished the season of Lent, but have perpetuated religious trauma and spiritual abuse.
Recently much is being written about the topics of religious trauma and spiritual abuse. Though these are not new topics, more research is being done to help us understand these devastating realities. As our heart at Restor(y) is to join every local church on the journey towards healing, we know we need a great depth of understanding regarding the ways in which religious trauma and spiritual abuse are being experienced in faith communities. For this reason, we have been reading, learning, and listening that we might be better equipped to work for healing. As we have read, we have discovered that many of the orthodox tenets of Christianity have been misused in ways that have caused great harm. Two such teachings are those of repentance and holiness. The question we have wrestled with at Restor(y) is how do we work for healing while continuing to affirm the teachings of repentance and holiness as central to Christianity, and truly essential for true healing to take place?
This has not been an easy question to answer. We fully believe that many have sat under teaching within the church that has been abusive. We will never minimize the pain felt by many who have been deeply harmed by bullying theology. It is this belief that church teaching can be abusive that has led us into such deep wrestling. As we’ve wrestled, we have encountered many who have responded to this apparent abuse by dismissing teachings on topics such as repentance and holiness, no longer seeing them as truth or beneficial. At Restor(y), we do not believe we can take this approach. We continue to affirm teachings of orthodox Christianity as detailed in the apostle’s creed. We hold to the belief that what will transform the church, bring healing, and ultimately end religious trauma and spiritual abuse is a repentant church that is pursuing holiness.
We recognize that affirming the deep pain of religious trauma and acknowledging the way in which Christian teaching has been used to abuse others, while still maintaining a commitment to teachings such as repentance and holiness creates quite the tension. It is not an easy position to hold. Yet, we believe it is the only way we can join God in working for the restoration of the church, and we truly believe that it is the only way to work for healing for those who have been harmed by the church. If you find yourself nodding along with this post, then I want to invite you to join us throughout Lent as we seek to reimagine repentance and holiness. We want to discover how these teachings of Christ can lead to health and freedom rather than abuse. We know our God is not abusive, so together we will seek his heart for his people and for the church. Together, may we dare to hold the tension. May we never dismiss the pain of religious trauma and may we not dismiss the paths to healing God has given us.
We hold to the belief that what will transform the church, bring healing, and ultimately end religious trauma and spiritual abuse is a repentant church that is pursuing holiness.
