CBF Notes--Winner sermon

Sermon by Lauren Winner, Duke U. professor; Worship service, CBF, 6/25; Charlotte

LW is a big mix: Baptist grandmother, Episcopalian mother, reformed jewish father. She is Episcopalian now.

Long story about her home church and a pie social and lost car keys and video discussion.

CBF asked her to speak hopefully @ mainline churches. 1 John may have been response to new teaching arising in that contemporary situation that seemed at odds with old teaching. How to wrestle through discernment amidst fracturing and fragile community? There is mainline anxiety now: less $, less stature. LW says this is good for the churches.

In 1950, Christian Century did a piece on 12 mainline churches doing it right. There were 2 baptist churches included, one in Apex, NC (Olive Branch BC). It had a community center in this agricultural community that served many functions.

Fosdick’s 1930 hymn “God of Glory” has verse saying ‘grant us courage.’ The ‘us’ includes mainline churches but also the nation-state.

In ‘90’s, Christian Century did follow up on those 12 mainline churches profiled 40 years previously. Book came out on this by Randall Baumer, Grant us Courage. Here, ‘us’ is just mainliners. ‘Us’ has changed over the decades.

We can’t go back to seeing ‘us’ as at one with nation-state. Mainline anxiety leads to strange questions. These come from false sense of powerlessness. It is easier to feel powerless than to be a disciple. Handwringing is abdication.

Apex church in 1950 was engaged in total life of its community. Discerning needs and involving ourselves in those needs is discipleship. We are called to total involvement in the community.

What present do we want to craft? We don’t want or need to be in the nation-state. We don’t need to be anxious mainliners. We need and are called to be kingdom makers and cross bearers.