The path to shalom is only through the cross

A brief word against "contemplative activism"

The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is not yet a decade and a half old. The initial euphoria and enthusiasm of the early years, however, has long since faded into the background as the task of becoming established as a province has taken precedence. That task is always difficult and never smooth, especially when the rush to be seen as legitimate is superseded by a misguided desire to be accepted by our cultured despisers.

I have no doubt that the various provincial “initiatives” began with good intentions. However, we need not be reminded of the old adage about the road to Hell. A top down ministry paradigm is unhealthy even for an established denomination. Indeed, much of the blame for the death of mainline Protestantism can be laid at the feet of the bloated institutional bureaucracies that sucked all the life out of local parishes. If the ACNA is to survive and thrive, it cannot allow a repeat of that grave mistake. This is why the present direction of several provincial “initiatives” should be cause for concern.

Consider, for example, the ongoing daily Lenten meditations from the Matthew 25 Initiative. Using a vocabulary eerily reminiscent of some of the worst material ever produced out of 815 Second Avenue, readers are invited to engage in “contemplative activism” in pursuit of shalom, a word that means something far deeper and more substantive than is implied in this particular context.

“Activism,” be it “contemplative” or otherwise, occupies a very tenuous place in the life and ministry of the church. It is a wholly inadequate substitute for true discipleship. During Lent, in particular, we are reminded that being a disciple of Jesus Christ means denying ourselves, taking up the cross, and following him. The cross reminds us of the burden of our sin that, without atonement, will separate us from God forever. Yet, it is the same cross that frees us from that burden, atones for our sin, and reconciles us to God through the blood of Jesus Christ. On the other side of the cross stands the resurrection, Christ’s ultimate guarantee of a life of joy and peace in the presence of God forever—genuine shalom.

The burden placed upon us by an emphasis on “activism” can be comparable even to the burden of sin. All too often, it leads to the grievous error of immanentizing the eschaton, seeking to bring forth in the here and now what has only been promised in the hereafter. Our utter inability to usher in God’s kingdom by our own efforts, even when bathed in “contemplative” prayer, will inevitably lead to frustration, bitterness, and anger—about as far from shalom as one can get.