Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Quote du Jour (Faith Department): "Irreverence is prophetic..."

This morning I woke up to an exchange about a HuffPo article between two of my fave Twitterati, @RevDaniel and @Drtysxyministry. Title of the article? "Irreverence Is the New Reverent." How could I not click through?

I did and once again, I must thank the Holy Spirit (and Twitter) for guiding me to exactly what I needed to read because lately I've been flaying myself for my tendency to laugh-snort (often derisively) at what gets trotted out as piety and faith, especially within the institutional church.

Even though I absolutely know that irreverence, especially in the form of humor, is an essential way to deal with church cray, I've been also feeling a wee bit...something. Ashamed? Guilty? Probably just weary.

In any event, this article by Cindy Brandt provided some great reminders about the value of irreverence. Much to read and ponder but here's a quote that zooms in on the essence of her passionate advocacy for irreverence:

The question isn't how we can find faith in irreverence but how we can find faith without it. Without questioning, doubt, and calling out what's real, how can faith be truly genuine? . . . The irreverent help us walk our spiritual journey with firmer footing to explore the boundaries beyond institutional faith. ─  Cindy Brandt