An antidote to fundamentalism...

There are two sentences in James Carroll's searing book about the origins of Western civilization and antisemitism, Constantine's Sword, that have haunted me for the past two weeks. On page 248, in a chapter celebrating the way Judaism continued to deepen and change after the diaspora, rather than become trapped in textual fundamentalism, he writes: 

Though based on the Law of Moses, Judaism had emerged as a community ordered not by legislation or decrees but by the influence of its interpreters, reflecting on a compilation of the commentary of ancestral masters. This is the culture of Talmud, a culture not of codification but of conversation,  written and oral; a culture not of hierarchy but of mutuality.

I am discovering that this commitment to conversation is what drives my spiritual calling, too. Dialogue - saturated with silence and compassionate honesty - means so much more to me than most of the dogma and doctrine of my tradition. Not that I haven't benefited from both. But in an era such as our own, conversation and common ground matters so much more than ideological purity of any hue. Perhaps that is why I have decided to quit worrying about denominational loyalty. Let the institution do what it will - or most likely, won't. At this moment in my life, I need to use my talent and treasure to strengthen real love and justice where I live.

With only 8 days before we depart, I continue to find myself praying over what I call my "antidote to Jihad." This includes a passionate, embodied and radical Christian spirituality that not only breaks from the status quo of consumerism, but does so in ways that increase joy and encourage hope in our ordinary lives. I used to speak of an alternative to fundamentalism, but not any more: a cult of fear, hatred and death has become the defining and addictive  fetish of all brands of contemporary fundamentalism. And lets be clear: weak-kneed liberal generalities or sloppy agape paeans to some vague utopia born of a disembodied good will - what the cynics call "kumbayism" - won't cut it with the bored, disgruntled and angry young women and men of the 21st century who are aching for lives with meaning. Just read this past Sunday's NY Times Magazine re: why England is fueling the so-called Islamic State and you'll know what I mean. (check it out: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/19/magazine/her-majestys-jihadists.html?ref=magazine)

While we wander, pray, make music, rest and read during this sabbatical, I am going to be letting this call percolate within. I believe in my core that St. Paul was right, but much of my religious tradition does nothing to advance the love that can change the world.