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Becoming a Reconciled Community
An Interview with Tim Otto
By Joe Krall
Editor’s note: Oriented to Faith is one of our Books of the Month for August. Join us in our forums for conversation on the book, starting Sat. Aug 1…
ERB: In these conversations, what are some of the risks you see? What would you say to Christians who fear that the burden these conversations place – on Scripture, on orthodoxy, the struggle against injustice – is too much to bear, or that cost of conversation is too great for certain individuals?
TO: I think it is important to be honest in that in these conversations, people on both sides may end up leaving the church or be less committed members of the body. I think there’s obviously a risk of ongoing division in the church, which diminishes the church’s witness. But I also think that avoiding the conversation has similar risks! People are likely to leave the church for that reason as well.
The big picture: for most of us, one of the hardest things is to change and to be transformed. And usually the only reason that we change is because of pressure or difficulty that is moving us to change. At their best, these conversations can bring to bear pressure or difficulty that helps us all grow up. Pastors are really important in these conversations, because, at their best, pastors can host these conversations for the sake of growth and transformation, and at the same have a sense of when the pressure is too much for certain people, and care for individuals who are getting overwhelmed. And that points to the importance of church in people using their gifts, not just a designated pastor.
I would also say that our ideas about Scripture, orthodoxy, tradition, justice, are always changing. Even though these conversations can be perceived as a threat, if we don’t actively engage these conversations, then we’re not participating in the revitalization of Scripture, tradition, orthodoxy, and justice for the sake of a changing world and a new generation of Christians.
ERB: As you wrote Oriented to Faith, with what people, books and ideas were you in conversation?
TO: In terms of books, Gerhard Lohfinks’s [easyazon_link asin=”0814659284″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”douloschristo-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Does God Need the Church?[/easyazon_link] has been so important to me. It’s one of my favorite theology books ever. I feel like Lohfink is someone who does theology on his knees, and that’s just insanely beautiful. One of his ideas is that the kingdom of God is meant to attract people through fascination, rather than force. And so I tried to think about “How can the church do that in the midst of this conflict?”
Another is Ernest Becker’s[easyazon_link asin=”0684832402″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”douloschristo-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]The Denial of Death[/easyazon_link]. He has this idea that we are all (mostly unconsciously) very afraid of death. We deal with that by playing symbolic games, like thinking we’re superior to other people in order to feel deserving of life beyond death. He is a devastating critic of religion in general, as well as things like being politically correct. What he does is that he helps me appreciate Jesus all the more, because Jesus’s message seems to be “Because of God’s grace, you’ve got eternal life. You don’t have to play the religion game. Now, what are you going to do with your life?” And that’s a question, I think, most of us Christians have yet to answer well.
Finally, I talk about my mentor Jack Bernard in the book. I tell the story of how, at age twenty-one, I had been desperately trying to excise “gay Tim” out of my body and basically trying to kill the gay part of me. At one of the meetings of the church community I am part of now, where I said “I’m gay and I’m Christian and I have no idea how those two things go together” – afterwards, Jack said something to me: “Tim, I am not sure what I think about homosexuality, but I wonder if being gay isn’t a gift to you, because I know you are a gift to us.” And that just revolutionized my life. It was an example of a trust that even in this, God was at work, and a curiosity about “How do I cooperate with God in this?” And that was the basis for the entire book! Rather than seeing this conflict as a threat, something to be avoided at all costs, we can see it is an opportunity to ask the question “How is God at work in this, and how can we cooperate with God?”
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