Pavel Pokorný
Tomáš Halík says in the book The Faith and Beliefs of “Nonbelievers”: This volume explores the phenomenon of a globally growing segment of people who break with any form of organized religion. Sociologists call these people “nones.” This segment has proven to be very diverse…
It appears that the division of people into believers and nonbelievers is no longer sufficient to understand the contemporary spiritual scene. A large portion of nones can be described as both simul fidelis and infidelis – believers and nonbelievers at the same time.
Moreover, only a small portion of nonbelievers can be described as convinced atheists. Some of those who identify as atheists oppose churches and theism but emphasize that although they are nonreligious, they are nevertheless “spiritual.” …
There are “apatheists” among them who are indifferent to religion because they have never encountered a religion that expresses itself in a language they can understand and trust.” (End of quote)
In the following speech, I will try to convey my own experience with "nones" and my thoughts on the church in a secular society.
The situation is confused and you cannot assume that information about the person you are meeting if she or he is or is not a believer will tell you anything substantial. It may not even mean much to find out that he or she is or is not a member of a church. Each person's faith or spirituality is a distinctive, unique thing. It is influenced by the family environment, the narratives that have stuck in his or her mind, a personal experience formed by a chance encounter or a singular experience to which the individual attributes a spiritual quality. It is often a kind of raw spirituality, which is not reflected, not cultivated. It seems to me an apt image that we each cook our own spiritual soup from different ingredients. Until we taste the soup of our partner, we will not understand. So if we want to truly meet and share with someone, we must approach the meeting with openness and a commitment to undertake a journey of understanding that will take time and effort.
I grew up in an evangelical family. Being anchored in a community of faith, the language of the Bible, devotional songs, participation in worship services, domestic rituals like prayer before meals, all came naturally to me. At the same time, I was part of a secular community made up of friends from the neighborhood and from school. I was aware of the differences between the two communities, but I felt at home in both without any internal conflict. For me, believers and non-believers did not represent something like two distinct species, but rather two linguistic and cultural circles, which for me were connected in my undivided identity like that of a bilingual child. I want to emphasize that secular society is my natural environment, which I do not perceive as alien or threatening. I feel like fish in water in it.
In conversations with non-believers, we often encounter a very different understanding of basic concepts. Not only God, but love, truth, justice can mean something quite different to each of us. The term "grace" is not used at all in secular settings. Only in the phrase "presidential grace," which only underscores how this is something that has no place in ordinary life. Perhaps only gratitude and trust are generally understood.
The word "preach" is found in common Czech in the sense of "to reprove", "to admonish". In this idea, preaching has a moralizing character. And who would want to listen to that? If you do not have to… Some nones expect believers would like to convince them of their truth. That the sermon will be a kind of recruitment. They see it as manipulation. While with an advertising campaign no one minds and everyone understands that the football club has to get its youth and the army has to do recruitment, the church is not forgiven for its campaign. While many eagerly browse through the offers of various courses and seminars on "How to live well", they reject the Church's invitation as coercion and an interference with their personal beliefs.
Christian mission does not enter an empty space. We do not write on a blank slate. I feel like I'm hearing, "Christians? What are you still doing here? Your big moment is over. You've had plenty of time to show what you're made of. We already know you. And it wasn't worth much. Now, give others their space.
We're looking for connection points, for understanding. And at the same time, we seek something that we can give. It seems to me that prayer is quite specific. It's something nonbelievers are guaranteed not to do. Sometimes prayer seems to be something strange, obscure, incomprehensible, exciting to them. They ask: What do you do in church? Do you pray there all the time? At the same time, prayer is something that inspires real respect. As a hospital chaplain, when I ask, "May I pray for you? no one refuses. Every year on New Year's Day there is an ecumenical service on TV. And it seems to me that its strongest element is the intercessory prayers. That is, if we avoid implicit moralizing or nationalism (e.g. we pray for homosexuals, that God would heal them, give them the strength to live in celibacy). If the Church prays in humility and with sincere concern even for those from whom it has nothing and from whose support it gains no points, then something rare is happening.
Communist totalitarianism has shut the churches into its buildings and rituals. Democratic secular government allows churches to serve in the military, in prisons, in hospitals. Since the 1990s, chaplaincy ministries have developed. Chaplains minister to all without distinction of faith or creed. Even and mostly to non-believers. This service is ecumenical and is based on agreements concluded between the state and the registered churches, represented by the Czech Bishops' Conference and the Ecumenical Council of Churches. I was at the beginning of this ministry in hospitals. There was a lack of understanding on both sides, the health care professionals and the church leaders, for the nature of this ministry, which is primarily non-evangelistic. This ministry is not a mission in the sense that its purpose is to recruit new members to churches. It is, however, a mission in the sense that it is a mission to which God calls us.
Chaplaincy ministries are also called categorical or sectoral pastoral ministries. In hospital ministry, I personally avoid the terms "pastoral" or "pastoral care" and prefer the term "spiritual care". This is because pastoral care presupposes that there is a shepherd and a flock, that is, a model of pastor and church community. However, as a chaplain, I do not take the leadership role of the shepherd and the patients do not form a community. Incidentally, the role of the pastor in the church congregation is also changing. Rather than being a shepherd, the pastor seems to me like an old, experienced goat in a herd of wild goats who may know where the water is and where the danger is coming from.
Spiritual care comes from the idea of a general non-religious spirituality. It is the existential and ethical dimension of life. It seeks to accommodate those who are suspicious of the church and organized religion in general. The premise of this ministry is the conviction that the Christian faith in its specificity touches something universally human. This approach allows me as a chaplain to remain fully myself, authentic in my faith, while not demanding accommodation or even conversion from another. Nor is it syncretism or the belief that different spiritualities will come out the same. It is a starting position for encounter.
The key question for me is what impact does spirituality have in my life, what does it lead to. It is perhaps typical of the Czech environment that people are open to spiritual experiences, interested in Eastern thought, parapsychology, horoscopes, but at the same time claim that these things have no impact on their real life. On their decision making, which is quite pragmatic. But maybe, at an unconscious level, there is some influence of what we are dealing with in our minds on our decision making. What thoughts, stories, experiences and rituals are shaping our spirituality? How do we reflect on them and what do we draw from them? Is our spirituality helping us to accept reality, to be open to change, to have hope, to trust people and ourselves? Or is it closing us off, making us anxious? These are good questions to ask also ourselves as Christians...
Many non-believers have a need for ritual in their lives. By ritual is meant an event that will have elements of something special, as if sacred. Sacred can be a place, a time, an arrangement of things, clothing, gestures, words. Ritual in this form is, of course, highly individualized, bringing an extraordinary personal experience, but it lacks one of its basic functions, which is to create, connect and strengthen community.
Registered churches in the Czech Republic can solemnize marriages with legal validity. This is an obvious anomaly. In a secular state, the church is representing the state. Each church sets its own conditions under which marriage takes place. The ECCB does not require that the fiancés be members of the church. The only condition is that they "sincerely desire God's blessing." This condition, on the one hand, opens up space for a fundamental conversation about God and His relationship to human and to the world. On the other hand: how do we judge the sincerity of the desire? It seems that often the reason why unbelieving fiancés turn to the Church is simply the unwillingness of civil servants to work outside of official time and office space. In recent years, a trend has prevailed whereby the fiancés do not wish to be married in a church building but in the open air. The ceremony should be preceded by preparation. As a rule, several meetings of the pastor with both fiancés take place. The preparation is appreciated by the non-believers, and so is the wedding, which takes the form of an evangelical service with scripture reading, prayer, preaching and blessing. However, these people do not usually become believers, let alone members of the church. The question is how busy our pastors are with this public ministry and whether it is effective for the church.
What is ECCB doing in this environment and in these times? What should or could it be doing? What is our mission and our role?
I am inspired by Jesus' parable of the sower. The sower scatters wastefully wherever he can reach. It's as if he doesn't even examine the soil or try to guess how the sowing will turn out. He has great losses. It seems to me that the church at this point has to squander, trying to do everything possible and impossible. And not worry about what doesn't work. I see such enterprise and courage in many people.
On the other hand, I see a lot of fear in the church. It reminds me of the parable of the talents. The servant who buried the only talent he had because he was afraid. Fear is not a good counselor and it doesn't give enough motivation. If people start talking about mission, about wanting to recruit new members for the church because they feel panic about dwindling membership and dwindling financial resources, it seems to me like inviting boatmen onto a sinking ship. Who would be interested in joining those who see themselves as loosers? Why would a dwindling church be attractive?
I consider faith, courage, and a healthy self-confidence to be necessary prerequisites for mission. And self-confidence is not so much about being good or even great (nonbelievers often accuse believers of thinking themselves superior), but confidence in the value, power, and beauty of the gospel. We need a sense of reality, openness and enthusiasm. And also humility in speech, presentation, buildings. Just be modest.
The range of our sowing includes, on the one hand, the care of congregations. I don't expect much from mission campaigns; I think personal relationships, a willingness to go closer, are key. To have a genuine concern for the other. The laity, their authentic witness to the life of faith and their ability to establish close relationships are crucial in this. On the other hand, the ECCB is trying to create so-called pioneering places, that is, a kind of communities of interest with a very loose connection to the Church, but nevertheless inspired by the Gospel. Sowing also includes church schools and Diakonia facilities whose management and staff are mostly not members of the church, but whose functioning is based on Christian (or evangelical) values.
The ECCB was founded largely out of a desire to distinguish itself from the Roman Catholic mainstream. Today, I believe, our passion for the Gospel must lead us to be true Catholics (not necessarily Roman). A specifically evangelical witness is a sense of plural interpretations of Bible and an inclusive community. Our openness within the Christian Church is due to the trust, symbolized by baptism, that we belong to Christ. Christ does not belong to us to empower us to make authoritative decisions about who is his and what Christ expects from other believers and what he calls them to do. Nor does Christ belong to any other denomination, whether it thinks or acts like it. Common ground in baptism, mutual respect, and the plurality of our witness are essential for the future of churches in a secular society.
The role of the church in the public (secular) space is not to instruct or moralize. We do not want to claim a special position or authority in social discourse. At the same time, we need not belittle, marginalize or shame ourselves. We are allowed to be a voice among other voices. Our specificity is the inspiration of the Gospel. At the moment, this means not thinking primarily of ourselves, of preserving our own institution and popularity, but rather standing up for the weak, exposing painful places of our society, asking questions for meaning, for responsibility and for hope for the future.
Faith does not mean to have the right answers.
Faith means to have courage. Courage to trust. Courage to hope. Courage to love.
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