Putting into context the loss of a mentor

This past week I received a sad announcement. Claretian Publications announced that at the end of 2010 it will cease publishing CONTEXT, Martin Marty on Religion and Culture. Martin Marty is the greatest American church historian of the 20th century. He taught most of his career at the University of Chicago. Marty authored more than 50 books, more than 5,000 articles and received more than 70 honorary doctorates.

For the past 42 years, Marty has served as the editor of CONTEXT. He and his staff faithfully have observed and reviewed what is happening in the world of society and religion. CONTEXT did not simply report what was happening, the publication offered commentary about the happenings. For three decades I have subscribed to CONTEXT. I have read the publication faithfully and must credit Martin Marty for nurturing my understanding of the world of religion. I cannot overstate my debt of gratitude to his scholarly endeavors.

The most important thing I learned from Martin Marty was that religion happens in an ever-changing context. While religion impacts culture, culture profoundly impacts religious thinking and religious practices. Today’s religious understandings cannot be a repeat of yesterday’s, and we can rest assured that tomorrow’s understandings will not be the same as today’s.

Here are some specifics in my journey with CONTEXT.

It was in CONTEXT that I first became aware of the relationship between birthrate and the growth of churches. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) is reported to be the fastest growing religious group in America. Its growth can be attributed almost entirely to a high birth rate. The same is true of churches that are predominantly African American or Hispanic. At the same time, white mainline Christian denominations are shrinking. Their constituents are more highly educated than the general population and have a dropping birthrate. Education levels and birthrates are statistically tied. Low birthrates are reducing their denominational sizes by hundreds of thousands.

Just now, leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention are in a panic mode. America’s largest Protestant denomination is shrinking. They are fervently discussing ways of producing more baptisms among their young people. I strongly suspect family size among Southern Baptists is falling. There are fewer young people available for baptism. No amount of evangelism strategy will change the cultural dynamics that are developing across the nation and producing lower birthrates among the white populations.

It was in the pages of CONTEXT that I first read about what is now called “the emerging church.” What was barely a whisper a few years ago is now a voice with a hand on the volume dial. The movement is now global and is impacting every Christian denomination, church and institution. Established Christian bodies ignore the movement to their own peril.

The emerging church is fascinating in that it is not a movement that finds its energy within established churches. Transparency, openness and free-flowing discussions are marks of this energy-abounding movement. Pluralism and diversity are not simply accepted among emergents, they are encouraged. If the discussions are not welcome in established churches, the discussions move outside of the walls of the church and into living rooms and meeting halls.

The emerging church appears to be a refreshing reaction against selfish hedonism. A new interest in Jesus, his teachings, his lifestyle and his understandings have become a focus of the discussions. Ayn Rand has lost her luster. A new generation is determined to find what it means to be a Christian with a diverse globalized faith that is intellectually honest and fully functional in a post-modern world.

Especially helpful to me has been the running commentary about the place of women in churches that I have found in CONTEXT. The historic bias against women as full partners in Christian churches is scandalous. For me, CONTEXT has been the best blow-by-blow description of this ongoing battle. The context in which religion operates will drag our churches into the 21st century. Women will be fully partnered, and the patriarchal systems that still plague us will be gone forever. Cultural context will triumph over tradition and twisted Bible interpretations.

About 30 years ago I heard Martin Marty speak. He specifically talked about the cultural, political and religious impact that was coming because of Mexican immigration into the United States. What he forecast has been playing out every year since. As we now struggle with the realities of Mexican immigrants, legal or illegal, I say thank you to Martin Marty. He taught me well that things are not what they used to be and with every tomorrow, more change will take place.

The loss of CONTEXT is a profound loss for me. Things will never be the same. The journey has been greatly appreciated.

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister who lives in Palmer. His e-mail address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.