Integrity in Faith
I’ve been making my way through Krista Tippett’s new book Speaking of Faith recently and have enjoyed her reflections on her personal faith journey. I always find myself intrigued by her radio program by that name, but hearing from her own experiences has helped me better understand how she engages so brilliantly with representatives of so many faith traditions. At one point in the book, she explores how she became aware of the wideness of the Christian tradition and how that sustained her faith. Her background was in a rather fundamentalist Baptist tradition and as she returned to faith as an adult she desired to only return there “with open eyes, rigor of thought and speech, and the same powers of reasoning [she] expected of [her]self in the rest of [her] life.” As she wrestled with the process of accepting where she had been while still moving forward with integrity in her faith, she quotes a few lines from T.S. Eliot -
Of all that was done in the past, you eat the fruit,
either rotten or ripe
And the Church must be forever building, and always
decaying, and always being restored.
I love that image of church – accepting what has come before and yet always moving forward. It portrays a church, a faith, that is alive – ready to affect the world it inhabits. I find such an image hopeful and know that similar realizations have saved the faith of many (especially in the emerging church). We want a faith that stands up to questions and doesn’t reject us for merely framing those questions. We want a faith that serves the world in life-giving ways. It is a blessing to finally discover a faith like Ms. Tippett did that pushes us beyond disillusionment and can still inspire and transform us without limits.
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julieclawson(at)gmail(dot)com 
Hi Julie. I’m a lurker who found your blog while searching for information about emerging churches. My husband and I have spent the last coupld of years a bit battered and bruised from a situation caused by someone in a position of power in our church. That’s the very short version. We left that church, and have spent a lot of time trying to find a place to fit in. The lines from T.S. Eliot are quite profound and they give me a bit of hope as we continue searching for a community of faith that will be the right “fit” for us.
Hi. Just have a moment right now and had to let you know that I am very interested in reading more from you. Found you by Google Images that led me to your old site.
So inspiring – keep it up! I’ll be spending more time ‘with you’ later!
It’s amazing how that process of “forever building, and always decaying, and always being restored” happens on both an individual level (through our own spiritual journeys) and on a collective level (through the continual evolution of the Church).
Love your blog, by the way. It’s so consistently refreshing. I’ve just started my own, and have listed you on my blogroll. Thanks for your thoughts.
Thank you all. And I’m glad to help encourage others.