Christianity Beyond Tribalism
Why We Still Need Christianity
If we adopt a posture of growth in our lives and seek to continue to evolve in learning, practicing, loving, and more, we will discover one of the core principles of development: evolution moves toward greater inclusivity and greater complexity.
Fortunately, this direction of evolution will ultimately be the end of tribal religion—religion that is defined by its hard boundaries of saved and unsaved, believer and nonbeliever, holy and heathen, sacred and secular. The fuel for religious wars will run dry. Persecution and ostracization will be replaced by harmony and welcome. The lion will lay down with the lamb.
This beautiful utopia of the future is possible (if we have enough time to get there as a species), but some people believe the way we arrive at such a place is through the conglomeration or unification of spirituality into a synchronized path for all. That dissolving the boundaries leads to not only no separation, but also no distinction.
But this homogenization is not in keeping with the principle of complexity. And sometimes our hopes and desires for an end to conflict mistakenly believe that inclusivity is the same thing as assimilation. This confuses boundary identity with core identity. If we assume things are defined by their outer boundaries, as tribal religion is, then removing those walls will yield a synthesis—as if it is a border of a country. But if we define something by its core, by its heart, then removing the boundaries of exclusion will not remove its fundamental being. It will be enriched by the complexity and inclusion, but it will not dissolve into total conglomeration.
Identity and Belonging
This retaining of the heart of a spiritual tradition is not so much about holding onto markers of identity. “I’m a Christian” or “I’m a Muslim.” These are too often boundary walls and statements of separation in tribal religion. Rather, embracing the glowing core lets us recognize the gift and the uniqueness of each path. Sharing this heart with others on that same path is how we can continue to create vital spaces for the continued needs of belonging and community.
While tribalism is damaging and regressive, tribes are still vital and needed. As we transcend the harmful and damaging effects that come from privileged exclusivity and fear of the “other,” we must also include the very real human need for belonging.
Where do you experience meaningful belonging? And where do you most acutely feel its lack?
Real belonging is not experienced by exclusion of outsiders, but through experiences of shared connection around that which is deeply valued. As our values evolve, we must discover and at times even create new communities that reflect the growth and development we have experienced.
The need for belonging sometimes holds people back in communities that no longer foster meaningful experience and engagement, or they feel just enough hints of life to not want to let go. Continuing forward on the path always means releasing what no longer serves—not only us but also those in our old communities. As Rumi said, “If you are here unfaithfully with us, you’re causing terrible damage.”
Or as Jesus put it, “No one puts new wine into old wineskins.”
A New Christianity
“No older religious form or formulation can any longer satisfy to the full our need and capacity for worship. So true is this, that a ‘religion of the future’ cannot fail to appear before long: A new mysticism.”
—Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
A new mysticism is emerging. An attuning to the deeper heart of love within all things. An awakening to the spiritual energy and presences with us at all times. Some might call it a re-awakening, and indeed there is much that is being rediscovered that was thrown out with extreme scientific materialism. But there is also more. There is new emergence on the forefront. Spiritual pioneers are exploring the frontiers for the pathways of tomorrow’s consciousness. And they are often doing it collectively.
As this evolution of transcendence continues, it does not completely leave behind all that came before. Far from it. It includes the best of what we’ve all inherited. While the desire and need to shed the unnecessary baggage is strong, we remain deeply connected to and informed by our past. We cannot sever our roots and expect to flourish.
Mysticism always needs a language. And while new language must be created to explain new realities, it is always building on what we already know, where we have come from, and our shared understandings. Transcendent spiritual experiences can often be beyond form, but mysticism also needs form. And those forms are co-created through the ontological spiritual realities we encounter and our own inner capacities, cultural understandings, education, and background. We bring ourselves into this participatory mysticism.
In the visionary realm, most of what we experience comes with a form. That may just be colors, pictures, or images. But often it is also a personal presence or spiritual guide. We will primarily be connected to guides who stem from our spiritual path. Christians primarily relate with Jesus or Mary, while a Hindu would be much more likely to encounter Shiva. But we are not limited like we would be in tribal religion, afraid of other sources. Sometimes, because of baggage or overbearing past associations, we also need forms that are unfamiliar and fresh. This was my experience with my guide Danu who I did not know at all before she appeared to me.
Root to Rise
As any good psychologist will tell you, you cannot escape from your past. Healing and progress come through reconciling with past wounds and losses. Freedom often comes through also recognizing and being grateful for the gifts and positive contributions of things that brought us to where we are now. We do not excuse abuses or malicious transgressions, but we can move our own identifications away from the boundaries, away from the peripheral misappropriations and exploitations, away from the broken failures of misguided and imperfect people. Then we may be able to find the heart of Christianity for us once again.
Some may be unable to do this. They may need to completely leave Christianity behind for a time, or maybe forever. And that will be what is best for them. They will hopefully find life and freedom in another path.
The heart of Christianity is the heart of love. The heart of Jesus is love. Deep down in the center of our hearts is the radiant core of love and bliss which emanates out to the world, to our neighbors. This is the center to which Christianity must return, and the core out of which will evolve new communities and further expressions for a changing world.
I certainly don’t know all of what will emerge in the Christianity of the future. It is an unfolding process of evolution that will yield surpising discoveries. If it evolves then it will have greater inclusivity and greater complexity. I believe it will further embrace its incarnational nature in embodiment. It will be thoroughly mystical. It will . . . .
What else? What more?
We can discover that together. We can help create that together. At Integral Christian Network, that is what we are trying to support: furthering the loving evolution of Christianity. Let us tap deep into our roots and find the generative energy to rise into a vibrant, living spiritual tradition that offers to world beauty, hope, meaning, and radical love.