Phishy Polity

The intro to my latest paper:

In recent years the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has witnessed the emergence of several organized parties dissenting against issues ranging from ecumenism to sexuality. Yet despite the common occurrence of dissent there is little, if any, scholarly discussion happening about the theological grounding for, and appropriate methods of, dissent within the church. The reasons and means of dissent within the church are taken for granted.

However, clarifying an ecclesial ethic for dissent will guide the church in its mission and equip the baptized for their witness to the gospel of Christ. Therefore this task has practical implications for the life of the church. Theological discussion about an ecclesial ethic for dissent will help to alleviate the anxiety that threatens to hold the church’s mission captive, which is due in a large extent to the ELCA’s ambiguous polity. This ambiguity is analogous to lyrics of the song “Bouncing Around the Room” by the jam band Phish:

The place I saw was far beneath
the surface of the sea.
My sight was poor but I was sure
the sirens sang their songs for me.
They dance above me as I sink.
I see them through a crystal haze
and hear them bouncing round the room
a never ending coral maze.

That time and once again
I’m bouncing around the room.

When Christians sense that the church is sinking into the dark abyss of heresy and immorality, God’s Word calls out to us to help the church swim to the surface. Yet the polity of the ELCA hinders us from doing so through faithful dissent. On the one hand, the organizational structure is solidified by a detailed constitution. On the other, the structure lacks means for both authoritative teaching and constructive dissent. Such a situation of “solid ambiguity” leaves us with blurred vision, gazing at our destination through a crystal haze. We are left unsure how we can help the church swim to the surface; despite our best efforts we remain trapped underwater, lost in a coral maze. Panic sets in like a person bouncing off the walls of a room, and the social climate of the ELCA becomes one of fear and anxiety.

If Phish can help us diagnose the problem, then the prescription for healing is also a fish -- the ichthus, which was commonly used as a symbol by the early church to locate other Christians without fearing persecution by the empire. Ichthus is the greek word for ‘fish’. Christians turned the spelling into an acronym for Iesous CHristos, THeo Uios, Soter. In English this means “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.” By drawing an ichthus in the sand, dirt, or on a cave wall when meeting other people, Christians could find the gathered church without risking being turned in to the Roman soldiers. In today’s post-Christendom world, the ichthus is once again a helpful metaphor for forming a church structure with authoritative teaching and a constructive means for dissent, so people can identify the church when they see it.

(If you'd like to read more about my proposed ichthus ecclesial ethic, see my paper "Through a Crystal Haze: How Phish can Help Construct an Ecclesial Ethic for Dissent within the ELCA.")