Baptist News Global
Sections
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • Storytelling
    • Faith & Justice >
      • Charleston: Metanoia with Bill Stanfield
      • Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell
      • Little Rock: Judge Wendell Griffen
      • North Carolina: Conetoe
    • Welcoming the Stranger >
      • Lost Boys of Sudan: St. John’s Baptist Charlotte
      • Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church
      • Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center
    • Signature Ministries >
      • Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio
    • Singing Our Faith >
      • Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church
      • Norfolk Street Choir
    • Resilient Rural America >
      • Alabama: Perry County
      • Texas: Hidalgo County
      • Arkansas Delta
      • Southeast Kentucky
  • More
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donate
    • Associated Baptist Press Foundation
    • Planned Giving
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Advertising
    • Ministry Jobs and More
    • Transitions
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions and Permissions
Donate Subscribe
Search Search this site

Beware when religion makes you feel nostalgic

OpinionJennifer Wilder  |  June 4, 2016

Wilder_JenniferI hear it all the time — nostalgia for the “olden days.” For some, it’s the innocence of childhood, for some it’s the boom-time of the 1950s or the 1990s. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., in a recent news story on NPR, points back to biblical times and principles as the days worth returning back to.

He’s not alone in his nostalgia. Did anyone else grow up attending Christmas plays featuring idyllic, peaceful pastoral scenes with shepherds tending sheep and angels appearing in the clouds? Remember Sunday school and Bible school lessons that painted Abraham, Moses and David as pastel cartoon heroes, ignoring the more complicated and less worthy aspects of their lives?

We want to have heroes, and we want to remember the good times, but the times our Bible discusses were not idyllic, not even really good. The days of the Old Testament were rife with perpetual warfare and constant fear. Political and religious rulers held ordinary people as minions or slaves. Ideal manhood was a warrior king; women and children were taken in military conquest. Men owned slaves and multiple wives, and there were few avenues out of hardship, excepting the ruling elites.

New Testament days were brutal and violent as well. Terror reigned via the perpetual threats of starvation, violent attack, homelessness and extortion. Domestic violence and sexual assault were kept under wraps or perhaps weren’t even concepts.

Sorry to destroy that pretty picture. This is the complex and ugly reality of the models for family life in the Bible. Yet, this reminds us that referring back to history, including and especially biblical and salvation history, without a critical thinking perspective, is dangerous — oh, so dangerous. If church leaders try to evoke those tremendous sensations of nostalgia by pointing to utopian-sounding biblical-times, please think, and re-think.

What is at the root of the inclination to point back to idyllic, simple-sounding Biblical days as the ideal, and clamor to “stand on Scripture alone, not man’s wisdom”? Consider four interrelated motivations. On a surface level, the desire is to get as pure a version of the will of God as possible. Below that is a pandering for a moral code to evaluate oneself as good, to give oneself a check-mark “well-done, good and faithful servant” pat on the back. And, in an age of complexity, it provides a clear-cut identification of who and what is “wrong.” Religious leaders thereby sustain and build their power by creating an inside-outside mentality. People, including the men preparing to be Southern Baptist pastors who attended the recent Together for the Gospel conference, pander to conform and not question. The tendency of too many church people is to hide in shame and secrecy rather than to doubt the validity of long-held claims, which, after all, were established not during perfect times by perfect people, but rather by complex and messy people during messy times.

Is the “cultural shift” really the enemy?

Southern Baptist Seminary President Mohler refers to the current cultural shift in ideas about women’s rights and abilities, about relationships and divorce, and about sexuality as if these changes are a fanged monster lurking in the night waiting to grab our children. The ability to invoke fear of change has produced great success at simultaneously generating fear of doubt and dissent, fear of sexuality, and fear of others and of difference.

Take a moment and let me tell you what these changing times look like to me as a pastor of a Baptist congregation and as a pastor-leader in my wider community. It looks like a grandmother and a mother of a teen coming to see me because their teen won’t talk to them. They say he’s questioning his gender identity; he can’t even understand it himself, much less articulate anything but confusion and anger to them. He struggles with guilt and shame, much of which church and religion taught him. The mother and grandmother struggle with the temptation to hide away their problems, conditioned by too many churches that warned, “You better not talk about it. Or else.” Or else face judgment, scorn or pity.

It looks like a young professional coming to ask: Is something wrong with me? If I can’t get the unconditional love that I long for most, then it must be my fault; I must be inadequate in some way.

It looks like a young couple struggling to make new patterns in their relationship because they see each other as complete equals, not one at the head and the other as a second. They ask: How do we share the breadwinning, household and child-rearing duties in an equal way? They feel like they are swimming upstream in this society with so much remaining gender role bias.

To me, shifting cultural ideas looks like more and more sexual assault victims sharing their stories rather than suffering in silence. In this pastor’s anecdotal experience, the popular statistic that one in four women has been sexually assaulted is probably an understatement.

To me, it looks like the age-old tradition of church members throwing a baby shower, but this time for a couple that does not want to blindly follow gender expectations. Who says girls must like pink and baby dolls and boys like blue and tool sets? This seemingly innocuous conditioning begins a life often full of teaching girls and boys to conscript their abilities, their talents and passions along gendered lines.

So-called cultural change is families wanting their children to know that regardless of their gender or sexual identity, they each fully mediate the presence of God. “Pastor,” they ask, “what does God say?”

My question, then, to the pastors and churches that paint the cultural shift as scary and needing to be stopped: Can people be honest and vulnerable with you? Can they let themselves be known to you, their full questioning, doubting, deep, sexual selves? Or do people avoid opening the deepest and most tender areas of their lives, already expect an “easy” answer (“no, don’t do it”) when everything is more complicated than that? I wonder if people do not feel they can be fully known at church or by their religious leaders, can they really let themselves feel fully known by God?

Yes, the deep questions of today’s world are complex. Yes, it is uncomfortable to sit in ambiguity and the unknown. There are often no words quite adequate to clarify or instruct in the way I would want. There are not easy answers nor exclusive right or wrong in the biggest questions in life. Yet, Mohler and other Southern Baptist leaders posit themselves as harbingers of truth and surety. They pretend there is surety where there are still many questions, security where there is insecurity, clarity where there is complexity.

That wasn’t how the world was then, and it isn’t how the world is today.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

OPINION: Views expressed in Baptist News Global columns and commentaries are solely those of the authors.
More by
Jennifer Wilder
  • Get BNG headlines in your inbox

  • Featured

    • Rosalynn Carter: ‘There are not enough accolades to describe how wonderful she was’

      News

    • He’s got a Rice business degree; now he’s focused on finding the best use for church buildings

      News

    • Support for Trump is cultural more than theological, author says

      News

    • Five truths about church committees and their work

      Opinion


    Curated

    • Why George Santos’ lies are even worse than the usual political lies – a moral philosopher explains

      Why George Santos’ lies are even worse than the usual political lies – a moral philosopher explains

    • The Democratic Republic Of The Congo Works To Improve Religious Freedom For Christians

      The Democratic Republic Of The Congo Works To Improve Religious Freedom For Christians

    • Timekeepers no more, rank-and-file Jehovah’s Witnesses say goodbye to tracking proselytizing hours

      Timekeepers no more, rank-and-file Jehovah’s Witnesses say goodbye to tracking proselytizing hours

    • This ‘wind phone’ helps grievers feel connected to the loved ones they’ve lost

      This ‘wind phone’ helps grievers feel connected to the loved ones they’ve lost

    Read Next:

    Archives reveal timeless messages from Dallas clergy days after JFK assassination

    NewsJeff Hampton

    More Articles

    • All
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Curated
    • What happens when the snow melts? Humanizing victims of the war in Gaza with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

      OpinionMallory Challis

    • The enduring legacy of C.S. Lewis 60 years later

      AnalysisTodd Thomason

    • She was the only Baptist and the only woman at a Vatican synod

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Hamas’ ‘sexual pogrom’ in Israel

      OpinionJonathan Feldstein

    • Darius Rucker dedicates this one to the faith of his mother

      NewsMaina Mwaura

    • ‘Useful idiots’ won’t end the Israel-Hamas war, and neither will a cease-fire

      OpinionErich Bridges

    • The blood of Advent

      OpinionJulia Goldie Day

    • Virginia church took the grief group outside the church

      NewsPeggy Haymes

    • Five truths about church committees and their work

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • Support for Trump is cultural more than theological, author says

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • The Psychedelic Renaissance needs a Christian counterculture

      AnalysisKaleb Graves

    • Amanda Held Opelt has a story to write as well

      NewsMaina Mwaura

    • He’s got a Rice business degree; now he’s focused on finding the best use for church buildings

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Rosalynn Carter: ‘There are not enough accolades to describe how wonderful she was’

      NewsMaina Mwaura

    • Tell me about your Christian tattoo

      OpinionMadison Boboltz

    • Amidst global chaos, ordinary South Africans are emblem of Muslim-Jewish co-existence

      NewsNyasha Bhobo

    • A generational torch passes at Bubba-Doo’s

      OpinionCharles Qualls

    • Once again, faith and humanitarian groups decry Texas’ latest approach to ‘border security’

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Remember to give thanks for the things we don’t know to remember

      AnalysisHarold Ivan Smith

    • The desire for retaliation is a fool’s errand

      OpinionJohn Carter

    • Archives reveal timeless messages from Dallas clergy days after JFK assassination

      NewsJeff Hampton

    • Knowing what we see and remembering what we know

      OpinionWendell Griffen

    • Christian groups lament and repent role religion played in allowing Israel-Hamas war

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Two roads diverged in a cold food court

      OpinionBrad Bull

    • If Good News Clubs get access to public schools, so does After School Satan Club

      AnalysisRick Pidcock

    • She was the only Baptist and the only woman at a Vatican synod

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Darius Rucker dedicates this one to the faith of his mother

      NewsMaina Mwaura

    • Virginia church took the grief group outside the church

      NewsPeggy Haymes

    • Support for Trump is cultural more than theological, author says

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Amanda Held Opelt has a story to write as well

      NewsMaina Mwaura

    • He’s got a Rice business degree; now he’s focused on finding the best use for church buildings

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Rosalynn Carter: ‘There are not enough accolades to describe how wonderful she was’

      NewsMaina Mwaura

    • Amidst global chaos, ordinary South Africans are emblem of Muslim-Jewish co-existence

      NewsNyasha Bhobo

    • Once again, faith and humanitarian groups decry Texas’ latest approach to ‘border security’

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Archives reveal timeless messages from Dallas clergy days after JFK assassination

      NewsJeff Hampton

    • Christian groups lament and repent role religion played in allowing Israel-Hamas war

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • U.S. evangelicals continue to unite behind Israel but are less likely to mention Palestinian victims

      NewsSteve Rabey

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Following the Star Advent devotion will begin December 3

      NewsBNG staff

    • Arizona judge rules church leaders are not responsible for reporting sexual abuse

      NewsMallory Challis

    • Pressler’s former law partner, accused of knowing about abuse, is running for Texas House

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Pastor indicted in Georgia election case is ‘American hero’ to conservative Christians

      NewsSteve Rabey

    • Three years later, historic facade of Middle Church begins demolition today

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Transitions for the week of 11-17-23

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Grand Canyon University president calls massive DOE fine ‘government overreach’

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Three weeks later, four SBC entities are standing by their legal brief against a sexual abuse survivor

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Baptist congregation in Tbilisi dedicates space for Jewish synagogue

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Lawsuit says True the Vote sought voter intimidation, not ‘election integrity’

      NewsSteve Rabey

    • ‘Detransitioners’ file lawsuits against doctors and groups involved in transgender treatments

      NewsSteve Rabey

    • Georgia Baptists were unable to pay retirees’ supplemental insurance but found $2 million ‘surplus’ to give to SBC

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • What happens when the snow melts? Humanizing victims of the war in Gaza with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

      OpinionMallory Challis

    • Hamas’ ‘sexual pogrom’ in Israel

      OpinionJonathan Feldstein

    • ‘Useful idiots’ won’t end the Israel-Hamas war, and neither will a cease-fire

      OpinionErich Bridges

    • The blood of Advent

      OpinionJulia Goldie Day

    • Five truths about church committees and their work

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • Tell me about your Christian tattoo

      OpinionMadison Boboltz

    • A generational torch passes at Bubba-Doo’s

      OpinionCharles Qualls

    • The desire for retaliation is a fool’s errand

      OpinionJohn Carter

    • Knowing what we see and remembering what we know

      OpinionWendell Griffen

    • Two roads diverged in a cold food court

      OpinionBrad Bull

    • What are you wearing to Thanksgiving dinner this year?

      OpinionMallory Challis

    • Did Thomas Jefferson say the president should attend church as an example?

      OpinionWarren Throckmorton

    • Between Hamas and Boko Haram

      OpinionAnthony Akaeze

    • Why the Black church must account for and attend to its own marginalized

      OpinionChristian Ingram

    • Speaker Mike Johnson betrays core Baptist value

      OpinionJennifer Hawks

    • Prison tables and the Lord’s Table

      OpinionChris Caldwell

    • The spiritual practice of friendship

      OpinionMallory Challis

    • What is digital chaplaincy, and why do we need such chaplains?

      OpinionEileen Campbell-Reed

    • Why did Paige Patterson write a book on ‘biblical’ counseling?

      OpinionRodney Kennedy

    • Advice for churches on navigating the political climate of the coming election

      OpinionPatrick Wilson

    • My Old Kentucky Prayer

      OpinionBrett Younger

    • ‘Vermin’: Trump crosses fully into Nazi territory

      OpinionRobert P. Jones

    • The good graduate student: A modern parable

      OpinionArthur Wright Jr.

    • ‘Do you think I am still a Christian?’

      OpinionMartin Thielen

    • A passionate appeal for life vs. death in Gaza

      OpinionRaouf J. Halaby

    • Why George Santos’ lies are even worse than the usual political lies – a moral philosopher explains

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • The Democratic Republic Of The Congo Works To Improve Religious Freedom For Christians

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Timekeepers no more, rank-and-file Jehovah’s Witnesses say goodbye to tracking proselytizing hours

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • This ‘wind phone’ helps grievers feel connected to the loved ones they’ve lost

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Why People Switch Churches And The High Hopes That Come With Such Changes

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • For this group of trans women, the pope and his message of inclusivity are a welcome change

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Carlton Pearson, influential Oklahoma megachurch founder who rejected hell, dies at age 70

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Amid Economic Crisis, Ministry And Music Propel Cuban Minister Devoted To Sharing Bread Of Life

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Supreme Court Denies Florida’s Request To Reinstate Its Anti-Drag Law

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Nicaragua’s exiled clergy and faithful in Miami keep up struggle for human rights at Mass

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • ‘None Of Us Knows Anything For Certain’: Christian Apologist And Prominent Atheist Debate God’s Existence

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Judge rules against tribes in fight over Nevada lithium mine they say is near sacred massacre site

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Free Speech Victory for Finnish Politician and Bishop Who Said Homosexuality Is Sinful

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • To remake church power in Francis’ vision, synod calls for changes to canon law

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Skeptical of Politicians and Parties, Gen Z Isn’t Pumped for the 2024 Race

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • UK archaeologists use metal-detecting hobbyists’ finds to study medieval faith

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Bishop T.D. Jakes helps launch online hub to aid faith leaders with mental health tools

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Ousted Texas bishop rallies outside US bishops meeting as his peers reinforce Catholic voter values

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Dept. of Education issues reminder, offers new tools to federally funded institutions to address and protect against hate-based incidents on campus

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Church of England synod moves forward with a test of prayers for same-sex couples

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Jewish protesters and allies stage sit-in at California federal building demanding Gaza cease-fire

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • US Orthodox symposium on women deacons proposes a way forward

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • The head of China’s state-backed Catholic church begins historic trip to Hong Kong

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Jill Biden hosts tea for female faith leaders and others, including South Carolina prayer partner

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Pastor and author Scott Sauls has resigned from Nashville megachurch

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    Conversations that Matter.

    © 2023 Baptist News Global. All rights reserved.

    Want to share a story? We hope you will! Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • RSS