The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

This week has been a great week celestially speaking. Not long after sunset, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus extend in a straight line from one another in the darkening sky, Jupiter toward the east and Saturn in the middle.

We’ve all seen pictures of these larger than life planets, first in school and then in advertisements for dime store telescopes that promised more than they could deliver. Although the marketing images are marvelously detailed, they cannot compare with the experience of seeing Saturn’s rings or Jupiter’s largest moons first hand. Individual understanding is no longer based solely on others’ perceptions when persons finally view Jupiter and Saturn themselves. The first time people see Saturn’s rings through a scope forever changes how they view the night sky. Such revelation can be both startling and welcome if we have a mind for it.

To speak of the moons of Jupiter is abstract in a sense. We can easily see the four largest Jovian moons – Io, Ganymede, Callisto and Europa - but what of the other sixty three? There are online guides to keep us updated on which is which, especially as they transit the face of Jupiter. Imagine what went through the minds of the first astronomers as they beheld a handful of moons for the first time. Their world changed, overnight, forever. It was such a threat to the institutional church and its narrow views of creation that its initial response was fear based. Exploration beyond the walls of the church was frowned upon.

What is the role of churches in that regard today? Do we encourage creative exploration or imaginative curiosity? Without imagination and curiosity to fuel our minds we might well find ourselves in the same boat as the early astronomers. Until they saw Jupiter’s moons with their own eyes, it was difficult to appreciate the significance of it all. Seeing is believing. It was true in the days of Jesus and it is true today. It’s in our DNA to ask questions and generate ideas. Where might we find ourselves in the declining protestant movements of today if we had consistently encouraged more questions than answers, less belief and more faith, less fear and a greater sense of wonder?

Some have suggested we are standing at the threshold of a coming renaissance in the wider church. But, what gets avowed is not always what people aspire to. Now that the pandemic has been in our backyard for some time, traditionalists are declaring their relief at returning to “normal.” Normal in this instance means reverting to the way things were and then attempting to do them even better than we did pre-pandemic. It might work in the short run, but it simply won’t stand up over time. National trends point to declining traditionalism. Why is it, then, that most of our church energy is focused inwardly on that which is newer, bigger, better, and flashier, all with a tendency to evaluate success on the basis of membership and attendance?

Do we care whatsoever if there any moons around a distant planet? More and more people are saying ‘yes’ to exploration and ‘no’ to religion by coercion and fear. We are raising savvy younger generations who are not afraid to see beyond the smoke and mirrors that too often accompany religious instruction. What will the future church look like? We don’t know, but wouldn’t it be great to be one of the first to discover it?