Shelly Rambo writes the following in her book Spirit and Trauma: A Theology of Remaining and Resurrecting Wounds: Living in the Afterlife of Trauma:
The experience of trauma dismantles notions of theology as a fixer, a provider of solutions. A move to “fix” things may interfere rather than assist in the process of healing. Theologians who have learned from trauma theology emphasis the importance of accompaniment, truth telling and wound tending. Acts of witness and testimony acknowledge the reality of traumatic experiences that can never be fully brought to the surface of consciousness. This posture is not focused confidently on conveying theological or moral certainty. Instead, its confidence is in the healing power of giving witness to suffering.
Internal Bleeding
Photo Courtesy of Jason Valendy.
I find this to be a helpful description of the tension within the in the UMC right now. The tension is not over one person or issue. The tension is rooted out of a collective trauma that the denomination has had and has inflicted. The different plans moving us forward, the different caucus groups and advocates, if they are anything, are different approaches to trauma.
Some believe that we can get past this trauma with a proper doctrine. Some believe if we remove certain teaching. Some give the subtle impression, that their plan or their position can “fix” the trouble we are in. In all these efforts to “fix” the problem we often discover, as Rambo says, that we interfere rather than aid healing. There is a feeling that if we could just “get past this current hurt” that we would come out on the other side with blue skies and smooth waters. That this one matter is albatross around our denominational neck and when freed from it we could “make disciples”.
So we try to fix it with theology, plans and positions. We send delegates to vote in the hopes that there will be a solution found in Minneapolis this May.
There was theology that was generated to “fix” the problem of slavery. Others created to "fix” the problem of female ordination. Still other theology to “fix” how we treat Native Americans, our international sisters and brothers, and even the ecological crisis. The truth is that the longer we approach “theology as a fixer” the longer we delay in healing these traumatic wounds.
I wonder if the UMC will discover in Minneapolis not a theology to “fix” us but a theology that take seriously wound tending, presence, truth telling, forgiveness and mercy? Frankly, these are not “fixes” but, again echoing Rambo, postures. These are not the ways we will solve our antagonisms, but rather are vessels to hold them.
Valendy Thumb
Rev. Jason Valendy
The Rev. Jason Valendy, along with his wife the Rev. Estee Valendy, serves as co-pastor of Saginaw United Methodist Church in Saginaw, Texas. This post is republished with permission from the author's blog JasonValendy.net.