Gabriel Rochelle, Path of the Spirit Published 2:40 a.m. MT July 19, 2020

Fr. Gabe Rochelle(Photo: Courtesy photo)

I think of liberalism as the mutual sharing of opinions in a democratic process. I think of liberalism as engaging in common labor in the hope that government might be able, with the least amount of intervention, to work for the betterment of all people, especially economically.

My liberalism is grounded in the belief that most people would rather work together for common cause than be at constant strife. My liberalism explores each social issue that arises on its own merits, based on an ethical position that is not merely pragmatic or politically motivated.

My liberalism affirms freedom of religion and of the press. My liberal views grew out of my Christian commitment and, because of that, I invested time, effort and money in civil rights and other movements, including opening our house as a shelter for victims of domestic violence in a community which had none. It fueled involvement in bicycle programs meant to aid marginal people where Ive lived.

That was decades ago. Seems like a lifetime, some days.

Our society moves toward further polarization. Depending on which crowd you happen to find yourself in at any given moment, it is now dangerous to express opinions and beliefs that do not coincide with the politically correct views of either the right or the left. Extremism has become the new norm; debate and dialogue are ground into the dirt. Welcome to the era when the self-appointed leaders of social movements push us to conform or suffer the consequences.

That freedom of religion thing I mentioned a few paragraphs back? Thats going off the table as more and more Christians believe they are forced underground or into silence. I know of people in university settings who fear for their jobs, should they make clear public statements about, say, their opposition to abortion on Christian grounds. The thought police are alive and well, seeking adherence to a list of proper behaviors and attitudes.

I am reminded of the classic statement of German Lutheran Bishop Martin Niemller about the Nazi regime: First they came for the Jews, but I wasnt a Jew; then they came for the communists, but I was not a communist You know the rest: by the time they came for me, there was no one left.

Rod Dreher, a conservative Christian critic, wrote a popular book called The Benedict Option. This recalls the move made by Benedict of Nursia way back at the turn of the sixth Century; namely, to reimagine and reinvent society by establishing a community of shared belief. St. Benedict envisioned his community as a school as well as a center for prayer. This new Option would be, therefore, not monasticism straightforward, but rather the gathering of intentional communities in which the principle story of the faith and its implications for all of life reigns supreme.

To some extent, we might compare such communities with the Amish and old order Mennonites, the Hutterite and Bruderhof movements, and the conservative end of the Society of Friends, or Quakers. All these movements sought, and continue to seek, ways to negotiate their relationship with the larger society that allow them to remain free to exercise their faith and, perhaps more importantly, their behavior and ethics in a society which largely rejects them.

In, but not of the world: thats the long-standing word among Christians in every time, in every culture. We dont belong to the world or a particular culture. Never did. Never will. As the first letter of Peter says, we are resident aliens, strangers in a strange land. Its time to stop pretending we are anything other than that.

Fr. Gabriel Rochelle is pastor of St Anthony of the Desert Orthodox Mission, Las Cruces. The church web site is http://www.stanthonylc.org. We welcome folks in ordinary times. Send an email if youd like to learn more.

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