crazy Uncle Benny...

I grew up as a part of the Wesleyan tradition (stemming from the man named John Wesley). That means that yesterday, I got a new Great Uncle, 4 times removed (or something like that). Follow the train: Wesleyan-Methodist (one of the denominations that made up the merger to make Wesleyan) - Methodist (the group of peole known for following Wesley's methods of spiritual holiness) - Anglican (John Wesley was an Anglican preacher in England) - Roman Catholic (the "original" trunk of the Christian tree). So Uncle Benedict16 (4 times removed) has some connection to me...sort of.

I've been surprised at the variety of responses to the Pope's death and the choosing of a new one. Some people feel deeply connected while others feel strongly that this whole thing is just a sham and waste of good oxygen.

I'm somewhere in between.

There is a connection. As I mentioned above, the Roman Catholic church, like it or not, is the trunk of the Christian tree. In order to trace our spiritual heritage back to Jesus, we (those of us in western, protestant denominations or even non-denominational churches) have got to pass through the RCC.

I'm somewhat disconnected and sad because I think the trunk of the tree has lost some of its connection to the root (Jesus). Though they acknowledge Jesus ( and I have known people who deeply love and worship Jesus), there is more credibility given to Mary and the saints than to Jesus, himself. It's sad to think that so many people don't realize that they can talk directly to Jesus without the middle man/woman.

I'm interested in this process for a few reasons. One is that the Pope has a voice that is stronger, perhaps, than the voice of the President of the US. He doesn't have an army (the guys in the cute clown outfits don't count, really), but his authority transends borders. When he speaks, many world leaders listen. It's a moral authority, not a physical one. It's very interesting to see how a person handles that kind of power.

Two, is that because of his moral authority, it's important for him to speak to certain issues. Pope JP2 has been the single strongest voice for life and peace in the world. He used his platform well...for the benefit of others. How will Uncle Benedict use his platform? We'll see.

Three, is the notion of choosing a leader. There is something mystical about the process. I know that the secrecy thing is all part of that, but there is a sense in which RCs believe that the Holy Spirit is guiding the process.

How does that compare to the last Wesleyan General Conference? At that meeting of denominational leaders (not really a conclave of "princes") and delegates, they voted on a few people and finally settled on one...and to be honest, I think it was more of a "gold watch" for a man who should have retired rather than a God-inspired/lead choice of leadership.

His wife apparently agreed with me. When she found out he was elected the next General Superintendent, she made him resign and retire...finally.

I suppose that's a good reason for clergy to not marry...image Joseph Ratzinger coming out of the conclave to wave to the masses, only to have his wife shout from St. Peter's Square, "Oh, no you don't!! You get down here and come come like I told you before you went into that X$@%^ conclave!! Joe, get down here!" Hmmm...just takes some of the mystery out of it.

Sorry for the digression...just struck me as funny.

But what if we took the choosing of leaders as seriously. Do you think God does? What does that look like in our faith tradition? I'm not sure we can do the same thing in America. We don't like to give so much moral authority to one person.

At Northwest, my church, we are in the process of selecting some more elders who will provide overall leadership for the church community. My prayer is that God will use the process, which I believe is crafted in such a way that he has the room to do what he wants. I'm enough of a mystic to believe that God will work in the process.

What do you think?

M@