Tracking Dirt into the Sanctuary: Restoring Authenticity to the Church
Abstract:
This paper, under Craig Ferguson’s astute critique of American culture, examines how the White American Protestant church has been “Sanitized for your convenience” discarding the dirty or socially uncomfortable in favor of presenting a good face. This paper will argue that the Jesus of the Bible, though maintaining ritual laws, was unconcerned with cleanliness. Jesus was more likely to spend his time socializing, sharing meals as an equal with those the Church wants to “help” or "save” but not include in membership. Much like the 12 step programs, of which Ferguson has been a part, Jesus kept company with those who were willing and able to admit their offenses and vices. As Richard Beck explores in his book Unclean, Jesus evokes all the domains of disgust. Jesus does this throughout his ministry but particularly hits them in his institution of the sacrament of the Eucharist. In this way he was seeking to push the boundaries of his followers to learn a more authentic way of welcoming the stranger. Many writers today are wringing their hands about the disappearance of white millennials in the church, having found that what they are searching for is a sense of authenticity that seems to, in Ferguson’s terms, be sanitized out. This paper will explore an embrace of the authentic and disgusting in ourselves and one another, and the willingness to confess it so that we within the Church can truly experience and express the grace and forgiveness Jesus’ welcome offers.
