"Our God, who art in heaven..."
"Praise God from whom all blessings flow... Praise God... Praise God... Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost."
Invisibly scowl at people who tell me that God wouldn't have given my wife and me a child with Down Syndrom, unless we were the kind of people who could handle it. Especially when they say "I'm not sure I could do it."
Encouraging people to participate in the Advent Conspiracy.
Reminding fellow coworkers that they should be focussed on what's good for the company, not on the personal goals that will get their boss a bigger bonus -- draw your own faith-relate connection based on the fact that I work for a faith-based healthcare system.
What are you quietly, or not so quietly (as in the case of my singing the Doxology), trying to raise awareness on?
Refusing to name God as Father is no longer subversive, Paul; in fact, the reverse is true. Try reading a statement of faith at your local Presbytery and you'll discover how politically correct it is. Only those who dare to use "Father" like Jesus, instead of Creator, are subversive in the PCUSA these days.
ReplyDeleteOur church must be very out of step, then! God is very much The Father in our congregation.
ReplyDeletePaul was raised UCC, though, so inclusive language is more comfortable to him than to many in our denomination.
Here's my subversive- I sing all the "I" langauge in the prasie songs to "WE"- as in, WE are elected for salvation and service, not just ME
ReplyDeleteHeeding Paul's advice about not being a "stumbling block" to others, I use Father in my church and where I know that is the custom, and God at presbytery and in circles where I think that's what they do.
ReplyDeleteI know a woman who says "A-woman!" instead of "A-men." She says she's done it for so long that it just sounds normal to her! (This woman - who is not Presbyterian, incidentally - is someone I "know" electronically, so I have never actually heard anyone say "A-woman" out loud.)
ReplyDeleteI don't know if this counts as subversive, but in my Sunday School class, I try to keep discussion focused on the personal. We have some liberal couples, some very conservative couples, and some people who don't wear their politics on their sleeves. We're a discussion group, and to keep our sessions from getting bogged down with politics, I try to keep the group focused on what we're doing in our own church, our own families, our own selves rather than focusing our attention on the specks in our neighbors' eyes.
Sometimes, this is hard work. Like during an election year.