12.05.2006
The Consequences of Consorting With Pagans
Evangelical Christian John Smulo (a missionary to new religious movements and contributor to the Sacred Tribes Journal) interviews Phil Wyman of The Gathering at Salem about his recent experiences with being kicked out of his denomination (Foursquare Christian Churches) for his ministry to Pagans and Witches in Salem, Massachusetts. Wyman, who was once touted as a rising star within his denomination for his outreach efforts to modern Pagans, was suddenly turned on by his supervisors and ultimately kicked out for seeming a bit too cozy with the Pagans he was reaching out to. This expulsion gained some press around Halloween (naturally) and has left his church struggling to survive. Smulo, in his two-part interview, explores Wyman's feelings about modern Pagans, the expulsion, and what charges were brought against him by his (now former) church.
"The council meeting was 3 hours long, and included such items as taking 45 minutes to challenge us on, "How could you be friends with Witches?", a defense of the photograph which was quickly understood to be completely innocent (Diane Menasco had been an eyewitness to the event), the insinuation that we were promoting Tarot because one could buy Tarot cards through a Pagan site by following links from our site, and accusations that we neglected the 90% of the non-Pagan population in Salem to try and reach Witches. The meeting eventually descended into an abyss of personal accusations against me such as: I did not mention the name Jesus frequently enough during the meeting, I did not lift my hands high enough in worship during the most recent District Conference, and that I was learning Welsh because it was the language of the Druids."
That was mere weeks after winning a huge grant from his denomination for the outreach work he was now being damned for. The experience has ultimately shaken the pastor's faith in the church, and perhaps even in Christianity itself.
"These strange phenomenon come upon most of us in deep seasons of stress. It is unfortunate, and scary to consider that failed, and sometimes self-serving Christian leadership could potentially bring such disorders upon people. I have a new appreciation for the many people I have heard say over the years, "I love Jesus, but I hate the Church"...Spiritually things have been a struggle as well. Prayer is different than it used to be. I read the Bible differently than I used to. I find myself praying less, reading less, but practicing lectio divina scripture meditation and journaling far more. It is taking a bit of time for the joy of serving God to rekindle in my heart, but I can feel it beginning to surge once again - after a year of this struggle."
Wyman's church continues to reach out to the local Pagan community, and since his ex-communication, Wyman has been re-ordained in a new denomination. Through it all, the Pagan community (both locally and internationally) has been supportive of Wyman's efforts for a better relationship between Christians and Pagans.
"On Samhain eve, a group of Witch friends who had been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal before the story broke came down to The Vault (that's what we call our meeting place), and spent time late into the night with us. I have received e-mails from Pagans all over the US, and even from other countries telling us how they appreciate our stand, and how they are appalled by the treatment we've received."
Wyman's experiences show that many Christians aren't ready for the kind of open and honest communication between faiths that his church took on. When you exist within in a faith that claims one path to salvation, it is far too easy to suspect anyone who consorts too closely with different spiritual traditions, or strays too far from the doctrine of "spiritual warfare" of being in league with the "enemy". But I'd like to think Wyman's motivations strike closer to the teachings of Jesus than the actions of his former denomination (or much of Christianity for that matter) do.
Labels: Paganism
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