September 20, 2015
Crypto-Unitarian
Following is a quote from Reverend Nadia Bolz-Weber and her interview on the NPR show Fresh Air.
For me these words show that there are people in mainline religion who stay there, even though they are really Unitarian in theology, and thus are crypto-Unitarians. It also reveals that there are people, like Bolz-Weber, who consciously reject following our way, even if they are OK with who and what we are.
The prefix “crypto” means secret or hidden.
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I just don’t think that belief should be the basis of belonging to a community like this, and so we don’t sort of make that the central reason why somebody belongs. So we don’t even talk about belief that often in my church, strangely. It’s not that I don’t care; it’s that I don’tfeel responsible for what people believe. I feel very responsible for what they hear, as their preacher, as their pastor
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We have people who are atheist, agnostic, people who are very evangelical in their faith; somehow it’s a space where people who believe a lot of different things can come together, but that doesn’t mean I’m like a crypto-Unitarian. So I’m not just quoting Thich Nhat Hanh in my sermon; I mean, I’m actually a very orthodox Lutheran theologian, and it’s a very sort of Christo-centric community, but it’s one in which really everyone is welcome to come and participate.”
Rev. Thomas Perchlik's Weblog 