Remnant theology, which is accepted in the Anglican Communion, is one of the ways that Christianity interacts, or rather, unifies with Judaism. Instead of replacing Judaism, which is an atrocious thought, or separating completely from Judaism, which leave Christianity a rootless, dead plant, remnant theology grafts its shoot into the olive tree of Judaism and is supported by its root system. It seems so foreign to me as someone of The Middle Way that people would try to choose one way or the other in this sense. Thankfully, I don't have to. It's actually possible for Anglicans to do both without leaving the denomination. I live in a diocese that is known for it's conservatism and close-mindedness when it comes to matters of difference, so I have been accused of apostasy constantly.
It used to be that people weren't allowed to be liberal in this diocese and now conservatives face things the other way. The Middle Way includes both and doesn't segregate difference. Most people can't live it; it's really difficult. As someone who believes in remnant theology, it would be impossible for me to live my faith fully without formation time in a Jewish community. I am blessed and grateful that I have one in El Paso which doesn't exclude me since I was told to leave the church for my own safety because the people couldn't control themselves from retaliating.
It feels weird sometimes to be praying at a Jewish Temple. However, in the last eight years, I have come closer to God the more I understand and embrace the Jewish roots that supports and infuses the Christian faith. Without Judaism, Christianity would not exist. I believe that it can't be fully lived functionally without having a practical understanding of living Judaism in some form. I also know that some people think that I have converted which I haven't.
Remnant theology allows for a faith that is inherently formed by understanding the traditions and experiences found within Jewish civilization and culture. It would be impossible to fully embrace remnant theology without it. I started this specific part of my religious quest about eight years ago and am very blessed to have done so. I know people think that I started this as a result of people fighting over property in the church which was scapegoated as being about the Bible and GLBT people. It's larceny and extortion in the name of God which also isn't new. Nonetheless, I am happy that I kept finding that my life worked better the more I embraced structure, liturgy, and ritualism with the church, and in this case, within the community that has so graciously given me a space to explore and seek God.
The global world is changing. We are not meant to replace or even tolerate one another. We are to accept one another as we are. We are all evolving and growing while hopefully learning throughout our lives to embrace our own humanity. It's difficult to embrace human beings for being human. Globally, faith is being renewed and re-explored which makes this an awesome time to be alive.
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