BishopCraigsSpirituality

Bishop Craig's Spiritual FAQ

Since I serve people from a wide variety of religious backgrounds, including no religious background at all, I thought it might be helpful to address some frequently asked questions.

What is a bishop? A bishop is a member of the clergy who has the same primary responsibility that any other clergy person does - to love and serve‚ all people. They also have a secondary responsibility to serve as a supervisor, for lack of a better word, of other clergy. Some people think that bishops only exist in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox world, but that's not accurate. Bishops also serve in the Episcopal/Anglican Church, most of the Lutheran Church, the United Methodist Church, the Independent and Old Catholic Churches, the Church of God in Christ, and others. While it is true that the theological understanding of bishops in each of those Churches varies somewhat, the role of the bishop is essentially the same. Even in Churches that do not have bishops, they generally do have someone filling that role and called by a different title than bishop. A rose by any other name is still a rose!

Are you non-denominational? What most people are actually asking when they ask if I am non-denominational is whether or not I am going to impose my views on them or require them to join my denomination - and the answer to that question is most definitely, "no!" I do serve a denomination, however. It is called The Universal Anglican Church, or UAC (www.TheUAC.net). The best way to understand the UAC is that it is a non-sectarian, radically inclusive denomination with a heavy focus on social justice. Each ministry has almost complete autonomy. We seek to serve those who have been estranged from the Church as well as those for whom the institutional Church just doesn't work. We seek to meet people where they are rather than forcing them to conform to some preconceived notion of where they should be.

I do serve a local church. It is called UAC Milwaukee, and our website is www.UACMilwaukee.org. We are a contemporary and progressive church, wioth a number of offerings in many different areas. I invite you to visit our website to learn more. I am in my eleventh year of ordained parish ministry.

What is your personal spirituality? To answer that question fully would require an essay of some length, but I will try to present an overview in this space. I begin by referring you to the website that is the distillation of not just my eleven years in ordained ministry but also my lifetime of spiritual exploration, study, and discernment. Please visit our website at www.ChristEnlight.org and we also invite you to visit our discussion forum and social networking site located at www.ChristEnlight.spruz.com. These websites represent the core of my spiritual teaching. Some people have asked what the image in the Christ Enlight logo is - their guesses would keep a Freudian analyst busy for a lifetime! The image is a refracted ray of light, and seemed appropriate to me because a metaphor for God in almost every tradition is light.

I will say that my spirituality is that God is much bigger than any single Church, denomination, or tradition. I don't for a minute believe that any of us has God completely captured, for to do so would make us larger than God - in fact, it would make us God. I do believe that there is a commonality between all religious traditions, and that commonality is compassion and love. If you want to experience God I suggest you live a compassionate, selfless, loving life.

I also believe, as a follower of Jesus, that in general, institutional Christianity has done a very poor job of representing Jesus. Historically, the Church in all its forms has been its own worst enemy. It has been unresponsive to the needs of people, it has been slow to adjust to cultural changes, it has been profoundly arrogant in its assumption that it has the power to separate people from God, and it has piled layers and layers of man made rules (and they have been largely made by men, not women) onto the teachings of Jesus. In doing so I believe it has distorted Jesus' message almost beyond recognition.

I also believe that whatever works for you is a beautiful thing! If you are a traditional Christian, great! If you aren't a part of any Church and consider yourself spiritual but not religious, great! If you are somewhere in between, great! If you are an atheist, great! If you are Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Mormon, Buddhist, Wiccan, Zoroastrian, into Native or Indigenous Spiritualities, or anything I haven't listed, great! On my own spiritual journey I have participated in spiritual experiences or educational opportunities (listed here in no particular order) in the Roman Catholic, Universal Anglican, Episcopalian, Lutheran (ELCA and WELS), Congregational, Methodist, Non-denominational, Kemetic, Independent Catholic, Presbyterian, American Baptist, Native American, Buddhist, United Church of Christ, Hindu, and Islamic traditions. For me to claim that I am right and you are wrong would be tantamount to declaring myself to be God, and that would be the height of arrogance. On my spiritual journey, I find that I learn from everyone I encounter.

I have other questions. How can I get them answered? I am happy to answer all questions, and I will add the answers to this FAQ as well as answer you personally. Please feel free to email your questions to craig.bergland@gmail.com and I will send you my answer!