The Edge of Faith

913 Tracy Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri
 (Original home of Unity Society of Practical
Christianity, now Unity Church Universal)

Many Unity folks describe Unity as “positive, practical, progressive Christianity.” Our teachings are based on Jesus’ message and the power of prayer.  We honor universal religious truths and respect each person’s choice of a spiritual path.[1] So, what does the edge of faith mean?  One way is to explore faith as in religion.  We may ask “What is Unity?  What will Unity become?  We may also explore faith as a spiritual ability.  What is my role?  How do I trust in a higher power or my higher self?”   

What does it mean to live on the edge?  What do you think of? Whether its a blade, a border, a cliff, or doubt – the edge means risk. When we look in the ancient Hebrew Scriptures, we find warnings about the edge!  The priestly writers cautioned people not to reap to “the very edges” of a field, not “mar the edges” of their beards, and how the edge of garments should be prepared to avoid unraveling.  We also find courageous characters like Joshua and Moses, whether they wandered to the edge of their territory or reached the edge of the Red Sea and then walked through it!  The writers suggested living on the edge of their faith; stretching to trust is living closer to the Divine.  Positive connotations of the edge suggest advantage or mprovement.  You are on the “leading edge” or you’ve “got the edge!”  The Christian Scriptures demonstrate Jesus’ courage.  The author of the book of Luke tells the story of Jesus being rejected by a Samaritan village.  A few verses later we find the Parable of the Good Samaritan attributed to Jesus.  A lawyer tests Jesus about who his neighbor is.  Jesus responds not with the story of a man beaten and nearly dead.   The story demonstrates the edges Jesus challenged people to live.   Luke 10:33 reads: ^“But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with compassion.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him (NRSV).”  Jesus called on his listeners to care for others.  He healed people on the Sabbath, befriended outcasts and called on his listeners to reach out to those who were different from them.  He called on people to care, engage, to love!  Jesus chose to live on the edge of his faith.

Eric Butterworth called on his students to live on the edge of their faith.  In Discover the Power Within You, Butterworth explores Matthew 16:18 where Jesus says “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.”  Butterworth understands Peter as representing the quality or ability of faith.  Like a rock, he held steadfast.  The “inner life of man” is built on the quality of faith.  Butterworth describes how church officials constructed a hierarchy based on the idea that Peter was the first leader.  Historically, Peter may have died before the church in Rome even began. 

Current biblical scholarship suggests that the earliest churches were begun by Paul.  He asked his followers “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16).”  But, the whole story of Jesus referring to Simon by the name of Petra may be the creation of the writer of Matthew.  This Jewish writer envisioned a new group of people committed to spiritual experiences.  They were living on the edge of a culture of expectations about Judaism and pagan religion.  The earliest Greek word for church refers to people or what Butterworth calls the “called out ones.”  The early Christians lived on the edge of their faith.

When we examine the past, we “honor those who came before us.”  Our visions are filled with their visions.  Myrtle and Charles Fillmore, the founders of Unity, were courageous.  Think about it. They started a mystical Christian movement in one of the most conservative parts of the country.  They were Republicans in a city run by a corrupt Democratic machine.”  They chose to be vegetarians in a town known for its barbeque.  They ordained women as ministers and they started a Unity city before they had the money!  They chose to live on the edge of their faith!  We honor those who walked and talked on the edge!  The point is simply this, when we examine the edge of our faith, our faith expands.  I choose to live on the edge of my faith. 

[1] http://unity.org/aboutunity/whatWeBelieve/index.html