Order, Disorder, New Order

The Roman Catholics and the Orthodox are particularly benefitting from this. My theory is that we have lived in such a chaotic world that orderly, deeply rooted traditions are becoming increasingly interesting to some. My conservative side rejoices in this. Healthy individuals and societies need order, need a sense of tradition. We need something more than Christianity that looks like a consumer product. My more progressive side, however, worries a bit about this because sometime orderly can mean a deep suspicion toward the wisdom that modernity can bring. Modernity has helped us not overlook the gifts of women, has questioned our certainty that made us keep away from the eucharistic table those who are not quite like us, and has helped us embrace the diverse ways that we are wired. Yes, this makes life a little less orderly, but certainly more interesting and more real. For me, as we move into a new future, in light of a very chaotic world, I need order, a disorder that questions our suspicion to change, and a new order that brings those two together.