I am troubled by a Christianity which makes much of differences Christians have. My friend Allan Bevere shares here an extreme example of this.
There is no doubt that we Christians don't agree on everything. And we sadly don't always agree entirely on what is all important, because some of us insist that a good Christian must agree with us on this or that or else they can't work with us or really be one with us in the work of the Lord.
I'm glad to be a part of a denomination in which I can be a Christian pacifist, and believe whatever about Arminianism/Calvinism, or about the tribulation and Jesus' coming, and teach and be one in the work of the local church we're a part of.
I know that within evangelical Christianity there is a shaking going on. There are those who insist on a Calvinism which they see as front and center in their view and proclamation of the faith. There are others who believe that they need to save evangelicalism to what they believe it is about: an inerrant Bible which thus has to be interpreted literally (even when it may not be meant to be taken literally everywhere: an easy example: Jesus is not a gate, but metaphorically he is, for the sheep who metaphorically represent people) meaning we have to resort to a certain view of origins discounting science, etc. And there are others who believe we need to be open to what we can learn from other traditions of Christianity, as well as in science, etc., always reading Scripture at the same time as our basis for faith and practice while not discounting the rule of faith which has come through the church through the centuries. I'm sure I'm framing this too simplistically, and I don't mean to discount and write off those who I don't see eye to eye with.
But I share this to make a point. We have one faith in Jesus. God moves according to that, not according to our own understanding of theology. This is why we should not be confounded to see God's grace at work in the most unlikely places, which for many Christians would mean a different tradition, or even denomination, or sometimes even church within the same denomination (and sometimes even in churches and denominations which before have either denied or underminded the faith). God doesn't seem to value the same things we do. Yet at the same time God wants us to learn to see what is all important in our faith and practice, which of course must be joined together.
Okay. We aren't going to agree on everything such as mode of baptism, whether infants or only believers should be baptized, etc., etc. But we do need to demonstrate clearly to the world that we are one in Jesus, that there is one faith, one Lord, and that all who are true followers of Jesus are one with us in him.
Jesus considered the unity of all who believe in him as part of what is all important. And with other essentials such as Jesus alone as our Savior and Lord, the unity we have in Jesus and living out that unity must likewise become front and center in our lives and witness to the world. Not always easy. And others might not join in. But we need to insist on it, as we learn to pray and work together for others in the way of Jesus.
What might you like to add here, or any thoughts?
Showing posts with label the faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the faith. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
spontaneity and order
Listening to Kevin Vanhoozer recently online (see March 15-16, 2007) reminded me of the value of spontaneity and order. Vanhoozer likens the world and Christian life to a drama lived out. The analogy he draws is compelling, and this book is helpful in seeing his full work on that.
We need to be students of the word of God, of our life in God, of Jesus himself by the Spirit. This involves work over time, though any work at all has value, but we must keep at it. This involves prayer and being in the word, as well as reading good books like the one mentioned above (though what might strike one's fancy may not strike another's; find good books by people of God one might say).
From this can come a needed spontaneity which is a natural response or act coming from what is stored up in one's heart. In other words sponataneity arises from order.
Back to Vanhoozer: he describes it as in a drama. To do the best acting the actors must know their parts well; they must know the character they are acting out as well as possible. So that they learn to think like them, speak and act like them, be like them. And from that learning they must have the freedom to act it out according to the feel they have for it. It must become natural for them, in order for it to be good acting.
Of course the protest will come that mere acting is hypocritical if the heart is not really in it. And Vanhoozer covers that protest well in his second lecture (see first link above). For us in Jesus, as we study or better put, become apprentices of the way, the truth and the life, our hearts are changed. It's an ongoing process, but through it we should more and more reflect in our hearts and lives the one we are seeking to follow, Jesus.
Yesterday in our "devotions" it was brought up that for a number of us, hating someone seems hardly an issue anymore as it was when we were younger and before we came to know the Lord. This just goes to show that a heart change has been going on for us who are in Jesus. We receive a new heart at conversion, and through that we gradually unlearn that which is not in line with it and learn that which is. This is more than the mind; it also involves the whole person. So that who we are is different now than it was times before.
And this "drama" is lived out together in mission to and for the world (as my good friend, John Frye reminded me in a comment the other day). It's not an individual thing. Dramas involve a plot with leading and supporting roles. Everything must work together well for it to come off as a good play. The same holds true for us in the Christian life and experience. We must keep working at this: what we are and our role is in Jesus, together with others: who they are and their role in Jesus, and learn to do this for the benefit of each other and to help us in God's mission to us for the world.
What thoughts might you have, or ways of helping us think through this?
We need to be students of the word of God, of our life in God, of Jesus himself by the Spirit. This involves work over time, though any work at all has value, but we must keep at it. This involves prayer and being in the word, as well as reading good books like the one mentioned above (though what might strike one's fancy may not strike another's; find good books by people of God one might say).
From this can come a needed spontaneity which is a natural response or act coming from what is stored up in one's heart. In other words sponataneity arises from order.
Back to Vanhoozer: he describes it as in a drama. To do the best acting the actors must know their parts well; they must know the character they are acting out as well as possible. So that they learn to think like them, speak and act like them, be like them. And from that learning they must have the freedom to act it out according to the feel they have for it. It must become natural for them, in order for it to be good acting.
Of course the protest will come that mere acting is hypocritical if the heart is not really in it. And Vanhoozer covers that protest well in his second lecture (see first link above). For us in Jesus, as we study or better put, become apprentices of the way, the truth and the life, our hearts are changed. It's an ongoing process, but through it we should more and more reflect in our hearts and lives the one we are seeking to follow, Jesus.
Yesterday in our "devotions" it was brought up that for a number of us, hating someone seems hardly an issue anymore as it was when we were younger and before we came to know the Lord. This just goes to show that a heart change has been going on for us who are in Jesus. We receive a new heart at conversion, and through that we gradually unlearn that which is not in line with it and learn that which is. This is more than the mind; it also involves the whole person. So that who we are is different now than it was times before.
And this "drama" is lived out together in mission to and for the world (as my good friend, John Frye reminded me in a comment the other day). It's not an individual thing. Dramas involve a plot with leading and supporting roles. Everything must work together well for it to come off as a good play. The same holds true for us in the Christian life and experience. We must keep working at this: what we are and our role is in Jesus, together with others: who they are and their role in Jesus, and learn to do this for the benefit of each other and to help us in God's mission to us for the world.
What thoughts might you have, or ways of helping us think through this?
Saturday, March 15, 2008
what to do
In my own simple way, I'm a mind person. I like to work, particularly on theology, and theology that is grounded in the word of God and down to earth, or for us. And the best work of this is done in community, in the context of past and present work of others. And I like exegesis, which goes together with good theology, that is, seeking to understand what God's word is saying to us.
This takes hard work and training and education beyond what I've received to do the very best one can do in it. Just the same, I would like to do what I can on something that perhaps I could contribute something to. I know that sounds far fetched, and there may very well be an element of hidden pride in it. I'm not so sure about that. I know we all stand on the shoulders of those who have preceded us, and we need each other, ever, in whatever endeavor we seek to accomplish.
The advantage of working on one thing, along with fulfilling everything else God has called us to in Jesus (and for all of us, that includes reaching out to others to help them come to Jesus for salvation and become established in him), is that I can keep reading and working on understanding all that I can, so that possibly this can lead to a better understanding of God's will for us in Jesus, in a given area. And even if nothing arises out of that, we can keep saying the same things in a more accurate and clearer way, and in accordance with the need of our day, from Scripture.
I know one might protest, there's nothing new for us to say. But along with the pastor of the Pilgrims before they came to America, John Robinson, I would say that we need to be open for new light to break forth to us from God's word. It's ever from the word and to be measured in that truth, in the faith God has given to the Church through the centuries.
An example of this kind of work is from a true scholar, Scot McKnight, in his book, Community Called Atonement, solidly grounded in Scripture and in the faith.
I know this is rather fuzzy, but it has been on my mind for some time, probably for years. Does any reader have similar sentiments? And what might you add or like to say here?
This takes hard work and training and education beyond what I've received to do the very best one can do in it. Just the same, I would like to do what I can on something that perhaps I could contribute something to. I know that sounds far fetched, and there may very well be an element of hidden pride in it. I'm not so sure about that. I know we all stand on the shoulders of those who have preceded us, and we need each other, ever, in whatever endeavor we seek to accomplish.
The advantage of working on one thing, along with fulfilling everything else God has called us to in Jesus (and for all of us, that includes reaching out to others to help them come to Jesus for salvation and become established in him), is that I can keep reading and working on understanding all that I can, so that possibly this can lead to a better understanding of God's will for us in Jesus, in a given area. And even if nothing arises out of that, we can keep saying the same things in a more accurate and clearer way, and in accordance with the need of our day, from Scripture.
I know one might protest, there's nothing new for us to say. But along with the pastor of the Pilgrims before they came to America, John Robinson, I would say that we need to be open for new light to break forth to us from God's word. It's ever from the word and to be measured in that truth, in the faith God has given to the Church through the centuries.
An example of this kind of work is from a true scholar, Scot McKnight, in his book, Community Called Atonement, solidly grounded in Scripture and in the faith.
I know this is rather fuzzy, but it has been on my mind for some time, probably for years. Does any reader have similar sentiments? And what might you add or like to say here?
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