The following is a message that I gave at the Indy East District Men's Lenten Breakfast on March 8, 2008.
John 17:20-23 - 20"I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
When I heard this year’s theme for the Lenten breakfasts, the first thought that came to my mind was Aerosmith’s version of “Come Together.” I know, I know, many of you may be wondering why Aerosmith instead of The Beatles. Well, The Beatles haven’t released a new album since about a decade before I was born. And to make myself seem even younger than you think, when I was in high school, the movie Armageddon came out. Its soundtrack included four Aerosmith songs, one of which was “Come Together.” I actually did not know that “Come Together” was originally recorded by The Beatles until about a month ago. Therefore, every time I think of the song, I can hear Steven Tyler singing it in my head, for better or worse, I’ll let you decide. Now all of this brings me to a key point. I looked at the lyrics the other day, and that song makes no sense whatsoever. In fact, it makes so little sense that there is speculation all over the internet as to its actual meaning. Some say that it is total gibberish; others say that each verse is referring to one of the members of the Beatles; still others say that it was written for a political campaign that never materialized; and of course, there are others who argue that it is about drugs and sex. Through all the confusion concerning these lyrics, one thing is perfectly clear. Nobody really knows what this song means. Thankfully, this is not the case when it comes to Scripture. Yes, there are certainly times when Scripture is confusing and doesn’t seem to make any sense, but Scripture is more than random phrases thrown together, which cannot be said for this song.
There is a very clear and direct reason for Scripture. You see, Scripture is the revelation of who God is and what God has done. The Gospel of John is written with a purpose in mind. In fact, John states his purpose very clearly in John 20:30-31. The apostle writes, “30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John writes so that his audience may come to put their trust in Christ. John’s concern is for people to be unified with Christ. Perhaps this concern is clearest in chapter 17.
John 17 is part of the “high priestly prayer,” and it is the culmination of a dialogue that begins after Jesus washes his disciples’ feet in chapter 13. At the beginning of chapter 18, they go to the garden where Jesus will be betrayed by Judas. In other words, this is one of the last times that the disciples are talking to Jesus before his crucifixion. And what is the primary thing on Jesus’ mind? Unity. But not just unity - unity of the believers. And not just unity of the believers, but unity of the believers for the sake of the world.
You see, there’s a reason why we are called to be one in the body Christ. It’s not so that we can all agree on every issue. Unity for the sake of unity is misguided. There are issues in which the body of Christ should agree, and there will be some that deviate from the witness of Scripture. In these cases, unity can do more damage than good. What good is unity when it comes at the expense of the truth of the gospel? Charles Spurgeon, a British preacher in the 19th century, speaks on this subject.
A chorus of ecumenical voices keep harping the unity tune. What they are saying is, "Christians of all doctrinal shades and beliefs must come together in one visible organization, regardless... Unite, unite!" Such teaching is false, reckless and dangerous. Truth alone must determine our alignments. Truth comes before unity. Unity without truth is hazardous. Our Lord's prayer in John 17 must be read in its full context. Look at verse 17: "Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth." Only those sanctified through the Word can be one in Christ. To teach otherwise is to betray the Gospel.
Strong words. Very strong words from Spurgeon here. We are not called simply to agree on all issues – that is not unity. We are called to be unified through the truth of the Word. The truth of the gospel, sanctification through the Word, is how unity is accomplished. You see, it is only when we give up our desires, our priorities, our agendas that we can truly be sanctified through the Word. It is a matter of submitting our whole life to Christ. Our spiritual life, our physical life, our intellectual life, our relational life, our political life – every aspect of our lives must be submitted to Christ. If this is not the case, then all the unity in the world is for nought. The world can be unified in a lie. The world can be unified in the inconsequential; however, unity in the truth of the gospel is getting exceedingly difficult in today’s world.
We live in a world in which the prevalent thought is “I’m okay, you’re okay. Let’s believe whatever we want.” It’s a world in which people can believe anything as long as it makes them feel better. And there is certainly no shortage of belief systems out there. In fact, I came across a rough estimate that stated some 4,684 different religious groups in the United States alone. This is the world that is around us every day!
John Wesley is often quoted as saying, “Think and let think.” Too often this has been used to lead us down a cushy path of theological relativism; however, the full quote is “we think and let think except in matters that cut to the root of Christianity.” “Except in matters that cut to the root of Christianity.” There are some basics of the faith that we cannot sacrifice for the sake of unity, and one of those basics is the authority of Scripture when it comes to the Christian life. Scripture is not just a historical anthology that merely covers a few thousand years. It is not something that gives us some neat ideas about how to be better people, but otherwise has no bearing on our personal lives. NO! If that is all there is to Scripture, then how is it any more relevant than any book out there written by people such as Dr. Phil? It can’t be. If Scripture is just about self-improvement, then there are other books that we could substitute – books that may be less challenging and make fewer demands on our lives; books that would be much easier to swallow. Scripture is not just a book.
One of the biggest mistakes that has occurred in Methodism in the past forty years was the advent of the term “Wesleyan Quadrilateral.” The Wesleyan Quadrilateral was a term coined by Albert Outler in the mid-1960’s to discuss Wesley’s means of theological reflection. It is a matrix by which one takes into consideration Scripture, tradition, reason and experience in developing a theological foundation. The way that the term has been interpreted over the years has had a profound influence in certain sectors of the United Methodist Church.
What is a quadrilateral? It’s an object with four sides. People have taken this concept to mean that the four sources for doing theology are equally relevant. In other words, tradition is just as important as reason, which is just as important as experience and all three are just as important as Scripture when it comes to developing a theological understanding of the world. But you see, this is a flawed approached. It is not one that John Wesley used. Nor is it the approach that we are to use as United Methodists. Outler himself has said that he regrets using the term “quadrilateral for “contemporary use because it has been so widely misconstrued”. In Wesley, we see somebody for whom Scripture was primary because Scripture, as the revelation of who God is and what God has done, is the final authority for all things regarding the Christian life. For Wesley, and for us today, Scripture is the primary source of our theological understanding. The other aspects – tradition, reason and experience – are all important, but they cannot superceed what has been revealed through Scripture. In John 17, that is what Jesus is talking about – God’s word is truth, and for us today, in 2008, Scripture is a witness of God’s word. There is no room for theological relativism when we see Scripture as authoritative in our lives – our whole life, every aspect of it.
I heard Jeff Greenway, the former president of Asbury Theological Seminary, say on several occasions that the biggest issue facing the United Methodist Church in the next 20 years is not the political hot topics that keep coming up, but the authority of Scripture. Because if Scripture is authoritative in our lives, and we submit to Scripture, then many of these hot button issues are no longer issues, and we can truly be unified as the body of Christ, which brings me to another key point – unity is not for ourselves, but for the world.
The unity of the body of Christ is necessary to serve as a witness to an unbelieving world that is in desperate need of a Savior. One of the primary complaints that I have heard about the Church is that it is full of hypocrites. Of course, I want to say, “Come join us, you’ll fit right in,” but that is often not the best way to approach the subject. But do you see what the problem is here? People within the local congregations are not living out the Christian life Monday through Saturday. Being a Christian is not just a Sunday morning obligation to attend worship service; it is an entire lifestyle. But when we fail to live out our faith, when all we see in the news is Christians bickering back and forth, when we hear about local congregations dividing and fighting over the color of the carpet, why should the world think otherwise?
We do not exist solely as a local congregation. We do not exist solely as the South Indiana Conference. And we do not exist solely as the United Methodist Church. We exist as the body of Christ. Jesus’ prayer is that we can all be united so the world may know who Jesus is and so that the world may know that it is loved by God. Quite frankly, it doesn’t matter if you are United Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, or Pentecostal. Do we have some theological disagreements with some of our non-United Methodist brothers and sisters? Of course we do. Are those disagreements so wide that we cannot come together with them as representatives of the body of Christ to a hurting world? I don’t think so. So I believe that infants can be baptized and that people do not have to be immersed in their baptism. That doesn’t make me a better representative of Christ than my Baptist brothers and sisters. Sure, it makes for a good, light-hearted theological conversation from time to time. But ultimately, if I were to use that as a point of contention, then I am the one that is going directly against what Jesus is praying for in John 17. And I am adding fuel to the fire that stops us from being representatives of Christ to an unbelieving world.
It is important to recognize that our unity is in Christ and Christ alone. It will not be found in theological systems, it will not be found in denominations, and it will not be found in individual ministries. It is only when we are all looking to Christ, submitting ourselves to the Word that we can truly be the body of Christ and show the love of Christ to the world. I want to close today with a quote. It comes from A.W. Tozer’s The Pursuit of God. Tozer was an evangelical pastor, preacher and writer during the first half of the 20th century. Hear now his words,
Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers [meeting] together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.
When we turn our eyes away from Jesus, we start looking elsewhere for what should be right in front of us. Unity in the body of Christ comes when we all are in Christ, even as the Son was in the Father. So let’s come together. Let’s come together and turn our eyes upon Jesus. It is then and only then that we are truly ready to be witnesses of Christ for the world.
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
Really? It's been that long????
So, I've gotten into reading some blogs lately. Some from seminary friends and others from people whose ministries I respect. Then I thought to myself, "When was the last time I updated my blog?" Well, apparently it was in October. As a friend of mine in college once said, "Time's fun when you're having flies." It has been nearly six months since I've added anything to my blog. For the two people that actually read it, I apologize. For those that are stumbling on it right now, well... you probably don't care all that much.
Things have been going well now that I am back in Indiana. I certainly miss Wilmore from time to time, and definitely miss my friends... and playing softball.... But perhaps what I miss the most is making the time to study and reflect on the Word. I'm trying to pick back up on this, and I have a handful of books that I'm working on right now. So, hopefully, I'll have some more to add in the near future. What I am going to do in the next couple of days is upload some of the sermons that I have preached in my local congregation. I've been preaching monthly since December, so I have about 5 sermons to put on here. If you do read this regularly, be sure to check back in the next couple of days to read these sermons.
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
Things have been going well now that I am back in Indiana. I certainly miss Wilmore from time to time, and definitely miss my friends... and playing softball.... But perhaps what I miss the most is making the time to study and reflect on the Word. I'm trying to pick back up on this, and I have a handful of books that I'm working on right now. So, hopefully, I'll have some more to add in the near future. What I am going to do in the next couple of days is upload some of the sermons that I have preached in my local congregation. I've been preaching monthly since December, so I have about 5 sermons to put on here. If you do read this regularly, be sure to check back in the next couple of days to read these sermons.
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
Reflections on Isaiah 40, part 2
Isaiah 40:3-5
A voice cries, “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
You know what I love about Scripture? I love that Scripture consists of 66 books, written by about 50 different authors (give or take a few), over a span of roughly 2000 years. And in spite of the incredibly wide gap, the story is still the same. The opening of this verse is quoted, some 600-700 years later by the writer of the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. The writers see these words as being fulfilled in John the Baptist. John is seen as the one who cries out in the wilderness and prepares the way of the Lord.
Of course, there is a long, complex history behind this thought, and I’ll give a brief overview of it before going much further. Isaiah first writes these words to those who will be in exile. After the return from Babylon, it is recognized that the Jewish people, while not physically in a foreign land, are still in a state of spiritual exile. In Malachi, the final book in the Old Testament, there is a promise. The promise is that Elijah, who never died, would return prior to the coming of the Messiah. He would be the one that would turn the hearts of the people before the “great and awesome day of the Lord comes” (Mal 4:5). Mark, in describing the clothing of John the Baptist, is clearly correlating these two biblical giants. Mark is essentially saying, “The time of promise is at hand. Elijah has returned, and the coming of the Lord is not far behind.”
What is going on in the Isaiah passage? The way back to God is being made easier. You see, the exile was over rough terrain. It was a rugged land, a tough road away from the presence of God in Jerusalem (it was believed that God dwelt in the Temple Mount in Jerusalem). The path away from the presence of God is a rocky road. It is difficult. Things aren’t always that different from our geography. The same can be said of us today. When we stray from God, the path is rocky. It is tough, rugged terrain, and the road back can look just as intimidating. In fact, it can be so intimidating that there doesn’t seem to be any way that one can make it back. How many people have felt like this before? How many people think that the things they’ve done don’t deserve to return to the land of promise? How many people believe they are unworthy of making the trip back over the rugged land? But wait, it is not our task to go back over the rocky road. The dangers that lie ahead have been removed.
Through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the road has been made smooth. That’s what is going on here. The barriers that can seem to be so overwhelming are easily removed by the Lord. The valleys are raised. The mountains are lowered. The rugged land is made plain. It’s not because we can get a bunch of backhoes and do it ourselves. No, in fact, it is quite the opposite. The harder we try, the worse the terrain gets. We can’t fix it on our own. Perhaps the first thing we need to do is realize this simple fact. I’ll say it again. We can’t fix it on our own. There is work that needs to be done, and it is not through our efforts, but through the power of he who was sent by the Lord. The road back has been made easier, but this was not done easily.
The Lord has been revealed through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And it is through these works that the road back has been made easier. It does not have to be filled with the unknown and pain that the journey out was filled with. It has been made level by the Lord. All we have to do is decide to go back. Did you know that some of the exiled Jewish people never returned? Some of them were enjoying the life that they had in Babylon, and decided to stay there. There were successful businessmen. They were popular people in their community. But ultimately, they were a people who had turned their back on their home. They had forgotten their roots and the promises that were made by the one, true God. The decision is there. If we make that first step, I’m not promising that the road will be easy. It is still a long way back to Jerusalem, but it’s not nearly as difficult.
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
A voice cries, “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
You know what I love about Scripture? I love that Scripture consists of 66 books, written by about 50 different authors (give or take a few), over a span of roughly 2000 years. And in spite of the incredibly wide gap, the story is still the same. The opening of this verse is quoted, some 600-700 years later by the writer of the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. The writers see these words as being fulfilled in John the Baptist. John is seen as the one who cries out in the wilderness and prepares the way of the Lord.
Of course, there is a long, complex history behind this thought, and I’ll give a brief overview of it before going much further. Isaiah first writes these words to those who will be in exile. After the return from Babylon, it is recognized that the Jewish people, while not physically in a foreign land, are still in a state of spiritual exile. In Malachi, the final book in the Old Testament, there is a promise. The promise is that Elijah, who never died, would return prior to the coming of the Messiah. He would be the one that would turn the hearts of the people before the “great and awesome day of the Lord comes” (Mal 4:5). Mark, in describing the clothing of John the Baptist, is clearly correlating these two biblical giants. Mark is essentially saying, “The time of promise is at hand. Elijah has returned, and the coming of the Lord is not far behind.”
What is going on in the Isaiah passage? The way back to God is being made easier. You see, the exile was over rough terrain. It was a rugged land, a tough road away from the presence of God in Jerusalem (it was believed that God dwelt in the Temple Mount in Jerusalem). The path away from the presence of God is a rocky road. It is difficult. Things aren’t always that different from our geography. The same can be said of us today. When we stray from God, the path is rocky. It is tough, rugged terrain, and the road back can look just as intimidating. In fact, it can be so intimidating that there doesn’t seem to be any way that one can make it back. How many people have felt like this before? How many people think that the things they’ve done don’t deserve to return to the land of promise? How many people believe they are unworthy of making the trip back over the rugged land? But wait, it is not our task to go back over the rocky road. The dangers that lie ahead have been removed.
Through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the road has been made smooth. That’s what is going on here. The barriers that can seem to be so overwhelming are easily removed by the Lord. The valleys are raised. The mountains are lowered. The rugged land is made plain. It’s not because we can get a bunch of backhoes and do it ourselves. No, in fact, it is quite the opposite. The harder we try, the worse the terrain gets. We can’t fix it on our own. Perhaps the first thing we need to do is realize this simple fact. I’ll say it again. We can’t fix it on our own. There is work that needs to be done, and it is not through our efforts, but through the power of he who was sent by the Lord. The road back has been made easier, but this was not done easily.
The Lord has been revealed through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And it is through these works that the road back has been made easier. It does not have to be filled with the unknown and pain that the journey out was filled with. It has been made level by the Lord. All we have to do is decide to go back. Did you know that some of the exiled Jewish people never returned? Some of them were enjoying the life that they had in Babylon, and decided to stay there. There were successful businessmen. They were popular people in their community. But ultimately, they were a people who had turned their back on their home. They had forgotten their roots and the promises that were made by the one, true God. The decision is there. If we make that first step, I’m not promising that the road will be easy. It is still a long way back to Jerusalem, but it’s not nearly as difficult.
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
Reflections on Isaiah 40, Part 1 of sorts
Why am I calling this “Part 1 of sorts”? Because I’m relatively ambitious. At this point, I fully intend on continuing through the rest of Isaiah 40. However, I’m also horribly inconsistent when it comes to writing ideas. I love writing. I really do. I enjoy reading and studying as well. The problem isn’t doing the work – it’s the motivation. I get fairly unmotivated from time to time and months will pass before I continue doing any real work, as can be seen from the gaps in my archive to your left. So, yes, I fully intend on disciplining myself to the point that I can actually work all the way through Isaiah 40, but I am also realistic… or is that pessimistic… about the actuality of it all. But that’s enough rambling on that subject….
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins (Is 40:1-2, ESV)
Given the flow of the first 39 chapters of Isaiah, it is no surprise where the Israelites are going. It continually talks about Israel’s (or, rather Judah – the southern kingdom) unfaithfulness, which climaxes in the word of God spoken through Isaiah to King Hezekiah in chapter 39 – Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon (Is 39:6-7).
Judah is done. They have gone past the point of safe return. Exile at the hands of the Babylonians is inevitable. What’s the big deal about exile? No people group in the ancient world ever returned from exile. Once you were exiled by a dominate country, you were done. It was the end of the line. Your people were intermixed with other races and eventually disappeared altogether as a distinct people group. There was no recovery. But wait a minute – didn’t God promise the land to Abraham? Didn’t he also promise that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars of the sky? Are God’s promises only temporary? This is where Isaiah 39 leaves the reader – anxious, uncertain of the future, in despair. But God is not finished with these people just yet.
What are God’s first words? “Comfort, comfort my people.” What in the world is so comforting about promised exile? The fact that it is not the end of the line. Now, Isaiah writes these words a century before the exile even happens, and the return, historically, was 50 years later (give or take a couple years). Yet, 150+ years ahead of time, Isaiah is so certain of the promises of God that in the same book he writes about exile, he writes about a return. God is so faithful that Isaiah writes in the present tense – not the future tense. The idea is not that the Israelites will return, but that they are returning. It is not a message of hope so much as a message of certainty. Now, I’m getting a little ahead of myself – what is the thrust of the first two verses here?
No matter how big of a mess we have gotten ourselves into, no matter what we have done to separate us from God – God is faithful, but God’s faithfulness does not preclude discipline. Discipline is often confused with punishment. Punishment is not restorative. Punishment merely addresses the symptoms. Discipline has a purpose. Discipline addresses the illness. After the exile, I don’t recall idolatry being a major problem with Israel – at least not in the classical sense of the word. They were not worshipping other gods, as had been the case for the majority of their history before the exile. Of course, by the time we get to the New Testament, there were other issues that needed to be dealt with, but the problem of worshipping idols was not one of them. There were things that replaced the idols which one could consider to be idolatry – money, pride, power, position, etc. – but the Israelites learned from their exile. Their illness was addressed, and Isaiah 40 begins the restorative process.
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins (Is 40:1-2, ESV)
Given the flow of the first 39 chapters of Isaiah, it is no surprise where the Israelites are going. It continually talks about Israel’s (or, rather Judah – the southern kingdom) unfaithfulness, which climaxes in the word of God spoken through Isaiah to King Hezekiah in chapter 39 – Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon (Is 39:6-7).
Judah is done. They have gone past the point of safe return. Exile at the hands of the Babylonians is inevitable. What’s the big deal about exile? No people group in the ancient world ever returned from exile. Once you were exiled by a dominate country, you were done. It was the end of the line. Your people were intermixed with other races and eventually disappeared altogether as a distinct people group. There was no recovery. But wait a minute – didn’t God promise the land to Abraham? Didn’t he also promise that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars of the sky? Are God’s promises only temporary? This is where Isaiah 39 leaves the reader – anxious, uncertain of the future, in despair. But God is not finished with these people just yet.
What are God’s first words? “Comfort, comfort my people.” What in the world is so comforting about promised exile? The fact that it is not the end of the line. Now, Isaiah writes these words a century before the exile even happens, and the return, historically, was 50 years later (give or take a couple years). Yet, 150+ years ahead of time, Isaiah is so certain of the promises of God that in the same book he writes about exile, he writes about a return. God is so faithful that Isaiah writes in the present tense – not the future tense. The idea is not that the Israelites will return, but that they are returning. It is not a message of hope so much as a message of certainty. Now, I’m getting a little ahead of myself – what is the thrust of the first two verses here?
No matter how big of a mess we have gotten ourselves into, no matter what we have done to separate us from God – God is faithful, but God’s faithfulness does not preclude discipline. Discipline is often confused with punishment. Punishment is not restorative. Punishment merely addresses the symptoms. Discipline has a purpose. Discipline addresses the illness. After the exile, I don’t recall idolatry being a major problem with Israel – at least not in the classical sense of the word. They were not worshipping other gods, as had been the case for the majority of their history before the exile. Of course, by the time we get to the New Testament, there were other issues that needed to be dealt with, but the problem of worshipping idols was not one of them. There were things that replaced the idols which one could consider to be idolatry – money, pride, power, position, etc. – but the Israelites learned from their exile. Their illness was addressed, and Isaiah 40 begins the restorative process.
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
Now What?
The focus of this post will be to examine the importance of our theology in our everyday life. Now that we know where to start with theology, perhaps we need to know why it is so important.
In my previous post, I discussed the starting point for theology. Theology – literally, the study of God – needs to begin with what we know about God. Most theologies begin by looking at the attributes of God on an infinite level – i.e., God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, etc. In other words, think of every good thing, take it to the “omni” and that is part of the nature of God. However, what I am going to suggest is that this is not the place to start, and I am not alone in this suggestion. A movement is beginning that suggests starting our theology with what we know of God as revealed by Jesus Christ, but I do not want to go too far down this road in this post. I want to go back to something maybe even a bit more basic – why do we need to study theology?
It is amazing to me when I look through the local bookstores in the religion sections at how much pure crap there is out there. It’s not limited to the bookstores either. I have spent quite a bit of time on Yahoo!Answers (Y!A), and that time is generally split into two sections – the questions located under “Baseball” and under “Religion & Spirituality.” Now perhaps Y!A is not the best place to spend my “free” time, but I find it facinating to read through some of the questions and answers in both of these sections. What strikes me most is the fact that though the topics are very different, the types of questions are the same.
There are typically three types of questions: 1) the questions that just really wants to state a particular position, but is not interested in dialogue, 2) the questions that actually are legitimate, and 3) the question from a person that is just trying to be obnoxious. The first type of question is usually really easy to spot. You see, when someones asks a question on the message board, it automatically puts a question mark in the headline. Often you will see a “question” that is not a grammatical question, or not really a question in the first place. Example: “Why do the Yankees suck?” That’s not a question befitting a forum such as Y!A. It is rhetorical, and the asker has no interest in what responders have to say. The second type of question is sadly rare. Occasionally there are honest people with honest questions and nobody to talk to about these issues, and they put it up on Y!A. Usually they are met with a mixture of responses – both rude and honest. The third type of question is the more common one. I remember a couple weeks back there was a guy posting questions beginning with ridiculous statements and ending with “what should I do?” It was mildly funny at times, but the guy was a total jerk – even to the point that he was mocking serious beliefs. So, what does this have to do with theology?
A forum such as Y!A is a good cross-section of today’s society. There are arrogant jerks, know-it-all’s, honest people, misinformed people, unintelligent people, good people, bad people, people that are just plain stupid. You name it, and they are there. This is the type of society that we are living in today. How do we live an authentic Christian faith in such a society? How can we possibly survive the snares that are set by enemies of Christianity if we do not know our basic theology? Some of the people that write anti-Christian statements on Y!A are just plain jerks that do not believe in religion and want to mock anyone who does, but some of them are people who have honestly searched and have been misguided in the questions that they are asking. In the real world (i.e. the world outside of the Y!A community), we have to deal with both types of people. Some simply need to be ignored because they are trying to do nothing but get people fired up. Others make false claims that need to be addressed appropriately. Some are simply misguided and need to be corrected with genuine Christian love and understanding.
So this bring me back to my original question – why do we need to study theology? We need to study theology because of the world in which we live. We live in a world that is against Christ, against Christians, and sometimes, quite frankly, against religion in general. When we are called to be Christians, we are not called to leave our brains at the door. A Christian is not intended to be some kind of mindless automaton droid that walks around saying, “Praise Jesus! Praise Jesus! Repent! Repent! Repent!” In fact, Jesus, when asked about the greatest commandment, says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Mt 22:37). Heart, soul and mind – the three major components of each person. The heart is our emotional side; the soul, our spiritual; the mind, our intellectual. In other words, Jesus is saying that we need to love God with our whole being.
Perhaps another key reason why we need to know our theology is because of the very nature of being a disciple. In the Greek, the word for “disciple” also means “pupil, student.” The disciples were learning from Jesus every step along the way. Jesus goes out of his way to explain things to the disciples. He uses general conversation for teaching moments. He does miraculous things, not for the “wow” factor, but to reveal something important about the character of God. We cannot be a disciple without some kind of understanding of what it means to be one. We cannot evangelize, share the good news of Christ, unless we actually understand it ourselves.
Is theology important? Yes! Does this mean that every person needs to know the intricacies of theological minutia? NO! There are some things that are better left for the theologians, but this does not mean that Christians do not need some kind of basic comprehension of what it means to be a Christian.
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
In my previous post, I discussed the starting point for theology. Theology – literally, the study of God – needs to begin with what we know about God. Most theologies begin by looking at the attributes of God on an infinite level – i.e., God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, etc. In other words, think of every good thing, take it to the “omni” and that is part of the nature of God. However, what I am going to suggest is that this is not the place to start, and I am not alone in this suggestion. A movement is beginning that suggests starting our theology with what we know of God as revealed by Jesus Christ, but I do not want to go too far down this road in this post. I want to go back to something maybe even a bit more basic – why do we need to study theology?
It is amazing to me when I look through the local bookstores in the religion sections at how much pure crap there is out there. It’s not limited to the bookstores either. I have spent quite a bit of time on Yahoo!Answers (Y!A), and that time is generally split into two sections – the questions located under “Baseball” and under “Religion & Spirituality.” Now perhaps Y!A is not the best place to spend my “free” time, but I find it facinating to read through some of the questions and answers in both of these sections. What strikes me most is the fact that though the topics are very different, the types of questions are the same.
There are typically three types of questions: 1) the questions that just really wants to state a particular position, but is not interested in dialogue, 2) the questions that actually are legitimate, and 3) the question from a person that is just trying to be obnoxious. The first type of question is usually really easy to spot. You see, when someones asks a question on the message board, it automatically puts a question mark in the headline. Often you will see a “question” that is not a grammatical question, or not really a question in the first place. Example: “Why do the Yankees suck?” That’s not a question befitting a forum such as Y!A. It is rhetorical, and the asker has no interest in what responders have to say. The second type of question is sadly rare. Occasionally there are honest people with honest questions and nobody to talk to about these issues, and they put it up on Y!A. Usually they are met with a mixture of responses – both rude and honest. The third type of question is the more common one. I remember a couple weeks back there was a guy posting questions beginning with ridiculous statements and ending with “what should I do?” It was mildly funny at times, but the guy was a total jerk – even to the point that he was mocking serious beliefs. So, what does this have to do with theology?
A forum such as Y!A is a good cross-section of today’s society. There are arrogant jerks, know-it-all’s, honest people, misinformed people, unintelligent people, good people, bad people, people that are just plain stupid. You name it, and they are there. This is the type of society that we are living in today. How do we live an authentic Christian faith in such a society? How can we possibly survive the snares that are set by enemies of Christianity if we do not know our basic theology? Some of the people that write anti-Christian statements on Y!A are just plain jerks that do not believe in religion and want to mock anyone who does, but some of them are people who have honestly searched and have been misguided in the questions that they are asking. In the real world (i.e. the world outside of the Y!A community), we have to deal with both types of people. Some simply need to be ignored because they are trying to do nothing but get people fired up. Others make false claims that need to be addressed appropriately. Some are simply misguided and need to be corrected with genuine Christian love and understanding.
So this bring me back to my original question – why do we need to study theology? We need to study theology because of the world in which we live. We live in a world that is against Christ, against Christians, and sometimes, quite frankly, against religion in general. When we are called to be Christians, we are not called to leave our brains at the door. A Christian is not intended to be some kind of mindless automaton droid that walks around saying, “Praise Jesus! Praise Jesus! Repent! Repent! Repent!” In fact, Jesus, when asked about the greatest commandment, says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Mt 22:37). Heart, soul and mind – the three major components of each person. The heart is our emotional side; the soul, our spiritual; the mind, our intellectual. In other words, Jesus is saying that we need to love God with our whole being.
Perhaps another key reason why we need to know our theology is because of the very nature of being a disciple. In the Greek, the word for “disciple” also means “pupil, student.” The disciples were learning from Jesus every step along the way. Jesus goes out of his way to explain things to the disciples. He uses general conversation for teaching moments. He does miraculous things, not for the “wow” factor, but to reveal something important about the character of God. We cannot be a disciple without some kind of understanding of what it means to be one. We cannot evangelize, share the good news of Christ, unless we actually understand it ourselves.
Is theology important? Yes! Does this mean that every person needs to know the intricacies of theological minutia? NO! There are some things that are better left for the theologians, but this does not mean that Christians do not need some kind of basic comprehension of what it means to be a Christian.
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
Where Do We Begin?
The heart of this message is to determine where we begin when it comes to theological reflection. Clearly, Scripture is the priority, but this post assumes Scripture is where we start. The question is – how do we develop our theological framework? Where do we start with our theology?
I am fully aware that it has been a long time since my last post. For the handful of people that check frequently, I apologize. As many of you may know, the past few months have been consumed with transition, and some things have fallen by the wayside – no matter how important I think they should be. One such item has been my wrestling with Scripture and theological matters in a medium where I can pour out my thoughts. Hopefully this will be more of a priority in the coming days/weeks/months/years. That being said, I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about theology.
Theology is often ignored. We develop our belief systems without giving them a thorough perusal when it comes to the consistency of our beliefs. In other words, many people hold to contradicting ideas without realizing that they are contradicting. It is only in the midst of conversation that the inconsistencies come up and by then the whole issue is confusing and we are often left embarrassed. The ironic thing is that even when we do really think about what we believe, we do not often catch the inconsistencies. Do not worry, it is perfectly natural. What I want to try to do is examine where I sit when it comes to theology. This, like most major studying projects I endeavor to complete without deadline or grade, will probably go unfinished. But at least I am trying to get my theological juices flowing once again.
The best place to begin when it comes to theology is the most obvious – the beginning. Now, all theology has to be embedded in Scripture. In fact, there can be no truly Christian theology that is not. Scripture is the means by which God has been revealed throughout the centuries. Does this mean that God is not revealed through our daily experiences, the traditions of the Church or through our natural facility of reason? No, of course not, but it is through Scripture that these other three must be examined.
A couple of decades ago, there was a movement among the Methodists that centered on the “Wesleyan Quadrilateral,” or WQ for the rest of this post. Now whether or not it was intended, the WQ was used to place Scripture, Reason, Experience and Tradition on a level playing field. This is a gross misunderstanding of Wesley, as well as the general direction of Wesleyan theology for most of the past 250 years. Wesley understood Scripture as the ultimate measure of theology. If something in one of the other three did not match up, then there is something wrong with our interpretation of the other three – not with Scripture itself. However, with that all being said, I do not want to go too far down the path of Scripture’s place in theology just yet – the time is not right. The basic assumption throughout the rest of this post is that Scripture is the ultimate means by which God is made known in our day and age. Now, with that assumption in place, where do we begin in developing a theological framework? Where do we start when it comes to theology? We start with where God has been revealed.
I am beginning to read Dennis Kinlaw’s Let’s Start With Jesus, and this is going to have a major impact on the words that will follow, and certainly any of the thoughts in some of the upcoming posts. As we read Scripture, God has been revealed in several ways over the centuries. God was revealed to Abraham in the promises of Genesis. God was revealed to Moses in the burning bush. God was revealed to Isaiah in the Temple. But God has not been more fully revealed than in Jesus Christ. Any understanding of God that is not rooted in the revelation of Jesus Christ is necessarily going to fall short.
The Gospel of John begins by the writer taking the words of the creation story found in Genesis 1:1ff and revisioning them in light of Jesus Christ. Instead of “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn 1:1). Creation happens in John’s account as well, but it understands this creation as occuring through the eternal Word. This was a revolutionary idea in first century Judaism.
“Hear O Israel, the Lord our God; the Lord is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4). This is known as the Shema, the monotheistic cry of Israel. Israel was alone in its monotheism in ancient times. Even today, one can only find three forms of monotheism – Judaism, Islam and Christianity, but in antiquity, it was relatively unheard of for there to only be one God. But as one continues to read John’s gospel, one begins to see that this monotheism is taking a new turn. It is being reinterpreted in light of Jesus Christ. Kinlaw writes,
The key phrase in Genesis 1 is ‘and God said.’ It is significant that the Hebrew word used for God (Elohim) is plural while the verb for ‘said’ (wayyo’mer) is singular. In there beginning there was one God, but in that oneness there was a richness that a singular noun had difficulty conveying. With God was his Word, and the Word had its own distinctness. Thus, John could amplify the Genesis account and tell us that creation was the work of the Word of God (23).
It is clear by the end of the gospel that there is a unique relationship between the Son and the Father. The monotheistic cry of the Jews does not change (remember, the early Christians still considered themselves to be Jews), but it takes on a new light. No longer is God understood to be a single monad, but rather, God is understood by the end of the first century Christians to be Triune – three-in-one. It is the great mystery of faith.
So, where do we begin with our theology? It only makes sense that our theology begins with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the full representation of the Father, and our understanding of the Father needs to be re-evaluated in light of Jesus. So, as Dr. Kinlaw suggests, let’s start with Jesus.
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
I am fully aware that it has been a long time since my last post. For the handful of people that check frequently, I apologize. As many of you may know, the past few months have been consumed with transition, and some things have fallen by the wayside – no matter how important I think they should be. One such item has been my wrestling with Scripture and theological matters in a medium where I can pour out my thoughts. Hopefully this will be more of a priority in the coming days/weeks/months/years. That being said, I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about theology.
Theology is often ignored. We develop our belief systems without giving them a thorough perusal when it comes to the consistency of our beliefs. In other words, many people hold to contradicting ideas without realizing that they are contradicting. It is only in the midst of conversation that the inconsistencies come up and by then the whole issue is confusing and we are often left embarrassed. The ironic thing is that even when we do really think about what we believe, we do not often catch the inconsistencies. Do not worry, it is perfectly natural. What I want to try to do is examine where I sit when it comes to theology. This, like most major studying projects I endeavor to complete without deadline or grade, will probably go unfinished. But at least I am trying to get my theological juices flowing once again.
The best place to begin when it comes to theology is the most obvious – the beginning. Now, all theology has to be embedded in Scripture. In fact, there can be no truly Christian theology that is not. Scripture is the means by which God has been revealed throughout the centuries. Does this mean that God is not revealed through our daily experiences, the traditions of the Church or through our natural facility of reason? No, of course not, but it is through Scripture that these other three must be examined.
A couple of decades ago, there was a movement among the Methodists that centered on the “Wesleyan Quadrilateral,” or WQ for the rest of this post. Now whether or not it was intended, the WQ was used to place Scripture, Reason, Experience and Tradition on a level playing field. This is a gross misunderstanding of Wesley, as well as the general direction of Wesleyan theology for most of the past 250 years. Wesley understood Scripture as the ultimate measure of theology. If something in one of the other three did not match up, then there is something wrong with our interpretation of the other three – not with Scripture itself. However, with that all being said, I do not want to go too far down the path of Scripture’s place in theology just yet – the time is not right. The basic assumption throughout the rest of this post is that Scripture is the ultimate means by which God is made known in our day and age. Now, with that assumption in place, where do we begin in developing a theological framework? Where do we start when it comes to theology? We start with where God has been revealed.
I am beginning to read Dennis Kinlaw’s Let’s Start With Jesus, and this is going to have a major impact on the words that will follow, and certainly any of the thoughts in some of the upcoming posts. As we read Scripture, God has been revealed in several ways over the centuries. God was revealed to Abraham in the promises of Genesis. God was revealed to Moses in the burning bush. God was revealed to Isaiah in the Temple. But God has not been more fully revealed than in Jesus Christ. Any understanding of God that is not rooted in the revelation of Jesus Christ is necessarily going to fall short.
The Gospel of John begins by the writer taking the words of the creation story found in Genesis 1:1ff and revisioning them in light of Jesus Christ. Instead of “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn 1:1). Creation happens in John’s account as well, but it understands this creation as occuring through the eternal Word. This was a revolutionary idea in first century Judaism.
“Hear O Israel, the Lord our God; the Lord is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4). This is known as the Shema, the monotheistic cry of Israel. Israel was alone in its monotheism in ancient times. Even today, one can only find three forms of monotheism – Judaism, Islam and Christianity, but in antiquity, it was relatively unheard of for there to only be one God. But as one continues to read John’s gospel, one begins to see that this monotheism is taking a new turn. It is being reinterpreted in light of Jesus Christ. Kinlaw writes,
The key phrase in Genesis 1 is ‘and God said.’ It is significant that the Hebrew word used for God (Elohim) is plural while the verb for ‘said’ (wayyo’mer) is singular. In there beginning there was one God, but in that oneness there was a richness that a singular noun had difficulty conveying. With God was his Word, and the Word had its own distinctness. Thus, John could amplify the Genesis account and tell us that creation was the work of the Word of God (23).
It is clear by the end of the gospel that there is a unique relationship between the Son and the Father. The monotheistic cry of the Jews does not change (remember, the early Christians still considered themselves to be Jews), but it takes on a new light. No longer is God understood to be a single monad, but rather, God is understood by the end of the first century Christians to be Triune – three-in-one. It is the great mystery of faith.
So, where do we begin with our theology? It only makes sense that our theology begins with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the full representation of the Father, and our understanding of the Father needs to be re-evaluated in light of Jesus. So, as Dr. Kinlaw suggests, let’s start with Jesus.
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.
The Journey or the Destination: Reflections from Ezekiel 37
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. I guess getting ready to move after four years of school has a way of doing that to someone. I graduated from seminary not too long ago, and as of the time of this writing, I do not exactly know where I am going. My wife has a job back home, and I will be transferring to a retail store, but no word on a ministry job just yet. It’s a very exciting time, but it is also a very uncertain time. I’m starting to get an idea of what Dickens meant when he wrote, “It was the best of time; it was the worst of times.”
I was reading Ezekiel 37 the other day, and my wife came in and asked me why I was studying. I don’t have classes anymore. I’m not required to read anything now. My response, “I finally have a chance to study what I want.” I’ve been thinking a lot about renewal lately. It is rather appropriate given that I’ve been worn down from studying pretty much since January of ’06. I haven’t taken a break from classes in well over a year. Immediately, my mind shifted to the Valley of the Dry Bones, which is found in Ezekiel 37. I’m still working through the chapter, but for the first time in a while, I felt like writing.
In Eze 37:2, the bones have been described as “very dry,” and we get the idea that this valley is full of these dry bones. To emphasize the fact that the bones are dry (in fact, the Hebrew word can also be translated, exceedingly) is to point out the total lack of life that is involved when it comes to the bones. A dry bone is about as far away from life as one can possibly get. It does not get any worse for a bone than this. This was the state of Israel. Israel was in exile at this time. Ezekiel is writing and doing ministry in Babylon among the Israelite exiles. They had gotten to the point where they were so far from life – so far from Yahweh – that they were nothing more than dry bones in a valley. However, this analogy does not end with Israel. This is also the state of those who are living life apart from Christ. In the gospel of John, Jesus says, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:6). If no one comes to the Father without Jesus, and the Father is also described throughout Scripture as the Creator, then there is no life outside of one’s relationship with God. Sure, there’s physical life, there’s psychological life, and there’s emotional life, but that’s not the whole story. There’s more to life than just the physical, psychological and emotional. The most important part of life is our spiritual life. There is no true life without our spiritual life. We cannot live life to the fullest unless we pay attention to the spiritual aspect of our lives, and develop the relationship with our Creator.
So, Ezekiel is taken to this valley that is full of dry bones. The sheer number and the condition of the bones have to be rather disheartening for the prophet, but then he is asked a question. “Can these bones live?” God, the creator and sustainer of all life, is asking Ezekiel if these bones can live. Of all who could possibly asking this question, one would think that God would never ask a question such as this… unless He was trying to make a point. I think Ezekiel got it. His response, “O Lord God, you know” (Eze 37:3), or as the NIV puts it, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” No matter the situation, no matter how bad things may look, there is one who can bring new life – even from the driest of bones. Ezekiel got it – with God all things are possible, and God tells Ezekiel to prophesy. God tells Ezekiel to tell the bones to “hear the word of the Lord” (Eze 37:4). This is how they start to come to life – they hear the Word. In the beginning God speaks and creation happens. Every step along the way is guided by the word of God. So, what happens when Ezekiel shares the word of God with these very dry bones? There is a rattling and the bones come together, then the sinews, then the flesh, and then the skin, but there is not life just yet. Life does not happen for the bones until the breath enters into them. The Hebrew word used for breath is a fantastic word. It is ru’ach, which means breath, or spirit. In other words, the spirit of God is what ultimately brings the bones to life.
The movement from dry bones to new life is a process. There is no reason why God couldn’t have brought them back immediately. As Ezekiel made clear, with God anything is possible. It seems as though there is something important about the process, something about the journey that is key on the path to wholeness. We live in a society now that wants immediate results. We can get fast food when we’re hungry. We have gas stations and Wal-Marts that are open 24 hours a day, so we can get whatever we want whenever we want. Immediate gratification is a value in our society. We also have the other extreme.
There are parts of our society that focus more on the process and totally forget about the results. I pass a certain church on my way to work, and they usually have some banner out front that makes me wonder about the kinds of things that they teach. For a long time, they had one that said, “Real faith is about searching for answers, not presuming to know them.” You see, they place the emphasis on the quest. They emphasize the journey to the extent that it becomes what is important; it becomes the content of faith. This is just as mistaken as placing all the emphasis on the results. God has done a lot of work on me over the years, and very rarely has any big work been done immediately. Often it is a long, drawn out process because of my own stubbornness. So, I guess when the question comes up – the journey or the destination – what are we to say? I think the best answer is, “Yes, and yes.” There is a delicate balance that we have to maintain between emphasizing the journey and emphasizing the destination. We go on a road trip so that we can get somewhere, but we also go on a road trip to enjoy some of the scenery along the way. The path of spiritual renewal is both a process and a destination. The dry bones could have suddenly come to life by the hand of God, but He brought them to life through a process.
Just some musings from a traveling pilgrim.