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Jan
16
At Generous Orthodoxy, the thinktank, they are discussing a recent article by Ron Sider on the vacuum of thoughtful, “popular” writing. I would think my writing is thoughtful, though I do have to work at it to make it for a more “popular” audience.
But I just turned in my integrating motif and an outline of my statement of faith to Bethel Seminary. The Outline was cut up into five basic parts: God, Humanity, Creation, Christianity and the Future.
Here is integrating motif for my seminary studies.
My integrating motif is “missional holism and ecclesial fallibilism in the advancement of the kingship of God”. The key motif here is the advancement of the kingship of God, but I use a more mystical definition of the kingship of God . The mystical definition is meant to stand in contrast with both the liberal political use of the “kingdom of God” and the conservative “other-worldly” use of the term. I then elaborate on how I understand the advancement of the Kingship of God, through two complementary sub-motifs: missional holism and ecclesial fallibilism. The description of missional holism is based on Romans 12 and the description of ecclesial fallibilism is based on 1 John 3:2 and the character of Job, as shown in the prose portions of the Book of Job.
The advancement of the Kingship of God is not accomplished by the capture of the state by Christians but by the capture of people’s hearts and minds by the Word of God. This is the kingship we, like Paul, expound on and witness about using the whole of Scripture . It is not of this world, but concerns this world. It includes the ideal orders that would organically emerge when humanity come to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul and strength and mind and to love their neighbor as themselves. However, it is not something that is to be wielded over others, rather it is like a slippery wheel suspended by a cord from a ceiling . Aspects of it can be grasped but not held onto by anyone and yet it is the objective holistic measure from which we draw inspiration for our missional witnesses and reconcile our ecclesial conflicts.
Missional holism is the presentation of spiritual worship to God by the renewal of our minds, which includes our understandings of our self and our situations. Its purpose is so we will not be conformed, but rather be transformed into agents of transformation. It is a rejection of our age’s worldly wisdom that separates neatly the “sacred” and the “secular” based on how Christ overcame this division. Missional holism venerates all of the gifts that help to advance the kingship of God, including the gift of theological discernment according to the standard of faith. It consists in overcoming evil with good in ways that demonstrate, without hypocrisy, self-sacrificial love.
Ecclesial Fallibilism follows from our incomplete Christology. For, while we are God’s children, we are not as we will be and what we will be has not yet been fully revealed. Though, we know we will be like Christ, as we will someday see Christ as Christ is . In other words, our lack of a complete understanding of what it means to follow Christ is the beginning of all wisdom, the fear of God. We also can learn about ecclesial fallibilism through the character of Job. We, like Job, may lose our integrity. Past holiness will not prevent us, or our leaders, from falling short. But when we realize we have fallen short, we must dissolve our mistaken understandings and practices and repent, as Job did in Job 42:6. We then must turn from evil, as Job did, in two different complimentary ways. He prayed to God on behalf of others, with his friends representing all other nations, and he changed his institutions to express his faith in God and to bless others. Specifically, when Job granted his daughters an inheritance, he trusted in God, not Mammon, to provide for his posterity. If Job was Bethuel, the nephew of Abraham, then God used this leap of faith to bless the Nation of Israel through Rebekah, Rachel and Leah*. We, likewise, need to be willing to risk, in innovative ways, our security so others may enjoy God’s blessings. Ecclesial fallibilism entails a willingness to step out in faith, despite our incomplete understanding of what Jesus would do or what unintended consequences may come from our actions.
*Evidence is given that Job’s historical referent was Bethuel, the other grandfather of Israel, in David Wetzell “Why Did Job Have Friends, Is There a Riddle Here?” Unpublished paper.
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dlw, I like your two categories. Really worth remembering and pondering. Thanks!
….and, I think they go together, very well.
You say: “The advancement of the Kingship of God is not accomplished by the capture of the state by Christians but by the capture of people’s hearts and minds by the Word of God.”
I’d like to hear you expound a bit on what that looks like. I agree that we shouldn’t advance the Kingship of God by the capture of state. But what does it “look like” to indeed capture the people’s hearts and minds by the Word of God in a way that perhaps effects society?
It’s not an easy question to answer.
I think one can point to historical developments where the revival of faith among laity impacted the culture and the politics of countries. The Methodist revivals in England impacted their national character. I think a lot of the positive developments in the US in the early 19th ctry were more due to revivals than the constitution and I think that the civil war had a seriously bad spiritual after-effect, with rampant materialism and other-worldliness in the north, fundamentalism and sullen mean-spirited racism in the south.
I think that the reforms and religious revival made by early Pietist in Brandenburg-Prussia ended up contributing to the rise of Prussia with Frederick the Great. It is only because of the shift from early Pietism to a dualistic Neo-Pietism that the virtues of the same region became critical for the rise of Hitler.
I think what it would look like would depend on the context but inevitably would include greater decentralization of decision-making authority and more honor and obedience for more of those who are making decisions. One feature I think would tend to exist is that parties would be less ideological and more dynamic in their platforms. The movers and shakers would be intermediaries who bring up issues of import for people.
I think that the follies of the Cultural Wars have come from the follies of US Christianity in its twisted form. Some day, we’ll see much of US Christianity as like the 70s Batman show. It did terrible injustices to the concept but it did keep the franchise afloat during a difficult period.
dlw
A better answer to what being captured in one’s heart and mind by the word of God may be that our received worldviews and lives become transformed to become far more Christ-like in all of their aspects. I would submit that the examples mentioned before are examples of what can happen when this is done with partial success. All of the manifestations of Christianity mentioned were flawed some by the aftermath of the 30 yrs war and how the Christian faith got privatized and personalized to cope with the more fallen political conditions that prevailed.
dlw
What??
You discuss the “rejection of our age’s worldly wisdom that separates neatly the “sacred” and the “secular” based on how Christ overcame this division.
I’m struggling with the separation of the “secular” and the “sacred” right now, especially as I feel torn between the two and how to actually differentiate between the two. The more I think about this, the more I wonder if I’m just trying to make silly little categories where there shouldn’t be dividing lines. To me, the secular is part of the sacred and vice versa. Without great ugliness, we cannot see great beauty and great beauty can exist in great ugliness. Anyway!!!
I don’t think we absolutely need ugliness to appreciate beauty, but I think you are right that beauty can exist in a system that contains much ugliness.
thanks for the posts.
dlw
[...] Davos, Switzerland is the location of the World Economic Forum. Wallis has two very interesting post, here and here. Religious leaders are getting more attention at the forum, though Wallis says the discussion needs to go beyond trying to separate “religious types” between extremists and moderates. “Moderates” need to become leaders that will lead wrt social justice issues that will help deal with oppressive realities that contribute to extremism. [...]
[...] I just heard back from Brian McLaren’s wife that said Brian was very interested in reading my statement of faith. [...]