Report on July

Interestingly, July had as many hits as June, even though readership largely went to the beach over the 4th and I stopped much in the way of writing before the month ended. That’s encouraging. Thanks for reading!

Here are the most popular posts for the month —

A Question about Congregational Autonomy

I get emails. Here’s one with a very thoughtful question about congregational autonomy —

… According to Josephus, there were 100,000 Christians in Jerusalem at the end of the first century (or so I have heard – I have not read that in Josephus myself). But if that is true, where did they all meet? I think we assume there was a Main Street Church of Christ at the time and every Sunday all the Jerusalem Christians assembled for worship. We assume there was one congregation of the saints in one city and everyone knew one another and they all met in one location regularly.

Colbert and Congregational Autonomy

Just thought you’d enjoy Colbert’s take, as a Catholic, on the Anglican split over gay priests.

On Slowing Down

Dear readers,

I’m going to slow the pace of posting for awhile. I’m not sure how much or for how long. I just know I need to take a break.

I’ve got some medical issues to deal with over the next few weeks, and I’m feeling pretty lousy. So I don’t think I can do the blog justice right now. (It has to do with my arthritis. I’m not dying, having surgery, or anything like that.)

And so, if I don’t respond to your questions or go several days without posting, don’t give up on me. I’m still alive and kicking. I’m just on an internet vacation.

Jay

Which Gospel? The Gospel of Community (Breaking Bread)

I was about to move on to the next topic when I realized I’d never addressed the description of Christian community found in Acts 2. Immediately after Peter’s sermon and the baptism of 3,000, we read,

(Acts 2:42-47) They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Surprised by Hope: God’s Justice and Illegal Immigration, Part 3

Notice how we tend to think about political issues.

* Some of us see political issues as entirely separate from Christianity. Church has nothing to do with illegal immigrants. The Bible simply doesn’t address such things.

* Others see the “spiritual” part, but that’s all. Hence, we should certainly invite immigrants, legal or illegal, to church and share Jesus with them, but the question of whether they should be here in the first place is purely political and quite separate from spiritual concerns. The Bible is only about salvation, not government.

* Contrary to either of those views, I’m arguing that our Christianity touches and changes everything about us. In fact, as politics is often all about nationalism and selfishness, Christianity especially touches and changes politics. Indeed, Christianity condemns nationalism and selfishness, and wrapping those up in the name of politics does not rescue them from God’s judgment (meaning by “nationalism” allowing our concern and love to stop at a man-made border).

Surprised by Hope: God’s Justice and Illegal Immigration, Part 2

We are the aliens

The next theological observation is found in several verses, such as —

(Heb 11:13) All these people [in the honor roll of faith] were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.

(1 Pet 1:17) Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.

(1 Pet 2:11) Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

Surprised by Hope: God’s Justice and Illegal Immigration, Part 1

I’ve been trying to think of a good example of the difference between the Christian perspective and the political perspective for class. I think illegal immigration likely shows the difference as well as anything.

Imagine that you’re a U.S. Senator. What are the political considerations that impact a decision on what to do about illegal immigration?

Which Gospel? The Gospel of Community (More Hauerwas)

I probably shouldn’t spend this many posts on the subject — except it’s an area where we struggle … a lot.

In America today, community is largely gone. We often barely know our neighbors. We find work is the center of our social life, and yet work is an unnatural place to make friends. I mean, we’re supposed to be busy working — and work brings only certain kinds of people together. It’s just not an entirely satisfactory place to find true community.

Which Gospel? The Gospel of Community, Part 4 (Small Groups)

The fashionable remedy to the Biblical need for community is a program of small groups — and they are fast becoming a standard part of how everyone does church. Which worries me, because if everyone is doing it, it must not be very hard. And because if it was all that effective we’d be seeing churches and denominations radically changed — and we’re not.

Well, in some places it’s happening. But most places, small groups don’t accomplish all that much. They are vastly better than what they replaced — Sunday night worship, typically — but they aren’t all that effective in forming our members to be like Jesus.

Which Gospel? The Gospel of Community, Part 3 (Kingdom Parables)

Have you ever noticed how often Jesus begins a parable with the “Kingdom of Heaven is like …”? Well, replace “Kingdom of Heaven” with “church”* and re-read those parables. For example,

(Mat 13:31-32) He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”

Which Gospel? The Gospel of Community, Part 2 (Romans 12)

Notice how in Romans 12 Paul speaks of individual transformation, but  this is expressed over and over again in terms of relationships within the Kingdom —

(Rom 12) Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will. 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

Which Gospel? The Gospel of Community, Part 1 (Introduction)

Here’s the part of the chart that describes what community is all about —

• the journey from slavery to freedom in the Promised Land was a community journey
• devote selves to fellowship
• meet daily
• all things in common
• sharing
• breaking of bread
• eat together
• need each other
• rejoice and mourn with each other
• love each other
• commit to serve one another

Which Gospel? The Gospel of Unity

It’s a little surprising that so many baptism, communion, and “gospel” passages point directly toward unity of the saints. I mean, it’s something everyone gives lip service to, but we really don’t take unity seriously, do we?

And yet … in Ephesians 4, the “one baptism” passage is all about the unity of God’s church. In 1 Corinthians, when Paul talks about the meaning of the Lord’s Supper, he emphasizes the unity it symbolizes. And the gospel is repeatedly expressed in terms of the unity of all people and all nations.

Surprised by Hope: Beauty

Wright likens the world to a chalice or a violin — beautiful in itself but much more beautiful in anticipation of the wine it will hold or the music it will play. Thus, the world in which we live is beautiful especially because of the even greater beauty it will display when it becomes the dwelling of God.

Therefore, he argues, it is fitting that the church have a well-developed sense of beauty. Indeed, the theology of a new heaven and new earth should open up our artistic sensibilities for new, better art.

Surprised by Hope: The Resurrection, Mission & Kingdom

Wright cites as a central verse 1 Cor 15:58 —

(1 Cor 15:58 ) Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

“Therefore” means because of what Paul just taught about our resurrection bodies, we should give ourselves to the Lord’s work. We are assured that it’s for a good purpose.

Surprised by Hope: Justice

Beginning at page 213, Wright argues that one part of the church’s mission is justice. By “justice” he means the realization of God’s plan to set the world right.

Wright warns us against the view of many that the world is such a mess that we’ve been saved to escape it. And he warns us against the “social gospel” view that man (or government) is the cure for man’s ills. Rather, true justice comes only through people, empowered by God through his Spirit, working in God’s mission.

Which Gospel? The Gospel of the Spirit: On Becoming Truly Human for the First Time, Part 2

Eden

Look at it this way. Back in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve walked with God. They were God’s household. It was no mere metaphor. They enjoyed communion with the Almighty in a very tangible, immediate way.

For a while, they did not sin. With one exception, they didn’t know how to sin. But they fell, and the Creation was cursed. Because sin cannot exist in Eden, Eden had to be taken away.

Today, by means of the Spirit, we enjoy God’s presence. Just as God dwelled with the Israelites in the tabernacle and Solomon’s temple, God dwells in each of us and in his church (especially) through his Spirit. He not only lives, he lives in and with us!

Managing Missions: Are Short-Term Missions a Good Investment?

Thanks to Monday Morning Insight, I found this recent article in the Washington Post questioning the benefits of short-term mission trips.

Fairfax Community Church is repositioning its mission trips “to get away from the vacation-with-a-purpose, large groups going somewhere to build something” focus, said Alan MacDonald, the church’s pastor of global engagement.

The church is sending out smaller teams of experts to work on projects with partner churches. For example, it is sending information technology professionals who are fluent in Spanish to a church in the Dominican Republic to train members in computer skills so they can get better jobs, MacDonald said.

Which Gospel? The Gospel of the Spirit: On Becoming Truly Human for the First Time, Part 1

In the last post on this topic, I mentioned a “gospel of true humanity.” It’s not something we talk about much, but it’s important — nearly central. It is, after all, what the Spirit is all about. And the baptism and the gospel passages frequently speak of the Holy Spirit.

True humanity

In the last post, we considered the paradox of being “freed” to become a slave of righteousness. This theme begins at the beginning of chapter 6, where Paul explains that our baptism frees us from slavery to sin (6:6).