I've really enjoyed practicing different methods of "communicating with Jesus," if you will, at the beginning of lectures. Today we spent 5 minutes reciting the Jesus Prayer, which is various forms of "Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner." Repeating it over and over without letting my mind wander was a challenge. But during this exercise, I had a flashback to Ethiopia. One night the General had taken another girl and me to see some hyenas. There was a garbage dump where the hyenas would come after dusk for food. We sat in his vehicle in the dark in complete silence waiting to see the notorious and iniquitous hyena make its approach. After about 45 minutes, without any sign of life, we wondered if our trip was going to be in vain. Then I turned to look behind the vehicle and there was a lone hyena lurking along the road. Now this was bizarre because 1) hyenas usually roam in packs and 2) it wasn't going towards to garbage pile. So during this flashback, I felt like God was using that experience to remind me to be cautious of the devil. We might think we're focused and guarding ourselves against evil, but what's happening in the periphery?
~ ...so that we may not be taken advantage of by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his intentions. ~ 2 Corinthians 2:11
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
bishops
Our lecture today got a bit stuck on the topic of bishops in the early church. These were the leaders of the house churches and their role gradually grew to oversee entire towns, or parishes, and then multiple parishes. It's quite similar to the structure some mainline denominations have today. However, in this time the bishop really held a lot of authority...too much, really. Church couldn't take place without a bishop present. They were ordained and were viewed to have the power to offer forgiveness for wrongdoing, serve communion and baptize.
The Early Church
Discussion of the early church continued this week. We learned that the body of believers continued to meet in homes, and did not build church structures until around 200-250AD. During this transition, services became more formalized with structured, rather than spontaneous, prayer.
I got a lot of insight into the tradition of baptism through this lecture. We learned how serious and pivotal of an occasion baptism was for the early believers. There was often a 3 year initiation and preparation phase during which the individual was encouraged to fast, pray, and rid themselves of old sins. Their entire life was inspected with a fine-toothed comb to ensure that they weren't hiding any skeletons in the closet. This event grew to such an extreme magnitude that people began delaying their baptism because they thought you could not sin after it happened. Many would rather live as they chose and then make the commitment as late in their life as they felt comfortable.
Since these people placed so much emphasis on baptism and believed that salvation was tied to the act, parents began to have their children baptized at a younger and younger age to protect their souls. As a result, this thorough practice of instruction and preparation began to decline.
It's just interesting to see how the practice of baptism became skewed as a result of our human preferences and priorities. Jesus was quoted in Acts, "This is what you heard from Me, for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
I got a lot of insight into the tradition of baptism through this lecture. We learned how serious and pivotal of an occasion baptism was for the early believers. There was often a 3 year initiation and preparation phase during which the individual was encouraged to fast, pray, and rid themselves of old sins. Their entire life was inspected with a fine-toothed comb to ensure that they weren't hiding any skeletons in the closet. This event grew to such an extreme magnitude that people began delaying their baptism because they thought you could not sin after it happened. Many would rather live as they chose and then make the commitment as late in their life as they felt comfortable.
Since these people placed so much emphasis on baptism and believed that salvation was tied to the act, parents began to have their children baptized at a younger and younger age to protect their souls. As a result, this thorough practice of instruction and preparation began to decline.
It's just interesting to see how the practice of baptism became skewed as a result of our human preferences and priorities. Jesus was quoted in Acts, "This is what you heard from Me, for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
House church, continued
We continued our discussion in Church and Mission talking about the Early Church and how it was organized. At the end of the 1st century, roles became more defined and titles were created, such as bishop, deacon, elder, etc. They continued to meet in homes, though, and the idea of family was centered around the entire faith community that met in the homes. I love this! House churches really emphasize community, and seek the well-being of the whole. They are becoming more popular now for multiple reasons: deepening community, being more financially efficient (!!!), and allowing greater participation amongst all members of the group. I think about the stage of life where I wanted to attend a mega church and be anonymous. While I enjoyed the worship, I was not contributing anything. We are called to be the BODY of Christ, and as such, must be active participants, exercising the gifts God has given each of us.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Book Review #2
The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle
“Every five hundred years, the church cleans out its attic and has a giant rummage sale.”
Tickle writes from the perspective of an editor, understanding that much has been written about the history of Christianity, but not much of it is written for the average layperson who is seeking a new perspective on church and faith. The author begins to explain this major event, referred to as the Great Emergence, following the timeline of a drastic shift in the church roughly every fifth century since Christ’s birth and life on earth. Out of the major upheaval, she contends that 3 consistent results occur: 1) a more vital form of Christianity emerges, 2) the organized expression of Christianity is reconstituted into a purer, more organic form, and 3) because of #2, the faith spreads.
In the book, Tickle outlines the various elements of the Great Emergence, from information overload, to dependency on machines.
In chapter 1, she talks about the early church and how that since Christianity was the religion of the Roman Empire, many new “raiders-turned citizens” adopted it. It is noted that no form of organized Christianity has ever been destroyed during one of these 500 year eruptions. Monasticism was birthed during this age, representing true demonstrations of faith. This has made a new revival in today’s faith practice, as well as traditions of Orthodoxy. The Roman Catholic Church saw changes, losing dominance, but being freed to address some of the corruption and shortcomings they were experiencing. Tickle acknowledges that it is not only Christianity that experiences these 500 year cycles; both Jewish tradition as well as Islam can claim a similar pattern.
Chapter 2: Religion is a social construct. Tickly uses interesting imagery to describe how we as human beings need spirituality to give life meaning. She describes a cable, saying that the outer mesh layer represents common agreement about how the world works and should be understood. Then there are 3 strands inside the tube that are intertwined to strengthen the chord: spirituality – experiences and values that are internal to the individual, corporeality – evidence that religion exists, and morality – externalization and application of values and experiences of the individual who make up a society. These things bind the faith community together until that major occurrence, about once every 500 years when the outer layer and the inner chords suffer a blow at the same time.
Chapter 3: Scripture only and only Scripture. During the Reformation, focus was on the priesthood of all believers and solo scriptura. Assaults were organized against Islam. This was a time of great advances in the field of science and mathematical knowledge. Protestantism grew, as well as individualism and emphasis on the nuclear family. An entrepreneurial middle class formed. There was a shift from money to information as the building block of economic power. The printing press was invented and globalization began. The Catholic Reformation took place around the same time.
Half a millennium prior to the Great Reformation was the Great Schism, or the Crusades – a holy campaign to rescue Jerusalem and the Middle East from Islam (p 59).
Chapter 4:Here the influence of Darwin is discussed, as being the impetus for new cultural, social, political and theological thought. Also, Michael Faraday’s research on electromagnetic current. In response to scientific focus, a conference held in Niagara Falls outlined Christianity outlined 5 true beliefs: inerrancy of scripture, divinity of Jesus, historicity of Virgin birth, substitutionary nature of the Atonement, physical, corporeal return of Christ (65-66). Influence of philosophers – Campbell, Descartes… who has the authority? “Emerging Christians are the immediate products of the 20th century” (p 74).
Chapter 5: German theologian Reimarus, asked, “ What if Jesus of Nazareth and the Jesus of Western history and thought are not the same?” (p. 80). 1906 marked the advent of Pentecostalism – Azusa Street. Charles Parham is regarded as the creator of Pentecostalism. Participatory worship became the norm, and the Pentecostal church grew exponentially, becoming the 2nd largest Christian body in the world! This faith tradition asserts that ultimate authority is experiential rather than canonical (p. 85).
Chapter 6: The Great Emergence…Christianity has grown exponentially, not only in geographic base and numbers, but also in passion and call to brotherhood of all peoples (p. 121). This emergent movement is still new, so it’s difficult to define exactly what it is. Liturgy is brought back, social justice is emphasized, the “new monasticism” – incarnational ministry. This is a gathering center from all the distinctive former branches or denominations. However, there will still be more extreme pockets that stay on the outskirts.
Chapter 7: Orthopraxy (right practice) and orthodoxy (right doctrine) are still defining characteristics of Christians, but do not have any specifically articulated mantra like Luther’s “solo scriptura”. Closest phrase is “in scripture and in community.” Gatherings such as Vineyard Church and Mosaic are products of this movement.
“Every five hundred years, the church cleans out its attic and has a giant rummage sale.”
Tickle writes from the perspective of an editor, understanding that much has been written about the history of Christianity, but not much of it is written for the average layperson who is seeking a new perspective on church and faith. The author begins to explain this major event, referred to as the Great Emergence, following the timeline of a drastic shift in the church roughly every fifth century since Christ’s birth and life on earth. Out of the major upheaval, she contends that 3 consistent results occur: 1) a more vital form of Christianity emerges, 2) the organized expression of Christianity is reconstituted into a purer, more organic form, and 3) because of #2, the faith spreads.
In the book, Tickle outlines the various elements of the Great Emergence, from information overload, to dependency on machines.
In chapter 1, she talks about the early church and how that since Christianity was the religion of the Roman Empire, many new “raiders-turned citizens” adopted it. It is noted that no form of organized Christianity has ever been destroyed during one of these 500 year eruptions. Monasticism was birthed during this age, representing true demonstrations of faith. This has made a new revival in today’s faith practice, as well as traditions of Orthodoxy. The Roman Catholic Church saw changes, losing dominance, but being freed to address some of the corruption and shortcomings they were experiencing. Tickle acknowledges that it is not only Christianity that experiences these 500 year cycles; both Jewish tradition as well as Islam can claim a similar pattern.
Chapter 2: Religion is a social construct. Tickly uses interesting imagery to describe how we as human beings need spirituality to give life meaning. She describes a cable, saying that the outer mesh layer represents common agreement about how the world works and should be understood. Then there are 3 strands inside the tube that are intertwined to strengthen the chord: spirituality – experiences and values that are internal to the individual, corporeality – evidence that religion exists, and morality – externalization and application of values and experiences of the individual who make up a society. These things bind the faith community together until that major occurrence, about once every 500 years when the outer layer and the inner chords suffer a blow at the same time.
Chapter 3: Scripture only and only Scripture. During the Reformation, focus was on the priesthood of all believers and solo scriptura. Assaults were organized against Islam. This was a time of great advances in the field of science and mathematical knowledge. Protestantism grew, as well as individualism and emphasis on the nuclear family. An entrepreneurial middle class formed. There was a shift from money to information as the building block of economic power. The printing press was invented and globalization began. The Catholic Reformation took place around the same time.
Half a millennium prior to the Great Reformation was the Great Schism, or the Crusades – a holy campaign to rescue Jerusalem and the Middle East from Islam (p 59).
Chapter 4:Here the influence of Darwin is discussed, as being the impetus for new cultural, social, political and theological thought. Also, Michael Faraday’s research on electromagnetic current. In response to scientific focus, a conference held in Niagara Falls outlined Christianity outlined 5 true beliefs: inerrancy of scripture, divinity of Jesus, historicity of Virgin birth, substitutionary nature of the Atonement, physical, corporeal return of Christ (65-66). Influence of philosophers – Campbell, Descartes… who has the authority? “Emerging Christians are the immediate products of the 20th century” (p 74).
Chapter 5: German theologian Reimarus, asked, “ What if Jesus of Nazareth and the Jesus of Western history and thought are not the same?” (p. 80). 1906 marked the advent of Pentecostalism – Azusa Street. Charles Parham is regarded as the creator of Pentecostalism. Participatory worship became the norm, and the Pentecostal church grew exponentially, becoming the 2nd largest Christian body in the world! This faith tradition asserts that ultimate authority is experiential rather than canonical (p. 85).
Chapter 6: The Great Emergence…Christianity has grown exponentially, not only in geographic base and numbers, but also in passion and call to brotherhood of all peoples (p. 121). This emergent movement is still new, so it’s difficult to define exactly what it is. Liturgy is brought back, social justice is emphasized, the “new monasticism” – incarnational ministry. This is a gathering center from all the distinctive former branches or denominations. However, there will still be more extreme pockets that stay on the outskirts.
Chapter 7: Orthopraxy (right practice) and orthodoxy (right doctrine) are still defining characteristics of Christians, but do not have any specifically articulated mantra like Luther’s “solo scriptura”. Closest phrase is “in scripture and in community.” Gatherings such as Vineyard Church and Mosaic are products of this movement.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Slow food
The concept of house churches seems to be a newer phenomenon. In actuality, the church was birthed in homes in the 1st Century. They spread throughout the Roman Empire, where people practiced community and broke bread together. Fellowship surrounding meals and food was a big part of Jewish culture. As Christians gathered, they symbolically ate together in remembrance of the Last Supper. There was no distinction of bread and wine to signify Christ's body and blood. While there is value in distinguishing the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper from our everyday meals, I see significance in recognizing Christ's sacrifice and honoring Him during a regular meal shared together. The practice of sharing food can and should be an act of worship. I have a friend whose photos of people all involve food. It strikes me as funny and unique, but it's really beautiful because most of the time it's homemade. Time and effort go into creating something to be shared. And hopefully we can grow as the body of Christ in the process.
Annual Trip off the Farm
Brother only gets about one trip off the farm a year (ok, that's not entirely true...just ask Derek!) But this is the 2nd year in a row that he's been able to visit me - last year Florida, this year California. And we conveniently time these trips around NASCAR events. However, I wanted to give him the real 'southern California experience' in the short 3 days that he had here, so I got tickets to the Jay Leno Show. Of course, we're not allowed to have cameras inside the studio, so let me paint a brief picture of that event. After waiting in lines for about 2 hours and being somewhere in the middle of the pack, we were escorted to our seats front and center! We're completely baffled at how that happened, but Andrew was prominantly seen multiple times on the taping. Previous to the commencement of the taping, he also had the distinct honor of shaking his booty in front of the entire audience to get a free t-shirt. I averted my eyes.
Then the races - plural. Thanks to a friend, we had pit passes for the Nationwide race. While standing on the side waiting for the pre-race festivities to begin, I looked to my right and saw a very recognizable face standing there. I nudged Andrew and said, "Shake and Bake to my right!" John C Reilly, the co-star of Talladega Nights, was standing next to us. Andrew asked for a picture with him, and here it is:
The race was good, but my guy didn't win. The Sprint Cup race wasn't as exciting after having a backstage pass the day before, but it was nice to experience it with our aunt and uncle who had never been to a race before. Also, thank you California for banning smoking at all public venues!! It was so great to not go home with a headache from second hand smoke!
Other activities packed into the 3 days - tour of Hollywood, survey of fire damage from the Station Fire, driving tour of Pasadena, a few games of Ladder golf, and saw the Hangover at the $3 theatre.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Jesus for President
In today's lecture, we talked a little bit about the idea of Jesus for President, and the need to rethink politics. Our guide should be Christ. This message coincides with the topic of my summer course, Social Ethics. As followers of Christ, we shouldn't be caught up in the divisiveness of politics, but should seek to exemplify God's kingdom. We as the body of Christ in the church should seek creative ways to live out His teachings and not succumb to the expectations and "norms" of cultural influence.
I have given them Your word. the world hated them because they are not of the world, as I am not of the world. I am not praying that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world as I am not of the world. ~ John 17:14-16
I have given them Your word. the world hated them because they are not of the world, as I am not of the world. I am not praying that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world as I am not of the world. ~ John 17:14-16
Monday, October 12, 2009
Principles of Christ
Our lecture in Church and Mission continued on the topic of Christ's earthly ministry. It's really remarkable to think of the impact of a man who wrote nothing and spent the majority of his time with the poor and outcast. What a different time period - no multi-media technology - yet word spread because it was so counter-cultural. As mentioned before, Jesus challenged the status quo and advocated for life lived in community with one another as equals. He broke cultural rules and walls between socioeconomic levels, gender, and political divides. The enemy was no longer the neighboring nation; evil now had a name: Satan. The strongly patriarchal society was also challenged to elevate the role of women. Jesus proclaimed that our father was in Heaven, so the earthly father lost some power through that declaration.
The most impactful part of the lecture for me, though, was Dr. Bolger sharing a bit about how his family put these lessons from Christ to practice in their lives. About 3 years ago, I came to visit my friend, Daphne, who had just started the MACCS program. I sat in on a class with her, which happened to be Church and Mission, the class I'm currently taking. During that lecture, Dr. Bolger shared a story about how he and his family prayed for a different attribute of Christ daily to display in their lives. This really impressed and challenged me. I wrote them down and determined to do the same someday when I have children. Well, I misplaced the paper somewhere along the way and was disappointed to not have it anymore. Thankfully, this topic came up again in today's lecture, and Dr. Bolger shared the daily principles of prayer that he and his family prayed for. I hope that this can be a good challenge for all of you, as well. This is just a very brief outline, but if you want more detail, they are taken from Body Politics by John Howard Yoder.
Monday: Peacemaking
Tuesday: Banquet, Eucharistic practice…sharing
Wednesday: baptism…including the outcast, one who is different
Thursday: universal giftedness…recognize gifts in others
Friday: fullness of Christ – give a voice to the voiceless
Saturday: for a day of holy leisure
Sunday: worship
The most impactful part of the lecture for me, though, was Dr. Bolger sharing a bit about how his family put these lessons from Christ to practice in their lives. About 3 years ago, I came to visit my friend, Daphne, who had just started the MACCS program. I sat in on a class with her, which happened to be Church and Mission, the class I'm currently taking. During that lecture, Dr. Bolger shared a story about how he and his family prayed for a different attribute of Christ daily to display in their lives. This really impressed and challenged me. I wrote them down and determined to do the same someday when I have children. Well, I misplaced the paper somewhere along the way and was disappointed to not have it anymore. Thankfully, this topic came up again in today's lecture, and Dr. Bolger shared the daily principles of prayer that he and his family prayed for. I hope that this can be a good challenge for all of you, as well. This is just a very brief outline, but if you want more detail, they are taken from Body Politics by John Howard Yoder.
Monday: Peacemaking
Tuesday: Banquet, Eucharistic practice…sharing
Wednesday: baptism…including the outcast, one who is different
Thursday: universal giftedness…recognize gifts in others
Friday: fullness of Christ – give a voice to the voiceless
Saturday: for a day of holy leisure
Sunday: worship
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
A book review
Dear readers...part of our assignment is to write book reviews for each of the 6 books we've been assigned to read. Be forewarned that reading this will likely induce fatigue to the average reader. However, by posting it on my blog, I can avoid using a piece of paper or 2. Just trying to practice ecological stewardship - you know me! Every little bit helps. Thank you for your understanding.
An Introduction to Ecclesiology by Veli-Mati Karkkainen
A book review
The book begins by looking at the foundational theology of the Roman Catholic Church, by far the largest Christian body. The traditions of the Roman Catholic Church focus on sacraments – baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist. It is believed that these sacraments build communion amongst the body of believers within the church. Another defining feature is the predominance of the Pope.
Lutheran theology, under the guidance of Martin Luther, focused on the noninstitutional character of the church, in part in a reaction against the hierarchical system of the Catholic church. The core elements for Luther were the Word and the sacraments. He believed in the priesthood of ALL believers because Christ has interceded for us and made irrelevant the role of the priest. As such, we are to be Christ to our neighbor, sharing the pain and burdens of those people as Christ graciously does for each of us.
The Reformed Movement, under Calvin, aligned with Luther’s principles of teaching the Word and administering sacraments; however, he went on to emphasize behavior and doctrine; Zwingli, another theologian of that time, focused on personal faith. A distinction is drawn between the visible and invisible church: the visible church is the tangible, physical body of believers in the present here on earth; the invisible is the elect who will dwell with God after the final coming. Therefore, these are not 2 distinct churches, but rather 2 phases of the same. Karl Barth stressed the giftedness of all believers; not simply a select few.
“Free church movement” describes the Anabaptists, who birthed a new theology melding reliance on the Holy Spirit with scripture. This movement got rid of much of the formality of worship and sacraments, stressing the believer’s baptism rather than infant baptism, and allowing the Spirit to guide in an unregimented way. There is a focus on simplicity and staying unattached from worldly ideals. Following the priesthood of all believers, the free church practices ordination, though not as a sacrament, just as a public confirmation.
Pentecostal/Charismatic Ecclesiology was birthed in Kansas and then in this neighborhood, in LA in the early 20th century. This was more of a revival movement rather than a radical new theology. Highlighted in this era were the manifestations of the Spirit through prophecy, speaking in tongues, and healing. The emphasis here was on experiencing the presence of God. Charismatic churches tend to focus on community life more so than the Pentecostals.
Ecumenical Movement is all about bringing unity to the church, or all who believe in Christ. However, it is a great challenge to bring all people in accordance when there are very distinctive features that set each ecclesiology apart. Two major divides that came up were seeing the sacramental practices as essential (Orthodox, Catholic) and what defines unity…some said personal faith and others believed church and tradition unified all believers.
Famous Ecclesiologists:
Zizioulas: “God’s being coincides with God’s communal personhood…Church is instituted by Christ and constituted by the Holy Spirit.”
Hans Kung: charismatic; “changing times require changing forms.” Disagrees with distinction between visible and invisible church, saying they transcend time. Spirit of God is the principle of freedom.” It removes social barriers. Emphasis on service.
Pannenberg: universalist ecclesiology; the church is the bearer of the Spirit of God and God’s grace, so a faith commitment cannot be made outside of the church. However, church is not the sacrament of unity…”he believes the church is an anticipation and sign of unity of all people under one God.” It is the body of Christ and the fellowship of believers. There is universal relevance of God’s reconciliation in Christ, so the church serves as a missionary. He holds a corporal eschatology, emphasizing justice for all people; also he holds unique ecclesiology of the corporal concept of the elect.
Moltmann: holds a relational ecclesiology and stresses an ecological concern.
Volf: Corporal participation in God’s mission. He calls it “participatory ecclesiology.”
McClendon, Jr.: Baptist; leadership is a gift from Christ and does not require ordination.
Newbigin: church is dynamic, ecumenical and missionary, not a task given to the church. Church must be visible.
Contextual Ecclesiologies
Asia: Rejection of the institutional church in favor of personal faith acted out in obedience. Church must act as a prophet against social injustice.
Latin America: Christian love demands need for justice. Churches birthed in reaction to lack of community, spurred by the rigid nature of Roman Catholicism.
Feminist: Focus against masculine imagery of God the Father, Son. Against this imagery. Also, emphasis is made about caring for the earth, due to feminine association – Mother Earth?
Africa – independent, indigenous movements with focus on spoken communication, stories; emphasize communal living and the work of the Spirit.
Shepherding movement – in following the example of Christ, having a primary leader who guides the flock, reviving Biblical role of pastor. Initially, it sounded like the model of forming small groups with an individual leader within each group. This model is weak in accountability.
An Introduction to Ecclesiology by Veli-Mati Karkkainen
A book review
The book begins by looking at the foundational theology of the Roman Catholic Church, by far the largest Christian body. The traditions of the Roman Catholic Church focus on sacraments – baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist. It is believed that these sacraments build communion amongst the body of believers within the church. Another defining feature is the predominance of the Pope.
Lutheran theology, under the guidance of Martin Luther, focused on the noninstitutional character of the church, in part in a reaction against the hierarchical system of the Catholic church. The core elements for Luther were the Word and the sacraments. He believed in the priesthood of ALL believers because Christ has interceded for us and made irrelevant the role of the priest. As such, we are to be Christ to our neighbor, sharing the pain and burdens of those people as Christ graciously does for each of us.
The Reformed Movement, under Calvin, aligned with Luther’s principles of teaching the Word and administering sacraments; however, he went on to emphasize behavior and doctrine; Zwingli, another theologian of that time, focused on personal faith. A distinction is drawn between the visible and invisible church: the visible church is the tangible, physical body of believers in the present here on earth; the invisible is the elect who will dwell with God after the final coming. Therefore, these are not 2 distinct churches, but rather 2 phases of the same. Karl Barth stressed the giftedness of all believers; not simply a select few.
“Free church movement” describes the Anabaptists, who birthed a new theology melding reliance on the Holy Spirit with scripture. This movement got rid of much of the formality of worship and sacraments, stressing the believer’s baptism rather than infant baptism, and allowing the Spirit to guide in an unregimented way. There is a focus on simplicity and staying unattached from worldly ideals. Following the priesthood of all believers, the free church practices ordination, though not as a sacrament, just as a public confirmation.
Pentecostal/Charismatic Ecclesiology was birthed in Kansas and then in this neighborhood, in LA in the early 20th century. This was more of a revival movement rather than a radical new theology. Highlighted in this era were the manifestations of the Spirit through prophecy, speaking in tongues, and healing. The emphasis here was on experiencing the presence of God. Charismatic churches tend to focus on community life more so than the Pentecostals.
Ecumenical Movement is all about bringing unity to the church, or all who believe in Christ. However, it is a great challenge to bring all people in accordance when there are very distinctive features that set each ecclesiology apart. Two major divides that came up were seeing the sacramental practices as essential (Orthodox, Catholic) and what defines unity…some said personal faith and others believed church and tradition unified all believers.
Famous Ecclesiologists:
Zizioulas: “God’s being coincides with God’s communal personhood…Church is instituted by Christ and constituted by the Holy Spirit.”
Hans Kung: charismatic; “changing times require changing forms.” Disagrees with distinction between visible and invisible church, saying they transcend time. Spirit of God is the principle of freedom.” It removes social barriers. Emphasis on service.
Pannenberg: universalist ecclesiology; the church is the bearer of the Spirit of God and God’s grace, so a faith commitment cannot be made outside of the church. However, church is not the sacrament of unity…”he believes the church is an anticipation and sign of unity of all people under one God.” It is the body of Christ and the fellowship of believers. There is universal relevance of God’s reconciliation in Christ, so the church serves as a missionary. He holds a corporal eschatology, emphasizing justice for all people; also he holds unique ecclesiology of the corporal concept of the elect.
Moltmann: holds a relational ecclesiology and stresses an ecological concern.
Volf: Corporal participation in God’s mission. He calls it “participatory ecclesiology.”
McClendon, Jr.: Baptist; leadership is a gift from Christ and does not require ordination.
Newbigin: church is dynamic, ecumenical and missionary, not a task given to the church. Church must be visible.
Contextual Ecclesiologies
Asia: Rejection of the institutional church in favor of personal faith acted out in obedience. Church must act as a prophet against social injustice.
Latin America: Christian love demands need for justice. Churches birthed in reaction to lack of community, spurred by the rigid nature of Roman Catholicism.
Feminist: Focus against masculine imagery of God the Father, Son. Against this imagery. Also, emphasis is made about caring for the earth, due to feminine association – Mother Earth?
Africa – independent, indigenous movements with focus on spoken communication, stories; emphasize communal living and the work of the Spirit.
Shepherding movement – in following the example of Christ, having a primary leader who guides the flock, reviving Biblical role of pastor. Initially, it sounded like the model of forming small groups with an individual leader within each group. This model is weak in accountability.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Jesus and the Church
Today we talked about the fundamentals of Jesus' earthly ministry. His methods were not revolutionary for his time...prophets spoke in parables and talked about the Kingdom of God. However, Jesus' message was revolutionary...it was even scandalous. Christ spoke about the marginalized and poor, downplaying the role of the priest. No person in that day would dare challenge the role of the priest or king, who served as the cultural, religious, political and economic leader. Christ clearly declared God as King, something that was counter-intuitive to the Jews; Herod was their king. They believed in the Kingdom of God, but that was yet to come. Christ was declaring the Kingdom of God as happening in the present brought about by followers and disciples. Jesus' teaching shook to the core the foundations of people's faith. It's challenging for me to consider how I would have reacted to this man who made a priority of being around the sick and outcasts of society. There would be pressure from family to remain true to tradition and not break away from that to follow this man and his crazy counter-cultural ideas. Yet, today how grateful I am for this man coming to earth to demonstrate such powerful lessons through action as well as words.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
What is church?
Church gives us our identity as a people of God. It’s not about “going” to the structure, but rather living it.
And now for a little Seminary vocabulary lesson of words I'm learning in the current book I'm reading for the class, titled "Ecclesiology."
-Ecclesiology is simply the nature of the church. It’s why the church exists theologically.
Eschatology is the study of the end times
Pneumtology refers to the study of the Holy Spirit
And now for a little Seminary vocabulary lesson of words I'm learning in the current book I'm reading for the class, titled "Ecclesiology."
-Ecclesiology is simply the nature of the church. It’s why the church exists theologically.
Eschatology is the study of the end times
Pneumtology refers to the study of the Holy Spirit
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