Speak the Truth to me. Don’t sell me.

Jesus is a person.  Not a product.  Introduce me.  Don’t sell me.

I’m quite accustomed to hearing Jesus presented as someone who can help me, lift me up when I am down, or solve my problems.  Through song and sermon I’ve become acquainted with “feel good” Jesus.  I’ve been told that I have needs only Jesus can address.  I have a problem, Jesus is the solution.   I have a question, Jesus is the answer.  Jesus will make me feel better.  Jesus is the missing piece in my life.

All of the above may be true.  Jesus might make me feel better about myself, about my relationship with others, and he will undoubtedly inspire my affections toward God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  But will he satisfy my intellect?  Are Christian convictions true?  And will you speak about them as if they were true, reasoning with me intelligently about things that matter, about the foundations of reality?  Or will you attempt to convince me purely through the affections, assuming “feel good” Jesus is sufficient?

I hope not.  I hope you will not only make me feel welcome, but satisfied in the knowledge of God.

John Wood Oman, in his 1931 book Grace and Personality, wrote:

There is only one right way of asking men to believe, which is to put before them what they ought to believe because it is true; and there is only one right way of persuading, which is to present what is true in such a way that nothing will prevent it from being seen except the desire to abide in darkness; and there is only one further way of helping them, which is to point out what they are cherishing that is opposed to faith.  When all this has been done, it is still necessary to recognize that faith is God’s gift, not our handiwork, of His manifestation of the truth by life, not of our demonstration by argument or of our impressing by eloquence; and that even He is willing to fail till He can have the only success love could value–personal acceptance of the truth simply because it is seen to be true.

Speak the truth to me.  Don’t sell me.  And through hearing the Truth, perhaps I will be set free.  Perhaps I will set my feet on the firm foundations of reality, and live on the basis of knowledge of Christ.  Stop talking about life in Christ as empty-headed and emotionally driven–purely a “leap of faith.”  As one entrusted with the gospel, preach it as though it were true, and suffer for it, if necessary (2 Timothy 1:8-12).  Appeal to my heart and my mind.

Fads come and go.  Jesus reigns forever.

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Thoughts…Assessing our Times

It wasn’t long ago that I read in Os Guinness’ book The Call these important words:

Our challenge is not just to see the mistakes of a previous generation, obvious because not ours, but to see as well the problem of our own time, far closer and therefore harder to see.

Those words have hung with me now for months.  I’ve contemplated them as I’ve considered my own place in time, my place in the church, and my position in the world.  I’ve heard different assessments of the time that we live in, from doomsday prophecy to pronouncements that there has been no better time to be alive.  I’ve wondered if there is a posture that can assign proper gravity to the pitfalls of our era while upholding the true marvels of our age.  To do so would not be easy, and would require serious, deep thinking, careful discernment, and humility in spirit.

My thoughts on this matter have been furthered by the recent completion of David F. Wells’ book No Place for Truth or Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology?  The book is full of challenges.  Wells depicts contemporary evangelical faith as quite bankrupt.  He is amazed that theology has in large measure disappeared from evangelical thought, and has passed away with little notice.  His book chronicles the shift which has occurred as churches have become professionalized in their ministries, with seminaries pushing the trend.  The church’s institutions of higher learning have become more focused on equipping pastors to be friendly personalities and effective conflict managers, and have left them devoid of the ability to think biblically and theologically about how they might lead.  Pastors serve the role of psychologists and managers, addressing felt needs, soothing damaged egos, and managing congregations according to the direction of popular opinion.  His observations apply mainly to the church in North America.  He notes different trends which have taken place over the past 100 years, such as the decreasing tenure of many pastors.  He claims this has had the effect of depersonalizing the ministry and removing the pastor’s connection to any particular place, making it difficult for the pastor to have an incarnational ministry.  The book ends with a thundering challenge for the reclamation of theology and an open invitation for dialogue on how people called “Christian” speak concerning truth and error.

On the other extreme, as I have mentioned, have been those (all voices I’ve heard in the U.S.) who claim that all is well, and in fact, the world has never been better.  This has been a direct counter in North American Christianity to the widespread perception that the world is soon coming to an end.  I find this a bit hard to swallow.  This reaction reminds me of the words found in the book of the prophet Jeremiah, “They have healed the brokenness of my people superficially saying, “Peace, Peace,” but there is no peace.” (Jer. 6:14)

Yes, technological wonders abound.  Medicine has advanced beyond what might have been imaginable over the last 100 years.  Transportation is now incredibly diverse and easy–from North America we can travel anywhere in the world.  And the internet has put everything at our doorstep.  We have some wonderful and incredible stuff at which we can marvel, which, when used responsibly, can increase enjoyment of life.

On the other hand, the last century has seen two World Wars, outbreaks of genocide, and the development of the most deadly weapons produced in human history.  We’ve seen some of this centuries most notable philosophers wrestle with deep existential angst, questioning the meaning of existence and whether or not life is worthwhile.  The thought of Camus and Sarte are good examples of philosophers whose existentialism reveal deep despair.  As for other issues, poverty is still very real.  Racism is still a plague.  Things are better, sure, but it seems we still have work to do–as will be true throughout this age.

What to do in the meantime?  As a person who calls Jesus “Lord,” I believe that we exist in “the time between the times.”  Jesus has been raised, signaling the onset of a new age.  The church waits patiently for his return.  ”Come, Lord Jesus” remains our prayer.  As we wait, we are called to participate in the Kingdom of God as disciples, declaring allegiance to our King who is Jesus.  Discipleship to Jesus will entail an adjustment of vision, which will enable his followers to both see and exist truthfully within the world.  This will include the demythologization of the times in which we live, naming the powers and principalities which stand in opposition to life in the Kingdom.

The Kingdom of God cannot be established by our own efforts, as Karl Barth rightly asserted.  It must be patiently waited for and received.  I’m not claiming that waiting is easy.  I’m not claiming that while I wait “all is well” or “the world is going to hell.”  My theological perspective leads me to look for those places where God is remaking, renewing, and redeeming our world.  I’m trying to acknowledge those places in our world where the Reign of God is being made manifest, while going to places of pain where the Kingdom of God needs to be announced.  It seems as though life following after Jesus requires that I attempt to do both, striving with the community called Church to assess the times we live in a manner which we humbly submit is truthful.

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On Heresy

It isn’t exactly PC to talk about heresy.  That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist, and that it isn’t pervasive.  Accusing others of holding (not to mention teaching) unorthodox beliefs is perceived as mean-spirited, brutish, even un-Christian, particularly in an American context which has difficulty speaking of truth and error.  We prefer to chalk differences up to points of view and clashes in perspective, even though a better way forward might demand that we undertake the hard work of discerning that which is in accord with sound doctrine (Titus 2:1).  Of course, this would require that the body be given the tools to think theologically–something which many Christians (not to mention pastors) woefully lack.  I think it would be hard to make a case for strong, sound, theologically thinking Christian people as the norm, rather than the exception, in our churches today.  God help us all.

So why the rant on heresy?  Partly because I care about truth.  The discourse over truth is nothing new–as long as people have thought, they have been concerned with truth.  And from time to time, conceptions of truth have been divergent, and the conversation surrounding how one determines which school of thought is dominant has been intense (for instance, in moral philosophy the differences between Kant and Mill).  Even divergent schools  can both possess value, or glimmers of truth, which later yield a better conception of understanding after having moved further along in history.  The theological divergences which have emerged throughout Christian history are such instances, such as classical Calvinism and Arminianism.  Though persons on either side of the aisle in this debate might strongly disagree with the position of their opponents, this does not mean that one or the other falls outside the bounds of historic orthodoxy.  Members of each party, though their convictions are strong, are willing to concede that we now see “through a glass, darkly.”  Though they believe that there convictions are true and that they are doing their best, they ultimately concede God’s thoughts are higher than our own (Isa. 55:9).

This week I had the occasion of reading an excerpt from a new book to be released by a somewhat popular writer, speaker, thinker, and provocateur hailing from the emerging sector of Christianity.  Like a canary in a mining tunnel, this person is right to perceive that something is wrong, but their identification of the problem is, in my opinion, far from correct.  This writer chose to rail against the antiquated nature of “Christianity” in its historic forms, claiming that the Christianity which he had encountered and received only provided answers to questions of another age, coming across as stale, out of touch, and lacking relevance for our world today.  Rather than complain (though in effect, he is doing this), this person has set out to explain their own beliefs for what Christianity can and should be in our world.  Thus, they attempt to overcome the baggage of historic Christian belief and provide something fresh, in touch, and relevant to our times.  Among their opening comments, they identify the previous 1500 years of Christian thinking to be the most problematic, making me wonder if (roughly) the first 500 years were somehow more pristine, and if so, how this author gained access to those earliest truths through the fog created by medieval and post Reformation Christianity.

While I am thankful that there are concerned Christian people out there writing books, heading out on speaking tours, and leading congregations in such a way that they are connecting with our world, at times I am deeply disturbed by the lack of concern for integrity with the best of Christian theological reflection and historic practice.  This isn’t universal, but it is common enough that it is difficult to ignore.  I have a great deal yet to learn about our history and our theology, but I know enough to see that one of the by-products of some of the proposed elements of a “new” Christianity seem to lead down a dangerous path of faulty doctrine and distorted witness that points to something which may resemble the Kingdom of God, but ultimately is a kingdom of our own making.  I can be stronger here–sometimes the ignorance of historical theology results in heresy being taught today. There, I said it.

While in seminary my wife had a teacher who challenged her class to invent a new heresy, and if they could do so, they would automatically be awarded an A for the semester.  It couldn’t be done.  Heresies are pervasive throughout Christian history, and they are easier to identify when you are familiar with that history.  This is how to avoid heresies–by knowing where we’ve come from.  Within our own history we have seen thinkers who not only possessed good minds, but were intellectual giants, and it is only to our detriment that we write off their contributions as antiquated and out of touch with our current realities.  What could be more important in our time than rich thinking on the Trinitarian nature of God, or upon the nature of human beings and how God has provided for their redemption?  Some of the claims internal to our tradition do not lose relevance for they are true.

When I discussed these thoughts with my wife, Molly, she was right to point out that I should temper my attitude and be a little more generous when engaging those with whom I disagree, and I am glad to heed her words.  But part of my reply was quite sharp, and I ask you the question I posed to her (though here I state it a bit more mildly):

“Where would we be without people like Augustine, who stood up boldly to Pelagius and fought for the belief that human beings are sinful and in desperate need of the grace of God?”

To cite another example, Wesley wasn’t exactly mild in his responses to Whitefield’s Calvinist leanings, though the two remained friends.  This post sheds some light on their relationship.

There is a need for people like Augustine still today, as we are not dealing with only sheer matters of preference, but with truth.  I, for one, believe such a thing exists.

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Radical Engagement and Matters of Truth

I live in an increasingly pluralistic age and stand in the midst of an increasingly pluralistic society–a country which is coming to grips with the decline of Christendom and the emergence of a new, multi-faith public square. It might be true that the vast majority of our nation still claims Christianity as their religious faith. However, religious expression in public discourse has become increasingly minimized, as matters of conviction and faith have been closeted.

Last night I had the opportunity to explore the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman found in John 4. A careful reading of this passage yields a great example of what it means to be in radical engagement of the other. Jesus crosses lines of gender (v.7), he discusses differences of religious opinion(v.19-20), he ignores ethnic barriers (v.9), and he even addresses private morality (v.16-18). As a Jew engaging with a Samaritan, Jesus sets a radical example of how we are to engage our enemies. There is even an occasion where literal and figurative interpretation of language is considered–modern interpreters take note (v.13-15)!

Throughout the passage Jesus and this woman dance around issues of truth. I am most struck by this portion of the discourse:

²¹Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²²You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

Remember, Jesus is in dialog with someone who holds similar, yet distinct religious convictions. There is a clear divide between Jews and Samaritans, illustrated here by Jesus’ response to the woman’s question concerning the proper place for worship. I find it fascinating that Jesus is very clear in addressing the differences which exists between Jews and Samaritans while at the same time painting a picture of the radical shift in a future time where the centralized worship of the deity will no longer hold the greatest significance. What will take precedence? Spirit and truth.

What do those words mean? First, I understand Jesus to be addressing central matters of the heart, or our overall orientation towards God when we engage in worship. Are our motives pure? Are we extending ourselves toward the Father with the totality of our being? Are we sincere? Passionate? Open to healing, instruction, guidance, and direction?

Second, Jesus is making claims of truth. As a Christian person, I hold particular convictions about the stories of Israel and Jesus, most notably God’s action on the cross. The particulars matter. They make a difference. As much as we are called to follow after Jesus’ example in how we engage and listen to others, we are also called to hold and express our convictions with clarity and consistency as an expression of our commitment to Jesus Christ.

The Samaritan woman was wise to say, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Jesus was just as bold in sharing, “I who speak to you am he.”

Upon hearing these words may we be blessed with the gift of faith which comes by grace, taking hold of our particular claims and sharing them without fear. Like the Samaritan woman, may we boldly share with others what we have seen and heard with generosity, love, enthusiasm, and courage.

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