If you guys are interested in the Tony Jones blog posts and comments threads I talked about, here are the links:
Starting post: Lengthy comment thread -- comment 18 has an early Pentecostal missionary's anti-patriotism credo which was very interesting
Death of Emergent: Compares Emergent today to the Jesus People movement of the 60s and 70s.
Origins: Has some of the Pentecostalism and Emergence as reactions to modernity discussion
Most Recently: Talks about the Trinitarianism of Pentecostalism vs the Christo-centric-ness of pre-emergent Protestantism.
Edited for one more: In which Tony reveals his thesis answer to the question what Pentecostals and Emergents can learn from each other.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Faith and Discipleship; Willard and Borg
In modern American Protestant Christianity it seems the most important factor in whether or not you are saved is if you have "faith". Faith in Jesus as your personal lord and savior, faith in God, faith that the bible is truth- the list could continue. What is meant by "faith" in this use of the word is often just a synonym for "belief". So, when a lot of Christians say they have faith, they are talking all about the things they believe. This is a big part of Willard's argument in the intro and 1st chapter of his book: that the big goal in a lot of churches today is just to initiate believers, not train disciples. And when you try to tell believers that God wants them to be disciples, they start to look at you suspiciously (what Willard describes as the "bait and switch"- see Corey's blogs below for a good synopsis of the intro and chapter 1 of "The Great Omission").
Part of this misunderstanding stems from the narrow meaning of the word faith accepted by many Christians (I can speak from experience, since that is the meaning of faith I started out with). Marcus Borg addresses this issue of the meaning of faith in his book "The Heart of Christianity" (p 27-37). He describes the four meanings of faith as understood by Christians throughout our 2000 year history. Just as love is understood to have many levels of meaning (I love my Ipod but I love my wife) the meaning of faith is best understood as a multi-layered word and an understanding of faith that includes this multifaceted meaning leads more naturally to a life of discipleship.
The meaning of faith commonly understood today is one of Assensus (Latin), or faith as belief. Borg describes this as "a propositional understanding," whereby to have faith in this sense is to "[give] one's mental assent to a proposition, as believing that a claim or statement is true." Borg points out that the importance of this meaning stems from two historical developments. First, the Protestant Reformation, during which time the splintering of the church led to differing beliefs between the denominations and the emphasis on believing the "right beliefs". And second, the birth of the Scientific Method's emphasis on observable facts during the Enlightenment, which has further led to the modern practice of Christians having to mentally assent to a set of beliefs in opposition to "scientific" facts (but I'll save the Truth/Fact blog for another time- maybe someone else can do it- hint,hint). There is nothing wrong with this understanding of faith, but it should not be taken as the sole meaning.
The second meaning Borg describes is that of fiducia: "a radical trust in God". Not "trusting in the truth of a set of statements about God," but rather by entrusting our worries in the care of God. Borg contrasts fiducia with anxiety: "we can measure our degree of faith as trust by the amount of anxiety in our lives." (he also mentions that he uses this example not to give us something else to chastise ourselves about, but because if we learn to live in this "radical trust" it can have a transformative effect that will allow us to spend our time, not worrying, but experiencing life as God meant us to [hint- think discipleship].
The third meaning of faith in God, fidelitas, means "a radical centering in God"; "faithfulness to our relationship in God"; and "loyalty, allegiance the commitment of the self at the deepest level, the commitment of the heart". Again Borg distinguishes that this does not mean "faithfulness to statements about God, whether biblical, credal, or doctrinal...." but "to the God to whom the bible and creeds and doctrines point.". And the opposite of this would be adultery or idolatry- when we center or lives on something other than God. Borg also draws a parallel between the "radical centering in God" of fidelitas with the two greatest commandments: "you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your mind and with all your strength...[and] you shall love your neighbor as yourself.". If we follow these commandments we are living faithfully.
Similarly, Willard describes disciples as those who, "intent upon becoming Christ-like and so dwelling in his "faith and practice", systematically and progressively [rearranges their] affairs to that end.". So a true life of faithfulness, centering one's life in God, is of the same meaning as being a disciple, rearranging one's life to be more Christ like and to live in his way (loving God and your neighbor).
Finally, the fourth meaning of faith is Visio, or vision: how we see reality. Borg describes three common ways of viewing life. One way is to view life as "hostile and threatening," a view which leads to fear, defensiveness, paranoia, an emphasis on self preservation and a tendency to build walls around ourselves, rather than open up to the strangers, the poor, the widows, etc. Some Christians even view God in this way if they see him as a vindictive God who is out to punish and condemn to Hell.
A second way to view reality is as "indifferent.". This is the modern secular view that you live however you want to live, doing whatever makes you happy within the bounds of societal norms... And then you die. It seems to me that the conjunction of a belief that Christianity is just belief in a few main ideas and a vision in the secular American dream has done more harm to the church in this country than homosexuality, abortion and Muslims (three of the things that seem to worry many conservatives- not to say that I condone abortion).
The third way of seeing reality, and the way that best fosters a life of faith, faithfulness, and discipleship, is to see it as "life giving and nourishing.". God is good and gracious, and life is not simply a trial we must endure before we die and go to heaven, but God wants us to live a full, enriched life "in radical trust...[free from] the anxiety, self-preoccupation and the concern to protect the self...[with] the ability to love and to be present to the moment...[generating] a 'willingness to spend and be spent' for the sake of a vision that goes beyond ourselves." (see also "waking the dead" by Eldredge).
It seems then that training disciples involves teaching a fuller understanding of faith. In hearing the verse "we are saved by our faith alone", if our understanding of faith is limited only to assensus, the "cost of discipleship" may seem, as Willard noted, more than we signed up for, or rather like a super Christianity, a premium level that you have to pay more for when in fact, most people settle for the "free trial version". But if we as the Church teach that faith means more than simply believing in X,Y and Z and that faith is a life of trust and faithfulness in God and a vision in the Kingdom of God on earth, we will be doing more to train disciples, rather than simply initiating members to our churches.
Part of this misunderstanding stems from the narrow meaning of the word faith accepted by many Christians (I can speak from experience, since that is the meaning of faith I started out with). Marcus Borg addresses this issue of the meaning of faith in his book "The Heart of Christianity" (p 27-37). He describes the four meanings of faith as understood by Christians throughout our 2000 year history. Just as love is understood to have many levels of meaning (I love my Ipod but I love my wife) the meaning of faith is best understood as a multi-layered word and an understanding of faith that includes this multifaceted meaning leads more naturally to a life of discipleship.
The meaning of faith commonly understood today is one of Assensus (Latin), or faith as belief. Borg describes this as "a propositional understanding," whereby to have faith in this sense is to "[give] one's mental assent to a proposition, as believing that a claim or statement is true." Borg points out that the importance of this meaning stems from two historical developments. First, the Protestant Reformation, during which time the splintering of the church led to differing beliefs between the denominations and the emphasis on believing the "right beliefs". And second, the birth of the Scientific Method's emphasis on observable facts during the Enlightenment, which has further led to the modern practice of Christians having to mentally assent to a set of beliefs in opposition to "scientific" facts (but I'll save the Truth/Fact blog for another time- maybe someone else can do it- hint,hint). There is nothing wrong with this understanding of faith, but it should not be taken as the sole meaning.
The second meaning Borg describes is that of fiducia: "a radical trust in God". Not "trusting in the truth of a set of statements about God," but rather by entrusting our worries in the care of God. Borg contrasts fiducia with anxiety: "we can measure our degree of faith as trust by the amount of anxiety in our lives." (he also mentions that he uses this example not to give us something else to chastise ourselves about, but because if we learn to live in this "radical trust" it can have a transformative effect that will allow us to spend our time, not worrying, but experiencing life as God meant us to [hint- think discipleship].
The third meaning of faith in God, fidelitas, means "a radical centering in God"; "faithfulness to our relationship in God"; and "loyalty, allegiance the commitment of the self at the deepest level, the commitment of the heart". Again Borg distinguishes that this does not mean "faithfulness to statements about God, whether biblical, credal, or doctrinal...." but "to the God to whom the bible and creeds and doctrines point.". And the opposite of this would be adultery or idolatry- when we center or lives on something other than God. Borg also draws a parallel between the "radical centering in God" of fidelitas with the two greatest commandments: "you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your mind and with all your strength...[and] you shall love your neighbor as yourself.". If we follow these commandments we are living faithfully.
Similarly, Willard describes disciples as those who, "intent upon becoming Christ-like and so dwelling in his "faith and practice", systematically and progressively [rearranges their] affairs to that end.". So a true life of faithfulness, centering one's life in God, is of the same meaning as being a disciple, rearranging one's life to be more Christ like and to live in his way (loving God and your neighbor).
Finally, the fourth meaning of faith is Visio, or vision: how we see reality. Borg describes three common ways of viewing life. One way is to view life as "hostile and threatening," a view which leads to fear, defensiveness, paranoia, an emphasis on self preservation and a tendency to build walls around ourselves, rather than open up to the strangers, the poor, the widows, etc. Some Christians even view God in this way if they see him as a vindictive God who is out to punish and condemn to Hell.
A second way to view reality is as "indifferent.". This is the modern secular view that you live however you want to live, doing whatever makes you happy within the bounds of societal norms... And then you die. It seems to me that the conjunction of a belief that Christianity is just belief in a few main ideas and a vision in the secular American dream has done more harm to the church in this country than homosexuality, abortion and Muslims (three of the things that seem to worry many conservatives- not to say that I condone abortion).
The third way of seeing reality, and the way that best fosters a life of faith, faithfulness, and discipleship, is to see it as "life giving and nourishing.". God is good and gracious, and life is not simply a trial we must endure before we die and go to heaven, but God wants us to live a full, enriched life "in radical trust...[free from] the anxiety, self-preoccupation and the concern to protect the self...[with] the ability to love and to be present to the moment...[generating] a 'willingness to spend and be spent' for the sake of a vision that goes beyond ourselves." (see also "waking the dead" by Eldredge).
It seems then that training disciples involves teaching a fuller understanding of faith. In hearing the verse "we are saved by our faith alone", if our understanding of faith is limited only to assensus, the "cost of discipleship" may seem, as Willard noted, more than we signed up for, or rather like a super Christianity, a premium level that you have to pay more for when in fact, most people settle for the "free trial version". But if we as the Church teach that faith means more than simply believing in X,Y and Z and that faith is a life of trust and faithfulness in God and a vision in the Kingdom of God on earth, we will be doing more to train disciples, rather than simply initiating members to our churches.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Key Terms and Discussion from The Great Omission: Chapter 1
The Gospel Presupposes Discipleship (3) --
All of the assurances and benefits offered to humankind in the gospel evidently presuppose [a life of discipleship] and do not make realistic sense apart from it. The disciple of Jesus is not the deluxe or heavy-duty model of the Christian.... He or she stands as the first level of basic transportation in the Kingdom of God.
The Great Omission (4) -- Here it is in one brilliant paragraph:
[T]he churches of the Western world have not made discipleship a condition for being a Christian. One is not required to be, or to intend to be, a disciple in order to become a Christian, and one may remain a Christian without any signs of progress toward or in discipleship. Contemporary American churches in particular do not require following Christ in his example, spirit, or teachings as a condition of membership--either in of entering into or continuing in fellowship of a denomination or local church.
Bait and Switch (6) -- Dallas's term for one possible response of a Christian when offered discipleship. "This isn't what I signed up for. I was told that I said a prayer and got my ticket to heaven. What's this obedience thing about, now?"
The Way (7, passim) -- Dallas routinely mentions the Way of Jesus, which as I understand it was actually the first name for Christianity. I like this because it's the primary method by which I too distinguish between between the path of discipleship (the Way) and the great world-historical religio-cultural tradition (Christianity).
What a Disciple Is (7) --
The disciple is one who, intent upon becoming Christ-like and so dwelling in his "faith and practice", systematically and progressively rearranges his affairs to that end.
One of the recurring themes of our discussion in the chapter was how Dallas made us take stock of our own discipleship as much as (or perhaps even more than) he made us cheer about his scathing critique of discipleship-less Christianity.
The Cost of Non-Discipleship (9) -- Playing off of Bonhoeffer's Cost of Discipleship and pointing back towards the first sentence I quoted in this post, Dallas points out that the cost of non-discipleship is staggeringly high. In short, non-discipleship costs you exactly that abundance of life that Jesus said he came to bring (John 10:10).
My interest in the cost of non-discipleship tends to be on its larger systematic effects on the church and the world, but it's also important to understand that cost of non-discipleship for the individual.
The Most Frightening Paragraph of Chapter One (11) --
For those who lead or minister, there are yet graver questions: What authority or basis do I have to baptize people who have not been brought to a clear decision to be a disciple of Christ? Dare I tell people, as "believers" without discipleship, that they are at peace with God and God with them? Where can I find justification for such a message? Perhaps more important: Do I as a minister have the faith to undertake the work of disciple-making? Is my first aim to make disciples? Or do I just run an operation?
All of the assurances and benefits offered to humankind in the gospel evidently presuppose [a life of discipleship] and do not make realistic sense apart from it. The disciple of Jesus is not the deluxe or heavy-duty model of the Christian.... He or she stands as the first level of basic transportation in the Kingdom of God.
The Great Omission (4) -- Here it is in one brilliant paragraph:
[T]he churches of the Western world have not made discipleship a condition for being a Christian. One is not required to be, or to intend to be, a disciple in order to become a Christian, and one may remain a Christian without any signs of progress toward or in discipleship. Contemporary American churches in particular do not require following Christ in his example, spirit, or teachings as a condition of membership--either in of entering into or continuing in fellowship of a denomination or local church.
Bait and Switch (6) -- Dallas's term for one possible response of a Christian when offered discipleship. "This isn't what I signed up for. I was told that I said a prayer and got my ticket to heaven. What's this obedience thing about, now?"
The Way (7, passim) -- Dallas routinely mentions the Way of Jesus, which as I understand it was actually the first name for Christianity. I like this because it's the primary method by which I too distinguish between between the path of discipleship (the Way) and the great world-historical religio-cultural tradition (Christianity).
What a Disciple Is (7) --
The disciple is one who, intent upon becoming Christ-like and so dwelling in his "faith and practice", systematically and progressively rearranges his affairs to that end.
One of the recurring themes of our discussion in the chapter was how Dallas made us take stock of our own discipleship as much as (or perhaps even more than) he made us cheer about his scathing critique of discipleship-less Christianity.
The Cost of Non-Discipleship (9) -- Playing off of Bonhoeffer's Cost of Discipleship and pointing back towards the first sentence I quoted in this post, Dallas points out that the cost of non-discipleship is staggeringly high. In short, non-discipleship costs you exactly that abundance of life that Jesus said he came to bring (John 10:10).
My interest in the cost of non-discipleship tends to be on its larger systematic effects on the church and the world, but it's also important to understand that cost of non-discipleship for the individual.
The Most Frightening Paragraph of Chapter One (11) --
For those who lead or minister, there are yet graver questions: What authority or basis do I have to baptize people who have not been brought to a clear decision to be a disciple of Christ? Dare I tell people, as "believers" without discipleship, that they are at peace with God and God with them? Where can I find justification for such a message? Perhaps more important: Do I as a minister have the faith to undertake the work of disciple-making? Is my first aim to make disciples? Or do I just run an operation?
Key Terms and Discussion from The Great Omission: Introduction
Taking a cue from Mike's first couple of posts on the Didache (and wanting to actually contribute something here), here are some thoughts on The Great Omission in note form. (Numbers in parenthesis are page references)
The Great Disparity (x) -- the observed difference between the hope for life expressed in Jesus and the actual day-to-day behavior, inner life, and social presence of most of those who now profess adherence to him.
I first realized the Great Disparity existed when I was in high school, and that realization has been the primary seed for all the development of my personal theology since. The Great Disparity is so omnipresent that it was very hard to discern; yet once discerned, it is so staggeringly gigantic that I wondered how I had ever missed it.
The car analogy (x-xi) -- Dallas compares the life of the average Christian to someone who has tried to economize on gas by pouring some water in his or her gas tank but is then confused about why the car isn't working. It's not that the car's badly designed or manufactured, it's that it's not being used properly.
Disciples vs. Christians (xi) -- This seems to be the key idea for the whole book.
[D]isciples of Jesus are people who do not just profess certain view ... but apply their growing understanding of life in the Kingdom of the Heavens to every aspect of their life on earth. In contrast, the governing assumption today, among professing Christians, is that we can be "Christians" forver and never become discples.
Discipleship is my personal theological hobby-horse, stemming (as the title of the book alludes to) from the Great Commission. Simply put, the Great Commission is not about evangelism -- it's about discipleship. It says "go and make disciples" -- not mere admirers, not mere converts, not mere believers, not even mere worshipers -- disciples.
A disiciple is a learner, a student, an apprentice--a practitioner, even if only a beginner.
Where common evangelicalism puts its emphasis on knowing or believing, discipleship-oriented Christianity puts its emphasis on being and becoming. Where common evangelicalism puts its emphasis your relationship to abstract doctrines, discipleship-oriented Christianity puts its emphasis on your relationship to Jesus as teacher and master.
Missionaries to the Christians (xii) -- our shared sense that our own churches are amongst those who need to be told the Good News -- a Good News that goes beyond securing life after to death to fostering life before death.
People in Western Churches, and especially in North America, usually assume without thinking that the Great Commission of Jesus is something to be carried out in other countries. .... But in fact the primary mission field for the Great Commission today is made up of the churches of Europe and North America.
My own sense of alienation from the evangelical culture I grew up in has sky-rocketed over the past year and half I've been back home. And that's given me a new appreciation for wide swaths of Scripture. The relationship between the prophets and the Jewish people, or between Jesus and the Pharisees, or between Paul and the Judaizers have all taken on new resonance because it seems to echo my own feelings for my fellow evangelicals. And the common theme there is the battle over the value of participation and membership in a particular religous culture. And it is simulataneously infuriating and comforting to discover that this is not a new dynamic, but a very, very old one.
Disicpleship, Eschatology, and Mission (xiv) -- I can't remember if this was actually our jumping off point for our discussion of eschatology last week or not, but these sentence reminded me of it:
As disciples of Jesus, we today are part of God's world project. But realization of that project, it must never be forgotten, is the effect, not the life itself. The mission naturally flows from the life. It is not an afterthought, or something we might overlook or omit as we live the life.
The area where my still-developing theology of discipleship has given me the most comfort is eschatology. Growing up, "eschatology" meant Left-Behindism. Fortunately, discipleship-oriented Christianity seems fundamentally incompatible with Left-Behindism, and I think that first sentence there captures a big part of the reason why. Left-Behindism's God is basically just biding his time before he wantonly destroys his creation. But the God-who-disciples is actually doing something, building something, creating something -- he has a world project. It won't see fruition until this creation undergoes death and resurrection, but we're not sitting around waiting for the special-effects show to kick in. We get to participate in what God's doing now to prepare for later.
The second part of the quotion is a useful corrective that I'm still soaking in. So far as labels go, I'm very attracted to missional Christianity (as opposed to the label emergent or other similar ones). And I can very easily imagine how, over time, a commitment to mission could lead to the belief that pursuing mission brings life. Dallas' statement that receiving life then flows into mission is something that I want to internalize.
The Shack in one sentence (xiv) -- The eternal life, from which many profound and glorious effects flow, is interactive relationship with God and with his special Son, Jesus, within the abiding ambience of the Holy Spirit.
My sense of calling in one sentence (xv) -- So the greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heart-breaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as "Christians" will become disciples--students, apprectices, practitioners--of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the Heavens into every corner of human existence.
The Great Disparity (x) -- the observed difference between the hope for life expressed in Jesus and the actual day-to-day behavior, inner life, and social presence of most of those who now profess adherence to him.
I first realized the Great Disparity existed when I was in high school, and that realization has been the primary seed for all the development of my personal theology since. The Great Disparity is so omnipresent that it was very hard to discern; yet once discerned, it is so staggeringly gigantic that I wondered how I had ever missed it.
The car analogy (x-xi) -- Dallas compares the life of the average Christian to someone who has tried to economize on gas by pouring some water in his or her gas tank but is then confused about why the car isn't working. It's not that the car's badly designed or manufactured, it's that it's not being used properly.
Disciples vs. Christians (xi) -- This seems to be the key idea for the whole book.
[D]isciples of Jesus are people who do not just profess certain view ... but apply their growing understanding of life in the Kingdom of the Heavens to every aspect of their life on earth. In contrast, the governing assumption today, among professing Christians, is that we can be "Christians" forver and never become discples.
Discipleship is my personal theological hobby-horse, stemming (as the title of the book alludes to) from the Great Commission. Simply put, the Great Commission is not about evangelism -- it's about discipleship. It says "go and make disciples" -- not mere admirers, not mere converts, not mere believers, not even mere worshipers -- disciples.
A disiciple is a learner, a student, an apprentice--a practitioner, even if only a beginner.
Where common evangelicalism puts its emphasis on knowing or believing, discipleship-oriented Christianity puts its emphasis on being and becoming. Where common evangelicalism puts its emphasis your relationship to abstract doctrines, discipleship-oriented Christianity puts its emphasis on your relationship to Jesus as teacher and master.
Missionaries to the Christians (xii) -- our shared sense that our own churches are amongst those who need to be told the Good News -- a Good News that goes beyond securing life after to death to fostering life before death.
People in Western Churches, and especially in North America, usually assume without thinking that the Great Commission of Jesus is something to be carried out in other countries. .... But in fact the primary mission field for the Great Commission today is made up of the churches of Europe and North America.
My own sense of alienation from the evangelical culture I grew up in has sky-rocketed over the past year and half I've been back home. And that's given me a new appreciation for wide swaths of Scripture. The relationship between the prophets and the Jewish people, or between Jesus and the Pharisees, or between Paul and the Judaizers have all taken on new resonance because it seems to echo my own feelings for my fellow evangelicals. And the common theme there is the battle over the value of participation and membership in a particular religous culture. And it is simulataneously infuriating and comforting to discover that this is not a new dynamic, but a very, very old one.
Disicpleship, Eschatology, and Mission (xiv) -- I can't remember if this was actually our jumping off point for our discussion of eschatology last week or not, but these sentence reminded me of it:
As disciples of Jesus, we today are part of God's world project. But realization of that project, it must never be forgotten, is the effect, not the life itself. The mission naturally flows from the life. It is not an afterthought, or something we might overlook or omit as we live the life.
The area where my still-developing theology of discipleship has given me the most comfort is eschatology. Growing up, "eschatology" meant Left-Behindism. Fortunately, discipleship-oriented Christianity seems fundamentally incompatible with Left-Behindism, and I think that first sentence there captures a big part of the reason why. Left-Behindism's God is basically just biding his time before he wantonly destroys his creation. But the God-who-disciples is actually doing something, building something, creating something -- he has a world project. It won't see fruition until this creation undergoes death and resurrection, but we're not sitting around waiting for the special-effects show to kick in. We get to participate in what God's doing now to prepare for later.
The second part of the quotion is a useful corrective that I'm still soaking in. So far as labels go, I'm very attracted to missional Christianity (as opposed to the label emergent or other similar ones). And I can very easily imagine how, over time, a commitment to mission could lead to the belief that pursuing mission brings life. Dallas' statement that receiving life then flows into mission is something that I want to internalize.
The Shack in one sentence (xiv) -- The eternal life, from which many profound and glorious effects flow, is interactive relationship with God and with his special Son, Jesus, within the abiding ambience of the Holy Spirit.
My sense of calling in one sentence (xv) -- So the greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heart-breaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as "Christians" will become disciples--students, apprectices, practitioners--of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the Heavens into every corner of human existence.
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