Respecting Jesus as our Teacher (18-20) -- The theme of this chapter. If we're going to be disciples (literally, students) of Jesus, then we have to respect his intelligence. This is in contrast to the typical contemporary view of Jesus:
Far too often he is regarded as hardly conscious. He is taken as a mere icon, a wraithlike semblance of a man living on the margins of "real life" where you and I must dwell. He is perhaps fit for a role as sacrificial lamb or alienated social critic, but little more. (19)
We talked about several possible sources this view of a dumb Jesus, ranging from failing to take his humanity seriously (and thereby ascribing all of his wisdom to his divine nature) to failing to take ancient people in general seriously.
Two paragraphs later, Dallas inverts my objection to mere admirers or mere worshipers of Jesus, saying, [b]ut how, then, can we admire him? And what can devotion or worship mean if simple respect is not included in it? (19)
What Jesus can teach us about (20-22) -- Dallas points to three major areas where we need Jesus's teaching and information in our lives: identity, character, and daily life.
Identity: Jesus brings us reliable information about who we are, why we are here, and what humanly appropriate motives are for doing whatever we do. This echoes Don Miller's point in Searching for God Knows What that human beings were designed to have someone outside of themselves (specifically, God) tell them who they are and what their value is.
Character: Another one of Dallas's language tricks, here reconceptualizing information as in-formation; that is, that as Jesus re-establishes our identity, he also transforms our internal character.
Daily Life: You may be very sure that if your intent is to glorify God and bless others in your actions, and you are not motivated by unloving attitudes, you will see the hand of God move with you expectantly do your work. (22) This point anticipates the chapter on Frank Laubach later in the book.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Key Terms and Discussion from The Great Omission: Chapter 2
"Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven" (13) -- A slogan of bumper sticker Christianity that, for Dallas, sums up a counterfeit gospel. What the slogan really conveys is that forgiveness alone is what Christianity is all about, what is genuinely essential to it. It says that you can have a faith in Christ that brings forgiveness, while in every other respect your life is no different from that of others who have no faith in Christ at all. [The Divine Conspiracy (36)]
Vampire Christianity (14) -- A sarcastic term for those whose only interest in Jesus is his blood. Dallas emphatically insists that one cannot trust in the blood of Jesus without actually trusting in Jesus himself; and that to trust in Jesus himself must lead to conforming oneself to him.
Sin Management (14) -- Dallas's term for the basic spiritual practices of the gospel of the "Just Forgiven" bumper sticker. Since this gospel preaches forgiveness without discipleship (and therefore without transformation), there is nothing left to do with sin but manage it.
I'm currently reading a book by Wheaton professor James Wilhoit called Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered, with a forward by Dallas. (My impression is that they have a strong personal relationship.) In chapter 3 of Spiritual Formation, James sets up two dimensions against which to measure someone's readiness to pursue intentional spiritual formation.
First is the sins/sin axis. On the sins side of the axis, the focus is on discrete external actions in violation of a moral code. On the sin side of the axis, the focus is on the internal attitudes and motivations springing from the sin nature in the heart.
Second is the yearnings fulfilled/yearnings persist axis. On the
yearnings fulfilled side, the belief is that the thirsts and desires of our hearts should be fulfilled by our salvation/conversion; if they continue, it is a sign of failure. On the yearnings continue side, the belief is that God will continue to use the yearnings and thirsts of our hearts even after salvation/conversion; their continued existence is a sign of grace.
James then sets these up into four quadrants. The sin/yearnings persist quadrant is the one most conducive to intentional spiritual formation. The opposite, sins/yearnings fulfilled, he labels Sin Management, saying [t]he spiritual life of this quadrant is marked by striving and denial. The Pharisees were adept sin managers, highly skilled in denying glaring omissions and heaping rules on the backs of others in a strategy of painstaking prevention of sins. [Spiritual Formation (62)] I'm pretty sure Dallas would agree.
James's typology helped me resolve my difficulty with the sentence, It is amusing that people will admit to lying, for example, but stoutly deny that they are liars. (14) Read one way, I saw Dallas seemingly defending a practice I consider to be the very definition of shame: sin as identity. Read another, I also saw that Dallas was calling for a deeper appreciation for the role of sin in our lives; that is, moving from the sins side of the axis to the sin side.
Simplicity (15) -- Dallas argues that a long-run benefit of discipleship is that brings our outer and inner lives into alignment. An amazing simplicity will take over our lives -- a simplicity that is really just transparency. Dallas takes advantage of a neat linguistic parallel to contrast this with the word duplicity, pointing out that the disharmony of outer and inner lives (that is, hypocrisy) is the hallmark characteristic of the Pharisee. [T]he Pharisee always fails at some point to do what is right, and then must redefine, redescribe, or explain it away -- or simply hide it.
Power and Authority (16) -- Dallas rounds out the chapter by talking about the power and authority of the disciple. Jesus is actually looking for people that he can trust with power. A consistent biblical theme is that obedience and good stewardship are rewarded with increased authority. By pursuing the character-forming habits of discipleship, we are shaped to carry greater divine power into situations were it is needed.
The Question for Someone who want Heaven without Discipleship (17) -- [Would] you really be comfortable for eternity in the presence of the One whose company you have not found especially desirable for the few hours and days of your earthly existence[?] This has interesting echoes with the imagery from CS Lewis's The Great Divorce.
Vampire Christianity (14) -- A sarcastic term for those whose only interest in Jesus is his blood. Dallas emphatically insists that one cannot trust in the blood of Jesus without actually trusting in Jesus himself; and that to trust in Jesus himself must lead to conforming oneself to him.
Sin Management (14) -- Dallas's term for the basic spiritual practices of the gospel of the "Just Forgiven" bumper sticker. Since this gospel preaches forgiveness without discipleship (and therefore without transformation), there is nothing left to do with sin but manage it.
I'm currently reading a book by Wheaton professor James Wilhoit called Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered, with a forward by Dallas. (My impression is that they have a strong personal relationship.) In chapter 3 of Spiritual Formation, James sets up two dimensions against which to measure someone's readiness to pursue intentional spiritual formation.
First is the sins/sin axis. On the sins side of the axis, the focus is on discrete external actions in violation of a moral code. On the sin side of the axis, the focus is on the internal attitudes and motivations springing from the sin nature in the heart.
Second is the yearnings fulfilled/yearnings persist axis. On the
yearnings fulfilled side, the belief is that the thirsts and desires of our hearts should be fulfilled by our salvation/conversion; if they continue, it is a sign of failure. On the yearnings continue side, the belief is that God will continue to use the yearnings and thirsts of our hearts even after salvation/conversion; their continued existence is a sign of grace.
James then sets these up into four quadrants. The sin/yearnings persist quadrant is the one most conducive to intentional spiritual formation. The opposite, sins/yearnings fulfilled, he labels Sin Management, saying [t]he spiritual life of this quadrant is marked by striving and denial. The Pharisees were adept sin managers, highly skilled in denying glaring omissions and heaping rules on the backs of others in a strategy of painstaking prevention of sins. [Spiritual Formation (62)] I'm pretty sure Dallas would agree.
James's typology helped me resolve my difficulty with the sentence, It is amusing that people will admit to lying, for example, but stoutly deny that they are liars. (14) Read one way, I saw Dallas seemingly defending a practice I consider to be the very definition of shame: sin as identity. Read another, I also saw that Dallas was calling for a deeper appreciation for the role of sin in our lives; that is, moving from the sins side of the axis to the sin side.
Simplicity (15) -- Dallas argues that a long-run benefit of discipleship is that brings our outer and inner lives into alignment. An amazing simplicity will take over our lives -- a simplicity that is really just transparency. Dallas takes advantage of a neat linguistic parallel to contrast this with the word duplicity, pointing out that the disharmony of outer and inner lives (that is, hypocrisy) is the hallmark characteristic of the Pharisee. [T]he Pharisee always fails at some point to do what is right, and then must redefine, redescribe, or explain it away -- or simply hide it.
Power and Authority (16) -- Dallas rounds out the chapter by talking about the power and authority of the disciple. Jesus is actually looking for people that he can trust with power. A consistent biblical theme is that obedience and good stewardship are rewarded with increased authority. By pursuing the character-forming habits of discipleship, we are shaped to carry greater divine power into situations were it is needed.
The Question for Someone who want Heaven without Discipleship (17) -- [Would] you really be comfortable for eternity in the presence of the One whose company you have not found especially desirable for the few hours and days of your earthly existence[?] This has interesting echoes with the imagery from CS Lewis's The Great Divorce.
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