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.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tony Jone and Pentecostalism and Emergence
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.
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.
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?
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