Rob Bell is Brilliant

Ever since reading Velvet Elvis, I've been in love with the teaching of this man. He has a phenomenal series going called “Calling All Peacemakers,” which you can find here. The first message is on 'the myth of redemptive violence,' the idea that taking revenge will ultimately make the world a better place. The second has to do with justice for the poor and the war in Iraq—very controversial, but I think it's warranted. The third message, he speaks on creative nonviolence and the 'third way' between pacifism and violence.

Why I Love Catholics: Part 2

Protestants have this terrible habit of brushing aside 2000 years of Christians wrestling and struggling with Scripture and their own situation, as if it were somehow meaningless or unhelpful--or worse, somehow destructive. This Protestant disdain for tradition--especially extreme in my own background--is nicely (I believe) contrasted by the Catholic appreciation for the same. Tradition is helpfully defined, in a joint Anglican-Catholic statement:

“The Gospel of Christ crucified and risen is continually handed on and received (cf. 1 Cor 15.3) in the Christian churches. This tradition, or handing on, of the Gospel is the work of the Spirit, especially through the ministry of Word and Sacrament and in the common life of the people of God. Tradition is a dynamic process, communicating to each generation what was delivered once for all to the apostolic community.”

- The Gift of Authority, ARCIC (1999)

We as Protestants tend to disregard the fact that many of the questions being presently asked have been asked before--and well answered. Or, alternatively, Protestants may pay attention to what Protestant theologians have said since the Reformation of the 16th century. However, this attitude fails to acknowledge the thousands of Christian faithful in the first 15 centuries of church history, and their struggles and insight. The Catholic appreciation for the entirety of tradition helps us to understand that Calvin and Luther did not have direct contact with Paul, but were heirs of a centuries-long process of the reception and re-reception of the gospel.

Now, of course tradition (or “Tradition”) is open to abuse, and may take off on a misguided trajectory. Thus, my appreciation for Tradition (specifically) is not unbridled. Especially for ecumenical purposes, I question the unquestionable status of the dogmas surrounding the Virgin Mary--for whom I bear a deep respect, by the way. However, I do have much more respect for those who are devoted to the Tradition than those who discard it off-handedly and entirely.

Series:
I: The Pope
II: Tradition
III: Art and Liturgy
IV: Diversity in Unity
V: Historical Connectedness
VI: Deep Theology

Why I Love Catholics: Part 1

I have a growing appreciation for the dirty Papists. For some reason that I can't quite put my finger on, I never felt quite comfortable with the way my happily evangelical family would demean the poor Roman Church--even when I was only nine or ten years old. Developing in theological sophistication over recent years, there are several things I've come to admire about my separated brothers and sisters, such as a teachable attitude toward tradition, the use of art and liturgy, diversity in unity, historical connectedness and a broad rich theology.

For today, though, I'll talk about my growing fondness for the Holy Father himself, the Pope; in our case, Pope Benedict XVI. Why would I start here? Probably because this (other than maybe the Marian dogmas) is the point of most contention between Protestants and Catholics. But the Pope is essentially a very cool guy. My mom pointed out a very pragmatic reason for having such a figure: he acts as an effective spokesperson. When one talks about Protestantism in its myriads of forms and divisions, no one can quite put a face to it. But the Pope is the face of the Catholic Church; he speaks for it--quite authoritatively, in fact.

Also, our present beloved Benedict is a brilliant, passionate theologian. To get a sense of this, just read the first half of his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (God is Love). The second half was collected and touched up from unfinished writings of his predecessor, John Paul II, who was a great thinker in his own right. Some portions of Deus Caritas Est are simply beautiful and eminently quotable, like this passage: “Faith, which sees the love of God revealed in the pierced heart of Jesus on the Cross, gives rise to love. Love is the light—and in the end, the only light—that can always illuminate a world grown dim and give us the courage needed to keep living and working… To experience love and in this way to cause the light of God to enter into the world—this is the invitation I would like to extend…”

Added to that, he has a sense of his own frailty and sinfulness. His first words to the crowds upon his election were, “Dear brothers and sisters, after the great Pope John Paul II, the Cardinals have elected me, a simple, humble labourer in the vineyard of the Lord. The fact that the Lord knows how to work and to act even with insufficient instruments comforts me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers. In the joy of the Risen Lord, confident of his unfailing help, let us move forward. The Lord will help us, and Mary, His Most Holy Mother, will be on our side. Thank you.”

Series:
I: The Pope
II: Tradition
III: Art and Liturgy
IV: Diversity in Unity
V: Historical Connectedness
VI: Deep Theology

2007

This year is almost over, unbelievably, and so it's time for everyone to set some goals for the new year. Goal-setting is something I'm trying to be more intentional about, as I find myself just drifting through life in some areas. And so, inspired by Pernell's blog post on his goals for the coming year, I decided to blog about mine:

Education:

• Learn more about African theology.
  
• Learn more about the emerging church.
  
• Learn more about post-Vatican II Catholicism.
  
• Learn more about contemporary ecumenical efforts.
  

I'm a full-time student right now, so a significant part of my goals for the next year is taken up by what I want to learn. The four listed above are some significant movements within contemporary Christianity that I want to dive into and soak in a little bit. Some good side-reading.

Generosity:

• Give away 30% of non-school-directed funds.
  

Last year especially I've been challenged about how I spend my money, and now that I've been introduced to the wonderful world of credit, I have to be even more intentional. This is the most specific of my goals, so I can be very straight-up about whether or not I've met it.

Communal Life:

• Explore the possibility of a house church / emerging church conversation.
  
• Be intentional about mentoring younger youth (one-on-one).
  

A fair number of friends at my megachurch-esque home church are becoming disillusioned with the whole model, so hopefully some of what I've been taking in from the emerging church conversation can be helpful there. Also, I want to be more intentional about mentoring the large number of younger youth in our group, where I'm an adult leader.

Social Concern:

• Participate in CrossCulture events.
  
• Explore the possibility of getting involved in some sort of inner city ministry.
  

Another significant area in which I've been challenged, especially since coming to Redeemer, is social concern / social justice issues. CrossCulture is a day-long worship / service project that helps out several inner city ministries, in which I'll definitely be involved again. I want to become more involved, so I'm going to look into some sort of weekly commitment.

Spiritual Disciplines:

• Cement fixed-hour prayer.
  
• Expand Scripture reading.
  

This is probably the area that I'm happiest with, but there's always room for improvement. I started using The Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle (I, II, III) for personal prayer time and found it incredibly refreshing and helpful. I also hope to expand how much I read my Bible each day.

Relationships:

• Spend more time with family.
  
• Maintain regular coffee-and-conversation time with friends.
  
• Develop better relationships with friends outside church.
  

Last, but not least--actually most important--I'm learning more and more to be intentional about fostering rich relationships. As I'm staying at home now, I'll spend more time with family. I'll also maintain close relationship with friends outside Redeemer through some beautiful conversation over caffeinated beverage.

The Commemoration of the Holy Innocents

Today as the Church we remember the slaughter of the infants in Bethlehem at the command of King Herod. These were the first victims of the persecution of Christians--“the world was not worthy of them” (Hebrews 11:38). The reading for today is Matthew 2:13-18.

The Vatican Radio's meditation for today on the Commemoration of the Holy Innocents includes an interview with Monsignor Richard Albert, a missionary for 26 years to the ghettos of Jamaica. He says, “As a Catholic priest, I'm there because I believe that's where Christ would be: with the poor, with the marginalized, with those that are weak and struggling ... As a faltering disciple, that's where I want to try to be.” Let us pray:

We remember today, O God, the slaughter of the holy innocents of Bethlehem by King Herod. Receive, we pray, into the arms of your mercy all innocent victims; and by your great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants and establish your rule of justice, love, and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

- From Phyllis Tickle's Divine Hours

Go in peace.

The Feast of St. John

This second day of the Christmas season, we as the Church remember John, the "beloved" disciple of Jesus. The only one of the Twelve not to be martyred, he devoted his life to writing and to caring for his churches. Let us pray:

Shed upon your Church, O Lord, the brightness of your light, that we, being illumined by the teaching of your apostle and evangelist John, may walk in the light of your truth, that at length we may attain to the fullness of eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

- From Phyllis Tickle's Divine Hours

Go in peace.

Who is This “Kant” Frigger?

OK. I just had to give up reading Kurt Richardson's Reading Karl Barth because I couldn't understand anything that was going on. I was about 40 pages in, and I suddenly realized I couldn't actually restate anything I had read. I don't have that experience overly often, but it's frustrating to me. To use allegory, it's like my ego has been given a swift kick in the shin. And, it seems that every time I have one of these “WTF” experiences, the name “Kant” isn't too far off. This time I encountered him in the “neo-Kantianism” variety (apparently, I wouldn't know). Kant is like a demon that is haunting me, forever (ironically) preventing me from fully understanding whatever it is I set out to learn. One of these days ...

A Glimmer of Hope

Scott, the older of my two younger brothers, seems hopelessly consumerist and materialistic. Mike, the youngest of the brethren, however, seems to be catching on. On the way home last night from my uncle and aunt's place, where we were for a Christmas fam-squad gathering, he struck up conversation. (Yes, he started it. It was phenomenal.)

The topics ranged from sponsoring a child to how little it would cost to build a school in a third world country to the disgusting way our culture commodifies image ... you get the picture. The topics ran the gamut of social justice conversation, and he brought up each of them--I simply responded as the ideas came out of his own head (and I believe, his own heart). It was a beautiful, rewarding conversation, one that I hope to have again and again with many people--and hoping against hope, maybe even one day with Scott. Go in peace.

The Feast of St. Stephen

Most of the world, it seems, knows today as Boxing Day--the day set aside from all the other days of the year to take part in the rituals of consumerism (at added benefit!). The Church, however, takes this day to remember Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian faith. We remember today the significance of witness. Let us pray:

I give you thanks, O Lord of Glory, for the example of the first martyr Stephen, who looked up to heaven and prayed for his persecutors to your Son Jesus Christ, who stands at your right hand; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

- From Phyllis Tickle's Divine Hours

Go in peace.

The Nativity of Our Lord

We've arrived. And so has the fulfillment of our great hopes and expectations. God's Messiah has come into the world--though in the most unexpected of ways. The one chosen to redeem God's people has been born in all the squalor and unpretentiousness of a feeding trough. (What a mysterious God...) Let us pray:

Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born this day of a pure virgin: Grant that I, who have been born again and made your child by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through my Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

-From Phyllis Tickle's Divine Hours

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May He turn His face toward you and give you shalom. Go in peace.

P.S. See Anthony Bradley's very interesting reflection on the situation of Jesus' birth and the modern urban ghetto.

The Eve of the Nativity of Our Lord

It's December 24th. Christmas Eve. Within Christian tradition, today is the "Eve of the Nativity of Our Lord," the last day of Advent. Our groaning in eager anticipation of the coming of our Messiah is nearly complete. Our hope has nearly arrived. Our church has been following the Christian calendar this year, and so we have journeyed through the four Sundays of the Advent season, focusing on hope, peace, joy and (today) love.

This has been made particularly meaningful for me today as I've taken in some of what is going on in the Darfur region. There is such an indescribable brokenness there ... such oppression and injustice, meaningless and senseless brutality. Estimates say that over 400,000 people have been killed in the last three years, and over 2 million have been displaced from their homes. Almost 500 villages have been reduced to ruins. That's unthinkable.

I long to see peace in this part of the world--and all the world over. I'm reminded of this passage, commonly cited during Advent as we anticipate Christ's coming:

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

- Isaiah 9:6-7

As you remember the first Advent and eagerly anticipate His second Advent, may you "seek peace and pursue it" (Psalm 34:14). Go in peace.

N.T. Wright is Displeased

To say the least. After a schismatic group within the Church of England released an ecclesial ultimatum of sorts, he laid out this scathing reply. Brilliant.

Mark Driscoll and Emerging

Wow. I'm confused for two reasons: (1) I thought Mark Driscoll was emerging, and (2) I thought he knew what he was talking about. OK, I'll clarify my second claim right off the start: generally Driscoll is a solid, intelligent pastor who articulates Christian faith and other issues meaningfully.

I just read this intro to a talk on postmodernity, however, and it's honestly confusing. You see, the emerging church is essentially a conversation about how to be the church in postmodern culture (see my earlier post on the emerging church). However, in this intro he bashes postmodernity, claiming that it is simply a cover for immorality and is a negation of Christianity. For Mark Driscoll to reject postmodernity outright, and specifically the claim that one could be a 'postmodern Christian', excludes him from the emerging church conversation ipso facto.

This is odd, in part, because his book is subtitled "Hard Lessons From An Emerging Missional Church." Driscoll claims to be emerging, yet rejects even the possibility of being a postmodern Christian. There's a consistency issue here. Now, because he strikes me as a together, generally thoughtful individual, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and piece together why I think he's simply misinformed--and not something worse.

Rejecting the term 'postmodern Christian', he says, "Anytime you have a hyphenated Christianity (i.e. New Age Christian, liberal Christian, etc.) then you have negated the Christianity." I couldn't disagree more. He is here claiming that as soon as someone self-identifies as any particular variety of Christian, they negate their own faith. Christianity is not monolithic or one-dimensional; it is made up of a vast diversity of forms, some of which are significantly different enough to name (e.g. evangelical, liberal, charismatic, Catholic, Protestant).

Next, the authority issue that underlies postmodern philosophy: "They see all authority and power as inherently bad and prefer experience over truth, relativism over absolutes, and tolerance over judgment to varying extremes." Yes and no. This would be better expressed by saying that postmoderns see all universal truth claims as covert power claims. This key aspect of postmodernity must be set against the background of colonialism, in which Western 'truth' was used to oppress, enslave and destroy an entire continent of 'savage' people--note the irony. Understandably, this makes postmoderns uncomfortable with the universal claims of Christianity. You will find few in the emerging church, however, who would deny the universality of the truth of Christ. However, they might--and do--challenge the ways in which Christianity is expressed (e.g. theology, worship, fellowship) as being distinctly Western (i.e. modern) forms.

This post is far too long already, so I'll make one final comment. He warns, "They will use the name Jesus, like cults do, which is confusing, but it’s a different gospel and a difference [sic] Jesus ala 2 Corinthians 11:4." I'm not sure, but I think he just called the emerging church a cult. He certainly referred to postmodern Christians as being cult-like, and the emerging church is by definition a conversation among postmodern Christians. Driscoll either needs to adjust his view of postmodern forms of Christianity or stop calling himself emerging (unless he wants to self-identify as a cult-member).

"Oops" Somewhat Retracted

So, it turns out that all of two seconds after writing my last post, I read an article that backed me up in what I thought was my theological vomit by both Karl Barth and Martin Luther. I'll take it.

Karl Barth: "The revelation in Jesus, by being the revelation of God, is at the same time the greatest concealment of God imaginable." Also, "precisely in revelation is God a hidden God."

"Luther had ... taught that it is precisely the revealed God who is hidden, hidden namely in the contradiction of a human being crucified" (Eberhard Busch, God is God, 11).

Maybe Dr. Bowald won't think I'm full of theological corruption after all. Anyways ... go in peace.

Oops

What I'm about to say is severely lame and probably won't interest a soul, but I have to spill. On my Biblical Theology exam last week I referred to Jesus in His suffering on earth as Deus absconditus (Latin for "hidden God") and Jesus in His coming judgment as Deus revelatus (Latin for "revealed God"). Now, I was trying to be brilliant by applying these two terms that Luther often used. The problem is, though, that this was not the way that He used them. In fact, for Jesus in His suffering, Luther used Deus velatus (Latin for "clothed God" or "veiled God"). For Jesus in His coming judgment and wrath, Luther used Deus nudus (Latin for "unveiled God"--literally "naked God").

Now, initially this may not seem like a big deal, but it really, really is. You see, what I wrote on my Biblical Theology exam is that God doesn't actually reveal Himself in the person of Jesus, but in His taking on flesh actually hides Himself. Bad, bad theological move. I essentially said that God tricks us in becoming human; He actually further hides Himself. I feel sick inside--well, a bit. It's kind of lame, I know ... so I'll stop now and just make sure not to make this mistake again.

On Poop

Here's a great article by our very own Pernell Goodyear of the Freeway in downtown Hamilton. It's about poop ... but it's brilliant. Trust me. I'm actually going to go read it again ... and maybe a third time. Go in peace.

The One Touched By God

My first semester at Redeemer is done and over with--I'm one-eighth of the way there!--so I'm on to prepping my sermon for January 12th at my youth group. I'm going to be speaking on (the plan is) what it is to be someone touched by God Himself. Pretty intense sounding, I'd say. (Even I'm intimidated.)

I'm dealing essentially with the issue that comes from the question, “OK, I believe in Jesus. Now what?” I've come to believe that Christianity isn't so much about that initial moment of belief, but about a lifetime of being transformed by the God who loves us--the God who has touched all of us historically in the person of Jesus Christ and the God who continues to desire to transform us through His Spirit.

This whole discussion for me is linked to my growing appreciation for the Roman Catholic view of justification--which sucks because I'm part of a Protestant Church, a Protestant family and a Protestant university. (Why, God? Why?) It's just so rich, dynamic and beautiful to me ... like this phrase from the Catholic Catechism: “Grace is a participation in the life of God” (1967). Or this one: “Spiritual progress tends toward ever more intimate union with Christ. This union is called 'mystical' because it participates in the mystery of Christ through the sacraments--'the holy mysteries'--and, in him, in the mystery of the Holy Trinity” (2014).

Maybe, though, this is just a grossly underemphasized element of Protestant theology. I've found some cool stuff in Luther and C.S. Lewis that gives me hope that I can embrace this beautiful view of justification--sanctification?--and remain Protestant. Like this: “Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you” (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity).

I'll see how it goes. Pray for me as I prepare. Go in peace.

Karl Barth on Postmodernity, Ecumenism and Orthodoxy

First, on postmodernity:

The alleged freedom from presuppositions of which a certain [knowledge] is accustomed to boast, simply means that yet another presupposition is being made. Concretely this means that God's revelation is not to be reckoned with, that on the contrary it is possible to adopt a neutral attitude to what this Scripture points to, just as it is possible to take up this attitude to other things. This neutrality, this unconcern about God's revelation, and therefore this "freedom from presuppositions" is a presupposition exactly like any other.

Next, on ecumenism:

But since it is a matter of division in the Church, we can recognise these divisions only with horror and can only pray for their removal. We verily believe in the one Church. We can see here nothing but an affliction of the Church, which we must believe will be overcome, though in truth the power to overcome it is not in our hands.

Finally, on orthodoxy:

"Orthodoxy" means agreement with the Fathers and the Councils. As that it can never be an end in itself ... If only they knew definitely that here, too, there is a binding tie, they might be disposed to let this "tie" to the Church's past remain in force as after all a quite respectable affair. The more one listens and breaks free from the illusion that the world began with oneself, the more will one discover that these Fathers knew something, and that the scorned "orthodox" writers of, say, the seventeenth century were theologians of stature. And it can even happen that alongside of them modern theological literature will be found a little insipid and a little tedious.

Semper Idem*

Gregory of Nazianzus was the Archbishop of Constantinople in the fourth century. It somewhat comforts, and somewhat disturbs me to find that he wrestled with division in the Church in his own time. He writes this:

How long are parties to be mine and yours, the old and the new, the more rational and the more spiritual, the more noble and the more ignoble, the more and the less numerous? I am ashamed of my old age, when, after being saved by Christ, I am called by the name of others.

He wished simply that the others might follow his example and prefer obscurity over conflict. If only we had more Christians like him around today.

* Latin for "always the same."

Defining The Emerging Church

There's a fair bit of talk going on about the emerging church movement--which, though you may not have heard of it yet, you will hear of soon. Essentially, the emerging church is a conversation (note that word) about how to be the Church in the emerging postmodern culture.

Although still in development and characterized by diversity, certain aspects of this movement are becoming defining and characteristic (though the emerging church itself would protest being defined or pinned down, as that is a classic modernist tendency):

(1) Commitment to Postmodernity. There's no going back on this one. It's here to stay. And so, we have to deal with it. We must adapt. The emerging church seeks out constructive paths to living the way of Jesus in a culture that is inherently suspicious of any claims to absolute or objective truth, which postmoderns see as secret power claims. Because of this, there is a great emphasis on dialogue, ministry from weakness, doubt as a necessary element of faith, and the tentativeness and cultural-limitedness of any theology.

(2) Commitment to Ecumenism. Partly for practical reasons, and partly for theological reasons, the emerging church is unwaveringly dedicated to Christian unity. The practical: the Church is collapsing along with the modernity that it uncritically embraced. The Church cannot survive as a divided entity. All Christians must collaborate to bring Jesus to this brave new world: Catholic, Protestant (of the liberal and evangelical varieties) and Orthodox. The theological: postmodernity has made us wary of claims to absolute or objective truth, making the sharp theological divisions of past centuries negligible, unhelpful, or outright absurd. Thus, instead of fearing Christians from various backgrounds, the emerging church seeks to embrace them and (more importantly) learn from them.

(3) Commitment to Mission. The Church is a missional community, that is, a community sent out with a purpose into the world by God. As such, the Church is essentially an extension of God's own mission in the world. Because of this, the emerging church focuses less on drawing unbelievers to the church as much as going out from the church into the world. Also, the focus is on holistic mission. There is no evangelism-social justice dichotomy here. As one influential emerging church puts it: "Taking the whole gospel, to the whole person, to the whole world..." The good news of Jesus Christ isn't just about a 'get out of hell free' card; it is about psychological, economic, political, physical (and spiritual) renewal.

(4) Commitment to Social Justice. As part of the emerging church's commitment to a missional identity and praxis, social justice has been brought to the forefront. Militating against modern (as opposed to postmodern) Christianity's false dichotomy between evangelism and social justice, the emerging church has resurfaced the issue. From child sponsorship to fair trade coffee to aid for refugees in Darfur, this commitment is oriented deeply toward praxis. This particular commitment underlines that the emerging church is a conversation about how to be the Church in postmodernity.

(5) Commitment to Community. Reacting against modern evangelicalism's creation of megachurches, where the standard modern consumer comes to consume religious goods and services and then quickly leaves, the emerging church places emphasis on authentic and deep relationships. The community shares its life in Christ together through the practices of hearing the Word, receiving the sacraments, prayer and (perhaps most important for the emerging church) fellowship over a long meal. This emphasis privileges less traditional forms of church, such as house churches and coffee house communities (for example, our very own Freeway).

(6) Commitment to Narrative. Following recent trends in biblical scholarship, and flowing out of its commitment to postmodernity, the emerging church views truth as best embodied in story. Recently, biblical scholars have emphasized the fact that God did not give us a systematic theology, or a bullet-point list of essential doctrines, but a story of His interactions with His people. Consequently, the best way to express truth is through story. Emerging church communities orient their lives around the stories of its members, and often embraces ancient Christian practices that emphasize story, such as liturgy, the Christian calendar, fixed-hour prayer and iconography.

(7) Commitment to Jesus. Above all, the emerging church is deeply passionate about Jesus--about the God-man who makes possible ecumenism, mission, social justice, community, narrative and who was incarnated in a particular historical, social and cultural context. The emerging church seeks to work out how the incarnation of Jesus would have taken place within the postmodern context. The emerging church seeks to shape its life according to the life and teaching of the great Jewish Rabbi--as more recent biblical scholarship teaches us--who was and is also God. Specifically, the emerging church seeks to proclaim, enter and receive the Kingdom of God that Jesus embodied and taught, and invite others to as well.

Each of these points could have its own long blog post, but this is a quick summary of those things that characterize the emerging church. Clearly, this movement is a bit more helpful than some would characterize it as. Go in peace.

“Divinization”

What a good word. It means “to make divine”, or “to deify”. I've learned that it's at the center of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox understandings of justification. The belief is that what Jesus accomplished on the cross opened the way for us to be made like Him, more specifically in our obedience to God. Oddly, this strikes me as a fuller salvation than the simple legal transaction that we Protestants take justification to be. (We had an debt we couldn't pay. Jesus paid the price for us. We get off scot-free without any necessary life change.)

It's often thought to be a type of salvation-through-works, which strikes me as a complete misunderstanding. The belief, actually, is that we are enabled to live rightly because of our contact with a sanctifying, renewing, life-giving God. Jesus' death on the cross opened the way for us to come into the presence of God, and to be changed by Him—not to be removed from His presence every time we sin, as before the death of Christ. Thus, every good work is completely of grace; grace enables us to live like God. I find that to be a beautiful and awe-inspiring belief.

Now, I'm still wrestling with and evaluating this view of justification, but I must admit that it strikes me (initially, at least) as more beautiful, more far-reaching and more biblically coherent than the Protestant view. (That itself is kind of frightening.)

God the Teacher

The last couple weeks have been kind of a whirlwind for me, with a whole bunch of different things happening. I guess I'll run through a few of them here, just to show you guys what's going on.

(1) A New Kind of Christian by Brian McLaren. Well, I finally bought and read through this one (in two days). I think the best way to describe it is "thought-provoking". I think I'll probably be wrestling with a lot of the issues it raised for the next few months, if not the next few years. McLaren sets out a compelling vision for what a postmodern expression of Christianity could be, with a theology that attempts to transcend the divisions of modernity's various expressions. There's quite a bit in there that rubbed me the wrong way, to be honest, but I get the sense from McLaren's other books that that's the whole point. Good stuff.

(2) There's this phenomenal place in downtown Hamilton called The Freeway, which is (such a good combination) a coffeehouse and church. How great is that? They're really involved in outreach to their community and social justice issues. (All their coffee is fair trade, and quite good. Try the Ethiopian brew "Freedom Fighter.") I had an emergent church planter networking type meeting down there just today. (See here.) These guys just have a vibrancy about them that gives me hope for the Church in the west as we enter more thoroughly into postmodernism. Good times.

(3) I've started reading some early Church Fathers stuff--Clement of Alexandria, Theophilus of Antioch, and all those cool kids. There's some really beautiful turns of phrase in there, despite the agedness of the English transations. Something that strikes me is just how Catholic these writers sound--especially on the issue of faith and works. Essentially, Jesus saves us from sin in order to do good works, through which we strive toward immortality. God's grace enables us to do the works of God, and through them to reach out and take hold of eternal life. Apparently these guys didn't read any Luther or Calvin. Hmm.

(4) The Christian group at my old highschool, Westmount, is taking off. We're going through the wonderful Nooma series by Rob Bell, and having some great discussions surrounding some of the issues. It's cool to see these guys really engaged and concerned about stuff like social justice (Rich), God's belief in them (Dust), finding God in the midst of suffering (Rain), and evangelism (Bullhorn). Good times.

(5) My first semester at Redeemer is almost done--my last class is Thursday--which seems absolutely ridiculous, but kind of exciting as well. I'm definitely looking forward to the lack of homework over the Christmas break, but I'll be missing the dormies as well. Good times.

(6) Last, but not least, I've really dug into this whole ancient tradition of fixed-hour prayer. I picked up The Divine Hours, which is a compilation of liturgical prayer, with four sets for each day: morning, midday, evening and just before bed. There's a certain beautiful richness to the language and theology of the prayers which I'm coming to appreciate more and more. Also, and perhaps this is more important to me, I'm touched by the fact that I'm joining with other Christians around the world, praying in unity.

I guess that's all I can think of, though I'm sure there's other crazy cool stuff God's teaching me about right now. Oh yeah--fair trade coffee, social justice, the Darfur crisis, loving your enemy--there's a few. But this post is far, far too long anyways, so I'll stop. Go in peace.