After the Lament
I recently lamented about the lack of theological concern
among many in church culture. I did so
in such a way that sought to highlight a twofold problem, as I see it, in
church life today: 1) lack of theological pursuit, and 2) lack of concern for
theology demonstrated by substituting either pragmatism or politics (or both)
for the Christ-centered mission of God through the Church (see my previous blog
entry). Below, I want to give four
suggestions, which I call “introductory” or “basic” suggestions, simply because
they represent only a small part of a more complex and ongoing solution to the
theological malaise of denominations like my own. I suggest these to remind myself and to be
self-critical more than I say them to point out flaws in others. But I do think they are practical ways to
continually move us toward a concern for being part of the mission of God in
the world in a way that more adequately reflects the revolutionary elements of
the Kingdom of God that Jesus came to proclaim, to live out, and to invite us
to.
Four Basic
Suggestions
1. Realize we really are a theological institution.
There are many approaches to church life that can help a church grow and be
organized. Models from business,
politics, and the social sciences have at times made helpful contributions to
the health of many churches. However,
problems have arisen in regard to our theological depth and our long-term sense
of mission when these models overtake and outrank our theological vision. By theological vision, I mean the sense in
which we are rooted in the person and work of Jesus Christ as primary, in such
a way that all other ways of being take a back seat to His ways. So, because we are an institution (an
organized group of people) centered around God (theos in the Greek), then we are indeed a “theological institution”
before we are any other kind of institution.
Our primary concern is to be about God, God’s ways of doing things (even
if they are not as “efficient” as other models), God’s definitions (of things
like “success”, for instance), and God’s purposes (i.e., What gives God the
most influence?).
2. Do not fear mystery.
There is nothing wrong with being helpful and practical. There are many helpful, practical things that
can be learned in Scripture, and many of those things can be transferred into
even secular realms of living. “Do unto
others”, for instance, is a good way of doing business, precisely because it
is, as Jesus reminds us, a good way (the best way) to live. However, when everything in the Bible becomes
a neat and tidy self-help, how-to session, we miss out on some of the most
challenging and life-changing parts of Scripture. The reason is that in the times when we, like
some of His encounters with the disciples and other hearers in the Gospels,
leave on Sundays asking, “What was that all about?” (see Mark 6:20 and Luke
9:7, for instance) it forces us to lean heavily on the Spirit of God and on
further exploration of Scripture for clarity.
This does not imply that we should be purposely unclear. It does mean that we should not feel the urge
to make everything fit so comfortably in a 30 minute sermon that people only
walk away with ways of living at peace in a world that is alien to the
Gospel! People should leave on Sundays
consistently challenged with the mystery of how God can call us as Christians
to be so radically different from the world, while at the same time seeking to
live in the world (see Jesus’ prayer in John 17). A valid critique of situation comedies
(sit-coms) is that they take the most difficult issues and resolve them in 30
minutes with a laugh and a hug at the end.
Life is not that way. The Gospel
is a lifelong pursuit, and so allowing hearers to wrestle with the mysteries of
the text and of the faith is part of our growth as Christians.
3. Have an “aggravation shelf.”
For years now I have had what I call an “aggravation shelf” in my library. In fact, it I has since grown to several
shelves. Former students and current
church members often ask to see it when I mention it in the classroom or in a
message. It is a shelf filled with books
that often challenge me to the point of aggravation: writers who wrestle with
the same faith issues I wrestle with, but from a different perspective than
mine. These writers are intelligent and
most of them are Christians, yet their perspectives differ in some degree from
my own. By reading them, I am challenged
in my faith, and I am forced to continually remove God from the box that I try
to keep God in. Reading these authors
all the time would probably be too frustrating, but making myself read these
authors consistently has changed my life in a very positive way. In fact, a few have, in my view, “corrected”
my theology in such a profound way that it has drawn me closer to this God I
thought I knew. Some do not even stay on
my aggravation shelf, but become regular sources of theological exploration and
devotional help. This kind of engagement
in the wrestlings of the larger Body of Christ in the world, as well as
engagement with leading non-Christian writers of our day, also keeps me out of
my box! In other words, the challenging
words and approaches of others force me to seek God, and not just a smaller “version”
of God with which I am comfortable.
4. Fully Commit to God’s Ways Above All Else
At first this seems too broad of a statement, but at its heart is a desire to
let the ways of God, expressed in His Son Jesus Christ and led by the Holy
Spirit working through the history of God’s people become the primary lens through
which I view reality. Consequently, this
lens becomes my key to interpreting, teaching, and seeking to represent Jesus
and His mission in the world.
Furthermore, this lens replaces other lenses that I as a Christian
leader am tempted to use – often by other church leaders! – in approaching the
calling and mission of the Church. I am
often tempted to simply parrot the techniques of prominent business leaders,
politicians, or media pundits. When I
refuse to let the lenses of Christ filter these approaches, the Church loses
its credibility and prophetic voice.
When I engage these lenses as filters, then I am more likely to engage
in the true mission and message of Christ, even when fellow-Christians seem
dissatisfied.
Being the Church in
Contrast to the World
The call to be the Church in contrast to the world,
according to ethicist and theologian Stanley Hauerwas, is the greatest gift the
Church can give to the world. This call
is easily forgotten in times of vast media and political influence upon our
culture and upon church leaders.
However, Jesus seems more and more determined to do what He originally
set out to do: build His Church (Matthew 16:18). As Jesus does this, those things that are not
essential to the mission of Christ will lose their power and influence, and
those who refuse to build His Church His way will become more and more
disillusioned, as have many church members and leaders whose goals were different
from the goals of Christ. The greatest
concern I have as a pastor is that of passing along to my children and to those
around me the life-changing, world-challenging, prophetic nature of the Church
that many have died to pass along. That
means that God and God’s ways – theology – must again become the primary
concern of those of us who seek to lead as “under-shepherds” of the Great
Shepherd of the Church.
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