Walking as Jesus Walked

Having the Mind of Christ

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Augustine and Authority

One of the best books I have read over the last year is Charles Matthewes The Republic of Grace: Augustinian Thoughts for Dark Times.  I have been captivated by the work he has done interpreting the implications of Augustine's thought for our day.  Here is a brief sentence about authority, reflecting how Augustine speaks to those who occupy a political (and pastoral?) office:

"...whatever authority one has in office comes from God...one can prudently use one's authority only when one knows one's own sinfulness and one's temptations toward pride, and knows that one will, in the end, be judged...we borrow authority ultimately from God...the true and rightful judge" (p. 164).

Gospel Contextualization

C. Rene Padilla is General Secretary of the Latin American Theological Fraternity and pastor of a Baptist church in Buenos Aires.  Here is an insightful paragraph from his book Mission Between the Times: Essays on The Kingdom about the contextualization of the gospel in culture. 

"The contextualization of the gospel will not consist in an adaptation of an existing theology to a given culture.  It will not merely be the result of an intellectual process.  It will not be aided by a benevolent missionary paternalism intended to help the young church to select those cultural elements that can be regarded as positive.  The contextualization of the gospel can only be a gift of grace granted by God to a church that is seeking to place the totality of life under the Lordship of Christ in its historical situation.  More than a wonder of nature, the incarnation is a wonder of grace" (p. 109).

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Anne Lamot

A quote from Anne Lamot:  "You can safely assume that you have created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates the same people you do."

New Books for Preachers

       

Here are two books pastors will want to read in 2012 from persons who know the art and craft of preaching.  I know I look forward to reading them.  Tom Long and Fleming Rutledge are two preaches I value in terms of substance and style.







The Jesus Creed



We will be offering the Jesus Creed as part of our Wednesday Night ministry.  Looking forward to seeing what this book has to offer.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

A New Kind of Methodist

Amidst the ruins of World War II, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the anti-Nazi theologian, wrote about the need to practice “a new kind of monasticism” in the church.  There was a need, he wrote, to find creative ways of practicing “life together” as disciples of Jesus. 

Two professors of evangelism in the United Methodist Church, Elaine Heath (Perkins) and Scott Kisker (Wesley), also write about the need to practice a new kind of monasticism.  In their book Longing for Spring, they share how the United Methodist Church needs to explore new avenues of living out the call to discipleship.  Heath and Kisker want to engage United Methodists in how a new monastic movement among laity and clergy may contribute to renewal. There is a desire, they insist, to address the longings of those who want to practice the “rule of life” taught by the founder of Methodism, John Wesley.  Their work grows out of the conviction that the Wesleyan revival was a form of monasticism that brought people from all walks of life into a deeper relationship with Christ.
To persons who may have thought that monasticism was for those who secluded themselves from the world, it may be good to remember that within Protestantism there have always been intentional communities that practiced what we might call a monastic rule of life:  Brethren, Puritan, and German Pietist groups come to mind.  Of course, the early Methodists were very intentional about practicing the General Rules in highly disciplined bands, classes, and societies.  The Rule of “doing no harm, doing all the good you can, and practicing the ordinances of God” only makes sense in a visible community of accountability.  Holiness in Wesleyan terms is always social holiness.    

What might a new monasticism mean for United Methodists today?  According to the 2004 Book of Discipline (Para.161.b), we discover support for forms of monasticism, such as Koinonia Farms and “other religious orders and corporate church life.”  United Methodists are encouraged to find “ways of understanding the needs and concerns of such groups and find ways of ministering to them and through them.”  Interestingly, this paragraph was removed from the 2008 Book of Discipline. However, as an example of a monastic community, Koinonia Farms is an example of the kind of disciplined church life supported by United Methodists.  We may also recall how Koinonia Farms was the birthplace of Habitat for Humanity and other ministries of racial reconciliation.
What about a monastic movement in the church?  Might the General Conference in Tampa encourage and engage such a movement?  What might it mean for a bishop to appoint a person to a monastic community created by United Methodists?  How might students and faculties on college campuses practice the Wesleyan “rule of life”?  In addition, how might local churches act as “anchor churches” to support those who want to minister in a Methodist Order along the lines of say Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity? 

Sound improbable?  The late Albert Outler suggested years ago that Methodism at its best was an “evangelical order” within the wider church, providing the means whereby persons could grow in holiness.  Having participated in the Walk to Emmaus, the Academy of Spiritual Formation, or Covenant Discipleship Groups persons may have some notion of what a new monasticism might look like, as these opportunities provide occasions to learn the way of discipleship.  Such avenues also offer the kind of support that can order the Christian life toward mission and service.

Those who want to learn more about the new monasticism will want to attend one or more of the following sessions in 2012:  Shane Claiborne will be at St. Luke’s UMC in Indy on February 16th/17th, and Elaine Heath will be coming to St. Andrew UMC in West Lafayette on March 18th; Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove of Rutba House in Durham, NC will be at UIndy on March 22nd.  All of these persons are involved in practicing the kind of wisdom Methodists have cultivated from the beginning. More importantly, they all address the deep longings of the heart that make discipleship the journey it is.