Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Thessalonians: an 'Adventist' Epistle
Happy 4th of July!
This past weekend at Epicenter, we read I Thessalonians, the whole book. I enjoyed the the broad overview and hearing some common 'sound bytes' in context such as, "But I would not have you be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope" and "The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night."
Primarily because of these two themes and the enigmatic apocalyptic language in II Thessalonians, it struck me that the message of Thessalonians is very 'Adventist.' Then came my moment of conviction.
Paul is thrilled with Timothy's glowing report from the church in Thessalonica not because they are proclaiming Christ's soon return or because they understand the finer points of the nature of man but because of "the good news of your faith and love." He affirms them not for their doctrinal purity or their evangelistic zeal but for that same love saying, "Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another."
Why did this focus on love not cause me to think of this as an 'Adventist' message? Some may say that is because we lack love; and, this may be true. However, it seems to me that a lack of love may simply be the result of how we define community. Our community tends to be based on intellectual beliefs and correct doctrines rather than relational love and practical actions.
For this reason, I am very excited about Campmeeting 2.0: Bloggin' the 28 Adventist beliefs sponsored by the Spectrum Blog. This series of posts hosted on various blogs seeks to answer a simple question: how do each of our Seventh-day Adventist fundamental beliefs translate into habits or actions today? I see this as a way to help us move beyond theory and into praxis. Maybe Thessalonians is 'Adventist' after all.
Here are links to the first three posts:
Ron Osborn on The Life, Death and Resurrection of Christ
Johnny Ramirez-Johnson on Applying Trinity to human relationships
Johnny Ramirez on The remnant and its mission
Enjoy!
This past weekend at Epicenter, we read I Thessalonians, the whole book. I enjoyed the the broad overview and hearing some common 'sound bytes' in context such as, "But I would not have you be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope" and "The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night."
Primarily because of these two themes and the enigmatic apocalyptic language in II Thessalonians, it struck me that the message of Thessalonians is very 'Adventist.' Then came my moment of conviction.
Paul is thrilled with Timothy's glowing report from the church in Thessalonica not because they are proclaiming Christ's soon return or because they understand the finer points of the nature of man but because of "the good news of your faith and love." He affirms them not for their doctrinal purity or their evangelistic zeal but for that same love saying, "Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another."
Why did this focus on love not cause me to think of this as an 'Adventist' message? Some may say that is because we lack love; and, this may be true. However, it seems to me that a lack of love may simply be the result of how we define community. Our community tends to be based on intellectual beliefs and correct doctrines rather than relational love and practical actions.
For this reason, I am very excited about Campmeeting 2.0: Bloggin' the 28 Adventist beliefs sponsored by the Spectrum Blog. This series of posts hosted on various blogs seeks to answer a simple question: how do each of our Seventh-day Adventist fundamental beliefs translate into habits or actions today? I see this as a way to help us move beyond theory and into praxis. Maybe Thessalonians is 'Adventist' after all.
Here are links to the first three posts:
Ron Osborn on The Life, Death and Resurrection of Christ
Johnny Ramirez-Johnson on Applying Trinity to human relationships
Johnny Ramirez on The remnant and its mission
Enjoy!
Labels: community, Epicenter, evangelism, gospel, Thessalonians
Monday, June 11, 2007
Evangelism by Being Evangelized
This past weekend in our Epicenter class we discussed evangelism (again!) in light of Galatians 3 and 4, with reference to Samir Selmanovic's chapter about Finding God in the Other in Emerging Manifesto of Hope, and incorporating a few ideas from Rollins' How (Not) to Speak of God.
Here is how it came together for me. If we agree that God is bigger than our church, denomination, and religion, then we must admit that God is at work among others outside of those areas. I envision God's work in each life and community as a process of breaking through barriers and thus enabling us to know/see God more clearly. There is a distinct possibility then that each of us in one way or more will have a clearer picture of God than others. These windows of connection with the divine would likely be more dissimilar and therefore potentially more synergistic and complementary between individuals from more dissimilar backgrounds.
Traditional methods of evangelism which seek to bring others to our own perspective with little or no consideration for their own perspective insinuate that we have the only valid window on who God is. This ignores the fact that there are barriers to our own vision of God which others in their journey may have overcome. Perhaps by following the advice that Paul gave to the Philippian communities of Euodia and Syntyche we could come together and mutually benefit from a two way evangelistic conversation. "Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
In How (Not) to Speak of God, Rollins describes the evangelistic activities of Ikon, a nontraditional monthly Christian gathering in Ireland, as they go out to be evangelized. In the process of asking others to evangelize them, they open themselves up for the opportunity to be edified. In addition, the others are respected and valued (i.e. loved), opening a relationship to foster conversation. Then, everyone involved in the conversation is stimulated to think about and share their own experience with God. Ideally, this leads to communities of questioning, seeking, and growing disciples.
I find this vision of evangelism inspiring and it dovetails with the concept of a faith based media discussion group that some of us have talked about starting in our area -- more on that later. For now, if anyone wants to evangelize me, comments would be welcome.
Here is how it came together for me. If we agree that God is bigger than our church, denomination, and religion, then we must admit that God is at work among others outside of those areas. I envision God's work in each life and community as a process of breaking through barriers and thus enabling us to know/see God more clearly. There is a distinct possibility then that each of us in one way or more will have a clearer picture of God than others. These windows of connection with the divine would likely be more dissimilar and therefore potentially more synergistic and complementary between individuals from more dissimilar backgrounds.
Traditional methods of evangelism which seek to bring others to our own perspective with little or no consideration for their own perspective insinuate that we have the only valid window on who God is. This ignores the fact that there are barriers to our own vision of God which others in their journey may have overcome. Perhaps by following the advice that Paul gave to the Philippian communities of Euodia and Syntyche we could come together and mutually benefit from a two way evangelistic conversation. "Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
In How (Not) to Speak of God, Rollins describes the evangelistic activities of Ikon, a nontraditional monthly Christian gathering in Ireland, as they go out to be evangelized. In the process of asking others to evangelize them, they open themselves up for the opportunity to be edified. In addition, the others are respected and valued (i.e. loved), opening a relationship to foster conversation. Then, everyone involved in the conversation is stimulated to think about and share their own experience with God. Ideally, this leads to communities of questioning, seeking, and growing disciples.
I find this vision of evangelism inspiring and it dovetails with the concept of a faith based media discussion group that some of us have talked about starting in our area -- more on that later. For now, if anyone wants to evangelize me, comments would be welcome.
Labels: community, diversity, Epicenter, evangelism, Galatians, religion, spirituality
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Seeing Beyond Modernity and Postmodernity
The Adventism of my youth was rooted and established in modernity. As a child, my mind was filled with the heady imagery of the grand narrative of God's people culminating in the ultimate end time showdown between us the Sabbath keeping remnant and the raving, depraved, even demonic others. Ellen White's writings were referred to as "The Spirit of Prophecy" as if they contained all encompassing, infallible truth. My elders spoke of having "the truth" as if we had reached the zenith of modern Biblical sholarship and theology with nothing more to learn and certainly nothing to revise. Evangelism was accomplished through extended lectures where this truth was expounded to all important individuals. I came of age in the last towering heights of modern influenced Adventism.
The Adventism of my young adulthood is undermined and deconstructed by postmodernity. Emerging as a critique of the arrogance and violence inherent in the meta-narrative of modern progress and colonialism which led to horrible injustice and outragous atrocities in the 19th and 20th centuries, postmodernity has functioned as an effective chemotherapy against the cancer of unchecked modernity.* In the process, foundations have been demolished. Ellen White has been knocked off of the precarious pedastal we placed her on by intellectuals who failed to be awed by modern apologists. Truth is recognized as relative and a claim to have all of it has become ridiculous if not overtly evil. Evangelism is a dirty word to many people and more important than intellectual truth for individuals is practical results for humanity. In Europe, where postmodernity ignited and took off, the fallout for Christianity and Adventism in particular has not been pretty. Along with the rest of North America, I seem to be rocketing along the same trajectory.
The Adventism of our future is open before us and the way is now cleared for new improvisations of ancient faith. In looking back to our premodern foundation as articulated by Paul, I find a hopeful way forward through the rubble. With postmodernity's deconstruction of the proud, modern, self-reliant, fully-informed individual, the way is open for a new way of being human. As N.T. Wright puts it, "If anyone is in Christ -- new creation! Not 'Cogito, ergo sum' but 'Amor, ergo sum': I am loved, therefore I am." Now that modernity's claim to be able to know all things objectively is shown up as a power-play, Paul's method of knowing in part and loving the other while respecting their 'otherness' becomes possible. Since the exploitative, power-based underbelly of modernity's grand narrative of scientific progress and intellectual enlightenment has been revealed, there is room for the counter-intuative epic that Paul proclaimed based on love not power with the Cross of Christ at the center.** I'm seeing the future of Adventism through Paul's eyes, and it looks good!
* For more on this concept, see Brian McLaren's chapter in the new book, Emergent Manifesto of Hope.
** These thoughts are quoted from and inspired by N.T. Wright's book, Paul In Fresh Perspective.
The Adventism of my young adulthood is undermined and deconstructed by postmodernity. Emerging as a critique of the arrogance and violence inherent in the meta-narrative of modern progress and colonialism which led to horrible injustice and outragous atrocities in the 19th and 20th centuries, postmodernity has functioned as an effective chemotherapy against the cancer of unchecked modernity.* In the process, foundations have been demolished. Ellen White has been knocked off of the precarious pedastal we placed her on by intellectuals who failed to be awed by modern apologists. Truth is recognized as relative and a claim to have all of it has become ridiculous if not overtly evil. Evangelism is a dirty word to many people and more important than intellectual truth for individuals is practical results for humanity. In Europe, where postmodernity ignited and took off, the fallout for Christianity and Adventism in particular has not been pretty. Along with the rest of North America, I seem to be rocketing along the same trajectory.
The Adventism of our future is open before us and the way is now cleared for new improvisations of ancient faith. In looking back to our premodern foundation as articulated by Paul, I find a hopeful way forward through the rubble. With postmodernity's deconstruction of the proud, modern, self-reliant, fully-informed individual, the way is open for a new way of being human. As N.T. Wright puts it, "If anyone is in Christ -- new creation! Not 'Cogito, ergo sum' but 'Amor, ergo sum': I am loved, therefore I am." Now that modernity's claim to be able to know all things objectively is shown up as a power-play, Paul's method of knowing in part and loving the other while respecting their 'otherness' becomes possible. Since the exploitative, power-based underbelly of modernity's grand narrative of scientific progress and intellectual enlightenment has been revealed, there is room for the counter-intuative epic that Paul proclaimed based on love not power with the Cross of Christ at the center.** I'm seeing the future of Adventism through Paul's eyes, and it looks good!
* For more on this concept, see Brian McLaren's chapter in the new book, Emergent Manifesto of Hope.
** These thoughts are quoted from and inspired by N.T. Wright's book, Paul In Fresh Perspective.
Labels: Acts, community, Epicenter, evangelism, postmodernity
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Evangelism
Hi Brent,
I thought I’d break into the Blog talk with my thoughts regarding some of the things we discussed this past weekend in Sabbath School.
Sometimes I think I see in the church a want for something new and fresh, an attitude of, “We need to move on,” or, “We need to progress beyond our limited view of Bible truth.” There seems to be a general disinterest and indifference to “the same OLD message,” while those who weren’t born into it have grasped it with joy! They’re thrilled with a NEW and beautiful vision of God and His plans for the future!
I agree that evangelism has been done wrongly at times, or made us uncomfortable at the least. I agree that different methods need to be tried. But I don’t see a need to throw out the message just because the methods seem ineffective. At this time I haven’t seen the fruits of souls won by any alternative idea floated around. I’m all for new methods that win souls, but I just haven't seen any implemented yet.
I could agree with the idea of “just loving people” into the church, but I haven’t met anyone who became Adventist that way. I’m willing to consider the idea of “dialoging” people into the church, but I haven’t met anyone who’s joined our church that way either. So until the “ideas” grow feet and start bringing people into the truth, I guess I’ll keep supporting public evangelism, because that’s what brought in most of the people I know.
I thought I’d break into the Blog talk with my thoughts regarding some of the things we discussed this past weekend in Sabbath School.
Sometimes I think I see in the church a want for something new and fresh, an attitude of, “We need to move on,” or, “We need to progress beyond our limited view of Bible truth.” There seems to be a general disinterest and indifference to “the same OLD message,” while those who weren’t born into it have grasped it with joy! They’re thrilled with a NEW and beautiful vision of God and His plans for the future!
I agree that evangelism has been done wrongly at times, or made us uncomfortable at the least. I agree that different methods need to be tried. But I don’t see a need to throw out the message just because the methods seem ineffective. At this time I haven’t seen the fruits of souls won by any alternative idea floated around. I’m all for new methods that win souls, but I just haven't seen any implemented yet.
I could agree with the idea of “just loving people” into the church, but I haven’t met anyone who became Adventist that way. I’m willing to consider the idea of “dialoging” people into the church, but I haven’t met anyone who’s joined our church that way either. So until the “ideas” grow feet and start bringing people into the truth, I guess I’ll keep supporting public evangelism, because that’s what brought in most of the people I know.
Labels: Epicenter, evangelism
Have we nothing to share?
I didn't share these thoughts during Sabbath School yesterday because I couldn't get my thoughts together in a concise manner. Here's the last point I wanted to make.
If I've heard correctly in class, there's a general feeling that our emphasis, when it comes to evangelism, should be along the lines of “we need to respect (or is that accept?) everyone’s beliefs and lifestyles,” and that to point out truth or sin is not being nice! Our society today values “nice” and it’s not nice to believe that we have truths that other people need to hear; that’s arrogance on our part. To tell others these truths might threaten their world view, or their beliefs, and who are we to do that! I think this keeps us from evangelizing, which is what Satan wants when it comes to exposing his deceptions in these last days.
I respect people that have different beliefs, but that doesn’t mean I agree with them or should legitimize their belief systems. Am I acting in Christian love in withholding truths they need to know to inherit eternal life just to be nice and be considered open minded? I don't believe that “all paths lead to God.” Of course we don't have all the truth, but we have a lot that's worth telling! We have a responsiblity before God to tell what we know and warn people of what's coming.
Fellow Christians of other denominations are in as much danger, if not MORE, from the deceptions that are coming on the world as are non-Christians when it comes to salvation. When Satan works miracles or demons impersonate angels, won’t Christians be the first ones to herald that this is from God? Is it “sheep stealing” to warn Christians also?
I won't be in Sabbath School this coming Sabbath, but I'd be interested in reading other people's thoughts in response to my posts. Thanks, Brent for all the effort you put into our class.
If I've heard correctly in class, there's a general feeling that our emphasis, when it comes to evangelism, should be along the lines of “we need to respect (or is that accept?) everyone’s beliefs and lifestyles,” and that to point out truth or sin is not being nice! Our society today values “nice” and it’s not nice to believe that we have truths that other people need to hear; that’s arrogance on our part. To tell others these truths might threaten their world view, or their beliefs, and who are we to do that! I think this keeps us from evangelizing, which is what Satan wants when it comes to exposing his deceptions in these last days.
I respect people that have different beliefs, but that doesn’t mean I agree with them or should legitimize their belief systems. Am I acting in Christian love in withholding truths they need to know to inherit eternal life just to be nice and be considered open minded? I don't believe that “all paths lead to God.” Of course we don't have all the truth, but we have a lot that's worth telling! We have a responsiblity before God to tell what we know and warn people of what's coming.
Fellow Christians of other denominations are in as much danger, if not MORE, from the deceptions that are coming on the world as are non-Christians when it comes to salvation. When Satan works miracles or demons impersonate angels, won’t Christians be the first ones to herald that this is from God? Is it “sheep stealing” to warn Christians also?
I won't be in Sabbath School this coming Sabbath, but I'd be interested in reading other people's thoughts in response to my posts. Thanks, Brent for all the effort you put into our class.
Labels: evangelism, religion
Thursday, January 04, 2007
I wish I lived in New York
I have never really thought I would like to live in New York before. But, after hearing about Samir Selmanovic's Faith House Project, I would love to be there. This is exactly the kind of community I and a few other friends (including one very vocal atheist) have dreamt of. Here is a link to Samir's blog.
Faith House Manhattan
How's that for evangelism?
How's that for evangelism?
Labels: evangelism, religion
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Epicenter 01.06.07
This coming weekend we will be covering Acts chapters 12 and 13.
This past weekend we took a look over our shoulder at our journey through Acts so far. We did this in light of our discussion on evangelism. At it's heart, I think we agree that evangelism is sharing the gospel. The issue then is our definition of 'gospel'. Is the gospel a pure, propositional truth that we need sell? Or, is the gospel an interactive, local, relational experience that we get to share? (Just the phrasing of my questions reveals my personal bias.)
Our survey of Acts demonstrates an intriguing concept. Perhaps this separation between the spoken propositional truth and the relational experience is a false dichotomy. We looked at several examples in Acts where both public proclamation and personal meeting of needs in a community either both functioned to expand God's kingdom or where the opportunity to meet another's needs led to the right time to explain a deep truth (e.g. Peter and John heal the lame man at the temple and then have an opportunity to tell a large group of people about Jesus and the healing and refreshing found in God's kingdom.) Therefore in Acts, the two views of the gospel merge into one cohesive local gospel which is both experienced and proclaimed as the opportunity arises.
This is different from every evangelistic series I have been a part. Unfortunately, the order has been reversed with the proclamation of timeless truth followed by a hope that somehow the newly converted will find their needs met in whatever community happens to be more or less available. In addition, there was no consideration given to the community or the local context and needs. Instead a universal presentation was made intended to convince all listeners of timeless, placeless truth.
Here is a link to Ryan Bell's blog Intersections where he highlights a video about an Adventist missional community in the Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie that has found a way to restore the order. They are attempting to meet the needs of the community which then led to a unique opportunity to speak before the city council. Here is a link to his post.
A Tangible Example of Missional Engagement
I find this story both inspiring and discouraging. It's inspiring because it offers a tangible glimpse into how evangelism can be an integral merging of the experience and proclamation of the good news that the Kingdom of God is here. And yet, it's discouraging because it reveals my own inadequate understanding and poor experience in how the Gospel could and should make an impact here in Birmingham.
Also, Carmen sent me a link to the first chapter of Reimagining Evangelism by Rick Richardson. His ideas have my own wheels turning. What is the goal with evangelism? Is it to save people or to share what we know of God's character and let them know why we are saved? The evangelism he imagines just might appeal to me. (It of course helps that he references one of my favorite movie series) How about you? Below is a link to his book.
Reimagining Evangelism
This past weekend we took a look over our shoulder at our journey through Acts so far. We did this in light of our discussion on evangelism. At it's heart, I think we agree that evangelism is sharing the gospel. The issue then is our definition of 'gospel'. Is the gospel a pure, propositional truth that we need sell? Or, is the gospel an interactive, local, relational experience that we get to share? (Just the phrasing of my questions reveals my personal bias.)
Our survey of Acts demonstrates an intriguing concept. Perhaps this separation between the spoken propositional truth and the relational experience is a false dichotomy. We looked at several examples in Acts where both public proclamation and personal meeting of needs in a community either both functioned to expand God's kingdom or where the opportunity to meet another's needs led to the right time to explain a deep truth (e.g. Peter and John heal the lame man at the temple and then have an opportunity to tell a large group of people about Jesus and the healing and refreshing found in God's kingdom.) Therefore in Acts, the two views of the gospel merge into one cohesive local gospel which is both experienced and proclaimed as the opportunity arises.
This is different from every evangelistic series I have been a part. Unfortunately, the order has been reversed with the proclamation of timeless truth followed by a hope that somehow the newly converted will find their needs met in whatever community happens to be more or less available. In addition, there was no consideration given to the community or the local context and needs. Instead a universal presentation was made intended to convince all listeners of timeless, placeless truth.
Here is a link to Ryan Bell's blog Intersections where he highlights a video about an Adventist missional community in the Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie that has found a way to restore the order. They are attempting to meet the needs of the community which then led to a unique opportunity to speak before the city council. Here is a link to his post.
I find this story both inspiring and discouraging. It's inspiring because it offers a tangible glimpse into how evangelism can be an integral merging of the experience and proclamation of the good news that the Kingdom of God is here. And yet, it's discouraging because it reveals my own inadequate understanding and poor experience in how the Gospel could and should make an impact here in Birmingham.
Also, Carmen sent me a link to the first chapter of Reimagining Evangelism by Rick Richardson. His ideas have my own wheels turning. What is the goal with evangelism? Is it to save people or to share what we know of God's character and let them know why we are saved? The evangelism he imagines just might appeal to me. (It of course helps that he references one of my favorite movie series) How about you? Below is a link to his book.
Labels: Acts, Epicenter, evangelism, religion
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