christian faith as a way of life

Christian faith as way of life

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Do we envision Christian faith working from the individual to the

global, or from the global to the individual?

Or both?

Societal Machine

Equity Security

Prosperity

The Ecosystem

Heat

Solar Energy

ResourcesWaste

Societal Machine

Equity Security

Prosperity

Framing Story

Conventional View Emerging View

The HumanSituation: Whatis the story thatwe findourselves in?

God created the world as perfect,but because our primalancestors, Adam and Eve, didnot maintain the absoluteperfection demanded by God,God has irrevocably determinedthat the entire universe and all itcontains will be destroyed, andthe souls of all human beings –except for those specificallyexempted – will be foreverpunished for their imperfectionin hell.1

God created the world as good, buthuman beings – as individuals, and asgroups – have rebelled against God andfilled the world with evil and injusticelike a terrible disease. God wants to savehumanity and heal it from its sickness,but humanity is hopelessly lost andconfused, like sheep without a shepherd,wandering farther and farther intolostness and danger. Left to themselves,human beings will spiral downward insickness and evil.

BasicQuestions: Whatquestions didJesus come toanswer?

Since everyone is doomed tohell, Jesus seeks to answer thesequestions: how can individualsbe saved from eternalpunishment in hell and insteadgo to heaven after they die? Howcan God help individuals behappy and successful until then?

Since the human race is in such desperatetrouble, Jesus seeks to answer thisquestion: what must be done about themess we’re in? The mess refers both tothe general human condition and itsspecific outworking among hiscontemporaries: living under dominationby the Roman empire, and divided intovarious competing sects.

Jesus’ message:How did Jesusrespond to thecrisis?

Jesus says, in essence, “If youwant to be among thosespecifically qualified to escapebeing forever punished for yoursins in hell, you must repent ofyour individual sins and believethat my Father punished me onthe cross so He won’t have topunish you in hell. Only if youbelieve this will you go toheaven when everyone else isbanished to hell.”2 This is thegood news.

Jesus says, in essence, “Other people andgroups – including your own religiousleaders - are leading you farther andfarther astray. I have been sent by Godwith this good news – that God loveshumanity, even in its lostness and sin.God graciously invites everyone andanyone to question and reject what theyhave been told and instead follow a newpath. Trust me and become my disciple,and you will be transformed, and you willparticipate in the transformation of theworld, which is possible, beginning rightnow.”3 This is the good news.

1 Of course, there are many modern western non-religious ontologies and framing stories too,plus Eastern ontologies and framing stories – both religious and irreligious.2 This reflects a Calvinistic Evangelical protestant version of the message. The popular RomanCatholic version might say, “You must believe in the teachings of the church and follow itsinstructions, especially those regarding sacraments.” The popular mainline or liberal Protestant

4 Crises:

Planetary crisis (Prosperity)

Poverty crisis (Equity)

Peace-making crisis (Security)

Religious Crisis (Spirituality)

Jesus didn’t claim to start a new religion. He proclaimed a new

kingdom....



Imagine what “the kingdom of God” would mean to its original hearers …

The Roman Empire was very tolerant of new religions … but not of new kingdoms. Proclaiming a new kingdom could get you killed.

Our contemporary understanding of Christian faith is …

MEMBERSHIP IN A TROUBLED, CONFLICTED,

CHANGE-AVERSE, AND EXPENSIVE INSTITUTION

with a large taboo against holding certain political and social convictions.

with a bias toward being good citizens

with a concern for religious education

with a seldom-spoken of dream of joining God in the healing of the world.

Or …

INFORMATION ON HOW TO GO TO HEAVEN

AFTER YOU DIEwith a large footnote about increasing your personal

happiness and success through God.

with a small footnote about character development

with a smaller footnote about spiritual experience

with a smaller footnote about social/global transformation.

self

church

worldSelf-enhancement in this life and the next

heaven

self

church

world

heaven

world

self

church

God’s love, joy, peace, justice

Two Denominations:

Conventional churches of personal spirituality or institutional tradition.

Intentional Churches dedicated to saving creation from human evil,

beginning with us.

Two Denominations:

We may have rightly lost confidence in the privatized/institutionalized gospel …

We need to (re)gain confidence in Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom of

God.

This approach has powerful implications for what it means to

identify as followers of Jesus in today’s world.



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versus

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versus

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Did Jesus come to create “Christians” or to form disciples who would join

God in healing our world?





Clearly, for the early disciples, the church was an expanding circle of disciples. It was “the embodiment of Christ.”

They saw themselves as learners in his way.

come, follow me

Learn of me, take my yoke upon you

I have given you an example

Make disciples, teaching them to

practice everything I have

taught you

Be conformed to the image of Christ. Romans 8

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12

… that Christ may be formed in you. Galatians 4

Learn Christ… Be made new in the attitude of your minds Ephesians 4

Christ in you, the hope of glory … everyone fully formed in Christ

Colossians 1 Let this attitude be in you which

was also in Christ… Philippians 2

This kind of personal spiritual formation involves intentional

spiritual practices (or disciplines):

Actions within our power which we do to train ourselves to do things currently

beyond our power, and to become people we are currently incapable of being.

-Running a marathon

-Making or playing a violin

-Learning a language

For example, fasting:- Feeling and acknowledging our weakness in the

face of impulses from our bodies.

-Practicing impulse control.

-Asserting to ourselves the importance of things other than impulse gratification.

-Accepting weakness and “poverty” in faith that greater strength and satisfaction can come to us.

-What benefits could come from this practice?

The sermon on the mountExplains how disciples of the kingdom are characterized by a “right/just way of living” which “surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees.”

Different attitudes: blessed are …

Different role - salt and light

Beyond “no murder” to no hatred, anger, insult, or grudges

Beyond “no adultery” to no lust or divorce

Beyond no lying to no exaggeration

Beyond no excessive revenge to no retaliation

Beyond loving friends to loving enemies

Beyond harsh religious “perfection” to God’s compassionate perfection.

How are disciples formed?

Through practice(s). ___public worship ___solitude ___sabbath

___meditation ___eucharist ___silence

___study ___spiritual direction

___practicing God’s presence ___prayer journaling ___fixed-hour prayer ___contemplative prayer

___service ___submission ___simplicity ___feasting/fasting ___pilgrimage ___self-denial

___identifying with Jesus ___reconciliation

___giving ___confessing sin ___reciting creeds


Through practice. ___public worship ___solitude ___sabbath ___eucharist

___silence






But this is only half the story …



Spiritual Formation through

personal practices.



Spiritual Formation through

missional practices.

Jesus calls disciples - men and women who will learn

to live a new way of life and experience transformation.

Then he sends them out as apostles … people who

would bring transformation to the

world.

the well-formed disciple/apostle

Love God Love neighbor, enemy

Via Contemplativa Via Activa

Good heart Good works

Trust Obey

Transforming (1) Transforming (2)

Disciple Apostle

“interior castle” kingdom of God

godliness otherliness

the well-formed disciple

patient kind not envious doesn’t boast not proud not rude

not self-seeking not easily angered no record of wrongs

doesn’t delight in evil rejoices with truth always protects

always trusts always hopes always perseveres never fails

The purpose of personal formation

is social transformation

And social transformation

requires personal transformation.

There must be ongoing transformation at every

level:Economic, political,

social, familial, community, artistic,

ecological, legal, business, military,

scientific, educational, etc.


Through personal practices. ___public worship ___solitude ___sabbath

___eucharist ___silence






How are apostles formed? Through missional practices.

___forgiving ___hospitality ___praying for healing ___not judging ___confronting evil ___serving

___listening ___associating with the lowly

___holy kiss ___speaking truth in love

___neighborliness ___loving enemies

___preferring poor ___speaking for justice ___proclaiming good news in word and deed

___giving to poor ___throwing parties for poor ___walking to other side of street to serve

___giving ___encouragement ___empathy

How is the world transformed?

Through communities of

people participating in transformation.

Does Christ’s church have a

mission?

Or does Christ’s mission have a

church?

As the Father sent me, so I send you.

(John 20:21)

So … the church is the community that joins God for global transformation on

every level …

It is a community of transforming individuals who participate with God in

the transformation of the world: the coming of the Kingdom of

God.

transformation

transformission

Spiritual formation is the development of people who are agents of God’s

healing …

Agents of peace, reconciliation, creativity, courage, patience, urgency, generosity, solidarity with the poor and

oppressed, truth-telling …

Working out the dynamic tension …

Social movements:

Confront social institutions, call for change

Social institutions:

Conserve gains made by previous social movements

Oppose current social movements

the well-formed disciple







the well-formed apostle.



the well-formed earth.

Come.

Follow Me.

world

self

church

selfchurch

world

world

self

church