Christ Is Victorious

The Primary Task of Christian Theology....according to Stanley Hauerwas

Think about this...from Stanley Hauerwas

"The primary task of Christian theology/ethics involves an attempt to help us see. For we can only act within the world we can see and we can only see the world rightly by being trained to see. We do not come to see just by looking, but by disciplined skills developed through initiation into a narrative."

This is precisely why theology is so important in the church today. Christians seem to believe that they can see the world just by looking, yet never seek to be trained to understand what they see through the narrative story of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as witnessed in Holy Scripture and the faithful witness of the Church through the centuries. So much of what we do as 'ministry' in the church does so little to develop the necessary skills to see God, the world and our lives in relationship to Jesus Christ. We need to return to a deep commitment to training one another to see well. Amen.

Why I Believe in Heresy...and so does Alister McGrath

  For a long time I have preached and taught that heresy still matters to the church of Jesus Christ and to all those who seek to seriously study Christian theology. Whenever I have affirmed this either from the pulpit or from the classroom, people seem to be astounded that I would say such a thing in times such as this. Afterall, heresy sounds so antiquated and out of date. Heresy conjures up images of persecution, martyrdom and the like. And it just isn't right to call someone a heretic...It's not nice.

Well, I believe in heresy and I am delighted to discover that Alister McGrath does too. His most recent work is entitled Heresy: A History of Defending the Truth. Coupled with GR Evans' A Brief History of Heresy, McGrath's book sets out why it is so important to understand the history of orthodoxy and heresy in the history of the church and its relevance for today. As McGrath states "Our ongoing fascination with alternative Christianities is on public display every time a never-before-seen gospel text is revealed, an archaeological discovery about jesus makes front-page news, or a new work of fiction challenges the very foundations of teh church. McGrath continues "In recent years the distinction between heresy and orthodoxy has come under fire by those eager to reject the formal boundaries of sanctioned beliefs about God, Jesus Christ and the Church." For McGrath and for me this is why the categories of orthodoxy and heresy must be understood in our time and continue to be applied to our current context within the church and our contemporary culture...After all only those who are part of the church can be heretics (Joel Osteen and Bishop Spong come to mind immediately), for those who are not part of the church are only manifesting their unbelief (Dan Brown comes to mind), and there is a marked difference.

I agree with McGrath when he says that In the end what we are called to is to remain faithful to the mission and message of Jesus Christ, particularly in the face of popular cries that traditional Christian teaching is outdated and is opposed to individual personal freedom to believe what one wants. Heresy has always been part of the history of the church and its theological/doctrinal development. "Heresy has never been eradicated, these rival beliefs only go underground for a while and resurface in different forms." There is truly nothing new under the sun as the writer of Ecclesiastes states, and that includes heresy. Most heresies are an attempt to make the Christian faith easier to believe in light of the contemporary spirit of the age. Yet the power of a faithful witness to evangelical, ecumenical orthodoxy is what is called for in our own time. If you are looking for an excellent work on this please take the time to read Orthodoxy by GK Chesterton. You will not be disappointed!

All Saints Day. All Hallows Eve. Reformation Sunday: Who is Still Telling the Story?

Yesterday was All Saints Day and hardly a Protestant Church gave it a passing nod or if they did very few paid any attention. And our culture could care less...The day before yesterday was All Hallows Eve(Halloween to most people including Christians) and alot of Christians gave it alot of attention, unfortunately not much of it had any relationship to the Christian faith and its centuries-old celebrations of the holy-day (holiday). No God's people are far more interested in how the house was decorated, what kind of candy was being distributed or deciding whether or not to go to the local church's "alternative" celebration in order to be more "safe". And our culture LOVES this holy day (holiday) so much that other than Christmas Americans spend more on Halloween than any other celebration. Can you believe it? And a week ago was Reformation Sundayand very few Protestant Churches did much to remember this powerful movement of the living God through His Word, His Spirit and ordinary men and women. Perhaps Martin Luther's great hymn "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" was sung but that was about it. And our culture could care less, except for a passing notice of the announcement by Pope Benedict XVI opening the ecumenical door to Anglicans/Episcopalians accompanied by a brief history lesson dating back to the Protestant Reformation in England when the Vatican would not grant an marriage annulment to King Henry VIII and Anglicanism was born. And finally PLEASE do not get me started about Advent/Christmas or Lent beginning with Ash Wednesday, all of Holy Week including Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter, or Pentecost.

Ok...you can write me off as a curmudgeonly, Scrooge-like Christian when I start writing and talking like this and many in the church have already done so. Yet for me this is a very "missional" issue for the church today. It is rooted in the late Robert Webber's last book entitled "Who Gets to Narrate the World? Contending for the Christian Story in an Age of Rivals". For Webber, who gave his life teaching to call the church to a life of discipleship and mission grounded in true Christian worship, believed that "this question is the most pressing issue of our time in that Christianity in America (as it already is in Europe) will not survive if Christians are not rooted in and informed by the uniquely Christian story that is the gospel of Jesus Christ...convinced that the American Church is facing the demise of its entire way of life and faith." Thus he calls on the church to engage both the external and internal challenges which confront us today, repent of our cultural accommodation and reclaim the unique story---the Christian Story---that God has given us to proclaim and live. So my question is how are we going to tell the Advent Christmas Story of journey to a manger as a truly Christian Story this year? How are we going to tell the Christian story and invite people on the journey to the cross and empty tomb of Jesus during Lent this year? It may begin by just showing up at Church. It may mean de-culturing yourself in how you practice these holy-days (holidays).

For in the end, what bothers me most is that as Christians have stopped telling the Christian Story in their churches and in their lives, the culture has replaced the Christian Story and liturgy with other "liturgies and stories" or they just do not care anymore and consider it irrelevant. The sad part is most Christians seem more content live the alternative story of culture rather than the real story, the best story that is told in the Gospel of Jesus Christ lived out among those who claim the name of Jesus. Think about it...HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING Sent and Gathered: A Worship Manual for the Missional Church by Clayton Schmit (Director of the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology and the Arts at Fuller Seminary)

Watch/Listen to Reformation Sunday Sermon Preached at Grace Lutheran Church of Huntington Beach, California

Many of you have asked if you would be able to watch or listen to the recent sermon I preached on Reformation Sunday at Grace Lutheran Church in Huntington Beach, California, pastored by my good friend and colleage Rev. Chris Tweitmann (see his blog at http://www.coramdeo.com). The answer is yes. The link is http://www.gracehb.org. Go to watch, listen to sermon for direct stream or download. Love to hear your response. It was a great joy to serve again with Chris, to meet the people to whom God has called he and Beth to minister, and to do so on Reformation Sunday. It was a delight to be able to both preach the Word of God and to minister the Sacrament of Communion. May God continue to Reform His Church through the faithful proclamation of the Word of God, through the grace offered in the Sacrament and the powerful work of the Holy Spirit of God.

Celebrating Reformation Sunday with U2 at the Rose Bowl

 After celebrating and preaching Reformation Sunday at Grace Lutheran Church in Huntington Beach, CA with my good friend and colleague Rev. Chris Tweitmann we continued the celebration with U2 and 90,000 others at the RoseBowl. It was incredible to say the least! Live around the world on YouTube...The highlight was the movement from One to Amazing Grace to Where the Streets Have No Name. At one point Bono jokingly called The Edge a "Presbyterian" who doesn't say much but when he does...watch out!" Make no mistake, the Gospel was offered and received by many who entered into church after being invited to do so by Bono. It is one Reformation Sunday I will never forget. The set list is below. To all my friends who will see them in Vancouver, BC GET READY...

1. Breathe
2. Get On Your Boots
3. Magnificent
4. Mysterious Ways
5. Beautiful Day / In God's Country / God Only Knows  / The Maker 
6. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / Stand By Me 
7. Stuck In A Moment
8. No Line On The Horizon
9. Elevation
10. In A Little While
11. Unknown Caller
12. Until The End Of The World
13. The Unforgettable Fire
14. City Of Blinding Lights
15. Vertigo / It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It)
16. Crazy Tonight / Two Tribes
17. Sunday Bloody Sunday
18. MLK
19. Walk On / You'll Never Walk Alone
    Encore(s):
    
20. One / Amazing Grace
21. Where The Streets Have No Name
22. Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
23. With Or Without You
24. Moment of Surrender

 

A Mighty Fortress is Our God: The Theology of Great Hymns of The Christian Church

 As one who teaches theology in an evangelical seminary, I remind students that more theology has been taught and learned in what is sung in a worship service than in the pulpit. Maybe an overstatement but maybe not...I am a lover of the great hymns of the church as well as the great new hymns, praises and spiritual songs of this generation. After all, one's tradition once was contemporary. Why the church cannot seem to understand this is quite a puzzle to me. Yet those who wish to eliminate these great hymns do so at their own peril, as well as the detriment of the next generations of those who seek to worship the triune God in Spirit and Truth. On this Reformation Sunday, I offer the great hymn and theology of Martin Luther in his majestic hymn "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" (from Psalm 46). The first verse speaks of the mighty power, presence and protection of our God in the face of the reality of sin, death, evil and the devil. Verse two asks us to consider how much we seek to live the Christian life in our own power and strength rather than in the One who is our power and strength and the One who will be victorious (Christus Victor! Amen). Verse three is another reminder of the spiritual warfare of which we are a part in the name of Jesus and a reminder again that there is one name which is victory, Jesus Christ! Verse four calls us in typical Martin Luther form to "Let Go and Let God" as the One whose name is above every name will triumph, and as the Holy Spirit gives us all that is necessary to live the way of Jesus Christ and we are allowed to know and experience that God's truth and Kingdom is forever and ever Amen. Amen and Amen!

A mighty fortress is our God
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he amid the flood
of mortal ills prevaling. 
For still our ancient foe
doth seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right man on our side, 
the man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be? 
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth, his name,
from age to age the same,
and he must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed
his truth to triumph through us. 
The Prince of Darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo, his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers,
no thanks to them, abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours,
thru him who with us sideth. 
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill;
God's truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever.

The Protestant Reformation and the Roman Catholic Church Today

In a follow up to my previous post on celebrating the Protestant Reformation, the stunning news that came out of the Vatican today is incredible to say the least. I am going to take some considerable time to study and reflect upon this as I already had been moved to study Pope Benedict XVi's newest encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth) which has received alot of attention and support from the Evangelical and Protestant community. What is God doing in our day? Great question to ask. Would love to hear your answers...

 Catholic Church Makes 'Stunning' Move JAMES GRAFF, World Editor AOL News

(Oct. 20) -- The number of married Catholic priests could grow sharply as the result of the Vatican's epochal decision to welcome thousands of disaffected Anglicans and Episcopalians into the Catholic Church.

At press conferences in Rome and London on Tuesday, Vatican officials announced that the Church would set up a special canonical structure that will ease the conversion of members of the Anglican Communion without them having to give up what the Vatican called "the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony." That means not only a body of prayers and hymns, but also a tradition of married priests and bishops.

"It's a stunning turn of events," says Lawrence Cunningham, theology professor at Notre Dame University. "This decision will allow for many more married clergy in Western churches, and that's going to raise anew the question, 'If they can do it, why can't the priests of Rome?,'" says Cunningham. "I can already picture the electronic slugfest on the Internet in coming days and weeks."

The Catholic Church already allows clergymen who convert from Protestant denominations to remain married on a case by case basis, and married priests are common in the Eastern Rite, a group that uses Orthodox traditions but is loyal to Rome.

But the arrangement with the Anglican Communion goes much further. Cardinal William Levada, the Vatican's top doctrinal official, announced in Rome that the Church would set up a personal ordinariate -- in essence a diocese defined not by geography, but by function, like the division that serves Catholics in the military -- for converted Anglicans.

The move comes after years of discord within the Anglican Communion, which unites 77 million Anglicans and Episcopalians under the loose authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. The church has been racked by schisms over the ordination of women and its stance towards homosexuality.

Some Anglicans believe the Vatican's move will deepen those divisions. "When it comes to elegant funerals, no one can beat the Vatican," wrote commentator Andrew Brown in The Guardian. "The Roman Catholic church is no longer even pretending to take seriously the existence of the Anglican Communion as a coherent body."

For many traditional Episcopalians, as the denomination is known in the U.S., the last straw was the 2003 election of openly gay Gene Robinson as bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire. In protest, hundreds churches have broken links with the Episcopal Church and declared themselves in line with the conservative Anglican bishops in Africa or South America.

Martyn Minns, the bishop of one such dissident group, the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, said today, "This move by the Catholic Church recognizes the reality of the divide within the Anglican Communion and affirms the decision to create a new North American province that embraces biblical truth."

The news is likely to have a particularly strong effect in Great Britain, where there has been a tendency for years for members of the nominally Anglican majority to join the Catholic Church, from theologian John Cardinal Newman in the 19th century, poet T.S. Eliot in the 20th, and former Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2007.

Such conversions have generally meant not only a recognition of the pope's authority, but also a rejection of Anglican traditions. That turning away may no longer be necessary. "Now you can be an Anglican and still be Catholic," says Jo Bailey Wells, director of Anglican Studies at Duke Divinity School. "The Anglicans never had that vote of confidence before."

Indeed, two prominent British priests who publicly broke from Anglicanism years ago stated today that after this ruling from Rome, some Anglicans "will begin to form a caravan, rather like the People of Israel crossing the desert in search of the Promised Land."

Whether that happens or not, today's decision marks a milestone in the relations between the Vatican and the Church of England, which King Henry VIII established in 1534 after the Pope refused to grant him a marriage annulment. Since then, religious and social battles have often marked relations between Catholics and Anglicans. Says Cunningham: "This would have been unthinkable 200 years ago, and barely imaginable in the 19th century."

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2009-10-20

The Great Re-formation of the Church

 This coming Sunday is Reformation Sunday when many churches celebrate the renewing work of God among His people in the 16th century that continues today. I am thrilled that I will be preaching on Reformation Sunday for my good friend and colleague Rev. Chris Tweitmann who currently serves as the pastor of Grace Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Huntington Beach, CA (see www.gracehb.org) as an ordained PCUSA pastor. Below is my outline for the sermon. I would also love to hear how the Protestant Reformation is celebrated in your communities of faith.

"The Great Re-Formation of the Church"

(Matthew 16:13-19; John 17:20-26; Ephesians 3:14-4:16; 1 Peter 2:9-10)

A Sermon for Reformation Sunday 2009

Introduction

* "Why bother with the church today?" (Philip Yancey )

* "Why has God always "called a people for himself" in human history?"

* "What holds a/the church together and keeps the church from going to hell?"

* "What’s so great about Peace, Unity and Purity in the Church and Why are we still

fighting over it in the local church and in the various Protestant denominations?"

* "Why is "de-formation" part of the "re-formation" of the church today?"

* "Why is the Protestant Reformation still part of our story today?"

I. The Theology of the Church #101

A. God has always called a people for himself.

B. God calls us individually and personally by name, but calls us to belong to a

people.

C. Israel and the Church of Jesus Christ are at the center of what God has been, is

doing and will do in the world.

D. The Church experiences true Christian community when it lives in unity

(oneness) and diversity (difference) before the triune God.

E. God’s People are called to live and love in such a way before one another and

the world that all people will see the life and love of God.

F. There is no perfect church...no church has arrived…

G. The Ultimate Future of the Church: to enter the eternal Kingdom of God.

***The Primary Issue facing the Church today is a crisis of authority at every level

of life…personal, local churches, denominations and the global church.

 

II. The Formation of the Church as the People of God

A. The first and last expression of the church is the triune God, therefore the church is

primarily defined by who God is eternally.

B. The first human church on earth was Adam and Eve, therefore the church is

created by the triune God in the image of God because it is not good to be

alone in this world or before God.

C. Israel is the first recognizable church in the Bible, through the covenant with

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel), to the Exodus and the giving of the

Law and through the history of Israel in the Old Testament to the present day.

D. Jesus Christ called the 12 Apostles (12 Tribes of Israel) to be the beginnings of

the New Testament people of God called the church of Jesus Christ.

E. The Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the early church at Pentecost encouraged,

empowered and enabled the church to be the church = the physical re-

presentation of Jesus Christ to each other and the world.

F. Jesus Christ has faithfully continued and will continue to faithfully build his

church in the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father.

G. The Current Formation of the Christian Church is divided in 3 Streams of

Christianity: Roman Catholicism, Protestantism and Eastern Orthodoxy.

III. The Re-Formation and De-Formation of the Church: An Issue and Crisis of

Authority

A. The Authority of Jesus Christ: "Jesus is Lord!" (Romans 10:9ff)

B. The Authority of the Holy Scriptures: The Bible as the Canon (rule/standard) of

Christian Faith. (2 Timothy 3:15-4:5)

C. The Authority of the Confessions: The witness of the Great Communion of Saints

who have gone before us. (The Nicene Creed, The Apostles’ Creed…)

D. The Authority of Church Polity/Governance: The way in which the church has

ordered itself to fulfill the divine purposes (worship, ministry for which it was

ordained and instituted by the triune God.

 

IV. The Future of the Church: Our Future, Your Future and the World’s Future

A. A People who live out "Jesus is Lord!"

B. A People who allow the Holy Scriptures to shape and form them.

C. A People who welcome the witness of those who have gone before us in the

faith.

D. A People who seek to be led by people and structures who have the purposes

of God at the center of how they do church.

E. A People who see the call to belong to a Christian community ahead of their

own needs and preferences.

F. A People who know that they are "a communion of saints and sinners".

G. A People who are convinced that we are only the church when we exist for the

triune God and for others who do not yet know God through faith in Jesus

Christ.

H. A People who have a divine discontent towards the status quo of the church and know

that the church needs to be reformed and always reforming.

Conclusions

Only when you and I personally

commit again and again to believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to be open to the transforming work of God that changes us as we are willing to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ in every aspect of our lives will we the very agents of change that will bring about the transformation of the world as the Kingdom of God is revealed as we live up to our calling in Jesus Christ and live for the glory of God alone.

Only when the Church of Jesus Christ collectively

commits again and again to believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to be open to the transforming work of God that changes the way we do church in living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ in every aspect of being the church with one another and before the world which ultimately leads us to be the church living out its call to be a faithful witness to Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God and its coming in ways that transform the world, to the glory of God.

Quotes:

John Calvin (Presbyterianism and The Reformed Tradition)

***If we recognize the Spirit of God as the unique fountain of truth, we shall never despise truth wherever it may appear.

***Wherever we see the Word of God purely preached and heard there a church of God exists, even if it swarms with many faults.

***No gives themselves freely and willing to God unless having tasted God’s love in Jesus Christ they are drawn to love and worship God in return…so my heart I give you Lord, eagerly and entirely.

Thomas Cranmer (Anglicanism and the Episcopal Tradition)

***Every person that comes to the reading of the Bible ought to bring with them first and foremost a fear of the Almighty God and then next a firm and stable purpose to be reformed by the very Word of God.

***O Lord our God give us by your Holy Spirit a willing heart and a ready hand to use all your gifts to your praise and glory.

Martin Luther (Lutheranism)

***Here I stand. I can do no other. Please God help me. Amen.

***Romans is in truth the most important document in the New Testament, the gospel in its purest expression. Not only is it well worth a Christian’s while to know it word for word by heart, but also to meditate on it day by day. It is the soul’s daily bread, and can never be read too often or too much.

***Faith is what God does in us not something we do. Faith alone justifies us and fulfills the Law, and this is because faith brings us the spirit to know that what Christ did for us is truly effective for us. The Spirit in turn gives us the joy and freedom at which the Law aims and this shows that good works really come from faith. Therefore also good works are what God does through us not works we do.

***I set before this as a true statement of Christian freedom: A Christian is a perfectly free Lord of all subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all subject to all.

***Too many Christians envy the sinners for their pleasures and envy the true saints for their faithfulness because they do not experience either.

Real Church...A Challenge from William Willimon (again!)

I again offer these words from Bishop William Willimon who gives voice to something I continue to struggle with and by the personal conversations, emails and comments I have had so are many others.

IF THIS WERE A REAL CHURCH
In spite of Jesus’ repeated warning that if we faithfully follow him we were sure to be crucified with him we keep thinking that the Christian faith is a technique for smooth sailing in life (Joel Osteen).
During a recent discussion with a conflicted congregation one of the leaders said, “If this were a truly Christian church, we wouldn’t be having these problems.” The assumption was that the congregation’s crisis was due to a failure to be real Christians.

Sometimes that’s the case. But not always. Sometimes we find ourselves in a painful, conflicted and difficult mess not because we’re not faithful to Jesus but because we are following Jesus!
In Judges 6, amid all sorts of defeats and struggles related to the conquest of Canaan, an angel appears and tells the Israelites that God is with them. Gideon impudently asks the angel, in effect, “If the Lord is really with us, why are we in this mess?” The implication is that, if the Lord were really behind us, we wouldn’t be failing.

But when the Lord promised to give Hebrews land, the Lord did not promise it would be easy. When Jesus promised us salvation he did not promise it would be painless.
Jesus calls us not only to get along with one another but to love one another, to forgive enemies, to love the truth which is Jesus Christ more than we love comfort and security, to both honor the past and be faithful to a living, loving God. That’s tough.

Most human institutions are content to survive, to make it from one year to the next in solvency. The church must make disciples, be light to the world, tell a deceitful, death-denying culture the truth, etc. In other words, Gideon, sometimes we’re in a mess because the Lord is really with us! And we find ourselves in peril because we’re really with the Lord.

Our church faces many challenges – financing ministry in a recession; managing a complex far-flung organization; attracting people who have so many options in their lives, etc.
Let us remind ourselves in worship this Sunday that our greatest challenge is that which it has always been – loving and serving a living, truthful God!

Why Theology Matters according to Dorothy Sayers

 Yesterday I ran across one of the most profound quotes as I was doing further research on my book "A New Exercise for 21st Century Christians: Why Theology Should Matter to the People of God". It was written by Dorothy Sayers (www.sayers.org.uk) who was one of the famous "Inklings" with CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Owen Barfield and others. She was an excellent writer of murder mysteries (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries), translator of Dante's Divine Comedy, and one of the finest "lay theologians" of the 20th century (see Mind of the Maker, Are women human? [often overlooked as one of the earliest orthodox Christian works on the equality of men and women in the church and society], The Man who would be King, along with her fellow Inkling CS Lewis. In her book "Creed or Chaos: Why Christians Must Choose Dogma or Disaster or Why it Really Does Matter What You Believe" (1947) [It has recently been republished as "Letters to a Diminshed Church:Passionate Arguments for the Relevance of Christian Doctrine."] she reflects upon why British society is in such a state of chaos and why the church seems to be so ineffective in its Christian witness. What she has to say sounds so relevant for us in the USA today, some 60+ years later:

"Theologically, this country is at present in a state of utter chaos, established in the name of religious toleration, and rapidly degenerating into the flight from reason and the death of hope. I shall and will affirm that the reason why the churches are discredited today is not that they are too bigoted about theology, but that they have run away from [good and faithful] theology."

What do you think?