Reflections on Faithfulness

“What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means!” (Romans 3:3-4a)

The General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada concluded this week in Orlando, Florida.  As is typical, great debate is always a part of any church gathering.  Since the Council of Jerusalem in the Book of Acts, Christians have disagreed on how best to be faithful.  In our own Assembly, some of the Resolutions enjoyed near unanimous assent and others did not. According to one observer, some resolutions passed with over a 1/3 of the delegates rising in opposition.  In the aftermath of such disagreements, conversations about faithfulness naturally follow.  The “winners” argue that much work still needs to be done to convince their opponents of the need to faithfulness while the “losers” fear the overwhelming tide of what they perceive to be the unfaithfulness of the majority.

Remember that the General Assembly does not speak FOR the Church, it speaks TO the Church.  At the heart of our denomination’s identity, good or bad, is a strong sense of congregationalism.  That is, each congregation stands in covenant with the other congregations, each seeking to be faithful to their understanding of Christ’s call to be the Church.  The General Assembly does not legislate anything to the local congregation.  It does, however, speak to congregations as a semi-representative body of the whole denomination.  Allow me to offer but a few thoughts on what it means to be a faithful church.

1. The Church of Jesus Christ is bigger than any denomination or congregation.  Sometimes, we can fall into parochialism.  That is, the only group I need to be concerned about is my particular group.  The truth is, however, that when the Southern Baptist Convention or the Council of Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church speaks, it impacts us all.  Division may be our perceived experience of the Church of Jesus Christ, but it is not real. One cannot divide Christ.  When we act like we are divided, we are really saying, “We are Christians and you are not.” Such is a perilous statement. We may not agree, but it is Christ who decides the sheep and the goats and that only on the last day.

2. Our faithfulness is not a prerequisite of God’s faithfulness (see Romans 3 and 6). Philosophers and theologians have reflected on periods of time where the Church has been judged to be unfaithful.  The national Church of Germany has been judged as unfaithful in not resisting Hitler. Yet, an underground group, referred to by historians as the Confessing Church, worked tirelessly to save many who were targeted for deportation to Concentration Camps.  Though these Confessing pastors were virulently critical of their government-friendly colleagues, they did not necessarily demonize those they viewed as unfaithful. Why? Because Scripture witnesses to the Truth: that in the end, the message of the Gospel is that it is God who is faithful, especially in the midst of humanity’s unfaithfulness.

3. I have never met a person who describes themselves as a Christian who is intentionally working against God. Trust me, I have significant differences of opinion with many of my colleagues, but I trust that they are seeking to be faithful as I am seeking to be faithful.

At the end of the day, I recognize that as a sinful human, I am prone to the frailties of our human condition. I join my voice with those whom I disagree in thanking God that His faithfulness is not dependent on the faithfulness of either side of a debate.  Keep the faith, seek to be faithful, and thank God, that in the midst of our conversations, God is always faithful.

The Church, Salvation and the unity of Christ

First, thank you to all my brothers and sisters that gathered at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Ashland, Kentucky to both bless our daughter, Analiese Clare, and extend congratulations on the successful conclusion of my doctorate.  The service, litanies, reception and gifts overwhelmed my family and me.  More than anything, this past Sunday reminded me again of the beauty of Christ’s Church.

On Tuesday of this past week, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, celebrated a service in celebration of St. George.  In his remarks, Francis said, “Christian identity is belonging to the Church, because all of these belonged to the Church, the Mother Church. Because it is not possible to find Jesus outside the Church. The Great Paul VI said: ‘Wanting to live with Jesus without the Church, following Jesus outside of the Church, loving Jesus without the Church is an absurd dichotomy.’ This belonging to the Church is beautiful.”
The irony of his statement is that I agree with his remarks, but not his intent.

Identifying any one denomination with the fullness of the Church of Jesus Christ is a perilous claim.  What, or more accurately stated, who, is the Church?  Dr. Joe Jones, Disciple minister and retired professor of systematic theology from Christian Theological Seminary, defines the Church as the “liberative and redemptive community called into being by the Gospel of Jesus Christ to witness in word and deed the triune God for the benefit of the world.”  The Church of the New Testament is defined in the mystery of the Bride of Christ, the Body of Christ and the New Jerusalem.  The Roman Catholic Church has postulated that the Church must be visible.  Therefore, a mark of the true Church is closely aligned with a visible unity that is global.  In such a definition, the witness of the Roman Catholic Church is a visible and measurable proof that they are the one true Body of Christ.  Incidentally, the Eastern Orthodox Church argues the same point, but concludes that it is they, not the Romans, who are the true Body of Christ.  Throughout the witness of those called Protestants, a new definition has been suggested that claims the Church’s unity is invisible.  That is, it is present, but not made visible in any one organizational structure.  The problem with much of this conversation is, essentially, how we define words. The grammar of faith, or how we talk about matters of faith, functions as the building blocks for our ongoing conversation about the nature and identity of the Church.

As I have served in this great fellowship known as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), I have come to understand the limitations of language and symbols in our reasoning together (Isaiah 1:18).  The Church is visible. I saw it myself on Sunday. I see it when an Archbishop and an Evangelical pastor stand together in speaking to the world about an understanding of Christ’s call to the world.  I see it when a progressive pastor and a conservative elder stand together to work toward the ending of human trafficking.  I see it when a Roman Bishop makes an appeal for the release of Orthodox Bishops kidnapped in Syria.   The visible unity of the one true Church of Jesus Christ is not bound by institutional structure.  Our visible unity is rooted in the unity of Christ. Christ is not divided. Our unity is not based on who we are, but whose we are.

Conforming to what?

Never underestimate the influence of the group in which you keep company. Jesus understood the power of “the group.”  “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:19, ESV).

Sociologists identify this as the conformity effect. The concept suggests that when an individual is a part of a group, he or she will naturally and unavoidably begin to conform to the values and activities of the group.  Generally, this act of conformity is classified into two groups, informational conformity, which is when an individual does what the group suggests because he or she lacks the information to make a decision, and normative conformity, the dominant form of social conformity, where an individual goes along with the actions of a group to be liked or accepted.  Both of these kinds of conformity impact us every day.  Sometimes this can be positive for the community, such as the social norm of obeying traffic signals or respecting the property rights of other people.  However, history shows us an example of atrocity on a catastrophic level when typically decent people conformed to the policies of Nazi Germany.

The Apostle Paul understood the power of conformity when he wrote to the Romans, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2, ESV). Paul’s powerful reminder to us as individuals, as ambassadors of Christ, is that we should be actively examining our actions, words, and beliefs so that we will remain in conformity with Christ.

When you find yourself in a situation that is not familiar, ask yourself whether or not the actions or proposed beliefs are consistent with your own principles and those of Christ before automatically adopting them as your own.  Likewise, be honest with yourself in situations where you want to impress others or be accepted by a group.  Ask yourself if the actions proposed by the group compromise your own integrity.

Philip Zimbardo, author of The Lucifer Effect and current researcher in areas of teen bullying, writes: “To resist the powers of group conformity: know what you stand for; determine how really important it is that these other people like you, especially when they are strangers; recognize that there are other groups who would be delighted to have you as a member; take a future perspective to imagine what you will think of your current conforming action at some time in the future.”

An ancient term for baptism was “christening.” It literally means “to become Christ.” We all will conform. Will you be the reflection of Christ to the groups in which you live, work, and worship?

A Christian Perspective on Earth Day

“The stewardship of creation is an act of submission to God through Christ who joined creation in the Incarnation.”

Well, that is where I am so far. This Sunday is Earth Day. The Christian Church in Kentucky has been a leader throughout North America with our Green Chalice initiative. Our congregation already meets the practical requirements to be designated a Green Chalice Congregation. We have implemented a paper recycling program; we no longer use Styrofoam and aggressively limit the use of disposable paper products; we have almost completed a transition of our lighting to high efficiency bulbs; we have a programmable thermostat system to minimize energy demands when our building is not in use; we purchase and use fair trade coffee and tea. Still, we continue to look for ways that we might reduce, reuse and recycle.

Throughout my ministry, I have had more than one church member criticize the church’s emphasis on environmental issues. A generalized argument about biblical interpretation or theology would preface a statement like, “and of course, all these environmentalists are worshiping the created, not the Creator.” As I listened, I wondered if it was less a conscientious objection and more an issue of convenience. Of course, it never helped when church sponsored resources would come across my desk with Buddhist Meditation practices and Prayers to Mother Earth. It’s not that I don’t respect Buddhists or adherents to Nature religions, but the Christian tradition is already perfectly suited and resourced for the teaching of biblical, Christ centered stewardship.

Frankly, as an orthodox Christian who has a high regard for Scripture and an appreciation for the life-giving traditions of the church, non-Christian arguments, practices and prayers seem idolatrous. That doesn’t mean I can’t stand side by side with a Buddhist as we clean a river bank or agree with a Druid that sustainable water is an essential for all of humanity. It does mean that as a Christian, I am aware of a unique perspective. Along with many other monotheists who trace their lineage from Abraham, I accept the responsibility to care for that which God has created. The Earth belongs to God. All that is in the Earth, including all of humanity, belongs to God. Because God has loved me I will, with a spirit of gratitude, care for all that is God’s.

As a Christian, my perspective is sharpened. Along with the rest of the family of Abraham, I believe God is transcendent. God is more than that which is, for God is eternal and the cause of all that is. God is beyond, above, uncontainable. However, as Christians, we believe in the Incarnation. The Incarnation, literally meaning “to take on flesh” is when God became human. The transcendent God became immanent, that is, present, here, in the midst of, in creation. God created and when God became a part of creation, I realized just how holy this planet is in the eyes of God.

Well, I’m not a professional theologian and my thoughts may not stand up to scholarly review. As a Christian, I want to know why it is important that I take care of creation. For me, it was because of Jesus Christ and the Incarnation. It is important that we submit, in every way, to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. For the Christian, that includes the stewardship of creation that God himself designed, created and joined.