Book Reviews

Love Wins

2011-03-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

Rob Bell Love Wins Harper One, 2011

There was a lot of buzz these past few weeks surrounding the book by Rob Bell that supposedly caused some in our Evangelical community to right him off from our community. It strikes me as interesting to think that there are some in our Evangelical community who feel that they have the right and power to speak for all of us and right off someone like Rob Bell based on the notion that Rob has turned Universalist or has been a closet Universalist all along and now has publicly made it official with the release of his latest book, Love Wins. For those self-proclaimed watch dogs, my request is, "Would you kindly speak for yourself and let me make my own decision about Rob and his book!"

Typical to my expectations when I pick up a book or audio book by Rob Bell, I know I'm going to find a well thought out and challenging presentation of Christianity. Love Wins does not disappoint the reader. Bell has layed out some very crucial questions about heaven, hell, what Jesus has accomplished and God's expectations of the future outcome of our world based on His involvement in it. Chapter one [Here is the New There] Bell quickly shows us what has continuously been so contagious about his approach: he actually reads the Bible by honouring what is actually there and trying not to read too much of our present culture into it. He does this with the concept of "eternal" and "forever" and challenges us to consider that how these terms are used in the Bible is much more important than what context we bring to them as the reader. He rightly points out that the concept of "age" and "time" [aion] is fashioned not in scientific calculated terms of eschatological charts that littered Bibles at the turn of the 20th century, but rather focuses on an existence that is marked by different circumstances and specific relationships with God and each other that we are both looking forward to in the future and working toward right now.

In his chapter on heaven, Bell rightly points out that the New Testament perspective is built on the Jewish concept of heaven and earth combining together to create a "new age" that will result in the redemption and renewal of all creation and humanity. All the indicators about heaven are built on the Jewish Hebraic notion of God restoring what is lost in the present and not the Greek Platonic notion of heaven as a destination away from the present creation that will be an existence of "disembodied bliss." [I use the words of N.T. Wright as I feel he describes it best] I was not surprised to have noted that Bell has actually read the end of the book! The last two chapters of Revelation point out that the final destination for creation and humanity is in a renewed earth where heaven and earth [the realms of existence] will be united to coexist together in a context void of evil and filled with redeemed relationship and restored creation.

Some may balk at the level of openness that Rob Bell shares in terms of how he depicts God's intent toward the human race. In not breaching any orthodox beliefs [a comment that Eugene Peterson makes on his endorsement on the back cover] Bell points out that there were several Church Fathers and believing communities throughout history that took a Universalist stance on the outcome of God's plan for creation and humanity. Yet, most of all, Bell reminds us that in attempting to answer the question of whether everyone makes it in the end its important to remember:

Those are questions, or more accurately, those are tensions we are free to leave fully intact. We don't need to resolve them or answer them because we can't, and so we simply respect them, creating space for the freedom that love requires. [page 115]

In fact Bell reminds us that Jesus points out to the Jews and Religious Leaders of his day that they will be surprised concerning who will be "in heaven" in the end and who will not. Lest we get pre-occupied about the level of commitment and destination of others, we are reminded by Jesus to be concerned about our level of commitment and destination in the end.

Particularly in the chapter called "Does God Get What He Wants?" Bell points out that the one thing God will not do is breach our freedom to choose to engage with His love. In keeping with Isaiah type imagery, God will give us what we want. Bell states it very well in the following paragraph:

If we want isolation, despair, and the right to be our own god, God graciously grants us the option. If we insist on using our God-given power and strength to make the world in our image, God allows us that freedom; we have the kind of license to that. If we want nothing to do with light, hope, love, grace and peace, God respects that desire on our part, and we are given a life free from any of those realities. The more we want nothing to do with all God is, the more distance and space are created. If we want nothing to do with love, we are given a reality free from love. [page 117]

Bell points out that we do have the freedom to choose such distance and so create our own personal hell that betrays our humanity and God's gift of redemption and renewal. In fact, he points out that there are but only 11 instances biblically that deal with Hell and in those instances there is no mention of a place that resides at the core of the earth populated by beings who dress in red suits and wield three pronged pitch forks. Bell describes Hell to be much more sinister than that. It is an existence of living a "less than human" life and suffering the alienation that is created through dishonouring others and promoting evil that undermines God's creation. Some begin their "hellish" existence now only to perpetuate it later.

Bell hopes that after this life there is another plan, a hope, a strategy to pry those who are lost out of the clutches of evil. He mentions the interesting notion in Revelation 21:25 in the new heaven and new earth that the gates to this territory will be opened each day. Could it be that the imagery is giving us a notion that God will still be hoping and still strategizing a way for those in the clutches of evil to find their way back? We can hope and we can count on God's character of love to continue being consistent even though biblically there is no final answer on this. He rejects all notions of salvation theories that cause us to portray a schizophrenic God where Jesus [the good God] is protecting us from the anger of the Father [the bad God]. Rather he reminds us that the legal imageries of salvation in the bible are one among many imageries such as adoption, redemption, renewal, inheritance etc that try to explain the grandeur of something that is much greater and much larger than we have imagined. In fact Bell points out that it will take imagination to see the breadth of God's love through His offer of salvation in Christ.

In terms of how we have communicated the story of salvation, Bell rightfully states that what we read in the Bible is even "better than that." It's not a one way ticket to heaven bypassing the lake of fire. Its no less than God coming down and restoring his creation by defeating evil that has undermined it and establishing His rule and reign in it. All the biblical imagery points to the nations and all people coming to the knowledge of God as the Creator, Redeemer God who judges evil and recovers creation. How that will play out remains to be seen but one thing we do know without a doubt is that God's mission of love wins in the end.

Bell does not address everything in this book. He does not go into detail on what we know to have been a rebellion in heaven prior to the creation. He does not go into great detail about what "eternal punishment" describes as he says in the book. There are several other concepts that need addressing. This is not a systematic theology that tackles every poignant piece of theology related to this discussion. What it is though is the beginning of a long overdue dialogue in our Evangelical community about evaluating what we have been saying so long about things like heaven, hell, salvation, eternal life. By evaluating them we need to assess if we are being true to how these concepts come to us in Scripture. Based on the change in our theological landscape concerning our new perspectives on Jesus and Paul, the ongoing Trinitarian dialogue of the past 20 years that has caused us to recover this concept again and our attention gravitating back to Hebraic roots to understand our "newer" testament, we owe it to ourselves to revisit how we have been telling the biblical story for the last 500 years and see if the Spirit has actually taught us and we have grown in our understanding of God and in our perspective as a community.
Before you let someone speak for you, please do read this very important book that I believe will foster more important dialogue and get us going back to the bible and reading it afresh with our imagination and within the context of the Hebrew story to see what God is truly up to in our world for today and the future!

Are You the One who is to Come?

2009-10-30T06:41:00.001-07:00

Michael F. Bird. Are You the One Who is to Come?: The Historical Jesus and the Messianic Question. Baker Academic, 2009

This is the second volume of Michael Bird's that I have read and it does not disappoint. Bird shows his extensive theological background and writing as he delves into the question of what Jesus actually knew in terms of his own identity and vocation. In particular, Bird asks whether Jesus was aware he was the Messiah and whether there were definite claims made by him in regard to this title.

Bird's thesis points out that whether or not Jesus did self-disclose his role as Messiah, one cannot ignore how his actions [his vocation as Tom Wright references it] pointed toward his being associated with the Messianic identity that was anticipated by Jews in the 1st century. In his first chapter, Bird reviews all the Jewish related literature of the Old Testament and intertestamental period to show how the concept of Messiah was related to the office of Israel's king and to a developing "messianism" that evolved into an understanding of God communicating an eschatological hope to Israel identified in the roles of individuals proclaimed and identified, not so much in title but in vocation, as messiah figures who would lead Israel to its future eschatological hope of liberation and restoration of land.

Secondly, Bird reviews scholarship that debates whether Jesus actually identified himself as Messiah or referenced Messianic titles as explanation of his role and mission. Entering into the dialogue of references to the Q document, Bird does a through job of rebutting the notion that Jesus' refusal of the mention of him as Messiah and squashing any mention of this reference by his disciples and followers indicates his rejection of the title. He mentions that by necessity, given that leaders of the empire used the Christos reference and given the heightened tension of insurrectionists proclaiming to be Messiahs, Jesus asked his followers to keep his identity as Messiah under wraps lest they suffer the wrath of the Empire in shutting down what Jesus was doing. Bird also points out that if there was absolutely no Messianic claim to Jesus then why, after his crucifixion, do the disciples continue to refer to him as Messianic given the continuing danger of doing so unless he proclaimed to be Messiah and their understanding of his death and resurrection proved a redefinition of this title. No disciple would make up such a story and endure the persecution of identifying the risen Jesus with an empirical title of Christos.

Bird points out that, " Ultimately the Old Testament seems to have formed the interpretative grid through which the story of Jesus' passion was interpreted, rather than comprising the creative pool from which the story was created." [page 75] Along these lines, he also points out that if scholars feel that the disciples created the concept of Messiah as reference to Jesus then why don't they also apply the same logic to their having created the identity of Jesus outright?

In the following chapters, Bird builds the argument of Jesus himself redefining the role of Old Testament messianism but taking on the title of "Son of Man" from Daniel 7 and attaching it to the title of King of Israel and so intertwining the two and drawing on Isaianic references to the suffering servant as outlined in the Markan gospel to show that Jesus does draw on Old Testament references - particularly the Zechariah 9 passage, to model to the Jews his identity and purpose in terms of mission and vocation. The purpose here is to demonstrate that not all Christian construction of Christology is anachronistic or read back into the gospels. Bird mentions that:

Christians certainly did interpret Jesus' actions to suit their own theological and sociological interests. Even so, that interpretative act sometimes consisted of making explicit what was already implicit in the story line, and the triumphal entry is a good example of exactly that ... [page 124]

Nearing the end of the book, Bird proclaims strongly that in reviewing the gospels and the intertestamental period literature, there is strong evidence that, "...Jesus deliberate attempt to act out a messianic vocation is the smoking gun that explains the messianic testimony of the early church ..." [page 158]
Although very dense and requiring a very close reading and understanding of the extant material available, Bird's work is well worth the serious read of those who want to understand the theological and scholarly debate on the identity of Jesus and Jesus' own self-disclosure as messiah.

Introducing Paul

2009-10-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

Michael F. Bird Introducing Paul: The Man, His Mission and His Message Intervarsity Press, 2008

I've had the recent pleasure of a friend introducing me to the writings of Michael Bird. I am quite pleased at this very first book I've read by him on Paul. It is a great primer for students and a great refresher for seasoned ministry leaders. In this volume Bird is more concerned about the reader apprehending who Paul is and how he thinks, than the burden of proving his own academic ability to write on Paul.[By the way he shows plenty of foundation in terms of supportive material - some volumes he references I will follow up and read as well]

Bird begins the volume at the event of Paul's encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus. He argues that this is the most pivotal moment in the life of Paul the man. It is here where his life is turned upside down and redefined in terms of his view of God, Israel, the world and people. Understanding what changes Paul then catapults the reader into the stories Paul lives out of that help him make sense of the overall story of God's mission of recovery and renewal. Bird gives a brief overview of the biblical stories that Paul lives out of that frame the way he views Jesus and his mission in driving the church forward to the future God has for it.

A quick overview of all Paul's letters are great vignettes of the main theme in each of them and give the reader a taste of each letter in anticipation of reading them again with the vignette in mind. Bird reminds the reader that reading Paul's letters is like reading someone Else's mail and the burden of the reader is to reconstruct the conversation that prompted the writing. Several times in the book, Bird makes reference to the fact that "Paul wrote the letters to people and for us." This principle gives the reader an understanding of the letters in a way that encourages primary attention to the original people that Paul wrote to and the understanding that in many ways Paul was also writing - in a second sense - to people at large and other generations in general.

Bird points out the counter-cultural message of the good news that Paul proclaims in a climate of Roman rule where the leaders of the empire used the same royal titles referenced by Jesus for themselves. The gospel Paul proclaimed carried with it a great deal of risk of which Paul himself suffered persecution in light of it. He reminds the reader that the faith of the early church was expressed as a counter-cultural view that set them at odds with those in the empire. Along these lines, Bird also points out the breakdown of sexuality and sexual relationships charactistic of the 1st century and how Paul addresses this head on pointing a counter-cultural view of sexuality set within its biblical context of marriage as opposed to the promiscuity encouraged both culturally and through pagan religious practice.

What kept the early believers assured of the future was the message of the return of Jesus to inaugurate the Kingdom of God which was already in their hearts and was coming to physical fulfillment in the future. It is in this climate that Paul starts churches and nurtures believers in their faith. Bird points out the strong ethical side to Paul's letters encourage believers to walk in faith honouring people and reaching out with God's love as servants of others. Believers were encouraged by Paul to orient themselves to the coming Kingdom. To those who were self-serving in sharing the good news, Paul has harsh words of judgment and a reminder to live a life worthy of the calling of Jesus Christ.

There is, although, a twofold disappointment in the book. One is Bird's strong affirmation of the crux of the gospel based on Paul's dictum of "justification by faith." I do not share this with Bird, as much as I appreciate the majority of what he says. I see a very strong reformed tradition in his approach to verifying the centre of the gospel proclaimed by Paul. Using the book of Romans as his reference point, Bird continues to establish the strong reformed belief in Paul's view of justification by faith and the penal substitutionary theory of the atonement as the key to explaining Paul's view of the gospel.

The other is virtually no references to Ephesians except to say the regular references so often made to Ephesians chapter 4 on the demeanor and identity of the Christian community. Unlike Bird, I do believe Ephesians to be the key to Paul's thinking. Rather than justification by faith as the chief focus, [of which I clearly believe is only one of the aspects of Paul's explanation of the gospel - only one of many analogies and expressions] in Ephesians, Paul identifies 'adoption' as the primary analogy explaining God's cosmic plan of rescue for the world and the human race. In a letter where Paul shares his big picture view of God's plan for the world, what Paul mentions in the first two chapters and then elaborates on in the remaining four is tantamount to his view of what God is up to in our world. I have to appreciate this approach, although new, as much more in keeping with recognizing the nature of the letters that Paul wrote [not that Luther and others of the reformed period read] that give us insight into Paul and his thinking. If I were to re-write Bird's chapter on "The Crux of the Gospel" I would start with adoption and then follow with righteousness. This better explains the rationale to God's righteousness and the reason why Jesus goes to the cross and gives his life 'as a ransom for many.' [Bird does a great job in denoting the weight of the term "righteousness" in Paul's letters] I know I may be "splitting hairs" but I believe that for Paul the passion of God's heart is to bring us back into communion and relationship with Him and this is what drives Him to go to the lengths of giving His Son. The act of sacrifice which accomplishes justification is driven by God's deep desire to "adopt" us. In keeping with the great picture Paul paints in Ephesians chapter 1, Paul describes adoption as what determined well before the foundation of the earth was formed, choosing us in Christ to be holy and blameless.

I do appreciate the fact that Bird does emphasize how Paul delineates the scope of Jesus work for humanity and creation by emphasizing the greater impact of the resurrection on humanity and the world. He rightly criticizes the evangelical focus on resurrection as simply proof of Jesus' divinity and proof of the efficacy of the cross to us. Rather, in the resurrection is bound up all creation which is renewed in Christ and set on a course of complete renewal in the future.

Above all, I am seriously contemplating having my 2ND year students read this book as part of their assignment in the course as it is a great introduction to Paul and to his thinking as well as a great primer to Paul's letters and the insight Paul gives to faith in light of his relationship with 1st century believers.

Discovering God

2008-08-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

Rodney Stark Discovering God: The Origins of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief, Harper One, 2007

What if humanity has been slowly discovering the God who exists and reveals Himself? What if rather than inventing God, human beings have been discovering who God actually is and have encountered Him in many ways and on many levels throughout history? Is there a possible way of knowing for sure?

Rodney Stark not only affirms these notions but confidently takes on the pre-conceived notions of sociologists and historians of the past 200 years, whose ideas have prejudiced scholars toward a strong atheism throughout the modern era. Drawing on his many years of corroborating actual data from historical periods concerning beliefs and religious practices of various cultural groups, Stark confirms that ancient civilizations actually had very complex religious systems based on strong ideas of a God who reveals himself to individuals throughout history.

History actually shows that the common belief among societies is in a God who does make himself known through revelation. At times, leaders have attempted to monopolize the belief systems of their people, turning free religious thinking and experience into state controlled religious practice that at times compromised the raw beliefs of their people and caused internal rebellion and fractured religious relationships.

Temple systems of ancient civilizations such as Sumer and Egypt vacillated between strong periods of monotheistic beliefs and competing polytheistic periods that created a sorted system of gods and their hierarchies. Stark points out that monotheism created very strong moral and political systems that provided periods of strong cultural expression and identity where people groups flourished.

In fact, Stark identifies an important era in history in the period of circa 600 BCE identified as the Axial Age, where several religions and religious leaders appeared all developing a strong concept of sin in their cultures. Several of these groups were led by religious leaders who propounded "godless" religious practice, and others promoted religious systems that held strong belief in God. Among these were Judaism and Zoroastrianism. In fact, Stark points out that this Axial Age period parallels the exilic period of the Jewish people as they were living in exile in Babylon and Assyria. Stark points out that Judaism had a strong influence on the belief system in the Arab and Middle Eastern lands out of which later emerges foundations that give rise to the spread of Christianity and Islam. Prior to this, certain civilizations of the past experienced problems of social control that led to chaos and oppression. These were the ancient civilizations of Egypt and the Incas in Mexico and South America.

During the Roman Era, Stark describes a period of competing religious markets that created the crucible for the rise of Christianity and the hunger of people for a strong religious belief to support their very difficult and chaotic lives. At the behest of many emperors, Christianity took 300 years to slowly infect the Empire with a morality and view of God that everyday people could adopt and execute in their daily living. It was this strong steady rise of Christianity that helped Constantine rise to power. It also led to the institutionalization of Christianity and the eventual fracturing of the faith into various expressions of the 1500 years ensuing. Stark has done some very significant work with Roger Finke on the flourishing of religious practice and belief in cultures that allowed for and encouraged a free religious market economy.

Bottom line, Stark builds a case for assuming that God does exist and so identifying the faiths and people that assisted in this ongoing premise throughout history. He particularly identifies the religions that have been revelatory, have expressed consistency in their beliefs throughout their existence and have exemplified a progressive complexity. Of the religions of the world, Stark then identifies three in particular that fall into these categorical markers: Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism. In fact, Stark mentions that the only possibility that gave rise to the modern era was Christianity and Judaism, out of which a worldview built on their religious beliefs allowed for the belief in progress and greater knowledge in keeping with the God whom they knew and the world in which he communicated to them. In his own words, he states that:

In contrast, based on their commitment to Judeo-Christian theology,
Europeans assumed not only that the universe was created, but that its
workings are logical and consistent, thereby being susceptible to reason and inquiry. - Consequently, science arose only in Christian Europe primarily because only Europeans believed it could be done, and should be done. (pp. 396-397)

In this sense, Christian theology lead to an understanding of the world that allowed for discovering, understanding and innovation that could only be bred in such cultural climates that held these important seminal beliefs that gave rise to inventions that changed the way humans live. Stark says much more on this in two other books. [For the Glory of God and The Victory of Reason]

Naturally Stark criticises recent atheists who refuse to believe that religion has anything to do with the development of the Western mind and the present Western culture. He argues that they have been greatly influenced by sociologists of the 19Th century who refused to see the integral part that religion and belief in God has played in the development of cultures and societies that are precursors of our own. Stark admits that his premise is that God exists, the alternative is to declare that no religion is true and to do so is to then put great stock in the fact that pure human reason led to such a discovery when the evidence proves otherwise. More scholars of late, says Stark, rather believe that there is evidence of God's existence; case in point being the resurgence of scientists who propound an intelligent design belief in the origins of the universe.

One would do well to read this very intriguing and ground breaking work where Stark exudes the confidence of the reader in being assured that behind human civilization has been a constant relationship and understanding of God that has led to the progress of civilization and the world that we now live in.

The Secret Message of Jesus

2007-04-03T16:49:00.000-07:00

Brian D. McLaren The Secret Message of Jesus, Word Publishing Group, 2006.

As a pastor and ministry leader, I struggle at times to find material that bridges the gap between theologian and the everyday person. Books devoid of the theological jargon but clear on the theological implication and understanding are hard to come by and I realize that there are but a few that are reliable sources for such material.

Among these few is Brian McLaren. His recent book, The Secret Message of Jesus, is a great primer for communicating the present new perspective on Jesus and the significance of His words and actions to those of us who have committed to following Him. The new perspective, [those such as N.T. Wright, Ben Witherington III, and contemporary voices such as Rob Bell from Mars Hill, among others... McLaren himself mentions more in Appendix I of his book ] are proposing is a return to understanding the historical context of Jesus life and sayings so that we are clear on the implication of His words and life on faith today.

McLaren challenges the contemporary Christian to take a harder, closer look at who Jesus is and what He said considering the political, cultural, national, spiritual, historical, geographical and cosmic implications of words and actions to His context to get at the heart of what He calls human beings to commit themselves to in the good news He shared. McLaren encourages the reader to consider the Hebraic roots that Jesus emerges from and the history of Israel and the people of God to make sense of the impact of Jesus' life on humanity and the world. Remaining committed to a consistent unified theme running through the pages of the bible, he encourages the reader to see the big picture of what God is up to in the past, present and future tense.

McLaren is convinced that we have missed the point of what Jesus said and so have lost the impact of his words and actions in our day. One of the most challenging comments in regard to this is his haunting statement:

...the Christian religion continues to sing and preach and teach about Jesus, but in too many places (not all!) it has largely forgotten, misunderstood, or become distracted from Jesus' secret message. - We may have instructed them about how to be a good Baptist, Presbyterian, Catholic, or Methodist on Sunday, but we didn't train, challenge, and inspire them to live out the kingdom of God in their jobs, neighbourhoods, families, schools, and societies between Sundays. (page 84)

McLaren addresses this absence of clarity concerning Jesus and the good news by short, concise and at times inspiring chapters commenting on areas such as the scandal of Jesus' words and actions to religious leaders of the day, the significance of the Kingdom of God both now in the future, the language of the Kingdom, who is included and who isn't (which I found quite interesting and compelling). He does not attempt to be a scholar but he does give the reader a sense of direction in the topics he addresses by way of wetting the appetite for more on each issue.

To McLaren's credit, the two appendices at the end add some clarity to the gaps he leaves out in the chapters concerning why the Western Christian has missed the boat on the meaning and application of Jesus' message in faithfulness to what He intended in communicating it. Although brief, there are indicators in these appendices of topics that can be uncovered in other volumes such as those of Thomas Cahill in his series on the Hinges of History - specifically The Wine Dark Sea (on the influence of the Greeks on western culture). One would do well to take McLaren's advice and read two very important books as sequels to his: The Lost Message of Jesus by Rod Chaulke and Alan Mann and The Challenge of Jesus by N.T. Wright.

The essential message of Jesus that McLaren is communicating is of his coming to initiate a new humanity no longer held under the power of sin but renewed in its relationship to the Triune God and in harmony with creation. Traditionally, Evangelicals have viewed their present existence on earth as temporary, but McLaren encourages the reader to reconsider the themes of renewal emphasizing the recovery of humanity and creation, not destruction of them and starting all over again. The emphasis of Jesus' message is a focus on God's Kingdom now with anticipation for what it will be in its fullness in the future. Included in this is God's goal of recovering all of creation and emphasis on the significance of the material world over against a history of evangelicals ignoring the material while focusing on a strictly spiritual transformation in the future.

For those who have not yet been introduced to this very important theological discussion, McLaren's book is a great start that will open the door to an introductory understanding preparing the reader for other sources that go farther and deeper into the issue.

How Christianity Lead to Freedom, Capitalism and Western Success

2007-02-26T14:13:00.000-08:00

The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Lead to Freedom, Capitalism and Western Success by Rodney Stark Random House, 2005

Living in western culture, the standard education on the history of the church has centered on the church's subjugation of the development of society throughout the centuries. The church is often written off in the history texts as a "hindrance to progress" and to 'modern advances' that promised to improve the standard of living for common people. Clerics and church leaders are portrayed as stagnators of progress through out history only to be reviled by an oppressed society.

Recently, several authors have emerged who have taken an opposing view of the church's influence on western society. One of them is sociologist Rodney Stark who teaches at Baylor University. In this fascinating book, Stark takes closer look through history at the influence of the church on the progression of western culture through the centuries. His premise is that contrary to what most historians have written about the church, it is the church and its leaders that contributed to forming a society that brought innovation and progress in western culture.

Stark reminds the reader that the premise of Christianity is the value of every human being and the freedom of human beings to live fruitful and productive lives. This premise translates into a history of thinking and practice that created the structure for our Western civilization that is based on free trade and capitalism. Stark begs a consideration of the nature of Christianity as it encouraged a reasoned approach to its scriptures so that one might make sense of the world around them. Unlike the historical Greek and Islamic religions that focus on other worldly existence (according to Greek thinking) and deterministic world view (the Muslim belief), Christianity promoted a theology of progress where its adherents were encouraged by their faith to pursue the well being of society for the sake of relationship with their God.

Contrary to the common belief that after the fall of the Roman Empire, western culture was submerged into the 'dark ages' until the enlightenment period, Stark points out several historians who have recorded the progress of western communities under the leadership of the church. Especially among monks and in communities that attached themselves to abbeys, these small cloisters began discovering innovative technology that gave rise to the optimism of the industrial age. The discovery of water mills to power rotating machinery, the invention of glasses and the clock, and the use of wind mills to harness wind power, all had their beginning in these small communities. Such evidence from period historians has caused modern scholars to rename the period the 'middle ages' to correct the 'dark' impression other historians have left on this time frame.

Stark points out that science had its roots in these cloisters at the beginning of the 12th century when schools and then universities took shape next to abbeys and cathedrals where clerics were also teachers, historians, scientists and doctors who promoted a level of learning unprecedented prior to this era. The passion for discovery and innovation Stark attributes to the worldview of the clerics who through their faith desired the well-being of human kind and their environment. Compassion for the sick and disadvantaged moved these individuals to discover ways of helping the less fortunate and discovering methods of healing and medicine that aided people in their recovery.

Capitalism arose out of the transition from these communities into cities of free enterprise and land ownership that fueled the common man's desire for innovation and progress. A pattern arose among the famous Italian city states of the middle age period where a free market mentality and a democratic approach led to incredible growth and prosperity for that era. The development of commerce and multi-national banking was encouraged and fostered during this period. Export and trade occurred freely and encouraged progress in manufacturing and craftsmanship. All this took place not in spite of the church, as many historians have led others to believe, but rather with the influence and blessing of the church. Stark distinctly points out how communities and cities that fell into rule by controlling despots did not fair as well as those that retained a more open free market enterprise. The difference in the outcome of the Spaniard Empire as opposed to the English and the French Empire as opposed to the Danish gives credence to the fact that those societies that promoted land ownership among the common people and free enterprise between cities and nations are those that led the way to further progress in the western world.

In all, Stark brings a convincing argument for readers to take a deeper look at the history of western culture and realize that Christianity was an impetus rather than a hindrance to the development of the modern world. Challenging Max Weber's notion that the protestant work ethic began during the reformation period, Stark emphasizes that it was simply a continuation of a Christian work ethic that persevered through the middle age period and continued on into the enlightenment period. Using copious references from historians both of the modern and pre-modern age, Stark will, at the least, cause the reader to contemplate the influence of Christianity upon our world that resulted in our present way of life.

At the end, Stark prompts the reader to consider why certain nations, such as China, are taking a closer look at how western culture developed and subsequently taking a keen interest in the influences of Christianity on the history of the culture, understanding that its principles lead to the prosperity and progress of its people. Such references cause the reader to seriously consider that what Stark suggests might in fact be closer to the truth than what has been traditionally communicated in the last two centuries.

Velvet Elvis

2006-10-06T10:19:00.000-07:00

Jump - Yolk - True - tassel - Dust - New - Good. These are the movements outlined in the audio version of Velvet Elvis read by the author of the book form, Rob Bell, pastor of Mar's Hill [an emerging church in Michigan established in 1999]. In true emerging church fashion, Rob Bell attempts to repaint the Christian faith [subtitle of the book] in a wholistic approach that draws on covenantal theology and understanding of biblical Jewish origins and historical understanding in shaping what it means to be a follower of Christ.

As I listen to emerging church leaders such as Rob Bell I find that the Christian faith is being discussed in a dialogue that continually is mindful of the whole biblical story and its implications to humanity and the world, rather than the modern atomistic approach that is akin to the systematic approaches to faith which categorizes and breaks down dialogue into separate packages. Having been trained in a modern approach while being part of a generation that lives in a post-modern world, I resonate with what Bell says.

The locus of faith, in Bell's address, is centered in God and his activity in the world. It does not depend on the faithfulness of followers but affects the world with God's presence of recovery and renewal. Bell is not so concerned about being right as he is about being true to the God who is present and to who He has created us to be. The focus is on understanding the ancient ways of people who attempted to grasp and understand their lives in relationship with such a God. These ancient ways are helpful in understanding how we can continue to follow God as Christians. In particular, Bell draws on knowledge of rabbinical literature and rabbinical practice in the biblical period to bring us to a greater understanding of the life of Jesus and the impact He had on humanity and the world while living on earth.

Bell also attempts to refashion the description of living out the Christian faith so that it reflects his theological approach. Being truly human in terms of what God created us to be and moving from propositional to relational descriptions of what this looks like is the strength of Bell's approach. This makes the images of what it is to follow Christ more relevant and understandable - I dare say - more in keeping with the way that the early believers were assisted in grasping the faith.

Bell's chapter divisions [which he calls movements] are specifically intentional in his attempt to bring understanding to the Christian faith. Faith is described with images and actions rather than statements and definitions. In a world where icons are more descriptive than words, this approach brings great understanding in our culture of what it means to follow Christ. There is a focus on God as the divine being who loves and engages rather than the divine being who stands as judge over the actions and behaviour of men and women. Accepting Jesus happens in terms of a development of a relationship that grows over time, over against a moment where the "sinner's prayer" is recited. Living in the freedom of relationship with Christ is encouraged over-against the struggle of managing sin in one's life. Focusing on the renewal that God is working in our world, over against the evil that seems to pervade is the lens that Bell encourages us to see through. Promoting heaven on earth, rather then a complete focus on heaven somewhere else is how Bell encourages us to live.

In all this, what Bell presents is indeed a repainting of the Christian faith in a perspective that is communicated through theologians such as N.T. Wright who prefer to think about faith and following Christ in terms that draw on covenantal relationship with God and the primary story of what God is up to in our world. In this new perspective, much of what is old still pervades as history has proven to have had voices that perpetuated this view - some that were heard at mass - and some that went unnoticed. All in all, it seems to me that we are communicating the Christian faith in a way that people find relevant and meaningful in making sense of their lives.

For those of you that spend much of your time commuting and are able to listen to audio, this audio presentation is beneficial in that the author himself is reading his book and its design lends itself to an easy listen. I found myself readily recalling the chapter movement titles which are reminders of what Bell communicates in those chapters. Quite ingenious yet so very relevant and practical. I highly recommend it.

Atonement for a Sinless Society

2006-07-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

Atonement for a ‘Sinless’ Society:Engaging with an Emerging Culture by Alan Mann, Paternoster Press, 2005

Among the myriad of literature coming out of the emerging culture dialogue, Alan Mann’s recent book has cause for all of us to take notice. Based on his Master’s degree thesis, Mann offers a view of the atonement that can be heard by those of the emerging culture. He rightly states that we are well overdue for an update on the explanation of atonement and salvation that addresses the issues faced by individuals in our culture.

Review

Given that older models of the atonement are no longer being heard by the emerging culture, Mann attempts to answer two very important questions:

How do post-modern, post-industrialized, post-Christian people see themselves? And what influence will that have on the theological task of making the gospel heard? These are the huge questions with myriad of answers, but they are also the questions of culture and context that the church has always faced. (p. 4)

In his exegesis of emerging culture, he determines that the culture is a “sinless” society. The views of the atonement that address the issues of sin and guilt find no ground to settle on in the heart and mind of those living in this culture. Mann suggests that our culture has semantically altered the definition of sin from its Victorian meaning to identifying with what brings pleasure in life. What is wrong in humanity has shifted to an “absence of mutual, intimate, undistorted relating” which becomes the source of “ontological incoherence.”

This sense of “ontological incoherence” or more simply put “a broken sense of being” causes shame rather than guilt. Therefore, sin finds its root in our culture in the sense of shame in the individual who feels they do not measure up and cannot attain the “ideal” life they are looking for. This ideal life is characterized as the attainment of mutual, intimate, undistorted relating.” Drawing on his research in the area of Narrative Therapy in psychology circles, Mann describes this inability to attain the “ideal” life as a vicious circle where the individual desires relationship but because they focus on the self rather than the other, there is a breakdown in relationship which results in a feeling of isolation and a sense of no meaning and connection in life.

Mann describes this disconnection as a broken ability to relate to the “Other.” This “other” is a reference to God and to others in life. Such an unawareness of the “Other” results in what Mann calls a “pre-social and pre-moral” existence for the person living in the emerging culture. Because there is no awareness of God and life is lived in pre-occupation with the self, explanations of atonement as forgiveness for sin against God and others is virtually incomprehensible. The church needs to re-orient its explanation of atonement using a solid biblical basis for addressing the problem of shame. The focus of atonement needs to shift from “forgiveness” to “acceptance.” The shift is subtle but yet significant in making the message of atonement comprehensible to the post-modern.
Mann emphasizes that appropriating salvation needs to move from a “confession” of sin and guilt to a sense of “cleansing that leads to belonging.” In this way, the issue of broken relationship is addressed, rather than the issue of infraction against God. Given this, he feels that the images of “ritual cleansing” can find a place again in the church’s liturgy. Salvation then is not so much a response to a crisis [“I’ve done something against God”] for a post-modern but a patient process over time where shame is abated and inclusion into community is accomplished. [“I can have mutual, intimate, undistorted relationship”]

The concept then for communicating salvation is not propositional truth but rather narrative. Story has replaced truth and fact as the communication of reality. Post-moderns are caught up in a series of smaller stories. They are searching for a meta-narrative and very sceptical as they do so while looking in the rear view mirror at a meta-narrative of modernity that has proved untrue. Although sceptical of meta-narrative, Mann emphasizes that post-moderns need an alternative narrative to make sense of their own stories. The church should offer such a meta-narrative not as an argument against but rather the telling of its own story in the sea of stories that present themselves as options. This then is an act of letting God use the encounter of our story telling to communicate truth and reality.

Mann finds that what is missing for the post-modern is a sense of “Other.” With out God in their worldview, a meta-narrative can never truly make ultimate sense. If the shame of ontological incoherence [or broken sense of being] is ever to be dealt with, the presence and importance of “Other” must enter the meta-narrative of the post-modern. It is the only way that the pre-occupation with the self can be altered to a biblical sense of belonging to the “Other.”

Following the pattern of therapeutic narrative, Mann encourages the offering of “counter narratives,” much like the ancient world used “myth,” to give post-moderns an alternative story to place themselves in besides the broken story that they personally live in. It is in this sense that Mann feels the church has let the post-modern down. Using the concepts of “thick” and “thin” story telling, the church has offered a “thin” explanation that has simplified salvation to one basic propositional infraction and a resultant event that cures it. A “thick” [complex and intricate communication] retelling of the story needs to replace the “thin one single all encompassing modern telling of salvation.” Mann suggests that this is not difficult since the bible itself communicates a “thick” telling of the story.

What is significant in the retelling of the biblical story is that “ontological coherence” is achieved in the person of Jesus. The post-modern has the opportunity to see their “ideal” self in the person of Jesus of Nazareth who lives in mutual, intimate and undistorted relationship with God and others. The power of Jesus’ story for post moderns is that He maintained ontological coherence while dealing with the challenge and tension of his “ideal” and “real” self. He conquers the tension inside him by responding to and nurturing his relationship with the “Other.” Jesus then shows how his “ideal” self is realized in his embrace of others. Meals, encounters and relationships for Jesus were viewed as “thick” encounters where the heart of others can be embraced and the “ideal” of humanity made possible.

Mann then offers the story of Judas as an important story for post-moderns because it reveals the lengths and effect of ontological incoherence. Judas withdraws from the “Other” and others do the same to Judas. The only one who doesn’t is Jesus and this is the importance of Jesus’ story for the post-modern. Even when individuals betray themselves, others and God, Jesus provides reconciliation in the face of betrayal. The fear of the post-modern is the death that accompanies living for the other. Jesus’ story then shows the possibility of achieving ontological coherence by dying to the self and living for the “Other.” Jesus’ story is like Judas’ story except that Judas’ death leads him into alienation and does not recover relationship. Jesus’ death redeems life and brings people back into relationship: mutual, undistorted, unpolluted relating. If the church can convey the Jesus’ story with sensitivity to the post-modern, they can be convinced that following Jesus through death [symbolically] can result in authentic living for the “Other.” Such living results in ontological coherence. [sense of wholeness in one’s being]

Mann feels that the Eucharist [or communion for the free church tradition] can give post-moderns the opportunity to live through the story of Jesus and be part of his story in a way where they are caught up in it and so achieve a re-orientation of life based on Jesus’ death and resurrection. It is important to focus the ritual on the things that Jesus emphasized: life, recovery and wholeness rather than alienation and confession. The opportunity to be emotionally involved in the ritual is important to offer post-moderns because the remembrance most certainly addresses how they feel and gives opportunity to embrace that emotion and lead the individual to forgiveness and acceptance.

The traditional approaches to sin in the Eucharist liturgy do not associate sin with the wrong done to the self. Post-moderns are individuals who have been “sinned” against. They also flounder in their failure relationally. In this state they are “pre-moral.” The Eucharist needs to draw them in by focusing on redemption. Once they’re in the story, then confession and renewal are possible. The table must be a non-judgmental table of fellowship that can be approached with out fear of exposure and exclusion. The table, like the cross, should be the place where the presence of mutual, undistorted, unpolluted relating is realized. The Eucharist, then, is the narrative moment that can draw the emerging culture into confession and community and enter into the wholeness of relationship given by Christ.

In the conclusion, Mann emphasizes the role the Holy Spirit plays in realizing ontological coherence through relationship with Jesus. Mann sees that Jesus maintaining ontological coherence was a result of His relationship with the Holy Spirit for our sakes. The Spirit is the one then that gives us a sense of hope of fulfillment of true mutual, unpolluted, undistorted relationship with others and God. “The directedness of our life is now determined” says Mann, “by the pull of the Spirit to completion rather than the pull of sin to dissolution.” Once one is accepted by God, it follows that one accepts oneself and achieves the intimate relationship that is so deeply sought by post-moderns. In this sense, salvation present in such a context can truly liberate the post-modern and be heard by the emerging culture.

Critique

The great feature of this book is that the publisher encouraged Mann to respond to the critique of the book by an outside source. Robin Parry, commissioning editor for Paternoster Press, offers his response to Mann’s book that can be used as a catalyst for further dialogue. It is important to take note of Parry’s clarification concerning what Mann has set out to do:

I appreciate the fact that Alan offers his account not as the account of atonement for all people, everywhere, nor as a replacement for alternative more traditional accounts (although he does question the relevance of such accounts in our context). Rather it is offered as an account of atonement which will enable some postmodern people to be reconciled to God, others and themselves. (p.189)

Mann does an excellent job at attempting another view of the atonement that bears relevancy in the present cultural context. We so desperately need fresh views of the atonement that factor into them the present state of heart and mind in the post-modern community and still remaining true to the biblical narrative.

I also take his approach in hand as I myself attempt to rethink the atonement in light of the biblical narrative. Our “thin” approach has borne an assumption of the penal substitutionary atonement theory as the pre-eminent theory that gives explanation to the biblical view of salvation. What has caused this theory to last so long is the reformation heralding of justification by faith as the controlling theme of the Pauline corpus and subsequently of the early NT church. There are many at present taking this to task, not in terms of jettisoning it, but of setting it within a fuller [and I dare say “thicker”] context of what Paul and the early NT writers were conveying in regard to salvation.

Recently, a more sensitive approach to Hebrew theological perspectives on salvation and worldview has influenced the explanation of what it is God has set out to do in our world through Jesus. N.T. Wright has especially broadened this view through his writings. What it means to be a follower of Christ in the fuller sense of what God is doing revealed in the biblical narrative is prompting discussions of what salvation means. God gathering people into one new reconstituted people of God is the “meta-narrative” that brings a “thicker” meaning to the atonement. What it means to be truly human then finds a major place in the significance of salvation thus warranting an address at rethinking how we might communicate the atonement to reflect this “thicker” view. I think Mann is then on the right track when he places the emphasis of salvation on the issue of belonging.

The one issue I take to task along with Parry is Mann’s stress on biblical narrative having the same influence as “myth” in ancient story telling where truths were embedded in fictional stories to paint a picture that the reader or listener can identify with. Although I believe unintentional, it does sound like Mann is not as concerned about the biblical narrative’s historical relevance as he is concerned about the meaning of the story. Some readers may take this to task and be concerned about Mann’s view of the bible as a historical piece of literature. In my estimation, Mann does not adequately address Parry’s critique. Although Mann draws on the academic argument that history is essentially the record of the interpretation of eyewitnesses, they are still records indeed. The gospels bear a “story among others” but also are evidence of memoirs of eyewitnesses of which historians and theologians consider reliable. These eyewitness accounts carry with them a powerful story in context that influenced communities. In this case, they are not fiction like the mythical stories that have truth in them. In the post-modern context, this still is a distinction that bears noting and something that does matter. Yet, Mann’s point of the influence of biblical narrative is not lost in this apposite discussion.

I don’t have as much a concern as Parry does regarding the apparent insignificance of the cross in Mann’s approach. Mann himself alludes to no intention on his part to diminish the cross. The cross is still significant in that it is the vehicle through which Jesus accomplished ontological coherence for humanity. Parry reacts because the traditional reformed approach has so placed the cross at the center that the other equally important aspects of Jesus’ work such as his life, death, resurrection and ascension have taken a back seat to it. Mann’s approach demands that we reconsider these as equally important aspects of Jesus’ work in God’s plan of salvation.

I’m not so sure that in a global sense, the shift from guilt to shame that we presently see in our own culture is true for every other culture. In fact, historically, certain cultures have exemplified a fixation on shame rather than guilt. Guilt based cultures are very much secluded to the western world and even then some western countries are more shame based than guilt based. Shame and the concepts of “keeping face” and “honour” are very prevalent in Asian-Indo cultures. These cultures have not experienced the western shift from modernity to post-modernity. It would be interesting to note how views of the atonement in cultures that are historically shame based are communicated. This may give some indication as to how views of the atonement are truly affected by cultural implications.

No doubt, Mann’s book will figure significantly in the continuing dialogue, if not having instigated it, then definitely having added a significant perspective to the discussions on atonement and its relevance to the emerging culture.

By Luciano Lombardi
Associate Dean
Master’s College and Seminary Toronto, Ontario
Luciano.Lombardi@mcs.edu

Luciano has been thinking that the emerging culture is not breaking down the doors of the traditional church and so is looking for ways to convey the good news of Christ to those in his culture who don’t respond to the traditional approaches of salvation. In his spare time, he oversees the Distance Education program at Master’s College and Seminary as well as teaches in the area of bible and theology.

Simply Christian by N.T. Wright

2006-07-12T13:31:00.000-07:00

N.T. Wright Simply Christian : Why Christianity Makes Sense Harper Collins, 2006

For quite some time, N.T. Wright [Anglican Bishop of Durham] has been addressing audiences across the globe concerning his heartfelt commitment to the Bible and the message it gives of God’s love for a hurting world. Rising up through the ranks of the Anglican movement, Wright serves as a theologian and church leader inspiring other leaders to remember their foundation in the gospel of Christ and their calling to spread the good news to others. Lately, Wright has been working on spreading the good news in the community at large, eagerly sharing the message of Christianity with those that are not of the faith but may be interested to know more about it.

In his latest book, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense, Wright urges readers to take a look at what, or better “who,” is at the foundation of the human sense of justice, thirst for spirituality, need for relationship and admiration of beauty. He suggests that Christianity and its message makes true sense of why we cringe at injustice, search for greater meaning, long for fulfilling relationships and continue to vie for beauty in such ugly contexts. At the bottom of these human longings is a God who created a world where such longings can be fulfilled.

Wright acknowledges that although looking to God may feel like we are staring at the sun, through the glare exists a God who desires to make himself known. This God does so through a representative people, Israel, who have held an important place in human relationship with God. It is through this people that God desires the world to know him. In the faithfulness of their historians, the story of what God is up to is most vividly shared in the narrative of God’s relationship with the nation of Israel. Through them, God’s goal is to reach out to humanity represented in other nations in order to make himself known and to gather them near so that he might purge them of the evil that plagues them.

What brings such understanding is the appearance of Jesus who with claims of being the Son of God shares with Israel the true face of God and his purpose of relationship with humanity and the world. It is in Jesus’ life and words that we understand that the world has been affected by evil and that God’s goal through Jesus’ life is to rescue the world from evil and eventually purge such evil so that the world can be renewed fulfilling the expectations that have continually been borne through the human heart [as mentioned above in the sense of longing for justice, thirst for spirituality, longing for fulfilling relationships and desire for beauty].

Wright encourages the reader to consider three viable options of relationship with God. Option 1 is the Pantheistic view which Wright acknowledges does not answer the longing of the human heart for a better world since God is part of this fallen world. Option 2 is the Deist view which also leaves humanity in its futile longing since God is not at all involved in the human drama. Option 3, outlined above, focuses on God’s Spirit involved in the world and in humanity drawing both toward God’s intended goal of purging both of evil and renewing the world so that humanity can live in fulfillment of the longing of its true purpose in God’s creation. This option expresses a God who is very involved in his creation and who has taken responsibility to heal it by establishing his reign over it.

In the tradition of C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity, Wright has offered us a book that encourages the atheist, agnostic and seeker of spirituality to seriously consider the claims of Christianity and see how its claims make sense of the place human beings find themselves in and how the gloom of their longing heart is satisfied by a God who has always been connected to his creation and will recover it establishing his kingdom on earth and filling the world and humanity with his glory. Its big picture presentation of Christianity is a must read for all who want to consider Christianity as their basis for faith or are thinking of doing so.

Wright has been a prolific writer and it is worth noting his suggestions at the end of the book concerning other books he has written; in particular The Challenge of Jesus which deals further with the significance of the person of Jesus in God’s plan to rescue humanity and the world from evil. His other recent works on the significance of the Resurrection and on the Authority of the Bible are also worth reading as an expansion on the topics he initially addresses in Simply Christian. Supporters of N.T. Wright have also graciously made available audio sessions by Wright at the following website http://www.ntwrightpage.com/. You will find Wright a very articulate and thoughtful presenter.