Crucifying Bad Theology

 “You can run on for a long time, but sooner or later God’s ‘ill cut you down.” Christ died even for us. Why does good theology matter? Is it because we have books like unChristian giving us statistics of a failing Church? Is it because we have authors like Kenda Dean exploring a moralistic therapeutic deistic culture? Absolutely. We need good theology if young people are abandoning the Church because the very thought of Christians equals bigoted hypocrites. We need good theology if all that matters about God is whether or not we are good people. More than that, we need good theology because it changes lives.

How does good theology change lives? Lutherans have had good theology since Martin Luther decided to deconstruct the core of the Church. If it doesn’t point us to the cross and the work of Christ, it doesn’t matter. Perhaps it is easy to take this for granted or to appeal to experience to “find God,” but good theology is life-changing precisely because it cannot be found and it does not rely on human experience. That’s not to say it doesn’t cause experience. Good theology is life-changing because it finds the lost and leads the blind. Good theology reconstructed in the redemption of the cross of Jesus Christ.

“You can run on for a long time, but sooner or later God’s ‘ill cut you down.” Christ died even for us. What does it mean to have good theology? Our academic and practical theologies have no separation. Good theology is put into praxis. Beyond that Good theology has the crucified God at its crux. Theology is nothing apart from the work of the cross. Our redemption lies within the crucifixion and our reconciliation is rooted in resurrection. The law tells us that God will cut sinners down; conjunctively, the Gospel tells us Christ died even for us.

Good theology matters because the gracious work of Christ is at its core. It is life-altering for people who’ve never known the grace of God or for people who have been blinded by bad theology (which does not point to the work of Christ through the cross). Guilt may be a more powerful motivator than grace, but it doesn’t make it good. Where, then, do we go from here? We go where God is found, where we are led, to the foot of the cross. If you’ve never known the grace of the cross of Jesus Christ or you’ve been trapped by the guilt and shame of piety that puts the role of justification in your hands; by the work of God alone, through the cross of Christ alone, grace is sufficient for you.   

  

21st Century Theologians of the Cross: Workshop Proposal (alpha stage)

Hello my dear readers,

Within the next few months I will be teaching a workshop at a Youth Ministry convention and I want to share my course proposal with you all. Below, you will find my initial proposal of the questions and topic of focus, I invite you to provide your feedback and thoughts on the questions. Over the course of the next weeks and months, I will beta test my workshop content with you in order to craft the best final product for the audience. 

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If you’ve read recent books and articles about churchgoer statistics, or Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, you may be feeling a little discouraged. Whether the Church is the loudest voice within culture or it’s losing steam, we have theology with a powerful point! Christ died for us and God is found at the cross. Today, we have more than a few options, we can ignore MTD and the decline of church attendance, we can fight the changes, we can join the trends, we can accept fate, or we can teach the next generations something real and relevant.

In this workshop, we’ll explore questions such as:

What does it mean to be Lutheran?

Why does Lutheranism matter for youth today?

How does good theology change lives?

Who needs the Theology of the Cross, anyway?

When am I ever going to use this boring theology stuff?

Where do we go from here?

In a culture of challenging church trends, youth and Youth Workers are faced with some tough questions about the relevance and effectiveness of theology. The Lutheran Theology of the Cross has powerful answers to these 21^st century questions, and even more powerful questions for us.

The Pro-Jesus, Anti-Jesus-Freak Gospel

Public image is an interesting vexation. It’s no secret that I’m open about my faith or my service in ministry, but I get the sense, all the wrong folks think I’m a “Jesus Freak” or a good sinner. I believe in Jesus and I love God, but the God of the cross is not some cliché, image-conscience, lifestyle-driven deity. I assure you the “Jesus Freak” mentality is a symptom of our broken world.

I believe in a living, loving, and gracious God whose redemptive work of the cross will only cease to be relevant if we live in a perfect world; therefore, it will be relevant until its completion. Being a Christian doesn’t mean believers are better than others; it means we’ve received the gift of God’s grace for being the sinners we sometimes forget we are – grace which all are afforded through the work of Christ.

Faith in Christ is life changing, but it isn’t about lifestyles. It’s an encounter with the living God, who died even for great sinners like me. To anyone who reads this, who can’t stand Christians, who’s been offended by my more moralistic brothers and sisters (or myself) know this, whatever you heard slandering you in the name of Jesus was not and is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel is this, Jesus lived and felt every ounce of human suffering, Jesus died taking on all our burdens, and Jesus resurrected in victory over the brokenness of our human world. This is our hope, this is the Gospel, and this is what mends the brokenness of all people (myself included).

God’s peace be with you all on this day, now, and forevermore. Amen.

“We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer” (Dietrich Bonheoffer).

Radical Transparency and the Colapse of Piety

Greetings Readers, it’s been a minute since The Dialect of Praxis had a post. It’s been an exciting time in my life and new adventures have kept me engaged in conversation elsewhere. I hope you all are well!

Radical Transparency is a term I’ve borrowed from David Kinnaman’s well-selling title UnChristian. The phrase is an ideal set by the Buster and Mosaic generations (specifically those ages 16-29) who have grown skeptical and/or cynical about the portrayal of Christianity and the mass-marketed consumerist society surrounding young people today. Radical Transparency is a mindset aimed at deconstructing image-centered hyper-individualism and being “real” with people.

Kinnaman’s book, boasting copious amounts of research and data analysis on Western culture’s negative perception of Christianity and its people, declares, only 1 in 22 Christians (in the 16-29 age bracket) have a deep connection to the Christian faith (UnChristian). This phenomenon is what authors such as Kenda Dean and others have come to call Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.

In the spirit of Radical Transparency, I have to say I’m not alarmed by any of the statistics, negative views, erosion, or declining numbers of the Christian faith. I’m at the tail end of the Buster demographic and have personally experienced the skepticism, cynicism, and need for authenticity in the Christian world. But, the skepticism and cynicism (which I have no doubt worn as a coat of armor) is as concerning as the façade of moralistic perfectionist Christianity.

Pious behavior (personal devotional reading of scripture, doing everything right, praying enough, and the like) doesn’t save us and this is a fair criticism from non-Christians and skeptical believers, towards the typically Conservative portion of the Christian community. However, I’m not looking to tear down Evangelicals today. Instead, I ask, could a delicate balance of piety be a bad thing?

Honestly, I’m not hugely pious (or remotely pious compared to my days as an Evangelical Christian) but I like to study the scriptures. As is evident by the statistics in UnChristian, most people identify the importance of Christianity in lifestyle before anything to do with the Gospel message. And, experience has shown me that many young people in the Church today don’t have a basic understanding of the Gospel (or scripture in general). Maybe non-Christians don’t want to know who Jesus is because most Christians don’t know who Jesus is anymore. Christianity is not a set of lifestyle principals; it is faith in the living God and redemptive work of the cross.   

Lenten Devotional 11: Church, Cross, and Culture

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Scripture reading: Acts 5:30-42

The Acts of the Apostles is traditionally considered Luke’s written record of what happened following the events of his Gospel account. It’s the work of the early Christian Jews and gentiles; the patriarchs of the Church, Práxeis tōn Apostólōn. Though date and authorship are debated, it’s not essential to our present purposes in this devotional.

Our pericope highlights what Christians do and why we do it. It is the praxis of the Church to proclaim the name and Gospel of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Messiah (vv. 30-32). The Pharisee, Gamaliel, interrupts the rage of the Sadducees with profound wisdom (vv. 33-35). He tells the angered Sadducees (conservative, wealthy, Jewish authorities) that if the Apostle’s proclamation of Christ is not the true work of God, they will despair, give up, and/or fail (vv. 36-39). The Apostle’s teaching did not cease and persecution was a worthy cause (vv. 40-42).

Two millenniums later, the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is still the most important work of the Church (at least it should be) and it’s still making religious leaders mad. Is it better to be a modern day Pharisee or Sadducee? We still do this polarizing left-right thing, so perhaps there’s a better question. Is it better to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ or to rage against the changing culture?

The early Christian Jews and Gentiles were not the dominant voice in their culture. Present day Christians (specifically in the United States) are no longer a dominant voice in the surrounding culture. Men and women of the Lord, we must continue to preach the Gospel that is the work of the cross (death and resurrection) of Jesus Christ. We are not here to be the loudest voice in culture; we are here to proclaim the Gospel to it. If “the ways of the world” oppose the truth of God, they will fail. Transformation of culture is the work of God alone. Finally, may we look to the cross, where God is found, and how God gives grace and peace to the world.

Holy and Triune God, we look to the work of the cross and the promise you continue to keep with your people. Forgive us for fighting about our perceptions of corruption that distract us from proclaiming the truth of the Gospel. We are sinners and we forget that proclaiming the grace of the cross is radically different than our outrage toward the world around us. Fix our eyes on the cross, the way of truth that is neither left, nor right, nor Pharisee, nor Sadducee, nor rage, nor condemnation. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.  

   

Lenten Devotional 10: Getting Pastoral

Friday, March 02, 2012

Scripture reading: 1 Timothy 3:1-16

Personally (before we get started with the text) I find it ironic that my first and middle names come from pietistic epistles that are troublesome to me (Timothy and James). The author of the book of James seems like, a pompous sycophant and the author of the Pastoral Epistles (who I think was pseudonymously posing as Paul) is a product of his hierarchal-sexist times. But, I digress; for, God’s grace is sufficient.

The passage of “The Overseer” (v.1) has been one I’ve lived in tension with for years. Two words fascinate me, make me cringe, and cause controversy: “above reproach” (v. 2). What does this pastoral instruction even mean? Is it a call to perfection or something else? The English dictionary defines reproach as blame (among other things). However, the Greek word that we translate to reproach (anepilēmptos) appears to have a more specific meaning than blame – apprehension.

Context is everything. When we interpret scripture without context we can seriously distort its contextual meaning. For one to be, “above reproach” (in the first century Church) this term had legal implications (vv. 3-5).

First, having one wife; not a harem. Second, temperate; not enraged. Third, sensible; not stupid. Fourth, respectable; not disgraceful. There’s more but, for the sake of time, what might the legal implications of reproach be? In the first century, it was not quite safe to be a follower of Jesus the Christ. If one had a harem of wives, it likely drew attention they didn’t need. Keeping one’s temper was and is a good way to avoid undue trouble. Sensibility might keep a person from losing his head (literally). If people respected Church leaders it might dissuade apprehension (vv. 3-7).

Bishops, Deacons, Overseers, Pastors, etc., had a different role in the Early Church – survival of believers and the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. There was great concern over false-teaching and blaspheme (possibly Gnosticism, depending on the date of composition, ch. 1). The piety in 1 Timothy, like other scriptures, was meant to set God’s people apart from idolatry and/or heresy.

What does this all mean for us (and our Church leaders)? One who is “above reproach,” in the Church today is one who does not bring ill fate to God’s people or the Church. Instead, proclaim the truth of Christ, “He was revealed in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory” (v. 16).

Lord, God, you are holy and your majesty is revealed in Christ. The grace of the cross, in death and resurrection, has justified us. Who you are and what you’ve done continues to be proclaimed and believed throughout the world. No human being is blameless in what we do, but may our blame be met with grace and not reprehension. May you free your captive servants around the world, who face death and persecution because of your name and may we – who freely express the work of your cross – pray for those who persecute our brothers and sisters. In your name O Lord: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lenten Devotional Introduction

Last year, Lent brought the inception of The Dialect of Praxis; this year, the blog will host a Lenten Devotional series, beginning Ash Wednesday (February 22, 2012) and ending Easter Sunday (April 8, 2012). Posts will occur daily by 10AM EST. There are two ways to follow the series: “Join the conversation by email” (on the right side of the blog) or access it via the link to this introduction found on Facebook, which will contain a link to each daily post (email subscriptions will be easier).

Grace and peace to you from the Triune God.

Click for daily devotional posts. 
01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11,12, 13,14, 15, 

On Christian Religion, Jesus, and Scripture: Why Religion Matters

“‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill” (Mt. 5:17, NRSV).

One cannot preach grace with a machinegun for a microphone.

This past week, twelve million Christians debated over a video that says Jesus>Religion. Jefferson, the Spoken Word creator of the video has a lot to say about Jesus and religion. Is this man preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ or condemning people who call themselves Christians? Yes. In addition to what I’ve said elsewhere, does the Bible back up the claims of the popular video? Yes and no.

Definitions are important. First, who is Jesus? Jesus is the Son of God, fully man and fully God, he lived, he died (by crucifixion on the cross), and he resurrected from the dead. The work of the cross was done for the redemption of all people because all suffer from a chronic affliction called sin.

Second, what is religion? It is, “a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs” (Dictionary.com).

What does Jesus>Religion claim and is it scriptural? Claim one, “Jesus came to abolish religion.” I could not find this in scripture, but here’s what I did find: “If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Mt.19:16-21; Mt. 5:17). Claim two, “Just because you call some people blind, doesn’t automatically give you vision.” True, but that judgment was Jesus’ call (Jn. 9:39-41) and I’d suggest it stay his call. Claim three, “If religion is so great, why does it [insert negative here]?” Religion isn’t the problem; sin is the problem (Ps. 25:6-12).

The claims of Jesus>Religion continue. Claim four, “But, in the Old Testament, God actually calls religious people whores.” This is a bit of a stretch, but the Israelites were called whores because God knew they were inclined to sin and turn from the covenant they had made with the Lord (Deut.31:15-21, ESV). Claim five, “Religion might preach grace, but another thing they practice.”It is true; Christians are guilty of not practicing what they preach. However, grace is from God (Jn. 1:16-18). And, scripture says a lot more on religion and grace (Mt. 5:3-7:27; Acts15:5-11).

Three out of five is pretty good, right? Claim six, “Now I ain’t judging; I’m just saying, quit putting on a fake look because there’s a problem if people only know you’re a Christian by your Facebook.” Unless one is going to take time to disciple “Facebook Christians” this remark is ill-advised (Gal. 6:2-5).

Turning to the opposition of Jesus>Religion; Jesus=Religion. What does the opposition claim? Claim one, “Where do you get off speakin’ up for the man risen from the dead, without botherin’ to quote a single word that he said?” While the point may be valid, it deters from a message of grace and contradicts Jesus’ teaching: “Whoever is not against us is for us” (Mk. 9:38-40).

Since I’m a Lutheran, I share more views with the Jesus=Religion author, but I will compare one point of controversy from each video. “Because, if grace is water, the Church should be an ocean” (Jesus>Religion). “The grace is the water, this baptism now saves you, and the Church is the place where this giving out raises you” (Jesus=Religion). Does scripture support salvation through baptism? Yes and it’s been a heated debate for  easily five-hundred years. We are baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection (Rom. 6:1-7). Thus, baptism brings us into Christ’s resurrection (1Pet. 3:18-22). This is orthodoxy, not heresy, and there are other views if you don’t agree with it.

Finally, Jesus is greater than religion, but religion points believers to the grace of the cross. Both of these rhyming You Tube preachers have solid points and a common problem. As servants of the Lord, Christians are called to humility: “The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility goes before honor” (Pro. 15:33, NRSV). Where the first falsely slanders religion, the other mocks his brother’s folly, and both preach grace with a machinegun.

“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34, KJV).