Christianity and ...

Lesslie Newbigin, was a famous Presbyterian missionary to south India, Tamil scholar, ecumenical leader, bishop in the nascent Church of South India, and prophetic missionary voice to western Christianity in the latter 20th Century. In his writings he was critical of what he called “Christianity and…’  By this he meant the tendency of Christians of various persuasions to tether the faith to some other cause. Among progressives this might be ‘Christianity and liberationism’, while from another quarter it might be ‘Christianity and nationalism.’  The faith could easily become subordinated in the service of some earthly goal. Newbigin noted that this feature of ‘and…’ was often understood to be of service to the faith, since it made it relevant in changed modern circumstances. (In this emphasis Newbigin was indebted not only to his missionary experience, but also to the stentorian theological voice of the great Swiss reformed theologian Karl Barth).

By contrast, the Gospel should be free to bring encouragement and critique where it will. It is, after all, ‘sharper than any two-edged sword,’ (Hebrews 4:12. Scripture also conceives of it as a stone ‘not made by human hands’ which comes upon us from above (Daniel 2:34). It is not assimilable or controllable. Aslan is not domesticatable. Only so can it be the ‘rule of faith’ for all other human endeavor.  Because it cannot be harnassed,  can it bring a new word of grace to our lives ‘bleared and seared ’ (Gerard Manley Hopkins, ‘God’s Grandeur.’)

But wait a moment. Since this is all God’s word, shouldn’t the Gospel have something to contribute for good in any situation or human project?  And, to use our examples above, aren’t freedom and patriotism goods? The Gospel does have something upbuilding to say about our time and place, but on its own terms, and on a case by case basis. Furthermore, it invariably brings critique as well as encouragement.   The Gospel is a comfort, yes, but in its freedom and its challenge. The risen Lord sends the repentant Peter out, where he does not want to go, to suffer (and to be fruitful), to God’s glory. Perhaps we can say that there is no ‘Gospel and…” but rather ‘Gospel for…’, of the Son, of the God who ‘will be who [He] will be.’ 

Peace,

+GRS

  

Posted by The Rt. Rev. George Sumner with

Complete the Race (II Timothy 4:17)

At the end of our vacation we find ourselves in Chicago for its Marathon weekend (the fastest, I have read this morning, perhaps because it is cool and relatively level). Marathons offer many good things. You can see world-class athletes from places like Ethiopia and Kenya. There is a feel of fiesta with signs by family members, getups by some for-fun runners, and food for sale.

But as I looked out my hotel window at 7:30 a.m., I watched the race of competitors who have lost legs or their use. Wheeling vehicles by arm for 26 miles means serious fitness and determination.

Those competitors were to me, this morning, a symbol of the Church too. For each is wounded. The larger family cheers them on. Each by grace has risen up to run the race. Ahead is the goal, the prize, the welcome home. We find the companionship of Jesus the Lord, there, and along the route too.

Amen.

GRS

 

   

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