Over the last few days, I've come across a couple of blog posts that featured fresh attempts at a formal Christian statement of belief. In one case, as I recall, it was a certain congregation's faith statement or mission statement or something like that. The other item was described as an emergent-church creed.
Two things struck me about them both. First, they were stated so very well, even beautifully. Second, they had the following in common:
No Abraham. No Israel. No Moses. No Exodus. No David. No Son of David. No Prophets. You get the idea. In these statements, it's as though the first advent of Christ was the genesis of this way called Christianity.
So I was thinking that I should say something like, "Guys, Jesus stood in a tradition! He was the fulfillment of an ancient hope! And all of that's at the center of Chrisitianity. "
In Ephesians 2, for example, it seems clear enough that a gentile has not one but two major problems: First, without Christ, he's dead in transgressions and sins (v. 1). Second, without Christ, he's excluded from citizenship in Israel, a foreigner to the covenants of promise (v. 12).
So then I was thinking, Since that sort of language is all over the New Testament, and since it is integral to the faith that was once for all delivered to the people of God, then why not include it in what Christians say about themselves and the call that the Holy One of Israel has issued to them in Jesus the Messiah? I mean, grafted-on branches shouldn't talk as though they're the tree. To do so is to be theologically out on a limb and historically nuts.
But then I asked myself . . . . On Mars Hill, how many Hebrew Scriptures? Hmm. None. Only pagan poets. Oh, and then there's Philippians and 1st Thessalonians and 2nd Thessalonians, none of which, apparently, contains a reference to the Old Testament. If you find one in there, let me know.
So I decided (and, yes, this is an overly-simple way of putting it), While we Christians are trying to initially reach and teach others, no they don't have to know about Abraham like they have to know about Jesus. But on the other hand, as they grow, we'd be robbing them of their birthright if we didn't teach them the first 78% of the Christian Canon.
P.S. This post has been hanging around as a draft for several days, so I'm sending it out now asking, What do you think?
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ReplyDeleteI believe the dilemma you are describing is the modern day equivalent to the circumcision issue of the first century. There were some their who said how can you be saved from the law if you don’t know what the law was. Other put it this way (I heard Mike Cope use this about 15 years ago I think): Yes Jesus is the door to salvation but the law is the screen/storm door. They were told not to hold them to the law, yet the old law was called the “school master”.
ReplyDeleteThe whole narrative of the Bible is important in that it tells us the path of God’s love. His chase for our affection and faithfulness. There are passages & stories there that give beautiful pictures of God’s redeeming love. Two of my favorites are : Mephibosheth (what a picture of grace) and the book of Hosea (I call this story the Old Testaments Prodigal Son). We mustn’t short change the message by starting at Jesus. Jesus made it very clear in the book of John regarding the source of His power (5:19, 7:16 & 15:1 are just a few references to this). John began his gospel, his good news with in the beginning.
I agree Frank, tell the whole story. Not in a way that burdens but in a way the teaches and frees.
Could you cite the blogs you refer to?
ReplyDeletePossibly related, some members of the ACU Bible faculty have just come out with a new online resource, "www.saltandlightresources.com".
When I was growing up in the church, I was taught that it was good to check references. Whenever someone quotes scripture or throws out a reference to scripture to prove a point, it is always go back and do some fact checking. It was touted as a means of ensuring that those who were teaching were not being misleading. I don't often do that, since I hate flipping back and forth through scripture while I am trying to listen to something - but from time to time I will go back after the fact and read up to get some context. In that manner I think we should understand how we interact with scripture.
ReplyDeleteAs you said, it is difficult to find references to Hebrew scripture (OT) in the later letters. I think this is primarily since the audience did not have those writings as a major reference point in their lives. However, it is where we see Jesus or the apostles speaking to Jewish crowds and referencing the Hebrew texts that we should concern ourselves. Here is where fact checking comes in and opens the door to a whole wealth of history and revelation. We should be intrigued by the references to Jewish writings and find out why they were important (prophecies of the Messiah, Israel's relationship cycles with God, covenants with Abraham and David, etc).
All these things are relevant and can provide insight into the life and times of Jesus. However, like you said Frank, I don't believe it is a requirement for belief in Jesus or his ways - but should someone thirst for knowledge and affirmation, the wealth of writings exist to aid them in their search.
If this seems scattered, it probably is since I've been on vacation ;)
Good thoughts Frank . . . all believers are in a grand narrative of God's working, though we experience and relate more or less closely to certain parts.
ReplyDeleteThere are many stories in God's story we don't know about - Balaam, Melchizedek, Job, and others are clues that our OT only contains the story of God's interaction with one people group- and yet much more was happening!
What if our "creeds" were a retelling of the story not only as it finds a center in Jesus but also from our own history of receiving grace, while acknowledging the existence of an all-people story? Perhaps the personal and immediate community experience as linked to the grand historical story is the way to keep our creeds from becoming musty and stale reiterations of what was he vibrant faith of another community.
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