by C. Christopher Smith The new creation that God is bringing forth is one that stands in contrast to the status quo maintained by the world’s prevailing powers. In order to act faithfully within the story of God bringing healing and flourishing to the world, we must begin to imagine the world in new and deeper ways. Reading is an essential practice in these efforts to reimagine the world — reading Scripture of course, but also reading a broad range of other works that help us discern what it looks like to live in ways that are faithful to the way of Jesus in our time and place. Reimagining the world is a massive task, one too large for any one individual or one lifetime. Our imagination of the world at large will change gradually over many centuries and with the contributions of a vast host of faithful thinkers. Perhaps we each start by seeking to find Christ in the discipline to which we have been called. If I am a cellular biologist, I look for Christ and the beauty and … [Read more...]
A Reformation kind of community
by Gary Neal Hansen Mention the Reformation and what do you think of? Theological opinions? Polemical positions? The phrase that ought to come to mind is “Christian community.” Take Geneva, under the leadership of John Calvin. I suspect that brings to mind images of the Consistory, where pastors and elders met with those whose behavior was not thought quite up to snuff for a Christian. That comes across as restrictive and judgmental in our day – but only because our Christian communities have not been formed in a shared faith and grown into agreement on standards. We tend to approach Christian living as a far more individualistic thing. But consider John Knox’s famous assessment of life in Calvin’s Geneva. It was, he said, “the most perfect school of Christ that ever was in the earth since the days of the apostles.” Geneva was a community with ideals: They thought of the church as a school. And a school is a very particular kind of community. Life together … [Read more...]
Always reforming: The living faith of the dead
by Jessica Tate Things are changing in North American mainline Protestantism. Harvey Cox calls it a “bumpy transition” into the “Age of the Spirit.” Phyllis Tickle says it is a transformation as radical as the Protestant Reformation. Pew Center polls show continued increases in those claiming no religious affiliation. Pastors and church leaders notice it, too. Things are changing. The difficulty in a time of change, reformation even, is determining what we keep and what we let go. Three things will definitely transition with us: 1. Our call to be followers of Jesus and to proclaim and live his teachings in all areas of our lives. Our lives are noticeably transformed by our faith. 2. To be deeply rooted in Scripture, what John Calvin called the “spectacles” through which we see the world. Scripture is the lens we have into knowledge of God and ourselves. 3. To be surrounded by the community of saints – those who have gone before whose wisdom we need and those who … [Read more...]
The blessing of vocation: Letter to a young adult
“You have a right to experiment with your life. You will make mistakes. And they are right too. No, I think there was too rigid a pattern. You came out of an education and are supposed to know your vocation. Your vocation is fixed, and maybe ten years later you find you are not a teacher anymore or you're not a painter anymore. It may happen. It has happened. I mean Gauguin decided at a certain point he wasn't a banker anymore; he was a painter. And so he walked away from banking. I think we have a right to change course. But society is the one that keeps demanding that we fit in and not disturb things. They would like you to fit in right away so that things work now.” ―Anaïs Nin Hardly any season in life is full of as much elation and angst as the time spent in college pursuing a profession or vocation. From the first moment you step onto campus to the time you step across the stage to receive your diploma, it is a whirlwind journey. Maybe you arrived your freshman year confident … [Read more...]
Preaching to an age of doubt
by Patrick J. Willson How shall we preach “The Gospel for an Age of Doubt”? Although that may sound like a new volume from WJK, it was the title of Henry van Dyke’s 1895 Lyman Beecher Lectures on Preaching at Yale Divinity School. Van Dyke preached at Brick Presbyterian Church in New York and is best remembered these days for his Christmas story “The Other Wise Man.” When the Outlook asked for my thoughts on the prospects of preaching in the 21st century, I could not help thinking how van Dyke looked into the 20th century and saw the task as preaching “The Gospel for an Age of Doubt.” Looking out from a pulpit, even in the midst of a worship service, preachers can feel all manner of doubts and hesitations, most particularly their own. They preach anyhow. Tempting as it is to long for some bygone era when faith seemed natural, the day has never dawned in which the gospel could slip into our souls hand in glove. When Paul declared, “I see how extremely religious you are in every … [Read more...]
Junior preacher
by Agnes W. Norfleet I’ve long subscribed to Journal for Preachers, a seasonal quarterly which resources the craft of preaching. The ecru cover is marked by a huge JP in the liturgical color of its seasonal release. Many years ago, when our young sons bounded in the back door after school, one of them noticed it on the kitchen counter with its big JP on the cover and blurted out, “Mom, you reading Junior Preacher again?” At the time, I was self-consciously trying to overcome being junior at anything. Ordained in the 1980s, I was not on the front line of women entering ministry, but neither were we easily finding our way into preaching positions. When I moved from an associate to head of staff position, I knew few women who were also simultaneously raising young children and preaching every Sunday. Mine was the first maternity leave policy for pastors in our presbytery. I worked hard at learning to preach week in and week out, accumulated a library of biblical resources, seized … [Read more...]
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