Cruciformity

Praise the Lord. I’ve been sick for a while and not been able to work out the problem. The symptoms have been sinus congestion which can usually be accounted for by the common cold, but I’ve been stumped as I have these issues for an uncommon length of time. Over the last week or so I’ve been rendered next to useless, missing out on premium study time. I’ve been frustrated and have prayed that God would bring me good health. Yesterday, I took action and had a CT scan, and this morning the doctor pointed his long index finger at what seems to be the cause.

Polyp… you don’t hear that word every day and, in fact, I only heard that word for the first time this week and I have big one in my right sinus cavity. They used to cut these out but thankfully these days they suggest using a steroid based nasal spray - much cheaper and less painful. God willing, I’ll say goodbye to the Polyp in the next few weeks and the symptoms will slide in the next couple of days.

Praise God that we’ve found the cause of a sickness that has brought me down a lot recently.

Please do pray for me as I prepare to preach on Sunday (two days!) and hand a Church History assignment in on Monday.

I’m sorry that it’s taken so long to produce this second episode. Coincidentally, the subject of theological ’study’ has been a topic on my mind a lot recently. Not just because I’m a student but more specifically because of a subject I’m taking at College covering this very topic.

Barth outlines four overlapping areas of theological study: Exegetical Theology, Systematic Theology, Historical Theology, and Practical Theology. He then helpfully relates these to each other, pointing out among other things that Exegetical Theology is foundational (primary) to Historical Theology (secondary) and that Dogmatic or Systemic Theology necessarily derives from Exegetical Theology and not from other independant thought. He notes also that Practical Theology derives from Systematic theology and that while it can be treated as peripheral study, it’s object is central to theology.

‘Biblical Theology’ (BT) is a fifth category that Moore College understands to have been neglected in theological study. Technically, for Barth, it would fall under the category of Exegetical Theology (ET). The problem is that ET has commonly focussed on the text of the Bible at a low-level, considering the nuances of the words in the original languages, and, unfortunately, ‘losing the forest for the trees’. BT therefore aims to remedy this by first building upon the exegesis of many passages to form the broader biblical story. BT is therefore built upon ET and is then used to re-inform ET in an upward spiral of biblical truth.

In fact, BT only exists because of good exegesis on passages that have spoken about the nature of Scripture.  For example, after being raised from the dead,  walked along the Emmaus road with his disciples and “He told them, “These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:44-45 HCSB). Firstly, Jesus himself understood the Scriptures to more broadly speak a unified message; and secondly, the message concerned himself.

BT doesn’t presuppose ‘a broader story of the bible’. Rather, it demonstrates this by taking the bible on its own terms, showing that the scriptures consistantly understand themselves collectively as the word of God (1 Thess 2:13). The bible can therefore be understood as a single voice amidst the diversity of genres, authors, cultures and nations that it represents. And from this starting point, we can understand various threads of biblical narrative which span across books and a diverse range of cultures and genres.

Ultimately, as Luke 24 shows, unity is found in the person of Jesus. Barth, who bears a very demands a very high Christology would, I’m sure, greatly appreciate this.

There are a few other important reminders that I’ve taken away from this chapter. Helpfully, Barth points out that study requires prayer (building on the previous chapter), for otherwise theological study is blind. It demands also diligence and not laziness. It also requires God given ability to hear (John 10:15-16) through his spirit (1 Cor 2:6-14). Barth admits that this last point leads to a difficult hermeneutical cycle, which he speaks about elsewhere. This isn’t a good time to start speaking about this… but just quickly, his view is that Scripture is not the word of God but rather a testimony to the Word of God (Jesus cf. John 1). This is attractive (and it raises lots of questions) but I think that Barth’s biblical theology isn’t placed on good exegetical theology at this point. Maybe I’ll expand on the discussion in a later post…

Though being a theological giant, Barth finishes with the warm words of a pastor:

“All those on the right or on the left, whose spirits are all too cheerful and naive, may and should repeatedly discover anew in the study of theology that everything theological is somewhat more complicated than they would like it to be. But those spirits who are all too melancholic and hypercritical should discover and rediscover that everything here is also much more simple than they, with deeply furrowed brow, thought necessary to suppose.”

Apparently Bob wrote this when he was denied access to a hotel and so he looked for a time of vindication ‘when the ship comes in’. Sounds like a bit of an over-reaction if you ask me, but maybe there’s more to what happened at that hotel. This was written in his pre-Christian days but I like to think that this took on new meaning for him later on. For me it’s become an  expression of my hope of Christ’s return… you have to hear Bob sing it…

Oh the time will come up
When the winds will stop
And the breeze will cease to be breathin’.
Like the stillness in the wind
‘Fore the hurricane begins,
The hour when the ship comes in.

Oh the seas will split
And the ship will hit
And the sands on the shoreline will be shaking.
Then the tide will sound
And the wind will pound
And the morning will be breaking.

Oh the fishes will laugh
As they swim out of the path
And the seagulls they’ll be smiling.
And the rocks on the sand
Will proudly stand,
The hour that the ship comes in.

And the words that are used
For to get the ship confused
Will not be understood as they’re spoken.
For the chains of the sea
Will have busted in the night
And will be buried at the bottom of the ocean.

A song will lift
As the mainsail shifts
And the boat drifts on to the shoreline.
And the sun will respect
Every face on the deck,
The hour that the ship comes in.

Then the sands will roll
Out a carpet of gold
For your weary toes to be a-touchin’.
And the ship’s wise men
Will remind you once again
That the whole wide world is watchin’.

Oh the foes will rise
With the sleep still in their eyes
And they’ll jerk from their beds and think they’re dreamin’.
But they’ll pinch themselves and squeal
And know that it’s for real,
The hour when the ship comes in.

Then they’ll raise their hands,
Sayin’ we’ll meet all your demands,
But we’ll shout from the bow your days are numbered.
And like Pharaoh’s tribe,
They’ll be drownded in the tide,
And like Goliath, they’ll be conquered.

It’s a rainy night here in Newtown and I was wondering what to do after a long week. I couldn’t bare to do Hebrew or spend another lonely night in my cell. I couldn’t do people either. After chit-chatting with Des across the corrodor for a little while about nothing that I can remember, I decided grab a coffee and reflect a little on some of the things that have been happening… I’ve recently been overwhelmed with thoughts and I just need to ’shake off some mental lint’ (thanks for the phrase ans!).

There have been a number of deaths that my church and college friends have experienced, and there are some other genuinely difficult times being felt by friends at the moment. This has produced in me increasing sorrow. It hasn’t affected me accutely, but a dull soreness is accumulating.

I’ve been thinking about the nature of relationships, systems (Friedman), differentiation and identity, and the problems of reconciliation (Volf), the nature of theology and centrality of Christ (Barth). This has been exciting but again overwhelming as I realise how much I don’t know and just how complicated things are.

In doctrine we’ve been contemplating the character of God; the trinity and the nature of his goodness, wisdom and power. Would we be obliged to obey Satan if he was the one who created us?

I’ve been humbled with the complications of preparing a short talk on John 3:16…

… and I’ve been slowed chewed and then swallowed up by Hebrew.

I don’t mean to sound depressed, though, I’ve also been greatly overwhelmed with the maturity and the godliness of some of my new-found brothers and sisters here in Sydney. I’ve been greatly encouraged and challenged and am most thankful to God for them.

I don’t know if writing about it has really helped me to bring things together at all. I guess I’m understanding some of the extent of my weakness. It’s greatly comforting to know that while I don’t understand, that God does.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair…” 2 Cor 4:7-8

Since I’m still such a young punk in Christian Ministry and Theology (and, to be honest, many other things), I’ve been reflecting on what it is that I’m embarking on. Here are four reflections on Theological Work, based on Barth’s final section of Evangelical Theology.

What characterises theological work? Firstly, Prayer.

“…theological work does not merely begin with prayer and is not merely accompanied by it; in its totality it is peculiar and characteristic of theology that it can be performed only in the act of prayer. In view of the danger to which theology is exposed and to the hope that is enclosed within its work, it is natural that without prayer there can be no theological work.”

Unlike all other areas of work or study where a person seeks to organise, to rationalise, to dominate their field, the student of theology is instead thoroughly dominated by his or her subject. God is not worked upon, organised, subdued or manipulated; he is not studied like a rat in a cage, poked and prodded. He illuminates us. Remembering where they stand before their subject, theologians turn to prayer for productivity and answers and outcomes.

Also, God is not an ‘it’ but a ‘he’. He hears our requests and addresses them through his word. He is the acting and speaking subject through whom everything depends. So the work or study of theology is not so much about God but towards Him. He is my Father in heaven that I address, not in the third person, but the second person, as ‘you‘.

There is no foundation for theologian to take for granted, there is no automation, and there are no shortcuts. Rather, God’s goodness is new every morning. “Every morning it is a fully undeserved goodness which must give rise to new gratitude and renewed desire for it.” Theological work can only exist actively and vigorously as an action of submission and disarmament - prayer.

Finally, the only time that theological work is ever successful is when God grants it success - it is a gift of grace worked out by the Spirit. This seems out of control, and somewhat precarious, but not when we know with certainty that God desires to hear our prayers. Let’s come before him in prayer.

I have a developing love of poetry. So I’m beginning to explore what’s out there. Please let me know if there’s anything that you’d recommend.

A friend recently shared with me a precious poem by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I’m a big fan of Bonhoeffer - please read up on him if he’s unfamiliar. I love this because because it so clearly expresses my own thoughts and experiences.

Who am I? They often tell me
I stepped from my cell’s confinement
Calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
Like a squire from his country-house.
Who am I? They often tell me
I used to speak to my warders
Freely and friendly and clearly,
As though it were mine to command.
Who am I? They also also tell me
I bore the days of misfortune
Equably, smilingly, proudly,
Like one accustomed to win.

Am I then really all that which other men tell me of?
Or am I only what I myself know of myself?
Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
Struggling for breath, as though hands were compressing my thoat,
Yearning for colours, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
Thirsting for words of kindness, for neighbourliness,
Tossing in expectation of great events,
Powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
Weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
Faint, and ready to say farewell to it all.

Who am I? This or the other?
Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptible woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?

Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine,
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am thine!

My good friend James took me out watch the Swans play the Dons last night at the MCG and I was reminded about how beautiful that game really is…

To set the scene, Sydney and Essendon were in similar form; both had 5 wins from 9, both had won their two games and were enjoying a fit of healthy players. Essendon’s season last season was crippled by injuries and so it was good to see that they could make a contest of it. In fact, they made a great contest of it. The teams were neck and neck throughout, 27000 fans were on their feet (that is, those that still could stand after some heavy drinking), and the difference came in two kicks: one from Essendon that somehow went in, and one from Sydney that somehow hit the post. The siren went after some flurried football and some worked up watchers-on; Essendon by one point… See the bombers fly up, up…

I was given a good reminder today, as I train for some form of Christian Ministry.

I met up with a friend for breakfast and we started asking about what it is that would prevent us from going off the rails. What should I do to safe-guard myself against shrugging off the responsibilities of being a Pastor? What checks can I put in place to ensure that I don’t abuse the signficant position of power that I would be given? From what I know about myself, and from the stories that we’ve all heard , it’s scary to think that I am capable causing others such serious hurt and pain, and to so-regrettably drag down Jesus’ reputation.

Should I create boundaries around myself, Pharisee style, to make sure that I would never do anything like that? To some extent it’s clear that I should steer clear of things that could be temptations; remove distractions like TVs, X-boxes and magazines from the office, minimise time alone with attractive women, steer clear of alcohol. I should ensure that I don’t intellectualise ministry too much by over-studying, and that I shouldn’t neglect serious contemplation by under-studying. Maybe I could set up a water-tight timetable with achievable goals. I could force myself to read through the shocking stories of church tragedies as a deterrence. I could ensure that I have a balanced life, with an exercise program, the right friends asking me the right questions, go to bed before eleven, and ensure that I get rest in my holidays and on my days off.

But how do you set up a boundary against something like apathy? There are temptations that it seems that I can’t keep away from. It seems that there is something deep inside me that I cannot fence off.

Now, I do think that some of the things listed above are helpful, but I was reminded this morning that there’s something that is most-effective: A genuine, passionate love for Jesus. In the end, getting married to the loveliest person, and living the most balanced lifestyle will do nothing to protect you against stuffing up in ministry if you don’t love Jesus.

““The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. 46 When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had, and bought it.” (Matthew 13:44-46 HCSB)

Here’s the challenge: Give up EVERYTHING and develop a full dependence and love for Jesus.

I need to pray for this like crazy. I need to do whatever I can to remind myself of his wonderful person. It’s worth doing this because of the the damage that can be done to his people and his reputation. But most importantly, it’s worth developing a genuine love for Jesus because he is worthy of it.