The Church of God had it Right All Along...

I had a short chat with my senior pastor on Sunday after church that really got me thinking about the future of ecclesiology and the mindsets of Christians within our context and that of my context when I'm his age. We were reflecting on the patterns we've seen in our experiences of the Church and he remarked, "I think the Church in general is moving towards a real Church of God theological perspective, but I don't think the Church of God, or any other denomination, really likes it!"

He really had a pretty good point. As I think about some of the Church of God distinctives, what comes to mind right away are membership, sacraments, ecclesiology and theology.

• Certainly theology sets the Church of God apart. What is strange is that, even though Wesleyan holiness is the main theological vein in the movement, there is a general openness to other theological perspectives that, although limited, is less limited than other traditions. It also leaves room for a theological perspective that is not "sold out" to either one side or the other - neither 100% Calvinistic nor 100% Arminian or another theological perspective. Its rare to find purists like this outside seminaries anymore, and this seems to fit in fine with a Church of God perspective.
  
• Secondly, the Church of God has always seen itself as a movement more than a denomination. Sure, there's denominational tendencies that are inescapable, but the movement has a core value of individual church autonomy and state-by-state autonomy. This is certainly a trend in the Church at large, even in the heavily-centralized traditions such as Methodism or Lutheranism. The focus is less and less on the denomination as a centralized power and more on the denomination as a willing association of churches.
• Thirdly, the overarching feeling in the Church at large on the topic of sacraments seems to be less sacramental than ever in terms of mystery. Certainly, they are still seen as a symbol and as a tangible reflective instrument, but little more.
• Finally, the Church of God's approach to membership at its outset may have been well ahead of its time. Its approach says that all Christians are automatically members of the Church and thus they have no reason for keeping membership data. Free movement between individual churches is not that big of a deal in our movement and all Christians, regardless of where they worship on Sunday morning, are considered full brothers and sisters (communicated most directly through an open table). A recent article in the Grand Rapids Press highlighted the very fact that this is a trend across Christendom and we all have to deal with it. People are no longer swayed by the name on the front of the building.

Now, these are interesting points, but in our estimation, these will be even more interesting in 40 years. For now, there is still a good chunk of the Church that is over 60, many of which who are still loyal to a name on a building or a family's direct history with an individual church. What will all this mean for the Church in 40 years. While some might think this is profoundly scary, I think its profoundly hopeful - pushing the Church to focus on holistic, missional ministry and a community-based approach. Churches who are still relying on their denominational affiliation or a family loyalty will probably close their doors - and that's probably alright. Maybe the Church of God had it right all along...

The Marker

The picture I chose for my new blogger title banner for a purpose. If you saw Rob Bell on tour last summer or have watched the "Everything is Spiritual" DVD, you probably already know where I'm going. Bell has a unique way of looking at things that really fits the way I think about things and often makes me wonder why his approach is so revolutionary.

As part of his long talks last summer, Bell used the illustration of the marker he held in his hand to show the difference between how people see things in three dimensions. He explained that if you look at a marker from the side, it appears to be a rectangle - a square with two long sides and two short sides. However, if you look at it from the front or the back, you see it as a circle. Any cylinder would have the same effect - a pop can or anything else similarly shaped. He asked how you would respond if someone asked you if it that marker was a rectangle or a circle - all you could say would be "Yup." He then made a simple theological example: predestination versus free-will. Is it possible that God looks down on all our bickering about black-and-white theological concepts and just says, "Yup."

Now, I have to be careful since I'm in candidacy limbo in a particular denomination that really likes the "black" of the "black-and-white" distinctions, but I have to say - is he that off base here? How small must our view of God be to say that his dealings with our world happen according to our pithy human philosophical and theological categories? And yet Bell comes away from this looking like a revolutionary....or a heretic.

What kind of micro-structured theological bio-dome have we created for our almighty God to live in? I think God makes sense - I think He's logical. I think we can trust the revelation of God in His word. I also think that you can still say you think that a Reformed or Wesleyan or Catholic way of looking at things is most consistent with God's revelation. But I don't think its out of line to say that, within the wideness of God's nature, there is at least the possibility of fuzzy categories - of individual discernment - of logic that surpasses our own. I think that's a good thing, not a heresy.

Re-Launch

I've decided to relaunch my blog. Part of the reason is that I want to take a slightly different approach to what I write about. I figured I was being far too negative and instead want to emphasize the positive. I'd rather define myself in terms of what I believe instead of what I do not. Its my dream that this is a direction the Church would go, as well. The second reason for re-launch is that I'm in a different stage of my ministry career....post-seminary. Even though I still have two classes yet to finish, I've jumped through all the major hoops and will essentially just be dotting I's and crossing T's next fall. This means I have much more time to focus on my ministry and really begin seeing myself solely as a pastor - not as a pastor/student hybrid. I hope this means I'll blog a lot more....maybe even every other day.

But finally, I want to relaunch because I'm convinced now, more than ever, that missional living is a key for Christianity - throughout time and especially in today's world. Therefore, while I'll keep commenting and keep some semblance of an "edge", I'll also keep a focus on how missional living manifests itself in today's world. So look for the practical, look for the missional, look more often and hopefully you'll not be disappointed.