Heresy and doctrine?

When I hear an evangelical talking about “building God’s kingdom,” my theological sensibilities go into scramble mode. “That way lies pelagianism!,” I want to scream. Yet among evangelicals you will frequently hear this kind of talk.

I've added a few new blogs to my Google Reader account and I came across this opening line to a post on one of them. (read it here)

Learning to listen to ourselves is really important. My mother used to record her piano students and play back the performance to help them listen more carefully. One student, this week, in our study group asked How can I make God recognise me? That was a problem for the prophets of Baal. We were gentler than Elijah. Fortunately he listened to himself and realised the foolishness of the question because we can never make God do anything. But do we pay attention to what we say? Do we hear this talk of doing this and that for God, building the kingdom, this speak of humans assuming what is properly the work or rule of God? Is there a point when what we said excludes us from the greater community of faith i.e. heresy? I think so, though ignorance is bliss for some.

The blog argument developed: -

If the kingdom is the dynamic reign of God, how can we as humans “build” it? Actually, it should come as a relief to realize that you and I aren’t in the business of building God’s kingdom. ... But even the most impressive involvement of Christians in, say, racial reconciliation or ministry to the poor or restoring broken families, let alone evangelistic proclamation, does not amount to “building the kingdom” or, come to think of it, “changing the world.” These are signs or anticipations of the kingdom’s power and presence and future culmination, but provisional signs...

I believe there are core non-negotiables within the community of the church universal. These are what defines the community and perhaps the points when some leave or find they have to leave. I'm not suggesting a second Spanish Inquisition nor witchhunt but the need for good theology both taught and used. Am I being too conservative? I don't think so because there are certain confessional values that make a Christian a universal Christian i.e. united with all others both geographically and historically.

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Eph 4:4-6

chance, coincidence, or wonder

Sometimes unexpected things happen. Tonight we were going to hear Beethoven's Ninth Symphony except there were so many people attending that it was impossible to get into the hall. A student and I went downstairs to sit and chat in the refectory and there was a Chinese pipa player and guitarist setting up for a live performance. My young friend and I chatted for a while and I was saying that many years ago I had seen a group with an attractive and exciting pipa player. Then in the group's warm up I heard them play a very familiar fusion piece mixing Chinese and more Latin influenced. It was her 8-10 years later! I didn't recognise her but the arrangement instantly.

Silk Road Music was formed by virtuoso pipa player Qiu Xia He, who came to Canada as part of a touring ensemble. (info here) Her music and the fusion aspect is exciting and makes me wonder why Christian worship is so influenced by American monoculture when we live in a multicultural setting. What we need is more creativity and willingness to experiment, to break out of a conservatism in favour of a playfulness. Of course this assumes theoretical musical competency and technical ability.

faithfulness and brokenness

I came across a Japanese blog which led me to the story of the repair of a cello (see it here). It is as scarred as my own if not even more. Look at the amount of new white wood being added to the underside of the top.

It's strange how things cascade in my life and as I deal, with the brokenness of the human body in the hospital, with the brokenness of the human mind and spirit, with those who have crossed my path in life this last few weeks, somehow my own struggles pale into insignificance before those of others.

Another theme in my recent thoughts is the virtue of fidelity, faithfulness. This word carries ideas of loyalty, commitment, and authenticity. I believe that being faithful is an essential attribute of God. God is faithful. Here is the nexus point for me. Without fidelity in relationship, as loyalty, commitment and authenticity the brokenness of human lives and the created order cannot be resolved. Whether on the transcendent scale in the redemption of humanity and creation itself, or the human to human relationships, without fidelity there is no hope and no reason to aspire. Humans will consistently fail in being faithful but grace allows us to return and return to God and each other and reach for faithfulness, to bring even a tiny bit of love in our leaky lives to each other.

If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself. 2 Timothy 2:13

what would I recommend?

I got an urgent request for books that I would recommend for my colleagues at a forthcoming staff conference. A title is something but I have found for myself that a book is significant for its quantity and quality of quotable material, i.e. how much makes it into my journals. So here's my speedy top three with a quotation.

Gordon T Smith, Beginning Well: Christian Conversion & Authentic Transformation,

The [saving] work of Christ make conversion possible; even more, the actual focus and dynamic of conversion is that an individual comes to faith in Christ Jesus. Conversion is the act of believing in Jesus, choosing to follow Jesus and being united with Jesus as Lord and Savior. To be converted is to become a Christian. And the purpose of conversion is that we may ultimately be transformed into the image of Christ Jesus … In fact, conversion is the fruit of an encounter with the risen Christ himself, as witnessed to and experienced within a Christian community. Conversion is not the result of an encounter with truth or principles or spiritual laws; rather, it comes from meeting Jesus.

Simon Chan, Spiritual Theology: A Systematic Study of the Christian Life

...But what unites persons like C.S. Lewis and Sadhu Sundar Singh ... is their common evangelical conversion. Each has a personal encounter with the transcendent Christ ...It is an experience of "interior longing" triggered by some ordinary experience, yet the "object" of the desire is not found in those experiences... The experience of Lewis and Sundar Singh exemplifies a pattern of spirituality in which the transcendent and historical dimensions of the Christian faith are brought together without watering down either one or the other.

Daniel Taylor, The Myth of Certainty: The Reflective Christian & the Risk of Commitment

Certainly these are the goals of the church, realized here and there, now and then. The parallel reality, however, is at the same time the church is an institution which operates, consciously or not, like other human institutions... The primary goal of all institutions and subcultures is self-preservation. Preserving the faith is central to God's plan for human history; preserving particular religious institutions is not. Do not expect those who run the institutions to be sensitive to the difference. God needs no particular person, church, denomination, creed, or organization to accomplish His purpose. He will make use of those, in all their diversity, who are
ready to be used, but will leave to themselves those who labor for their own ends.

sharing with no great claim

Visiting my Auntie Mary remains a rollercoaster ride of emotions. She has a good day and others days she seems so weak and frail. Saturday she could scarcely drink and it took well over 1.5 hours to get some milk, some water, some chocolate pudding into her. Learning to encourage rather than to push or pull someone is important. Also because of her infection isolation, visitors need to gown and glove Yesterday the carton of milk took only 5 minutes but still no solids.

Last night I got a real encouragement in an email and it touched me.

God has been speaking to me in various ways about how he provides for us. One such moment came this past Saturday when the three of us were visiting Mary. As I watched you feed her, John 19:25-27 came to mind (Jesus providing a mother for John and a son for Mary). I was touched by that scene (despite itchy nose and shoulder pain from carrying bag on shoulder) :). I shared my thoughts with P and he thought it worthwhile my sharing it with you. I hope my sharing will be an encouragement for you as well.

Yes words can hurt and injure and never be taken back. And words can build up, edify and encourage. Thank God for encouragement

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Jam 3:9

noticing the background

This is actress Fukada Aki who plays a music student in Nodame Cantabile のだめカンタービレ her character's name is Inoue Yuki. Strangely I have watched the series many times and it seems that her name is never used. She is a secondary character and while I saw her in many scenes it is only recently I realized she was a cellist when the orchestra was playing.

Noticing is a strange thing in human experience. Somehow when we see the familiar we don't see and it is because it is familiar we don't see. They say familiarity breeds contempt. Learning to notice things is an essential part of spiritual maturity. It seems to me that often God's activities are so subtle that we don't notice him at work. May we never become familiar rather be amazed and filled in wonder, when we notice God at work.

After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ... Elijah heard it... 1Kings 19:12-13