John H Armstrong

Are You Filled with Hope?

The Bible says hope is one of the three great virtues of grace: faith, hope and love. Faith and hope will disappear someday but love endures forever. Yet in this life we live by faith and without hope our faith will fail. This faith is not blindly following a set of propositions about God but rather a living, vital, intensely personal relationship with the Trinity. 

Hope allows us to focus with joy on what is ahead. It is not optimism or pessimism. In fact both optimists and pessimists can and should be filled with hope, provided they are filled with the Holy Spirit. There is a reason to be pessimistic about a great deal if you are honest. But hope is not connected to these "seen" factors. It is connected with what is unseen. 

Eternity is only a "hands-breadth off" said J. B. Phillips. "At present we are largely blind and deaf and insensitive to reality. And this is not entirely out fault. But if reality were to break through, then we should see that the things we hope for are true, far more true than we ever supposed" (Phillips).

Our hope will in no way be disappointed. Indeed, what we hope for will be infinitely exceeded by the magnificence of what we shall see in the real world which is to come. We cannot begin to explain the glory which is to come and at best we only stammer when we try to speak about it. What fills me with wonder is that so few of us who profess to know and love Christ seem fixed on this great hope. It is ours for the taking by the Spirit but we remain dull and uninterested. Could it be that we are so "earthly minded" that we have separated our hope from the course of everyday life in this world. If anything about Christian faith is real at all it must be this: Jesus lives and so shall I.  

Brother Roger on True Discipleship: A Call for Unqualified Commitment

 

Unrelentingly, O Christ,

You interrupt me, and you ask:

"Who am I, for you?"

 

You are the one who loves me thoroughly,

Into the life that has no end.

You open up the path of risk for me, and

You go before me on the way of holiness,

Where happy is the person who dies in loving,

Where the witness of martyrdom is the ultimate response.

 

There is a "no!" within me;

You transform it day after day into a "yes!"

You do not ask me for a few bribes,

But for the whole of my existence.

 

And me? Why have I hesitated for so long,

Pleading to be given time to do my own things?

After having put the hand to the plow,

why do I look back?

Without realizing it,

I was becoming unfit to follow you.

 

Nevertheless, without having seen you I have loved you.

You kept telling me;

"See how little of the Gospel you have understood.

Just tell my life story to the people,

Just light a fire on the earth.

You, follow me."

And finally, one day, I did understand:

You were calling me for my unqualified commitment

(Tu appleais ma resolution sans retour). 

 

Brother Roger Schutz, Taize

 

Born: May 12, 1915

Died: August 12, 2005

 

Religion and Life

Reading the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John reveals many striking things about our Lord that we routinely miss by having become familiar, all too familiar, with the stories and text. One thing I've noticed at the end of the old year, and at the beginning of this New Year today, is this: Jesus is insistent on the connection that exists between religion and everyday life. He will not allow you/me to compartmentalize my worship and private devotion from life. If I love God, as I wrote about yesterday, then I must love my neighbor. 

I thought about this again as I read Luke 10:25-37 recently. This "expert in the Law" was quite sure of himself and his religion. He came to Jesus to ask about "eternal life." Don't miss this because of some theological presupposition you hold about what he "should have said" here. The man even provided the correct answer when Jesus pressed him about the heart of the Law. When Jesus asked which of the three men in the story/parable (priest, Levite and Samaritan) was a true "neighbor" he said it was the Samaritan, which would have been hard for him to admit. The man replied, J. B. Phillips New Testament says, "The man who gave him practical sympathy." The Message says, "The one who treated him kindly." 

Don't miss this point. Love results in practical sympathy and real kindness. There is no room for a critical spirit, meanness even in religion. I should say, "Especially in religion." Yet this is often where we see it most justified by practitioners.

We are not told much about this "expert in the Law" who came to Jesus but he was most likely a "tidy-minded" (Phillips) guy who wanted "everything straight in his mind." He desired clear knowledge about just how far his religion should go? He wanted compartments that made things clear and obvious. I would have to guess that this story did not please him upon hearing it. He likely wanted what many of us want for 2012: a neat, clear list of things to do and not do. A kind of religious list of resolutions that we can keep, at least for a few weeks. But Jesus will not have it. He requires us to give ourselves to him at the cost of our own comfort and convenience. There is no place for safety with Jesus. If you follow him in 2012 you must die, again and again. You cannot compartmentalize things and take refuge in religion, even evangelical religion that links the whole of your existence to a point of conversion which has little or no bearing on what you actually are in your self. What you and I are called to in 2012 is a life of practice, outgoing, sacrificial love. That demands my life, my all. Nothing less works if we intend to follow Jesus. 

Lessons on Life from a Hall of Fame Pitcher

Many of you already know I am a huge baseball fan. In particular, I am a life-long Braves fan. I loved them when they were in Milwaukee and when they moved to Atlanta in 1966 I was a 17 year-old kid who found ways to drive four hours to Atlanta to see them play several times a summer. I have followed them over all these years and seen them play in at least nine different cities as the visiting team. I watch some of their games and listen to them on my MLB App now and then.

A few days ago I listened to one of those rare moments when a baseball analyst talked about pitching. The announcer asked him how a young guy could learn to be a big league pitcher. The commentator was Don Sutton, a Hall of Fame hurler who won over 300 games. Sutton is a regular on Braves radio and an astute student of the game. His subject was what about it took be to a successful pitcher. To me it was memorable.

He said that he learned to pitch in several ways but one of the most valuable was listening to commentators describe the game on radio. He then said limiting oneself to only video was not the best way to learn the intricacies of the art of pitching. He had my full attention.

Sutton suggested that when a young pitcher watched video he might try to “copy” someone else or learn by seeing a performance, even his own, and then simply go out and trying to do the same himself. He said this was not the best way to pitch. He said that there were three things needed to be really good. First, intelligence. You must understand the game and the craft of pitching. Second, athleticism. Third, imagination. The third point was the one he related to listening to the radio. He said that as a kid he listened to commentators talk about pitching and then imagined how to apply this knowledge to his own skill set and forms. He then said he realized that every great pitcher was unique. You could not copy anyone else and be really good. Copies are poor imitations. The very best pitchers take what they know, use what God gave them (ability) and imagine how they will put these together and develop an art that is their own style and form.

I was talking out loud in my car at this point. I said to myself, “This is exactly how I understand and teach discipleship.” You have to know some basic stuff. You cannot be like Jesus if you do not know who he was and what he said. You must have a knowledge base but be sure you know that this was not the same as passing exams or getting a degree in theology. Second, you must discover your unique gifts and abilities. Everyone has something they can do. Most of us have several things we can do. Some have a lot more. Finally, you need imagination. You must move toward what you see yourself becoming and doing and then begin to do it. You must dream and envision the future. You must aim high and be determined.

Former star pitcher Don Sutton underscored for me why I refuse to teach people my style, my theology, my views. Don’t misunderstand. If I was your teacher you would know a lot about my beliefs, style and views. But I would never force you to copy me. I would encourage you to learn from me but I would stress that you need to imagine your own way so that you would become the best Christian you could be.

I thought about that again today and thought about those people I have trained the best over the course of forty years of ministry. In so many ways these people are not like me. They have their own form, style and insights. I never try to make cookie cutters. This is why I resist formulaic ministry and the various models that turn out clones. There is only one me and there is only one you. Be yourself. God gave you the native intelligence that you possess. He also gave you the gifts that you should use. It is you who must then use your imagination to grow into what he wants you to be. You are free in Christ to be that person. No one, no church, no movement and no school should ever turn you into “their” product. You stand or fall to Christ alone. Make sure that you understand this and practice it with great freedom.

The "Syllabus and Plan for a Life Long Learning Experience in Missional-Ecumenism

What follows is a “working document.” This means that everything in this new program is still being tweaked, including the reading assignments. This cohort is not designed for pastors, missionaries and teachers alone. In fact, my deepest desire is that the group will be a good combination of all kinds of men and women, married and single, clergy and non-clergy, young and old. The more diversity in the group the better the learning experience will likely be since a major focus is experiencing diversity in unity. Every motivated person who wants to become a better leader in following Christ into missional-ecumenism is welcome to apply by contacting me via this blog or on the ACT 3 site.

 

Course Description

The course examines the importance of missional theology and how the prayer of Jesus for the unity of all his followers (John 17:20–23) intentionally and directly impacts the work of effective mission. This will be a nine-month cohort seminar for 15-20 active learners. Each learner will enter into a mentoring relationship with their teacher and a prayerful, supporting fellowship with one another. Through this process they will begin to work out ways in which both the individual and the church serve the kingdom of God. This will be done by incarnating the gospel through shared life and the proclamation of the gospel out of the context of relational unity.

Members of a cohort must demonstrate a clear commitment to Jesus and the gospel coupled with a desire to become intentional leaders who will impact others for the purpose of changing the world. Cohort groups will consist of clergy and non-clergy, men and women. Married couples may join together. This course is designed for a rich experience that transcends ethnicity, gender and denominational affiliations.

This is a basic course that has no academic prerequisites except an intense desire to learn and grow in missional-ecumenism. Graduates will be invited to explore other topics in one-time groups which will be less structured; one-day seminars, dialogs, etc. Other more formal programs in missional theology will also be advanced when graduates of this course desire more training beyond this basic one-year program. There are a number of excellent degree and non-degree options that ACT 3 will advance.

Course Prerequisite

Every student must be seriously committed to Christ and the gospel of the kingdom. Before applying for the cohort each learner must read the small book, The Unity Factor: One Lord, One Church, One Mission, by John H. Armstrong. This is essential for the student to understand the basic purpose of the course and provides the reason for why they would desire to spend the time and money to enter into this learning experience.

Course Objectives

1. To develop a rich understanding of missional theology that considers the origins and development of this school of thought and its subsequent practice.
2. To deeply understand John 17 and how the prayer of Jesus for Christian unity specifically impacts the health of the church and its relationship to the kingdom of God.
3. To consider the history of the ecumenical movement in the 20^th century by asking, “What did it get right and where did it go wrong?”
4. To survey new model ecumenism by asking where such models can contribute to a more effective missional strategy.
5. To learn how ancient/future paradigms of worship and spiritual formation transform leaders and mission thus advancing the kingdom of God into all cultures.
6. To deal with various models of gospel understanding that strongly focus the learner’s heart and life on the love of God and his unconditional grace of forgiveness.
7. To develop a working model of personal spiritual growth that is linked directly to the gospel of the kingdom and mission. This model will be intentionally developed so the learner can pursue missional-ecumenism as a lifestyle. The specific context in which the student serves Christ’s kingdom will become the laboratory for praxis.

Seminar Sessions

The cohort group will meet four times during a nine month period. Each session will last seven hours, for a total of 28 class hours. These four meetings will generally begin at 9 a.m. and end by 4 p.m. (A working lunch break will be included.) Participation requires a signed commitment to attend all the four classes and pay a tuition fee of $1,000. You must be willing to contribute to the group with a teachable spirit. An application and interview must be processed before anyone becomes a learner.

The entire course will generally be completed over the course of eight months. Two other evening meetings (2 ½ hours) of the cohort will take place following the second and third class session. Facilitators within the cohort will lead these two meetings. The goal of these meetings is open discussion and specific application of course objectives. Augmented online discussion for the cohort will also supplement this process.

The initial Beta Test version of this course will meet on October 4, December 6, February 7 and April 17 somewhere in the Wheaton (IL) area.

Course Texts

(2) Allen, Roland Missionary Methods: St. Paul’s or Ours?

(1) Armstrong, John H. Your Church Is Too Small: Why Unity in Christ’s Mission Is Vital to the Future of the Church

(1) Bonhoeffer, Dietrich Life Together

(2) Danaher, James P. Eyes That See, Ears That Hear: Perceiving Jesus in a Postmodern Context

(3) Gittins, Anthony J. Called to Be Sent: Co-Missioned as Disciples Today

(3) Gittins, Anthony J. Reading the Clouds: Mission Spirituality for New Times

(1) Lawrence, Brother The Practice of the Presence of God (John J. Delaney, translator. Doubleday, 1977)

(3) Newbigin, Lesslie The Open Secret: An Introduction to the Theology of Mission

(2) Newbigin, Lesslie The Household of God

(4) Roxburgh, Alan J. and Romanuk, Fred.

The Missional Leader: Equipping Your Church to Reach a Changing World

(4) Van Gelder, Craig and Zscheile, Dwight J.

The Missional Church in Perspective

 

The (numbers) above refer to text being completed before this session of the cohort meets.

 

Several smaller articles and popular essays will likely be assigned during the seminar. Some videos will also be watched by the cohort group during the four sessions.

The Cape Town Commitment, a small booklet adopted by the Lausanne Congress in October 2010, will be used throughout the entire process as a contemporary guide for missional-ecuemnical theology and practice. This text should be read before session number one if possible. It is available as a published booklet and online for free at www.lausanne.org/ctcommitment.

Application

If you want to be admitted to a Unity in Christ’s Mission cohort learning experience you must fill out an application form (www.act3online.com) and schedule an interview. If you are accepted you must attend all four sessions as well as the two evening discussions (2 ½ hours) scheduled between sessions two and four. You will be expected to pay $500 upon acceptance and the remaining $500 before the third session convenes. You will pay ACT 3. You will receive a certificate of completion when you complete the course.

Assignments and Requirements

1. Students will read the assigned texts before each group meeting and write a 2-page critique of each book. This critique will show that the student has interacted with the author’s thesis.
2. Meetings of the class will be at a pre-selected site. Applicants for the seminar will be interviewed and complete an approval process. There will be opportunity for the student and professor to meet face-to-face in each of the four seminar meetings and by any other means as time allows.
3. Students must prepare a 15-page final paper, due 45 days after the end of the final session, in which they will show an understanding of spiritual growth and missional-ecumenism and how they will put this understanding into a plan to build a personal, relational network that will advance Christ’s kingdom and his mission through the good news of grace and forgiveness.

 

Academic Credit

If a student would like to take this class for college or seminary credit there are several ways this can be done. Please discuss this with the teacher before enrolling.

Introducing a Life-long Learning Cohort in Living the Transformative Kingdom Mission of Jesus

For several years, if not for several decades, I have had a growing desire to equip a group of leaders to grasp and put into practice the principles that I teach about the gospel of the kingdom of God, missional-ecumenism and deep spiritual formation.

I have been teaching some of this in seminaries and the Wheaton Graduate School for the past five or six years. Since the release of my book, Your Church Is Too Small (March, 2010), I have had a growing sense that these principles can be taught best in cohort groups where people with diverse backgrounds (age, race, gender and denomination) would form a learning group that would spend nine months learning and growing into this vision as a group. Through the group a rich, like-changing, learning experience can take place.

Several months ago I began to understand, with the help of some amazing friends, how to teach this material in the very best way and still expand the number of people I disciple in this vision. I laid out a learning process where I would teach a group of 15-25 adults over the course of eight to nine months. This group would meet for four all-day intensives, separated by roughly two months each. These core meetings would allow me to impart the vision and interact dynamically with a highly motivated group. Between sessions two and four the group would convene in smaller groups, led by members of the cohort. These two evening meetings would direct their efforts toward how to apply the course to themselves and their mission/church. The cohort group will consist of both pastors and non-pastors. At the end of this intensive learning experience each person would be required to provide a plan for how they would put their own version of this vision into practice. Then, when the formal class is over, ACT 3 would be there to help graduates decide on how to follow-through, what should come next, etc. Graduates would be invited to participate in one-day follow-up meetings, year-by-year, where learning would continue. Some students would choose to take other formal classes, even pursue graduate degrees. (By the way, this cohort class can be taken for credit.) Most graduates would take no more classes but all would be encouraged and helped to develop a life-long process by which they would be assisted by ACT 3 to pursue missional-ecumenism throughout their life.

Out of these groups I will seek to identify new disciple-making teachers. These teachers would then work with ACT 3 to lead new cohort groups. My personal goal is to teach such groups for the next five years, get this program off the ground in a healthy way, and then identify and equip the teachers who we will pay as our ACT 3 teaching staff. These teachers will be accomplished missional-ecumenists who can teach and lead such groups. They will not be expected to teach exactly like me. We value the giftedness and personality of each person too highly to create a “cloning” mechanism on missional-ecumenical leadership. I will spread this vision as widely as possible for as long as possible. This program can grow and it can reach many cities and leaders. By this means it could, in time, be taught almost anywhere a cohort could be formed, here or abroad.

My first step is to launch a Beta Test group for this program that will convene in the Chicago area in 2011-12. (As of today it seems we will meet on the Wheaton College campus but this is to be confirmed.) What I know is that I am currently forming this first cohort by inviting specific people to join it. The group will convene on October 4, December 6, February 7 and April 17. These meetings will last all-day. The cost for the program is $1,000. You can pay this in various ways but for many the best will be to spread it out over the course of ten months. If you cannot afford the cost we can talk about a scholarship program where there is real need. The idea is that the cost will not stop you from taking the course but it will commit you deeply to the process and provide a revenue stream to ACT 3 for all that it is doing to teach such a course. (By the way, this is a bargain price if you know what tuition costs are for a 3-hour credit course.)

You do not have to live in Chicago to go through this first-year group. You can travel to Chicago from afar if you would like. You must, of course, make your own plans and cover your own costs. However, my guess is that almost everyone in this first group will live within a few hours of the city.

If you would like to apply to be in this first group please contact me directly via this blog or through the ACT 3 site.

Tomorrow: The course description and syllabus will be presented.

Of Gods and Men

The recently released DVD of the highly praised 2010 French film, Of Gods and Men, affords a unique opportunity for people to see and experience what it was like for Cistercian Trappist monks in Algeria to live and die for their faith.

Of Gods and Men is a drama film directed by Xavier Beauvois, starring Lambert Wilson and Michael Lonsdale. Its original French title is Des hommes et des dieux, which means "Of Men and of Gods" and refers to a motto from the Bible shown at the beginning of the film. It centers on the monastery of Tibhirine, where nine monks lived in harmony with the largely Muslim population of Algeria, until seven of them were kidnapped and assassinated in 1996 during the Algerian Civil War.

The film tells a story that is primarily about a peaceful situation between local Christians and Muslims before it became lethal due to external forces. The screenplay focuses on the preceding chain of events in the decay of the government, the expansion of terrorism and the monks' confrontation with both the terrorists and the government authorities that led up to their deaths. Principal photography took place at an abandoned monastery in Azrou, Morocco with careful attention to authenticity.

Greg Erlandson noted in a recent edition of Our Sunday Visitor (OSV) “Such a description does the movie an injustice, for it is a beautiful, profound meditation on Catholic faith and witness, on the spiritual journey of monasticism and on the challenge of being men of peace in a time of cruel violence” (OSV, July 24, 2011, page 18).

Erlandson correctly notes that Of Gods and Men is a most un-American movie. (It was nominated from France for the Academy Award for best foreign film but it did not make the list of the five finalists!) There is no sex, no fast car chase, no large explosions, no large musical score to drown out every inch of the film in noise, etc. The music score is mostly monastic singing and chanting! The film tells a beautiful and moving story by weaving together scenes of monastic prayer with scenes of work and witness in a Muslim land. Simply put the film shows what it means to truly follow Christ into the hardest places and then to live and die for the glory of God!

I saw the film in a small art theater with only a handful of viewers present. There was a silence about the film and the theater that was uncommon. The prayers of the monks, the process by which they slowly and carefully made their decision to remain in their monastery when they knew that they could die and the struggles of fear and dark nights of the soul all pervade their story. (By the way, we know the true story because one monk escaped capture and was able to tell a great deal of it in writing. Some parts, for example how the men died, remain unknown.)

Reviewers responded to the film in various ways. One said you could sum it all up by saying the story was about a group of old men too set in their own ways to save themselves when they clearly could have lived and gone free. To him these foolish old men died needlessly. Another reviewer said the real problem in the story is religion since it is religion that endorses so much killing. I honestly wonder what film this critic actually reviewed, or if he even saw this film.

Roger Ebert offered a thoughtful review, though one we should consider as Christians living in modern America. His comments should cause Christians to seriously discuss this “American” perspective. Ebert wrote:

Did they make the right choice? [To remain in their place and face death willingly?] In their own idealistic terms, yes. In realistic terms, I say no. They have the ability to help many who need it for years to come. It is egotism to believe their help must take place in this specific monastery. Between the eight of them, they have perhaps a century of life of usefulness remaining. Do they have a right to deprive those who need it of their service? In doing so, are they committing the sin of pride?

Roger Ebert is an admittedly secular film critic (and often a very good one). He speaks here about what is realistic and what is sinful. I found this very surprising to be honest. His argument is typically American: pragmatic and utilitarian. His view is that a monastery in a remote part of Algeria is valuable only to the extent that it dispenses free medicine to the poor and thus can actually help people. We respect this kind of help as a culture. But we have no understanding at all of the deeper meaning of a life of solitude and monasticism.

Erlandson suggested in his OSV review, “A Band of Brothers,” that this response raises an interesting question: Should we seek the world’s approval since the world will never understand our choices and lifestyle? If we try to explain the gospel in pragmatic and utilitarian terms the world will still be unconvinced.

Of Gods and Men offers the world a response to suffering, pain and purpose that the world will not hear from pragmatic, market-driven Christianity. I suggest you see it and I also suggest you show it to young adults and discuss it. This goes for both Catholic and Protestant readers.

Does Christian Social Service Call for the Faithful to be Poor?

The subject of Christian vocation, wealth and poverty has been frequently debated and quite often misunderstood. On one side Christians argue that Jesus calls all his followers to renounce wealth in order to enter the kingdom of God. On the opposite Christians have argued that wealth is good, desirable and a great blessing to be pursued by all believers. The truth is that both extremes are wrong. It would be so easy if one were right but the biblical evidence will not support either of these positions.

First, wealth can be embraced and used wisely by faith. The first Christians were often poor, but not exclusively so. As I read through the New Testament recently I noted again that there were clearly some wealthy people in the early church. And the Old Testament reveals that many godly people were also wealthy, even extremely wealthy in some cases. (God never condemns this fact!)

Over time the gospel penetrated into Caesar’s household and men and (especially) women of means became patrons and disciples of the faith. The apostles never told such people to sell their possessions and give them all away. They did clearly charge these wealthy Christians to be generous, to give with great liberty and joy. I think a strong case can also be made for living modestly without ostentation and a showy consumer-driven lifestyle.

Second, some believers were called by the Holy Spirit to live in poverty (to be sub-merged in this world as my friend John Hayes puts it) because these were the circumstances in which the gospel found them and/or these were the circumstances in which they could best serve others who were poor and God called them to this way of life and service. Within a few centuries some Christians were called to a mission among the poor and in this calling they took a vow of poverty. One can think of great reformers like St. Francis in this light. Mother Teresa comes to mind in the modern world but there are thousands of such people that most of us have never known about.

Most of us know no one personally who has been called to live and serve in poverty. This is a huge tragedy! When Christians talk about solving poverty and know no one who is a Christian living in poverty they prove to be theorists with little or no real understanding of the nature of poverty or of what it does to real people. Few of the “real poor” are in most of our congregations so we have no idea how this problem shapes lives in a myriad of harmful ways.

I believe the basic principle is clear. All Christians are called to charity but not all to poverty. Father Cantalamessa noted this in his Lenten sermon that I quoted from the past two days when he said, “The aim [of sharing in love] was not to make everyone poor, but that none of their members should ever be in want.”

If this is right, and I believe it clearly is, then the new global context calls upon all of us who have much, which includes most of those who read this blog, to embrace charity with a more open spirit and intelligent social theology. What is lacking is both the theology and the will to serve.

“Service,” said Father Cantalamessa, “is a universal principle; it applies to every aspect of life: the state ought to be at the service of its citizens, politics at the service of the state, the doctor at the service of his patients, the teacher at the service of his pupils, etc. But it applies in an altogether special way to the servants of the Church.”

Service is not, in itself, a virtue. It flows from various other virtues, “especially humility and charity” adds Cantalamessa. “It is one way in which that love which ‘does not pursue selfish interests, but those of others',’ manifests itself, and gives of itself without seeking any return. Service in the Gospel is unlike service in the world, [it] is not the proper characteristic of the inferior, of the one in need, but rather of the superior, of the one who is raised high.”

Consider what he is saying:

1. Service is universally important and commonly recognized by ordinary people as such.

2. Service applies to every aspect of life.

3. The state should serve its people, politics serves the state, etc.

4. The servants of Christ have a unique calling to serve because of their Lord’s example and his teaching them to serve as he did.

5. Service flows out of virtues such as humility and charity.

6. Service manifests itself in a way that expects nothing in return.

7. Service is not an expression of my being superior to the one I serve but the exact opposite; i.e. I am the inferior serving the one who is greater! This makes Christian service radically “other worldly” as theologians have put it.

Too Much Comfort Can Kill You

Well-known author John Ortberg is a skillful and clear writer. He also knows how to help people see the big and important things clearly. Some years ago an editor at Zondervan encouraged John and me to meet in person. We had a wonderful lunch near Willow Creek, where John was on staff at the time. At that time I had no idea that John was moving to California in a matter of two months or so. He now serves at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Palo Alto.

Anita has been reading Ortberg’s book, If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat. She routinely shares insights with me. This one she wrote out and emailed to me two weeks ago. It is too good not to share. In chapter two, titled “Boat Potatoes,” Ortberg writes:

Too much comfort is dangerous. Literally. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley did an experiment sometime ago that involved introducing an amoeba into a perfectly stress-free environment. Ideal temperature, optimal concentration of moisture, constant food supply—the amoeba had an environment to which it had to make no adjustment whatsoever. So you would guess that that was one happy little amoeba. Whatever it is that gives amoebas ulcers and high blood pressure was gone.

Yet, oddly enough, it died.

Apparently there is something about all living creatures, even amoebas, that demands challenge. We require change, adaptation, and challenge the way we require food and air. Comfort alone will kill us.

The Multidimensional Nature of a Christian Worldview

We hear so much about holding to the Christian worldview these days. Some Christians, including some rather important well-known teachers, suggest that there is a single worldview that is truly Christian thus we should teach this system of truth to everyone in order to make well-taught disciples. I have written about this issue, previously in other places (ACT 3 Weekly), but I was recently struck again by the keen insight of the late David Bosch who wrote that “the multidimensional origin and nature of a worldview should caution us not to absolutize or canonize it” (Believing in the Future, 64).

Bosch is simply being a good missiologist here when he makes this statement. There is no singular worldview revealed in Scripture even though the Scripture does give us a consistent and faithful account of who God is and how we can know him and follow his will. It also gives us a faithful narrative of how we can live well to the glory of God. But the Scripture does not speak, to give but one example, about the subject of public vs. private education. To listen to some debate this point you would be sure that it did offer only one view.

Bosch was also right to add that we should never “minimize [a worldview] either.” Such a missiological framework helps us to make sense of the world around us and properly frames our response to it.  This is why social theology is so vital to a core, Christian understanding of mature discipleship. If we adopt a static worldview, or canonize a single worldview, we risk losing the development of true faith, a faith which learns to rely on the Scripture and the Holy Spirit to guide us in decision making and daily living.

When someone insists that they have a blueprint for life run away. When, on the other hand, they insist that the Bible has nothing at all to say about the moral and political choices we make in the modern world run in the opposite direction. The truth is that worldviews are helpful so long as they are made neither absolute nor irrelevant. In this instance missiology informs a better theology and leads to faithful praxis.