to err and to grace

Over the past couple of days I have been working through a concept which, I must confess, has come to disturb me a bit. Most people find out rather quickly that I'm already disturbed, but this is the kind that sticks with you even when you're not ok with it.

What of the phrase, ". . . let us err on the side of grace . . ." ? This is commonplace among decisions among Christians, most notably within churches and parachurch organizations. It sounds good, since we are people who have experienced grace and have had the opportunity to 'embrace grace' (HT: McK). And, I suppose that 'to err is human . . .' so there is real and powerful logic behind the sentiment.

Except for the nagging bit that we are also supposed to be people of the truth, which clearly dictates that some things are right and some things are wrong. The balance which must be struck between truth and grace does not allow us to simply err on the side of grace as though its primary purpose is to cover our lack of diligence. Is this concept not similar to the notion that it is easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask permission? This phrase, no matter how much it may capture real-life drama, leads people to focus solely on forgiveness and not on right character. Yes, it is 'easier' to find forgiveness before God . . . but it is 'right' to seek his permission and guidance.

The same is true for erring on grace's side of the table. Does our God not prefer that we not err at all? Is it perhaps simply easier to get it wrong under the smothering of our own perception of grace than to seek and ponder and pray and wait upon him for the right direction?

In the end, I must confess that I do agree that any errors in our human judgment - those times when our own hearts and minds cloud out the presence of the divine Spirit - should fall on the side of grace before they fall on the side of judgment. But it is far, far greater that we should be people of the Book, people of the Spirit, people of the Christ and know what we believe, why we believe it and how it is called to work out into the world.

The primary barrier to this will always be individuals who are unwilling to commit to the high demands of discipleship. Until then, erring will certainly multiply.

threat alert jesus (or, what began as quote of the day)

Yes, check out threatalertjesus.com

Now, for the quote of the day that took me on that rabbit trail . . .

"A tweedy poetaster who spent his time spinning out parables and Japanese koans, a literary aesthete who toyed with 1st-century deconstructionism, or a bland Jesus who simply told people to look at the lilies of the field - such a Jesus would threaten no one, just as the university professors who create him threaten no one. The historical Jesus did threaten, disturb, and infuriate people - from interpreters of the Law through the Jerusalem priestly aristocracy to the Roman prefect who finally tried and crucified him . . . A Jesus whose words and deeds would not alienate people, especially powerful people, is not the historical Jesus."

(J. Meier, A Marginal Jew 1:177)

at a loss for words

. . . and yet I still have so much that I think I need to say. That seems to be the nature of emptiness, we need to fill the space with words. The words don't always need to make sense, because it is noise that we think we need. How appropriate that this should come during a season of Lent, that I must be forced to choose between the hideous notion of trite and random thoughts and the meditative quiet of passing time, where I might just be able to snag one brief listen of the still small voice.

Words reinforce, reproach, remove. Thoughts, however, have the ability to redirect and renew. Perhaps it is because we are people who are more than the sum of our body parts, we are minds that think and we are spirits which connect. Time given to reflection during life's poignant moments is a fast in itself, and the deflection of clamoring can stop the recess of a person into the fallen and give opportunity for the Spirit to raise up.

This, of course, is why the world is so loud. The primary function of those things which are non-kingdom is to keep us from being about our king's business. And if the noise drags us downward, and we are caught up in the noise then we are not being part of this kingdom. So, we are called to be empty of ourselves and of our world; completely emptied and without any words at our disposal, a loss of great magnitude. More than that, it is a loss of eternal significance. Being emptied of the world and not even being able to find our words - for, so great is our depravity - is the only way to hear the deafening silence of his intensely pure presence.

Such is the only path to becoming filled. But not filled with more words or noise or stuff of the earth. It is instead the filling of his life and his love, his breath and his bread, his wisdom and his word. There is hurt in noise, for so often we allow the most untamed part of us to reek havoc on persons, relationships, families and churches. There is healing - most importantly, there is peace - in the still small voice. So, let us always remember the words of Qohelet.

. . . a time to be silent and a time to speak . . .

Dr Bruce L Shelley

Our brother and teacher, Dr Bruce Shelley has gone to be with our Lord on February 20, 2010. I had the privilege of learning from him, both as a scholar and as a friend. His most popular book, Church History in Plain Language, has been used in numerous classrooms and churches across the world. A long-time staple at Denver Seminary, Dr Shelley has impacted the lives of countless believers who have been strengthened and enriched by his work.

I will always remember that it was he who taught me: The best part of the Reformation was that it put the Bible in the hands of ordinary people; the worst part of the Reformation was that it put the Bible into the hands of ordinary people.

He was a humble and joy-filled Spirit, who shared the love of Christ with those who crossed his path. May his family be given God's peace through this season.

From Denver Seminary:

Dr. Bruce Shelley is the senior professor of church history and historical theology at Denver Seminary. He joined the faculty in 1957.

He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and received a theological degree from Fuller Seminary. He also attended Columbia Bible College.

Dr. Shelley has written or edited over twenty books, including Church History in Plain Language, All the Saints Adore Thee, The Gospel and the American Dream, Theology of Ordinary People, and The Consumer Church. He serves on the editorial advisory board of Christian History and has published numerous articles for magazines and encyclopedias. He served as consulting editor for InterVarsity’s Dictionary of Christianity in America. He is a corresponding editor of Christianity Today and has published articles in Encyclopedia Americana, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, and New International Dictionary of the Christian Church.

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remains of the fire

Quote: "Viewed as a theological relic, the cross does not disturb our comfortable religiosity. But when the crucified risen Christ, instead of remaining and icon, comes to life and delivers us over to the fire he came to light, he creates more havoc than all of the heretics, secular humanists and self-service preachers put together."

(Brennan Manning)

Reflection: Simply put, the shallow experience of average modern evangelicalism has lost the effective power of the cross and, what is gravely worse, God's Spirit of holiness which moves throughout the world. We are quick to say that the worst sin is grieving the Holy Spirit, but are also so certain of our own place within our religious constructs that we continuously fail to yield to his presence and calling. We think that our lives demonstrate vigorous devotion to God, at the same time that we refuse to stomach the thought that our lives are reduced to a small pile of ashes when we meet up with the true and passionate fire of his presence. Lent is both the meditation of the absence of God in our lives and a surrendering to his flame. As a certain preacher once stated, the flames of heaven are certainly hotter than the flames of hell.

This is why we smear ashes on our foreheads. Because it is easier for us now to acknowledge and confess, turn and repent and live out our days in total abandon to the grace of God than it is to rest in a temporal comfortability that is not presently satisfying nor eternally saving. But the ashes are not magical, nor are the petitions and prayers and priests who participate. If there is no rending of the heart then it is a silly notion of smudging black dirt on our faces, and the life we seek will simply wash away with a simple visit to the sink.

when he is come

. . . and then I came home, rocked my baby girl to sleep and was, in that moment of sweet silence, reminded by that still, small voice that he was still here with me.

namesake

crazy love

Francis Chan, Crazy Love (Colorado Springs: Cook, 2008).

There are times when one must be careful when being recommended a book too many times. There are many occasions in life when everyone seems to be thrusting a book into your hands that either 1) it gets overhyped to the point where no book could live up, or 2) it is overly recommended because it is so shallow to have no transformative force whatsoever - it is a stupid book. I have seen both to be true.

I was fearful that this was going to be one of those books, especially after breezing through the first couple of chapters. What kept me going was the author's own admission that the opening section was foundational, thus giving me the interest to keep going. In the end, Chan gives us a solid introduction to what it means to live out the kingdom of God.

The book itself is written at an accessible level, sometimes a bit too simplistic to be captivating, but probably in a good place for the intended readership. While books such as these often try and reinvent the gospel wheel so much that they end up making absurd assertions and half-baked proposals, Chan offers a solid primer to true discipleship. Indeed, there is much to learn from this little volume once one begins to take the demands of faith seriously. And that appears to be the main crux of the book - what it might look like if Christians but feet to their faith rather than simply talking about how spiritual they have become.

I would recommend this read for Christians who are tired of being average, but not to those who have no interest in leaving comfortability. Because the two cannot be connected in a healthy spiritual walk. To follow Christ is to give all things at all times, and this book helps to direct the reader this way. This is not for those who are wanting a Christianity that gives more than it demands . . . that is lifeless spirituality.

The greatest chapter of the book is 'Who Really Lives That Way?' (ch. 9). Here the author simply relays fourteen stories of those who have committed to live in radical obedience to the gospel. Some are well-known, others are 'never-heard-ofs' - but all are kingdom-oriented lives given totally to God. It is the greatest chapter of the book because it is not Chan's narrative, but God's . . . who does more than we could ever ask or imagine.

why so many books?

Having just read through a book I began to type in a blog review of it here, only to find that 1) I had little to say about the contents of the book, (which in turn led to); 2) I had little good to say about the book.

And the problem?

It was a good book.

How can this be? My paradoxical statement certainly runs deeper than my feeble attempts to write something of my own which is witty and eye-catching. This is my actual reaction to what I have read. The difficulty I am having today is that I have come to the realization that there are many books being published, many authors and church leaders being touted as having something vital to say, and very little crossing my desk worth my investment of time.

Perhaps this is why I don't read so many of the Christianized book market, and why these types of 'leadership' books and 'how-to-be-Christian' tomes are so worthless. I would rather grapple with something hard for weeks that to skim through a read which attempts to hand the kingdom of God to me in salad-bar fashion. Thus my perception of the Christian book industry still holds true. In fact, the situation is not stagnant . . . it has become worse! I must therefore make greater efforts to avoid theologically-oriented drivel and make sure that my faith is challenged and my mind renewed by God's truth.

I am convinced that so many small paperbacks being published contain such little meat on the bone because our written communication abilities have deteriorated to the point where we can take a series of chapters to say what should have been articulated in an essay (or even a blog). We're so impressed with our words. While the book which sparked this brief outrage was indeed a good book in its overall message, it was long and drawn-out and ultimately a waste of many moments. (And before you ask, I was requested to read this book and said that I would - thus my ethics demand that I will indeed finish it.)