Affirmation of Faith (12)

Twelvth in my point-by-point series on the BGC Affirmation of Faith: 

12. The Last Things
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked.

This is a great affirmation to review right after reading The Great Divorce, that was a lame attempt at humor.

Frankly, I’m grateful that the affirmation dealing with eschatology does not drill down to a theology that demands neither millenial nor rapture theories.  I don’t have a well worked-out end times theory, but I’m pretty much of the opinion that most of the popular theories are more theatrically than biblically based.

These points I do know; 1.) I don’t wish that anyone would go to hell, therefore I would prefer to believe in universalism.  Please note that I did not say that I believe in universalism, I said that I’d prefer to believe in universalism.  2.) I am strongly influenced in my end-times thinking by the Biblical Hebrew Calendar.  3.) I’m not a Lotus Eater, my hope for eternity is that there is a lot to do.  4.) N.T. Wright has a lot to say about heaven and I enjoy listening to him, he seems to make a lot of sense.

Affirmation of Faith (11)

Eleventh in my point-by-point series on the BGC Affirmation of Faith:

11. Church Cooperation
We believe that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with one another in a denominational organization. Such an organization, whether it is the Conference or a district conference, exists and functions by the will of the churches. Cooperation in a conference is voluntary and may be terminated at any time. Churches may likewise cooperate with interdenominational fellowships on a voluntary independent basis.

Denomination = Cooperation works for me; Denomination = Control does not.  I’d probably advocate for a different word than “denomination” were I part of forming an affirmation such as this; and in an attempt to find another word that better defines my thinking I’d probably arrive back at the word I was trying to reject in the first place.  This often happens to me, I find that a careful examination of the definition of a word helps me to cleanse inappropriate connotations that I’ve been dragging along.

Inappropriate connotations is an appropriate term to describe my initial mindset to most things denominational.  I struggle with the idea of denominational distinctives and often assume that the motivation behind distinctives and denominationalism is division/divisiveness…or pride.

The denomination that I grew up in communicated to me the impression that we were right; others were not.  I’ve also met others through the years, from other denominational backgrounds, who impressed me in the same way.  My corrective is: “Denominations aren’t bad, but some responses to them sure are.”  Mine included.

This affirmation Fully Accepted. 

Affirmation of Faith (10)

Tenth in my point-by-point series on the BGC Affirmation of Faith:

10. Religious Liberty
We believe that every human being has direct relations with God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that therefore Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other.

I would have assumed that the separation of church and state was an exclusively American doctrine…but it is not. There are claims being made in American evangelical circles that such separation is not good and there are calls for returns to theocracy, and a whole school of thinking called theonomy that seems to suppose that it is the rightful place of Christians to be in charge of things.

It does seem that large and powerful religious systems shy away from separation and that smaller, less powerful religious systems cling tightly to this understanding. From history I would interpret that theocracies have tended toward abuse; but this is not a universal truth. I would not be comfortable being governed by those I’ve interacted with that support either theonomy or theocracratic methods of governance. I agree with Martin Luther’s statement (traditional attribution) that “It’s better to be ruled by a wise Turk than a foolish Christian”.

Church autonomy or congregationalism is also a positive in my book. There can be abuses as in all freedoms, but increased control is not the balance of freedom, it is the enemy of freedom. The Episcopal Church in America is undergoing great strife today and a sort of mini-reformation that I believe is largely due to the abuses and disconnection of the episcopal form of church government. I don’t read within the New Testament a strong hierarchy of Church governance.

Fully Accepted.

Affirmation of Faith (9)

Ninth in my point-by-point series on the BGC Affirmation of Faith:

9. The Ordinances
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I’m decidedly non-sacramental, I don’t believe that our practices or ‘rites’ have efficacies or ‘graces’ that are transcendental…I don’t believe that they are means to communicate grace (other than as a teaching point). I believe that they are obediences, they are practices that we follow Christ into; that they are reminders and symbols of connectedness to the rest of Jesus’ Body and opportunities to learn and remember.

Baptism has no efficacy, but it has great significance. I’ve been baptised twice, once of my parent’s volition when I was eight days old and once of my volition when I was thirty-one. The baptism of my volition is significant to me; my first baptism has no direct meaning to me. It was not based on my faith. I was a Christian before I went under and a Christian when I came up…but with a memory of behavioral choice, the choice to be baptised as Jesus was baptised by his cousin John.

Finally but not least-ly, as a believer in Jesus with distant Jewish heritage I’ve been inspired to explore the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. I’ve not fully developed a system of fully understanding and integrating the entirety of what are generally called the “Jewish Festivals/Feasts” into the Christian liturgical calendar (there’s no escaping liturgy…we can only refuse to use the word), but I am inspired to understand that this yearly cycle of events, better translated “appointments” have deep significance; both in the community of believers as learning events and eschatologically.

This is an area of deep curiosity and ignorance on my part…mostly I’ve many questions.

Affirmation Fully Accepted.

Affirmation of Faith (8)

Eighth in my point-by-point series on the BGC Affirmation of Faith:

8. Christian Conduct
We believe that Christians should live for the glory of God and the well-being of others; that their conduct should be blameless before the world; that they should be faithful stewards of their possessions; and that they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.

There is no way I can pull this off. I totally agree with it, but there is no way I can do it. If I could liberally sprinkle this affirmation with “strives“, “attempts” it would be more palatable. I’m thankful for the “should” and the “seek” that were given us by the initial framers of this affirmation.

All attempts at humor aside…that we strive to conduct ourselves as Christ directs is indeed an important aspect of working out our sanctification. Behavior is very important; and as someone who supervises others I know that our behavior demonstrates commitment and obedience much more than our words. My employer sees my commitment when he sees me focused on accomplishing his direction…his will.

My only proviso is my fallen nature; which means that I should always view “Christian Conduct” within a framework of humility; but also reminds me that this point is beyond me. I’ll try…and in that vein this point is Fully Accepted, but I will fail.

Affirmation of Faith (7)

Seventh in my point-by-point series working through the BGC Affirmation of Faith:

7. The Church
We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.

Hmmm…some say ‘universal’ and some say ‘catholic’; Catholics (capital ‘C’) have co-opted the word, claimed that they are indeed ‘universal’ and are in reality a denomination. I like replacing the traditional word ‘catholic’ with the more connotatively precise word ‘universal’.

Now, what is interesting about this affirmation is the parsing it seems to attempt. Would I be wrong to say that it is defining two ‘bodies’?

The major, universal body requires regeneration; the sub-body seems to assume regeneration but demands a baptism based on a ‘credible profession of faith’ and moves on to state a purpose. The sub-body has been delegated the responsibility of imparting the Gospel to a ‘lost world’. This BGC Affirmation of Faith in point 6 states the belief that regeneration results from repentance and trust…so it seems that one could responsibly reframe this particular point to state that regeneration brings one into the universal body and baptism brings one into the local body.

Ecclesiology is a difficult thing for me. I’m terribly uncomfortable with division…I want everyone to ‘get along’ and stop fighting…this is probably a spin-off of a fairly chaotic and stressful childhood. As I’ve matured I’ve learned to work through conflict rather than avoid it…but I’ve also learned that working through conflict requires willing partners, both sides need to want to work things out. My mature understanding is that conflict, and therefore separation, will exist for the remainder of church history. It is indeed part of the fabric of who we are as humans.

I’ve come to accept a sort of operational model for church that is not incompatible with this affirmation of faith. My operational model accommodates the reality that I can only be in relationship with a fairly small number of people; there are probably four levels 1.) Intimates: This includes close family and friends…those who I see frequently and have deep emotional ties to; 2.) Friendlies: Those whom I’m emotionally tied to, but are not a constant component of my life. This might include some family members but generally not; 3.) Knowns: Those whom I know by name and interact in a cordial way but it could not be said that we have a relationship, and; 4.) Everyone Else: Which should be fairly self-explanatory.

So, based on my parsing of humanity as stated above, where is “Fellowship”? Levels 1 and 2. If everyone was a Christian levels 1 and 2 would be my ‘local church’ and groups 3 and 4 would be the ‘universal church’. So crud, now I have eight levels, right? Levels 1 thru 4 times 2 – Christians and Non-Christians. Nope; not the case. Remember, this is an operational model…it only needs to work…it’s not burdened by needing to make sense. (He states, revealing the heart of a pragmatist.)

Operationally, as I go about my day interacting with people who are Christians and Non-Christians, I simply treat everyone as if they believe in Jesus. Simple. I’m not particularly embarrassed when using Christian terminology with Non-Christians; then again I don’t often say things like “washed in the blood” or “moved by the Spirit”. I am a spiritual being but avoid over-spiritualizing, so this practice is probably easier for me than it might be for others. Suffice to say I don’t think much along “them” and “us” lines.

Well, enough about me, back to the Church. As long as the local church is contained topologically within the universal church I’ve no issue. As long as those who choose to fellowship around a particular doctrinal understanding aren’t rejoicing in exclusion rather than inclusion – local church-ness can be a positive thing. It brings focus, it allows customization of ministerial direction, it encourages involvement and intimacy.

My fear continues…my fear that humans…in their fallen-ness and fear strive toward exclusion rather than inclusion. My fear is a truth that I will need to hold in tension, my fear is quite possibly a sin. I’m not sure. Am I fearing man? Am I not trusting Christ’s very Body?

With all my fears expressed…Fully Accepted.

Affirmation of Faith (6)

Sixth in my point-by-point series:

6. Regeneration
We believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

Good; “nature and choice”…add to that the cycle of repentence, trust and regeneration and one finds the core of the Gospel message.

Fully Accepted.

Affirmation of Faith (5)

Fifth in my point-by-point series:

5. The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide.

Ahh…the Filoque…accepting this affirmation means leaving Eastern Orthodoxy behind.  I guess I’ll need to settle for Western Orthodoxy…or how ’bout plain ol’ Christian orthodoxy (lower case ‘o’)?

I apologize, one should probably avoid humor when exploring faith affirmations…and that’s especially true when the jokes call on and understanding of obscure (and ancient) church history.

The eastern and western aspects of the Church have maintained a long-held creedal controversy (rooted in the Nicene Creed) over whether the Holy Spirit comes forth from only the Father or from both the Father and the Son.  Christian traditions (typically western) that believe that the Holy Sprit ‘comes forth’ from both the Father and the Son accept the ‘Filoque Clause’.

The filoque is not a hill that I’d die on.

Also, I’m not a cessationist…and see no wording in this point of affirmation to promote cessationism.  However, I am of the opinion that the shorter one’s theology of the Holy Spirit, the better.  This affirmation is assuringly brief.

Fully Accepted.

Affirmation of Faith (4)

Fourth in my point-by-point series on the BGC Affirmation of Faith:

4. Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth.

Fully Accepted.

Affirmation of Faith (3)

Third in my point-by-point series on BGC Affirmation of Faith.

3. God the Father
We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of each person, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

Hook, line and sinker.  Fully Accepted with no suggested tweaks.