Jennifer McBride of Wartburg College has written an absolutely outstanding book inspired by the theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, titled The Church for the World: A Theology of Public Witness.
It is very pricy, currently $65 on Amazon. I got mine as a review copy (why do these theological publishers lock away young theological voices in incredibly expensive hardback volumes? It's a tragedy).
So I'm posting some of her wisdom for those of you who won't want to buy the book at that price point, and don't live close enough to me to borrow the book when I'm done with it.
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"Interpreting repentance through the person of Christ directly challenges the common understanding that repentance primarily concerns one's individual standing before God; instead, as participation in Christ, repentance constitutes existence before others... the church witnesses to Christ in a nontriumphal manner and demonstrates Christ's being for the world when it takes the form of the humiliated, crucified God by accepting guilt or confessing sin unto repentance." (19)
"The person and work of Christ lay the foundation for an ecclesial witness that is free to belong wholly to a world already reconciled to God and to enact concrete redemption from that place." (19)
"An ethic of confession unto repentance manifests that God alone is righteous and thereby signals a totally new mode of being and doing good, which disrupts the prevalent presumption among North American Protestants that the church is called to be the standard-bearer of morality in public life. Such a witness has transformative power because it prepares the way for Christ's unfolding redemption as it takes responsibility for sin, suffering, and injustice through repentance." (20)
"It is God's glory to accept guilt."
"The church takes the form of Christ and witnesses to the work of Christ by affirming humanity and being in solidarity with humanity instead of setting itself apart as dispenser of truth, moral exemplar, and judge; by receiving and accepting God's judgment on itself; and by demonstrating God's reconciliation with the world through acts of concrete redemption rooted in responsible repentance" (206-207).
"As a community that counts itself among current transgressors, the church cannot dissociate from the sinful world. The church demonstrates Christ's affirmation of the world when it refuses to take a defensive stance against it" (208).
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And two awesome Bonhoeffer quotes:
"It is only when one loves life and the earth so much that without them everything seems to be over that one may believe in the resurrection and the new world" (209).
"This is what I call this-worldliness: living fully in the midst of life's tasks, questions, successes and failures, experiences and perplexities--then one takes seriously no longer one's own sufferings but rather the suffering of God in the world. Then one stays awake with Christ in Gethsemene. And I think this is faith: this is metanoia. And this is how one becomes a human being, a Christian." (14)
Now just a minute. I just read several comments on the "Newt" post about the Lutheran Church being too "modest."
ReplyDeleteSo what is this? --
"...the church witnesses to Christ in a nontriumphal manner and demonstrates Christ's being for the world when it takes the form of the humiliated, crucified God by accepting guilt or confessing sin unto repentance."
Don't you see the confusion here? I can't be the only one seeing it.
Sorry, but I am reminded of the Bernini sculpture in the Vatican: "The Triumph of the Chair of Peter."
What's wrong with a little Triumphalism?
Kathy, I'm afraid I can't enter into the fray with you most of the time because you are looking for contradictions that aren't there. I see this quote as being in keeping with the previous one, not contradicting it.
ReplyDeleteYou can enter into the fray! Courage, man! The rest of your post is about -- as I see it -- compromising with the world.
ReplyDelete"The church demonstrates Christ's affirmation of the world when it refuses to take a defensive stance against it" (208).
This is exactly what is causing the collapse of the Mainline Denominations -- including the ELCA -- and everyone can see it except the "Insiders"!
Yet another example of misreading, Kathy. Sorry, can't do it anymore.
ReplyDeleteClint --
ReplyDeleteDon't bail on me. I'm not misreading this at all. The message is a little subtle, but it is there.
The other day when I did misread your post, I misread the words (the antecedent of "it") but I got the message: Confusion over the Immaculate Conception, and the "use" of it by persons who do not accept it or the other Apparitions of Mary, like Guadalupe. In this sense, I did not "misunderstand" at all.
In the case of this post, the author of this expensive book is trying to guide the Protestant (Lutheran) Church. Correct?
She says: "...which disrupts the prevalent presumption among North American Protestants that the church is called to be the standard-bearer of morality in public life.... instead of setting itself apart as dispenser of truth, moral exemplar, and judge.... "
Of course the Church is the standard-bearer of morality!!! If it is not, then what is it???
Since the Mainline Denominations have abdicated their position of Teacher of Morality, then what is the point? They used to teach the Word. Now all they teach are liberal social values. A huge number of Protestants have simply given up on their denominations for this reason.
This is my point.
Kathy,
ReplyDeleteWhile I certainly agree with you that there is a lot to be emulated by a faith-informed morality, we walk on thin ice when we equate faith with morality. I am sure I gather I see things a little differently from you. I hear phrases like "their position of Teacher of Morality" or "all they teach are liberal social values" and wonder if they don't seem to hide a strong desire to have the Church (in whichever denominational form or structure) have the final answer on all issues moral.
If we reduce the faith in the living God and in the incarnate Word as being the "standard-bearer of morality", then we lose our footing to bring the good news of grace. Instead, we trample around with all others who mean well and want to do good--one voice among others saying similar but perhaps in slightly differently nuanced ways. A unique characteristic of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is always in the moments where grace sneaks in and speaks a word of love despite the lack of morality. Of course we should strive to being good. But we can do that with all the secular humanists and people of all faiths.
What we offer is our particular revelation of reconciliation in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
If anything, in my humble opinion, we do a much better job as Christians moralizing in our respective contexts and not quite as good a job at articulating to radical nature of being part of the mystical body of Christ. The church for others (regardless of their morality). Self-sacrificial and only righteous because of Christ.
Just something for the "fray".