We’ve had the feast of
Pentecost, sung our Alleluias, wondered about the Holy Spirit and gone on our
way. Now what?
My
esteemed teacher of New Testament, Dr. Reginald Fuller, told me one time when
we were leaving one of the buildings at Virginia Seminary: “What this church needs every hundred years
is a library fire!” This was an eminent
scholar who had himself written a number of excellent books. But he was speaking of the problem that we
have in fixing our beliefs in concrete.
Our faith needs to be thought through over and over again. I believe that this is what is meant by the
presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our church. We need to have a faith that is relevant to
our times and places; that takes our culture seriously and understands the
presence of God in our midst. That is the
only way that Christianity will continue to be relevant and grow in this time in
history when it is needed more than ever. May we stop being so focused on ourselves and pay
attention to what Jesus told us is so necessary to do for the sake of the world.
Thus begins the incredible season of Pentecost, where we
review the whole history of Jesus life, his teaching, his healing and the
commission that was given to the church after his resurrection. It is a remarkable story and it will take
twenty-some Sundays to spell it out.
It begins with Jesus’ instruction to his disciples on the
mountain in Galilee. He told them to
meet him there, and the risen Lord has a short set of things that he wants them
to do: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. –Matthew 28:
18-19. That is certainly short and sweet and a
backbreaking job. But to be clear, that
is exactly what the Christian community has tried to do over the ensuing
years. It was very successful, until in
325 AD when the cross began marching at the front of the Roman Army and the
faith became something that was frequently enforced at the point of a
sword. We were a lot better when we were
a persecuted minority. People took the message
of Jesus seriously for its own sake and not out of fear that they would suffer
if they refused to become Christian.
There were certainly a
lot of martyrs before 325 AD, but after the church began to enforce
the faith, there were many more who were reviled because they stepped out of the belief system that Rome set up.. Certainly
Martin Luther and John Calvin were these; as well as the whole contingent of
Anabaptists who formed their own communities outside of the purview of
Rome. The Inquisition was a terrible
time in the history of Christianity and many lives were ended by its harsh
judgements. When I look at history,
names like Joan of Arc, Thomas More, Thomas Becket, and a host of others also
stand out. They didn’t fit the political
norm and were killed for their efforts.
I love what Paul says
to the Corinthian church in his second letter:
Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to
my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace
will be with you .--2 Corinthians 13: 11-12. Agree with one another! There is a message for the ages. When have we agreed with one another? Our religious problem is that we can’t seem
to see beyond our own assumptions.
Theology is a collection of propositions made by those of us who say
that we love God and each other, but we have a terrible time agreeing with one
another about those things. Every one of our denominations is an instance in
history when we didn’t agree. Certainly
the Anglican schism in the Diocese of Pittsburgh is a case in point.
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