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Autor: nic paton
Fecha: 18.10.2010
Category: Integridad y Anti Corrupción
Traditionally, church membership has been contingent on
1) Believing correctly
2) Behaving correctly
3) Belonging to the community
But what happens if we invert this process:
1) Belonging unconditionally, where love and grace are the key drivers.
2) Behaving differently due to the symbiosis of being with those committed to love.
3) Reflecting on the transformation, thus creating a theology and belief based on reality rather than theory.
How we use if we use the 3 B’s changes their meaning according to their sequence. Hence
1) Believe --> 2) behave --> 3) belong means Prescribe (theology tells us what we ought to think and do) --> conform (accept the prescription) --> exclude (via membership)
but
1) Belong --> 2) behave --> 3) believe means include (unconditional love) --> transform (by being accepted in the orbit of grace) --> reflect (theology reports what has actually happened).
Opiniones: 4154
Comentarios: 6
Recomendaciones: 0
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Alemania
Seems to my a lot like what the dispicples did, doesn’t it? They belonged, they tried to emulate Jesus’ ways and the believing happened along the whole journey. In a nutshell, that’s what Gordon MacDonald describes in the LeaderShip Journal: Do we say: "Pray the prayer" or "Follow me?": http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2010/summer/whatdowithstranger.html
19.10.2010
Reino Unido
If you have to get your belief and behaviour straight first you will never feel you belong. Christians haven’t agreed on what to believe or how to behave for 2000 years. Jesus cut through all that red tape and invited people to join him, to belong. Belonging inevitabley leads to change in behaviour and belief.
19.10.2010
Estados Unidos de Norteamérica
After Peter’s sermon in Acts 2, this happened: (maybe we are too preoccupied with the forms and not allowing God to work?)
37Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.
40And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
41Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
42And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
43And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
44And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
45And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
46And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
47Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. KJV
18.10.2010
Sudáfrica
@ inkling43:
Inkling
Thanks for the pasting, thats certainly a case in point. But I’m not sure that it represents the whole picture. Our context after 2000 years of xty is very very different to the early church’s. We have an overemphasis on belief as a prepackaged system rather than as a heartfelt response to preaching, for one thing. Also we tend to have an exclusive ethos which makes true belonging quite problematic.
BTW, are you named after verse 43 here represented?
19.10.2010
Estados Unidos de Norteamérica
Nic:
I think you have hit on one of the reasons seekers don’t come to church. However, I also think that scripture is pretty clear about not tolerating certain behaviors or ideologies within the church.
It seems to me that the early church fathers had a solution to this in terms of how they conducted church services and "membership" and catechesis.
Seekers would be welcome to worship and listen to preaching, but the remainder of the service (communion, etc) would be open only to those who had been baptized. Those seekers who chose to accept Christ would be baptized, then enter into the catechumen stage where they received instruction in Christian doctrine. After an extensive time, they would be allowed full membership in the church.
An expanded path would then be (partial) belonging leads to (basic) belief leads to (deeper) belief/understanding leads to behavior leads to (full) belonging.
God bless,
John
18.10.2010
Sudáfrica
@ JC_King:
John I think thats a creative response. These things are never really linear, and the stages not exclusive, so what you propose about partial belonging rings true.
19.10.2010
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