Are we desperately seeking to create our own identity? To prove beyond doubt that we are different from the animals around us?
Sixty years ago anthropologists separated us from the apes on the basis of our ability to use tools, but we’ve since seen that chimps are also tool-users. Up until the 1970’s it was language that held us at a clear distance but then our primate friends were found to use symbolic representations for objects – a form of language. As recently as 2007 a study has shown (in Psychological Science) that monkeys have meta-cognitive abilities – that is they have the ability to think about how they think! Long assumed to be a ‘human only’ phenomenon.
So what does separate us from the monkeys? 4% DNA difference is about all it seems. So, we pack up our bruised ego and stop trying to show we are different. Instead we seek separation by way of our Prada handbags, McMansions, iphones and general glut of
consumption. We hopelessly conclude that we may be no different to the monkeys, but at least we look better in skinny jeans.
There we were, the 25 of us sitting at desks circling our teacher Graham Goldsworthy. For the past 3 days we sat and listened as Graham meandered his way though our intensive: Gospel Centred Hermeneutics.
A river meanders; snaking its way through rock and vegetation. As you navigate you will be taken – first to the left, then to the right and eventually if you have stayed faithful to your vessel you will reach the delta and the open salt water.
Such was our experience. Having published our class notes last year in a book entitled Gospel Centred Hermeneutics, Graham slowly worked his way through the first 12 chapters, regularly stopping to tell a story about his time teaching at Moore College in the 1960’s or preaching up in Queensland or one of his many trips to the US or England. Every story had a point but there was never any rush to get there and so we spent 3 days doing theology the way it’s meant to be.
As with any river travel, it is difficult to capture in words the grandeur of the landscape we drifted through or the time spent on the deck reflecting on the world that was drifting past. Occasionally one picks up a few twigs off the stern. They have dropped from the beauty that surrounds, but in no way represent its true splendor.
That being said, at the end of a long 3 days I have a couple of twigs from my journey that I’ll pass on.
“We must understand with great clarity; 1stly – what is the ‘for us’ work and 2ndly what is the ‘in us’ work of God. So much confusion arises from a misunderstanding or a reversal of this – in hermeneutics, in preaching and in pastoral care. ”
“God is the only one who can interpret the reality he has created and God has revealed himself in the person of Jesus. Thus every fact in this universe has its ultimate reality in the person and work of Jesus.”
“There are only two positions that are available in hermeneutics. It is either;
1.The theistic position
2.Another position based upon human autonomy.
And human autonomy is best defined in Gen 3 with the question; “has God really said…”.
I hope in the next few days to give you some more twigs.
There has been a recent explosion in ‘church planting‘ that has been pretty obvious in Sydney. Now, I know on one level, ‘church planting’ has been pushed for the last 10 years, but I think we all know the recent hype and I for one am excited by that.
However, ‘cursed’ is the man who turns his back on the old school idea of a parish for greener pastures. Sure the Anglican parish has its roots in old English traditions and that may seem dated, but it is built on great principles and gives us more than we realise here in Sydney.
3 reasons to value the parish system
1. Its responsibility to the community. Whether you know it or not, the idea of a ‘parish’ is that the church is held responsible for the area in which it is located. That means, it is responsible for the gospel proclamation, the care for the poor and the general love of everyone in that area (usually a suburb or two). In recent times there has been this rediscovery that we should really be ‘engaging’ with our communities. We’ve had people from England and people from America come and bring us this revelation. Truth is, we’re already 10 steps ahead because we have churches all around this city with the responsibility for the local community around them. The parish system demands a church engages with its community.
2. Resources. Each parish has a building and in most cases a place for the minister to live. This is such a blessing! Sure, some of our buildings were constructed in the 1970’s and look somewhat offensive to modern eyes – but we’re well beyond the seeker sensitive model of church that needs neon lights and flashy paint to communicate the gospel. If Mars Hill had the number of buildings we own they would be over the moon! Our parish system has been established and resourced and we should take advantage of that.
3. Completely inclusive. That is, because a church is responsible for an area anyone in that area is welcome. It’s not an independent church set up for Chinese, nor for the ‘late 20’s’, nor for Anglo’s. A parish church has open doors to anyone in that area regardless of age, sex or nationality. Our parish system is beautifully inclusive.
A way forward:
We need to embrace people wanting to plant churches. BUT we must also reclaim the true power of the parish and start taking more responsibility for the area’s we have been given. Much of the recent hype could be achieved through local churches going back to basics. Ofcourse, at its very heart the connect09 campaign is simply a way to remind churches that they have a parish to look after.
Just because your hip, doesn’t mean you can dish the parish.
Oh, and of course that raises another question – why are you young hipsters who are so concerned with ‘community’ not turing up to your local church?
This arvo I have to write a 1000 word paper on it and some supporting views of old school preacher J.C Ryle.
For the most part, we claim baptism is an ‘outward sign of an inward reality’. I know that could be a simplified description of what’s going on (wherein probably lies the answer to my confusion), but if it is the case, how can we celebrate the regeneration/new birth of a 6 month old?
Some say it’s more for the parents than the child, but then that doesn’t seem to hold for me, because it’s the child who is being baptised. Is it meer wishful thinking?
You see its trailer, you view a few key scenes and your mind fills in the gaps so that you’ve pretty much worked the whole thing out before you buy your ticket and slide into your seat.
Last week, to be honest with you, I was a little down in the dumps – for all sorts of reasons. I had wanted to see this flick for a long time and figured in my current state a tale of redemption was exactly what I needed. So Rowan and I wandered down to the Dendy on King, picked up our tickets, purchased our beers (which you can take into the cinema) and sat down for a tale of hope.
2 hours later we emerged with very little to say, to depressed to fake any small talk and definitely in a worse place emotionally then when we went in. What can I say? This movie is the physical embodiment of the CS Lewis quote I posted some weeks back. Go here to read it.
And to actually see that reality, to sit and watch a life disconnected was so tragic. Humans outside of relationship aren’t really….human. I mean, I know that’s philosophical mumbo jumbo, but go watch this film and you’ll see why it’s true. You’ll see why it’s true that a ‘helper’ was a genuine blessing to Adam. You’ll see why it’s true that God calls a people and not just a few scattered individuals. You’ll see why it’s true that selfishness can only ever lead to tragic isolation and you’ll see why it’s true that real love and satisfying love is the giving up of self for the other.
The giving up of self for the other, that sounds so restrictive and enslaving – but in a bizarre twist, it is in fact liberating and redeeming. Jesus’ challenge that ‘whoever wants to save his life must lose it, and whoever loses his life for me will save it’ is an invitation into true humanity. A true humanity that mirrors the trinitarian God who created it. A true humanity found ‘in loving relationship’ not out of it. I wanted to jump up during the movie, dive through the screen and plead with ‘the Ram’ (main character) to hear these words and act……
In John 11, I think one of the reasons Jesus wept outside the tomb of lazarus was because he saw face to face the end result of sin in our world and the destruction it has caused. I’d say in a similar way I came face to face with the end result of sin in a relational sense through this movie and if I was a more Jesus kinda guy I would have wept too.
(i stumbled across some class reflections from late last year, the cougar is a lecturer)
Today I was in class all day next to Matt and Petey. It was all kinda cool and the cougar commanded respect like only a wild animal can.
I like wild animals.
The greek text is really fun. In fact, one day I hope to be some smart person who rewrites the bible in a new and better translation.
I wish I was invisible.
….and had super strength.
Anyways, we were told that understanding text criticism is kinda like being a pirate…or reading a pirate map…..or something? I like pirates, especially Johnny Depp. I would have totally got into the text more if they had handed out eye patches.
But they didn’t.
Its funny how 15min can often seem like a million years. Or, potentially longer than a million years, more like eternal damnation.
If I could live for a million years, I’d totally take up surfing as a more regular past time.
But as far as eternal damnation goes, I think that sucks.
And so last week I moved back into Chappo House, the dorm house for single male students at Moore College.
It’s been a year since I was last living here and it felt strangely comforting to return to a 5mx6m room and decorate. The advantage is that ‘moving in’ & decorating such a room takes about 4 hours in total.
And so my final year at Bible College begins.
I have started working on an essay for our social ethics subject investigating whether ‘sustainable development’ is theologically preferable to other approaches to the natural environment. It’s good to be working on genuinely practical outworkings of the past 3 years of study.
I’m also reading Surprised By Hope by Tom Wright. I’m hoping to write a talk series on Hope and The New Creation, because I agree with Wright that in Christian circles we are unhelpfully ignorant regarding what happens after death. In fact I think for many people they have a strange mash of buddhist/gnostic/’christian’ pictures of ‘heaven’. And considering that the new creation and our life there is a common reason given for obedience in the NT I reckon we need to get ourselves straight about it.
(If you’ve read Surprised By Hope I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. I know some claim that Wright provides too much continuity between this creation and the next, ignoring 2 Peter 3, but I sometimes struggle to work out whether they really disagree with his argument or if they just don’t like him personally.)
Here are a few pics of the new room and a touch of Australia for this the 26th Day of Jan : )
Its mission: Compassion International exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults.
“Love anything, and your heart will certanly be wrung and possiblt broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket – safe, dark, motionless, airless – it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation.”
I read this quote from C.S. Lewis in Tim Keller’s book The Reason For God. And it freaked me out. It freaked me out because I ‘got it’. I understood exactly what Lewis was trying to say. And in a small way I felt it.
It was a timely reminder to lift the lid on the casket.
agedy, is damnation.”