Deuteronomy 18:15-20 (first published 29 January 2006)
One of the changes that Martin Luther made to the worship practices of his day was to move the lectern, from which the word of God was read and from which the homily was delivered, from the side of the sanctuary to the center. For Luther, this move symbolized the central importance of the proclamation of the word in the Christian life. The term we normally use for this act of proclamation, the "sermon," comes from a Latin word that means "word." When men or women step into the pulpit to speak, they are not merely speaking their own words, they are speaking the word of God, or so goes the theory. How do we know whether the words we hear on Sunday morning are truly the prophetic words of God? Under what other circumstances might we expect to hear the prophetic word? The first question is roughly equivalent to the question, how do we know who is a true prophet? Our reading today says that one way to tell a false prophet is to see in whose name he or she speaks. Using that criterion, there are undoubtedly many false prophets in the world today. For example, those who urge allegiance to country over God are false prophets. Those who argue that an American life is worth more to God than the life of someone of a different nationality are false prophets. Those who claim that God cares more about Christians than about Jews, Muslims, Hindus, or atheists are false prophets. Those who state that riches are a sure sign of God's blessings are false prophets. In short, anyone who advocates worshiping the false gods of nationalism, religious affiliation, or wealth are false prophets. The scripture also indicates that those who speak in the name of the true God but do so without legitimate direction from God are also false prophets. These people are sometimes harder to detect. In fact, sometimes these people are we ourselves. It's all too easy to believe that we have a direct channel into God's chamber of secrets, but our own prejudices, presuppositions, and obtuseness often deafen us to hearing the true voice of God. So should we keep silent? No, when we believe God is speaking to us, it is our duty as Christians to let others know what we think God is saying. However, we should always do so with an attitude of humility, recognizing that our understanding of God and God's word is being focused through the prism of our own worldview and outlook on life, a point of view that is never completely free from impurities. Martin Luther was onto something when he moved the pulpit to the center of the sanctuary. People need to hear the word of God, particularly in today's world where so many disparate voices are claiming to speak for God. As prophetic Christians, it is our obligation to speak out forcefully yet winsomely, with conviction, passion, humor, and humility. People need to hear God's word today, and, by the grace of God, we can speak it.
Over my many years in church I have frequently been asked to lead a
Bible study. I don't believe I've ever been asked to lead a current
events study. However, that's exactly what the psalmist advocates for
all believers: "Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who
delight in them." Since the days of Martin Luther, Protestants have
been known as people who view the Bible as their primary source of
authority. The Eastern Orthodox churches also view the Bible as
authoritative, though they would add the teachings of the church,
especially as understood by the "church fathers," as an authoritative
source. To these two sources Catholics would add the teaching of the
hierarchy, headed by the pope. No official Christian body has ever
advocated looking to current events or history as sources of authority,
but maybe they should. It's true that current events can be understood
in multiple ways, but is it any less true of the Bible or the teachings
of Augustine? Obviously faithful Christians will read the Bible, former
church leaders, and proclamations of the church hierarchy in light of
their own theological understanding, and that's exactly the same way in
which they should read history, both contemporary and past. The point
is not that current events somehow supersede the authority of the Bible
or other traditional sources of authority but that our understanding of
what God is up to in the world, and what God has done in the past,
should both inform our reading of the Bible, etc., and be informed by
our reading of the Bible and our theology. If we are not Deists, we
believe that God is still active in the world around us, and the
psalmist says that we should do our best to discern God's actions and
message through God's works. I firmly believe that we should spend time
studying God's work in the world, past and present, just as we spend
time studying our sacred texts. That's why the motto of Progressive
Theology is "Exegete the world!"
1 Corinthians 8:1-13 (first published 29 January 2006)
Fifty or sixty years ago, it was not uncommon for Christians in certain
conservative churches to look askance at all those who played cards,
played any game with dice (including Monopoly!), drank alcohol, danced, or
allowed teenaged boys and girls to swim in the same pool at the same time
(so-called "mixed bathing"). Their opposition to alcohol in particular
was so pronounced that many would not even eat in a restaurant that served
beer or wine. As times changed, more "enlightened" Christians relented on
the card playing, dancing, and mixed bathing. Even concerning alcohol
they were ready to concede that, since Jesus turned water into wine, one
could hardly call it evil. They still strongly opposed the drinking of
alcoholic beverages, however, primarily on the grounds that one always had
to be concerned about "the weaker brother." I remember a testimony that a
fellow church member gave about going to a company picnic and carrying
around a plastic cup of iced tea. When people began to kid him about his
drinking (beer was served in the same cups), he began to wonder if he
should avoid drinking even iced tea in that context, so that people
wouldn't get the wrong idea. I believe that what Paul said about concern
for our fellow believer is important, but I also believe that concern for
the "weaker believer" has been used as an excuse for "stronger believers"
to continue to push their cultural preferences, for which even they admit
there is no biblical mandate, on other people. "Strong" and "weak"
believers are not distinguished by what they believe. One "strong"
believer can be opposed to dancing, while another "strong" believer has no
problem with it. "Strong" in this context implies a level of spiritual
maturity and understanding of Christianity based on an extended period of
experience in the faith. "Strong" believers who believe different things
should be able to discuss their differences of opinion openly and
respectfully, recognizing that their particular view of Christianity is
not normative for others. Another example of the interplay between
"strong" and "weak" involves teaching children and young people about the
Bible. Adult teachers can usually be assumed to be relatively "strong"
Christians, whereas young people cannot. Does this mean that teachers
should water down their opinions about specific Bible stories? Well, yes
and no. There probably are certain bits of theological understanding that
most children are not yet ready to hear. On the other hand, youth
teachers shouldn't feel obligated to teach a literal view of the book of
Jonah, for example, if they believe it to be a parable. Learning the
truth about Christianity (as the teacher perceives it) won't hurt anyone's
faith, but can only serve to strengthen it. Mature Christians should
definitely consider the message that our words and deeds project to new
believers, but we shouldn't feel obligated to retreat into outmoded, even
fundamentalist, modes of belief or behavior in order not to offend others.
We might be surprised how relieved younger believers will be to realize
that Christianity is not all about "thou shalt nots" and literal readings
of the Bible.
Mark 1:21-28 (first published 29 January 2006)
When we think of Jesus, as what sort of a person would we characterize him? Do we think of him first of all as the divine Son of God? Do we think of him as a teacher? Do we think of him as an apocalyptic prophet? When Mark (or whoever composed the gospel) sat down to write about the life of Jesus, the first public act that he described in detail was when Jesus cast an unclean spirit out of man in a synagogue. The early part of the Gospel of Mark continues with many incidents of healing, and only later in the narrative does Jesus establish himself as a teacher, and he is called Son of God only after his death on the cross (with the possible exception of Mark 1:1, where the text is disputed). When Mark began to write his gospel, there were probably other accounts of Jesus' life already in existence, at least some of which consisted almost entirely of Jesus' sayings. At the same time, either written or well-established oral accounts of Jesus' passion also predate Mark's gospel. Mark seems to have created something new: a narrative framework for the life of Jesus which emphasized his role as a healer, alongside his teaching and sacrificial death and resurrection. It is noteworthy that the Jesus of Mark heals before he teaches. By framing his story in this way, Mark says that Jesus' acts of compassion provide legitimacy to his teachings. Jesus is not someone who merely makes claims about the kingdom of God. Jesus is someone who brings about the kingdom of God through deeds of power and love. It is easy for Christians today to say that we love those in need, but what do we do to show it? If we care about people with mental illness, many of whom live on the streets, what have we done to alleviate the homeless problem (and I don't mean the problems that homeless people create, but the problem that there are so many who are homeless). If we care about poverty, what have we done to address the issue either locally, nationally, or globally? Do our deeds match our words? Do they set a framework within which our words can be evaluated? Or are we mostly hot air? Jesus provides an example for everyone who longs to make a difference in the world today: act first, speak later.