I think most of our thinking, attitudes, policies and behavior is exclusivist, when I think the message is inclusivist. That’s why it is called good news. It is for community, not segregation. Our task is to recognize the reality of this unity established in the good news and live it. We are not to divide, but unite, not partition but integrate. We leave the rest up to the Mystery.
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David Hayward is a pastor artistically stripping to the essential.
As a reaction to the norm I completely agree. However, we can’t get away from the reality that the early church was warned to watch out for the wolves that would rise up like sheep from among them or the injunctions to expel the immoral brother. We can talk about what that means but we can’t ignore that some people are killers and some are a danger to others. The sad thing is that most of us go there first and, even sadder, don’t recognize that we too could be the next one expelled. I think we secretly long to find those who sin worse than us just like I try to focus on people who are more over weight than me, to make ourselves feel “good” and maybe even better.
The Gospel is certainly inclusive; not only is it available to all, regardless of any descriptors, we are charged with preaching it to all people. However, we cannot escape the exclusive nature of the Gospel as well: it does require that accept it, to the exclusion of false gospels, whether it be a false gospel of legalism, or a false gospel of freedom apart from life in the Spirit. Paul even warns, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked…”
It is one thing to be culturally exclusive; I agree that this is not tolerated by the gospel. It is another thing to be so inclusive that we lose the Gospel in the process (which I fear is happening with some in the emerging movements).
Brian and Alden…let’s not forget that the early church believed in the imminent return of the Lord…it appears somebody was wrong…how wd that belief affect the message on what was to be accepted as the gospel in the interim?…I like to think that,despite the apparent error of when the Lord was to return,Paul’s intention was to root out destructive divisiveness, not necessarily different theological opinion.
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel– not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
(Galatians 1:6-9)
This seems to me that Paul was adamant about dividing over the theology of the Gospel. “accursed” here means to ban, expel, or excommunicate..i.e DIVIDE. And just to make sure the church gets this, Paul repeats himself.
Granted, there are those in our various communities who are not believers. Most of those non believers are not trying to stir up trouble and distort the Gospel. I want them to be included. Nevertheless, this is just one passage that speaks to dividing because of different theological “opinion.” Also important to note that the skewed theology does lead to destructive divisiveness.
Grace and Peace,
Jeff
Reminds me of the anarchists in Monty Python’s Life of Brian.
All sin is forgiven. All of it.
Those who believe they are sinners and repent, recieve faith to believe that they are forgiven and to trust in the Lord.
Those that do not believe they are sinners, have not received faith.
For the sake of forgiveness by God, all sin is equal. It is ALL condemning.
With us, there are varying degrees to the damage that sin can cause. Sin is damaging. Certain sins can poison a congregation. Eating too many eclairs at coffee hour isn’t one of them. Advocating homosexuality and a gay lifestyle can be very damaging to a congregation and the pastor would have to make the call on whether to ask the person or persons to leave…or not.
That all our sin is forgiven bt Christ is cut and dried. “It is finished”. To the extent that the sins of the congregation is tolerated or not is a matter to be dealt with on an individual basis by the congregation and the pastor.
There are even some things we won’t tolerate from our own family members. Does this mean we are not Christians? Of course not!
David, your recent posts have brought tears to my eyes. It’s obvious that God has placed the fringe people on your heart. I see you as a loving shepherd and when God puts those people in your flock he will show you how to guide them specifically. Your flock might not looks like someone else’s flock. It’s like when the apostles told the Gentiles that they didn’t have to follow all the rules that the Jews did.
When people get life changing truth in their spirit their behaviour changes. However, only God knows what truth their spirit needs to hear. It might simply be that they are okay. I think your dream is telling you to follow your heart for these people and trust that God will show you how to guide them.
I really appreciated all the great conversation in these last couple of days. I can honestly see both sides. I just think we lose something when it starts to be more about theology rather than individuals.
thanks ruth. don’t cry.
It really touched my heart. There’s even Kleenex involved!
with lanolin?
Just the regular. I’m okay now. Thanks.
actually – isn’t the good news that Jesus saves us from the wrath of God we would otherwise have to face?
Don’t have much else to add – I don’t know where you get the idea that the Bible is not exclusive, unless you completely ignore the Old Testament and quite a bit of Paul’s letters, and the parable which speak of Hell.
finf – God’s return still is imminent (if a day is like a thousand years and vice versa). Also some may have thought that way, but really we should always be prepared.
1 Corinthians 15
“1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named[a] among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife! 2 And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. 3 For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.[b]
6 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.[c] 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”
Nicely done!
Jeff…it’s simply naive to think that everyone,including the leadership,in the early church were all on the same theological page. If there’s anything under construction in the NT,it’s theology,namely;..what did these events mean?..what was God saying and doing thru them?To refer to one voice(Paul),becuz he’s the most prolific or the most digestible is to ignore all the other voices and more importantly,the development of structures that were being built on the foundation. A good example wd be to consider the differences and obvious growth of Christological understanding in the four gospels.Also,the difficulty is in trying to seperate the kerygma(the message)from the meaning(theology)…they’re two sides of the same coin