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Primordial events in Theology and Science support a life/death ethic, by Martin J. Rice

by Geoff 20 May 2012 No Comments

Primordial events in Theology and Science support a life/death ethic

by Martin J. Rice

Martin Rice (Ph.D.) has written and taught in science and theology, including teaching at Christian Heritage College School of Ministries in Brisbane where he completed his Graduate Diploma in Ministry Studies.  This article is a shortened and adapted version of a paper, given at the Contemporary Issues in Ministry Conference, 2003, at Christian Heritage College, Brisbane, Australia.

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Summary: Primordial events in both theology and science support a basic life/death ethic

Several remarkable coincidences between some primordial events described in the Bible and, independently uncovered through the programmes of modern science, facilitate the derivation of basic, binary ethical principles.  Such broadly-based principles are potentially widely influential, by virtue of their primordial and grand, contextualizing character.  Whilst the time-scales of these events are always likely to be contentious, the biblical and scientific events themselves are strikingly similar, and generally not contentious.  Although it could be argued that the coincidences are artificial, the Bible having influenced the scientists’ interpretation of their data, an even stronger argument can be made for independence of the two data-sets.  Such coincidences, therefore, suggest nature itself (for example the night sky, the reef, and the rainforest) advertises a grand context; a life/death context, that conditions all ethics.  Common principles, derived from the science and the theology of primordial events, clearly modulate the viewpoint that ethics are an entirely culturally-determined, social construct.  They also add an ethically instructive note to our enjoyment of the harmony of our spectacular environment.

This hybrid paper, is offered with something of the attitudes of Arthur Peacocke (1996, p.94), who writes, “But to pray and to worship and to act we need supportable and believable models and images of the One to whom prayer, worship and action are to be directed.”; and of Hugh Ross (1999, p.47), who says, “Rather than elevating human beings and demoting God, scientific discoveries do just the opposite.  Reality allows less room than ever for glorifying humans and more and than ever for glorifying God.”

Introduction: evangelism goes out and meets people where they reside (Acts 1:8).

Scientifically trained people sometimes ask challenging questions of the Christian faith.  For example, among believers it is not usual to ask, “Why did God create a universe having the observable characteristics of our one?  Or, “What is the connection between the invisible God and our visible space/time reality?”  Or, “How does eternal Life compare with earthly life?”  If asked, they are usually answered with general truths, like, “It is to give God glory”, or, “Because God is a loving, creator God”, or, “Because God’s Word says so and I believe it”.  However, most contemporary thinkers seek more technically specific answers.  Failing that, they are likely to turn off from hearing the Gospel.  In addition, ethical relativism thrives in situations where a connection between God and human society is perceived as distant, tenuous, or imaginary.  Such negative outcomes make it pertinent for theologians, students of the Bible, ethicists, and evangelists to be aware of the actual questions being asked, and to work at addressing specific issues, in terms of appositely contextualized biblical revelation (see Carson, 2000).  Jesus guaranties the power of the Holy Spirit for those who will witness to the Gospel in diverse situations (Acts 1:8); however, it is not reasonable to expect God’s Spirit to over-ride sound logic and reason, since these come from the same Spirit (e.g. 1 Kings 4:29; Romans 12:2; Ephesians 1:17; 4:23; Hebrews 8:10; 1 Peter 1:12,13).  As Mark Ramsey, a well-known preacher, puts it, “The Bible says you are transformed by the renewing of your mind, not by the removal of your mind!”.  This means transformed cerebration but also standing out, being different, being a loving community of ‘resident aliens’ in an over-individualised world (see Carson, 1996, p.478).

The substantial contributions of intellectuals who submitted to God, such as Isaiah, Saul of Tarsus, Luke the physician, Augustine of Hippo, Hildegard of Bingen, etc., demonstrates that evangelizing thinkers could be worth while.  Great minds are created by God to do great good but, without Christ, they may do great harm.  Evangelising intellectuals is a priority: what the University thinks today, Society will enact tomorrow!  Might our society be reaping a bitter harvest from its earlier neglect of sowing well- reasoned seed, and its failure to cultivate the fields of academia with the Gospel?  Empowered by the Holy Spirit of God, academics who are Blood-washed, born-again, and Bible-believing, should be able to produce wiser and more powerful intellectual advances.  Did Jesus ever say to steer clear of academe and the intellectual knowledge enterprise?  Matthew 13:52 would suggest otherwise; here the learned of God’s Kingdom are told to become wise in applying both ancient and contemporary knowledge.  Matthew 6:33 emphasises, that for those who are submitted to God’s rule, everything else follows.  Pearcey and Thaxton (1994), and Murphy (2003), provide excellent philosophical underpinning for the harmonizing of science and theology.

Thoroughly intellectual Christians are capable of the best.  J. Rodman Williams (1996) has set a bench-mark in producing, Renewal Theology – Systematic Theology from a Charismatic Perspective.  C. Peter Wagner is another author from the pentecostal stream, who writes at a high academic level.  In addition, there are many from the evangelical stream (most famously C. S. Lewis) able to reach the intellectuals, including thinkers like Francis Schaeffer, Ravi Zacharias, Os Guiness, Nancy Pearcey, D. A. Carson, Gordon D. Fee, and many others.  In Australia, Kirsten Birkett, author of  Unnatural Enemies – an introduction to science and Christianity (1997), edits Kategoria, an excellent, Christian, critical review, published by Matthias Media, Kingsford, NSW.  A new frontline, research journal has appeared called Theology and Science (Volume 1, Number 1, April 2003, sponsored by The Centre for Theology and the Natural Sciences, Berkeley).  Whilst some of the papers in this journal and its progenitor (CTNS Bulletin) may be insufficiently founded on Holy Scripture for many believers, they do at least address controversial issues in the theology, science, philosophy, and society interface, and thus invade the academic strongholds of atheism, with ideas of God.  With the confidence of God’s judgment against worldly wisdom (1 Corinthians 3:18-20), the academy of pentecostal thinkers is surely even more mandated to invade every domain of thought with the light, life, logic, and love of Jesus Christ (e.g. Colossians 2:2-4).

To the ends of the Earth: a scientific world-view

Much that is written in science and technology has powerful theological overtones (usually without the conscious knowledge of its authors!) and often has implications for human culture and ethics.  In 1959, C.P Snow’s The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution appealed for greater acknowledgement of the relationship between the arts, government, and science.  Snow would have been amazed how drastically things had changed, 40 years on, when Willimon (1999) wrote, “It has been one of the great postmodernist discoveries that almost everything is opinion.  Almost everything is value laden.  We have no way of talking about things except through words, and words, be they the words of science or the words of art, are more conflicted than they may first appear, more narrative dependent, story based.  Science is as ‘religious’ as religion.”  Historian, Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1970), alerted scientists to the tremendous influence their imagination has in directing the path of science.

Philosophers of science (such as A.F. Chalmers, in the 1999 edition of his, What is this

thing called Science) are now thoroughly cognizant with the apparent impossibility of finding a truly objective foundation for the scientific endeavour.  That is not to say that science isn’t largely objective; after all, no one has to think twice before getting into a motor vehicle or using a computer.  It does mean, however, that any opinions that science expresses on why its products work, or what the larger context is, are fraught with contradictions.  Science on its own is able to tell us how things work (within limits), but it is unable to say why they work, nor what the overall grand story is.  The “why” question is intimately linked to questions about the origin and destiny of all things, and it is here that science becomes inarticulate.  In fact, as this paper moves to demonstrate, science needs Christian revelation to support its major world-view, and to complete its contextual integrity.  Science and Christianity are great partners but awful opponents.  The common view that they are separate and irreconcilable ways of knowing [or NOMA, non-overlapping magisteria {cf. the late Stephen J. Gould’s Rocks of Ages (1999)}], should never be acceptable to a Christian.  In contrast, Richard H. Bube (1995) has derived a taxonomy of the variety of possible productive relationships between the Christian faith and science.  Carlson (2000), provides a thorough debate of this issue. In this paper there is no attempt to dictate from parts of Holy Scripture as to what scientists must believe.

Creation Scientists have fully occupied that area, loyally and creatively defending the Word of God, and producing a library of literature and multi-media (e.g. see web sites: http://www.icr.org; http://www.ChristianAnswers.Net; http://www.answersingenesis.org; etc.).  Whereas, much of Creation Science can be seen as a form of apologetic defense and of confrontational rhetoric {e.g. In Six Days – Why Fifty Scientists Choose to Believe in Creation, edited by John F. Ashton  (2001)}, the approach outlined in this paper is frankly evangelical, and essays to be eirenically logical.  This, different type of approach, does not overtly contradict but reaches out to encounter science where it is, and enlivens and elevates it through biblical insights, built around a philosophy that could be called ‘Invasion Theology’.  At no stage does invasion theology attempt to prove science wrong by quoting scripture, but neither does it compromise God’s Word by syncretising it with un-Christian views of the meaning of scientific discoveries.  The vision is to meet an enquirer on their own scientific territory and, right there, to demonstrate that God’s Word stretches into science, and that the living Word is able to lead scientists intellectually and personally into the arms of Christ.  The apostle Paul was comfortable to be a Jew with Jews, a Gentile with Gentiles, and weak with the weak. Paul teaches Christians to focus on winning as many souls for Christ as possible, by any fair means that work (1 Corinthians 9:20-22).  He also warns Titus to avoid futile arguments (Titus 3:9).  In the same ethos, invasion theology consciously evades religiosity.  For a variety other points of approaches to the Genesis issue, see Hagopian (2001).

The most profound place of encounter between science and Christianity is at the primordial events that generated the observable universe we live in.  To find out ‘how science thinks’ is not problematic; a web subscription to the weekly, world-leading science journal, Nature, is sufficient to provide clear information on the latest discoveries and developing theories.  Science is renowned for the instability of its theories of origins, but most of the time in recent years it has considered our universe of space/time to have originated from nothing, by means of a ‘Big Bang’.  In big bang theory, a non-space/time ‘singularity’ becomes (against all statistical probability) unstable, and generates the commencement of our universe, in the form of a gigantic bubble of expanding space, light, heat energy, and time.  The energy then produces matter: subatomic entities such as quarks, that eventually cooperate to form the simplest of all chemical species, hydrogen atoms.  Billions of tons of hydrogen become attracted together by gravity and eventually form stars.  Stars are hydrogen-consuming, thermonuclear, fusion reactors, generating heat and light on a grand scale.  Stars also manufacture the lower atomic weight elements, and, when a star eventually ages and explodes as a supernova, it also synthesises the higher atomic weight elements.  This generates most of the chemical elements of the Periodic Table and widely scatters them through space, to form inter-stellar dust clouds, which are able to aggregate by gravitational attraction, to form planets, satellites, meteorites, and comets.  Some of these may then revolve around a star, to form arrangements, such as we observe in our own planetary system.  Science then proposes that (if conditions are right on the surface of a planet) microbial, plant, animal, and even human life may develop.  Generations of human societies accumulate knowledge and skills to the point where they invent science and technology, develop radio-telescopes and cyclotrons, and begin speculating about primordial events!  This story depends upon profound cooperation (including loss of personal identity) among the diverse varieties of cosmic entities.  It is the standpoint of this paper that far too much emphasis has been placed on competitive interactions and this now needs to be adjusted to reveal the extent to which our universe depends upon cooperation.

Just as science has originated a detailed narrative to explain the birth of our universe, it also attempts to extrapolate from its data to predict how the universe may die.  The earth first, scorched by an expanding red-giant sun; the universe next, as it attains maximum entropy and time ceases.  Such a simplistic, atheistic cosmology is deeply unsatisfying to any thinking, feeling human being.  In the cosmogenesis of unaided science (which in parts can yet be extraordinarily detailed and well substantiated) everything happens by accident, with no meaning beyond the mechanics of existence and survival; ethics are simply a by-product of an arbitary requirement for social stability.  Science’s non-theological universe is thus deadly cold; a place of frustrated hopes; a frantic, meaningless interlude of light, life and pain-wracked consciousness, caught between two periods of unstructured, lifeless, utter darkness.  This raw scientific vision mocks at the beauty and meaning of light and life and love, by chaining it between preceding and succeeding eons of darkness, death, and empty loveless-ness.  Truly, “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” (Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5).  The very rawness of this unadorned scientific worldview cries out for the Christian ministry of wisdom, faith, encouragement and, indeed, for deliverance.

The indispensable Word of God: the Bible adds meaning to science’s worldview

The Biblical story of primordial events is largely found in the early chapters of the book of Genesis.  The first part of the first chapter of John’s Gospel is crucial, and there are key verses in the Psalms, Job, Isaiah, Matthew, Romans, 1 Timothy, Hebrews, 1 and 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation.  The Christian understanding of the origins of our universe can never be separated from Christology, since it pleased God the Father to make his Christ the creator of all that exists, in the spiritual, as well as the material universe; the Christ antedates all things, and entities only obtain their meaning and function from him (Colossians 1:15-19).  Polkinghorne (1988, p.69) writes, “One’s instinct to seek a unified view of reality is theologically underwritten by belief in the Creator who is the single ground of all that is.”  The challenge for a Christian thinker is to come to such a knowledge of God’s Word, as to be able to provide a bridge from Christ to the lost world of scientism, described at the end of the section above.    In order to achieve that, it may be necessary to re-examine cherished beliefs (like the sexual transmission of ‘original sin’) that have come down the centuries from early church fathers, like Augustine.  A thoroughly biblical worldview is required, to meet science and the intellectuals at the place where they labour today, not where they loitered many centuries ago (cf. Mt 13:52).  Paul instructs Timothy to make full use of the holy scriptures (verses that are full of God’s life-giving breath) to teach, train, and equip for good works; and to correct error, and rebuke wrongdoing (2 Timothy 3:16).  Inspired by the Lord, the Holy Spirit, this surely must be a life-giving journey into God’s reality, and never a matter of dead religion.

In such a short paper as this, it is not possible to fully develop major theological points, and that work has to be left for another venue.  However, to develop the basic argument, summary positions have had to be taken regarding the nature of God, the origin of evil, the sequence of primordial events, the reason for our universe to exist, and the predicted outcome of it all.  Much further reading is available, and authors such as Southgate (1999) have developed excellent teaching programmes at the interfaces of science and theology.  Multi-disciplinary courses in this area are proliferating and becoming popular in many good universities.

It is not hard to convince many scientifically educated modern or post-modern thinkers that science is inadequate to measure ethical qualities such as: faithfulness, kindness, justice, mercy, humility, righteousness, love, joy, peace, holiness, forgiveness, patience, self control, etc.  This then permits the suggestion that there are entities beyond the containment of our space/time universe; a suggestion confirmed by fundamental physics in regard to the mathematical value of constants governing the forces that subtend the material universe.  Our universe very clearly has inputs from outside its ‘box’.  That those inputs are highly tuned to produce circumstances conducive to human existence is also demonstrable.  The scientific evidence for design (and hence the Designer) grows stronger every year (e.g. Dembski and Kushiner, 2001).  A scientifically-literate enquirer might then be led to consider the possibility that the God of Christians is truly the same person as the unseen designer of our universe, the originator of uniquely human persons; an inspiring, self-giving God of light, reason, life and love.

Regarding the nature of God, the Bible clearly states that he alone is immortal, dwells in unapproachable light, and is impossible for a human being to see (1 Timothy 6:16); that God is love (1 John 4:8), and is spirit (John 4:24); that his invisible qualities can be clearly learned from unbiased examination of the world around us (Romans 1:20); and that everything we need to know about God has been revealed to us by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ of Nazareth (e.g. Philippians 2:6; John 6:36; 10:30; 14:9).

Since God, and God’s dwelling place, are full of light, life, love, holiness, and perfect order (e.g. 1 John 1:5), the question arises as to where the disorder described in Genesis 1:2 comes from.  What is the origin of the pre-existent darkness, formless emptiness, and watery depths (perhaps a hebraism for ‘rebellion’).  This question is rarely addressed theologically but, in the context of outreaching to those scientists aware of the yawning nullity proposed to precede the Big Bang, it is especially pertinent.  Theologically, the answer can hardly be less than that the Genesis 1:2 situation, described by Moses, is evidence for the revolt of Satan and his rebel angels.  Jesus said that he saw Satan fall like a bolt of lightening and that could well refer to an incident before the creation of our universe (Luke 10:18).  Darkness in scripture is almost always (though not invariably) associated with evil (2 Corinthians 6:14; Ephesians 5:11; 2 Peter 2:17; Jude 6,13, etc.).  A foundational proposal, here called ‘Invasion Theology’, is that a pre-existing negation of God’s immortal, life-giving love, a rebellion, locked in the deepest darkness, has been laid bare, and exposed in its minutest detail, by the Christ of God.  It is proposed that Christ achieved this by invading that dark, chaotic pre-primordial place with our universe of light, life and love.  This concept is bolstered by 1 John 3:8, when the verse is taken as a statement regarding the eternal work of the Christ, not just his earthly mission revealed in Jesus of Nazareth.  In that sense, when Jesus says, “It is finished” (John 19:30), are there not overtones of his unceasing work, that started with the most primordial of events (Gn 2:2)?  Whilst this may be an unusual view to theologians, it functions well as a bridge between the understanding of primordial events proposed by science and that revealed in the Bible.  Invasion theology makes it almost inevitable that there would be a deceitful, death-dealing serpent loose in God’s Garden, at the ‘start’ (Genesis 3:1-4)!  Invasion theology would view Adam, Eve and their children as delegates of God, mandated to extend the invasion throughout the earth, revealing and destroying the various levels of the princedom of darkness.  As God’s people, Israel inherited the same sacred task, and Christ’s church is commissioned for similar work today.

Finally, Jesus Christ appeared in the flesh and, by his life and teaching, comprehensively demonstrated the victory of life over death. The invasion was complete, empowered and now to be extended to every creature.  The resurrection of Christ is, in that sense, the most important event of cosmic history.  The Resurrection guaranties his words regarding the forgiveness of sin, his prophesies about end-time events and the regeneration of all things.  These are processes and events beyond the direct reach of science, though the evidence for Christ’s resurrection is objectively excellent (Stroebel, 1998).

Consequences of an invasion theology worldview: a basic binary ethical overview

A crucial point in any scheme of ethics is the definition of GOOD (e.g. Honderich, 1995, p.587).  From the invasion theological perspective, ‘good’ is seen in the invasion of negation.  That is, God’s activity in creating light, logic, life, and love; bringing into being a whole cosmos of meaning, reason, beauty, and worship.  This may provide a way out of the dilemma first formulated in Plato’s Euthyphro, in that good is good both because God commands it and because of what it enacts (Honderich, op. cit.).  It may be thought that there could be no coincidences here between theology and science, simply on the grounds that whilst ‘good’ is a proper object of study for ethics and theology, it falls outside the boundaries of science. Surely science is concerned only with the accuracy of data and the productivity (truth) of its hypotheses, theories, and laws?  However, upon reflection that judgment might have to be revised.  Science simply cannot avoid conceding that those factors that enable it to exist and to operate successfully are essentially ‘good’.  Science did not exist, nor could it exist, in the pre-existing darkness of negation.  Such a darkness and negation are not neutral, they are inimical to, and clearly subvert, the essential foundations of science itself, and so science would not be remiss in referring to them as objectively ‘evil’.

Factors such as light, logic, life, and love are essential for the very existence of science.  Without light scientists could not see, without logic (part of wisdom) there would be no rational basis for science, without life there would be no humans to work in science, without love and cooperation our society would be so violent as to afford insufficient opportunity for science.  Science must admit that the pre-primordial darkness of negation  (revealed in the Bible and independently described by science) is evil and its invasion by light, logic, life, and love is good.  The work of establishing order, understanding, and cooperation in our universe is unarguably the basis for the scientific endeavour; any resurgence of chaos and confusion is an anti-scientific force.  So at its very heart, science is far from being an ethically-neutral discipline.  This truth may come as a shock to most practicing scientists and technologists!  Factors that facilitate science are unconsciously accepted as ‘good’, and those that degrade the scientific process are ‘bad’.  Working scientists are in the habit of applauding research work as either ‘good science’ or denigrating it as ‘bad science’.  To be meaningful and productive, science relies completely upon the immanence of logic and reliability in the universe, upon the integrity and skill of the scientists themselves, on the probity and standards of the community of scientists, and ultimately upon the sustaining interest and/or support of Society.

Peacock (1990, p.129) quotes atheist, Stephen Hawking, “Why does the Universe go to all the bother of existing?  Is the Unified Theory so compelling that it brings about its own existence?  Or does it need a Creator, and if so, does he have any other effect on the universe?”  Peacock (1990 p.132) writes that Hawking, examining the uniformity of the initial state of the Universe, concluded that, so carefully were things chosen that, “it would be very difficult to explain why the Universe should have begun this way, except as the act of a God who intended to create beings like us.”  Peacock (1990, p.143) also writes, ‘in a letter of January 1633 . . . Galileo wrote, “Thus the world is the work and the scriptures the word of the same God.”  Truth itself is one, yet lies make it into a binary system.  Peacock (1990, p.88) again, describes Fred Hoyle’s attempt to dispense with the idea of a creation moment by introducing a steady-state model, based on ‘continuous creation’ at the centre of the Universe and dissipation at the edges; an effort that was criticized by Stanley Jaki as, “the most daring trick ever given a scientific veneer”!  Science is full of such binary ethical judgments; and examples range from honest mistakes, through weak thinking, right up to outright fraud and corruption of the scientific process.  Scientific truth is subject to the same limitations and degrading influences as any other branch of truth and, indeed, the created universe itself.  It, we, and God’s own Spirit all groan over this painful situation (Romans 8:22,23,26).  The whole cosmic enterprise is attacked and harassed, being subjected to frustration and decay, living in hope of the emergence of humans who are pleasing to God (Romans 8:21,22).  The whole of creation finds fulfillment in the revelation of the true followers of Christ; who are the harvest the universe is scheduled to produce (Romans 8:19).  The book of Revelation is primarily concerned with the final exposure and destruction of the rebellious work of the devil, and the identification of the faithful co-workers of Christ.  In one sense, the whole cosmic story is summarized in those two events, both of them giving great glory to God.

Independently, Christianity and science have revealed remarkably coincident views of primordial reality:

  1. Good is the desirable overall context and precedes evil;
  2. Evil is an aberrant subset that separates from good;
  3. Good is logical, orderly, consistent and reliable;
  4. Evil is unreliable, treacherous and chaotic;
  5. Good, by its nature, invades evil;
  6. Evil resists and corrupts good;
  7. Good does not rest until evil is eliminated.

The visible reveals the invisible: binary ethics gazes out at us, wherever we look

Of all the visually spectacular features of our universe, the greatest must surely be the night sky, viewed from a high place or country area, free from obscuring clouds, air pollution, and light contamination.  The awesome beauty and breathtaking wonder of the endlessly diverse, and seemingly countless, stars, and of our Milky Way galaxy, beggar rational description.  In our age of science, an observer can be expected to read much more meaning into that scene than simply its awesome beauty.  Primordial negation is the backdrop, a thing of timeless darkness: energy-less, substance-less, lifeless, inhuman, loveless; a murderous place of death, darkness, deception, and hate.  But countless beautiful lights burn in that darkness; time extends its merciful reign; planets revolve around suns; life flourishes on planetary surfaces, and it challenges the very teeth of negation; consciousness bursts forth, accompanied by conscience; literature and the arts flourish, and the dear Lord becomes known by name.  Is it any wonder that God drove his prophets and his people into the wilderness so often, where the visible sky teaches of the invisible majesty of the Lord?  The scientific details of modern cosmology contains many more parables that supports the ideas of invasion theology and of a basic binary ethic.

Australia still has some relic rainforests remaining.  They are places of extraordinary biological variety, productivity, and unusual longevity; highly diverse and highly stable ecosystems.  Rainforests rarely have any one species in large numbers, instead they seem to be knitted together by levels of multiple mutualism.  Cooperation between species is their dominant motif.  Rainforests advertise to humanity the advantages of unity and mutual help, as effective means of withstanding the assaults of chaos and destruction.

The Great Barrier Reef is justly one of Australia’s most renowned biological resources and arguably the largest living thing on planet Earth.  The GBR is about 2,000 km long, occupying an area of about 200,000 square km, where the requirements for clear, unpolluted, shallow, warm, salty, moving water are satisfied.   The GBR depends for its existence upon a minute organism – the coral polyp.  Without countless trillions of these tiny anthozoans, building their colonies and providing food and shelter to a dazzling array of much larger and more sophisticated animals, there would be no reef.  The coral polyps themselves are of about 400 varieties.  Their beautiful colours are mostly provided by the symbiotic algae that live within their bodies.  The glory of the reef is thus sustained, at its base, by the humble mutual service of two very different types of simple organism.  The life of corals, though simple, provides for a profusion of amazing, and often subtly complex living beings (including delicious species of fish, crustaceans and mollusks!), that would otherwise not exist.  The many ethical messages of this scenario need little emphasis.

It is remarkable that though the night sky, rainforests, and the reef are some of the most photographed objects in existence, yet their use as teaching examples for ethics courses would not be so well known.  They contain countless spectacular examples of invasion theology and its perennial ethic of the boldness of light, transparency, order, cooperation, and life penetrating and flourishing over the spiteful negation of concealment, darkness, chaos, antipathy, and death.

Conclusion:

It is hoped that this paper’s melding of science, theology, ethics and nature provides a useful starting point for thinking about the very foundations of life and death.  Certainly the postmodern dilemmas (e.g. “The pursuit of knowledge without knowing who we are or why we exist, combined with a war on our imaginations by the entertainment industry, leaves us at the mercy of power with no morality.” Zacharias, 2000, p.23) cries out for an objective reality.  Perhaps science and theology, in an uncharacteristic symbiosis, are together becoming strong enough to point convincingly to the Rock of reality.

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Chalmers, A. F. (1999). What is this thing called science? Brisbane: UQ Press.

Carlson, R. F. (2000). Science and Christianity. Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP.

Carson, D. A. (1996). The gagging of God. Leicester: Apollos.

Carson, D. A. (2000). Telling the truth. Grand Rapids, Mich.; Zondervan.

Dembski, W. A. and Kushiner, J. M., editors (2001). Signs of intelligence. Grand Rapids,

Mich.: Brazos.

Gould, S. J. (1999). Rocks of ages. New York: Ballantine.

Hagopian, D. G., editor (2001). The Genesis debate. Mission Viejo, Cal.: CruxPress.

Honderich, T. (1995). The Oxford companion to philosophy. Oxford: OUP.

Murphy, N. (2003). On the role of philosophy in theology-science dialogue. Theology and Science 1:79-93.

Peacock, R. E. (1990). A brief history of eternity. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway.

Peacocke, A. T. (1996). God and science. London: SCM.

Pearcey, N. R. and Thaxton, C. B. (1994). The soul of science. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway.

Polkinghorne, J. Science and creation. London: SPK.

Ross, H. (1999). Beyond the cosmos. Colorado Springs, Col.: NavPress.

Southgate, C., editor (1999). God, humanity and the cosmos. Edinburgh: T & T Clark.

Stroebel, L. (1998). The case for Christ. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan.

Williams, J. R. (1996). Renewal theology. Grand Rapids, Mich.; Zondervan.

Willimon, W. H. (1994). The intrusive word. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans.

Zacharias, R. (2000). In Carson, D. A., editor (2000).

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Life, death and choice, by Ann Crawford

The God who dies: Exploring themes of life and death, by Irene Alexander

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Primordial events in theology and science support a life/death ethic, by Martin Rice:
https://renewaljournal.com/?p=3362&preview=true
An article in Renewal Journal 20: Life:
Renewal Journal 19: Church – PDF

Also in Renewal Journals Vol 4: Issues 16-20
Renewal Journal Vol 4 (16-20) – PDF

 

 

Christian life, Christian ministry, life and death ,

The God who dies: Exploring themes of life and death, by Irene Alexander

by Geoff 20 May 2012 No Comments

The God who dies: Exploring themes of life and death

by Irene Alexander

Dr Irene Alexander wrote as Dean of Social Sciences at Christian Heritage College, where she taught subjects which focus on personal transformation. She has interests in spiritual direction, integration of faith and counselling practice as well as contemporary spirituality.  This article was presented at the Contemporary Issues in Ministry Conference, 2003, at Christian Heritage College, Brisbane.

 

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The God who dies: Exploring themes of life and death, by Irene Alexander:
https://renewaljournal.com/2012/05/20/the-god-who-dies-exploring-themes-of-life-and-death-by-irene-alexander/
An article in Renewal Journal 20: Life:

A central theme of the Word is the recurring pattern of life – death – life. “Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, ..emptied himself, ..and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” And the cross, and what it represents, has become the symbol of our faith, faith in a God who dies to give life.  The spirituality of our faith is thus a spirituality of descent – knowing this descending God who seeks to serve, not to be served.  And with this spirituality we become men and women who can reach out to those around us who are broken, and we can befriend our own places of woundedness.

One of the great themes of the Bible is the recurring pattern of life – death – life.  In the first chapters God creates life in the garden where stands the tree of life.  But we, foolish beings, chose death, and separation from life.  The rest of the Bible tells of the finding of our way back to Life, and eventually a new heaven and a new earth.

The story of the Exodus is of life once held, lost in slavery, and then journeying through death, through the wilderness, to life again in the promised land.  The promised land is a place flowing with milk and honey, but through turning away from relationship with God, the only true life, the Israelites find themselves in death again – in exile, until God brings them through to life again, redeeming them.

The very theme of the Christian life is death to the old, symbolised by baptism and new life in Christ.  Baptism is an identification with the life-death-life theme of God’s own life, death and life.   What does it mean that God himself chose this theme, this process to win us to himself?  And that he wove it into the seasons of the year, reminding us over and over that death comes, but through death, the rising to new life?

God on a cross

I remember being struck, when reading C.  S.  Lewis’s biography, that one of the things that brought him to salvation, rather late in life, was his pondering on the idea of a God who dies.  Apparently a colleague remarked one day, casually, and with only passing interest “Rum thing that, God on a cross”.  The idea confronted C.  S.  Lewis and he mused over it eventually being totally challenged by this God who died.

Sometimes as Christians we get so used to the idea of the Cross that we lose the shock of it – God, the life-giver, the almighty, the Creator – giving away his life, his might, his being.  Yet this is the central theme of the Bible and of the gospels and of the life of the Christ.  “Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2: 6-8).

The crucified God is the centrepiece of our faith.  And those of us who grew up with an empty cross as our focus knew it was only empty because life is born out of death, because God himself had died so that we too may live.  And the cross, and what it represents has become the symbol of our faith, faith in a God who dies to give life.

A descending God

Cosby (1998) explains that the God of Philippians 2, and of the gospels is a ‘descending God’.  Whereas the focus of much of the western world is ascent to success and status and power, the way of the Christ is through taking the form of a servant, humbling himself even to death.  Says Cosby, “In the Gospel it is quite obvious that Jesus chose the descending way.  He chose it not once but over and over again.  At each critical moment he deliberately sought the way downward” (p.  28).

Again, “..it becomes plain to us that God has willed to show his love for the world by descending more and more deeply into human frailty…God is the descending God.  The movement is down, down, down, until it finds the sickest, the most afflicted, the most helpless, the most alienated, the most cut off.  The truest symbols that we have of Jesus are the lamb – the lamb led to the slaughter, a sheep before its shearers being dumb.  Total poverty: a dumb sheep, the Lamb of God, and the Servant Christ kneeling with a towel and a basin, washing feet on the eve of his crucifixion.  The weeping Christ riding into Jerusalem on a donkey” (p.  29).

And wonder of wonders it is not the Lion of Judah who is worthy to open the scroll which ushers in the end of time, but rather the Lamb.  The apostle John tells in Revelation 5:4 “I wept because no-one was found who was worthy to open the scroll…Then one of the elders said to me ‘Do not weep! See the Lion of the tribe of Judah… is able to open the scroll..  Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if he had been slain, standing in the centre of the throne.’”

Through being the Lamb, Jesus conquered death.  It was through his dying that he defeated the powers and authorities, “triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:15).  And Cosby (1998) notes that it was his death that turned our hearts to him also.  “What was it that captured our hearts?  It was that figure dying on a cross… If the Lamb of God…  the form of the Servant Christ giving his life away for others – for me – if those deep expressions of reality captured my spirit, literally broke my hard heart of stone and gave me a heart of flesh, ended my captivity and delivered my spirit, why do I think that the expression of authority or power or success or efficiency is going to break anybody’s heart?” (p.  30).

A self-emptying God

The God who Cosby (1998) calls the descending God, Maggie Ross (1988) in Pillars of Flame explores as the self-emptying God – this is the meaning of kenosis: “The heart of Christianity is the self-emptying, kenotic humility of God expressed in Jesus the Christ… At the heart of God’s humility is this: God willingly is wounded” (p.  xvi).  “…a kenotic living God who is unceasingly self-outpouring, compassionate, and engaged with the creation….  God’s inviolable vulnerability, God’s unswerving commitment to suffer with and within the creation, to go to the heart of pain, to generate new life, hope, and joy out of the cry of dereliction, out of the pain to utter self-denudation, utter self-emptying, utter engaging love” (p.  72).  Indeed this is the character of the prodigal’s father – the willingness to give, to suffer the pain of loss and wounding, to hold back in patient waiting, to respond in self-forgetting joy and forgiveness.

The spirituality of descent is the practice of a spirituality which knows this descending God.  Rather than the all-powerful Zeus-god of the Greeks, prodigal children know the God who gives, the God who waits, the God who experiences the shame and brokenness of his own.  This descending God seeks to serve, not to be served, not just in the life-time of Jesus but in the millennia following, in the present world, where it is so easy to choose ascent, success, status, positions of power in our churches and ‘Christian’ institutions.

Jesus deliberately broke the purity codes of his culture in order to include the outcasts (Sims 1997).  Time after time, at meals, in the homes of Pharisees, in public places, he knowingly touched the untouchables – the bleeding woman, the leper, the Samaritan woman.  “Suppose the only God that exists is the descending God.  Suppose the only way we can know God is to go down, to go to the bottom…If God is going down and we are going up, it is obvious that we are going in different directions.  And we will not know him.  We will be evading God and missing the whole purpose of our existence” (Cosby 1998, p.  31).

The descending God then, is one who serves, one who lets go of position and status and power, in order to touch the lives of those around him.  “We have seen what Jesus was like.  If we wish now to treat him as our God, we would have to conclude that our God does not want to be served by us, he wants to serve” (Nolan cited in Sims 1997 p.  16).

It is significant to note what John says about Jesus at the beginning of the story of the Servant Christ who washed his disciples’ feet: “Jesus, knowing that the father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God… girded himself with a towel” (John 13:3).  Jesus was a servant who also knew his identity – he was not serving as one who did not know his boundaries, or one trying to earn approval.  He knew who he was, but knowingly chose to serve.

Servant leadership

In his book The Leadership Paradox Denny Gunderson (1997) notes that Jesus said very little about leadership.  Rather his lifestyle demonstrated servanthood – “I came not to be served but to serve”.  This book explores a number of stories of Jesus’ life to help us discover what servanthood meant in the reality of daily relationships.  Gunderson notes that the Greek word Jesus chose for servant was ‘diakonos’ which literally mean ‘through the dust’.  He tells the story of a servant who leads a caravan to safety through a dust storm even though it meant sacrificing his own life.  Our word deacon comes from this Greek word and is translated servant, deacon, or minister.  Gunderson then explores other gospel stories showing a God who walked through the dust of earth to his death in order that we might find what it is to live as servants, loving our God and loving each other.  This is what Gordon Cosby means by the spirituality of descent, that we learn to live as deacons, servants, who are not afraid of walking in the dust, and in the dark places of people’s lives – and of our own.

Henri Nouwen (1989) tells the story of confronting his own dark places and learning to care for others in theirs in his powerful book on Christian leadership In the Name of Jesus.  Nouwen was a Dutch Catholic priest who became a lecturer at Harvard and Yale.  He was an extremely popular speaker and writer.  As he entered his fifties  though, he realised that he was “living in a very dark place and that the term ‘burnout’ was a convenient psychological translation for a spiritual death.

In the midst of this I kept praying, “Lord, show me where you want me to go and I will follow you… In the person of Jean Vanier, the founder of L’Arche communities for mentally handicapped people, God said, “Go and live among the poor in spirit, and they will heal you.”… So I moved from Harvard to L’Arche, from the best and brightest, wanting to rule the world, to men and women who had few or no words, and were considered, at best, marginal to the needs of our society… the small, hidden life with people whose broken minds and bodies demand a strict daily routine in which words are the least requirement does not immediately appear as the solution to burnout.  And yet, my new life at L’Arche is offering me new words to use in speaking about Christian leadership. (pp. 11-12).

Nouwen focuses on servanthood and the specific barriers which might prevent us from being true servant leaders – the need to be relevant, the need to be spectacular and the need to control, to be powerful.

In another of his books, Return of the Prodigal Son, Nouwen (1996) helps us identify other blockages to serving others.  He describes us – the prodigal – discovering the utterly endless, ever responsive love of a Father – who would pick up his robe and run to meet us as we are – foot-sore and ragged, dirty and wounded – and take us in his arms in delighted self-giving welcome.

And as I discover that totally accepting love, which takes me to himself – and holds my pain and my shame, my sin and my brokenness, and simply holds all in his love, so I dare little by little to see myself as I am, to lower my defences enough to see my own brokenness.  And part of my seeing is a recognition that I, too, am the elder brother.  In me is judgement and resentment, envy and exclusion.  In me is reaction that causes me to exclude myself from the celebration of grace – the grace of a Father who embraces the sinner, who goes towards the outcast and the shameful ones, who indeed runs to bid them welcome.  And slowly, slowly I too acknowledge in myself the judgements and criticism, the self-righteousness and legalism which hold me aloof from my brothers and sisters, which indeed hold me aloof from the broken and sinful places of my own being.  And I seek to learn what it is to embrace my own fallenness, and that of my brothers and sisters.  And too, to let them see me as I am and to hold me in grace.

A difficult lesson this one – to know it is my own self-judgement that causes me to hold others at arm’s length lest they see me too well.  And so I hold myself back from receiving their embrace, and the grace of the Father mediated through them.  I prefer my image of my own self-righteousness and hold myself in isolation in order to retain it.  But slowly as I receive the love of the Father I can allow my defensiveness to thaw little by little and allow others to see the imperfect being that I am.  It is only as I learn to hold the paradox of my own mix of light and darkness, that I can learn to celebrate with another their own pattern of shadow and light.  And the willingness to walk in humility, says Nouwen (1989), will lead to “a leadership in which power is constantly abandoned in favour of love” (p.  63).

A God “disenthroned”

As we reflect on the prodigal’s father, who stoops to embrace the sinner, we know that Jesus is indeed God’s self-disclosure – “the cosmos is ruled by a self-giving Love who chooses to endure crucifixion rather than decree any abridgment of human freedom” (Sims 1997 p.  17).  “We cannot have it both ways.  We cannot have a God who is an iron-handed ruler in remote control of the cosmos and, at the same time, a historic incarnation of that God who consistently defines himself as a servant… [We must] choose between a God enthroned in the power of imperial privilege and a God “disenthroned” in the more exquisite power of servanthood” (p.  17).

And the paradox is that once we have glimpsed this servant-King, who tells us that his flesh must be our real food, that we must learn to feed on his brokenness and self-giving, that even though we may be tempted to draw back, we are so drawn to him that we say, as Peter did “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life” (John 6: 68).  And even then we may, as Peter did, be prepared to give our lives to fight for him, but not know how to give our selves in the surrender and powerlessness of the Lamb.  But this is the way to life.

“Just as crucifixion and resurrection form the centrepiece of the life and work of Jesus, so too the cross and its promise of life reborn are central to his invitation to live” (Sims 1997, p.  48).  The crucifixion is not just a plan God thought up to ‘fix things up’ after humans rebelled.  “The Crucified God is simply the eruption into history of the cosmic redemptive love that is built into the structure of the universe from its start.  The book of Revelation speaks of Jesus as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8, KJV)” (Sims 1997 p.  58).  Relationship with the God who dies is relationship with Life.

The God who dies

One of our difficulties in talk about dying is that it touches on our own very natural fear of death and the process of dying.  Nouwen (1998), in noticing his own fears suggests a key reason for this: “You are still afraid to die.  Maybe that fear is connected with some deep unspoken worry that God will not accept you as his.” For death has to do with separation and the death God speaks of in the Garden – when you eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall die – is the death of separation from God.  One of the purposes of life is to lose our fear of death.  It is only in deepening our revelation of God’s love for us that our fear of death is lessened.  John speaks of our growing understanding of God’s love (in 1 John 4: 18) “perfect love casts out fear”.  If I truly know I am loved I am no longer afraid.

But what of the fear of the other death?  The death that is part of this process of our living through the seasons of life?  The death represented in the Wisdom literature by the wilderness, exile, the dark night of the soul?  We draw back from these dyings too, afraid that questionings, doubt, old answers that no longer fit, will be death to us.  The mystics assure us that these too are the way to life.  “She came up out of the wilderness leaning on her beloved” (Song of Solomon 8:5).  And Rilke (1996) in his direct, even raw, poetry notices how our own need, our own darkness, can lead to God:

“Then suddenly you’re left all alone
With your body that can’t love you,
And your will that can’t save you.
But now, like a whispering in dark streets
Rumors of God run through your dark blood” (p.  76).

 It is in these dark places, these places of liminality, that transformation takes place.  But so often we shrink from this as if it were death.  If we understand the process of life-death-life we dare to respond to pain and death as possible resurrection – as Eucharist.  “The pain of transformation is morbid [ie death-dealing] only if we choose it to be, only if we do not want to look beyond and through it.  If only we allow, the pain itself is transformed and becomes Eucharist; and Eucharist deepens us until we burn with Love in God’s very heart.  If we spend all our time trying to block out pain with illusion or to twist it to inflate our egos, we will stagnate; we will cause in ourselves the destructive pain of disintegration” (Ross 1988, p.  133).

The mystics understood this process and assure us that it is in the darkness that we find the Beloved.  In  The Dark Night St John of the Cross names the darkness, the absence of God’s felt presence, as the very place that we will be united with the Beloved, and indeed transformed:

Oh guiding night!
O night more lovely than the dawn!
O night that has united
The Lover with His beloved,
Transforming the beloved in her Lover.

 This then is true relationship with God – a faith that God is present, that even though the floods may come, and the fire, God is present.  And this relationship enables us to journey with others in their wilderness and their darkness – having faith that God too, is for them, and with them.  “Faith is not assent to doctrines or surrounding ourselves with props and propositions.  It is trust that God – as Christ shows us – has been there before us, goes within us, waits to find us beyond the edges of utter dark.  And, found by God, we become aware that God is closer to our being than we are” (Ross 1988, p.  135).  This then, is the God who has lived through life, death and life, has shown us the way through, and now is present with each of us as we walk the same journey.

References

Cosby, N. G. (1999). By grace transformed: Christianity for a new millennium. New York: Crossroad.

Gunderson, D. (1997). The leadership paradox. Seattle: YWAM publishing.

Kavanaugh, K. (trans). (1979). The collected works of St John of the Cross. Washington: Institute of Carmelite Studies.

Nouwen, H. J. M. (1989). In the name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian leadership. New York: Crossroad.

Nouwen, H. J. M. (1996). The return of the prodigal son: A story of home-coming.  London: Continuum.

Nouwen, H. J. M. (1998). The inner voice of love: A journey through anguish to freedom.  New York: Doubleday.

Rilke, R. M. (1996). Rilke’s book of hours: Love poems to God. Barrows, A. and J. Macy, J. (Trans). New York: Riverhead.

Ross, M. (1988). Pillars of flame: Power, priesthood and spiritual maturity. San Francisco: Harper and Row.

Sims, B. J. (1997). Servanthood: Leadership for the third millennium. Boston: Cowley.

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Contents:  Renewal Journal 20: Life

Life, death and choice, by Ann Crawford

The God who dies: Exploring themes of life and death, by Irene Alexander

Primordial events in theology and science support a life/death ethic, by Martin Rice

Community Transformation, by Geoff Waugh

Book Reviews:
Body Ministry and Looking to Jesus: Journey into Renewal and Revival, by Geoff Waugh

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The God who dies: Exploring themes of life and death, by Irene Alexander:
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An article in Renewal Journal 20: Life:
Renewal Journal 19: Church – PDF

Also in Renewal Journals Vol 4: Issues 16-20
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Christian ministry, life and death

Life, death and choice, by Ann Crawford

by Geoff 20 May 2012 No Comments

Life, death and choice

by Ann Crawford

Dr Ann Crawford (Ph.D.) wrote as the Pastor-in-Charge of Citipointe Transformations in Christian Outreach Centre, and teaches Pastoral Care subjects at Citipointe Ministry College, the School of Ministries of Christian Heritage College, Brisbane. This article was presented as a paper given at the Contemporary Issues in Ministry Conference, September 11, 2003, at Christian Heritage College, Brisbane, Australia.

 

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An article in Renewal Journal 20: Life:

Abstract

God’s command in Deuteronomy 30:19 – I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; choose life that you and your descendants may live… – sounds simple and extremely logical.  Most would agree that, in practice, following this command is not that simple.  Many factors cloud these choices, detract from the logic and create a complexity that causes people to continue to walk in the wayward footsteps that led Adam to a finite existence on earth.

As these issues of life and death choices are fundamental in the individual’s quest for wholeness and therefore pertinent to the people-helping ministry of today’s church, this paper explores these concepts by examining life, death and choice; by identifying blockages and deceptions experienced in our twenty-first century life-journeys; and by delving into the philosophy of existential suffering.

Introduction

“Throughout the whole of life one must continue to learn how to live, and what will amaze you even more, throughout life one must learn to die” (Seneca in Peck, 1997: 89).  These words penned centuries ago contemplate the paradox that is life and death, for to consider one is to be conscious of the other.  In accordance with Hebraic philosophy, we do not have an “either/or” choice for ultimately every person encompasses the “also/and” of living and dying.  So it would seem that the issue for the human person is not so much a choice between life and death but that “a deep consciousness of death ultimately leads us on a path to seeking meaning” (Peck, 1997: 88).

Abrahams (1961: 242) quotes from Jewish philosophy as he writes, “Much of the difficulty of the problem of evil is . . . due to the human belief that he (the individual man) is the centre of creation.  There is evil: but many so-called evils are nothing other than features of a life which includes death.”  Jesus’ expounds this philosophy as He tells a story (Luke 12:16-21) of a successful farmer whose bumper crop could not be contained in his storehouses.  The farmer’s decision to tear down his barns to build bigger ones was not the evil that incurred the wrath of God.  After a lifetime of living, this man had missed the meaning.  “Soul, you have many good things laid up, [enough] for many years.  Take your ease; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself merrily.”

For those in the people helping professions, this “missing the meaning” of life – and death – is of vital significance, both in our day-to-day stories and in what Snyder (1995: 194) terms the “Divine Design” story, characterised by “finding and doing the will of God”.  Consider God’s reply to the farmer where he not only paints a graphic picture of human mortality but he also highlights the consequences of the choice to find meaning in self-achievement and material possessions.  “You fool!  This night they [the messengers of God] will demand your soul of you; and all the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”

It would appear that, in God’s economy, a meaningless life equates to a meaningless death and both incur his displeasure.   Therefore, another avenue of thought emerges from this story that further augments this investigation of life, death and choice.  This is the existential search for meaning described by Corey (1996: 171) as the struggle “between the security of dependence and the delights and pains of growth”.   Security is one of the person’s basic needs, and, in a postmodern society which Snyder (1995: 218) sees as being “the triumph of the contingent, the transitory and the ironic”, security is often sought in codependency and pain is to be avoided.  These choices side-track the meaningful process leading from suffering to peaceful wholeness.

Deuteronomy 29:29 reminds us that “the secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but the things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever that we may do all of the words of this law”. This paper will presuppose that the text of Deuteronomy 30:19 –  “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; choose life that you and your descendants may live . . .” –  is the revealed word of God and will undertake this  investigation of life, death and choice, not primarily from a theological perspective but from relevant literature, particularly that which pertains to people-helping and pastoral caring.  From this vantage-point it would appear that not only do the topics of life, death and choice warrant a deeper probing but that there are other issues that are inextricably intertwined into their inter-relatedness.  The existential search for meaning, freewill and freedom, and the over-shadowing limitations and extremes of worldview and culture add to the complexity of the life/death-decisions that human beings are faced with daily.

Life

The Hebrew word commonly translated “life” means alive, fresh, strong and is explained by Lockyer, as the “physical functions of people, animals and plants” (1986: 649).  This writer continues, “because God is the source of all life, it is a gift from Him.  He first filled Adam with the breath of life (Gen. 2:7), and He continues to be the source of all life”.  In the New Testament the Greek “psyche” describes the breath or spirit of life.  “The word ‘life’ began to refer to more than physical existence.  It took on a strong spiritual meaning, often referring to the spiritual life that results from man’s relationship with God” (Lockyer, 1986: 649).

From these interpretations it could be deduced that “life” can be defined on several different levels.  The most rudimentary of these indicates any form of living thing but even this basic understanding proposes a mystery that scientists down through the ages have sought to unravel. For the last half-century, biochemists have sought for a mechanism by which non-living molecules could make the transition to living systems.

Transcending these empirical deliberations, Holmes (1983: 121) comments that a Christian worldview understands “human life as a body-soul dualism in close organic unity, so that we function in many if not all regards as holistic beings.”  Boivin (1995: 157) describes a Hebraic model of the person as conceptualising “the various dimensions of personhood as existing along a mutually interactive continuum to which the divinely inspired aspects of the human condition are directly apparent in the biopsychological aspects, without intermediate metaphysical states or constructs”.  Paul preached to the Greeks, “in him I live and move and have my being” (Acts 17:28), echoing the holistic theories of these scholars and challenging the Platonic philosophical dualism that the body is the prison of the soul (Moreland and Ciocchi, 1993: 39).

Death

Death could be described as the absence of life.  However, the American President’s Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioural Research (1983: 174-75) defines death as, “the state in which all components of mental life are gone, including self-awareness, thought, emotion, feeling and sensation.”  In an effort to clarify the dilemma of organ-transplant doctors, this definition admits that a human being is more than physiological by incorporating elements that are more usually associated with the “soul” to identify human life – or the absence thereof.   This definition would indicate that, at some point in the dying process, there is a separation of body, being the material part of the human person, and the immaterial soul, a position confirmed by the writer of Ecclesiastes 12:7:  “Then dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it”.  Moreland and Ciocchi (1993: 39) comment that, “this combination of material and spiritual resulted in a holistic ‘living soul.’”  However, these authors continue with the observation that, “there is no indication in the creation account that this combination was ever intended to be separated.”

This notion of separation leads to the contemplation of another dimension of death.  “Death occurs when something is separated from that which is its life.  Since the living God is the ‘fountain of life’ (Ps. 36:9), the action of man turning from him can only result in death” (Moreland and Ciocchi, 1993: 46).

Choice

Choice creates the impression of selecting from presented options and consequently is predominantly associated with freewill and the consequences.  Scriptural references, like the one from Deuteronomy 30:19, portray God, at various times through history, as offering his people a choice, delineating the options and describing the consequences both positive and negative, both good and evil.  Once the information has been delivered, God then allows His Image Bearer the freewill to not only make that choice but also to bear the consequences.

The first biblical choice encountered is the choice Adam and Eve made when confronted with tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  God had commanded that they “may freely eat of every tree of the garden but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat of it for in that day you shall surely die” (Gen 2:15-17).  The Genesis account of the fall graphically illustrates the significance of the exercise of freewill, as Adam and Eve are banished from the garden and from the sweet communion with Father God they had experienced there. Peck (1997: 150-51) writes about this relationship between choice and freewill.  “What I do know is that we have the power of choice.  It is said that God created us in His own image.  What is meant by that, more than anything else . . . is that He gave us free will.  We are free to choose, for good or for ill, according to our will, and not even God can heal someone against her will”.  Jesus did not minister or teach in his own home town as the family and friends of his childhood had set their freewill against him and the healings and the miracles experienced by others passed them by  (Luke 14:23-30).

In Frankl’s account of his experiences in the Auchwitz camps he delves deeper into the questions of choice, freewill and suffering.  “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing:  the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way”  (Frankl, 1984: 86).  Frankl’s observations of the human person, trapped in the horrendous circumstances of a Nazi concentration camp for a protracted length of time, revealed to him that it is possible to make choices, and, in fact, to make choices that would enable a man or a woman to craft excruciating suffering into bravery, unselfishness and dignity and to “add a deeper meaning to his/her life” (1984: 88).

The philosophy of the various dimensions of human freedom, while being a fascinating study, is far beyond the scope of this paper.  However, for the purpose of this essay, a summary of Satre’s observations (in Corey, 1996: 174) is sufficient: “We are constantly confronted with the choice of what kind of person we are becoming, and to exist is never to be finished with this kind of choosing”.

God’s blueprint

I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction (Deut. 30:19)

Human beings must then choose between two covenantal ways, the two possible responses to God’s laws for our life.  We cannot not respond.  We live only in covenant relation to our Maker.  We exit only in response to his sovereign rule (Walsh and Middleton, 1984: 65, 66).

This is a God of justice.  As the above authors allege, whether the choices are understood or even known, God still holds every human being accountable for these choices.

The pastoral carer is not only confronted with these choices in the course of his/her own existence but is called to work with people who are also in the process of becoming.  Those who have no cognition of the covenant relationship God has ordained necessarily suffer from a warped ability to make choices. As outlined in scripture (eg. Deut 27,28), all behaviour, all choices have consequences and the curses that result from choosing death are just as real as the blessings that flow from life choices.  Does this mean that those who are unaware of their choices, who believe they have no right to make a choice or who have been programmed with wrong information with which to choose, are doomed to death?

However, “Just as we cannot be neutral in relation to him, so he is not neutral towards us”  (Walsh and Middleton, 1984: 66). The cross is ample evidence of a merciful God who actively upholds his covenants.

Underpinning the ministry of pastoral caring is the biblical mandate to bring to the broken-hearted the message that God is not neutral.  He is a Father who is vitally interested in the well being of his children and he has a plan and purpose for each one.  At the opposite end of the scale is an awareness that no human being is able to be neutral and this revelation opens the way for the covenant to be proclaimed and the choices to be revealed.

The place of suffering in making choices

But, could it be that we often do not recognise the life-choice before us because the death-choice presents as the “soft-option”?  A loving father nurtures and protects his child.  However, that does not discount the inevitability that the child will, at times be exposed to pain, grief and suffering.  A loving father will not, in fact cannot, prevent his child from suffering but he will teach and guide his child to choose the life option despite the pain.  So it is with Father God.

Peck cites missionary/physician Paul Brand’s research into leprosy and explains that most “of the devastation of leprosy is caused by a localised absence of pain” (Peck, 1997: 28).  When there is no pain, injury and infection remain unnoticed and untreated, eventually leading to disfigurement and death.  Pain is a signal that something is wrong, that something needs to change.  Although physical pain can range from unpleasant to unbearable there is usually some treatment that can be administered that will relieve the discomfort.  However,

We do not like emotional pain any more than physical pain, and our natural instinct is to avoid it or get rid of it as quickly as possible.  We are pain-avoiding creatures.  Since it is a conflict between our will and reality that causes our pain, our first and natural response to the problem is to deal with it by imposing our will to make reality conform to what we want of it (Peck, 1997: 63).

Pastoral carers predominantly work with people experiencing emotional pain.  It is this emotional pain that often drives the sufferer to choose the death-option – not physical death or suicide but the kind of choice that focuses on gratifying and comforting self and/or projecting the pain onto others.

As mentioned earlier in this paper, the philosophy of postmodernism dictates that we construct our own reality, that we impose our own reality upon the facts.  The  consequences of imposing our will upon our circumstances opposes the commands of God to follow his statutes, to choose to allow him to impose his will upon us.  The natural projection of this would be that people in a postmodern society would be likely to experience a considerable amount of emotional pain.  Pastors and those in the people-helping professions, would, I am sure, support these observations.

Frankl (1984: 154-155), in his dissertations on suffering, emphasised “that human life, under any circumstances, never ceases to have meaning, and that this infinite meaning of life includes suffering and dying, privation and death”.  He identifies the components of that meaning: hope in the future; experiences of the past; unconditional love; and purposeful sacrifice.  People-helpers have a mandate to know that, “the world in which we live is divine destiny.  There is a divine meaning in the life of every individual and of you and me” (Buber in Bruno, 2000: 29).  Those suffering emotional pain are searching for that meaning, whether they are aware of it or not, and the people-helper is called to encounter, empower and encourage these fellow children of God.

Conclusion

Frankl (1984: 95) quotes Spinoza when he writes, “Emotion, which is suffering, ceases to be suffering as soon as we form a clear and precise picture of it”.  By defining life, death and choice, and the intertwining and interrelated aspects of these topics, perhaps a clearer picture of the human sufferings and the human joys of life and death may be better understood.  There is a curious security, a peace that passes understanding in being in intimate relationship with a God of paradox – justice and mercy, majesty and love, law and grace – with a Father who beseeches us to “choose life, that you and your descendants may live”.

On further reflection, life redefined becomes a pilgrimage, a deliberate journey of valleys and mountain tops.  In God’s entreaty for us to choose life, perhaps he is longing for us to extract from this time we have here on earth as much meaning and purpose as we can, that while we live, we really live, and that we can take this divine energy called life and, in some way, impart it to those who experience this journey with us. Death, that dark foreboding that looms over us all, is not the destination of life but maybe even a facet of life that helps us to extract the last residue of meaning from suffering and joy alike giving us the choice to make the transition from one state to the other in unbroken fellowship with our Maker.

Bibliography

Abrahams, G. (1961) The Jewish Mind. London: Constable.

Boivin, M.  (1991)  “The Hebraic model of the person:  towards a unified psychologican science among Christian helping professionals.”  Journal of Psychology and Theology.  19 (2), 1991. p. 120.

Bruno, T. (2000)  Jesus, Ph.D. Psychologist.  Gainsville, FL.: Bridge-Logos.

Corey, G. (1996)  Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy.  Pacific Grove, CA.: Brookes/Cole.

Frankl, V. (1984)  Man’s Search for Meaning.  New York: Washington Square.

Holmes, A. (1983).  Contours of a Worldview.  Michigan: Eerdmanns.

Lockyer, H. (Ed.) (1986).  Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Moreland, J. and Ciocchi. D. (1993)  Christian Perspectives on Being Human.  Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker.

Peck, M.S. (1997)  The Road Less Travelled and Beyond.  New York: Simon and Schuster.

Pohl, C.  (2001)  “Life and death choices.”  The Christian Century. Chicago:  Aug15-Aug 22, Vol.118, Iss. 23. p.14.

Snyder, H. (1995)  Earth Currents. Nashville: Abingdon.

U.S.A. President’s Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioural Research  (Washington D.C. Government Printing Office, March 1983), p. 174-75

Walsh, B. and Middleton, J. (1984). The Transforming Vision.  Downers Grove, IL.: InterVarsity.

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Contents:  Renewal Journal 20: Life

Life, death and choice, by Ann Crawford

The God who dies: Exploring themes of life and death, by Irene Alexander

Primordial events in theology and science support a life/death ethic, by Martin Rice

Community Transformation, by Geoff Waugh

Book Reviews:
Body Ministry and Looking to Jesus: Journey into Renewal and Revival, by Geoff Waugh

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Review (19) Church

by Geoff 20 May 2012 1 Comment

Jesus, Author & Finisher: Timeless Principles of Christianity

Brian Mulheran   (Synergy, 2002)

Review by Outreach Magazine, Brisbane.

Brian Mulheran’s 200-page book, Jesus, Author & Finisher: Timeless Principles of Christianity, which includes a study guide, is designed to help new Christians, older Christians and pastors desiring to establish people in the faith.

Through his book, Brian hopes to further awaken people to their fullest potential in God. “Every Christian has great potential in their life to do something powerful for God,” says Brian. “They know that on the inside, but to see that come to pass, they need to really grab hold of the truths of God’s word.”

Having been a COC pastor for more than 15 years, Brian has seen thousands of people “come to the altar to have their faith authored, but many of them sadly didn’t finish the race”. “I see a lot of them struggle, trying to fix things up in their life in order for God to use them, but they end up just going round and round. This book gives them keys on how to release their potential.”

“Any ordinary person can look at the negatives of life in order not to succeed. Any ordinary person can read passages of scripture that seem to tell them what they need to do or not do in order to ‘keep themselves in God’.  Any ordinary person will try to hold their life in God in order to make it to heaven.  Any ordinary person can live a respectable life in God.  Any ordinary person can pray enough and read their Bible enough in order to appear godly.  But the Bible is full of extraordinary truths for ordinary people like you and me to allow our extraordinary God to do extraordinary things through us.”

Now working on a second book about the Holy Spirit, Brian believes many Christians are too pre-occupied with their own issues to focus on God.  He says: “What could God do through a person who was not focused on whether or not they would commit any more sins but were totally preoccupied with fulfilling His call?  What could God do through a person who knew they were totally righteous and could stand before God at all times?  What could God do through a person who knew that He could not fail to do anything He said?  What could God do through a person who knew that they had the unlimited resources of heaven at their disposal?  What could God do through a person who knew that He was totally for them?”

It is Brian’s desire that, through discovering these truths, readers would look to Jesus, the author and finisher of their faith, to lay a foundation from which to fulfil the call that God has placed upon their life.

South Pacific Revivals: Community and Ecological Transformation

By Geoff Waugh (3rd edition 2012)

 

Contents:


Foreword

Preface by Robert Evans: Brief History

 Introduction

    Timor, 1965                                                                    

    Australian Aborigines, 1979                                     

1  Solomon Islands

    Honiara and Malaita, 1970

    Marovo Lagoon, 2000

    Western District, 2003

    Guadalcanal Mountains, 2006

    Choiseul Island, 2006

    Revival Movements, 2007                                           

2  Papua New Guinea

    Enga Region, 1973

    Huli Region, 1974                                                          

    Telefomin Region, 1977

    Brugam, Sepik Region, 1984                                

    Solomon Islands Region, 1988

    Kambaidam, Eastern Highlands, 1988

    Milne Bay Islands, 1985-1994

    Healing the Land, 2006-2007

       Karawa Village

       Makirupu Village

       Kalo Village                                                            

    Bougainville

           

 3  Vanuatu

    Espiritu Santo and Ambae Islands, 1962

    Tongoa Island, 1991                                              

    Port Vila, 2002

    Pentecost Island, 2003

    Tanna Island, 2006

    Healing the Land, 2006-2007

       Hog Harbour, Espiritu Santo

       Litzlitz Village, Malekula Island

       Vilakalak Village, West Ambae

       Lovanualikouta Village, West Ambae

 

4  Fiji

    Lautoka and Navua, 2007-2008

    Suva, 2007-2009

    Healing the Land, 2002-2007

       Nuku Village, Viti Levu

       Nabitu Village, East of Nausori

       Vunibau Village, Serua Island

       Natalieva, Nailevu North

       Diaubuta, Navosa Highlands

    Healing the Land Process

Conclusion

Reviews:

Useful insight into Revivals in the South Pacific region

By ‘Blue Yonder’

The cover’s the immediate attraction with this book – beautiful Pacific Island image……Nice large format size book, too.

Geoff Waugh has been fascinated with Christian revivals since he was a young man, so it’s no big surprise that he should conduct some research into these fascinating phenomena ‘down under’ in the South Pacific area, as he has travelled and worked in many of these islands over several decades. His other recent book, ‘Looking to Jesus: A Journey Into Renewal & Revival’is another book worth checking out, being essentially an auto-biography of the author.‘South Pacific Revivals’gives some very illuminating information about numerous little-known revivals in the region, as well as a number of charismatic movements, one or two of which I personally wouldn’t necessarily term ‘revivals’, but many will find to be of much interest nonetheless, because of the phenomena exhibited and the passion aroused, etc. [The 3rd edition, 2012, has a comprehensive Preface of the history of revivals in the South Pacific.]  A surprising number of movements are provided – including islands and places I had never before heard of! A number of remarkable personal testimonies are included, and some black and white photos are dotted throughout the book.Some useful appendices are included, such as ‘Characteristics of Revivals from Acts 2’ and ‘Examples of Repentance and Revival’.

If you’re interested in revivals, this is a book you’re going to want to get.

By Romulo Nayacalevu, Fiji

Dr Geoff Waugh shares the message of revival clearly throgh the simplicity of the WORD and His own personal experiences, being part of God’s big revival story in the PAcific. His book is a must read for all who follow Pacific Revival and world movements of the Holy Spirit.

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Church

by Geoff 20 May 2012 1 Comment

Renewal Journal 19: Church

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1 Revival,   2 Church Growth,
3 Community,   4 Healing,   
5 Signs & Wonders,   6  Worship,   
7  Blessing,   8  Awakening,  
9  Mission,   10  Evangelism,
11  Discipleship,   12  Harvest,   
13  Ministry,   14  Anointing,   
15  Wineskins,   16  Vision,   
17  Unity,   18  Servant Leadership,  
19  Church,   20 Life

Contents: Renewal Journal 19: Church

The Voice of the Church in the 21st Century, by Ray Overend

Redeeming the Arts: visionaries of the future, by Sandra Godde

Counselling Christianly, by Ann Crawford

Redeeming a Positive Biblical View of Sexuality, by John Meteyard and Irene Alexander

The Mystics and Contemporary Psychology, by Irene Alexander

Problems Associated with the Institutionalization of Ministry, by Warren Holyoak

Book Reviews:
Jesus, Author & Finisher by Brian Mulheran
South Pacific Revivals by Geoff Waugh

Renewal Journal 19: Church – PDF

Editorial

Church Now

Church in the 21st century is changing.  Previously the rate of change has been gradual, spanning many generations.  Now change is rapid in all areas of society, including the social expressions of “church.” 

Charismatic renewal and revival continue to powerfully transform church and community life.  Home groups, cell groups, interest groups, and mission groups proliferate.  They can thrive without budgets, salaries, or church buildings. 

China and Africa lead the world in radical expressions of being the church – often without church buildings, salaries, and traditional services.  Latin America provides increasing examples of community transformation and Christians celebrate together in fiestas and all night united prayer and worship festivities.  Local governments often underwrite the cost of these celebrations because of the enormous impact for good they have on the whole community. 

Miracles in PNG 

Matt Ransom tells of the beginnings of a new ministry for Fr Charlie Kape.

I have to tell you of the amazing story of Fr Charlie Kape, a Papua New Guinea Catholic Priest.

In Feb. 1998 he visited our church, St Thomas the Apostle Canberra, to take part in a school of evangelization. At the same time a number of revival meetings were being held with Randy Clark and his team. Fr Charlie got absolutely blasted as a result of Randy’s ministry and went back to PNG full of God’s FIRE.

The day Fr Charlie returned, he was at a meeting and he prayed with a woman with a broken arm. Her arm was instantly healed. The next day he was asked to go and visit a man with tuberculosis, he was bedridden. He too was instantly healed.

As a consequence crowds began to seek him out, and again many were healed.

At one meeting, Fr Charlie was in an area where he didn’t know the language. So he spoke in tongues. All the people understood him speaking to them eloquently about Jesus Christ.

Early in 1999, he organized the procession of a cross around his part of the country, to evangelize people. It ended at Port Moresby, the capital (and ravaged by violence and poverty). The procession travelled through an area where any cars that travel are held up, and many killed. The young men who conducted these crimes were touched by the worship, the cross and the message of Jesus. As a consequence, 50 turned to the Lord, handed over their guns and weapon, and stopped their violence. There have been no holdups in that area since. The police superintendent went to visit the young men, burned up their criminal records and invited the young men to become police cadets. 30 said yes!!!!

Fr Charlie has also suffered many attacks. In June of 1999, he was attacked by a group of young men. One attempted to pierce him with a sword and another bashed him with a sword. He ended up in hospital and showed us the scars in his head.

He has a lot of support from his Catholic church and is training up his people. But he needs our prayers.

Finally, Fr Charlie told us how at one powerful meeting of 3000 people, at one stage, he felt to extend his hand toward the people. As he did so, power came from him. People just fell over under the power of the Holy Spirit, and many were healed (he didn’t even lay hands on them). Praise God.

Being church

This issue of the Renewal Journal explores some growing edge challenges emerging now in being “church” in the new millennium. 

Ray Overend finds fresh hope for “The Voice of the Church in the 21st Century” because secular university culture is beginning to change and throw bright light on the very foundations of Christianity, and on just why the Church has lost spiritual authority in the world. 

Sandra J. Godde, Founder and Director of Excelsia Dance Company, calls for Christians in the Arts to give the church a prophetic voice in her publication, “Redeeming the Arts: visionaries of the future.” 

Ann Crawford examines the presuppositions and processes that distinguish Christian counselling from other forms of counselling in her article, “Counselling Christianly: implications for pastors and church-based counselling professionals.” 

John Meteyard and Irene Alexander engage in “Redeeming a Positive Biblical View of Sexuality,” showing how human sexuality and spirituality are very close to another, both dealing with intimate relationship, deep desire, and being known for who we truly are.  They outline theological principles for a positive and integrationist perspective for human sexual experience and expression. 

Irene Alexander explores the relationship of “The Mystics and Contemporary Psychology” to show how the mystics experienced God’s reality in the depths of their being and have often passed on profound truths that can enable us to be close to God.  

Warren Holyoak examines “Problems Associated with the Institutionalisation of Ministry” particularly the difficulties imposed by hierarchical structures, inappropriate distinctions, and inappropriate roles in leadership and ministry. 

Most of these articles were presented and discussed at the 2002 Contemporary Issues in Ministry conference held at the School of Ministries of Christian Heritage College in Brisbane, Australia. 

The Renewal Journal Publications in the 21st century include inspirational books on renewal and revival on www.renewaljurnal.com.  The books continue to explore stories of renewal and revival.  Here is another. 

 

©  Renewal Journal #19: Church (2002, 2012)  renewaljournal.com

Reproduction is allowed with the copyright included in the text.

Renewal Journals – contents of all issues
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All Renewal Journal Topics

1 Revival,   2 Church Growth,   3 Community,   4 Healing,   5 Signs & Wonders,
6  Worship,   7  Blessing,   8  Awakening,   9  Mission,   10  Evangelism,
11  Discipleship,   12  Harvest,   13  Ministry,   14  Anointing,   15  Wineskins,
16  Vision,   17  Unity,   18  Servant Leadership,   19  Church,   20 Life
Also: 24/7 Worship & Prayer

Revival Blogs Links:

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See also Revival Blogs

See also Blogs Index 1: Revivals

GENERAL BLOGS INDEX 

BLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)

BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)

BLOGS INDEX 3: MIRACLES (SUPERNATURAL EVENTS)

BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)

BLOGS INDEX 5: CHURCH (CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION)

BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)

BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS AND ALBUMS)

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Christian ministry, church

Problems Associated with the Institutionalisation of Ministry, by Warren Holyoak

by Geoff 20 May 2012 No Comments

Problems Associated with the Institutionalisation of Ministry

by Warren Holyoak

Warren Holyoak (right) & The Point Elders

Warren Holyoak wrote as a Churches of Christ minister in Queensland working with a team of leaders in The Point Church at Wellington Point, Brisbane.  This article was presented as a paper given at the Contemporary Issues in Ministry Conference, 2002, at Christian Heritage College, Brisbane, Australia.

 

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An article in Renewal Journal 19: Church:

 


Introduction

Institutions are the product of the human drive to organise cooperative activity.  I want to emphasise their human nature.  This is not to say that God does not approve of institutions.  Prior to Jesus’ coming God instituted the temple worship and sacrificial system of Israel.  Jesus came to build his church.  God has sought to order and regulate joint activities of his people.  But even joint activities initiated by God have historically taken on, and to some extent been transformed by, the distinctly human qualities of institutionalisation.  Traditions, hierarchies, even buildings and a sense of place in society are human marks of an institution.  So are ambition, power, control, pride and tendencies toward self-promotion and survival.  It is these human qualities of institutions that have historically subverted God’s purposes and, in my view, generally make them incompatible with pure Christianity.

The detailed regulation of institutions that God promoted under the Old Covenant were not provided to help them operate effectively, but to serve a prophetic or typological function as they pointed forward to the coming of Christ.  The church that Jesus came to build was far less defined in human institutional terms.  Whereas, for example, the religious institutions of the Jews and Samaritans argued over the correct place of worship, Jesus told the Samaritan woman who raised the issue that, “a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:20-24).  This expressed a shift in emphasis from externals to the hearts of worshippers.  Consequently, we learn far more about the early church from their behaviour than by instruction.  Even when Paul sought more orderly meetings of the church in Corinth, his directions were more than anything else practical, and his intent was that their meetings be spiritually beneficial (refer to 1 Corinthians 10:23-34; 14:6-40).  Anthony[1] and others have interpreted the lack of direction to mean that we are free to devise whatever church organisational structure we feel will best facilitate its ministry and outreach.  My view, however, is that not only does God seem to be far more interested in the organic functioning of the church than its institutional trappings, but that any institutional trappings we bring to the church are more likely to hinder than help.

The organisational feature of the church given most attention in the New Testament is that of individual roles.  In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul likens the contribution made by each member to the complementary functioning of body parts in a growing, healthy human being (Eph. 4:15-16).  In context, the two necessary things that are identified are unity and leadership (Eph. 4:1-14).  These are recurring themes throughout the New Testament.  For each individual to function as they should in the church they need mature leadership and a spirit of unity.  The text in Ephesians shows how leadership contributes to unity by promoting growth in every member toward a Christ-like maturity.  It is therefore no surprise that leadership is the organisational feature given the next most attention in the New Testament.

John C. Maxwell[2] has been the most published of many recent authors who have focussed on church leadership.  They have offered many useful insights, but in my view too often their ideal church leader looks very similar to the ideal corporate or institutional leader.  The most apparent difference is reference to servant leadership in the church, but its practical impact seems to be more on the attitude of the leader than on the nature of the role.  If the church functions much like any other institution, this would be appropriate.  My point is, however, that the role of church leaders is very different to that of institutional leaders because the church is unlike any human institution.

Christ is the leader of the church.  The organisational function of the church is to help each member be like its leader.  According to Paul, that involves preparation for works of service, unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and maturation (Eph. 4:12-13).  Human leaders, therefore, are essentially facilitators of the growth process.  They are also participants in this process – but just further down the road.  This is most evident in the qualities Paul nominates as “musts” for church overseers and deacons to Timothy and Titus (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-9).  I have more to say about this, but will do so as I consider what I believe are some of the problems associated with the institutionalisation of church ministry.

There are three problems I believe institutionalisation has brought to the church:
Hierarchical structures;
Inappropriate distinctions; and
Inappropriate roles.

Hierarchical Structures

Notwithstanding all the recent efforts to “flatten” the organisational structures of secular institutions, they remain essentially hierarchical[3].  Titles are carefully crafted to reflect rank as well as role, and salary differentials are greater than they have ever been.  There seems no other way to manage human institutions, particularly large ones.  If we want things done properly in the church, then we are naturally inclined to apply the best cultural model we know.  We might even be encouraged by its apparent success in better organising churches that are generally notorious for inertia, inefficient decision-making and a lack of what our culture calls “professionalism”.

But the New Testament emphasis is that churches be orderly rather than professional; effective rather than efficient; and led by the Spirit rather than by human agendas.  Spiritual maturation is an uneven individual process that defies planning or timetables.  Certainly, management is necessary, but the New Testament designation of management roles is more descriptive than titular.  Initially, leadership was in the hands of the “apostles”, a general word used to describe “one set forth”[4] (as used of Jesus (Heb. 3:10; Barnabas (Acts 14:4, 14); Andronicus and Junias (Rom. 16:7); Epaphroditus (Phil. 2:25); Silas and Timothy (1 Thess. 2:6), but which also seems to have been used to specifically refer to the twelve (Acts 1:24-26) and Paul (1 Cor. 9:1-2; Gal. 1:1) because they had seen the Lord and been specially commissioned by Him).  New churches were established by “evangelists” (bringers of good news), who were typically itinerant preachers of the gospel.  Once churches became established, local leadership seems to have passed to “bishops” (or “overseers”) and “deacons” (or “ministers” or “servants”)[5].  Once again these designations were descriptive rather than titular.

It did not take long, however, for Christians to start thinking about these role descriptors in a titular sense.  Steinbron[6] blames Constantine’s Romanisation of the church in the fourth century, but as early as the second century, Ignatius[7] describes a distinction between “bishop” and “elder” in the church in Antioch and elsewhere.  “Elder” (or “presbyter”) was initially just another descriptive noun emphasising the maturity of overseers – the terms are used interchangeably in passages such as Titus 1:5-9.  But each church had a plurality of elders[8] and it is evident that cultural influences soon promoted a more titular usage to distinguish between the presiding “bishop” and the other “elders”.  When bishops from a number of churches subsequently met, the title of “archbishop” for the presiding bishop was the logical next step.

The same role is also referred to in the New Testament as that of “pastor” or ‘shepherd”[9].  This describes the style of this leadership role.  Its usage in a more titular way came much later, probably because the secular role of a shepherd was well known and had little status.  More recently the preferred form “pastor” has come into vogue, but is typically used in a distinctive way that distinguishes the role from that of “elder” or “overseer”.  In many evangelical churches, “pastor” is a title reserved for professional leaders whereas “elder” refers to the lay leadership.  For example, in many Baptist churches, the eldership consists of mature local members who exercise oversight, but who also appoint a trained “pastor” to shepherd the flock.  This parallels the institutional model of a board of directors who appoint managers to run the operation.

So from the one role that was variously described in the New Testament, we now have each descriptor used in a titular way to define and distinguish a variety of roles.  This has accompanied (both aided and abetted) the institutionalisation of the church and its ministry.

A similar thing has happened to the role of servant.  All Christians should serve one another and this is the descriptive meaning of the word “deacon”[10], or “minister”.  The qualifications set out by Paul in 1 Timothy 3:8-13 also use this descriptor for a position of authority.  The role seems to have been one of coordination to ensure that the physical needs of the church were met.  Much like the seven appointed to administer the daily distribution of food to needy widows (Acts 6) and free the apostles to concentrate on the spiritual needs of the church, the function of “deacons” complements the spiritual leadership of shepherds.  But once again institutionalisation has adapted and made distinctions between the various renderings of the same word.  “Servant” has not suited the status we attach to a title, but “deacon” and “minister” are widely used.  Most typically, “deacon” is used of lay workers whereas “minister” is used of professional workers.

The larger the institution, the more hierarchical distinctions we want to make of roles within it, and so the more titles we will need.  Inevitably, it has been necessary to go beyond Biblical descriptors.  “Reverend”, “Canon”, “Primate”, “Pope”, and other variants have evolved.  Each has developed a cultural status because culture recognises and respects the status of institutional hierarchies.  But what has this done to the church?

Inappropriate Distinctions

Hierarchical distinctions are not compatible with the mutual interdependency intended for church function as illustrated by the body model of Ephesians 4.  Titles themselves discriminate in inappropriate ways.  Not only can they be used to praise or flatter (cf. John 12:43; Job 32:21-22), but they call too much attention to our status at the expense of God’s, as Jesus warned:

But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi’, for you have only one Master and you are              all brothers.  And do not call anyone on earth ‘father’, for you have one Father,          and he is in heaven.  Nor are you to be called ‘teacher’, for you have one Teacher, the Christ (Matthew 23:8-10).

Ministry in the New Testament churches was an expectation of each and every Christian (Eph. 4:16; 1 Cor. 12:12-31).  While “the worker deserves his wages” (1 Tim. 5:18), the same context generally encourages Christians to avoid burdening the church by working for a living and providing for their family (1 Tim. 5:3-16).  Giving was primarily directed at needy Christians.  Financial support for ministry seems to have been largely occasional and circumstantial.  This was certainly the case for Paul who sometimes received financial support from churches and sometimes worked as a tentmaker to support himself.  The “workers” in view in 1 Timothy 5 were elders, “especially those who work is preaching and teaching” (1 Tim. 5:17), who are said to be “worthy of double honour”.

Institutionalisation of churches has led to more formal employment structures.  The clergy – laity distinction is one broad outcome.  Even where this distinction is actively minimised, more subtle issues can be identified, some with profound implications for the life and functioning of the church.

The most obvious of these is for the burden of church work to be placed upon the paid worker(s).  They, after all, have the time and the institutional mindset wants to make them responsible and measure their performance by results.  This is a far cry from Paul’s model outlined in Ephesians 4, as Colson points out, “Contrary to popular impressions today, the pastor is not paid to do our work (service) for us … [They] are to equip the saints – that’s us – to serve”[11].  “This is why the church’s primary focus must always be on developing the character of its people.”[12]

Furthermore, churches become organisationally, if not clerically, dependent, even though such a structure is incapable or really meeting there needs.  In other words, without the institutional structure in place, including roles filled by paid workers, the church cannot function.  Towns believes that this is the unavoidable end of what has been described as the sociological cycle of church growth.  “Most denominations become cold, from making the organization the goal of existence, rather than fulfilling a biblical purpose.”[13]  The role of members becomes akin to supporting their local football team.  They help finance it, they cheer it on, but they only participate vicariously through the ministry team.

Biblical leaders were natural leaders by virtue of their personal character and God-given abilities, not because of their qualifications.  Institutionalisation of the church has brought with it a demand for professionalism that gives greater weight to appropriate academic qualifications than to personal qualities.  There is nothing wrong with academic training in theology or ministry, indeed there is much to commend it.  Teaching is an important part of leadership, and it should be well informed.  Hosea lamented, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).  But it forms only one aspect of good leadership.  Although it is not the most important one, it tends to be the main pre-requisite for paid workers these days.  This can inadvertently create an implied authority based on qualifications that leads to an ungodly respect for persons (because of their qualifications rather than their personal qualities) and a tendency to follow the man (much like the Corinthians (1 Cor. 1-3)) rather than God.

So the development of a “hireling” mentality in church ministry can seriously undermine the intended functioning of churches.  John records Jesus’ comparison between the good shepherd and the hired hand in John 10:7-18.  Similarly, church leadership needs to be exercised by those who know and are known by the members, those who will remain when the professional worker has long gone.  How often do we hear of professional workers who have effectively adopted a ‘hit and run’ approach, devastating the congregation they hardly got to know, and then blaming their lack of spirituality or zeal?

Worst of all, institutionalisation promotes centralised organisational structures.  While they promise organisational efficiency, they inevitably lose touch with their membership.  The Biblical model of more autonomous local structures can, however, better monitor and adapt to the needs and progress of the group they are a part of.  It is interesting that this has recently been recognised by many denominations that have transformed their centralised structures from exercising control, to providing support services for more autonomous congregations.

Inappropriate Roles

I have already described how institutionalisation has tended to concentrate ministry in the hands of paid workers – the “clergy”.  These church leaders end up doing most of the work themselves rather than enabling all members to participate.  Consequently there is no mutual ministry and no one ends up functioning in their proper role.

Church leadership is more like the role of a parent than of an institutional executive.  Its function is to look out for and develop its people.  Oversight of the spiritual welfare and development of each member is the primary leadership role.  In an established church this should be undertaken by a plurality of overseers, call them elders, pastors, shepherds, presbyters or bishops – “They keep watch over you as men who must give an account” (Heb. 13:17).  They should be men known to the local church because they have been a part of it and are committed to it.  It is simply not a role that can be effectively delegated to a hired professional.  Similarly, the secondary leadership role relating to the coordination of activities that meet the physical needs of the congregation, should also be undertaken by people known to the congregation and who know their needs, call them deacons, deaconesses, ministers or servants.

Church members whose spiritual and physical needs have been met and who have been prepared for works of service suited to their giftedness are then free and ready to do their work – the work of the church.  The leaders may also participate in this work, but alongside rather than over everyone else.

Another area of concern is that of congregational decision-making.  Church leaders are not to lord it over the congregation (1 Peter 5:3), but simply lead the process of decision-making.  This is evident, for example, in the decision-making process of the council at Jerusalem, despite the presence of the apostles as well as the elders of the Jerusalem church.  After leaders had discussed the issues at hand, the text records, “Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided …” (Acts 15:22).  Leadership of the decision-making process demands humility to recognise the role is no more than one of servant-hood and facilitation, combining a knowledge of God’s will and sensitivity to the needs and thinking of the members.  Its not that the church is a democratic institution, but it is a participative body.

Conclusion 

I have sought to identify just a few contemporary issues that I believe can be traced to the institutionalisation of church ministry with a view to challenging those in paid ministry to reconsider and/or clarify their role.

Institutionalisation tends to discriminate and isolate, whereas the biblical model for the church is inclusive and intimate.  Ministry is the role of every member, and depends on giftedness and preparation.  Leadership is a ministry of spiritual oversight and preparation.  It is a honourable ministry, but it should never lose sight of the fact that “those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable” (1 Cor. 12:22).

When leadership is close to the membership and sensitive to their needs, it is most likely to be seen as relevant and is most likely to promote vitality among them.  Church leaders should never lose sight of God’s purpose for the organisational expression of the church – that of encouragement and preparation for works of service.  The organisation itself is only the means to these ends.  When the organisation becomes an end in itself, the inevitable product is institutionalisation and denominationalisation.  Ministry then becomes bureaucratic, isolated, and ultimately ineffective.  And the church ceases to function as it was intended.

Bibliography

Anthony, Michael J.  The Effective Church Board.   Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House. 1993.

Barna, George. Leaders on Leadership.  Ventura, California: Regal Books. 1997.

Colson, Charles.  The Body.   Dallas, Texas:  Word Publications. 1992.

Conner, Kevin J.  The Church in the New Testament.   Blackburn South, Victoria: K.J.C. Publications. 1989.

Ferguson, Everett. Early Christians Speak.  Austin, Texas: Sweet Publishing Company. 1971.

Maxwell, John C. Developing the Leader Within You.  Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson. 1993.

Maxwell, John C. Developing the Leaders Around You.  Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson. 1995.

Steinbron, M.J. The Lay Driven Church.  Ventura, California: Regal Books. 1997.

Towns, Elmer L.  America’s Fastest Growing Churches.   Nashville: Impact Books. 1972.

Vine, W.E. An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.  Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company. 1940.

NB.   All Biblical quotations are cited from the NIV.

[1] M.J. Anthony, The Effective Church Board.  (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1993), pp.101-102.

[2] His books include “Developing the Leader Within You” and “Developing the Leaders Around You” published by Thomas Nelson (Nashville, Tennessee) in 1993 and 1995.

[3] In fact, most of the ‘flattening’ has practically had more to do with cutting costs by reducing middle management than any fundamental reform of hierarchical management structures.

[4] W.E. Vine, An expository Dictionary of New Testament Words. (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H Revel Company, 1940), Vol.II, p.44.

[5] Everett Ferguson, Early Christians Speak. (Austin, Texas: Sweet Publishing Company, 1971), p. 171.

[6] M.J. Steinbron, The Lay Driven Church.  (Ventura, California: Regal Books, 1997), p.49.

[7] Quoted in Everett Ferguson, Early Christians Speak. (Austin, Texas: Sweet Publishing Company, 1971), pp. 168-9.

[8] Kevin J. Conner, The Church in the New Testament. (Blackburn South, Victoria: K.J.C. Publications, 1989), p.200.

[9] Note the interchangeability of descriptive terms in 1 Peter 5:1-4.

[10] Vine, op. cit., Vol.1, pp.272-3.

[11] Charles Colson, The Body. (Dallas, Texas: Word Publications, 1992), p.389.

[12] Ibid.  p.408.

[13] Elmer L. Towns, America’s Fastest Growing Churches. (Nashville: Impact Books, 1972), p.181.

©  Renewal Journal #19: Church (2002, 2012)  renewaljournal.com
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The Mystics and Contemporary Psychology, by Irene Alexander

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Christian life

The Mystics and Contemporary Psychology, by Irene Alexander

by Geoff 20 May 2012 1 Comment

The Mystics and Contemporary Psychology

by Irene Alexander

Irene Alexander, Ph.D. (UQ) wrote as the Dean of the School of Social Sciences at Christian Heritage College, Brisbane, which offers a Bachelor of Social Science degree that includes majors in Counselling and Biblical Studies, as well as post graduate awards in Counselling and Human Studies.  This article was presented as a paper given at the Contemporary Issues in Ministry Conference, October 31, 2002, at Christian Heritage College, Brisbane, Australia.

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An article in Renewal Journal 19: Church:

 

Many Christians, across denominations and backgrounds, have been rediscovering the heritage of their Christian faith, particularly the mystics of earlier centuries.  The mystics are men and women who have somehow found God in a way that allows them to experience God’s reality in the depths of their being and have often passed on profound truths that can enable us to come closer in our walk with God.

Many of the truths these men and women have experienced have also begun to appear in other forms in contemporary society.  Tacey (2000) suggests that in earlier times the traditional church structures were valid ‘containers for spirituality’, but that for many the institutionalised church structures no longer seem relevant and they are seeking other ways to find and express their spirituality.  Counselling and therapy have become, as it were, another container for spirituality – a way for people to find meaning in their lives, to connect with their pain and see how it leads them to deeper truth, and deeper connection with God and others.

Exploring containers for spirituality relevant for this century it is helpful to be aware of past themes of relating to the Divine.  In seeking to journey with others – both Christians and not – it is useful for us to have some understanding of timeless truths that have been lived by those of past centuries as well as ideas that contemporary researchers are discovering – or, in fact rediscovering.  This article introduces a few of the themes of the mystics and shows their parallel in contemporary thought.

The Journey

Indeed ‘the journey’ is one of those themes.  All beginning students of psychology and counselling dip into ‘human development’ or ‘development across the lifespan’ and learn about the theories of Piaget, Kohlberg, Erikson and Fowler which give us ways of interpreting the life stages in relationship to cognitive, moral, psychosocial and spiritual development.  The recognition that life is ‘a journey’ through different stages, different ways of perceiving reality, different ways of relating to God and others, is an important part of twentieth century psychology.  Although the concept of ‘age and stage’ has been strongly critiqued there is a general recognition that there are recognisable patterns across the lifespan, awareness of which can facilitate individual understanding and development.

Fowler’s (1981) stages of spiritual development, for example, have helped many people recognise that the changes in their faith are less to do with ‘backsliding’ than with healthy growth and maturing.  Thus the often black-and-white faith of teenage years is replaced with a more individual, analytical faith in the twenties and thirties, and then a more inclusive re-visiting of ideas and experience in mid-life.  It is recognised then, that each individual is likely to change in the way he or she views God, relates to a community of faith, and expresses spirituality.

This concept of an ongoing journey and individual differences and experiences along the way is one that numbers of the mystics have explored.

Teresa of Avila, a sixteenth century Spanish Carmelite, used the metaphor of the rooms of a castle to illustrate the spiritual journey.  The first three stages of the journey involve a move from sporadic interest in relationship with God and time spent with God to a more steady relationship, but a tendency to focus on outward practice rather than inner self.  The fourth stage is the turning point to a true inner journey and resting in God, with acceptance of grace and Spirit over law.  The final three stages are characterised by union with God in an increasingly steady and mutual relationship.  There still remain the dark periods and pain of surrender but also an intense desire and ecstasy of union with God.  The Appendix gives more detail from The Interior Castle (Welch 1982).

Coe (2000) uses a contemporary of Teresa, John of the Cross, in his writing (see below) to trace similar developmental stages from biblical, psychological and spiritual perspectives.  He notes the differences between pre-conversion, beginner and later stages using the ideas of our love of God ‘for Pleasure’s sake’, ‘for Love’s sake’, ‘for God’s sake’.  He shows the importance of the ‘dark nights’ in the transformation and maturing process.

Interestingly, as Thompson (1984) points out, modern psychology has been helpful in reconnecting with the mystics.  “When Teresa of Avila described the soul as an interior castle which most people never explore, she was stating truth we needed Freud and Jung to demonstrate.  In our fragmented society, in which we are alienated from our inner resources, we remain largely dismissive of the most ancient and neglected spring of wisdom in Western Culture, its mystical tradition” (p. 42).

Freud and Jung then, twentieth century psychoanalysts, recognised, as Teresa of Avila did four hundred years earlier, that many of us defend against the inner work of bringing into our consciousness our desires, pain, blockages, fears.  For Teresa this work was essential to bring us into deeper relationship with God and each other.  A knowledge of the patterns of the journey – whether seen from Teresa’s movement through the Interior Castle, or through Fowler’s stages or Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to the self-giving of true self-actualisation – can help the traveller find the way to further growth and wholeness.

Spiritual formation

Another aspect of the journey which has become a popular focus recently is the recognition that we need to be intentional about the process of the journey – an emphasis on ‘spiritual formation’, the ‘inner life’.  Modernist education left our generation with a legacy of intellectual and doctrinal propositions as a measure of our spirituality.  That is our faith and orthodoxy were assessed by whether we believed the right doctrines, whether we could answer catechismal questions correctly.  In contrast pentecostal and charismatic churches emphasised the experience of God through the spirit.  Believers’ spiritual development may be seen by how they respond actively in worship, or believe in miracles, or exercise spiritual gifts, and the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives.

This shift from an emphasis on the cognitive, intellectual, rational to the more experiential and emotional has been a general shift in society’s way of understanding reality.  Indeed contemporary psychology and counselling are also shifting from a more cognitive emphasis to a focus on the whole person, acknowledging the importance of the emotions, experience and relationship.  However, we are still learning how to balance the cognitive and the emotional, how to use experiences and relationships to develop the ‘inner life’ toward psychological and spiritual maturity.

Says Willard (2000), “We have counted on preaching, teaching, and knowledge or information to form faith in the hearer, and have counted on faith to form the inner life and outward behaviour of the Christian. … The result is that we have multitudes of professing Christians who well may be ready to die, but obviously are not ready to live, and can hardly get along with themselves, much less others.”

There is a close comparison then, between contemporary psychology’s emphasis on inner work, and the growing awareness that we need to be intentional about our spiritual growth.  Intentional spiritual formation is thus an understanding of the process of how spiritual growth occurs, indeed how Christ is formed in us (Galatians 4:19).  May (1982) explains spiritual formation as “all attempts, means, instructions, and disciplines intended towards deepening of faith and furtherance of spiritual growth.  It includes spiritual endeavours as well as the more intimate and in-depth process of spiritual direction” (p. 6).

Spiritual disciplines

Another parallel then between contemporary ideas – both psychological and theological – and the teachings of the mystics is the recognition that the faith journey – or the journey to maturity – is a long slow process, not just a quick-fix, or an impartation of knowledge.  Spiritual formation is a process which involves a shaping of the inner life, and therefore a living of the outer life which reflects relationship with God, shown in responsiveness to God and to others.  The spiritual disciplines have long been acknowledged as a part of spiritual formation, an important part of the growth process.

The spiritual disciplines have been recognised in more and more recent books for example Disciplines of the Holy Spirit by psychologist and pastor Siang-Yang Tan, and The Active Life by educator Parker-Palmer.  The spiritual disciplines include, solitude and silence, as well as prayer and meditation.  The Protestant work ethic has often distanced us from these, or turned what is supposed to be a refreshing encounter with the Divine, into another kind of work and striving.  The mystics call us to rest in God, to pray by sitting silent in his presence (as in The Cloud of Unknowing by an unknown fourteenth century English mystic), to allow his word to refresh our souls.

Contemporary psychology also emphasises these processes.  Many popular non-Christian books have similar emphases Care of the Soul by Thomas Moore (1992), is one of the earlier books, but a browse in any bookshop now turns up numbers of books encouraging harried Westerners to slow down, meditate, get in touch with the Divine.  This is not meant to imply that these books are the same as Christian faith and practice, but simply draws the parallel in recognising the development of the whole person – mind, soul and spirit, and the need for processes which enable people to care for their soul, to develop their relationship with the transcendent, to mature in their emotional and relational responses.

The true self

Another part of the journey recognised in some schools of psychology, especially the Jungian, is the leaving of the false self and the discovery of the true self.  Pennington (2000) describes the development of the false self through the usual childhood developmental processes of gaining love and approval for achievement and performance.  “[Children’s] value depends on what they have, what they do, what others – especially significant providers, real or potential – think of them. … This is the construct of the false self” (p. 31).  The false self is formed by fulfilling all the internalised rules and requirements to gain acceptance and approval by those we value – including God.  We often are not even aware that we have transposed these beliefs on to God and yet we spend our lives living according to certain internalised patterns of behaviour that we think will gain God’s approval.

In contrast, the true self is found in abandonment to God.  It is most easily identified by remembering an experience in which we had a revelation of God’s utter acceptance of us – a time when we knew as deeply as we have known anything that we are loved simply for who we are – there is nothing we can do – it is, after all, all grace.  In that moment of deep knowing we are most in touch with the true self.

Pennington helps us identify this by comparing it to how we feel when we know ourselves loved, in love.  “One of the great experiences of life is that first experience of being in love and being loved.  Of course our parents love us.  They have to, or so it seems, and siblings, too.  But the first time someone loves us for no other reason than that person has in some way perceived our true beauty, our true lovableness, we float.  We are ecstatic.  For we have seen in the eyes of the lover something of our own true beauty.  The only way we really see ourselves is when we see ourselves reflected back to us from the eyes of one who truly loves us” (2000, p. 46).

The true self is who we most truly are, having shed all the striving for acceptance, approval and control.  Again Pennington elucidates: “When we perceive more and more clearly our true self in God, we are all but dazzled by the wonder of this image of God.  But at the same time we are profoundly humbled.  For we know that we are made in the image and likeness of God. … And we know that, but for the grace of God, it could be wholly lost” (2000, p. 49).

Ruffing (2000), in a careful examination of relationship with God and the developmental process points our how our self-image and God-image correspond – that is, as we are able to accept the reality of God as a God who loves unconditionally we are more and more able to see our selves as lovable.  It is a revelation of the astoundingly accepting love of God which first reflects to us the image of the true self, and it is the grace of God which keeps us in the place of ceasing striving and letting our hearts, as Rilke (1996), says “simply open”.

In his poem Rilke, a German poet, writing at the turn of the twentieth century, shows how often our portrayals of God keep us in the false self and thus hide our selves from our selves and from God.  He suggests that an overemphasis on God as King may keep us in the position of being subservient and therefore not truly our selves.

We must not portray you in king’s robes
You drifting mist that brought forth the morning.

Once again from the old paintboxes
we take the same gold for sceptre and crown
that has disguised you through the ages.

Piously we produce images of you
till they stand around you like a thousand walls.
And when our hearts would simply open
Our fervent hands hide you.

Psychological and spiritual growth then, have both been recognised to be a letting go of false images of self (and of God), and discovering the true self, as well as finding the God who is. This letting go of the false self fits with Jesus saying we must die to self (Matt 16: 24-25) – we have to let go of all the ego strivings which we cling to in order to look good in the eyes of the world.  Instead we are to find the true self, as Jesus went on to say –  what does it profit anyone if they should gain the world but lose the true self – the ‘soul’ (Matt 16: 26).  The reality is that we tend to dance back and forth between the true self and the false self, hopefully learning more and more to lose the false self and find the true (Rohr 1999).

Muto (1991) notes that it is impossible to lose a self we do not have.  She believes that until we know something of who we are, strengths and weaknesses, we cannot die to the false.  “People can become quite sick if they try to annihilate what does not exist” (p. 17).  This is a stark reminder that the process of life is a journey – which cannot be hurried by jumping ahead of where we really are.  Muto suggests that some success and a ‘good dose of self-esteem’ are needed for the next, often dark, stages of the journey described by John of the Cross, a sixteenth century mystic, who introduces us to an essential part of the journey generally avoided by the West – the journey of darkness and of suffering.

Dark night of the soul

 In many ways the modern world, especially medicine, has taught is to believe that freedom from suffering is possible.  Modern psychology can easily be seen to be allied with the medical model, and therefore the flight from suffering, for example with the quick prescription of antidepressants.  However psychological research shows that the longer process of therapy – especially changing of negative thought – is an important part of dealing with depression and anxiety.  Other psychological models emphasise the need for ‘emotional work’, the painful process of staying with anger, rejection, fear, grief and anxiety, in order to trace their development and to change destructive relational patterns which continue to produce these unresolved feelings.  There is then a growing awareness that engaging with pain and suffering is a way to wholeness, to a more authentic personhood.

The mystics were certainly more attuned to this truth than the West has been for many decades.  John of the Cross in particular has introduced us to the ‘dark night of the soul’.  This expression has been used in various ways but basically refers to the episodes of not experiencing God, of finding ourselves bereft of our usual sense of God’s presence and therefore having to seek God in a different way, to trust God’s presence and reality and love in spite of a lack of experiencing these in ways we are used to.  It can be compared with ‘wilderness’ times, where everything we used to draw sustenance from seems to have deserted us and we find no comfort – and yet in the long run it leads us to deeper relationship with God.

John of the Cross draws much from the content and language of Song of Solomon, and the dark night of the soul can be found in the times where the maiden goes looking for her beloved and cannot find him (Song of Sol 3:2, 5:6) and yet in this story too, she comes up from the wilderness ‘leaning on her Beloved’ (Song of Sol 8:5).  John notes that during the dark night there is a time of dryness when both the things of God and the things of the world lose their appeal.  Further, “All support systems are found wanting, and only a naked faith sustains the pilgrim” (Welch 1982 p. 145).

John of the Cross’s poem, ‘The Dark Night’, (translated by Kavanaugh 1979), indeed shows us the dark night, but reveals even more vividly the wonder of the Love we can find in this experience:

One dark night
Fired with love’s urgent longings
–         Ah, the sheer grace! –
I went out unseen
My house being now all stilled;

In darkness, and secure,
By the secret ladder, disguised,
–         Ah, the sheer grace! –
In darkness and concealment,
My house being now all stilled;

On that glad night,
In secret, for no one saw me,
Nor did I look at anything,
With no other light or guide
Than the one that burned in my heart;

This guided me
More surely than the light of noon
To where he waited for me
–         Him I knew so well –
In a place where no one else appeared.

Oh guiding night!
O night more lovely than the dawn!
O night that has united
The Lover with His beloved,
Transforming the beloved in her Lover.

Upon my flowering breast
Which I kept wholly for Him alone,
There He lay sleeping,
And I caressing Him
There in the breeze from the fanning cedars.

When the breeze blew from the turret
Parting his hair,
He wounded my neck
With His gentle hand,
Suspending all my senses.

I abandoned and forgot myself,
Laying my face on my Beloved;
All things ceased; I went out from myself,
Leaving my cares
Forgotten among the lilies.

John of the Cross leaves us in no doubt that the experience of separation from God, the periods of suffering and unrequited longing, are, in the end nothing compared with the union with God which results.

The lesson which the mystics teach us over and over is that knowing God, and finding a love relationship with God is the highest meaning of life.  “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom; neither let the mighty man glory in his might. …let him … glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord” (Jeremiah 9: 23-24).

Knowing: intuitive and relational

So we find that these wise men and women recognised that knowing God was not about intellect and knowledge but rather another kind of knowing all together.  As the unknown author of The Cloud of Unknowing explains: “It is God, and he alone, who can fully satisfy the hunger and longing of our spirit which transformed by his redeeming grace is enabled to embrace him by love.  He whom neither men nor angels can grasp by knowledge can be embraced by love.  For the intellect of both men and angels is too small to comprehend God as he is in himself” (Johnston 1973, p. 50).

And further Julian of Norwich, after fifteen years of pondering the meaning of the revelations given to her by God said  “‘You would know our Lord’s meaning in this thing?  Know it well.  Love was his meaning.  Who showed it you?  Love.  What did he show you?  Love.  Why did he show it?  For love.  Hold on to this and you will know and understand love more and more.  But you will not know or learn anything else – ever!’  So it was that I learned that love was our Lord’s meaning. … In this love all his works have been done, and in this love he has made everything serve us; and in this love our life is everlasting.  Our beginning was when we were made, but the love in which he made us never had beginning” (Wolters 1966, p. 212).

Jones (1985) explains the two contrasting traditions of knowing with the use of images, pictures, symbols and the way of emptying, the via negativa, “sometimes called apophatic (which means against or away from the light) or contemplative. ….  This way of not-knowing lies at the heart of the way of believing that helps me live as a believer” (p. 25).  And de Mello (1990) explains how deeply this is part of the Christian faith quoting Aquinas of the thirteenth century:  “This is St Thomas Aquinas’ introduction to his whole Summa Theologica: “Since we cannot know what God is, but only what God is not, we cannot consider how God is but only how He is not.”…This man was considered the prince of theologians.  He was a mystic, and is a canonized saint today” (p. 127).

While contemporary psychology continues to emphasise scientific method rather then ‘not-knowing’ there has certainly been a shift from an emphasis on objective, rational knowing to include relational and intuitive knowing can allow the West to embrace relationship with the Divine as part of their intellectual as well as spiritual lives.  This shift from the cool, objective ways of knowing to the warmer, relational, subjective ways of knowing allows something of the delight in God to be experienced.  This is seen in the writings of a Persian mystic, Hafiz, of the fourteenth century:

What is the difference
Between your experience of Existence
And that of a saint?

The saint knows
That the spiritual path
Is a sublime chess game with God.

And the Beloved
Has just made such a Fantastic Move
That the saint is continually
Tripping over Joy
And bursting out in Laughter
And saying “I surrender!”

Whereas, my dear,
I am afraid you still think
You have a thousand serious moves.

Contemporary western society then, is rediscovering important themes of the earlier Christian traditions. The writings of the mystics – of the journey, the intention of development of the true self, the process of inner work through pain, darkness, disciplines of silence and ‘soul-care’, and the acknowledgement of ways of knowing that are intuitive and relational – can inform our present journey and ways of spiritual and psychological development.

Appendix: The Interior Castle of Teresa of Avila (Welch 1992)

Stages of the journey:

1. Self knowledge: Conscious effort at prayer and reflection, but often so involved in worldly things that it is still caught by these impediments.  Glimpses of true self-knowledge (both beauty and sin) in the light of God’s love and mercy.

2. External practices.  There is a steadier commitment to prayer, but the call of God is more externally mediated – through books, sermons, other people and events.  Teresa notes “you cannot begin to recollect yourself by force but only by gentleness”.

3. Both inner and outer journey – i.e. a commitment to prayer, and also to acts of service and Christian behaviour.  A tendency towards a ‘religious ego’, a sureness of knowing the whole story which leads to a certain self-righteousness.  A certain restlessness, and desire for more leads the traveller on.  Teresa uses images of serpents as being those things which distract the pilgrim from God.

4. This stage is a major transition in life, the beginning of the inner journey.  Grace and Spirit become dominant rather than self-striving.  Initially prayer is still the active prayer of meditation but rapidly becomes an absorption in God, the ‘prayer of quiet’.  “Like a good shepherd with a whistle so gentle … this shepherd’s whistle has such power that they abandon the exterior things in which they were estranged from Him and enter the castle” (p. 104). The image of this stage is fountains built over the source.

5. The prayer of union – a deepening of contemplative prayer.  However experiences of union tend to be brief.  The symbol Teresa uses is that of a white butterfly which is being transformed in the cocoon and emerges in the next stage.

6. An intensification of the union which involves both intense pain and times of ecstasy, both a dark night of the spirit and an experience of betrothal, a wounding and a drawing out of the arrow.

7. The union with God is completed.  This is the very centre of the castle where the King dwells and it is characterised as marriage.  There is a deep interior peace – as well as an emphasis on service in the world.

References:

Barrows, A. and J. Macy, J. (Trans). (1996). Rilke’s book of hours: Love poems to God. New York: Riverhead.
Brown, I. (2001). “The kingdom within: The inner life of the person in ministry.” Renewal Journal, 18, pp. 5-11.
Coe, J. H. (2000). “Musings on the dark night of the soul: Insights from St John of the Cross on a developmental spirituality.”  Journal of Psychology and Theology, 28, 4, 293-307.
de Mello, A. (1990). Awareness. London: Fount.
Fowler, J. W. (1981). Stages of faith: The psychology of human development and the quest for meaning. New York: Harper Collins.
Johnston, W. (ed). (1973).  The cloud of unknowing and The book of privy counselling. New York: Image.
Jones, A. W. (1985).  Soul making: The desert way of spirituality. New York: Harper Collins.
Kavanaugh, K. (Trans). (1979). The collected works of St John of the Cross. Washington: Institute of Carmelite Studies.
Ladinsky, D. (1996). I heard God laughing: Renderings of Hafiz. Walnut Creek, CA: Sufism Reoriented.
May, G. G. (1982). Care of mind, care of spirit. New York: Harper.
Moore, T. (1992). Care of the soul. London: Piatkus.
Muto, S. (1991). John of the Cross for today: The ascent. Notre Dame, IL: Ave Maria. (Original work published 1584)
Palmer, P. J. (1999). The active life: A spirituality of work, creativity, and caring. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Pennington, M. B. (2000). True self false self: Unmasking the spirit within. New York: Crossroads.
Rohr, R. (1999). Everything belongs: The gift of contemplative prayer. New York: Crossroads.
Ruffing, J. K. (2000). Spiritual direction: Beyond the beginnings. New York: Paulist.
Tacey, D. (2000). Re-enchantment: The new Australian spirituality. Sydney: Harper Collins.
Tan, S-Y. and Gregg, D.H. (1997). Disciplines of the Holy Spirit: How to connect to the Spirit’s power and presence. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Thompson, C. (1984). Times Literary Supplement. 19 January 1984.
Welch, J. (1982). Spiritual pilgrims: Carl Jung and Teresa of Avila.New York: Paulist.
Willard, D. (2000). “Spiritual formation in Christ: A perspective on what it is and how it might be done.”  Journal of Psychology and Theology, 28, 4, 254-258.
Wolters, C. (Trans). (1966). Julian of Norwich: Revelations of divine love. London: Penguin.

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The Voice of the Church in the 21st Century, by Ray Overend

Redeeming the Arts: visionaries of the future, by Sandra Godde

Counselling Christianly, by Ann Crawford

Redeeming a Positive Biblical View of Sexuality, by John Meteyard and Irene Alexander

The Mystics and Contemporary Psychology, by Irene Alexander

Problems Associated with the Institutionalization of Ministry, by Warren Holyoak

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Redeeming a Positive Biblical View of Sexuality, by John Meteyard and Irene Alexander

by Geoff 20 May 2012 2 Comments

Redeeming a Positive Biblical View of Sexuality

by John Meteyard and Irene Alexander

John Meteyard
Irene Alexander

Drs John Meteyard and Irene Alexander wrote as staff at Christian Heritage College.   This article was presented as a paper at the Contemporary Issues in Ministry Conference, 2002, at Christian Heritage College, Brisbane.

 

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An article in Renewal Journal 19: Church:

 

Human sexuality and spirituality are very close to another – both have to do with intimate relationship, both have to do with deep desire, both have to do with nakedness – being known for who we truly are. Often human brokenness is especially evident in these two areas. Sadly, the Christian tradition has often taken a very negative view of human sexuality. This paper attempts to outline several theological principles that could form a more positive and integrationist perspective for human sexual experience and expression. In particular the relationship between sexuality and spirituality is examined and several possible ministry applications of such an approach considered.

The Importance of Sexuality

The Bible is very up front about sex, sexual temptation, sexual fulfilment, sexual sin. On the one hand our society is soaked in sexual images and on the other we still don’t really talk about it openly and freely.

Genesis 2 makes it clear that we are sexual beings. When the pharisees asked Jesus about divorce his answer was ‘Divorce is not God’s idea. God’s idea is that we are male and female and that we marry and become one flesh.’ God is up front about the fact that we are sexual beings. And that being sexual is good. It was only after the sixth day, after he had made them male and female, and told them to multiply that he saw ‘that it was very good’. Some cults have a twisted idea that the sin in the garden was a sexual one. The Bible does not suggest any such thing.

God could have made us angels without sexuality, he could have made reproduction occur as it does in the plant kingdom, he could have made mating as quick as it is in the animal kingdom. He didn’t – he gave us bodies that enjoy beauty for the eye, music for the ear, food for the tongue, touch for our bodies. He made us sexual and intercourse ecstatic. He gave us bodies and expected us to dance!

So our sexuality is part of how God made us. It is part of our identity. Part of how we relate. Part of how we experience our humanness and our world. Part of what energises us.

The relationship Between Sexuality and Spirituality

In their book, Authentic Human Sexuality, Jack and Judy Balswick (1998) suggest that the intricate connection of human sexuality and spirituality is one of six basic biblical principles that underlie authentic and godly sexual understanding and expression (p. 37). MacKnee (1997) goes so far as to suggest that the two lie so close together that it may not be possible to arouse either our sexuality or spirituality without arousing the other (p. 216)!  In a fascinating disclosure sex-therapist David Schnarch (1997) relates how in his work both his own spiritual consciousness and that of many of his clients have been heightened and aroused (p 391). What then is it that connects these two most basic and important aspects of our humanness?

First, it is important to recognise that both sexuality and spirituality are primarily and deeply about connection and communion.  Comiskey (1988) argues strongly that at its core human sexuality is not a lustful, seductive exercise. Indeed our sexuality arises from a God-inspired desire within each of us to break out of isolation and aloneness and relate deeply and intimately with another. Thus, even as our spirituality yearns for completion in relationship with Another greater than ourselves, so too does our sexuality cry out for a companion to ease our aloneness (p. 37).  Dalbey (1988) agrees arguing that our sexuality is part of the Imago Dei at the very core of our humanness.  Sexual desire, he says, must first be understood as the ‘voice of the Creator Spirit-God crying out, “Come back, return from your separateness to the oneness out of which I created you.”’ In essence the triune God is relational and communal, and as beings made in His image our sexuality demonstrates that we too long for community and connection.

A second aspect of the core connection between our sexuality and our spirituality is the desire to reunite the masculine and feminine that were separated at the time of Creation, and have often been at enmity with each other following the Fall and the curse (Gen 2 & 3).

Dalbey (1988) explains this longing particularly well.

We are drawn to each other not to make babies, … but because from the roots of our creation we share a sacred memory of the species, a ancient inner-recall that at one time we were man-and-woman, Adam-and-Eve, in one body.  And so even now the very power of the Creating God is drawing us back to that primal state so we know God completely, as God was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be (p 82).

Thus, to discover our true humanity we must be known by the opposite sex, as it is only together that we can fully begin to reflect the One in whose image we were created.  Comiskey (1988) suggests that this becoming ‘one flesh’ (Gen 2: 24) is a powerful symbol of this coming together, as it is in the act of sexual intercourse that male and female merge bodies, souls, minds and spirits.  United they complement each other and also create new life, thus bearing the image of the unified Creator most fully (p 40).  MacKnee (1997) goes so far as to say that ‘one flesh’ sexuality manifests the image of God in a far more profound way than either gender ever could while standing alone (p 214).

A third aspect of the relationship between our sexuality and our spirituality as human beings lies in their common focus on self-disclosure and being ‘known’ by another. Reiss (1986) describes a major component of sexuality in terms of ‘self-disclosure’ or making known to another that which was previously hidden (p 33).  At creation and before the Fall one of the great privileges of Adam and Eve was to walk with the Lord and with one another, ‘naked and unashamed’.  This nakedness is a portrait of not only being ‘unclothed’ physically but also at the far more intimate levels of our soul, spirit and ‘core selves’.

This picture of spiritual intimacy between ourselves and our Lord was restored at the Cross when Jesus shed his blood and made a way for us to once again walk with the Father in closeness and communion (Heb 4: 14- 15).  Similarly, as Schnarch (1997) indicates, sexual intimacy offers us the greatest opportunity to know ourselves and to know and be known by another (p 211).  Our sexuality then is a key vehicle for disclosing core aspects of self as lovers look into each other’s eyes and soul while experiencing eroticism together.  Significantly, ‘knowing’ is the term used in the King James version of the Old Testament to indicate sexual intercourse.  To know sexually, therefore, is to be known and to know deeply and intimately. It is metaphorical of the way God desires us to know Him and been known by Him.  As Harron (1981) eloquently explains both true sexuality and true spirituality require on the part of the person a willingness to ‘let go’ and abandon one’s self entirely and without inhibition to another.

A fourth area of interface between our sexuality and our spirituality that has been suggested is a similarity of energy source or energy flow.  MacKnee (1997) in a fascinating consideration of this topic suggests that because of this similarity it is by positively embracing and integrating our sexuality that we can grow spiritually and in our spiritual understanding (p 215).  As Johnson (1983) notes:

Romantic love is the single greatest energy system in the Western psyche.  In our culture it has supplanted religion as the arena in which men and women seek meaning, transcendence, wholeness and ecstasy (p xi).

In support of this it is not difficult to note that many of the songs we hear on the radio and television are actually songs of worship, with the messages that ‘I will die without you’ and ‘you make my life worth living’ belonging more to a relationship with God, than to a relationship with another human being.  Johnson (1983) explains this paralleling of romantic/ sexual love and spiritual aspiration as a form of idolatry in which a human being becomes the object of adoration and thus a symbol of God Himself (p 55).

A number of authors take this point further and argue that this does not mean we should seek to abolish or denigrate romantic or sexual passion, but rather understand the deeper truth or reality that lies hidden in this most common of human experiences.  For example, Moore (1985) describes an event when he experienced ‘a sudden sense of desire for no specific object at all’, an experience he believes to be the hallmark of elevated spirituality (p 80).  Similarly, Schnarch (1991) when visiting a temple in India became (along with the others present) aroused ‘for nothing or anyone in particular’ (p 549).  In the context of intense spiritual experiences and elevated spiritual awareness they both experienced desire but without object.  Could it be that within the bounds of human sexuality lies the deeper call to know and be drawn passionately to the One who lies beyond the physical and material?

Johnson (1983) certainly takes this line and argues that ‘the reality that hides in romantic love is the fact of spiritual aspiration; the truth that the Western man unconsciously and involuntarily seeks in romantic love is the inner truth of his own soul’ (p 55).  An interesting comment that anecdotally supports this possibility is given by Schnarch (1997) who explains that many of the clients who come to his sex therapy counselling practice leave with the unexpected and surprising adjunct of an awakened spiritual awareness and interest (p 391)!

If, due to this similarity of energy type and flow between sexuality and spirituality, it is difficult to awake one without awakening the other, it also appears to be the case that if one represses either their sexuality or spirituality they are in danger of thwarting the other as well.  For example, Payne (1981) cites a number of examples amongst her clients of how sexual repression or a focus on auto-eroticism as against relational sexual expression can lead to an accompanying blockage of spiritual and creative energy.

A final point of relatedness between human sexuality and human spirituality is suggested by MacKnee (1997, p 213).  If spirituality is to be considered as an integration of all aspects of the human person and the accompanying actualisation of the person’s fullest potential, with the reality that transcends our physical senses, then the role of sexuality in one’s spiritual development becomes obvious.  In other words if God wants to relate to the whole person, know and be known by the whole person, then our sexuality must clearly be part of what we bring to authentic relationship with Him.

A Positive Integrationist Perspective on Sexuality

It would seem that while many Christians can accept theoretically that sexuality is a positive and important part of our nature, far fewer take the next step – that we can actually bring our sexuality into God’s presence.  Often the Christian experience seems to be that we should leave our sexuality at the door of the church, forget about it during worship or leave it out of our prayers.

In their chapter on sexuality and prayer Ulanov and Ulanov (1988) give a suggestion as to why this may be:

Most things we leave out of our praying are things that frighten us, embarrass us, or make us ashamed.  Sexuality needs to be faced and included in just those particular terms, with just those special variations that insist upon our individuality.  God loves all of us, and therefore our sexual lives too.  So we must bring to prayer the excitements, the wonders, the confusions and the bruises that make up our lives in this area, just as we would bring the issues and problems of the spirit and the soul.

It is important here to remember that our sexuality is not only part of being human – it is part of being created ‘very good’, a core aspect of the imago dei within each of us.  Thus Henri Nouwen often spoke of ‘bringing my body (and sexuality) home’, or in other words not repressing it but rather making friends with it.

Sadly, for many people in this fallen world sexuality is not a positive and celebrated part of the human experience, but a source of brokenness and shame.  Nouwen (1992) reminds us that our sexuality and our brokenness often lie very close together, because our deepest needs often become sexualised- in other words we begin to look for a sexual answer to what are deeply spiritual longings and become wounded and disillusioned in the process (p 70).  The Samaritan woman whom Jesus met at the well (Jn 4) is a good example of this common human pattern.  She had six husbands and de factos but was told by Jesus that it was only water from the spiritual well that he alone could give to her which could quench her deepest thirst.  And as MacKnee (1997) reminds us just as sexuality can lead to communion and intimacy, so too in our fallenness can we use our sexuality selfishly in the exploitation of others (p 217).

As Carnes (1987) and others have pointed out if, in our shame and brokenness or even in the desire to be more ‘holy’, we deny the ‘shadow’ element in our lives of our unwanted sexuality, we run the risk of becoming unable to control our sexual urges and even falling under the bondage of compulsive, sinful sexual practices.  Similarly, Nouwen (1988) states, ‘if I keep my sexual life a hidden life (just for myself), it will gradually be split off from the rest of my life and become a dangerous force’ (p 169).

How then is it possible to reconcile this apparent paradox?  How can we ‘bring our bodies and sexuality home’, while still recognising how broken and shameful we often feel about this core part of humanness?

According to Nouwen (1992) the great joy of the Gospel is that it is indeed when we are most broken and shamed that the Father most wants us to bring this wounding and sin to Him:

The leaders and prophets of Israel, who were clearly chosen and blessed, all lived very broken lives.  And we, the Beloved Sons and Daughters of God, cannot escape our brokenness either… Our brokenness is always lived and experienced as highly personal, intimate and unique.  Yes, fearsome as it may sound, as the Beloved ones, we are called to claim our unique brokenness, just as we have to claim our unique chosenness and unique blessedness..

It is obvious that our brokenness is often most painfully experienced with respect to our sexuality.  My own and my friends’ struggles make it clear how central our sexuality is to the way we think and feel about ourselves.  Our sexuality reveals to us our enormous yearning for communion.  The desires of our body – to be touched, embraced and safely held – belong to the deepest longings of the heart, and are very concrete signs of our search for oneness.  (p 70)

Brokenness and sexuality – both have to do with the most intimate aspects of myself – my vulnerability, my nakedness – and yet it is possible to be naked and not ashamed.  Our calling in God is to find out that we can be broken, we can be naked, we can be our true selves, yet without shame.  This is the environment where it is possible to integrate and embrace our sexuality with all its bruises, uncertainties, wounds and difficulties.

Some Applications for Ministry of a Positive Biblical View of Sexuality

Well known Christian speaker and identity in the area of sexuality, Sy Rogers (2002), has said that in his experience most teaching and discussion of sex in the evangelical church (when it is present at all) tends to be ‘sex-negative’.  In other words it focuses on encouraging Christians not to sin sexually and to keep themselves sexually pure.  This would certainly seem consistent with the experience of this author and many other long-term church members in Australia.  Schnarch (1997) has suggested that one possible reason for this is the Christian tradition of viewing sex as inherently sinful and somehow not compatible or even oppositional to true spirituality (p 392).

What are the implications then of the ‘sex-positive’ view argued by this paper?  What are the practical out-workings of ‘bringing our bodies and sexuality home’, both personally and within the Body of Christ?

The suggestions below are not meant to be a comprehensive list but do suggest a number of possible implications for both individual believers and for those in pastoral ministry.

1)      We need to begin to teach openly on the subject of sexuality and balance messages about what we are not allowed to do sexually as Christians, with more positive and affirming messages about the biblical basis of sexuality, its compatibility with our spirituality and God’s desire for us to bring our sexuality and all its accompanying aspects into His presence.

2)      We need to provide more permission and opportunities for Christians to talk openly about their sexuality in the context of their lives and faith.  As Nouwen (1988) suggests that confession of one’s private life (including sexual life) and personal accountability within the context of loving spiritual community leads one to greater wholeness and health (p 217).  It is certainly the experience of this author that in support groups for Christians experiencing compulsive sexual behaviours and other sexual difficulties that an environment to speak honestly but without shame is of incredible benefit.

3)      Rather than avoid and ignore difficult issues associated with human sexuality the Church needs to begin to engage in meaningful dialogue concerning biblical theology and ethics.  In a very challenging paper Rosenau (1997) encourages the wider Body to create an applied theology of sexuality and erotic pleasure.

4)      Pastoral counsellors could perhaps begin to help church members to be authentic about their sexual struggles and to seek to discover the deeper meaning in their suffering.  MacKnee (1997) for example cites examples of Christians whom he has counselled who have felt guilty about being caught in the ‘trap of masturbation’ and yet have made greater progress when they have focused on thanking God for their sexuality than they have when they have cried out to God to take away their desires (p 218).

5)      Certainly it is appropriate to encourage married couples in the church to feel free to explore the good gift of their sexuality as a bridge to both greater relational and spiritual intimacy with God and with each other.  Rosenau (1997) recommends that couples be given guidance on how to enhance their love-making through the teaching of simple intimacy and communication skills (p 5).  And as Fuchs (1983) explains, ‘a man and woman can (learn to) celebrate through the fragile language of their bodies, the mystery of the world and of God’ (p 231).

6)      Finally, an appreciation of sexual and romantic desire as a God-given metaphor pointing to the deeper and truer human need to find our fulfilment in our Creator, potentially opens up new and dynamic understandings of how God wants to relate to us as His people.  As middle age woman mystic, Julian of Norwich, once wrote, ‘God wants to be thought of as our Lover.  I must see myself so bound in love as if everything that has been done has been done for me.’ It is probable that such a realisation of God’s love could profoundly deepen the spiritual lives and passion of many modern day believers as well.

In summary it is important to recognise that human sexuality is a wonderful gift from our Creator and is seen by Him to be ‘very good’.  Likewise our spirituality is part of the imago dei that separates human beings from the rest of the created order.  It follows that the more that we are able to explore, integrate and embrace these two crucial aspects of the human experience the more we will be able to reclaim the God image with which we were created.

Accepting the relation between sexuality and spirituality offers a vehicle for a ‘post-conventional’ understanding of individual potential and relational growth.  For too long the Christian church has depreciated sexuality as something anti-spiritual.  Since humans were created with both sexual and spiritual dimensions, it is likely that integrating the two facets will reveal more of the mystery of being ‘fully human’ or whole (MacKnee, 1997, p 219).

References

Balswick, J. and Balswick, J. (1998). Authentic Human Sexuality: An Integrated Christian Approach. Downers Grove, IL: IVP.

Carnes, P. (1987). Sexual Addiction: Implications for spiritual formation. Studies in Formative Spirituality, 8, 165- 174.

Comiskey, A. (1988). Pursuing Sexual Wholeness. Kent, UK: Monarch.

Dalbey, G. (1988). Healing the Masculine Soul. Dallas: Word.

Fuchs, E. (1983). Sexual desire and love. New York: Seabury Press.

Johnson, R. (1983). We: Understanding the psychology of romantic love. San Francisco, CA: Harper.

Harron, S. (1981). Psycho-sexual and spiritual development. Studies in Formative Spirituality, 9, 63- 73.

MacKnee, C. (1997). Sexuality and Spirituality. Journal of Sexuality and Spirituality, 16, 210- 221.

Moore, S. (1985). Let this mind be in you: The quest for identity through Oedipus to Christ. New York: Harper and Row.

Nouwen, H. (1988) The road to Daybreak: A spiritual journey. New York: Doubleday.

Nouwen, H. (1992). Life of the Beloved: Spiritual living in a secular world. Sydney: Hodder and Stoughton.

Payne, L. (1981). The Broken Image. Eastbourne, UK: Kingsway

Reiss, I.L. (1986). Journal into sexuality: An exploratory voyage. Engleton Cliffs, NJ: Prentice- Hall.

Rogers, S. (2002). Personal Communication.

Rosenau, D. (1997). Creating a Practical Theology of SoulSex And Intimacy. CAPS Report, 26(1), 5.

Schnarch, D. (1991). Constructing the Sexual Crucible: An integration of sexual and marital therapy. New York: Norton.

Schnarch, D. (1997). Passionate Marriage. Melbourne: Scribe Publications.

Ulanov, A. and Ulanov. B. (1988). Primary Speech: A psychology of prayer. Atlanta: John Know Press.

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Contents: Renewal Journal 19: Church

The Voice of the Church in the 21st Century, by Ray Overend

Redeeming the Arts: visionaries of the future, by Sandra Godde

Counselling Christianly, by Ann Crawford

Redeeming a Positive Biblical View of Sexuality, by John Meteyard and Irene Alexander

The Mystics and Contemporary Psychology, by Irene Alexander

Problems Associated with the Institutionalization of Ministry, by Warren Holyoak

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Counselling Christianly, by Ann Crawford

by Geoff 20 May 2012 2 Comments

Counselling Christianly

by Ann Crawford

Counselling Christianly:
implications for pastors and church-based counselling professionals

Dr Ann Crawford (Ph.D.) wrote as the Pastor-in-Charge of Citipointe Transformations in Christian Outreach Centre, and teaches Pastoral Care subjects at Citipointe Ministry College, the School of Ministries of Christian Heritage College, Brisbane.  This article was presented as a paper given at the Contemporary Issues in Ministry Conference, October 31, 2002, at Christian Heritage College, Brisbane, Australia.

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An article in Renewal Journal 19: Church:

 

This article examines the presuppositions and processes that distinguish Christian counselling from other forms of counselling, explores some of the issues raised including ethics and training, and makes suggestions as to how such a model of counselling may be applied to church-based counselling.

Over the last twenty years or so, interest in “inner healing” or “prayer counselling”, which is often labelled Christian counselling has arisen, particularly among the lay people of the church.   Although these methods have been seen at times to have achieved very positive results, these practices have caused considerable dissention within the church.   Fouque expresses concern: “a Christian, who engages in a healing relationship without the skills necessary to recognize these powerful processes, can fail to maintain the integrity of the therapeutic encounter” (2000: 204).

Often well meaning people in the church, in their desire to help, can actually harm people or hurt themselves through lack of training and knowledge.   Issues of confidentiality, dual relationships, power and control can also create ethical dilemmas, and spiritual abuse is just as real as physical and verbal abuse.

Traditionally, counselling has been considered by people in Western culture to be an element of the pastoral function of the church.   Whether the person considers themselves “religious” or not, it is the priest or minister who is available at times of birth, marriage, death, grief, when relationships breakdown, or when a crisis strikes.   However, there is strong evidence to suggest that most seminary training includes very little counselling theory or practice.  Collins comments on these seminary courses in pastoral counselling stating that they “tend to be more people-centred and relevant, but even here the student (and sometimes the professor) may be lost in a mass of theories and techniques that are not very useful when one is face-to-face with a confused, hurting human being” (1988: 21).

More recently, in the twenty-first century church, counselling is experiencing a growing credibility, leaving clergy grappling with the dilemma of how best to minister to the physical, emotional, intellectual, relational and spiritual needs of their people who are seeking counselling as never before (Lukens in Sanders, 1997: 43).  Consequently, “Pastors, many of whom never felt adequate to the task in the first place, have often turned their counselling role over to the professionals.  …  [and] individual believers often come to Christian psychologists with the express belief that ‘since you are a Christian psychologist, you will be able to help me with my emotional life and my spiritual life at the same time’” (Mangis, 2000: 259-260).

Although this situation may appear to be fraught with danger, Johnson sees this era of the church to hold previously unknown opportunities for the Christian psychological community and he encourages them to become immersed in Scripture and the Christian tradition.  In this way, he sees that Christian psychologists “may be enabled to discover new facts and theories, devising new lines of research to more accurately understand the human nature the way it really is, the way God sees it” (1997: 22).

Several interesting factors are emerging from the growing acceptance of church-based counselling services.

¨      The large number of hurting, damaged people, both inside and outside the church, who are open to counselling.

¨      The relatively small number of thoroughly trained professionals who desire to or are free to counsel Christianly.

¨      The willingness of pastors (particularly of large churches) to refer their people to “specialists” for counselling.

¨      The considerable potential for a church-based counselling service, using both physical resources (buildings, etc.) and the more subjective assets (church-community support) to successfully meet the needs of church members, Christians from other churches and people from the local community.

Hunter argues that “we need a ‘theologically informed psychotherapy’.  But we also need a distinctly pastoral, therapeutically informed art of spiritual and moral counsel” (2001: 22).

Presuppositions

However, to be truly well informed both theologically and psychologically, the person who desires to counsel Christianly requires a framework that examines and analyses such presuppositions as those derived from worldview responses to the questions of; what is humankind? What is reality?  What is God?  What is right and wrong? The answers to these question shape not only the Christian counsellor’s way of counselling but also their way of being.   A clearly defined picture of the structure of personality forms another part of this framework.   The unique tenets of belief of Christian theism, allow the Christian counsellor to see facets of the human person that may well be missed by a less spiritually aware therapist.

As this framework of Christian counselling develops, the purpose and desired outcomes of therapy are other factors to be considered in the light of theology as well as psychology.   An analysis of these outcomes from the perspective of the client, the therapist and postmodern society presents a more realistic and comprehensive position for the Christian to counsel Christianly .

The next concern of the Christian counsellor is to develop a method of counselling that will not so much integrate the principles of theology and psychology as carefully examine the very fundamental presuppositions of both these disciplines and create a model that has firm foundations, allowing for both professional, ethical counselling practice and theologically sound, pastoral counselling practice to come together effectively.   The therapeutic process employed to achieve these desired outcomes, the therapist’s role, the client’s experience and the therapist/client relationship are all vital components to be explored.

Theological Issues

An important element of the framework of a Christian counselling model is an exploration of the historical relationship between Christian counselling and psychology.   Although in recent years the polarised positions traditionally taken by psychologists and theologians have begun to find a meeting place, the legacy of this struggle still effects the status of professional Christian counselling today.    McMinn (2000) sees the integration of these two disciplines as an epistemological challenge.    On one hand, psychology  “is deeply rooted in a scientific epistemology (p.  251) while on the other hand, “Christian theology is bounded by central doctrines, forged over centuries” (p.  251).   He continues by observing that those who have been most successful in this integration “have learned to value both epistemologies” (p.  251).   The implications in this debate for pastors and professional church-based counsellors could well be contained in this assumption.

Another lively debate that impacts this study is the delineation between Christian counselling and pastoral care.   The differences, the similarities and the overlaps in these occupations make defining these a controversial matter.  The increasing interest of psychology and counselling in the spiritual aspects of the person has, in effect, pushed the Christian people-helper into the spotlight.   For the church, whose mandate is to “heal the broken-hearted” and “release those that are bound”, this can be seen as a God-given opportunity to fulfil this mandate powerfully and effectively and the roles of counselling-pastor and Christian counsellor are gradually emerging into the arena of professionalism.   However, as with any emergence, this progress is not without pain.

The Christian counselling professional is beginning to come to grips with the changes that are required for this transition and many of the mindsets and religious traditions of the modern era are being carefully examined in the light of scripture and scientific knowledge, giving rise to policies, codes of practice, training programs and academic learning that satisfies, not only the Christian mandate but also the professional credibility.  From the theological perspective, Williams (1996) sees that the role of the church is both that of evangelism and the meeting of the needs of the people.   He sees the danger of extremes – “evangelism or social action” (p.  153).   He continues, stating the theological position he holds by saying, “This does not mean an equality between the gospel of salvation and the ‘social gospel’, for the gospel is the message of salvation and must have priority.   However, the meeting of other human, social needs must not be neglected”  (p.  153).

Zinnbauer discusses the meeting of these human, social needs.    “To offer distressed individuals more than simple empathy or medication, it is necessary for counsellors to base their work on theoretical orienting systems”.  (2000: 163).   For Christian counsellors, the theoretical systems available may not always be acceptable or appropriate.   Eclecticism is the obvious solution to this dilemma.   The general consensus of the literature on eclecticism in therapy would seem to point to a generally positive response from therapists and researchers provided the eclectic approach has a system.  However, it would also appear that a thorough knowledge of a broad range of therapies is a requirement of a true eclectic therapist.   Silverman also sees more “sophisticated matching studies to formulate conceptions of the right therapist for the right client in the right context as opposed to the right technique for the right problem” (2000: 312).

Bridger and Atkinson observe that the Christian (counselling) scene is dominated by all kinds of eclectic approaches which, in their opinion, eventually “collapse under the weight of their internal contradictions” (1998: 7).   This inevitable collapse, according to these authors, can be attributed to an “uncritical acceptance of presuppositions drawn from a variety of sources” (1998: 7).   The inference of these writers would seem to be that, with critical attention to presuppositions and underlying philosophies, a truly eclectic model of Christian counselling is possible.  This reasoning is substantiated by much of the research already cited in this article which supports eclecticism with the proviso of a comprehensive structure to build upon.

Counselling Christianly

Johnson expresses what is perhaps the essence of the findings of this paper when he writes,  “the Christian psychological community is set free to chart new territory in psychology” (1997: 22).  He then continues, “Christians in psychology must do more than simply contribute to the field of psychology as it is.   They have an obligation to God and to his people to work towards a psychology that is thoroughly consistent with a Christian framework”  (1997: 22).   Maybe the territory is not “new” (Solomon proclaims that “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecc.1:9) but it is certainly uncharted.   As outlined in the introduction, this paper has set out to address the presuppositions and processes that distinguish counselling in a Christian way from other forms of counselling, explore some of the issues such as ethics and training and make suggestions as to how such a model of counselling may be applied to the church-based counselling situation.

Having explored the presuppositions, processes and issues, I will endeavour to synthesise some of these findings and apply them not only to good professional practice but also to the components that make Christian counselling Christian.

For the Christian counsellor, the presuppositions must begin and end with the Word of God.   This is the benchmark, the blueprint for the construction of reality, truth, the knowledge of right and wrong and the structure of personality.  The postmodern worldview apparently is the antithesis of Christian theism.   However, scholars have pointed out that, despite the diametrically opposed philosophies regarding truth and reality, both postmodernists and Christian theists agree that truth and reality are constructed – the postmodernist sees constructivism as being the product of the human person’s own experiences while the Christian theist recognises that God, through his living Word, is the constructor of the individual’s reality and truth.  This understanding gives the Christian counsellor an ability to find a place in a postmodern world that enables him or her to successfully dialogue with clients using their own discourse and thereby facilitating a relationship that encourages change.

Likewise, presuppositions based on the foundational biblical beliefs of the fall of mankind, as found in the first three chapters of Genesis, lead Christian therapists to base their practice on the footing that the human person is made in the image of God but is sinful in predisposition.   That people are accountable for their behaviour, are capable of repentance and can be forgiven by the God against whom they have transgressed, opens an avenue of freedom for the Christian therapist to explore that is not available to a theorist who chooses not to access the promises contained in God’s Word.

A Christian counsellor also has the conviction that the human being is made in the image of God; known intimately by a loving, Father God; created by him with a plan and a purpose; and destined for an eternity in joyful relationship.  Counselling in a Christian way must therefore be unique in the ability of the therapist to be able to encourage the client to exchange the “facts” of their life (e.g. their being unwanted, valueless, a victim, etc.) with the “truth” as ordained by God (e.g. their being made by God in his image, valued as such, etc.).   The internal belief system of the client can be exchanged rather than reprogrammed; and the story not reconstructed but replaced by a narrative that has resolved the dramas of the past; has the strength and strategies to walk through the joys and trials of the present; and looks to a conclusion full of hope, a narrative that always includes the presence of God.

The Therapeutic Relationship

The goals of Christian counselling are to encourage the client towards change of non-productive or dysfunctional lifestyles.   However, for the Christian therapist, the story does not end here.   The wholeness and holiness of the client is the transcendent goal of counselling in a Christian way.   Therefore, as this therapist “connects” with the client he or she is confident that the therapeutic interventions used, the subjective dynamic of the counselling relationship and the active involvement of the Holy Spirit will combine to meet the needs of every facet of the human person – physical, emotional, intellectual, relational and spiritual.

The outcome of the theology versus psychology debate has far reaching consequences for church-based counselling in the twenty-first century.   The fruit of the long and arduous struggle by committed Christian professionals of the last century can now be seen as both the clergy and the mental health practitioner, in increasing numbers, are finding a place of agreement, or at least compromise.   This opens doors, not only for the psychologist to consider the validity of the spiritual, but also for the Christian counsellor to explore the many fascinating discoveries researchers have made and theories scholars have developed in all fields of human behaviour and counselling.

A new breed of Christian counsellors is emerging as more and more mental health researchers undertake both qualitative and quantitative projects.   These empirical findings, coupled with documented subjective or spiritual experience provide knowledge and techniques to increase both effectiveness and efficiency in many areas that are applicable to counselling in a Christian way..

In line with the research into eclectic counselling practice, there seems to be a feasible case for an eclectic model of Christian counselling.   As one of the requirements of eclectic theory as outlined by researchers was a sound theoretical structure, the Christian model, based as it is on the firm presuppositions of Christian theism, would seem to fit the criteria from the eclectic perspective.   This serves to widen the lens for the Christian counsellor and provides more keys with which to unlock the hidden places of people’s lives and see them set free.

This “widening of the lens” is also being seen in the areas of pastoral care and pastoral counselling.   We live in a world where specialisation is increasing in many places both within and outside of the church.   Although many pastors, especially those from large churches, do not have the time for long term counselling, it is more than busy-ness and even the threat of litigation that persuades pastors to refer, or use a person or team of people, both lay and professional, to minister to the people in various areas and at different levels of counselling.   Church leaders are beginning to utilise diagnostic tests to ascertain where the strengths and weaknesses of their congregation lie and many pastors, especially in the charismatic church, tend to be stronger in the more evangelical areas.  This leads us to the area of competency and training.

Whereas secular counsellors and those Christians working in private practice are required to be registered through their respective associations, Christians who counsel within the church, whether they be counsellors or pastors often do not seek registration.  This leaves the individual organisation to train and deem as competent their professional and lay counsellors.   With the increasing cry for counselling, there is a corresponding need for more counsellors who counsel the Christian way.   This would indicate that, not only is counsellor training a priority but policies and procedures to assess the competency of those already counselling is also necessary.

Implications for pastors and church-based professional counsellors

If the twenty-first century church is to continue to grow both in size and influence, it will embrace the cultural shift that began in the latter half of the twentieth century.    This is a time when, rather than being catapulted into the postmodern paradigm, thoughtful Christians are seeking training in many fields of specific pastoral care, including counselling.   There is a new awareness of the need for training in the area of ethics to prevent even inadvertent misconduct by lay counsellors or professionals.

The time is ripe for large churches to begin to establish professional counselling departments – not just to provide for the needy but to reach out to couples in conflict, those in grief, depression, anxiety and addictions.   There are many other “broken-hearted” who are beginning to tentatively reach out for counselling as never before:  those with sexual addictions, those involved in homosexual lifestyles, ones who struggle with anorexia, and many, many more.   It is obvious that, to provide excellent care for these people with the long term goal of wholeness and holiness, counselling training in these specialised fields is essential.

It has always been the mandate of the body of Christ to be the “people helpers” of the broken-hearted and troubled of this fallen world.   It is time for both lay people and professionals to become equipped to take up this mandate with confidence and skill, to have an understanding of what is required of a counsellor, of the standard of character and integrity that is expected of a person in this role and to have knowledge of the moral and legal responsibilities.   Added to this is the essential expertise in the technique and theory of counselling and adequate supervision.  All these elements combine to make a professional counsellor but those who counsel Christianly have the added dimension of continually seeking to become Christlike.

References and Bibliography

Benner, D. (1998)  Care of Souls.  Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker.

Bridger, F & Atkinson, D. (1998)  Counselling in Context.  London: Darton, Longman and Todd.

Carter, R. B. (1999)  “Christian counselling: An emerging speciality.”  Counseling and Values, 43 (3), pp. 189-199.

Clayton, P. (2000)  The Problem of God in Modern Thought. Grand Rapids, MI.: Eerdmans.

Collins, G. R. (1988)  Christian Counseling.  Dallas, TA.: Word.

Conn, J. W. (1999)  “Spiritual formation.” Theology Today. 56(1), pp. 86-97.

Corey, G. (1996). Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy.  Pacific Grove, CA.: Brooks/Cole.

Fouque, P. & Glachan, M. (2000)  “The impact of Christian counseling on the survivors of sexual abuse.”  Counseling Psychology Quarterly, 13(2), pp. 201-220.

Grenz, S. J. (1996)  A primer on postmodernism.  Grand Rapids, MI.: Eerdmans.

Hunter, R. J. (2001)  “Spiritual counsel.”  The Christian Century, 118(28), pp. 20-25.

Ingeborg, E. H. (1999)  “Boundaries and the use and misuse of power and authority:  Ethical complexities for clergy psychotherapists.”  Journal of Counselling and Development, no volume number or page number available.

Ivey, A., E., Ivey, M. B., & Simek-Morgan, L. (1997)  Counseling and psychotherapy. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Johnson, E. J. (1997)  “Christ, the Lord of psychology.”  Journal of Psychology and Theology, 25(1), pp. 11-25.

Jones, S. L. & Butman, R. E. (1991)  Modern Psychotherapies. Downers Grove, ILL.: InterVarsity.

Kirwan, W. T (1984)  Biblical Concepts for Christian Counselling. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker.

Mangis, M. W. (2000)  “Spiritual formation and Christian psychology: a response and application of Willard’s perspective.”  Journal of Psychology and Theology, 28(4), pp. 259-262.

McMinn, M. R. & Hall, T. W. (2000)  “Christian spirituality in a postmodern era.”  Journal of Psychology and Theology, 28(4), pp. 251-253.

Moore, T. (1994). The Care of the Soul.  London: Judy Piatkus.

Moreland, J. P & Ciocchi, D. M. (1993)  Christian Perspectives on Being Human. Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker.

Neimeyer, R. A. (1998)  “Social constructionism in the counselling context.”  Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 11(2).135-150.

Sanders, R. K. (ed.) (1997)  Christian Counselling Ethics.  Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity

Sliverman, W. H. (2000)  “New trends for a new millennium.” American Journal of Psychotherapy 54(3), pp. 312-317.

Smith, R. E. (1993)  Psychology.  St Paul. MN: West.

Snyder, H. A. (1995)  Earthcurrents. Nashville: Abigdon.

Thwaites, J. (1999)  The Church beyond the Congregation.  Carlisle,UK: Paternoster.

Williams, J. R. (1996)  Renewal Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Zinnbauer, B.J . & Pargament, K. I. (2000)  “Working with the sacred: four approaches to religious and spiritual issues in counselling.”  Journal of Counselling and Development, 78 (2), 162-172.

©  Renewal Journal #19: Church (2002, 2012)  renewaljournal.com
Reproduction is allowed with the copyright included in the text.

Renewal Journals – contents of all issues

Book Depository –  free postage worldwide
Book Depository – Bound Volumes (5 in each) – free postage

Amazon –  Renewal Journal 19: Church
Amazon – all journals and books – Look inside

All Renewal Journal Topics

1 Revival,   2 Church Growth,   3 Community,   4 Healing,   5 Signs & Wonders,
6  Worship,   7  Blessing,   8  Awakening,   9  Mission,   10  Evangelism,
11  Discipleship,   12  Harvest,   13  Ministry,   14  Anointing,   15  Wineskins,
16  Vision,   17  Unity,   18  Servant Leadership,   19  Church,   20 Life
Also: 24/7 Worship & Prayer

Contents: Renewal Journal 19: Church

The Voice of the Church in the 21st Century, by Ray Overend

Redeeming the Arts: visionaries of the future, by Sandra Godde

Counselling Christianly, by Ann Crawford

Redeeming a Positive Biblical View of Sexuality, by John Meteyard and Irene Alexander

The Mystics and Contemporary Psychology, by Irene Alexander

Problems Associated with the Institutionalization of Ministry, by Warren Holyoak

Book Reviews:
Jesus, Author & Finisher by Brian Mulheran
South Pacific Revivals by Geoff Waugh

Renewal Journal 19: Church – PDF

Revival Blogs Links:

See also Revivals Index

See also Revival Blogs

See also Blogs Index 1: Revivals

GENERAL BLOGS INDEX 

BLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)

BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)

BLOGS INDEX 3: MIRACLES (SUPERNATURAL EVENTS)

BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)

BLOGS INDEX 5: CHURCH (CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION)

BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)

BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS AND ALBUMS)

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

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An article in Renewal Journal 19: Church:
Renewal Journal 19: Church – PDF

Also in Renewal Journals Vol 4: Issues 16-20
Renewal Journal Vol 4 (16-20) – PDF

 

 

Christian leadership, Christian life, Christian ministry, church

Redeeming the Arts: Visionaries of the Future, by Sandra J. Godde

by Geoff 20 May 2012 1 Comment

Redeeming the Arts: Visionaries of the Future

by Sandra J. Godde


Sandra Godde is the Founder and Director of “Excelsia Dance” based in Brisbane, Australia.  “Excelsia Dance” is comprised of a Dance School and a Dance Company that seeks to bring heaven to earth and to become a prophetic voice to the nations.

 

Renewal Journal 19: Church – PDF

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Redeeming the Arts: visionaries of the future, by Sandra Godde:
https://renewaljournal.com/2012/05/20/redeeming-the-arts-visionaries-of-the-future-by-sandra-j-godde/
An article in Renewal Journal 19: Church:

 

Overview:
I        The Challenge
II        A Call to Action
III      The Prophetic Task
IV       Strategies for War: A Battle Plan
V       Barriers to Overcome as Artists who seek God’s Glory
VI       The Final Battle for the Arts

I  The Challenge

Where is Christ’s voice in the arts and culture?  Who is bringing the Word of the Lord to this generation?  Where are the Christian artists, visionaries, film-makers, musicians, actors, dancers, and television producers?

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again?  It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men” (Matt 5:13, see also Mark 9:50).  Beloved, it is time to know the majesty, the sovereignty, the creativity and the power of our awesome God.

We are in great need of leaders who have a vision for the kingdom of God, a vision that inspires the creation of images and artistic works that will lead people toward Jesus Christ.  Jesus tells us, “You are the light of the world” (Matt 5:14, see also verse 15,16).  The level of peace, joy, compassion, or justice in our world depends very much on whether God’s people are showing it to the world.  All of the arts have tremendous subliminal power to affect cultures and shape history.

The church has, for the most part, underestimated and misunderstood the importance of the arts as a medium for the Spirit of God to usher in his kingdom.  It is God’s ultimate purpose to bring all kingdoms (even the performing arts arena) under his rulership.  Scripture tells us “You have put all things in subjection under his feet.  For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him.  But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him” (Heb 2:8).  And God promises us that he will reign over all things in the future: “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he will reign forever and ever” (Rev 11: 15b).

Artistic expression is a part of life.  Art in all its forms is pervasive and an essential element of our environment.  The works of significant artists are powerful and influential.  They often guide and instruct the culture in which they are birthed.  Artistic works can weaken or destroy the civilisation in which they were created.

The arts can enlarge or trivialise the imagination.  Therefore the arts are not neutral; they impact us, and we need to be aware of what they are doing.  Art inescapably affects us.  Even unworthy forms are always making their impact on society.  So what are we, as believers, going to do about this fact?  Our place as Christians in this world is meant to be an active one that affects our generation.

We are in a battle for the hearts and minds of people on a global level.  We are being bombarded on every front, especially through the media, with images and ideas that are anti-God.  Have you ever asked yourself why Harry Potter and endless movies about the supernatural are allowed to take such a stronghold?  Has the false theology of religiosity deterred the artist and the visionary from the midst of contemporary Christian culture, leaving big holes for the enemy to stake his territory?  Have we made the mistake of defining ourselves only through negatives?  What do we stand for?  Are we providing a true creative alternative to the culture of our day?

II. A Call to Action

God has called us to redefine the enemies’ boundaries.  “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8b).  We are to be on the offensive in establishing God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Song, dance, drama and the visual arts are capable of being some of the greatest offensive weapons we have in the body of Christ.  In a highly audiovisual generation that is becoming increasingly multimedia oriented in its language, God desires to pour out his divine creativity to captivate the imaginations of this generation.  He needs willing and devoted vessels to do so.  Worshipping warriors are required for the job.  Prophetic evangelism is the way of the future.

We have a responsibility to participate in the affairs of humanity in a positive way, to the glory of our Father.  The world should be aware of our presence in the earth (Matt 5: 16) and reap benefits from our very existence as Christ’s ambassadors on earth.  The promise to Abraham was that he would become a great and mighty nation and in him all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Gen 18:18).

So we must ask ourselves, how are we serving our generation and leading the way to life and godliness through Jesus Christ?  We must understand that there is a spiritual element to all human affairs and history.  When God’s people are apathetic and do not intercede or stand up for what is right, evil is allowed to gain control of a society.

As Christians we are to be concerned about the fundamental issues of life and the moral and physical condition of our society.  What was going on in the spiritual realm during the tragic events of September 11, 2001?  What was God saying in the aftermath when many stopped to listen?  What is the Lord saying today – to you, your family, your community, and your nation?  Beloved, we need to know something of the heart of God regarding these issues if we seek to be relevant to those around us.

III  The Prophetic Task

The prophetic task of the arts is to break the silence and speak the truth.  It is to let the world know that Christ is alive and he is not silent.  So, what does God require of us?  Micah 6:8 tells us “….  to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God”.  By our obedience we can help establish justice.  By our boldness and our devotion to Christ we can unveil injustice and oppression and expose social, political and religious evils.

We can preach repentance to win people back into right relationships with God, and with one another.  We can speak of his endless love and mercy.  The prophetic task also involves energising God’s people by offering them God’s version of reality:  His perspective is the ultimate reality.

We can only know this by His Spirit and through prayer and the study of His Word.  We can show God’s possibilities through faith; offer God’s hope in hopeless situations; and encourage people to walk in new levels of obedience and abundant life.  By following the ways of God there is indeed the possibility of real justice, love, acceptance, forgiveness and healing.  There is a great need to restore God’s people to fullness of life and implant a living hope within them that will withstand all the storms of this life.

The means of mass communication is expanding and what is transmitted through the air waves is vying for your attention.  We need to continually pray that God would raise up an army of creative artists and visionaries to lead the way back to the Lord and to conquer and outwit the enemy in his plan to steal the hearts and minds of this generation.  We have a mandate to be the voice of God and speak his truth to our own generation.  Our message must embody what God is doing now and proclaim what God is saying to this generation.  His love endures forever and His character is utterly consistent but He is also creative and unpredictable in the way He reveals Himself.  We need to be constantly in prayer to know the heart and mind of God and to be able to know and implement His strategies.

The arts can indeed be on the front-line in global evangelism, winning hearts and minds to Jesus Christ.  The enemy of our souls understands the importance of creativity and uses it to compel mankind to rebel against God.  Are we going to allow millions of  young people to fall under the spell of the Dark Prince?  How can we prevent this?  We need a vision of the infinitely, superior, awesome Creator who sings a much sweeter and deeper and purer song to captivate our hearts and our souls.

Beloved, has not God promised his children power to transform their society by calling into question the world’s ideas and philosophies (Rom 12:2)?  We have been given spiritual weaponry to bring down every thought and idea that exalts itself above the knowledge of God.  We need a vision of the awesome, loveliness of Christ; the earth shattering power of a holy God; and the universal power of the cross of calvary.  Where there is no vision, the people perish (Prov 29: 18).

The eternal plan of God is the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth (Eph 1 :9-10).  In the times to come, creativity and boldness will exemplify the front-line in the battle for mankind.  And it will be the people who know their God that shall be strong and do great exploits to the glory of God (Daniel 11 :32b).  The reward of the harvest will not be for those that sleep or doubt or criticise but for those who turn to God with a glowing faith and allow Him to be all in all.

IV  Strategies for War: A Battle Plan

Our objective is to take the gospel to all people throughout the world and to make disciples of all nations.  We must constantly refocus our attention to make sure we are on track.  We are to win people to Christ and help them become obedient to all that God has commanded.  Battles are won when we concentrate our efforts rather than dissipate our energies in too many directions.  So seek God for your place in His plan and then be careful to obey all that He shows you.  Remember that God has a body of believers and we are all to play a significant part in His overall plan.

Security involves knowing about your enemy and having continual protection against him.  It also means having a final line of defence past which the enemy cannot penetrate.  For us, this is the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.  I believe there are very specific powers and principalities that have controlled the performing arts arena for a long time, and we need to identify what these are and advance forward to conquer these ruling authorities and dislodge them from the high places of power.

We can’t afford to waste time and energy fighting the wrong enemy, for example, criticizing and competing with one another.  It’s time to know the real enemy and expose him, for our fight is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers in the spiritual realm (Eph 6:12).

V  Barriers to Overcome as Artists who seek God’s Glory

The following ideas are taken from Scott MacLeod’s book entitled Snakes in the Lobby in which he documents a vision the Lord revealed to him regarding the state of the Christian Music Industry and the powers that were seeking to weaken their witness to the world.  I believe they apply equally to the whole performing arts arena.  Let’s now look at the enemies of our soul with the purpose of identifying and uprooting that which is holding us back from being all that God intended for us to be as artists.  In order to reflect the glory of our Father we need to be cleansed, purified, and yielded to God so we can mirror His eternal nature.

Scott MacLeod’s vision entailed a lobby full of Christian artists talking and networking with each other and also showed a plethora of snakes which represented different powers or spirits that were present, drawing people away from a pure devotion to Christ.

The largest snake was SELF PROMOTION.  This snake inspired his victims with a hunger to be bigger and bigger.  His influence seemed to be ubiquitous.  This could be otherwise stated as SELF INTEREST, an excessive longing to be known and recognised by others.  It is the main barrier between us and God’s kingdom.  It is the striving to establish our own kingdom instead of building God’s kingdom.  I believe that to overcome this very deep, magnetic pull that we all struggle with, requires a very deep and real knowledge of God’s love for us personally.  When we understand who he is and how infinitely superior he is to us, we can rest in his love for it is more than sufficient for us, and we are content to be hid in the beloved, and then we concentrate fully on building his kingdom, having been fully convinced of his worthiness and greatness.  Our own need is met in him.

The second snake to appear was LUST.  This was the charmer, the chameleon, changing colours and appearance according to the desires of those under its power.  This snake had a hypnotic quality, drawing in its victims by deceptive flattery with the promise of gaining attention and power for themselves by drawing upon his power.  Again, this snake appeals to the self-conceit in all of us and must be resisted by reckoning ourselves dead to self and self interest.

The next two snakes were intertwined with each other and they were PRIDE and INSECURITY.  These spirits are characteristically found together and cause their victims to vacillate between the two.

One minute they are puffed up with pride and self importance and the next they are wallowing around in the dust with a woeful self-image.  Both extremes are ungodly and lack humility.  These spirits of pride and insecurity bring misery to those ensnared by them and unfortunately it is hard to break loose from them because pride won’t allow the victim to admit any kind of weakness, insecurity, or feeling of failure.  Humility and contriteness of heart is the key to deliverance from these strongholds.  Humbling yourself before Almighty God will allow you to receive a healthy self-image based on God’s Word and a reverential fear and respect for The Lord of Hosts.

The next snake to appear was THE FEAR OF PEOPLE.  This spirit caused its victims to only be concerned about who was who and how they were being perceived by others.  It is a very nervous and agitated spirit that ensnares the one it holds in its power.  It is a spirit of bondage that leads to death as the fear of man prevents us from rightly fearing God.  It often causes its victims to be paralysed with fear.  The remedy to the fear of man is to fear God – to have a revelation of the holiness of God that causes you to reverence him.

On the roof of the lobby was yet another snake called JEALOUSY.  This is the spirit of envy that causes its victim to bum up inside with fury and covetousness.  It attacks the high places because it wants these high places for itself.  It spurs one on with a competitive spirit which is contrary to the spirit of Christ.

There were other smaller snakes hovering around the periphery of the room.  They were bitterness, criticism, unforgiveness, self-pity, and self-righteousness.  All these spirits cause spiritual blindness and make us helpless and vulnerable to the enemy’s attack.  This vision was revealed to show us how we all unknowingly can fall under the powers of the Great Serpent.

The most respectable snake to appear was the SPIRIT OF RELIGION.  This snake had a thirst for power and control and included many of the other qualities of pride, insecurity, lust, jealously, self-promotion, fear of man etc.  They were all hidden in this big white snake.  It is the spirit of self-righteousness and religious pride, an insidious and deceptive power that creeps into the church from time to time.  Unchecked this spirit will lead to a spirit of murder.  It causes people to do evil or tolerate it, and all along believe they are doing right and even doing God’s service.

Later the SPIRIT OF DEATH made an appearance and caused its victims to be overcome with despair and hopelessness.  It causes people to give up, to lose faith, and can result in suicide or other self-destructive behaviour.  It can only be overcome with the blood of Jesus and his resurrection power.

Now, we are all probably familiar with these spirits because they have sought to overcome us all at various times.  God, in His mercy, reveals these things to us that we might understand and know the poverty of our own spirits and turn to him with utter dependence and reverence.  Our gracious Lord reveals these things in our own hearts first, so we can uncover all that is contrary to faith and walk in his light which is the truth that will set us free.  God’s conviction comes so as we can choose him and be free from our sin, our self-life, and this world.  Being cleansed by his blood and appropriating the power of the cross delivers us from all this wickedness and anti-God sentiments that try to control us.

Humility is something we are required to cultivate.  Don’t ask God to humble you – humble yourself under His mighty hand.  Humility leads to grace and grace leads to real love and compassion for others who are still spiritually blind.  The true light of God’s piercing Holy Spirit renders all other powers inoperative.  These snakes are not afraid of you when you are hiding in your own darkness and deception but when you confess the sin in your heart and turn from it, God’s holy presence takes over possession of your soul and sin cannot survive in that environment.  Then, you are equipped and prepared to face the outside enemies.

Serpents don’t engage with you in battle when they see you are properly clothed in the armour of God.  They are scared of the blood of Jesus and the Word of God spoken with faith.  Your faith and fearlessness is terror to them because they know of their condemnation by the righteous judge.

Therefore, to walk in the authority needed to resist evil, one must be fully surrendered to God.

Let love and truth conquer you first before you venture out to conquer spiritual territory for the cause of Christ.  You cannot do it on your own.  You cannot do it without Him.  Learn to allow God to live in you and make his abode in you.  Learn to love as the Father loves.  Can you love your enemies yet?  Can you bless those who curse you?  Can you forgive those who have offended you?  Are you careful to preserve the bonds of fellowship within the body of Christ?  Don’t attempt to do the work of God without the power of God.  Let Christ have his way deep in your soul, transforming your character into His likeness, and equipping you with power from on high.

VI  The Final Battle for the Arts

The present reality is that the prince of darkness is operating like the Pied Piper in the performing arts realm.  He is the power behind a large portion of the music and video industry seeking to shape people’s perception of reality according to his anti-God sentiments and his hatred for the saints of God.  There are many ensnared by the hypnotic trance of this prince that was once the covering worship angel of God.  But now Lucifer has become Satan and his perverted gifts have brought him down to earth with a fury.  His goal is to obliterate anything precious to Almighty God who has become his arch enemy.

Many follow God’s enemy, singing the songs and doing the dances of Babylon.  The ways of the world are opposite to the ways of God.  If you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you (1 John 2:15).  Even many of the sons and daughters of God have chased after the creativity of the world and are now under the curse of the prince of the power of the air.  They have become the tail and not the head.  They have stolen glory for themselves and not given glory to God.  They have used their gifts for their own gain, worshipping and serving worldly things like prestige, popularity, money, music and dance.  They have coveted the praises of people instead of the approval of God.  They have had divided hearts.  They have left their first love.  And God is grieved.

God is looking for worshippers in spirit and truth.  His eyes roam the whole earth looking for hearts that are perfect toward him.  The Pied Piper is hungry to keep his spiritual territory because he knows the tremendous power of music and the arts.

Beloved, the Lord is calling us to “come out of her”.  The Lord is calling His artists to come out of Babylon, “the ways of this world”, and tap into the infinite, creativity of the true and living God.

The Lord is calling all those who have ears to hear to stand before the presence of the Living God, and drink in his revelation and wisdom and inspiration to take the Word of the Lord and feed it to the people, lest they perish under the spell of the Dark Prince.  God is looking for people to be his voice.  Are you willing?  I believe we have to understand what it means to fear God, to walk in his wisdom, to hear his voice, and to speak it boldly and without fear.

The Holy Spirit is wanting to inspire his people with songs and dances of deliverance, healing, and comfort.  When we tap into the inspiration that comes from heaven through prayer, our creative works bring life, and connect people spirit to spirit.  People can then taste and see that the Lord is good.

All of creation groans for the sons and daughters of God to arise and take their proper authority in the earth by allowing the Lordship of Christ to rule their lives and take over their wills.  True worship involves all of our beings and all of our faculties.  It is a matter of Lordship – unashamedly declaring Christ as Lord of all.  We are transformed as we worship.  The Holy Spirit of God brings genuine love in our hearts for others and a sense of community and harmony with one another.

When we seek God for our creativity and inspiration, he charges us with new energy; when we wait upon the Lord, he renews our strength and causes us to rise up on the wings of an eagle.  The song and movement of praise and rejoicing in heaven is contagious.  There is no fear, no self-consciousness, no inhibitions or bondage.  Praise frees us.

Spiritual strongholds are demolished, walls of hostility and division fall, resentment, bitterness and unforgiveness cannot breathe in the atmosphere of heaven and praise.  God restores our soul.  We begin to laugh and dance and sing like carefree children again.  Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (2 Cor 3:17).

God is calling forth an army of worshipping warriors who have first conquered the battle in their own hearts and unequivocally given the reigns of their lives to Christ and are ready and willing to follow the Master’s bidding.  Soldiers must be obedient.  They must be trained, disciplined, and ready to follow commands.  The call comes forward from heaven “Let my people go” so they might worship me in spirit and truth.

We must disentangle ourselves from this world, from self, and from sin and be wholly aligned with the purposes of the Most High God.  Then a powerful and unified army of holy warriors will emerge all over this earth to cover it with the Word of God and the good news of the gospel.  Then he will Come!  Christ will return.  But not before his gospel is spread all over the earth.

Music and art are primary ways of communicating within our culture.  Art is a language that transcends barriers of age, religion, sex, politics, etc., and reaches to the heart.  It is a language that uses images, symbols, colour and sound to evoke universal responses from our psyche.  We cannot afford to dismiss this means of communication.  Our enemy certainly has not.

The anointed arts are one of the most powerful evangelism tools the Lord has given us.  May his artists, filled with the inspiration of heaven, the power of the Spirit, and the glory of God resting in their characters, carry the message of the gospel and the presence of our Lord to every corner of this earth.  Who will stand and volunteer for the job?

Reference:  MacLeod, Scott.  1998.  Snakes in ihe Lobby. Morning Star Publications, Charlotte, NC. U.S.A.

© Sandra Godde, 2002.
189 Gaskell Street
Eight Mile Plains, Brisbane  QLD  4113
Australia.
Ph: 07 3841 4773
International:  617 3841 4773
E-Mail: heaven7@bigpond.net.au

©  Renewal Journal #19: Church (2002, 2012)  renewaljournal.com
Reproduction is allowed with the copyright included in the text.

Renewal Journals – contents of all issues

Book Depository – free postage worldwide
Book Depository – Bound Volumes (5 in each) – free postage

Amazon –  Renewal Journal 19: Church
Amazon – all journals and books – Look inside

All Renewal Journal Topics

1 Revival,   2 Church Growth,   3 Community,   4 Healing,   5 Signs & Wonders,
6  Worship,   7  Blessing,   8  Awakening,   9  Mission,   10  Evangelism,
11  Discipleship,   12  Harvest,   13  Ministry,   14  Anointing,   15  Wineskins,
16  Vision,   17  Unity,   18  Servant Leadership,   19  Church,   20 Life
Also: 24/7 Worship & Prayer

Contents: Renewal Journal 19: Church

The Voice of the Church in the 21st Century, by Ray Overend

Redeeming the Arts: visionaries of the future, by Sandra Godde

Counselling Christianly, by Ann Crawford

Redeeming a Positive Biblical View of Sexuality, by John Meteyard and Irene Alexander

The Mystics and Contemporary Psychology, by Irene Alexander

Problems Associated with the Institutionalization of Ministry, by Warren Holyoak

Book Reviews:
Jesus, Author & Finisher by Brian Mulheran
South Pacific Revivals by Geoff Waugh

Renewal Journal 19: Church – PDF

Revival Blogs Links:

See also Revivals Index

See also Revival Blogs

See also Blogs Index 1: Revivals

GENERAL BLOGS INDEX 

BLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)

BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)

BLOGS INDEX 3: MIRACLES (SUPERNATURAL EVENTS)

BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)

BLOGS INDEX 5: CHURCH (CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION)

BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)

BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS AND ALBUMS)

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

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Click here to be notified of new Blogs

FREE SUBSCRIPTION: for new Blogs & free offers

Free PDF Books on the Main Page

Share good news  –  Share this page freely
Copy and share this link on your media, eg Facebook, Instagram, Emails:
Redeeming the Arts: visionaries of the future, by Sandra Godde:
https://renewaljournal.com/2012/05/20/redeeming-the-arts-visionaries-of-the-future-by-sandra-j-godde/
An article in Renewal Journal 19: Church:
Renewal Journal 19: Church – PDF

Also in Renewal Journals Vol 4: Issues 16-20
Renewal Journal Vol 4 (16-20) – PDF