A Theology for the Social Gospel

In his book Rauschenbusch talks about how the language of ‘the Kingdom of God’ was slowly displaced by the name and idea of ‘the church’. He claims this has had a major affect on our theology and the way we view Jesus and the gospels. He says that we must get back to the language of Kingdom rather than church and gives several suggestions. These suggestions speak to so much of what has happened in the Emerging/Postmodern church, which is amazing to think about when you realize the guy lived from 1861-1918.

1. Theology must focus on the synoptic gospels and Jesus
2. Jesus left us with distinctive ethical principles for the Kingdom
3. The church is primarily a fellowship for worship, the Kingdom is a fellowship of righteousness
4. The Kingdom does not seek to be the dominating reality and take the place of God
5. The Kingdom ideal must be the test and corrective of the church
6. The Kingdom ideal contains the revolutionary force of Christianity
7. The Kingdom is a socio-political reality that affects its surroundings
8. The Kingdom recognizes all creation as sacred and calls it to be sacred
9. The Kingdom understands salvation not just as an individual experience but as a saving of the social order
10. The Kingdom of God breeds prophets and looks of into the horizons, while the church has bred priests and theologians and looks at dogma and tradition

Prophet, Priest, King

The Threefold Office of Prophet/Priest/King

In the book of Jeremiah, Jeremiah continually addresses the three leadership positions of prophet, priest and king as he prophecies over against them in the name of YWHW. In contrast to these leaders Jeremiah is raised up as a prophet against the current prophet’s, priest’s and king. Jeremiah is commissioned in (1:1-10) as being a prophet who is sent, given the word of the Lord, he has been touched by God, and he has been set over and against the kingdoms and nations.
The current prophet’s, priests, and king have forsaken the Law and Covenant and turned to false idols. The prophet’s prophecy falsely and in the name of other God’s besides YWHW. The Priest’s are aimlessly wandering and asking, “where is the Lord” because they cannot find Him. The King and his rulers have broken the laws and regulations of the covenant and taken advantage of the people. (2:8) Idol worship has become a prominent disgrace among all of them. We find in (2:26) all three groups are shamed because they are worshiping creation and idols. All three groups seem surprised at Jeremiah’s prophetic words to them. The prophet’s are astounded, the priest’s are appalled, and the king’s hearts have failed them. (4:9)
All of these issues have occurred because the leaders have turned their back on YWHW, they have neglected His teaching and instruction (32:32) As a result of their turning from God, YWHW will judge them. Jeremiah is the prophet sent to declare both God’s judgment and the call to repentance and a turning back to covenant faithfulness. YWHW declares that the bones of the prophet, priest’s and king’s will be laid bare. They will be disgraced and mocked for their lack of faithfulness. (8:1) The leaders will be filled with drunkenness and they will continue to be confused and without God. (13:13)

The Prophet & Priest

Within this address to the threefold leadership there is an even more focused appeal to the prophet and the priest. This may be because the prophet and the priest have traditionally been the ordained mediators of God while the king was never meant to be. (See 1 Samuel 8) Jeremiah addresses two different issues when he addresses these two groups together. The first issue that he addresses is the one of authority, or source. Jeremiah says that the prophets are prophesying falsely and the priest’s are trying to rule on their own authority. (5:31) The prophet’s have lost the word of God, they have lost the divine word that was bestowed on Jeremiah himself at his commissioning. In the same way the priest’s have lost the law and the teaching of the covenant faithfulness. (18:18) These leaders who are supposed to be giving direction to others and providing direction are instead asking for direction from the Lord because they have lost all guidance. (23:23-24)
The second problem that Jeremiah addresses is the fact that both the prophet and priest have compromised their ministry of God for the greed of money. Both groups have been dealing falsely in their relationships and have practiced deceit because of this greed for financial security. (6:13, 8:10) Jeremiah claims that they have become polluted and have lost the real understanding of why they are doing what they are doing. (23:11)

The Prophet/Priest/King in Israelite History

The traditional role of the prophet in the history of Israel has been to proclaim the word of the Lord. They have been God’s conduits to call his people to accountability, repentance and return to the covenant treaty between God and His people. The prophet addresses the current social, economical and relational (between God and his people, and between interpersonal relationships) issues of the day and provides the hope of restoration, reconciliation and transformation into the image of God. The role of the Priest in the history of Israel has been the Levitical responsibility to usher the people into the worship of YWHW. The priest’s role is to help others recognize the presence of God all around them, to administer the sacraments of God, and to hold the people to the covenant that God has been set before them. We find in 1 Samuel that the role of the king in the history of Israel was not originally intended by God. The role of king was a compromise that God allowed in recognizing that His people had once again rejected him.

Jesus as the Ultimate Prophet/Priest/King

Jesus was the perfect consummation and incarnation of all three of these roles that have been passed down through Israel’s history. Jesus was the ultimate prophet, being himself the Word of God and proclaiming the ushering in of the eschatological kingdom. (33:2-11) He was the ultimate priest as he took the form of the final sacrifice, offering His body and blood for the salvation of creation. (13:14-26) Jesus was also the ultimate king, but in a most radically different understanding of the world’s view of the role. Jesus served as a king who led through servant leadership, washing his disciple’s feet and proclaiming and upside-down kingdom where the first will be last and the last will be first. (23:5)

Oaths???

Ok here is a question that I would like to discuss with those who read my blog.
In my Pastoral Care and Counseling class we where discussing the topic of burial. The topic came up that Free-Mason's have certain rituals they perform in burial ceremonies that we cannot be apart of within the Church of the Nazarene because we do not support "oath bound societies" i.e secret societies that require oaths and certain rites of passage.
Next, the question was raised, "what is the difference between the Free-Mason's oath and the American who pledges an oath of allegiance to America?" Also, what is the difference between an oath that is taken to a secret society (Free-Mason's) and one that is publicly acknowledged (Patriotism/Nationalism)?



How should we understand Jesus' commands not to take oaths?
Mathew 5:33-37 (Sermon on the Mount)
"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

Is there a significant difference between Public v.s. Private oaths?
Should Christians take an oath of Patriotism/Nationalism?
How do oaths on the Bible fit in the courts of Law?
How should we understand oaths to CIA, FBI, Police?

A covenant which is simular to an oath is different in that the covenant is a two sided agreement upon which both parties agree upon certain conditions which shape their relationship. i.e: marriage

A Creed is also somewhat simular to a oath but a Creed is a belief statement starting with "I Believe", where an oath is a pledge, swearing by or giving allegiance to something.

May the discussion begin.........

NTS hosts discussion between Lindbeck, Burrell and Hauerwas

This last Friday was amazing. I sat with a bunch of friends and had the opportunity to hear from three prominent theologians of our day. On top of that the discussion and interviews where guided by Point Loma's own John Wright. Here are some great quotes I wrote down during the discussions.

Lindbeck

"A persons strengths is also their greatest weakness"
"Hope meas that we must trust in our weakness and in God's strength"
"Two detrimental things that have hindered the church in our age have been televangelists (speaking about the asking of money and Luther's battle of indulgences with the Catholic church) and mindless patriotism"

Burrell

"There are two types of people, those who NEED certitude, and those who SEARCH for truth"
"The only way we can truly be Christian is in community"
"Religion is often dry and boring, God however is mysterious and awesome"
"You never ARE a Christian, you are always trying to BECOME one"
"When living in a age of pluralism we can respond in a posture of welcoming or fear"
"The God that we worship is beyond our conceptualization"
"Capitalism is much more dangerous to Christianity than Marxism"
"Reconciliation without Capitulation"

Hauerwas

"Theological claims are primarily forms of practical discourse"
"A modest proposal for peace, let the Christians of the world agree not to kill one another"
"Habit is everything"
'One of the crucial tasks of the church is reclaiming our deaths from modern medicine"
"Do not be afraid of speech"
"We must be willing to forgive the murderers of our children" (speaking about the Amish's recent response to the tragic deaths within their community"