CRAFT BREWED JESUS

Michael Camp is not the first person to make a theological shift as pronounced as his self-described journey has been. It will be interesting to hear what has changed in his mind and in his views. It may shock and worry some of you. It may intrigue others. He says he's a husband, father, author, amateur historian, Rotarian, global development practitioner, marketing director, ex-evangelical, former missionary to Africa, and pub theologian. He has written books, writes a blog, carries on conversations designed to give other theological migrants a means to question their own beliefs, shave off the assumptions and settle upon evidential truths.

His latest book is called Craft Brewed Jesus, in which he describes a captivating excursion of a group of disillusioned evangelicals and Catholics, who decide to meet regularly over craft beers to study the historic foundations of their faith. They learn that their findings rock their world and resolve some ancient mysteries. It's not fiction. What Camp discovers is that in his view, most popular Christian views of the Bible, church, sin, salvation, judgment, the kingdom of God, the “end times,” and the afterlife, all of which are sacred to believers, do not align with the beliefs of the original Jesus Movement. That's the outcome for him at least.

I will spend a bit of time these next days exploring some of his blog writings. I am fascinated that he describes himself as an ex-evangelical for one thing, and that he served as a missionary in Africa for seven years and arrives at this place.

GENUINELY CHRISTIAN YET PRACTICALLY AGNOSTIC (2)

I perceive there will be superior value to the topic if I personalize it. So, I am writing to Christians today. This is a cue, an incentive to a segment of the Christian community.  In the earlier critique I expressed an opinion that we may be living like practical agnostics. It's possible. We are not 'practical' agnostics in the sense of being 'almost' agnostic or virtually agnostic. Of course not, because we do genuinely believe in the large constructs of Christian truth. Rather, during the weekdays, we have minimal explicit contact with God. While the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are factual within our theological framework, we are out of touch. We know that prayer is the network that links us with the divine, but prayer takes time and discipline. We know when we are honest with ourselves that we apply both time and discipline to online social networking, to watching our favourite TV shows, and to daily exercise.  So, we must admit we are slackers. We have not prioritized prayer.

An agnostic is characterized by uncertainty. While we believe in the merit of prayer, we may be uncertain about the effectiveness of prayer.  Possibly, our journals contain slim accounts of answers to specific prayers. We do not doubt God's ability to hear prayer, or to respond to great challenges. We are uncertain that God will answer our request. Our asks have been made before without a response. We don't want to be disappointed any further. Our request seems so trite and selfish so we hesitate. Strangely we are not open and transparent before God who is all knowing.  We worry about a job, about money, about our children. We struggle with our sexuality, with addictions, with attitudes and moods, but we refer none of these to God because we have not successfully integrated our theology with our lives on planet earth. The incarnate Jesus spoke to his Father, and advised us to call God Father. Father loved us (humanity) so much he gave us Jesus.  Jesus came here to do what he needed to do to provide a relationship for us with himself and the Father.  Jesus assured us that in his physical absence he would not leave us comfortless, but rather he promised to give us another comforter, divine like himself, namely, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not only with us but inside us, where character and spirituality are developed so that we can reflect the image of God, that is, be Christlike.      

(I will pursue this subject for in a few posts in the days ahead)

LOVING YOUR CHILDREN ENOUGH

Some parents care about their children's spiritual destiny.
What follows is a personal opinion, born from experience. If you profess to be a Christian and you are a parent of young children, the clearest indicator of your own theology and the authenticity of your confession of faith is the consistent effort you make to provide your own children with the indispensable information that enables them to have a relationship with the God of the universe, and the model your own life exhibits that this relationship is a priority for you. If they are hearing it from you and seeing it in you, your theology is on target. It matters that you love them and it’s rewarding that they love you, but they need to know that they are loved by God and that they are at home in his presence rather than disassociated. Be certain that they do not miss out on what should be their inheritance.

THE ASTOUNDING IDENTITY OF GOD IN THREE PERSONS

To whom are the plural ‘us’ and ‘our’ in reference, in this quotation? “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Gen 1:26). We must surmise in light of the much greater information supplied in the rest of the scriptures, that this is a reference to the three persons who comprise the astounding identity of God in three persons. The concept of deity has been debated for centuries and not without some dire and mortal consequences. Some people have lost their lives for not getting their theology correct, according to other interpreters of the Word. So God in three persons is not three manifestations or three means of displaying one God. Unmistakably, the wording of scripture reveals God exists in three persons, as supreme Father, as pre-existing and then incarnated and finally resurrected and reigning Son, and as unseen Christ-honouring, uncontainable Holy Spirit. And all three persons of God are unified and yet distinct from one another. Now that’s mind-boggling but it is scriptural.