Scot McKnight: October 2007 Archives

Brian McLaren, in Everything Must Change, thinks Jesus counters the current framing story of the equity system. Here's how:

Who has spent some time pondering Jesus' message about wealth? What does Jesus have to say about equity?

Here are some passages where McLaren thinks Jesus somehow subverts the equity system of his day:

1. Matt 5:25-26: seek reconciliation outside the system.
2. Matt 18:23-35: "penal fairness that requires punishment by the book but lacks mercy isn't the kind of justice desired by God" (246).
3. Matt 20:1-16: an economy of care for the common good ... "social sustainability, healing, and transformation" (247).
4. Luke 16 -- the so-called "unjust" steward presumes on a meaning of "just" Jesus doesn't use. Jesus evidently sees the whole system as unjust and praises a man who defects from the system.
5. Luke 16:13-15 -- serving God or mammon and Pharisees who loved money.
6. Followers of Jesus are to have a "justice" that outstrips that of the Pharisees and scribes.
7. He invites the excluded to banquets (Luke 14): read the chp in Luke -- potent rhetoric.
8. His treatment of women is similar at undoing systemic injustice; his treatment of children and he washes feet -- all subversions of the system.

What does holiness mean? He appeals to John Wesley, for whom holiness was social holiness. Then he appeals to Walter Rauschenbusch to show that holiness transcends the personal; then to Jacques Ellul on rank individualism. "We have in many ways responded to the big global crises of our day with an incredible, shrinking gospel" (252).

The invisible hands of free markets will not undo the systemic injustices of the equity system.

What to do?

1. Generosity toward the poor.
2. Call the rich to generosity.
3. Work to improve the system

We're not into Halloween much around here, except for the candy part, and Kris decided long ago not to dress the house or our kids up in ghost or witch outfits (or these). So, we have Fall decorations and some pumpkins and gourds and a dressed-up Teddy Bear. We used to enjoy going to the local grade school to watch the annual march of costumes, and couldn't wait to see what the Dunlop kids had created for the year. One year Robbie was about 7 feet tall as a rocket of some kind.

Oh, and what were some of your favorite Halloween treats that were given out? Kris reminds me every year that she used to go to a house that gave out HOT DOGS!!!

What do you do?

After mentioning that Paul's ethic in Colossians is a resurrection, ascension, liberation, and eschatological ethic, Walsh and Keesmaat, in Colossians Remixed, contend also that the ethic of Paul is "relational" and "narrative" and (tomorrow's post) an ethic of secession.

"Absolutes, William [imaginary character in this book] insists, are unrelated, timeless truths that come to us as nonnegotiable moral laws. Is this what Paul is up to..?" (157). Yes, but mostly No. Paul offers a relational ethic.

This section then explores, wondrously, all the relational "in Christ" language of Colossians. Here are some: from 2:9-15 we see this 7x -- fullness dwells in him, we come to fullness in him, buried with him, raised with him...

The ethic is rooted not in Torah as commandment but in life in Christ ... "because of a matrix of relationships that characterize new life in Christ" (157).

It is also a narrative ethic. "Praxis -- that is, human culture-forming, ethical behavior in daily life -- is narratively grounded because we act out of who we are" (157). And here I think W-K do some very important theologizing in Colossians: character is narrative formed and the narrative Paul forms them in is the narrative story of Jesus -- his whole story is their story. He identifies them with every major event in the life of Jesus.

Here are those events:

Death, burial, resurrection, ascension and second coming.

"The story of Jesus is our story."

One of the beefs non Christians have with Christians is their perception that Christians want them to "get saved!" So, Kinnaman and Lyons, in unChristian, study this them in chp. 4. This chp, however, is less about the perception that Christians want others to get saved and much more about the lack of transformation in the gospel of Christians.

1. Mosaics and Busters don't like being cornered into spiritual conversations and they are suspicious and savvy about the motives of others.

2. Mosaics and Busters are not likely to be pushy about their faith; they are less likely to share their faith; they believe one can live a life without Jesus in a meaningful way; less likely to believe in a "once-saved-always-saved" mentality.

3. 64% of Christians think they are sincere in evangelism; their audience is only 36% convinced.

4. Major myths and realities about evangelism:

4.1 Best evangelism is that which reaches the most people; best evangelism is relational.
4.2 Anything that succeeds is worth doing; 3-10x more damage done by mass [evangelism kind of] stuff.
4.3 No need to worry about offending others; respect is a key factor in evangelism.
4.4 Logical arguments are very important; very few respond to logic: individualism, loyalty to peers, emotional/experiential.
4.5 Everyone has an equal chance; vast majority respond before adulthood, often before adolescence.
4.6 We need to help outsiders find a connection with God; most are fiercely independent.

5. Alarming conclusion: the majority of those who are evangelized have already tried on Christianity and walked away.

6. Survey of Americans: 65% made a commitment; 29% absolutely committed; 3% have a biblical worldview.

7. 1 out of 7 Americans think Christianity is genuine or real.

8. Transformation is not central enough to gospel.

They believe the secret to shifting from the get-saved! problem is to establish genuine relationships.

About two weeks before Halloween, Kris finds herself pondering what kinds of candy to give to the small number of kids who knock on our door and give us the meaningless options of "Trick or Treat." About 11 days out one of us tests the bags of candies she has brought home, thinking we certainly won't give them all away. So, last Sunday while Kris was gone I thought I'd try a Reese's cup and Kris, immediately noticing that a bag had been opened, asked, "Who opened the Halloween candy?" "Not me," I said with the wrapper in my hand. On Tuesday I observed that the Kit-Kat bag had been opened. "Who opened that?," I asked. "Not sure," Kris replied. "I think it was Webster."

This weekend, perhaps on Saturday, Kris will think that we might run out of candies for the kids so she'll buy two more bags. Gotta be ready "just in case."