Seminarians Conference

July 2011

Nicholas WolterstorffYale Divinity School

Two roles of theology in the Christian community: Non-engaged—an ideological component of life of

the religious community that asserts and elaborates convictions about God

Engaged role—an activity for the well-functioning of the life of the religious community

“What the world needs is engaged theology that uses the language the world speaks.”

Theology in service of communities of faith

Understands its context socially and historically

Mines its own rich traditions

Is both faithful and critical to the needs and convictions of its faith community.

“Can the church tolerate the separation of the theoretical task from the concrete situation of its own existence? Will theologians be permitted to do their work in cool absentia while pastors sweat out their own existence in the steamy space of the Church in the world? When theological thinking is practiced in abstraction from the Church in ministry, it inevitably becomes as much unapplied and irrelevant as pure….

When the theological mind of the minister is educated primarily through experience, an ad hoc theology emerges which owes as much (or more) to methodological and pragmatic concerns as to dogma. The task to work out a theology for ministry begins properly with the task of identifying the nature of and place of ministry itself.”

Ray Anderson (Theological Foundations for Ministry)

The Achilles Heel of Pentecostals

Pragmatism

Leviticus 10:1 – “Strange fire”

“Aaron’s sons Nadab & Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to His command.”

A divine task attempted with reliance on human design alone.

Zechariah 4:6 – “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord Almighty.

Might – human resources

Power – human resoluteness

Spirit – divine initiative and power for God’s eternal purposes

The temptation to offer our resources to the service of God believing that they are an adequate substitute for God’s eternal resource.

“Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of the Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them Plainly, I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers!”

Matthew 7:21-23

Success is rejected by the Lord as having no kingdom legitimacy.

Human efforts don’t even get a pat on the back.

We can actually think our usage of strange fire/might-power/sign ministry carries with it God’s seal of approval. Success is viewed as self-authenticating.

So What?

How do we counteract bifurcation?

How do we resist pragmatism?

How do we challenge our culture’s immunity to the Gospel?

Discernment as an act of Church Leadership is the minimal expectation for our 21st century church leader (Acts 2:11-21)

Discernment – spiritual maturity to know the difference between works of human effort and the continuing ministry of Jesus empowered by the Spirit. Discernment assumes the present tense of Jesus

redemptive ministry.

Discernment assumes that Christ’s Kingdom rule extends over all human structures and efforts.

Discernment strives to “see” the presence of Jesus in all ministry actions & structures. (Not as an act of piety, but as a biblical necessity.)

Discerning true ministry requires:

A connectedness to the life of Jesus (John 15)

An affirmation that holiness and ethics are never mutually exclusive (II Cor. 5:20)

A willingness to exegete ministry contexts with the same rigor we exegete biblical texts (Mt. 7:21-23)

A commitment to evaluating ministry methodology by whether or not it facilitates Jesus continuing redemptive ministry.

Discernment of Ministry

Key Considerations

Ministry action as an action that produces a result.

The end product of the action completes the act regardless of what the future of the product may be i.e. a ministry action can be viewed as effective simply because it added more people or people were supportive (fiscally) or people were “blessed,” or it most effectively facilitated a program’s success.

A ministry action that includes the ultimate purpose of that action as part of the action.

No ministry action, program or ministry structure is incidental.

It either reveals the redemptive purpose of Jesus or it has no contribution to make to God eternal concerns. (Mt. 7:21-23)

Life as a Pentecostal:

A journey of confidence

tempered by humility.

“There was a time when Pentecostals warned themselves and anyone else who would listen not to become entangled with and dependent on the ‘things of the world.’ Pentecostals were suspicious of the passing fads of stylish clothing, the latest hair-do, and glitzy new consumer products. They were also, as it turns out rightly, suspicious that the powerful new mass media could be a seductive lure, tricking people into the empty value of the consumer market culture. Perhaps it is time for a rebirth of that ethic of simplicity, that suspicion of ‘the things of the world’ for which the early Pentecostals were so famous.”

Harvey Cox

“Pentecostalism is not an aberration.”

“What began as a despised and ridiculed sect is quickly becoming both the preferred religion of the urban poor and the powerful bearer of a radically alternative vision of what the human world might one day become.”

Harvey Cox

An attempt at finding the core of Pentecostalism

Every human being struggles to find a sense of destiny and significance.

Pentecostalism represents a spiritual restoration of significance and purpose to masses of people.

Restoration of basic (primal) speech In a world that can make people think

as if their “voice” does not matter or where contrived rhetoric has emptied language of any meaning.

Pentecostals participate in a language of the heart that is understood in heaven, and no particular tragedy can restrain. (Rom.12:1-2)

Restoration of basic (primal) piety Our relationship with God cannot be

contained in left-brained activity alone, but is to be encountered face to face.

We believe and expect God to act in imminent and concrete ways. (Mark 16:15-18)

Restoration of a basic (primal) hope An affirmation that the world we see is not all

there is and can be.

An orientation toward the future that persists despite the failure of certain events to occur.

A sense of destiny that affirms in concrete action that we are connected in history to the God who is the Alpha & Omega. (Mt. 24:14; II Thes. 4:13-18)

To make a long story short

Our words – “deepest attempts at communication” are heard by Someone who understands.

Our address is known by God. Our destiny is linked to the Creator-

Redeemer God

A Pentecostal Take on Theological Reflection in the Trenches of Christian Service

Dangers When theological thinking is practiced in

abstraction from the Church in ministry, it inevitably becomes as much unapplied and irrelevant as pure.

When the theological mind of the minister is being educated primarily through experience, and ad hoc theology emerges which owes as much (or more) to methodological and pragmatic concerns as to dogma.

Theology for Ministry The task of working out a theology

for ministry begins properly with the task of identifying the nature and place of ministry itself—taking the Bible authoritatively and the context seriously.

Nature of Ministry

Ministry precedes and produces theology, not the reverse.

All ministry is God’s ministry Every act of revelation is a ministry of

reconciliation

Nature of Ministry (cont.)

The act of God is the hermeneutical horizon for the being of God.

The Incarnation signals that every ministry activity has theological objectivity in and of itself

Assumptions in Theological Reflection Making sense of this mess? How? God’s Word is authoritative

It reveals God’s character and His mission The context must be taken seriously

It is legitimate because it is the place that God revealed Himself most clearly in Jesus Christ

That revelation has eternal intent—reconciliation

Assumptions in Theological Reflection (cont.)

Ministry must be an act of God to be legitimate All ministry is God's ministry It cannot be taken on a life/purpose of its

own The mission of God comes most clear in

Jesus Christ and its continuation is guaranteed by Pentecost

Assumptions in Theological Reflection (cont.)

The ongoing ministry of Jesus Christ exemplifies God’s purposes That ministry (it’s purpose,

power/pattern/character) is the standard we are co-missioned to participate in

What is God doing?

DISCERN John 5:17; Acts 1:8; 2:4 The process of

affirming the Christ of Scriptures at work in our local contexts

Agent of Transformation

What is the source of my power?

What has God done?

VISION II Cor. 5:17-20 Capacity to acknowledge

the significance of Christ in the world

To make sense of life

What is my purpose?

Theological Reflection Takes Scriptures authoritatively Views the context seriously Affirms that God is at work in ministry

contexts Acknowledges that orthodox doctrinal

conceptualizations do not guarantee ministry effectiveness or orthodoxy

That ministry has theological objectivity in and of itself