The Prophetic Culture of the Kingdom
Part I of a 8 part series: Introduction and Chapter 1
Culture and Paradigm: The Underlying Problem
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
John
13:34-35
Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place. “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
John
18:36-37
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied, “Love the lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew
22:34-40
Table of Contents
Foreword By Ron Dart
Preface
Introduction
Chapter One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Culture and Paradigm: The Underlying Problem
Chapter Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A Spiritual Culture?
Chapter Three . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Divided Loyalties
Chapter Four . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Transcending Culture
Chapter Five . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A Call to Citizenship
Chapter Six . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Identity Storm
Chapter Seven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Prophetic Culture of the Kingdom
Conclusion
Appendix A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Can We Change?
Appendix B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . Testimony
Foreword
So that they may be one as we are one. (St. John 17: 11, 21, 22)
It is, indeed, a fine and rare day when a book
written by an author who thinks, lives and has his being from within the
protestant renewal tradition is introduced from someone from the classical and
mother church tradition. Those of us who are solidly committed to the ‘one, holy, catholic
and apostolic church’ rarely linger long with those of the more postmodern and emerging
church types and tendencies; the classical and anarchist traditions tend not to
mix well for a variety of reasons. The understanding of spirituality, the
church and public responsibility are often at serious odds with one another.
The meaning, for example, of Christ, the atonement, the church, prophetic,
apostolic, sacraments, peace and justice and much else takes different paths
and ends in different ecclesial and practical directions. The historic clashes
that have shaped and defined such traditions cannot be easily overcome as some
of the more superficial think they can
through networking events and gatherings. But, to remain in separate
solitudes is not the answer either. There are larger issues that face the
Christian community today than those that once divided and split the body of
Christ since the Reformation of the 16th
century to the present. We are all heirs of such a family tree for good and
ill. This fragmented heritage has been handed down to us, and it is the role
and responsibility of future generations to speak a firm No to much that has
been, sadly and tragically so, passed our way. The time for living in different
and isolated denominational cloisters is done and over. There are many larger
issues facing the church today than the unnecessary and divisive battles of the
past.
The fact that I, an Anglican, am writing a “Foreword’ to a book by
Eric Janzen (whose roots are Anabaptist-Mennonite and Vineyard) makes for an
interesting and needful coming together of quite different traditions. Eric has
a concern that the church live up to its high standards-so do I. Eric has a passion
for the church, and such a passion makes the fire within him long to burn all
the dross and impurities so that the pure gold will emerge. I walk step for
step with Eric on this issue. Eric is committed to the deeper meaning of
Christian love, and a longing for justice and peace as embodied in the Sermon
on the Mount---so am I. Eric has carried the message of this book in the womb
of his soul for many years. It is time for the birth to occur, and with the
publication of this epistle of prophetic love, all who read, hear and
internalize what has been offered by Eric cannot help but be touched and
transformed.
There is a tenderness and graciousness that
runs like a silver thread through this missive, but there is also a probing
firmness that points to the hard and demanding issues of transformation. The
task of living in the tension between mercy and the costly grace of death to
the ego (or, the old Adam-Eve) is never easy to live within. Some err on the
side of mercy, and a form of cheap and sentimental grace comes to dominate the
day. Others err on the side of boundaries and lines drawn in the sand, and a
form of legalism and harsh judgmentalism can raise its nasty head. Eric has so
internalized the tension that it is a beauty and joy to read and reread the
message from his longing heart and restless mind.
Eric was a student of mine in the 1990s, and it
is a delight to watch the tree grow tall and bear much fruit. Eric has tried
and tested many of his ideas in the workplace, at Freshwind congregation in
Abbotsford (where he now attends), at Langley Vineyard where he once attended
and in many sensitive conversations at Ethical Addictions that have gone to
illuminating places. Coffee table and Deli theology are on the move, Ethical
Addictions has become an informal seminary for many, and Eric has been front
and center in this educational process.
Those who take the meditative time to walk
through this gift given cannot but have the eyes of their soul refocused and
reformed. The faith journey will be seen in a deeper manner, and the desire to
live forth the significance of God’s abundant love enhanced. This epistle of
prophetic love opens the attentive and eager reader to the eternal and festive
banquet of God, but also asks those that have dined, wined and danced at the
feast return to the streets and welcome one and all to the festival of the
Divine Lover and His family and friends. The best of the dancers, though, like
good Irish dancers, know that learning the dance steps take much hard work,
time, discipline and communal effort. Again, cheap grace is for the immature.
The love that is loyal in the midst of indifference, rejection and mistreatment
is what makes the difference between a real saint and spiritual voyeur. Great
dancers persevere through much pain, whereas the dilettantes disappear when the
hard lessons need to be learned on the dance floor of life.
The Christian
Tradition is a deep well, and it would have been valuable if Eric had lowered
his bucket further in the ancient and life giving waters. There is no doubt
there is much fresh and pure water in this missive, but if Eric had turned to
such justice and peace sages such as Erasmus and Thomas More, this book would
have had a wider and more comprehensive appeal. Many of the early 16th century Anabaptists visited Erasmus in
Basel and learned much from this scholarly and prophetic mentor to prelates,
kings, nobles and those that labored faithfully in the trenches. I think as
Eric turns the ear of his heart and mind to those like Erasmus, More and Thomas
Merton much more will be gleaned and fuller fruit will hang heavy on the mature
branches.
I highly recommend you purchase, read and hear
what Eric has penned in this book. You might agree with parts of it. You might
disagree with other parts of this letter of love. But, there is one thing for
certain. You cannot help but be drawn into the vision and concerns that have so
held Eric for many a decade. It is always a privilege to sit with those in whom
their faith matters the most. This epistle from Eric’s well formed and forged heart offers the
eager, curious and interested the opportunity to sit with Eric and truly hear
what matters most to him. A healthy faith journey cannot but have a better
beginning. The Celts called such meetings the thin places between eternity and
time where ‘soul
friends’
are knit together. May such a book begin the knitting together between varied
and various faith traditions.
Ron Dart
Preface
In
the movie The Godfather Part 3 there is a scene that takes place in which an
aging Michael Corleone, supremely powerful mafia boss of the Corleone family,
pays a visit to an influential Catholic Cardinal named Lamberto in Rome. As they sit beside a fountain Cardinal
Lamberto takes a stone from the water and says to Michael
“Look at this stone. It has been in the water for a very long time, but the water
has not penetrated it. Look… Perfectly dry. The same thing has happened to men in
Europe. For centuries they have
been surrounded by Christianity, but Christ has not penetrated. Christ does not live within them.”
Cardinal Lamberto, an authentic man of faith,
draws the mafia boss into giving his confession, something he has not done in
many years. The mafia boss breaks
down as he confesses terrible actions he has taken in his life. It is a powerful moment in the
film. A man of evil facing the
internal cost of his actions, realizing that even a man of his power and
earthly authority, is in desperate need of some kind of redemption. The poignant symbol used by Lamberto of
the stone not being penetrated by the water serves as a powerful picture of
what so many people experience in their lives. Exposed to and surrounded by the Gospel, their spiritual
lives are not impacted.
Most Christians are well acquainted with what
Christianity is about. They know
the story, they understand what it means to be saved, they know something about
theology and what they believe. But has it impacted them? This is the nagging question lurking
behind the lines in this book. If
the Gospel is a message of redemption and spiritual transformation then it
ought to impact us on the deepest level of our being. It is one thing to know what you believe, quite another to
have that belief be the primary influence in your life.
Human beings have a unique ability to self reflect, to examine themselves and gauge how they are affected by events, ideas, spiritual truths, etc… As Christians we need to spend some time honestly reflecting on how seriously we take the things we believe. Are we like stones that have never broken open to allow the waters of the Gospel into our hearts? Or have we opened ourselves to the Holy Spirit inviting him to bring the fullness of the life of Christ within us?
I was asked after having written the initial
draft of this book who I meant when I referred to the Church. Which stream of so many was I
addressing? The streams I am well
acquainted with are of the protestant stream. I grew up in the Mennonite Brethren church, an Anabaptist
stream. Later in life I was part
of the Vineyard, more of a charismatic stream. I now belong to a little church called Freshwind, a church
whose stream is difficult to label.
We simply love Jesus and are trying our best to follow him.
So who am I addressing? My experience and impressions of the
protestant streams of the church in the West set me in a particular context,
and it is perhaps these streams that I am mainly speaking to. Yet, I also believe that Christians
everywhere, regardless of what stream they are a part of could find something
in the following pages that they will find meaningful.
This book is a work of self reflection as I continue to search for an authentic faith and life lived with Jesus Christ. I want to be a stone cracked wide open allowing the Spirit of Christ to penetrate to the deepest places of my heart. This book, therefore, is addressed to all believers who share that same longing and desire for a genuine and vibrant faith and relationship with God.
Introduction
You do not have to go far today in Christian
circles to find a conversation about church. What is church?
Why is church succeeding or failing? What does it mean to be a Christian and what does it mean to
be the Church? What is wrong with
the Church today? Questions like
these are being posed by the average church goer at coffee shops or wherever
they get together with their friends.
An identity crisis of sorts is occurring in the Christian world spurred
on by a sense that the Church is failing to be relevant in today’s world, failing to be
what it is supposed to be. Answers
are being offered from various streams within the Church and what follows is my
attempt to answer some of these questions. It is my side of the conversation down at the coffee shop
with those who, like me, are frustrated by a Church that appears to us be
little more than a system lacking any real spiritual vitality.
The problem with addressing these issues is
that the voice of questioning can sound critical and harsh at times, but this is
not the heart behind the words. I
love the Church, I love my brothers and sisters in Christ, and I value the
Church deeply. It is perhaps
because I care so deeply that sometimes passionate words come out of my mouth
and pen that are blunt and to the point.
Part of me wants to apologize in advance to the reader if they feel
offended by anything they may read, but the other part of me wants to say that
it is past time for being overly sensitive. We need to be asking the hard questions and we need to be willing
to honestly face the answers we discover.
The reader should be comforted to know that I have been strongly
challenged by the thoughts I have explored in this book, deeply disturbed at
times, and even discouraged enough that I gave up on the writing a few
times. Herein lies part of the
challenge to all of us who call ourselves Christians. We live in discouraging times. The Church has not been doing well for some time now, and
those of us who are hungry and thirsty for the kingdom of heaven find ourselves
starving and parched. It is time
to tackle our internal struggles as a community of believers so that we can
come together and begin with a fresh understanding of what it means to be the
Church and followers of Christ.
I am a student by nature and I love to
learn. I say this so that you will
know I do not think that I have all the definitive answers for everything. What I offer is my thinking thus far and
as always I am very open to the possibility of being wrong. Though my language may come across
strong, it is merely the consequence of expressing these thoughts. We need an open dialogue in the Church
today so that together we can move forward through this time of crisis. Let those who love Jesus and his bride
humble themselves enough to ask the hard questions and begin working through
the answers.
I began to think about the culture of the
kingdom a few years ago and have come back to the idea many times. I believe there is something valuable
in looking at the kingdom of heaven from this point of view and hope that it
will be interesting to at least a few people out there who may pick this book
up. Culture is complicated because
it is not easily defined or pinned down.
We tend to think of culture in a few different ways. There is the understanding that we have
an over arching culture that describes a society’s values and ethics, its understanding of the
world and its place in it.
However, it does not take long to recognize that beneath this umbrella
there exists what we call subcultures.
The differences these offer are diverse and numerous testifying to the
complexity of human beings themselves.
We are highly individualistic and we draw on the cultures around us to
form our own micro cultures that we then use to define ourselves and our
understanding of the world that surrounds us and how we view our own place in
that world.
It does not take long to see how culture is
incredibly complex, but an undeniable force in all of our lives. We have not yet factored in the added
complexity of being a Christian in the midst of culture, but worry not! This is the underlying theme of this
book. We shall come to this
question often. What is the
relation of the powerful force of culture to the Christian? How does following Jesus affect our
understanding of culture and our Selves?
Ultimately we must ask what culture we as believers live in and ascribe
to. The answer will profoundly
touch on our understanding of who we are and who we are to be.
Chapter
One
Culture and Paradigm: The Underlying Problem
Culture is an intangible set of values and
attitudes that describe a group or society’s world view. It is a macro power influencing that society which comes
from their collective identity.
Simply put, culture is the communal identity of a society. It is not a rigid identity, but rather
it is always in flux depending on events, leaders, art, and many other
influences. Now that you have been
bored by a dry definition, let us look at some examples.
We now live in a post-modern era, or just
beyond it, a time of uncertainty for many. We are not quite sure where we are going culturally
speaking. Where will we end up as
the current era moves forward and works itself out? Our collective sense of insecurity can probably, in part, be
ascribed to this uncertainty. Our
culture has shifted from the more concretely defined times of the modern
era. Modern culture viewed the
world in very clear terms. The
battle lines were clear: Democracy vs. Communism and Dictatorship. Rationalism and a belief in a material
world with scientific answers provided a clear, though sterile, understanding
of the world. Societal roles were
clearly defined and understood.
There was an idealism and a hope that a better world was around the
corner. The overall System, though
flawed, was believed to be good at its core, and the changes needed were
believed to be achievable. But
something went awry along the way and the shift to the post-modern era began. One example of where this shift may
have been spurred on can be taken from American history.
In the 1960’s the US went to war in Vietnam ostensibly to stop the spread of communism in Asia. There emerged in the US a strong anti-war response to the war in Vietnam. Many young people and students spoke out against the war for they did not believe it was a justifiable action. When John F. Kennedy was elected president there was a firm belief that true change was at hand. He was young and seemingly in touch with the view of the culture of younger Americans who opposed the war. With his tragic assassination the idealism of the era took a fatal blow. The hope that there could be a better answer to dealing with the problems of the world died with him. The student movement in the US traded their culture of idealism for cynicism and distrust of their own government and the System. Institutions were no longer seen as things that could be reformed, but as enemies to be fought against. When Lynden Johnson committed US military forces to remain in Vietnam it confirmed the growing fears of the post-modern shift and the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy only served to further confirm those fears. Culture had been profoundly effected by these events. Disillusionment had entered the cultural pantheon as a major force.
Another example of a cultural shift can be seen
in the changing attitudes towards the environment. Fifty years ago there was little focus on environmental
issues in the mind of the general public.
The world of business did as it pleased as it produced consumer goods
with very little regard for the negative consequences that production may have
caused. In the present era concern
for the condition of the environment and where goods come from is far more in the
forefront of the average person’s mind.
It took time for this cultural shift to occur, but many people today
want what they consume to come from ethical sources and earth friendly means of
production.
Perhaps one of the most significant cultural shifts we have seen in the last fifty years has been the growth of spirituality in response to disillusionment with rationalism and science. These cannot provide anything substantial to the human spirit, nor would they in their purest form offer to. Science is about concrete factual answers providing a rational understanding of the material world. It is not a System concerned with the spiritual condition of the people who inhabit that world. An error occurred when science and spirituality decided to duel it our for the minds and hearts of human beings. Religion has been belittled and made to seem irrational since spiritual matters cannot be quantified scientifically. Science became for the religious world an enemy to be mistrusted and discounted whether it was right or wrong. Science seemed to have the upper hand in this duel for some time, but in the 1980’s what had been growing behind the scenes in the 1960’s and 1970’s hit the main stream of culture in the west. The ‘New Age Movement’ with its rainbows, third eye symbols, psychics, aura readers, crystals etc… became a well known spiritual culture in both the US and Canada. Of course there was nothing ‘new’ about this spirituality. It was the expression and practice of old pagan and eastern spirituality. What was new was the mass interest in these spiritual systems being out in the open with little thought given to the nay-sayers and scowl of science. This trend has only continued up to the present day making for a very confusing and murky spiritual world filled with so many belief systems that it boggles the mind when one peruses the spirituality and religion section of their local book store. Today’s spiritual environment is very open and in a post modern culture people are generally open to listening to one another’s spiritual beliefs. Science is still a powerful force in our culture and the duel continues, but neither side is ‘winning’ and neither side will.
From these brief examples we can see that
culture is filled with shifts that are happening all around us. It exerts real influence and pressure
on us, some big and some small.
What is important to understand is that culture is an ever evolving
force and that it is a very real power affecting everyone regardless of their
consent or not. Though this is a
brief discussion of culture it provides us with enough of an understanding to
allow us to move forward and consider the micro form of personal culture each
of us has called paradigms.
Paradigms are inner cultures particular to
us. They are formed and molded by
our Culture, our upbringing, our education and ultimately by how we interpret
these forces for ourselves.
Paradigms are like a pair of glasses you wear. The lenses of those glasses are like a filter. How you interpret and understand the
world you live in is determined by those lenses. You see and understand the world according to your
particular filtering lenses. On
this level, culture becomes even more complex, for our paradigms vastly differ depending on our experience and
personal belief systems. Like
minded people will share similar paradigms with subtle variations within them
(the complexity is endless!).
There are an incredibly diverse amount of paradigms in the people around
us.
We encounter paradigms everyday. Our own paradigm is active from the
moment we wake in the morning actively filtering the world we experience
throughout the day, as are the paradigms of those around us. We may witness one event and interpret
and understand it very differently because of our paradigms. You can probably think of times in your
own life where you could not understand how someone else understood something
so differently from the way you did.
This is an example of paradigms in action.
Where
I live we have seen a drastic influx of homeless people living on the
streets of our city. Many are
addicts whose lives have fallen apart as a result of both their addictions and
the circumstances that led them to those addictions. It has been interesting to watch the community response to
this situation and in those reactions paradigms can be seen at work. One paradigm sees the issue through
lenses that are frustrated and angry with the homeless. This paradigm often sounds something
like this: “Those people chose to
live this way. Why don’t they clean themselves up, get a job, and get off the streets? They are unsightly, dangerous, and a
nuisance. The police should get
rid of them somehow. We don’t want them here.”
This paradigm views the homeless as a problem
to be gotten rid of. In it you can
hear fear, blame, anger, and a lack of compassion since it believes that the
homeless have caused their own problems and gotten what they deserve.
Another paradigm, far different from the first,
has also emerged. This voice often
sounds something like this: “Regardless of the reasons they are homeless and
addicts these are human beings who need help. We should not only be actively providing them with the
basics of life, such as food and clothing, but also work to connect them with
the available resources to help them overcome addictions and deal with the many
reasons they have ended up where they are.”
This paradigm views the homeless a s real people in need of compassion and aid. It is willing to look past the initial impressions we have of street dwellers and seeks to provide for them as human beings living at the fringe of the community. They may be at the fringe, but they are still a part of, and thus the responsibility of, the community.
This is a fairly simple overview of the
situation, but it provides with a real life example of how paradigms effect the
way we view others and our world.
Recently, Barack Obama was elected president of
the United States, a historical landmark to be sure. This election revealed some interesting paradigms in the US
and around the world. Many wondered
if he would really be elected as the first black president first of all. They were also wondering if the US was
about to shift from republican era to a democrat era. The power of paradigms emerged in force. Many leaders on the Right predicted
terrible outcomes if a democrat were to gain the presidency based on their
belief that the policies and democrat stance on many issues were dangerous and
wrong. Thus Barack Obama was
viewed as a dangerous man and the wrong man for the hour. Those on the Left predicted that he
would be a strong leader able and ready to lead the US through its most
difficult era in history. He is
seen as a man with the answers, a saviour for a desperate hour. Whether he will be able to live up this
remains to be seen.
Two very different interpretations of one man
driven by the power of influential paradigms were clearly seen throughout the
campaign. A middle ground paradigm
of sorts was also present, but with a quieter voice. This was the paradigm of the cynics. In this paradigm Barack Obama is viewed
as just another politician. His
historic bid and eventual victory as the first black president did not mean as
much to this paradigm. So what?,
it asks. The real question is
about his character. Is he more
than just another tool of a broken System dominated by wealth and power? The cynical paradigm takes a
pessimistic wait and see attitude that doubts he will prove to be much
different from those who have preceded him.
All paradigms are potentially fluid, much like Culture. Numerous factors can change paradigms; events, experience, an inner change, discovery of unknown information, a change of location, age, a convincing argument, an unexpected outcome, etc…the list could go on for several pages.
From these brief overviews of culture and paradigm we arrive at a point where we can propose some conclusions and suggest from the Christian paradigm (ha!) the underlying problem. Culture and paradigm are very real powers that exert influence on how we live, interact with, and understand the world we live in. They powerfully influence our values, our morality and ethics, our views of others, our understanding of success, our loyalties, our fears, what we want and need, our view of reality etc… These powers force us to ask the question: how real is my power to choose and how much of how I live in and understand the world is determined by exterior and interior forces? But more importantly how does our faith and belief in Jesus Christ relate to these powers? Does being a Christian change the dynamics of these powers? Serious questions that lead us into the rest of this book in which we will consider a spiritual culture and paradigm as the answer.
NEXT INSTALMENT: Chapter 2 - A Spiritual Culture?
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Posted by: Thesis Writing Help | March 02, 2010 at 12:19 AM
Can't wait to read more
Posted by: Jean | March 01, 2010 at 01:15 PM