Session 9: Tammie

1) On page 89, Newbigin quotes a Hindu scholar that Christians have misrepresented Christianity as another religion. Reflect upon this theological concept that the Bible is universal history for the world.
It is interesting for those who have grown up in the church to see the gospel through the eyes of someone who has not grown up in the church whether that means the person grew up in a different faith tradition or no faith tradition. So often, the church teachings get caught up in looking at the lives of Biblical giants like Abraham, Noah, David, the apostles and even Christ himself as a way of simply discovering how we should live our individual lives on earth. I wonder if that doesn't leave us with an image of God that is far too limited and far too small. The idea that the Bible is universal history for the world expands that vision to see God at work in various contexts to bring about the vision of cosmic history offered in the pages of Scripture. This vision, as Newbigin describes, offers hope for the future and gives the individual a reason for being by creating a responsible role for the individual in the greater story of God. I was particularly drawn in this chapter to the statement on page 91 in which Newbigin says that a loss of vision for the future leads to a state in society in which the publicly accepted norms and values have disappeared. This seems to be an accurate description of what we see happening in the postmodern era as more and more behaviors that were once considered unacceptable have become routine. But that doesn't have to be the end of the story and, indeed, in the pages of the Bible we learn that it is not the end of the story. That gives us a universal hope for the future that will sustain those living in the Biblical worldview through these changes in culture and even the most hopeless of times.

2) The logic of mission, explain the relationship of the gospel and the meaning of history as it relates to pluralism (p. 122).
If we accept the Bible as universal history through which the secret of God's purpose for the universe is revealed with the life, death and resurrection of Christ at the core of that purpose, we are also compelled to share that secret with others to give them the opportunity to know the truth and discover their role in the story of God - it's one way bring God's kingdom to earth. Once that truth is shared in a culture, it will meet with competing philosophies in both those who uphold the traditions that were in place before the gospel was presented and in those worldviews that rise up - Marxism and Islam, to cite the examples used by Newbigin - in response. But we must continue to bear faithful witness to this truth knowing that it will endure to the end while other kingdoms rise and fall and other philosophies fade from memory. The emerging church in this era is a catalyst for precipitating the crisis of which Newbigin speaks on p. 122 in that it finds ways to offer the truth - the gospel - among the rising philosophies of the day, which in this instance is postmodernism which rejects the notion of absolutes. Once confronted with the truth of the gospel, the individual and the culture will never be the same; thus forcing a decision one way or the other.

3) Discuss the polarities and resolution of Mission in word, deed, and new being (p. 135-136).
Newbigin's discussion of the polarities of mission in word and deed are reminiscent of James when he challenges the reader of his letter to show him their faith without deeds and he would show them his faith by what he does. The truth that both Newbigin and James are pushing us toward is that one should not exist without the other. In my lifetime, I have seen the big crusades or the evangelistic services that focus on the "big" show with a speaker and a choir, etc. that does tend to result in people coming forward to accept Christ, but where these movements sometimes fail is in the follow-up discipleship that helps the new Christian to grow and to understand his role in the story of God. By the same token, I have heard of ministries that do a wonderful job of providing for the poor and the hurting, but are less than forthcoming about their reasons for doing their work - that is, they are reluctant to build the relationship along with the frame of the house. The example that comes to mind was a story told to me by a man who has been a partner with ministries in Mexico for several years. He said that although the people of Tijuana were happy that two specific ministries came to town to build homes, they were disappointed that the work teams were so focused on their work that they did not take the time to talk to the people for whom they were building the homes. I hear such a story and wonder what opportunity to share the gospel must have been lost. I think Newbigin explains the result of bringing the two sides together on page 137 where he writes, "The words explain the deeds and the deeds validate the words."

4) Respond to Kaufman's position of modern historical consciousness that Christ is not unique--the God/Man. (p. 159).
In looking over Kaufman's position as related by Newbigin, I have to note that Kaufman begins with the need for human unity, but assumes "without argument" that the gospel can not furnish the center for such unity. All we need to do is ask why Kaufman did not defend his rejection of the gospel as a centering force (at least from the information given to us in Newbigin's book). Could it be that looking back on the gospel and on the history of believers through the ages proves his argument false? Though no society has lived out the kingdom of God perfectly, we can see examples in Scriptures that show people of different backgrounds unified in the central figue of Christ. For example, the early church in Jerusalem had all things in common and shared with those in need. We understand from reading further along in the story that this group included landowners (the middle class/maybe rich?) as well as widows (the poor). We also read in Paul's letters that in Christ there is no longer Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, but all are equal in Christ. When we have equality, a great step has been taken toward the unity which the world seeks. Ironically, to believe Kaufman's position is to also take a leap of faith, but it is a leap that is unsupported and, perhaps, on a shaky foothold as some new means of looking at history will inevitably come along to dislodge this "modern historical consciousness" of which Kaufman speaks while the uniqueness of Christ will continue to be a message that draws people to the cross, to his truth and to the ultimate unity that will be revealed as history reaches its conclusion in the kingdom of God.