Gospel without boundaries

A few months ago I went to South America, and I was partly stunned and also admired the ingenuity of Jesuit missionaries in fusing traditional Incan religion with Catholicism. Throughout the whole trip, I thought about what is acceptable in spreading Christianity, where the line should be drawn in mixing “pagan” religious customs with Christianity. (I am well aware that our own brand of “Christianity” is already a mixture of multiple pagan traditions, just that most of us don’t even realize it.)

We often set boundaries on what is or is not acceptable in Christians. Last night during the missions class, the example the teacher shared was about a polygamist in Africa. He was not accepted in church because he was a polygamist. He refused to disobey Jesus (by divorcing his wives) to become a member of the church. His argument was that polygamy was not explicitly forbidden by Jesus, but divorce was.

Rather than the boundaries we have presumed, we should do it by a “centred” approach, not looking at things through the actions themselves, but by the purpose of the actions, or where the direction of the action is centred. (I seemed to explain it inadequately without the diagram from the lecture notes.)

The Spirit safeguards the universalism in God, where Jesus represents the uniqueness of God. And the work of the Spirit precedes evangelism.

Salvation analogy exist in many cultures, they may represent revelation of God in some of the traditional customs or folklore, an example the teacher used was a tribe that was waiting for their "saviour" which was just like the missionaries who came.

Mission is not only to evangelize, but also to know God better, in the ways through which He reveals himself.

We should open our minds to observe and listen, and recognize the local traditions/customs that direct people towards Christ’s particularity. The church can also broaden its knowledge on God in the process, and we can recognize the universality in revelation.

Apart from people from another culture, she also talked about different people in our own community.

If there were no young people in church, we would have done a lot to recruit more, but then how come we don’t ask why there are no/few disabled people in our church? Is it really because there are none in our district? Or because of the physical constraints that they cannot come?

The concept of the disabled God has been proposed, Jesus still carried the marks from the crucifixion after resurrection. Hence, despite the impairment, the disabled are still made in God’s image. The cause of their suffering may be due to isolation or exclusion rather than the physical disability itself. Rather than healing the physical problem, the church should heal their social dysfunction. (She gave an example of a charismatic church that had no idea what to do about a disabled kid, after failing to "heal" her after repeated prayers.)

And we are interdependent with the disabled, they are not subjects of our assistance/pity alone.

Apart from the physically disabled, what about ex-drug addicts, and those suffering from mental illness?

Recognise our calling in our own community, and do not just focus in spreading the Gospel in our own social circle.

(Since this is derived from my notes, so may be a bit brief and difficult to understand... hmm...)

Notes on Sermon about Psalms Chapter 1

Ps.1
[1] Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
[2] but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
[3] He is like a tree
planted by streams of water,
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
[4] The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff which the wind drives away.
[5] Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
[6] for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

v1 walk-> stand -> sit
This is an unconscious process (to sin/to become wicked)

counsel/plan: isolated
way: life direction
seat= assembly: become one of them

v2 "in the Lord's law delight, in the Lord's law meditates"
This is written in contrast within "not in" for v1
The time is day and nite!

v3 In Palestinian wilderness, trees grow only next to streams. Growing of fruit takes time.

Computer/TV (vs Bible/sermon) make us experts in wasting time, they also make us more self-centred, just do according to what one likes (e.g. remotes control)
Now we tend to receive the messages that we like, rather than according to whether they are true or not.
Efficiency becomes the utmost important.
However, we forget a lot of things need time: our 修養, relationships

The time we give to others are usually less than what we require of ourselves.
Jesus' parable on 70x7 time, it's about the one who is doing the forgiving.

What we reap depends on what we invest.

v4 The ungodly are like chaff. Chaff and tree--> both plants, but tree has life and roots.
We don't usually see the roots of the trees, but they are very important.
Chaff moves, only because it was moved, not because it has life.

Time, investment, where you’re immersed in--> what you reaps
Everything needs time, but the world tell us: we have no time to wait for the fruits.

Learning the lesson--> I'm way too addicted to the computer world.

We are Ready to Listen

Healing, sovereign God,
overmatch our resistant ears
with your transforming speech.
Penetrate our jadeness and fatigue.
Touch our yearnings by your words.
Through your out-loudness, draw us closer to you.
We are ready to listen.
Amen.

Walter Brueggemann, from Awed to Heaven, Rooted to Earth

Another prayer from Walter Brueggemann

You are the God who is simple, direct, clear with us and for us.
You have committed yourself to us.
You have said yes to us in creation,
yes to us in our birth,
yes to us in our baptism,
yes to us in our awakening this day.

But we are of another kind,
more accustomed to “perhaps, maybe, we’ll see,’
left in wonderment and ambiguity.

We live our lives not back to your yes,
but out of our endless “perhaps.”


So we pray for your mercy this day that we may live yes back to you,
yes with our time,
yes with our money,
yes with our sexuality,
yes with our strength and with our weakness,
yes to our neighbor,
yes and no long “perhaps.”

In the name of your enfleshed yes to us,
even Jesus who is our yes into your future. Amen.


From Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth, Walter Brueggemann

And Then You

A very good prayer I just read on the web

And Then You

We arranged our lives as best we can,
to keep your holiness at bay,
with our pieties,
our doctrines,
our liturgies,
our moralities,
our secret ideologies,
Safe, virtuous, settled,
And they you -
you and your dreams,
you and your visions,
you and your purposes,
you and your commands,
you and our neighbors,
We find your holiness not at bay,
but probing, pervading,
insisting, demanding.
And we yield, sometimes gladly,
sometimes resentfully,
sometimes late… or soon.
We yield because you, beyond us, are our God,
We are our creatures met your your holiness,
by your holiness made our true selves.
And we yield. Amen.

Walter Brueggemann from Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth

Justification

Wanted to buy this book for some time, but waiting for another of my fav author's book (which is scheduled for release in late September), so that I can save on the shipping...

NT Wright on Acts

NT Wright Chinese Intro

Chinese intro about NT Wright and New Perspective on Paul

When I tried to introduce his ideas to my fellowship last year, it was so difficult, because really not much Chinese material available...

認識賴特(N.T. Wright)

新保羅觀 New Perspective on Paul

Worship and work must be one!

I have been reading a Bible study book on justice and mercy. The lyrics of this song was quoted for reflecting what we meant by worship nowadays. Do we worship to get a good "feeling" of "being spiritual"? What do we mean by worship? Are we worshipping God or worshipping the worship itself??

This song is originally written in Sri Lanka. "Worship and work must be one." We are committed to serve humanity and seek a just and healing society.
(Biblical references: Isaiah 1:10-17,, Amos 5:21-24, Micah 6:1-8)

Lyrics:
Worship the Lord!
Praise the Creator, the Spirit, the Son,
raising our hands
in devotion to God who is one!

Raising our hands as a sign of rejoicing,
and with our lips our togetherness voicing,
giving ourselves to a life of creativeness,
worship and work must be one.

Worship the Lord…

Praying and training that we be a blessing,
and by our handiwork daily confessing:
we are committed to serving humanity,
worship and work must be one.

Worship the Lord…

Called to be partners with God in creation,
looking to Christ for each day’s inspiration,
we must be ready for risk and for sacrifice,
worship and work must be one.

Worship the Lord…

Bringing the bread and the wine to the table,
asking that we may be led and enabled,
truly united to build new communities,
worship and work must be one.

Worship the Lord…

Now in response to the life you are giving,
help us, Creator, to offer our living,
seeking a just and a healing society,
worship and work must be one.

Worship the Lord…

Listen to the song here.

19/7/09 Ming Pao 誰要做海嘯後的靈性導師？

【明報專訊】靈修，就是靈性的修養或操練。教徒有規律的抽出時間獨處，進行默想、祈禱、讀經等等宗教活動，就是刻意抽離凡俗的生活，進入神聖的時空，好以更新的自我再次返入紅塵。於是靈修在本質上就是對現世生活作出異議，甚至是反抗一切現世的價值主張，哪怕這些價值主張披上宗教的外衣。四世紀的沙漠修士湧現，就是對基督教成為國教後，迅速庸俗化的強力回應。


八十年代以前，香港教會提供的靈修指導材料選擇很少，七八十年代引起風尚的，是由當時基督教的年輕領袖蘇恩佩推介翻譯傅士德（Richard Foster）的《屬靈操練禮讚》，配合她領導的「突破」運動，以「逆流而上、抗衡文化」為軸心，向消費主義、資本主義、個人主義開戰，提出以基督教傳統中不同的操練——靜默、禁食、簡樸、研究、服侍、慶祝等等由內在至外在、由個人的自我意識至群體服務等多角度的操練指南。當時的「突破」更屬意推動簡樸，隨後譯出了傅士德的《簡樸生活真諦》。


同期廣為信徒關注的，是由溫偉耀引介、荷蘭籍天主教神父盧雲（Henri Nouwen）一套靈修方法為核心的屬靈操練。比起「突破」針對文化抗衡的靈修取向，盧雲更為關注發達資本主義社會的邊緣人，例如《負傷的治療者》The Wounded Healer指受苦經驗是牧養工作的前提、《奉耶穌的名》認為廿一世紀的領袖的試探是「成為相關、受歡迎、有權勢」，《羅馬城的小丑戲》則延續自《從幻想到祈禱》中，着重獨處、獨身、禱告及默觀等基督教大公傳統的靈修核心，其中談及羅馬城的大而又空蕩蕩的教堂，盧雲更指出它們的無用之用，跟今天主導社會的積效主義、「資源增值」，大異奇趣。


值得一題的是教會社會也同樣重視的「加爾各答的天使」德蘭修女，她體驗的「在窮人身上看見基督」呼喚中產階級信徒關注貧窮人，要信徒在身體力行中進行靈修。


以上注重聆聽內心聲音、獨處、默觀、勞動、服侍等等在八九十年代在教會廣為學效的靈修方法，在廿一世紀的香港，忽然銷聲匿迹。


九七後的靈性狀况


九七前信徒的靈性操練主要針對教育、社會工作及醫療等，三種外國傳教士來華所必要開展的福音預備工作。八十年代主導的靈修方法，非常配合這些行業的工作倫理（work ethic）。九七後香港的大學畢業生大多投入金融服務業，相應興起了所謂「職場神學」，針對他們出版的靈修書是《市井聖徒》。與八十年代以前的《荒漠甘泉》形式相似，同樣是個人角度的信仰反省，可以說是後者的「潮」版。


在金融服務業工作的信徒，由於靈修時間少，能夠閱讀的聖經經文短，提供的思考空間更有限，結果是長期對於聖經解讀能力的虧空。最近我接觸的大專生中，有已返教會十年經驗的，居然不知聖徒保羅是誰。教會極須進行信徒聖經知識調查，以確認及面對信徒靈性知識貧乏的事實。


由商界主導的教會活動


另外，佔據信徒緊迫的時間表的，是一系列企業文化主導的大型教會活動／運動。以往教會辦的大型活動只有兩類，佈道會與培靈會，簡單而言，就是找一些能言善道的牧師，向教會內（培靈）及教會外（佈道）講道。九七後忽然出現了眾多新型的聚會﹕國慶祈禱會、耶穌大巡行、千人祈禱分享會、全球公禱日等等。而舊有的大型佈道會，更有成為政府慶回歸的活動之一者。這些活動都轉由商界主導舉辦、設計，以及由商界領袖甚至是官員演說，帶出的信息已不再關乎內心敬虔、犧牲、服務；相反主要的信息是（新自由主義經濟中）逆境自強、如何成功、在工作（特別是金融服務業）的挑戰中「經歷神」。靈修變相成為支持信徒逆境自強（無論社會和工作環境多麼糟糕），甚至成功取得更多名和利的動力，擁抱主流價值。


還有，九七前的教會領袖大多是神職人員，即或沒有什麼高深神學理論，牧會起碼廿年以上。九七後香港卻出現新的靈性指標，只要是有社會身分，特別是企業及政治身分，立時成為大型聚會的站台人。於是黃仁龍在禁毒報告書引一段時空錯置的箴言、曾俊華誤引一位德國神學家，本來無非為其工作加強基督教對政府的合法性，效果卻是進一步對基督教進行挪用，抽空教會的知識基礎，改造了基督教的靈性。


重拾古典屬靈操練


新的教會「話事人」長於籌辦各種event，以保險業為例，筆者一位剛畢業入行一年的友人，已可以兩三日內動員200人籌辦嘉年華會。這種動員及組織類似大球場級數的活動的能力，是傳統教會組織的什麼領袖訓練，所望塵莫及的。


配合教徒缺乏教導聖經、教會對（中國）市場的渴求、九七後「類國教」位置的失落、中產教徒在M型社會的焦慮，古老的獨處、默想已顯得奢侈，研究聖經、堅持真理甚至會「危害」人際關係，今時今日已顯得不合時宜；反而靈活、服從、忍耐、服務、追求卓越等，成為了主流社會輕易挪用的靈性質素。然而，經歷金融海嘯的衝擊，中產信徒可有新的靈性導師？是要堅持跟隨社會的「成功人士」的靈性？還是要回到（抗衡資本主義的）古典的屬靈操練？又還是基督教要來一次徹底的社會Vs.神學對話，結合大公教會的智慧與本地進步思維，建構新一代公義、參與、可持續的靈性？


文 吳國偉（大公神學工作室）