Clothesline #7

Greetings to all

Word for the Day
Pneumatology - The study of the Holy Spirit, His person, works, relation to the Father and Son, relation to man, ministry in salvation and sanctification, conviction, and indwelling. [1]

Quote for the Day
“I used to explain the life of Jesus from the perspective of history and theology. I knew inside and out all the critical theories surrounding the search for the historical Jesus. These days, however, I’m more and more drawn to his simple humanity, because what I see in the life of Jesus is someone who understood the power of blessing people.” [2]

Website for the Day
www.freedominchrist.net
Check out the Oddities in Pattern Theology article by selecting Sermons and Essays, then One Cup and Non Sunday School and you will see Oddities in Pattern Theology.

Thought for the Day
In last months’ issue I left you with the possibility that the pure application of rational thought might not be the only way to interpret scripture. While certainly not advocating the total abandonment of logic and common sense, I do propose that we are missing the other half of Biblical interpretation if we dismiss the work of the Spirit in our lives and therefore in our application of the Word to our lives. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” [HEB 4.12] Is it not through the Spirit that the word remains living and active 2000 years later?

As a young teen I remember building model cars. Included with the kit was an order of assembly. If I forgot to glue and attach part #12 at step 3B ... well, I was just out of luck because I couldn’t “unglue” all the pieces to get back to that step. Although one probably couldn’t tell just by looking at it; my model was now flawed in an irreparable way. In the same way, an exclusive use of command, example and inference has kept us from building a model that is flexible and can change with the course of time and culture. Instead, we have ended up with a model that will only be displayed and eventually discarded.

Logic demands consistency, but consider these inconsistencies. We have a clear command to “greet one another with a holy kiss” [ROM 16.16], which we easily dismiss as cultural. We have the examples of Paul [ACT 14.23] and Timothy and Titus [TIT 1.5] ordaining the elders and those are the only examples we have. But we would never allow the preacher to choose the elders! Read the article on pattern theology to see the extremes to which some have carried their adherence to that hermeneutic. The examples are both funny and sad - at the same time. In 1COR 7.8,26 Paul encourages those who are not married to remain that way because of the impending persecution. However, in 1TIM 5.14 Paul commands the younger widows to remarry. Two opposite instructions for two different situations. D. A. Carson warns against two dangers of a hermeneutic that results from pattern theology: first, an uncritical dependence on logic and, second, a de-emphasis on the Bible as a guide for life, source of the truths of salvation and a means of grace. Instead it becomes a “storehouse of facts...a quarry from which to hew out a systematic theology.” [3] And that system can become the shrine to which we bow.

In 1991, Goebel Music wrote a book entitled Behold The Pattern in which he set forth our traditional pattern theology. Now people are responding with, “what pattern?” For some indepth reading I recommend F. LaGard Smith’s books The Cultural Church and Radical Restoration. Smith believes in a pattern but not the one we practice; we have not restored the New Testament church as closely as we think we have. He suggests that we consider the: purpose, principle and precedent when considering how the Biblical examples apply to us. “We are not saved by a ‘pattern’ of what we read in the Scriptures. Our righteousness does not come from what we do for God, but from what He has done for us.” [4]

So what is the alternative? What if we read the Word more as a story of God’s intervention with mankind instead of an instruction manual for man? What if we read with the great themes of the Bible in mind, like abundance, justice, mercy, peace, redemption and sacrifice? For example, one message that reverberates across the pages of the word is the warning to not trample upon the poor in our quest for wealth. Have we neglected this warning even while proclaiming American Christianity?

In terms of everyday life, Jesus left us the example of how to live, interact with people and share our abundance with others. The fundamentals of the faith were set from the beginning and are non-negotiable. These beliefs are sometimes referred to as the core gospel [EPH 4.4-6]. But many of our practices are rooted in tradition and culture. Jesus followed many traditions of his day but was not adverse to challenging people to see the intent behind the tradition. Our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees [MAT 5.20]. What if that means that our righteousness must go beyond the maintenance of traditions?

Regardless of which view one identifies with, those on either side must be aware of the danger of “guarding with real zealotry a hermetically sealed doctrinal system that is unhealthy because it is unaired and is unaired because it is unopened to the revivifying breath of the Spirit of God.” [5] We desperately need open conversation on these matters. “Finally, one must exercise Christian charity at this point. Christians need to recognize the difficulties, open the lines of communication with one another, start trying to define some principles, and have love for and a willingness to ask forgiveness from those with whom they differ.” [6] As we continue to walk this path together, may we exercise patience and grace with those who have not arrived at the same conclusions - and they with us also.

May God Bless
Mike Toole
clw, ed.

1. Definition found at www.carm.net
2. Scott Colglazier, Ft.Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2005, p.11E
3. D.A. Carson, “Recent Developments in the Doctrine of Scripture,” Hermeneutics, Authority and Canon, ed. D.A. Carson and John Woodbridge, Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1986, p.17-18
4. Daniel Shumaker, www.theexaminer.org/volume8/number2/pattern.htm
5. Steve Weathers, “The Surpassing Righteousness of the Kingdom of God,” 85th Annual ACU Bible Lectureship, 2003
6. Gordon Fee, Inerrancy and Common Sense, Grand Rapids,Baker Book House, 1980, p.176