Waiting for Gospel, by Douglas John Hall

Chapter 3 – Who Can Say It as It Is?

1.  This chapter is devoted to Karl Barth’s understanding of the Bible, which flows out of Tillich’s Protestant principle of God’s sovereignty.  After several pages of posturing and reminiscing (rambling) over his “Who’s Who” list of theological heavy-weights, Hall eventually arrives at Luther…who aptly voiced his opinion of the Bible by noting, “The Bible has a wax nose; you can twist it to whatever may be your preference…in noses!”  Hall adds, “Not the letter, but only the divine Spirit, acting upon the letter of Scripture, can establish the practical authority of the Bible in the church.”

So, let’s talk about noses a bit.  What does the wax nose on your Bible look like?  How is it different in shape, size, and function from those of other denominational schnozzles?  Are you satisfied with your nose?  Why or why not?

2.  In, The Bible as Word of God, Hall notes that Barth “would certainly have agreed with Luther who said, ‘Abandon Scripture, and you abandon yourself to the lies of men.’”  God’s Word, he says, is addressed to us in a threefold form: the word preached, the word written, and the word revealed or incarnate.  All three forms are required to hear the gospel and receive faith.  Like the Trinity, each of these forms needs the other.

How do you understand & experience the interaction of this threefold form of God’s Word?  Describe specific experiences.

3.  Zeroing in, Hall says, “If we want to state the matter straightforwardly, then we must say that the Bible is the primary and indispensable witness to God’s living Word, and therefore not to be treated as though it were the reality to which it bore witness.”  Then, quoting Barth, “And the direction in which it looks is to the living Jesus Christ.”  “Therefore, the Bible must remain something like the medium through which the sovereignty of the Christ is communicated to the body of Christ.”

If worship of the Bible itself (bibliolatry) is a flagrant misappropriation and abuse of Scripture and its authority, then why is it so prevalent among evangelical and fundamentalist branches of the church?  Why is it imperative that Christ alone remains the focus of our worship?

4.  Hall emphasizes that the Bible is a very human book, containing the words of human beings.  In other words, “What the Bible wants to say and tries to say cannot be said, not even by this highest authority concretely accessible to humankind.”  “The Bible denies us, in short, the quintessential religious temptation and quest…namely, for mastery through proximity to, or even control over, the master of the universe.” 

Citing a young Billy Graham’s self-righteous and demeaning sermonic declaration, “I’ve got it right here in the Bible,” Hall warns of the delusion of claiming any such thing for ourselves.  “For the Truth to which this book is pointing to infinitely transcends its own words.”  “The Bible is a sign whose function is to point to this living sign, Jesus, whose life, death, and resurrection point us to the God by whom he is sent.”

And finally, “The Bible is to be taken with great seriousness, and studied, and made the basis of our preaching, and the guide to the church’s ongoing reformation of itself; but in the knowledge that it is a human book, however transcendent the message that it wants to convey to us.”

So…given these crucial parameters, what value is the Bible to you personally?  What value is the Bible in further shaping our faith communities?  How is the Bible evermore poised in our time to witness to the uncertainty/ambiguity of life and serve as a true companion along our spiritual journeys?

Waiting for Gospel, by Douglas John Hall

Chapter Two - Theology and Quest for Gospel

1.  Hall begins by exposing a long-time problem with theology: it is an unknown science.  By and large, its meaning, purpose and application are not widely understood or embraced by the average person.  He attributes this phenomenon to the remoteness of theology from the life of the church.  In other words, who needed it?  “Power, and not engaged thought, kept Christianity going.”  Tradition, while rapidly losing its grip, has been the mainstay of previous generations.  Also, theology appeared to be a superfluous activity enjoyed primarily by a diminutive and elite group of religious professionals in the ivory halls of academia.  (Growing a beard and pipe smoking were optional.) 

Over your lifetime, how have you seen “theology” presented, interpreted, and applied in your various congregational and community settings?  What was the perceived value of theology?

2.  “Protestantism carried within itself the promise of undoing this unfortunate drift…and here and there still does introduce correctives to this tendency.”  Yet, it remains dependent upon Christian cultural establishment for its continuance.  “Neither the individual believer nor the church as a whole…is impelled to seek theological depth.  The individual can have whatever benefits he or she wants from religion without any serious exercise of the mind.”  As Hall emphasizes, without consistent intellectual nurturing, the church will continue to fade away…and we see it all around us in ever-visible ways.

All is not lost, of course.  Not all churches are disintegrating.  But intellectual/spiritual nourishing remains integral to our existence and growth.  What role does Christian theology (despite its many challenges) play in guiding us toward a genuine path of discipleship?  As you engage in worship, study, and service, how does this theology both inform and guide you?  Without such theological parameters (biblical grounding), what are we left with?  How far do personal opinions/preferences take us?

3.  Hall stresses the historical and existential/contextual components of theology.  They serve to address a variety of growing anxieties, identified by Paul Tillich as: fate and death; guilt and condemnation; and, emptiness and meaninglessness – with variations on the three.  Hall believes the third anxiety to be the most prevalent today. 

He writes, “Thus, along with large numbers of my contemporaries, I will go gladly to hear any preacher who seems to understand something of my own doubt concerning the purpose of my life, however haltingly he or she may attempt to assuage that doubt.  I do not need sermons that want to demonstrate once more that God really exists, the new atheism notwithstanding; I need sermons that know how frequently I doubt the purpose of my own existence!  Gospel today, I think, must speak to that kind of doubt.  There are no experts here.  There are only wounded and needy human beings who can pray, ‘Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief.’”

 How does Hall’s confession speak to your life and your search for purpose and meaning?  If Miguel Unamuno is correct in claiming, “Faith without doubt is dead faith,” then how do we balance our footwork in this mysterious dance with both?  How does theology provide the music and rhythm for our movements?

Waiting for Gospel, by Douglas John Hall

Chapter One - The Mystery of Gospel

1.  The gospel as mystery…now there’s something to think about.  And you know that Hall is a deep thinker.  He begins by contrasting this mystery with the fundamentalist presentation of gospel as plain truth.  For the Apostle Paul, a pretty bright guy, after all, the gospel remains a mystery…always new each day.

Let’s step back from our usual assumptions/traditions and ponder what both Paul and Hall (nice ring to it!) imply by the gospel as mystery.  Why must the gospel come to us as mystery (think Holy Spirit and grace here)?  How does gospel differ in nature and function from law (think conviction of sin here)? 

2.  Hall continues with a long list of misuses of the gospel over the centuries…especially in teaching and preaching.  At its worst, it’s given preaching (and preachers) a bad name in some parts. But it’s not just the preachers…it’s also the doctrinal positions and attitudes embodied in the specific denominations through which they’re nurtured and expressed.

Throughout your life, what types of preaching have you encountered?  Please give specific details.  In each case, how was the gospel communicated?  Did it come off as mystery, grace, and truly good news?  Or as moral certitude, oughts and musts, and less than good news?

3.  Hall clarifies the gospel by saying it is not something that we do, but something that has been done for us by our loving God.  This is also what separates gospel from law.  As such, gospel is always news...very good news!  Thus, the context/setting of the gospel is each new day…each new moment, experience, and encounter. 

If the gospel message is that “Christ is making all things new,” what is our daily posture/attitude toward hearing, receiving, and responding to this personal invitation to “be made new?”

4.  Hall emphasizes that the mystery of the gospel leads to its discovery…new each day.  Let’s look at his summary statement:  “The church is not an institution of those who feel that they already have ultimate truth.  To the contrary, when it is most real, the disciple community is a gathering of human beings who are united in their common longing: they are waiting for gospel, remembering that they heard it once, hoping against hope to hear it again.” 

What does this mean to you?  Why does the cross symbolize this good news as we seek to address the suffering of the world, past and present?

5.  Our common vocation, Hall says, is “to acquire the wisdom we need to discern what time it is, and to articulate, as best we can, a message that is worthy of this holy and precious word of our tradition, gospel.”  But we must speak up and not remain silent!  Yes, we are called to be doers of the Word, as well…but not doers only, as we’re often content to be.  The gospel is meant to be heard…to change hearts and minds.

I recall as a child being asked the question (usually after being caught in the act of something bad), “So, what do you have to say for yourself?”  It was meant to lead to a confession.  Let’s apply that statement to our own witness to the gospel:  “What do we have to say for ourselves?” 

What public and personal confessions have we made on behalf of the gospel?  Where might the Holy Spirit be prompting and leading you right now to “speak up” in witness to the mystery and grace of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Waiting for Gospel, by Douglas John Hall

Introduction

 

1.  Hall begins by announcing that “most of the once-powerful ecclesiastical institutions of North America will disappear entirely within the near future”…a conclusion recently corroborated by a team of researchers.  While the typical response is to look for more effective means of preserving the churches, Hall says, “The only thing that can salvage a moribund religion is a lively recovery of its life-giving essence…it is whether we are able to hear and to proclaim – gospel!” 

What signs and trends have you observed in recent years that point to this widespread decline in churches?  With many so-called “gospels” circulating and completing for our allegiance, which of them can truly be called “life-giving good news?”

 2.  Hall notes that this great recession of Westerners has created an empty void that no substitute can fill.  Religious and non-religious folk alike are quietly waiting and longing for something of genuine spiritual substance.  In the meantime, the old church bodies fail to speak to this inquietude…seemingly trapped in another time warp.  Hall labels this a systemic problem…an historical condition that has been brewing for centuries.  The great cultic clock of Western history called Christendom is at the end of its life…its pendulum barely swinging.  Those in the minority who continue to look up…are waiting for gospel (and not just the same old same old)! 

How is the steady religious decline in the U.S. becoming more homogenous with European attitudes, values, and trends?  Why is this happening here and now?

3.  Next, and rightly so, Hall lays into evangelical aggressiveness.  Can I get an “Amen?”  Such proselytizing systems and behaviors have never been effective or welcome.  Hall observes, “established churches are prevented from proclaiming gospel precisely on account of their establishment, or the remnants of the same!”  His conclusion: “We are shallow…and must go much, much deeper than our superficial routines!  No one is to blame; everyone is to blame.”  Also contributing is the inevitable dumbing down of theological thought, dialogue, and biblical studies…resulting in simplistic slogans, abbreviated discourse, and ultimately worship as mere entertainment.  Ugh!

 So…let’s look again at our rapidly shifting cultural attitudes, priorities, and behaviors.  How have they re-shaped our religious landscape (for better and for worse)? 

 4.  Hall persists, “In my opinion, the evangelical, biblicist, fundamentalist takeover of biblical and theological language is one of the most deplorable aspects of contemporary North American Christianity.”  Them’s fightin’ words, alright!  But I couldn’t agree more.  “It constitutes an almost insurmountable barrier to all thoughtful Christian theology that wishes to be true to the best insights…”  “The point then, I contend, is not to behave as if these ancient biblical and historical categories were optional.  It is rather to find ways of thinking, speaking, and writing about them that at once puzzles and intrigues those who are…waiting for gospel.” 

 Let’s take a moment to look at our own preferences and behaviors.  How have your own religious patterns of late been influenced and re-shaped by current cultural trends (again, for better and for worse)?

 5.  Finally, Hall recognizes “two problems that pinpoint the failure of liberal and moderate Protestantism to address the human quest for gospel: 1) the substitution of moral or ethical counsel for gospel; and 2) the neglect of personal life in favor of attention to the public sphere.”

Let’s use our remaining time to further examine and unpack these two powerful statements.  Where do they hit home?

Simply Jesus, by N.T. Wright

Chapter 15 – Jesus: The Ruler of the World

1.  “What on earth does it mean, today, to say that Jesus is king, that he is Lord of the world?  How can we say such a thing in our confused world?”  This is the prominent question that runs throughout Wright’s final chapter.  As we are introduced to four fictional representatives of divergent faith positions (Andy, Billy, Chris, and Davie), Wright exposes the challenges of addressing our opening question with any kind of continuity.

So, what’s your position?  What does it mean to you to say that Jesus is king and Lord of this world?

2.  Wright notes, “God intended to rule the world through human beings.  Jesus picks up this principle, rescues it, and transforms it.”  We are at the very center of this rescue operation, as were his disciples.  This is the kingdom work over which Jesus presides through “the Body of Christ,” the church.

What does it mean to you to be both “the rescued” and “the rescuers” in Jesus’ kingdom?  How does one lead to the other?  How has this relationship of receiving and giving changed your outlook on faith, as well as your interaction with others?

3.  “The kingdom work is rooted in worship.”  This becomes “the most politically charged act we can ever perform.”  In other words, Jesus is Lord and nobody else.  Uff da…that’s going to make the big shots mad!  “Worship orients our whole being, our imagination, our will, our hopes, and our fears away from the world where (violence, money, and sex) make absolute demands and punish anyone who resists.  It orients us instead to a world in which love is stronger than death, the poor are promised the kingdom, and chastity reflects the holiness and faithfulness of God himself.” 

How has this reality – this life-changing act of worship – shaped your outlook on life & your participation in this kingdom work?

4.  Wright goes on to point out the obvious:  that human beings mess up…a lot.  When Christian leaders mess up, it becomes even messier, since the world seems eager to hoist up the shortcomings of all involved.  Wright counters this by noting that the vast majority of Christians, while sinful, are seeking to be faithful.  Second, he urges us to remember that “the way Jesus worked then and now is through forgiveness and restoration.”  And third, “The way in which Jesus exercises his sovereign lordship in the present time includes his strange, often secret, sovereignty over the nations and their rulers.”

“What does this mean?  How does the kingship of Jesus, at work in the wider world, relate to the specific vocation of the church to be Jesus’ agents in implementing his sovereign rule?”

5.  Wright sums up this chapter and the entire book:  “We live in the period of Jesus’ sovereign rule over the world…a reign that has not yet been completed, since, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:20-28, he must reign until ‘he has put all his enemies under his feet,’ including death itself.”  “This present age is indeed the age of the reign of Jesus the Messiah”…and will be complete upon his return at the second coming.

“What the church does, in the power of the Spirit, is rooted in the achievement of Jesus and looks ahead to the final completion of his work.  This is how Jesus is running the world in the present.  Jesus has all kinds of projects up his sleeve and is simply waiting for faithful people to say their prayers, to read the signs of the times, and to get busy.”

Our common ELCA mission statement is very simple:  God’s work, our hands.  We are invited to join Jesus in his kingdom work, here and now.  “This is, quite simply,” Wright concludes, “what it looks like when Jesus is enthroned.”

How does this free us and invite us for service in Jesus’ name?

Simply Jesus, by N.T. Wright

Chapter 14 – Under New Management:

Easter and Beyond

I am gone this week attending the annual ELCA Senior Pastor Conference in Sanibel, Florida.  I know, poor me!  Since the last couple chapters have been rough going, I’m happy to see that this chapter reads much smoother and should offer good conversation.  I’ll see you all next week for our final meeting!

1.  Easter marked the beginning of a new world.  Wright goes to great lengths to define “heaven” and “earth” and how they intersect in Jesus, who becomes the prototype of the resurrected life we anticipate sharing upon his return.  Wright especially addresses the multiple misconceptions and abuses surrounding popular (and often non-biblical) notions of heaven. 

What does it mean to you that Jesus is the prototype of the new creation?  How might you see yourself participating in that new life/creation?  (Dream a little here...but dream big!)

2.  Wright notes that this new creation simply overflows with the power of love.  “The resurrection of Jesus doesn’t mean, ‘It’s all right.  We’re going to heaven now.’  No, the life of heaven has been born on this earth.”

As new creations already in baptism and through the gift of faith, where do you see this heavenly “power of love” active in your life?  Where are you touched by it, both as receiver and giver?

3.  Jesus’ ascension is about his enthronement as the one who is now in charge of this new creation.  “So for Jesus, ‘going to heaven,’ isn’t a matter of disappearing into the far distance.  Jesus is like somebody two has two homes…next door to each other.  One day the partition wall will be knocked down and there will be one, glorious, heaven-and-earth mixture.  Heaven permeates earth.  If Jesus is now in ‘heaven,’ he is present to every place on earth.”

Imagine the peace this must have given to the disciples following his ascension.  How does thinking of Jesus in this way give us peace?  What does it imply about Jesus’ involvement through the Holy Spirit in our lives today?

4.  “Look out of the window,” say the skeptics.  “If you think Jesus is already installed as king of the world, why is the world still such a mess?”  Fair question, notes Wright.  But Jesus resurrection and ascension were never intended to signal the end of this life as we know it, but the beginning of the something completely new…to be realized in full totality and glory upon Jesus’ return.  “Jesus’ kingdom must come, then, by the means that correspond to the message”…as suffering servants in Jesus’ name.  Forget all the “rapture” nonsense, Wright says…it’s a complete misunderstanding.  Rather, Jesus will bring heaven to earth…a new earth!  God will “judge” the world by cleansing, redeeming, and restoring it…as God intended his creation to be.

How do Wright’s biblical vision of “the second coming” and our consequent hope for this “new creation” give you hope for today?  In the face of so much violence and destruction all around us, why does this biblical vision matter?

5.  “What about Jesus today?”  Wright concludes.  “Jesus is the one who sends the Holy Spirit, his own Spirit, into the lives of his followers, so that he himself is powerfully present with them and in them…to bear witness to him as the world’s true Lord and work to make that sovereign rule a reality.”  “He won his victory through suffering; his followers win theirs through sharing his.  The Spirit and suffering.  Great joy and great cost.  Those who follow Jesus and claim him as Lord learn both of them.  It’s as simple as that.”

As Wright himself asks, “So how does all this work out today?  How does the vision of Acts look…when we come forward twenty-one centuries and into our own day?”  Your response?

Simply Jesus, by N.T. Wright

Chapter 13 – Why Did the Messiah Have to Die?

1.  Once again, N.T. Wright challenges us with an incredibly rich and substantive chapter.  None of us breezes through this one!  Wright begins with a barrage of questions thrown at Jesus by those he encounters.  Jesus directs questions back to them…and even to God.  He clearly fulfilled the multiple roles of Messiah, Rabbi, Priest, and Prophet…only adding to people’s confusion and fascination.  All of these facets of Jesus coalesce like three great rivers coming together to form his “messiahship” and his sense of vocation. 

Imagine, if you will, what it must have been like for Jesus to eventually arrive at his conclusions of both his identity as God’s son and his vocation as the suffering servant, destined to die on the cross for the redemption of the world.  

What do you suppose went through his head, and what must it have been like to grasp this enormous reality and responsibility?

2.  “Jesus understood his baptism as the moment when he was ‘anointed,’ like Israel’s kings long ago, for this task.  Israel’s God was acting through him, in him, as him.”  As a royal figure, the servant, and God himself, Jesus unifies these three themes into one vocation: “to be Israel’s Messiah and…to suffer and die.”  Together, they are the means by which God would decisively launch his kingdom on earth as in heaven.  

Why would the disciples and others prefer a different kind of messiah?  How does the expectation of a “Superman” Jesus miss the boat?

3.  Jesus would usher in the New Exodus…“redrawing the messianic themes of battle and Temple into a radical new configuration around himself.”  He would defeat death itself through his own voluntary death.  God’s new creation flows out of his sacrifice.  

Where do you identify the parallels between the original Hebrew exodus and the one Jesus initiates?  How are they different in both scope and purpose?

4.  Jesus shifts the embodiment of God’s presence from the Temple to himself.  By stepping into the storm, Jesus moves from the past to the future…taking the full brunt of God’s judgment so that God’s people might be rescued.  “Jesus is innocent, but he is dying the death of the guilty.”  This is how the work of healing must be accomplished and for God’s kingdom to reign.  

What does this say about the role of leadership?  How did Jesus “lead?”  How is his leadership unique in a world of ubiquitous quasi-leadership?

5.  Jesus methodically moves toward the inevitable…his crucifixion.  His grand entrance into Jerusalem for Passover is both symbolic and intentional.  The sharing of the Passover meal with his disciples likewise points toward lasting purpose and meaning.  Here, the great Exodus themes are re-visited and re-lived in order to set a new course for human history. 

Jesus is executed as the “king of the Jews.”  Like the echo of Genesis upon the completion of creation, Jesus declares, “It is finished.”  Once again, God had completed a new creation…this time through the work of atonement.  “How then can we interpret Jesus’ death?”  First, Jesus’ death is exemplary in love.  Second, Jesus represented his people and the whole world.  And third, is a massive sense in which Jesus’ death is penal…taking the full weight of God’s judgment upon himself. 

Jesus understood the battle he was fighting and against whom: the Accuser.  Thus, the Accuser allows Jesus to stand accused on multiple charges from every angle of corruption and sin.  Representatively, he takes all of these accusations “against the whole human race and has borne them in himself.”  “Jesus’ own mind, heart, and body would be the battlefield on which the final victory would be won.”  Ultimately, Jesus did represent his people as their king.  And in the same manner, Israel is representative of the world.  Love prevailed…Jesus was raised from death…the Accuser has been defeated.  Whew!

So…why should we take the role/work of the Accuser seriously?

What does Jesus’ victory on the cross demonstrate for us?