Today's blog by Tom is a perfect lead-in to the several postings I've presented here recently these past several weeks. Here is yet another voice (in this case, a Nazarene voice) crying in the wilderness for change in the Church of God. Change that can only be Spirit-borne and Spirit-led when illuminated to the magnitudes that must occur if God's people are to share Jesus with the rest of the world beyond their own numbers. At heart the Church must be missional and without missional acts of charity and kindness the Christian faith is hollow. A social club and no more. But when one enacts the words of Jesus to the communities around them then, and only then, does Jesus become interesting, borne of the wings of prayer, good works, faith, and the Gospel's call to missional discipleship. Let us take care to enact the voice of Jesus today in all that we say and do.
R.E. Slater
October 23, 2012
Open the Windows of the Church
by Thomas Jay Oord
October 8, 2012
Fifty years ago this month, Pope John XXIII initiated the Second Vatican
Council. He said it was time to “throw open the windows of the church and let
the fresh air of the spirit blow through.” It’s time to throw open the windows
again!
The Roman Catholic Church has changed in dramatic ways in the last fifty
years. Many people say they’d like to have seen even more change, however. No
matter what one’s views, it seems clear that the Catholicism today is
significantly different thanks to the Second Vatican Council.
The task for renewal in the Church never stops, of course. But there are some
moments when the need for renewal seems more palpable, more urgent, more real.
We live today in such a moment.
I’ve been thinking about the church globally, including its denominations,
groups, and movements. Some amazing things are occurring, as creatures cooperate
with the work of our Creator. But there are also reasons to seek change.
Change in the Church of the Nazarene
I want to step out on a limb in this short essay. I suggest ten ways the
windows of the church might be thrown open so that the wind of the Spirit might
blow through.
Much of what I propose applies to the Church generally. But because I know my
own denomination -- the Church of the Nazarene -- much better, this essay is
aimed at this collection of about 2.5 million Nazarenes across the world.
Here, then, are ten ways the windows of the Church of the Nazarene might be
thrown open to let the Spirit blow through the church. I could probably write a
book on each one, but I’ve limited myself to a few sentences.
I list these in no particular order:
1. Engage contemporary theology.
Theological scholars in the colleges and universities sponsored by the Church of
the Nazarene explore a variety of theological ideas. Theology in the
denomination is significantly different today than it was fifty years ago. And
that’s to be expected. Unfortunately, however, pursuing new forms of
Wesleyan-Holiness theology in dialogue with these contemporary theological ideas
is not encouraged as it should be. I believe the Spirit intends to do new things
and guide the denomination in new ways theologically.
2. Embrace the wisdom of the wider Christian
tradition. The Church of the Nazarene is but one small part of a much
larger Christian family. And that family has much to teach Nazarenes. Sometimes
Nazarenes forget their indebtedness to the wider Christian tradition. The result
is impoverished liturgy, worship, theology, and practice. The Church of the
Nazarene can embrace the wisdom in other Christian traditions without losing its
identity.
3. Reexamine what makes the Church of the Nazarene
unique and affirm elements helpful for today. The denomination’s own
history offers a rich resource. Of course, there are also aspects in its history
better left in the past. I know of no one, for instance, who thinks we should
return to the practice of forbidding members to attend baseball games. But other
elements in our history can help us live faithfully today. As a denomination,
we must do the hard work of gleaning wheat and leaving chaff.
4. Support the poor, powerless, and
deprived. From its beginning, the Church of the Nazarene has felt
especially called to help those most in need. Such help can be financial,
emotional, intellectual, etc. I find many young Nazarenes wanting to affirm this
history of helpfulness, although today these issues typically are called matters
of “social justice.” The wind of the Spirit in the Church seems to be calling us
to renew our resolve to act for the good of the least of these.
5. Embrace knowledge offered in the sciences,
humanities, and arts. As important as the Bible is for Nazarenes, we
have never been a “Bible only” people. Leaders from the beginning understood,
for instance, the importance of liberal arts university education.
Unfortunately, however, those who embrace the knowledge found in the sciences,
humanities, and arts are sometimes deemed as “liberal” or concerned with
peripheral issues. The windows of the Church are not opened wide for the Spirit
if we ignore some portions of God’s truth.
6. Create space in positions of leadership for
non-North Americans and minority voices. We’re already behind the curve
when it comes to having good representation in leadership of non-white
Nazarenes. The denomination is growing fastest outside the U.S., and many more
Nazarenes live outside North America than in it. And yet our leadership at
denominational headquarters – top to bottom – is by far dominated by white
males. Perhaps embracing diversity will require decentralization, but it at
least involves diverse representation at the leadership level.
7. Promote an evangelistic/missional strategy of
love toward nonChristians. Unfortunately, some act as if befriending
those of different religious traditions -- without the relentless goal of
converting them -- is unwise. But we are called first to love, and that may or
may not involve inviting others to embrace the Christian faith. In a world of
increasing religious diversity, we should affirm the universality of God’s
prevenient grace toward all peoples. And this affirmation need not lead to
pluralism or extreme relativism.
8. Reestablish the power and number of women in
leadership. Many members of the Church of the Nazarene happily note
that while the Roman Catholic church has not embraced the Spirit’s move to
establish women in the highest positions of leadership, Nazarenes have affirmed
this throughout their history. And yet a very small percentage of Nazarene
pastors are women. And leadership in various denominational sectors is dominated
by men. Steps must be taken to encourage Nazarene members to promote women into
positions of leadership.
9. Change the leadership General Superintendent
structure. Since its early days, the Church of the Nazarene has elected
beginning with three and then six leaders to the highest position of leadership:
General Superintendent. When the denomination numbered a few hundred thousand,
this was a sufficient number of leaders to fulfill the tasks assigned the
position. While the denomination has grown ten times bigger in the last sixty
years, the same number of general superintendents is called to govern. We either
need a single bishop with dozens of key leaders under her to fulfill the tasks
of leadership, or we need 18-20 general superintendents located in and
representing various parts of the world. The denomination cannot function well
in its current leadership format.
10. Engage culture rather than simply condemn
it. I recently read the Pew Research Center study of
religion among the American “millennial generation.” I was struck by how
young people think about issues of religion and culture. In particular, most
younger Americans think differently than their parents about abortion,
evolution, the influence of Hollywood, homosexuality, and the proper size of
government. This, of course, doesn’t mean that their views are better or should
necessarily change the positions of the denomination. But it does mean that the
Church of the Nazarene must engage culture – American and other cultures – to
discern what should be embraced and what should be rejected. Besides, it’s quite
clear that the denomination changed its views on many issues – e.g., dancing,
wearing rings, movies, sports – as cultures changed in the last century.
Conclusion
One of the theological presuppositions of Pope John XXIII’s statement about
“throwing open the windows of the church” is that what we do influences what the
Spirit does. That’s a presupposition that fits well in Wesleyan theology. And it
rightly puts responsibility on our shoulders to cooperate with what God might
want to do in our world today.
I remain optimistic about the future of the church, in general, and the
Church of the Nazarene, in particular. My optimism is grounded in God’s grace.
But I also believe we as a church and as individuals must heed the call for a
fresh anointing of the Spirit in our lifetime.
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