I finished posting all twenty of the Christians who make up my spritual DNA. I did not go into depth about each one, so I hope if you're reading this blog that you'll take the time to research some of those remarkable people.
The class is going very well here at Bakken. I am really enjoying my time with Ray Bakke. He truly is an incredible mentor for me. I have been impacted by him so much, and he is very gracious in opening up so much about his life and the things he has learned about church history.
We had some great discussions on day two about the current state of global Christianity. I've said this to many times before, but I need to say it again: In 1910, 80% of the Christians in the world lived in the West (Europe and North America). Now, in 2010, 80% of the Christians in the world live outside the West in the global South (in places such as India, China, and Africa). However, American Christians are still trying to act as if we have a corner on Christianity in the world. We are not dominant in numbers anymore, although our hiring practices at churches, in seminaries, and in mission agencies still greatly reflects a white American male demographic. The population of minorities in American will soon outnumber whites. Many American Christians are acting like somebody moved their cheese, and they don't know what to do except feel threatened and afraid. I love the church in America, and I don't want to see us decline anymore. We need to adjust effectively to how God is moving in our world, and I think we can do it if we become more humble and teachable.
We also discussed immigration today. I've written about this issue in recent blog posts, but it is still something that is on my heart. Most people don't realize it, but Jesus was an undocumented illegal alien. Ruth was an undocumented illegal alien, and the first thing she did was manipulate the welfare system. Moses' mother broke the law and then manipulated the welfare system in order to provide for her son. I realize that this is a complicated issue in America, but we cannot look at what the Bible has to say on the subject from a one sided perspective. Many white Americans are feeling disoriented. They are feeling vulnerable for the very first time, while people all over the world have experienced vulnerability for a very long time. Gated communities are growing faster than ghettos in the United States. And to be honest, many Christians are running away from brokennes as fast as they can.
I'm learning that learning about Christian history should inform our theology. You cannot tell anyone where the church should be going until you can tell everyone where it's been. Many, many, many issues that are facing contemporary Christians today have roots that go back hundreds and sometimes thousands of years. How can you solve a problem if you don't know what the root of the problem is or how it began?
I'll close with some of Ray Bakke's one liners from today:
History does not repeat itself, but patterns do.
Mission is the mother of theology.
Heresies are exaggerations of truths.
When it comes to the body of Christ, be a body builder and not a body divider.
No comments:
Post a Comment