A little writing that is to come

The next next of posts will take a slightly different direction. During lockdown I wrote four books with the overall title of ‘Explorations in theology’ and have held various Zooms on their content. I consider behaviour is more important than belief but know that belief shapes behaviour. I am not sure what label is appropriate for where I sit on the theological spectrum. I guess I could be labelled a ‘progressive evangelical’, evangelical in the sense that the canon of Scripture is the authority for what I believe and the cross of Jesus is the means of reconciliation to God (as put out in Robert K. Johnston 1990’s paper); David Bebbington suggested four elements that define evangelicalism: conversionism, biblicism, crucicentrism, and activism. As per all terms each one needs to be filled with meaning and meaning is where theology steps in. ‘Progressive’ in the sense that there is one eternal gospel but our understanding of it is shaped by our cultural setting, and we are no longer living in the Anselmian era of feudalism, nor the Reformers’ era of indulgences and the law-court. If progressive is appropriate then I also make a loud shout that we must always be assessed by our faithfulness to the parameters of the great narrative of Eden to New Jerusalem. (And to be a little provocative… surely a belief in the rapture falls way short of being faithful to those parameters; and to be even more provocative – we have to go beyond ‘belief’, maybe a statement of faith that could not be critiqued would be one borrowed from ‘the devil’ who believes!!!! Purely provocative – but the point is faith has to contain allegiance and perhaps should be defined by allegiance?)

Since writing the four books I began to write some extended articles (https://3generations.eu/journals) and am about to start another one in that ‘series’. It will be an exploration and my plan is to write it as a series of posts that I will then extend (maybe with the help of comments and push back) and publish it as the next pdf extended article. This will be an exploration into the reconciliation of all things, not in the sense of eschatological reconciliation but at the level of ‘redemptive’ reconciliation – what now and here is to be reconciled; in what areas are we to experience and work toward reconciliation. I will suggest that there are four ways in which reconciliation is to be expressed:

• reconciliation to God
• reconciliation to others
• reconciliation to the creation
• reconciliation to self.

The first is of course obvious and very ‘Pauline’; the second comes through clearly with the command to love our neighbour… and the extension of that to love ‘our enemy’; the third is clear in Romans 8 and is much more visible as an urgent necessity in our day than in Paul’s day; the fourth has become the domain of the therapeutic world but is within that command to love others as we love ourselves. So far so good, but not really much of an exploration! A very short article.

We can claim to be reconciled to God but if we ‘hate our brother / sister’ we are a liar! Strong words. In reality if I am truly reconciled to God then there should be a flow into the other areas – sadly a ‘believe the right doctrine’ and righteousness is ‘imputed’ does not stack up with Scriptures that extend the meaning / implication of faith in God. We are in process so I am not suggesting some level of perfection required – grace is grace. Full, realised reconciliation awaits us.

I will seek to explore these four areas and allow Scripture to critique our approach to Scripture and the area that might prove a little uncomfortable is whether there is scope to begin with an area of reconciliation other than that of reconciliation to God (in the personal / Christian sense).

Let me put it this way – if we (I) claim to be reconciled to God through the work of the cross then there is the legitimate expectation that there will be evidence that I am embracing the other three areas of reconciliation. That is the challenge to me as a believer – demonstrating my faith, not simply articulating it. Then exploring the position of someone who is not a believer:

Could it be that there is someone who does not even believe in a transcendent personal God who is increasingly being reconciled in the three other areas and as that takes place they are in fact being, in limited but yet real measure, reconciled to the God who is revealed within creation and within humanity?

Panic not! Explorations… but I will also wish to explore the implications of any such view. Where am I on the theological spectrum – willing to explore as Jesus is the centre of all.