This is not theoretical fantasizing about “church” (ekklesia) in order to define the bride ever more precisely (see October 2008 entries “Borg or bride?” and “The reluctant bride”). Rather, as followers of Jesus in a an increasingly capricious culture, we seek understanding in order to live church more fully.
So to comprehend better the essence of true church, let’s play a game! I give you a word-picture, and you guess its meaning (see answers below*):
Rug rat =
The lawyer grilled the witness on the stand. =
Tolerance is the window to peace. =
Road hog =
He was hitting his head against a wall. =
It was a half-baked idea. =
A fat snake of black smoke =
Obviously the above are examples of the linguistic tool called metaphor.
Metaphor: a thing regarded as representative… especially of something abstract (NOAD), a direct comparison between two or more seemingly unrelated subjects. (Wikipedia)
In GENERATION X: tales for an accelerated culture (164), Douglas Coupland describes the modernist malady, “METAPHASIA: An inability to perceive metaphor.”
The OT is replete with metaphor, e.g. anthropomorphism. Isaiah wrote, “Surely the arm of the Lord is not to short to save.” (Is. 59:1)
Jesus frequently used metaphor, e.g. “Do not be afraid, little flock.” (Lk 12:32)
One might retort, “Why didn’t Isaiah and Jesus just say what they meant?!” Well, Jesus’ disciples were pretty annoyed with him on that very point. “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” (Matt. 13:10). So to make things clear for them he quotes an enigma from Isaiah! “You will hear my words, but you will not understand…” Why?
Swiss anabaptist theologian, Alfred Kuen writes, “When Jesus wanted to reveal truths to his disciples when they were still incapable of understanding, he frequently utilized images and parables.”
One might retort, “But the church is not abstract! You see, here’s the church, here’s the steeple, open the door and see all the…” Oops, where are all the postmodern people?!
As Emil Brunner observed, “What is Church? This question, protestantism has not resolved.” If it is questionable whether protestants ever truly grasped ekklesia during modernity (when Brunner wrote), and most evangelicals are tacitly if not explicitly associated with the Protestant Reformation, then in light of the postmodern drift it behooves us to reconsider the question, “What is church?”
And how much more so if a local church has been based upon a business model (surely not all, but some are unabashedly so)? Could those churches run the risk of experiencing crises similar to those that corporate America is now facing? And regardless of the model, what if operating income is reduced due to the financial crisis? And what if the church has profited from political influence that, in the States, may be eroding? Hmmm, maybe an evaluation would be prudent after all.
“That’s okay, we’ll just change models!” Fine, what model will you change to?
Just like models today, Tom Julien observes, “the New Testament reveals the visible church through its practices and development. This revelation is descriptive and not prescriptive. The functions, or essential elements of the visible church, must grow out of her essence.” Concerning the essence of ekklesia Tom says, “The New Testament reveals the ideal church through images. These images are metaphors; they are normative and universal.”
A metaphor is fuzzy.
A metaphor stimulates the imagination.
A metaphor has a well defined subject.
Like an impressionist painting, a metaphor stimulates the imagination; it is fuzzy in detail in order to more clearly understand its essence.
So some church practitioners, rather than consulting extant models in popular books, are going to the Book of books to unearth immutable essentials of ekklesia, embedded in metaphors, in order to move toward fresh forms of sustainable, edifying, missional church in an ever shifting culture.
ANSWERS !
Rug rat = An infant crawls on all fours and chews on everything it can.
The lawyer grilled the witness on the stand. = Tough questions create a damaging level of psychological heat that can have physical consequences.
Tolerance is the window to peace. = A window is a portal that links spaces
Road hog = The territorially aggressive driver takes up far more space than they need.
He was hitting his head against a wall. = Stuck, can’t break through to something.
It was a half-baked idea. = Cake must be fully baked to be of value.
« Un gros serpent de fumée noire » (Guy de Maupassant) = The black smoke wiggled through the sky.
3 comments:
Just read this brief from the Washington Times, quite germane to the discussion:
Why Young People Leave the Church
At the current pace, only 4% of America's teens will end up as Bible-believers, a sharp contrast to 35% of Boomers and 65% of Builders. Why? The Washington Times religion editor, Julia Duin, says "Many regard their church teachings as 'irrelevant' to their daily lives. Going to church is perceived as a 'time-waster.' Sermons are 'bland' and uninspiring," says Duin, "especially to the highly educated, and they do not address the most pressing concerns of congregants. Issues such as chastity, pornography, pre-marital sex, marital struggles, divorce and workplace challenges aren't discussed in detail. In seeking to be inoffensive or entertaining, church leaders do not provide enough spiritual nourishment to sustain their most ardent believers. Many contemporary churches fail to foster deep communities of believers. Disconnected congregants are turning to more intimate house churches. Others, tired of poor Bible teachers, seek in-depth faith explorations by their own efforts or with kindred spirits. Congregants yearn for the miraculous but are only fed the pedantic and innocuous. An increasing number of believers are unmarried, yet many churches are so family-centric they fail to address concerns of those from different walks of life."
The Washington Times 9/21/08
Thanks for your thoughts. I just attended a seminar that addresses many of the topics you shared in your blog and the Times article. I wish more of our churches would engage in this area about the Church and young people. For the most part, it is only those of us who serve among a younger generation that are involved. Appreciate your thoughts and insights.
Hi Bob,
Thanks for the affirmation. Yes, it is often those working with youth who see the need for evolution of forms. And it is okay that not everyone recognize what is transpiring as long as people in power within the inherited church trust, resource and give freedom to experiment to those who do.
As anabaptist missiologist, Stuart Murray says, in this time of transition "there are no formulas." So we need to grope forward through trial and error. Those who hold the keys to resources need to understand that this process is neither efficient or necessarily quantifiable. And they need to know that we are not sacrificing Truth on the alter of cultural relevance, but rather on a quest to find fresh forms that flow from Scripture. Henry Holsinger and the Progressive Brethren understood this (19th century), so there is nothing new under the sun.
Checked out your blog. Thanks for working with young people. It is often said they are the future of the church. You probably agree that they are in fact equal members of the body with older people (like me :-), therefore, they are the church today.
I wish you a joyous Easter celebration!
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