Theology on Ground Level

Going back to graduate school placed me into the heady invigorating world of academic theological deliberations.  Keeping abreast of ongoing debates among scholars conservative and liberal alike allows me the chance to continually sharpen those reemerging skills.  However, as I was reminded yesterday in the basement of my church with six students at the adult instruction class, theology must ultimately address issues affecting the real-time lives of God's people.  Last night we discussed the age-old question of sin and the Fall in Eden and the ancient tactics of the evil one.  Parish work affords ample opportunity to wrestle with the most difficult theological dilemmas, as sin continually poses challenges to the application of law and gospel in the most fundamental way.

In my corner of the world two of the challenges that most frequently complicate the life of the parish involve issues impacting morality (e.g. cohabitation) and fellowship (e.g. close communion).  While the answers often seem clear and obvious to me as a pastor, the solutions are another story.  Parish-level theology is complicated in large part because of the fellowship in which it must be practiced.   The law's hammer crushes the pride of sin and checks our selfish desire to be our own god, but its impact also sends unintended reverberations throughout family units in ways that too often obscure the real message.  Nothing is more personal than ones family, and when issues cause people to break their fellowship in a church where family ties go deep, the fallout sends waves of hurt into many lives, including the pastor.  How can we refuse to commune someone's daughter whose parents know to be a 'good Christian girl'?  How dare we judge the private decisions of people who are faced with economic challenges that prohibit the luxury of independent living!  Sure, there is the 'letter of the law,' but what about the exceptions every law is afforded for the sake of real people with messy, complicated lives?  Are we heartless?

If you have ministered at this level you know only too well the spirit of these quandaries.  As I often remind my people, there is a reason the hymnal has a section entitled "The Church Militant."  Satan has constructed his chapel next to our cathedral and will not be closing any time soon.  As he cracked the door with his first question of doubt and sowed the seeds that bore the fruit of rebellion against the very Word of God, so this well-worn pattern is employed with tireless application day in and day out.  Pastors remain at the heart of a battle and must never relax so long that they forget their own vulnerabilities and inherent weaknesses.

With that in mind I realize I must retire for a time to God's Word and to prayer.  Every day the evil one works to keep me from it, and I confess has secured a good record of victory on too many days.  May the Lord bless you in this battle as you minister in the kingdom.  Theology on ground level is tough work.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Firefighter's Cross

Image
[Note: A similar article to this will be shared with my department at their next meeting. During this Lenten season when we are meditating on the significance and meaning of the Passion of our Lord and the Cross at Golgotha, it seemed like one way to offer a witness to the department that captured their interest and yet was not too heavy.] [Editorial Note: In response to a recent comment on this article I have made some changes to the original version of this article especially in regard to references to the so-called St. Florian's Cross. For any confusion the previous unreferenced information may have caused I apologize. I hope that the changes are satisfactory.] THE STORY OF THE MALTESE CROSS In many ways the familiar symbol to the right requires no explanation. It is the universal insignia of firefighting nationwide. Yet the precise origins of this symbol are less clear. The most popular explanation proposes its beginning in the far distant past of medieval Crusaders fi...
Read more

Historical Roots of the Warham Guild Hood

Image
In doing just a little checking on the internet, it's interesting to see how the Warham Guild hood, which I have as part of my STM degree attire, is actually a throwback to the Medieval hood. One article notes "the work of the Warham Guild in its imaginative renderings of medieval hoods" (reference is from here ). Again, here is my hood: The Medieval hood, which was originally a very practical outer garment to cover a person's head and shoulders, protecting both from the elements, bears striking resemblance to this revived form: This hood was also a part of the garb of monks in that era. The Medieval hood, in some cases, also had what is known as a "liripipe," a long tail hanging from the back of a hood. You can see the modern stylized version of this on my own hood. From an article on "Academic hood development" we read that "By 1463 the favourite dress of doctors was the hood with round bell-shaped cape, and the lir...
Read more

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

Image
According to a recent documentary, for all the talk about academic freedom in the world of the large American university system, it would seem that it extends only as far as the system defines it - especially with regards to the subject of origins and science. Noted speechwriter Ben Stein stars as host of the film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. Dr. Angus Menuge, professor of philosophy at CUW, highlights the film in an article included in the Concordia University - Wisconsin magazine Concordian , including some seemingly revealing details about the expulsion of talented scientists who apparently were ‘expelled‘ from their positions for mentioning the theory of Intelligent Design: “In the current climate, even when academicians have a relevant doctorate and a track-record of peer-reviewed publication, their careers suffer if they argue that the scientific evidence points to an intelligent source involved in the creation of the world. In 1992, Dean Kenyon, a biology professor at ...
Read more