You are viewing the older version of this Weblog. I have left this version available for those of you who do not have Javascript enabled in your web browser.

If you have Javascript enabled and would like to view the lastest version of this Weblog, please go here.
« [Book Review] A Heret… | Main |   » Acetones

August 22, 2006

Informatio: , , , ,

[Book Review] A Heretic's Guide to Eternity: Chapter 4...

’s latest book, ”,” is divided into three sections: “Questioning Grace: The Future of Faith,” “Questioning What We Know: New Horizons of Faith,” and, “Living in Grace: Mystical Responsibility.” Each section contains three chapters and an interlude.

Chapter 4, “The End of the World As We Know It,” begins Section 2 and starts with a humorous, yet revealing revelation about the future of the institutional church.

“I think part of my facination lies in contemplating the future of [megachurches]. I’ve always wondered what might happen to these behemoth structures if religious institutions lose their place in our culture. Will we one day take tram tours around the megachurch campus at Saddleback in Orange County or Willow Creek in suburban Chicago the way people tour the great cathedrals in Europe?”

The humor in that question comes from the fact that the answer is most definitely “no.” Beside the fact that megachurches of today are not built to last for very long, none of them come even close to the artistic masterpieces that are the cathedrals of the past. (Could you imagine anyone looking at the gaudy banners that hang in some current churches as if they were Medieval tapestries or paintings?) Still, the question arises: What are these huge churches (built more like warehouses) even made for?

A possible decline in the need for a church structure, Spencer continues, can be attributed (but not limited to) “six traits”:

  1. Pluralism
  2. Popular Culture
  3. Individualization
  4. “This-worldliness”
  5. A shift toward holism
  6. Service is no longer church-exclusive

As an example, the following excerpt speaks on “pluralism”:

'A Heretic's Guide to Eternity,' by Specer Burke and Barry Taylor “Chris Partridge, a theologian in Great Britain, says we are witnessing the ‘confluence of secularization and sacralization.’ This change, he says, is creating a new religiocultural milieu. Translations? Religion is evolving into an entirely new manifestation—one that may not have any connection to an institutional church.

“It’s interesting to me, for example, how many evangelical Protestant churchgoers also attend yoga, participate in silent retreats at Catholic monastaries, meditate daily, and sing the praises of Chinese acupuncture. While the theology in their head may keep them from explicity exploring other religions, at a heart level they remain open to new spiritual experiences.”

This is quite true in my Christian experience and not only speaks of an increasing pluralism in our culture, but a quest for a more holistic spiritual life (Trait #5 in the above list). The question then becomes: Is this new spirituality a good thing or a bad thing for the Christian faith? (When I’m finished reviewing the book, I may actually try to answer that for myself.)

Chapter 4 goes on to explain today’s “Christian currency.” Burke explains that even though the Church may have moved away from the selling of indulgances, it still attempts to capitalize on people’s fear.

“For as long as I’ve been a Christian, contemporary Chrstianity has been obsessed with not only sin but also the end of the world. Of course, today it seems apparent that perhaps it’s not the end of history Christians fear so much as the end of the reason-based, linear view of history that has driven the Christian perspective.”

Spencer Burke says that the Christian story that the Church currently presents is just no longer valid to most of our culture. He says that people are leaving church because they’ve abandoned their commitment to the teachings of Jesus, but because they want to escape the traditional church dieals of abstract ideas and religious dogma. Burke insists that, “The currency of the church has to change.”

Burke ends out Chapter 4 by speaking about the boundary model of Christianity. We’ve actually had a pretty good discussion on this Blog about Jesus and boundaries before (here and here). Let’s see what Spencer has to say.

“Not only does a model like this limit God’s grace by placing it behind a wall of restrictions and requirements, but it also runs counter to Jesus’ vision of a faith community that transcends religious and cultural limitations. Jesus’ model was a kingdom, the “kingdom of God”—not a literal place limited by geography or border but a horizon, a new way of looking at the world around us. ‘Lift up your eyes and look on the fields,’ Jesus said. Change your perspective.”

Previously, I said that Chapter 3 was probably the chapter that best defined “A Heretic’s Guide to Eternity” as a whole. So far, Chapter 4 has been the most profound.

Between chapters 4 and 5 is another interlude entitled, “The First Heretic.” It is about Pricillian of Avila and how he was executed by the church quite possibly more for his views on than anything else. You can read more about Pricillian here.

« previous entry in series
next entry in series »

Posted at 08:23 am

Trackback:

Trackback Link:

Please enable javascript to generate a trackback url

Comments (8):
I have always thought whether a church is 3 people or 10,000 people as long as God’s spirit is there andthe Gospel is preached and taught it doesn’t matter. I have been in some wonderful homegroups there God’s Spirit was evident and I have been in churches with thousands of people and God’s Spirit is evident. I think for the church we mustn’t focus on thesize but whether God’s Spirit is movingand the Gospel is preached and taught. That can be done by God’s Spirit whether 3 people or 10,000 people. IMHO

dh () - August 22, 2007 at 08:41 am

I agree, except that I believe it can be 1 person or many — despite what literalists may have had to say about it. ;-)

timsamoff () (URL) - August 22, 2007 at 08:50 am

Well, I don’t think it is literalists to say “forsake not the assembly of yourselves together.” or the concept of “two or three gathering together” as being important for the Body of Christ. I just don’t know about a church of 1. Okay Tim, okay lets split the difference at two like it is mentioned above. :)

dh () - August 22, 2007 at 09:00 am

tim and dh,

here is one opportunity. we have created sound bites (i do it all of the time) to present our position from scripture – my challenge in the book is that we reexamine our assumptions. i hope we look at what we mean when we talk about the church – it is my love of the church that encourages me to hope and dream beyond the institution we find our self in today.

one of the assumptions we make about church is – there needs to be two or three to be church. i like that, but i don’t think that is the requirement. our sound bite comes from matt. 18 “where two or three are gathered”, this is not describing the church, but a specific response to sin and the action we might consider, so to jump from this verse to a building, songs and a preacher needs to be reexamined.

we also need to look at the verse “forsake not the assembly”, again this context is not the description of our gatherings together today, the context in heb. 10 is “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” – instead of passive, educational meetings on a sunday morning the passage implies action, “out there”, and a way of life…

when we think we have it all figured out and we become comfortable with our definitions this is the opportunity we have to reexamine our life and beliefs. that is my hope for the book – to open the dialogue and find new ways to be the good news in our present time and culture.

spencer burke () (URL) - August 22, 2007 at 11:56 am

“instead of passive, educational meetings on a sunday morning the passage implies action, “out there”, and a way of life…” Sounds like a lot of presuppositions to me. To suggest overal as being “passive” I think is what seems different to me. Tosuggest “church” can be 1 person doesn’t seem to coorelate to what I see in the Bible. I think ““let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” and that is what the church is about especially when observing the gift of the spirit and all of the concepts of “gifts” that the Apostle Paul mentions. I will say this though “unless the Lord builds the house they labor in vain.” However, to suggest ALL church building is vain seems odd.

dh () - August 22, 2007 at 12:04 pm

Thanks, Spencer. I agree.

One thing… I have brought up the context of Matthew 18 on my Weblog before (in the comments):

http://sense-datum.org/tim/archive/2005/..

That’s why I didn’t mention it again here. Maybe I should have! :-D

timsamoff () (URL) - August 22, 2007 at 12:05 pm

I believe Jesus was talking in a general way with regard to His presence and that sentence can be literal with regard to God’s presence beyond just a person caught in sin. paraphrase “not only is Christ there when there is sin but also when there are two or three.” With that it isn’t taking it out of context if Jesus IS truly there where two or three are gathered whatever the reason.

dh () - August 22, 2007 at 12:42 pm

Couldn’t not forsaking meeting mean not turning our backs on God? i mean, when i am by myself physically, the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and God are all with me. Just some food for thought.

Existential Punk () (URL) - August 26, 2008 at 12:13 am

Commenting has been permanently disabled. Please use the Contact button above.