Category: Friends Theology (Page 2 of 3)

Women’s History Month articles at Barclay College

March 18, 2021 / Joseph Ginder

Barclay College has put out several short blog articles for Women’s History Month. Check them out!

The first one is a brief comment on women in pastoral and other forms of leadership in the church and in society. It opens with an introductory defense of women in leadership and closes with a call for the church to do better at supporting God’s call to women in leadership positions. It is confounding that there are a few churches today claiming to be Friends who do not allow women as elders or in senior pastoral positions, in spite of our Faith and Practice! What?

The second is a short article on Margaret Fell, one of the first Quakers and a great early leader whose writings on women preaching remain relevant today. She’s not called the “mother of Quakerism” for nothing!

And lastly, there is a very short article on Mary Fisher, a pioneering Quaker missionary who undertook a dangerous mission to travel overland to meet with the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire to tell him about Jesus. Even some of her supposed “helpers” tried to undermine her efforts! But she was faithful to her calling, met with the Sultan, and afterwards refused his offer of protection: she was already was under God’s protection!

Quaker Meetings in John Woolman’s Time

June 5, 2019 / Joseph Ginder / 0 Comments

While perusing John Woolman, American Quaker, a biography of John Woolman by Janet Whitney published in 1942 that Fred Newkirk asked me to order for him, I ran across a description of what Quaker meeting for worship was in those days. It so happens to also be what meeting for worship in the “waiting worship” approach can be in some Quaker circles still today. While perhaps Whitney idealizes a bit, I have experienced Quaker worship in this way – entering into God’s undeniable presence quietly and powerfully covering all in attendance in a manner I’ve not experienced in other forms of worship. It is most assuredly not merely worship in silent individual meditation; God moves some to speak powerfully – even to preach. Whitney knits through her description of worship a number of characteristics of early Quakers that convey the simple, humble attraction of the movement even in prose exhibiting the limitations of past colonial perspectives. It seemed worth excerpting for those who wonder at Quaker waiting worship to perhaps get a feel for what such worship and the broader Quaker approach to following Christ can be like. So, here’s an excerpt taken in pieces from pages 24-27.

On Sunday and on Thursday they went to meeting “first daysÂ Â and week days meeting.” …Going to meeting was an outing and a social occasion, as well as a sacred necessity…. Silence spread around the meetinghouse, broken only by the song of birds, the chatter of squirrels and insects, or the stamp of a restless horse. Meeting “began” when the first persons entered the meetinghouse, and the deep silence was the chief part of the ritual. Although to the Quakers no one place was more holy than another, and they never had their meetinghouses dedicated or sanctified, nor their burying places consecrated, they had yet chosen for the site of their first meetinghouse in this neighborhood a place hallowed to the Indians for long past as a burying ground.
It seemed to the simple Quakers that a burying ground already established in a central spot was a suitable place to use for their own dead. God was everywhere and the Father of all. …the body of the first to die, Mary Kendal, was laid to rest by her husband and friends in 1687 in the Indian burying ground… and many more. The Indian dead, sitting upright in their barrows with their pottery and dried corn and bows and arrows beside them for use in the Happy Hunting Grounds, mingled their dust with that of the Quakers who lay reposeful and empty-handed, trusting God for provision in the future life as in the past. …no monuments above ground distinguished the one from the other. Gabriel, if heÂ came with his trumpet, could not read the list of names otherwhere than in the Lamb’s book of life. It was against Quaker custom inÂ those early days to have so much as a headstone. The meeting minute-books and individual family records alone furnished theÂ information. So when the Quakers on the Rancocas were ready toÂ build a meetinghouse, its site was a foregone conclusion. Convenience and habit dictated that it should stand beside the burying ground.
To little John Woolman the meetinghouse was as familiar as his own home. He could not remember any time when he did not goÂ there, for he had been taken before memory became conscious. There was no symbol inside, no cross or altar, to mark the house as a temple, but yet it was solemn in there, it was different. When oneÂ entered the dim interior from the outside brightness, one felt a hush. On one side of the center aisle sat the women, on the other the men; and the same division was maintained on the two raised facing benches, where the elders and ministers sat. Behind the elders’ bench,Â to the southeast, was a small window made of four panes of bull’s -eye glass, and in the southwest wall, on the women’s side, was a large fireplace. In winter when the door was shut, most of the light in theÂ meetinghouse came from the leaping fire that roared bravely in the brick chimney, and in extreme weather the women and children whose seats were furthest from it would move closer and gather near the warmth with decorous informality. In summer most of the light came from the open door…
At times another shadow silently appeared, the black silhouette of a man half-naked with a single feather upright in his hair. The Indian peered in to see the white man’s doings, and never needed telling it was worship. Only the movement of his shadow told his entrance, to take his place among the silent forms and share their inward salutation to the Great Spirit in a language which he too could understand.
It was a heavy responsibility to break that hush by speech. Although there were some who rushed readily into the vocal ministry, an opportunity open to all, a sensitive spirit trembled and forbore. Yet the ministry, by sermon or by prayer, was a necessary part of the perfect meeting, and meetings held for long periods in a silence that was never broken were found to become weak and dead. For this reason a definite “call to the ministry” was favored by Friends,Â and after a few spontaneous “appearings in the ministry” of one whose words seemed to feed the spiritual life of the rest, encouragement was given by making a minute recording “the recognition of their gift.” This recording minute of the Monthly Meeting, the local executive of the church, was all that it meant to be a minister among the Quakers. It did not in any sense appoint a minister to preach,Â much less pay him for doing so; and it did not release those not recorded as ministers from the duty of obeying a rare call to speak in meeting when the Divine impulse was felt. The Spirit of GodÂ Â knew no distinction of persons in this service, neither of age nor ofÂ sex, of wealth nor of poverty. Recorded ministers sat on the facing benches with the elders simply because to one more likely to speakÂ than others it was an advantage to be slightly raised and to face the company.
…”We being A large Family of Children,” wrote Woolman in his Journal, “it was customary with my parents after meeting on firstÂ Â days to put us to read In the Holy Scriptures or Some good Books, one after Another the rest [sitting] without much Conversation; This I think was of Some use.”
John Woolman: American Quaker
by Janet Whitney, 1942, pp. 24-27

Asking the Wrong Question: Can a person come to God through general revelation?

July 15, 2017 / Joseph Ginder / 0 Comments

Often, theologians divide revelation into general and special, and mean by “general” what can be known of God through nature. By “special” they essentially mean biblical revelation or at least the explicit gospel. So the question comes down to “can a person turn to trust God through general revelation”?

I think that’s exactly the wrong question. Biblically, no one turns to Jesus unless God draws them through either general or special revelation (by these definitions). This is the beginning of the Calvinist idea no one comes to God on their own. In Calvin’s understanding, God chooses some to be saved and draws them irresistibly to Jesus (or himself). No one turns to God on their own. Quakers agree that no one turns to God on their own, but believe that God draws all people to his son (or himself) at some time or times in their lives. This draw is resistible; humans must choose to trust God as he draws them. If they believe and trust Him, they are saved by grace.

Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. That’s the biblical idea. So, instead of phrasing the question into whether or not general revelation can be sufficient in the absence of special revelation, we would say that general revelation is never enough for anything beyond making people “without excuse” (as Paul says in Romans 1) and that God reveals himself and one’s need for Him to each human being on one or more “days of visitation” in which he makes it clear that we are insufficient in ourselves and that he is calling us to trust Him for purpose and direction in our lives at some level of understanding appropriate for the context. Then, we submit to him or we do not. Salvation begins when we submit to Him and trust Him as He reveals Himself to us. The explicit gospel is powerful and intended by God to be used in drawing many to Himself, of course. It is his will that we know it and spread it. But like Abraham, we must respond with belief to a time when God makes himself known to us. That can take place in the absence of anything but a human in the world and God reaching out to that human. It often takes place in the spiritual realm when the gospel is presented through apparently human means.

Further, no one is saved on the strength of their own reasoning through the words of scripture or logical argument. Rather, God speaks to a person, perhaps while he or she is reading scripture (actually, very often while they are reading scripture – at least where it is available!) It is God speaking that is both necessary and sufficient to produce a context in which a human being can say “yes” in belief and it be credited to that human being as righteousness (or right relationship with God), and that human being be “saved”. It is God that must be present, gracious, and active, and nothing less.

See John 6:44 (No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them) in addition to the many instances of Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. To be justified is to be in right relationship with God. That is the issue. Are we in right relationship to God? God initiates the relationship. We hear him, change our thinking (repent) to trust and to agree with what he says, or we do not. God calls us to trust, enables us to trust, and empowers us to believe and change without overpowering our will. Once we have moved in trust, he calls us to move some more – again and again, toward maturity, for the rest of our natural lives. It is God’s plan that this takes place in and through serving Him and representing Him in Christian community. We are a part of a body – not the body by ourselves.

“We are all thieves”

June 11, 2014 / Joseph Ginder / 0 Comments

In his Journal, George Fox quotes Margaret Fell:

And so he went on, and said, “That Christ was the Light of the world, and lighteth every man that cometh into the world; and that by this light they might be gathered to God.” I stood up in my pew, and wondered at his doctrine, for I had never heard such before. And then he went on, and opened the scriptures, and said, “The scriptures were the prophets’ words, and Christ’s and the apostles’ words, and what, as they spoke, they enjoyed and possessed, and had it from the Lord,” and said, “Then what had any to do with the scriptures, but as they came to the Spirit that gave them forth? You will say, ‘Christ saith this, and the apostles say this’ but what canst thou say? Art thou a child of the Light, and hast thou walked in the Light, and what thou speakest, is it inwardly from God?” This opened me so, that it cut me to the heart; and then I saw clearly we were all wrong. So I sat down in my pew again, and cried bitterly: and I cried in my spirit to the Lord, “We are all thieves; we are all thieves; we have taken the scriptures in words, and know nothing of them in ourselves.”

1887 Quakers on War (and Peace)

October 20, 2013 / Joseph Ginder / 0 Comments

from Declaration of Faith issued by the Richmond Conference of Friends in 1887:

We feel bound explicitly to avow our unshaken persuasion that all war is utterly incompatible with the plain precepts of our divine Lord and Law-giver, and the whole spirit of His Gospel, and that no plea of necessity or policy, however urgent or peculiar, can avail to release either individuals or nations from the paramount allegiance which they owe to Him who hath said, “Love your enemies.” (Matt 5:44, Luke 6:27)

Waiting Worship Instructions

March 2, 2013 / Joseph Ginder / 0 Comments

Be still, and know that I am God

Psalm 46:10

Waiting worship begins in silence. Each worshipper comes to meet with God. As soon as the first person arrives it is time to be quiet. As you arrive, enter quietly with as little distraction and noise as possible and find a place to sit near others.

Start by praying silently. Ask God to quiet your heart and mind so that you can experience his presence. Invite him to help you empty yourself of everything and fill you with his presence. When you have offered yourself to God for this time of worship, then it is time to begin â€œcentering downâ€. Centering down is a mental and spiritual quieting process that we do make ourselves available to God.

To center down, you simply try to stop all the streams of thought that are running through your mind. Just stop them. Seek to be released from all the concerns and responsibilities of the week and simply enjoy God’s presence. Some people find it helpful to relax and close their eyes. Some find it helpful to have a pad of paper on which to write things down that they do not wish to forget. During this time, we seek to empty ourselves and leave behind consciousness of concerns and thoughts that are not prompted by our Lord.

Some find it useful to focus attention on a particular spot or item in the room. Some people will read a passage in the Bible (such as Isaiah 40:31 below). I have seen some who knit quietly. You will find your own approach to emptying yourself in order to be filled with God. Be patient, and donâ€™t be afraid to experiment and discuss with others what you experience. (Discussion should be after the time of worship is over).

Expectations… over time, we grow to more easily enter into Godâ€™s presence. Even so, some report that it may take them nearly an hour – most of the time of a typical meeting for worship! Sometimes we find it difficult to find a place of peace in his presence. It helps to practice in times of quiet – perhaps even while riding to work. It is a good discipline to make space for God.

When the group is together in silence experiencing the presence of God, then the meeting is said to be gathered. Times of powerful gathering can be rare; but sometimes a group can grow to have this experience often. Out of gathered worship, some may be led to speak. Other times the group is silent before God. Allow God to lead; we respond to him.

It is usually best not to come expecting either to remain silent or to speak. Instead, make yourself available to be led by God. Of course, if God leads you to prepare some thoughts before the meeting, you should obey. But keep in mind that he may or may not lead you to speak even if you prepare.

If you are led to speak, please be obedient to speak, but speak only because you are led – not just because a thought comes to mind or because the silence seems awkward. Rest on what you are thinking of saying for a time. If you speak, stand where you are and speak clearly so others may hear. One person speaks at a time. Speak simply and briefly without seeking recognition. Donâ€™t worry about being eloquent or making a speech. Just stop when you are done. The goal is to hear from God and speak if he leads you to speak as a part of the gathered meeting. It is good to build on what others say, but it is not usually appropriate to respond verbally with disagreement or agreement. You do not need to turn to look at them or look up as is customary in a discussion (though it is OK to do so). Your focus is on God; not the speaker. Let the Lord guide you in listening to what is spoken. It is rare to speak more than once in a meeting.

What does one do if another speaks inappropriately? Expect the church elders to deal with the situation or to speak with the person privately. Pray. Know that God is able to take care of the situation. Remain with the Lord and let him guide you.

Traditionally, the meeting is over when someone designated as leader shakes hands with those around him or her. Afterwards, some may remain in prayer or thought. Others may talk quietly – but please be considerate of others around you. Sometimes people will adjourn to discuss or engage in a sort of debriefing of their experience. Encourage those who spoke words that God used in your worship. Encourage those who are learning to worship in this way, especially those who are young.

Stay with it. Worship in this way of waiting upon the Lord is a learned skill that develops and changes over time. It is a powerful, life-giving way of knowing God’s presence.

Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, â€œMy way is hid from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my Godâ€? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary, his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:27-31

A Discernment Process

February 14, 2012 / Joseph Ginder / 0 Comments

Discernment – The act or process of exhibiting keen insight and good judgment.
– The Free Online Dictionary

We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
– Paul of Tarsus, 1 Corinthians 2:12 [niv]

Test everything. Hold on to the good.
– Paul of Tarsus, 1 Thessalonians 5:21 [niv]

Judgment is an ambiguous word, in Greek as in English: it may mean sitting in judgment on people (or even condemning them), or it may mean exercising a proper discrimination. In the former sense judgment is depreciated; in the latter sense it is recommended.
– F.F. Bruce, The Hard Sayings of Jesus

Background

What do you do when you have an important decision to make and you want to move forward with confidence that you are in God’s will? How do you test if your “bright idea” or vision is from God? How do Christians bear one another’s burdens, speaking the truth in love? For background reading, consider 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, Ephesians 4:11-24, and Hebrews 10:24-25.

As Quakers, we believe that Christ is the head of his church and arrange our practice around this present-day reality. We believe he has come to teach his people himself. However, rather than conceiving of this as strictly a matter between Jesus and each individual Christian, Quakers have for centuries valued the discernment of the community of believers gathered in Christ’s presence. After all, if Christ is the head of the church, is the church not his physical presence with us?

Friends have made use of a structure traditionally known as a clearness committee. This essay is not intended to be an overview of Quaker traditions, but it may be helpful to point out that this discernment process owes much to this tradition. Of course there are other precedents, not least of which might be the council at Jerusalem recorded in Acts 15. There are other means by which God offers his guidance. This is one that has proven useful to many of his people in our experience.

Preparing… For those seeking discernment

Discuss your thinking ahead of time with others. Don’t feel as if you need to keep your thinking to yourself. Communicating and discussing ahead of time is good so long as it respects that fact that you are gathering a group to offer you their discernment in the end. So communicate and explain and think out loud. Establish a context with the people who will be helping with your discernment. But if you’ve already decided, then don’t gather a group that is unaware of where you are in the process. Keep an open mind.

Here are some questions that you might consider in preparing to share your idea or question with others who gather with you for corporate discernment.

Where are you in the process of defining your project or goal?
What prayer is being focused on your project or goal? Your own? Others?
What key scripture is guiding your thinking?
How are those closest to you in the Lord involved and responding?
What counsel from trusted, mature Christians have you sought and heard?
Is there more information that should be gathered?
How would you describe the orientation of your project or goal along to
the following “dimensions”:
- connect – grow – serve
- personal or corporate
- discipleship or leadership
- church or community
Practically speaking, are you ready for the discernment process? Who should be invited to participate in this discernment process? What is the schedule you have in mind for making a decision? Have you allowed the time needed to extend invitations and explain to others and allow them to pray?
Do others experienced in this process think you are ready?

Remember that you are presenting an idea, a vision, or a question. You do not need to have a detailed plan of action worked out. Those asking questions and giving feedback can ask about practical issues, but should not expect that a detailed plan is already in hand.

There is much about the Christian life that is assumed in this process. Some of the sections of this essay – those at the end – are intended to help in shedding some light on the context that is necessary for a process such as this to work.

Preparing… For those serving in a meeting for discernment

Your role is simple, really. Listen. Learn what you can in advance from the person who wants discernment, but don’t fret too much if you still have questions. Begin ahead of the meeting to pray for God’s blessing on this person. Ask for clarity in His will, ways, and purpose for them. Offer yourself to God to be used in this process in any way that He chooses.

There is one caution. Hold your role in this process with “an open hand”. Your opinion is not what is important. It is your role in gathering with other believers to seek Jesus’ guidance that is important. It is your support for his direction in the life of the one who is seeking discernment that is important.

During the meeting, as the time for prayer approaches, allow the words read from scripture to focus your mind. They have been chosen by the one seeking discernment as somehow representing this occasion. Let other concerns drop from consciousness and clear your mind to be filled by the Spirit of God. As the prayer time begins, offer yourself to God to serve him and your brother or sister who is seeking discernment. Then listen quietly, trusting that He is present to guide. Speak up during the prayer time only if God moves you to speak.

During the feedback time of the meeting after prayer, humbly report what you have received from him. Present it just as he gave it to you – no amplification, no commentary, no extra thoughts or opinions. Just report. Sometimes you might see a picture. Or certain words in scripture may come to seem important. Contribute what God gives you. That’s all you need to do.

After the meeting, keep listening, praying, communicating, and encouraging in the Lord. The group might meet again, but usually once is enough.

The Meeting

Here is an outline of a discernment process meeting. Plan for one cycle of this process to take about one hour. There’s nothing critical about the one-hour time period or how it is broken up below. This is a suggested pattern for when a schedule of one hour is appropriate. For important decisions where time permits, longer in prayer is better. More clarification time could also be useful, but not at the expense of the time in prayer. Appoint a host who can humbly lead the group through the meeting.

The host briefly explains the process, if necessary. (1-2 minutes)
The person asking for discernment presents a vision or idea with a key scripture. (10 minutes)
The group asks clarifying questions. (5-10 minutes)
Someone from the group (a different voice) reads the scripture passage again.
Pray for discernment, asking for God to give discernment and clarity. Generally this is silent, waiting prayer time, but one or more may speak as led. Often no one will speak. (15-20 minutes)
The group gives feedback and discusses impressions. (10-15 minutes)
Close in prayer, the group praying aloud to bless the person seeking discernment. If culturally appropriate, gathering around the person seeking discernment with your hands on them can be powerful.(5 minutes)

There is usually much to talk about after such a meeting. Some, usually those closest to the one seeking discernment with recognized spiritual authority will take more of the lead in following up. The one who is seeking discernment should, of course, remain in contact and communicate their thankfulness to the community that has supported them.

Questions to ask yourself when seeking discernment

Consider the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. The life you have is what God has already given you. How have you invested it? Why would God invest more in you if you have not done well with what he has already given? So, when asking for direction or discernment for the future, one must consider the present. Make good with what you’ve already been given before expecting more. Here are some questions based on a set I once wrote for myself as a sort of ongoing spiritual self-evaluation. I’ve incorporated suggestions to improve them. You may find them helpful. Of course, they are intended for one who is trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior already.

Do you have credibility with the poor?
Do you study and understand scripture?
Do you pray?
Do you see God working around you?
Are you dealing with conflict and unfair criticism or accusations well?
How do you react to gossip? Do you gossip?
Are you bearing spiritual fruit?
Are your relationships good (as it depends on you)? Do they honor God?
How do friends and co-workers regard you?
Do you speak the truth in love?
Do you have mature Christians who know you well supporting you in your decisions?
Are you tithing?
Are you serving God where you are in all you do?
Do you confess your sin appropriately?
Do you pursue excellence in what you do?
Do you control your emotions or do they control you?
Are you consistently winning the battle against temptation?
To what extent are fear, ambition, greed, lust, vanity, guilt, shame – and the like – affecting my present decisions?

It is rare to be unable to find areas in which I fall short. (Actually, it has never happened.) However, there is a difference between falling short and harboring sin. Harboring sin is when I know that something is wrong; but I choose to go ahead with it anyway, giving it place in my life. The sin grows stronger as I allow it to remain intact and do not war against it. This is a sure way to spiritual death. Consider the warning of Paul in Galatians 6:7-10! There is no way to be sure of God’s will for the future when one is harboring sin in the present.

Personal Steps to Knowing God

Every Christian is called to live a life following Jesus’ teaching. (Think Sermon on the Mount. None of us have that down yet!) Every Christian is called to use whatever gifts and talents they have to serve God, serve the body of believers, and serve the poor. (Romans 12:1-2, 1 Peter 4:10, 1 Corinthians 12:7, Matthew 25:31-46) These two areas of God’s will for us are clear. There’s no need to ask, though there may be more we need to learn. It is easy to fall into the pride of asking for God’s special will for me and my life when what I really need to do is practice obedience in what I already know!

In that same vein, here’s another list I made for a sermon some years ago.

Offer your life to God. Be available. Anything – anywhere – anytime; nothing is held back! Romans 12:1-2
Do what you know to be God’s will where you are now: job, school, family, friends, church.
Renew your mind with the scriptures. Learn God’s ways and purpose.
Practice spiritual disciplines.
Prefer a low place. Prefer the poor. Serve.
Purify your heart. Get rid of sin.
Seek God’s will with other Christians. Worship. Fast. Pray. Ask.
Put yourself where you can hear God. Give time to listening, and stretch yourself in circumstances.
Be strong and courageous.
Be patient. Don’t hurry. Wait for clarity. Go when you know. Moses spent 40 years as a kid, 40 years in the desert, and then led Israel for 40 years. Jesus spent 30 years living a private life and a bit over 3 years in public ministry. Most of life (some would say all) is preparation.

For Further Reading

The two resources that I am recommending are not specifically about this process. They are, rather, about the larger context of hearing and experiencing God. You will be able to see where a process such as this one fits into the larger picture as you consider them.

I highly recommend the book Hearing God by Dallas Willard. This is the best overall consideration of this topic that I know of.

In addition, a practical approach to this question can be found in Experiencing God, a 13-week workbook put together by Henry Blackaby, Richard Blackaby, and Claude King. I’ve worked through this workbook more than once. Friends from diverse walks of life such as college presidents and professors to high-school drop-outs have found it very helpful. I don’t know of any other extra-biblical resource with that kind of track record! (FYI, it’s cheaper at Lifeway Stores than at Amazon.)

More Scripture

On the importance of love for proper discernment, consider Philippians 1:9-10.

Love leads to obedience leads to knowing God… John 14:15-31.

Remaining in Christ and loving one another… John 15:1-17.

The Spirit makes things known… John 16:12-16.

Lectio Divina

October 8, 2011 / Joseph Ginder / 0 Comments

Lectio Divina is a way of reading scripture that allows contemplation, listening to the Holy Spirit, and even communion with God in order to more deeply appreciate and integrate scripture into one’s thinking and being. One may receive peace, guidance, joy, or insight from this practice. We have found it quite beneficial in small group settings, particularly when seeking faithfulness as a group to scriptures to which God has guided us.

In our experience, we may spend some time brainstorming scriptures on a certain topic or area of interest to the group. We read together and consider which passages seem most significant, or from which God seems to be speaking to us. Then, we arrange to spend time in Lectio Divina around those scriptures. God has spoken to us in powerful ways as we approach scripture in this way.

Here is how we have been practicing Lectio Divina

Cultivate internal quietness through silence. Prepare to hear the “still small voice” of God (see 1 Kings 19:12). Sit with eyes closed and let your body relaxed. Allow yourself to become consciously aware of God’s presence with you. Start by expressing your willingness to hear from God in these moments by using a centering prayer such as “Come Lord Jesus,” “Here I am,” or “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”
Read the passage aloud twice, listening for a word or phrase that is God’s word to you or the group for this day.
a. In silence, repeat and consider the word or phrase in your mind.
b. Share the word or phrase with the group.
Read the passage aloud again (someone of the opposite sex from the first reader). This time the purpose is to hear or see Christ in the text.
a. In silence, consider how the word or phrase touches your life. How is Christ touching you through the word or phrase?
b. Share what you have heard or seen with the group.
Read the passage again, this time for the purpose of experiencing Christ’s call to do something or change in some way.
a. In silence consider how Christ is calling you to action or change.
b. Share what you have heard from Christ.
End by each person praying for one person in the group (e.g., the one on their right) based on what was shared by that person and as led by the Spirit.

What makes a church? …Contrasting Catholic and Quaker thinking

July 7, 2011 / Joseph Ginder / 1 Comment

In an essay entitled The Ecclesiology of Vatican II, Joseph Ratzinger (as of 2011, the current pope) explains a Catholic view of what constitutes a church:

No one can make a Church by himself. A group cannot simply get together, read the New Testament and declare: “At present we are the Church because the Lord is present wherever two or three are gathered in His name.” The element of “receiving” belongs essentially to the Church, just as faith comes from “hearing” and is not the result of one’s decision or reflection. Faith is a converging with something I could neither imagine nor produce on my own; faith has to come to meet me. We call the structure of this encounter, a “sacrament.” It is part of the fundamental form of a sacrament that it be received and not self-administered. No one can baptize himself. No one can ordain himself. . . . In the Eucharist, the priest acts “in persona Christi,” in the person of Christ; at the same time he represents Christ while remaining a sinner who lives completely by accepting Christ’s Gift. One cannot make the Church but only receive her; one receives her from where she already is, where she is really present: the sacramental community of Christ’s Body moving through history.

As Quakers, we see things differently. Our understanding is that such matters rest with Christ, not on a human succession – not even an unbroken succession of human apostles (if such a thing even exists). While to a Catholic the other churches seem to presume too much in organizing themselves outside the “one true church”, to a Quaker the Catholics seem to presume too much in claiming an exclusive right to franchise the church, or even in claiming to be the one, first, only, true church! Quakers testify that God has come to teach his people himself. Jesus is the head of the church and can establish a gathering of his people directly without needing endorsement form any particular pre-existing organization.

We believe that Christ has gathered us as a people and called us to a particular testimony – a particular way to follow Him and worship in obedience. We are Christian – followers of Christ – first and foremost. Our theology is orthodox and evangelical. Yet we have been given a particular testimony of the reality of Jesus in contrast to the shadows and symbols and rituals that is somewhat unique. Was this testimony formed under particular circumstances in a particular cultural and historical setting? Of course it was. Yet even these particulars are not outside the providence of God. It is our understanding that Jesus establishes his church; Jesus baptizes his people by his Spirit. Said another way, the Spirit baptizes Jesus’ people into Him. We are not concerned about apostolic succession because we are called by the one who established the original apostles and minister under his direct authority.

For the sake of making this point, I will borrow the beginning text and skeleton of Ratzinger’s comment but change it into something more Quaker than Catholic:

No one can make a Church by himself. A group cannot simply get together, read the New Testament and declare: “At present we are the Church because the Lord is present wherever two or three are gathered in His name.” The element of “receiving” belongs essentially to the Church, just as faith comes from “hearing” and is not the result of one’s decision or reflection. Faith is a converging with something I could neither imagine nor produce on my own; faith has to come to meet me. We call the structure of this encounter, a “sacrament.” It is part of the fundamental form of a sacrament that it be received and not self-administered. No man can baptize another into Christ. No man can ordain another into ministry. These are spiritual realities enacted by Jesus himself to establish and organize his people. A gathering of humans is a church insofar as it reflects these spiritual realities. Human beings cannot make the Church but only receive her; humans receive her by being born from above, immersed into Christ, and gathered by His Spirit. Jesus is really present; he organizes his people himself as he sees fit: the sacramental community of Christ’s Body moving through history.

Christ has come to teach his people himself. Christ has come to baptize, call, ordain, and gather his people himself. Apostolic succession is irrelevant when Christ himself is present and active to call out and establish his church – his people – his family by the power of his Spirit.

Does God intend Christians to be healthy and wealthy?

November 4, 2010 / Joseph Ginder / 0 Comments

Does God intend Christians to be healthy and wealthy? Is the prosperity gospel on target? I say no. Here’s an explanation.

The argument I most often hear for the prosperity gospel is that God loves his people and knows how to give them good gifts. Thus, he gives them prosperity and health. I agree that God loves his people and knows how to give them good gifts. However, what is good?

When Christmas rolled around when I was a kid, the thing I thought about most was gifts. The gifts I wanted were toys, and candy was OK too. However, the gifts my parents wanted me to have were things like clothes or perhaps a Bible. I remember when I opened the gift that turned out to be my first Bible; it was quickly set aside in favor of opening other gifts, hoping for a good toy! My perspective and that of my wiser parents was not the same. I had to grow to appreciate the gifts they knew to be better for me than toys or candy.

Similarly, what gifts does God value for us? According to Romans 8:28-29, the good that God works in our lives as we are called according to his purpose is to conform us to the likeness of Christ. In preparation for eternity, God uses the events of our lives to shape us into the likeness of his son. Another gift that God values is that we come to know him. John 17:3 says that eternal life is to know God, and Jesus whom he has sent. Another scriptural perspective is that God intends us to be “oaks of righteousness” – a display for his splendor and glory (Isaiah 61:3). Similarly, scripture is quite clear that while God cares for us and will provide what we need as we seek first his kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:25-34, he gives us no promise of either health or wealth in this life. Consider Job. Consider many of the prophets. Consider the apostles. Other than Elijah, they all died. Some suffered physical ailments. Most were not wealthy by worldly standards.

So, what can we count on as Christians if we are obedient to God? We can count on coming to know God. We can count on being changed to become more like Christ, displaying the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). And we can count on God providing for us what we need. We can count on God redeeming the trials we face for his good and eternal purposes.

On occasion, when he knows it will not cause us more harm than good and undermine the things he values most in us, God will bring prosperity – even great prosperity. I don’t believe God casually inflicts his people with ill health or physical problems, but he certainly brings great good from such on occasion as he redeems the difficult experiences of those who struggle with health issues. He may choose to heal physical problems when it suits his greater purposes to do so, and give us health. He may choose to let the trials and problems shape us to be more like his Son.

Prosperity in this world and health in this world will both pass away; they will not last into eternity. The things of prosperity in this world will come to dust, as will our present-day physical bodies. In the new heaven and new earth, we will have new, healthy bodies and live in a heavenly city of plenty. The life we build on the foundation of Christ will last into eternity. The life God builds in us will be shaped like Christ and last into eternity.

We Christians need to get over our fixation on toys and candy… er, health and wealth, and seek the better gifts that God desires us to have in this life and in eternity. What trial am I willing to endure to become like Christ and give glory to God? What trial would I undergo if it meant that I came to know God more nearly and clearly, like Job did? What storm am I willing to ride out in order to display peace and joy that passes understanding and brings God glory because it is not based on my outward circumstances?

I trust you, God – but help me to trust you more. The truth is I don’t relish the idea of trials! Something in me still wants the lesser things, even though I can’t lie to myself and claim these are God’s priority or even what is best for me. May His name be honored. May His kingdom come. May His will be done.