Challenging sermon this morning at the
Kirchentag closing service. Looking forward to dong a proper write up of it in the next day or so. For now the Peacher, Dr
Danielle Garrone, a Waldensian from Rome,
called us to hope in Christ, not Christendom, or ourselves. He suggested that a Church losing the script comes off the message of the gospel, and starts banging on about collateral moral issues that it thinks will engage people outside, but never seem to:
I fear ethics has become the area that we hope will attract people's interest, because we do not have enough hope to expect such interest in the gospel itself. Protestants tend to prefer to do social ethics, and Evangelicals to concentrate on sexual ethics, whilst Catholics engage in both. All of us are open to the temptation to use ethics as a way to gloss over our own lack of giving account of the hope that is in us...
Challenging sermon this morning at the Kirchentag closing service. Looking forward to dong a proper write up of it in the next day or so. For now the Peacher, Dr Danielle Garrone, a Waldensian from Rome, called us to hope in Christ, not Christendom, or ourselves. He suggested that a Church losing the script comes off the message of the gospel, and starts banging on about collateral moral issues that it thinks will engage people outside, but never seem to:
6 comments:
Can't ethics (done right) be good news? Or put the other way round, there is no Christian way of doing ethics without speaking of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
My immediate reaction is agreement.
"He suggested that a Church losing the script comes off the message of the gospel, and starts banging on about collateral moral issues that it thinks will engage people outside, but never seem to"
Back when I was an atheist, I vaguely wondered whether there was a place where atheists could go to discuss ethics, or to support each other. I suppose the thing I was groping my way towards was a church. I don't think I'd have showed up at any church no matter how big a banner they put up saying, "Come and discuss ethics with us," - I think for me it had to be a way-out-of-my-normal-experience conversion event that got me going there. Maybe that's quite usual, but I don't know the stats.
You have been awarded the prestigious Lemonade Stand Award
http://www.liturgy.co.nz/blog/lemonade-stand/960
Byron, thanks for the thought. Good Ethics are inherently better than bad ethics, but perhaps, thinking out loud, they are safer as an output of Christian discipleship rather than a input for it. If taken as the way in, it's easy to get stuck in a Pelagian place. However the social impact of early Christianity was largely made by the different way Christians lived, especially in regard to family and marriage questions.
JQ, very interesting. When I were a lad the Churches were often treated in the UK as a kind of National Trust or Police Force for morals. Faith in Christ was generally respected as a kind of bolt on set of fog lamps some keenies liked to drive around with. You couldn't miss them, but they weren't strictly necessary. "Christian values without Christian faith" was all the rage. The truth as I see it now, though, is that Christ is the prime as well as ultimate Christian value! What it was convenient to take as the foglamps were, in fact, the engine and the goal of the joourney, the fuel and the road. Make that the way, the truth and the life...
Bosco, thanx for Lemonade Stand award. I will say no more for fear of a Kate Winslet moment, as I thank all the people of the world for being themselves, etc., but the thought is much appreciated.
Yes, an output indeed! But an output that is itself included in the gracious gift, not simply an obligation laid on us as the result of a gift. Thus, the challenge when preaching on an ethical issue is showing how our freedom in Christ from condemnation and the fear of death leads us into joyful and creative obedience to his law of love.
But I think we are singing from the same songsheet here. Thanks for your thoughts. I've just come across your blog and have been enjoying it.
Peace,
Byron
This has been occupying my thoughts as I try to prepare a sermon for Pentecost Sunday grappling with the extract from chapter 8 of Paul's letter to the Romans where Paul emphasises the importance of hope. I'm drawn to the idea of linking the thoughts on this blog on 'Ethics v Hope' to the perception of churches as being 'religious' rather than 'spiritual' in many people's minds - haven't completed the thoughts yet but thanks for help along the way!
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