Wednesday, January 17, 2007

don williams' start here

I just ordered Don Williams' Start Here: Kingdom Essentials for Christians. Until it arrives, I'm enjoying Mark Roberts' review.

... what I find so compelling about Start Here is its dogged insistence that the Christian life really should be what Jesus and the New Testament reveal it to be. Williams refuses to do what many of us, myself included, find so tempting, namely to truncate the Christianity to fit the limited categories of our own experience. Rather, he challenges us to consider what it might be like to take seriously the proclamation and the presence of God's kingdom today.
As I watch the on-going discussions on the topic of the gifts of the Spirit, most recently by Nathan Busenitz at Pulpit Magazine, I'm struck by the very different understanding of the sufficiency of Scripture. I've noted this before but fundamentally, Cessationists accuse Charismatics of not accepting the sufficiency of Scripture. I don't think that is true. Cessationists approach Scripture as containing all that we need within the written words themselves. Answers to all of life's questions can be found within those words. Charismatics believe that those words teach us how to interact with God outside of those written words.

The difference is seen in the analogy of a scientist. One scientist may assert that all truth has already been recorded and all of the answers are found in text books already written. Another scientist sees the text books as containing all of the guiding principles which include instructions for experimentation and innovation. The latter simply needs to bear in mind that if a discovery is made contrary to the foundational principles, the experiment (or interpretation of the data) should be questioned not the foundational principles. [please don't take this analogy too far - all scientists know that text books are outdated before they are published - not true with Canon]

On both sides there are abuses and error. That aside, I'm not sure how the Cessationist can live with their position. Living by the text alone sets up what feels like a "closed system". Yet all the "good" Cessationists I know are reformed and by definition believe in an open system where God interacts with us. I struggle to follow that.

On the Charismatic side, there are many pragmatic issues (how do I really process the prophecy of Pat Robertson) and there are Scriptural concerns that don't match the normal practice found in Charismatic circles (e.g., are tongues only known human languages?). I think we need to be more open to discussing these points but before we can, we need to agree if God is doing this stuff or not. Cessationists typically want to talk about the issues before that agreement. That's makes for a less than profitable discussion.

PS - back to Start Here, Robert's has some great quotes from the book.

Many evangelists stress accepting Jesus for forgiveness of sins, assurance of salvation and eternal life, and then leave it at that. But even more fundamental is the exchange of sovereignties. We either live in Satan's counterfeit kingdom of darkness or we live in the kingdom of God (p. 15).

Why do people come to Christ and not mature in their faith? Why are there so many nominal Christians? Why doesn't the Church have a greater impact on society? Why? Why? Why?

The answer is that we have a thin understanding of the gospel and the Christian life. Salvation becomes either a past event ("I got saved") or a future hope ("One day I will go to heaven"). But, as we have seen, salvation at its core is our transfer from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God. There we live a grace-based life together in the power of the Spirit. (p. 37)

In sum, because Jesus is the Warrior King, bringing the Kingdom to us, He liberates us from Satan's kingdom and the idolatrous political, religious and legal structures that hold us in bondage. Jesus doesn't simply save souls. He creates a new order–a new community, a new Israel–where mercy and justice reign, and extends it into every area of society. (p. 93)

Like any good rabbi, Jesus taught through His works every bit as much as through His words. . . . Today, the Church has it backward–we think people should be drawn to our words. But Jesus thought that people should be drawn to our works: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. In the same way, let your light shine before men [and women], that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:14-16). Obviously, Jesus was not only talking about healing people and casting out demons. He was referring to the whole range of good works that display the power, compassion and justice of God. (p. 107)

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