April 14, 2011
Skye Jethani: Redefining Radical (Part 2)
What ever happened to a theology of calling and vocation?
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Read Part 1 of “Redefining Radical.”
Consider who is celebrated in most churches. Typically it is the person who is engaged in “full time Christian work”--the pastor or missionary, or people who pursue social causes that result in a big and measurable impact. (Who isn’t talking about William Wilberforce these days?) Similarly, those who behave like pastors or missionaries periodically in their workplace, neighborhood, or perhaps on a short-term trip overseas are praised for these actions. But a church will rarely, if ever, celebrate a person’s “ordinary” life and work.
For example, Andy Crouch tells about a pastor he met in Boston. The pastor recounted the story of a woman in his congregation who was a lawyer for the Environmental Protection Agency. She played a vital role in the clean up of Boston Harbor--one of the most polluted waterways in the country. But the pastor said, “The only time we have ever recognized her in church was for her role in teaching second grade Sunday school. And of course we absolutely should celebrate Sunday school teachers, but why did we never celebrate her incredible contribution to our whole city as a Christian, taking care of God's creation?”
Here’s the problem--when we call people to radical Christian activism, we tend to define what qualifies as “radical” very narrowly. Radical is moving overseas to rescue orphans. Radical is not being an attorney for the EPA. Radical is leaving your medical practice to vaccinate refugees in Sudan. Radical is not taking care of young children at home in the suburbs. Radical is planting a church in Detroit. Radical is not working on an assembly line.
What we communicate, either explicitly or implicitly, by this call to radical activism is that experiencing the fullness of the Christian life depends upon one’s circumstances and actions. Sure, the man working on an assembly line for 50 years can be a faithful Christian, but he’s not going to experience the same sense of fulfillment and significance as the one who does something extreme--who cashes in his 401k and relocates to Madagascar to rescue slaves.
What I had neglected for too long, and what I feel is absent in many parts of the church today, is Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 7. The believers in Corinth wanted to know what kind of life most honored God; what conditions and circumstances made a Christian life significant. Was it best to be married or unmarried? Circumcised or uncircumcised? Paul’s answer, which he calls his “rule in all the churches” and repeats three times, is for everyone to remain where they are “with God” (1 Cor. 7:24). That’s a message we don’t hear often at missions (or missional) conferences.
Paul wanted to draw the Corinthians’ attention away from their circumstances and emphasize that the full Christian life could be lived anywhere by anyone if lived in deep communion with God. Do we really believe that? Really? Os Guinness reminds us that, “First and foremost we are called to Someone, not to something or to somewhere.” We should remember that the word radical is from Latin meaning “root.” If our lives are rooted in a continual communion with God, then every person’s life, no matter how mundane, is elevated to sacred heights--including a suburban mom’s, the office worker’s, and the EPA attorney’s. And it’s not just radical when they behave like a missionary or social activist in their free time. Even working the assembly line becomes a holy activity when done “with God.”
Of course Paul was not against changing one’s circumstances, strictly speaking, if called by God to do so. That was his experience, after all. But this takes us into another neglected teaching--the cherished Reformation theology of calling and vocation. If a person is living in deep communion with God as Paul encouraged, then he or she was expected to respond to the Holy Spirit’s calling--the literal meaning of the word vocation.
In ages past this meant the butcher’s calling was respected as a work given, ordained, and blessed by God for the benefit of others and fluorishing of the whole community. And, if God called the butcher to hang up his cleaver to be a pastor or missionary, he would obey. But one vocation was no more radical or holy than another. This was a significant corrective to the Roman Catholic hierarchy at the time that exalted clergy and demeaned the laity. But in some ways we have returned to a hierarchical view by labeling certain activities and circumstances “radical” and others “ordinary.” (This is no doubt the result of a very narrow eschatology that believes nothing in this world will endure, and therefore only rescuing souls off this sinking ship really matters. But that’s a discussion for another day.)
A byproduct of this return to vocational hierarchy has been that some people may be attracted to ministry roles for reasons other than God's calling. They may be unknowingly searching for significance, applause, or affirmation. On the flip side, those not participating in celebrated vocations, like the suburban mom I mentioned in Part 1, feel that their life and work ultimately carries no significance and value unless they can somehow squeeze more missionally-meaningful activities into their spare time. This explains the exhaustion she felt.
But perhaps even more disturbing than our implicit ranking of vocations is how we have pushed the Holy Spirit out of the picture and instead taken it upon ourselves to tell people what they should be doing for God, or at the very least what they ought to do if they want their lives to really matter. Have you ever wondered why Paul did not universalize his apostolic calling? Or how he could have instructed the Thessalonians to “aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands”? (1 Thess 4:11). Is it possible that he didn’t take upon himself the work of calling that belonged rightly to the Holy Spirit?
Paul, like the later leaders of the Reformation, did not measure maturity or commitment to Christ based on how “radical” a life appeared on the outside, or the visible impact a person made either missionally or socially. These activities are good and important, don’t misunderstand me, but they are not the center of the Christian life. Rather maturity was seen by the depth of a person’s union with Christ. The truly radical life is the one intimately rooted in communion with God, through Christ, in the Spirit, and that responds obediently to his call--whatever it may be.
So I’ve come to embrace the reality that my place as a church leader is not to get people to do more for God. Rather, I believe my responsibility is to give others a ravishing vision, rooted in Scripture and modeled by my own example, of a life lived it communion with God. And there, as they abide in him, calling will happen. The Lord of the harvest will call and send workers. And he will call others to live quietly and work with their hands. Some may be butchers, and others lawyers, and some he will even call to be suburban moms. And all of their work will be holy, good, and, if rooted in communion with God, truly radical.
Posted by UrL Scaramanga on April 14, 2011
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Comments
What a wonderful breath of fresh air. My thoughts have been running along these tracks for some time. It's amazing to think that the ordinariness of our working lives are earth changing spiritual moments. I think now of all the jobs I've done and now understand them in the framework of eternity, where I was, God was with me working his purpose's out.
Something I would love as a part of worship is 'Story Telling' sharing the God shaped moments found in the humdrum of all our days.
Roll on ravishing visions, rooted in Scripture and modeled by our own example, of a life lived it communion with God. Preaching unfortunately can be something else, Read your Bible more, Pray More, be more committed to the work around the church, give more(£) and on along a guilt trip road.
Let's become comfortable in our own skins about our walk with God and begin to enjoy how normal it actually is.
blessings.......
Posted by: david at April 13, 2011
I appreciate the emphasis here on communion with God. I think that I and many others today have put the proverbial cart before the horse by emphasizing doing things for God before developing intimacy with God. How would people be changed if everyone had such closeness with God, experiencing all of the fruit of that relationship? I think that they'd overflow with radical joy, love, and gratitude such that they couldn't help bearing beautiful, significant fruit for God wherever they are called.
Posted by: Stephanie at April 13, 2011
Thanks so much for your article. Just what I needed.
Posted by: Holly at April 13, 2011
I appreciate the intent of the words here. Do we need to pit one form of radical faith against another?
The bible tells us simplicity done in the name of Christ is pretty amazing. It also celebrates overwhelmingly the people who left all, gave all, surrendered their lives and more.
This is not elitism, it is faith. In fact there is a chapter in Hebrews that is all about this kind of radical faith.
Truth is, Christianity would not suffer if more of us were willing to live on less, give more, spend more time sharing Christ with others, loving generously and living less connected to this world.
Do we celebrate the mother of 4 as a radical? Do we celebrate the factory worker? Do we celebrate the mail man? If they are doing all they do for the honor of God!
Be close to Christ and then be BOLD!!! Live as if it were true that every word, relationship, attitude and action mattered... because they do!
Posted by: Leonard at April 14, 2011
Great thoughts Skye. The line in the last paragraph "my place as a church leader is not to get people to do more for God..." will make many church leaders uneasy - the leaders who are bending over backwards to get people to be involved in church activities.
I have at times struggled with feelings of inferiority in church due to the fact that I work in a "secular" environment doing "secular" things and have absolutely no calling on my life to be in ministry.
I too have wondered why don't more churches have the ordinary everyday man or woman get up in church and tell people who they are and what they do for a living (without having to resort to some spiritual activity that would somehow "validate" their secular work). Just like during missions Sunday when you have the stereotypical missionary to Southeast Asia get up and show slides and goods from some far off land, why not do the same with your regular Joe or Jane?
Posted by: Dan at April 14, 2011
I'm really glad to read this, Skye. I think your observations are spot on. You conclude:
"So I’ve come to embrace the reality that my place as a church leader is not to get people to do more for God. Rather, I believe my responsibility is to give others a ravishing vision, rooted in Scripture and modeled by my own example, of a life lived it communion with God. And there, as they abide in him, calling will happen. . . ."
I would also like to add that, historically within the Church, pastors like you were joined by an ever-growing and very diverse and yet unified communion of recognized "Saints" in offering a multi-faceted model and imparting such a "ravishing vision" of life lived in communion with God to the members of his flock. The Saints come in literally every permutation of life situation and variety known to humankind: young old, men, women, soldiers, priests, monks and nuns, wives, mothers, fathers, children, rich and poor, those raised as faithful believers from childhood and those rescued from a life of the worst sort of sin in adulthood, all united by an uncommon faithfulness (that also took quite varied forms) empowered by their communion with Christ. Through the cult of the Saints beginning in the period of the early Christ martyrs and continuing to the present day in both the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions (also in the other ancient oriental churches as well), members are still being added to the biblical "Hall of Fame" recounted in Hebrews 11, and believers are consciously surrounded (if they care to look) by examples of this kind of radical discipleship. This process is aided by the regular and formal remembrance of the Saints in the ongoing corporate liturgy of our respective churches (my own frame of reference for this being the Eastern Orthodox).
Posted by: Karen at April 15, 2011
Skye,
Your observations are right on target. I really appreciate what you are saying.
This vision of ministry is not only biblical but life-giving instead of life-destroying.
In particular, I like the paragraph that other commenters have already noted:
"So I’ve come to embrace the reality that my place as a church leader is not to get people to do more for God. Rather, I believe my responsibility is to give others a ravishing vision, rooted in Scripture and modeled by my own example, of a life lived it communion with God. And there, as they abide in him, calling will happen. The Lord of the harvest will call and send workers. And he will call others to live quietly and work with their hands. Some may be butchers, and others lawyers, and some he will even call to be suburban moms. And all of their work will be holy, good, and, if rooted in communion with God, truly radical. "
Posted by: Jim Martin at April 16, 2011
Many Christians separate sacred and secular. Teaching Sunday school is sacred while teaching public school is secular. Shepherding a local church is sacred while shepherding a small business is secular. Leading music for a church choir is sacred while leading music for a high school choir is secular. It's almost like Christians live this duo personality - they go to church - and they assume this alter personality .... Or ... maybe work is the alter personality????
Posted by: Jerry at April 18, 2011
Whew! Now I don't have to worry about the great commission. I can just focus on my relatioship with God and feel good about myself. (Scarasm intentional).
Can I just have a great relationship with God, be deeply rooted and not obey the Great Commission and still be pleasing to God?
We are called to go to the world and spread the Gospel. If that world in is your neighborhood, office town, etc. then tell them about Jesus. That would be radical to most people.
When we work we should work as if working for the Lord, not for man for our reward is in heaven. God will not reward us for working on the assembly line rather for what we did to further His Kingdom while on the assembly line.
Posted by: Geoff at April 18, 2011
I love this! it is so encouraging. As a stay at home mom who used to be a missionary to orphans overseas - this is such a wonderful word to hear. I often feel 'judged' by other christians like I'm not doing enough because i'm "only" a mom. . . thank you for this post. so very encouraging to me as I live my "plain" "ordinary" life as a wife and mommy.
Posted by: a mom at April 18, 2011
I am reminded of an essay John Piper wrote years ago speaking of the difference between adrenaline and blood. We need both in the church, but we can't live off of adrenaline. We need more coronary Christians, he said, who just keep on pumping, day after day, year after year. Adrenal Christianity doesn't last but Coronary Christianity does.
Posted by: Syler at April 18, 2011
Skye, I wish I could tape this up in every mom's kitchen cupboard when she opens her cupboard for the 100th time because she's getting her wee ones "another cup of water."
Moms who stayed home with their babies because they knew it was the right thing to do but still struggle with the dailiness of life need to be encouraged.
Thank you for your wise words and I hope they will spread farther.
Posted by: Jan Udlock at April 19, 2011
If all Christians left the comfortable suburbs for the risky mission field (of course the mission field is always thought of as Africa or Asia or Latin America), then who would be left in the suburbs to be salt and light to the unsaved who live in the 'burbs? Being a stay-at-home-mom or even a working mom is no less important than being Mr/Mrs all-things-to-all-people missionary.
Posted by: Dan at April 19, 2011
Hmm ... this reminds me of the differing treatments I received as a church planter overseas ("One of the few, the proud ..."), and the subsequent vocation of working for the railroad in N. America. In both, I trust that I walked with Jesus, but the latter has little respect. In fact, a number of folks wondered "something" had happened; whether I was "dismissed," etc. When I explained that it was the voice of the Lord; that I was no more to dismiss the calling to return to the USA to serve a local congregation than to ignore the calling to serve overseas. Vocation is holy if we walk with Jesus and hollow if we do not. This is the case no matter what title, expectation or responsibility we are cloaked with. "For neither is [fill in the blank] or [fill in the blank] anything, but a new creation. And those who follow this rule, peace and mercy be upon them ..."
Posted by: Brother Stephen at April 19, 2011
Isn't 'activism' just the supply side and 'consumerism' just the demand side of the same coin? Aren't pastors really just saying the demand is too much for them to supply?
American culture is 'consumerism', if you don't like that, maybe you SHOULD go to Zimbabwe or somewhere a little less commercial.
I agree with Skye on much of this - it's actually refreshing to read it.
If the gospel is real - then a little yeast will leaven the whole loaf. A consumer society with Jesus should be quite unique. But like Skye has eluded to - maybe the gospel we're preaching is 'false'. Could it be that we are long on 'success' (our own performance) and short on 'Jesus'? Maybe HE (Christ) is the supply for what you're lacking!
Posted by: Jerry at April 20, 2011
Jerry...I really connect with your comment. No matter what we do for a living, there is still the command from Jesus to 'Go into all the world and share the gospel." When we do that in our neighborhoods and workplaces, that may seem radical to the world and to even other Christians, but it's not radical, it's obedience.
Posted by: Athesia at April 25, 2011