The Whole Body of Christ

Over the past few years it has seemed to me that one of the most important roles that I play as executive presbytery of the Presbytery of Yukon is the role of theological worldview translator. The Bible makes it clear that there must be great diversity in the church if we are to be the whole body of Christ. Romans 12 and 1 Cor. 12, for instance, both speak of the great importance of acknowledging diversity in spiritual giftedness. Both indicate that only together are we the body of Christ, though each of us may be called upon to act as Christ’s sole agent in a given situation.

However, I was greatly helped in understanding the importance of diverse theological worldviews by James Hopewell in his book Congregations: Story and Structure. Hopewell was trying to figure out why we have such diversity in Christian denominations and congregations, and why, even in a given denomination, there is often very great diversity.

To begin his study, Hopewell began surveying Christians in Protestant churches about their theological beliefs. He soon discovered that this approach did not work. If he put enough theological jargon words (like grace, or transformation) into his survey questions, people would agree to anything—even conflicting statements! So, he looked for a layperson’s way to test people’s beliefs.

In the end, he turned to a sociological method of asking people to tell the story of important things that happened in their lives, whether those things worked for good in their lives or for bad. He discovered that people told their stories in four ways.

One way was to describe the story’s hero as an obedient, faithful servant. Faithful obedience was the most valued response, because without it, no matter what else people did, their sinful nature would eventually emerge. This group’s theology was grounded in the pervasiveness of human sinfulness and our utter dependence on God’s holiness and grace for anything of value to happen. Such people held up obedience as the most important spiritual trait, and worked hard to hold people to an orthodox faith and to obedient lives. They understand that God’s holiness is not something we can attain, but God’s holiness is the plumb line for measuring obedience.

A second group told their stories with great irony. They were also concerned about sinfulness, but were especially concerned in the way that people are set up by sin through human systems, and were moved by the Spirit’s call for the faithful to work for restoration of wounded people and to continually work for justice in society. This group was excited by the Spirit’s presence and power at work but, ironically, found it most at work in and through people serving God in the world. T

his group valued a practical faith that worked in the world for the transformation of individual people, and of society as a whole. Indeed, these are the ones motivated by Scripture that describes true religion as being about feeding the hungry, caring for the widow and orphan, and otherwise helping our world to mirror the goodness of the Kingdom of God.

A third group told their story as one of that leads to an epiphany (a revelation of God’s will), and to happy endings in the long run. Such people were caught up in the m

ystery of God’s Spirit at work in us and among us, knowing that all things work for good for those who are called. The great dilemma for humans is our limited understanding as mortals. If we are open to learning from one another, and working honestly and diligently to understand one another, and to learn from the clues God is constantly giving us to share with one another, we are capable of constantly growing and maturing in faith. Such people know that God speaks in unexpected moments and unexpected ways, like a burning bush or a star over a manger. And such people know that unexpected people like shepherds and magi can be the ones to bring God’s unexpected good news.

A fourth group told their story as a great adventure. They are very aware that the Devil is at work in the world today, but will not be forever. In the mean time, however, they know that we are engaged in a battle between good and evil, and that our real battle is with principalities and powers and agents of darkness. Humanity cannot prevail on our own, but must depend on God, who gives each of us gifts to use in the battle. Indeed, Christ has won the decisive battle and we, in the end, shall prevail.

From reading Hopewell’s description, it is clear that few of us fit neatly in only one camp. Indeed, all are biblical and are lifted up as important by the biblical witness. However, as humans we tend to be most fed by one, or at most two, of the worldviews.

In fact, Hopewell graphed the worldviews, as seen in the chart below. He pointed out that the ones who lifted up obedience in the face of the tragic power of sin, and the ones who see God’s power leading to individual and social transformation, are both moved by the corrosive power of sin to tear down individuals or societies. The left side of the graph is therefore for them, because they are very much motivated by the pervasiveness of sin in the world. It is not uncommon for a person or a congregation to hold to one or both of these worldviews as their most dominant view.

The right side of the graph, on the other hand, is for those who expect God to bring happy endings, either through openness to God’s mysteries or through giving spiritual gifts, which may be wielded at the right time. The right side of the graph is motivated by God’s power to make things work out, beginning right now. It is not uncommon for a person or church to hold these two worldviews together.

The top of the graph is for those who are most moved by God’s presence in all things and in all events. It is God at work in and through us, Who empowers us to work for just societies, even though sin is always wearing that justice away. Similarly, it is God, Who reveals truth for those with eyes to see and ears to hear. Once this deeper truth is revealed, the body is often moved in new ways, such as when James spoke the deeper incite that emerged from the debate about circumcision in Acts 15. It is not uncommon for both of these worldviews to be present in one person or congregation.

The bottom of the graph is for those who are most moved by God’s holiness and transcendence. God is not creature, and God’s ways are not our ways. It is God Who gives us the revelation to guide our lives in obedience and truth, and it is God Who gives spiritual gifts that empower the ministry to move forward where human strength and ability fails. It is not uncommon for both of these worldviews to be present in one person or congregation.

However, it is very difficult for a church to hold more than two in common. More than two leads to open conflict. The ones looking for people to take on injustice are often impatient with the ones asking that we identify and employ our spiritual gifts. And those who are very aware of the power and vitality of spiritual giftedness have little patience with people, who are continually trying to come up with better human systems.

Similarly, those who are calling on people to listen for God’s revelation about the new thing God is doing are very impatient with those, who are insisting on obedience to orthodox teachings. And those who understand the importance and maturity of obedient life are impatient with those, who are so ready to embrace change that they seem ready to take off at the drop of a hat for the Promised Land, fully expecting a new heaven and a new earth.

Yet, all four worldviews are biblical. Indeed, the whole body of Christ is comprised of all four. Yet, it takes translation to get the four worldviews to recognize the importance and the validity of the other.

My job has often been the job of translator. It is often my job to remind the ones listening together for God’s new revelation to remember to connect what they are doing to the Scriptural revelations, and to be guided by that revelation in their listening for God’s Voice. Similarly, it is often my job to help the faithfully obedient saints to recognize that Scripture calls us to be ready to follow God in a moment and this, too, is faithfulness to Scripture.

It is also often my job to translate for those caught up in the practical work of improving society and taking on the financial and practical problems. I must remind them of the reality that we cannot do it without God and absolutely must recognize the importance of the gifts brought by those who know we are dealing with powers and principalities. Similarly, I often must remind those who are most aware of the Devil’s wily ways that not every disagreement is a diabolical plot, nor should we miss the special giftedness of the Spirit working in those who hunger for justice and work for practical solutions.

For me, the sadness in these times is that we are so slow to embrace the gifts of our brothers and sisters. It is true that each has a blind spot hidden in the gift of their spiritual worldview. It is also true that any given church will not have all four worldviews equally dominant. But somehow the whole church does need all four worldviews, and should celebrate them. Rarely do I see them all celebrated. Rather, in these times where Republicans and Democrats turn on their candidates for not being “principled enough,” and in a time where denominations split and split again over important (to be sure), but still fine points of theology, I fear that we are throwing the baby out with the bath water.

The job of providing an understanding of the place of the different worldviews in the whole church is an important one. It would be a tragedy of the American Christians learned too well the American lessons of using strong speech and decisive moves as the only way of leadership, and have forgotten the way of the cross. Jesus Christ did not back down from God’s way, of course. Yet, neither did he harm, or even leave, those who seemed not to have ears to hear or eyes to see. Indeed, he stayed a part of the people to the end. And in the end, it was his enduring, sacrificial, determined, and truly gifted love that made all the difference.

It is my hope that many others will join those of us at work to lift up the value the diversity of God’s church. Christ's call for unity in the church, and the biblical call to mutual forbearance and discernment calls us to continue listening to one another, so that our congregations will know the value of their own distinctive theological worldview, but will also recognize their need for the others as well.