Biblical and Spiritual

Last updated on: May 1, 2005 at 8:07 pm by Scot McKnight

1 Comment

Biblical and Spiritual 2005-05-01T20:07:00-05:00 Scot McKnight

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

One of the biggest surprises I had in reading Doug Pagitt’s Reimagining Spiritual Formation was the emphasis at Solomon’s Porch on Scripture and on Spirit, even if for some there may be some blurry edges for those who come at things looking for specific doctrines to be expressed. (I’m not sure why I was surprised, but I must admit that I was.)

Here is a statement that is one of those edgy Emergent statements which, because it is intended both to be provocative as well as fresh and new, got my attention: “Rather, we intend that the Bible function as a full member of our community; on every subject of which it speaks, we listen” (p. 86). One might want to hear “authority” or something like that, but what Pagitt means is this: Scripture’s voice cannot be lost; when they gather together it is to hear Scripture and let Scripture speak; and to let Scripture speak as a person in the community (at one point he says Scripture is a “sort of best friend to whom one givs the benefit of the doubt” [123]). What sounds at first like a weaker sense of Scripture can become, if done rightly, be a real strength. Sometimes for Evangelicals Scripture is only heard in the form of a sermon or in the form of a set of doctrines. That they treat Scripture as a community member is a little edgy for me, but this emerges (and I’m partly guessing here) from the view that Christianity is a personal relationship to God and to others and that the Bible is God, who is Person, speaking to his people — so they want to emphasize the Person behind Scripture.

At Solomon’s Porch, Scripture is read in huge chunks, aloud, and this revives an old tradition in the Church where the lectionary was used so that Christians could hear Scripture because most didn’t have Scriptures to read at home (and most couldn’t read anyway). I happen to think this is the highest form of Scriptural authority that the Church can possibly possess: reading Scripture aloud in the community. I like this commitment to reading Scripture aloud.

And here’s another part of their use of Scripture: “We focus our efforts on trying to figure out if our lives could be relevant to the story of God, not if the Bible can be relevant to our lives” (123). Again, another provocative but sensible statement. Instead of making Scripture relevant to an existing worldly reality (our lives), which happens to be the very essence of seeker-oriented services, Solomon’s Porch asks for its community to become relevant to the Scriptural story that God tells. On this one, again, I find great comfort and a serious challenge. This community wants to live out the story of God as known through Scripture.

If there ever was a postmodern understanding of Scripture it can be found in this statement, which turns Scripture’s authority into an article of faith in the necessity of believing it for it to be truthful: “We believe the Bible because our hopes, ideas, experiences, and community of faith allow and require us to believe” (123). This is faith seeking understanding, which is about as solid as it gets. This is a stance that Scripture cannot be understood properly if it is not received, that is, a word from a God who needs to be loved and listened to in order to be understood. This is a hermeneutic of love and trust in a world saturated with a hermeneutic of suspicion. This is not to say that the community does not honestly challenge what Scripture says, for it does.

Another angle on Scripture is that the community gathers during the week to hear the Scripture for the Sunday gathering and to share what they are hearing, and then the sermon is rooted in this community’s hearing of Scripture. I can’t see anything but good in such a thing, as long as attentive study of the text by duly gifted teachers/preachers accompanies this communal reading of Scripture. But, as an old man who used to barge into our home in Nottingham — his name was Mr. Baxter — used to say, “Two heads are better than one, even if they’re sheepsheads.”

There is also a solid commitment to the Holy Spirit: John 14:25-26 is reflected on weekly (and this means they believe that the Spirit continues to guide). They also believe this attentiveness to the Spirit will keep them in the way of the gospel and prevent them from falling into heresy. When someone offers thoughts that are thought to be out of touch with orthodoxy, and here they are still thinking in terms of pneumatology — and this is what the orthodoxy movement ultimately believes in, they will gently guide the conversation back to what is “consistent with orthodoxy” (90). Dialogue is important both for hearing one another and for learning from one another.

God’s Spirit takes precedence over all structures and systems — which is where we all ought to begin, and most of do think we begin there, but it nice having someone say so up front and center.

Next blog: Particular and Local

Emerging Movement

Previous Post

April 30, 2005

One of the most interesting

Next Post

May 2, 2005 Particular and Local

Recent Comments

1 Comment | Leave a Comment

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Acts of the Apostles Adam Advent Anabaptism Angels Anglican Apologetics Atonement Baptism BCP Prayers Bible Biblical Studies Birds Blogging Bloglossary Bonhoeffer Books Calvinism Christianity Church Church History Coffee Colossians Commentary Recs Conversion Creation Creeds Culture Death Ecclesiastes Economics Education Embracing Grace Emergent Emerging Movement Eschatology Essays Ethics Eucharist Evangelicalism Family Fasting Fathers Fellowship of Differents Footsteps Tour Fun and Whimsical Gospel Grace Happiness Heaven Hell Holy Spirit Irenaeus James Jesus Jesus Creed Job Justification Kingdom of God Law Lectures Lent Liberalism Love and Marriage Mabanteneni Manhood Mary Miracles Missio Alliance MissioLife Missional Missional Jesus Movies and Film New Perspective Northern Seminary OneLife Origins Project Orthodox Parables Pastor's Spouse Pastoring and Leading Pastoring and Preaching Patristics Paul Paul-John Tour Pharisees Pietism Political Theology Prayer and Formation Preaching Problems for Faith Psalm 119 Psalms Public Issues Purgatory Religions Resurrection Revelation Romans Rule of JCreed Science and Faith Sermon on the Mount Sports Ten Commandments Theology Third Way Top Ten Lists Translations Uncategorized Universalism University Ministry Way Out Weekly Meanderings Wisdom Women and Ministry Work Worship Writing & Blogging Youth Ministry

Select a Month July 2021 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 0000

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Daniel The high priest Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego Nebuchadnezzar