…in search of a theology
At present I am working through a series of sermons on the ‘vocabulary of faith’. Those of you who read ’52 hertz church ‘will know that I am especially keen to explore those words which we share with the wider world, but where our definitions diverge.
I am always slightly uneasy when I see a church described on its notice board as a ‘community church’. Does it mean that the rest of us are stand-offish? (Probably not) Does it mean that the church is run by the community? (Unlikely) Does it mean that the church wishes to serve the community? (Probably) All this is simply proof that the term itself is ambiguous. To a politician in waders ‘community’ may mean a scheme which the government needs to neither fund nor plan. To those in holy orders it may mean a group of people living together under a spiritual rule. To my local business community it means a society for the mutual benefit of its members.
For me, Romans 14 provides some helpful insights on what Christians understand by community. After a weighty treatise on all sorts of important theology, Paul comes down to talking about behavior. In the end, the things which we believe are either undermined or underlined by the way we do community. In this book I described it as ‘truth through community’:
Time and time again in the New Testament the litmus test of faith is not academic argument or doctrinal statement but ethical behavior. In other words, the right question to ask about Christian conviction is not just ‘is it clear’ or ‘is it plain’ but rather ‘does it work’? In his epistle, James is particularly forthright on this, asking the straightforward question as to what good it is if ‘a man claims to have faith but has no deeds’ (James 2:14). A faith which could only be expressed in words was, quite simply, inadequate.
However, it is not just enacted faith in the life of the individual which is seen as a test of authenticity. There is a powerful communal element too. The shared life of the Church is seen as a proving ground for the reality or otherwise of its convictions.
Put simply, the picture emerging of community from Romans 14 is this:
- It has God at its heart – since we live and die to Him. (See v.7-8 here)
- It has level ground beneath its feet – since we regard no one person within it as any more important than any other (See v.13-15 here)
- It has heaven on its mind- since we are caught up in the process of realising an eternal kingdom (See v.17 here)
Every day as I come into work I see the banner below. As I read it, I am constantly challenged to live up to the definition of community above.
