Marginal Christianity

The question got my back up. It set off a passionate response disproportionate to the question itself. There was nothing aggressive about the question, nor the questioner. Indeed, the questioner was a former student of mine, for whom I have very high regard. Dave Krause, Amanda Jagt and I were leading a workshop on liturgy for the Christian Reformed community. We were sharing some of the resources that had emerged out of our worship life at Wine Before Breakfast. Dave played some music, Amanda led a prayer litany and we talked about how we shape words in our liturgies. The question came early in the discussion: “Is there room for spontaneity in this kind of worship? Is there room for the Spirit when the liturgy is written out like this?” I could feel my blood pressure rise. There was something about this question that bothered me deeply. Was it a sense of defensiveness for the WBB community? Did I have a notion of liturgical ‘correctness’ that...

The Spirit Jesus poured out at Pentecost on the Jews in Jerusalem marks his “coming again” to his people and through them to his world. And by the Spirit in and through them he “looks” just like he did in his earthly ministry. The same four “C’s” that marked Jesus’ work in Israel now brands the people who go throughout the world as the new form of his presence with us: conversion, community, compassion, and conflict. Listed below are texts in Acts where each of these four “C’s” are seen: Conversion -  2:37-41; 4:4; 5:14; 6:7; 8:26-40; 9:1-19 (parallels in 22:6-16; 26:12-18), 35; ch.10; 11:21, 24; 12:24; 13:48-49; 14:1, 21; 16:5, 11-15; 17:4,12,34; 18:8; 19:26; 28:24 Community -  2:42-47; 4:31,32-37; 6:1-6; 9:17-18; ch.10; 11:26; 13:1-3; ch.15; 18:23; 20:2; 28:28 Compassion -  3:1-10; 4:30; 5:12-16; 8:4-8; 9:17,18,32-43; 11:27-29; 19:11,12; 20:1-12; 28:8-9 Conflict -  4:1-3,5-22; 5:1-11,17-42; 6:8-8:4; 8:14-24; 9:21,23-25; 11:19; 12:1-19; 13:4-12,50-52; ...

We Gentiles are proof that Pentecost is true! The Spirit poured out on the Jews in Jerusalem that first Pentecost transformed them into the Abrahamic Israel God promised and his blessing started to spread – 3000 people that first day. Then on to Judea/Samaria and the ends of the earth, including you and me. As we are caught up in this ongoing movement ignited by Pentecost the surprising  gifts and blessings of the Spirit engulf us as well. We are new people made into a new community “ turning the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). And so it goes, and so it has gone. Failures and embarrassment aplenty, to be sure. But still the ongoing work of the Pentecostal Spirit. I  close with this from Peter Leithart: Why celebrate Pentecost? An old Pentecostal riff, in shadowy imitation of Christopher Smartt . Because the Spirit is the hovering wind that forms the formlessness, fills the void, brightens the darkness. Because the Spirit is the breath that gives Adam life. Becau...

Luke’s Pentecost tale is a triad of stories: -Acts 2:1-13 the experience of "tongues," -Acts 2:14-41 Peter's speech and the response of the crowd, and -Acts 2:42-47 the discipleship community of goods. The first two parts, what we usually consider the Pentecost story is fascinating, perplexing, strange, and a bit fabulous. And if we don’t read to closely we get away with sentimentally celebrating the “birthday: of the church and move on without further ado. Closer reading, however, will not allow that. If in the gift of the Spirit Jesus returns to indwell his church, that is, if God “comes again” to them, we should expect a thorough reworking of the church’s life in every area. This is what happened to Israel when God called Abraham and Sarah and redeemed their family from Egypt and made them his own people and we should expect nothing less when his Spirit is poured out on them. And it is that reworking of the shape of the church’s life we find if we include ...

The Spirit Jesus poured out at Pentecost on the Jews in Jerusalem births a new Abrahamic community and the risen Jesus promises them the Spirit will do the same through them in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth (1:8). As that work unfolds throughout this dispersal of the church throughout the earth we can watch the Spirit forming these new Abrahamic communities as the form of Jesus’ presence in their world – his coming again as I have called it. And I find four “C’s” marking these new communities: conversion, community, compassion, and conflict. Listed below are texts in Acts where each of these four “C’s” are seen: Conversion - 2:37-41; 4:4; 5:14; 6:7; 8:26-40; 9:1-19 (parallels in 22:6-16; 26:12-18), 35; ch.10; 11:21, 24; 12:24; 13:48-49; 14:1, 21; 16:5, 11-15; 17:4,12,34; 18:8; 19:26; 28:24 Community - 2:42-47; 4:31,32-37; 6:1-6; 9:17-18; ch.10; 11:26; 13:1-3; ch.15; 18:23; 20:2; 28:28 Compassion - 3:1-10; 4:30; 5:12-16; 8:4-8; 9:17,18,32-43; 11:2...

Tongues of Fire The tongues of fire and the speaking the gospel to all the visitors to Jerusalem in their own languages obviously grab every readers attention and interest in Luke’s Pentecost account. We considered some of resonances of fire for Jewish hearers in the first post in this series on “Word, Wind, and Fire.” What resonances, however, would the proclamation of the gospel is all the different languages represented in the crowd have for them? First, we need to notice that the “crowd” present at this event is Jewish visitors to Jerusalem for the  festival not all Gentile nations. Pentecost is an inner-Jewish event though certainly with significance for the wider world of nations. Too often, we apply it directly to the nations but a careful reading of Acts constrains us at this point. The “all flesh” of Joel’s prophecy that Peter uses to interpret what is happening (Acts 2:17) refers to the indiscriminate outpouring of the Spirit on all Jews not on every human bein...