On Scripture.
A friend of mine (Jamie Arpin-Ricci of emergent voyageurs) recently wrote a letter to his friends about his ministry to his community in Winnipeg, Canada. As I was reading his letter, it felt very familiar to a letter that Paul would have wrote.
What Jamie was doing in a simple letter to his friends felt to me, something like what Paul was doing. Not writing down black and whites to be turned into doctrinal statements. He was writing a letter from a friend, to some friends. Telling others about what was going on in his context and how the Spirit was leading him to deal, wrestle, and struggle with what all was going on. Even how the Spirit was “inspiring” him to do and try new things.
To me, that’s what the New Testament was and is about. Pastors, leaders, friends, disciples . . . all writing and sharing with each other what God was doing. Challenging each other in letters. Exhorting each other in letters. Informing each other through letters. Sharing with each other what God was doing and what they were doing in letters. They also were sorting through some of the messes that the early church was creating. But it, to me, never felt like knew or realized fully what they were doing. And I certainly don’t think they knew that 2000 years later there would still be people reading and learning from these letters.
And what is sad to me is how we’ve turned these intimate and deeply personal letters into stone tablets.
Some would say that this is an extremely low view of Scripture. I disagree. I think it’s just honest. And personally, I find much more value and authority this way than I do in the “stone tablet” version.
One of the last messages/sermons/conversations I shared with the students before I left about a year ago was on this topic. The “transcript” from those three conversations are below and are linked way back in my archives if anyone is interested. Neil Livingstone’s papers on the Emergent Village site were more than helpful and pretty much all of my thoughts begin and end with what I think are some of the best articles out there, along with NT Wright’s works, on Scripture.
Patchwork Part One
Patchwork Part Two
Patchwork Part Three
Nick also wrote some thoughts on Scripture yesterday, which you should definitely check out as well.
Tags: Scripture, Emerging Church, Emergent Voyageurs, NT Wright, Jamie Arpin-Ricci
gentry13
Friday, 14. July 2006 um 8:43 am Uhr
josh, this is an extremely insightful post.
just last night our community was talking about how scripture helps us reshape, reconcile and reinvision our relationships with God, the other and self. as i read this post and reflected back on last night’s conversation, i am beginning to realize that diverse, multi-dimensional views of scripture, the cross, discipleship, justice and so many other elements of life that really matter, are far superior to the simple, reductionistic definitions that i taught and defended for so long. i wonder why it took me so long to encounter and embrace our multi-dimensional God.
for the record, i realize that i am babbling. pax.
i am afrai
james
Friday, 14. July 2006 um 11:44 am Uhr
Josh,
Once again you’ve opened up a good topic for discussion. It’s kind of crazy . . . at one of our last emergent cohort gatherings the question of holding in higher regard the 4 Gospels than that of the Pauline epistles came up. I’m pretty sure I’m right on with this notion, but coming from an evangelical background it’s hard not to feel somewhat dirty about it. I think you’ve hit it spot on when you note how we’ve turned these intimate and deeply personal letters into stone tablets.
A good venture into exegesis would ask us how to faithfully take the intentions of the epistle writers and merge them appropriately into the canon we know of as the New Testament. How would Peter, Paul, James and the rest feel if they knew their writings would be canonized? Might they tell us to stop turning their words of encouragement into dogmatic pieces of propaganda?
mike
Friday, 14. July 2006 um 6:33 pm Uhr
dude you are all so going to hell.
mike
Friday, 14. July 2006 um 6:34 pm Uhr
i am mailing a chick track to all of you right now.
james
Saturday, 15. July 2006 um 1:03 pm Uhr
Good. Make sure you send one of those Terry Schaivo tracts, so we feel good and guilty.