I’m working on a bigger post about the influence of progressive ideology/theology within Mainline Christianity, but after reading recent post by Ben Crosby, I wanted to to sort of setup my lengthier post this way.
one of Anglicanism’s greatest ethicists, Kenneth Kirk wrote in The Vision of God, “the doctrine…has throughout been interpreted by Christian thought at its best as implying in practice that the highest prerogative of the Christian, in this life and the next, is worship; and that nowhere except in this activity will he find the key to his ethical problems.”
This is probably a needed correction, for which I am grateful. My question is: why can’t we have worship, prayer, spiritual formation, AND activism? Does one inevitably eclipse the others? Indeed, faith without works is dead. What does discipleship even mean without service?
Really good thoughts here -- unsurprisingly, I find myself in wholehearted agreement! I think the last point, that without quite realizing it or intending it, many mainline leaders use rhetoric which suggest that the church itself and the things it spends most of its time doing are outdated, is particularly important.
I agree, and not because I want to downplay activism. It is simply that word and sacrament matter prior to our translation of them. Also, we need deep practices from which to draw the spiritual energy for activism . . . and maybe also the discipline and faith to stay the course when it requires sacrifice from us.
one of Anglicanism’s greatest ethicists, Kenneth Kirk wrote in The Vision of God, “the doctrine…has throughout been interpreted by Christian thought at its best as implying in practice that the highest prerogative of the Christian, in this life and the next, is worship; and that nowhere except in this activity will he find the key to his ethical problems.”
This is probably a needed correction, for which I am grateful. My question is: why can’t we have worship, prayer, spiritual formation, AND activism? Does one inevitably eclipse the others? Indeed, faith without works is dead. What does discipleship even mean without service?
I certainly don't mean to say one or the other. I'm trying to say that without proper spiritual formation, activism can go off the rails.
Certainly true, especially in our striving, workaholic culture.
Really good thoughts here -- unsurprisingly, I find myself in wholehearted agreement! I think the last point, that without quite realizing it or intending it, many mainline leaders use rhetoric which suggest that the church itself and the things it spends most of its time doing are outdated, is particularly important.
I agree, and not because I want to downplay activism. It is simply that word and sacrament matter prior to our translation of them. Also, we need deep practices from which to draw the spiritual energy for activism . . . and maybe also the discipline and faith to stay the course when it requires sacrifice from us.