My Love/Hate Relationship with the Nothingmores

The study of ultimate truth, and the unyielding quest for human significance and meaning-making is the most profound journey one can undertake. For me, being a pastor is about taking that journey very seriously and candidly, while also helping other people to engage in the same journey. Unfortunately, in an effort to help people get going, we pastors sometimes make the mistake of becoming nothingmores.

I have spent years (literally) trying to wrap my mind, my heart, my soul, around truths like “Trinity,” the “God-Man,” the nature of “canon,” and employment of “Sacrament.” The struggle to understand, to grasp, to experience; has been a struggle yielding much reward, and joy. I’m still reaping a rich harvest in the grain-field of basic Christian understanding.

One of the problems with Christianity is the paradoxical nature of the most basic truths. They are difficult to grasp. How could God love a creation so deeply flawed, when He can’t stand imperfections? How could Jesus be the very enemy of sin and evil— yet love evil, sinful people so much that He volunteered to die in a rescue attempt? How could such a loving and powerful Being, once victorious, entrust the rescue of the world to people like Peter, Paul, you, and me?

The answers to these questions need to really be considered. They require spiritual fitness. A life lived in the presence of God is not for the weak or faint of heart.

Pastors, however, tend the flock of God. The flock of God is full of weak and fainthearted people. How do we help such people to endure their struggle with deep and profound truth? Unfortunately, sometimes we turn to the easy way: the doctrine of nothingmore.

The doctrine of nothingmore is how we make deep things a bit shallower. It’s how we make mind-blowing truth more digestible. After all, you won’t get a scared child into the lake without telling them, “Sweetie, the lake is nothingmore than your splash pool at home. It’s just a bit bigger.” And truthfully, while the child’s fears may be but at ease, and they may approach the lapping shore more confidently; the nothingmore actually makes the lake much more dangerous to the child. The child actually thinks the lake is as tame as splash pool.

Break.

Perhaps an example would be helpful. I've heard it taught before (I've even been guilty of it): “Baptism is nothingmore than a public declaration of a personal faith. Nothingmore than a sign of the work of God.”

AHHH!

Or again: “The book of Revelation is nothingmore than an ancient apostle having a vision of the future, and trying to describe to his ancient audience the incredible technology that he sees.”

Nothingmore? Nothingmore!

We, who steward the Word and Sacrament of God, perhaps have allowed the doctrine of nothingmore to drain the sacred Cup of its mysterious wine; stale the Bread of its sweet body; and vacuum out the Breath of scripture.

I think we should be aware that our reductionism is lending itself towards robbery. Not only are we robbing ourselves of a fuller understanding of the mysteries of God, but we rob the weak and fainthearted an opportunity to bravely plunge into the depths of His Presence.

Palmer Assault Story

For those who don't know, both of my parents were assaulted by a gang of teenagers in downtown Spokane. They were assaulted just outside of the Steam Plant restaurant on Lincoln and 2nd Ave, at approximately 7pm. They were nearly murdered; save for the quick response from Spokane Police Officer Reese. We are still thanking God for the Spokane Police, and for Officer Reese in particular.

We decided, despite all the hubub on the web created by local news stations, and the timely reporting of Kip at the Spokesman review, that our story needed to be told. We decided to hold a press release today, and our local stations were in attendance. My personal apologies for not contacting the Inlander about the event. If there is any way I can make it up to those fine folks, I will.

Because the news stations may not provide the entire press release, even on the internet, I have decided to post the manuscript that we used. We mostly followed it.

Our intent is to quit the finger pointing and other nonsense that happens in the wake of tragedy. Spokane doesn't need that kind of reaction. We want to put Spokane into two groups of people: those on the side of law, order, and peace; and those who prey upon the helpless.

My mission is therefore pastoral. And yes, I am calling all of us Spokanites into action. We would like to see three things happen.

First, we would like the Spokane City Council and Mayor's Office to craft a city ordinance which prohibits congregations of four or more unaccompanied minors downtown after dark. Help the police respond to these predators before they assault and murder.

Second, we would like the Spokane Police to educate the law abiding public as to our rights. I'm not talking about having the police just send out their talking points about using 911. We have been doing that for years, and it isn't solving the problem. The public has to be able to take action, and we want to know how to do that responsibly and lawfully.

Third, we ask for Spokane citizens to get involved. We need to take back our streets from these children who have no reservation about filling our own streets and alleys with blood.

Our prayer is that through unification, understanding, and love, our city will be able to handle a major problem. We will also be focusing our Sunday service at the Adopted Church on praying for our city, and for these lost kids who feed off of causing so much pain. We desire to see wholeness and healthiness restored.

The Manuscript:

(Told by me)Citizens of Spokane, we have a problem:

Teenage you are the law in downtown Spokane, and their agenda is bullying, vandalism, intimidation, terrorism, and murder. As a quick Google search on “Spokane teen violence” will show. There is no place for uncontrollable teenagers to go, but downtown.

When we go downtown, we are not sure how to respond to a group of teenage predators, and we are constantly in fear of what might happen when they target us, and our loved ones, while there are no consequences for them. Our judicial system has demonstrated an inability to deal with this reign of terror. Our concern is not only for ourselves and our loved ones, but also for those young adults who have no place to go in our society.

This is our story: (Told by my Mom)

Monday night, January 27^th, my husband had a surprise for me. I had a really horrible day of pain You see, both of us have chronic disease, and we like to celebrate any good news we have. He wanted to tell me that Actemera, the drug that I am on for rheumatoid arthritis bas become a sub-cutaneous drug.

This is an important development for us, because now I don’t have to go to the clinic to get infused. This change represents a big change in a way of life for me.  We decided to go out and celebrate my newfound freedom in life.

We went to the Steam Plant to celebrate. We love the great food and drinks.

Our time together there was filled with discussion about God’s goodness and faithfulness to us. We just spent time talking about how good God has been in all the little details of our lives. We shared some steamers for an appetizer, had a good dark beer and then split the curry chicken entrée for our main course. It was hurried because I needed to get back home and in bed. But was good.

Palmer had parked along Lincoln street, and being a gentleman, went out to get the minivan to pick me up curbside. It was then that he ran into a group of teenagers as he recalls, maybe 15 of them. He felt apprehensive having to get down the stairs around all of them.

He got in our minivan and circled the block to pick me up. I got in and was putting on my seatbelt when we pulled in the alley. There the gang of teenage thugs was waiting for us. We waited for them to pass as they encircled the van. Once they cleared from the front of the minivan, we started to head home. The gang had a different idea.

Before we had moved a few feet, one of them slammed something against the rear of our minivan. I jumped. Palmer stopped. And I rolled down my window to see what was going on. A tall, skinny kid with big gauge earrings, a black jacket with yellow stripes down the arms, leaned into the window and screamed, “Bitch, You F*ing hit me!!”

I knew it was untrue, because I was looking in the side mirror as we were slowly pulling out. We were concerned that there had been damaged, so both Palmer and I stepped out of the minivan to make sure everything and everyone was alright. I closed the door and we both walked around the back. Palmer was on the driver side, and I on the passenger side. These thugs immediately pressed into us without fear or hesitation, daring us to defend ourselves. They had no respect or fear of the law or consequences. They were out for blood.

Then one of the thugs, a big angry young man, who appeared to be high on something, postured up, chest bumping, and pushed into my husband. He was in Palmer’s face shoving him into the back of the van, while Palmer was warning him to calm down and back off. I knew that something was perilously wrong and that something horrible was happening. This 6 foot, 2 inch 245 pound predator clenched his fist tight, and began assaulting my husband with a flood of punches. Palmer was desperately trying to protect himself from the blows. His immediate objective became to get in close, wrap him up, get him to the ground, holding him until the police arrived.

The 10-15 other assailants converged on my husband. They were darting in and out, yelling and cursing mercilessly punishing my husband, to get him to release his hold. I knew they were going to kill him. They were punching his face, the back of his head, and kicking his face and head. They seemed to come out of nowhere. All of them were in a frenzy, sucker punching him, while he held down the ringleader. Palmer’s blood was gushing all over the ground. There was so much blood.

I did everything that I could to keep them off of my husband, I remember grabbing a t-shirt and trying to haul one of them off of him, and putting myself between whoever seemed to be the biggest threat. It was terrifying. Please imagine yourselves in our position. A grandma and grandpa jumped by teen thugs for no reason. Nobody wanted to get involved with these underage criminals. It was as if everyone in Spokane knew that these teenagers abuse and murder whoever they want and it’s best to just leave them to it.

A giant teenager, who claimed to be the ringleader’s brother, came up from behind and started bashing Palmer’s head. I was horrified at how much of my husband’s blood was pouring from his face and head onto the pavement. I tried to intervene, but was thrown to the ground. He then stooped over my husband, looked him in the eye and told him, “I am going to count to three, if you don’t let go, I’m gonna kill you. By jumping on your back, grabbing your head, and snapping your neck.” He then proceeded to do just that. I was the only person who might be able to stop this young man from breaking my husband’s neck.

I got up and grabbed him by the shirt collar in the back, and started yanking for all I was worth. It wasn’t moving him at all. So I began kicking him in the back with my boot heel. I got in maybe 3-4 kicks before backed off a few steps. Teenagers were everywhere screaming and yelling all kinds of things. I was terrified. 

Palmer was still on the ground holding the ringleader. The thug who threatened him came back and yelled to us, “I’m going to count to three, if you don’t let him up, I am going to do something that will make you very, very sorry.” He began counting, stepped back a few steps, and began to reach both hands to his back waistband in the drawing position. My heart stopped. I knew this young man was about to kill my husband in downtown Spokane, with no other reason than pure range.

I leapt over my husband, and got up into this punks face. I could smell his breath, his greasy hair, and can remember his countenance twisted in range.

I said, “Over my dead body!!”

He screamed, “Bitch, you don’t F*ing know me!”

I was nose to nose with him, and said as calmly as possible, “You don’t know ME son! You have completely miscalculated me!”

At that moment another teen across the drive started yelling at me, “I’m gonna sue you bitch! I’m 16 and pregnant!” It was such an odd thing to say, I looked over towards her.

The young man who I was just confronted ran over to another teen and took his longboard. He ran back over to my husband screaming, “You’re killing my brother, your killing my brother!” He then raised the longboard up, and was about to strike my husband’s head. I yelled, “He’s just holding him, he’s just holding him.”

Just then, The Spokane Police arrived.

We want to thank the Spokane Police Department for saving our lives. Due to their quick action, there was not another murder on the news, committed by Spokane teens. I want to personally thank Officer Reese for stepping in when we were in the fight of our lives.

I have 23 kids, and 18 grandkids, and they still have a grandpa because of their quick action. We thank them.

(Read by my Dad)

We would like for this to be worth something. Our hope is that what we endured will actually be the start of something that will begin to take our streets back, so that nobody in the future has to endure what we endured. What happened to us wasn’t right. I’m convinced that there are things that can be done to begin to change the situation.

So we are hoping, in any way that we can, to get that started.

The only one who was charged that night was the one that I held on to. I risked my life, and my wife’s life making the decision that I did. I grabbed onto this guy and held on so that there would be some justice. There would only be victims lying on the street when the police arrived if I didn’t do what I did.

I have an amazingly tenacious and tough wife; who would not abandon me or cut and run. That’s why it turned out the way it did. I thank you, and I want to thank the police department.

As of yesterday, the charge against the thug that I held onto received a misdemeanor assault. Because he is a minor, this case has a good chance of being adjudicated in the juvenile court system. This means that within a short period of time, he will be back out on the streets, and back with his gang.

For those of you who don’t know, misdemeanor assault is defined as “unwanted touching.”

Thank you.

(Read by me)

I want to thank my parents for having the bravery that most of our citizens do not, who are tempted to shrink back into their private lives and not tell their stories. I want to thank the journalists for being faithful to be with the victims. We want to say to Spokane 3 things:

1. It is not unreasonable for us to pass a city ordinance for us to limit the gathering of unaccompanied minors after dark in downtown Spokane. I look forward to our city council and our mayor drafting, in short order, an ordinance that will make sense, and will allow the police to do something before people are assaulted and murdered. We know they are capable of that.

2. Our Spokane community is absolutely frightened, because we don’t know what to do when minors are the one’s assaulting us. I’m a pastor, and even in defense of my life, I don’t want to be on the 6 o’clock news with a headline that reads, “Pastor assaults child downtown.”

We are so confused as to what we can do. My parents didn’t physically assault anybody, except when my mother became physical in fear for my father’s life. We want the Spokane police to tell us what to do. Don’t tell us to call 911 and run away. We’ve been doing that for years and it doesn’t work. We want to police to train us.

3. We call on the citizens of Spokane, the leadership, the police department, to come together without bickering or fighting. This assault on my parents didn’t happen because someone wasn’t doing their job, or because somebody didn’t care. Spokane needs to band into two groups: law abiding citizens, and those predators who are preying on us. We need to come together and work together in every way.

We want to make sure that it is clearly communicated that we love our mayor, we love our police, we love our city council, and we believe that they are working hard for us. Spokane would you please get involved.

We can take back Spokane from children, who are running the streets now.

Thank you again. Let us close in prayer.

Holy Father, we appeal to You once again; that You would unite our hearts in love, that you would bring us together and that we would be able, by Your power, to allow love, unity, and forgiveness to reign in our city. Would You deliver these young people in so desperate need of rescue. Would You deliver us from these criminals who are killing us. Amen.

Again, thank you for coming.

The Misunderstood Jew: A Pastoral Engagement

The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus, by Amy-Jill Levine.

This blog post is intended to help my church navigate this popular book, and assist in an honest reading and wrestling with Levine’s points and criticism. So first, let’s do a chapter by chapter review:

1. Jesus and Judaism: Levine opens with a problem, the Church recognizes the Jewishness of Jesus, and there are plenty of books and references that teach what kind of meaning might be had from this context. But when it actually comes to applying the life of Jesus to our lives, we often vilify and misunderstand the very context that ought to inform our understanding of Jesus. Namely, Jesus was not against the law. Levine argues that Jesus kept kosher, loved the Torah, and taught His followers to do the same. She posits that references found in the New Testament account to the contrary are later additions by those who are trying to make Christianity appeal to a Gentile culture.

2. From Jewish Sect to Gentile Church: Levine continues the argument, showing that Jesus had a very Jewish understanding of the messianic age to come. It was His followers, namely Peter and Paul, who had to deal with the problems that a Jewish understanding of the messianic age. Since they are primary writers of the New Testament, it is easy to see that their mission to the Gentiles necessitated a departure from Jesus’s  true identity as a Jewish messiah. His followers then created a false dichotomy between Jesus and the very people that He understood Himself to be the messiah of.

3. The New Testament and Anti-Judaism: Levine holds Christian feet to the proverbial fire, insisting that if the New Testament is to be read honestly, there is no way that we cannot interpret some anti-Jewish messages. The Jews killed Jesus. Their father is the Devil. They oppress Paul and Christians. Levine again insists that these messages were not from Jesus, but His followers.

4. Stereotyping Judaism: Viewing Judaism as a whole, united effort is a fallacy. Levine instructs the reader about a plurality of Judaisms, even in the first century, and especially now. The Jewish people have almost never acted as a complete whole, but the New Testament seems complicit in that false understanding. Furthermore, the Christian Church seems complicit in such an understanding too. Levine slams liberation and feminist readings of the New Testament, because it makes Jesus the Savior of an oppressive, racist, misogynistic, ritualistic faith that cares more for a temple than people: Judaism.

5. With Friends Like These…: Levine completes what she sets up in chapter four. She shows how many traditions and “academic” readings of the New Testament text use the Jewish faith as their whipping boy. She decries this use, and calls for an admission and repentance from the practice.

6. Distinct Cannons, Distinct Practices: Levine insists that one cannot understand who Jesus was without understanding Him as a first century Jew. Interpreting the Old Testament as a Christian is a faulty thing to do; not even Jesus did. Furthermore, interpreting Jewish practices (such as seder) through a Christian lens is to misunderstand it completely. She finishes the chapter with a generous view of recognizing differences in the faiths, and seeing that they are heading in the same direction.

7. Quo Vadis (where are you going?): Levine finishes her book by giving a list of practical tips for Jews to be able to read the New Testament with Christian ears, and for Christians to be able to read the entire Bible with Jewish ears. Mainly, she recommends that we not fall onto one side or the other, but find ways to be in community with the other.

My humble and pastoral guide:

I first want to recommend this book to you. It is probably going to be helpful in your life of faith, and your ability to love God, and love the people around you. That said, I do want to let you know a couple of assumptions that Levine runs on, which I believe you should be aware of. Once identified, you can pray and consult, and see if the Spirit confirms such beliefs.

First, Levine is primarily concerned with anti-Jewish tendencies. The whole book is more about being honest about those tendencies, and proposing ways in which we (as Christians) might embrace our Jewish neighbors. Please keep in mind that each of her arguments should be read in that context.

Second, Levine is a scholar. Scholarly work is perhaps the best tool that I know of which allows us to discover tension, paradox, and apparent contradictions in the Biblical text. Such things ought to be treasured by Christians. Most people will try to find ways to make those apparent contradictions disappear, or do great work to show how there is no actual tension there. I would caution that approach.

Levine uses her scholarly sharpness to also help alleviate such tension and paradox. For instance, there are many places in the New Testament (and Old, for that matter) which casts the “Jews” in a very negative light. Levine does much work establishing how Jesus never intended that. The result is to place Jesus on one side, and his Apostles on the other. I reject that. I will, however, do what Levine asks; and be honest about those passages. Rather than doing what many a bad theologian has done before me, and insisted that these passages allow us to hate Jews; I take it as an invitation to look at our community, and myself, and discover how Scripture is rebuking me; rebuking us. What are we being invited in to? Certainly, we cannot conclude that we are being invited to hate Jews.

On that note, let’s move to number three. It's a big one.

Understanding the Scriptural text, particularly the New Testament through the lens of first century Judaism is only one lens in through which we interpret Scripture. A metaphor may be helpful here: the actual text is a beautiful mountain scene. It is actual mountains and glaciers, rivers, trees and plains. But we can only see the scene through various windows.

Understanding the text through a “first century Jewish” window will allow us to block out certain parts of the scenery, and focus on certain parts. Certainly, this is valuable. But we can also see the text through the window which understands the scene as a response to what was happening in the Church by the end of the century, almost three generations after the death of Christ, when most of the Apostles were dead or old. Their recounting of the stories of Jesus are meant to be exegeted in a far different context then what a 30 year old Jesus lived in. This enables us to block out certain aspects of the scene, and enhance others.

Furthermore, we can also view the scene through the window which sees the stories of Jesus as meant for you and me today. It is speaking directly at us, by power of the Holy Spirit. Again, certain aspects of the scenery are ignored, while others jump out. This is valuable.

And now, naturally, I need to respond to those in my congregation who would say that such a view of Scripture is a very low view, and that I am probably a postmodern relativist. Well, if the shoe fits, I’ll wear it. I’ll own my heresy. But first, I would like to give you some food for thought.

I am not proposing that the mountain scene doesn’t exist. I’m not saying that all windows to view the scenery are equal, or equally valuable. The value depends on who is in the congregation, and how it is being applied. I am proposing that the mountain scene is absolute, but we have to admit that we are looking at it through a window. This requires more work, not less. It obligates us to dive deeper into our Text, and wrestle with it harder. It also allows us to move from window to window and find the places that the Spirit is calling to us. It means that we find more personal invitations in the text.

Finally, I would like to commend Levine in her rejection of pitting the Old Testament against the New, the Jews versus Jesus. Instead, we find our reading of the Bible pitted against the real Bible, and our Jesus pitted against the real one. In my humble, pastoral opinion, we ought to do the hard work to find out where those differences are, and let the real Bible, the real Jesus, win (whatever that might look like).

Church Planting and Martyrs

     While reading After Christendom: How the Church is to Behave if Freedom, Justice, and a Christian Nation are Bad Ideas, by Stanley Hauerwas, I was struck by his idea of the Church as a political body. A political body that had entirely different standards of ruling than any other political body. His ultimate illustration, and proof of this idea, was the martyr: “There is no more powerful witness to this understanding of salvation as enacted narrative than martyrdom.”[1] In its earliest conception, Christianity stood alone, over and against the beliefs of Rome, as a political body that offered humanity another way of life. When the two giant worldviews clashed, the most powerful witness against the ultimate weakness of Roman worldview was the martyr.

In our modern age, our ecclesiological pursuits have asked us to deal with the realities of consumerism, commodification, post-modernism, and individualism. This, I would say, is the age old struggle between the Church and Rome; so to speak. And it seems that we can learn much from the ancient Church’s struggle. “[W]hy has the church in North America produced so few martyrs? What kind of church is ours if, in an era of gluttony, imperialism, avarice, and bloodlust, we cannot produce people who threaten such an order?”[2] The work that follows is my attempt to make sense of the martyr, in the uniquely ancient Christian sense, and create a rubric by which we can focus and develop our ecclesiology.

It is not my intent to propose a new ecclesiology, or provide any different forms of church. Nor is it my goal to recount the history of martyrdom, or attempt in some way to change its original meaning to fit our contexts.  My goal is to provide a reasonable understanding of how we might engage a changing culture in transformative community; no matter what form of church we decide to employ.

WHAT IS MARTYRDOM? AND AVOIDING CERTAIN CONVERSATIONS

Simply, martyrdom is “the suffering of death on account of adherence to a cause and especially to one's religious faith.”[3] In the Christian sense, martyrdom is the status of being a blood-witness; or belonging to the community of those who have bled out in obedience to Christ. Without recounting the entire history of martyrdom in the Church, we should suffice it to say that martyrdom is a kind of sacrament, in which a Christian is able to follow Christ in being physically killed due to identification as a Christian.

There has long been a conversation within the Christian community for who should be counted among such a community. The conversation also tends to include whether or not martyrdom is a sacrament, and could be used to gain entrance to the church (as many Christians never completed their catechism process before they were killed, and thus were not baptized yet). I recognize the conversation, and value it, but for the purpose of this paper will not explore such a deep topic. The working definition that I provide above must suffice.

THE CHALLENGE: MARTYRDOM TO INFORMING EMERGING CHURCH ECCLESIOLOGY

I believe the initial challenge is getting the archaic experience of martyrdom to become a modern awareness and consideration. This is no small feat. For the experience seems to have no relevant purpose in present Christian spirituality, especially among the faddishness of new church models being churned out for the Emerging Church planter to consider. Granted, many of the conversations I have had, that molded the direction of this work, started with disbelief that martyrdom could have anything to do with the present day modern American church. The idea just won’t sell.

It is this attitude, I believe, that has gotten us in the ecclesial mess that we are in today. We try to focus on ideas and theologies that we believe will work. For me, it confuses the probable with the imperative. We forget about what we must do, in favor of what will most likely work; thus the overwhelming number of ideas and models for doing church.

It is important to note, in such an environment, that I propose no new church ecclesial model. Rather, I am interested (being a church planter myself) in developing a rubric by which we can navigate the often turbulent waters of Emerging Church. This is the crux of my consideration. Martyrdom, and the consideration thereof, is not a new way of doing church, or of being church. Instead, understanding martyrdom is key to being able to pass judgment on the myriad of new ideas and ecclesial models, and determine their place in the modern age, and the age to come.

WHY DO WE NEED A RUBRIC?

In our day and age, we seem assaulted with varying ecclesial ideals and methods. We are asked to consider the megachurch, the cell church, the missional church, the purpose-driven church. Young church planters, and old alike, especially when planting churches without denominational ties are required at some point to select some sort of church organization, government, and function. We have to select how we form our church institution.

The ancient church struggled with institutional procedure and development much like we do. The form of institution is nowhere to be found in the Bible. There are descriptions of healthy churches, but no prescription with how to build one; in regards to form. The truth is: many of the Apostles and Church Fathers graded their churches, at least partially, on how well they produced Christians who could stand the test of martyrdom.

MARTYRDOM AS A TEST TO THE ANCIENT AND EARLY CHURCH

For my readings, I chose to read early church history, among other things. It is fascinating to see how those with apostolic authority chose to deal with the reality of themselves (along with those they were leading) being executed, if they did not renounce their faith in Jesus. Lessons of the faithful martyrs have had their place in the Church ever since. But the reality of the day was not one where every believer boldly proclaimed Christ even to their dying breath. Many people apostatized, renounced Jesus, and publicly sacrificed to the gods, as evidence that they were not a part of the Christian community.[4] The Church was oftentimes disgraced.

Thus, training Christians who could stand up against the ultimate test became a priority. Two common pictures were used to inspire and exhort Christians of the day. These images were very powerful then, as they are now.

     Being a Christian became being an athlete. The Christian faith required, it was taught, an intense training and discipline in order to ensure success. Paul writes to the Corinthians,

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.[5]

The image of athlete works. All of the training, and work, put in by the individual will become evident at an event in which their skill, discipline, and strength will be tested. The athlete knows that there is coming a time when they will either be embarrassed by their lack of preparation, or they will be honored by their preparation in victory. Thus the Ancient Church used martyrdom as an athletic event that must be trained for. Those who failed to pass the test were obviously unprepared.

     As the first Christians in Gaul were being executed for their faith, Church historian Eusebius quotes a letter sent from the Gallic church to others in Asia and Phrygia about how well the Church was doing in Gaul; and how well the Christians had been prepared to face martyrdom. “Then the rest fell into two groups. It was clear that some were ready to be the first Gallic martyrs: they made a full confession of their testimony with the greatest eagerness. It was equally clear that others were not ready, that they had not trained and were still flabby, in no fit condition to face the strain of a struggle to the death.”[6] Martyrdom thus became an Olympic event, and the Church became the community of Olympians.[7]

     The second image of martyrdom in the Ancient Church was that of battle. The Church was supposed to be able to arm its congregants, and train them to fight against Satan, in witness to the Lord. Tripp York, in his work The Politics of Martyrdom, develops well this notion.

Throughout early Christian literature, the chief combatants in the martyrs’ battle were not the Christian and the gladiator (or beast), but the battle between Christ and those powers in rebellion to Christ. This war was waged visibly in the bodies of Christians. Cyprian informs his listeners that on the day they are called to battle, they must ‘engage bravely, fight with constancy, as knowing that you are fighting under the eyes of a present Lord… He Himself also wrestles in us, Himself engaged—Himself also in the struggles of our conflict not only crowns, but is crowned.’[8] Tertullian contends that when Christians become martyrs, demons are defeated.[9] The arena, in effect, represents that place where the power of evil fully manifests itself in order to do battle with God.[10]

The image of Christian as warfighter works. The Christian expects a military event in which not just their skill, discipline and strength; but also their preparation and armament will be tested. The warrior knows that there is coming a time when they will either be struck down by their lack of preparation and armament, or they will be honored in victory. Thus the ancient Church understood itself as a community of warfighters arming for, and conducting battle.[11]

There is potential for our modern ecclesial struggles to be honed by this concept of martyrdom as test. The ancient and early Church found its job, its mission, to produce Christians who could be martyrs. It is well documented that the Church graded itself on how well they were able to produce such faithful heroes.[12]

ECCLESIOLOGY: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR MARTYR

We have well established how the ancient Church understood martyrdom, and its implications on early ecclesiology. There are many lessons to learn from their hard won experience. The Church was very well thought out in its approach to producing martyrs. They called it training, discipline, witness, fulfillment, etc.. In this section, I would like to develop these notions, and how they might inform an ecclesiological rubric. I will limit my discussion to three foundations: education, sacrament, and witness.

Education

The first is that the church must take education very seriously. Martyrs are seldom made outside of instruction. The Letters and Epistles found in the New Testament are profoundly full of demands to the churches to instruct,[13] admonish,[14] exhort[15] and teach[16] the Church. The Apostles were aware that true discipleship does not happen outside of sound training.

The Church Fathers, as well, valued education and catechesis. Origen, who in his youth desperately desired to become a martyr, turned his attention to education; and in time, was found valuable by the Bishop Demetrius and placed in charge of an elementary school. He was well noted for his preparation of those going to be executed for being Christians.[17] His ability to train martyrs was his strongpoint, and his focus. Soon after his appointment to the school, Origen is mainly noted for his ability to educate pagans and make them ready to be martyrs.[18]

I believe we can safely say that education is a primary tenet of the martyrdom rubric. Though not from the perspective of training martyrs, Bretherton and Walker essentially agree with the principle:

What a deep church most needs today, however, is not an intellectual map of theological method and historical even-handedness, as helpful and as ecumenically prescient as this may be. The greater need is for a theology of Christian basics. In short: catechesis for all beginners in the Christian life whether they be infants or adults.[19]

It is perhaps for this reason that I am hesitant to embrace the “in-home” missional community ecclesiology which is often recommended by my peers. I find that there usually are not enough skilled teachers in small home environments. The end result usually winds up being an emphasis on community, at the expense of education. If my humble opinion matters, missional community oriented churches (such as the kind I intend to plant, and the kind I come from) we absolutely must take education and training seriously. Otherwise, we will not be able to produce the kind of Christians who can be faithful to Christ, even to death.

Sacrament

The second foundation of martyrdom is sacrament. St. Ignatius, in his letter to the Ephesian church, asked them to pray for him as he faced his own death. “[T]hat by your prayers I should obtain to fight with wild beasts at Rome, that I might be able, through martyrdom, to attain to being a disciple of him who offered himself for us as an offering and sacrifice unto God.”[20] St. Ignatius, among others of the Church Fathers, saw martyrdom as the final sacrament: truly drinking from the cup of Christ, and being baptized with the same baptism.[21] “Let me be ground by the teeth of the wild beasts,” Ignatius claims in his letter to the Roman church, “That I may be found the pure bread of Christ.”[22] Though I could find no direct claim from the Church Fathers, or Apostles, that martyrdom is to be considered a sacrament; I rest my claim on the constant use of sacramental language in their documents when discussing martyrdom.

If we can agree that martyrdom is rightly considered as the ultimate participation with Christ in His death and resurrection, then we can see how seriously we must take the other sacraments in our ecclesiology. If dying for our faith is the ultimate participation in the gospel, then our other methods of participation ought not be made light and easy. One of our methods to train ourselves is to participate in sacrament.

Sacraments prepare the martyr for his/her duty. Baptism then, is a preparation for death. The Eucharist is a participation in Christ’s martyrdom and claiming solidarity with the community of the resurrected, which in some way, ought to prepare us for our own death. The arenas of Rome were the testing ground of how well one was prepared for the consequences of their faith. “Christian worship was the means by which one prepared well for the contest. Prayer, charity, and the sacraments were understood to be fundamental habits that prepared one for the coming battle.”[23] Indeed, Cyprian argued that daily participation in the Lord’s Supper was essential to remaining faithful during an intense period of martyrdom.[24]

Our ecclesiology must include a robust emphasis on the proper participation of the sacraments. This is clearly laid out in scripture.[25] But the sacraments should also be used to prepare us for our own deaths, and aid us in our own dying to self.

Though from a different viewpoint, Karkkainen too stresses the importance of sacrament (especially the Eucharist) in our ecclesiology: “Human nature becomes consubstantial with the deified humanity, united with the person of Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. This union is fulfilled in the sacramental life.” And later, he states, “[T]he basic ecclesiological rule that goes back to the fathers says, wherever the Eucharist is, there is the church. Or, the church makes the Eucharist, and the Eucharist makes the church.”[26]

This is why I tend to hesitate at any ecclesiology that does not take seriously the service of the Lord’s Supper or baptism. I also think that the American parachurch trend of baptizing youths at various retreats must be thought through more thoroughly.[27]

Witness

The third foundation of martyrdom is that of witness. The event of martyrdom is the supreme act of testimony to the power of salvation, to the publicq, spiritual powers, and other Christians.[28] It is perhaps the most powerful fulfillment of the Great Commission.

From the beginning of the Church, followers of Christ have struggled with how to most effectively and completely obey this sacred command. The witness of the martyr stands as the greatest achievement of the Church in an event that reveals Christ, and encourages obedience to His commands. Paul exhorts the Corinthian church thus: “For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.”[29] As we have already established, successful faithfulness in the face of great persecution and death, relies upon a practice of evangelism and obedience in discipline. A martyr takes the command to spread the word so seriously, that they faithfully do so by way of their death.

Martyrdom is the severest and truest way to communicate the Christ story; to which we must stay faithful, and be faithful to tell others. Nicholas Lash asks, “What might ‘witness’ or ‘martyrdom’ mean, today? The form of the question… should rather be: What form might contemporary fidelity to ‘the testimony of Jesus’ appropriately take? And this is a practical and not merely a theoretical question.”[30] He claims that engagement with this question “is an aspect, but only an aspect, of the broader task of Christian interpretative practice, of the attempt to bear witness faithfully and effectively to God’s transformative purpose and meaning for mankind.”[31]

For this reason, I think that we ought to be cautious of any ecclesiology that does not take seriously the command to spread the Gospel, and teach converts to obey the commands of Christ, no matter the cost. We ought to have a suspicion of any claims made on an easy Christianity that does not require sacrifice in obedience to the Great Comission.

CONCLUSION AND PERSONAL REFLECTIONS

The martyrdom rubric, I hope, will enable the local church planter involved in the Emerging church movement to make sense of many of the practices that are proposed in today’s Christian marketplace of ideas. Indeed, it is not comprehensive, nor does it even encapsulate all lessons of the ancient Church, as it wrestled with martyrdom. However, I hope it proves helpful as a rudimentary tool.

In order for us to identify ourselves as a local expression of the Church, we must take seriously, and wrestle deeply with, the foundations of education, sacrament, and witness.

There are other problems, of course, that I have not wrestled with in this work. How do we stand over and against such giants as postmodernism, consumerism, commodification, and individualism? My work does not go into any detail, nor make any claims that the attitude of the martyr, or employing the martyrdom rubric, will be able to counter these ideas. Against such heresies, even the creeds can prove an unwieldy tool. (“I believe…” wait, maybe that pushes individualism?) I think that the burden of tackling those issues really relies on the Christian educators among us. I believe that the Holy Spirit still dwells in strength among the body of Believers; and with that reality, there is no limit on how learning and wisdom can help us in our ever changing battle against Rome.

I pray that this short work will serve as a good starting point for conversation in the Emerging church. In an attempt to mine our Christian past, I think that we will find the answers that we need to battle the ever changing Rome.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

Barnabas, Clement I, Charles Hoole, Saint Ignatius, Saint Polycarp. The Apostolic Fathers: The Epistles of S. Clement, S. Ignatius, S. Barnabus, S. Polycarp, Togeher with the Martyrdom of S. Ignatius and S. Polycarp. Translated by Charles H Hoole. London: Rivingtons, 1872.

Bretherton, Luke, Christopher Cocksworth, Alan Kreider, Andrew Walker, Ben Quash, Mark Wakelin, and Andrew Walker. Remembering Our Future; Explorations in Deep Church. Edited by Luke, and Andrew Walker Bretherton. Colorado Springs: Paternoster, 2007.

Clark, Jason, Kevin Corcoran, Scot McKnight, Peter Rollins. Church in the Present Tense; a Candid Look at What's Emerging. Edited by Kevin Corcoran. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2011.

Eusebius. The History of the Church. Edited by Andrew Louth. Translated by G.A. Williamson. London: Penguin Books, 1989.

Hauerwas, Stanley. After Christendom; How Church is to Behave if Freedom, Justice, and a Christian Nation are Bad Ideas. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1991.

International Olympic Comittee. Ancient Olympic Games. n.d. http://www.olympic.org/ancient-olympic-games/ (accessed December 14, 2011).

Karkkainen, Veli-Matti. An Introduction to Ecclesiology. Madison: InterVarsity Press, 2002.

Lash, Nicholas. Theology on the Way to Emmaus. Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1986.

Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. n.d. www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/martyrdom (accessed December 12, 2011).

—. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. n.d. http//:www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/martyrdom/ (accessed December 14, 2011).

Peterson, Eugene. The Pastor; a Memoir. New York: HarperOne, 2011.

York, Tripp. The Purple Crown; The Politics of Martyrdom. Scottsdale: Herald Press, 2007.

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[1] Stanley Hauerwas, After Christendom; How the Church is to Behave if Freedom, Justice, and a Christian Nation are Bad Ideas, (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1991) 38.

[2] Tripp York, The Purple Crown; The Politics of Martyrdom (Scottsdale: Herald Press, 2007), 22.

[3] Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. http//:www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/martyrdom (accessed December 12, 2011).

[4] Eusebius, 5.1.33, for a good example; in almost every account of a mass martyrdom Eusebius is careful to mention (though not elaborate on) those who apostatized at threat of death and persecution.

[5] 1 Corinthians 9:24-26. English Standard Version.

[6] Eusebius, The History of the Church, Book 5.1:8.

[7] 1 Corinthians 9:25 speaks of being an athlete who receives a wreath, a gesture of victory common at the ancient Olympic games according to Official Website of the Olympic Movement, “Ancient Olympic Games,” International Olympic Committee, http://www.olympic.org/ancient-olympic-games/ (accessed December 14, 2011).

[8] Cyprian. Epistle 8, 5:288.

[9] Tertullian, The Apology, 27, 3:86.

[10] York, 32.

[11] Ephesians 6:10-18 is the clearest example of apostolic instruction in war fighting language.

[12] York, The Purple Crown; The Politics of Martyrdom. Though I make a bold claim here, without much documentation, I have found that Tripp York does an excellent job of this in his work. Rather than spend most of my time trying to recreate his work, I would rather move on and discuss its implications for ecclesiology.

[13] Romans 15:14, 1 Corinthians 14:19

[14] 1 Corinthians 4:14, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-14

[15] 2 Timothy 4:2, Titus 2:15, Hebrews 3:13, 1 Peter 5:1

[16] 1 Timothy 4:11, 6:2, 2 Timothy 2:24, Titus 1:11, Hebrews 5:12

[17] Eusebius, History of the Church, Book 6.3:2.

[18] Ibid., Book 6.3:13-5:2.

[19] Andrew Walker and Luke Bretherton, Remembering our Future; Explorations in Deep Church, (Colorado Springs: Paternoster, 2007) 14.

[20] The Epistle of St. Ignatius to the Ephesians, 1:2.

[21] Mark 10:38-39

[22] The Epistle of St. Ignatius to the Romans, 4:2.

[23] York, 40.

[24] Saint Cyprian, Epistle 55; To the People of Thibaris, Exhorting to Martyrdom, Chapter 1.

[25] 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

[26] Veli-Matti Karkkainen, An Introduction to Ecclesiology; Ecumenical, Historical & Global Perspectives, (Dowers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002) 21.

[27] Perhaps a note for another work altogether; but I have serious misgivings about calling parachurch the “Body of Christ” as it is really a unique invention in light of organizations being able to take advantage of the modern charitable tax status. Why would the parachurch then be comfortable with offering sacraments?

[28] York, 27-37.

[29] 1 Corinthians 4:9

[30] Nicholas Lash, Theology on the Way to Emmaus, (Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1986) 91.

[31] Ibid., 92.