Tuesday Wrap Up II

Sorry this took so long to get out here.  It was a great meeting on Tuesday, and I hope everyone comes this week. 

We started off with comedian Tim Hawkins and his GPS, "You're on your own.  Your guess is as good as mine."  Laughing about how his skit depicts "a hedge of protection" took us in  interesting directions.  From the devil shouting, "Curses, they found my weakness! Landscaping!" to  a discussion of Jefferson's quote of "a wall of protection between church and state" from the letter to the Danbury Baptists that has shaped interpretation of the Constitution to Psalm 139, for a reference to a hedge of angels- which provides more protection than boxwoods.

Satan:  Martin Luther was very matter-of-fact about the devil, claiming he was in his bath house, like a wicked case of grout mold.  An earthy man, Luther's directive concerning the devil was that the devil was "to eat his own shit."  (An excellent article is Luther Against the Devil by Heiko A. Oberman.)  Luther also observed, "Man is a mule to be ridden by either God or the devil," and "If God is with us, who can stand against us?"  Satan is God's sheepdog?  Consider Paul's claims that he has delivered certain members of the congregation to Satan so that they may be rebuked and return to Christ.  When confronted with Satan, or his minions since none of us are a Martin Luther, pray.  It's the ideal response because you enter the presence of God.  Lift up others and lift up the church (the Bride of Christ, not any particular denomination).  The comment "the church is the devil's playground" led us into...

Rejoice and pray for AJ's sister who has just accepted Christ! Hallelujah!  The bummer is that her church acted cruelly.  Because she lives with her fiance, her church rejected her baptism request- and conveyed the information to her through her fiances' parents.  As previously said, the devil's playground.  Our group prayed for the new Christian, that she will be baptized soon and find a church family that will love and instruct her on how to be a Christian... and she has AJ on long distance speed dial. 

The Anglican/Episcopal split...since this is a mostly Anglican group.  The ordination of a homosexual bishop was not why the Anglicans split from the Episcopal church.  His ordination was the final demonstration of a political struggle within the church as to whether church leaders were required to maintain religious orthodoxy pertaining to the gospel.  The issue began in the 1960s with Bishop James Pike's rejection of the trinity, the resurrection, and the virgin birth while retaining his position as a bishop and has continued to today with the head of the Episcopal Church, The Most Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori stating, "If we say you have to believe in the resurrection to be saved, it's like putting God in a box."  Every person can believe what they want (free will is divinely given) but the heads of religious organizations must be publicly orthodox or their organizations lose their doctrinal compass,  (There were other examples that are not germane to this post.  If you have more questions, chuck them in the comments section.)

BTW- Christian doctrine is that belief in the resurrection is absolutely necessary for salvation. It's Biblical.

More Anglican ruminations:  We need to let go of any issues with the Episcopal church and move forward without bitterness- are ideally positioned to be members of global and local communities-  have unique relationship with global south churches within the global Anglican communion.

Discipline:  The church needs good leaders with it and and members of the body of Christ need it too.  Ditto developing spiritual maturity.  Recipe is found in 1 Timothy and 1st Corinthians. Leadership is based on the Holy Spirit calling and in-dwelling.  Without it, shouldn't be a leader.  God chooses- example is Jonah- and any decisions made separate from His choosing are bad ones. 

Homosexuality:  Painful subject since group members have loved ones who are homosexual.  Biblically, homosexual activity is sinful. We discussed whether we believed that people were born heterosexual or homosexual, or if it was a choice; based on empirical and anecdotal data, the consensus was that some people are born with proclivities either way and some follow cultural norms.  We are more than animals but incorrectly define ourselves based on our flesh,  As Christians, we should define ourselves in Christ as citizens of Heaven, Colossians 3.  American Christians obsess over lust but ignore gossip, drunkenness, gluttony, and wrath- or not loving/forgiving neighbors.  Every sinner must be welcomed into the church and led into a love relationship with Christ such that they fall in love with Jesus and want to be right with him.  We Christians must improve our track record regarding this.

As a citizen of Heaven, can you serve your country?  Yes- provided your service does not violate your Christian injunctions.  For example- cannot worship the emperor or the eagles at the top of the banners. 

Image of God:  God's image is not like man's or woman's.  Our image is like His.  What is similar between us is what resembles God.

The majority of the evening we discussed The Trinity: AJ will do a better post in days to follow, but here is a brief run down of a difficult topic.
- Sex mirrors The Trinity (woke you up with that one, didn't we).  Allegorically...that level of intimacy is what Heaven is and The Trinity has a constant creative potentiality.  The Holy Spirit flows from the relationship between the Father and the Son.  Similarly, allegorically, like sex, the Eucharist is a continual physical consummation of a relationship with God. Hmmm, may have missed something because this looks weak.  If any of y'all remember more, put it in the comments.
- The Shack is a good book but does a terrible job explaining The Trinity.  The Shack's depicting of The Trinity is not doctrinal and goes against the Bible's claim that no one has seen the face of God and lived. Can you flesh this out, Andy?  Maybe a separate post?  So what about Moses talking with God, face to face?  That was Jesus.  Whenever anyone meets with God, they meet with Jesus.
- Why isn't The Trinity three gods?  How is it One God and still three?  Rodney has wrestled with this for years.  It just doesn't make sense.
-- Biblically, told there is one God ("Hear oh Israel, your Lord God is one." Deuteronomy 6: 4)
-- HUGE  QUESTION- resolved at the Counsel of Calcedon in 452 as one God, three identities of God the Father, Christ one person with human and divine nature, and the Holy Spirit.
-- It's not schizophrenic and it's not modalism (one at a time).
-- What we know are the facts: God with you is the Holy Spirit,; Christ was here and is now seated by God the Father; and God the Father created and maintains. 
-- "I and the Father are one." John 10: 30.
-- There are more analogies that hint at The Trinity, but they are NOT The Trinity.  Body, mind, and soul are like The Trinity.  Entangled particles are an example of something like God in that something can be in one place and still affect another thing far away.  TV is an analogy... a family is a little like The Trinity.  
-- Why is The Trinity necessary?  Because the nature of God is love, and cannot have love without there being someone to love. 
-- It's a mystery, but it makes sense that God should be so complicated that we can't easily define/grasp Him.
-- Could not have salvation by God's death without The Trinity.
-- Our union with God comes through Christ.  We will access The Father the same way Christ does but will not be gods in our own right. 

South Sudan- we'll be praying to see if there is anything God is calling our group to do regarding South Sudan. 

Next week- Spiritual Warfare.  Whew.  Ew.  Stay tuned.