The Call and Recovering Our Hebrew Roots: A Response to Lauren Winner

Note: The article below is my response to Lauren Winner’s presentation at The Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future.

To read the text of the call in its entirety, click here.
To read a brief summary information about the program, click here.

Now, here is my response to Lauren Winner’s presentation:

I would like to thank Lauren for her stimulating presentation, "The Call and Recovering Our Hebrew Roots." If the church is to make a difference in the world today, the church has to pay attention to what biblical Israel has to teach us.

But in learning from Israel, the church faces a problem. Lauren reminds us that many Christians have abandoned the Old Testament. She said: “Christians, sadly, too often are default Marcionites, acting as though the Bible begins with the Gospel of Matthew.”

Godfrey E. Phillips, in his book The Old Testament in the World Church (London: Lutterworth Press, 1942), describes how the Old Testament was studied in China. He tells the story of a Chinese pastor who made a statement that reflects the same attitude that exists among the present generation of Christians. That pastor said: "Intending missionaries or evangelists waste their time if they spend a lot of it studying the Old Testament . . . The Old Testament teaching given in theological colleges in China is, in the experience of most students, devoid of interest or value for their after work. Reading the Old Testament is like eating a large crab; it turns out to be mostly shell, with very little meat in it . . . We don't need to start with Moses and Elijah. It is enough to teach our students about God as Jesus taught or revealed him" (p. 23).

The Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future is a challenge to Evangelical Christians to restore the priority of the divinely inspired biblical story of God's acts in history. And God’s acts in history include the call of Abraham and the liberation of Israel from Egypt.

The Call is also a summons to Evangelicals to take seriously the visible character of the Church. It is a call for the church to be committed to its mission in the world in fidelity to God's mission.

In her presentation, Lauren emphasized three practices that Jews and Christians have in common: Sabbath keeping, bereavement, and the sense of community. Since time is limited, I will restrict my remarks to the practice of Sabbath keeping and the idea of community as part of our identity as God’s people.

First, let me say that the concept of the Sabbath was unique to Israel. In the past, it was usual for scholars to trace the concept of the Sabbath to Babylonian religious practices. In the Babylonian calendar there were certain days in which the kings and the priests had to stop performing their official duties.

However, it is doubtful that these special days in Babylon and the Israelite Sabbath were identical. One reason for rejecting a Babylonian origin for the Israelite Sabbath is that these special days in the Babylonian calendar were associated with the phases of the moon, while the Israelite Sabbath was celebrated every seven days.

In addition, in the Babylonian calendar these special days were called “evil days,” while the Israelite Sabbath were festive days, days dedicated to the worship of God.

Second, the Sabbath became a special day in the life of Israel because it was celebrated as a sign of the covenantal relationship that existed between God and his people. In her presentation, Lauren spoke about the importance of identity. She said: “Identity is constituted through our practice, not through what we happen to believe at a particular moment.”

The Sabbath became the foundational element in the religious life of Israel. The Sabbath identified Israel as the special people of God. On the Sabbath, God’s people worshiped God and recognized his work in creation and redemption. Thus, Sabbath keeping emphasized Israel’s special relationship with God.

The Sabbath also became the basis for the social concern expressed in Israelite laws. For instance, on the Sabbath both people and animals should rest: “Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed” (Exodus 23:12).

The observance of the Sabbath was also designed to be a blessing to the person who kept it. The exilic prophet said that God promised blessings to those who kept the Sabbath. God said: “If you watch your step on the Sabbath and don't use my holy day for personal advantage, if you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy, God's holy day as a celebration, if you honor it by refusing 'business as usual,' making money, running here and there— then you'll be free to enjoy God!” (Isaiah 58:13-14).

The keeping of the Sabbath in Israel set Israel apart from the other nations. The uniqueness of Israel is established at the time God established his special relationship with the community of faith:

“Now, if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6).

That uniqueness was sealed with the establishment of the covenant and the giving of the Ten Commandments. So important was the keeping of the Sabbath that God established it as one of the commandments:

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Exodus 20:8).

Lauren underscored that “Sabbath-keeping is counter-cultural, and must be undertaken by a community.”

As for the idea of community, we must remember that God called Israel to become an alternative community in the world and gave this alternative community a mission in the world: to be his special people, and mediate God’s Word to all nations. As the people of God, Israel was to become an alternative community to the dominant culture of its day. However, for Israel to be able to fulfill God’s mission in the world, Israel had to live in relationship with God.

The church stands on the shoulders of biblical Israel. The church looks at the world from the perspective God gave to the Hebrew people. That, I believe, is the aim of The Call. The Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future challenges the church to recommit itself to “God’s mission in the world.”

Lauren spoke of the Church’s need to recover Judaism’s recognition of community and practice as their identity as God’s people. In order for the church to speak with a prophetic voice to people in the 21st century, the church must become a “counter-cultural community” in the world. The church must be “in the world” without “being of the world.” The church must become what Walter Brueggemann has called “the alternative community of Moses, and the community of the Suffering Servant”: a community empowered by prophetic imagination, a community that refuses to accept the culture of death so prevalent in our society today.

This is precisely the challenge God gave to Israel. In Leviticus 18:1-4, the LORD said to Moses: “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the LORD your God. You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices.’”

This is the challenge Evangelicals face today. The Call challenges Evangelicals “not to do as they do in the land of Canaan,” the land of Canaan being our North American context. So, let me paraphrase: if the church is to have “an Ancient Evangelical Future,” the church must not do as they do in the land of Canaan and must not follow their practices. To the contrary, as The Call states, the church must “stand prophetically against the culture’s captivity to racism, consumerism, political correctness, civil religion, sexism, ethical relativism, violence, and the culture of death.”

If the church is to have “an Ancient Evangelical Future,” the church must separate itself from the official religion of optimism that is so prevalent today, a religion which proclaims that God’s only work is to maintain our standard of living in order to ensure that his temple will be a Crystal Cathedral.

If Evangelicals are to recover our Hebrew roots, we have to recapitulate “the alternative community of Moses” and “dismantle the politics of oppression and exploitation” by establishing “a politics of justice and compassion.”

If Evangelicals are to recover our Hebrew roots, we have to look at the first Hebrew, our father Abraham, for inspiration. God’s call to Israel to be his people in the world was based on God’s call to Abraham. Abraham was called by God to be a blessing to the nations. When God appeared to Abraham, the Lord said:

"I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you."

If the church is to be a blessing to the world, we must pay heed to God’s word to Abraham: “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

In order for people on earth to be blessed though Abraham, Abraham had to be a blessing to people. God told Abraham: “and you will be a blessing.”

It is unfortunate that the English translations have missed the true meaning of the verb in Hebrew. In Hebrew, the verb is not future: “and you will be a blessing.” Rather, in Hebrew the verb is imperative: “and you, be a blessing.”

If the church is called to have an Ancient Evangelical Future, then the church must go back to that ancient call, God’s call to his people to become a blessing in the world. That is our destiny, that is our mission; we do not have any other choice. The church must be a blessing to people everywhere; this is what makes the church an alternative and unique community in the world, in the same way the Sabbath made Israel a unique people in the Ancient Near East.

I believe the church has a future. The Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future is a summons for the church to rise again as the people of God and take up a mighty task. The Call summons Evangelicals to the service of something greater than ourselves. God is calling us to be that alternative community and to serve his purpose in the world.

The church’s destiny is to be a blessing to all humanity and that destiny is before us today.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Lauren Winner, The Call, Evangelical, Sabbath, Community, Abraham

A Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future - The Conference

On December 7-9, 2006, Northern Baptist Seminary hosted the First Annual Conference of the Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future. The conference consisted of five presentations, five responses, which were in turn followed by a panel discussion and interaction with the audience. Almost 250 people attended the conference; they came from all over the United States and Canada.

The Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future was the work of Robert Webber. Bob is the William R. and Geraldyne B. Myers Chair of Ministry and Director of M.A. in Worship and Spirituality at Northern Baptist Seminary. Bob Webber is a prolific writer whose focus on worship and spirituality has made him one of the foremost authorities on worship renewal.

Bob has always been concerned with the challenges of the postmodern pragmatism that has invaded today’s church. His dream was to call today’s church back to the ancient traditions of the church in order to give the church a renewed sense of mission.

Thus, the Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future is a summons to the church in general and to Evangelicals in particular to confront the challenges facing God’s people in the twenty-first century. To read the text of the Call in its entirety, click here.

The five speakers addressed different issues raised by the Call. The speakers and their topics were as follows:

Brian D. McLaren, “Does the Emergent Church have an Ancient Evangelical Future? The Call and the Witnessing Mission of the Emerging Church.”

Frederica Matthews-Green, “The Call and Christian Spiritual Formation.”

Aaron O. Flores, “The Call and the Multi-Cultural Ministry.”

Martin E. Marty, “The Call and the Future of Evangelicalism.”

Lauren F. Winner, “The Call and Recovering our Hebrew Roots.”

I responded to Lauren Winner’s presentation on “The Call and Recovering our Hebrew Roots.” In her presentation, Lauren acknowledges that Christians today have abandoned the Old Testament, that in fact, many Christians have accepted the view of Marcion that the Old Testament is irrelevant for today’s church.

She also said that if the church is to recover its story, it must do so through Hebrew Scriptures. Lauren’s presentation focused on two practices that Jews and Christians have in common. The first one is the practice of Sabbath keeping and the second is the practice of bereavement.

Another key point in Lauren’s presentation was the recognition that community and practice were two important elements that provided identity to biblical Israel and to Judaism as the people of God.

On Thursday, I will post the text of my response to Lauren’s presentation. Because of the limitation of time, I chose to address the issues of Sabbath keeping and the concept of community in the life of ancient Israel.

A note of concern: Bob Webber is my colleague and my friend. Unfortunately, because of his struggle with pancreatic cancer, Bob Webber was unable to attend the conference. Many readers of this blog know Bob Webber. Others have known him through his writings and conferences. I would like to ask you to pray for Bob and his family at this very difficult time in the life of the Webber family.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Bob Webber, Lauren Winner, Evangelical, The Call, Ancient Future

A Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future

My colleague, Robert Webber, Myers Professor of Ministry at Northern Baptist Seminary, is convening a group of scholars and practitioners who represent the next generation of evangelical leaders to sign a document called A Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future.

Bob Webber is recognized by pastors, denominational leaders, scholars, and lay people as one of the foremost authorities on worship renewal. He regularly conducts workshops for almost every major denomination in North America through the Institute in Worship Studies, which he founded in 1995.

The document, A Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future, is a clarion call for evangelicals to get beyond their present divisions and become energized once again by the Spirit. The Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future beckons Christians to make God’s story known through the rediscovery of the church’s mission in its worship, spirituality, and life in the world. Below is the final draft of the document:

A CALL TO AN ANCIENT EVANGELICAL FUTURE

Prologue

In every age the Holy Spirit calls the Church to examine its faithfulness to God's revelation in Jesus Christ, authoritatively recorded in Scripture and handed down through the Church. Thus, while we affirm the global strength and vitality of worldwide Evangelicalism in our day, we believe the North American expression of Evangelicalism needs to be especially sensitive to the new external and internal challenges facing God's people.

These external challenges include the current cultural milieu and the resurgence of religious and political ideologies. The internal challenges include Evangelical accommodation to civil religion, rationalism, privatism and pragmatism. In light of these challenges, we call Evangelicals to strengthen their witness through a recovery of the faith articulated by the consensus of the ancient Church and its guardians in the traditions of Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, the Protestant Reformation and the Evangelical awakenings. Ancient Christians faced a world of paganism, Gnosticism and political domination. In the face of heresy and persecution, they understood history through Israel's story, culminating in the death and resurrection of Jesus and the coming of God's Kingdom.

Today, as in the ancient era, the Church is confronted by a host of master narratives that contradict and compete with the gospel. The pressing question is: who gets to narrate the world? The Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future challenges Evangelical Christians to restore the priority of the divinely inspired biblical story of God's acts in history. The narrative of God's Kingdom holds eternal implications for the mission of the Church, its theological reflection, its public ministries of worship and spirituality and its life in the world. By engaging these themes, we believe the Church will be strengthened to address the issues of our day.

1. On the Primacy of the Biblical Narrative

We call for a return to the priority of the divinely authorized canonical story of the Triune God. This story-Creation, Incarnation, and Re-creation-was effected by Christ's recapitulation of human history and summarized by the early Church in its Rules of Faith. The gospel-formed content of these Rules served as the key to the interpretation of Scripture and its critique of contemporary culture, and thus shaped the church's pastoral ministry. Today, we call Evangelicals to turn away from modern theological methods that reduce the gospel to mere propositions, and from contemporary pastoral ministries so compatible with culture that they camouflage God's story or empty it of its cosmic and redemptive meaning. In a world of competing stories, we call Evangelicals to recover the truth of God's word as the story of the world, and to make it the centerpiece of Evangelical life.

2. On the Church, the Continuation of God's Narrative

We call Evangelicals to take seriously the visible character of the Church. We call for a commitment to its mission in the world in fidelity to God's mission (Missio Dei), and for an exploration of the ecumenical implications this has for the unity, holiness catholicity, and apostolicity of the Church. Thus, we call Evangelicals to turn away from an individualism that makes the Church a mere addendum to God's redemptive plan. Individualistic Evangelicalism has contributed to the current problems of churchless Christianity, redefinitions of the Church according to business models, separatist ecclesiologies and judgmental attitudes toward the Church. Therefore, we call Evangelicals to recover their place in the community of the Church catholic.

3. On the Church's Theological Reflection on God's Narrative

We call for the Church's reflection to remain anchored in the Scriptures in continuity with the theological interpretation learned from the early Fathers. Thus, we call Evangelicals to turn away from methods that separate theological reflection from the common traditions of the Church. These modern methods compartmentalize God's story by analyzing its separate parts, while ignoring God's entire redemptive work as recapitulated in Christ. Anti-historical attitudes also disregard the common biblical and theological legacy of the ancient Church.
Such disregard ignores the hermeneutical value of the Church's ecumenical creeds. This reduces God's story of the world to one of many competing theologies and impairs the unified witness of the Church to God's plan for the history of the world. Therefore, we call Evangelicals to unity in "the tradition that has been believed everywhere, always and by all," as well as to humility and charity in their various Protestant traditions.

4. On Church's Worship as Telling and Enacting God's Narrative

We call for public worship that sings, preaches and enacts God's story. We call for a renewed consideration of how God ministers to us in baptism, eucharist, confession, the laying on of hands, marriage, healing and through the charisms of the Spirit, for these actions shape our lives and signify the meaning of the world. Thus, we call Evangelicals to turn away from forms of worship that focus on God as a mere object of the intellect, or that assert the self as the source of worship. Such worship has resulted in lecture-oriented, music-driven, performance-centered and program-controlled models that do not adequately proclaim God's cosmic redemption. Therefore, we call Evangelicals to recover the historic substance of worship of Word and Table and to attend to the Christian year, which marks time according to God's saving acts.

5. On Spiritual Formation in the Church as Embodiment of God's Narrative

We call for a catechetical spiritual formation of the people of God that is based firmly on a Trinitarian biblical narrative. We are concerned when spirituality is separated from the story of God and baptism into the life of Christ and his Body. Spirituality, made independent from God's story, is often characterized by legalism, mere intellectual knowledge, an overly therapeutic culture, New Age Gnosticism, a dualistic rejection of this world and a narcissistic preoccupation with one's own experience. These false spiritualities are inadequate for the challenges we face in today's world. Therefore, we call Evangelicals to return to a historic spirituality like that taught and practiced in the ancient catechumenate.

6. On the Church's Embodied Life in the World

We call for a cruciform holiness and commitment to God's mission in the world. This embodied holiness affirms life, biblical morality and appropriate self-denial. It calls us to be faithful stewards of the created order and bold prophets to our contemporary culture. Thus, we call Evangelicals to intensify their prophetic voice against forms of indifference to God's gift of life, economic and political injustice, ecological insensitivity and the failure to champion the poor and marginalized. Too often we have failed to stand prophetically against the culture's captivity to racism, consumerism, political correctness, civil religion, sexism, ethical relativism, violence and the culture of death. These failures have muted the voice of Christ to the world through his Church and detract from God's story of the world, which the Church is collectively to embody. Therefore, we call the Church to recover its counter-cultural mission to the world.

Epilogue

In sum, we call Evangelicals to recover the conviction that God's story shapes the mission of the Church to bear witness to God's Kingdom and to inform the spiritual foundations of civilization. We set forth this Call as an ongoing, open-ended conversation. We are aware that we have our blind spots and weaknesses. Therefore, we encourage Evangelicals to engage this Call within educational centers, denominations and local churches through publications and conferences.
We pray that we can move with intention to proclaim a loving, transcendent, triune God who has become involved in our history. In line with Scripture, creed and tradition, it is our deepest desire to embody God's purposes in the mission of the Church through our theological reflection, our worship, our spirituality and our life in the world, all the while proclaiming that Jesus is Lord over all creation.

© Northern Seminary 2006 Robert Webber and Phil Kenyon
Sponsors:
Northern Seminary (www.seminary.edu)
Baker Books (www.bakerbooks.com)
Institute for Worship Studies (www.iwsfla.org)

This is a great declaration.

In order to understand the implications of this Call, people from all strands of evangelicalism will gather together on December 7, 8, and 9, 2006 in Lombard, Illinois under the sponsorship of Northern Baptist Seminary to explore ministry that flows directly out of God’s story. The keynote speakers for the conference are Brian D. McLaren and Robert Webber. At this historic gathering, ministers and theologians will come together in order to rediscover their unity in God’s story.

For more details about The Call contact Robert Webber at rwebber@seminary.edu. For registration and additional information about the conference visit www.growcenter.org.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary