Category: Hear From the President

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Learning more about the nature of God has dominated my Bible study for the last decade and I find it to be more and more fascinating. Having the correct perspective of who God is cannot be overestimated. Viewing his sovereignty over eternity and the nature of his being orders all of our doctrinal understandings.

I love the following quote from Charles Haddon Spurgeon, England’s best-known preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century:

The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father. There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep, that our pride is drowned in its infinity.

I am sometimes asked, “What’s so special about Trinitarian theology—don’t most orthodox churches believe in the Trinity?” Yes, they do. In fact, belief in the Trinity is considered the hallmark of authentic Christian doctrine. It was our acceptance of the Trinity that brought our denomination “in out of the cold,” allowing us to break free from being considered a cult.

As I studied what various churches believe about the Trinity, I observed that while most consent to the doctrine, it does not have a central role in their faith. Many consider the Trinity to be an abstract idea, of interest to theologians but not really of much use to the rest of us. This is sad because when the Trinity is not at the center, shaping all other doctrines, strange ideas and distortions arise. For example, those who proclaim a health/wealth/prosperity gospel tend to view God as a divine “vending machine.” Others tend to view God as a mechanistic version of fate who has determined everything from before creation—including who will be saved and who will be damned. I find it particularly hard to accept a God who creates billions of people just for the purpose of condemning and damning them for eternity!

Trinitarian theology puts the Trinity at the center of all doctrinal understanding, influencing everything we believe and understand about God. As theologian Catherine LaCugna wrote in her book God for Us:

The doctrine of the Trinity is, ultimately…a teaching not about the abstract nature of God, nor about God in isolation from everything other than God, but a teaching about God’s life with us and our life with each other. Trinitarian theology could be described as par excellence a theology of relationship, which explores the mysteries of love, relationship, personhood and communion within the framework of God’s self-revelation in the person of Christ and the activity of the Spirit. [Note: While I appreciate much of what is in this book, I don’t agree with all of it.]

We know of this triune life of God from Jesus who is God’s self-revelation in person. It should be our rule that anything we say about the Trinity must come from Jesus’ life, teaching, death, resurrection, ascension and promised return.

I have seen many diagrams that attempt to explain the Trinity. The best of them fall short and some are confusing. It is, of course, impossible to explain the nature of God in a diagram. However, a good one can help us grasp some aspects of the doctrine. You may find helpful the diagram shown at right. It summarizes early church teaching, pointing out that correct biblical understanding concerning the nature of God upholds three essential beliefs about God. It also indicates that we end up denying that God is Triune when even one of these beliefs is rejected.

The three sides of the triangle in the diagram represent these three essential beliefs, and the point of the triangle across from each side represents the corresponding error when that particular belief is denied:

• Denial of the Three Persons results in Modalism (sometimes referred to as the Oneness teaching), the erroneous belief that God appears to us in three ways or modes, wears three hats, acts in three different roles or just has three different names.
• Denial of the Equality of Persons results in Subordinationism, the erroneous belief that one of the divine Persons is less than fully and truly God.
• Denial of Monotheism (the idea of the Unity of God) results in Polytheism, the erroneous belief in two or more separate gods (including the error of tri-theism—a belief in three gods).

When we are careful to uphold all three of these essential beliefs about God, we avoid the corresponding false teachings and thus bear faithful witness to the glorious mystery of the Trinity.

I thank God daily for answering our many prayers to reveal to us greater truth. His revealing himself to each of us as the Triune God was a miraculous moment for each one of us.

Your brother in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

P.S. Last week the computer servers that host this blog crashed. We apologize for this inconvenience. As you can see, the system is now back online. If you missed reading some of the posts from last week, click on “archives” above and there you will find listed all past Update articles, including those you might have been unable to read last week.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Commenting on the differences between men and women, comedian Pam Stone noted that, “Men and women have always had problems relating. As children, men were told, ‘Be a man; don’t cry!’ And women were told, ‘Let it out. Cry; you’ll feel better!’” Then she concluded, “And that is why women become emotional and men become snipers!”

Funny, yes; but also a reminder of a growing “Wild Wild West” culture within America where violence is rampant.

As an officer in the U.S. Army and a professor of psychology at West Point, Dr. David Grossman spent nearly a quarter of a century teaching soldiers how to kill. In his book On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society, he noted that most soldiers have a built-in inhibition against killing and thus must be taught to kill. Following the Civil War battle of Gettysburg, 90% of the guns retrieved had not been fired. Soldiers on both sides were willing to die for their beliefs but not kill for them. Dr. Grossman’s job was to break down such inhibitions. Today, U.S. troops have a 90% kill rate. However, Dr. Grossman pointed out that if you use these psychological techniques to train men and women to kill, you must also build in internal restraints.

Sadly, such restraints are often lacking in our world, where violence reflects a shocking lack of respect for others. What is needed is an internal moral compass based on an understanding that human existence is contingent upon the life that flows to us from God through Christ. That truth leads us to understand that we are answerable to God who created us. As the Bible teaches, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10 NKJV).

Nevertheless, “macho-man” voices within some Christian circles decry what they see as the “feminization” of our culture. One such teacher, who is famous for proclaiming, “God hates you!” fears that both the dominant culture and the church are becoming feminized. He calls for macho, “manly men” to rise up and assert leadership.

It seems that some evangelical Christians like to think of Jesus as the ultimate “alpha male.” They ridicule images of Jesus that show any hint of “wimpiness.” But Jesus was not afraid to show compassion. On one occasion, he said that he felt like a “mother hen” in his desire to gather sinners to himself (Luke 13:34).

We must be careful not to build a one-dimensional picture of Jesus. He had a godly sensitivity that the church should exemplify. The church is, after all, pictured as the bride of Christ—not his hunting companion or golf partner.

Jesus was clear concerning the approach to leadership that he expected from his followers: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you…” (Matthew 20:25-26 NKJV).

Bullying, fighting and killing are not among the spiritual gifts listed in Scripture. If compassion, gentleness and concern for others are perceived as feminization, then let’s have more of it! Of course, these characteristics are neither exclusively masculine nor feminine, but come from God and so are expressed in the life of the man Jesus.

I pray that the Holy Spirit will help us follow our Lord in this area.

I am reminded of my mom’s favorite proverb, “A soft answer turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1 NKJV). She taught me this at an early age, and I was a firsthand witness to her ability to deliver soft answers. I confess that I have not always followed her example, but I have learned that it is a blessing to interact with humility, consideration, grace and gratitude. The way of Jesus gives tremendous peace of mind.

This reminds me of the story of Abigail. Her ungracious, inconsiderate and vain husband, Nabal, had refused food for David and his men and sent them away (1 Samuel 25:4-12). One of Nabal’s assistants reported this incident to Abigail. He said that Nabal had “reviled them” (verse 14 NKJV). Apparently, David was not in a gracious mood either because he gathered 400 of his men, and set out to “persuade” Nabal to rethink his response. Abigail must have known the wisdom of the proverb, because she went to intercept David. Her soft answer turned away the wrath that David had toward Nabal (verses 18-35).

I don’t think anyone could have accused Paul of being a wimp. He lived, as we do, in a time when aggression and violence were part of daily life. Thus we who serve as elders need to give careful heed to Paul’s instruction that church overseers be “not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy” (1 Timothy 3:3, HCSB). This strength of character comes from our Lord Jesus Christ, who in loving compassion gave his life for us and continues to serve us.

With love, in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In Clean Jokes and Inspirational Stories, Rod Dykstra tells about a successful young executive who was driving through the neighborhood in his new Jaguar. Suddenly a brick smashed into the side of his car. He slammed on his brakes, and jumped out to confront a guilty-looking small boy standing nearby.

“Who are you and what is going on here?” yelled the executive. “This is a new car and what you just did is gonna cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw that brick?”

The boy was apologetic and said, “Please mister, I am sorry. I didn’t know what else to do. I threw the brick because no one else would stop. With tears streaming down his face, he pointed to a person lying on the ground by the parked car. “It’s my brother,” he said, “and he rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up. He is hurt and is too heavy for me. Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair?”

Now moved beyond words, the driver lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair. He took out his handkerchief and dabbed gently at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him that everything was going to be okay. He never did get the dent in his car repaired. He left it there to remind himself that he should not journey through life without helping others.

We have just completed the 2012 round of U.S. Regional Conferences. The theme was our participation in mission with Jesus. I was asked a few times, why are we so concerned about mission? If God has already reconciled all people to himself in and through Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-19), why are we so concerned with “reaching” them? Though these questions are logical, they imply that the mission of reaching people with the gospel is merely one option on a menu that God has given to the church from which to choose. But mission is not an option for us, and if we think it is, we need to reorient our thinking. In fact, doing so was the over-arching theme of this year’s conferences.

In his conference presentations, Gary Deddo reminded us that we first must ask the question, who is God? The Bible answers that the one God exists as a triune communion of love. In his being (nature) he is love (1 John 4:8), and this explains everything that he does and how he does it. In love, God created the cosmos as a time and place in which to share his triune love and life with his creation. Because his love never ceases or diminishes, he became Redeemer to rescue his creation from its inability to live in communion with him. Before the beginning of time and space, as we experience them, God our Creator and Redeemer has been “on mission.” God the Father sent his Son Jesus to accomplish that mission and Jesus trained others, who in turn trained others. We are part of a long line of those who are called to receive this training.

This, then, is how we should see ourselves. Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to call, form and equip the church to share in his ongoing ministry, which is fulfilling the Father’s mission to the world. In other words, the church exists because of, and for, God’s mission. God has not given us a choice of spiritual “busy work” just to keep us occupied. We are called by God to participate as partners and co-workers in his mission. The Christian life is not a spectator sport. We are following Jesus as he continues by the Holy Spirit to seek true worshipers of his Father.

In her conference presentations, Cathy Deddo spoke about understanding our participation in God’s mission. Since the Ascension and Pentecost, what God is doing in the world in and through the church has principally to do with discipleship—becoming followers of Jesus in daily communion with him. This aspect of God’s mission is not so much about “getting people saved,” because God has accomplished that already. Rather, the mission is about illumination, education and application, all of which involve repentance and living trust in our living Lord. Jesus is working in people’s lives in all three of these areas through the Holy Spirit. The church is called to bear witness to Jesus (Acts 1:8) by proclaiming who he is and what he has done for us, sharing as we do in his ongoing acts of healing, mercy and forgiveness. This is why we proclaim the stunning truth of the gospel, and invite others to join us as disciples who are being transformed into his likeness day by day.

In my conference presentation, I illustrated how many of our members around the world are already doing this. Dan Rogers showed how Jesus commissioned people to participate in his ministry in the New Testament church. The other presenters further reinforced how we, as congregations and individuals, can be involved with Jesus in ministering to others.

Do you see the difference between choosing what kinds of things to do as ministry, and actually participating in the already ongoing ministry of Jesus? It does require a shift in our thinking, which in turn leads to reordering our priorities. It is not our job to make something happen that is not happening. Rather, we are called to discern where and how to “get with the program” that Jesus by the Holy Spirit is actively working out and equipping us to share in. We get to go to work with God as he directs and enables us. Cathy pointed out how Jesus’ feeding of the 5000 with the disciples’ few loaves and fish is a great example of how Jesus gets us involved in what he’s doing, using what we have.

Participating in mission with Jesus involves being in the world, even though we are also cautioned to be not of it. We cannot remain aloof from the world’s problems, and we must be responsive even when the world “heaves a brick at us” to gain our attention. As Karl Barth once pointed out, the church cannot say “yes” to the world, if it cannot also say “no.” Jesus was a friend of sinners, yet without sin of his own. Today, Jesus is doing this ministry principally through his human presence in the world, in and through his body, the church. We are called to stand with Jesus in solidarity with the world, sharing its plight, proclaiming and demonstrating to our fellow human beings our one and sure hope.

This, then, is the answer to the question, Why should the church be concerned about mission? The answer is simply this: mission is what we are for. So let us be among our Lord’s devoted disciples—those who not only hear his voice, but actively join with him as he, in the power of the Holy Spirit, helps people live into the reconciliation with God that forever is their’s in and with him.

I am delighted that most of us do not need a brick thrown at us to awaken us to what we can be doing with Jesus. It is with great thanks that I can say, surely the Spirit of the Lord is graciously and vitally at work among us!

With love in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

One of the more enigmatic questions posed by our understanding of the cosmos is this: Why is there something instead of nothing?

Some people might think this is a dumb question, but to many scientists, it is of major importance, along with two related questions: Why does matter exist at all? And given that it does exist, where did it come from?

The Bible’s first words inform us that God created the heavens and the earth. This fundamental revelation guided the children of Israel away from Egypt’s false gods toward the true Lord God of all creation. Through prophetic revelation, God taught Israel foundational truths in language they could understand. Those truths concerned his identity and the nature of his relationship with all of creation.

Genesis was not intended to be the last word about the inner workings of the cosmos. Modern scientific methods and tools help us research such details. However, the biblical revelation has not been superseded as a first word and starting point for this research. The biblical revelation presents theological/philosophical presuppositions that science cannot provide on its own. Grounded upon these presuppositions, scientific research concerning the cosmos can proceed in fruitful ways.

Of course, many scientists scoff at the biblical and Christian answer as to why there is a cosmos at all, considering it to be science fiction (with an emphasis on fiction). Now, I enjoy good science fiction, particularly the Star Trek series. Captains Kirk, Picard, Sisko and Janeway tackled all kinds of social and moral issues with a backdrop of all kinds of imaginative devices to beam them from one place to another, travel at warp-speed, eat and drink items synthesized from a machine and explore all kinds of life forms.

What makes Star Trek so good is that it has a real basis in science. You can read about it in the book The Physics of Star Trek, by theoretical physicist Dr. Lawrence M. Krauss. Krauss also wrote A Universe from Nothing: Why There is Something Rather Than Nothing. Krauss is one of several scientists who try to prove that every particle and force in the universe sprang into being from nothing, without God being part of the process. To reach this conclusion, Krauss theorizes three kinds of nothingness.

The first kind is a concept inherited from Greek thought, which Krauss refers to it as The nothingness of empty space. Today we know that this “nothingness” is not empty — rather it is teeming with energy and particles. We currently have the ability to detect about 6% of what is there. The remaining 94% we refer to as “dark matter” and “dark energy,” which are beyond the reach of our physical senses and scientific instruments. We can’t explain exactly what these features of the cosmos are or how they work. However, we know that they exist, based on their effect on what we can directly detect.

Krauss then refers to a second kind of nothingness, which he calls The nothing without space and time. His conjecture is that whole universes bubble up out of this kind of nothingness. Each bubble has its own space-time and simply pops into existence. But even if this is true, as Krauss notes, we are left wondering, where did this bubbling something come from?

Krauss’s third kind of nothingness is a more profound kind in which even the laws of physics are absent. He attempts to explain how this happens by saying that an infinite assembly of universes (what he calls the multiverse) exists in this nothingness. Each universe has its own randomly determined rules, particles and forces. For Krauss, this is where the story ends. But does it? If the multiverse contains an infinite assembly, we still must ask, “Where did that infinite assembly come from?” And furthermore, what empirical scientific research has provided any evidence for the multiverse?

Science fiction author Theodore Beale addresses a fatal flaw in Krauss’s thinking:

There is, of course, a fourth type of “nothingness.” And that is the amount of scientific validity contained in Krauss’s desperate attempt to use a fraudulent veneer of science to avoid the obvious conclusions driven by the relevant philosophic logic. This isn’t even science fiction; it’s just purely evasive fantasy. If I were to seriously propose that full-grown unicorns, little rainbow-colored horned equines, could simply pop into existence, like bubbles in boiling water, ex nihilo, people would rightly dismiss me as a fantasist and a possibly insane one at that. But substitute “universes” for “unicorns” and suddenly, we’re talking science!

As Beale notes, Krauss’s position is not the result of scientific experiment, but rather of philosophical speculation. His theory amounts to saying nothing more than that there has always been something of some sort, and that the universe we currently know came from other stuff that simply existed in a different form. Krauss is unable to answer the question, Why is there something rather than nothing?

The biblical and Christian approach to the question is entirely different. Its answer is theological, based on God’s revelation to particular people — a revelation preserved in Scripture that begins with Genesis 1, but does not end there. In the Gospel of John we read that, “all things came into being through him [the Word of God], and without him not one thing came into being” (John 1:3, NRSV).

Speaking of Jesus, Paul notes: “for from him and through him and to him are all things (Romans 11:36), and “in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers — all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17, NRSV). Paul also proclaims that, “for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (1 Corinthians 8:6, NRSV).

The author of Hebrews states that, “by faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3, NKJV).

Considering this scriptural testimony (and more), a consensus of theological understanding has developed throughout the church that all that has ever existed was created by God from nothing (theologians refer to this as creation ex nihilo). Other biblical authors speak of all that is by using words such as “all things,” “worlds,” “creation,” “heaven and earth,” “cosmos” and “the universe.” The point is that all created “things” (including any “bubbles,” “multiverses,” and time and space itself!) did not exist prior to God beginning to create. God did not make the universe from anything that preexisted nor did he make things out of himself. So we say, God made it from nothing.

The sum of biblical revelation is that there was a time when the cosmos was not. There was only God and nothing else in any form. This means that creation has not existed eternally along with God. God does not exist alongside or within the time and space of any universe or multiverse. Time and space are created things that came into being by the agency and act of God. So the Christian answer is neither that the cosmos existed eternally, nor that it was generated by nothing. God, who alone is eternal, gave existence itself to all that exists, and in fact, continues to hold everything in existence. If God forgot about the universe even for a nanosecond, all that is not God would cease to exist! Now there is an answer to the question of why there is something instead of nothing!

We continue to make astounding scientific discoveries that increase our understanding of the cosmos and its history. But those working at the leading edges of these investigations — at both the macro and micro scales — admit that they are just scratching the surface. Each breakthrough seems to open up new phenomena to investigate. In describing their work, quantum physicists must resort to language that is more metaphysical than scientific. Some admit that, scientifically, there may be a limit to “knowability.” And it is widely acknowledged, especially by philosophers of science, that the entire scientific enterprise is based on philosophical (or theological) assumptions that the scientific method itself cannot provide.

That is why those first words of Genesis should be taken seriously. God told us something we cannot discover for ourselves, and cannot disprove. Why is there something rather than nothing? Because, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, making a cosmos that we can touch, feel and measure — all out of, well, nothing.

Your brother in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

P.S. I am pleased to note that we have released our new online version of Christian Odyssey magazine. I encourage you to take a look by going to www.christianodyssey.org. After this next issue, the magazine will be available only through the website. While this opens up a whole new audience that printing the magazine didn’t let us reach, some people in your congregations and church areas may not be able to access it now that it is online. We offer a PDF version on the website that can be easily printed and given out to those without access. Questions? Email info@gci.org.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Recently, in an interview given a few days before he died, the former archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martin, said the Catholic Church is “200 years out of date.” The 85-year-old cardinal, who was once considered a possible successor to Pope John Paul II, accused his church of being pompous, bureaucratic and failing to move with the times. “Our culture has aged, our churches are big and empty… our rituals and our cassocks are pompous,” Martini said, adding, “The Church must admit its mistakes and begin a radical change, starting from the pope and the bishops.”

As you can imagine, this made headlines in the Catholic world. Some cheered while others were horrified. Thankfully, it is not for me to judge the issues, or even express an opinion. But it does highlight a problem that all of us who are interested in the Christian message must face.

Martin Luther once observed that if you are not preaching the gospel in the context of your times, you are not really preaching the gospel. However, it is hard for us to change what has been called our worldview —the most fundamental assumptions we live by to make sense of our lives. Our worldview shapes the way we view all things, including theology. When others view a biblical passage from a perspective different than our own, it is easy for us to become judgmental. If we’re not careful, our worldview can prevent us from seeing things from the other person’s perspective, and even from God’s.

I am reminded of a brilliant little book by C.S. Lewis titled The Great Divorce. The book is an allegory, not a doctrinal exposition (in that way it is like The Shack by William P. Young). Lewis imaginatively describes a day-long bus trip that people in hell are given to heaven as an opportunity to change their perspective. The narrator, who is on the bus, meets a number of individuals along the way. He observes several conversations and discovers that some people are so sure that they know what God’s love looks like that their deeply held worldview prevents them from recognizing the reality of heaven. It is as if they are attached to a ball and chain that holds them back from embracing the reality that stands right in front of them and is being offered to them.

Those opposing change in the church often use tradition as their reason, citing as authority the writings of the early church fathers. Though we should respect such tradition, we need to understand the worldview that shaped it. Consider Augustine of Hippo, one of the most influential church fathers. In 354, he was born into a world quite different than the one encountered by the first Christians. As a theologian and philosopher, he engaged Judeo-Christian religious and scriptural traditions together with a dominant worldview in his day–the Greek philosophical tradition. His thinking is set forth in his widely read autobiographical book Confessions–one of the most celebrated conversion accounts in all of Christian literature.

Several years ago, I decided to read Confessions. It is not easy reading, and frankly, I don’t remember much of it. But what did lodge in my memory is how Augustine used his life to illustrate how a person can be saved from a mistaken worldview. He came out of a cult–the Manicheans–and rejoiced in his change of perspective. I really identify with that, and I think many of you are with me in this. While Augustine may not have gotten everything right when he left the cult and became a Christian, I celebrate that he was on a journey similar to our own.

Augustine was not a “flaming liberal,” bent on undermining the truth. He had a deep respect for tradition, but he also realized that the church must adapt to changing times. In his day, the Roman Empire was beginning to fall apart, a fact that would have a major impact on the church. Like Paul, three centuries before, Augustine was able to look at the situation from more than one perspective. The challenge then–as now–was to move with the times so that the church did not stagnate or disintegrate. But this must be done carefully, so that the integrity of the gospel message is not compromised.

The church in every age and in every “branch” is presented with the same challenge: to discern the social-cultural-intellectual soup we swim in and see if our faith and life as the church has been compromised by our surrounding worldview. Then we need to figure out how to get free of our captivity, leaving it behind, while holding onto what was good and faithful in the past even while making changes to move forward in even deeper faithfulness. This will mean that the church will always need to be ready to repent as well as to grow in faith and hope and love for God in Christ.

In the midst of our repenting and being renewed in faith, differences, even among Christians, will arise. Some will be minor, while others may be major. Some will, unfortunately even result in division within the Christian church. While we cannot give up on the need to be discerning about what to let go of and what to cling to, we need not be self-righteous about our own convictions. We can offer them trusting that others will one day see what we see, or that we’ll come to a better understanding ourselves. We can be patient and kind, recognizing that these conflicts and differences are relatively minor when compared to the majesty of the glorious message of hope that is the gospel and the reality of the grace of God in Jesus Christ continually offered to all–not to just a select few.

And we can count on Jesus’ promise that God will not leave us on our own to figure it out by ourselves. At the Last Supper, he told his first disciples, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:12-13).

God has led us on a wonderful journey, out of the maze of legalism and even self-righteousness, into a clearer understanding of what the Christian life is all about. I pray that all of us in Grace Communion International will continue to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit as he continues to guide us into all the truth. But let’s also remember that does not make us superior, or in any way better than others.

With love, in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

P.S. We have just commemorated the 11th anniversary of 9/11–the terrorist attacks on the U.S. that occurred on September 11, 2001. We were reminded that the events of that day rocked the entire world, shaping the worldview of generations born in the U.S. and abroad, both before and after that tragic day. As we know, many families continue to suffer the consequences of 9/11 and its aftermath (which includes two wars). Our prayers are with them as they grieve loss and recover from injury and illness.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Grace is the first word in our name. We did not choose it because it sounds “religious.” Each word identifies our experience as a fellowship and grace is an integral part of our identity – especially our identity in Christ.

As a denomination, we have always understood grace to be God’s unconditional and unmerited pardon. But we tended to think of it as a component of salvation that needed to be “stirred into the mix” because of our inability to keep the law. We now see God’s grace as much more than that.

Grace is not some sort of passive concept of forgiveness. It is not a principle, a proposition, or a product. Grace is the love and freedom-producing action of God to reconstitute humanity into what the apostles, Peter and Paul, refer to as being made into God’s own people (2 Corinthians 5:17–20; Galatians 6:15; 1 Peter 2:9–10). It is not just a spiritual supplement that God provides because we can’t keep his law, like a whiff of oxygen to help a sick person breathe a bit easier.

Grace is an entirely new atmosphere that transforms us and gives us a new kind of life – life that no amount of law keeping could sustain. Note Paul’s explanation: “For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:19-20 KJV). Grace is the environment that allows us, God’s new creation, to not just survive, but to grow and flourish.

At the risk of over-simplification (a danger inherent in all analogies) we might think of grace as God’s “operating system.” The Father, Son and Holy Spirit have been giving, receiving and sharing love for all eternity. When they extend that sharing of love to us, it is their gift of grace. This grace of God is not the exception to a rule–his rule is a gracious one, all the time, to give us life and to bless us, even if obstacles to our receiving it have to be removed at his own cost.

We see God’s grace most clearly in the person of Jesus, who as Paul said, loved us and gave himself for us. As the early church leader Irenaeus taught, the Son and the Spirit are the “two arms” of the Father lovingly embracing us back to himself. The Gospel of John gives us Jesus’ own encouraging words: “The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one. I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:22-23 NRSV).

As recipients of the grace of God in Christ, we not only share in the love and life of the Father through his Son in the Spirit, but we also share in the mission of God to the world. That mission is the complete restoration and renewal of all creation in Christ Jesus, through the Spirit, into a state of perfect glory.

God’s grace in the person of Jesus Christ is for all humanity without distinction to race, status or gender. And that is why the vision of Grace Communion International is for “all kinds of churches for all kinds of people in all kinds of places.”

With love, in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I have had a busy week. I began it in Indianapolis, joining our church there for their 50th anniversary celebration. The Indy church is one of our oldest congregations, established in 1962. A few of the people who attended that first meeting were present – including yours truly. My parents were attending in Chicago at the time, and we all drove down for the inaugural service. I was a just a young teenager at the time and would never have believed I would be coming back half a century later as guest speaker.

Indy’s first pastor, Carn Catherwood sent an inspiring video message. Pastor David Perry also gave a short but effective presentation highlighting the past, present and future of the church. Under the leadership of David and Jonnie Perry, the Indianapolis congregation is active in outreach, enthusiastically supporting projects in Haiti, Mozambique and many other places.

After Indianapolis, I drove across to Cincinnati, Ohio, where I was able to spend some time with Rick Shallenberger and the local ministry. Greg and Susan Williams were also visiting. One of Greg’s responsibilities is to coordinate our Pastoral Intern Program, so we were able to spend some time in an impromptu and informal conference, discussing several aspects of the future of GCI.

I flew back to California on Wednesday, in time for a conference with Gary Deddo, Russell Duke, John Halford, Nathan Smith and Michael Morrison. We work together in various media-related projects, often via email. Email has transformed the way we collaborate on projects. It is no longer necessary for people on the same team to be in close proximity. However, I have learned that for this collaboration to work well, occasional “face time” is important to maintain positive relationships. We spent two constructive days, including time to laugh, reminisce and enjoy meals together. This was also an opportunity to introduce Gary to our Glendora staff.

One of the reasons we met together was to discuss the contribution Gary would make now that he is full time in our employ. Gary’s long experience as an editor with InterVarsity Press will help us take advantage of the innovations and advances that are transforming media. He came with a long list of ideas, which can open up some exciting possibilities. We discussed “all kinds of ideas for all kinds of projects using all kinds of media.”

Although many of us are older, we must never forget our responsibility to the younger generations who one day will take over the leadership. In that regard, Ted Johnston sent me an interesting blog post from Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. Thom notes that whereas the majority of the younger generations in the U.S. are not actively interested in Christianity at this time, those who are interested are really turned on. They want to be active in their faith. Thom also notes that parents and churches had a vital role in nurturing and building the faith of young people. I think you will find this post to be particularly thought-provoking. You can read it at http://www.thomrainer.com/2012/08/the-parental-factor.php.

The varied activities of this last week reinforced in my mind the fact that GCI is not only multi-national and multi-cultural. We are also a multi-generational church. We have people who have been members for over five decades, and also younger folk just starting out on their Christian walks. Anthony Mullins, who leads our Generations Ministries summer camp program, has sent positive reports from the directors of this year’s U.S. camps (we have featured several of these reports in recent issues of Weekly Update). These reports indicate that we have many hundreds of young people who are eager to play their part in our ministry with Jesus. We must invest time and resources preparing them for their future, even as we remember our past, as we did last week in Indianapolis.

These are indeed challenging and exciting times to be involved in ministry with Jesus. It’s a joy for me to to share this journey with all of you.

With love, in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

One day last week, I was standing in a grocery store line behind two young girls. They were trying to buy a six-pack of beer. “That is bold of them,” I thought, as they looked so obviously under age. The cashier asked them for their ID, and to my astonishment, they were both 22.

Suddenly, I felt rather old. That feeling was reinforced when I overheard two other young people talking about a song titled Titanium by David Guetta. I had never heard of David Guetta or the song. It was the same for the next five songs they discussed.

Slowly, but perceptibly, it seems like the world is starting to pass me by. I never really thought of myself as the center of the universe—my parents made that clear to me long ago. But I always thought I was reasonably aware of the trends and events going on around me. However, more and more, I find myself getting out of touch with the world of the younger generations.

Back in 1970, Alvin Toffler wrote a best-selling book titled Future Shock. He defined future shock as a psychological state of individuals and entire societies, brought on by too much change in too short a period. He predicted that an incredible shift would occur in the next 40 years and that it would affect nearly every aspect of life. He also predicted that some would find this quite disorienting. Time has shown how right he was.

Perhaps we think time-honored institutions like the church would be immune to this and would be islands of calm in the storm. Not so. Recently, Ted Johnston sent a blog post from Jonathan Martin who pastors a Pentecostal church in Charlotte, North Carolina. The post discusses the huge shift taking place in the demographics of Christianity. Here is an excerpt:

Those of us in the younger set…are competing largely for the hearts and minds of the 20 and 30-somethings with their iPads and macchiattos. We are already dinosaurs, and we did not know it. The average Christian in the world right now is an African or Latin American female in her early 20s. She doesn’t read our blogs, and she doesn’t read Christianity Today. She doesn’t know or care who I am, and she never will. The names Piper, Driscoll, Chan, Bell, Stanley, Warren mean nothing to her. Like most Pentecostal women coming into the kingdom around the world, words like complementarian and egalitarian are not in her vocabulary, nor Calvinism and Arminianism.

That this is the case should not surprise us when we consider how the Holy Spirit has been transforming our denomination both theologically and demographically. It may well be that he is strategically preparing GCI for the shift that this pastor is describing.

Recently one of my colleagues commented that GCI Weekly Update seems to feature a lot of news from Asia and Africa. The fact is; we, like many Christian denominations, are growing much faster in Asia and Africa than elsewhere. I don’t mean that we are not seeing growth in other places, but it is not as noticeable.

Though I try to keep you up to date through Weekly Update features and my conference presentations, it is not possible to cover all that is happening. Additionally, some progress is quite gradual and thus almost imperceptible. For example, it was over a long period of time and with much research that we came to the seemingly momentous decision to ordain women as elders. At first, there were only a few such ordinations. However, slowly, the number has grown.

In the USA we have 24 female elders (see last week’s Up Close and Personal for an example). In Canada we have five female elders and there are several in Colombia (see the P.S. below), Congo, France, the Philippines and South Africa. Any reservations that some may have had about ordaining women have surely been dispelled as these women have quietly and faithfully taken up positions of service alongside their brothers in our fellowship.

I am sure that as the future continues to arrive, often ahead of schedule, it will present us with new challenges (even shocks). You and I may sometimes feel out of date and out of touch. But thankfully, Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

That does not mean that Jesus never changes. According to his wisdom he responds afresh to every new situation in order to accomplish his unchanging redeeming purpose. The book of Acts shows how God guided the tradition-bound early Christians through some challenging situations. God is never out of his depth with change. With the unconditional love of the Father, the continuing leadership of Jesus as we join with him in his ministry, and the never-failing guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can look forward in confidence to the future, however unexpected and shocking it may be.

With love, in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

P.S. One of our female elders is Sonia Orozco. She is the pastor of GCI’s Barranquilla, Colombia congregation. She recently began broadcasting a weekly radio program on a Barranquilla station. On the program she routinely invites listeners to attend her church.

 

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

One of the problems with religious jargon is that it is often meaningless and sounds strange to people who are not “believers.” Another problem is that, after a while, some expressions become clichés and thus lose meaning to those who are believers.

For example, it is common to hear church-going people say things like “Jesus is in my life,” or “Jesus is my life.” But do they stop to ask themselves what, exactly, do those expressions mean? There is a subtle, but vital distinction between Jesus being “in” my life and Jesus “being” my life. Authentic Christianity is about becoming who Jesus created us to be. It is not a matter of prioritizing our life to make Jesus number one on our to-do list. The vital distinction is that he does not just come into our life; rather, he becomes our life. He has given us a new life in him.

I know we have all heard that. But how deeply do we understand it? As Paul wrote to the Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). As he explained to the Philippians, “It is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). These are familiar scriptures, but, like clichés, they can become so familiar that they lose their impact. So let’s dig in a little and see if we can go deeper.

 

The typical understanding of the Christian religion is that it is a system of things to do and to believe in order to receive eternal life. However, that is not authentic Christianity. Authentic Christianity is not simply another religion.

Although most Christians agree that they are saved by grace, some think that they must maintain their salvation by their good works. It is as if Jesus “jump-starts” them, but then it is up to them to “stay saved.” But this misunderstanding completely misses the point about the nature of salvation and about our sanctification as well. Both are about our ongoing life “in Christ.” Both are about who Jesus is and the work he has done, is doing and will do to save and sanctify us completely. We are then invited to trust in and thus join in what he is doing.

Consider sanctification. Rather than being about our works, it is about our ongoing fellowship and communion with God, in Christ. It is about the ongoing reality that we belong to Christ. It involves making an integral part of our thinking the reality that “he belongs to me and I belong to him.” We have a bond that is far stronger than one based on “staying ahead of the game” through our good works.

As we awaken to this reality, we gain confidence that comes from the realization that we really do belong to Christ, body and soul. I get a glimpse of this when I reenter the United States after a trip abroad. There are two lines. One is for visitors, who have often had to go through a lengthy process to get their visas. The immigration officials are courteous, but they scrutinize every document and often conduct long interviews. It sometimes takes hours of anxious waiting and if everything is not 100% in order, the hapless visitors may find they are denied entry. If they are allowed in, they have to be careful to obey all the rules.

Sadly, that is the way many Christians feel about their relationship with God. As an American citizen, I do not have to go through all that. The line for citizens moves much faster. The immigration officer quickly scans my passport and welcomes me home. I have no anxiety. I belong.

That is the kind of relationship God offers us. However, because we seem to naturally gravitate towards legalism, the question arises, how then do we obey God? But can you see that, even by asking the question that way, the quality of the relationship is not being fully recognized? If my life truly is at one with Christ, I want to be involved in the things he is doing. And, equally important, as I learn about the things that he has no interest in, I don’t want to be involved in those things. Obedience, then, is a matter of staying in communion with Christ, living out the reality that, by the Spirit, we are joined together.

When we “do religion,” we always struggle to find the balance between rest and service. However, when we are authentic Christians, we do Christ’s work while we rest and trust in him.

God’s love flows from him, through us, to others. Another way of saying this is that Christianity involves both our being (who we are) and our doing. This is because we are a new creation in Christ. Paul explained it this way: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV 1984).

The relationship we have with Jesus is nothing less than glorious. As we grow in understanding, expressions like “we were created through Christ,” or “God’s destiny for us is in Christ” no longer remain pious sounding religious clichés. They take on a powerful meaning as they describe a dynamic relationship in which we with Jesus are bonded together for eternity.

This is a level of authenticity that all Christians yearn for. But because it sounds too good to be true, many pull back and accept a lesser form of relationship that is based, at least in part, on their good behavior. They live as if they have only a conditional visa to the Kingdom of God. However, as Paul notes, “All who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons and daughters. You didn’t receive a spirit of slavery to lead you back again into fear, but you received a Spirit that shows you are adopted as his children. With this Spirit, we cry, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans 8:14-15, Common English Bible).

In other words, we belong! And there is no need to settle for anything less.

With love, in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

One of the best definitions of theology is the one ascribed to Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109), who called it “faith seeking understanding.” The converse of this – “understanding seeking faith” is known as apologetics. Pursued properly, both disciplines can lead us to dig deeper and deeper, coming to appreciate more and more the simple, yet profound statement that “God is love.”

But as the cartoon below (used with permission) illustrates so well, just digging deeper does not guarantee that our conclusions will be good. We need to dig in the right direction. As we are reminded in 2 Timothy 3:7, it is possible to be “always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

Theology has been described as being weak or strong based upon its arrangement and understanding of various doctrines and/or a specific understanding of the attributes of God. When I first heard this, I thought of it in terms of correct and incorrect doctrine. However, the more I think about it, I realize it is more than that. Doctrine is only one ingredient of authentic Christianity. It is important, to be sure – it is essential that the church teach right doctrines. However, doctrine is not all that we must include in our worship of our Creator, Savior and Sanctifier. Doctrine does not save us. No matter how much we know, Paul reminds us that it doesn’t do us any good if we don’t have love (1 Corinthians 13:2).

I first realized a distinction when, with Dr. Mike Feazell, I attended a large evangelistic conference several years ago. In one session it was noted that there was a tremendous evangelical opportunity to be had in the wake of the attacks we now refer to as 9/11. The presenter suggested that we celebrate the firefighters, police officers and other heroes who saved the lives of others, sometimes losing their own in the process – a powerful analogy of what Jesus has done for humanity.

During a later talk, a serious contradiction became apparent, although most seemed oblivious to it. Another presenter, in order to motivate us to evangelism, emphasized that unless someone had made a conscious decision for Christ, God would send them to hell forever. Mike, putting the two presentations together, elbowed me and said, “So, how do you celebrate a hero who gave his life to save others but who had been sent to hell forever because he had not accepted Jesus as his Savior? What is there to celebrate about a hero who is now burning in hell?”

“That’s the problem with a weak theology,” I replied.

Our theology defines how we understand God’s nature, character, heart, mind and purpose. It fills out for us how God views us and others and what kind of relationship he wants with us.

Strong theology has a clear and coherent grasp of who God is and what God wants for us: God is exactly like Jesus all the way down. He is the fullness of deity, bearing the stamp of the character of God. He is the visible image of the Father and the Spirit. In Jesus, what you see is what you get.

Weak theology, however, presents God in bits and pieces, often leaving us with a view of a God who is of two minds, or who has two different wills, or even two different sides to his character. Sometimes Jesus is presented as one “side” of God who wants to save us by grace and the Father as the other “side” who wants to condemn us under the Law. This God has two wills, two purposes, two attitudes towards his creation and so has two kinds of relationship with us. This God is for some of us, but against others.

Weak theology leaves us with two minds toward others. We’re supposed to love others, even our enemies, and present the Gospel to them and encourage them to surrender their lives to Christ who died for them. But if we believe God only loves some and will only call some to himself but is against others and just as happy to send them to hell, it’s hard, if not impossible, to have the same attitude and hope for all. We are left with the sense that we’re not being totally truthful when we present the Gospel as if it’s for everyone.

While it is true that some may somehow reject the Gospel of grace no matter what we or even God does for them, perhaps for all eternity, God’s revelation to us of his single mind, will and purpose for all is made clear by Paul:

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross (Colossians 1:19-20).

Weak theology undermines this vital truth leaving us with the impression that Jesus only shows us one side of God, not the fullness of God and that God is interested only in reconciling some things, not everything. Weak theology can lead to an “us vs. them” elitist mentality where, after the evangelistic meeting is over, we minister to those on the “inside” far differently from those on the “outside.”

While weak theology leads us down this dark and conflicted path of exclusivism, strong theology affirms that God loves everyone profoundly and places love above all other gifts from God:

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2).

While weak theology leads us to erect barriers between people, strong theology understands that God, who is no respecter of persons, “wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4). Led by this truth, we are encouraged to join with Paul in tearing down barriers that divide people from God and one another:

Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

While weak theology includes or excludes people from coming under God’s reconciling work based upon their performance, strong theology recognizes that Jesus’ atonement has pre-qualified everyone for salvation. Note Paul’s words to the Christians in Colossae:

Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:12-14, NAS).

To sum it up, whereas weak theology begins with bad news, hoping to convince (or frighten) people into hoping there is good news, strong theology starts and ends with the Good News for all:

God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:16-17).

Strong theology is profoundly and consistently evangelical, while weak theology is a pretender. As we dig deep into theology, it is important that we dig in the proper direction.

With love in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

P.S. We have a new tool on the GCI Weekly Update blog for printing the entire current issue as a single document. Click on any of the links in the top of the links column (above left) and the “Printable Version” link will appear. Click on that link, and the entire current issue will appear on screen as a single document. You can then print that document using your browser’s print function (this seems to work best in Firefox and Internet Explorer, and less well in Chrome).