The New Progressive Christian Transgender Woman

Introduction

The following article is about Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  He was a Pastor in Germany and a devout man who followed the call of Jesus Christ in the midst of Hitler and Nazi Germany.  While the church of the German state caved in to the evil of the Nazi machine Bonhoeffer chose to speak out against the regime.  Bonhoeffer eventually joined a group that plotted to kill Hitler, the head of state. The question for those of us that see unrighteousness and oppression and even death that is clearly evil perpetrated by a governement is when and if we should disobey authority and if so are we willing to pay the cost.  This is beyond any particular religion but delves into matters of the heart in the context of a transcendent faith.  The thoughts below are my reflection on the actions of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and how they speak to us in relation to our spiritual and ethical engagement of a seemingly godless world.

As he was walking along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said “Follow Me.” And he got up and followed him (Mark 2:14). The words follow me come to all men and women who profess Jesus Christ. The words “follow me” are beyond mere academic exercise and beckon the hearer to follow. These words of Jesus Christ compel the one who follows to a life of disciple and call the man or woman to stand against, to address with action that is reminiscent of the cross the face of injustice, unrighteousness and evil.

The call of Jesus Christ beckons to discipleship, to a new community, a new life, a new liberation of mind, soul, body and spirit. The disciple now encounters the world through new liberating rules of engagement based on love. In John 17:15 – 20 Jesus Christ prays to God on behalf of the disciples that they would be in the world, that they would engage the world, that they would be sanctified in truth. Jesus did not ask that the disciples would be delivered from this world but that the disciples would remain in the world for the kingdom.

Jesus was very much aware of the issues of the world and humanity and provided the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; 2:1-13) to assist those who professed Christ that they might stand in the gap and prevail against the world for those who could not. Through Jesus , the disciple is given the charge to engage the world in accordance with John 17:15 – 20 and is empowered to do so with Acts 1:8; 2:1-13). 1 John 5:3 states “His commandments are not burdensome.” Jesus demands nothing from us without giving us the strength to comply. Jesus’ commandment never wishes to destroy life, but rather to preserve, strengthen and heal life. [i] Once in a great while there stands a disciple of Christ, a child of God that cries out to humanity about the injustices and unrighteousness that is so prevalent in our world and Dietrich Bonhoeffer was that disciple.

In addressing the aforementioned concerns this paper seeks to address the following questions (1) what is Bonhoeffer’s concept of following Jesus, (2) what is the significance of Bonhoeffer’s concept of following Jesus for the Church today and (3) what are the most important insights I have gained from Bonhoeffer for my own call to follow Jesus? Finally it is my hope that this reflection paper would reveal my admiration for Bonhoeffer and discipleship.

Bonhoeffer’s Concept of Following Jesus

The concept of following Jesus to Bonhoeffer is a matter of discipleship evidenced through obedience founded upon the costly grace of Jesus Christ. That costly grace, the reflection of the cross in the life of Bonhoeffer was reflected in his actions early on. He made a keen distinction between costly grace and cheap grace which motivated him in his own discipleship and obedience even to the death.

Cheap grace means grace as bargain-basement goods, cut-rate forgiveness, cut-rate comfort, cut-rate sacrament; grace as the church’s inexhaustible pantry, from which it is doled out by careless hands without hesitation or limit. Cheap grace is, thus denial of God’s living word, denial of the incarnation of the word of God [ii] Costly grace is the hidden treasure in the field, for the sake of which people go and sell with joy everything they have. Costly grace is the incarnation of God. Grace is costly, because it forces people under the yoke of following Jesus Christ; it is grace when Jesus says, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” [iii] The whole of his person was costly grace. His conceptualization of life was costly grace.

It is a grace that beckons the hearer to follow me. The precious costly grace for Bonhoeffer compelled and propelled him to obedience beyond self, church, and state to a place of the Cross where few desire to stand. Costly grace had transfixed Bonhoeffer to a point where all he could see or even comprehend was the costly grace.

Surely, obedience and discipleship are mirror images of each other yet, without the recognition and awareness of the cross within the heart and the foundational necessity of the costly grace exposed, where would obedience and discipleship be and of what benefit would they be? It was his concept of the costly grace that led Bonhoeffer down his own Via Dolorosa and to Golgotha.

It was Bonhoeffer’s idea of costly grace that colored every facet of who he was. Costly grace was at the core of his writings in “Life Together” as he described community and service. Through an understanding of costly grace, humanity begins to move beyond itself to a place of service and community through obedience and discipleship. Community then becomes a place of faithful servants in a non-hierarchical environment.

“Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant (Mark 10:43). [iv] I believe submit that Bonhoeffer’s desire to truly live this ethic was a central belief in his quest for authentic discipleship. Yet even the non-hierarchical community envisioned by Bonhoeffer was a vision through the lens of costly grace. In Bonhoeffer’s vision of community , he acknowledges the human condition even in a Christian community yet , he also views the community with its human frailties and imperfections from the point of costly grace. The frailties and imperfection of the species require that costly grace be exhibited through processes and procedures that ensure the integrity of community.

He considers the whole person, the whole community in his analysis of a community of faith even to the point of writing, ‘thus it must be a decisive rule of all Christian community life that each individual is prohibited from talking about another Christian in secret.’ [v] In the struggle of humanity to overcome itself, costly grace is much needed.

Another important facet of Bonhoeffer’s concept of following Jesus is revealed in his analysis of the Sermon on the Mount. He writes, ‘they do not trust in the invisible, but seize only the visible fruit of desire. They fall away from the path of discipleship and become separated from Jesus. Lack of faith is what makes lust impure. [vi]

I believe this to be a pivotal statement in the quest for the Church to truly live out its mission and purpose. World power and domination, tools of the state for reciprocal reasons, hegemonic tendencies, misinterpretation of abundance to suit short sighted selfish gain all revolve in the environment of the visible and not the invisible, revealing a security based on a visible that is insecure and neglecting the invisible that is secure.

I believe that the aforementioned observations were integral to Bonhoeffer’s faith and were his foundational principles in his concept of following Jesus.

What is the significance of Bonhoeffer’s concept of following Jesus for the church today?

The significance of Bonhoeffer’s concept of costly grace and how the Christian Church functions in light of that costly grace exposes an imperfect body with schizophrenic tendencies that can lead to a truly God inspired authenticity. It is an authenticity couched in vulnerability that cannot be replicated. It is an authenticity that rests squarely on the cross of Christ and the costly grace that flowed in the precious blood of that Christ.

It is crucial that we understand that the church’s authenticity, like Peter, is in the midst of internal and sometimes violent weaknesses even as it engages a seemingly godless world. Peter’s church, that is the church which shares these weaknesses, the church which itself again and again denies and falls, the unfaithful, faint hearted, timid church which again neglects its charge and looks to the world and its opinion. Peter’s church, that is the church of all those who are ashamed of their Lord when they should stand firm confessing him. [vii] Yet just as Jesus called Peter to be the rock, even in his own struggles, the church is also called to engage the world in the midst of its own struggles. Even in the struggle of the church with the world and itself it is called to stay in the fight for itself and humanity realizing that Christ has given it the costly grace to continue.

Bonhoeffer’s concept of following Jesus exposed the witness of the Church. How does the Church witness to the larger world? When should it disobey authority? When is an authority legitimate or illegitimate? What is treason? Where does the Church stand on these matters. How does the Church live these ideals in authenticity? The significance of Bonhoeffer’s concept of following Jesus is that it leads the Church to genuinely ask the aforementioned questions as it seeks to live in its calling in response to the costly grace of Jesus Christ.

It also challenges the Church to ask further questions of whose vision and who’s purpose and how far will it go as an advocate for humanity in the context of costly grace. I believe these questions are fundamental for the Church today as it engages as an advocate for humanity against the hegemonic elite that seek to continue the depravation of humanity for the sake of empire.

Recognizing the hegemonic elite and their plans for the sake of empire the Church must look to people such as Deitrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu, Mother Teresa and others for the model of discipleship in the vision, purpose , and advocacy revealed in the costly grace of the cross.

Through these modern day examples of discipleship, the Church has been given insights as it has been shown the way of the cross through a radical costly grace. The aforementioned examples point the way for the church as it engages the world today.

What are the most important insights we gain from Bonhoeffer from our own call to follow Jesus?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s actions reveal the following questions (1) will I go, (2) do I need to grasp what God is doing to be obedient, (3) what of fear, (4) what vision or idea of Jesus do I maintain and (5) am I willing to be a new type of 21^st century post colonial martyr?

The aforementioned questions are near and dear to my journey of the heart. The questions cause me to consider where I am as a disciple of Jesus and am I interested in really standing against the evil and injustice of a world that it seemingly godless? Will I go as Jesus has called, beyond my own issues and concerns to reach out and to engage people that may or may not be willing to move beyond certain thoughts and believes?

Do I need to grasp and understand God’s vast and diverse sacred creation to be obedient? Am I fearful of what I might loose if I stand against the war in Iraq, Afghanistan, or the hegemonic corporate powers that seek to imbed themselves through insidious, selfish plans in the common community psychology to advance empire? Do I let fear be the church’s witness?

Is the vision I have of Jesus a corporate, governmental vision bent on world conquest through the church? Does my vision of Jesus involve Jesus as a tool for American power and wealth in the context of declining empire? Is my vision of Jesus African or European?

I must acknowledge that the Church is me. It’s not the Pope, the Archbishop or the Pastor. I am the Church and whatever witness the Church has in the local, national or international community is a matter of my witness. I am the one that Jesus prayed for in John 17:15-20. I am the one that engages the world with that new set of rules of engagement based on the love of Jesus, the evidence of that costly grace.

I am the one who engages the world and, if need be, I am to be that martyr. If I agree with the calling and witness of Jesus then I, too, will journey down the road to martyrdom. It may not lead to death as in the case of Dietrich Bonhoeffer or Martin Luther King, Jr. and others, but the possibility exists. But, then, there are other types of martyrdom such as economic, political, and social martyrdom that would be more beneficial in a world where the Church is now the tool of the state and not the outsider as in the Roman times.

I advocate for a new type of martyr, one that acknowledges the new and improved persecution of humanity in the name of global capitalism and hegemonic empire. I argue that in the context of the German state of World War II and even in the 21^st century that the Roman empirical formula will not suffice by itself. I believe that Dietrich Bonhoeffer is the example of a martyr for today.

Conclusion

I believe that Bonhoeffer’s experiences led him to the realization that in the final analysis, when all was said and done, he was the Church; he was the witness of the Church, of the vision of Jesus. In that respect he had to fulfill what he thought the Church and even the world community should have done.

Bonhoeffer’s actions reveal many treasures of insight beyond words on a page. The insights I have previously mentioned are only a tip of what I truly feel the response of a genuine disciple of Jesus should be. It goes beyond sacred text to the writing on the heart. I believe that true discipleship occurs when the words leave the page and finally make a home in our hearts. Then and only then can we truly understand the call on Bonhoeffer’s life.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s actions, his purpose and tenacity in the name of costly grace, and the evidence of discipleship as an appreciation for that costly grace compelled him to do what some might see as unbiblical yet reveals his love for Jesus, his love for justice and righteousness and his witness of the sacredness of life over and against evil and perceived Christian biblical logic.

Bibliography

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Discipleship (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, DBWE, (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1996)

[i] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Discipleship (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001), p 39

[ii] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Discipleship (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001), p 43

[iii] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Discipleship (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001), p 45

[iv] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, DBWE, (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1996), 91

[v] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, DBWE, (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1996), 78

[vi] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Discipleship (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001), pp 125-126

[vii] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, A Testament to Freedom, edited by Geoffrey B. Kelly and Burton Nelson (San Francisco, CA: Harper, 1995), 215

I propose a question to those of us who profess and use the sacred text of Jesus Christ.  It is a question that cries out to humanity at a personal, corporate, community and even global level. It cries from the mountain tops, the hill tops, and the great seas to a culture and a society bound by its own immediate gratifications and ambitions that would maintain empire and hegemony. It is the question of the ethical ideal of the greater good. What is the ethical ideal of the greater good? To discover what the ethical ideal of the greater good is it must be defined in a clear and concise manner that challenges the self-centeredness of the global citizen. Of course recognizing that there is an ethical ideal of the greater good at once reveals and acknowledges the ethical ideal of the lesser good. It is necessary to reveal the ethical ideal of the lesser good here in order to unearth and compare it with the ethical ideal of the greater good in an attempt to move the reader to a place where the ethical ideal of the greater good is embraced in each free will decision made by the global citizen.   In discussing the ethical ideals of the greater good and the lesser good I will use the sacred text of Jesus Christ to define and give concise definition to the greater good and in the process define and oppose the lesser good.

A Comparison of the ethical ideals of the greater good and the ethical ideal of the lesser good.

The intent of this discussion is to compare the two ethical ideals of the greater good and the lesser good through codification thereby making clear and concise the definition of the greater good and in the process also defining the lesser good from a Christian perspective. The ethical ideal of the greater good is focused primarily outside of self and the associated effects on a sacred humanity while self is secondary. In a broad sense the ethical ideal of the greater good is about community. The ethical ideal of the lesser good is primarily focused on self and things associated with issues and concerns of the self while those things outside of self are secondary. Self can be very self-centered unable to focus on the greater needs of the local or global community. In his book ‘Where have all the Prophets Gone? Marvin A. McMickle writes “we need an understanding of prophetic preaching that matches the times we live: a post modern, nuclear-terrorist, politically polarized, grossly self indulgent age, in which the world’s citizens reside in a global community.” [1] The ethical ideal of the lesser good ignores and negates the ethical ideal of the greater good and is one of the primary causes of global pollution, global warming which affect the polar regions, the animal kingdom, global child welfare and many other concerns and issues that are detrimental to humanity.  It says I cannot take responsibility for the greater good because the issues are too great and chooses to deny any personal responsibility for the ethical ideal of the greater good.  Because of this thinking the ethical ideal of the greater good of humanity (local, family, tribe, community) is often put in jeopardy were it not for a few people that say yes, the ethical ideal of the greater good is my responsibility. Capitalism rests squarely on this mindset and focuses heavily on the individual, greed and its self-centeredness within the context of profit and loss thus yielding to the ethical ideal of the lesser good. The ethical ideal of the lesser good not only denies the sacredness of humanity but it also subjugates and rapes it so that it would eventually yield to an anti-human ethic engendering radical internal and external wars of ideology evidenced through profit, loss and the commoditization of humanity.

In opposition to the ethical ideal of the lesser good I propose that each individual seek to answer the question of the ethical ideal of the greater good in their daily lives as they make decisions. To further clarify the concept of the ethical ideal of the greater good I propose five qualities for a concise definition of the ethical ideal of the greater good.

I propose that the ethical ideal of the greater good (1) engender the sacredness of creation, (2) advocate, defend and support life through education, (3) advocate a holistic approach to suffering and healing, (4) advocate for the growth and maturity of the sacred creation, and (5) lives beyond self. I do not advocate for one set of qualifications but I do advocate that each person should address the question of the ethical ideal of the greater good in their daily lives through developing their own personal decision making processes that make the ethical ideal of the greater good apart of their thought process.

The advocacy for the ethical ideal of the greater good recognizes that not all decisions involve thoughts of the ethical ideal of the greater good yet an absence of the greater good within the decision making process can cause more harm than good.

I will now expound on the (5) aforementioned qualifications I propose for defining the ethical ideal of the greater good in terms of decision making processes.

(1) Engenders the Sacredness of Creation. Engendering the sacredness of creation must be the foundational absolute of personal responsibility. Unless the individual acknowledges the sacredness of all creation the free will decision making process denies the integrity and divinity of the creator and sets a false and self righteousness within the individual. The sacredness of creation does not just consider humanness of men and women and the associated personal and communal interests but also the environment, animal and plant kingdoms of the earth and even the earth herself. If those who profess believe in a divine creator and that creator as author of all creation and that the divine creator is sacred then those who profess that believe should believe that the creation itself is sacred as the offspring of the divine creator. In Genesis 1:26 – 31 the prophet Moses writes:

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, ^[b] and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.  And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

(2) Advocates, defends and support life.  Advocating, defending and supporting life must go beyond self. Those of us who profess Christ must engage the cultural, society and those around through the teachings of Christ. In John 17:13 – 19 Jesus prays

I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify^{[ a ]} them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

The one that professes Christ must at all cost lend themselves to the advocacy, defense and support life in allegiance to Christ himself through truth.

(3) Advocates a holistic process to understand suffering and healing. Those that profess Christ lives in a free will decision making process choosing to understand suffering and healing of a sacred creation through a holistic process that reflects the teachings of Christ through a spiritual, physical, and psychological approach. Matthew 9:35 states:

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.

Jesus’ concept of healing was holistic in nature and characteristic. The healing involved the individual, the family and the community. It consisted of the location of preaching, preaching the good news of the kingdom. The healing came after a mental shift towards hope and it should be noted that the healing began with the location.

(4) Advocates for growth and maturity of the creation. Those that profess Christ through the free will decision making process must consider the growth and maturity of the creation. The primary approach to the advocacy of growth and maturity of a sacred creation is through service. Through service the Christian engages the community and lives the advocacy of growth and maturity. In Matthew 25:31-44 Jesus states:

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

(5) Lives beyond self. This is the most crucial aspect of the free will decision process. It is crucial to live beyond self. The epitomy of living beyond self is best seen in the experience of Christ on the Cross. The life of Jesus is not about himself but about others. The act of Jesus going to the Cross for every man and woman recognized the justice, righteousness and love of the divine creator. The cross of Jesus, the beloved Son of God is the supreme demonstration of the Love of God has for a fallen humanity. [2] In John 3:16; 15:16 Jesus makes the following statement:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, ^{[ a ]} that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”

Implementation and personal responsibility

I propose that a personal free will decision making process consist of the above qualities because they exhibit the care, consideration and promotion of positive and strong evidence of individual responsibility. Each one of us who professes Jesus Christ is called to the ethical ideal of the greater good of humanity and as such we must at all cost engage culture and society through the above qualities.  In the final analysis truly living as a Disciple of Jesus Christ calls us to live beyond self fulfillment embracing the ethical ideal of the greater good.

Conclusion

As a species we must radically shift our focus from primarily self to primarily beyond self.  Global warming, poverty, homelessness, justice, righteousness, corporations, energy, wars, empire etc. all cry out to you and me for a solution.  If you and I don’t focus beyond self as it relates to the aforementioned challenges succeeding generations will indict this present generation on dereliction of duty.

[1] Marvin A. McMickle, Where have all the Prophets Gone? (Cleveland, OH, The Pilgrim Press, 2006) p120

[2] M. Hengel, Crucifixion, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology ( Grand Rapids, MI, Baker Academic, 2001), p 310

To all,

The blog was uploaded to a new more reliable carrier.  Hopefully this has not created any inconvenience.

                                                                                             Monica Joy

The following discussion may not be earth shattering but I believe that it deserves some attention as the followers of Jesus’ teachings continue to engage the oppressive, lifeless institutions of cultural and societal enslavement.

Think for a moment and ask yourself, is the word Church a noun or a verb? Let us engage the aforementioned question with some associated questions. Does the word Church mean a cultural or societal construct created to ensure a lock step belief system assuring validation of those societal and culture norms that reflect the capitalist aristocracy? Or is the better question, when do we do Church, if at all? When Church is done is it complicit with the anti-Christ policies of the government to ensure the status quo, a Roman Empire based faith that engenders a capitalist system that advocates a systematic embedded enslavement?

I advocate for Church as a verb and not a noun. I believe there may be a fundamental disconnect in some areas where the action of Church is concerned. A lot of people ask ‘what church do you attend?” or “What denomination are you a member of?” I think the more appropriate question is “Where do you do Church?” People with a common belief or a common purpose and mission must understand Church as an action of fellowship. The Greek term Koinoia is the closest description to the true meaning of Church because it denotes fellowship or gathering verses a non-action word of a noun. Koinoia was Apostle Paul’s favorite word to describe a believer’s relationship with the risen Lord and the benefits of salvation, which come through him. On the basis of faith believers have fellowship with the Son (1 Cor 1:9). We share fellowship in the gospel (1 Cor 9:23; Phil 1:5). Paul probably meant that all believers participate together in the saving power of the good news. Believers also share together with the fellowship with the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 13:14), which the apostle understood as a most important bond for unity in the life of the Church (Phil 2:1-4). [1]

Another word for Church is the Greek word ekklesia means a public assembly summoned by a herald (Acts 19:32, 39, 40); in the Septuagint however, it means the assembly or congregation of the Israelites, especially when gathered before the Lord for religious purposes. Thus the Church is the spiritual family of God, the Christian fellowship created by the Holy Spirit through the testimony to the mighty acts of God in Christ Jesus. Wherever the Holy Spirit unites worshipper’s souls of Christ and to each other there is the mystery of the Church. [2] Church is fellowshipping with one another in a common bond or belief and therefore it’s what we do. So then the question of whether Church is a verb or a noun as professed by Webster’s dictionary is brought into question. If those that follow the teachings of Jesus Christ are disciples and Church is what they do then what?

I would dare say that they are the Body of Christ and Church is what they do. In first Corinthians 12:12-29 the Apostle Paul describes the followers of the teaching of Jesus Christ as the Body of Christ and in vs 28, 29 discusses how God has appointed different gifts in the Church. If the Church is a gathering, a fellowship as discussed previously , then the Body of Christ functions through the Church and uses the gifts of God to engage culture and society. Church is the action, the dance of a Body that is sometimes dysfunctional, yet even in its dysfunctionality it is still a Body. Church is one form in which the Body of Christ advocates for the justice, righteousness, wholeness, and healing of humanity. The Body of Christ is called and purposed to engage the oppressive tendencies of a species that struggles against itself every moment to ensure life. Church should not be considered a denominational concept of division but a Christ centered concept of spiritual, social and political engagement by the Body of Christ.

I invite all who read this blog to begin to change their concept of church exclusively as a noun and begin to think of Church as a verb, a term for action and engagement.

[1] Bradley Chance, Fellowship, Holman Bible Dictionary, (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 1991)

Pp 482-483

[2] R. G. Clouse, Church, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology Second Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001) p 246

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