The church will not thrive by performing in a bumbling amateur fashion and hoping that piety and goodwill will make up for incompetence. (139)
Sermons are supposed to be "audible sacraments"
Scripture is there to be a means of God's action in and through us--which will include, but go far beyond the mere conveying of information. (30)
the God Christians worship is characterized not least as a God who SPEAKS, who communicates with human creatures in words. (34)
Close to the heart of Christianity...was the sense of the church as the community that lives with and under Scripture (60)
Once you make Scripture stand on its hind legs and dance a jig it becomes a tame pet rather than a roaring lion. (70) It is no longer authoritative in any strict sense; that is, it may be cited as though in "proof" of some point or other but not leading the way, energizing the church the the fresh breathe of God himself.
7 comments:
Hey, are you still in AK? I am catching up on my life a little bit and noticed you have been here... I am headed to Seward this afternoon with some friends so I will be down in that neck of the woods. Give me a call if you are up for a road trip tomorrow. We are doing a bit of sight seeing.
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I haven't read the book. So in context, I am not sure. But "audible sacraments" --definitely I agree, scripture should be revered and respected.
But more importantly, I think it should be lived out. I think my issue with this is that 12 men walked with Christ, God himself. And while they did that, they argued over who was better, more loved, they often spoke out of turn, didn't believe, were inappropriate... and still Christ loved them, taught them, and met them where they were. Perhaps there is a difference in "presentation of the scriptures" and "living the scriptures?" Churches didn't start out in buildings and fancy cathedrals. They started out in homes etc. And if we go through and read the letters from Paul. All of that stuff was to CHURCHES... they were constantly bumbling, and messing things up and in sin. I was always taught that God's word doesn't return void, and that God knows the conditions of our hearts. And that's where the real work is done.
But I could be wrong. I'll have to read the book to see where it's all coming from .
I like the first quote, it is very profound.
sounds a good book :)
there are some very profound pieces you brought out of that book...sounds like it would be a great read.
I love these quotes, especially the first and the fourth. Thanks for sharing!
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