Decided to take this semester break to consolidated a personal reflection that I shared to my Church History class on our last lesson, dated 30 April 2014. After going through 28 lectures over the course of 10 months covering over more than 2000 years of the development of the church since the time of Jesus and His Apostles, to the early church, to the middle ages, the reformation period, the modern enlightenment and beyond Christendom to the church of the 21st Century today, I have gain such a keen interest in seeing the importance of studying the history of the Church as that shapes our understandings of how we perceive the church today.
Preface
The study of Church History became more apparent to me as we progress through the readings and lectures over the 10mths. From initially wrestling with the heavy loads of memorising of the many facts of people, places and dates for our many tests to suddenly beginning to appreciate what I studied when I saw the lessons coming alive in the churches around me. Especially in the first semester in our weekly Field Education visits to the different churches every week. Even after the formal visits ended, a group of us decided to continue on our own. And I've recollected to visiting over more than 18 churches in the span of 6 mths from almost every spectrum of the churches in Singapore. From the conservatives to the charismatic, from different mainline denomination to independent churches…here are just some that I can recall, the Lutheran, Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Brethren, Baptist, Pentecostal, Assemblies of God (AOG), Syrian Eastern Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Churches, Mega Churches, Emergent churches and other independent churches I begin to appreciate and became more open to understanding why each church do what they do, I may not agree to everything, but I have become more hesitant to judge them, and begin to appreciate as I learnt the roots that each of these churches came from over the course of church history.
30 April 2014- Reflections from the study of Church History- Script (Revised)
Introduction
I wasn't initially planning to share this with the class, but after going through the recent lecture on Post-modernism and having discussions with some of my classmates (mostly from the GEN-X category) last week. I felt convicted to respond to give a perspective from someone who is from the GEN Y category who has been greatly influence by this era.
But before I start, as what we have learnt, I think it is important to share the context of my background that shaped my presuppositions today… As what Hans Georg Gadamer’s shared in his approached tohermeneutics, "All of us come to a text with ourown 'horizon of understanding': Based on our own assumptions, bias andquestions, our “horizon” influences the way weinterpret the text—but it is in turn reshaped by the “horizon” of the text."
I will be sharing from the perspective of the lens of someone from the mid Gen-Y (influence greatly by post-modernism), grew up in a Christian family in a Methodist church, got much of my influence of ministry from my active involvement in an inter-denominal para church during my student days.
I'm probably one of those that our church history lecturer have brought up in the past lessons of someone who will use to go for revival prayer meetings in his youth ministry days, someone who tend to be more hopeful & 'idealistic', more feeling and experience-based, but I have to admit that those experiences have shaped who I am today, it has laid my foundations and influence my initial theological framework of God before coming into Seminary.
My search began from a experiential encounter of God at the age of 16 at a youth camp that change my life and compelled me on this journey to not only live a life for God but to search Scriptures and formulate a rational, theological framework to my understanding of God today… I will say, Gen-y (1980-2000) & probably most Gen Z (1995 & above) usually begin the growth of their Christian faith from an experience of God. Whereas those influence by modernism, usually have encounters with God from a rational and logical deduction of God from Scriptures first. Another way of seeing it is, most logical thinkers will experience God starting with their mind before it comes to their heart, compared to a majority of the younger generation who experience God from their heart first before comprehending in their mind (This is quite a sweeping statement but, is to make a point that we actually need both our heart & mind in tension)
Having shared that long pre-amble, here is what I personally took away and learnt from the course of study of Church History which I will surmise in to two responses. 1) Apparent Theological Paradoxes & 2) Ecumenical Movement.
1) My response to apparent Theological Paradoxes
Firstly, when our church history lecturer shared to us about the many theological paradoxes in the past lessons, and having read his thesis on the dialectic tension of a Christian faith. It reminded me of a reflection that I once wrote in 2011, titled…
Life is like a Rubber Band Previously I had a very raw understanding of this tension… I was wrestling with the many biblical paradoxes from many theological discussions with friends in that inter denomination para church…Such as the "free will of man vs sovereignty of God, the charismatic (more experience-based) vs evangelical (more word-based), the prosperity gospel vs theology of suffering, the present vs the future kingdom of God on earth." These are just some of the many.
It was such apparent paradoxes that compelled me on this search of this God of mystery, and to wrestle them out at a theological college one day, which I am thankful today that i've the privilege to actually wrestle with them in a Seminary, especially in our church history and theology class.
So over the past 2 semester in this class, going through more than 2000 years of church history, it allowed me to have a better appreciation of how all these theological propositions were brought up over the course of church history and it allowed me to appreciate this spectrum of denominational views better and I have become more open to learn from others why they do what they do today.
For example, I am now more open and understanding when I have theological conversations with friends from a different denomination. In the past, without knowing such presupposition, we tend to respond from a knee-jerk reaction when there is a disagreement in certain doctrines. So the study of theology and church history allowed me to hold both side of the spectrum in a better dialectic balance. I would personally, use the Wesleyan Quadrilateral (Scripture, reason, experience, traditions), to deduce such a framework today. And to know that it is alright to agree to disagree at the end of the day since only God knows everything and we are just fellow pilgrims discovering this God of mystery together.
2) Ecumenical movement
Secondly, the Ecumenical movement is something that I believe God has laid a strong conviction on my heart today where the study of church history has allowed me to embrace this movement even more.
It began, a couple years ago when I attended this large conference which invited international speakers from different countries all over the world, each speaker shared a powerful message derived from deep conviction of years of ministries in their respective churches & ministries. After one of the session, I had this sudden revelation of this thought, what if, all of us have a different conviction of who God is, and every church and denomination are inspired from this transcendence God that we humans can never fully comprehend but He has revealed to us all over the world of a different facet of who He is. At times we may not totally agree with another denomination based from our own presuppositions, but what if theres certain elements of truth that we are blinded because of the culture context of how we comprehend God and carry out our ministry?
For example, this is quite simply and loosely speaking, but a notion which I once heard from a renown pastor, lets say if we can hold both schools of thought, having the "Backbone of a Calvinist and the heart of an Armenian"? Its easier said then done, but each denominations and theological ideas have our own strength and weakness, and we will never fully comprehend whose right or wrong in this time of age of the now and the not yet. But I'm glad that we got the Nicene creed (325AD) to keep us united as that holy apostolic catholic church, despite some of our doctrinal differences.
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Concluding Remarks
Andrew Walls the Christian theologian and missiologist, once shared in his article, “Culture and Coherence in Christian History”, explaining how Christianity has been defined by culture changes over the course of church history especially in relations to the “indigenizing” and the “pilgrim” principle. Each stage portrays how different cultures over the years has influenced and shaped Christianity with distinct characteristics that eventually spread throughout the world.
[1] With that premise, it has challenged me to rethink some of the presuppositions of my understanding of the Christian faith today. I believe I need to constantly reassess my theological framework, from my upbringing, such as my family roots to my nationality, to my denominational background to my involvement in a particular para-church groups, interactions, experiences in various Christian ministries and theological teachings which all have a part in defining the lens that I have of the Christian faith that will influence how I live the Christian life and do ministry. I believe and hope from that we can learn to bring forth the gospel to the nations, which is “infinitely translatable” that will diffuse in the diversity of Christianity. And we can also live out our faith as part of this larger community of believers in our own respective culture from the common signposts of Christianity over the course of church history.
[2]
Perhaps with this, we should shift our focus to co-labouring in our strengths to further God's kingdom plans instead? Imagine all of us here in this class today, from the different denomination can come together and further God kingdom together, imagine the greater impact the universal church can make? So let me end with this, instead of arguing of whose right or wrong, and judging one another… if we can carry out what John 13:34-35 have said,"So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” imagine the impact that command can make in this World?
[1] Andrew Walls, “Culture and Coherence in Christian History,” in The Missionary Movement in Christian History: Studies in the Transmission of Faith (New York: Orbis, 1996), 16.
[2] Ibid., 23-25.
