Being Human: ch 10

This is the final chapter, and it's about judgment. It says 1) that our faith will be evidenced by works if it's real faith, and 2) that judgment for Christians is God separating the waste and sin in our lives from what's good - it will be somewhat like a person separating the good parts from a rotten apple. God would never throw the whole apple away, but some apples might have next to nothing left after all the bad spots are cut away.

So, here's the quote:

"It is not that our efforts can secure us the reward of heaven, of eternal life with God; only the righteousness of Christ secures this for us and our faith is simply the hand that receives his gift.
Many in our culture have denied any significance to human choice and action because they have accepted the doctrine that man lives in an uncreated universe. But Christians have confidence that everything is made by the infinite God and that, therefore, as his children, we have value and our choices and actions have eternal consequences. So we have to ask ourselves and each other, 'How shall we then live? Shall we choose life or death?' Let us shake ourselves free from the ashes of our culture's departure from the sure foundation of God's Word and take hold of the life which is life indeed as we come to Christ."

It doesn't summarize the chapter very well, but what a rousing quote anyway! And I love how he says that "faith is simply the hand that receives his gift."

Being Human ch 9: The Family

This chapter reminded me of both Charlotte Mason (in volume 3, she talks about the need for and balance between authority and submission) and the book Families Where Grace is in Place (because of the mutual submission of family members even with proper authority in place.)

"The target to be aimed at within the relationship is principally the experience of mutuality--the sharing of one another's lives expressed in an attitude of submission, of a willingness to give oneself away out of concern for the other and out of reverence for Christ. Because human beings are designed for such a relationship, it will not damage them. In fact, this is the only way to find fulfillment within marriage. The opposite idea, seeking to keep intact one's own life, insisting on one's own rights, resenting whatever is costly to oneself in terms of time or energy, spells ruin to the couple and the family.

"This is where so many of the ideas of the women's liberation movement are wrong. Some of the ideas are completely right and we should support them (for example, equal pay for equal work, equal opportunity). But there is no doubt that its chief characteristic is an ideal of fulfillment for women which is essentially self-centered. We reject this not because it comes from women. The attitude is just as reprehensible on the other side--and certainly it is more common among men. Much of the emotional force among liberationists comes from the fact that men have been so selfish within marriage. Nevertheless, feminist attitudes are also the result of a general redefinition of self-fulfillment today as 'what I like, when I like, how I like.' The effects of this are lethal.

"The Christian must insist that fulfillment in marriage is the result of an attitude of self-giving by each spouse. Mutuality means acting together, being so involved in the other's life that one is prepared to 'spend and be spent' for the other. This must have pre-eminence over the authority."

[This book was written in 1978, when Women's Rights was still newsworthy.]

Then there's a section that deals with parents and children. It seemed to echo CM's ideas: There needs to be parental authority, but it must be clear to parent and child that parental authority is delegated authority, and both parent and child are bound to obey God's laws first. Authority is never arbitrary. Parental authority is temporary--parents will begin to turn over authority to the children as they mature. Like I said, just a re-wording of what CM wrote in her books (especially Volume 3).

Being Human ch 8: Guidance

This chapter emphasized two main points. First, we're expected to make decisions rather than waiting passively for God to tell us what to do (although that doesn't exclude waiting on God and leaving room for Him to act). And, second, there are certain issues where we know God's will for our lives because they're already stated in the Bible. Here are the quotes:

"The first principle of guidance is this: Obey the explicit statements in Scripture which make clear what God's will is for everyone. These are found everywhere in Scripture and are the general directions concerning how life should be lived by all."

"Each of us has a different life-situation. But the differences must not be exaggerated. The similarities of experience are greater than the dissimilarities: all believers have to struggle with sin, all need to walk by faith, all will be tempted. Therefore, the information given by the Bible as the will of God is guidance sufficient for the major part of our lives.

Being Human ch 7: The Mind

No, I didn't forget this book. But ever since the CM conference and my experience with the leg cramps, I've been reading everything I could about how to deal with them. But now I'm back to Being Human (by Ranald MacAuley and Jerram Barrs). This book deserves a second reading, so I'll be re-reading it with Miss Roxie when she gets her copy.

This chapter is about how to understand the role of the mind in a Christian philosophy that isn't based on Platonic dualism. In light of scientific evidence and criticism that casts doubt on the truth of Scripture, the tendency is to go towards one of two extremes - either stubbornly refuse to consider or accept science or critism (evangelicalism), or to decide that faith is something different and removed from the reason of the mind and based on experience (liberal theology). Traditional evangelicals bury their head in the sand and accuse anything that comes from the secular world or appeals to the intellect as evil. Liberals look at faith as being divorced from reason. It doesn't matter whether the story of Adam really happened, they say. What matters is that I feel the presence of God in my heart.

But there's a middle ground. "Thou it is possible to declare the truth while knowing little about it, believers should never consider ignorance a virtue, but always seek to understand what Christianity is and how it relates to contemporary ideas. In this way we grow as Christians and become better able to help others see both what is wrong in alternative systems of thought which deny God and also the truth revealed in the Bible. The very fact that truth exists will be a source of wonder and excitement . . . As this happens the division between religious and non-religious topics of conversation disappears. Since almost everything one talks about necessarily relates in some way or other to the biblical world view, conversations will tend to lead toward the discussion of the basic truths of the Christian faith without any artificial manipulation . . . We have nothing to fear intellectually; it is other world views which are false, and demonstrably so."

There's also no need to discourage honest skepticism - if God is truth, then we don't have to be afraid that too much prying and questioning will reveal weaknesses that will erode faith.

Being Human, a quote from ch 5

A look at the balance between faith and works.

"Because of the supposed antithesis between God's sovereignty and human responsibility, some have taught that the Christian must be passive in sanctification. But if one stresses the necessity of the Spirit's internal work in the believer without a corresponding emphasis on the equally important biblical teaching on the responsibility of the individual, the result can be the stunting of growth.

The stunting may take one of several forms. For example, a person may insist that because the Spirit is sovereign he is free to do what he likes, saying, "It doesn't matter what I do; I know that I am elect." [I've never actually met a person who genuinely believed this.]

Another person, taught that the Spirit will do everything to sanctify her, may begin to wonder at the lack of change in her life Having built up a series of expectations as to what the Spirit will do in her, she may even begin to blame God because these expectations have not been met . . .

A third possible result of a lack of emphasis on the believer's role may be unhealthy introspection. He begins to ask himself, "Am I elect?" . . . introspective questions and continual searchings within for signs of the Spirit's presence and work will only have the effect of undermining confidence in salvation." [Charlotte Mason said too much introspection was self-focused instead of others-focused.]

Being Human - ch 6 Balancing Our Lives with Needs of Others

This is something I've always wondered about. It's from chapter 6. First of all, the authors establish we're responsible for taking care of our own needs so we don't burden others.

"But it must be balanced with an equal emphasis on the interests of others. . . But another set of delicate and difficult questions arises. We live in a lost world, we are part of a fallen humanity. On every hand spiritual and physical needs, near at hand as well as distant, cry out for attention. In which direction does the Christian choose to move? Are the needs at hand more important than the needs far away, or vice versa? Care must be taken not to produce a continuous state of guilt. Every experience can be a source of self-recrimination: "Here I am eating this food when someone else is hungry." "Here I am in a comfortable bed when many are homeless" or "Here I am indulging in a luxury, going to a concert, when the money could have been used for those in physical need or for the spread of the gospel." Such guilt comes easily to any who feel deeply the needs of the world.

The opposite tendency, however, must also be guarded against. We are sinners still and, being selfish, we know only too well how to take care of our own interests. . .

How can we fulfill our responsibility to care for others, without allowing this responsibility to become oppressive? When is it right to give away money and when is it right to keep it? When is it right to take the energy and time to help someone who is going through a difficult experience psychologically, and when is it right instead to sit by the fire at home and read a book?

The most important thing to say is that there are no rules for such conduct. Scripture does not give us any, nor should we as Christians try to establish any. . . . Rather, what we must do is present with equal stress the two principles mentioned above: on the one hand, the validity of a proper interest in one's own experience and, on the other, the need to see and take care of the needs of others. . ."

That isn't a clear-cut answer to the question, but it's interesting nevertheless.

Being Human ch 4 Active Obedience

I somehow overlooked ch 4. It's about the need to walk in faith and actively strive to do the right thing rather than passively waiting to produce Christian fruit without doing anything. We're supposed to put in our own effort - and that effort is our attempt to do what the Bible says: to obey God's Law as outlined in both the Old and New Testaments.

"Why is it that practicing God's law brings freedom, blessing, life and peace? As we stressed in chapter one, humans are made like God; and the law, which is holy and good, describes what our lives are to be like in order for us to reflect God's character.* The law describes the way we are intended to live."

That means that the Law isn't a negative limit to our freedom and fun. Instead, it's what fulfills us. It's a positive thing.

* Chapters 1 and 2 established that reflecting God's image is the goal of the Christian life. Sometimes other things are emphasized as our goal (good works, street evangelism, suffering, etc) but those are secondary. Our purpose is to reflect God's image in all of its fullness and various facets.

One more from chapter 3

"Someone will say to a Christian, particulary a young Christian or one in difficulty, 'This is good, you've believed in Christ. But now, in order to show that you really have a relationship with God and are really living a spiritual life, you must experience. . . .' Depending on who is speaking, the blank will be filled with speaking in tongues, the baptism of the spirit, the second blessing, brokenness or what have you. The spiritual counselor continues, 'Then you will be sure of the Spirit's indwelling and have power. You will be able to witness and pray freely. Then you won't just believe that you have the Holy Spirit in you, you'll know by experience.' The result of this is exactly as Paul describes. The Christian is disqualified, robbed of assurance in Christ, and made to feel unspiritual, unfaithful, and in need of something extra--something more than and higher than the cross. . . by stressing a higher spiritualty beyond faith in Christ, this teaching implies that Christ and his death are only the gateway to a superspirituality."

This is the wrong way; the right way is to take God at His word, accept our new standing in Christ, and then attempt to live holy lives with the help of the Spirit. Our focus shouldn't be on seeking spiritual experiences, but on getting down to the business of living. At least, that's what I'm getting out of this.

Being Human quote from ch 2

This is from the section on Neo-Platonic influences on Christian thinking, which is deemed even more dangerous than materialism because it's so easy to make this sound Biblical, and then slide into a denial and rejection of the physical/mental qualities that make us human.

"This emphasis on God being beyond all knowledge is a fundamental characteristic of the mystical tradition of the church. This way of ignorance can only be pursued by removing sense and reason, by abandoning not only what is impure but even what is pure. (Later we will discuss the similar emphasis in some evangelicalism of this century on self-emptying, on brokenness, on the uselessness of the mind and doctrine, and on the removing even of what seems good in the self.)"

Ch 3: The Centrality of Christ

More from Being Human:

"To the extent that we forget that our status before God is due to what Christ has done for us, we will try to make our own relationship with God depend on winning his approval. Thinking that unless we fulfill certain obligations God will not love us, we begin to focus on what we have or have not done. We make an anxious search for internal evidences of our 'new life.' But doubts arise as to whether God really loves us. Then, as we realize we cannot possibly meet his standards, resentment builds up against God for making such strict demands. So our hearts gradually harden against him and obedience becomes more difficult. Joy, wonder and praise dry up. Instead, frustration and a sense of failure make us feel empty and sterile. . . . It is often at just this point that superspiritual teaching or some kind of second blessing emphasis may gain a foothold. . . Rather than seeking for something else, we should turn back thanfully to Christ and remind ourselves of who he is and what he has done for us. Ingratitude eatsway at one's whole life by producing spiritual drought and bitterness."

I've been guilty of this very thing. I wish I'd read this years ago!

More from Being Human book

I'm in chapter 3; I'll post something from ch 2 later.

The authors talk about asceticism (punishing the body by doing things like walking on nails, extreme fasting) and seeking experiential spirituality (paying with mantras to clear the mind and have a touch from God) as resulting from the combination of Christianity with Plato, which I don't quite follow (I might, if I understood more about Plato, or if I read ch 2 again more carefully - or, even better, if I paraphrased it into short sentences of single syllable words! :P)

Here's the quote:

"The goal of the Christian life is to be restored to God's likeness, to be holy as God is holy, to be like Christ in character. It is not primarily to have direct experiences of the spirit or to become a kind of spiritual athlete. Consequently, Paul says, these regulations imposed by the Colossians teachers [Col 2:22-23] and their contemporary counterparts have nothing whatsoever to do with genuine Christian growth and true spirituality. They are of no value in restraining the desires and practices of the sinful nature. These techniques and regulations arise from Platonism and the world view of the East where the goal of spirituality, union with the spiritual realm, is a consequence of turning away from the external world of people and things. The biblical goal is holiness of life, expressed primarily in the giving of ourselves in service to other people."

I like that - the goal of Christianity clarified. Mysticism and contemplative prayer sound appealing to me, but I see that he's including them with the kinds of things that Paul warned about in Col. 2. Those things cause us to stray from our real goal and aren't what real Christianity is about.

He uses quotes from a book called Encounter With God by Morton Kelsey, written 4 years earlier (1974) to show how Christians were being drawn to seek eastern methods in prayer, and I'm wondering if Kelsey was an early Emergent Church proponent, it sounds very much like what (little) I've read about that movement.

Book Quote

I would love to see my church's women's study do a book like the one this quote came from:

"Sanctification (becoming holy), then, is essentially an affirmation of life. The whole purpose of the Christian life is the recovery of the original image of God, in other words, the recovery of the kind of human experience which God intended Adam and Eve to have before the Fall. The Christian experience . . . like theirs, affirms life.
Ironically, those who stand in the doctrinal traditions of the Reformation and the apostolic church have inherited from the nineteenth century a spirit of negativism quite out of character with these roots. It has been the spirit of 'Do not taste, Do not touch.' (Col 2:21) It has been characterized by a denunciation of the mind and a rejection of all cultural activities. The mind has been seen as a boogieman, and creativity as wasteful luxury. And, as in the 'tradition' opposed by Paul, this pirit of negativism has been presented as a virtuous and religious attitude.
Over against such a tradition, we contend for a view of sanctification which affirms all those activities which are truly human. Why? Because that is the sort of experience God intended us to have and which he called 'very good.' . . . Such an experience is fundamental to the Christian life because to be human is to be a reflection, as a finite and physical person, of the experience of the infinite Person who made us."
from Being Human: The Nature of Spiritual Experience by Ranald Macauley and Jerram Barrs

I'd like to know, when there are so many interesting aspects of Christianity to learn about, why does every woman's Bible Study I've ever heard of seem to only cycle through character studies of women in the Bible, being a Proverbs 31 woman, and wifely submission?

This is the book that was selected for the first annual book discussion at the CM Conference coming up in about ten days.