The church is the community of truth but equally important it is the community of friendship and unusual love. The Church Fathers repeatedly taught believers to pray for the government and be good citizens even though Roman leaders were far more capricious and dangerous than present day Western leaders. The unusual love of believers for each other as well as for their enemies was a light that quickly attracted thousands all over the Empire.
The reason the believers acted that way is that they had an informal spiritual theology (i.e., theology of spiritual growth) that taught loving others was even more important than defending doctrine. Defending doctrine or morality before unbelievers has its place but loving them first was more important.
Today we can do what the early Church did if our doctrine and practice are integrated. Unbelievers today are still attracted to kindness and generosity. Many world cultures are not very relational (such as America) and people still drop their objections when they experience Christian love.
I know of a large church in a medium size city that made it a priority to bless the city as much as they could. After several years of members volunteering to do clean up and help the city in other ways, the church now has much influence with city officials. City leaders ask for input from the church on important social issues the city faces. Surprisingly, this church is strongly charismatic and would otherwise be considered marginal and irrelevant by government leaders. By just deciding to bless their city and county instead of taking an “us versus secular government” stance they have fulfilled Jesus teaching to love all, even if they might be enemies.
If seminaries integrated serious spiritual theology with systematic theology then ministers would be much more likely and able to lead people into spiritual growth, as well as learning how to grow themselves. Pastors and believers would understand that we are to be a community of friends that surprise the world with our love for them. Instead of being mostly administrators and doctrinal teachers they would be experts in shepherding people into healthy relationships. In other words, learning how to love God and love others. The world isn’t going to care about our doctrine if we don’t love each other and love them, like Jesus.
If we develop serious spiritual theology there is hope for Western Christianity and for it’s future in the non-Western world. Our present condition can be discouraging, whether it is the spread of the prosperity gospel in Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe, or the lukewarmness in North America. But if theologies of spiritual growth become standard then lasting transformation can become standard.
(To this end my book Flourish is an “everyday spiritual theology” for all believers. I’m hoping more such books are published as well more extensive spiritual theologies for use in colleges and seminaries.)
This blog is based on the chapter in the book Flourish titled: “Reuniting Spiritual Theology with Doctrinal Theology, or Why Church Can Be Boring or Hurtful”. The book Fourish : A Guide to Your Growth in God’s Community can be found on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Flourish-Growth-Community-Living-Gospel/dp/0986382302 .
SEND AN EMAIL TO THE HOST
