Christian Worldview (ICEWS bd 2008)
For the Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephens University. Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt
God is revealed to us in scripture as a Trinitarian God. This is unique among all other religions. Another term is the Latin word perichoresis, which means the mutual indwelling, or interpenetration, which some call the divine dance (1). God is also immanent (2), although his home is in heaven, another dimension beyond our time and space, his spirit and presence is felt and acknowledged here on earth (3). His name, YHWH, literally means “I am who I am”. This suggest that he cannot be referenced or defined in terms that relate to our existence. He is in his own category (4)
We, humans, are beautiful yet broken (5). We are beautiful because we are God’s imagebearers (6). We are subcreators like our God made us. We are full of his creative impulses (7). Our community models his Trinitarian nature (8). We are broken because of the fall, because of the sin that has entered into the world through us. And because of this we are Salvific Storytellers. We tell the story of our past, about Jesus and his victory over sin and death. And of the future, of his glorious Kingdom, where every wrong will be made right (9).
The Kingdom of God can be summed as any place where his will and rule is taking place. Ultimately this will be fulfilled at some future date, unknown to any human. However we can experience and celebrate the coming Kingdom in myriad and diverse ways. We experience, celebrate, and express the Kingdom when we; hear and respond to issues of justice (10), quench peoples spiritual thirst with the pure water that only Jesus can give (11), learn to love our Christian brothers and sisters (12), and revel in the [incomplete] beauty of the earth (13).
In Revelation 21 the culmination of history takes place. The Kingdom comes down from heaven. It is a moment of renewal where new creation takes place. Every tear will be erased, every injustice will be made right. We will not only have renewed eternal bodies, but the entire cosmos, everything [from the stars to the plants and animals] will be made new and perfect (14). The new creation that began with Jesus’ Resurrection is completed with his coming in power and glory with his Kingdom (15).
(1) Berten Waggoner, The Divine Dance (IW Master All, p 125)
(2) Wilt, Essential Worship Theology: The Nature of Worship, p 14
(3) Wright, Simply Christian, p 59
(4) ibid, p 67
(5) Wilt, Essentials in Worship Theology: The Nature of Human Beings, p 1
(6) ibid, p 4
(7) ibid, p 3
(8) ibid, p 5-6
(9) ibid, p 7, 9
(10) Wright, p 12
(11) ibid, p 26
(12) ibid, p 30
(13) ibid, p 46
(14) Wright, Voices On Resurrection and New Creation (IW Master All, p 313)
(15) Lewis, Voices On Resurrection and New Creation (IW Master All, p 313)
cornishevangelist said,
July 25, 2008 at 7:55 am
Do Not Be Surprised
Do not be surprised when some church leaders do not accept you, for there has always been people who hold high positions in churches who speak evil of men and women of God.
Many of God’s people over the centuries have come up against people like that. We read in 3 John v 9 & 10, of an elder called Diotrophes, who with foolish and malicious words spoke evil of the Apostles and who would not receive them or their teachings.
He loved to have pre-eminence among the local church at that time, and if any did not obey him, he would have them thrown out of the church. Have things really changed today?
EVANGELIST BILLY BOLITHO
http://www.evangelistbillybolitho.blogspot.com