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A Guide to Contemporary Faith Wes Campbell, November 2011

Introduction Our time presents a crisis for Christian faith. In our situation which some describe as ‘post-Christian’ or post-Christendom, the challenge reaches into the heart of faith, challenging God in the name of ‘atheism’1. The crisis produces both pastoral and intellectual challenges, as the Christian community seeks to chart a way in our contemporary world. Often it is suggested that there are but two ways of responding, each offering an extreme position: either, a return to pre-modern (fundamentalist) ways of thinking, or, an unqualified (progressive) acceptance of modernist (or postmodernist) modes of thought. It sometimes seems as if we are being required to choose between two different fundamentalisms. However, as Christians grapple with these challenges, we are faced with an even more fundamental challenge: the challenge of God who speaks to our situation, bringing a crisis which challenges, judges and renews the world2.

This paper is a brief response to our contemporary situation. Our main interest is to assist people to hear Jesus Christ’s call to discipleship in the 21st century. Here we will be reminded of the basic commitments made as the Uniting Church was formed. The discussion here will offer some pointers for the task of interpreting and understanding the Christian faith now3.

Understanding Christian Faith From the beginning understanding biblical faith has been a controversial and challenging matter. The most obvious reason for this is that faith itself emerged from challenging and controversial circumstances. For example, the faith of Israel has its early origins in the escape of Hebrew slaves from Egypt, led by Moses. Christian faith came about as a response to Jesus of Nazareth, whose ministry produced astonishment and anger, liberation and aggression, culminating in his brutal crucifixion. His appearance as the risen Lord is no less astonishing.

A Uniting Church Discussion The Uniting Church in Australia (formed in 1977) has The Basis of Union as its foundational statement which has ongoing significance. This Basis describes the act of uniting as a response to ‘Christ’s gift and will for the Church’ and prays that the union may be ‘to the glory of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit’ (para 1). The Basis acknowledges that ‘[t]he Uniting Church in Australia lives and works within the faith and unity of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church’ (para 2) ‘built upon the one Lord Jesus Christ’ (para 3).

Biblical Interpretation The Basis of Union explicitly accepts the Old and New Testaments ‘as unique prophetic and apostolic testimony, in which it hears the Word of God’ (para 5), acknowledges ‘faithful and scholarly interpreters of Scripture’, ‘enters into the inheritance of literary, historical and scientific enquiry which has characterised recent centuries, and gives thanks for the knowledge of God’s ways with humanity which are open to an informed faith’ (para 11).

The Contemporary Context and Biblical Interpretation The rise of modern , with its critical science and philosophy, and its industrial-technological systems, has generated a crisis for Christian faith. New astronomy, physics and biological sciences, associated with names like Galileo, Copernicus, Darwin and Einstein, have altered the way we understand and perceive the world. The clearest effect of that change is the way we view the universe. Once the earth was believed to be the centre of the universe circled by the sun and moon; now we understand our solar system has the sun at its centre which the earth rotates with other planets. And, much more, we are one of countless galaxies. Again, our understanding of the emergence of life on earth has been profoundly affected by biological study, leading to a revision of

1 The most recent form of that attack, under the rubric of ‘’, is found in ‐ among others ‐ Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion, Bantam Press, 2006. For a telling critique see David Bentley Hart, Atheist Delusions, Yale University Press, 2009. 2 The Greek word for judgement is ‘krisis’. Karl Barth, at the beginning of the 20th Century, facing the collapse of modern belief and the catastrophe of the First World War, issues a challenge in his address, ‘The Righteousness of God’, (1916) in The Word of God and the Word of Man, translated by Douglas Horton, Harper & Row, NY and Evanston, 1957. 3 The reader is also invited to read other publications offered by the Assembly Working Group on Doctrine, such as Doc.bytes [particularly Worksheet 2: Doctrine], pamphlets and discussion papers, available on the doctrine webpage and in hard copy from the Assembly office. See the list of ‘Helpful Guides’ at the conclusion of this paper. 2

the old view of ‘creation’ which took place over six days to an acceptance of a long process of ‘evolution’. It is no secret that the creation-evolution controversy is still a hot topic in some circles!

Another remarkable feature of modern understanding is our appreciation of the way the Bible itself came to be written. Earlier generations understood the ‘books’ of the Bible to have been written by one person (eg. it was understood that Moses wrote the first five books of the Old Testament; the writers of the various Gospels were disciples of Jesus). Modern scholarship has uncovered instead, a long process of composition: the documents which we have as written documents were first oral accounts, carried by word of mouth for long periods of time, before first being written down. Following that, over time, differing strands of tradition were edited together and finally accepted as written Scripture4.

Authority The conditions described here continue to produce conflict about Christian faith and theology. A key concern underlying the conflict is that of authority. The developments in have challenged previously established theological authority. There have been sustained attempts to reinstate theological authority in the face of these threats. For example, Roman Catholicism adopted ‘papal infallibility’; Protestants adopted ‘biblical inerrancy’. Much more telling is the turn which has taken place in , placing Jesus Christ at the centre as the living Word.

The modern crisis has prompted a variety of attempts to address theological claims and methods. These are variously described as conservative-liberal; dogmatic-progressive; propositional-existential. Other characterisation in theology speaks of the theological left-theological right. A more subtle distinction is ‘world-verification/revelation verification’ (Dietrich Ritschl); Cartesian and non-Cartesian theology (Helmut Thielicke). The opposition is also associated with places of learning: Chicago vs Yale. Attempts to move beyond a simple bi-polarity are found in, for example, George Lindbeck, The Nature of Doctrine, where he discusses a post-liberal doctrine: Propositional/ Experiential-Expressive/ Cultural-Linguistic models.5

Our ‘Modern’ and ‘Postmodern’ Context Such is the power of the changed worldview, the argument in support of taking modernity and the canons of modern thought as the necessary presuppositions for Christian life and theology seem compelling. However, for Christians and non-Christians alike, there are equally compelling reasons for recognising the destructive capacity of modernity (consider the fragmentation of culture, the production of the nuclear bomb, mass warfare, global poverty and the warming of the planet), and also remembering that Christian faith and theology rely on a longer story than that of modernity. The church and its thought have faced various cultural and scientific changes over the past twenty centuries, and Christian theology itself has been a powerful influence in the shaping of life and society. Moreover, theological work, responding to new intellectual and cultural settings, has been undertaken from the earliest years of the church’s existence. The modern and postmodern setting has led to a style of Christian thought (sometimes called Liberal or Progressive) which argue for the primacy of modern cultural and intellectual presuppositions. That is to say, the church accommodates its ways of thinking and being to the contemporary environment, seeking to find a way of winning a place there. However, the church has another option. That should not be taken to mean that Christian theology is free to ignore the discoveries and ‘advances’ in modern thought, science and culture, as some contemporary Christian movements argue. By contrast, trusting in God, Christian theology is free to engage fully in contemporary thought and culture6 but never uncritically. Rather, Christian theology as a ‘free science’ is at liberty to engage fully (and critically) in today’s life. It is crucially important, however, to ensure that Christian faith and theology do not give up their freedom by so allying themselves to modern thinking that it loses its own integrity. That is to say, Christian theology has as its fundamental building blocks a foundation in Jesus of Nazareth. Theology, true to its name, will grapple with the task of explicating the faith which we have received from the church’s story – and prior to that, the story of God’s relationship with the Jews.

Confessing the Faith: the Canon

4 The German New Testament scholar who wrote in the first half of the 20th century, Rudolf Bultmann, was very influential, as was his term ‘demythologising’. Since Bultmann other scholars have offered ways of engaging in contemporary biblical understanding. For some of these see the list at the conclusion of this paper. 5 George Lindbeck, The Nature of Doctrine (1984) – see the list at the end of this paper. 6 cf. Dietrich Ritschl, The Logic of Theology, Fortress Press, Philadelphia, 1987. 3

This paper takes the view that the doctrine of the church, based upon its received dogma, relies on the confession of the Christian community over time, that Jesus is lord (Philippians 2: 11). We do not begin from nothing. It is our task to take the earliest thought seriously, as basic guides for our Christian life and faith. As we have already noted, the Uniting Church in Australia has its heritage and location within the ‘one holy catholic and apostolic church’ and, therefore, does not strike out alone into the future of faith and theology. We are provided with an authoritative guide in Scripture (Basis of Union, para 5). We are aware that the authoritative canon of Scripture was decisively established by conciliar decisions. We are also aware that the decision concerning the canon relied on the practice of congregations developed over several centuries7. Lists of apostolic writings regularly read in worship document church practice. Why did the church move to ‘closing the canon?’ There were various claims concerning a reliable witness to Jesus Christ, so it was judged necessary to determine which writings were truly reliable and authoritative. (It is true that even some of those writings which became part of the ‘New Testament’ were controversial and nearly not included.) While some prominent theologians (such as ) have challenged the need for a canon, we judge it to be a helpful guide and beginning. We may also note that the Basis of Union (paragraph 5) regards the Biblical books of the Old and New Testaments Scriptures as ‘unique prophetic and apostolic testimony’ by which the faith of the church is nourished, regulated and controlled. The Church expects that the Word of God will be ‘heard and known from Scripture, ‘appropriated’ in the worshipping and witnessing life of the Church’. This attitude is based in the confidence that God takes the people of God seriously, acting through them, in their words and actions.

Early Witnesses Taking the apostolic writings (traditionally called the New Testament) as the earliest witness to Jesus, we seek to draw on the church’s wisdom for our own day. The earliest apostolic writings from the Apostle Paul identify Jesus as Christ (Messiah) (Romans 1: 4). He is identified as born in human terms as a descendent of King David. His crucifixion is central to the Christian message. His resurrection is equally central and identifies him as ‘Son of God’. These are essential identifiers of Jesus [the] Christ. (Romans 1: 1-6)

In the Gospel traditions Jesus, who was crucified and appeared to his disciples as the risen One, is identified as ‘Messiah’: baptised in the Jordan by John, he announced the coming reign of God, and declared its presence with his actions of healing and declaring forgiveness of sins. Early apostolic tradition, drawing on contemporary a Jewish style of writing, affirms his human birth. At the same time, these writings identify him as one in whom the Spirit of God was active.

Dogmas In the early centuries, before the split between the Latin West and Eastern Orthodox, helpful ‘dogmas’ were formulated and expressed in creeds. These are to be regarded as summaries of the New Testament teaching, made necessary by the church’s spread throughout the Mediterranean regions, and also necessary due to contact with other cultures and their beliefs. ‘Dogma’ (contrary to much uninformed prejudice) does not mean ‘dogmatic’ in a negative and authoritarian manner8. Rather, ‘dogmas’ are formulations of church thought which draw on the apostolic witness and seek to clarify it in new circumstances. Dogma is to be understood as a decision of the church about the basic and essential teaching of the church. If the church departs from these dogmas it has also ceased to be the church9.

There are two essential and inescapable dogmas which have as their root the apostolic witness of the New Testament – and, as a given, also the scriptures of Israel (Old Testament) as its foundation. It is crucial to understand that these dogmas are not new creations of the church, but are rather expositions of that earlier witness.

One essential dogma Jesus Christ is fully (truly) human and fully (truly) God. Fully (truly) human: As we have noticed above, the New Testament shows Jesus to be human as we are, with a birth and death, a human family and human emotions. His humanity is complete. As such he is also ‘on the

7 It is helpful and necessary to recall that the Bible for the earliest Christians was the Hebrew Scriptures read in the Synagogue, and then also in house churches. Those writings were supplemented over time by Apostolic letters and Gospels. 8 See the Doc.byte on ‘Doctrine’: http://assembly.uca.org.au/cudw/doctrine-resources-and-publications; and also the discussion

paper Guidance for the Church’s Faithful Thinking (background paper to the 2009 Assembly). 9 See for example, Robert W. Jenson, Systematic Theology, volume 1, The Triune God, Oxford University Press, 1997, especially pages 3‐62. 4

way’ toward the future he announced as Messiah. Moreover, he even experiences the isolation and agony of a condemned death and dies completely – he descends to death (Hades) and hell. Any thought which reduces Jesus’ humanity, or divides him into partially human is resisted. The ‘Gnostic’ attitude which turned Jesus into a go-between between humanity and divinity is rejected. Fully (truly) God: The New Testament identifies Jesus as the ‘Son of God’. In those early decades and in the context of Jewish thought, this title was more a monarchical or messianic title (as is also true for other titles, such as Son of Man, Lord). The early apostolic writings affirm in a variety of ways that Jesus is ‘fully God’. In him the fullness of God was pleased to dwell (Colossians 1:19); his birth and baptism are accompanied by the action of the Spirit of God; his ministry exhibits a messianic character –he announces the reign of God, which is present in healing and forgiveness.

The early church resisted any schemes of thought which made Jesus less than human, and also less than God. Early theologians such as Arius and Marcion were unhappy about regarding Jesus as fully God. They found in him a go-between, a means of communication between humanity and divinity, but less than both. By contrast, ‘orthodox’ Christian theology insists on Jesus as ‘fully God’.

One of the most enduring insights of contemporary theology is an awareness of the full significance of Jesus’ own Jewishness, together with that of the context in which he was first confessed. From there the church grappled with Greek thought and culture. There are sustained attempts to ensure that the church listens carefully to the Jewish and messianic character of the New Testament, rather than being shaped predominantly by Greek concepts and theology10.

A second dogma: The Encounter with the good news of the Gospel produced astonishment, fear and joy! That response led to the heart of faith in God. New understanding led to a deep joy, and the exciting challenge to speak in new ways concerning the God encountered in Jesus Christ. The basic decision about Jesus’ identity also made it necessary to articulate, in both Jewish and Greek contexts, Jesus’ being and status with regard to God, whom he called Abba, Father. The result was the remarkable doctrine of the Trinity, God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Contrary to criticisms voiced in modern attitudes, the Trinity is also not to be regarded as a new and creative development so much as an unfolding of the apostolic witness. Various formulae in the New Testament provide Trinitarian language: Matthew 28:19; John 15-17. There are also various dynamic expressions which have a ‘Trinitarian character: Romans 1; the ‘Grace’ 2 Corinthians 13: 13; and, in an expansive manner, Romans 1-8, and the Marcan narrative.)

Creeds Creeds were also developed in tandem with these dogmas. Why do we still need to listen to, and say, the creeds? The Basis of Union (paragraph 9) regards careful study, interpretation of their teaching in a later age, and their use in worship ‘as acts of allegiance to the Holy Trinity’.

The Apostles’ Creed (it is reliably understood) had its origin in the second century, in a series of questions posed in a service of baptism. While the development toward the current wording is complex, the early creed had three questions concerning ‘God the Father’, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit were the basic affirmation of Christian faith, and were formally adopted in the Latin West in the eighth Century.11

The (AD381)12 was formulated in the context of the disputes concerning Jesus and God. It is the one affirmation of faith which derived from the undivided church when the Latin and Greek churches were still united.

Contemporary Complaints An interventionist God In various ways, critics of ‘orthodox’ Christian faith express the view that they must reject an ‘interventionist God’. No doubt there is a legitimate protest here against the trivial and superstitious

10 Cf. Jürgen Moltmann, The Way of Jesus Christ, SCM, London, 1990; Paul M. van Buren, A Theology of the Jewish‐Christian Reality – 3 volumes – Harper & Row, 1983 (vol. 1) 11 See Timothy Luke Johnson, The Creed: What Christians Believe and Why it Matters, Darton, Longman & Todd, 2003, chapter 1; also Wolfhart Pannenberg, The Apostles’ Creed: in the Light of Today’s Questions, SCM 1972. 12 Or more strictly, Nicene‐Constantinopolitan Creed ‐ Timothy Luke Johnson, The Creed, 32‐39 5

attitudes to God’s activity in the world. When, however, there is a protest at an ‘interventionist God’ it is necessary to understand what is being rejected here. It is crucial that those who make the complaint explain themselves. For biblical faith, however, one basic and essential element of God’s being and relationship to the world is this; God goes out to create the cosmos; the LORD YHWH acts to liberate Hebrew slaves and to lead them, with the human agency of Moses, Joshua, then prophets and kings, across the desert, into the Land promised, becoming the people of Israel. In the life and ministry of Jesus, God acts. In Jesus’, in his ministry and in his resurrection from the dead, God intrudes! Because the world is held captive to powers of destruction and death, humanity must be set free. God therefore acts in word and deed in Jesus Christ to prompt that liberation.

Miracle Some have sought to divide the world between the natural and supernatural. When it comes to the word ‘miracle’, much depends on how the world is understood. Biblical interpreters have learned to identify various styles of literature in the Scriptures – such as mythology, saga, legend, and so on. It is understood that the Biblical text draws on these styles of literature, along with poetry and history writing, to convey its message. We accept that modern scientific thought has rejected the notion of ‘miracle’, and therefore resists the miraculous in Christian faith. Perhaps the following observation will help in this discussion. If the world is understood as a closed system (its various components of the world interacting and producing results), it cannot produce anything new. By contrast, biblical faith understands that by the activity of God, that which is radically new can be produced in the world. The biblical story includes remarkable new beginnings for people who expected nothing new. This is expressed in story where, for example, ‘barren’ women conceive; and, paralleling such episodes, communities (such as slaves and exiles) who have no future, are led into a new situation. In the New Testament the resurrection is the archetypal ‘new’ event13. If this is true for human society, we may also be alert to regard the ‘natural world’ of physics and biology, as an ‘open system’, open to radically new developments and surprising occurrences.

Resurrection Those who regard the resurrection of Jesus as merely a change of attitude or understanding in the disciples (the ‘rise of faith’) have not taken the resurrection of Jesus as the starting point for Christian faith. Also, the resurrection faith does not look longingly at a notion of the immortality of the soul, or a misty life after death14. Rather, the resurrection of Jesus is an action by his Father through the Holy Spirit to put an end to the power of death. Clearly, the witness of the early apostles recalls that this event produced fear, astonishment, incomprehension and disbelief in the first apostles. Equally, the resurrection accounts (allowing for the style of first century writing) insist that the appearance of Jesus was real and tangible. The resurrection of Jesus is therefore an opening of the closed and death- dominated present age to a new and unexpected future. Resurrection of the dead was a well-known teaching in the time of Jesus expressing the belief that at the end of time, God will raise up the faithful and will judge the evil doers. The surprise embedded in the resurrection of Jesus is this: he is one person who is raised, before all others. And, more startling, it is as a man condemned by the law that Jesus is raised. That is, God confirms his life and ministry, even his cross!15.

Liberation and Justice The faith of Israel is shaped by justice. In the exodus from Egypt the god of the Hebrews acted to liberate people who were regarded as non-humans (habiru). The prophets spoke out against injustice perpetrated by monarchs. Jesus’ ministry announced the reign of God, demonstrated in his welcome of those people excluded from society. In recent times biblical scholars have become alert to this theme of justice in Scripture. This has led to styles of church which seek to resist oppression and liberation of the poor. In Latin America a ‘theology of liberation’ was developed to express God’s ‘option for the poor’. Such theological movements insist that contemporary Christian faith must take the challenge of justice seriously. The way of faith will resist injustice, and will seek peace instead of war and violent oppression. Such a struggle is properly understood to be a human struggle.

However, faith also understands how seriously implicated in violence and oppression all humans are.

13 Or we might say, the Novum. The notion of the new is a key feature in modern thought. Also, along with philosophy, modern popular culture has an interest in ‘the One’ who will come to bring liberation: in film, see for example, The Matrix. 14 See Kevin J. Madigan & Jon D. Levenson, Resurrection: The Power of God for Christians and Jews (2008) for a helpful study. 15 These notes are struck in the Gospel according to Mark 8: 27‐9:8; also Paul’s Letter to the Romans 1:1‐6, 5: 12‐21. For a helpful study of resurrection: NT Wright, Surprised by Hope, and also the dialogue between Wright and Dominic Crossan (details in the list of resources at the end of this paper). 6

That requires us to use the language of ‘sin’ and ‘evil’. Biblical faith understands that we will only be liberated from our own destruction by means of a just God, and a faithful human response to that God. Christian faith holds fast to the figure of Jesus whose faithfulness to God completes the story of Israel (from whom God sought a faithful response) and trusts that he has broken the claim of the powers by holding fast to his Father. Jesus stands fully in our place. He opens up the way of liberation for us (forgiveness, removal of guilt, the capacity to love). In his faithful response God’s Spirit acts to begin the long process of healing and transforming the world.

Crucifixion For the New Testament, the crucifixion is a defining event for understanding Jesus’ life and death, and for understanding the shape of Christian faith. Jesus’ death has been interpreted as ‘crucial’ from the beginnings of the Christian community. However, these days some preachers and Ministers avoid preaching the crucifixion of Jesus. They rightly see its barbarity. But they fail to understand what the New Testament is telling us about the death of Jesus. They rightly reject views of the crucifixion (atonement) which say that God requires the death of Jesus to satisfy God’s honour or pride or hurt. Such views, found, for example in Anselm’s view of the atonement which requires a death to satisfy God’s honour, are now judged to be unhelpful and even inadequate expressions of the cross of Jesus. Contrary to the view that God requires Jesus’ death, the New Testament shows Jesus siding with his Father to show the love of God for the world; Jesus (as the Son) takes the only way possible. He remains true to his Father, carrying the news of God’s liberation, compassion and forgiveness for humanity. It is the rebellious world and its powers which rejects God, and kills the One who comes in the name of God. We may say, therefore, that Jesus’ sacrifice is not directed toward God for God’s ‘satisfaction’ – it is a sacrifice which is directed toward rebellious humanity which has turned from God, so that we might recognise in his utter-self-giving a new response to our Creator and Father, and so be free to turn to him and join him in his response.

POINTERS TO CLASSIC CHRISTIAN FAITH As we noted above, the Basis of Union (para 9) commits Ministers and members of the Uniting Church to use the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed for ‘instruction’ and as ‘acts of allegiance’ to the Holy Trinity’. Other expressions of the Christian faith (para 10) are taken as teaching which reminds UCA people of God’s grace, the centrality of Jesus Christ and the ‘need for a constant appeal to Holy Scripture’.

Taking the Apostles’ Creed as a summary of apostolic faith we will need to notice a key feature. The Christian creeds have two presuppositions. 1. God’s covenant which was made by setting oppressed slaves free by means of a promise. Israel’s story with God is recalled as beginning with the exodus of Hebrews from Egypt and God’s sole claim on them. 2. Jesus, the bringer of the reign of God, transforms the world in his ministry. Jesus is therefore the key to understanding God as Father, appreciating the character of the world (Creation), and the Lord who calls the church into being.

Following an outline of the Apostles’ Creed:

Father almighty16, Creator of heaven and earth A proper Trinitarian understanding of the first article of the creed recognises that the Son/Word and the Holy Spirit are involved in creating the cosmos. The Father is the One to whom Jesus prayed, and for whom he died. ‘Almighty’ takes seriously that the ‘might’ God displays is seen in the ‘power of the cross’ and in the creative life-giving power which

16 We are aware that both words ‘Father’ and ‘almighty’ are offensive to some readers, including some feminist scholars. The notion of the ‘father’ as head of the household, a stern and oppressive ruler, comes from ancient family patterns, and is also played out in modern patriarchal . It implies the subordination and oppression of women, children and the natural world. Therefore, such a father is almighty. However, as Christian faith takes its language and attitudes from Jesus, we will learn anew that he speaks of and prays to his father, Abba. Such a ‘father’ or ‘pappa’ is the one we learn of in the ministry of Jesus in which children are welcomed, women are part of his circle and men are schooled in ways which give up domineering practices of control and oppression. This approach to Jesus and the father has also been won for us by feminist theologians. See, for example, Elizabeth Moltmann‐Wendell, The Women around Jesus, and Catherine Mowry LaCugna, God For Us (1973).Also Jürgen Moltmann, The Trinity and the Kingdom of God, SCM, 1981. Considering the theme of ‘almighty’ we are brought to the question of power. We may recognise that God as Creator exercises power in bringing the Creation into being. In his ministry Jesus confronts the demonic powers which enslave the Creation (Mark 1) and from his cross parades the false powers which have brought about his death(Colossians 2:15). The resurrection of Jesus by the power of the Spirit of God (Romans 1) is the exercise of a life‐giving power that defeats the powers which serve death. 7

brings all life into being. It is therefore ‘gracious’ power. All things (visible and invisible) are God’s creation.

17 Jesus is Lord This second article is the key to understanding all three parts of the Creed. There are various features of Jesus’ life and ministry which are left unsaid in the creed. We may take the view that they are implied. We make explicit those features in the Gospels: Jesus inaugurated the reign of God in word and deed. He announced the reign of God, was baptised, silenced and disempowered demonic powers, fed the hungry, healed the sick, touched and was touched by the ‘unclean’, ate with prostitutes and sinners (tax collectors), was in conflict with the religious leaders over the Sabbath, synagogue and Law, and forgave sins. Futhermore: women were supporters of, and witnesses to, his ministry, death, burial and the news of his rising.

Jesus birth is ‘conceived’ by the Spirit of God; he is born by the power and initiative of God the Spirit. Jesus’ birth is of Mary a woman. Jesus was on trial before the world. Jesus was crucified and died, executed by religious and political powers on a Roman cross. Jesus was raised from the dead. Jesus is ‘exalted’: he is granted the power and authority of God. As the one who announced the reign of God, he will finally rule over all leaders, rulers and powers Jesus will have the last word as ‘Judge’. In him the final word is spoken. With the searing love of God, Jesus will face us with who we are. Admittedly, there are many pictures of the ‘Last Judgment’ showing the agony of sinners who are condemned by the Divine Judge, and are thrown into a fiery hell. It is true that such images are found in the New Testament – in the gospel according to Matthew, particularly. However, there are theologians who remind us that Jesus the judge is the same as the person we meet in the Gospels. They remind us that Jesus empties (‘harrows’) hell. They point us, therefore, to Jesus who comes to transform us. They insist that, as the One who has suffered our sin, he will bring us to account as he, astonishingly, forgives.18 That is, the understanding of Jesus as ‘Judge’ must be held together with, and be informed by, the account of Jesus’ own life and ministry, where Jesus comes to announce the nearness of the reign of God, and offers food for the hungry, healing for the sick, forgiveness for sinners (even his murderers), and blessing for the poor.

This creedal pattern thereby provides the pattern for understanding ‘intervention’ by God.

The Holy Spirit [Nicene Creed: ‘Lord and Giver of life’] The third article of the creed presupposes that the Spirit acted at the beginning with the Word to bring forth the creation, and is the same Spirit who ‘groans’ with labour pains of the new creation. The Spirit is the life-giving power of God. This is the Spirit of God:  active in the people of Israel, in Moses and ‘through the prophets’;  active in Jesus’ birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection;  active in forming a new human community, the church, which depends on the apostles and is undivided;  active in baptism and in forgiving sins;  the lively power of the final resurrection;  the power of God’s promised future, ‘life eternal’.

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Helpful Guides: Doctrine Working Group: http://assembly.uca.org.au/ cudw/doctrine-resources-and-publications

17 ‘Lord’ has the same problems as ‘Father’ and ‘almighty’. If we are to understand Jesus as Lord, we must take utterly seriously his expression of lordship as the Crucified One, the one who comes to serve, not to be served. See Mark 10:45, 1 Corinthians 1: 18ff. 18 For a powerful and helpful discussion of Jesus Christ as Judge, see Jürgen Moltmann, Sun of Righteousness Arise: God’s Future for Humanity and the Earth, Fortress Press, Minneapolis, 2012 8

 Doc.byte on Doctrine - prepared by the Doctrine Working Group  Guidance for the Church’s Faithful Thinking – a paper prepared by the Doctrine Working Group and received by the Assembly Standing Committee in March, 2009  How to Read the Bible - 12 Simple Guidelines is a resource developed by the Doctrine Working Group. It offers some useful steps as to how people can truly enter into the biblical message. How to Read the Bible is available a hard copy format from the Doctrine Working Group or electronically in various languages at the doctrine link above.  On Being An Apostolic Church – a paper produced by the Doctrine Working Group and endorsed by the Assembly Standing Committee in July, 2010

Geoff Thompson, Progressive : Testing its Arguments: http://www.trinity.qld.edu.au/index.php?page=content&idcon=5723; Also: Geoff Thompson: Guarding and Declaring the Right Understanding of the Faith in a Pluralist Culture: Geoff Thompson

Walter Bruggemann, The Bible Makes Sense, St Mary’s Press, 1997. Tyron Inbody, The Faith of the Christian Church, Eerdmans, 2005. Robin M. Jensen, The Substance of Things Seen: Art, Faith, and the Christian Community, Eerdmans, 2004. Robert W. Jenson, Systematic Theology, volume 1, Oxford University Press, 1997 Timothy Luke Johnson, The Creed: What Christians Believe and Why it Matters, Darton, Longman & Todd, 2003. Timothy Luke Johnson, The Writings of the New Testament: An Interpretation (revised edition), SCM Press, London 1999. Catherine LaCugna, God For Us: The Trinity and Christian Life, Harper, San Francisco, 1991 George A Lindbeck, The Nature of Doctrine: Religion and Theology in a Postliberal Age, Westminster Press, 1984; Kevin J. Madigan & Jon D. Levenson, Resurrection: The Power of God for Christians and Jews, Yale UP, 2008; Alister McGrath, "I Believe": Exploring the Apostles' Creed, IVP Books, 1998 Daniel L. Migliore, Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology, William B Eerdmans Publishing Co, 2004. Elisabeth Moltmann-Wendell, The Women Around Jesus, Crossroad Publishing, 1983; Jürgen Moltmann, The Crucified God: The Cross of Christ as the Foundation and Criticism of Christian Theology, SCM Press, 1972; Jürgen Moltmann, The Way of Jesus Christ: in Messianic Dimensions, SCM Press, 1990; Jürgen Moltmann, Sun of Righteousness Arise: God's Future for Humanity and the Earth, Fortress Press, Minneapolis, 2010; Lesslie Newbigin, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, WCC, 1989; Wolfhart Pannenberg, The Apostles’ Creed in the Light of Today’s Questions, SCM Press, 1972. NT Wright, Surprised by Hope, Zondervan, 2010 John Dominic Crossan and N.T. Wright in Dialogue, The Resurrection of Jesus, ed. Robert B Stewart, Augsburg Fortress, 2006