Hopes, Dreams and Disapointments

Here in America the ideology of progress runs deep through our veins (at least from my middle to upper class veins). It is ingrained in our culture that whatever we put our hands to it can be made better, more efficient, and ultimately will better the entire world. Obviously much can be said about what type of progress has been made in our society and world. But for my blogging purposes it is sufficient to state that as Americans we are trained to believe in progress.

My question is how does that mindset line up with the Gospel? Did Jesus come to bring progress? And if he did, to what extent?

I study at MHGS, and many of us here have come to re-imagine what the gospel is in our present context. Many of us who come from an evangelical background have found that the evangelical goals: preach the gospel, win converts, build churches fails to encompass the totality of the gospel (that of course is a horribly generalized description of evangelicalism, I recognize that, but also recognize that there is certain measure of truth in it). My evangelical dreams died when I returned from my second trip to Africa. My mind and body broke under the weight of the responsibility of "reaching the world for Jesus."

You see I grew up in the age of the youth rally. A context where the American ideology of progress was fused with the Christian call to mission. I was told that my generation would be the one to reach the world for Christ. So myself like so many other young people went to foreign lands to share our good news. We came home (and I say we, because I am not the only one who has been deconstructed by overseas mission) changed, confused, and to a certain extent disappointed. There are too many "who haven't heard." There is such immense suffering?! Is God good? Is there even a God? Have I just participated in the Americanization of the world? Have I participated in the destruction of local cultures in the name of my American God of progress?

So then, where do I find myself now. What is Christian mission? What is the gospel? If we fail in our mission and if we preach the wrong gospel is the world doomed? Is heaven the reward for getting it right (I guess we don't have to worry, we are the saved?!)?

I have come to believe that approaching mission and gospel is not about determining who is in and who is out. Christian mission is not about riding around in a life-raft pulling in whoever you can.

God in Christ has eternally committed Godself to the world and to humanity. God became human, forever signifying God's solidarity with us. God has forever put to rest the question of who is in and who is out.

So what is Christian mission: committing ourselves to the world and to humanity. But we do it from a different vantage point than God. God had to put on flesh to establish solidarity with humanity. As humans we are already in solidarity with all humanity. God is the other, not our neighbor.

So we do as Christ did, we offer our lives to our neighbor. Are we promised social progress if we do so? Are we promised that we will establish peace on earth? We are not. Miroslav Volf, in Exclusion and Embrace, refers to this as the scandal of the Gospel. He writes, "The ultimate scandal of the cross is the all too frequent failure of self donation to bear positive fruit" (26). I.e. when you turn your other cheek, most often you will be struck again. But he continues on, and what he writes next I think is the heart of the gospel (he is speaking of the experience of the disciples),

"Precisely in the scandal, they have discovered a promise. In serving and giving themselves for others, in lamenting and protesting before the dark face of God, they found themselves in the company of the Crucified. In his empty tomb they saw proof that the cry of desperation will turn into a song of joy and that the face of God will eventually 'shine' upon a redeemed world" (27).

The experience of the gospel is to find oneself in the company of the crucified. To pour out love and grace and be returned with violence. And yet to have the audacity to hope that God will eventually shine upon a redeemed world.