Author: John

100 Theses for the Evangelical Church

 

Dr. John M. Hanna

October 31, 2017

Springfield, Oregon

 

Five hundred years ago today, October 31, 1517, Dr. Martin Luther nailed 95 theses on the Wittenburg Door of Castle Church in Germany protesting grievances he had with the state of the Roman Catholic Church at the time.

Five hundred years later to the day, I post an even 100 theses for the Evangelical church in particular, and the Church universal, to consider as we strive to be faithful witnesses of our Lord.

 

1. In deference to Martin Luther and his first of 95 theses, I too declare that repentance is the key to enter into the fullness of life with Christ and all the benefits of a deep, rich life of faith
2. That being said, the church has neglected the single greatest determining factor that precedes repentance. The essential verse is Romans 2:4b, “the goodness (χρηστός / chrēstos) of God leads you to repentance.”
3. This reference to Romans 2:4b is not a proof text. Goodness is the very heart and nature of God, indispensable and foundational to His character
4. That God is actively leading us to repentance should never be confused with worldly tactics used by churches that seek to coax and seduce people into their doors
5. When the church is more concerned about numbers without genuine repentance, it is akin to Judas Iscariot negotiating how much to sell out Jesus for (Matthew 26:15)
6. The only numerical indication of the strength and faithfulness of a church is how many people will attend a prayer meeting
7. Prayer is the posture of humility and penitence and must be central in the life of the believer and the community of faith
8. The church must repent of making “superstars” of its leaders, church growth heroes, expert communicators, musical practitioners
9. The good virtues of servanthood, meekness, peacemaking, forgiveness, self denial, sacrifice, and reconciliation have all but been lost in modern Christianity today and must be revived
10. The church must repent of worshiping worship, rather than worshiping Jesus
11. The wealthy churches in any community must repent for overlooking the poorer churches in the same community
12. Repentance is the awareness and response that due to the leading of God, we must, moment by moment, return to God who is the originating source of all goodness
13. Repentance (change of mind which leads to change in behavior) is continuous active, not one time static. Renewal of the mind is ongoing (Romans 12:2)
14. Repentance is both God’s leading and our response, the latter is the result of the former
15. Repentance is both private and communal, it absolutely cannot be just one or the other
16. Repentance is both faith and works, it unquestionably cannot be just one or the other
17. The single greatest issue facing the church today is the obvious lacking of “good fruit” (good deeds [God deeds] from a pure heart) among professing followers of Jesus Christ
18. Jesus spoke of the necessity of bearing “good fruit” (Matthew 7:16-20), a message sorely lacking and practiced today
19. In the Gospel of Mark chapter 1, the first message of both John the Baptist and Jesus was a message of repentance. There is a dire need for the church today to demonstrate the good fruits of repentance
20. If “good fruit” is so desperately lacking in the church today, it is an indication that true repentance is not properly understood and implemented
21. May we repent of our apathy toward the things of God
22. While Luther made the issue of salvation a matter of faith over works / salvation by grace alone, and rightly so, what got lost in the discussion is that the way of salvation is only predicated on the goodness of God which leads to repentance
23. Luther revived the question, “How can we be saved?” – by grace through faith alone. I seek to revive the question, “Why must we be saved?” or “Why must we continually turn to God?” – because God is good
24. The goodness of God is no trivial or incidental matter. It is not a secondary attribute among His many other attributes.
25. The goodness of God is the single greatest primary characteristic of God from which all His other attributes flow
26. All the other attributes of God, including His love and holiness, even His justice, etc., must be seen in light of the fact that God is good
27. As the sole source of pure goodness in the world, it is impossible for God to harbor or engage in any evil (Psalm 92:15)
28. What separates Creator God from all creation in a world that has fallen away from God’s ideal and intention due to sin is that creation has the capacity for evil, whereas God does not and cannot have the capacity for any evil
29. What determines that God is good, and how “good” is to be understood, is outlined in the Scriptures
30. Our conception of “goodness” will not always align itself with what God considers to be good
31. In many churches today, we’ve substituted good music, good messages, good programs, etc. for a Scriptural understanding of the goodness of God
32. The deeper our knowledge of God and the Holy Scriptures, the more enlightened we are “to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14)
33. If God were not good, He could not be loving, gracious, merciful, forgiving, redeeming, etc.
34. That “God is good” is not simply the cliché we’ve made it out to be. It is the fundamental nature of God
35. God is the emanating source of all goodness in the world whether we acknowledge it or not
36. Any good in the world – deed, action, sentiment, etc., is because God is continuously actively at work in the world through His Spirit
37. As ones created in the Imago Dei (image of God), however flawed that image is because of the sin, if there is goodness in us, it is because of Him
38. “The Lord is good to all” (Psalm 145:9). God forgive us when we are not good to all, even the all who are so unlike us
39. We were created by God to do good works (Ephesians 2:10), a much neglected teaching in our churches today
40. When we do not do good works on behalf of others, we are not living as God intended
41. When we are not good stewards of creation, we are not living as God intended
42. The church must repent when pagans and people of non faith do more good in the world than we
43. Certain people are naturally prone to being and doing good because their sensitives are more closely aligned to God than others
44. Those who are not as naturally inclined to doing good and more resistant to seeking God are more hardened but just as redeemable
45. All people, whether naturally closer aligned to God or not, need to diligently seek God
46. In seeking God with heart, mind, soul, and strength, we are able to more fully know what God’s good and perfect will is for us (Romans 12:2)
47. We can be confident that long before we sought out God in faith, He has been seeking us out of His goodness
48. The church must read the Holy Scriptures through the hermeneutical lens of goodness
49. The goodness of God is definitely revealed in the person of Jesus Christ who “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38b). May this also be said of us
50. Any religion, including Christianity, that does not seek to embody the goodness of God, cannot legitimately be considered a religion
51. Any sect of Christianity that does not seek to fully embody the goodness of God cannot be considered “Christian”
52. How can we as Evangelical Christians begin to recapture the goodness of God? I propose, to begin, we cease referring to ourselves as “Protestants”
53. Since their inception, Protestants have been protesting. And while at the time their protesting had merit on certain issues, it seems that protesting is all that Protestants still do, protesting and dissenting even the most frivolous of issues which tarnishes the goodness, message, and mission of our faith
54. Rather than protesting, let us find and celebrate the good in the world and the good in others
55. Our incessant protesting over incidentals is just as tiresome as the grumblings of the Israelites in the wilderness
56. Our calling should be to help others, by God’s enabling Spirit, to see the good in the world, in others, and in themselves
57. Where good is, God can be found.
58. Where God is present, goodness follows (Psalm 23:6)
59. The good in our lives and world (Scripturally understood) comes from God (James 1:17)
60. God is the initiator and sustainer of the good work He begins in us (Philippians 1:6)
61. We must cooperate with God as we submit to His will and ways to stoke the good work He initiated in us
62. Goodness is not the absence of suffering. Many Western Christians are blinded to God’s goodness due to an overabundance of comfort, material possessions, and wealth
63. It is the goodness of God that can bring unity to the Body of Christ that is so currently fractured
64. All professing followers of Jesus must rally behind the goodness of God as a point of unity
65. All professing followers of Jesus must exemplify the goodness of God. This cannot be optional
66. To not exemplify the goodness of God negates our professing faith
67. To neglect special attention to the poor and disenfranchised in all cultures negates our professing faith
68. Jesus was honored to preach Good News to the poor (Luke 4:18). Clergy friends and all who minister to the poor, through you get overlooked by your ecclesiastically hierarchy, rejoice, for you are the true servants of God!
69. To give special deference to the rich and influential in church and culture negates a professing faith
70. To neglect the poor and disenfranchised as leaders in the church simply for being such is an abomination
71. To give leadership reigns in the church to wealthy and influential individuals and congregations simply for being wealthy and influential is an abomination
72. Pay to play leadership in the church (local churches and ecclesiastical hierarchy) is a modern day form of indulgences
73. Wealth and size of congregations should never be determining factors in how God and we view success
74. Racism, sexism, elitism, and favoritism must all be purged completely from the church
75. Churches that mirror a corporate, capitalistic culture are lovers of the world
76. Churches that mirror an entertainment, spectator culture are just as lost as the culture
77. The loudest and most vocal among us are not necessarily the wisest and most discerning. We must learn to listen to the voice of grace and truth in the Spirit
78. Worship is so much more than mere sentimentality, emotionalism, and hand raising as we sing
79. Worship ought to be the result of our good works. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16)
80. Good deeds, that lead to praise of the Father, is at the heart of worship
81. Liturgical / sacramental worship should always lead to an exemplary good and holy life
82. A more causal worship should also lead to an exemplary good and holy life
83. Good deeds should lead to worship, and true worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24) should lead back to good deeds
84. As it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance, it is the holiness of God that leads us to be entirely sanctified and made holy, set apart for God
85. We cannot be holy without being faithfully immersed in a local community of faith
86. Faithfulness and devotion to the things of God is an indication of a holy life
87. Our concern should be to pursue a devout life of goodness and faithfulness (Matthew 25:23)
88. Lack of goodness and faithfulness in the lives of professing Christians has done far more damage to the church than any exterior cause – repent!
89. Without a devout life of holiness, no one can more fully experience the goodness of God
90. The fullness of the Spirit of God in us as we are entirely sanctified is to propagate the common good (I Corinthians 12:7)
91. “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8a) could very well foreshadow the Eucharist, the holy sacrament commemorating the sacrificial love of Christ
92. So what about love? Isn’t God love? (I John 4:8b).  A resounding “YES” God is love!  Love (properly and Biblically understood) is the highest form of good
93. The phrase “I love you” has becoming meaningless in today’s culture and a cliché among Christians. We need to properly understand Biblical love.
94. I John 3:16 clearly defines Biblical love – “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”
95. No Christian should ever say the words “I love you” to another unless they are willing to lay down their life for them
96. Clergy, shepherd your flock and community to Christ and in the good things of God
97. Clergy, it is not about the numbers game that our ecclesiastical leaders make it out to be, to grow the church whatever the cost. It is about making disciples.  A church of 30 good and faithful (holy) people is far greater, more effective, and a better witness for the cause of Christ than a church of 300 contentious people
98. Christian, let your light shine ( – Jesus)
99. Christian, grow in grace ( – St. Paul)
100. Finally, “Let us not become weary in doing good…” (Galatians 6:9). If we all heed this, the rest (including the harvest and all eternity) will take care of itself according to the goodness of God

A short devotional I wrote to be published in a prayer booklet for our District Assembly in Portland in May 2017 –

This year is quite the remarkable year as October 31, 2017 is the 500^th anniversary of the date that Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517 and began the Protestant Reformation which radically transformed the trajectory of Christianity.  Yet 100 years before Luther, the original reformer, John Hus (1369 – 1415), was laying the foundation which influenced Reformers to come such as Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli.  He openly spoke against abuses in the church including the practice of indulgences and condemning clergy who were corrupt.  At the Council of Constance, Hus was ordered by the church to renounce his writings, but he refused to do so where his teachings were in line with Scripture.  Having been declared a heretic, John Hus was burned at the stake on July 6, 1415.  As the flames intensified, he cried, “Lord Jesus, it is for Thee that I patiently endure this cruel death. I pray Thee to have mercy on my enemies.”  Martin Luther would later say of Hus, “I could not understand for what cause they had burnt so great a man, who explained the Scriptures with so much gravity and skill.”

Standing on Biblical conviction is never easy and will prove to be costly.   Paul says to Timothy, “Join with me in suffering” (II Tim 2:3) and “If we endure, we will also reign with [Christ]” (II Tim 2:12).

Thank you Lord, for the faithful endurance of those who have come before us!

I was asked to write a guest article for the Springfield Times, our local newspaper, which was published on March 10, 2016 –

I am 44 years old and I cannot remember a time when our culture has been more divided. We only seem to have perpetuated this “us” verses “them” mentality that continues to further separate us from one another – republican vs. democrat; gay vs. straight; Christian vs. Muslim; rich vs. poor; black vs. white; Duck vs. Beaver fans (kidding on that last one), etc. These polarizations are quite real today and the barriers to understanding “them” (whoever they may be) are higher than ever. There are sociological reasons for this as we tend to gravitate toward people who are just like us. Generally speaking, we have more in common with the people in our inner circle of friends than we have differences. While we find comfort and safety with those who tend to share our values and mindset, if we do not intentionally get to know and affirm others who are not in our circle, we will only remain suspicious, uncertain, fearful, and perhaps even angry with those outside of our circle.

The words of Jesus two thousand years ago are just as pertinent today as when He first spoke them. In the Gospel of John 13:34, Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another.” These words might be familiar to us today, but we have to realize that this message was revolutionary in the first century when Jesus first uttered them. In a culture just as divided back then, if not more than today, no one was preaching about loving and accepting others who were “different” the way Jesus was. Within His own inner circle of twelve, Jesus had disciples who came from diverse socioeconomic and political backgrounds. Yet Jesus modeled love and acceptance and asked His followers to do the same.

The beauty of this teaching of Jesus is in its universality. Not only should followers of Jesus embody this ideal, but even non-religious people can. Truth be told, sometimes non-religious people embody this ethic better than religious people. But I did it again as I set up another dichotomy – religious vs. non-religious people. It’s such a part of who we are and what we do that we almost can’t help but to label people. Labels are not inherently bad, but if labels keep us from loving one another, then they become counterproductive. As a father, a pastor, and as one who strives to grow as a person and follower of Jesus every single day, I’m teaching my kids, my congregation, and myself to seek to embody this love ethic of Jesus. May we truly learn to love one another; loving all people without preconceived biases and partiality.

John M. Hanna

Dr. John M. Hanna is Pastor at Springfield First Church of the Nazarene (springfieldchurch.org) and blogs at johnmhanna.com