Volume 3, Issue 2

Crown & Cross Columbia’s Journal of Christian Thought

The Columbia

Crown & Cross Volume 3, Issue 2 S TA F F

C ON T RI BU TOR S

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

STAFF EDITORS

E S S AYS

Emily Lau CC ’17

Raymond Li CC ’17 Bryan Lee CC ’18 Daniel Lee CC ’18 Chris Bolton CC ’19 John Quinn Russell CC ’20

Kenna Arana CC ’17 Michael Miskovski CC ’17

MANAGING EDITOR Titus Willis CC ’18

WEBMASTER Crystal Ren SEAS ’19

BUSINESS MANAGER Michael Yitayew CC ’19

ONLINE EDITORS Johanan Sowah SEAS ’17 Pauline Morgan CC ’18 Tiffany Li SEAS ’19 Clara Monk CC ’20 Nathan Barlow CC ’20

Andy Truelove CC ’17 Titus Willis CC ’18 Taylor Troutt CC ’18 Tiffany Li SEAS ’19 Chris Bolton CC ’19 John Quinn Russell CC ’20

P OE M S Lilian Chow TC ’17 Kenna Arana CC ’17 Afua Addo CC ’20

LAYOUT EDITORS Myles Zhang CC ’19 Clara He CC ’19 Mollie Bayer BC ’19 Lina Tian CC ’19 Ashley An SEAS ’20

If you are interested in getting involved, e-mail us at columbiacrowncross@gmail.com Check out our blog and print issues online at crowncross.org Like our Facebook page: facebook.com/columbiacrowncross Special thanks to the Collegiate Network and Christian Union Cover and Inside Back Cover Photos from Unsplash.com

A Letter from the Editors Before Jesus ascends to Heaven, He commands His disciples to “Go ... and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV). In what many Christians today refer to as “the Great Commission,” Jesus instructs His followers to spread the gospel of His saving grace across the world. Yet Christians over the years have not always fulfilled that call properly: military campaigns and colonizing machinations to convert have tainted the notion of Christian evangelism. These distorted efforts deviate from Christ’s message of love, mercy, and justice, and often overshadow the humanitarian work of selfless Christians who continue to give their lives to the cause.

As modern-day followers of Christ, our history is at once both saddening and inspiring.

To elucidate our primary calling as Christians, we are exploring the theme “The Great Commission” in this issue.

We look to the evangelistic approaches of the historic Church as well as modern missions and consider how Jesus’ final instruction informs our daily lives today. What should the Great Commision look like on the church level?

What should it look like on the individual level? What can we learn from the past, and how does the modernizing world change our approach to evangelism?

In response to these questions and more, this issue’s contributors have written thought-provoking essays and compelling poetry that reveal different facets of the Great Commission and their significance in a Christian life.

In “Disciples of the Digital Earth,” John Russell explores how social media and the Internet have opened up new ways to share one’s faith. Tiffany Li, in “False Teachings and the Early Church,” elucidates damaging heresies that the early Church had to counter during its rapid growth when tenets of the faith were still being established. Taylor Troutt tells us about her father’s work as an Army Chaplain, living out the Great Commision in difficult situations abroad. And Titus Willis interviews Dr. Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board, about supporting missionaries who are ministering to people near and far.

We welcome people of all backgrounds and beliefs to join us as we contemplate God’s calling on our lives. We do not claim to cover all that the Great Commision entails, but we do hope to shed some light on its significance to us as Christians and to prompt further discussion about the gospel itself. Our dedicated team has worked tirelessly and joyfully on this issue, and we hope you will find something in these pages that resonates with you.

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Poetry 8

Jesus Wept.

Afua Addo

Therefore, Go 15 Lilian Chow 31

A Call for All Kenna Arana

Essays 5

For God and for Country Taylor Troutt

Christian, Why Are You 9 Happy?

Chris Bolton Kennedy, Christ, and 17 Diverse Leadership Andy Truelove False Teachings and the Early 21 Church Tiffany Li 27

The Year of Mercy Michael Miskovski

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Disciples of the Digital Earth John Quinn Russell

A Conversation with the President of the North 36 American Mission Board Titus Willis

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For God and for Country

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early a century has passed since the U.S. Armed Forces established trained chaplains within their ranks. They began in 1918,1 the final year of history’s bloodiest war to that point, and the nation’s top military minds had observed their soldiers under more duress than ever before. Facing the realities of death yourself is difficult, but seeing the bodies of your friends and neighbors mangled by shrapnel is another thing entirely. The traumas of war can do vicious things to a person’s spiritual makeup, whether that be from combat or from prolonged absence from family and loved ones. While most soldiers have faith in something—it has been said that "there are no atheists in foxholes"—giving them peace and confidence at home and through deployment was (and is) a job for professionals.

My dad, Captain Jerry Troutt, is one of those professionals. He has been in the army for almost 20 years and is currently in the late stages of his first overseas deployment. Seminary-trained and gospel-minded, my dad lives in Kuwait with the soldiers of his division and counsels them in their times of need. The motto of the 1

"Chaplaincy History & Museum: History of Chaplain Corps. US Army Chaplain Corps." United States Army Chaplaincy official homepage, accessed 12 Nov 2016.

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Taylor Troutt

Army Chaplains is Pro Deo et Patria, or "For God and for country." Chaplains are called to serve first the Kingdom of God, meaning that they minister to, invest in, care for, and build up men and women in the name of Jesus Christ. The world may not see them as missionaries, but my dad and thousands of other Army Chaplains with him heed the call of the Great Commission and serve their country all at once. Let me tell you about them.

A lot has changed since the first chaplains got their training in Fort Monroe, Virginia—we built the atomic bomb, for example—but the Army still employs about 3,000 non-combatant clergy who tend to the spiritual and psychological needs of some 480,000 people enlisted in the Army. If that 160-to-1 soldier-to-chaplain ratio seems daunting to you, it is: imagine being the only person tasked with counseling 160 twenty-somethings in a foreign desert, many of whom have left spouses and newborn children at home for months at a time—never mind the fact that radical Islamic terrorists could always be within striking distance. To many, the work may seem like a silly, if not fearsome, way to make a living.

To my dad and many of his peers, however, it’s a dream job. Why do they love this demanding, dangerous trade?

In large part, they love it because it means serving their country in a way that dovetails with their gifts and abilities. They incorporate a pastoral role into an Army lifestyle, which means they get to serve the men, women, and families who serve our country. Any chaplain, my dad in particular, could have chosen to serve in a church after graduating from seminary, but chaplains have hearts for our soldiers and for the unique experiences and challenges those men and women face. Serving these people makes the job of a chaplain important. Yes, it is wonderful that they serve our country, but our country is not the primary means by which they are called.

The world may not see them as missionaries, but my dad and thousands of other Army Chaplains with him heed the call of the Great Commission and serve their country all at once.

How do the responsibilities of a chaplain play out in the day-to-day operations of a military unit? Typically, chaplains give psychological and spiritual counsel to soldiers, provide opportunities for them to grow daily through meetings or planned retreats, contribute to the local Army chapels by teaching and relationship-building, and generally serve the soldiers in whatever way they see best fits their company. This looks a little different depending on whether a chaplain is deployed. For example, before my dad was deployed to Kuwait, he would wake up around 5:00 AM to go work out in physical training with his company, then would eat breakfast and begin his day. During the week of meetings with other chaplains and their superiors, he would focus on being fully involved with the mission of his company, while also meeting with soldiers individually for counseling.2 He serves soldiers in their final stages of life as well: my dad has visited hospitalized soldiers, relayed death notices to their families, and conducted their funeral services.

Domestic chaplaincy and chaplaincy abroad each have unique job descriptions. When he was stationed in the U.S., my dad would give bi-weekly sermons at the local chapel on base, and build relationships with the soldiers who attended. He would also plan retreats for soldiers, much like something any minister would do, creating opportunities for them to get away from their normal routines to seek and learn about God in a different setting.

Being a deployed chaplain is a little different from pastoring a church. There are similar responsibilities, such 2

The counseling can either be only with the soldiers or, in some cases, marriage counseling with the soldiers and their spouses.

as preaching at a church service weekly, but the stakes are higher. Soldiers are more stressed, and there are often more instances of psychological trauma and emotional instability in war than there are in civilian life. Because of their responsibility to the soldiers, some chaplains (my dad included) team up with certain businesses and nonprofits to provide support through gifts and other means. My dad partners with a few different places but the coolest one by far is Holy Joe’s Cafe in Connecticut.

This church-sponsored program sends Keurig coffee machines and K-Cups by the thousands to my dad’s unit, and all of this is done out of love in the name of Jesus.

In large part, a chaplain is present to foster spiritual growth and build relationships with soldiers. They must be able to relate to the soldiers, which is why they go through the same combat training as everyone else: they want the soldiers to know that they relate fully to their experiences. For many chaplains, this connection comes with a deep compassion and care for soldiers which, if successfully conveyed, can lead to fruitful pastoral roles for chaplains in the lives of those around them. In order for chaplains to be effective, they have to be fully present in the lives of their soldiers and understand their struggles and pains. My dad’s soldiers can trust that he understands how hard it is to be married and have children you love and be 8,000 miles away from them, because he also lives it. He can relate to them even if they are young and struggling to make it or newly married with an infant or toddler to take care of while not making much money at all, because my dad was also in their position when I was a little girl. They can trust him, because even though he does not always have to be there, he regularly Volume 3 | Issue 2

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joins the soldiers for early morning runs at 4:30 AM or goes out on a Sunday morning to train in the deserts of New Mexico and pray with them. He invites families and couples who are struggling and considering divorce into our home so that they can ask and learn from my parents, examples of hope and redemption to couples who yearn for those things. My dad is a genuine example of what a chaplain should look like when effectively doing his or her job. He uses his God-given gifts, abilities, and passions in winsome ways to point his soldiers closer to the only source of a full life: Jesus Christ. He works daily to make disciples of those serving our nation, so that they too will be saved. In this way chaplains serve our country: not by simply being in the Army, but also by caring for the souls who make up those forces.

A chaplain is present to foster spiritual growth and build relationships with soldiers.

Though largely unknown and unorthodox, my dad and his fellow Army Chaplains are missionaries in the truest sense of the word: traveling into all areas of the world and interacting with people who live there. Chaplains not only disciple soldiers, who are then sent to serve internationally, but they also get to interact with civilians around the globe. My dad recently had the opportunity to talk with some Kuwaiti civilians—many of whom are Muslims who have never heard the gospel—at a local mall when they asked

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what he was doing there. He also has been responsible for the Army’s interactions with local customs while deployed through contact with local leaders in the area.

As the motto Pro Deo et Patria indicates, service of country is not the most important reason people like my dad do what they do. Serving God comes first in the motto, and it comes first in everything an Army chaplain does. They serve their country by serving the men and women who serve us. In that, they are obedient to what Jesus instructs the disciples to do in Matthew 28.

We call this instruction the Great Commission because of the weight with which Jesus gives us the responsibility to go and make disciples of all nations and the authority to baptize and teach them all that He commands. Chaplains are making disciples of those who serve our nation. These soldiers go out into other nations to aid and protect. With a chaplain by their side to help guide them spiritually, they can fulfill this call with intentions that are more likely to be shaped by the love of Jesus Christ, therefore placing God above country and seeking to glorify Him in everything they do as soldiers. I am overjoyed in knowing that my dad has been chosen to do this job, and that he is a faithful and obedient servant for God and for country.

Taylor Troutt (CC ‘18) comes to New York from Houston, Texas, which often leaves her missing her family very much. She starts at second base for Columbia’s softball team, enjoys spending time with her friends, and would honestly be content to drop out of school to go home and craft with her mom.

Jesus Wept.

Afua Addo

A lot.

Rivers and oceans whirled in His eyes threatening to break free from the shores of His eyelids and they did.

They did for people who were undeserving of His tears, of His sadness overflowing, of His pain heart-wrenching, mirroring the blood that spilled from His body for us like tears themselves.

With His own body He wiped clean our debts, washed away our iniquities with every return of the tide.

These tears, these oceans and rivers of flowing water and blood, are proof of the pain He endured, a pain that we will never know.

And who can pay Him back for this? Who is worthy of His forgiveness?

Who can return His tears to Him? Not you. Not I. Not anyone.

Please refrain from searching for these tears.

Please refrain from searching for what you are not meant to look.

Instead, search for what you can find.

Search for those whom He has placed on the earth for you to look, for only when the lost are found can they be welcomed back with arms open.

Transgressions forever forgiven and debts paid in full.

Do not forget that there is no distance too far that one can travel without being welcomed home.

But forget the past and keep in your heart the memory of what it was like to be lost so you can have compassion for those who have yet to be found.

For we are all broken parts of the same body, trying to find our way back together, parched souls in need of one another.

So who can say that one is more valuable than the other? Or that one is more thirsty, more deserving of His tears or His blood?

Please go out into the world of tears and bring each other home from sea.

Do so with a heart barren of pride and judgment for not you, not I, not anyone can say who is worthy or who is not.

Bring those who are drowning in waves of darkness up for air and into the light, so that He will smile and weep for us with joy next time.

Afua Addo (CC ’20) is a Neuroscience major with a passion for the outdoors and good music. In the future, she hopes to find ways of traveling around the world and learning many languages while also pursuing her work in the medical field. She was born in Massachusetts, and her love for God is something she hopes becomes clear in her writing and everyday life.

Christian, Why are You Happy?

Chris Bolton

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ow that I have captured your attention, let me assure you, dear reader, that the forthcoming discussion aims not to compel you to join a monastery or lead a life of Stoic self-denial. Rather, we will explore how Christians are to reconcile the concept of satisfaction with our sanctification and commission as God’s vice-regents; the extent to which we are indebted on account of God’s perfect love and redeeming grace; and the manner in which we are called unto Jesus’ ministry of reconciliation. Before we proceed, though, I think it prudent to respond to some of the more disturbing claims advanced by a popular doctrine that has framed much of the current conversation around Christian happiness. It is what Dr. John Piper calls “Christian Hedonism.”

Contra Piper

P

iper is famous for often saying that “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” While this nice-sounding platitude is not itself problematic, his attempt to distill from Scripture a simple, unifying “philosophy of life” raises several questions. The thrust of his argument descends from his mutation of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which he distorts to say that “the chief end of man is to glorify God by

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enjoying Him forever.”1 In doing so, he transmutes the purpose of man into a self-seeking one, rather than one which is modeled in the gospel.

In Desiring God,2 Piper considers our incontrovertible desire to be happy, claiming that our true happiness is in God alone. He wants to show how we ought not just obey God and follow Christ but do so in order to satisfy ourselves. Accordingly, he says that “pursuing pleasure in God is our highest calling.”3 Jesus, on the contrary, says simply: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.

And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.4 Nowhere does He tell us to love God so that we can be The catechism originally reads: “the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”

2 This is the summa of Piper’s theology, which it is worth noting, Piper initially constructs not by consulting Scripture, but thinkers like Jonathan Edwards, C.S. Lewis, and Pascal. The resultant theology is bound to be defective, or at the very least, incomplete, as its starting premises lack authority.

3 John Piper, The Dangerous Duty of Delight (Colorado Spring: Multnomah Books, 2001), 22. This text is basically a recapitulation of Desiring God. 4 Matthew 22:37-39 (ESV).

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happy. For love is not motivated by joy but is its own motivation. We are created to reflect God’s love, not to treat the Almighty as instrumental in our search for happiness, but Piper unnecessarily conflates the love.

He claims, “the desire to be happy is a proper motive for every good deed, and if you abandon the pursuit of your own joy you cannot love man or please God.”5 To Piper, “it is unbiblical and arrogant to try to worship God for any other reason than the pleasure to be had in Him.”6 Yet again, this is just not consistent with the gospel. For by trying to supplement God’s greatest commandment in this way, we might find ourselves dictating to God what we ought to get from being obedient. This is the mistake of Job, the mistake of Adam. God calls us to obedience, even joyful obedience, but the outcome is His alone to determine.

What is most frustrating about Piper’s argument is his impressive deployment of Scripture to buttress his erroneous claims. For example, he takes Psalm 37:4 out of context, making “delighting in God” the fundamental Christian duty—and the sole means of sanctification—instead of one among many. The psalmist actually outlines a set of such duties, such as “trust in the Lord and do good,” “wait patiently,” and “commit your way to the Lord.”7 All of these we do because we love Him, not because we want happiness for ourselves. We obey Him because He abhors sin and because it destroys us.

We serve Him and serve our neighbors out of indebtedness and compassion. But Piper even tries to twist Jesus’ words, “it is more blessed to give than to receive,”8 by arguing that our “blessedness” motivates the love we show our neighbors. Piper calls this the “overflow of joy in God,” love that “is experienced consciously as the pursuit of our joy in the joy of another.”9 But this is not love, at least not Christian love. Our love must be selfless and even sacrificial; for the gospel demands our holistic devotion, not a selfish devotion contingent on our own satisfaction. We are blessed beyond measure because we obey God, because we love Him, and because we serve His people.

Eudaimonia or Beatitudo?

D

espite the holes in his theology, Piper does a good job articulating just how deep our age-old desire

John Piper, Desiring God (New York: Multnomah, 2003), 112.

Ibid., 18.

7 Psalm 37:1–5.

8 Acts 20:35.

9 Piper, Desiring God, 123.

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for “ultimate happiness” goes.10 Like Aristotle, he sees happiness as “something final and self-sufficient and the end of action.”11 It is the “chief good,” but practically “a sort of living and faring well”12 by way of certain virtues. Centuries later, St. Augustine reconsiders this view, concluding that it is not wrong, just incomplete.

The proper end of human life is a relationship with God. In cultivating that relationship, man can live virtuously by conforming to the will of God, but he must recognize that virtue is not a sufficient means for attaining earthly happiness; instead, it is merely instrumental in the achievement of the eternal peace and harmony we are promised in the afterlife. This is, to Augustine, The full satisfaction of souls, this the happy life: to recognize piously and completely the One through whom you are led into the truth, the nature of the truth you enjoy, and the bond that connects you with the supreme measure.13 Augustine, however, does not abandon his discussion of happiness here, but continues to explore the concept throughout his work. In City of God, he begins to draw a distinction between earthly and eternal happiness. The first is the kind we have just described, obtained by faith, while the second kind is linked inextricably with our salvation, for “as we do not yet possess a present, but look for a future salvation, so is it with our happiness, and this with patience." He goes on to say that, “Salvation, such as it shall be in the world to come, shall itself be our final happiness.”14 True happiness in this life, it would seem, is but an illusion.

St. Thomas Aquinas15 and old Solon agree that “no man is happy in this life.”16 But I wonder, is it better to be happy or blessed? This is, perhaps, where a great deal of the confusion arises in philosophical discussions about happiness, for the Greek and Latin words—eudaimonia and beatitudo, respectively—used to denote it have different meanings. The Greek is understood as a kind of “flourishing,” while the Latin (the language of St. Augustine) literally means “blessedness.” Unlike happiness, which by one’s own merits or deeds can be “accumuThe Greek, Eudaimonia has a curious etymology. Aristotle uses the term to mean “flourishing” or “living well,” but literally, to be eudaimon is to obtain a divine state of being, or live in a way that is well-favored by a god.

11 Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 1.7, 1097b20-2.

12 Ibid., 1.8, 1098b2.

13 Ibid.

14 St. Augustine, De Civitas Dei, XIX.4.

15 St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles, III.48.

16 Herodotus, The Histories, I.32.

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Hieronymus Bosch , Christ Carrying the Cross, 1506

lated,” a blessing must be bestowed. In that sense, the Christian conception of happiness ought to bend more in the direction of beatitudo, for our ultimate happiness will be attained when we share in the everlasting blessings of the Creator.

And yet, as Jesus demonstrates, we can and do receive blessing in this life. In the Beatitudes, Jesus outlines eight specific ways in which His disciples find favor with God on account of things done by or to them.17 Whereas under the old covenant, only the righteous adherents of the law were thought to enjoy contemporaneous rewards for their faithfulness, it is now “the meek,” “the merciful,” “the pure in heart,” “the peacemakers,” “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” and “those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,” who are to be rewarded under the new paradigm.18 This “blessedness” clearly refers not to an internal state, but an outward mode of being. One is blessed by God, not happy of his own accord or as a result of an emotional response A list of eight blessings given by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount and recounted in the Gospel of Matthew.

18 Matthew 5: 3–11.

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to the material world. And he is blessed by God because he will inherit good things in the hereafter, the kingdom of heaven, and for that reason serves and obeys Him.

Sanctification and Rest

W

hen Augustine cried out to the Lord, “you have made us and drawn us to yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in You,”19 he captured precisely the kind of desperation we feel when we grasp at earthly satisfaction. For Scripture tells us that we cannot find rest, save in the bosom of the Lord, our “fortress” and “refuge”20 who delivers us from death unto life eternal. Still, it seems to me that we are often deluded by the promises of earthly rest and present satisfaction.

This is because we are impatient, unwilling to stay awake through the night for Him. We want the comfort and the contentment and the joy every hour but without any strings attached. For while His love is certainly unconditional, the fruits that are borne within us depend 19 20

St. Augustine, Confessions, I.1.

Psalm 18:2.

entirely on the manner in which we respond to God’s love. Our faithful response to God’s grace is characterized by our obedience, by our service, and by our suffering. We must recognize, as Paul did, that “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Indeed, “Creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God,” and we hope for the Creation’s liberation.

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.21 For all intents and purposes, God has already signed our adoption papers; all that is left for us is our own death and resurrection, that we may dwell forever in the house of the Lord and share in His glory.

This is our ultimate sanctification. For while we live, we give off the aroma of Christ. By God’s grace and our faith in Jesus Christ, we are justified according to the law, so that when God looks at a Christian, He sees not the sin corroding every fiber of our being, but the righteousness and holiness of Christ. Upon death, we are absolutely and permanently liberated from the very presence of sin and perfected in God's sight. After all, if as Paul says, Christ atones for both the original sin of our very nature and every act of disobedience to the Father,22 then death simply takes away our ability to keep disobeying. But while we live, we are not yet fully “in Christ,” instead we live on hope and “walk by faith.” We must recognize that our “earthly home” and our bodies, are bound to be destroyed. But “while we are at home in the body,” we are yet “away from the Lord.” We “groan that we would be further clothed,” and we groan “that

what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.”23 This life, Paul seems to say, cannot provide for our greatest needs, nor can it fulfill our desire to be satisfied. Only when we walk with Jesus in the newness of life are we given rest.

The Christian, a Debtor, and a King

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hough the beauty of God’s created order is manifested in myriad ways, we have a tendency to dwell on the evil in this world, and this not without cause. The world is eagerly awaiting the day when it will be entirely redeemed, and we likewise groan and wait with it.

But this wait cannot be passive. We cannot stand idly in the shadow of the cross, but rather we must go forth proclaiming the Lord’s death, working actively to share God’s abundant love with our neighbors. Though we are patient, our patience is not lazy; we are called to take part in reconciling creation to the Creator.

After all, dear reader, “we are debtors.”24 We are debtors to God’s love, to His grace, to His forgiving mercy, and to our covenant with Him. As 19th-century Christian minister Charles Spurgeon puts it, We are all born God's creatures, and as such we are debtors to Him; to obey Him with all our body, and soul, and strength. When we have broken His commandments, as we all of us have, we are debtors to His justice, and we owe to him a vast amount of punishment, which we are not able to pay.25 This justice, though, is satisfied by the blood of Jesus Christ. The punishment He bore for us on the cross wiped away whatever we owed. As Spurgeon notes, when Christ with His final, agonizing breath exclaimed, “It is finished,” we became debtors to God’s wrath no longer. In his words: 2 Corinthians 5:2–4.

Romans 8:12.

25 C.H. Spurgeon, "The Christian—A Debtor," Sermon No 96, Exeter Hall, 1856.

23 24

21 22

Romans 8:22–23.

Romans 5:12.

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But then because we are not debtors to God in that sense, we become ten times more debtors to God than we should have been otherwise. Because He has remitted all our debt of sin, we are all the more indebted to Him in another sense.26 “Are we not His sons, and is there not a debt the son owes to the Father which a lifetime of obedience can never remove?”27 Indeed, Christ’s labor of love and consummate sacrifice upon the cross goes deeper than the remission of our sins. It makes our adoption to sonship possible. “And if we be His sons, are we not thereby bound to love, serve, and obey Him? Sonship towards an earthly parent brings with it a host of duties, and shall the Everlasting Father be unregarded?” Spurgeon urges us to honor our Father, who not only gives us life, but showers us with blessings, among them the companionship of Jesus Christ who died and rose again that we might be able to come home and embrace our loving Father, basking in the fullness of His glory. And, since we are assured of our place in the Lord’s house, Spurgeon tells us that we must be zealous for our Father.

“Though we cannot pay all, we can at least acknowledge the debt,” and we can go forth daily, recognizing God’s “stupendous mercy” and proclaiming: “I am a debtor, I must serve my God. It is not left to my pleasure whether I will do it or not; but I am a debtor.”28 And though our very existence is a divine gift, for which we are indebted unto God, we are also created to share in His royalty. For we are made in the “image and likeness” of the God of unconditional, sacrificial, perfect love. He is a God who so overflowed with love that He saw fit to bring the universe into being, who made man as an extension of His love. He is a God who entrusted to mankind the care and dominion over His Creation, who made us “a little lower than the heavenly beings,” crowned us with “glory and honor,” and gave us dominion over His mighty works.29 Moreover, we were called, as Abraham was called, and blessed so that we might be a blessing. As God’s vice-regents, we have a profound duty to rule as servant-kings. Yet when we fall short of His eternal glory—that is, when we selfishly turn away from Him, neglecting the call to serve and obey—we lose the promise of our eternal rest. When we look to “other gods” for our satisfaction, or even when we make gods of ourselves, we are straining against our very nature. Indeed, every fiber of our being was beautifully designed to reflect the love of God. Only when, by virtue of our faithful response to the grace of Christ, we are Spurgeon.

Ibid.

28 Ibid.

29 Psalm 8:5–6.

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redeemed and renewed in God’s sight can we become that which we were made to be.

As Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, we are “new creations,” reconciled to God through Christ and given the “ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.”30 His message, I think, is quite clear. Since in Christ we are new creations, we are called to participate in the reconciliation of mankind—this is the whole point of the Great Commission. Having been made coheirs with Christ, we are called to help Him with His work and to do so lovingly and with abounding joy. Indeed, what better way could there be to honor our Brother, who shed His blood that we might be saved, than to shoulder a part of His load? Surely, the God of the universe doesn’t need our help, but He wants us to take part in this ministry.

He has entrusted us, His ambassadors, with this profound mission to spread the gospel and proclaim the redemption of the world.

If You Love Me, Feed My Sheep

U

pon the cross, Jesus recasts the imago Dei for us as the imitatio Christi. His perfect, sacrificial love and radical grace cry out to us from the Book, in response to which we live to serve. In particular, Jesus tells His followers: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”31 As a part of living our lives in worship, for and to the glory of the one true God, we are instructed above all else to “love our neighbor” as ourselves. This seems simple, but the implications are profound. For we have been given the ministry of reconciliation through which God is reconciling the whole world to Himself. This is a part of His loving nature. To truly love our neighbors is to love as God wants, to share the gospel and do good works. We

27

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30 31

2 Corinthians 5:18–20.

Mark 8:34.

are, after the fashion of Christ, to be outwardly focused, focused upon the reconciliation of all of God’s creation, not just on our own relationship with Him. Having received the good news of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, we are blessed beyond all imagination. Having believed in Him, we take the first step in responding accordingly to His redeeming grace. But our service, like our sanctification, is ongoing. This is what Jesus tells us it means to truly love Him. Indeed, when He reveals Himself on the shore of the Sea of Tiberius, He asks Peter thrice whether he truly loves Him. When Peter tells Jesus that He loves him, Jesus then commands Him as follows: “Feed my lambs” and “Tend my sheep.”

The scripture continues on to say: “And after saying this He said to him, 'Follow me.’”32 Christ’s call for us to follow Him echoes throughout the Bible, but so often we lose sight of what that means. To follow Jesus carrying your cross is not something to be taken lightly. It is not an easy task. For when we take up that cross, we must realize where we are taking it. We must understand the gravity of its message: sacrificial, other-directed love that might bring us great suffering. Indeed, Jesus tells us that "whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.”33 If we are servants of the Lord, then we must follow Him. If we love Him, we must feed His sheep. We must daily strive to conform to His righteous image of humble servitude in order that the “aroma of Christ” might fill the air. We must abandon the vain and selfish search for our own happiness, our attempts to use God and His Word to fulfill our desire for comfort and satisfaction here and now. True commitment to the gospel and the Great Commission requires disavowing our self-centered relationship with God. No longer can we pray solely for our own success, or safety, or comfort, but we must listen for the groaning of our earthly brothers and sisters. We must seek the kingdom on their behalf, proclaiming the gospel but serving them. Once we recognize our own depravity, we can press onward with rel32 33

John 21:15–19 Mark 8:35.

ative ease, for we are confident that by the grace of God we are saved. But what about the rest of the world? What about the sin and injustice and unbelief of our age? Do we rest on our laurels, satisfied that we have found comfort beneath Christ’s bloody feet? No, in fact, we must do all we can, giving up our very lives, our own dreams and ambitions to carry forth the light of Christ into the darkness. Do not go in peace, but go to bring peace. Do not go with joy in your own heart, but go to fill the hearts of others. Do not weep, but comfort those who weep.

Do not allow yourself to be content, for there is a world filled with despair and wickedness; instead crucify yourself every day for the sake of someone else.

Yes, dear reader, this is the true meaning of the Great Commission: to surrender yourself to Christ, take up your cross, and go forth in service, proclaiming the Lord’s death. C.S. Lewis says it brilliantly in Mere Christianity: Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end: submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead.

Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.34 34

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: MacMillan, 1952), 227.

Chris Bolton (CC ‘19) is a proud Virginia gentleman. He loves his friends, his family, the Army, America, and Jesus. He studies Mathematics and Philosophy by day, but by night plumbs the depths of his soul for complex emotions that he can spew onto a page, hoping something beautiful manifests itself out of the madness. He writes poetry, fiction, and libretto, hoping one day to watch one of his operas performed live.

Volume 3 | Issue 2 14

Therefore, Go Lilian Chow

“Therefore, go.”

In my self-doubt and social anxiety, I stay.

I stay— in the four walls of my dorm room that block out the sound of drills and trucks through the night, in the safety of friends who love me, accept me, and echo what I believe in, in the comfort of understanding and the promise of acceptance.

I stay.

“Make disciples of all nations.”

In my self-serving search for love and fear of loss, I stay.

I stay— in workplaces where I can use my talents to glorify me, in cities where I can hear voices of praise and validation, in spaces where I am known, respected, and in control.

I stay.

“Baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

In my self-reliance and hard-hearted denial, I stay.

I stay— in my carefully categorised life: God-time and me-time, in my intricately constructed priorities: my needs, my achievements, my desires, in my cautiously framed dichotomies: me against the rest of the world, heaven’s promises against the world’s culture.

I stay.

“Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

In my shame, inferiority, and uncertainty, I stay.

I stay— in false humility that tells me I am not fearfully and wonderfully made, in voices of criticism that tell me I am not enough to “teach” others, in fear of hypocrisy that convinces me to return to my shell of passivity.

I stay.

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“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

In my loneliness and solitude, I listen.

I listen — and hear a Father who loves me, knows me, and has plans to prosper me, and hear a Son who died for me even though I gave Him nothing and deserve nothing, and hear a Holy Spirit who accompanies me and fills my emptiness with strength.

I listen.

“Therefore, go.”

In His love and wisdom, In His sacrifice and grace, In His discipline and strength, I go.

I delight in changed hearts, I find joy in new companions, I sing His praises.

Then, I stumble, I fall, I feel forsaken and discouraged.

I am rejected and ignored, challenged, and ostracised.

I feel unloved, unwanted, disrespected, dismissed.

I want to run back and stay in the comfort of safety.

No more risks.

But I know I must go.

Until the ends of the earth will remember Him, Until loved ones and enemies, neighbours, and strangers turn to Him, Until the nations bow down before Him, I must go.

Lilian Chow (TC ’17, CC ’15) is a Hong Kong native but is delighted to be back in New York City on a new adventure God has brought her on. When she isn’t doing homework for classes at the Teachers College or teaching teenagers in English classrooms, she can be found sipping on bubble tea somewhere in the city or snuggled in her bed watching TV dramas.

Volume 3 | Issue 2 16

Kennedy, Christ, and Diverse Leadership

Andy Truelove Andy Truelove

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have always been a fan of political history. There have been great achievements in domestic and foreign policy, but there have also been great failures.

These successes and failures demonstrate what does and does not work when a leader seeks to build a team and make decisions affecting the lives of millions. One such failure is the Bay of Pigs Invasion. One such success is the Cuban Missile Crisis. These episodes in political history illustrate the importance of surrounding oneself with diverse voices to aid in making informed decisions.

This is not only a practice in politics; it is also a value espoused in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus welcomed people from a variety of backgrounds, bringing diverse perspectives and shaping the early Church. This characteristic of Jesus’ ministry was not merely practical, but instrumental to Christianity’s success. Jesus’ model leadership is effective both in the political arena and in the personal realm, guiding us to become ambassadors of Christ and His kingdom.1 The Bay of Pigs Invasion planned to topple the Cuban government with a group of Cuban expatriates supported by the U.S. government. The invasion was a 1

2 Corinthians 5:20 (ESV).

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complete failure. The insurrection was quickly squashed by the Cuban government, which knew of the secret invasion. President Kennedy's cabinet and advisors, who came from the best schools and were supposed to be the best in the business, failed to notice even the most obvious flaws in their plan. The book Groupthink, written by political commentator Irving Janis, examines these fiascos such as the Bay of Pigs invasion. The questions are simple: why do groups of supposedly very smart people often make terrible decisions, and how can we minimize these incidents? Janis defines this phenomenon of “groupthink” as “the mode of thinking that persons engage in when concurrence-seeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive ingroup that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action.”2 Janis found that the Bay of Pigs and many other historical examples point to this phenomenon known as Groupthink, which leads groups to overlook alternative courses of action. One of the main contributing factors is that when one has a homogeneous group of backgrounds or ideas, it becomes less likely that people will speak up 2

I. L. Janis, Groupthink: Psychological Studies of Policy Decisions and Fiascoes (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1982).

about their opinions if they are contrary to the prevailing viewpoint. Groupthink causes people to be less direct, leading to pitfalls overlooked and good ideas ignored.

Janis’ intended remedy includes direct communication coupled with a heterogeneous environment and team.

Kennedy would learn from the mistakes of the Bay of Pigs and, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, create an environment that fostered different viewpoints. This foreign policy success was accomplished by avoiding indirect communication and tackling differences head on, rather than having minority views silenced. Janis established a means to help prevent these pitfalls by stressing the need for a diverse group of people to be used in decision-making and creating an environment that allows individuals to question the judgement of the group. Through continual meetings and thanks to free and open debate within its ranks, the Kennedy administration avoided confrontations that could have potentially ended in nuclear war.

It is by being inclusive and working towards a common objective that people are able to succeed in their task. I wonder how the Lord seeks to use those with a desire to be leaders for the Great Commission? When I seek guidance and wisdom on creating a vision and direction, I turn to the leadership qualities that Jesus embodied throughout His ministry. These qualities, in fact, embody the very things which Janis says help avoid the weaknesses associated with homogeneous groups of people.

Jesus emphasized the power of a diverse and inclusive ministry. Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He pulled from a variety of different backgrounds. His disciples would continue this trend by expanding the reach of His ministry to all parts of society, both geographically and ethnically. Although this is a major component of fulfilling the Great Commission, the building of a diverse leadership team and organization also has practical implications. It is by building and maintaining this diverse ministry that we can minimize the risk of groupthink.

Although this is a major component of fulfilling the Great Commission, the building of a diverse leadership team and organization also has practical implications.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus instructed many of His disciples to simply follow Him; and they did. Yet these men were not religious leaders or scholars, but instead lowly characters in the eyes of religious Jews: immoral tax collectors, immoderate zealots, and uneducated fishermen. Jesus was able to pull people throughout the region into His ministry. He recruited Andrew and Simon by saying, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”3 In many ways, founding a ministry would require some of the skills and dispositions fishermen have, such as the ability to collect people and the patience re3

Matthew 4:19.

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quired to bring people into the fold. Jesus and His disciples would come to include people from all walks of life in their ministry. Another disciple, Matthew, was a tax collector, which, to the religious leaders of the time, was an offensive occupation. Those of high religious standing were not supposed to fraternize with sinners such as tax collectors. While having a meal at Matthew’s house, Jesus was questioned by the Pharisees about His eating with the tax collectors and sinners. “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick,” He responded. “I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”4 First, Jesus made it very much apparent through the selection of His first disciples that He was not seeking to fill His ministry with those within the existing religious institution. Instead, He selected those that were removed from this facet of life. By fraternizing with tax collectors and sinners, He made the point that He was there to serve—all kinds of people from all walks of life. And this notion spans beyond the idea of unconditional love. It is this universal idea of service that allowed Jesus to pull those from the early ministry to His cause, an idea that is both morally fair and practical.

This was a recognition of the ministry’s need for those that are not only on the periphery of society, but also those from a variety of backgrounds. It was the Kennedy administration’s failure to utilize diverse viewpoints 4

that led to the failure of the Bay of Pigs, and it was their learned embrace of these differences that led to their success in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Jesus made it very much apparent through the selection of his first disciples that He was not seeking to fill his ministry with those within the existing religious institution.

Instead, He selected those that were removed from this facet of life.

Throughout the New Testament we see the apostles recruit from all ranges of the socioeconomic spectrum even including Gentiles, who had never been considered "fit" for Judaism. God even used a man who actively persecuted members of the early Church, Saul, whom He called to His cause and renamed Paul. It is this very open nature of the early ministry that allowed Christianity's reach to expand. In 1 Corinthians, the apostle Paul states: And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.5

Matthew 9:12-13.

We must all find our specific talents and skills that allow us to serve effectively. Although we all come from a variety of different perspectives, we must work toward creating an effective ministry, which can only be achieved through a diverse and open forum of ideas. We are not all meant to be the same, rather, we are meant to use these differences to create a well-functioning ministry.

We must also consider the biblical teachings, which teach that those of our faith are to seek and include those from all walks of life. One of the earliest controversies of the church was whether Gentiles had to adopt Jewish customs, including circumcision. Jesus sought to include the Gentiles in His ministry, yet there was still the question of whether they could be full members of this new community without the process of becoming clean through circumcision. When pressed on this question in Acts 15, Peter stated: 5

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1 Corinthians 12:16-18

By my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as He did to us, and when made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.6 Even in the early Church there were different beliefs as to what would be proper in the eyes of God. Yet Peter communicated to those in the early Church that it was not customs that should unite us, but rather our faith and belief in the Holy Spirit. When we seek to make decisions as a Church body we should take this as a guiding principle. We should also accept the possibility that we may not all share the same cultural customs because of our upbringings. These differences, coupled with our guiding principles in Christ, help to ensure we have a thriving ministry.

He sent His followers out to travel thousands of miles preaching to the peoples of all nations and to share the gospel and love of Christ.

We have all been given a difficult task in the Great Commission. We should see Jesus’ request to go and make disciples of all nations as an advantage. Christianity’s appeal across cultures and classes grants us a diverse collection of people to build churches and organizations that can solve problems creatively and avoid echo chambers that could lead the Church down the wrong path. The expansion of Christ’s ministry to previously untouched communities is in fact an asset in and of itself. It is by mirroring Christ’s original ministry that we may fulfill the Great Commission and, in expanding the faith, we are able to increase diversity in order to lead successful missions for the Kingdom.

We are not all meant to be the same, rather we are meant to use these differences to create a well-functioning ministry.

A truly capable leader does not simply finish strong and step down, but throughout his or her tenure instills the qualities of leadership in others. The last words Jesus speaks to His followers in Matthew are: Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age.7 6 7

Acts 15:7-9.

Matthew 28:19-20.

Andy Truelove (CC ’17) is from the great state of Texas. He is the former business manager of Columbia Crown & Cross and loves to grow his faith in Christian community. He will be attending law school this coming fall.

Volume 3 | Issue 2 20

False Teachings and the Early Church Tiffany Li

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n 1945, two farmers were digging around the caves of Jabal al-Tārif in Upper Egypt when they came across a large earthenware jar. Inside were thirteen papyrus codices, leather-bound and worn out by time.

The two farmers, not realizing the significance of what they had found, planned to sell the codices. A series of disagreements landed the artifacts, instead, in the possession of a local priest and eventually a history scholar.1 Suspecting these codices had historical value, he sent them to the Coptic Museum in Egypt where they were translated, making the fifty-two texts they contained accessible to the world today.2 The two farmers had not unearthed some mundane leather books. Rather, they had found a key guide to Gnosticism, a collection of beliefs in the first few centuries of the Common Era that combined Christian values with the existence of a demiurge below God and an emphasis on striving for gnosis, or ultimate knowledge.

Before the discovery of the codices, Gnosticism was primarily known through the writings of its opponents that provided a highly one-sided perspective.3 Gnostic practices and beliefs also varied significantly across regions and peoples. Their common belief in a lesser god, how1

Elaine Pagels. The Gnostic Gospels (New York: Vintage Books, 1979), xiii-xxiii.

2 Lance S. Owens, MD., “The Nag Hammadi Library.” The Gnostic Society Library. The Gnosis Archive, accessed 16 Nov 2016.

3 E. Glenn Hinson, The Early Church: Origins to the Dawn of the Middle Ages (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996), 92.

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ever, placed Gnostics under the criticism of the early Christians and many modern Christian historians, who mostly agreed that the two had little to do with each other.

The discovery of the codices changed the mainstream view on Gnosticism, revealing that it derived many of its beliefs from Christianity. The Apocrypha of John and the Book of Thomas, for example, laid out supposed teachings by Jesus—the former details Jesus' giving knowledge to the apostle John, and the early Gnostics took it as a message about the importance of searching for knowledge.4 Nevertheless, the codices did not change the fact that Gnosticism was not in line with Christ’s teachings as they contained many false beliefs, such as the existence of other divine figures. They made it clear, though, that most Gnostics evolved from new Christians, who took these texts as truth along with the rest of the Bible.

Gnosticism was one of the best-known and most widespread early false Christian belief systems, but it was far from the only one. A related belief system originated with Marcion, the son of a bishop in the early 2nd century. Marcion rejected the Old Testament, claiming that the forgiving and merciful God that Jesus speaks about must be different from the one who rained judg4

The Apocryphon According to John, trans. Frederik Wisse, accessed 16 Nov 2016.

ment and condemnation on thousands.5 Another false interpretation that expanded in the 3rd century, Arianism, claimed that Jesus did not always exist and was subordinate to God. Arianism gained a large following but was viewed as false by others, including the Catholic Church, who declared it a heresy at the Council of Nicea in AD 325, one of the early Ecumenical councils that standardized the religion.6

Gnosticism was one of the bestknown and most widespread early false Christian belief systems, but it was far from the only one.

Many other false belief systems and misinterpretations of Jesus’ words were born in first four centuries of the Church's history. The majority were a result of the rapid spread of Christianity and the difficulty for new believers to fully understand and live according to the Word. After all, Christianity posed challenges for people of all backgrounds—Jews were reluctant to stop following the rules from the Mosaic Law that had become part of their culture and lifestyle. Many pagans or Gentiles wanted to continue their ceremonies dedicated to false gods.

The early disciples, as original progenitors of the 5 6

Hinson 91–92.

Ibid. 204–207.

Great Commission, understood the difficulty of spreading the Word to different cultures and regions with high potential for rejection or misinterpretation. But difficulty did not preclude the disciples from acting, and they took the precaution to ensure to the best of their abilities that all the new believers truly understood God’s word, warning them against dangerous false teachings.

The apostle Paul’s journeys are the epitome of the Great Commission. He took Jesus’ final words7 to heart and traveled to major cities across the Roman Empire where Christianity could spread to a vast number of people. At each of these locations, Paul planted a church, staying long enough to establish a strong foundation in the gospel, before traveling to another city, as he wanted to spread the Word to as many places as possible. The initial church would establish churches in nearby areas, each of which would also establish churches to spread the gospel—an exponential effect. Paul understood, however, the importance of staying in contact with the believers of each city, sending letters with words of encouragement, creating guidelines on proper practices, and answering any questions.

We know this because we still have many of Paul’s letters today, which make up almost a third of the New Testament—Philippians, Thessalonians, Corinthians, and Galatians were addressed to churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth, and Galatia respectively, all of 7

Acts 1:8 (ESV): “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

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which Paul helped establish. Each letter reveals information to us about the early church and the initial spread of Christianity. Paul’s earliest letter is 1 Thessalonians, written from Corinth in AD 51 to the Thessalonian church in upper Greece. Paul visited Thessalonica during his second missionary journey but left the church in the apostle Timothy’s hands while he went on to Athens and other cities. After hearing Timothy’s reports, Paul, as a mentor to Timothy, wrote to the church to continue communication.8 Most of the letter is encouragement, but it also contains guidelines on the proper way to live and love one another. Paul ends the letter, for example, by encouraging the Thessalonians to “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances.”8 While this advice is specific to the Thessalonians, his overall encouraging mindset blends into his other letters as well.

Paul understood, however, the importance of staying in contact with these believers in each city, sending letters with words of encouragement.

Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Paul’s other letters are structured in similar manners, beginning with a greeting and thanksgiving and ending with a prayer.

More importantly, they all provide reassurance and clarification, as new believers from all cities needed encouragement and answers to their questions about faith. Colossians is perhaps the most critical of Paul’s letters, as he addresses a problem within the Colossian church that many modern theologians think to be Gnosticism based upon both Paul’s stylistic choices and the nature of the issues in the letter.9 Paul has not been to Colossae, a city in Asia Minor east of Ephesus, but has probably been told about issues in the church by Epaphras, and writes with the intention of defeating all Gnostic thought.10 Paul begins his letter to the Colossian Church with a typical introduction, prayer, and thanksgiving.

His prayer contains an indirect reference to Gnostic thoughts, however, when he prays that the Colossian church “may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding;” if, as is suspected, the Colossians are being subjected to Gnostic teachings, Paul’s curious word choices of “knowledge” and “wisdom” were meant to imply that everyone can 8

Thessalonians 5:16–18.

J. Hampton Keathly III, “Background on Colossians.,” Bible.org, accessed 16 Nov 2016.

10 Colossians 1:7, 2:2.

9

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achieve wisdom through Christ and do not need Gnostic knowledge to reach salvation.

The rest of Colossians is filled with both subtle and direct warnings against the false teachings of Gnosticism. After the prayer, Paul writes about the preeminence of Christ, clarifying His ultimate glory and timelessness: For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things were created through Him and for Him… He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent.11 9 This passage affirms Jesus’ role as God and His eternal existence, above all things, which is valuable and reassuring to all readers, but especially to Gnostics, as they believe in Jesus’ temporality and another deity below Him. Paul’s next sentence, which declares that in Jesus “all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,” further confirms the divinity of Jesus, and that of God the Father.

By chapter two, Paul addresses the false teachings more directly, but with encouragement as well, by asking that their hearts be lifted up to reach Christ, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”1210This directly contradicts the Gnostic belief of 11 12

Colossians 1:16–18.

Colossians 2:3.

needing another source of wisdom to reach salvation.

He then writes, “[s]ee to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”1311This is also a direct critique of Gnosticism, as “the elemental spirits” and the one who “takes you captive by philosophy” are clear tenets of false belief. Paul also explicitly states that he writes “in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit.”1412Here, Paul not only makes it clear that he is addressing a false teaching but also that he is with the Church. This is the role that we must take in relation to new believers—to be there with them, if not physically then spiritually.

There are many more instances throughout Colossians that function as defenses against Gnosticism, but it is important to recognize that the approach Paul takes goes by encouragement rather than criticism. Gnosticism was a very real threat for new believers at the time, as it was supported by texts attributed to Jesus and elevated a certain group of people (those with gnosis) above others, allowing Gnosticism to appeal to people’s desires for superiority. But, as Paul shows us, Christianity can defend itself against any false teachings, and he demonstrates how we should approach helping new believers through encouragement. Paul does not start his letter with criticisms; he begins with his personal walk with God and addresses the false beliefs in a more subtle, less outrightly critical manner.

This is the role that we must take in relation to new believers—to be there with them, if not physically then spiritually.

Paul’s letters are a guide for us in terms of how to spread the gospel and how to prevent larger problems and heresies from arising. Gnosticism, Marconianism, and other false beliefs did become popular and took people away from the truth, but many of these cases arose because the religion spread without someone to help new believers interpret the Bible or understand the faith, as the apostle Paul did. If Paul had not kept in touch with his churches, it is possible that we would not be practicing the Lord’s Supper at all or at least properly, since the only clarification of communion occurs in 1 Corinthians;1513Gnostic thought might have dominated 13

Colossians 2:8.

Colossians 2:4–5.

15 1 Corinthians 11:17–34.

14

all of Asia Minor and beyond; Jews and Gentiles may have formed two distinct groups of Christians; and the Church may have fallen apart.

Of course, these early heresies appeared anyway, and countless others have emerged and flourished since then. Many of the followers of these false beliefs, such as Gnostics and Arians, also identified as Christians, since they shared some of the underlying beliefs of Christianity and derived their own interpretations from the standard. The question then becomes whether it is better not to have heard about Jesus at all or to have heard an erroneous interpretation. On the one hand, if Paul had never spread the gospel, the Gentiles would still be worVolume 3 | Issue 2 24

shipping false gods and the Jews would be denying Jesus’ relation to God. On the other hand, newly converted Christians who succumbed to Gnostic thought would pose a danger to other Christians, who would often be influenced and led away from truth. It is difficult to objectively say which one is better, but we should not have to choose. Through proper discipleship, new believers in Christ can be strengthened to become steadfast Christians, so we do not need to worry about any heresies.

For new believers, being part of a community of believers and understanding the full extent of God’s word is just as important as knowing the basics of Christianity. And for all of us, who have opportunities to spread the gospel every day, Paul should become a source of inspiration. While Gnosticism is not a prevalent philosophy today, the heresies present around us are just as dangerous. As believers, we have a responsibility to ensure that our new brothers and sisters are not merely standing by the door to the kingdom, wavering between entering or running away but are fully a part of the family of God. This means caring about them just as we would care about a family member—keeping them away from anything that might harm their walk with God and providing encouragement and answers to any questions.

The importance of having a mentor or simply a friend who can help us in our walk is not limited to new believers. All of us have moments of strength or weakness, and although we do not have Paul himself to answer our questions, there is always someone with more experience and knowledge of the Bible to whom we can look for answers. Christianity is confusing and complex, 25 Columbia Crown & Cross

especially for new believers. This is one reason why we still read Paul’s writings today—just as the new churches in the first century needed Paul, we need our spiritual leaders, and new believers need a Christian friend for encouragement. In most cases, a new believer may not know any other Christians, so it is our responsibility as the people who shared the faith to keep in touch. We cannot wait for new believers to initiate and ask questions, because they could be reluctant to ask for help or accidentally led down the wrong path. Additionally, we do not have to feel obligated to answer all questions ourselves. Timothy and Epaphras both reached out to Paul when faced with issues beyond their ability to resolve, and he then wrote letters to them. When faced with more difficult questions, we can direct new believers to our own pastors and spiritual leaders.

Through proper discipleship, new believers in Christ can be strengthened to become steadfast Christians.

Today, there are countless ways to spread the gospel, most of which are much easier than Paul’s travels, which often landed him in jail or near death. But as we can see with Paul, following up and discipleship is just as important as the original conversion, and perhaps far more essential. Luckily, we do not have to go through the hassle of writing and mailing a letter, as Paul did, to keep in touch with someone—sending an email or calling is faster and just as effective. These methods are usu-

ally reserved for people with whom we do not interact often; in many other cases, new believers are part of our daily lives—our friends, acquaintances, and coworkers.

Checking up on and encouraging their faith can be more casual, such as praying with them, providing suggestions on Bible passages to study, and introducing them to a church or a fellowship group.

There are a many ways to reach out to nonbelievers, ranging from mission trips, to gospel outreaches, to conversations with friends. The form of discipleship and follow-up will vary in each case. In all situations, however, we must remember that the follow up is just as vital

as the initial conversion, so we can prevent new believers from being susceptible to false beliefs and welcome them fully into our family.

Tiffany Li (SEAS ’19) has lived in the beautiful state of New Jersey her whole life and is excited to finally be in New York City. She is studying biomedical engineering and still figuring out her life aspirations. She enjoys long walks throughout the city and finding the best bubble tea spots.

Volume 3 | Issue 2 26

The Year of Mercy: A Retrospective The Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy began on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8th, 2015, and ended on the Feast of Christ the King, November 20th, 2016.

I

could hear the screaming coming from down the hallway and the lunchboxes slamming against the wall. I knew it could only mean one thing: a meltdown. I ran as quickly as I could to the noise and found the poor child. I looked at the child and began to speak in an even tone, asking the other children to back away so that they would not get hurt. I looked the unhappy camper in the face and asked her what was wrong, trying my best to keep my own cool as she screamed at me.

I slowly walked up and held out my hand, saying, “Let’s go someplace where you can tell me what happened and we can get you some water.” The face turned up to me and smiled. She walked up and reached out her hand to mine. In the space of a second, she kicked me where no man wishes to be kicked.

Before the summer of 2016 began, I remember telling my spiritual director that I felt God wanted to teach me about mercy, especially with my favorite job: counseling a local summer camp for kids. I would work there for fun and give back to the community, while also working a “real job” for my resume. I knew it would be

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Michael Miskovski

a tough summer, but I felt that I could be a Saint Francis among the birds, joyfully going to and fro and teaching the children life lessons. Even now I know this was naïve, and I still do not know how my pride blinded me so much, especially when this was not my first, second, or even fifth time doing this. I digress; I had thought that all the hours of praying for mercy and strength had given me all that I needed, and I was ready to be the most patient and forgiving influence in their lives—granted, an exaggeration.

Soon, my surroundings started to come back into focus after the initial shock of the kick: after gathering my bearings, I took a deep breath. I looked the laughing child straight in the eyes. I knew this was my moment.

The consummate moment of the summer, the one where I could show how much I learned of mercy and patience.

I took one more breath—as anyone who works with kids can tell you, you have to have a flair for the dramatic— and promptly and mercilessly chastised the child. I told her how much trouble she would be in, that I would not even let her so much as look at her portable games or even dream of touching the playground ever again. I had failed. I blew it. My attempt at mercy, even during the summer of mercy, was mistake after mistake. It was not the summer I had in mind at the start.

I came back to Columbia a man defeated, a cruel and impatient sinner, capricious as the day is long. In the first meeting with my director, I told him how I had failed. On the verge of tears, I knew that I had not only failed myself, but more importantly I had failed both the children at camp and my God. Sure, there were moments of mercy, and moments of learning, but in the big picture, my summer was a bad one. Anyone who works with children can tell you that there will be tough periods, but nothing prepares you for it, not even hours of prayer.

But it did teach me something: By failing at mercy, I learned where mercy abides and must be given. It is not in a perfectly repentant child, asking for forgiveness. It is found in the moments when someone grates against the nerves at every turn or when the friend who never helps and never makes amends implores for help. Mercy is much harder than it appeared to me in my limited understanding. In the moment, giving into anger, impatience, and the violence of the human condition is much more seductive. But it is not what we are meant for; we are meant for mercy, the language of God. Little did I know that these lessons in mercy would begin to teach me about evangelism in action. I would never have believed that mercy was an evangelistic virtue until I began to see it in my day to everyday life. Mer-

cy showed me how intimately connected it is to peace and how it fosters peace between us.

We are told in the Second Creation Account of Genesis that for Adam, God made the animals of the earth “helper[s] fit for him.”1 Even then, the animals were not enough, and God made woman to be a helper as well.2 Whether or not one ascribes to the literal interpretation of creation, we can see that all creation was made to be helpers to one another. “But what does this mean?” you may be asking. What if we were to take this claim seriously? What if we take peace and cooperation to be one of the fundamental building blocks of creation?

We are meant for mercy, the language of God. In the New Testament, Jesus declares, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.”3 What does Jesus mean when He says this? Why is His peace different? And what does the Holy Spirit, mentioned in the previous verse, have to do with this? This is the peace of Eden, the fundamental peace of God. This peace is not that which re-channels the violence, instead it is the peace that hands itself over to the violence. It is that which says, “You are angry and wish to do violence, take me: I willingly offer myself to you.

Do not take one another.” And thus, through our failing mercy, Christ offered Himself for us. It is not sinners in the hand of an angry God, but a God in the hands of angry sinners. How could any violence between people compare with the violence against God? The root of this discord, however, stretches back to Genesis when the serpent utters one of the most fundamental of lies: “You will be like God” says the serpent.4 And through that act of disobedience and pride, we set ourselves as competitors for divinity and not as peaceful beings. Yet God in His mercy reached towards us, who are in every way, shape, and form His unequals—though we have tried to set ourselves up as equals. God ran towards us in mercy, as it says: Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God as a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.5

Genesis 2:18 (ESV).

Genesis 2:21–22.

3 John 14:27.

4 Philippians 2:5–7.

5 Genesis 3:5.

1 2

4

Genesis 3:5

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Mercy and peace involve our inequality with God. Usually, in the situations where we can use mercy, a wrong has been committed that makes the parties unequal. If we are to achieve peace, equality must be established. It could be something as little as a moment I was late to something important: in that moment I said that my time was worth more than yours. I set us in competition and declared myself the better, disrupting the peace between us. The peace is our natural state, but I have made an aberration. I beseech your mercy to restore us.

It is you, in your magnificence and love, who comes to me and helps.

In other situations, such as socially systematic ones, groups of people try to assert their superiority over other groups. Institutional racism, for example, is a framework in which certain people set themselves up as superior to others, creating both a spiritual and material inequality. There is not only a need for mercy but also for repentance on behalf of the offender. Every effort must be made to make peace. I can neither cling to nor grasp a greatness I do not have, especially when my savior did not ‘grasp’ towards a greatness that was duly His. Repentance and mercy must be practiced here.

Mercy is an act of love, as the whole life of Christ illustrates. Mercy is participation in love, because as we love one another, we are honest about the wrongs we have done and our false sense of superiority. The parable of the prodigal son shows this clearly in the personage of the elder brother. The elder, seemingly righteous brother refuses mercy toward his wayward younger brother, thus closing himself off from participation in his father’s love. Finally, by the refusal of participation in the father’s love, he unknowingly ignores all that his father gives him.6 A refusal of mercy impoverishes our 6

Luke 15: 25–32.

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spiritual self and can blind us to an honest appraisal of ourselves and openness towards others, all of which destroys our peace and mutual cooperation.

Mercy towards someone always gives him or her a chance to be a better person. This is the Christian hope from the Church’s first days: that by God’s mercy, we are given a chance to become better people. Mercy is encouragement and edification, both of which build true peace and justice between us. Violence and violent conceptions of justice impose a violent order by chipping away and destroying pieces that do not fit the dominant structure. Instead mercy and peace incorporate all peoples, to create a fuller conception of the Church. This fuller conception of the Church, with its incorporation of all peoples brings us to evangelism and the Great Commission given to us after the Resurrection.

Mercy towards someone always gives him or her a chance to leave a better person.

In John’s Gospel, the visit of Jesus after the Resurrection is described as “Jesus said to them again ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”7 Jesus sends them out on the Great Commission with His peace and the Holy Spirit, and therefore the work of the Great Commission calls upon mercy. Mercy is an evangelistic virtue. It spreads God where it goes; mercy is God’s language spoken upon the earth, for it is by mercy that He spoke to us.

If peace is part of the Great Commission, then it cannot be one of violence and competition. We are 7

John 20: 21–22.

called to evangelize the equality of man and the fundamental mercy of God that should joyfully leap between brothers and sisters. This is found in the person of Christ Jesus, who brings all things together in Himself.

I will conclude with a few thoughts on Ephesians, where Paul brings these many strains of thought together. He states that God “set forth Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in Heaven and things on earth.”8 The Great Commission is our inheritance as the Church, and we are to continue the plan to bring all things in Him. As Christ’s mission was one of love and mercy, so should ours be.

The Great Commission is our inheritance as the Church, we are to continue the plan to bring all things.

We must not view those yet uncalled as lesser, but must strive to bring them as siblings into the church and into God's family. Paul explains, “For [Christ] is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility ... for through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.”9 The Great Commission is a call for us to bind ourselves in peace to the rest of humanity through Christ Jesus. Evangelism is not an imposition but a binding, a solemn oath where we take the other into our heart and say, “You are my brother or sister and I love you.”

Those who are to be reached are the future brothers and sisters in Christ, not competing outsiders who must be subdued. Thus, if we are to establish and announce the true peace of universal brotherhood and sisterhood in Christ with others, mercy must be there. We were created to be helpers to one another, as Genesis states.

We are not of this world and our kingdom is not either.

The growth of a worldly kingdom is accomplished by the violence and fury. Ours is meekness, making disciples of all nations, not by a sword, but by a baptism,10 and a willingness to be buried with Christ.11 If we are to make disciples of all nations, then we must work and live in mercy. As I look back on those times where I failed at mercy and, by extension, failed God, I see missed opportunities to build up the saints: little steps that would have helped gather a world of believers. I see how my failures rupture the peace of the Holy Spirit, and I am ashamed. However, I also hope because I believe in a mercy far greater than my own. It is this mercy that saves the world; this mercy will spread beyond nations, and it is my hope that I can have the grace to see and live in it. It is the love of God that moves us, a love that is merciful to its core. If we are to be the instruments in the great symphony of the Love of the Father, we must attune ourselves to His heart, His mind, and His Spirit—all in mercy.

10 11

Matthew 28:19.

Romans 6:4.

Michael Miskovski (CC ’17) was born in New York, but raised in Alabama, where he learned to distinguish between the formal “y’all” and the informal “all y’all.” Like his favorite animal, the

8

Ephesians 1:9–10.

9 Ephesians 2:14, 18–19.

manatee, he enjoys slowly moving through life taking each day as it comes.

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A Call for All Kenna Arana

The Father sent His Son to Earth as sacrifice and teacher A lamb to lose His life so ours could be saved, A man meant to love all—poor, sick, and depraved On Earth the Son was carpenter, friend, and preacher Fully human, fully divine Now gone from earth but present still in bread and wine The Son was friend to all and brother to twelve For three years He lived amongst these fishermen He changed their trade and made them fishers of men He taught them how to live for more than themselves To preach repentance and forgiveness And tell others of their true witness “Go, therefore” was the commandment of the Lord The fishers cast aside their nets and took up their crosses Their mission about much more than mere wins or losses A life continued with Him in Heaven is the great reward And all who hear His name are called to come aboard To love others as ourselves and tell them of our Lord.

Kenna Arana (CC ‘17) is a Columbia College senior majoring in English Literature and concentrating in Hispanic Studies. She was born and raised in sunny Southern California, which left her with a complete lack of understanding about how to dress for New York weather. Above all, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends and hopes to share God's abundant love with others.

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Disciples of the Digital Earth Does the Internet Make the Great Commission Easier?

W

ith the advent of the digital age, it seems that Jesus’ exhortation to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations”1 would be streamlined: all the information needed to come to and stay in the faith is readily available now to nearly half the world’s population through the Internet.2 Although the World Wide Web has been around for 26 years, there are still non-negligible populations in countries with Internet access who are not only not Christian, but are completely ignorant of Christianity. After all, Christianity is by no measure a dominating force on the Internet.

With this new means of evangelism, there also come impediments that prevent the gospel from reaching all peoples: the misuse of the Internet by only carving out small Christian niches within it, the fear of coming across as arrogant or prideful, and the difficulty of teaching something as counter-cultural as Christianity through the new media. But, if we can overcome these impediments, can the Great Commission actually become easier thanks to these new means?

Christians should become aware that being passive 1

Matthew 28:19 (ESV).

“World Internet Users Statistics and 2016 World Population Stats,” Miniwatts Marketing Group, 12 Oct 2016.

2

John Quinn Russell in internet evangelism will not lead to new believers.

Christ calls us to follow Him. He wants to help us “become fishers of men.”3 We must recognize that the Internet itself is a net, and we must cast a wide net to truly evangelize. But by hemming ourselves in to only explicitly Christian areas of the Internet, we allow this net just to sit in our boats, expecting fish simply to jump aboard.

We should instead cast that net over the whole of the Internet, and one of the best new developments for this is social media. More than ever, people with whom we are only tangentially familiar, even some we have never met, have access to our actions, beliefs, hopes, and dreams.

So we should use social media, especially Facebook and Twitter, to spread not only the truth of the gospel but also news of believers glorifying the Lord by their lives; for, as Paul writes, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that I may hear of you that you stand firm in one spirit.”4 The best way to cast this wide net is by using social media and other public aspects of the Internet to proclaim the gospel and the goodness of the Christian life. Using links, posts, and 3 4

Mark. 1:17.

Philippians 1:27

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comments to show the joy of Christ, whether explicitly or implicitly, will actualize the Great Commission over the Internet. For example, linking any outreach event your church hosts, posting editorials about humanitarian efforts, or talking about living the Christian life over Facebook may give much-needed visibility to the Church.

As Christ calls us to follow him in order to make us "become fishers of men,” we must recognize that the Internet itself is a net.

But one of the greatest impediments of evangelizing over the Internet is the fear of seeming arrogant. Often, Christians are uncomfortable sharing articles or expressing comments that betray their faith to the online community, whether out of fear of other’s opinions or feelings of unworthiness. This may also be because some believers consider it trite or useless, or worry that others will mistake online evangelization to be something boastful rather than humble. Yet, these fears are completely unfounded. A Christian should not be afraid to evangelize over the Internet because he or she is afraid of the word “hypocrite.” Although we are all sinners, we are called to be “perfect as [our] heavenly father is perfect.”5 5

Matthew 5:48.

Even though this is not realistically attainable as we are all prone to sin, it does not mean that we should stop trying to be perfect, nor does it mean we should stop imploring our brothers and sisters not to sin. Even if a Christian is called a hypocrite, it is the continual seeking of forgiveness that is part of the Christian life which separates a missionary from a hypocrite. Neither should Christians consider their faith to be something private or hidden away. Faith is meant to be shared: we are supposed to “proclaim the name of the Lord. Ascribe greatness to our God,”6 not hide Him away as a household god. A Christian who is private with his or her faith in the public sphere makes an empty gesture, for “many a man proclaims his own loyalty, but a faithful man who can find?”7

f

Neither should Christians consider their faith to be something private or hidden away. Faith is meant to be shared.

Regardless of how we go about evangelizing through the Internet, the idea of private faith is a claim of loyalty without actions to support it and denies Biblical teaching. Not only that, but the underlying fear behind this, that any public indication of faith might bring condemnation, is nothing to be afraid of at all. Christ tells us that “[we] will be hated by all for [His] name’s sake,”8 and that we must endure as signs of contradiction, so that we may be spoken against but remain as a sign pointing to the love and sacrifice of our Lord. Another concern of some people is that proclaiming the gospel over the Internet shows not humility, but pride. This comes from a misunderstanding of what humility is: the aligning of one’s own will to the will of God. Just as we have been taught to pray that “the will of the Lord be done,”9 we should actually act in accord with that teaching. And since the Great Commission is accomplished by proclaiming the gospel to all nations, then evangelism through one’s life fulfills the very definition of humility. So, if and when you are next thinking about whether talking about your faith is appropriate over, say, Facebook, take a good look at your intentions and determine whether they are grounded in something of this world or something holier.

However, if evangelism is something we are called to do, then we are obligated to find a method that is not only morally upright but also effective. There are two main impediments to this: first, the failure on the part 6

Deuteronomy 32:3.

Proverbs 20:6.

8 Luke 21:17.

9 Acts 21:14.

7

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of churches to provide good and consistent catechesis10 to believers, and second, today's Western culture’s hostility to Christianity, leading to Christianity's being considered counter-cultural. C.S. Lewis was absolutely right when he wrote that “the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ,”11 so it is all the more unfortunate that the Church has become so complacent in the instruction of believers. But, regardless of whether you received no catechesis as a child or you were raised by missionaries, continuous study of scripture is necessary to evangelize effectively, because of the abundance of modern false reinterpretations of scripture. For, if one scandalizes Church teaching about a Biblical interpretation, only to realize he was wrong, he falls into a devilish trap: as it is written in Proverbs, “It is a snare for a man to say rashly, ‘It is holy,’ and to reflect only after making his vows.”12 When we consider ourselves so wise on our own that we get to deem what is and isn’t holy, rather than leaving it to God, we are setting a snare, both for ourselves and for our loved ones. By encouraging or being complacent in a certain sin, we set an example to the people around us that Christians condone whatever sin that may be. Rather, we should study the truth contained in the Bible so that, if points of contention come up between believers and non-believers, we can make an attempt at apologetics. Alongside Scriptural familiarity and knowledge of the Bible as God’s true authoritative

Word there must be a firm yet charitable tone of evangelism.

Sadly, Christianity is now counter-cultural; although our Western society has its basis in the Judeo-Christian tradition, it would be incorrect to say that biblical values are reflected wholesale in the modern age. Because of this, evangelization has already taken a huge blow, being reduced in society either to something that limits our freedom or to something to comfort those afraid of death. Therefore Christians should not evangelize simply by threatening damnation to all who do not believe; nor should they be discouraged if, despite charitability, people are unwilling to convert immediately. Regarding his expectation for evangelism using the new media, Benedict XVI, when he was still called Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, said: [The] new evangelization cannot mean: immediately attracting the large masses that have distanced themselves from the Church by using new and more refined methods. No—this is not what new evangelization promises… rather, it means to dare, once again and with the humility of the small grain, to leave up to God the when and how it will grow.13 So simply because we evangelize does not guarantee

10

i.e., religious instruction.

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: HarperOne, 2012), 199.

12 Proverbs 20:25.

11

13

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, “Address to Catechists and Religion Teachers.” Jubilee of Catechists, Vatican City, 12 Dec 2000. Speech.

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a swift and complete conversion of all who hear what we say. But that is not the point: it is about humbling yourself to do God’s will. If Facebook is supposed to represent, no matter how oversimplified, our public personas, then we must not only be loving and social, but also patient and understanding. In this, we should persevere with steadfast faith so that one day all may be brought to Christ.

Simply because we evangelize does not guarantee a swift and complete conversion of all who hear what we say.

Ultimately, those things which made traditional means of evangelism difficult (danger of isolation, fear of seeming prideful, societal hostility to Christianity) still plague the new means of evangelism; the only difference is that the Internet provides a much larger audience, and one that might not be open to more traditional forms. To fully take advantage of this, we must apply the structure of evangelizing that made traditional means successful to the Internet by taking responsibility for our call to evangelize and to be firm yet charitable in our beliefs. For, if “conversion is humility in entrusting oneself to the love of the Other,”14 then we must be willing to let the truth of Scripture with rightly guided interpretation lead prospective converts to Christ, allowing them to personally assent to the love and grace of God. We must, however, be careful not to privilege our own evangelism over God’s grace, for, as Benedict XVI once said, “We are not looking for listening for ourselves—we do not want to increase the power and the spreading of our institutions, but wish… [to give] room to He who is Life.”15 14

Myles Zhang (CC’19)

15

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Ratzinger.

Ibid.

John Quinn Russell (CC ’20) is a native New Yorker but also hails from St. Louis, Missouri. He is interested in biolinguistics, U.S. diplomatic history, poetry, and, of course, Jesus. While he’s currently strapped for cash, he plans to one day visit Malta or the UAE.

A Conversation with the President of the

North American Mission Board Titus Willis As I began to work through the theme of the Great Commission, I felt daunted by how little I knew. I wanted to talk with an expert on mission work, someone who interprets the Great Commission professionally, and learn from his or her expertise.

To this end, I reached out to Dr. Kevin Ezell, a former Southern Baptist minister who is now the President of the North American Mission Board. NAMB supports over 5,600 missionaries who serve the United States, Canada, and several countries in Central America through disaster relief and starting (or, in Evangelical shorthand, “planting�) new churches.

We discussed his work, millennials, missions giving, and the problem with American compassion. I hope you can learn as much from Dr. Ezell in these pages as I did interviewing him.

This conversation has been lightly edited.

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Titus Wills: You serve as the President of the North American Mission Board. If you could, say a few words about NAMB’s mission goals.

Dr. Kevin Ezell: We want to see every church “on mission,” or actively participating in mission work. Of the 46,000 or so churches we partner with, the overwhelming majority would not be considered on mission, and our goal is to come alongside pastors and help them get their churches there. For example, most churches believe in church planting, but aren’t involved in it. Most churches believe in providing relief to people in unfortunate circumstances, but aren’t involved in it. We have too many churches where people think the right things but don’t necessarily pay their dues.

TW: And what is your role in getting more churches on mission?

KE: We have two channels through which we try to engage pastors and churches. One is to extend our network through church planting. Our goal there is to help current churches plant 1,200 new churches per year.

The other is to send relief through compassion ministries: we have a ministry to human trafficking victims, we have a ministry to foster kids, one for disaster relief, we have immigrant and refugee ministries—the list goes on. So those are the two main ways we try to get churches engaged. And, especially on the relief side, we try get them engaged locally where they are by looking out for the needs of people in the shadows and, more largely, how they can engage in ministries all over North America. My job is to cast vision for pastors and basically give them the right tools for missions. I always say that our role is to be E-Harmony for mission work. You tell us what you want and we’ll connect you with a missionary or a mission organization that meets those criteria.

"My job is to cast vision for pastors and basically give them the right tools for missions."

TW: When in your life did you realize that missions were something you felt a specific calling for?

KE: I’ve always had a heart for ministry. I’ve always had a heart for planting churches and looking outside myself. With this job, one opportunity led to another. I never really wanted to leave the local church, but because of my church-planting experience and my desire to make some administrative changes that made NAMB more efficient with the money people sacrificially give us, I decided to take up this role.

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TW: At my home church, I’ve observed that most of the missionaries we support and send out are young people.

Many (if not most) full-time missionaries are young. Has that been your general experience with NAMB? KE: Yes. The overwhelming majority of our missionaries are young. Something like 75 percent of the missionaries we support are under the age of 35.

TW: It is expected in the LDS Church that a young person will spend at least a year, maybe more, on the mission field before they settle down and begin to start a family.

What lessons could Christians learn from them, and from other religions that do proselytizing?

KE: They do a very good job of instilling a sense of loyalty. Once you go serve on the mission field, you feel loyal to the church that sent you, often for the rest of your life. We don’t expect or ask for as much from our young people. They have mobilized their next generation in a way that we largely haven’t. We don’t do nearly as well in leadership development—like I said before, we have some great young people, but we don’t train them to step up for their faith like other religions do. We need to do a better job of purposefully preparing our next generation of leaders.

"We have too many churches where people think the right things but don’t necessarily pay their dues."

TW: Do you think the American church shows a proper amount of compassion for unsaved people both at home and abroad?

KE: Some churches definitely “get it,” but I’m convinced that the majority of churches do not fully comprehend the needs in their local communities, let alone in the world. The Department of Family Services put out a statistic recently that said there are 400,000 American kids in foster care, and secular programs are more than willing to partner with churches where they are. What’s really sad is that, in most counties, there are more churches than foster kids, and if congregations had just one family apiece willing to adopt, we could completely meet the need, but we don’t have even one willing family per church. So you have these government agencies doing what churches could very easily do, and that’s sad.

It’s right here in our communities. In Atlanta, where I live, people might not understand the human trafficking issue, and we’re one of the top five cities in North America for human trafficking. Sometimes we live in a bubble where everything’s fine in our circles, so we think everything is fine everywhere.

"Sometimes we live in a bubble where everything’s fine in our circles, so we think everything is fine everywhere."

TW: Before you took the job you have now at NAMB, you were the pastor of a church in Louisville, Kentucky. How did you work in that role to get your congregants out of that bubble?

KE: When I pastored, I would always take our leaders to Guatemala. They might have seen poverty on TV in a commercial for a nonprofit, but if you can’t smell it, touch it, give hugs to people who are afflicted by it, you just won’t be impacted the same way. And sometimes I would have to take my leaders to Guatemala and get them to see the homeless there to want to make a difference for homeless people in Louisville. When they came back, they started a ministry for local homeless kids that’s still going today. Now my job is to help pastors of congregations like that one to do similar things in their churches.

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"I would think that the fact God saved us from our sins would cause us to want to do more than the bare minimum for Him." TW: Let’s talk a little about how that works practically.

How does NAMB partner with local churches, like the one you used to pastor, to fulfill the Great Commission?

KE: We look at ourselves as gas and churches as fire. We try to identify where God is working and throw gas on the fire. If we see churches trying to get a little involved in church planting or compassion ministry, we try to help them do it in a bigger way and have more of an influence. But even if they’re not doing anything, our job is to come alongside them and help them learn what to do and how to do it.

TW: How do church budgets work and how does missions money tie into a church’s budget?

KE: Every church is different, but most churches would set aside a certain percentage for missions. That’s where, I think, we’ve really gotten off track: churches have gradually gone to where they spend more and more money looking inwardly on themselves and less and less money looking outwardly on missions. What happens is that the more money they have, the less they are going to invest in any ministry in the community, and their influence gets lessened in a significant way. And we’ve seen that the churches who focus outwardly have more influence in their communities and have a greater impact for the gospel.

TW: So charitable giving from churchgoers is something NAMB needs to function. Where I grew up, we talked a lot about the concept of tithing—the giving of ten percent of your income to your local place of worship—that religious Jews observed in the Old Testament. In your opinion, how does that concept inform giving in the modern American church?

KE: You mentioned that tithing is something they really only talked about in the Old Testament, but I think it’s still important. We have to remember that there is nowhere in the New Testament where God’s grace causes us to do less. In every case, because of grace, we are called to do more. Ten percent was a minimum in Jewish

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law, but I would think that the fact that God has saved us from our sins would cause us to want to do more than the bare minimum for Him. The more churches are willing to give, in terms of money and people, the more God will be willing to bless them. I have run into many people and many churches where they gave away more for church planting and relief work, and then God brought them more than they had before they gave. But most churches don’t see that. They just don’t have a vision for what can happen when they're willing to give more.

TW: And that’s especially relevant to planting churches, because you need to have a base of folks who are committed attendees before you can reach out to the community effectively.

KE: Absolutely. And we typically just send our leftovers to start new churches. But in Mark,1 when Jesus was asked by a scribe what the greatest commandment was, He gave two answers: “Love the Lord your God will all your heart, soul, mind and strength;” and “love your neighbor as yourself.” For me at NAMB, I have to help our churches see how they can love their neighbors as themselves. If we truly love others as ourselves, we are going to look at the churches we plant and value their needs as equal to our needs. There are sixteen kids a day entering foster care in each of our counties, and they all have absolutely nowhere to go. If we really loved those kids like we loved our own, I think we’d be a little more willing to care for them. And until we really truly love people like we love ourselves, we cannot be all that God wants us to be.

Remember in Matthew2 when Jesus tells the story of the sheep and the goats? He says to the sheep, “When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat. When I was thirsty, you gave me a drink; when I was naked, you clothed me.” And the sheep are like, “We don’t remember doing any of that for you,” and He says, “When you did it for the less fortunate, you do it for me.” And then He turns to the goats, the ones who didn’t make the cut, and He says, “When I was hungry, you didn’t give me 1

This account, which Dr. Ezell paraphrases is from Mark 12:28–33.

Here Dr. Ezell gives a loose paraphrase of Matthew 25:31–46.

2

anything to eat. When I was thirsty, you didn’t give me anything to drink.” So that was Jesus’ litmus test for if people really got it or not. You can say you’re a believer, but you really have to focus on this: “Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” And I believe He’s saying that the way you prove that love is by loving your neighbor as yourself. I don’t mean to go into a sermon but that is the crux of the challenge that we have here. We fund ourselves and keep all the best people in our own churches. We love ourselves pretty well, but we don’t love others as ourselves.

TW: Let’s say, hypothetically, that we are willing to love others with our giving. If people in Christian churches gave more, how would local church missions budgets be affected? What effect would that increased giving have on NAMB as a whole?

KE: Wow, for NAMB, that would be huge. We get about half of our money from a once-a-year thing called the Andy Armstrong Easter Offering. If our churches just increased that single offering by just 10 percent at each church, you’re talking hundreds, no, thousands, more missionaries. And you’re talking about churches giving a little more, but we have some churches that don’t give at all. We have 15,000 churches that we’re technically partnered with who have no record of ever giving anything to missions. That’s a third of our partner churches. It’s absurd, especially when the church itself was founded on missions, on going out and making disciples. I believe that if a church goes two years without giving a single dollar to missions or baptizing a single person, we should cut them loose.

"We love ourselves pretty well, but we don’t love others as ourselves."

TW: A church that ignores the Great Commission like that isn't even a church.

KE: That’s right. They’re just dead weight giving the rest of us a bad name.

TW: We obviously can’t dig into people’s psyches, but why do you think so many American churchgoers have reservations about giving?

KE: It’s “what have you done for me lately?” What value do you add? And I think that’s legitimate. If we can’t show that NAMB adds value to the life of their church, there are a lot of places they can give to. Six years ago, we decided to cut 50 percent of our travel and 70 perVolume 3 | Issue 2 40

cent of our staff, not because we couldn’t afford them, but because we want to do the very best we can with what they’ve sent us. They’d rather buy a goat and two chickens to send to Africa than give to their local church because they think the goat and chickens will be more valuable.

TW: And how often do you think people don’t give at all?

What can NAMB do to convince more people to give charitably?

KE: I think we just have to show them the need. It’s interesting how much more this younger generation wants to touch and feel what they’re giving to. People want to meet the missionaries or FaceTime them. But once they actually see the need, they give. If they can point out a need, like relief for victims Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Matthew, they’ll text and give $10 from their phone. The days of envelopes and checkbooks are pretty far gone. We have a service now where we can send mass texts: “there’s major flooding in Louisiana. Follow these steps and you can give to help us with relief,” and we’ll get back $150,000 just by sending out a text message.

And the money we save by doing that so easily can go right into the pockets of families who need it. It’s a completely different world now; we just have to adjust to it.

TW: We’ve talked a lot about how the way missions hap-

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pen is changing, and that the goals and demographics of those who serve are changing as well. Things will definitely keep changing as time goes by. So, imagine it’s 2027.

How do you want to see churches and missionaries working towards the Great Commission 10 years from now?

KE: I think the majority of our missionaries will be bi-vocational. Our biggest efforts in 10 to 15 years will be to get engineers, attorneys, teachers—people from every profession, really—to become white-collar, bi-vocational ministers. One of our best church-planters right now works as an internal medicine doctor on weekdays.

Another guy is a full-time schoolteacher in Long Island who also plants churches. As time goes by, we will be able to have more missionaries serving Christ through their secular careers and helping build up Christianity when they’re not working. There’s a lot more there for us to accomplish.

Titus Willis (CC '18) is an English major aspiring to one day venture into law and politics. He hopes to see continued growth in every aspect of Columbia Crown & Cross as it reaches students with love, truth, and life.

Dr. Kevin Ezell serves as the President of the North American Mission Board, which works to reach North America through evangelism and church planting. He lives with his wife and six children in Alpharetta, Georgia. You can check out his writings online at NAMB’s Whatever It Takes blog, or on Twitter at @kevezell.

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