Should We Be Cross Centered?

There's an interesting discussion going on over at Dan's blog (Life on Wings), where Peter Day has posted a great piece called "Overturning the Tables of Legalism" about how much we should focus on the cross as believers. The argument on the cross-centered side seems to be that Paul was cross-centered and seemed to use 'the cross' as short-hand for the gospel message as a whole. There's also a quote saying we shouldn't move on from the Cross, however my thoughts on that are that since there is no Scripture saying the same, it doesn't have much authority. On the other side, some are arguing that the throne or empty tomb would be a better symbol for Christianity.

I was sitting playing a mindless computer game when a thought popped into my head. Maybe from God? I think so but you can judge for yourself. What popped into my head was the story of the Israelites in the wilderness with Moses, the time they all got bitten and poisened by serpents and God instructed Moses to raise up a bronze snake on a pole so the people could come and look at it and be healed. (Numbers 21:4-9) What did they do with this bronze snake on a pole afterward? Turns out they decided to worship it, turning it into an idol instead of worshipping the God who saved them... (see 2 Kings 18:4) And there's connection between this pole and Jesus in John 3 v. 14 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life."

Now to be sure, Paul did sometimes refer to the cross as a kind of short-hand for the work of Christ, and so can we. But I think there can be a danger of turning 'the Cross' into some kind of entity, we can do exactly what the Israelites did with their snake pole--we can end up putting our focus on the means of salvation rather than the person who saved us. I talked about this in my previous post as well, " Not Clinging to the Cross". Yes, we should always remember the death of Jesus, as we do every time we break bread together, there's a right time and and right way to remember the work of Jesus on the cross. But we remember the cross in a way that is life-giving, partaking of the body and blood of Jesus, being renewed and healed by taking his eternal resurrection life into our bodies. The breaking of bread NEVER ministers shame, guilt, condemnation, death, fear, etc...but ALWAYS the life-giving power of God's loving grace.

Another argument is that we need to center our lives around the cross in order to remain humble, but this argument is rooted in the idea that the cross is a reminder of our sin. I'm very sorry to say this (and I've said it over and over) but IF THE CROSS REMINDS YOU OF YOUR SIN THEN YOU ARE DENYING THE VERY POWER OF THE FINISHED WORK OF JESUS, THE WORK OF THE CROSS. Once again, take a look at Hebrews 10 (which I also wrote about a while back in my post called "Knowing God Under the New Covenant" The work of Jesus on the cross totally washes all our sin away forever and we are no longer even conscious of it! That's right, if God has forgotten it, so should we. To the extent we live aware of and focused on our sin, to that extent are we living in unbelief, not trusting that the sacrifice of Jesus was enough to put us in right standing before our Father.

And out of curiosity, I went to Bible Gateway and did a few searches (not including the Gospels) just to give a basic idea of what the New Testament church might be centered on. I only found 13 references to 'the cross'. I found 89 references for "gospel", 470 references for "Christ", 345 references for "Jesus" (there is probably some overlap for "Christ" and "Jesus"), and 66 references for "Spirit" (with a capital 's'). In a general way, I think this leads me to believe that we should live Jesus centered lives, not cross centered lives. I think that by over using the phrase 'the cross' without clarying and teaching what we mean by it (we do the same thing with many many other words such as 'gospel', 'grace', etc...), we are not helping people to understand these doctrines well but are deceiving them into thinking that knowing the right terminology means they have adequate understanding and are well-taught.


[ I think it would be good for me to say, not necessarily in relation to this topic in particular, that I also think women need to be looking into these things and are not only qualified as well as men to do this, but are encouraged by their Father in the Spirit to do it! I am publicly, for my sake and for the sake of any and all daughters of the Kingdom of Heaven, renouncing the doctrines of demons in the church today that are trying to suppress, control, manipulate, and destroy women(just as their leader did in the garden many many years ago) and I'm specifically referring to the idea that women are not able to discern and study Scripture and doctrine for themselves by the Spirit, without any man. And we are released from the curse of Genesis 3 sisters! So be free!!!]

The Release of Women Into Ministry

I found this article some time ago and was just reading it again. The role of men and women has been on our minds for a while now. Aaron and I both have many many questions (and a few not-fully-formed answers) about this whole area, which I'm starting to understand as more important to our understanding of the heart of God than I would have thought.

This article is a long read, and somewhat strangely written (since it's just transcribed from the spoken word) but I think it's worth it. It will get you thinking and hopefully questioning your comfortable assumptions about this topic, even if you disagree. Ideally, I think we should always be examining our beliefs in light of Scripture, always willing to learn more, understand more from the Holy Spirit. Funnily enough, this article turns out to be more about calling men into Biblical manhood in the end. Well, here's the link...


THE RELEASE OF WOMEN INTO MINISTRY
SPOKEN BY JACKIE PULLINGER

Here are a couple of interesting quotes that may peak your interest:

"Here I was, and for some strange reason had birthed this church, was it's leader, a woman! I tried to preach on manhood for 6 months and kept having to jump off the stage! God! I must find a man who can call these boys into manhood, but I couldn't find one. Honestly, I couldn't find a man. There were hundreds of pastors in Hong Kong with miserable wives, but I didn't want these men to call my men into manhood, because that's not manhood; it's a male position in the church and that is a perversion of God's purposes. God never chooses anyone on the basis of their sex. And this idea that man should hold position in the church because he is male is a perversion of the truth of Scripture. Man may lead on the basis of manhood, not sex."

(I really really love that last line!)

"I saw, in Genesis 3, the perversion that has taken place, for God called Adam and Eve to rule together, as partners, and she was clearly his helper. No problems until they both sinned. The curse is that woman will have pains in child - bearing and man will work by the sweat of his brow. Her identity will be in her man, and that's where it all went wrong. Ever since then, women have tried to find their identity in men and men have sought to find their identity in their job. That's a result of the fall and was not God's plan."

Newfrontiers Values

Mark Heath at 'Word and Spirit' has just done a great review of John Hosiers 'Christ's Radiant Church'. I've actually read parts of this one myself, before our book got water damaged, and especially appreciated how well the chapter dealing with women was done. I found Mark's review to be a great summary of where Newfrontiers stands on some important issues. For any of you who are curious about Newfrontiers you may find it quite interesting.

Feminism--The Greatest Threat to the Church?

For many reasons, feminism and the question of true Biblical feminity has been on my mind. A recent post by Dan over at Life on Wings touching on this issue has got me thinking even more, so I'm finally taking the plunge and putting some of my thoughts out here. Feel free to engage me openly and even be hostile if you like.
Hmmm. I'm about to set out into stormy seas. Being a woman, I will always be suspected--whether in conversation or how I behave (or what I write here haha), there will always be a man thinking that I'm a feminist. That dirty hateful word. It's almost the worst insult I can think of, aside from 'woman'. I hate the fact that I am afraid to say what I really think, or to disagree with a man, especially my husband, on anything at all--afraid of being judged as 'one of those women'. Of course, this fear doesn't stop me from saying what I think.

I wanted to open the discussion on whether we think male cheuvenism is really dead or not in the subculture of complimentarian Christianity, and is feminism a major threat to the church. I am still a complimentarian, but I would like to begin really believing that women are equal, not below, men. I realize that bringing up this topic will tempt some people to question whether I'm a feminist. That's my point I guess. How did we get to this place where we are always looking for feminists? Are they really our greatest enemies or could it be that feminists are people too? I'm not sure these labels are helping us love people.

It worries me that the conservative church has focused so much energy toward fighting those outside of themselves. With all the attention focused on feminists and homosexuals, are we perhaps missing some even more dangerous problems within our own camp, such as legalism, self-righteousness, and pride? I'm asking these questions honestly to myself, and I'm becoming ashamed at how easily I've judged people I don't even know without having true compassion. I'm certainly not advocating ignoring what Scripture says about these areas, but maybe it's time to look at our own hearts and see if there's anything besides knowledge in there, like love.

I don't honestly believe that feminism is close to being the most dangerous issue the church is facing today (though it's certainly a problem in some segments of the western church). I appreciate Wayne Grudem's reluctance to label it as one of the biggest issues faced by today's church in a recent interview with Adrian Warnock. Feminism is a response (yes, a sinful response) to the lack of love and grace in the church. (I think if we want to destroy and prevent sinful feminism in the church, then we might begin by teaching men to love and respect women.) I think the greatest threat to the church is pharisaical arrogance and legalism.

Where are the great men of God rising up to speak out against this? Well, there are a few that I know of, and definately some that I don't know of. Men like Terry Virgo (see his book God's Lavish Grace or any of his sermons on grace) and Rob Rufus ( I highly recommend his 5 part sermon series The Grace Hating Spirit,see 2004 series). But I'm praying for many many more. Maybe the loudest message the world should be hearing from us is that 'Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst'

Modesty

I usually keep an eye on Girl Talk, the blog written by Carolyn Mahaney and her daughters. I enjoy the topics whether I completely agree or not. Frankly, there is not too much to disagree on for the most part. They have been doing a series on modesty, teaching that I'm pretty familiar with by now, and teaching that has been helpful.

I have to say though, much of this kind of teaching has been so helpful to me because I have taken it to God and worked it out with him. I have never been one (since being here anyway) to take my list of rules and just go with it. And I think it's been made clear that that's not what they intend either. I hope that's not the intention anyway. I'm just not sure that a list (The Modesty Checklist)is the most effective way to teach modesty. I think the heart check questions are better than the literal modesty check points if it comes down to that. Once again, I'm concerned that we are trying to bypass the role of the Holy Spirit in individual believers' lives. Wouldn't it be better for us to comes to these convictions on our own? I realize that some of the things on the list are common sense and some woman ( especially those without the benefit of a godly mother) need to be taught these things, but I think this would be far more effective in the context of relationship.

All in all, I think needing a list is revealing some deficiencies. We are lacking the Titus 2 older women teaching younger woman (in the context of real and personal relationships) and we are lacking a real and intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. He is faithful to teach and convict every believer, and he is all-powerful to accomplish change in our lives.

I do want to say that I am completely in favor of teaching on modesty from the pulpit and elsewhere. There is definately a lack in this area, and C.J. and Carolyn do a great job at helping us uncover sinful motivations at work. I am very thankful personally for this teaching because God has used it in my life to change not only how I dress, but why I wear what I wear. It's just one more way to humble myself and glorify Jesus.