Читать книгу Reconciling Places - Paul A. Hoffman - Страница 5

One way to comprehend the increasing polarization in our world is by understanding the competing ideologies in America today. There is “nationalism” or “white nationalism” on one end and “progressive liberalism” on the other. Both are ideologies and both are idols as well. David Koyzis, in his book Political Visions & Illusions, makes a solid case that ideology is idolatry because an ideology has its own account of sin and redemption. It has its own soteriology, its own eschatology, its own telos. Like any idol, every ideology seeks ultimate allegiance and promises to save people from real or perceived fear. To that end, ideology causes blindness and deafness. Often when people are captive to ideology, their ability to listen to or view something from a different perspective is limited or nonexistent.

This blindness and deafness happen not only to people outside the faith but also to those who are seeking to follow Jesus. The Gospel of Mark often portrays the disciples as blind and deaf to who Jesus was and what his mission was truly about. It is no accident that at the center of the Gospel of Mark (7:31—9:30) reside stories of Jesus healing the sight of two different men, and in the middle Jesus casts out a deaf and dumb spirit.

Sight is an important metaphor for Mark, and the healing of one of the blind men in two stages (Mark 8:22–26) indicates the confused state of the disciples. It is directly after this that Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” While Peter responded with insight, it wasn’t long before Jesus rebuked him sharply, saying, “Get behind me, Satan,” indicating his insight was followed by a significant blind spot.

The Apostle Paul said that he saw through a mirror dimly (1 Cor 13:12). Those with wisdom recognize that there is only One who sees truth objectively. For the rest of us, our point of view is shaped by the point from which we view the world. Our context, where we stand geographically, sociologically, economically, biologically, and autobiographically, shapes how we view reality. In the parable of the sower the only variable is the location of the soil. The sower and seed are the same. The location of the soil determines the response. Likewise, the reigning ideology of where we live tends to hold us captive and in bondage to idolatry, which in turn leads to dehumanizing others. The ecology of our heart is not neutral; it is deeply shaped and often misshaped by socialization in a polarized world.

The truth we seek is not found in ideology. It is found in a person, the great Reconciler of the world—Jesus Christ. Jesus destroyed the wall of hostility between those who have been divided by the socialization processes of this world (Eph 2:14–18). Jesus has taken the hostility, animosity, and suspicion between people who are captive to ideology, and through his death and resurrection, he has created one new humanity. Now together, as this one new humanity, we can seek first his kingdom and his righteousness (Matt 6:33).

Ideology, like all idols, seeks full devotion from those it holds captive so that, in time, citizenship of country replaces discipleship to Christ, or submission to political correctness replaces our love for true freedom. Submission to ideology erects walls of hostility between people. Jesus was and is good at destroying walls and building bridges. In fact, Jesus became the ultimate bridge by his willingness to die for his friends and his enemies.

Paul Hoffman, in Reconciling Places, captures the heart of the good news of Jesus by helping us to become bridge builders. One of the beautiful contributions that Hoffman makes in this book is how he tells the story of God. Instead of using the common story line of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation, he frames the story relationally. Drawing on the fact that in the beginning was community, Hoffman puts reconciliation at the center of what our triune God is doing in this world. He reminds us that the Creator of this good world is reconciling us not just to himself but to each other, within ourselves, and with all of creation. The good news that gives us hope in our polarized world is the recognition that Christ came “to reconcile all things to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Col 1:20). Our ultimate hope is in our triune God’s ability to bring about new creation. It is a hope that is based on the love of the Father, the faithfulness of the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hoffman is wise in reminding us that if we are to be bridge builders we must count the cost, as this work is not for the fainthearted. Seeking to be reconcilers is excruciating and demanding work. Hoffman, after recognizing the importance of the places we dwell, gives us the foundation and substructure of bridge building before diving into concrete reconciliation practices. He does this because he recognizes that if we are going to have endurance in our reconciliation practices, our practices must be constructed on a foundation that allows us to move forward with faith, hope, and love.

I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Paul, as we were simultaneously pursuing our PhDs at the University of Manchester (UK). When spending time with him, I quickly picked up that this theme of reconciliation flows from his heart. As you read this book, you will realize that Reconciling Places is not just a theoretical journey for Paul; it is a journey that he is living out. What makes this book come alive for me is getting a peek at how God was shaping this life message in Paul from the time he was young to this very day. My own heart has been encouraged in reading this book by seeing his pursuit of reconciliation in the concrete places he dwells. Seeing him step out in faith by bringing people and churches together to take a public stand against racism lifted my heart. I was encouraged by his realism and his willingness to share both his victories and defeats. For not only is the work of reconciliation costly; it is messy.

The fact is that we are all a part of some narrative, and the story we live in shapes the script we write day-to-day. What story are you living in? How does that story shape your relationships with your family and friends, or even better, how does that story shape how you treat your enemies? Does the story you live in draw you to our triune God and his work of reconciliation in our world? Does the story in which you live help you experience constructive transformation in your life and in the lives of others? When you imagine the future, do you have a sense of hope or despair?

As you start to read this book, you will soon see what gives Hoffman hope. The first chapter is devoted to place—the city and towns in which we live. This significance of place speaks to Hoffman’s understanding of incarnation. He doesn’t want us to see the places we live with just ordinary eyes. Within the first chapter, he gives us four lenses to broaden our view of place. Through these lenses we appreciate the beauty and brokenness of the built environment but we are also reminded of God’s commitment to new creation through the lens of eschatology. He threads this eschatological lens throughout the book. For as we reflect on God’s future, a renewed heaven and earth, and let it shape our sense of calling, we can live sacramentally in the neighborhoods to which God has sent us, writing a new future for our cities and for the world by anticipating his future in the present. In this way, we become people who live with a sustaining faith, a stubborn hope, and a sacrificial love. Ideology doesn’t produce this kind of life. But if we seek God first, and desire to see his kingdom and righteousness become more manifest in our neighborhoods, we will become peacemakers, demonstrating that we are children of God.

J. R. Woodward

Seattle, Washington

Epiphany 2020