Leadership Letter #7 Re-thinking a Trinitarian Vision

In August we had our biennial YWAM Canadian staff gathering In Pinawa, Manitoba. Considering that this location is roughly mid-Canada points to the challenges we face as a nation as we drive the 30+ hours from either East or West to Rendezvous in the tradition of Canada's early fur traders. This was our sixth such gathering and in many respects we are starting to see the fruit of networking and connecting both as friends and YWAM Co-workers from coast to coast to coast.

A treat for us this year was to have Baxter Kruger (http://www.perichoresis.org/) both give glory to God as he beautified the triune relationship of Father, Son and Spirit, and how God in Love meets us in our "I –am-nots…" The revelation that Jesus presented of God as His Father was such a radical departure from traditional Jewish thinking. The very nature of Christian discipleship was rooted in the profound understanding that God is Abba, Father, and that the incarnate Son is both Lord and Christ (Messiah), and the Son is also the Creator. By implication through the incarnation the Son and Creator completely identified with humanity and after dying a shameful death on trumped-up charges was resurrected. So rather than ending the Jesus story at the Cross and Jesus dying for our sins, the end of the story is God through Christ gathering all of humanity into His resurrected and at-the-right-hand-of-the-Father Life. All of Humanity is being influenced by that Triune Life right now. Salvation is becoming aware (seeing/hearing) that we are loved right now in that Eternal Life. Hence the doctrine of Adoption captures the Life we have together in Christ through union with Him in the Holy Spirit.

The closing evening our tradition is to have a "World Café" type session to both capture the essence of the week together, but to also prepare us for our departure (http://www.theworldcafe.com/). For several hours the dining room was a-buzz with animated discussion as we talked and processed. Several of the tables expressed themselves by saying, "Doesn't this teaching seem to skate dangerously close to 'universalism'"? Universalism is the doctrine that postulates since Christ died for all, then all will eventually be save.

The next day as I drove Baxter to the airport I asked him whether his Trinitarian viewpoint was universalism. His answer to the question was telling: "I wish I was, but I can't hold to that position (universalism). The sad truth is that even God in His great Love for humanity does not by pass the necessity of human will responding to God's Grace." The ancient doctrine of God was soundly Trinitarian and rooted in the initiative of God to come to us Incarnationally as part of the salvation of mankind. If you would like to read an ancient document that represents the understanding of the Early Church see Athanasius' "On the Incarnation" as a prime source (http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/history/ath-inc.htm).

On my long drive home I had plenty of time to reflect and hopefully, work through some of implications of emphasizing the Triune nature of God. One of the ideas I had was to re-work the 4 Spiritual Laws popularized by Campus Crusade. See http://www.4laws.com/laws/english/flash/ for an on-line version of this tract. The following reworked Four Spiritual Laws is for discussion only, I am not planning to introduce this as a tract, but would sincerely welcome some critical thinking on how we present the Good News of Jesus.

Law One-God does Love you and have a wonderful plan for your Life. In fact God (Father, Son and Spirit) is already at work in your life to help you become all he desires you to be. Jesus as the Son of God has taken on humanity to teach us about God and open the way for a relationship without condemnation. John 3:16 & 17. John Wesley called this God's prevenient Grace.

Law Two-We are separated in our relationship with God, because we are blind and unhearing. Hence we end up doing what is right in our own eyes, which often only increases our blindness. We need to have our eyes and ears opened. Prayer for illumination may precede prayer for forgiveness.

Law Three- Jesus' death on the cross, His resurrection from the dead, and his ascension to be now alive together with the Father and the Spirit is the current reality. Jesus meets us in our lostness when we reach out in faith through prayer for His help. Lostness may involve guilt that needs to be forgive, but it might reflect a broader gamut of human needs as well.

Law Four-Belief in Jesus as Lord, Son of God, Alive with the Father, and then a receiving of His life by the power of the Holy Spirit is our adoption into God's family. We become aware of His Spirit at work and then through discipleship grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.

I deliberately did not put all sorts of proof texts in the above proposal, because I am in process too in my perspective being shifted. I am mostly interested, if the above shift in perspective is more Trinitarian in it's over all approach, and if indeed it might be a more inclusive approach with respects to evangelism and discipleship.

Please join me in continuing to reap the benefits of us gathering together in the Canadian Conversation.

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