Bonhoeffer's Church of the Word

The focus of my last blog was Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas.  I described the church using three adjectives: performance, production, and personality.  It was Christianity lite, a half-a-loaf blend of money, success, and material American culture, mixed with the spoken and musical Word.  No doubt spiritual needs were addressed and Christ was presented and celebrated.  But the depth of Christ and the Cross were shallow.  Here is where I find Dietrich Bonhoeffer helpful.

In his sermon on 28 May, 1933, delivered at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin, Bonhoeffer focused on Exodus 32: 1-7, 9f, 15, 30-34.  He contrasted the Church of Aaron with the Church of Moses.

He describes the Church of Aaron, the PRIESTLY church thusly: 1) It is IMPATIENT.  We want visible results now because we are anxious, because we are fearful that God has forgotten us.  We refuse to live by God's time because our lives are in peril and we need reassurance NOW;  2) It is about ME.  Give me satisfaction.  Prove to me that God is alive.  Satisfy me.  Bless me.  Give me peace.  3) It demands SPLENDOR.  We want pizzaz!  We want lights and gold and sparkle and fashion and flowing robes and make-up and smoothness and comfort and ease and glory and positive feelings and cameras and....  Bonhoeffer writes: "Bring precious adornment, gold, jewellery, bring it as an offering.  And they will come, without exception.... The human race is ready for any sacrifice in which it may celebrate itself and worship its own work.... The church of Aaron is lavish with its god.... Who would want to stand aside from this pious joy, this unparalleled exuberance, this achievement of human will and ability?  The worldly church now has its god, come, celebrate him, enjoy yourselves, play, eat, drink, dance make merry, take yourselves out of yourselves!  You have a god again.... The worldly church celebrates its triumph, the priest has shown his power.... then the orgy begins." This is the church of the world.

The church of Moses, on the other hand, is a distinct contrast according to Bonhoeffer. It is the PROPHETIC church: 1) The church TREMBLES for the people because it is disturbed at their godlessness; 2) The church of Moses is a PROPHETIC CRITIQUE, sounding a discord amidst the glory and partying.  The church of Moses has notes of darkness, fear and threat at this idolatry of self glorification: "The living God has come among them, he rages against them." 3) Relief comes through the SUFFERING CHRIST who makes intercession for us, forgives us, in his Cross.

Bonhoeffer writes that the church is always the church of Aaron and the church of Moses "at the same time". There is a consistent tension between the "oughtness" of the church and its "isness", between its brokenness and its holiness, between its worldliness and its sanctification, between its PRIESTLY and PROPHETIC character, between its sinfulness and saintliness, between being guided by the Holy Spirit and by its own agenda, between success and obedience.

The Colorado Confession always poses the question: What does it mean to be the Church of Jesus Christ today?  May I suggest lessons from Lakewood and Bonhoeffer.  The Church of Jesus Christ: 1) Waits on God and refuses to yield to satisfying its own desires.  Our immediate satisfaction takes second place to patient waiting; 2)  Trusts that we are safely in the hands of Jesus at all times; 3) Places the Word in the center instead of pleasure; 4) Affirms faith before sight; 5)  Replaces glitz with the Cross; 6) Focuses on the Lordship of Jesus rather than the personality of the priest; 7) Defines success as suffering for others; 8) Allows itself to be consistently critiqued by the prophetic Word, embracing discord; 9) Replaces blessing with freedom.  Blessing is for me and freedom is for ALL; 10) Thee instead of me; 11) The Lord's Supper and Holy Baptism trump production, personality, and performance; 12) Commits itself to peace and justice for others through the Cross of Christ rather than worshipping at the altar of blessings for me; 13) Obedience before dancing; 14) Engages the world in the light of the cross rather the cross through the  darkness of the world; 15) Affirms  grace alone, faith alone, and Word alone, rather than glitz, success, and personality.

We of the Colorado Confession are presented with questions: What is the character of our congregations?  What church do we create by our words and deeds?  How do our congregations reflect Christ?  How relevant are Bonhoeffer's distinctions for the church today?

The church, the congregation, is the Body of Christ in the world.  This truth makes me shudder, but also gives me hope.

Peace!

Ron