Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Think About newsletter, Tabor Adelaide
Citation preview
The teaching faculty of Ministry, Theology, and Culture at Tabor Adelaide are committed to serving the church by thinking about the gospel. We believe that individuals and the church can be transformed by the renewing of our/their minds. Too often college lecturers are characterized as “living in an ivory tower” and “being too theoretical.” This stereotype doesn’t apply at Tabor; we are part of the church, and we want to see it grow in faithfulness to Jesus. This is why we have committed ourselves to producing this themed magazine for free distribution to the churches of South Australia. We trust you will find this edition helpful. We will value your feedback and your contributions; please email me at [email protected].
Rev Dr Stephen SpenceHead of Ministry, Theology, and Culture
God has given me, or am I prepared to make sacrifices?
Luke in his Gospel does not attempt to tell us what we must
give or how much we must give. But he does make it abundantly clear that those of us who follow Jesus must be generous in our giving.
Thinking About Giving with...David McGregor; Aaron
Chalmers; David Turnbull; Stephen Spence; Graham Buxton; Bruce Hulme; Matthew Gray; and Lesley Houston.
I spent the second half of 2010 immersed in Luke’s Gospel and
found myself continually confronted with the fundamental generosity of grace. This was something of a mixed blessing for me. I enjoyed the focus upon how God has lavishly given me forgiveness and blessing upon blessing. But I found the expectation that I would then be as forgiving and as giving with others a challenge. Just how generous am I with the blessings I have received?
I was reminded of the old fable concerning the chicken and the pig
who were talking together about how much care the farmer took of them both. “We must do something special for him,” said the pig. “Yes,” agreed the chicken, “He likes a big breakfast.
Why don’t we cook him bacon and eggs tomorrow morning?” The pig was not pleased. “All that that would require from you is an offering; from me it would require a sacrifice!”
Zacchaeus’ response to meeting Jesus (Lk 19:1-10) was a generous
“half of my possessions I will give to the poor” (the Talmud later identified 20% as sufficiently generous). And his “four times I will repay anyone I have cheated” also generously exceeded the OT requirement (see Lev 5:16, Num 5:7). This is the “thank offering of a changed heart” (E Ellis).
I have met Jesus! But just how generous is my changed heart? Am
I prepared to give an offering of what
Thinking About...Giving
181 Goodwood Road Millswood SA 5034(08) 8373 8777
www.taboradelaide.edu.au
Thinking About...
Volume 2, Issue 1 - January 2011
Giving
Considering your options for study? Enrol now for 2011
Tabor Adelaide offers fully accredited courses in:
• Teacher Education • Social Science - Youth Work• Social Science - Counselling• Ministry, Theology, and Intercultural Studies• Humanities: English, Creative-Writing, History,
and Philosophy• TESOL • Certificate IV in Training and Assessment• VET Christian Life and Ministry
www.taboradelaide.edu.au181 Goodwood Rd Millswood SA 5034 tel. 08 8373 8777
CRICOS provider No 00946E
2
Giving in a Culture Stripped of Grace
Miroslav Volf ’s book is the best thing I have read on “giving.” He writes with the wisdom of a theologian, the heart of a pastor, and the practicality of someone who lives what he writes: Free of Charge (Zondervan, 2005).
God has given to us so that we would share
with others. We are givers because we were
made that way, and if we don’t give, we are at
odds with ourselves. Recall Luther’s bold statement
that we are Christs to one another. We were cre-
ated to be and to act like God. And so the flow of
God’s gifts shouldn’t stop as soon as it reaches us.
We are obliged to give freely. Why is freedom
in giving so important? Because the gift
consists more in the freely undertaken choice to
give than in the things given.
When God gives, God seeks the good of
another. Seneca put it well: “He who gives
benefits imitates the gods, he who seeks a return
[imitates] money-lenders.” When do we rightly
give? When we delight in someone. When others
are in need. Finally, we give to help others give.
We don’t need to give our lives to give
truly. It suffices to impart to others more
than we owe them without expecting return or
basking in our moral rectitude. That’s a gift - an
ordinary gift but a perfectly good one. It’s these
kinds of ordinary gifts to which the apostle Paul
urged Corinthian Christians - gifts that are given
“according” to one’s means and maybe a bit
“beyond” them (2 Cor 8:3).
It isn’t always easy to determine what “too
much” or “too little” giving means concretely.
With the help of the community that holds us
accountable, each of us will ultimately have to
make the decision on our own, just as each of us
will stand on our own before the ultimate Judge
to account for what we have done with the gifts
we have received. In general, the Apostle’s point
seems clear: Differences in wealth are legitimate
even if they are destined to disappear in the world
to come; that some suffer abject poverty while
others enjoy opulence is not.
The line between giving and acquiring is fine. It
takes vigilance not to cross it.
Three aspects of sin mitigate against the purity
of gift giving: selfishness, pride, and sloth. Often
we are too comfortable to give; we’d rather play,
be entertained, or just plain do nothing. We can’t
make our gifts pure. But our gifts can be better.
We need God to better ourselves as givers.
[Quotations from M Volf, Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace.]
3
9:30am - 3:00pm; $60 (lunch provided)
Monday, 28 February with Dr Edith HumphreyThe Spirit and Spirituality in Biblical Perspective
Monday, 1 August with Dr Soong-Chan RahFreeing the Church from Cultural Captivity
Monday, 17 October with Dr Pete PhillipsBiblical Literacy and Communication in a Digital World
Monday, 21 November with Olive Drane and Dr John DraneMission and Discipleship in a Liquid Culture
Tabor Adelaide is bringing to Adelaide a number of internationally respected scholars whose research and writings have greatly contributed to the church. These are rare opportunities to hear from people who are helping the church think through its life and mission.It is possible to enrol for 1-week intensives with these scholars for credit or as an audit student. Register now with [email protected]
TABOR ADELAIDE 2011 Enrich your Ministry with International ScholarsProfessional Enrichment Seminars for Clergy and Church Leaders
Rev Dr Stephen Spence, Head of Ministry, Theology, and Culture
Stephen will teach Romans Exegesis and Pauline Theology in Semester 1, 2011.
Koinonia giving is not the same as charity.
Charity can come from a sense of “there but
for the grace of God go I.” It is motivated by a
sense of thankfulness for blessings received. Who
receives my charity is not as important to me as
the fact that I have given charity. There is a place
in Christian living for this form of alms giving.
However, charity does not capture the type of
koinonia giving that Jesus talked about and the
early church practiced.
Koinonia is a Greek word, often translated as fellowship (e.g., Acts 2:42), that has the flavor of “close association involving mutual interests and sharing.”
Within a koinonia fellowship the mutual concern
for one another leads to the kind of sharing of lives
and goods that can be seen displayed by the first
Jerusalem church.
Koinonia giving is motivated by our relationship
with the person in need. We give not because
the person is in need but because they are our
The Christian practice of koinonia givingbrother-in-need or our sister-in-need. Charity is
given to strangers and they remain strangers to us.
Koinonia giving is given to those God regards as
part of our family.
Jesus’ parable of the “Rich Man and Lazarus”
(Luke 16) criticized the Rich Man because his
concern was only for his biological brothers but
not for the destitute Lazarus, a fellow child of
Abraham who was no stranger to him. As James,
the brother of Jesus, wrote, “If a brother or sister is
naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says
to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your
fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs,
what is the good of that?” (James 2:15-16).
Giving charity is a good thing to do. But if we are
to reflect the heart and the practice of Jesus,
we must practice koinonia giving. Our church
is not just somewhere we go to sing songs and
listen to sermons; it is the gathering of our God-
given family, and we are responsible before God
to ensure that our brothers and sisters are not in
Thinking about giving as a spiritual discipline
might make us wince a little. Surely our giving is
to be a free outpouring of gratitude in response to
the generosity of God, rather than something that
is ‘under compulsion’ (cf. 2 Cor. 9:7) or in need of
regimentation! Is considering giving as a spiritual
discipline little more than a return to living under
the law rather than the liberation of the gospel?
I suppose that is possible, particularly if we view
the discipline of giving as something we have got
to do, or another box to tick in the Christian life.
Giving is relational; as soon as it becomes merely
functional in our lives, it has moved from mercy to
sacrifice.
‘Discipline’ in proper perspective, however,
actually frees rather than restricts. “In the spiritual
life,” writes Henri Nouwen,
“the word ‘discipline’ means ‘the effort to create some space in which God can act.’ Discipline means to prevent everything in your life from being filled up.
Discipline means that somewhere you’re not
occupied, and certainly not preoccupied. In the
spiritual life, discipline means to create that space
in which something can happen that you hadn’t
planned or counted on.”
When we understand ‘discipline’ in this way,
regular giving cultivates the Yes! and No! of
Christian spirituality in powerful ways. It helps us
say and pray Yes! to Psalm 24:1: “The earth is
the Lord’s, and everything in it”; Yes! to creating
space for God to act and surprise us; Yes! to
a prayerful attentiveness to his work around
us. It also helps us say No! to the cancer of a
marketplace culture that defines people as
‘consumers’; No! to tearing down our barns to
build bigger ones; No! to a fearful burying of what
God has given us.
Giving as a spiritual discipline is never something
we have got to do, but get to do. It is a gracious
invitation to create space for our formation, and
our participation in the Kingdom.
The Spiritual Discipline of Giving
Bruce Hulme is a lecturer in Practical Theology and is studying towards an MTh in Spiritual Theology
In 2011, Bruce is responsible for the Spiritual Formation Program, which involves all MTC’s degree students, and for the Supervised Field Education Program
4
SEMESTER ONE 2011 Study Opportunities at Tabor AdelaideTabor Adelaide’s School of Ministry, Theology, and Culture offers degrees and diplomas in Ministry, in Theology, in Intercultural Studies, and in Christian Studies.
It is possible to study on campus or through the external studies program. (Or a mixture of both.)
APPLY online.
FEE-HELP is avail-able for eligible students.
TM1102 INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIAN MINISTYExplore what it means for the whole church to be caught up in God’s Trinitarian ministry to the world, promoting the gospel in life and word. Explore your own personal calling to be a part of that ministry. This subject is suitable for anyone exploring God’s call on their life. TUESDAY, 6-9pm.
TM2115 INTRODUCTION TO THE OLD TESTAMENTLearn about the world, significant people, events, and message of the OT, with a particular emphasis upon seeing how the OT can continue to speak into our lives and ministries. This subject is suitable for Bible study leaders and those wanting a better understanding of the Bible. THURSDAY, 10am-1pm.
TM1101 CREATIVE LIVINGDiscover the God of grace and his love for us. Explore how it is in Jesus that we discover who God is AND who we are. Practice living gratefully in the grace of God. Consider how all this applies to the practice of prayer and knowing (and doing) God’s will. Suitable for Christians who are looking to build (or rebuild) their faith on God’s grace. TUESDAY, 1-4pm.
TM1103 CHRISTIANS IN A MULTICULTURAL WORLDChristians live and minister within a world of cultures. This subject contributes to the formation of reflective practitioners by exploring the relevance, contribution, and the physical and spiritual practicalities of engaging with culture at various levels of the Christian life – individual, local community, and international. THURSDAY, 130-430pm.
5
The psalmist cries “What shall I render to the Lord
for all his benefits towards me?” His surprising
answer is, “I will lift up the cup of salvation and
call upon the name of the Lord” (Ps 116: 12-13). In
other words, he will imbibe more deeply.
But what of the next verse “I will pay my vows to
the Lord” (v14)? Does he feel the need to pay
God back? No, this is simply a promise to be
thankful. He continues “I will sacrifice a thank
offering to you and call upon the name of the
Lord” (v 17). The truth is that we give to God by
receiving from him! Even our gratitude is not a
condition for God’s grace but a free response
engendered by it. “What do you have that you
have not received?” (1Cor 4:7).
The God of Jesus’ parables acts in sheer
generosity. As the Sower, for example, he
broadcasts his seed even on unresponsive ground.
He is not like a calculating investor always looking
for a return, but a reckless lover who simply loves
because he loves. As the French Easter liturgy says
“L’amour de Dieu est folie” – the love of God is foolishness.
Karl Barth reminds us that this God loves us so
much that he refuses to give us anything less
than himself. The Father “did not spare his own
Son but gave him up for us all” (Rom 8:32); the
“Son of God...loved me and gave himself for me”
(Gal 2:20); “God’s love has been poured into our
hearts, through the Holy Spirit which has been
given to us” (Rom 5:5).
Our one great sin is our refusal to receive the God who gives himself to us “He came to his own but his own received him not” (Jn 1:11).
Receiving from God frees us to give to others
“Freely you have received, freely give” (Matt
10:8). We do not give to receive from them,
but because we have already received from
God. Nor do we give because we have to, but
because we want to – we give freely. And what
is it that we give? Nothing less than ourselves of
course! How else could we give like God?
We give to God by receiving from God
David McGregor is Senior Lecturer in Theology. He is enrolled in the PhD theology program at Newcastle University
David will teach Creative Living, Jesus the Christ, and Kingdom of God in Semester 1, 2011.
SEMESTER ONE 2011 Study Opportunities at Tabor Adelaide
WA
NT DETA
ILS? contact Samantha
(08) 8373 8777w
ww
.taboradelaide.edu.au
TM5210 POVERTY and INTEGRAL MISSIONGod cares for the poor, and he requires that his people do too! This hope-filled class will explore practical options that contribute to bringing healing and dignity through an integral mission framework. Students typically leave this class with a new appreciation of their life and work. WEDNESDAY, 6-9pm.
Tabor Adelaide Semester One, 2011
February 14 - June 3
181 Goodwood RoadMillswood SA 5034
www.taboradelaide.edu.au
TM4215 WORSHIPExplore how worship shapes us (and how we shape it), its biblical foundations, its rich history, and the many practical aspects of worship ministry. This subject would be excellent for pastors, worship leaders, worship team leaders, and anyone who wants to explore how to give our best to God in worship. THURSDAY, 6-9pm.
TM6330 INTRODUCTION TO ADULT EDUCATIONExplore the current theories and practice of adult teaching and learn-ing. Discover the characteristics of adult learners and the nature and contexts of life-long learning, and apply the concepts to your own ministry field. Suitable for anyone interested in teaching adults. TUESDAY, 1-4pm.
If I need to understand the spirituality of giving,
the first place I will always go is to the Desert
Forebears from the third century:
Abba Theodore had three good books. And
going to Abba Macarius, he said to him: “I have
three good books, and I am helped by reading
them. But other monks also want to read them,
and they are helped by them. Tell me, what am
I to do?” And the old man said: “Reading books
is good, but possessing nothing is more than all.”
When he heard this, he went away and sold the
books, and gave the money to the poor.
I have more than three good books. I’ve had to
dewey-decimal them to keep track. How many
have you got on your shelf?
I think Theodore is being grossly irresponsible here.
It would be irresponsible, downright ungrateful,
for me to do that. If I give away my books on say,
the Reformation, how will I prepare my lectures
for Reformation Church history this semester? That
would be irresponsible. In fact, the responsible
thing to do is buy some more.
Convenient.
Giving is an action, not a conversationThe discomforting thing about the Desert Forebears is that they actually do things.
Theodore asked the question. Macarius told him
what to do. Theodore did it. Done. We’re still
arguing with Macarius about how our books help
us generously give wisdom to our congregations,
when Theodore has already sold them. He’s also
sold his car, his house, his laptop, his shoes, while
we’re still arguing.
Of course I think that the Desert Forebears go
too far, but the very fact that they go too far
confronts us with how we usually don’t go far
enough. Whatever happens once you’ve read
these Thinking About articles on giving, don’t
just think about it. Take a leaf out of the Desert
Forebears’ book (they’ll happily give it to you),
and refuse to leave it in abstract convenience.
Don’t just leave it for your congregation to do. Do
something with what you hear.
Oh, if you’re interested, I’ve got some books on it
you can [email protected]
Matthew Gray is Lecturer in Church History. He is enrolled in the PhD history program at Adelaide University.
Matt will teach Introduction to Christian Ministry and Reformation History in Semester 1, 2011.
Knowing the practices of giving and receiving
can be tricky when you are in a cultural
context different from the one you grew up in. It is
easy to respond in a way that diminishes the value
and generosity of the giver.
I recall one such memorable incident.
As Cheryl, Matthew and I were about to get into
the car to leave Gindiri, Nigeria, for the final time
in 1996, a special Christian Nigerian family rushed
over and handed us a live adult turkey. This was
unexpected and left us stunned at their generosity
of such a valuable gift.
Ill prepared to respond we made a significant
mistake. We knocked it back as there was no
room in the fully laden car, there was no way to kill
and eat it at our guest house 80 kilometres away,
and we knew this family could not really afford to
part with it.
Looking back I am sure we caused that family
unintended offense. We responded in a way that
we thought (at the time) was polite but, as I have
come to learn, giving and receiving is different in
multi-ethnic contexts.
The generosity and love of this family needed to be appreciated and accepted.
This family had 17 children in the household
(based on the merger of two families) and
constantly battled financially. They were
prepared to give one of their valuable possessions
despite their limited resources.
The way one receives a gift is significant. Each
act of giving and receiving builds relationships. A
refusal to receive a gift is a refusal of the giver.
The practices of giving and receiving may differ
from culture to culture. However, from this family I
have learnt a lesson about giving generously and
receiving humbly.
We should have taken the turkey no matter what.
David Turnbull, Senior Lecturer in Intercultural Studies. He is enrolled in a PhD program at Flinders University.
David will teach Intercultural Life and Work, Christians in a Multicultural World, and Poverty and Integral Mission in Semester 1, 2011.
No room in this car for a turkey6
7
Dr Aaron Chalmers is Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies. Aaron has recently contributed articles to Tyndale Bulletin and to Vetus Testamentum.
Aaron will teach Introduction to the Old Testament and Understanding the Biblical Narrative in Semester 1, 2011.
In some Christian circles today tithing is taught as
a “default” approach to Christian giving.
While this practice may be able to claim some
support from the OT (e.g. Lev 27: 30-33; Num
18: 20-32; Deut 14: 22-29 – note, however, the
recipients of the tithe in the final passage),
there are no clear injunctions in the NT that Christians are to continue to practice tithing.
Furthermore, such teaching may have a number
of negative (albeit unintended) consequences. It
may, for example, lead to Christians thinking that
giving only relates to money, that the “required
amount” of Christian giving is 10%, or that 10% of
one’s income is God’s and that the rest belongs to
us to do whatever we please.
So rather than advocating tithing, I would to
highlight three key considerations that need to be
taken into account when we are “thinking about
giving”.
1) Our money belongs to the Lord – a consistent
claim throughout both the OT and the NT is that
the earth and all its fullness belongs to the Lord
(1 Cor 10: 26). If this is the case then the money
we earn is not really our money at all. While this
statement may sound simple, its implications
are radical. If our money is not ours to do with
it as we please, then surely we need to assess
how we spend every single dollar (and not just
the 10% we give on a Sunday morning).
2) Christian discipleship calls for whole-of-life
giving – God is concerned with all that we
are, have and do, not just our money. If this
is the case, then any discussion of Christian
giving must be broad enough to include
considerations such as our skills, abilities and
time, not just our financial resources.
3) If we are to look for a guiding model or
paradigm from the Bible for monetary giving,
perhaps we should focus on the issue of
proportionality, i.e. giving that is in keeping with
one’s income (1 Cor 16: 2; 2 Cor 8: 3 and Acts
11: 29). Rather than being a cop-out, such an
approach is, in fact, much more confronting for
it shifts the key question from “how much should
I give?” to “how much can I give?”
Should “tithing” be the Christian norm?
Leslie Houston is the program director for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She is enrolled in a PhD program at Flinders University.
Leslie will teach Adult Education in Semester 1, 2011.
My initial response to the topic of giving was
to write about how God prompts us to
give. When we think about giving, our immediate
responses are usually in financial or material terms.
While there is no doubt that giving $$ often is the
natural and correct response, as I reflected more
deeply another kind of giving came to mind, the
giving of ourselves.
We recognise the Cross as the greatest act of giving, and that God’s giving continues.
One gift God gives is God’s presence and God’s
listening to us, even when we’re silent. Most of
us also listen to God and God’s guidance and
promptings, but do we give ourselves to one other
by really listening?
Most of us are possession rich but time poor, so
giving words of comfort, a word of scripture or a
material gift are often the easiest and quickest
option. It is much more challenging to give time
to really listen, to give others the gift of silent
engagement with them, not jumping in with
advice, a solution, or a quick prayer.
Giving the gift of listening can be costly and not
only in time. Listening involves engagement at
a deep level and it can hurt. After the terrible
2004 Tsunami in Thailand, two missionaries went
to the affected province to do what they could.
They pulled bodies out of the devastation and
provided material help where they could, but
mostly they sat and listened to the stories of the
survivors and wept with them. They didn’t give
words of comfort, they didn’t share the gospel;
they just listened and wept. They gave themselves
and their giving was costly; the stories continue to
echo in their hearts.
When was the last time we gave our self to
another in this way?
Giving involves more than $$
www.taboradelaide.edu.au181 Goodwood Rd Millswood SA 5034tel. 08 8373 8777
for further information contactSamantha Docherty
8
The celebrated Croatian theologian Miroslav
Volf has written a book called Free of Charge,
with the highly suggestive subtitle: Giving and
Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace. In that
book he writes:
“God gives and loves by nature as surely as a duck quacks by nature.”
As we consider the giving of God in the Bible we
discover that true giving carries no guarantees.
It demands nothing back. Giving is risky. Indeed,
that’s the very nature of grace. God cannot
help being gracious and self-giving: he gives and
loves by nature. In the New Testament we see the
Father delighting in and glorifying the Son, giving
all things to the beloved One. Yet the Son delights
in and glorifies the Father: after conquering all
things and reigning over his kingdom, He lays all
things at the feet of the Father. In John’s gospel
we learn that the Holy Spirit delights in glorifying
not himself but the Son thus revealing the glory of
the Father.
Without demanding anything in return from each other, the three persons of the Trinity inwardly enjoy one another’s self-giving love … so much so that they are one God.
In God as Trinity, self-giving openness meets
generosity and love is complete. Self-giving and
generosity intersect within the very life of the three-
in-one God. Each opens himself to the other, and
the response of love as generosity establishes the
triumph of love. In fact, if God is by very nature
love, how can it be otherwise?
But that, of course, is not the end of the story.
We are called to be a giving people, reflecting
the very life of God himself. Giving means being
available as an instrument in God’s hands to
bless the world around us. God’s gifts are for us
to enjoy, but at their best they can shape us into
generous givers who reflect God’s own generosity.
Giving is not an ethical extra for the pious. If we
are truly those who have been created in God’s
image, then we must conclude that part of our
human make-up is that we must give of ourselves
in order to realise our full humanity. As the words
on a T-shirt given to me by one of my Tabor classes
about fifteen years ago put it, “We are not really
living unless we are giving.”[email protected]
Creative Commons License
We are happy for you to reuse any of the material in this journal. We do require, though, that you clearly identify the source by “author’s name,” Tabor Adelaide, School of Ministry, Theology, and Culture (January 2011)
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.5 Australia License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/au/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Rev Dr Graham Buxton is the Director of Post- Graduate Studies and the author of Overcoming ministry myopia: Renewing our vision of Christian ministry (Wipf & Stock, forthcoming); Celebrating life : beyond the sacred-secular divide (Paternoster, 2007); The Trinity, creation and pastoral ministry: imaging the perichoretic God (Paternoster, 2005); and Dancing in the dark : the privilege of participating in the ministry of Christ (Paternoster, 2001).
We are not really living unless we are giving
