I have read and followed him for years, often moved by his passionate appeals to the social demands of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Today, after hearing him speak, I was moved again.
The occasion of his lecture at Louisville Seminary's Festival of Theology was the topic, "To Stand Where God Stands - The Confession of Belhar." This confession (pronounced bell-har') was written by the Church in South Africa during the years of the final, intense struggle of the overcoming of apartheid, and is currently being considered to be included in the Book of Confessions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) at this year's meeting of the General Assembly. Boesak believes that, although its initial focus was parochial, its impact is global.
Boesak stated that the system of apartheid dehumanized black people and accorded an idolatrous position to whites. That particular statement got me thinking about the implications for my sabbatical questions. What is it that is idolatrous for us in the church today? Are our buildings idolatrous? Is having a full-time pastor idolatrous. For us pastors, is being able to work full-time as a pastor idolatrous? In other words...
- Is Jesus Lord, or is our ecclesiastical paradigm lord?
- Is Jesus Lord, or are our structures lord?
- Is Jesus Lord, or are our buildings lord?
- Is Jesus Lord, or are the ways we do our programs lord?
I realize, after his talk, that I need to go back and read this confession again. If you'd like, you can read this at http://www.pcusa.org/theologyandworship/confession/belhar.pdf.
There is so much more, and I'll write more later. I'm also going to have lunch with Allan tomorrow, during which time I'll be able to talk about some of the specific concerns of my sabbatical work.
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