We waited several hours for the ferry to arrive. Soon upon its docking, it disgorged its contents: A bus, several 10-wheeler trucks, a few cars, some motorcycles, and then 250 people carrying luggage, bags, pushing carts, holding babies, returning home for some much needed vacation — their journey towards rest and relaxation nearing it’s end.
Soon it was our time to embark for our return. We found our spot — comfy, cushy seats that seemed to be stuck on ‘Recline.’ An opportunity to sit back and enjoy the ride. Looking out through the windows, a wondrous revelation of God’s creation. A small gap between two rope-tied tarpaulins, just above a rusty railing. An imperfect vehicle used as a lens into a wondrous world. Waiting and wondering: Who else will join our journey home?
Turns out it’s kids. A young family. Mother and father lovingly spending this journey with their kids. Their kids that are noisy. Their kids that run around. Their kids that play. Joining me on my seat. Looking straight into my eyes with no shame. Exploring the outside. Having snacks. Enjoying their toys. A reminder of a lost innocence right here in our midst.
The leisurely advance of the ferry over the waves allows me to immerse myself in the world around, and to reflect on what God is saying to me today through his creation that groans and speaks and reveals.
There has to be brightness doesn’t there? I mean a brightness brighter than the sun?Sparkling, listening, shining reflecting, colorful, kaleidoscope divided into planes. Shades of blue. Azure. Shiny. Faded. Solid. Liquid. Light.
There has to be darkness doesn’t there? I mean a darkness darker than the blackest night? Inhibiting my senses. Developing. Overwhelming. Deadening.
But then there has to be both doesn’t there — a blending of darkness and light? Which tells me that neither is right or wrong. But they are complements. Partners. Joined together. After all if we only have one or the other, we can perceive or define nothing can we? They work together …
… Sometimes forming a line as straight as straight can be with no variation. Sometimes forming a different line giving shape to the imagination as I try to compare what I see to what I know. Other times forming fuzzy fluffy, faded, blurry lines, and then no lines at all and finally distinction connects to imagination.
It’s a very big big big big picture — bigger than my own understanding. But it’s also the smallest picture you can imagine — detail with no end. The big picture made up of so many small tiny details, each one of them just as interesting and fascinating as the next. I could spend a lifetime exploring everything I can see just in the glimpse between the ship’s tarpaulin awnings, looking off into the distance … could spend time studying oceans and waves, and how the light shines on them and how they break in the gentle breeze. I could look at the islands beyond, exploring the beaches around them, working the way up through the lowlands into the highlands to the peaks of the mountains.
I could then look at the clouds and wonder where they come from, where they go, how they’re formed, what their purpose is. Ethereal turning to concrete. Is rain coming or not? Is it a storm or not? The sun not only perceives them, but adds to their wonder, picking them out — giving shapes through lights and darknesses and colours at sunfall.
And then, beyond that I can look to the sky that goes on seemingly … infinitely …. Taking me farther than I can even imagine. And realising, finally, indefinitely, that all of this is just a small part of all that exists and a small part in relation to who God is.
If I wanted to create — create! Haha! As if that word can apply to me! Perhaps ‘jury rig’ is more apropos — something as wonderful, I’d need to use what has already been made. I can’t do it on my own. I must explore and scrounge and scrape and gather and collect. I must experiment and question and discover. And finally fabricate. And then the glory of whatever it is that I make it’s only there because of the glory that reflects God through his creation.
Even if I were to take a part of myself — that I could argue I’ve had some role in making — I still couldn’t do anything with it. Everything I do merely an imitation of what I perceive and a poor one at that.
The railing, serving the valuable purpose of keeping me safely on board, is also a reminder that all I see around me is marked by sin. Not because it’s a barrier, but because it is pitted and gouged by rust — rust that helps prevent even the barrier from doing its job of being a barrier. It’s the rust that’s a reminder that all that I see is enslaved. Trapped. Just a shadow of its former self.
What would it have been like in its pristine, pure, unsullied, rust-free, unsinful state? I can’t even imagine.
I have rust in my life too. Sometimes it gets chipped away. Other times it gets painted over. But its constant presence is a reminder of not only the realities of the world, but also how the processes of nature can be strong-armed towards being evil.
‘It’s OK to take care of myself isn’t it?’ Perhaps not if someone else needs taking care of, too.
‘It’s OK to build a wall around myself isn’t it?’ But not if people around me are feeling unloved, too.
‘It’s OK to walk the easy path isn’t it?’ But not if the difficult path bears more fruit.
‘It’s OK to just do just enough to get by isn’t it?’ But not if there’s an opportunity to have something deeper and more fulfilling — a genuine relationship rather than dimensionless status quo.
Paint covers and looks nice for a while, but eventually the rust emerges again. Much better to get a chipping gun and let it do its work at excising the rust from my life. Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat. And the chipping gun has many settings. The tried and tested word of God. The seemingly timeless doctrines of my faith. The instruction and advice of significant people in my life. My family’s loving guidance. And my own reflections that identify those rusty parts that need to be chipped away.
In spite of it all, I remain safe here floating on top of the waves, safe in a rusty ship, outfitted with lifejackets, lifesavers, and lifeboats ensuring that any perceived danger is kept at a distance as I live my life and try to do the tasks that God has in store for me today. Even this marred world inhabited by marred people can still do things that bring glory to the pure and perfect God above. And perhaps even more amazing than that, he permits us to do this and even guides our steps as we journey along, allowing the wonder of the creation around us to draw us back to himself. And when we arrive back with him, we experience the ultimate rest and relaxation.
What glimpses of God’s grace have you discovered through life’s ‘rusty’ moments? Share your story below and let’s encourage one another on this journey toward renewal.
Between Rust and Radiance: Catching God’s Voice on the Waves first appeared on michaeljfast.com
I recently had a chance to speak at the British Columbia Baptist Conference’s annual equipping session entitled Improving Your Serve. The theme this year was Abide to Thrive. In the seminar and subsequent reflection and discussion sessions, we reflected on how understanding our church identity informs community actions. We also considered how the good news, kingdom values, serving others, and truthtelling shape our identity. Then we explored where churches may need to realign their focus to be more present in today’s cultural conversations. All in all, we examined how abiding in Christ can lead to a more fruitful and impactful presence in the world.
If you missed the seminar, a video version of my talk can be found here, and a livestream here, but for those who are interested in getting the text of what I said here it is in its complete form.
Personal Story
When I was a kid, joining the church wasn’t just a formality – it was a process with theological requirements. Part of that process involved sharing my testimony. First, I had to present it to the church board. Once they approved, I had to stand before the entire congregation. Both groups had to vote before I could officially become a member.
I remember envying those who had dramatic testimonies – stories – of being saved from lives of obvious, even salacious sin. My story wasn’t like that. It felt ordinary. I hadn’t strayed far or hit rock bottom. I didn’t have a before-and-after moment that felt remarkable.
For a long time, I wrestled with the idea that my testimony wasn’t enough – that it didn’t measure up. But more recently, I’ve been struck by Connie Duarte’s words: ‘We are not called to be believers but disciples.’
That statement has challenged and reshaped how I see my journey of faith. It’s not merely about believing the right things or about meeting theological checklists. Nor is it about the level of initial transformation from darkness to light. Rather, it’s about abiding in Christ every day – submitting to Him, walking with Him, and letting His life flow through mine – journeying with him on a lifetime of being transformed. Being a disciple isn’t about how dramatic my testimony is; it’s about how deeply I abide.
This shift in understanding has led me to see the gospel – and my place in it – in a whole new way. The gospel isn’t just something to believe; it’s something to live out daily. And abiding in Christ, particularly in His proclamation is at the heart of that.
The Vine Metaphor: A Living Metaphor
The title of our seminar is Improving Your Serve: Abiding to Thrive. When discussing the concept of abiding, there’s no better passage for us to examine than John 15. Here Jesus talks about us being the branches and he’s the vine. There’s lots and lots of rich imagery in this metaphor that we will spend some time looking at today. But if we want to get down to brass tacks, the basic message of this story is that whether we like it or not our lives are organically bound up in God’s and in each other’s – I like the fact that Jesus’ use of an organic example here shows that abiding is dynamic, not static. Adding to that, a vine is communal rather than singular: Fruit comes in clusters, and not in isolation; Pruning is necessary for the entire plant to both grow and produce fruit.
It’s this organic story of connection, care, growth, and production that’s a fabulous story of our identity. But we often stop here and say, “Okay, I can live my life now in satisfaction because I’m connected, and I’m identified with who I am.” Once we identify ourselves, we remain satisfied with that identity.
Identity is important. Let’s look at the church, for example – especially since that’s why we have gathered today. In the church we have a series of things that identify us for who we are.
Debie Thomas, in her Into the Mess and Other Jesus Stories: Reflections on the Life of Christ, says, “If God is the vine grower, Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches, what should we do? We have only one task: to abide. To tarry, to stay, to cling, to remain, to depend, to rely, to persevere, to commit. To hang in there for the long haul. To make ourselves at home.”
Our seminar is entitled Improving Your Serve. And each of these three words in the title are significant for today’s conversation. That’s why, when speaking of identity, we will begin with the centre word: “Your.” So, let’s get into the nitty gritty of John 15!
ABIDING AS IDENTITY
The story starts with Jesus declaring “I AM.” This is God’s identity word – the name he uses when he introduces himself. Jesus’ ultimate identity, and we see this throughout the book of John, is his constant referral back to who he really is. He uses the technical term “I AM” to indicate that he is declaring that he is the same as the God who saved Israel from Egypt.
What’s interesting to note in John 15 is that Jesus does not simply say, “I AM.” Much like God’s declaration of who he was to Moses at the burning bush was not simply saying, “This is who I AM, period.” Jesus identifies himself as “I AM the vine.” I AM is connected to his creation – which is really how God initially identified himself in Exodus isn’t it? God made himself known to Moses at the burning bush, in response to hearing cries for help from his people!
YHWH exists for more to happen than mere existence – he exists also to save humans! We, too, are called to make this same movement from one thing to the next. And this progression starts with identity – Who are we? Who is God? – but then moves into ideas of purpose. It moves from merely being a vine and branches towards bearing fruit.
1. Worship as Identity
For example, we all engage in worship of some kind or another. Every now and then we decide, “Hey, let’s worship without singing,” Matt Redman-style, but in all reality, singing forms the core of how we see worship. There’s all of this kind of stuff that we do that helps us identify who we are and the kind of church we are – and all of those things are music-related: Are we going to sing praise and worship songs? Are we going to sing from the hymn book? Are we going to use instruments? Are we not going to use instruments? Is there going to be a worship team in a band on the front or is it just going to be a guy in a toque playing a guitar with a candle burning? Years ago, at Missions Fest one church advertised “a massive wall of sound.”
All of that to say that sometimes rather than identifying ourselves as those who worship, we instead identify ourselves as those who worship this way.
2. Word as Identity
We also identify ourselves through how we approach the Word of God. The Word of God – is it a significant part of our time when we gather, isn’t it?
Sermons, children’s songs such as “read your bible pray every day, and you’ll grow, grow, grow,” bible verses hanging on the church wall, arguments over bible translations, etc.
One of the churches I serve in the Philippines thought long and hard and eventually came up with the name, Metro Manila Bible Community – because for us as Bible believing Christians, the Bible is our sole source for faith and conduct. So much so that it becomes our identity.
But word is more than these things.
But then again, we often attach identity to the length of sermon – or bible translation used, or the place where the sermon is preached from, or whether or not we read through the bible in a year or not – rather than the fact there is a bible.
3. Sacrament as Identity
We have a third identifying mark. I have used the word “sacrament” here but some of you may be squirming in your seats because we generally avoid using that word. We say, “No, no, no, we’re Baptists. We don’t have sacraments; we have ordinances!”
In the long run, it doesn’t really matter what word we use. Rather what’s important is that we do have these things that are a significant part of how we identify ourselves. It’s right in there in our name: We are the BC Baptist Conference. Other groups don’t centralize baptism as much as we do, but rather they centralize the Lord supper. As members of BCBC, both of these are fairly intense processes for us.
I already told you my baptism story. There was a similar process when I wanted to participate in the Lord’s Supper. Mind you I didn’t have to convince the board. Rather, before I could take Lord’s Supper, I had to convince my dad that I understood what was happening so that I wouldn’t “partake in an unworthy manner.”
It’s different in the Philippines. Here children go through First Communion where they’re formally introduced into the rite. Why all the process? Because we have these things that we identify as being important, so much so they identify us with who we are.
4. System as Identity
A fourth identifying feature is system. I actually struggled with what word to use here. We could use governance. We could use discipline. We could use polity. But regardless, it’s the way we make sure that everything is orderly in our worship and our organization. How do we organize ourselves? We all have some kind of organizing system – whether we’re organized to attend church at a specific time, whether we’re organized into having a corporate worship and then a small discipleship or small group or Bible study, whether we have a Sunday school, whether we have a board of trustees or board of elders or board of directors, whether we have a pastoral team or not whether we agree that pastors are only male or can they also be female – all of this stuff is part of our discipline. It’s our way of addressing what’s in 1 Corinthians 12 to having an orderly experience and that’s also how we identify ourselves.
And of course we joke about this, right? Whenever you have two Baptists, you have three opinions! Maybe we have an organizing system but maybe it’s not always that great.
ABIDING AS THRIVING
Now that we’ve looked at identity, let’s come back to abiding. Sometimes when we think about abiding, we think about abiding as identity – I’m connected to the Father, I’m connected to the vine – who is Jesus – because I’m one of the branches connected to this vine and I’m happy with that. But if we take the vine motif to its very end as Jesus does in his passage, we realize that this vine motif is more than merely identity and there’s this transition that happens as we transition from “being” to “doing.”
If we return to our title – Improving Your Serve – we’ve moved beyond Your to the Serve portion of the conversation.
When I was younger, we tried to avoid talking about doing largely because of Bible verses that say things like “We are saved by faith not by works.” We internalised this so much that when we came to other verses that seemed to value good works – such as James’ “faith without works is dead” – we struggled.
Another struggle with is avoidance of doing checklists as followers of Jesus Christ. And we have lots of checklists don’t we. When I was a kid, it was “Don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t chew, or go with them that do.” Another checklist might be
go to church every Sunday – & invite your friends,
read your Bible and pray every day,
share the gospel with whoever comes across your path,
be involved in the church through other things, such as teaching a Sunday school class or singing in the choir.
We even found biblical support for this. We looked at the story of Mary and Martha, and we interpreted Jesus words to imply that we should simply be sitting at the feet of Jesus and not be so busy doing the things that need to be done.
There’s a pushback against checklists in part because we don’t want to turn our relationship with Jesus into some kind of a cosmic game of Good Manners and Right Conduct. We’re looking for something more authentic than that. We’re looking for something more organic than that.
What we realize is that these checklists are in fact ways for us to engage in discipleship. We are confronted by two questions: How can we be disciples of Jesus Christ? Is it possible to be disciples of Jesus Christ without doing the things Jesus Christ wanted us to do?
This adds a different nuance to the checklist. Instead of checking off things on the list we evaluate each situation we came to in life. You may have heard of this phrase that has actually appeared over the past hundred years of the church at least – It was illustrated by an acronym WWJD? meaning What would Jesus do? It was a question we asked ourselves when confronted with a situation we needed to evaluate. An area perhaps that wasn’t directly spoken about in scripture but was an area where we needed a make a decision. With no to pull out of scripture to serve as our guideline, we rather tried to understand the mind of Christ and applied that our situations.
The story of the vine and the branches has some troubling features to It. It talks about a gardener. It talks of being proved. And it talks about bearing fruit. These things are troubling to us because it seems to imply there are actions associated with our abiding. There’s an expectation of care, discipline, & fruitfulness.
Which is why Jesus spoke about this as a gardener-vine-branches-fruit process. It helps us understand this as something that’s natural and organic rather than something that’s forced and required.
Debie Thomas again:
“But ‘abide’ is a tricky word. Passive on the one hand, and active on the other. To abide is to stay rooted in place. But it is also to grow and change. It’s a vulnerable-making verb: if we abide, we’ll get pruned. It’s a risky verb: if we abide, we’ll bear fruit that others will see and taste. It’s a humbling verb: if we abide, we’ll have to accept nourishment that is not of our own making. It’s a communal verb; if we abide, we will have to coexist with our fellow branches.”
Gardening is all about growing a garden that produces delicious fruits. There are so many different kinds of fruits, and they come from all sorts of plants. Right now, I can see a bunch of fruits hanging from the trees outside my window. Some of them are picked for their leaves and used in soups, while others are eaten right off the tree, like coconuts, mangoes, avocados, and papayas. And let’s not forget the beautiful gardens themselves! We love looking at them, which is why there’s a magazine called Better Homes and Gardens. It shows off all these amazing gardens and tells us what makes them so special.
The parable of the talents tells of one of the servants who hid his money in the ground because he fundamentally misunderstood his master’s desires. The purpose of investment is the same as the purpose for a garden – to bear fruit. Do you know you do if you have money? Invest it. Do you know what you do if you have a garden? You prune and cultivate it, so it bears fruit. Do you know what you do if you have a family? You want the outcome of your kids’ lives to be better than your own.
So, what about the church? Do we know what we do if we have a church? We have seen what the church is. Now let’s look at what the church is all about. This means moving beyond checklists and identity and transitioning into thriving and fruitfulness. What does thriving and fruitfulness look like as the church abides in the vine? This is an important question because without asking this, we tend to focus on checklists and end up making statements such as, “Oh you’re not a part of us because you don’t keep the right lists you haven’t done everything haven’t checked everything off enough.” It leads to us creating lists that we argue about – lists to determine whether someone is in or out or not. But what Jesus really wants us to do in the church is to bear fruit. This is because fruit bearing is a natural outpouring, the organic result of what we do. As Jesus followers we bear fruit.
How do we get to that thriving point because mere identity is not thriving unless there’s fruit that is borne. It means while we keep our identifying features – while worship God in spirit and in truth, while we focus on the word as the sole standard of faith and conduct, while we continue to see the significance of the sacraments in our lives, and while we continue to maintain orderly worship – we also go beyond that and ask ourselves, “How does all of this help me bear fruit?”
A. From Worship towards Promulgating Kingdom Values to Those Outside the Church’s Four Walls.
The first level of this interconnectedness is with the vine himself. Verse 1 says, “I am the vine, my Father is the vinedresser,” and a few verses later, “remain in me, as I remain in you.” There’s a mutuality to our connection with God and with the other parts of the vine. None of these branches grow in isolation from either the vine or the other branches; together they bear fruit.
The values of the kingdom are so important that we should share them with others. We want to worship God and live according to these values, but we also realize that they’re not just personal; they’re values we incorporate into our lives and should share with the world. We enjoy being one with God, imitating Christ, and being Jesus-followers. But how do we connect with others? Understanding kingdom values, bearing fruit, and being part of the vine requires a shift from individual to communal understanding. True worship creates genuine community through mutual transformation in Christ’s presence. Christ’s work in us produces fruit, which isn’t just food but a seed that sprouts and bears new vines and plants, spreading around the world.
The most explicit description of these values is found in the fruit of the Spirit and includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The fact that they are fruit means they are obvious in the lives of Jesus’ followers.
We can work at revealing the joys of the kingdom of God to people outside of our faith community through active participation with like-minded faith communities, active cooperation with like-minded groups, and active accountability in both the religious and secular world. All this is typified with the Christian attitude of unity in matters essential, liberty in matters non-essential, and charity in all other matters.
B. From Word towards Proclaiming Jesus Christ’s Role as Shepherd-Lord to Those Outside the Church’s Four Walls.
One could be forgiven for assuming when reading v7 – “If you remain in me and my words remain in you” – that this means that all we need to do is remain connected to Christ. He’s with us and we are with him. But the story doesn’t stop there because in the very next verse, we read “you will bear much fruit.”
There is good news – we are connected to Christ – but that good news extends beyond the salvation moment, and into our lives as followers of Jesus Christ.
The Good News of Jesus Christ is that Jesus Christ is not only our Savior. He is also the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus connects him with humanity, Christ connects him with being God’s plan for the salvation of all peoples, and Lord connects him with being the one in charge of the universe – the One ultimately responsible for ensuring we have peace and order, economic sufficiency, public justice, and national righteousness. We know he was responsible for this because of the way he introduced himself to the world laid out his terms of engagement with humanity. And what are these terms of engagement? We see them in Luke 4:18-19:
“The Spirit of the Lord is with me. He has anointed me to tell the Good News to the poor. He has sent meto announce forgiveness to the prisoners of sin and the restoring of sight to the blind, to forgive those who have been shattered by sin, to announce the year of the Lord’s favor.”
To see the gospel being limited to merely the salvation moment is to do it a disservice. While the salvation moment holds significance, it is not confined to that single event. Traditionally, the gospel has been understood as a one-way transaction, flowing from those who possess knowledge to those who lack it. However, the gospel transcends this notion and becomes a shared journey among all who seek the fulfillment of this message. Our journey through salvation extends beyond that, encompassing discipleship and a deeper commitment to following Jesus. We are not merely labeled as “Jesus people,” but as “Jesus followers,” embodying the essence of our faith.
If Jesus terms of engagement includes these things – if his presentation of what the good news is is described in this way – then we too must engage in more than merely the salvation moment but rather join into the salvation journey with our neighbors.
We see that in the book of Acts. In the city of Antioch the followers of Jesus were first called Christians. Now I don’t want to talk about Greek, but I’m going to talk about Greek. The word Christian is a grammatical construction in Greek; it’s a diminutive form of the word Christ. That means when people saw those who proclaimed Jesus walking around them, they identified them as being “little Christs.” There was something about these people that move beyond merely Jesus people, but people who followed Jesus and imitated him so much so that they became little Christs themselves.
I am reminded of Oscar Romero’s 1978 sermon where he says,
A community is a family that believes; it is a group where each member accepts God and feels strengthened by the others. In their moments of weakness, they help one another and love one another; they shed the light of their faith as an example for others. When that happens, the preachers no longer need to preach because there are Christians whose very lives have become a form of preaching.
Even though we have this authentic identity as Bible followers, this authentic identity leads us to proclaim the truths that we find in the bible. This is because, to abide is to remain connected for the purpose of bearing fruit. The thriving is bearing fruit through being connected to the vine.
Practically, this could look like declaring the Good News of Jesus Christ to all people. We declare Jesus as Lord and Saviour of our community and we recognise His central role in transforming the world through intentional evangelism, communicated effectively in a culturally relevant way by people who have themselves experienced the transforming power of God.
C. From Sacrament towards Serving God and Serving Those Outside the Church’s Four Walls.
If the sacrament is a way to be reminded of grace in our lives, how can we be grace to our community through this natural outflowing from sacrament to serving God, neighbor, and others?
In verses 4 and 5, the importance of connection is highlighted, saying that “no branch can bear fruit by itself” and “bears much fruit.” This shows how our relationship with the vine and the natural flow of that union into producing fruit are connected.
This connection starts fruit bearing, but it also means we can’t stop bearing fruit when we’re with the vine. This is because being with the vine naturally leads to the showing of fruit.
If we follow the vine and bear fruit, it changes us. Other people who follow the same path and bear fruit also have rituals that set them apart. Our rituals help us reflect, mourn, confess, and be restored. This reality, shown in our organization and how we’re run, can sometimes make us feel like we’re not in the world. But we need to move beyond these rituals and live a real life where we actively serve, love God, and love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
Sometimes, this emphasis on the daily details can be reduced to a checklist, focusing only on feeding, distributing, and doing enough. But the real meaning is being a real presence in our world.
Our connection to Christ is the foundation of this journey. By copying His example, we don’t necessarily mean sacrificing ourselves like Jesus did on the cross. Instead, we try to keep His life and teachings. Jesus was really interested in the everyday things of life, which is why He used parables, healed the sick, fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and comforted the grieving.
Practically, this could look like showing the love of God to people both inside and outside of our faith community though acts of mercy, relief rehab and development. We will be engaging in educational ministry services such as establishing schools of all levels. We will be delivering free medical-dental clinics. We will be conducting livelihood programs for the poor of our communities.
D. From Systems towards Testifying to Our Experience with the Truth to Those Outside the Church’s Four Walls.
The story starts with the Father’s role as a gardener, but it goes beyond that. We see that the whole purpose of the gardener is for us to show ourselves to be his disciples. This is evident from the beginning, where we read, “He cuts off… he prunes” all the way to the end, where we read, “showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
We’ve been so caught up in defining ourselves and setting rules that we’ve forgotten why we’re doing it. We need to go beyond just having clear terms and start living out our faith. Our goal is to become disciples of Jesus Christ, not just to have a well-defined identity.
The church has a problem: we’ve pulled away from engaging with the world. And guess what? That’s actually changed the world and made it more secular. We’ve been so caught up in the rules and systems of our churches that we’ve forgotten about the world around us. But Jesus’ story of the vine and branches is a wake-up call for us. It’s a reminder that we’re meant to be part of the world, not separate from it. We’re Christ’s body, and the gardener is taking care of us. We’re connected to the vine, so we can re-engage with the world from a place of authenticity. And when we do, our witness and our call to truth come from a genuine connection to Christ. That means we can connect with others on a deeper level and share our faith in a meaningful way.
Practically, this could look like being prophetic voice by engaging society with biblical truth through participation in public advocacy, social justice, value transformation, promotion of freedom, engagement in the public square, involvement in marketplaces, and the transformation of public perception through education, evangelism, church planting, intercessory prayer, and discipleship.
Momentary Conclusions.
The brilliance of the vine metaphor lies in its ability to portray fruit bearing as organic and natural, rather than programmatic. Identity isn’t merely a state of being; it’s not just about being connected to the vine, which would imply that our identity is solely determined by that connection. The very purpose of a vine, as well as all plants, animals, and organic processes in the world, is to bear fruit – and their identities are tied in with the fruit they bear. Therefore, our identity cannot be reduced to a mere connection with “being” – there must also be a “doing.”
However, it’s crucial to emphasize that this “doing” is not merely a means to an end; it’s organic and natural. It’s an inherent expression of our connection to the vine. Bearing fruit is an essential aspect of the nature of a vine. Without this bearing of fruit, there’s a sense of incompleteness, as our being is intrinsically linked to our actions. This is the essence of the Thrive aspect of our topic for today.
Where are we headed with all this? What does it mean for us in the BCBC as we strive to Improve our Serve, and Abide and Thrive? We must not only assert our identity but also become present wherever we are. We are integral to what we engage with, as Jesus became one with the world when he descended from heaven in Philippians 2. By this, he declared his intertwined future with the world’s. Similarly, our future is connected to the world’s. How can we unite our futures to connect with God? It’s a call to re-enter cultural spaces and engage authentically with the world as we strive to abide but thrive.
Debie Thomas, again:
“If only we would consent to see reality as it truly is. ‘I am the vine,’ Jesus tells his disciples. ‘You are the branches.’ It’s a done deal. Whether we like it or not, our lives are bound up in God’s and in each other’s. The only true life we will live in this world is the life we consent to live in relationship, messy and entangled though it might be. The only fruit worth sharing with the world is the fruit we’ll produce together.”
So, we’ve covered two of the three words in the name of our seminar improving your serve. We talked about Your which is our identity, we’ve talk about Serve, which means the responsibility we have to wear fruit, and now we get to the Improving part.
We’ve prepared a series of questions that you can discuss and there’s a panel discussion as well after this to help us as we think about how we can move onto the next step and Improve our serve.
So, from Quezon City, Philippines, this is Michael Fast greeting you a Magandang Araw! God bless you.
The turmoil that started was of a cross-cultural nature. Visitors from far and wide had come to the city to celebrate one of their most important religious rituals. All of a sudden one morning they woke up to a familiar sound — it was the sound of their languages is being spoken in the streets! And while this may not have been unusual at first — there were a lot of visitors after all — when they looked out to see what was going on they realise that these men who were speaking their language were not native speakers but locals. And as they listened on they realise that the message that these men were telling was very significant.
These listeners had come from 15 different nations to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover — a time to remember God’s salvation for their people when he led the out of Egypt. These locals speaking their own languages were talking about somebody named “Jesus” and connecting Jesus into both their people’s history and theology. Not their individual histories but the history of their people as a group and how they had been connected with God and how they are related to God. Eventually, according to the speakers, this Jesus guy had bad things happen to him. He was crucified. And the speakers accused these visitors of being complicit in that!
I’m sure at this point some people said, “I wasn’t around here then don’t blame that for me.” But others of them asked the question, “What then shall we do?”
Here is how the First Nations translation puts it:
“When they heard this, the words pierced their hearts like a long knife. With troubled hearts they lifted their voices to Stands on the Rock and all the message bearers. ‘Fellow Tribal Members,’ they said, ‘tell us what we must do.’” The Good Story Continues (Acts) 2:37
I think it’s interesting that the word used here is “we.” They didn’t ask, “What can I, individually, do?” but rather, “What can we, collectively, do?” They immediately recognised that they were complicit in the actions of both their ancestors and their coreligionists in the crucifixion of Jesus. Their response wasn’t, “Hey don’t blame me — I wasn’t there!” It was instead, “Oh no. You are right. So what can we do now? How can we make this right?”
Today on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation we recognise the Truth that we are complicit in things that we shouldn’t have been as a church. And we ask the question, “What must we do for Reconciliation to happen?”
How can we make this right?
In the past couple of weeks, I’ve heard feedback on how reconciliation is only between us and God and that reconciliation between people can only happen in the context of Jesus. Connected with this is the idea that since an apology has already been given people need to just move on and stop being victims. As a follower of Jesus, I wholeheartedly agree that Jesus is at the core of all reconciliation. But for me I like to emphasise that fact that I cannot have true reconciliation with God if I do not have reconciliation with my neighbour. That’s one of the reasons why Jesus pairs “Love the Lord your God” with “Love your neighbour.” I also firmly believe that apology without repentance is of little value.
I’ve also seen references by some people that “If only we could return to the Canada of old everything would be better.” The problem with that is that it’s not a statement that we really want to be true because it doesn’t recognise the truth nor does it foster reconciliation. Many people did not experience goodness in the Canada of old. So when they reflect and look back it’s not with nostalgia but with pain. It’s only a series of bad memories and experiences.
What I appreciate about these two apologies/acknowledgements is the fact that they — like the visitors to Jerusalem at Pentecost — recognise our complicity in the evils of the past. I really appreciated what the First Baptist Church of Vancouver said. Here’s part of their statement:
“The truth is that we as the church can be quick to take collective credit for the good that those who came before us have done in Christ’s name: Schools, hospitals, orphanages, fighting for the abolition of slavery. But we can be equally quick to attribute bad behaviour to bad apples, dragging our feet when it comes to owning the things that others have done.
“In Christ’s name, we downplay our history, the history where police helped Indian agents forcibly remove 150,000 indigenous children from their homes and communities where many were physically and sexually abused or deliberately malnourished under the guise of nutritional experiments where needles were stuck in their tongues to keep them from speaking their own language as those who came before us sought to ‘Kill the Indian in the child.’
“And in ‘killing the Indian in the child,’ they removed the values that have been shared with us by Chief Joe Norris when we went through this process with Darryl. Family values, trust, respect, integrity, love, forgiveness and responsibility. When we ask our indigenous neighbours to forgive before we’ve owned our part, or turn a blind eye in a deaf ear to the downstream effects that persist into the present day, we sin collectively by dishonouring God’s image bearers.”
The Canadian Medical Association also acknowledges complicity in the past when it says, “We acknowledge there are ripple effects on future generations. We take ownership of the CMA’s history, and we are committed to righting our wrongs and rebuilding our relationship on a foundation of trust, accountability and reciprocity.” Canadian Medical Association Apology
You notice that both groups point out that we’re very willing to embrace what we see as the good things that our ancestors have done and say, “Look at all the good stuff the Church/society has done.” But when it comes down to the bad things that the church has done, we are less than willing to accept that as being our responsibility or to take credit for that as well. And I think that’s where it’s important for us to actively engage in Truth and Reconciliation.
Moving forward in light of our complicity
So what can we do? I think we need to be guided by those who heard the message in Acts 2. Like them we must …
Accept complicity.
Ask “What must we do?”
Listen to the answer.
Change the way we think and act. As it says in Acts 2:41 “The ones who believed the words of Stands on the Rock became a part of Creator’s new sacred family and participated in the purification ceremony. About three thousand people were added to the family on that day!”
Now I realise that all of this seems pretty clear to me but you may be reading thinking that there are huge holes in what I have just said. If so, please let me know in the comments below!
We often think of sin in simple personal terms, don’t we? We tend to believe that when we recognize the sin within our hearts, the solution lies in accepting Jesus Christ as our Saviour, leading to the forgiveness of our sins. Indeed, the Bible teaches us about the presence of sins in our hearts and the need to seek forgiveness for reconciliation.
However, what we often fail to grasp is that sin can extend beyond the scope of individual transgressions we carry. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus includes the phrase “deliver us from evils,” signifying a deeper complexity of evil that affects us in the world today. Naturally, we’ve discussed the personal and individual sins we commit, acknowledging our inherent human susceptibility to sin. Nevertheless, sinfulness operates on a deeper level.
Sometimes, as we observe the society around us, we perceive sin embedded within it. Injustice, unfairness, corruption, and persecution unfold before us, all stemming from an imperfect, sinful societal fabric we inhabit. While my individual sins may impact the society around me, there are deeper-seated sins embedded within society that also exert influence over me, regardless of my personal state of sinfulness.
Moreover, we can expand our perspective further by considering the natural world. Occasionally, we confront afflictions—much like the pandemic/COVID-19—or experience natural catastrophes such as floods, famines, typhoons, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. All these phenomena bear witness to an inherent evil connected to the physical realm. We see this is Genesis 3, where God’s curse is placed upon the Earth leading Adam to toil for sustenance. Unlike the natural order before, where fruit grew effortlessly, now work is necessary due to the curse upon the Earth. Hence, as we grapple with contemporary challenges, it’s imperative to acknowledge that while we might be personally sound, other forces in the surrounding world might still affect us.
What does this mean on a practical level?
What this means of course is that we need to change our approach when it comes to what is commonly referred to evangelism or discipleship. Rather than simply focusing on praying the “sinner’s prayer” we also need to learn how to incorporate addressing evils in society and creation into our discipleship.
Discipling Nations.
The Bible asks, “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, ‘Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.’” This tells us that nations are actually opposed to God’s rule over the earth. Thus, the command to “make disciples of all nations” is one of helping nations transition from their own kingships towards God being LORD of all creation.
Does discipling nations include speaking up against injustice, making sure prisoners are not being abused? Perhaps it includes speaking out against issues such as patriarchy (also here) or overturning broken systems of church leadership that rely upon a solitary Pastor rather than a team of elders or others? Does it perhaps involve dealing with corruption at its root? Even commemorating and acting upon issues associated with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Orange Shirt Day, and the Residential School System in Canada is a part of this. Promoting human rights and social justice are also key parts of discipling nations.
Discipling the Earth
God’s command for humans to “‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground’,” implies that humans have a role in discipling the Earth. What does this look like I wonder? Would discipling the earth include environmental care or creation care? Would it involve making sure we don’t throw garbage on the streets or dump chemicals in our water — to put trash into our pockets rather than tossing it on the path? Perhaps ensuring that people have safe drinking water, or by planting mangroves along coastlines to ensure tsunamis and storm surges don’t affect people living in those areas? Does it include promoting sustainable farming practices to help protect our lands from overuse? Does it involve finding alternative forms of energy to eliminate pollution and other issues that are affecting the weather around the world? Does it mean tossing aside politics and actually wearing a mask and getting vaccinated? All of these things are part of discipling the world.
What is the way forward?
If we have the Four Spiritual Laws to help us navigate personal evils, what would a Four Spiritual Laws look like for structural and natural types of evils? How could we then embed them into the Christian psyche?
What are your thoughts? Can you come up with other ways for us to disciple nations and disciple the Earth? Please leave them in the comments below.
I get inspired sitting in church listening to sermons, and yesterday I got this idea about the gospel. I guess my mind has been reflecting on it of late since a recent SEATS class with Dr. Jason Hallig about how our gospel is often too small. An idea came to me of the gospel as being dialogic.
So I posted, “The gospel is dialogical. No one single voice has priority. It is shaped as we dialogue with one another. Note we aren’t seeking some kind of uniformity but rather unity through diversity.” Not all understood this very short paragraph so I thought I’d write a longer explanation of what was behind my thoughts in this brief statement.
Mikhail Bakhtin developed the idea of dialogic and heteroglossia. Bakhtin observed is that truth is formed through a multiplicity of voices. One aspect to remember about heteroglossia is that it never arrives at a universal definition. Rather these multiple voices are more a unity in diversity rather than a uniformity.
We all have our own Favourite Theologies, don’t we?
Rei Lemuel Crizaldo posted something a few days ago that referred to universalisation in the context of theology. A good example of one of these universalisations is in the debate between human agency and determinism. These are commonly connected to theologians such as Augustine, Pelagius, Calvin and Arminius, whose theologies are named after them (or at least the theologies we identify with them are named after them even if they themselves wouldn’t recognise them). They basically approach the relationship of God’s sovereignty with human free will, when it comes to salvation.
Crizaldo’s point was that adhering uncritically to these universalisms is an identity issue, given that universalisms suppress individual identity. Others have pointed this out, particularly Lila Abu Lughod, who wrote against culture saying that generalising something into a “culture” erodes the particularity of individual cultures and sub cultures.
Both Rei and Abu Lughod are correct in their rejection of generalizations or universalisms. That’s not to say that there is no truth associated with these generalizations or universalisms, but rather these very truths are themselves particular, contextual, local, and not indeed, universal! If I am, for example, saved by grace through faith, I also have choices to make in my life as to whether to follow God or not. On the other hand, repentance is real, but that doesn’t mean that God is not sovereign in the world.
What contribution does this voice make to the gospel? It shows me that each person, tribe, nation, and language, has their own particularities that allow the gospel to be understood in particular ways. Awareness of these particularities makes the gospel richer.
The Voice of the Question of WWJD?
A number of years ago an idea was revisited that used the initials WWJD? This stands for What Would Jesus Do? and relates to how Jesus-followers can shape their lives with a simple question of “how can I imitate Jesus in what I am doing today?” There was push back against this largely from people who have set aside an idea of good works and focused on salvation through God alone. They said the proper question should be “What did Jesus do?” implying that he’s already saved us, and that’s all that there is to the story. The problem is that while it’s true we aren’t saved through good works, we are still supposed to do good works as Christians. We have to both except that Jesus saves us not through our works, but continue to do good works for him.
What contribution does this voice make to the gospel? It shows us that Jesus is not only our Saviour, he is also our Lord. That means that we should work at imitating him in our lives and not merely anticipating his presence once we die.
The Voice of Honour-Shame
Another idea that has taken root lately is commonly referred to as honour-shame. It tries to approach the gospel from the framework of different cultures. One idea that it pushes against it the idea that the guilt-righteousness motif is universal. While often present in gospel presentations it works best in some cultures but not so well in others. At least two other motifs are presented: Shame-Honour and Fear-Power. What’s the difference? Here’s something I have written elsewhere:
Guilt to Innocence is the most common understanding of personal evil, largely due to the predominance of western Bible interpretations. It uses a courtroom as its motif. This understanding has led to popular gospel presentations such as the Four Spiritual Laws, Evangelism Explosion, and the Roman Road to salvation. The emphasis to this approach is that all are guilty of sin and are thus in need of righteousness. This perspective is common among individualistic societies. Shame to Honour is another perspective on personal evil. In recent years, students of culture have seen that many peoples on the earth do not see things in light of guilt and innocence. Some people better understand a proper relationship with God through concepts of honour and shame. Shame to Honour emphasises relationships and how they can be restored. This perspective is common in communal societies. A third approach to understanding personal evil is Fear to Power. In recent years, students of culture have seen that many peoples on the earth do not see things in light of guilt and innocence. Some people better understand a proper relationship with God through concepts of Power and Fear. Jesus overcame the power of Satan and death on the cross and gives power to those who are afraid.
What contribution does this voice make to the gospel? It allows us to see beyond the gospel as a mere courtroom transaction and expand into the realm of relationships and power. God didn’t merely remove our guilt, he also restored our relationship with him, and freed us from the power of sin and death.
I could go on with Frost and Hirsch’s shift from Church as Worship toward the Church as Mission, or Joash Thomas’ shift from championing slaveholders’ theologies toward identification of slaveholders’ theologies as suspect and seeking voices that are more balanced, or hearing the voices of indigenous peoples and First Nations who didn’t find a whole lot of good in the way the Good News was presented (event though many found good in the Good News itself) towards working on reconciliation, or shifting from “David and Bathsheba committed adultery” toward “David raped Bathsheba,” and so on.
How does all of this relate to the title of this post?
Thus, the truth of the gospel can only be understood in community. Truth doesn’t emerge in any practical form in isolation. It’s only through engaging with others with their own backgrounds, languages, cultures, ideas, genders, roles, values, etc. that I can begin to understand truth in its fullest form. But even though what I continually discover may approach the truth, it is by no means the only way that truth may be approached.
Jesus-followers are uniform in their relationship with Jesus — the main test of orthodoxy after all is believing that Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead. That’s it. There is no more to it. Knowing that Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead allows me to reflect on what that means for me — how I can treat him as Lord of my life — and shape a life that gives glory to him. It is unity not uniformity.
Dialoging about the good news of Jesus Christ gives me a richer understanding of the gospel. Recognising that I don’t always agree with my siblings in the Lord gives me a greater understanding of the power of God’s grace in the world.
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Sa unang yugto sa aking bagong serye ng mga pagkalalake at maka-Diyos, tinutugunan natin ang isyu ng labanan ng mga kasarian. Ang sinumang gumugol ng anumang oras sa mundo ay alam ang pakikibaka na umiiral, sa maraming pagkakataon, sa pagitan ng mga lalaki at babae at sa pagitan ng mga mag-asawa. Napakakaraniwan na maaari nating itanong ang tanong na, “Normal ba ito? Wala bang mas magandang paraan?” Mayroon akong magandang balita para sa atin — hindi ito dapat maging ganito. Sa post na ito ay titingnan natin kung paano sinasabi sa atin ng Bibliya kung saan nagsimula ang lahat ng problema at kung ano ang magagawa natin tungkol dito.
Saan ba tayo nag simula?
May ilang bahagi lamang ng Bibliya na naglalarawan ng panahong walang kasamaan sa mundo. Isa sa mga ito ay ang mga huling kabanata ng Pahayag kapag ang lahat ng kasamaan ay inalis na. Ang isa pa ay ang pinakasimula ng Bibliya sa Genesis 1-2, kaya naman mahalagang magsimula doon. Ang pangunahing kaganapan sa dalawang kabanata na ito ay ang paglikha, kung saan nilikha ng Diyos ang lahat ng umiiral. Ang isang mahalagang bahagi ng paglikha na iyon ay ang paglikha ng sangkatauhan, na inilalarawan ng Diyos sa ganitong paraan: “Kaya nilikha ng Dios ang tao, lalaki at babae ayon sa wangis niya” (Genesis 1:27).
Tandaan na walang gaanong paglalarawan na ibinigay kung ano ang hitsura ng relasyong ito ng lalaki at babae. Sa susunod na kabanata, inilarawan si Eva gamit ang isang salita na kadalasang nauugnay sa Diyos: Ezer, na kung minsan ay isinasalin bilang “kasama na tutulong sa kanya.” Bagama’t maaari tayong matukso na bigyang-kahulugan ito bilang katulong ni Adan, sa katotohanan ito ay isang salita na kadalasang ginagamit upang ilarawan ang Diyos (Ex 18:4; De 33:7, 26, 29; Ps 20:2; 33:20; 70:5; 89:19; 115:9-11; 121:1-2; 124:8; 146:5; Hos. 13:9). Sa katunayan, sa dalawampu’t isang beses na ginamit ang salitang ito sa Lumang Tipan, apat na beses lamang itong hindi tumutukoy sa Diyos.
Ang isang tanyag na ilustrasyon ay binibigyang-pansin ang katotohanan na si Eba ay nagmula sa tadyang ni Adan, na nagpapahiwatig ng magkatabi na pagkakapantay-pantay, sa halip na mula sa paa, na nagpapahiwatig ng pagsunod, o mula sa ulo, na nagpapahiwatig ng pangingibabaw.
Bukod doon, maaari nating ipagpalagay na ang mga pangunahing biyolohikal na tungkulin na ginagampanan ng mga lalaki at babae sa paglilihi at panganganak ay umiral, ngunit higit pa doon ay wala tayong ideya. Walang sinasabi tungkol sa domestic arrangement, tungkol sa work-life balance, tungkol sa leadership o authority o submission o hierarchy. Ang alam lang natin ay magkasama sina Adan at Eva sa hardin at araw-araw silang nakikipag-usap at nakikisama sa Diyos tuwing gabi.
Maraming haka-haka ang umiiral, gayunpaman, na nakasentro sa pagkakaiba sa pagbigkas ng utos na ibinigay ng Diyos kay Adan at ang pag-alaala kay Eba — ang ilan ay lubos na naniniwala na idinagdag ni Eva ang pariralang “o humipo man lang” (Ge 3:3). Gayunpaman, hindi malinaw kung ito ay nagsasalita sa mga isyu ng awtoridad o sa mga isyu ng madalas na hindi tumpak na mga katangian ng sinasalitang wika? Sino ang nakakaalam?
Saan ba tayo ngayon?
Sa kasamaang palad, ang mga bagay ay hindi nanatiling ganoon magpakailanman. Ang unang pagkakakilanlan bilang tao lamang ay maputik sa susunod na kabanata kapag nakita natin ang pagpasok ng kasamaan sa mundo. Maraming epekto ang kasamaang iyon sa paglikha, ngunit para sa ating mga layunin ngayon ay tututukan natin ang bagong relasyon na nagsimula sa pagitan ng mga lalaki at babae. Kapag tinatalakay ng Diyos ang epekto ng kasamaan kay Eva, idinagdag niya ang isang kawili-wiling pahayag sa Genesis 3:16 — “Pero sa kabila niyan, hahangarin mo pa rin ang iyong asawa at maghahari siya sa iyo.” Dito ipinakilala sa atin ang ubod ng labanan ng mga kasarian, katulad ng hahangarin ng babae para sa kanyang asawa at ang maghahari ng asawa sa kanyang asawa. Bagama’t ito ay madalas na binabanggit bilang biblikal na katwiran para sa patriarchy, ang katotohanan na ang pahayag na ito ay nangyayari pagkatapos ng Pagkahulog sa Kasalanan ay nangangahulugan na hindi ito ang orihinal na plano kung paano gagana ang mga relasyon. Sa halip, ito ay isang sistemang batay sa kasamaan.
Ano ang ibig sabihin nito? Ang “pagnanais” ng asawa ay higit na mauunawaan sa pamamagitan ng pagtingin sa isa pang gamit ng parehong salita. Nang harapin ng Diyos si Cain tungkol sa pagpatay niya kay Abel, sinabi niya ito sa Genesis 4:7, “Dahil kung hindi mabuti ang ginagawa mo, ang kasalanan ay maghahari sa iyo. Sapagkat ang kasalanan ay katulad ng mabagsik na hayop na nagbabantay sa iyo para tuklawin ka. Kaya kailangang talunin mo ito.” Pansinin ang pariralang iyon nagbabantay sa iyo para tuklawin ka? Sinasalin nito ang parehong salita. Sinasabi nito na ang relasyon ng mag-asawa ay mailalarawan sa pagnanais ng babae — ang uri ng pagnanais ng kasalanan para sa atin. Ang salitang ginagamit para sa mga lalaki, sa kabilang banda, ay paghahari. Hulaan kung saan lilitaw muli ang salitang ito? Oo, sa talakayan ng Diyos kay Cain tungkol sa kasalanan. Kung gusto ni Cain na salungatin ang pagnanais ng kasalanan para sa kanya, dapat niyang pagharian ito. Kawili-wili hindi ba? Kaya pagkatapos, ang parehong mga salita ay naglalarawan ng relasyon pagkatapos pumasok ang kasamaan sa mundo. Dahil dito, hindi natin maaaring gawin itong indikasyon ng esensyal na sangkatauhan kundi ng makasalanang sangkatauhan lamang.
May pag-asa ba?
Ngunit mayroong pag-asa. Hindi kailangang mangibabaw ang kasamaan sa mundo. Isang kislap ng pag-asa ang ipinakita sa atin sa Kawikaan 31, na kadalasang ginagamit upang ilarawan ang babaeng may tapang. Gayunpaman, ang ilang mga talata ay nakatuon sa relasyon ng pag-aasawa na mayroon ang babaeng ito. Sinabi sa 31:11-12, “Lubos ang tiwala sa kanya ng kanyang asawa, at wala na itong mahihiling pa sa kanya. Kabutihan at hindi kasamaan ang ginagawa niya sa kanyang asawa habang siya ay nabubuhay.” Hindi ba ito ay isang mahusay na paglalarawan ng relasyon nina Adan at Eva bago pumasok ang kasamaan sa mundo? At hindi ba ito isang magandang pangitain kung ano ang maaaring mangyari dito sa lupa?
Ang mga huling kabanata ng bibliya ay bumabalot ng lahat ng mabuti. Muli nating nabasa ang tungkol sa isang relasyon sa pag-aasawa — ito sa pagitan ng mundo at ng Diyos. Ang relasyong ito ay inilarawan bilang perpekto, ang nobya ay ang pinakamahalagang bahagi ng paglikha at ang lalaking ikakasal at nobya ay magkakasamang umiiral. Isipin ang larawang ito mula sa Pahayag 21:22-27:
“Wala akong nakitang templo sa lungsod na iyon, dahil ang pinaka-templo ay walang iba kundi ang Panginoong Dios na makapangyarihan sa lahat at ang Tupa. Hindi na kailangan ang araw o ang buwan sa lungsod dahil ang kapangyarihan ng Dios ang nagbibigay ng liwanag, at ang Tupa ang ilaw doon. Ang ilaw ng lungsod na iyon ay magbibigay-liwanag sa mga bansa. At dadalhin doon ng mga hari sa mundo ang mga kayamanan nila. Palaging bukas ang mga pinto ng lungsod dahil wala nang gabi roon. Ang magaganda at mamahaling bagay ng mga bansa ay dadalhin din sa lungsod na iyon. Pero hindi makakapasok doon ang anumang bagay na marumi sa paningin ng Dios, ang mga gumagawa ng mga bagay na nakakahiya, at ang mga sinungaling. Ang mga makakapasok lang doon ay ang mga taong nakasulat ang pangalan sa aklat ng Tupa, na listahan ng mga taong binigyanng buhay na walang hanggan.”
Hindi ba’t isang magandang larawan iyon? Hindi ba nito tinatapos ang isyu nang napakaganda?
Paano tayo ngayon?
Kung totoo nga na ang mga lalaki at babae ay nagsimula bilang magkatabi, magkapantay, parehong huwarang tao, kung totoo rin na ang orihinal na sitwasyon ay napalitan ng labanan, kung totoo rin na ang epekto ng kasamaan sa relasyon ng mag-asawa ay malalampasan, paano natin ito magagawa? Ano ang kailangan nating gawin? Hindi mo ba malalaman pero nagbigay din ng sagot ang Diyos para diyan.Sa Efeso 5:21, binabasa natin, “Magpasakop kayo sa isaʼt isa bilang paggalang kay Cristo.” Kaya ayun. Kailangan nating mamuhay ngayon na parang hindi kailanman naapektuhan ng kasamaan ang mundo. Kailangan nating isipin ang ating sarili bilang pantay. Kailangan nating kilalanin na ang pagsusumite ay mutual. Na kapwa babae at lalaki ay maaaring kumilos nang may awtoridad sa bawat sitwasyon. Bakit natin ito gagawin? Dahil sa paggawa nito ay ipinapakita natin ang ating paggalang kay Kristo. At siyempre hindi tayo hinihiling ni Jesus na gawin ang anumang bagay na hindi pa niya nagawa. Siya ang pinakahuling halimbawa ng pagsuko ng lahat upang mangyari ang plano ng Diyos na pagalingin ang mundo ng kasamaan. Sa halip na maupo lang sa langit bilang kapantay ng Diyos umaasa lang na magiging maayos ang lahat, na “kahit na nasa kanya ang katangian ng Dios, hindi niya itinuring ang pagiging kapantay ng Dios bilang isang bagay na dapat panghawakan. Sa halip, ibinaba niya nang lubusan ang sarili niya sa pamamagitan ng pag-aanyong alipin. Naging tao siyang tulad natin. At sa pagiging tao niya, nagpakumbaba siya at naging masunurin sa Dios hanggang sa kamatayan, maging sa kamatayan sa krus” (Filipos 2:6-8).
Tularan natin si Kristo at sikaping alisin ang impluwensya ng kasamaan sa mundo.
Ngayon napagtanto ko na ang lahat ng ito ay tila malinaw sa akin ngunit maaaring iniisip mo na may malalaking butas sa sinabi ko. Kung gayon, pakisabi sa akin sa mga komento sa ibaba!
Paki-click din ang Follow link sa ibaba para makuha ang mga susunod na installment ng seryeng ito sa napapanahong paraan.
Tandaan na ang pagbabahagi ay ginagawa ng mga kaibigan.
In this first installment in my new series on masculinities and religiosities, we address the issue of the battle of the sexes. Anyone who has spent any time in the world is aware of the struggle that exists, in many cases, between men and women and between husbands and wives. It’s so common that we may ask the question, “Is this normal? Isn’t there a better way?” I have good news for us — it isn’t supposed to be this way. In this post we will look at how the Bible tells us where the problem all began and what we can do about it.
Where did it all begin?
There are only a few parts of the Bible that describe a time without evil in the world. One of them is the final chapters of Revelation when all evil has been removed. Another is the very beginning of the Bible in Genesis 1-2, that’s why it’s important to start there. The key event of these two chapters is creation, where God created all that exists. One key part of that creation is the creation of humanity, that God describes in this way: “So God created humans in his image. In the image of God he created them. He created them male and female” (Genesis 1:27).
Note that there isn’t a lot of description given as to what this male & female human relationship looked like. In the next chapter Eve is described using a word that is often connected with God: Ezer, which is sometimes translated as “helpmeet” or “helper.” While we might be tempted to interpret this as meaning Adam’s servant, in reality it’s a word that is most often used to describe God (Ex 18:4; De 33:7, 26, 29; Ps 20:2; 33:20; 70:5; 89:19; 115:9-11; 121:1-2; 124:8; 146:5; Hos. 13:9). In fact, of the twenty-one times this word is used in the Old Testament, only four times it doesn’t refer to God.
A popular illustration pays attention to the fact that Eve came from Adam’s rib, implying a side-by-side equality, rather than from the foot, which would imply subservience, nor from the head, which would imply dominance.
Apart from that, we can suppose that basic biological roles that men and women play in conception and childbirth existed, but beyond that we have absolutely no idea. Nothing is said about domestic arrangements, about work-life balance, about leadership or authority or submission or hierarchy. All we really know is that Adam and Eve were together in the garden and that they had daily conversation and communion with God every evening.
Lots of speculation exists, however, largely centred around the different wording of the command God gave Adam and Eve’s recollection of that command — some make much of the fact that Eve adds the phrase “and you must not touch it” (Ge 3:3). However, it’s not clear if that speaks to issues of authority or to issues of the often non-precise nature of spoken language? Who knows?
Where are we today?
Unfortunately, things didn’t stay that way for ever. The initial identification as merely human gets muddied in the very next chapter when we see the entry of evil into the world. There are lots of effects of that evil on creation, but for our purposes today we will focus on the new relationship that began between men and women. When God is discussing evil’s effect on Eve, he adds an interesting statement in Genesis 3:16 — “… Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” Here we are introduced to the core of the battle of the sexes, namely the “desire” of the woman for her husband and the “rule” of the husband over his wife. While this is often cited as being the biblical rationale for patriarchy, the fact that this statement happens after the fall means that it is not the original plan for how relationships would work. Rather it’s a system grounded in evil.
What does it mean? The wife’s “desire” can best be understood by looking at another use of the same term just a chapter later. When God confronts Cain about his killing of Abel, he makes this statement in Genesis 4:7, “if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Notice that word desire? It’s the same word. That tells us that husband-wife relationships with be characterised by desire on the part of the wife — the kind of desire that sin has over us. The word used for men, on the other hand, is rule. Guess where this word appears again? Yup, in God’s discussion of sin with Cain. If Cain wants to counteract the desire that sin has for him, he must in turn rule over it. Interesting isn’t it. So then, both terms describe relationship once evil has entered the world. As such, we can not make them indicative of essential humanity but merely of sinful humanity.
Is there hope?
But there is hope. Evil doesn’t have to dominate in the world. One glimmer of hope is presented to us in Proverbs 31, that is often used to describe the woman of valour. A couple of verses, however, focus on the marriage relationship that this woman has. It says in 31:11-12, “Her husband trusts her with ⌞all⌟ his heart, and he does not lack anything good. She helps him and never harms him all the days of her life.” Isn’t this a great illustration of what Adam and Eve’s relationship may have been like before evil entered the world? And isn’t it a great vision of what things can be like here on earth?
The final chapters of the bible wrap everything up nicely. Here we read once again of a marriage relationship — this one between the world and God. This relationship is described as perfect, the bride is the most valuable part of creation and the groom and bride co-exist. Image this picture from Revelation 21:22-27:
“I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendour into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honour of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
Isn’t that a great picture? Doesn’t it wrap up the issue very nicely?
So, what should we do now?
If it is indeed true that men and women began as side-by-side partners, equals, both exemplary human beings, if it is also true that that original situation was replaced with a battle, if it is also true that evil’s effect on the husband-wife relationship can be overcome, how can we make that happen? What do we need to do? wouldn’t you know it but God also provided an answer for that. In Ephesians 5:21, we read, “Place yourselves under each other’s authority out of respect for Christ.” So that’s it. We need to live life today as if the evil had never impacted the world. We need to think of ourselves as being equal. We need to recognise that submission is mutual. That both women and men can act with authority in every situation. Why should we do this? Because in doing so we show our respect for Christ. And of course Jesus doesn’t ask us to do anything that he hasn’t already done. He is the ultimate example of giving up everything so that God’s plan to heal the world of evil would happen. Rather than just sitting up in heaven as God’s equal hoping things would work out alright, he “he did not take advantage of this equality. Instead, he emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant, by becoming like other humans, by having a human appearance. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).
Let’s imitate Christ by working at removing evil’s influence in the world.
Now I realise that all of this seems pretty clear to me but you may be reading thinking that there are huge holes in what I have just said. If so, please let me know in the comments below!
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The most interesting wild animal in the bible story is of Nebuccadnezzar. It perfectly illustrates further biblical statements about swearing allegiance to the wild animal. In the story, Nebuccadnezzer one day thinks that he is all that. He sees everything that he has accomplished and praises himself for it. At that moment, he realises that he had misunderstood things because at that moment he began to live his life as a wild animal instead of a glorious king. Here is what the scriptures say:
“All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. Twelve months later, he was walking around the royal palace in Babylon. The king thought, “Look how great Babylon is! I built the royal palace by my own impressive power and for my glorious honor.” Before the words came out of his mouth, a voice said from heaven, “King Nebuchadnezzar, listen to this: The kingdom has been taken from you. You will be forced away from people and live with the wild animals. You will eat grass like cattle. And seven time periods will pass until you realize that the Most High has power over human kingdoms and that he gives them to whomever he wishes.” Just then the prediction about Nebuchadnezzar came true. He was forced away from people and ate grass like cattle. Dew from the sky made his body wet until his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers and his nails grew as long as birds’ claws.”
It’s an odd story, isn’t it? Why is it included in the Bible? I suspect that quite often we want to find out if this is really true. Did this really happen to Nebuchadnezzer? What we often miss, though, in the search for historical accuracy, is that the story also has literary legitimacy. The story is here because it furthers the narrative of God as the centre of the universe and beyond. And that narrative is that God sees alternative rulers as wild animals (beasts) and all who ally themselves with them as being marked as such.
Now I don’t like to use terms like “mark of the beast” because the word “beast” has taken on theological significance rather than merely indicating a wild animal. Using it allows us to ignore our own situations because we can apply it to someone else’s world or time. I have written more on that here and here. But the principle is the same in that when the bible uses the concept of wild animal it is as a government, kingdom, or authority, in which people put their hope. People who have done so are said to have received the mark of the wild animal. As we read in Revelation 20:4,
“They had not worshiped the beast or its statue and were not branded on their foreheads or hands. They lived and ruled with Christ for 1,000 years.”
So, no, the mark of the beast isn’t the vaccine, or UPC codes, or numbers written on the sides of police cars in Israel (Yes, I have heard all of these explanations). Rather, it is a pledge of allegiance to a government, kingdom, or authority that isn’t God. In God’s eyes, this is rebellion because he is the true governor, king, or authority. All others are usurpers.
Which brings us back to Nebuchadnezzar: He wasn’t actually all that. Instead, everything that he had and all his accomplishments were due to God’s love for him and not due to his own glory. Rather, “The holy ones have announced this so that every living creature will know that the Most High has power over human kingdoms. He gives them to whomever he wishes. He can place the lowest of people in charge of them.” Daniel 4:17 GW
As an aside, isn’t it a little bit humorous that Nebuchadnezzar became a cow? I mean the text does say he “ate grass like cattle.” One would have thought that arguably the most powerful king of all time would manifest as a more wild, wild animal. Right?
So what ended up happening to Nebuchadnezzar? Did he learn a lesson from this? Did anything change in his life? Let’s read on and see:
“At the end of the seven time periods, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my mind came back to me. I thanked the Most High, and I praised and honored the one who lives forever, because his power lasts forever and his kingdom lasts from one generation to the next. Everyone who lives on earth is nothing compared to him. He does whatever he wishes with the army of heaven and with those who live on earth. There is no one who can oppose him or ask him, “What are you doing?” Just then my mind came back to me. My royal honor and glory were also given back to me. My advisers and nobles wanted to meet with me ⌞again⌟. I was given back my kingdom and made extraordinarily great. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, will praise, honor, and give glory to the King of Heaven. Everything he does is true, his ways are right, and he can humiliate those who act arrogantly.”
Nebuchadnezzar’s allegiance was changed. He now acknowledged the King of Heaven as supreme. Where does that leave us? Does that mean that we shouldn’t be concerned with the politics of our day? Does that mean that we should not participate in anything to do with earthly kingdoms? No. Our role in society is pretty clear. Jeremiah 29 lays out the terms of our engagement. We are to remain a part of society, to continue living our lives, to building a future for our families, and praying for our cities. What Nebuchadnezzar’s story does tell us is that to claim that our own systems are sufficient to make the world a better place, without acknowledging God’s role in the whole process, that our favourite political candidate or party isn’t really the answer. Rather we should live as if God were the head of government, the King, the authority. What would that look like?
It leads me to ask myself, “Where does my ultimate allegiance lie? Am I working towards seeing God’s kingdom fulfilled on earth?”
I know that this is a favourite topic of many of you. I also know that you probably have different view of the meaning of “beast” and the “mark of the beast.” Why not let us know your thoughts in the comments below?
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Palaging kawili-wiling balikan ang nakaraang taon at tingnan kung saan nakarating ang pagsusulat ko. Noong 2022, nagkaroon ako ng pagkakataong magsulat ng 44,200 na salita na inisip ng 3881 na tao na sulit basahin. Nasisiyahan akong makipag-ugnayan sa marami sa inyo dito nitong nakaraang taon at inaasahan kong makita kung saan tayo dadalhin ng 2023. Narito ang isang countdown ng Nangungunang 10 posts na sinulat ko sa wikang Tagalog. Tulad ng napansin mo na nagsusulat din ako sa wikang Inglis. Upang makita ang Nangungunang 10 mga post sa Ingis ng 2022, mangyaring mag-click dito.
9. Alam mo ba ang tagubilin ng Matthew 18 na “puntahan mo siya at kausapin nang sarilinan” ay hindi lamang ang tanging paraan upang harapin ang hindi pagkakasundo ng mga Kristiyano? Tanungin ang sinumang Kristiyano kung paano haharapin ang tunggalian at bubunutin nila ang Mateo 18 dahil inilalahad nito ang nakikita ng marami bilang ANG paraan para sa mga Kristiyano upang harapin ang interpersonal na kasalanan. Sa loob ng maraming taon ay inilatag ng simbahan ang proseso ng pakikipag-usap sa tao nang paisa-isa, kung gayon kung ang mga bagay ay hindi nagtagumpay magdala ng isang tao bilang saksi. Pagkatapos, kung ang mga bagay ay hindi pa rin nagtagumpay, dalhin ang usapin sa harap ng simbahan at kung hindi iyon gagana pagkatapos ay paalisin ang tao sa simbahan. Ito ay medyo pamantayan ngunit paano kung sabihin ko sa iyo na hindi lamang ito ang biblikal na paraan na ang mga tao ng Diyos ay humarap sa kasalanan? Mayroong talagang hindi mabilang na mga halimbawa ng iba pang mga paraan ng paggawa ng parehong bagay na maaaring mas may kaugnayan sa iba pang kultural na konteksto.
8. Meditation kapag may Omicron na: Malaking pag-asa mula sa Salmo 23 para sa panahon ng pandemya. Ito ang isang video meditation na ni-upload ko sa panahon ng Omicron kung kailan sa pakiramdam ko ang mga tao ay kinakabahan. Sana ito’y makapagbigay pag-asa sa mga taong dinamay ng panahon ng 4th wave. Ayon sa Salmo 23, kapag tayo’y dumaan sa natatakot na lugar, hindi tayo nagiisa — kasama natin ang Panginoon. Kapag kasama natin si Lord, hindi dapat tayo natatakot.
6. Paano ko natutunan na ang pagbibigay pansin sa katarungang panlipunan ay pagtuklas kung paano ako’y makinig gamit ang mga tainga ng Diyos. May nakakagulat na lumalabas sa aking mga social media feed nitong mga nakaraang linggo. Nagkaroon ng mga debate tungkol sa papel na ginagampanan ng hustisya, o higit na partikular na hustisyang panlipunan sa buhay ng simbahan. Ito ay palaisipan sa akin dahil sa nakalipas na mga taon ang katarungang panlipunan at mga kaugnay na isyu ay naging sentro ng aking buhay at ministeryo. Ngunit sa palagay ko ay hindi ito palaging para sa akin. Naaalala ko maraming taon na ang nakalipas nang una kong marinig ang mga salitang “social gospel” na nagtataka kung ano ang ibig sabihin nito at kung bakit ito itinuturing na mahalaga sa ilan ngunit hindi mahalaga sa iba. Ang paunang pag-uusisa na ito ay humantong sa akin sa isang landas patungo sa pagbuo ng mga praktikal na teolohiya na tumutulong sa simbahan na makisali sa lipunan.
3. Tiktok: Bakit ako sumali sa isang social media phenomena na puno ng mga tao mula sa ibang henerasyon? Oh. Nasa Tiktok na ako. Baka isipin mo na nagsimula na akong sumayaw o gusto kong bumagsak ang aking karera sa musika, huwag mag-alala. may paliwanag ako. Ang Tiktok ay nasa likod ng aking isipan mula pa noong isang klase na itinuro namin sa SEATS noong 2021 na nagrekomenda ng paggamit ng plataporma para sa ministeryo sa simbahan ngunit dahil wala akong ganap na karanasan sa Tiktok ay hindi ko naisip kung paano eksaktong gamitin ito. So anong nangyari para makumbinsi ako?
2. Alam mo na ba na meron sa Bibliya ang Pagpapagaling sa Pamamagitan ng Gamot? (Part 1) So paano ba ang theology of medical healing o teolohiya ng pagpapagaling sa pamamagitan ng gamot? Tama ba na hindi natin kailangang magpagamot dahil mas malakas ang ating Diyos o ang dugo ni Kristo? Siyempre maraming sinasabi ang Biblia patungkol sa supernatural healing pero meron ba’ng sinasabi ang Bibliya patungkol sa pagpapagaling sa pamamagitan ng gamot? Meron.
1. Ok ba kung tawagang ko ang Pastor ko ng “Pas”? Ang pastor ay isang salita na binuo sa lipunan at kultura na iba ang kahulugan ngayon kaysa noong panahon ng Bibliya. Sa anumang lugar sa Bibliya ay inutusan tayong tawagin ang isang tao na isang “pastor.” Sa walang lugar sa Bibliya sa papel ng pastor isang propesyonal na tungkulin. (At habang tayo ay naririto, alisin natin ang paniwala na “ang pastor ang pinakamataas na pagtawag.”)
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It’s always interesting to look back on the past year and see how writing went. In 2022, I had a chance to write 44,200 words that 3881 people thought worthwhile to read. I have enjoyed interacting with many of you on here in this past year and look forward to seeing where 2023 takes us. Here is a countdown of the Top 10 posts that I wrote in English. As you may have noticed I also write in Tagalog. To see the Top 10 Tagalog posts of 2022, please click here.
10. How I learned that paying attention to social justice is discovering how to listen with God’s ears. Something puzzling has been popping up in my social media feeds in the past little while. There have been debates about the role that justice, or more particularly social justice plays in the lift of the church. It’s puzzling to me because for the past number of years social justice and related issues have been central to my life and ministry. But I guess it hasn’t always been that way for me. I remember many years ago when I first heard the phrase social gospel wondering what it meant and why it was considered important to some and unimportant to others. This initial curiosity led me down a path towards developing practical theologies that help the church engage society.
9. What does it mean to be a man, part 2? Masculinities in the Philippines. In a previous post, I introduced the idea of masculinities. In it I mentioned that masculinity should really be masculinities because there is not one standardized way to be a man. In this post I will expand on that in talking about how crossing cultures also increases the complexities surrounding the subject. Our specific focus will be on masculinities in the Philippines.
8. My thoughts on Kristin Du Mez’ “Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation.”Kristin Du Mez’ Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation is a New York Times bestseller and has been the center of an online debate from the moment it first came out. Du Mez is a professor of History and Gender Studies at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. I had a chance to read it a couple of weeks ago after borrowing the ebook version from the Saskatoon Public Library. Here are some of my thoughts about it.
7. Lucy Peppiatt’s Rediscovering Scripture’s Vision for Women: Fresh Perspectives on Disputed Texts. If you are like me certain things are important when making decisions. I like new ideas, especially new theological ideas. But one deal breaker for me is when new theological ideas have no basis in the bible. I want to see how the new idea interacts with the text before making my final decision on it. Here is a little about my journey through the thorny issue of men & women & the church.
6. Is it ok to call my Pastor “Pas”? Pastor is a socially and culturally constructed word that means something different today than it did in the Bible times. In no place in the Bible are we commanded to call someone a “pastor.” In no place in the Bible in the role of pastor a professional role. (And while we’re at it let’s get rid of the notion that “the pastor is the highest calling.”)
5. My wife, Eva, is now blogging. I am pretty excited today because my wife’s new blog, Beneath My Shell, went live just a few moments ago. Eva blogs her thoughts about her life as a missionary midwife living in the Philippines. Please head on over a take a look at what Eva has to say. You will love her first story!
4. Did you know that Matthew 18’s instruction to “go, confront him when you are alone” isn’t the only Christian way to deal with conflict? Ask any Christian how to deal with conflict and they will pull out Matthew 18 because it lays out what many see as THE way for Christians to deal with interpersonal sin. For years the church has laid out the process of talk to the person individually, then if things don’t work out bring someone as a witness. Then, if things still don’t work out, bring the matter before the church and if that doesn’t work out then expel the person from the church. It’s pretty standard but what if I told you that this wasn’t the only biblical way that God’s people deal with sin? There are actually countless examples of other ways of doing the same thing that may be more relevant in other cultural contexts.
3. What does it take to be a man? An introduction to masculinity studies. For the past year I have been promising some posts on masculinity. Masculinity is in its most basic sense the “possession of the qualities traditionally associated with men” or “the approved way of being an adult male in any given society.” While these definitions may seem simple at first, there is a lot to unpack. Here is an introduction to the topic.
2. 3 Types of Evil.Evil is much more complex than simply being personal. In fact there are three types of evil, or sin, that are discussed in the Bible: Personal evil, natural evil, and structural evil.
1. Emic vs Etic: Understanding how insider & outsider perspectives interact when doing theology. An example from the Philippines. There is a debate about the validity of using an emic approach in seeking to understand a culture on its own terms. In fact, this debate is behind the development of ethnoscience worldwide. What is often missed in the debate is the reality that all forms of science are emic in that whatever frameworks or structures are developed are developed from the emic perspectives of a specific culture. They merely become etic once applied to another culture.
Do you have a favourite post from 2022? Why not comment below and tell us why?
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Michael J. Fast 