The Faith of Our Fathers的信念，我们的父辈

I usually write out of the themes that swirl around my brain for a while.我通常会写出来的主题涡流靠近我的脑了一段时间。 This time is no exception.这一次也不例外。

For some period in my life I have been wondering about where I fall in this thing called “The History of the Church.” Am I a heretic?一些时期在我的生活我一直想知道关于我属于在这件事，所谓“教会的历史。 ”我一邪教？ I’ve been called that.我一直在呼吁。 Am I progressive?我的进步呢？ Conservative?保守呢？ Feminist?女权主义？ Liberal?自由？ Anabaptist?再洗礼派？ Open-Theist?开放式theist ？ I have been called all of these and called myself all of these at various stages along the way.我一直在呼吁所有这些，并要求自己，所有这些在不同阶段在前进的道路上。

Most of these classifications have served to include or exclude me from some group of people that were either preferred or not–depending on the context.大部分的这些分类服务，以包含或排除我从一些集团的人们，都是首选或不根据上下文。 These words typically refer to specific views I articulate from time to time.这些话通常是指具体的意见，阐明从时间，以时间。 Sadly, I am not often known for what I do.可悲的是，我不是经常被称为为我做的。

When I wrestle with the feeling of being a theological bastard–wondering what congregation would ever openly accept me into their community–I am struck by how askew our perspective has become.当我与角力的感觉，作为一个神学王八-不知道是什么聚集，将以往任何时候都公开接受我到他们的社区，我深刻的如何歪我们的角度来看，已成为。 most church folks I am around want to talk about church backgrounds: “What denomination did you grow up in?” seems to be the question that reigns supreme.最教会的乡亲，我周围的想谈谈教会背景的： “什么面额你成长起来的呢？ ”似乎是问题至高无上的。

Whatever happened to “you will know a tree by its fruit”?无论发生了“你就会知道树其果”呢？

I think it is important to articulate what I believe about Jesus, the incarnation, God, Trinity, baptism, communion, the body of Christ, Justice/justification/righteousness, and the kingdom of God.我觉得这是很重要的阐明什么，我相信有关耶稣，化身，上帝，三位一体，洗礼，共融，基督的身体，正义/理由/义，和上帝的王国。 I think this is important because in talking it out, I iron out the ethics that I hope to hold as a measure of the fruit of my life.我认为这是重要的，因为在谈论它，我铁指出伦理，我希望举行作为衡量的成果，我的生活。 I hope to read the scriptures, the culture, my experience, and the voices of my community with the intent of letting them shape me into a follower of Jesus.我希望读经文，文化，我的经验，和声音，我的社区，与意图，让他们的形状我成为一个追随者，耶稣。 In reading all these things, I try to hold Jesus and his message about the kingdom of God at the center.在阅读完所有这些事情，我尝试举行耶稣和他的讯息，有关上帝的王国在该中心。

Too often, these things have been left up to only a few people in the church–most of them white men, with the exception of Augustine who was African (thus the title of the post’s lack of reference to mothers).很多时候，这些东西已离开最多只有少数人在教会-他们大多数白人男子，除奥古斯丁谁是非洲（因此，标题后的缺乏参考的母亲） 。 This is another reason I think theology is important.这是另一个原因，我认为神学是很重要的。 It is important for us in our rising global context to continue to articulate our faith in shifting situations and with the inclusion of a diversity of voices (on this point I am keenly aware of my status as a white man in usamerica).这是重要的是，我们在我们的上升，全球范围内继续阐明我们的信仰在转移的情况，并与中列入一个多元化的声音（关于这一点，我深知我的状态作为一个白人男子在usamerica ） 。

So, I hang on to the importance of theology.所以，我挂在至为重要的神学。

At the same time, I am sick of doctrines determining communities of faith.在同一时间内，我生病的理论确定社区的信念。 What will it take for us to congregate based on geography instead of on socio-cultural, economic, ethnic, and doctrinal sub-groups?什么会采取我们聚集的基础上地理，而是对社会文化，经济，种族，和理论小组？ Maybe, once we have sucked the earth dry of oil and our cars are rusting in our driveways and we have to walk everywhere, we will be forced into rethinking our understanding of who our sisters and brothers are in “local” communities.也许，当我们吸地球干的石油和我们的车是锈在我们的车道，我们要步行到处，我们将被迫重新思考我们的理解是谁，我们的兄弟姐妹是在“本地人”的社区。

What if our faith was “articulated” in our actions, our artistic expressions; the fruit of the Spirit playing out in our relationships, economics, ecological impact, and our politics?如果我们的信仰是“阐明： ”在我们的行动，我们的艺术表现形式;果实的精神，发挥出我们的关系，经济，生态环境的影响，而我们的政治？

What if I don’t label people I don’t agree with theologically, and instead try to come alongside them to work with them in embodying the kingdom of God?如果我没有标签的人我不同意theologically ，而是尝试来他们并肩工作，与他们在体现了上帝的王国？ What if they don’t believe in the kingdom of God that I articulate?如果他们不相信在神的国度，我阐明？ Can I still love them and encourage the areas I see them participating (even unknowingly) in the kingdom life?可我仍然爱他们，并鼓励该地区我看到他们参与（甚至在不知不觉中） ，在英国的生活？

As I write this post I think about my own father and mother.正如我写这个职位，我觉得对我自己的父亲和母亲。 These two folks have a very different picture of a lot of the doctrines that I hold as central to the Christian faith.这两个乡亲有一个非常不同的图片有很多的理论，我认为，作为中央，以基督教信仰。 We disagree, yet I see them loving people, living sacrificially, serving with humility, and finding their own ways of articulating their faith.我们不同意，但我看到他们热爱人民，生活sacrificially ，服务与谦卑，并找到自己的方式阐明了他们的信仰。 While I don’t always like their articulation, I love the Jesus that shows through their lives.我虽然不总是喜欢他们的升学，我爱耶稣表明，通过他们的生命。

What if our faith is less our words and more our actions?是什么，如果我们的信仰是那么我们的言论和更多我们的行动呢？ After all, I don’t think Jesus ever mentioned “wrong” doctrines as keeping anyone out of the life of God’s Kingdom (for that matter, right doctrines don’t seem to get anyone in–though they may help a little along the way).毕竟，我不认为耶稣以往任何时候都提到， “错”的教条作为保持人走出生命的上帝的英国（对这个问题，正确的理论，似乎并没有得到任何人-虽然他们可以帮助小沿方式） 。

A couple of days ago I was at an “emergent-ish” conference.数天前我是在一个“新兴- ISH展览会”会议。 I was disappointed when applause followed a clarification about the school I attend.我感到失望时的掌声，随后，澄清有关学校i参加。 A speaker made note that my school was certainly not affiliated with a more conservative evangelical church of the same name.一位发言者提出的注意，我的学校肯定是不附属于一个较为保守的福音派教会的同一个名字。 I appreciated the clarification, as there is always a lot of confusion concerning this topic.我感谢澄清，因为始终存在着很多混乱有关这个课题。 But I was appalled that there was a sort of pride in the audience’s response to this declaration.但我感到震惊，有一种自豪感，在观众的回应这一宣言。 Where was the humility and kindness that we had been articulating throughout the conference?那里是谦卑和仁慈的，我们已阐明了整个会议？

As we stumble toward different articulations and embodiments of God’s kingdom, I hope that we can maintain integrity between our words and actions.正如我们蹒跚对不同articulations和体现上帝的王国，我希望我们能保持完整性之间我们的言论和行动。 Without this integrity we are simply putting a different face on the same old song and dance that we say we are sick of.如果没有这个完整的，我们只是把不同的脸就同一岁的歌与舞，我们说我们是生病的。 What will it mean for us to hold the same openness and humility toward those in the communities we have emerged from as we hold for those who sound a little more like the communities we want to become?会有什么意思，我们持相同的公开性和谦卑对那些在社区中，我们已摆脱作为我们认为，对于那些谁健全多一点像社区，我们不想成为？ Can we have the humility to see everyone, no matter the theological articulation, as siblings?可我们有谦卑见到大家，无论是神学的衔接，作为兄弟姐妹？

Aren’t we all, more or less, just messed up daughters and sons of the same God?是不是我们所有，更多或更少，只是搞砸的女儿和儿子同时是神吗？ When Jesus talks about the kingdom as here among us, I don’t think he means among the ones who “get it right theologically.” I think he means, it’s here for, in, around, and through us all.当耶稣谈到英国在这里我们中间，我不认为他的意思之间的谁“获得的权利， theologically ， ”我认为他的意思，它的这里，在周围，并通过了我们所有人。 None of us is completely “in” the kingdom.我们没有，完全是“在”王国。 We all need grace to come alive to the rebirth and redemption that God is working on behalf of the entire world.我们都需要的宽限期来活着，以获得重生和赎回，神是工作就代表了整个世界。 If this sounds a little too “universalist” for some, please don’t judge me by my articulation…如果这听起来有点太“普遍性”一些，请不要法官，我的升学…

Peace.和平。

for further reading .为进一步读。 . 。 . 。

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