“My Conscience is Captive to the Word of God.” 2 Timothy 2:14-26

Martin Luther: Diet of Worms

1880 The United Presbyterian Church 34.0% (1,440) The Congregationalists 29.8% The United Methodists 15.0% The American Baptists12.3% Episcopalians 3.3% The Friends 1.4% The Southern Baptists 1.3% (19)

Total from the “mainline” denominations: % % % (barely) % %

U.S.1,4405,27813,46330,00040,000 Britain2,5475,6568,408 European 200?2, ,000

‘Re-thinking Missions’ “It is a humiliating mistake” for Christians to think their faith is superior, for there is nothing unique in Christianity, and anything it is teaching that “is true belongs, in its nature, to the human mind everywhere. (Hocking, 1932) If ‘the Orient is anywhere unresponsive,” the fault lies with missionaries who attempt to teach complex doctrines that “are too little Christians, too much the artifacts of our western brains.” Warning against the slogan “Our message is Jesus Christ, lest natives fail to realize that this is merely symbolic language ‘marking loyalty to a tradition.’” Denounce all teachings that credit “intrusion from the supernatural” into “the realm of natural law”.

1. Knowing what to do (v.14) Know it (knowledge).

2. Understanding why to do it (v.15) Understand it (perspective).

3. Trained how to do it (v.15) Do it (skills).

Orthodoxy ‘Right’ + ‘Honor” Orthotomeo ‘Right/Erect’ + ‘Cut” Orthopraxy ‘Right’ + ‘Practice’

Proverbs 箴 言 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 你要專心仰賴耶和華、不可倚靠自己的聰明。 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. 在你一切所行的事上、都要認定他、他必指引你的 路。 Proverbs 11.5 箴 言 5 The righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight, but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness. 完全人的義、必指引他的路．但惡人必因自己的惡 跌倒。

4. Knowing what you do is right (v.19) Believe it with your whole heart (conviction).

1 Thessalonians 1.5 帖 撒 羅 尼 迦 前 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 因為我們的福音傳到你們那裏、不獨在乎 言語、也在乎權能、和聖靈、並充足的信 心．正如你們知道我們在你們那裏、為你 們的緣故是怎樣為人。

5. Making right choices (v.20-26) Becoming more like Jesus (character)

Eta Linnemann Testimony by Dr. Eta Linnemann(Retired) Professor of Theology/Religious Education, Pedagogic Academy, Braunschweig Honorary Professor, New Testament, Philipps University, Marburg Edited transcript of a lecture given Wednesday, November 7, 2001, 7:00 p.m. Grace Valley Christian Center, Davis, California As part of the Faith and Reason series

Rudolph Bultmann