Author: Wick

Chapter 6 from “The Holiness Manifesto” is entitled: “Holiness: Sin’s Anticipated Cure”. It’s written by Diane Leclerc, professor of Historical Theology and Homiletics for Northwest Nazarene University. I gotta say….neat stuff.

First she lays out the need for such discussion. Her students aren’t miscommunicating holiness, because they’re not attempting to communicate it at all. This is because no one is communicating it to them, for fear of getting it wrong. But I agree with her stance: WE MUST SPEAK.

Her approach goes through the existentialist views of Kierkegaard, not as perfect but as helpful for setting a frame to lay the theology of John Wesley as a response to. Kierkegaard’s writings on “Sickness Unto Death”, and the fallen nature he believed we are all born into, build a great need for something “other” to enter the picture. Through Wesley, we see prevenient grace as the potentiality in the structure of our being given to us by the Spirit that keeps us in balance…that keeps our despairing at bay.

Kierkegaard believed that on our own, we are unable to relate to God, others, ourselves, or anything our “self” relates to, because of how fractured/distorted our “self” is due to sin. Wesley believed in a deep and pervasive definition of sin, BUT also believed in the pervasiveness of grace in the world and in our hearts, even BEFORE we exercise faith.

Kierkegaard’s “Knight of Infinite Resignation” (comparing to Abraham’s infinite resignation of Isaac), in her writings, becomes Wesley and the New Testaments’ calling towards becoming “new creations”, and the activity of sanctification by the Holy Spirit. She draws in a story of Phoebe Palmer, and others who have dramatically had to let go of aspects of their own “selves” in order to move towards sanctification. Through the Spirit, we are enabled/transformed towards something altogether new. This newness opens a door towards “true humanity”, allowing us to become even more than Adam or Eve ever could.

“While prevenient grace gives us the “acorn”, our potential begins to process of actualization most acutely at the moment of our second birth. It is here that the process that we have called (new creation) truly begins.”

It doesn’t take long to figure out that a lot of what happens to/in a womans’ body during pregnancy is not pleasant. Feeling sick, pain all over, etc etc. And to culminate it all in the actual giving birth, I’m thankful to be a man.

But it makes me wonder, how much of this process is undesirable because of living in a fallen world? How did God originally intend to populate His creation with more humans reflecting Him? Surely, it wouldn’t be a completely different experience. I don’t believe our bodies physically transformed in some odd way because of Adam and Eve eating the fruit.

But no matter what, I’m pretty sure giving birth to a human being would be a painful thing.

Which brought me to another point. Maybe there was some sort of “pain” experienced, even in the Garden of Eden. If God’s ultimate plan for all creation is something similar to how we existed together in the Garden, except even better as Heaven and Earth become united in a “new creation” – then maybe there will be pain as well?

I know, if you’re like me, you’ve grown up with everyone telling you there will be no pain or suffering or tears in “heaven”. But most of the verses used to prove this seem to be talking about a different kind of suffering. I can’t imagine God creating a sort of “numb” existence for us to spend eternity in.

But maybe, just maybe, our concept of pain is all messed up, along with the created world we live in. Perhaps God will redeem even the experience of pain itself, not that it would bring “joy” as we think of it….but that it might be an acceptable thing to have sometimes, simply as a part of the whole of “being”, and allow for a response to and from God while completely in God’s restoring presence.

I could be completely wrong, and maybe this is all just silly nonsense.

But if it’s even connected to the truth, then God offers us the ability to have our experience of pain transformed here and now. He has begun to establish/reveal His Kingdom already….even where we suffer/hurt…

“Aww, look at her face. She’s so cute. You know (I just read your hospital chart, and noticed you’re a youth pastor so I’m going to say something religious here that I wouldn’t normally say to people cause it might be offensive), I don’t get how anyone can look at the face of a baby, and not believe in God.” (shaking her head slightly and smiling)

We smiled politely, and nodded a bit. Our main goal at that point was to get some lab work done on our daughters’ jaundice level. So we weren’t looking to have a conversation on how God reveals Himself through the faces of babies. In fact, on the spot I caught myself with an urge to make fun of her comment. It went something like…”really? have you SEEN some babies out there?” Or….”have you seen the face of a baby penguin? they’re pretty darned Godly too.”

But that’s just years of cynicism against cute Christian sentimentality fighting against the honesty hidden behind her statement.

I do believe God is revealing Himself through all things created, not least of which includes my daughters. I believe God CAN use ANYTHING to awaken a connection to His Spirit, including a contorted and innocent face of a crying or content baby, or even a blade of grass blowing in the wind.

At the same time, I don’t think a cute baby is an automatic sign post that God is at work, unless you’re aware of God as creator of that baby. I can understand that someone who doesn’t believe in God can look at a baby and say “wow, cute baby” and that’s it. (or maybe even “mmm, looks tasty“) I suppose I hope/live towards my daughters growing up to speak the language their created selves are already proclaiming quietly.