Orthodox, Supernatural Christianity

Tonight, I was reading Tim Keller's Center Church: Doing Balanced Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City when a phrase jumped off the screen: "orthodox, supernatural Christianity".  Keller, in this case, was describing the influx of African, Asian, and Latin American Christians into Western cities.  My internet searches concerning the reality of this were fairly fruitless, but my understanding of the world and personal experiences confirm that this is happening.  It seems that those from the developing world are thoroughly embracing the power and truth of the Gospel.   I have personally had the privilege of befriending international students from Ghana and Nigeria, with whom I have had rich and rewarding discussions about Christianity and its influence in their countries.  From my understanding of Christianity's influence in their countries, and after witnessing their education and global literacy, it is not hard to believe that their countrymen are moving to places like London, Paris, and New York, planting churches, and spreading the Gospel.  Exploring the current reality of African, Asian, and Latin American missionaries moving into Europe and North America is not the subject of this post, however; "orthodox, supernatural Christianity" is.

With this phrase, Keller is describing, I believe, why the developing world's Christianity is so potent.  You see, they are embracing all of Christianity.  Don't get me wrong, from my conversations and reading it seems like pastors and Christians in the developing world are getting some things wrong--as we all do--but if they are embracing "orthodox, supernatural Christianity" they are getting a precious balance right.

Why my attachment to this phrase?  The reason the phrase gets me excited is because I believe it describes an incredibly crucial balance.  I believe there is a tendency to err towards one side or the other on the following spectrum.

Some folks, I believe, tend to seek a natural explanation for everything: "I hit a golf ball and it flies", "I take antibiotics and I get better", "I drop a book and it falls".  These are all things that are explained very naturally.  Modern science has provided the world a great service by exploring the natural relationship between many cause and effects.  There are plenty of events that have a very natural explanation.  It seems that God allows chemical reactions and gravity to work the exact same way over and over again.  This is no reason to worship God less, if anything it is more miraculous that He has written a delicate code (mathematics) into nature.  However, in our search for natural explanations of the world, we must not rule out the possibility of present or initial supernatural causes.

As some seek a natural explanation for everything, others seek a supernatural explanation for everything--spectrums do not exist unless you can be at one end or the other.   Some of my African friends told me of people in their countries that pray for money 8 hours a day rather than go to work.  These people are looking for supernatural intervention when natural intervention is the solution.  The Apostle Paul would probably have some stern words for these people, because Paul recognized that God has given us abilities to provide food, clothing, and shelter for ourselves.  But these people are right that the supernatural is very active in the world and is the only explanation for some events.  

The purely supernatural folks need to be willing to seek natural explanations for things that God allows to happen the same way over and over again (gravity), while the purely natural folks need to be willing to admit that not all things are going to fit nicely in their purely material cause and effect world.  Scientists are able to use modern instruments and methods to conclude that the universe appears to have begun 13 billion years ago, but one is left coming up with silly theories if he is unwilling to consider the fact that a divine being initiated the events of the Big Bang.  Should we abandon searches for natural explanations to phenomena?  No, but we mustn't deny the evidence that God parted the Red Sea, collapsed walls of cities with shouts, and visited earth as a human being 2000 years ago.  This evidence considers attention even if it cannot be gathered with the scientific method and mathematics.

In all of this talk about balancing the natural and the supernatural I have neglected the word orthodox.  Orthodox is an oft-misunderstood word, I believe.  This is probably because people first--and possibly only--heard the word orthodox in World History class.  The word probably generates thoughts of the schism between the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church.  Which is unfortunate for the words "catholic" and "orthodox".  Catholic because the word means universal, and the church should be universal.  Orthodox because the word means conforming to the established and traditional beliefs, and the church gets real mixed up when it tries to recreate everything as if the present generation is all there is.  It is this definition of orthodox--conforming to the established and traditional beliefs--that makes it such a good counterbalance for supernaturalism.

There are many troubles with having a supernatural explanation for everything.  One trouble is that you will never dig for deeper truths--the answer to every question is: "miracle".  With a purely supernatural mindset we would have never discovered things like atoms and cells.  And if we never discovered things like atoms and cells we would have never created things like computers and vaccines.  And if we had never created things like computers and vaccines the world would probably be more ignorant and sicker.  And God, from my understanding, is not a huge fan of ignorance or sickness.  He doesn't want us to believe we will know everything or cure every disease, but He does want us to spread the Gospel--cure ignorance--and help the sick.

Another trouble with supernaturalism--this trouble is more related to the church--is that it leads to reinventing the wheel.  We do not reinvent the wheel because no shape will ever move forward with less resistance than a circle.  We do not reinvent the wheel within Christianity because God has already revealed Himself in very specific ways.  God's model for revelation has seemed to be this: appear to a relatively small group of people for a relatively short period of time and then leave these people responsible for living obediently and spreading the truths (orthodoxy) from His revelation.  

In the Old Testament God appeared to a small group of people in very powerful ways.  The most notable of His revelations were probably to Moses.  Moses spent some very intimate time with God on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19-31; 35-40).  The experience Moses had with God during this time is arguably the most direct experience any person has had with God outside of those who walked with Jesus.  So, if Moses experienced the most intimate time with God outside of Jesus' 12 disciples, what was this intimate time about?  

The modern reader would possibly be disappointed with the outcome of Moses' time with God on Mount Sinai.  This is because the fruit of Moses' time on the mount was a bunch of laws.  Sounds boring to us, we tend to be repulsed by the law-giving God.  But our repulsion is very short-sighted and narrow-minded.  Let's define "law".  

Law is a word with many definitions, but we'll call it "a behavioral standard".  Why not steal?  Because it is against the behavioral standard.  Why not lie?  Because it is against the behavioral standard.  Why not covet?  Because it is against the behavioral standard.  Behavioral standards are not causes for celebration among many.  This is reasonable--we like to exercise our free will.  However, not welcoming laws from God is foolishness.  If I told you receiving an owner's manual from the Creator of the Universe was an option, and you passed on the opportunity, I would pity you.  This is essentially what God's law is: a behavioral standard revealed by the Creator of the Universe.  God, particularly in the Ten Commandments, is saying, "I created the world to operate best if you behave according to these guidelines."  And we say: "Your standards?  I like mine."  Foolishness. 

Now, has God appeared in my living room and written the Ten Commandments on my wall?  No.  He doesn't need to, he already gave them to Moses.  In Deuteronomy 6:6-7, which was probably written by Moses, it says, "These commandments that I (Moses) give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."  What does Moses tell the Israelites to do with the commandments (laws)?  He instructs them to teach them to their children.  Does Moses expect God to show up supernaturally to every single Israelite and re-reveal the laws Moses has already received?  No.  Moses is saying, "Look, God revealed this truth to me, now we must be orthodox.  We must live according to the truth that He has given us.  We must pass it from generation to generation."  

Likewise, in the New Testament, we see Jesus showing up for approximately 30 years--about 3 of them in ministry--and then commissioning His followers to spread the message.  Does Jesus need to show up over and over again to us in undeniable ways?  Not if we are doing our job of making His message and truth orthodox.  

Now, can Jesus still show up in miraculous ways?  Yes.  Should we forget the supernatural?  No.  Christianity reveals a theistic God rather than a deistic one.  Our God is still intimately involved in the affairs of the world.  The New Testament talks of God holding things together, answering prayers, and drawing near to people.  God has not simply created the world and left it to its own devices.  By all means, pray for supernatural healing, look for God's unique thumbprint on your life, and ask God for wisdom.  But, in doing so, do not forget that He has given us the ability to cure diseases, make plans, and dig for truth.  By all means, become educated, set goals, and conduct experiments.  But, in doing so, do not become arrogant, inflexible, and unwilling to acknowledge supernatural explanations.

Lastly, do not become so enamored with miracles and supernatural explanations that you do not treasure what God has already revealed.  We must keep our faith orthodox while also desiring the supernatural.  We mustn't forsake the tradition of Christians from yesteryear, but we mustn't become stuffy and inflexible either.  Treasure the writings of past Christians while also looking for God's hand in your life today.