New Perspectives, resurrection and renewal

This is a sort of follow up on my previous post, 'New Perspectives on Paul' 

Another aspect of the New Perspective is the whole idea of idea of a renewed earth. That what we do on earth does make a difference now. That there is more than going to heaven when we die.

N.T. Wright is again one of the main thinkers behind this view, with his book "Suprised by hope". At this stage I haven't read the book. Though it is in the library. So I wont make much of a comment.

Nathan Hobby over at Network Vineyard Church, in Western Australia spoke on the subject. You can listen here.

A nice quote he used from N.T. Wright was

You are not oiling the wheels of a machine that’s about to fall over a cliff. You are not restoring a great painting that’s shortly going to be thrown in the fire. You are not planting roses in a garden that’s about to be dug up for a building site. You are – strange though it may seem, almost as hard to believe as the resurrection itself – accomplishing something which will become, in due course, part of God’s new world. Every act of love, gratitude and kindness; every work of art or music inspired by the love of God and delight in the beauty of his creation; every minute spent teaching a severely handicapped child to read or to walk; every act of care and nurture, of comfort and support, for one’s fellow human beings, and for that matter one’s fellow non-human creatures; and of course every prayer, all Spirit-led teaching, every deed which spreads the gospel, builds up the church, embraces and embodies holiness rather than corruption, and makes the name of Jesus honoured in the world – all of this will find its way, through the resurrecting power of God, into the new creation which God will one day make. That is the logic of the mission of God. God’s recreation of his wonderful world, which has begun with the resurrection of Jesus and continues mysteriously as God’s people live in the risen Christ and in the power of his Spirit, means that what we do in Christ and by the Spirit in the present is not wasted. It will last all the way into God’s new world. In fact, it will be enhanced there.

As mentioned in my previous post I think this will play into the theology of the Emergent church. But to be fair I need to read this book to make a fair call.

New Perspectives on Paul

I believe that we are in a new era within out understanding of Christendom. One of the more recent public movememts of Christian especially in the Western Church has been the 'Emerging Church'.
Two aspects of theology I believe will define the movement. One which I have found easy to observe as it has been in a close association with the theology of the 'Kingdom of God'. I have blogged about this somewhere on the Ranges blog. In many ways this was easy for me to spot because it has much in common with my own denomination the Vineyard.
The other is in regard to social justice. For a while I have noted a shift towards a greater 'Social Justice', within Australia. Australian movements such as 'Tear' and 'UNOH' have been leading the charge and in many ways becoming stronger. I believe that two main things have aided there strength, with or without there knowledge. (I also might be wrong and God is totally Sovereign) 1) A renewed called for the Church to mission. 2) 'New Perspective on Paul'. Both of these factors have helped bring to helped in strengthening these type of Christian organizations. What I want to discuss is the 'New Perspective on Paul"
I wasn't really aware of 'New Perspectives on Paul' until I read N.T. Wrights book on the subject matter. The good old wikipedia has a pretty good summary of the theology, of New Perspectives on Paul.

The "new perspective" is a deliberate attempt to lift Paul's letters out of this framework and interpret them based on an understanding of first century Judaism, taken on its own terms.

An aspect of the 'New Perspective' is the idea of works and grace, where there has been a tipping of the balance towards works. The wikipedia again sums up the argument.

New perspective scholars tend to place a higher value on the importance of good works than the old perspective does, taking the view that they causally contribute to the salvation of the individual.

I see many implications, no more 'cheap alter calls', emphasis on doing stuff, especially social justice etc etc, lots of implications. Anyway I think that God is recalibrating the church.

There are other aspects of the 'New Perspectives' which I'd like to post about at some stage, from salvation to creation. Stay tuned.