Book Reviews
Insurrection by Peter Rollins
Insurrection is essentially a follow up to Pete’s previous book, How (not) to peak of God. It is a faithful critique of Christianity that Rollins’ refers to as pyro-theology, whereby he affirms Buenaventura Durruti in that “the only church that illuminates is a burning church”. According to John D. Caputo, “Rollins writes and thinks like a new Bonhoeffer, crucifying the trappings of religion in order to lay bare a radical, religionless, and insurrectional Christianity.” Rollins’ has himself contextualised it by saying that:
H(N)tSoG represents the drilling of deep holes into the mountaintop of religion and the planting of explosives. While Insurrection represents the detonation and the subsequent exposure of the rich potentiality that lies hidden within.
While it is not essential to have read H(N)tSoG, it does provide a great deal of background and context to Insurrection, particularly through a grounding in Christian mysticism and continental philosophy (you can read my summary of (N)tSoG starting here. This said, Insurrection is an accessible yet meaty contribution to the emerging conversation in its own right.
What Rollins’ is attempting to accomplish with Insurrection is debatable… I wondered at times whether he was actually saying anything at all. Yet as I was drawn into the book, with its rich parables and insightful interpretations, I found myself stopping regularly to catch my breath at the weight of its impact. As I finished each chapter I realised that I had been caught out by a silent explosion and had been happily riding the violent avalanche: I couldn’t wait for each next fuse to be lit!
Insurrection challenges Western Christianity in a number of ways, including its reliance on dogma and its penchant for offering all the answers. Instead, Rollins’ challenges us to stand in the site of Christ and cry in unison “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In doing so we question the very God that we follow. This a/theistic Christianity is not afraid to stand with God (just as God stands with us) in the mire of existence and say: “Why?” It is a spirituality that instead of offering an oasis in the desert of life, promotes spirituality as the desert in the oasis of life. This is a desert where we can both lose everything for religion and lose everything including religion. It is only when we stare into the void of the crucifixion, and feel that void staring back, that we are free to embrace the resurrection… choosing to stand or fall.
It is through this freedom and confrontation that we can embrace the resurrection, and the way of Jesus. This is a path that has nothing to do with personal piety or even an all-powerful ‘fix-everything’ God, rather, it is a terrifying freedom and realisation thatwe are required to act in service and love. Like Mother Teresa we must feel compelled to ‘faithfully’ love thy neighbour, even when our ‘belief’ in God is weak. This does not in any way diminish the reality of God, as God remains (as it did for Saint Teresa) in the very workings and actions of love. It is by participating in the crucifixion and resurrection, by participating in the suffering andhealing of the world, that our faith must be lived out.
I deny the resurrection of Christ every time I do not serve at the feet of the oppressed, each day that I turn my back on the poor; I deny the resurrection of Christ when I close my ears to the cries of the downtrodden and lend my support to an unjust and corrupt system. – Pete Rollins -
Amen.
You can read the first chapter of Insurrection here and then buy the book from here. H(N)tSoG is available here.
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Paul among the Postliberals: Pauline theology beyond Christendom and Modernity by Douglas Harink
In Paul among the Postliberals, Douglas Harink offers a comprehensive introduction to Pauline scholarship as well as an introductory survey to his primary lens, postliberal theology. Harink tracks the postliberal conversation from its forefathers Stendahl and Barth, through to a more detailed engagement with Hauerwas’ and Yoder’s ethical and political readings of Paul. He traverses four major theological strands in the process:
(1) The New Perspective;
(2) The Apocalyptic Perspective;
(3) The Faith of Jesus Christ; and
(4) The Political Perspective.
Harink encourages us to consider Protestantism’s misunderstanding of Justification, largely through the mistranslation of the phrase Pistis Iesou Christou. By engagement with Yoder, Harink points out that politics are central to Jesus’ mission, who was ultimately crucified for his apparent threat to the ‘powers’ in Jerusalem. This Christological focus is enhanced through the apocalyptic theology of Stanley Hauerwas, which highlights the radical revelatory nature of the Christ event, particularly in Galatians. Through his engagement with this literature, Harink develops a deep theological and socio-political understanding of God’s “new creation”, which is invited to participate in God’s work through: the imitation of Christ; gathering together (marked by fraternal admonition, breaking of bread, baptism, and the priesthood of all believers); engaging with broader cultural groups and ‘powers’; ethical, cultural, religious, social and political practices that remain distinct from other people; not replacing Judaism but becoming one people reconciled to each other through Jesus Christ and the power of the Spirit; a people who operate out of, or resemble, the Jewish synagogue. These expectations remain deeply Jewish in outlook and reflect Paul’s commitment to his tradition, which has often been dismissed in Christian theology and Pauline studies.
Harink goes a long way in opposing this dichotomy, with a strong engagement with N.T. Wright’s supposed supersessionist theology. Similarly, Harink rightly expounds the importance of Paul’s context in shaping his outlook (and its similarity to today’s religious and cultural pluralism) via a thorough engagement with Romans and 1 Corinthians. Finally, and thoughtfully, Harink addresses a number of criticisms of the neoliberal approach from the universality of Christianity and its relation to other religions, to the Christian witness and its engagement with the other, finishing with a short but exhaustive summary of “how to preach Paul”.
Ultimately, Harink’s work is a truly authentic Evangelical (re)reading of Paul. Very important to his argument is the translation ofPistis Iesou Christou and the implications of this for the Protestant doctrine of atonement. This is an extremely important step in theology, and one that, through its subversion of long held understandings, often fails to gain traction. However, no-one could possibly question the integrity of the postliberal approach to the biblical text, one that draws its very inspiration from the Protestant reformers.
Harink’s genuine wrestling with scripture encompasses various other important theological questions, none more important than the primacy of the “revelation of God in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection”. This focus on the biblical text as the defining witnessfor Christians has equal potential to damage as it does to enrich. Namely, postliberal theologians must be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater by reacting too strongly against liberal methodologies and rational and experiential socio-political critiques. As an Evangelical I am happy to affirm the importance of scripture as a guiding light for the Christian tradition, however, there is a danger that fundamentalism might evolve from this approach, whereby isolated readings of the text and tradition can become normative rather than informative. This highlights another criticism of the postliberal approach, which through its prioritizing, and interpretation of the text, privileges the theologian and biblical scholar as ‘keepers of the text’. This results in the tradition itself becoming an ‘object’ of the academic as opposed to the ‘subject’ of the gathered people. However, the postliberal theologian would most likely rebuke this critique with an understanding that the community is ‘the keeper of the text’, and that our wrestling with scripture together is the true ‘God event’, rather than the text being a self-apparent entity. This idea is certainly touched on by Harink, but not explored in any depth.
Furthermore, Harink seems to privilege the North-American social imaginary in his survey of postliberalism. One wonders whether religious engagement and vocabulary of postliberalism could be equally relevant in the socio-political discourse of a more ‘secularized’ country such as France or Australia. For this reason, I believe that if the postliberal prerogative is to be an ongoing force in the global theological and socio-political discourse, it must more thoroughly engage with secularized postmodern and postcolonial critiques. While Harink briefly does this with passing reference to John Milbank (and others), further research needs to address the parallax gap between postmodern ‘proper’, and neoliberal theology’s absolutizing and universalizing claims.
This ‘totalizing’ approach, inherent within postliberal theology, also fails to reckon with both the problem of evil and postmodern ‘weak’ theology. While many postliberal theologians would no doubt default to Barth’s engagement with the problem of evil, as the work of the ‘other’ hand of God, this in no way settles the question of evil: particularly when engaging with secularist discourse. As for the postliberal engagement with ‘weak’ theology, there remains a seemingly insurmountable dichotomy between the postliberal Power of God, and Caputo’s embrace of the weakness of God. This too needs to be the focus of further research.
These criticisms aside, Harink’s work certainly offers the reader a comprehensive and comprehendible foray into Paul’s theology and the postliberal conversation. It is clear that hermeneutical assumptions are central to the debate, and whilst I would personally take a ‘lower’ view of scripture, I see the necessity and value of such a respectful and serious engagement with the biblical witness: centered in the apocalypse of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, a theology must be judged by its fruit, and in this case (in my humble opinion) the ends certainly justifies the means. Here we see a theology drenched in ‘the Power of God’, ‘the authenticity and authority of Scripture’, and ‘the revelation of Jesus Christ’; resulting in communities that radically ‘embrace of the other’ and stand against ‘social and political oppression’. These realizations open the door (for all) to the possibility whereby Christianity and social/political action might stand on the same side of the barricade.
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The Fringes of Freedom: following Jesus, living together, working for justice by Athol Gill
When I recently read Graeme Garrett’s tribute to Athol Gill, [1] delivered at his thanksgiving service, I found myself deeply moved. I was moved for Gill’s humour and courage, his intelligence and love. I never met Athol Gill, in fact the only ‘personal’ experience I have had of him is his book The Fringes of Freedom Following Jesus, Living Together, Working for Justice. This is a book that affected me on such a level that, in encountering the words of Garrett, I felt a sense of loss so deep in my spirit as if I had shared a personal relationship with him. This relationship was forged on the reading of The Fringes of Freedom. It is a book that is challenging and encouraging, extraordinary and ordinary, passionate and prophetic. It brings you face to face with the risen Christ… and then asks “what will you do about it?” This book review will not only look The Fringes of Freedom but also look at Athol Gill the man. It will examine the call to radical discipleship, community living and mission as laid out in his book. And finally, it will interrogate the model for church as laid out in this landmark book, by reflecting on Rees’ Models and Mission of the Church Today.
Athol Gill – Gentle Bunyip and Christian Gadfly
Athol Gill is somewhat of a legend in my circles. While it isn’t always in the foreground, his legacy and influence lie at the core of Australian, and particularly Victorian Baptist identity and theology. David Neville describes this gentle Bunyip as “teacher, community-builder, advocate of justice, peace maker, Christian gadfly.”[2] As a teacher he shaped the minds of a generation of Baptist theological students in Brisbane and Melbourne through his sometimes controversial approach to Biblical interpretation, not to mention the countless pew-sitters who were privileged enough to hear his exegetical sermons as a Baptist minister. His community building grew from a challenged issued by his students to live a life of radical discipleship. Practically this manifested as The House of Freedom in Brisbane and The House of the Gentle Bunyip in Melbourne. His social justice and peace building was clear at local, national and international levels. Community living was central to a life that included several commissions on social ethics, education and human rights, and an active role in freedom from oppression both here and abroad. It is primarily through his provocative nature and views on Biblical interpretation that Gill is widely remembered as a Christian gadfly.[3][4] Not surprisingly, this is the word used by Bertrand Russell to describe the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates.[5] When condemned to death by the authorities for his provocative rhetoric of truth “the philosopher had not buckled before unpopularity”.[6] Like Socrates, Gill was not averse to speaking the truth in the face of an unpopular response and through his grounding in Christology his resolve only grew stronger. After being fired by his second theological college, Gill defended his position in front of a packed house at Kew Baptist Church, where “he spoke of his faith in Christ with a simple eloquence that was deeply moving.”, at which point he was reinstated with overwhelming support.[7] It is clear that Gill’s faith and fervour overflowed into many facets of his life. In reading the Fringes of Freedom we can begin to discover the call to radical discipleship, community living and mission that was central to his life.
The Fringes of Freedom
As suggested, The Fringes of Freedom is broken into three major sections: Following Jesus, Living Together, and Working for Justice. Gill explains:
The structure of the book is a deliberate adaptation of the structure of the opening chapters of the gospel of Mark…the call to follow Jesus (Mark 1:16-20), leads to the establishment of the community of the people of God (3:13-19) and to their involvement in the world (6:7-13).[8]
Following Jesus
This first section asks us the question, are we truly following Jesus? His call is challenging, asking us to leave our comfortable lives and journey with him, sharing his mission for the poor, downtrodden and marginalised. Central to Gill is the fact that Jesus calls us; it is an act of grace that invites the sinners and fringe-dwellers into the community of God. This call both evokes and demands a response that is counter-cultural and costly. When this grace penetrates us however, the joy is inescapable and allows us to leave everything to follow him (Mk 13:44-46).[9] Jesus calls for a reversal of lifestyle, “a radical reorientation of life”[10] through repentance and faith. The message of the gospels is clear – “Follow me!” and live a renewed and God-centred life, free from materialism, power and privilege and doused in concern for people and God’s mission: caring for the poor and marginalised.[11]
Living Together
Gill’s communal life clearly influences this passionate encouragement of Christian living as seen in the early church (Acts 2:44-47). Jesus’ call and healing power creates a new community, modelled in his gathering of the twelve (Mk 3:13-19). Like the disciples, “our coming together is the result of the activity of Jesus in our lives”[12]and like discipleship, it is God’s grace that calls us into that community. This grace is seen in the people Jesus chose to commune with, a Messianic community brought about through forgiveness and relationship. The early church continued this free and equal community through shared meals and possessions.[13] Gill relates his own experience of community Christian living vividly, being ‘beckoned by God’ and ‘drawn into the journey’. At the centre of the sometimes difficult venture were a common mission and principles, based around Jesus Christ. Gill saw in the worldwide explosion of Christian communities an encouragement and providence that confirmed the beckoning hand of God spreading His seed throughout the nations.[14] Gill grants that there is no one model for either community or family, with the Bible offering many examples of family life. Jesus’ difficult teachings on leaving one’s family are understood differently, what is certain is that following Jesus results in inclusion into the broader community; the people of God.[15]
Working for Justice
Part three of Gill’s book is by far the largest, and by placing an emphasis on mission he challenges us to consider what is central to the Christian walk. Whilst discipleship and community are important to Gill, joining God in working for justice is the ultimate goal and central to his theology. Without mission, discipleship and community are incomplete actions, a body without breath. The mission of the church is a continuation of the Messianic mission of Jesus, which had a particular focus on the poor and marginalised. It is in this action that Jesus is with us.[16] Mission is also about evangelism, transforming and reuniting humanity to communal relationship with God through the saving act of Jesus’ death and resurrection. This should manifest not only in words, but in concern for the society and the marginalised.[17] Mission must also include social action, long considered contrary to evangelical thinking. Gill tracks the growing focus on social justice but concedes that many are reluctant to accept the challenging social message of Jesus and the prophets (Luke 4:18-19). God has a heart for justice and calls us into that mission with and through Jesus, empowering us by the Holy Spirit.[18] Through the beatitudes Gill expounds, blessed are the poor (both economically and spiritually), whether they have relinquished wealth and status to follow God or rely on him in destitution. Blessed are the persecuted, whether for the sake of Jesus or the sake of justice. Blessed are the peacemakers, where there is poverty, persecution and injustice there can be no peace. God is with the poor, seeking justice and working for peace: as Christians this is our mission.[19] Gill clearly identifies that poverty is a concern for God throughout the span of history. The Torah, Prophets and Writings all address it directly as do the Gospels, Epistles and Revelation. Poverty is a major Biblical and contemporary issue. Almsgiving is the minimum requirement in working for justice; liberation and social change should be our ultimate goal.[20] Finally we see that mission and worship are not mutually exclusive, Gill even goes so far to say that worship without mission can become idolatrous. Communal prayer, shared life and reflection on our mission should be central to worship, striving for honest worship which ultimately clarifies and sustains our mission.[21]
The Priesthood of all Believers
Hans Kung describes Jesus as the one high priest and mediator; it is in Him that we must base our ecclesiology. Subject to Jesus are all believers, and as such the people of God are the priesthood of all believers, fundamentally equal in the body of Christ and sharing one mission through the Spirit. For Kung, “the positive authorisation and obligation [of the priesthood] must be recognised and practiced.” Through direct contact with God, the Spirit can guide us in our mission.[22] Clearly for Gill, our devotion to Jesus as high priest engages us to discipleship and action. It is not our commitment to ecclesial office but our obligation to Jesus and God’s mission to the poor, oppressed and marginalised that drive our radical devotion to him. He calls us, transforms us and empowers us to answer the call “follow me.” After the horrors of WWII, Jurgen Moltmann knew the pain of conflict and the need for reconciliation and community. He explains: “When others recognise us just the way we are, we feel fulfilled. When we feel accepted and affirmed, we are happy.”[23] Through prayer, fellowship and commitment to each other, community living (whilst challenging) promotes healing and fulfilment in Christ. This closeness and affirmation allows the community to embrace their mission in the Spirit, ministering to the needs of others, particularly the poor, oppressed and marginalised. This is not the role of ‘ordained’ or ‘paid’ ministers but the entire body of Christ. Accepting the challenge from Jesus to administer justice is the role of the entire people of God – the priesthood of all believers.
Critical Appraisal
Whilst not overtly an ecclesiological construct, The Fringes of Freedom no doubt promotes a certain model for doing church. To evaluate Gill’s expression of church we will interrogate it with Frank Rees’ five critical criteria.[24]
i) Christology: Clearly Gill’s model is steeped in well developed and reasoned Christology. Jesus sits at the centre of his theology and Gill takes seriously the call and challenge to follow Jesus. Like Jesus, there is a strong focus on the underside of society, although perhaps one sided at times.
ii) Comprehensiveness: Leitourgia (worship and prayer), Kerygma (witness to the gospel), Koinonia (community life), Religere (healing and care), Diakonia (service to others) and Intercessio (intercession for the needy) are both central and inseparable to Gill’s theology. He gives a comprehensive treatment to all these aspects of church life. However as Gill concedes, under this model connectedness with the wider community of believers (Oikumene) can be difficult.
iii) Coherence: Gill’s model is powerfully and passionately communicated. Biblical, historical and contemporary theologies have been implemented concisely and coherently to develop a true manifestation of God’s mission on the world.
iv) Concreteness: This is where Gill’s ecclesiology is somewhat lacking. It is in community living that the model lacks tangibility and concreteness. Whilst it is only an example of the manifestation of church, an alternative to commune-style living is not offered, a form that it not conducive to other, equally valid Christian walks.
v) Credibility: It is here too that the model falls down. Like concreteness, the credibility is called into account by the nature of community living. Unfortunately the positives are balanced easily by the negatives. While things like rumour and ridicule can be considered suffering for the sake of Christ and justice, they can seriously limit the credibility and mission of the group.
Concluding Remarks
Most of us will only ever know Athol Gill through his writing. In this lucid account he had challenged and encouraged us to reassess our life in Christ. The call and questions are challenging, the beckoning finger of God confronting but the reward is relationship and community with each other and God. Through this radical reorientation of life we are faced with, “What next?” For Gill this is mission in the world, a mission that embraces all society but particularly the poor, oppressed and marginalised. He echoes Jesus in sending out the disciples, to bring forth the Kingdom of God. He takes seriously Jesus’ mission “to bring good news to the poor… proclaim release to the captives… recovery of sight to the blind [and]… to let the oppressed go free.” (Luke 4:18-19)[25]. By promoting and empowering the priesthood of all believers for this work, Gill has taken us back to the heart of Messianic mission. There is no doubt that Gill’s (and Jesus’) message is unpopular at times. Our challenge is to take consolation in such unpopularity and like Athol Gill, continue to get up the nose of those seeking to oppress and dominate. “Jesus proclaimed God’ kingdom of justice and he called on his people to participate in his ministry of justice in the world”[26]
[1] Neville, David (Ed.) Prophesy and Passion: Essays in Honour of Athol Gill. Adelaide: ATF, 2002. p3-8
[2] Neville. Prophesy and Passion. p xiv
[3] Neville. Prophesy and Passion. p xiv-xix
[4] John Mark Ministries <http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/2240.htm>
[5] Russell, Bertrand. A History of Western Philosophy. Oxon: Routledge, 2007. p94
[6] De Botton, Alain. The Consolations of Philosophy. London: Penguin, 2008. p7
[7] Neville. Prophesy and Passion. p5
[8] Gill, Athol. The Fringes of Freedom: Following Jesus, Living Together, Working for Justice. Homebush: Lancer Books, 1990. p7
[9] Gill. The Fringes of Freedom: The Call to Radical Discipleship. p17-31
[10] Gill. The Fringes of Freedom. p38
[11] Gill. The Fringes of Freedom: Discipleship: A New Way of Life. p33-57
[12] Gill. The Fringes of Freedom. p66
[13] Gill. The Fringes of Freedom: The Call to Christian Community. p61-79
[14] Gill. The Fringes of Freedom: A Journey into Christian Community. p81-105
[15] Gill. The Fringes of Freedom: The Open Family. p107-128
[16] Gill. The Fringes of Freedom: The Call to Messianic Mission. p133-149
[17] Gill. The Fringes of Freedom: Evangelism and Mission. p151-173
[18] Gill. The Fringes of Freedom: Evangelicals and Social Justice. p175-190.
[19] Gill. The Fringes of Freedom: Christian Peacemakers. p193-211.
[20] Gill. The Fringes of Freedom: Perspective of the Poor. p213-242.
[21] Gill. The Fringes of Freedom: Worship and Justice. p245-266.
[22] Kung, Hans. The Church. London: Search Press, 1971. p363-373
[23] Moltmann, Jurgen. The Open Church: Invitation to Messianic Lifestyle. Philadelphia: Frotress Press, 1978. p27
[24] Rees, Frank. ‘Models and Mission of the Church Today’. Lecture at Whitley College, Melbourne, 2009.
[25] NRSV translation.
[26] Gill. The Fringes of Freedom. p183
