Heilsgeschichte

I have been missing in action from the blogosphere for a few weeks. My comp exam, thesis and acceptance to programs for a second master's degree for next year have kept my mind buzzing. I am pretty sure I will start in the M.Div. program at the University of Chicago. U. of C. leaves multiple options open for me including the possibility of trying to get into the Ph.D. program. The biggest blessing is that I can stay here with my wife as she finishes at Northwestern! I am super excited and grateful for this opportunity.

My church (Mennonite) also approved a very generous gift for a congregational fellowship through the Fund for Theological Education. I will hear back if I get the award in the middle of May. While filling out this tedious application I had to write a three page essay regarding my most urgent message for the church. It was the last thing I had time to be working on but I found it a rather refreshing process. Here is the first paragraph of my essay, which I hope will help some of you understand, though vaguely, why I have become an Anabaptist.

I believe that God is calling the church to reassert her identity in the kingdom of God. In recent years, the visibility of the church as the locus of justice and salvation for the world has been obscured by ethnocentrism and national-political agendas. These agendas are counter-productive and alien to God’s kingdom—which is an alternative society that does not judge people by race, nationality, gender or social status. The kingdom of God served as the primary subject of Jesus’ teaching and its message is still relevant for the church in today’s context. Two characteristics of the kingdom of God drive me to further pursue study and ministry toward the shaping of God’s people. The first is the kingdom’s creation of a people who transcend ethnicity and the second is the kingdom’s ethics.

Hopefully I will get around to blogging on how my thesis connects to these motifs. More later!

This entry was posted on Tue, 03/31/2009 - 20:25

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