1 Living the Word- Theological Guidelines Prepared March 20, 2015, Revised October 2, 2015, May 18, 2016 Introduction The following theological guidelines are designed to help writers of Living the Word materials to understand the theological perspective or standards which are expected of materials assigned by and submitted to Spirit and Truth Publishing. This is not meant to be a statement of faith that a writer must subscribe to in order to write, but a standard that all submissions are expected to follow. Everyone has a theology (understanding of God and the way life works) and everyone has a bias. That s just reality. However, we have a solemn responsibility as we produce faith formation materials for a wide range of Christian traditions to be aware of our theological biases and to conform to the basic theological framework of Spirit and Truth Publishing. Purpose of Materials At Spirit and Truth Publishing, we are producing the Living the Word series to provide high-quality faith formation materials to correlate with the readings of the Narrative Lectionary, giving the opportunity for a whole-congregational faith formation experience in and beyond the hearing of Scripture in a worship service. However, our goal is not merely to provide materials to go along with the Narrative Lectionary. We strive to use this framework to help people of all ages: Know the Bible in both its important stories and overarching narrative, as well as in its structures, themes, and vocabulary. Gain the tools to wrestle with the text and learn how to interpret and apply the text to their own lives lived in community. Learn spiritual practices to connect what they are learning in the Bible to activities that can help them love God and others in their daily lives. Do the work of the kingdom of God, which is spreading the life-changing love of God throughout the world, one person and community at a time. Theological Guidelines Bible and Interpretation What is the Bible? Bible is a library of ancient Jewish texts from different cultures and times. The differences in cultures and history make it difficult for modern readers to understand the biblical texts, even when they are translated into modern English (or any other modern language).
2 Writers with audiences and purposes. We acknowledge that individual human beings wrote down the stories of the Bible (often after an extended period of oral storytelling) and had reasons for doing so that had to do with their contemporary context. Context matters. The literary, historical, and cultural context of a biblical text is important in helping us understand what is going on in a particular passage. Interpretation is unavoidable. We all have a theological lens through which we interpret Scripture (and life), even if we don t realize it. Even the act of translation is an act of interpretation, as is the act of reading. We might be wrong When we read certain words, like salvation or faith we understand them based upon what we have been taught about them. However, our interpretations of these words can be very different than the meanings assumed by the writers and original audiences. and that s okay! Nobody knows everything and there are some parts of Scripture that are difficult to understand. Even the most knowledgeable Bible scholars don t agree on the meaning and significance of many parts of Scripture. Questions are important! Writers should help teachers/leaders be honest when something is confusing or not understood, so that students of all ages can be given permission to ask questions and wrestle with the meaning of Scripture. Our materials should be written to encourage faithful wrestling and questioning. Developing skills. Our goal is to help foster the development of the skills students need to read the Bible independently, as developmentally appropriate. o For children, the goal is to help students learn the biblical stories and become familiar with their Bibles and spiritual practices. o For youth, we add to this the focus on teaching youth how to read and interpret the Bible for themselves, and to start asking difficult faith questions. o For adults, our focus turns more to giving adults the tools to discuss and wrestle with the texts together. Difficult subjects. When difficult subjects appear within the text (e.g. child sacrifice, adultery, etc.) we approach them in a way that is sensitive to the questions that students will have about these topics, as well as their developmental level. Some parts of Scripture are unpleasant. A person can be a disciple of Christ who faithful wrestles with Scripture and yet find themselves not liking or even actively disagreeing with some things they read in the Bible. Instead of ignoring or minimizing this fact, we strive to use these as opportunities to encourage age appropriate open-ended discussion rather than simply giving answers or providing a predetermined interpretation. We present the Bible as is. We tell our stories within the narrative framework of the Bible without comment on the factuality of that framework. We present the story as the story presents itself. Not inerrant or literal... We do not present the Bible as inerrant or use a literal interpretation, and we do not focus on the historicity (or lack thereof) of biblical stories or events. but, inspired and God-breathed. We acknowledge that the Bible is unique and inspired by God. The Bible is somehow both a set of human-written books and the means by which God reveals God s love and mission for the world. How the inspiration of Scripture works is a mystery and subject to multiple interpretations best left to individual congregations and denominations.
3 Theological Neutrality We strive for theological neutrality. By this we mean that we try to avoid, if possible, the main theological arguments that cause division within the main body of Christianity. We strive to focus on what unites us as Christians, not on what divides us. Therefore, we describe with joy the wonders of God s creation without mention of creationism or evolution. We focus on sharing God s love with others, but not on saving anyone. We teach that nothing, not even death can stop God s love for us, but not about how people avoid hell and get to heaven when they die. Theological traditions. We also do not presuppose or assert a specific theological tradition in interpreting Scripture (i.e. Lutheran, Reformed, etc.), but allow for people of many Christian theological traditions to profitably use our materials. It isn t possible to do this work free of interpretation. However, we want to allow as many people from different Christian theological perspectives/traditions to be able to use these materials profitably. Theological vocabulary. Whenever possible, avoid use of theological vocabulary that will be loaded with meaning; instead, seek to provide accessible, neutral vocabulary for individuals to experience the Bible with fresh eyes. Examples of theologically loaded vocabulary are: salvation, justification, atonement, sanctification, heaven, hell, the lost, etc. Salvation. Much has been said over the millennia of Christian history as to the purpose of God s work in the world through Jesus. Salvation has become a common word to describe this, but as it is a term and concept heavy with theological background, we seek to avoid using it. Instead, as described in the section below, we seek to describe God s work as renewing the world (and all of the people here), bringing forth the kingdom of God now and fully in the future. Primacy of Love Our primary focus is love. The primary interpretive questions that should be asked of each passage are: o How does this story communicate God s incomprehensible love for us and all of creation? o How does this story communicate our call to love God and all others (with particular focus on the oppressed and those at the margins of society) completely? The story of God s love. We view the Scriptures as the story of God s love for the whole world unfolding through history, and acknowledge that this story is always understood incompletely. The kingdom of God. The central aim of God s story is to renew the whole world, torn by selfish violence, to become perfectly the kingdom of God, in which God s way of love, justice, joy, and peace is supreme. This renewal can be traced throughout the Bible, but God s ultimate action is in the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. This New Creation begins in communities and individuals now, is spread through the loving service of the Body of Christ, and will come to complete fruition in the World to Come. Gender Equality
4 Gender and God. God is beyond our understanding. Likewise, God is beyond the limitations of gender. Therefore, despite the traditional assignment of masculinity to God (using the masculine pronoun he to refer to God), God should be referred to without reference to personal pronouns (he, she, or it). However, there are many rich biblical images that help us understand God s relationship and interactions with us, both masculine and feminine, and these should be used when appropriate for the lessons. We strive for gender equality. We strive to present the male and female characters of the Bible fairly and equally. Due to the overwhelming majority of male characters in Scripture, this means that whenever female characters (especially positive portrayals of women of faith in leadership) appear, these are lifted up in our work. Spiritual Practices Spiritual practices are an essential part of Living the Word. These are the things we do to experience God s love for us, show our love for God, and intentionally love others. All of our life is a gift from God, so everything we do is an act of stewardship. Good, faithful stewardship is using our time, talents, and treasure to love God and love our neighbors. Therefore, spiritual practices are good stewardship! 1. Prayer- Prayer can be liturgical or free form, petitionary or contemplative. The point of prayer is to communicate with God, soak in God s love, and care for others. Prayer activities can include (but are not limited to): prayers involving sign language or whole body movements; prayers that have actions or objects that remind us to pray for others; contemplative prayers in which students sit silently, repeat a Bible verse or short prayer, or engage in a creative activity while listening for God; group prayers that encourage spontaneous statements or requests from students; creation of a prayer help or reminder; teaching a pre-written prayer with explanation to its meaning; and other creative prayer ideas! Prayer is also involved in worship, fellowship, and service toward others, however please keep specifically prayer activities for when prayer is the specified practice of the week. 2. Worship- Simply put, worship is any way we show God our love. Worship can involve learning, singing, praising, thanking, giving, praying, confessing, forgiving, and so much more! Worship can be happy or sad, energetic or quiet. Worship activities can include (but are not limited to): worshipping God through art or creative expression; learning and singing a song; providing or having students create a liturgy or litany for praise, confession, thanksgiving, etc.; creating a worship reminder or help; creating a praise music video; and any other creative worship ideas! 3. Fellowship- Lives are changed and the Body of Christ is built up through loving and caring relationships. Acts of fellowship are any actions that builds these relationships! Fellowship activities should build relationships within the class, within the family, within the church community, and within the local or global community. Fellowship activities may include (but are not limited to): trust activities within the classroom/group; sharing and listening to personal stories; activities that affirm each member of a community; mutual confession and declarations of forgiveness; activities in which individual members must work as a group, activities that prepare students and encourage relationship development within the church community (e.g. connecting high school youth or retired congregants with children), sending letters, email, or videos to college students, overseas military personnel, missionaries, or sister congregations in different regions; or any other way to encourage relationship and community-building!
5 4. Service- Our Lord Jesus came not to be served, but to serve and he calls us to do the same. Service is love in action and blesses both the one served and the server. Service activities may include (but are not limited to): organizing a large service project (e.g. a food drive); creating art or craft projects to give to others; helping students practice acting out service through roleplaying; an activity that challenges students to do a certain number of loving actions toward others in a week in a certain setting (e.g. home, school, etc.); do a service for others in the congregation or classroom; advocating for justice; and any other creative service ideas!
6 Christian Living the Word- Theological Guidelines Addendum Guidelines for Activities Related to Religious Rituals May 18, 2016 Many Christian rituals are appropriate for most educational/faith formation settings, such as blessing/anointing with a cross on the forehead, various forms of prayer, etc. However, please be sensitive in tone and explicit in note for leaders to be aware of their own tradition in relation to this, in case there is a problem. For example, some traditions might not be comfortable teaching their children to pray using prayer beads, or using Christian meditation techniques. This does not mean we should not include these, but there should be consideration for those to whom this is outside of their comfort zone. As for sacraments, there is a variety of understandings and definitions for sacraments in the wider Christian tradition, though most (if not all) will acknowledge Holy Communion (Eucharist) and Baptism as sacraments. While it is appropriate and encouraged to teach students about these, whether or not they have participated or are allowed to participate in these by their congregation or tradition, care and respect for our differences are paramount. It should be recommended that a pastor or appropriate minister of the church be consulted for advice and/or asked to help lead the activity. Any activity related to a sacrament should not in any way be presented such that a lay person could mistake the teaching about the sacrament for performing the sacrament. For example, an activity about baptism can have each student put their finger(s) in water, and even make a cross on their own forehead to think about baptism, but the leader should not put water on the head of any student. Other Faith Traditions Much valuable insight and practices can be gained by studying the practices of other faith traditions. However, there is a wide diversity of opinion and theology on how this should or should not be done by Christians, especially in a church setting. If you have any specific questions, please contact your editor as early as possible in the process. Jewish beliefs and practices are of special interest and concern for Christians. Primarily, this is because we share a portion of our Scripture and traditions, as well as the fact that in the beginning, the Christian church was a first century Jewish movement. Understanding the Jewish interpretations of the Hebrew Scriptures is an important task for Christians, as well as understanding the Jewish contexts for our entire Scriptures (Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and New Testament). However, several critical points must be observed. The horrible and traumatic history of people calling themselves Christians persecuting Jews can never be ignored. We must work to distance ourselves from that behavior that is the antithesis of Jesus message of God s kingdom, but we cannot ignore the fact that we share the same name and traditions at many of those who did these horrible crimes. It is appropriate to explain this history in a developmentally appropriate way, especially to older students. Christianity as a wider tradition is the mainstream religious tradition in the United States, and the rest of the western world. This gives us a position of privilege, visible or invisible to us. We must acknowledge this.
7 The religious traditions represented in the Hebrew Scriptures, as well as the Jewish beliefs and practices of the first century are related to modern Jewish beliefs and practices, but are not the same. Therefore, while it is important to honor our traditions Jewish roots, we are not Jewish. Just as there much variety of beliefs, practices, and traditions of Christians worldwide, there is also much diversity within the modern and historical Jewish communities. Please do not write about the Jewish faith, people of the Jewish faith, or even Judaism, but instead speak about the beliefs, practices, and traditions of (some/many/most) modern Jews or Jewish traditions. Please treat the religious traditions of ancient and modern Jews as you would like non-christians to treat Christian practices, especially the sacraments. Therefore, we may educate our students about the meaning and significance of Jewish practices like Passover, Shavuot, and Purim, but we must be extremely clear to all involved or observing that we are not practicing or performing these rituals. A good article explaining this perspective can be found at: http://religiondispatches.org/why-christians-should-not-host-their-own-passover-seders/ Specific guidelines on rituals and teaching of other faiths: 1. Recommend inviting a suitable representative of that faith to explain the ritual/teaching to the participants. 2. Be very clear not to perform the ritual in an activity. Explaining the ritual and its meaning is good, but stating We re not actually doing the ritual before enacting the ritual is not enough. Stick to teaching, not enacting. 3. If you are explaining a modern Jewish ritual (like the Passover Seder), keep to the traditional Jewish interpretations, not using a Christian interpretation. The Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) is our Holy Scriptures, too, but the Passover Seder (etc.) celebrated now is not the same as was done at the time of the Exodus or in the time of Jesus.