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Come Christians Join in Praxis? Alleluia? Amen?
September 2008
Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19
For the last year or so at Swarthmore United Methodist Church we've been defining our congregation as a "Faith in Action" community. Our emphasis is placed on gaining first-hand experience of life lived in faith. Cerebral pursuit can only carry us so far in this emphasis. At some point faith can only be explored through experience due to the inability of our finite minds to comprehend or express the infinite (after all, we only have use of a weak tool - language - and language often fails us). Aristotle had a word for this - praxis: the process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted or practiced. Our goal has been to appeal to each person's passion for ministry and to support each person's work in faith.
To put it another way, "The proof of the pudding is in the tasting." I had not thought of this quote (possibly Cervantes') as theology; still, praxis theology it is. In an interview for YES! Magazine, Matthew Fox offered:
Wisdom is always taste -- in both Latin and Hebrew, the word for wisdom comes from the word for taste -- so it's something to taste, not something to theorize about. "Taste and see that God is good," the psalm says; and that's wisdom: tasting life. No one can do it for us. The mystical tradition is very much a Sophia tradition. It is about tasting and trusting experience, before institution or dogma.
The advantages of praxis seem to be more fulfilment in actually doing the work of ministry, clarity of purpose in what we are to accomplish, and a sense of God's call to each of us and to our church as we serve Christ in this place and time. The disadvantage can be that we don't know what each of us is doing, and further, we may feel a certain isolation if we can't immediately see others also at work. I came across this story some years ago, and thought it might have something to say to us as we move forward to what we believe will be more effective and more fulfilling ministry.
A man was lost in the country. As he tried to read a map, he accidentally drove off the road. Though he wasn't injured, his car was stuck. So he walked to a nearby farm for assistance.
"Thunderer can get you out of that ditch," said the farmer, pointing to an old mule standing in a field. The man looked at the haggard mule and looked at the farmer who just stood there repeating, "Yep, old Thunderer can do the job." The man figured he had nothing to lose. The two men and Thunderer made their way back to the ditch.
The farmer hitched the mule to the car. With a snap of the reins he shouted, 'Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull, Thunderer!" And the mule pulled the car from the ditch with very little effort.
The man was amazed and thanked the farmer, patted the mule and asked, "Why did you call out all those other names before you called Thunderer?"
The farmer grinned and said, "Old Thunderer is just about blind. As long as he believes he's part of a team, he doesn't mind pulling."
Being part of team can provide some of the most rewarding experiences in life. When we are on a team, each of us has a position to play and a job to do. As we come together this September, we'll be hearing about ministries that need workers and ministries that need facilitators. We will have the opportunity to create ministries to do things that God may be calling us to do, but about which we have never before dreamed. The Prophet Isaiah hears God saying, "Behold, I am doing a new thing!" The Psalmist invites us to, "Sing unto the Lord a new song!" It will be different, and it can be most exciting, as God works through us doing ministries which need to be done in ways we have never done them before. "Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words." This quote is often attributed to Francis of Assisi and is certainly concordant with his theology. It is a praxis statement. It is also consistent with Faith in Action.
May God be with us and bless us together.
Russell J. Atkinson
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