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A New View: Theology & Practice

An Attempt at a Theology that
Looks at Things in a New Way
So We Live in New Ways

This site is written from and to an evangelical Christian perspective, but in such a way that readers with other perspectives should be able to understand, enjoy, benefit from and contribute to what is written.

Brief Introduction to this New View

For years I felt deeply that Christians of an evangelical persuasion (I'm one) should take the lead in environmental responsibility. We should be the ones willing to radically change our lifestyle to generate fewer climate change emissions. Unfortunately, most did not; many actively resisted this call, devising theological reasons why they should ignore environmental responsibility. Was I wrong? Or was it that traditional evangelical theologies had missed something important in the Scriptures that we claim to respect?

I began looking at Scripture in a new way, discovering a way of interpreting it that places environmental responsibility right at the centre, not on the periphery. This new view seemed to make sense in the new era we face as we enter the twentyfirst century, and it seemed to throw new light on almost every passage I had ever read in Scripture.

But then I realised that this 'new view' is wider than this. It gives a new answer to the questions, "Why did God create the universe in the first place? Why are humans different? Why did he come to save us?" This new answer impacts on many other questions, and on all of life. For example, it gives a solid basis for believing why the 'mundane' or 'everyday' issues that engage us all are important in God's eyes. I had often wondered, for example, how to value all those mundane bits in the book of Proverbs.

This site sets out my developing understanding of this 'new view' in both theology and the practice of life with Christ.

Contents of Site

Introductory Stuff on This Page ...

Summary: The Whole of Reality as Five R's
Some Questions About This New View
New Pages Worth Looking At
Why Do We Need a New View?
In What Way 'New'?
Origins of New View
Our Approach: Cautious yet Bold

Some Individual Pages Worth Visiting:

On those who oppose action on climate change - ** New 1 November 2009 **
A sample Bible Study you can use. - ** New 11 October 2009 **
A sample Sermon you can use. - ** New 11 October 2009 **
ON Sin / Evil / Dysfunction - ** New 1 October 2009 **
On power - political, economic, etc. - and societal structures. - ** New 2 September 2009
Read Phil Sampson's little story of the history of the world seen through the 'new view' lens.
New View of the Lord's Prayer
Various dangers in this New View.

Why New?

Questions that motivate New View - with brief stimulatory comments.
Understanding the times
The new situation we find ourselves in.
Why we need a compelling theology
On engaging with the world's thinking without losing authenticity
Possibly a new way of interpreting Scripture
Perplexing questions that trouble traditional views.

Comparison with Other Views:

Why a New View is Needed - The New Situation.
Tabular comparison of some doctrinal points
Tabular comparison with three ground motives
Comparison with Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life.
Books that elaborate some (parts of) of this view.

Relevance of New View:

Relevance to African Christians
Relevance to Chinese Christians
Discussion of Brother Yun's autobiography, The Heavenly Man.
Example: TB in Cattle
Initial draft of discussion of Roots of Unsustainability for the JRI Conference 25 June 2008.

On the Gospel, Evangelism, Revival

New View as Key to Evangelism. Also, the Role of Evangelism and on the place of Conversion. Also So What Can Men Do?
Green Gospel and some practical ideas.
New View as key of revival?

Some Points of Theology:

How to interpret Scripture - ** New 30 August 2009 **
The roles of men and women
What might 'Heaven' be like?
Worship - a brief look at Old Views and New View of worship - why worship might not be as important as we have long assumed.
Nature Put Out Of Joint?

Summary Introduction to A New View
Major Theme	Some Main Questions	Some Main Answers
Reality Rejoicing	What is God's 'cosmic plan'? Why did he create us and the cosmos? Why did he come to save us?	God creates and gives dignity to all his creation. Something that makes sense of the richly varied world we are part of. God values even the 'mundane' aspects of life.
Radah	What is our Role in Creation as human beings?	Our role is much more glorious than we have assumed: shepherds rather than stewards or masters. To 'shepherd' the Rest of Creation, for its own sake, not ours. Much more than "the chief end of Man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever."
Relatedness	What's the nature of the creation? What's important?	Understanding Everyday Life: Responsibility, Justice, Fall, Powerlessness and Eternal Life its relationship with here and now.
Rich Redemption -	How does God overcome the Fall?	God's answer and action is even more glorious than most of us might expect. Romans 8 Revisited - Really Good News! New inner will & power.
Representation	Does God have special people?	The notion of God's special people who represent him is richer than we might think. Joy and responsibility of representing God to 'the rest'.

Some Questions About This New View

Why call it 'new'? (Since many today are exploring similar ideas)

Because it sees Scripture saying something
that does not seem to have been said before
and because this has compelling implications
that do not seem to have been worked out before.
See several reasons below.

Does it seek to replace previous views?

No: it acknowledges them and incorporates them
- the work of God in movements over the past 4,000 years,
from before Abraham to yesterday,
to understand what was important then and why,
and to incorporate them if it can.
For this reason, it is not unconnected to A Brief History of God.
But where that tries to understand all that God revealed through Scripture as a whole,
this New View seeks to address the current situation.

Does it try to be complete?

No, but it does try to be able to address anything that it encounters.
Any new challenge will be given due respect and consideration.
As with any understanding of God, it takes time before the overall shape is discerned, and it will be the same here.
Nevertheless, those of us engaged at the start of it
have the duty and joy to try to make sense of it,
to give it clear shape so that people who have no inkling of it may see it clearly,
to give it a clear logic so that it hangs together coherently
to explain it so that people might rightly criticise it and perhaps refine it,
and above to give clear vision so that people are compelled by it.

Are these ideas of God or simply of my own speculation?

I pray that what is of God will flourish
and bless and stimulate many,
and that what is not will be overlooked and forgotten.
I cast my bread upon the waters so that it may return after many days.

New Pages Worth Looking At

New 1 October 2009 - Some notes on Sin, evil, dysfunction - trying to understand them more clearly.

New 2 September 2009 - On power - political, economic, etc. - and societal structures.

New 30 August 2009 - A different way of interpreting Scripture?

New 31 May 2009 - An attempt to put New View into practice: A Manifesto on Climate Change and Global Economy.

New 20 January 2009:
Evaluation of George W. Bush

Many who disagree with him acknowledge they really liked George Bush as a person. Witness the generosity with which he has welcomed Barack Obama. He is a devout believer in Jesus Christ. But it could be said that his leadership has brought dishonour on the Name of Christ. So what went wrong?
According to this New View, he failed to understand the importance, to God, of the Rest of Creation. It seems that:

Instead of Reality Rejoicing, only born-again humans can truly rejoice.
Instead of Humankind shepherding the rest of creation, humankind could plunder it.
Instead of Relatedness, we are primarily free individuals.
Rich Redemption becomes limited to souls or worship.
Instead of Representing God, we are called merely to obey and enjoy him.

Let's pray for Barack Obama, as he leads us into the "new era of responsibility". Joyful responsibility is one of the central issues in New View.

- but I'm disappointed: Barack Obama has squandered his initial popularity on getting into an american squabble about who should pay for the health of their nation, and is now in no position to do anything about climate change. Perhaps he is no better in his deepest beliefs than Bush was on this issue of this joyful responsibility. But perhaps it's because I didn't pray for him much. From today (30 September 2009) I intend to pray for him.

New 16 November 2008 Understanding the Times

New 23 June 2008: Initial draft of discussion of Roots of Unsustainability for the JRI Conference 25 June 2008.

New 10 August 2008: Is this just a message for the affluent West/North? Not according to the Bishop of Katakwa Diocese, Kenya: it is directly relevant to Africa.

Why Do We Need a New View?

We need a new view because ...

... We need to understand the times we are entering; we are facing things we have never before faced - a new situation - such as possible destruction of the world for which we are responsible, or the rise of Islam and other religions.
... Traditional and new forms of Christianity lack a solid, compelling theology of our responsibility for things like climate change, of the importance of everyday life and work, of the very creation itself.
... We (Christians) need a sound basis for engaging with the thinking going on in the world (e.g. in philosophy or social theory), critically yet with respect; traditional Christianity either ignores, opposes or uncritically accepts the world's ways of thinking.
... There are many portions of Scripture that Christians have for ages overlooked, explained away or ignored, but which are calling out to be relevant today. We need a way of interpreting Scripture that sees how they are all relevant today.
... We need a way to address a number of questions that have perplexed traditional views for centuries.
... We want to be able to acknowledge the work of God in movements, to understand what was important in them and why, to incorporate those insights, and perhaps even to enrich those views or movements. We can expect the way of God for the world to be rich and diverse, and each movement discovers one or more and works it out for humanity.

In What Way 'New'?

I'm not sure the word 'new' is correct. Judge for yourself. It might be new because ...

You can't better on the original story of God, the world and humanity - as recorded in Scripture. But we interpret for our own situation; indeed we must do so. I believe we are entering an historically new situation that demands a new slant in interpretation. So some things in Scripture light up that were not seen before while others, once lit up in a past era, fade - though they retain some relevance.

For example: During the Weslyan revival in the U.K. (1700s) the importance to God of the ordinary individual 'lit up', as well as the effectiveness of 'method' (hence Methodists). During the nineteenth century evangelical awakening the importance of social justice 'lit up', leading to the banning of slavery. With the twentieth century charismatic movement, that God's action and love is for here and now lit up. Each seems to have been God's work to meet a new social or cultural situation.

I believe another lighting up is due, to do with the rest of creation. This re-interpretation may be more radical than some of those were because the situation we face is like none that has existed since Jesus walked on earth. For want of a better name, I call it A New View. It seems to be new in the following ways, especially when taken together:

Our relationship with the rest of creation stands at the centre of God's eternal Plan, not the periphery. (Most current theologies 'bolt it on' as a more or less optional ethic of care.)
It makes caring for the creation a positive hope and vision, not just an ethical responsibility.
It sees all members of the Trinity as necessarily involved in our relationship with the rest of creation. (Most theologies see God the Father as nature's creator, some see Jesus as nature's redeemer, but few have a place for the Holy Spirit.)
It resolves the tension between our 'dominion' over the rest of creation on the one hand and our care for it, our being image of God, and agape love on the other. (In most theologies our 'dominion' is understood in such as way that it sits uneasily with these other aspects.)
It has a richer understanding of the Fall and of human sin, and hence of Redemption. (Many theologies downplay the Fall as nothing more than rebellion, and Redemption as little more than forgiveness; some deny the Fall.)
It incorporates a different way of interpreting Scripture. (Many theologies tend towards either fundamentalism, liberalism or 'holy book'.)
It recognises many movements of God ('streams of living water', Foster?) as part of the whole story over the past 4,000 years, from before Abraham to yesterday. (Most theologies and movements downplay the validity of others.)
It has a place for philosophy, science and everyday life alongside faith and theology. (Many other theologies either ignore one or more of these or rest uneasily alongside them.)
It has an explicit role for those that conventional theology has little role for, especially children and 'non-Christians', while maintaining a clear difference between the Christian and non-Christian. (Most other theology either assumes the only role a non-Christian has is to become Christian, or dissolves the difference between them altogether, and the main role for children is to grow into Christians.)

None of these are unique to New View on their own, but perhaps New View is rare in bringing them together.

Origins of New View

Let me tell you in a bit more detail how this 'New View' site came about. I'm a Christian of evangelical (slightly charismatic) persuasion who has always had a deep love of nature, deep concern for responsibility and a deep awareness that I should not follow my own agenda but God's. But I have questions: I am deeply concerned about environmental matters; should I become active in them in major ways (not just as a sideline)? I find my work (information systems research + teaching) fascinating; should I resist this? Is it important in God's sight as such, or merely as a source of income and arena for evangelism or worship? I enjoy walking, Amiga computer games, music; should I see these as a waste of time?

Traditional evangelical theology did not seem to give me sufficient grounds for doing so - nor even grounds to decide whether to get involved. I also noticed that vast tracts of Scripture (which Christians believe to be God's Word) were regularly overlooked, yet contained much of relevance to me. (See my story and A Brief History of God.)

So I began looking at Scripture afresh to see whether it does really support giving my life to environmental responsibility - Wow! it doesn't just support this but makes it central and mandatory. What this means is that we are disobedient to God if we fail to give our lives to environmental responsibility. This seems to be a new approach, not found in the many books by Christians on environmental responsibility. It also underlined the importance, to God, of the everyday activities of work and leisure. From looking at history, I also wonder whether something like a New View might be a key to Holy-Spirit-led revival.

I have made what I have found public in the hope that it might useful might be useful to others. It's still developing.

Our Approach: Cautious yet Bold

Am I just trying to 'justify' my own agenda from Scripture? I try to avoid that. It may be new, but is it true? Some new things mislead. Some distract. Some may even be heresy.

Someone said: the truth has no name. Whenever we put a name to a system of thought, we acknowledge it is not the whole truth. So this 'New View' is only part of the truth (if it is even that!), but I believe it is that part that is valid and useful for today.

On the other hand, Jesus warned us against burying our 'talent' in the soil for fear of doing something wrong. So the fact that it is new - and many will reject the new thing - should not deter us from trying to develop it. This site reflects a theology that is still in development. In developing this new view, I try to be cautious and yet bold.

This page is offered to God as on-going work in developing a 'New View' in theology that is appropriate to the days that are coming upon us. Comments, queries welcome.

Written on the Amiga with Protext. Number of visitors to these pages: Counter .

Created: 31 December 2003. Last updated: 11 January 2004, 18 January 2004 intro, 8 February 2004 .nav., 5 March 2004 pdl. 14 March 2004 better overview. 28 March 2004 not whole truth. 27 June 2004 rewrote intro; link to books. 18 July 2004 new link Worship. 11 June 2005 'for its sake'; some corrections. 14 June 2005 how diffnt. 15 June 2005 heaven. 3 August 2005 rewrote intro a bit, with headings; key to evangelism, china. 7 August 2005 yun, caution. 14 October 2005 +ve vision. 28 January 2006 New intro para: why site came about. 7 February 2006 lord's prayer link. 6 April 2006 examples.html. 3 December 2006 Phil Sampson's story; rearranged. 6 January 2008 men.women. 15 March 2008 revival link. 8 June 2008 rearranged, so 'why new' leads; link to new page evangelism. 23 June 2008 roots unsust. 24 July 2008 links corrected. 10 August 2008 kenya. 28 September 2008 perplexing questions. 17 October 2008 new Rs, 'new sit' link. 25 October 2008 diversity and movements. 16 November 2008 some rewords, times link. 23 November 2008 engaging. 18 December 2008 'smy' added. 1 January 2009 link to compelling, new .nav, .end., rearranged sections and added role for non-xns, contents list of 'why new' links. 3 January 2009 children role. 6 January 2009 evang persp. 7 January 2009 intro paras. 20 January 2009 GWBush. 25 January 2009 slight changes to GWB. 8 March 2009 new shorter intro, better 'wny new'. 12 March 2009 'Why new' redone as 'why do we need a new view'. 13 April 2009 corrected a bad error by removing 'don't'! 31 May 2009 link to af, and to ccge mfst. 22 June 2009 removed af link. 30 August 2009 rewrite intro and owt else; link to scripture. 2 September 2009 power. 6 September 2009 Intro: 'wider'; also reordered, with contents first. 30 September 2009 Obama disappointment. 1 October 2009 sin. 11 October 2009 biblestudy, sermon. 1 November 2009 anti-cc. 23 December 2009 Proverbs; new format to start.