Movements of God
This page looks at movements of God and how this New View might relate to them. In many instances, a movement was inspired via one or a few courageous people, who could see beyond what was ordinarily believed to something more. Each movement seems to have been something of an answer to, a reaction to, a suffocating spiritual situation. As such, each was to some extent defined by what was wrong with the previous situation, as a rectification of it. Unfortunately, some of those touched by each movement came to assume it was some kind of absolute final truth, and all other movements were worthless or worse. This led to the sin of spiritual pride, which eventually led to the movement's own nullification.
I find that New View incorporates something of the message of each of the following movements
- Mosaic Judaism: Beauty of God's law, as health for the cosmos, and as touching every sphere of life.
- Prophetic Judaism: Importance of justice, for the whole world not just the people of God.
- Francis of Assissi: Dignity of rest of creation, hence care for it; humility of attitude.
- Celtic Christianity: Holiness of everyday life; missionary spirit; victory of Christ.
- Lutheran reformation: Priority of Scripture over tradition; salvation by faith.
- Calvinian Dutch reformation: Lordship of Christ over every sphere of life; the importance of thinking and understanding; the sovereignty of God; the grace of God.
- Scottish reformation: Integration of theory and practice; all people have dignity and should be educated.
- Anabaptism: Need for personal response to Christ, and personal relationship with God.
- Anglicanism: not sure yet, but there is something
- Wesleyan movement: Importance of the ordinary individual, the need for repentance, the hope of salvation, and courage to stand for Christ even when jeered at; importance of group activity.
- Evangelical Awakening 19th C: Importance of personal faith, and salvation and knowledge of Scriptures, and a strong notion of the people of God distinct from others.
- Holiness movement: Importance of deep honesty and integrity, holiness in the inward parts of attitude not just in the outward
- Sanctification movement: The Holy Spirit changes our wills so that we are freely aligned with God, and truly want what God wants
- Missionary movement: Crossing all cultures; Differentiating the core of God's message from culture-specific concrete versions of it; the imperative for evangelism.
- Dutch reformational movement of 20th C: Engagement with the world's thinking; importance of deep presuppositions in determining the direction society takes.
- Pentecostal movement: Power of the the Holy Spirit in individual lives; spiritual gifts that exceed reason.
- Liberation theology: Importance of societal structures; structural good and evil.
- East African Revival: Equality of all; importance of honesty; grace of God to cover all sin.
- Charismatic movement: Enjoying God as present experience; knowing the love of God first hand, and responding with love for God.
- Openness of God Theology: Working with God in dignity, with joyful responsibility for how temporal reality works out.
Problem is: if New View manages to encompass all these successfully, it is in danger of seeing itself as some superior truth. May New View not fall prey to spiritual pride!
** page just started: I intend to explain each of the above in turn **
Some Historical Points
- Where or when people find themselves in lives that are "nasty, brutish and short" it is likely that the main concern of a large number will be on themselves rather than on 'the other'. So offers of personal salvation, personal relationship with God, personal meaningfulness, and even personal holiness, are likely to be attractive to them and most immediately meaningful (depending on their exact situations and what they see as the root problem). But this does not negate either humanity's call to shepherd the rest of creation, or the innate sense in many people in these situations that there are 'others' for whom they can still care. Witness, for example, the generosity of the poor rather than the rich in times of plague [somewhere I have told this story and when I find it will make a link].
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.
Copyright (c) Andrew Basden 2009. But you may use this material subject to certain conditions.
Written on the Amiga with Protext. Number of visitors to these pages: 
.
Created: 8 March 2009.
Last updated: 1 May 2009 some bits added. 19 October 2009 history started.