Your Calling as a Christian -- Review
Timothy L. Carson. Your Calling as a Christian. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2007. 88 pages.
What does it mean to be a Christian? There are many answers to that question, many of which are narrow in scope. Timothy Carson, pastor of University Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Fort Worth, offers in brief scope an outline of Christian faith from a progressive Protestant perspective. This is a sort of Mere Christianity for the 21st Century, and it should prove valuable to many seekers as well as long term Christians seeking a primer of their faith.
While this is written by a Disciples of Christ pastor and represents a Disciples of Christ perspective, its use will extend well beyond these denominational boundaries. Carson has sought to address the questioner/seeker that is interested in the Christian faith but is uncomfortable with the typical presentation that focuses on a narrow but expansive creed and a moralism focused on sexuality. In an opening chapter entitled “Why Should I Care?” Carson engages in a conversation with a person who claims not to be a religious person. Here is a person who wants to believe, is disillusioned by science and modern human behavior, is interested in the spiritual dimension, but doesn’t believe in the “supernatural stuff.” As for the seeker’s ideas of God – it’s the deity of the TV evangelist and the football players, the Old Man in the Sky, Divine Puppeteer, and tribal God who uses hocus-pocus to make sure one side wins over the other. Carson responds, correctly, that he doesn’t believe in this God either. From there he takes the seeker on a tour of a different way of seeing God.
From this invitation to take a journey toward faith in God, Carson addresses the question of how we can know – and here he explores in brief the role of science, and offers us a look at a variety of ways of discerning knowledge of God – from Aquinas’ Unmoved Mover to Calvin’s distrust of reason, from Wesley’s Quadrilateral to Campbell’s marriage of scripture and reason. As Carson lays it out, none of these approaches fully answers the questions, but all have something to offer – though he does naturally have a proclivity toward Campbell.
From there he takes us a journey toward a winsome, gracious, and yes reasonable faith. He recognizes the challenges to faith and recognizes that others have suggested other paths to faith, but in this book he lays out the “unique” path that is Christianity. Christian faith has its own integrity that must be lived to be understood. He challenges the “spiritual but not religious” crowd who believe it’s possible to pick and choose from different religious traditions and come up with a hybrid that works. Without saying that other traditions are wrong or evil, he does say that each religious tradition is a unique path that has its own endpoint. We can learn from each other, but merging paths is likely unworkable.
Taking then this unique path that is Christianity, and Carson invites us to dive in and experience the journey not as a tourist, but as a pilgrim. And at the center of this journey is Jesus, the foundation of the Christian faith. He insists that the starting point is not the church, as important as the church is, but Jesus, for as Christians we proclaim not the church, but Jesus. To understand Jesus, you must understand the message of the kingdom, a message that Carson focuses in on. He defines the basic titles in ways that are understandable and to the point. He doesn’t try to push definitions beyond their original understandings, and so we have a Jesus who will challenge us as well as comfort us. To know Christianity, is, to follow it, by following Jesus.
With Jesus as the foundation, we are led further into the faith. In a chapter entitled “Taking the Plunge,” the author shows how we can make our confession and join in the body of Christ. Being the he’s Disciple, it’s not surprising that baptism has its place in this journey. We’re called to join Jesus at the river and share in the watery grave. From there we grow in faith and service. While the church isn’t the starting point, we dare not take this journey alone. We are free, but we’re not autonomous – “I am not captive to myself, but free to love God and neighbor” (p. 52). As free members of the body of Christ we gather together, work together, and worship together. And again, showing his Disciples’ roots, the Table of the Lord stands at the center of worship.
To live this faith, we must be nourished, and so Carson speaks of the central practices of faith – Sabbath (not in a narrow way, but an intentional way nonetheless), prayer, use of spiritual gifts, study (a life long commitment to learning the faith). As we make use of these practices, we discover our purpose in life -- to share our faith, to share compassion, and to speak prophetically to our times.
Finally, there is the Christian hope – the eschaton – the future that lies before us. It is here that he speaks finally of salvation, not in an escapist fashion, but in a hopeful one. Salvation is understood broadly – to include freedom from ignorance, healing of brokenness, liberation from sin’s hold on us, and the threat of death. Without going into great depth, he does affirm the promise of the resurrection – however it occurs, he affirm the hope that in death we pass into the presence of God. He challenges the pessimism of the Left Behind Theology, but affirms the certain victory that is in Christ.
Each chapter is accompanied by a selection of texts that invite us into further reflection. This is a book that we can hand to the seeker, the new Christian, or the one who is transitioning from a more conservative to a more progressive faith. This is a gentle guidebook. It’s not the end point, but it is the best small guide I’ve seen. Read it, reflect upon it, and share it with others who wish to take the journey of faith. Faith, as we see has its particularities, and to take the journey faithfully, we must inhabit those particularities. Christianity is, as some have said, a path that is narrow at points, it is a path that in many ways few have chosen to faithfully follow, but here in Your Calling as a Christian is an invitation to take the journey together with other faithful pilgrims.
While this is written by a Disciples of Christ pastor and represents a Disciples of Christ perspective, its use will extend well beyond these denominational boundaries. Carson has sought to address the questioner/seeker that is interested in the Christian faith but is uncomfortable with the typical presentation that focuses on a narrow but expansive creed and a moralism focused on sexuality. In an opening chapter entitled “Why Should I Care?” Carson engages in a conversation with a person who claims not to be a religious person. Here is a person who wants to believe, is disillusioned by science and modern human behavior, is interested in the spiritual dimension, but doesn’t believe in the “supernatural stuff.” As for the seeker’s ideas of God – it’s the deity of the TV evangelist and the football players, the Old Man in the Sky, Divine Puppeteer, and tribal God who uses hocus-pocus to make sure one side wins over the other. Carson responds, correctly, that he doesn’t believe in this God either. From there he takes the seeker on a tour of a different way of seeing God.
From this invitation to take a journey toward faith in God, Carson addresses the question of how we can know – and here he explores in brief the role of science, and offers us a look at a variety of ways of discerning knowledge of God – from Aquinas’ Unmoved Mover to Calvin’s distrust of reason, from Wesley’s Quadrilateral to Campbell’s marriage of scripture and reason. As Carson lays it out, none of these approaches fully answers the questions, but all have something to offer – though he does naturally have a proclivity toward Campbell.
From there he takes us a journey toward a winsome, gracious, and yes reasonable faith. He recognizes the challenges to faith and recognizes that others have suggested other paths to faith, but in this book he lays out the “unique” path that is Christianity. Christian faith has its own integrity that must be lived to be understood. He challenges the “spiritual but not religious” crowd who believe it’s possible to pick and choose from different religious traditions and come up with a hybrid that works. Without saying that other traditions are wrong or evil, he does say that each religious tradition is a unique path that has its own endpoint. We can learn from each other, but merging paths is likely unworkable.
Taking then this unique path that is Christianity, and Carson invites us to dive in and experience the journey not as a tourist, but as a pilgrim. And at the center of this journey is Jesus, the foundation of the Christian faith. He insists that the starting point is not the church, as important as the church is, but Jesus, for as Christians we proclaim not the church, but Jesus. To understand Jesus, you must understand the message of the kingdom, a message that Carson focuses in on. He defines the basic titles in ways that are understandable and to the point. He doesn’t try to push definitions beyond their original understandings, and so we have a Jesus who will challenge us as well as comfort us. To know Christianity, is, to follow it, by following Jesus.
With Jesus as the foundation, we are led further into the faith. In a chapter entitled “Taking the Plunge,” the author shows how we can make our confession and join in the body of Christ. Being the he’s Disciple, it’s not surprising that baptism has its place in this journey. We’re called to join Jesus at the river and share in the watery grave. From there we grow in faith and service. While the church isn’t the starting point, we dare not take this journey alone. We are free, but we’re not autonomous – “I am not captive to myself, but free to love God and neighbor” (p. 52). As free members of the body of Christ we gather together, work together, and worship together. And again, showing his Disciples’ roots, the Table of the Lord stands at the center of worship.
To live this faith, we must be nourished, and so Carson speaks of the central practices of faith – Sabbath (not in a narrow way, but an intentional way nonetheless), prayer, use of spiritual gifts, study (a life long commitment to learning the faith). As we make use of these practices, we discover our purpose in life -- to share our faith, to share compassion, and to speak prophetically to our times.
Finally, there is the Christian hope – the eschaton – the future that lies before us. It is here that he speaks finally of salvation, not in an escapist fashion, but in a hopeful one. Salvation is understood broadly – to include freedom from ignorance, healing of brokenness, liberation from sin’s hold on us, and the threat of death. Without going into great depth, he does affirm the promise of the resurrection – however it occurs, he affirm the hope that in death we pass into the presence of God. He challenges the pessimism of the Left Behind Theology, but affirms the certain victory that is in Christ.
Each chapter is accompanied by a selection of texts that invite us into further reflection. This is a book that we can hand to the seeker, the new Christian, or the one who is transitioning from a more conservative to a more progressive faith. This is a gentle guidebook. It’s not the end point, but it is the best small guide I’ve seen. Read it, reflect upon it, and share it with others who wish to take the journey of faith. Faith, as we see has its particularities, and to take the journey faithfully, we must inhabit those particularities. Christianity is, as some have said, a path that is narrow at points, it is a path that in many ways few have chosen to faithfully follow, but here in Your Calling as a Christian is an invitation to take the journey together with other faithful pilgrims.
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