Principled Pragmatism
The Book and the Bench is a blog from CWI (N America) that sets forth principles from the Book and conversations from the Park-Bench in the world of Jewish mission.
Blog #3 Principled Pragmatism
(‘And he is the head of the body, the church… that in everything he might be preeminent.’ Colossians 1:17)
Merriam-Webster informs me ‘A pragmatic person's realm is results and consequences. If that's where your focus is, you may want to apply the word to yourself.’ But what if my desired results and missional consequences are principled? Can I be a principled pragmatist?
As a 20-something young pastor I remember vividly sitting in a conference as the speaker looked his audience in the eye with searing judgment: ‘You wicked pragmatists!’ I knew then that pragmatism was wrong. This experienced preacher told me so in no uncertain terms. The movement of ‘ends justifying the means’ has been around for a long time as a rather loose and unprincipled philosophy. Of course it should not be a philosophy of ministry. Except… what if the ‘end’ is principled?
The Shorter Catechism (Q.1) tells me that my chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Living principled, to that ‘end’, sanctifies, yes, even ‘justifies’ the means. In other words, if we have in view the correct end or in theological-speak, the teleological purpose, then the means to get there will be arrow driven and undistracted. In that case, using Webster above, my focus is the resulting consequence; the goal is rightly directed by principle.
Whether I am abusing the English language in giving credence to a principled pragmatism, my point is simple: all ministry has an ‘end’ focus. I want that end, that result, that consequence. But here is the problem. As I view church life and ministries in the USA, all too often the ‘end’ that is sought, is not according to ‘The Book’.
Horizontal or Vertical?
My denomination (the Presbyterian Church in America) is racked with controversy concerning Side-B Christianity and Same Sex Attraction. Resolutions, Amendments, Overtures abound. The arguments for progressive inclusivity are almost solely horizontal rather than vertical. In other words, the end that is sought is identified as: ‘not losing touch with society’, or ‘making inroads into the college community’, or ‘being a caring church’, or (perish the thought) ‘being legalistic’. I see very little, at least in such argumentation, that focuses on the end being vertical; that which pleases the Lord. Surely the Bride of Christ must always have her eyes on her Husband. Surely Christ must have the preeminence? Sadly all too often her eyes are horizontally focused on the world.
How then does this principle of vertical focus play out in the world of missions? Well, again, the end we seek is the honor of Christ and then also by extension the beauty of the Bride. Thus, when individuals are considering the worth and worthiness of missions and in particular, Jewish missions, we must on principle check what is the ‘end’ we seek? What is it according to ‘The Book’?
An immediate and worthy answer might be that Jewish people will be saved. After all, didn’t the apostle say: ‘My heart’s desire and prayer for them is that they may be saved.’ (Romans 10:1) However, if you examine the fuller text of Romans 9-11 (or I might add Genesis to Revelation!) you will see the end is not horizontal but vertical. Paul stands at the pinnacle of theological Everest at the closing verses of Romans 11 to utter vertical doxology.
Do not misunderstand me, I desire the greatest and most widespread spreading of the gospel and to the Jew first! Hence I wish to mobilize and equip the church to that gospel end. But I am driven and focused on the ultimate and preeminent ‘end’, the cosmic chorus of men and angels singing the praise of the Lamb of God coupled with the beautified Bride of Christ, ‘the fullness of him who fills all in all’. (Ephesians 1:23).
In all things, He is to have the pre-eminence. Our end is vertically driven. Odd as it may seem then, the ‘primary’ end of our ministry is not actually to see many Jewish people come to faith! It is to see the glory of Christ in the salvation and beautification of His Bride, Jew and Gentile, under One Shepherd.
Ours is truly a purpose driven life: the glory of God. In our ministry we use various means justified by that end. But those means are they which have been given and ordered by the One to whom the end is directed. So let me briefly identify three vertical means in particular.
Prayer, Providence, Proclamation
On ‘prayer’, James 5:16 says that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Scots Presbyterian Robert Murray M’Cheyne prayed the opening prayer at the first ever meeting of this missionary society in November 1842 in London. M’Cheyne was known for his godliness. He would speak of his people’s greatest need as his own personal holiness. I might add by extension that for anyone engaged in missionary labor, their greatest need is personal holiness. And if that is coupled with vertical intercession (‘the prayer of a righteous man’) this also is a great means to the ‘vertical’ end! The missionary and minister’s private prayer life is his primary engagement. Conversations with people will be still-born unless there is first much conversation with the Lord.
Then also while prayerfully engaged, the awareness of divine sovereignty in ‘providence’ makes one alert to the opportunities. Peter calls his readers to be ready to give an answer (1Pet. 3:15). Yet in the very same sentence it is within the orbit of Christ’s lordship of life. A vertical walk will have horizontal consequences! He might just answer your prayer with opportunity to witness. How many of you are praying for opportunities to speak to Jewish people here in the USA? How many of you are praying that scales will be taken from their eyes? And perhaps you have not because you ask not?
The third principled ‘means to an end’ I want to highlight is ‘proclamation’. The town-crier is no longer with us; and sadly also, the heraldic preacher is in the decline. By that I mean, both in one-on-one evangelism and in pulpit ministry, there is a dearth of proclamation and heralding all those unfashionable and yet unavoidable truths. But the divinely given means to the end is the proclamation of the gospel: man is a great sinner, Christ is a great Savior, and biblical repentance and faith are the given means of appropriating that Great Exchange.
Horizontally driven ministry will pragmatically decide not to proclaim harsh realities, lest the results be less than favorable. But southern niceness must not be guilty of theological theft in not declaring those ‘not so nice’ truths. Man must be told the truth about himself as a doctor would declare the cancer that would kill. There is a particular danger for those of us who are Gentiles when we speak to Jewish people. We don’t want to appear insensitive. We love our Jewish neighbors. We want to continue to conversation (Blog #2). But the New Covenant herald must provoke, without arrogance, yet with true truth about Jewish unbelief. Dual Covenant theology (which proclaims another way for Jewish people rather than repentance and faith in Jesus) is not only an unloving and eternally dangerous theology it is horizontally driven. It continues to proclaim a works righteousness for Jewish people rather than declaring the unpleasant truths of the Galatian errors! Sadly many evangelicals, preachers and people, also promote an ultra-sensitive, non-confrontational approach to Jewish mission which borders on a patronizing partial gospel, which is no gospel at all.
Proclamation which honors Christ and saves Jewish souls, is that which proclaims harsh and radical realities. God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life sound like the words of the horizontal herald. But the ministry with eyes on the vertical will speak to Jew and Gentile concerning lostness, depravity and condemnation and the glorious transaction on Calvary which brings dead sinners to a new life of holiness in Christ.
If the Jewish prophets of old were commissioned by God as his heralds proclaiming unavoidable harsh realities, then we with New Covenant truth have no less a commissioning and no less a responsibility, to declare the whole counsel of God, ‘…to the Jew first, and also to the Greek’ (Romans 1:16). In so doing, we are principled pragmatists. The ‘end’ - Christ having the pre-eminence - drives the means whereby sinners may hear gracious words of converting power.
In Christian Witness to Israel (N America) such principles will drive our pragmatic desire for divine results and consequences.
The Book must be our Guide.
STEPHEN ATKINSON
