Module 3A Summary: Why James?

Well I've completed Module 3A and upon reflection have grasped some "Big Picture" lessons to takeaway from this study of the early church, the Roman world, and the spread of Christianity and development of other world religions. Just some key bullet point ideas:

• We can't underestimate the importance of Scripture in the native language of the people. Mohammed's passion for a holy book in Arabic fueled the development of the Qu'ran and the rise of Islam. Our world might be vastly different today if Bedouin Arabs had been provided all of Scripture in Arabic, rather than a limited portion horded by a non-orthodox Christian group. Furthermore, as the church spread, consistently the groups that had little or no Scripture in their language eventually became less orthodox or even heretical. Scripture not only serves a missiological purpose in spreading the Gospel, but is a protection for the purity of doctrine.
• Doctrinal development is important - but not supreme. I absolutely love historical theology. I think it's important to understand how the fundamental doctrines that divide orthodox Christianity from heresy came to be accepted by the church. My faith has been strengthened by understanding that no one group "selected" Scriptures; instead, the acceptance by a broad variety of churches caused the "cream" of revealed truth to rise to the top while other disputed works fell to the wayside. All of this is important and useful. But it's not supreme. Many good Christians through the centuries have accepted the canon without question; they embrace the deity of Christ merely because He said "I AM." Their faith is unshaken by rational doubts. And most importantly, they live out their faith.
• The priority of love. Here is the heart of the module for me. You may wonder why I chose to emphasize lessons in James from my inductive study when there were so many other rich truths from the history and writings of the day. The answer is simple: I was gripped by James' message of practical Christianity, what I call practical acts of servant-love. I saw in James a pastor who had one chance to communicate something vital to a scattered, persecuted flock who lacked any Scripture beyond the Old Testament. What he chose to tell them was: Live it out. He emphasized the practical side of Christianity even though they were persecuted. Because I had so much to learn about emphasizing practical acts of servant love, I dove into James like a starving woman. And there I found food for my soul. He didn't mince words, and he didn't make excuses. In James I saw what obedience to the Great Commandments looks like: Loving God and Loving Others is the heart of authentic faith. We can get a lot of things wrong, but we'd better get this one right. To glorify God, prioritize love in practical ways.
• "The church has survived, despite churches." This quote from World on the Web blogger Tony Woodliffe (www.worldontheweb.com) covers church history in a nutshell. Things got pretty bad between the revered "Church Fathers" and the Reformation. But the church - that remnant of true believers - never disappeared. Often the fringe movements were more solid than the "orthodox" center. Frequently the laity were the source of kingdom advance and sound doctrine while the "establishment" in the church structure were corrupted by power. The Crusades remain a blight". Yet over the centuries, many small streams of renewal flowed together into a great river we call the Reformation. But "the church" never disappeared, even if it wasn't well-reflected in "churches".
• God is always at work. Henry Blackaby's #1 principle from Experiencing God is seen no matter where or when you look in the world. Looking at history from a Godward perspective - whether in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, India, wherever - you begin to see themes emerging. You see that our history books often leave out the most interesting parts of the story. For example, during the "Dark Ages", a barely-literate country became a conduit to save much of what we know today as "Western Civilization". Ireland, newly emerged from tribalism and newly confronted with the Gospel, established monasteries that copied ancient texts and later shared them with the world - resulting in Renaissance and Reformation. Truly, darkness is not dark to Him!

I will not be posting lessons here throughout March, as I am taking a brief respite from studies. However, I will resume with Module 3B in April, and will again post thoughts and insights here. Thank you for sharing this journey with me!