Pepperdine Digital Commons

Marrs, Rick R.

English

The World of the Eighth-Century Prophets

LeavenVolume 15Issue 4 Jeremiah Article 11-1-2007Table of ContentsFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leavenPart of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought,Theology and Philosophy of Religion CommonsThis Table of Contents is brought to you for free and open access by the Religion at Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion inLeaven by an authorized administrator of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact Kevin.Miller3@pepperdine.edu.Recommended Citation(2007) "Table of Contents," Leaven: Vol. 15: Iss. 4, Article 1.Available at: http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol15/iss4/1CONTENTSVolume 15, Number 4Fourth Quarter 2007Jeremiah171 EDITORS' NOTESD'EsTA LoVE AND STUART LoVE173 READING JEREMIAHTIMOTHY M. WILLIS178 I AM WITH YOU: JEREMIAH 1.4-12JOHN YORK182 HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD: JEREMIAH 7GLENN PEMBERTON187 DIALOGUE WITH JEREMIAH: DEEP IN THE WORLD OF 31DAVID FLEER193 JEREMIAH 7 AND THE STORIES WE TELLJASON BEMBRY197 IT TOOK ME BY SURPRISECHARME ROBARTS202 ALTERNATIVE VISIONS: REFLECTIONS ON JEREMIAHMARK w. HAMILTON208 PROPHETIC CHRISTIAN FORMATION: LESSONS FROM JEREMIAHSAMJUNG KANG-HAMILTON214 HOPE FOR THE FUTURE: READINGS FROM JEREMIAHLEE MAGNESS219 RESOURCE GUIDEPAUL WATSON221 CHRIST, THE CREATION AND YOURON Cox1et al.: Table of ContentsPublished by Pepperdine Digital Commons, 2007

Verdon, Ashley H.

International Travel with a  Digital Briefcase : If Customs Officials Can Search a Laptop, Will the Right Against Self-Incrimination Contravene This Authority?

Fleer, David

All Israel Will Be Saved

LeavenVolume 9Issue 2 The Academy and the Church Article 11-1-2001Table of ContentsFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leavenPart of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought,Theology and Philosophy of Religion CommonsThis Table of Contents is brought to you for free and open access by the Religion at Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion inLeaven by an authorized administrator of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact Kevin.Miller3@pepperdine.edu.Recommended Citation(2001) "Table of Contents," Leaven: Vol. 9: Iss. 2, Article 1.Available at: http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol9/iss2/1CONTENTS Volume 9, Number 2Second Quarter 2001The Academy and the Church58 EDITOR'S NOTESD'EsTA LOVE, STUART LOVE, ELEANOR DANIEL60 ACADEMIC STUDIES AND THE LOVE OF GODJEANNE HEFFERNAN62 THE PRACTICE OF NEW TESTAMENT TEACHING AS PASTORALMEDICINEROBERT F. HULL, JR.67 THE ROLE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT IN TRAINING STUDENTS FORCHRISTIAN MINISTRYRICK R. MARRS75 THE RETURNING RECOGNITION OF RELIGIOUS PLURALISMFREDERICK W. NORRIS80 THE OLD TESTAMENT IN THE CHRISTIAN CHURCHROBERT J. OWENS86 THE GALILEE PRINCIPLE: A LATINO EVANGELICAL PERSPECTIVEDANIEL A. RODRIGUEZ92 TEACHING A THEOLOGY OF MINISTRY BASED ON THE GOSPELSSTUART L. LOVE100 THEOLOGY AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORDRON HIGHFIELD106 BOOK REVIEWS106 How Wide the Divide? A Mormon and an Evangelical in Conversation by CraigL. Blomberg and Stephen E. Robinson • Craig Churchill108 Living Faithfully in a Fragmented World: Lessons for the Church fromMacIntyre s After Virtue by Jonathan R. Wilson· Carl FlynnJ09 No Longer I: Being Transformed into the Image of Christ by Larry E. Hall • PerryL. Stepp111 Celtic Benediction: Morning and Night Prayer by J. Philip Newell • Markus H.McDowell1et al.: Table of ContentsPublished by Pepperdine Digital Commons, 2001

Baron, Adam

The Practice of Theology in Marriage

Magness, Lee

LeavenVolume 12Issue 4 Spirituality Article 111-1-2004"You (All) Are the Temple of God": Spirituality andWorshipLee Magnessjlmagness@milligan.eduFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leavenPart of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought,Theology and Philosophy of Religion CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Religion at Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Leaven byan authorized administrator of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact Kevin.Miller3@pepperdine.edu.Recommended CitationMagness, Lee (2004) ""You (All) Are the Temple of God": Spirituality and Worship," Leaven: Vol. 12: Iss. 4, Article 11.Available at: http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol12/iss4/11"You (all) Are the Temple of God":Spirituality and WorshipLEE MAGNESSEssays are supposed to have one thesis statement. This article has two. They cannot be separated,either literarily or liturgically. Thesis statement 1: The corporate worship of a Christian is the pub-lic, communal expression of that consistent undercurrent of Christian experience we call personalspirituality. Thesis statement 2: The personal spirituality of a Christian is the daily, individual expression ofthat great ground of Christian experience we call corporate worship. If you think I'm trying to have it bothways-have my cake and eat it too-you're right.Corporate worship is the part of personal spirituality that shows most readily and most regularly. It isthe massive mountain of ice, the part of the iceberg that rises and rides above the water. It is the foamy crestof the mighty wave that surges toward the shore. It is the spectacular eruption, bright and booming, of the-volcano above the seemingly impenetrable mantle of the earth. It is the tree that springs to life in leaf andbloom. It is the exuberance that spouts forth in uncontainable laughter.Personal spirituality is what underlies meaningful corporate worship. It is the yet more massive ballastof the iceberg that anchors the icy extrusion in the swirling sea. It is the dark deep from which that curling,crashing wave emerges. It is the vast chamber of molten magma that explodes through the mountain. It isthe root system, as vast as the branches, that supports and sustains the tree. It is the well-spring of joy, theaquifer of hope, that gurgles and giggles to the surface.Early Christians devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to community, to the breaking of thebread and to prayer (Acts 2:42). When they gathered, they gathered to learn about Jesus, his life, his death,his resurrection, and the implications of his life for theirs. When they gathered, they gathered as an expres-sion of koinonia, radically shared life in the bodyof Christ. When they gathered, they gathered toremember and celebrate and reenact and givethanks for the saving death of Jesus. And whenthey gathered, they gathered to offer prayersand intercessions and entreaties to God throughChrist. These activities are what we would haveseen if we had "gone to church" with the saints inJerusalem in A.D. 30.But read the rest of the second chapter ofActs. Undergirding the teaching of the apostleswas a daily ministry to the people of Jerusalem,an awe-inspiring demonstration of God's powerand love acted out in their every encounter withhuman need (2:43). Undergirding the gathering ofthe community on the first day of the week was••••1Magness: "You (All) Are the Temple of God": Spirituality and WorshipPublished by Pepperdine Digital Commons, 2004SPIRITUALITY LEAVEN 239a daily common life of shared property and shared possessions based on a radical reassessment of resourcesin the light of the provision of God, the body life of the church, and the realities of human need (2:44-45).Undergirding the breaking of the bread was a daily breaking of bread from house to house, the sharing ofmeals that signaled mutual acceptance, mutual recognition, and mutual joy (2:46). And undergirding theprayers of the church to God were lives of daily praise to God, often in the temple where they had beentaught to seek a sense of God's presence (2:46-47).This interrelationship between weekly worship and daily life, the interpenetration of liturgy and spiri-tuality, is the rhythm of the Christian life. In Eph 5:15-21, "how we live" is connected to the presence ofGod's Spirit. Life in the Spirit is connected to worship in the Spirit. Worship in the Spirit is manifested inthe sincere singing of the worshiping community. And communal singing of praise to God is connected to adaily expression of thanksgiving to God=-valways giving thanks."Our inner life cannot be separated from our outer life. Our personal devotion cannot be separated fromour life in the community. Sanctity cannot be separated from service, piety from praise. Christian worshipand Christian spirituality are the ebb and flow of the lives we live before God, through Christ, and in theSpirit. According to Paul, our bodies are the temple of God, the setting for the work of God in the daily dis-ciplines of our lives (1 Cor 6: 19). And that same Paul, in that same letter, says that the church is the templeof God, the setting for the work of God in the communal expressions of our lives (1 Cor 3: 16-17). In otherwords, our corporate worship is the pub lie, communal expression of that consistent undercurrent of Christianexperience we call personal spirituality. And our personal spirituality is the daily, individual expression ofthat great ground of Christian experience we call corporate worship.LEE MAGNESSDr. Magness teaches Greek and New Testament at Milligan College, Milligan College, Tennessee. His liturgicalreadings appear regularly in Leaven.2Leaven, Vol. 12 [2004], Iss. 4, Art. 11http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol12/iss4/11

You (All) Are the Temple of God : Spirituality and Worship

Mulholland, M. Robert

Biblical Spirituality as Incarnation of the Word

Hamilton, Mark W.

LeavenVolume 13Issue 2 Isaiah Article 111-1-2005Recent Literature on the Book of IsaiahMark W. Hamiltonmhamilton@acu.eduFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leavenPart of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought,Theology and Philosophy of Religion CommonsThis Resource Guide is brought to you for free and open access by the Religion at Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion inLeaven by an authorized administrator of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact Kevin.Miller3@pepperdine.edu.Recommended CitationHamilton, Mark W. (2005) "Recent Literature on the Book of Isaiah," Leaven: Vol. 13: Iss. 2, Article 11.Available at: http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol13/iss2/11Recent Literature on the Book of IsaiahMARK W. HAMILTONThe book of Isaiah contains material spanning at least three centuries, embracing several genres andeven outlooks on the world. From the grim visions of chapters 24-27 to the exuberant hope of 40-55 to thechastened realism of 56-66, we see in this gemlike book all of scripture writ small. The prophetic words,even as they challenge us as interpreters, continue to provide us with language powerful enough to addressthe weightiest subjects of Christian theology: the nature of community, the importance of ethical living,and-most of all-the complex nature of a God who both attracts and repels us.Fortunately, a large collection of commentaries, histories, and special studies exists to help us under-stand the masterpiece before us. Here I focus on works that are accessible to preachers and teachers in thechurch, but which also seriously and reliably engage biblical scholarship. So magnificent technical workssuch as Hans Wildberger's Isaiah 1-39 (3 vols.; Minneapolis: Fortress, 1991-2002), or the excellent col-lection of essays edited by Ehud Ben Zvi and Michael Floyd, Writings and Speech in Israelite and AncientNear Eastern Prophecy (Atlanta: SBL, 2000), or of 1. van Ruiten and M. Vervenne, Studies in the Book ofIsaiah (FS Willem A. M. Beuken; Leuven: University Press, 1997) do not receive the attention here that theydeserve; nor conversely do the many books of sermons on Isaiah. Readers may, according to their tastes,pursue these works on their own.In evaluating these volumes, one finds several major themes emerging. The most obvious is the extentto which older scholarship's tendency to fragment the text has given way to a renewed search for unity.This is not unity in the old sense of a belief in a single author, a view that has little merit in fact, but unityin the sense that the editors of the book worked in a tradition and that they shaped the document as a wholeinto something readable and relatively coherent. The ancient theological fashioning of the book has becomeincreasingly evident and has triggered new ways of thinking about the prophetic message's meaning fortoday.A second trend is the great interest in language,that is, in Isaiah as poetry. For preachers, thisemphasis seems very helpful, sensitive as we alltry to be to the power that language has in formingcommunities of faith. And a final trend is a renewedattention to the role of Isaiah in the synagogue'sand church's ongoing interpretive life. The olderscholarly notion of a self-contained, pristine textthat we can recover by vaulting over subsequentinterpretations has given way to a more subtleappreciation of the fact that Isaiah belongs to a liv-III·IIII1Hamilton: Recent Literature on the Book of IsaiahPublished by Pepperdine Digital Commons, 2005ISAIAH LEAVEN 95ing stream of readers of which we are all part. Ours is a good time for the church to be engaging this bookafresh.In building a library on the Old Testament, several kinds of works serve a purpose, including commen-taries, works on prophetic ethics, on ethics, and on history, as well as books that draw out the theologicalimplications of the Bible for us today. Let us consider each in turn.COMMENTARIESScores of commentaries on Isaiah exist in English. Here we can consider only a few.The first, and arguably the best, I will consider is that of Brevard Childs, Isaiah, (Old Testament Library;Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 2001). Though well aware of the historical-critical issues surroundingthe development of the book, he seeks to read it as a well-wrought theological whole, attending to the shapeof the book and its place in the larger biblical canon. Although some elements of his reading strategy arecontroversial, on the whole, his work will prepare the educated preacher to engage the biblical text in aninformed way. Childs's sustained attention to the theology of the biblical text marks a serious advance overolder volumes in the same series (especially those of Otto Kaiser) and serves as a model for what can bedone to help contemporary readers appropriate the religious teachings of the ancient text.Much the same is true of the contributions of Gene Tucker and Christopher Seitz in the NewInterpreter's Bible (vol. 6, pp. 27-552; Nashville: Abingdon, 2001). Tucker and Seitz write on Isaiah 1-39and 40-66 respectively. Each commentary includes an introduction to the chapters covered. For each majorsection there is an overview, and material for each unit includes the biblical text from both NIV and NRSV,detailed scholarly commentary, and theological and homiletical reflections. While the retention of theDuhmian division of the book after chapter 39 can perpetuate the sense of its disunity, the authors do a goodjob of indicating links across the divide. They model well the move from historical-critical exegesis to theol-ogy, so that preachers could hardly do better than this volume.John Goldingay's Isaiah (New International Biblical Commentary; Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 2001)examines for the benefit of the preacher or general reader the main issues of each paragraph of the text. Itsalmost 400 pages do not enter too much into technical problems, but the theological introduction to the bookas a whole (pp. 1-22) helpfully emphasizes the entire work's theme of Yahweh as the Holy One ofIsrael andthe subordinate themes relating to that. Goldingay works this out in the commentary proper. Moreover, hisconstant focus on theology and his accessible writing style make this a work one can almost read straightthrough.Peter Miscall, in Isaiah, (Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1993) offers what he calls a non-historical reading ofIsaiah as a whole that interprets the book as a post-exilic vision of time past and present. Avoiding ques-tions of literary development and historicity, Miscall nevertheless (rightly) sees a break between chapters39 and 40. His brief treatments of each chapter offer insight into the rhetorical dimensions of the text andtechniques such a word play, but the volume probably works best as a complement to more historical-criticalworks.John D. W. Watts wrote a two-volume commentary in the Word Biblical Commentary (Isaiah [2 vols.;Waco, Tex.: 1987]). Like all the volumes in this distinguished series, Watts's includes extensive bibliogra-phies, textual notes, and comments on the details of the text, as well as theological sections that will provevaluable to readers of this journal.Other more technical works include the three Anchor Bible volumes of Joseph Blenkinsopp (Isaiah[New York: Doubleday, 2000-2003]) and the even more massive four volumes (so far) of the HistoricalCommentary on the Old Testament by Beuken and Koole (Leuven: Peeters, 1997-). Marvin Sweeney's vol-ume on Isaiah J -39 in the Forms of the Old Testament Literature series (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996)describes the genre of each paragraph of the first part of the book of Isaiah, examining also important liter-ary devices and other stylistic elements. Sweeney's theological reflections are also first-rate.2Leaven, Vol. 13 [2005], Iss. 2, Art. 11http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol13/iss2/1196 LEAVEN Second Quarter 2005In the Restoration Movement, scholars have contributed at least two valuable commentaries on all ofIsaiah. John T. Willis's Isaiah (Austin, Tex.: Sweet, 1980) broke important new ground for our fellowshipbecause he brought serious scholarship where there had previously been little. He also sought to understandthe book as a whole, a move that was somewhat ahead of its time for scholarship at large. He has updatedthis work in a shorter commentary to appear in the forthcoming Restoration Bible Commentary. Meanwhile,Terry Briley (Isaiah [2 vols.; Joplin, Mo.: College Press, 2000, 2004]) continues this tradition with a com-mentary on the NIV text. Both of these works downplay historical issues, though Willis has since movedinto more mainstream scholarship. Each work will be useful to preachers and teachers.STUDIES OF PROPHETIC ETHICSIn addition to commentaries, a good library should include works on the ethics of the prophets, for pos-sibly the greatest contribution of the prophets in general and Isaiah in particular is their firm linkage betweenthe character of God and the moral lives of human beings. The book of Isaiah offers a multilayered reflec-tion on the ethical commitments of the people of God. Thomas Leclerc. in his work Yahweh is Exalted inJustice: Solidarity and Conflict in Isaiah (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2001), traces the evolution of the notionof mishpat ("justice, equity") and tsedaqah ("righteousness, fairness, loyalty") in the book and draws fromthis study theological conclusions about the nature of Yahweh and thus the nature of the covenant people.Though technical in places, this work deserves the attention of church leaders, especially as our congrega-tions increasingly struggle to avoid becoming middle-class ghettoes.On a broader scale, numerous excellent surveys and detailed studies of the ethics of the prophets andother biblical writers exist. Two deserve especial mention just now. Enrique Nardoni's Rise Up, 0 Judge: AStudy of Justice in the Biblical World (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 2004) explores the Bible's search forjustice, but his sections on Isaiah provide especially pungent insight into the prophetic call to a just society.The entire book should be required reading for ministers and other Christian leaders. David Pieins has writ-ten The Social Visions of the Hebrew Bible: A Theological Introduction (Louisville: Westminster John Knox,2001), which surveys the ethical teaching of the entire Old Testament. The sections on the prophets (pp. 213-416) work out the books' visions of the just society and show how the multiple voices of Israel contribute tothe rich whole. He draws on sociology (especially Max Weber) and writes in a clear and engaging way.ISAIAH AS POETRY AND IMAGINATIONThe rich interplay of imagery and ideas in the book demands attention. Peter Quinn-Miscall (formerlyPeter Miscall) explores, as he puts it, what Isaiah thinks, imagines, speaks and acts, all leading to the "Lord'sHoly Mountain" in Reading Isaiah: Poetry and Vision (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 2001). Suchthemes as evil and good, justice and righteousness, and the remnant lie side by side with nature imagery andpictures of light and darkness in the book of Isaiah.To a greater degree than in his earlier work, Quinn-Miscall captures the richness of the prophetic book.Preachers who seek to use language to persuade and enrich their hearers would do well to learn from thisbook how the Bible itself does this.ISAIAH THROUGH HISTORYIn attending to the language of the book, we are joining a centuries-long parade of Jewish and Christianexegetes. John F.A. Sawyer catalogues some of the countless ways in which preachers, commentators, art-ists, and poets have understood the work. His work, The Fifth Gospel: Isaiah in the History of Christianity(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996) traces the interpretation of Isaiah from the first century tomodem times, looking at numerous aspects of the tradition, not just the scholarly commentaries.Thirty-eight photographs illustrate the text, helping making Sawyer's explanations come alive. Thiswork is important, not only because of Sawyer's immense learning but also because he illustrates how bibli-3Hamilton: Recent Literature on the Book of IsaiahPublished by Pepperdine Digital Commons, 2005ISAIAH LEAVEN 97cal texts enjoy rich lives in the community of faith. This fact needs serious attention from those of us whoare tempted to try to leapfrog over history to the so-called original meanings of the text.THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONSAs the history of interpretation reminds us, many ways of appropriating the Bible exist. Theology thatuses the Bible (as opposed to purely descriptive biblical theology) also engages the contexts of the theolo-gian, and accordingly, looks different under different circumstances. Isaiah, in particular, precisely because itoffers so richly imaginative a view of the world, can elicit a wide range of theological responses.Thus we find Daniel Berrigan, the perennial antiwar protestor, writing Isaiah: Spirit of Courage, Giftof Tears (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996). In this meditation on selected texts from Isaiah, he calls us to chal-lenge the American church's easy accommodation of national power in the name of a God who transcendsall times and places. The ancient prophet would have liked his modem counterpart, I think, even ifhe mightquestion some of Berrigan's interpretations of the biblical texts.CONCLUSIONSThe prophetic book we call Isaiah moves through time from the chaos of the late eighth century to therelative peace of the early fifth. Throughout the vicissitudes of history, it nevertheless offers a singular invi-tation to Israel to seek God and the ways of God in order to find healing.The soaring strains of chapter 40, "Comfort, comfort my people," though sung amid the imperfect worldin which exile is becoming a memory and a warning, leads the reader to a world in which it is possible,as chapter 6 has it, to see a God who wishes to speak to a people even of unclean lips. And, as the book'smovement from warning to destruction to restoration to practical existence reminds us, the God who is pres-ent throughout human history can purify the lips and hearts of a repentant people.May it be so for us as we read this work from God's prophetic people.MARK W. HAMILTONDr. Hamilton teaches Old Testament at Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas.4Leaven, Vol. 13 [2005], Iss. 2, Art. 11http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol13/iss2/11

Recent Literature on the Book of Isaiah

Mpofu, B. J.

LeavenVolume 15Issue 1 The Church's One Foundation Article 121-1-2007What it Means to be the Church in ZimbabweB. J. MpofuFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leavenPart of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought,Theology and Philosophy of Religion CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Religion at Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Leaven byan authorized administrator of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact Kevin.Miller3@pepperdine.edu.Recommended CitationMpofu, B. J. (2007) "What it Means to be the Church in Zimbabwe," Leaven: Vol. 15: Iss. 1, Article 12.Available at: http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol15/iss1/12What It Means To BeThe Church in ZimbabweB.J. MpOFUZimbabwe is a landlocked country in Southern Africa that boasts some of the most beautiful scenery inthe world. The famous Victoria Falls forms the northern boundary with Zambia, with the ZimbabweRuins in the Southeast, and the Eastern Highlands in the northern part of the country. Zimbabwe isrich with mineral resources and fertile lands for growing crops. We are affected by periodic droughts, butthis year God has blessed us with plentiful rain, and we pray now for bountiful harvests.The Churches of Christ in Zimbabwe were first started by missionaries from New Zealand in 1896,and have taken an active part in evangelizing and developing the country in all areas of life. We have overa thousand proto-churches in the country, spanning every city and the rural areas of our land. The churchhas been an active participant in ensuring that we do not just preach the Word but are "doers" of the Word.We are involved in running schools and hospitals in the outlying areas of the country-thanks to overseasmissions from the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Although most missionaries have gone homeand left the work in indigenous hands, the work has continued to flourish due to the missionaries' excellenttraining. Our hospitals are now staffed by doctors who trained in the U.S. These doctors have taken overleadership responsibilities at the missions, yet are still well supported by U.S. churches. Our high schoolsare less dependent on missions, but are run on a cost recovery basis from the fees levied on the parents ofthe students. The momentum has continued with a new desire on the part of the indigenous populace toexpand the work of the missionaries. In my own regional grouping of churches we have opened up morethan eighty new proto-churches in the last three years. Because of the prevailing social environment, wehave seen an upsurge in the growth of the church.The problems facing our country have created fertile ground for the extension of God's work. Thechurch has taken advantage of this thirst for his word and is busy evangelizing our population. The churchesare full! Our main impediment is lack of resources. One of the most exciting things happening is the localchurches' desire to be self-reliant; the concept of supporting the church through tithing has taken grip on thechurches in Zimbabwe. Not just the Churches of Christ, but also the entire missionary church, have taken totithing as a way toward self-reliance. We will continue to need overseas support for decades, but the excit-ing thing is that we can see a day in twenty to thirty years' time when the local church will say, "Thank you,our overseas partners, for we can now stand side by side with you and take on the challenges of the GreatCommission! "The great news about the church in Zimbabwe is that the divisions in the churches in America have nothad an impact on our local people. We are also grateful to missionaries who have come into our country,for they seem to leave their differences in the States and co-exist here very well. Most African people willattend the Christian Church (instrumental) or Church of Christ (non-instrumental) without seeing any dif-ferences-they simply go to the nearest church. (Actually, because of poverty, the African church cannotafford instruments, so even in an instrumental church we are non-instrumental!) And that helps us not to see1Mpofu: What it Means to be the Church in ZimbabwePublished by Pepperdine Digital Commons, 2007THE CHURCH'S ONE FOUNDATION LEAVEN 47the differences, but to enjoy worshipping in a diversified way. The church continues to grow by leaps andbounds! And God continues to be glorified in our otherwise troubled land!In Zimbabwe, the church today carries a host of responsibilities that the church in the past did not worryabout. The political situation in our country is such that the issues of governance, civil rights, and justiceappear to be questionable. The church now fmds itself having to fight on behalf of the ordinary man, for heis helpless to fight for himself. Through the Zimbabwe Council of Churches and Evangelical Fellowship,the church has partnered with other non-governmental organizations to put pressure on the government toaccept the concept of a new Constitution that would guarantee people's rights and other freedoms that arecurrently being violated. The church has continued to put pressure on the government to raise awareness ofinjustices perpetrated by government agencies in the country. The church has become the voice of the voice-less and has taken on the responsibility of speaking the loudest on behalf of the populace.The recent drought and other disturbances on the land have created another dilemma. The church hasbeen raising money overseas for food relief, and has been fighting government bureaucracy and the politi-cization of food to see that everyone receives food, regardless of political affiliation. This is not an easyhurdle to overcome, as the governing party controls the structures in the rural areas, people are threatenedand the red tape is stretched tight. It takes courage on the churches' part to say "No!" to the pressure exertedby the ruling party and its desire to control and divide the populace as a weapon for support.The church has also had to act as custodian of the type of bills that go through Parliament. The churchmakes it a point to shout loudest when an oppressive bill is about to be passed. The church has become theprotector of the population against unjust legislation. A typical example was when the Non-GovernmentalOrganization Bill went through all the stages of Parliament and was awaiting the president's signature. Thechurch wrote to the president and told him that if he signed the Bill into law the church was going to defythe law, for the Bill would stop the church from doing its core business (the Bill was not going to allow thechurch to distribute food, and yet the Bible says the church must feed the hungry!). Happily, the presidentdid not sign the Bill into law. To this day no mention has been made of that Bill!The church has also had to take on the responsibility of dealing with the AIDS pandemic, which hasaffected all facets of our society. The church is in the front line of the fight against this disease. Everychurch today has its AIDS educators, who teach the people about the scourge of AIDS. A number of church-es, including ours, have established AIDS orphanages like Khaylihle Children's Village. In homes like thiswe care for children after both parents have died, or if a remaining parent is too frail to look after the child.A big portion of this work takes place through the home-based care program, in which we care for the needsof orphans that are left either with relatives or in "child families" (families run by children of school age).The orphans need money for rent, food, school fees, books, and water. We thank our overseas partners fortheir support in this area; when it comes to AIDS, Zimbabwe's needs are bottomless.The other ministry the church is seriously addressing is that of overdependence on missions. One of thebiggest failures of early mission work was the failure to teach people to be self-reliant. The church in ourcountry has always relied on support to such an extent that people here enjoyed receiving rather than giv-ing. The church in Zimbabwe has now taken upon itself to ensure that it gives enough for the church to beself-reliant and to respond to the Great Commission in a more meaningful manner. We have discovered thatfor the church to be able to stand on its own, there is no substitute to tithing, and this is one gospel we arespreading like wildfire. We have also discovered, however, that one can only give if one has something togive! The need, therefore, to empower our people has become paramount, particularly in the rural areas.A year ago, assisted by a board of six people, I started the Showers of Blessings Trust. In areas wherewe have churches, our desire is to drill boreholes to provide easy access to clean water for domestic useand for watering livestock and vegetables. Although a step forward, this unfortunately will provide reliefonly on a subsistence level. We are busy conducting a study on how to transform people's lives in the rural2Leaven, Vol. 15 [2007], Iss. 1, Art. 12http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol15/iss1/1248 LEAVEN First Quarter 2007areas by bringing them into the cash economy. We see ourselves moving into areas such as cattle feedingand pig rearing, as well as educating the local populace on ways to transform their wealth into money. Onceempowered and brought into the cash economy, we see the spillover coming to the church through tithesand offerings.As can be seen, the character and personality of the church in Zimbabwe, today has completely changedfrom the old mission days when the main themes were evangelism and building churches. We are excitedthat our Movement is playing a critical role in responding to the Holy Spirit as he directs his message in ourland.B. J. MpOFU IS OUTGOING PRESIDENT OF ASSOCIATE CHURCHES OF CHRJST IN ZIMBABWE.3Mpofu: What it Means to be the Church in ZimbabwePublished by Pepperdine Digital Commons, 2007

Not a member yet

The World of the Eighth-Century Prophets

Table of Contents

International Travel with a Digital Briefcase : If Customs Officials Can Search a Laptop, Will the Right Against Self-Incrimination Contravene This Authority?

All Israel Will Be Saved

Table of Contents

The Practice of Theology in Marriage

You (All) Are the Temple of God : Spirituality and Worship

Biblical Spirituality as Incarnation of the Word

Recent Literature on the Book of Isaiah

What it Means to be the Church in Zimbabwe

7,444

9,217