THE SECRETS OF LEAVEN BY TODD WYNWARD

Seldom do you read a “Christian” novel that captures your imagination and keeps you turning the page. “Secrets of the leaven” does. In his first novel, Todd Wynward spins a story filled with suspense and intrigue. With each turn of the page something new happens. The story progresses and just keeps getting bigger and bigger. He spins a story of conspiracies and ideas that give “The Da Vinci Code” a run for its money.

The story revolves around Thomas Whidman a young seminarian who has lost his faith. His uncle and one time mentor is a famous revivalist and televangelist. He finds out about an ancestor whose very existence is a family secret and meets a mysterious Zen teacher who wishes to introduce him to a long forgotten brand of Christianity and an old secret society that follows Jesus in a way Thomas and much of mainstream Christianity has never experienced. The lives of these people come crashing together in a battle between orthodoxy and revolutionary thinking.

One thing I like about this book is that it explores difficult theological concepts without being too preachy. Tom Wynyard weaves his rather strong views in the story and the conversation seamlessly, without sounding forced, winding and boring to the reader. The central theme of the book, to my mind, is the age old debate amongst preachers and theologians; James versus Paul; faith versus works. While I have personally reconciled whatever contradictions might seem to exist on the surface, many people still believe there is a conflict in the two books. While Todd does not discredit Paul totally, he certainly leans more on the James side of the argument. Faith without works is dead and we who claim to be followers of Jesus need to get our faces out of our selfish little worlds. We need to get out of our comfort zones and reach out to the hurting, the homeless and the lost. We need to start loving these people without an agenda; preaching with our actions rather than with empty words.

But I believe this book falls into a ditch that Frank Viola always points out; boxing Jesus and his kingdom into a certain category; this time it’s to the realm of social justice. While the Kingdom of Heaven includes social justice and social welfare that is not all there is to it. The kingdom of heaven is Jesus himself, a man who is not just a man but God in the flesh. Yes, the modern institution that parades itself to be Christianity leaves much to be desired in the realm of true religion, the same can be said of a religion that focuses on ascetics and just being good. To my mind, they are two sides of the same coin. Now, I’m not saying Todd doesn’t believe in the other aspects of the Gospel. I just think this book leans more on the “doing” aspect. But I guess that’s what happens when we realize one of God’s desires in our hearts. We become so obsessed with that cause that we think that being a follower of Jesus is all about this cause or ministry God has given us. It’s a problem we all have. But Jesus is much bigger than any concept or ideas, he encompasses them and goes beyond them because He is I AM, a being that is the root and sustainer of all being. He is not just a “doing”.  He is not God because he did anything; he does what he does because he is God. That distinction is very important in shaping our Christian worldview.

This difference in opinion aside, “Secrets of the Leaven” is a great book. This book is good if you seek to be challenged in your walk with God or if you just like good stories with well rounded characters and a well thought out, suspense filled plot. However, be warned. This book raises some serious questions and makes some really strong assertions. He rejects some long-held sacred traditions of Christianity. So if you are one of those who is easily offended by anything that rocks your theological boat, this book is not for you. Or maybe it is exactly for you. Maybe you need to start asking questions. Maybe you need your faith-boat rocked to see whether or not that boat can stand stormy seas or it will be shipwrecked. We all need to be shaken sometimes. That way only the things that are real and true about God remain. Or you could read it and regard it as just a wonderful thriller.

I read the book and did not lose my faith. Rather my faith was strengthened and it brought some things to my mind that I hadn't considered before. Now go get the book, I'm off to read the Epistle of Saint James

HAPPY FATHERS DAY

To all the Fathers that have decided to stick with their wives and children. All those who refused to run away. Who put their children’s need above theirs; we say a big thank you and God bless you. No earthly Father is perfect, but we appreciate that you try.

And to all who have a strained relationship with their fathers, rest assured that your Father in heaven loves you and is there for you at all times

Happy father’s day

IT'S MORE THAN WHAT YOU THINK

There is this line of thought in certain theological circles that has pushed us to view Jesus’ dying on the Cross from a fresh perspective. The question is how does Jesus’ death on the cross atone for our sins? How does he wash away our sins and make us new. I would very much like to add that you read this post to the end to get my take on things. If you stop at the middle you'll get the wrong idea.

The most popular view in modern times is the Penal substitution theory; Jesus died on the cross as a substitute for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve upon him. It is the idea that God was angry with us and he HAD to punish and destroy us for our sins. So he sent his son and destroyed him instead. Jesus did no wrong; therefore his death is more than enough to satisfy Gods bloodlust. This might be a big exaggeration of the theory, but it reflects the general idea behind it. Penal substitution is the prevalent theory in modern western Christianity. It is certainly the theory that triggered the reformation. It is so enshrined that many believe that it is the legitimate and oldest view of the atonement. Once anyone says anything to the contrary, he is accused of heresy and unorthodoxy.

But there are several other views on the atonement, much older and much more popular among the early church fathers. These views also find credence in the New Testament and can be more easily gleaned from it. There is the Ransom theory, the Christos Victor theory, The Moral Influence theory and many others.

The flaw in extreme application of the Penal Substitution theory is that it makes God out to be some sort of monster. Most times, its proponents put God’s sense of Justice or Honour over and above his Love. But God is Love, everything he does flows from his love. He is not some sort of morality judge whose only concern is that we live perfect lives. I find it absurd that Love would have some sort of animosity towards us that he would need to appease by brutally murdering his own son. The very idea also presupposes that the Father loves humans more than he loves the Son. Think about it, if he can sacrifice his son to satisfy his own bloodlust, the unity and love that is the essence of the trinity is eroded.

Thankfully, many around the world are beginning to see the gospel for what it really is. There is a revolution of the “Grace Message” all over the world. This has led people to reexamine some of our longheld beliefs and thereby unearthing various older and more orthodox doctrines. The doctrine of the Trinity is returning to the forefront. It is beginning to shape the way we view the Bible and our various concepts; including the atonement. As a result, we are seeing a resurgence of the other theories of the atonement.

But this is also leading to some reactionary thoughts by many people. Some want to reduce the work of Christ to a psychological level. They say that he took our beating in order to identify with us and that He let us kill him to shock us into seeing his love for us. This line of thought presumes that we were the ones with the bloodlust (which we were) and God only came to satisfy it. While I can identify with the premise behind this theory-I certainly think it has some valid points- I think it is unwise to ignore the other aspects of scripture. These show us that sin was a real spiritual problem; it didn't just exist in our minds. It wasn't just an illusion or a lie we came up with in our fallen state. Something caused us to fall. It is called sin, which put us in Satan’s control and death was the end result. These aren't just psychological problems, they are strong spiritual problems too and the scripture bears witness with this. Jesus came to do much more than balance our psychology. He came to reconcile everything back to himself, he came to destroy the power of Satan and his demons, he came to destroy all rule and authority and establish his own kingdom, and yes he also came to take our place and pay the price of our sin-he died our death. And he achieved all these things and many more on the Cross. Let us not accept one aspect of his sacrifice in place of the other. Instead, let us take it all in and put each one in its proper place and balance. We shouldn't make God out to be a monster, neither should we make him out to be a sissy either. He is love but he is also a judge, therefore his judgement is true and fair. But it is not scary; his judgement was to cleanse us from our sins and bring us back to his side, psychologically and otherwise.

Below is a short video by someone who is many times more knowledgeable than I am in these matters. Dr N.T Wright discusses briefly a balanced view of the atonement. I’m sure he speaks more clearly in the few minutes than I could possibly have done in my write up. Enjoy