Essential Community: From the Perspective of Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one of the most interesting theologians of the twentieth century, not least because of his involvement in the the German resistance movement. What is perhaps most compelling about his theology is that he had the opportunity to not only write about his insights but actually put them into practice in the midst of Nazi fanaticism. Any reader can have confidence that his works on discipleship, community, and ethics resulted in the careful study of Scripture and then practiced as a part of Bonhoeffer’s living faith. But this living faith was not practiced in isolation. By the very fact that we are reconciled to God through the mediation of Jesus Christ means we are also drawn into the community of the cross. Our faith is lived not only as an individual but also in a community of other believers. Together we are the one body of Christ. This insistence on the essential nature of community means that it has far-reaching implications that should influence Christian approaches to church, missions, and the society around us.
From the time that I was little, I have grown up in a household that believes all of the spiritual gifts listed in the Bible are available for today’s Christian although rarely experienced. Things such as speaking in tongues were not odd or demonized or held as unbiblical in today’s world. Yet despite the belief in these manifestations of the Spirit (though not baptism in the Holy Spirit as Pentecostals define it), my doctrine of the Holy Spirit has been admittedly weak and ill-formed. At times I have to admit that I picture the Spirit as simply an experience of sanctification rather than the actual presence of God, a person in my life. Pentecostal doctrine of Spirit-baptism aims to create a fuller understanding of the Spirit’s work in the life of Christians and avoid the very pitfall that I often find myself in.
The Christian artist should look to God as the ultimate artist not to the limits placed on them by society and culture. God is the Creator, the ultimate artist and sculptor, who took seven days to mold and form a world in his image. Humanity is even explicitly described as being created in the image of God. We are his self-portrait. This doesn’t mean God created us to look exactly like himself or that we are representations that mirror God exactly. No, God painted, knitted, and molded every facet of his creation to be reflections of his glory and honor. In a way, we are living masterpieces. Yet God didn’t stop there.