Robert E. Webber - The Divine Embrace: Recovering the Passionate Spiritual Life

A NCIENT -F UTURE S ERIES

Current Titles

Ancient-Future Faith: Rethinking Evangelicalism for a Postmodern World (1999)

Ancient-Future Evangelism: Making Your Church a Faith-Forming Community (2003)

Ancient-Future Time: Forming Spirituality through the Christian Year (2004)

The Divine Embrace: Recovering the Passionate Spiritual Life (2006)

Related Titles by Robert E. Webber

The Younger Evangelicals: Facing the Challenges of the New World (2002)

2006 by Robert E. Webber

Published by Baker Books
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakerbooks.com

Ebook edition created 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN: 978-1-4412-4243-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

The material in chapter 10 from Ed Rommen, Reflections on Becoming Orthodox, Occasional Bulletin of the Evangelical Missionary Society (Spring 1999) is copyright 1999 by the Evangelical Missionary Society and is used by permission.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture marked KJV is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture marked RSV is taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked TLB is taken from The Living Bible , copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

The illustration on the cover and on the two part openers is original artwork titled Into Our Hearts by Kirsten M. Berry and is reproduced by permission. (Greek text of Galatians 4:6: God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba!)

C ONTENTS

I NTRODUCTION TO THE A NCIENT -F UTURE S ERIES

T his book, The Divine Embrace: Recovering the Passionate Spiritual Life , belongs to the Ancient-Future series. In each book of the series I present an issue related to faith and Christian practice from a particular point of view, namely, that of drawing wisdom from the past and translating these insights into the present and future life of the church, its faith, worship, ministry, and spirituality.

In these books I address current issues in the context of three very significant quests taking place in the church today. First, these books speak to the longing to discover the roots of the faith in the biblical and classical tradition of the church. I affirm the Bible as the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. However, instead of disregarding the developments of faith in the church, I draw on the foundational interpretation of the church fathers and the creeds and practices of the ancient church. These are sources in which Christian truth has been summarized and articulated over against heretical teaching.

Second, this series is committed to the current search for unity in the church. Therefore, I draw from the entire history of the church together with its many manifestationsOrthodox, Catholic, and Protestantparticularly the Reformers and evangelicals like John Wesley and Jonathan Edwards. I weave insights from these traditions into the text so the reader will understand how other deeply committed Christians have sought to think and live the faith in other places and times.

Finally, I use these biblical, ancient roots together with insights and practices from Christian history to constitute the foundation for addressing the third issue faced by todays church: how do you deliver the authentic faith and great wisdom of the past into the new cultural situation of the twenty-first century? The way into the future, I argue, is not an innovative new start for the church; rather, the road to the future runs through the past.

These three mattersroots, connection, and authenticity in a changing worldwill help us to maintain continuity with historic Christianity as the church moves forward. I hope what I cull from the past and then translate and adapt into the present will be beneficial to your ministry in the new cultural situation of our time.

A CKNOWLEDGMENTS

N o one is fully able to acknowledge all the sources and people who contribute to the writing of a book. Many unnamed books, people, and even institutions have formed my life and challenged me to be sensitive to the work of the church as it moves into a post-Christian world. The fact that I mention only a few of these people and institutions here in no way diminishes my appreciation for the unnamed.

First, I need to thank Northern Seminary for my appointment as the William R. and Geraldyne B. Myers Professor of Ministry. This generous chair has substantially reduced my teaching load, allowing me more time to write. I am equally grateful to Baker Books, to Robert Hosack for freedom to develop this book in a way that reflects my convictions and to Paul J. Brinkerhoff for his editorial skills that made the book read more clearly.

Next, there are those special people who have encouraged me and helped me with the research and the process of many rewrites and editorial changes. A special word of thanks to the editors at Baker Books for their careful editing.

Early on in the process of writing, two friends read, discussed, and provided some helpful advice and insightSherry Schaub and Rev. John Carlson. Also, a number of people responded to the summaries I presented in Ancient-Future Talk. Some of the email responses appear in the text. I owe a special word of thanks to these people, and also to the many unnamed people who provided me with their stimulating thoughts. Numerous books were helpful, particularly Mark McIntoshs Mystical Theology , whose panoramic interpretation of spirituality provided me with a paradigm to think about the unique nature of Christian spirituality. Thanks, also, to my friend and colleague Amanda Gambony, whose searching interaction has forced me toward greater clarity. Then there are my Northern Seminary students, whose response and interaction I value greatly. And this project could not have been completed without the constant attention of Ashley Gieschen to the frequent twists and turns of my evolving grasp of Gods embrace and to the constant unannounced rewrites. And, of course, my wife, Joanne, who suffered through my frustrations, the early morning to late evenings, and the endless discussions. Thanks to these and many unnamed contributors who through the years have challenged my mind and heart with Gods truth.

The Divine Embrace

Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen .

The Book of Common Prayer , 101

PART 1

T HE C RISIS

How Spirituality Became Separated from the Divine Embrace