As I've been studying and trying to synthesize some of our theology in a way that the average person with no confessional understanding or Reformed background (which, in our Southern, rural context, is quite literally everyone) can easily understand, I'm running into a lot of really good stuff but also feeling overwhelmed.
I'm seeing the mnemonics and grids that others go through such as Prophet Priest and King (Christ is our prophet so the Church tells the good news, Christ is our Priest so we comfort those with his Good news, Christ is our King so we do unto others as we live and love in his Kingdom), Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration (the story of God's relationship to mankind and how this story echoes all of our stories), Covenant and Obedience (God has made a covenant with his people and we, as his people, obey him in all things), Union with Christ (everything begins and ends with our loss of this communion in the Fall and the new life we as a church have through this Union), Transcendence and Immanence (God is both perfectly Holy, but through Jesus perfectly near to the repentant and we as a church proclaim and live in light of his holiness and nearness to him), Apostles Creed, Decalogue, and Lord's Prayer (head, hands, heart; mind, body, soul; gather, grow, go; Gospel people, Holy people, Kingdom people; etc.) and too many others to name. I've even thought of a few myself (Covenant Obedience, Stewardship, Suffering, Mysterious Union, all producing love)! My problem is that they all are somewhat right and a good grid to look through but a bit too complicated to synthesize together. Is this just my experience? If not, does anyone have any idea on how to synthesize this easier just to give new people an idea of all we believe?
Most of our new people refuse to even look at Confessions (or even the Bible) initially because we're not Baptist and they think we're adding to the Scriptures and so I'm just looking for ways to help people know we're not like the Mormons, JW, or any other cult, which many suspect us of being since the nearest Presbyterian church is 80 miles in every direction, and they're P.C.U.S.A. Ultimately, I'm just trying to help people understand the God we worship in Sundays rather than let their own ideas and history be at the forefront and what we are actually saying be in the backseat.
Are there any better synthesis? Should I give up on trying to make this easier for people? Should we just pick one and go with it? Does anyone else feel like these synthesis are more emphasizes that independent churches use for their context that function as marketing tools??
I'm seeing the mnemonics and grids that others go through such as Prophet Priest and King (Christ is our prophet so the Church tells the good news, Christ is our Priest so we comfort those with his Good news, Christ is our King so we do unto others as we live and love in his Kingdom), Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration (the story of God's relationship to mankind and how this story echoes all of our stories), Covenant and Obedience (God has made a covenant with his people and we, as his people, obey him in all things), Union with Christ (everything begins and ends with our loss of this communion in the Fall and the new life we as a church have through this Union), Transcendence and Immanence (God is both perfectly Holy, but through Jesus perfectly near to the repentant and we as a church proclaim and live in light of his holiness and nearness to him), Apostles Creed, Decalogue, and Lord's Prayer (head, hands, heart; mind, body, soul; gather, grow, go; Gospel people, Holy people, Kingdom people; etc.) and too many others to name. I've even thought of a few myself (Covenant Obedience, Stewardship, Suffering, Mysterious Union, all producing love)! My problem is that they all are somewhat right and a good grid to look through but a bit too complicated to synthesize together. Is this just my experience? If not, does anyone have any idea on how to synthesize this easier just to give new people an idea of all we believe?
Most of our new people refuse to even look at Confessions (or even the Bible) initially because we're not Baptist and they think we're adding to the Scriptures and so I'm just looking for ways to help people know we're not like the Mormons, JW, or any other cult, which many suspect us of being since the nearest Presbyterian church is 80 miles in every direction, and they're P.C.U.S.A. Ultimately, I'm just trying to help people understand the God we worship in Sundays rather than let their own ideas and history be at the forefront and what we are actually saying be in the backseat.
Are there any better synthesis? Should I give up on trying to make this easier for people? Should we just pick one and go with it? Does anyone else feel like these synthesis are more emphasizes that independent churches use for their context that function as marketing tools??