I read this book with a group of women from church. In Covenant and Kingdom, Mike Breen is presenting a method for reading and analyzing the Bible by viewing it though the lens of two major themes: covenant and kingdom. The covenant part of the Bible is the part that talks about our relationship with God and with one another. In the Bible there are many scenes where a covenant, or promise, is made between two parties. These biblical covenants tie two people together so closely that their identity is tied up in the other person. We also have a covenant relationship with God as God's children. The kingdom part of the Bible are the passages that talk about our responsibility. In this book, Breen says our responsibility is to make disciples- and the next book that I'm reading with the church group (Building a Discipling Culture) is all about that.
I'm great with the covenant side of things in this book. I feel like I understand it and agree with it. I'm still a little shaky on the kingdom side of things. Personally, I am secure in my faith and know it is right for me. However, I also strongly believe that other paths are right for other people. For example, I have several Jewish friends who are secure in their faith, and I wouldn't want them to be any other way. For a long time I wrestled with whether or not I could really be a Christian when I believed the way I did, and sometimes I still feel that way. I know a lot of people who would strongly disagree with me, but also a lot who agree. All I know is that I, personally, don't believe God would exclude people from heaven just because they grew up with, or later identified with, a different system of beliefs. I know what the Bible says (I've read it) about Jesus saying he is the way, and I don't disagree with that- because he is the way for me. But, the Bible was written by men. The Bible also says many other things that aren't taken literally, and it leaves out a lot as well. I know every word Jesus said was not recorded in the Bible. Maybe he said something about other religions while he was on earth that would have given me some peace about this internal struggle of mine, and the writers of the Bible just didn't see fit to include it because of their purpose for writing and their audience.
The way I see it, when Jesus said to go and make disciples, I don't think he wanted people who would blindly follow him. I think he wanted people who would wrestle with and sometimes question their faith, because that causes it to grow and change and strengthen over time. So, I disagree with the way "making disciples" is often treated in the Christian church- to scare or guilt people into believing a certain way... specifically, trying to "save" as many people as possible through whatever means necessary (although, that's not a Lutheran thing, thank goodness). Jesus didn't try to scare or guilt people. Jesus spent time reading the Bible and praying to God. He talked with people in small groups and he did a lot of good while he was here. Instead of going wide, he went deep. I think of disciples as being people who live their lives in a similar way, spending time learning, growing, and getting to know God by asking questions and wrestling with their faith.
So, I guess it's not that I'm "shaky" when it comes to the kingdom side of things.. it's just that I'm not sure whether or not I agree with Covenant and Kingdom because I'm not sure if what the author says about our responsibility to make disciples is in alignment with what I believe. Maybe the book I'm reading now will clear things up a little.
2016 Book Count: 10
**Off Topic: If you are reading this blog, please forgive any typos. Writing helps me to think through things (much better than talking about them), and a lot of times my stream of conscious thoughts don't flow perfectly.. but I'm choosing not to edit them. Also, I have a seven month old- there's just no time for that right now.
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