J. Todd Billings, associate professor of Reformed theology at Western Theological Seminary, wrote an article in the July/August 2012 edition of Christianity Today that challenges the popular understanding of incarnational ministry. Billings finds most recent approaches have “serious problems” with wide ranging implications (p.59), and almost all reject the view that Billings proposes as normative: “Jesus alone is God incarnate” (p.63). In contrast to that theological assertion, incarnational models that ask followers of Jesus to be difference makers by being involved in (incarnate in) a given culture (living rather than preaching the message at one extreme or witnessing verbally about Jesus at the other extreme). Billings proposes that these approaches to ministry “obscures the much richer theology of servant-witness and cross-cultural ministry in the New Testament: ministry in union with Christ by the Spirit” (p.60).
So What?
I don’t expect many of my readers will be inclined to walk away from their present incarnational perspectives of ministry based on my summary of Billings’ argument. I do, however, hope this alternative encourages thoughtful discussion about (1) the nature of incarnation and (2) the role of the Spirit in any and all ministry engaged in by those who follow Jesus.
- How do you define “incarnation”? “incarnational ministry”?
- What is the role of the Spirit in ministry (whether incarnational or in union with Christ by the Spirit)?