Partners in Christ by Stackhouse Jr. John G.;

Author:Stackhouse Jr., John G.; [Stackhouse, John G. Jr.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Published: 2015-09-29T00:00:00+00:00

16

What Then?

Guiding Principles

As we seek to respond properly to a social situation involving patriarchy—whether a marriage or a church, in the instances discussed in this book—there are a number of principles that can guide us: activism, realism, vocation, and hope.

Activism. “Blessed are the peacemakers,” preached Jesus, and we should make all of the shalom that we can. In particular, we should further the flourishing of human society by the fullest possible participation of women and men, without prejudice or constraint. We cannot perfect our marriages, churches, or larger societies, but we are not called to do so. We are, instead, called to do what we can to extend the kingdom of God. So if we get any chance to improve a marriage or a church, we should.

Realism. Jesus told us to love God and to love our neighbors. But we need to see as clearly as we can what it means to love God and our neighbors in a given situation. Given a particular set of circumstances, what does God want to happen? Given what the limitations seem to be, what are God’s priorities? Given who the neighbors are in this case, in what ways can I love them, and in what ways will they let me do so? Such realism will help us make the necessary hard decisions in a world in which we typically cannot succeed in everything we attempt, a world in which we frequently have to settle for half a loaf, a world in which we often confront a conflict of values and have to work for the higher at the cost of the lower.

Vocation. God calls us all to come to Christ, follow him, and grow up to maturity in him. He calls the church to work with him in his great mission of drawing the world back to himself. He also calls us individually to our particular forms of service, according to the gifts, limitations, and circumstances of our particular lives. We cannot do everything, and we are not called to try to do everything. We need instead to see where God best put us to work, leaving all that we are not equipped or positioned to do in God’s hands.

Hope. God gives us immediate hope that our current labor, however vexed by suffering, will produce lasting results as it is validated and assisted by him. God also gives us the great final hope that soon our suffering will cease, that injustice will be terminated, and that Christ will return to establish his kingdom of lasting shalom.

How, then, can these principles apply to particular sets of challenges and opportunities?

Fundamentally, we need to do what we can to improve this marriage or family, and this fellowship of Christians. If nothing can be done today, then we stay alert to what can be done tomorrow. In the meanwhile, we imitate the pattern of Jesus as best we can in all we do, and especially in our domestic and ecclesial relationships. We build relationships of love by loving according to how we can love in the situation.

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