Lyndon Jost | University of Toronto / Wycliffe College (original) (raw)

Papers by Lyndon Jost

In Lesslie Newbigin’s "The Open Secret," Newbigin presents a new paradigm for understanding missi... more In Lesslie Newbigin’s "The Open Secret," Newbigin presents a new paradigm for understanding mission wherein the doctrine of election is not a thing to be hidden, but is brought to the forefront as central to both to Scripture and to Christian mission. For Newbigin, to be chosen by God is to be "chosen, not for privilege, but for responsibility” (31). In this way, election and salvation are not coterminous, but the elect are the elect for God’s salvific purposes for the entire world. In this short paper I reflect on two biblical principles from which Newbigin takes his cues in developing his doctrine of missiological election: (1) the universal (cosmic) overtones of the biblical text, and (2) the ambiguity of who are finally “the elect” of Scripture.

Lesslie Newbigin, in his missionary service in India, was forced to wrestle with a number of theo... more Lesslie Newbigin, in his missionary service in India, was forced to wrestle with a number of theological concepts, which had immensely practical implications for his understanding and practice of Christian mission. For Newbigin, Christian mission could not be located in any particular cultural form of Christianity, but must be located in God himself, in God’s self-revelation. His clue here, again, was Christ, the Word of God sent by God, making God the clear initiator of all gospel mission. In this sense, all mission was “the sending of God” (missio Dei). It is in Christ, then, that God himself is revealed as the Father who sends his Son in the power of the Spirit. And it is the Father and Son who, together, send the Spirit to come upon his people. And it is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit—the Holy Trinity—who would, together as One, send the church—God’s very locus of mission in and to the world. Newbigin’s Trinitarian framework for mission has several significant implications for the way we understand mission (and for the way he practiced mission), three of which I will highlight here, each one with its own corollary: First, it is not our mission but God’s. (The mission is thus universal in scope.) Second, the church’s mission is implemented in relatedness. (The mission is thus contextual in expansion.) Third, the church must necessarily be unified in its mission. (The mission is thus ecumenical in character.)

The relationship between faith and reason for the theological discipline has been a question hotl... more The relationship between faith and reason for the theological discipline has been a question hotly debated from Plato to the present. While it is widely if not universally acknowledged that faith and reason together are indisputably indispensable for the study of theology, how these two fit together is far from settled. For the theologian, is faith to be built upon reason, or reason upon faith?
How one answers this question depends largely on how one defines the theological program. In this paper I thus map out two divergent ways of understanding the theological task, as outlined in Hans Frei’s "Types of Christian Theology," typified in Rudolf Bultmann and Karl Barth. Having mapped out these two approaches I then argue that the Barth-trodden trail is to be preferred over Bultmann’s for understanding and engaging in the discipline of theology. Having defined theology thus, I then proceed from that particular theological path to discuss the importance of faith and reason for the study of theology as such. In the end (and at points throughout) I argue that faith is the only appropriate foundation on which to build any theology, and reason, while never far from faith, will only ever play a secondary—even if indispensable—role in the theological program.

In Greene-McCreight's narrative approach, as with most traditionally orthodox approaches, the chi... more In Greene-McCreight's narrative approach, as with most traditionally orthodox approaches, the chief theological task is dogmatics rather than apologetics. Apologetics is concerned chiefly with “alien claims,” whether true or not, whereas dogmatics is concerned with the internal logic of the faith. Hence, while modern (and feminist) theology tends to emphasize bridging human experience and Christian doctrine, narrative theology understands all human experience within the world defined by Christian doctrine. The narrative approach thus seeks not to redefine or justify Christian doctrine to fit the modern world. Rather, its aim is redescription of classical Christian doctrine within the present context, giving preference to the biblical narrative. Greene-McCreight claims that much of modern, including feminist, theology has mistakenly concentrated on the apologetic, rather than the dogmatic, task.

In this paper I map out concretely distinguishable modern and postmodern approaches to Scripture ... more In this paper I map out concretely distinguishable modern and postmodern approaches to Scripture and doctrine, from an evangelical perspective, finally mining postliberal and postconservative approaches for the possibilities each offers for surmounting the seemingly insurmountable barriers that persist today between (post)conservatives and (post)liberals. Beyond explications and appraisals, in the end I seek to demonstrate that the postconservative program, as propounded by Vanhoozer, offers the greatest possibilities for achieving doctrinal faithfulness, applicability, and intelligibility.

The aim of this paper is to explore whether or not, and in what ways, it might be appropriate the... more The aim of this paper is to explore whether or not, and in what ways, it might be appropriate theologically to identify and delineate gender specific roles—specific ways of being human, whether as man or as woman. Admittedly, in the wake of Western feminist movements, to speak of gender roles as such has become a taboo topic in most spheres of society, not least in public discourse. Nonetheless, it is my contention that we might indeed clarify and delineate the meaning of sexual difference from a theological perspective, and thus say something concretely concerning sexual difference. Moreover, I contend that the church has a responsibility to do so. At a time in history when our world is so thoroughly confused with such fundamental matters as human sexuality, the church cannot withdraw from the conversation, but, even here—perhaps especially here—must be prepared to “give an account for the hope” that is ours—precisely as male and female—in Christ.

The process by which the Old Testament Scriptures came to be written, received and canonized in a... more The process by which the Old Testament Scriptures came to be written, received and canonized in and by Israel is not as neat and tidy as we might hope. Instead, the formation of these Scriptures was quite complex, with competing versions and redactions over the period of many generations. Still, whatever the process, Jesus affirmed the very writings that the community of Israel had produced and affirmed as the very words of God. But is our Old Testament the same as that which was affirmed by Jesus?

Barth's doctrine of Scripture may produce a scenario of (temporary?) flux for his readers. Initia... more Barth's doctrine of Scripture may produce a scenario of (temporary?) flux for his readers. Initially it pulls the rug out from under a rigid post-Enlightenment literalistic approach to Scripture. In many ways, it shakes such Christian beliefs and, at least for some who accept it, it leads to something that appears to be a diminished view of Scripture. But such diminishment is only evidence that these readers have stopped short of the goal toward which Barth is moving. In a sense, Barth knocks down that which many evangelicals have presented as “orthodoxy” (and which has been received as orthodoxy for many evangelicals), only to present back to the church something that is perhaps an even more faithful orthodoxy—an orthodoxy that Barth suggests does not diminish the historic confessional faith of the church, but simply does away with a lot of the language picked up by the post-17th century Enlightenment church.
In this paper I explain and reflect on Barth’s theology of Scripture as a helpful theology for conservative, reformed evangelicals—that is, helpful for those who do not stop short of the goal toward which Barth moves. In keeping with this objective, it will be instructive to examine Barth’s understanding of (1) the content of Scripture—what these words are that constitute Holy Scripture—and (2) his understanding of the authority of Scripture—how Scripture’s authority is established.

While Luther does not fit the full mould of modern-day fundamentalist notions of “inerrancy” or “... more While Luther does not fit the full mould of modern-day fundamentalist notions of “inerrancy” or “verbal inspiration,” his writings do reveal an unmistakable commitment to a doctrine of inspiration which extends to the very words of Scripture. Indeed, for Luther, Holy Scripture is the very Word of God. This I hope to demonstrate in this paper (1) by examining his theological inheritance of Scripture as Word of God, (2) by examining what he says about Scripture as Word of God, and (3) by examining how he deals with specific texts of Scripture as Word of God.