Ecclesia Reformata, Semper Reformanda: Proceedings of the European Theology Teachers' Convention Newbold College of Higher Education 25-28 March 2015

By Newbold Academic Press

The European Theology Teachers’ Convention (ETTC), held every second year, attracts Adventist scholars from all over Europe, including Russia and Lebanon. This meeting held at Newbold College of Higher Education (Binfield, UK) 25-29 March 2015, centred around one of the leading thoughts of the Reformers: Ecclesia reformata, semper reforman

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newbold Academic Press
• Release date: Apr 29, 2016
• ISBN: 9780993218873

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Ecclesia Reformata, Semper Reformanda

Jean-Claude Verrecchia

(Editor)

Ecclesia Reformata, Semper Reformanda

Proceedings of the

European Theology Teachers’ Convention

Newbold College of Higher Education 25-28 March 2015

Newbold Academic Press

Editor:

Jean-Claude Verrecchia

Copy editor:

Jonquil Hole

Graphic design:

Any Kobel, Switzerland

Layout:

CAB-Service, Germany

Typesetting:

Manfred Lemke

Printing:

Lightning Source

©Newbold Academic Press, 2016 Bracknell Berkshire RG42 4AN United Kingdom newbold.ac.uk

Except as otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, with the prior permission of the publisher, or in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of a licence issued by The Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to Newbold Academic Press, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG42 4AN, UK.

ISBN 978-0-9932188-6-6, Softcover ISBN 978-0-9932188-7-3, e-Book

Contributors

Tom de Bruin, Independent Researcher at the Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society (Leiden, The Netherlands)

Reinder Bruinsma, Nederlandse Unie (Huis ter Heide, The Netherlands)

Laszlo Gallusz, Belgrade Theological Seminary (Belgrade, Serbia)

Aulikki Nahkola, Newbold College of Higher Education (Binfield, UK)

Bjorn Ottesen, Newbold College of Higher Education (Binfield, UK)

Mike Pearson, Newbold College of Higher Education (Binfield, UK)

Gunnar Pedersen, Newbold College of Higher Education (Binfield, UK)

Rolf Pöhler, Theologische Hochschule Friedensau (Friedensau, Germany)

Laurence Turner, Newbold College of Higher Education (Binfield, UK)

Contents

Contributors

Introduction

Jean-Claude Verrecchia

‘Ecclesia Reformata Semper Reformanda’ - An Urgent Call for Change

Michael Pearson

Who Spoke the Bible? - Orality and the Origins of the Bible

Aulikki Nahkola

Unlearning and Relearning Sola Scriptura - Satan as a Case Study

Tom de Bruin

The Delay of the Parousia - Re-Thinking the Adventist Approach

Laszlo Gallusz

‘Revival and Reformation’ - A Recent Adventist Initiative in a Broader Perspective

Reinder Bruinsma

Fundamental Beliefs; Curse or Blessing? - On the Pros and Cons of Adventist Confessional Statements

Rolf J Pöhler

Towards a Scripture-Based Theology

Gunnar Pedersen

The Church Facing Individualism - A Danish Case Study

Bjørn Ottesen

Being Content with Ishmael - A Sermon on Learning from Abraham’s Experience of Learning and Unlearning

Laurence A. Turner

Introduction

Seventh-day Adventist European theologians meet every second year for what is called the European Theology Teachers’ Convention. This meeting brings together scholars working in the following Adventist institutions Seminar Schloss Bogenhoffen (Austria); Theological Seminar (Marusevec, Croatia); Sazava Theological Seminary (Sazava: Czech Republic); Faculté Adventiste de Théologie (Collonges-sous-Salève, France); Theologische Hochschule Friedensau (Germany); Adventista Theológiai Főiskola (Pecel, Hungary); Istuto Avventista di Cultura Biblica (Florence, Italy); Middle East University (Beirut, Lebanon); School of Theology and Humanities (Podkova Lesna, Poland); Zaoksky Christian Institute of Economics and Humanities (Zaoksky, Russia) Belgrade Theological Seminary (Belgrade, Serbia); Facultad Adventista de Teología (Sagunto, Spain); Newbold College of Higher Education (Binfield, UK). The last meeting was held 25-28 March 2015, at Newbold College. More than 60 participants met around the following theme: Ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda. The present volume brings together most of the papers presented during this convention.

The origin of the sentence in Latin is somewhat murky. But it can surely be associated with the Protestant Reformation. Later, Karl Barth referred to it more than once, even claiming that the dynamic reformanda should be preferred to the more static reformata. Whatever its origin and precise meaning, the sentence is still used as a motto for Presbyterian and/or Reformed churches today.

One may wonder why a Seventh-day Adventist group of scholars decided to spend 4 days around this theme. The reason is that since 2010, reformation and revival have become crucial words in the church vocabulary, two leading principles which should sustain its thinking and mission at any level. The question raised is therefore the following: What is the task and responsibility of the church’s didaskaloi in this process of constant aggiornamento?

Ellen White, the Adventist pioneer whose role is still prominent in this church, opened a challenging way with the following words: we have many lessons to learn, and many, many to unlearn (Review and Herald, 26/07/1892). The actualisation and application of this comment for today’s Adventist lecturers lead to the following questions: What do they have to learn and to unlearn in the fields of Biblical studies, Systematics, and Pastoral theology? What should be the leading methodological principles at work in this on-going and never-ending process of reformation and revival? The challenge of this meeting was to explore and discuss new ways of considering theology that could make the best contribution for this church in its specific European context.

In his keynote address, An Urgent Call for Change, Michael Pearson clearly underlines that the theme of the conference is potentially explosive, as it is designed to disturb religious ideas and professional practices. He also mentions that putting the didaskaloi at the centre of the reformation and revival process is somewhat unusual, as there is the temptation in this church to let it be driven by managers. Pearson challenged the audience with the task of ‘fishing from the other side of the boat.’

Aulikki Nahkola – Who spoke the Bible? – assumes that at least some writings of the Old Testament have been orally composed and transmitted before becoming recorded in the written work. After having looked at how the ideas about the presumed oral origins of the Bible have developed in biblical scholarship over the last century, the chapter addresses the threat(s) or the reward(s) that the acceptance of the oral composition of parts of the Old Testament might present to the Seventh-day Adventist approach to the Bible.

Tom de Bruin – Unlearning and Relearning Sola Scriptura: Satan as a Case Study – discusses the role of the Sola Scriptura principle and its correct interpretation. Contrary to most studies on this issue, de Bruin tackles it from a Biblical studies perspective. Far from a theoretical development, he centres his analysis on the interpretation of the role of Satan in Luke 22, with a significant use of extra-biblical writings. He urges the church to learn and re-learn the value of extra-canonical books for a sound and relevant interpretation of the Bible.

Laszlo Gallusz – The Delay of the Parousia: Re-Thinking the Adventist Approach – considers that one of the greatest difficulties concerning the parousia is the question of its delay. For Adventist authors, this delay is long, faith-testing, even embarrassing. Gallusz critically assesses most of the Adventist attempts to solve the tension. He calls for a hermeneutical reorientation, a clear departure from ‘newspaper exegesis’ to an understanding of eschatology which helps the believer to live responsibly in today’s world. The distance between the cross and the parousia ‘is not be measured chronologically or spatially, but by such concerns as the realization of God’s plan.’

Reinder Bruinsma – ‘Revival and Reformation’: A Recent Adventist Initiative in a Broader Perspective – reminds us that the concept of revival and reformation is not a recent invention. This chapter provides the necessary historical background, tracing the origin of the concept back to precursors such as Wycliffe and Jan Hus. Bruinsma critically assesses the previous attempts to achieve revival and reformation within the Seventh-day Adventist church and raises important questions concerning the present situation.

Rolf J. Pöhler – Fundamental Beliefs: Curse or Blessing? On the Pros and Cons of Adventist Confessional Statements, tackles an important issue within Adventism. From their beginnings in the 1840s, Seventh-day Adventists denied the need for a creed, as it would hamper the continuous need of further exploration of Scripture. But today’s situation is somewhat different as the 28 Fundamental Beliefs voted and accepted by the church nearly assume the function of a creed. Pöhler examines the reasons for this development. He claims that the church needs to steer clear of the Scylla of dogmatic indifferentism and relativism as well as the Charybdis of creedalism and dogmatic fixation.

Gunnar Pedersen – Towards a Scripture Based Theology – notes that despite the Reformers’ focus on the Scriptures as the norma normata, they failed to fully resolve the hermeneutical question of how to let Scripture be its own interpreter. Pedersen believes that a canonically based Systematics is the response to this hermeneutical deficit. The main task of Systematics is therefore to provide a biblical metanarrative or worldview and to utilise it to assess any belief or confessional article.

Bjorn Ottesen – The Church Facing Individualism: A Danish Case Study – presents the most significant outcomes of his research in Danish society. He notes that there is seemingly an irreducible tension between a society for which to find one’s genuine self is for many the most important quest and the church for which Jesus Christ and the Bible are the only authorities. Strong individualism is key to Danish society. It creates a pluralistic society, which in a vicious circle encourages more individualism. This is clearly a challenge to mission not only in Denmark, but also in whole Europe. Unless, the church understands this phenomenon and integrates it into its strategy, it might disappear.

Laurence A. Turner – Being Content with Ishmael: A Sermon on Learning from Abraham’s Experience of Learning and Unlearning. The European Theology Teachers’ Convention concluded with a time of worship and spiritual celebration. Turner considers the life of Abraham, to whom God gave the promise that he would make of him a great nation. Abraham thought that Lot would be his descendant. He was not. Then he thought Ishmael would be the son. He was not. Isaac was the son, the only son of the promise. But then, Abraham was asked to go and to offer him… Different learning experiences indeed. Things to learn and to unlearn. ‘… like Abraham, we need to learn how not to be content with Ishmael.’

Newbold Academic Press is proud to offer these contributions not only to the participants of ETTC, but also to their Adventist colleagues around the world, and to the larger audience of theological academia, beyond its own denominational borders. Whatever the theological differences, there is hopefully the conviction that this 21st century calls for any didaskaloi to fish from the other side of the boat.

Jean-Claude Verrecchia

‘Ecclesia Reformata Semper Reformanda’

An Urgent Call for Change

Michael Pearson

Introduction – the Call for Papers

The quotation which provides the theme of the conference suggests an agenda which could scarcely be described as ‘hidden’. The sub-title dispels any doubt which may linger. If a church wishes to sustain a claim to be reformed it must submit to a continuous process of reform. So this ‘urgent call for change’ is directed to the teachers who mould the rising generations of pastors and informed lay members, and who thus will inevitably play a significant part in shaping the life of this community of faith. Change of this sort is rarely comfortable and cannot be precisely choreographed.

The theme is provided in Latin, not a language in which Adventists often operate: ‘Ecclesia reformata semper reformanda’. Latin is one of four languages used in the original call for papers. This already suggests that we are to cast our nets wide. Furthermore, Latin is the language of a communion of which Adventists have been traditionally suspicious. So perhaps we are not only to cast our nets wide but ‘on the other side of the boat’ – as Jesus ordered his own disciples – so as to get the best catch.

So our subject might be rendered: ‘A reformed church always needing to seek reform’. Certainly we are ‘reformed’ in the sense that we are in the extended family of the magisterial Reformation. Certainly we are reformed in the sense that our Adventist forebears felt the need to reform the Reformation in the mid-nineteenth century. But Karl Barth used this phrase, ‘ecclesia reformata semper reformanda’ in 1947 to urge the church to re-examine itself continually so as to be true to its commission both in doctrine and practice, though the original idea predates Barth by a long way. We are to consider the business of reforming that which some may well believe has no further need of being reformed.

But then I immediately detect a danger. The primary reference in the theme is to ‘the church’. I suspect that we find it much easier to talk to each other and to our students about the sometimes bewildering behaviour of the church than the sometimes bewildering behaviour of God. This title, this conference, could become yet another evasion of our responsibility as theologians to talk honestly and authentically to each other about God, about God’s recklessly and relentlessly loving pursuit of us, and about our bewilderment in the face of the strange ways God sometimes chooses to express that love. I observe that in these conferences, as in our own college departments, we are somehow reluctant to talk together about God. We talk about the church, administrative matters, church politics, doctrine, policy and the God-concept. We talk all around God but seem to avoid talking about our encounter with God for fear … for fear of what exactly?

Even mission can become an evasion. Since the General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 2010, ‘revival’ and ‘reformation’ have become crucial words in the vernacular of the Adventist church, two leading principles which should sustain its thinking and mission at any level. So at this conference we are to include consideration of our own tradition and the current official expression of its agenda. It is clear that the phrase ‘revival and reformation’ is laden with meaning but not necessarily shared meaning, not even shared here among ourselves entirely.

It appears to me that our church leaders have made a miscalculation in choosing this phrase on two counts. The first is a lesson of history, namely that the church cannot organise for ‘revival and reformation’ however hard it tries. ‘Revival and reformation’ come when individuals, like Tyndale, Wycliffe, Luther, Calvin and so many others, examine their own experience of God and thirst for more. ‘Revival and reformation’ cannot be part of a religious organisation’s strategic plan. ‘Revival and reformation’ cannot be contained or branded. The second miscalculation is the idea that ‘revival and reformation’ can be managed and controlled by the central organisation for its own purposes. ‘The Spirit blows where it chooses ... and you do not know where it comes from or where it goes’ John 3:8. To believe otherwise is in fact to be faithless and cynical.

The call for papers quickly becomes more specific. It asks: ‘What is the task and responsibility of the didaskaloi in this process of aggiornamento?’ The word ‘didaskalos’ is not lightly chosen; it is the word commonly used to describe Jesus – ‘teacher’. Further, according to Paul, to be a ‘didaskalos’ is to perform a leadership ministry. So we are to focus on our own practice as Adventist teachers and thought leaders in the spirit of Jesus. But the New Testament idea that teachers should lead the church has been somewhat lost among Adventists. In fact administrators have in many respects supplanted us in that role. The church is often led by managers. Or are we being too self-important to think that we should play a greater part in shaping the life of the church?

The word ‘aggiornamento’ points our minds in another direction. An Italian expression meaning ‘bringing up to date’, it was a key concept in the highly controversial Second Vatican Council. John XXIII announced his radical initiative in 1959 in pursuit of a spirit of change and open-mindedness in the Roman Catholic Church. Of course many of those early hopes were subsequently destroyed by traditionalists and insiders, and the Roman Catholic Church has continued to suffer many difficult consequences of the refusal of interior reform in the intervening fifty years. Consideration of ‘aggiornamento’ is a clear invitation to us to ‘fish on the other side of the boat’.

The call for papers then abruptly switches direction again. There is reference to Ellen White, at the very heart of the Adventist tradition, who is quoted as saying: ‘We have many lessons to learn, and many, many to unlearn’.¹ It is a relatively late statement penned during her Australian sojourn and a period of tension with the General Conference leaders as she attempted reform. In this article called ‘Search the Scriptures’, she further says: ‘Long-cherished opinions must not be regarded as infallible’. Those who come to the Bible simply ‘to prove their ideas right’ will continue in error. ‘Those who sincerely desire truth will not be reluctant to lay open their positions for investigation and criticism, and will not be annoyed if their opinions and ideas are crossed’. ‘Those who think that they will never have to give up a cherished view, never have occasion to change an opinion, will be disappointed.... Disappointments may prove to be the greatest of blessings to us’. ‘We must not trust others to search the Scriptures for us. Some of our leading brethren have frequently taken positions on the wrong side.’

As far as our emotions are concerned she called ‘upon every minister to put away pride, to put away strife after supremacy.’ She recalled how the pioneers ‘would weep and rejoice together’ as they sought truth. White’s article is a powerful plea for reform which in many ways fell on deaf ears, and many leaders still resist the radical implications of her words. Ellen White urged on us the radical importance of ‘present truth’. Some seem to have a preference for yesterday’s truth.

If any have thus far managed to remain unclear about the purposes of the conference, the call for papers grasps the nettle very firmly. It poses the question: ‘What do we have to learn and to unlearn in the fields of Biblical Studies, Systematics, and Practical Theology? What should be the leading methodological principles at work in this on-going and never-ending process?’ And then our task is given to us: ‘Revival and reformation cannot be a mere repetition of the past. The challenge of this conference is to explore and discuss new ways of teaching theology that would help the church in its specific European context, to develop and to grow’. The clear assertion is that there is a connection between the way we teach and the health of the wider church, and that we need to find new ways of teaching theology in the European context.

The clear implication of this single page of conference description is that the process of reform is a vital but by no means an easy or comfortable one. It would therefore be false of me to do anything