Too Spiritual

This set of ideas got started when I was reading the Robert Webber book. I don't quite buy the trichotomy of some writers, that the human being is made up of three entities, body/soul/spirit, but it does sort of explain the three church traditions I've now been part of.

Rational: Presbyterian
There was an incredible amount of logic in a Presbyterian seminary. We studied Systematic Theology. The interesting thing is that we were applying all that logic to some fairly illogical concepts. Here's an example. God does no evil; God predestines some to eternal life; God does not, however, predestine others to eternal damnation—they do that to themselves. OK. That looks really good, and it's what we worked with all the time, but it's pretty deadly stuff for a Sunday school class, and the sharp 12-year-old always asks the fatal question. If God decides to save some, isn't He deciding not to save others? The Calvinist answer is 50 pages long, and never really deals with it. Anyhow, there's little sense of talking to God here—it's all talking about Him.

Spiritual
If you walk into Grace Fellowship on any Sunday morning, it's entirely normal to hear half a dozen people saying that God told them things. It's sometimes very minor, routine things. One lady gave a testimony that God told her to stock up on canned coffee because the price was about to go up. EVERYTHING is spiritualized. You can't have a party without a prayer session. You can't do a barbecue without spending time in worship. Interestingly enough, the physical side of humanity isn't too important there. Ray once told us that we are to kneel "in our spirit" during worship. People show up on Sunday wearing the most shabby clothing they can find because there's no point in looking good for God. Eucharist is almost entirely a matter of silent internal meditation. Yes, there are a few who wave flags or jump about, but nobody is quite sure why they are doing it.

Physical
When I joined a liturgical church, one thing that was rescued for me was the physical. Actions actually have meaning. When I cross myself, it's my body praying along with my mind. There's an actual reason to be kneeling, a reason that the liturgical color of the season is displayed. Adam's fall did not involve a pure spirit acquiring a body; his body was already pretty good. And because we are also worshiping with our bodies, it makes a difference what we do and how we do it. Not just a mind trip. Years ago, a new teenage convert asked me why we close our eyes when we pray. I didn't have a suitable answer. Now I do.