Photo by lexiwho (flickr.com)
I just read a review in the NY Times on an off-broadway play entitled “This Beautiful City,” which traces the transformation of the city of Colorado Springs into a “miniature capital of (Evangelical) Christianity.” As expected, one of the storylines is, surprise, surprise, Ted Haggard and his fall from grace (covered elsewhere on this blog) . What caught my eye in the review were the lines spoken by the character who plays Marcus Haggard, one of Ted’s sons.
“Sure, tragedy happened there,” he reflects. “Flip side is, in my view, my dad’s understanding God for the first time. Because, you know, we believe God is unconditional love. He is the only one who can love us completely for who we are, no matter what we’ve done, and heal us. So I think my dad’s being healed. I think he’s closer to being human now than ever before.”
I would never wish what happened to Haggard on anyone. Having said that, if that is what it takes for us to become “closer to being human,” it can only be a good thing. As Luther points out, “A theology of glory calls evil good and good evil. A theology of the cross calls the thing what it is.” May we all be similarly healed!
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8 responses to “Closer to Being Human”
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Amazing observation by Haggard’s son.
can you explain your description used here of the theology of glory pls?
Hi Bren,
I’m not really sure what you’re asking, but I guess you are wondering what I understand by Luther’s “theology of glory.” If I were to put it in contemporary (as opposed to 16th century) terms, I might use the term “cult of success.” It is the sense in which everyone of us is seriously addicted to the self and hence we pursue “success” or “glory” in its various forms.
In contemporary Christian circles, it is the quest for the bigger church, the better speaking circuits, the best-selling book, and national recognition. By those standards, the Haggard of bygone days was a “success.” Today’s Haggard is not.
Don’t get me wrong, I do not look gleefully at his circumstances, and take joy in his fall, unlike some others (check out this blog to see what I mean). However, in the unmasking, I think that he has a chance to be healed. Though I never got to see his interview on that PBS special, I believe he was caught on camera confessing, “I am a loser.”
And in that is the beginning of healing. It is like the confession of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, where the penitent declares, “There is no health in us.” The road to wholeness for those of us who are seriously addicted begins with the first step of admitting that we are powerless, and that our lives have become unmanageable. Yet the theology of glory would call what happened evil, instead of good. The theology of the cross calls it what it is!
Hope this helps. Some of you MB regulars might want to chip in?
Jon
J- great post, as usual. thank you.
Cate and I watched The Trials Of Ted Haggard doc this past weekend (HBO). Absolutely MUST-SEE for anyone interested the Mbird vein of things. I’m sure it’ll be on dvd soon, but in the meantime, it’s worth harassing your friends who have On-Demand.
Hey Bren and Jon!
Jon, I think you did a fine job explaining it:) A Theologian of Glory is essentially dependent on the self. God helps us out, but we basically have work to do. It boils down to achieving like you said, Jon. A Theologian of the Cross, however, is totally dependent on Jesus’ work of redemption for us. Passive objects of His active grace, in other words.
A biblical example of calling the good thing bad and the bad thing good might be Peter. When Jesus tells the disciples he must go to Jerusalem and die, Peter essentially says, “Never!” Jesus’ response is well-known, “Get behind me Satan!” Peter thought he was defending the right thing by not wanting Jesus to die on the cross (would we have been any different?), but he was calling the good thing bad. That is why Jesus responds to scathingly. Peter thought glory and victory were the way to go rather than suffering and death. Jesus obviously knew better.
The sad thing is that we are all pre-disposed to reject the suffering and death that God uses to bring new life. We usually defend the very thing that needs to die so that we might be free. We are all theologians of glory until God breaks in with his cross and turns our worldly wisdom upside down. So, now our wisdom is strength in weakness, which is the cross of Jesus.
thanks for the clarification guys
Now you’ve made me curious about the play – about the stances taken and the writer who created it, the actors who act in it.
It’s so fascinating to me how different Christians can be as far as their theology, thought, approach in life and with others. I never really realized until I was in college and much more so after I graduated how many different vantage points there are in “Christianity”, not to mention within any particular denomination.
I just have a hard time understanding why people can sometimes be so against the idea of Grace. I mean, isn’t it what we all want most? The unconditional love and undeserved grace of God, our Father and Creator?!
I may have to read more about this play now 🙂 Thanks!
Great post, Jon.