I Believe: The Gospel

Posted on July 16, 2008 by Jason

What is the Gospel?

For too long, the Gospel has been reduced to a series of propositional doctrinal statements one must intellectually assent to in order to experience personal forgiveness of sin and receive the promise of going to some sort of ethereal, non-material, spiritual “heaven” after death. While it is impossible to ignore the implications of the Gospel on a personal level and it’s attendant benefits, this treatise is an attempt to recover a more holistic understanding of the Gospel in light of its corporate elements that have implications not only for eternity but also for the present reality of Christian existence.

Gospel Defined: The Gospel is the story of God’s activity in salvation history to reconcile creation to God as revealed in Scripture. From creation to the call of Abraham, from exodus to exile, from Christ to church to consummation, God has been at work in the course of human history to bring about salvation. Salvation occurs when the Gospel is both encountered and embodied in the life of the believing community.

The following core concepts contribute to this definition of Gospel:

  • Identity: Imago Dei. Imago Dei is our communal identity. Scripture affirms that God created humanity in the image of God. The telos of creation is the establishment of a community to image the eternal, relational reality of the Creator God. Prior to creation, there was relationship. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit exist in an eternal relationship with one another, the essence of which is love. In creation, God seeks to establish a covenant community to image God in the cosmos and share in this eternal, loving relationship. This relationship is demonstrated in the biblical narrative in the intimacy Adam and Eve and God shared in the Garden of Eden. However, God grants to humanity the freedom to choose whether or not to enter into covenant relationship with God. Creation is a free, loving act of God and as God’s image bearers, we are free to act in similarly loving ways. The human condition is characterized in part by freedom: freedom to love or not to love; freedom to choose God or “not God”. Human free will is a necessity in the loving community God wills.
  • Exile: Sin. Exile is our communal failure story. Scripture affirms that humanity willfully fails to image God in the created order. This failure, known as sin, constitutes the disruption of community and a violation of God’s covenantal desire for creation. Rather than choosing relationship with God, humanity chooses “not God”. This failure to image God corrupts the integrity of creation and the consequence of this corruption is a radical reorientation of the created order. Adam and Eve are cast out of the Garden of Eden into a world of their own creation, a world of toil, pain, suffering, and death. After shunning covenant with God, the human experience is characterized by exile and estrangement from the intention of the Creator God.
  • Exodus: Jesus. Exodus is our communal redemption story. Scripture affirms that God is a faithful covenant partner whose love endures forever. Out of this great love, God wills to redeem God’s covenant community. In Jesus Christ, God works to liberate God’s covenant people out of exile and estrangement. Scripture affirms that the fully divine Second Person of the Trinity, God the Son, became flesh in the person of a first-century Jewish peasant named Jesus of Nazareth. As a fully divine person, Jesus is the embodiment of God’s covenant faithfulness to God’s people. This is love: not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10). As a fully human person, Jesus is the exemplar of human faithfulness to covenant with God. In short, Jesus fully images God. Through His death on the cross, Jesus atones for the sins of humanity and restores the broken image of God in us. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5). In His bodily resurrection, Jesus demonstrates God’s victory over death and emancipates God’s covenant people from the bondage of exile. The sacrament of baptism is our participation in the redemptive work of God in Christ by claiming His story as our story. By identifying with Christ in baptism, new creation occurs. Sins are forgiven. Imago Dei is restored. And community is made possible once again. These are characteristics of the Kingdom reign of God, which Jesus inaugurates in this exodus act of redemption.
  • Reconciliation: The Kingdom of God. Reconciliation is our communal ministry. Scripture affirms that God is actively reconciling all things back to God. As reconciled bearers of God’s image, we actively participate with God in God’s mission to reconcile creation. The Christian life bears witness to the goodness of God and the power of God to liberate from exile. As those who have experienced reconciliation, Christian engagement with the world is congruent with the mission of God. Christians seek to bring others into restored relationship with God. Christians also seek to embody the love and shalom of God in relationship with each other and the world. By doing so, the Christian community becomes the in-breaking of the Kingdom of God in the present realm. Although the Kingdom awaits consummation in the yet-to-be-revealed eschaton, the confessing community also embodies the principles of the Kingdom in the present. Christ’s church exists to embody the Kingdom principle of new creation and to reconcile the world back to God through acts of justice, mercy, discipleship, worship, and service. The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper identifies the confessing community with the death and resurrection of Christ and functions as a rehearsal of the Messianic banquet the reconciled community will enjoy in the eschatological new heavens and new earth. God is present in the confessing community through the indwelling of God’s Spirit until God’s reconciling activity is fully consummated in the coming Kingdom of God.
Posted in I Believe, Scripture, Theology | 3 Comments

A Music Update

Posted on July 15, 2008 by Jason

Still spinning copious amounts of Old Crow and the Avett Brothers. I’m stoked to hear that Old Crow will release a new album in September. You can stream the great first single, “Caroline”, from their MySpace page. I’m still hoping to catch them at the Ryman in October. Sunny’s not a big fan, but she says she’ll be my date (‘atta girl!).

Also, the Avett Brothers announced last week that they’re in the process of recording a new album with uber-producer Rick Rubin. Of course, Rubin produced all of Cash’s American Recordings albums as well as the most recent Dixie Chicks disc, so you can imagine how excited I am about this news. Last year’s “Emotionalism” has vaulted into the hallowed ground of my top 3 or 4 albums of all-time. There’s literally not a song on there that I don’t love. I’m eyeing their September 26 Nashville show.

By the way, tickets to either of these shows would make for a great early birthday present for someone!

Posted in Music | 2 Comments

I Believe: Imago Dei

Posted on July 14, 2008 by Jason

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27

We begin not with ourselves but with God. This is the initial assertion of Scripture: “In the beginning, God.” All history moves in linear fashion from this fixed point. Anthropology follows Theology. We must begin with God.

God’s choice to create is a free one. He is not driven by any external compulsion to create. Nor does He create out of some inward necessity. Rather, God creates ex nihilo. As Barth says, in creation, God chooses “something” and rejects “nothing.” He chooses to share His divine image in creation. As such, creation is the free, loving act of a free, loving God. God shares the divine image with humanity out of His great love.

As participants in the divine image, we will best understand who we are in light of who God is. Our identity is rooted in the image and identity of God. Morality, Creativity, Productivity, Rationality, Relationality…these characteristics are ours only to the degree that they are first characteristic of God. We image God as moral beings in the cosmos. Human creativity, in all its forms (art, poetry, literature, reproductivity, etc.) bears witness to God’s identity as Creator. We image God through work and labor. Our identity as rational creatures springs from the very mind of God Himself. And God, the eternal relational reality, creates us to image Him in relationship — relationship with creation, with others and with Himself. In the words of Stanley Grenz, “The image of God is a community concept. It refers to humans as beings-in-fellowship.” To image God is to be relational. Or more succinctly, to image God is to love.

We possess the image of God already. It is intrinsic to human nature. The presence of this divine image differentiates humanity from the rest of creation. All of us, both saint and sinner alike, are possessors of this image. This means that in God’s economy, great value is ascribed to human life. The implication is that we should hold human life in similar esteem. The imago Dei requires that we subscribe to a consistent ethic of human life. It requires a wholesale shift in perspective. It means I begin to view people the way God views them. Imago Dei demands that we see the sanctity and intrinsic value of all humanity.

  • Imago Dei means that I hold fast to the principles of love, community and reconciliation.
  • Imago Dei means communion is the goal of history.
  • Imago Dei means individualism is the enemy.
  • Imago Dei means people are more important than issues.
  • Imago Dei has radical implications for my understanding of myself and my life’s purpose.
  • Imago Dei has radical implications for my understanding of those around me.
  • Imago Dei means I value the lives of the poor and the homeless in my community as much as I value the lives of my own family.
  • Imago Dei means the life of the Al-Qaeda radical is as precious as the life of the yet-born fetus.
  • Imago Dei means that I understand terms like male, female, black, white, Republican, Democrat, rich, poor, American, European, Baptist, Catholic, Muslim, Jew, homosexual and atheist as peripheral, not primary, identifiers.

And yet, the image of God is restored to us progressively. We image God both already and not yet. We are all in process. We continue to image Him more fully as Christ is more fully formed in us. The divine design I have received and currently fulfill will be actualized in the coming eschaton. The image of God will one day be borne by resurrected humans in the new creation.

And so we end just as we began, with God.

Posted in I Believe, Imago Dei, Scripture, Theology | Leave a comment

2008 Home Run Derby

Posted on July 13, 2008 by Jason

Well it looks like my blogging hiatus lasted about as long as Brett Favre’s “retirement”. I have enjoyed taking a break for a couple of weeks and I’ve had a couple of ideas about things I plan on blogging about in the future. But for now, I can’t resist a quick baseball post.

Every year, Sunny and I have a little competition when it comes to the Home Run Derby the day before the All-Star Game. We’ll each draft 4 players from the pool of 8, and the one who picks the winner is declared the Bybee Family HR Derby Champ. My 2nd round pick last year, Vlad Guerrero, brought home the gold for yours truly. As the reigning champ, Sunny let me pick first this year. Here’s how this year’s draft went:

Round 1
Jason takes Lance Berkman
Sunny takes Chase Utley
I like Berkman hitting lefty in Yankee Stadium. Sunny wisely chose the only other first round consideration in this field.

Round 2
Jason takes Ryan Braun
Sunny takes Evan Longoria
We both surprised each other by taking right handed power hitters in the 2nd round. We’ll see if it pays off. Sunny’s a Longoria homer because a) he’s on her fantasy team and b) his name sounds like “Eva Longoria”.

Round 3
Jason takes Josh Hamilton
Sunny takes Grady Sizemore
I thought about Sizemore here, but I couldn’t justify taking a leadoff hitter over the dude with 95 RBI. Hamilton is the feel-good story of the season so far; maybe he’ll hit it big for me in the Derby.

Round 4
Jason takes Justin Morneau
Sunny takes Dan Uggla
No-brainer for me here; Morneau is a lefty and that short porch will be calling his name. 2nd year in a row he’s been my last choice here.

There you have it. Your thoughts? How do you handicap this year’s Derby? It’s a more lackluster group than in years past, but you know I’ll be watching nonetheless.

Posted in Baseball, Sunny | 4 Comments

Important News

Posted on July 12, 2008 by Jason

We interrupt this blogging hiatus to bring you some important breaking news:

Jackson is walking!

Posted in Kids, Video | 4 Comments

National League All-Star Ballot

Posted on June 26, 2008 by Jason

Now the NL:

C – Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves. This one is really a tough call, as you could make a compelling case for McCann, Bengie Molina, Geovanny Soto, or Russell Martin. McCann boasts the most balanced stat sheet of the bunch with a .301 average, 14 HR and 44 RBI. I’m hoping Molina earns a backup role. I mean, what other Giant is going to make this squad?

1B – Lance Berkman, Houston Astros. Tough to argue with a guy hitting .360 w/ 21 bombs and 62 RBI. He’s even stolen 12 bases. If the season ended today, he’d be pushing Chipper Jones for NL MVP honors. If you wanted to be ornery you could make a case for the Pads’ Adrian Gonzalez.

2B – Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies. This one is probably even money between Utley and the Marlins’ Dan Uggla. The numbers are remarkably similar. I’ll give the nod to Utley, but you could really go either way on this one.

SS – Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins. This is yet another tough call, with Jose Reyes putting up great numbers, too. But Hanley’s power numbers give him my vote.

3B – Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves. This one’s a slam dunk. With apologies to David Wright, Chipper has put together an absolutely torrid first half and deserves the start. How can you not vote in a .400 hitter, people?

OF – Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers; Carlos Lee, Houston Astros; Ryan Ludwick, St. Louis Cardinals. I admit that none of these guys has a chance of overtaking the current starters. For some reason, we’ll be forced to watch Ken Griffey Jr. (he of the .245 batting average) gimp around and try to not pull a hamstring for 3 innings. But I think these three are the most deserving. Braun can absolutely mash as his .287 / 20 / 57 / 8 line testifies. Carlos Lee is an RBI machine. And Ryan Ludwick personifies this ’08 Cardinal squad. He’s come out of nowhere to boast a .292 average with 16 HR and 56 RBI. Moreover, he embodies the soul of a team that no one (not even this avid ‘Birds fan) expected to be leading the NL Wild Card race at the midway point.

Since the NL has to employ a DH in the AL park, I’m hoping Adrian Gonzalez will get a much deserving start at that spot.

Posted in Baseball | Leave a comment

American League All-Star Ballot

Posted on June 24, 2008 by Jason

It’s time for my annual post wherein I reveal my MLB All-Star Game voting ballot. If you’ve not yet voted for the mid-summer classic, time is running out. Here’s who you should be voting for, starting with the American League:

C – Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins. The whole Yankees / Red Sox bias is most evident in the All-Star voting where a Boston or New York player leads the votes at 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, DH, and one of the OF spots. Thankfully, Mauer recently edged out Jason Varitek at C. Because every All Star team needs a .231 hitting catcher, right? Isn’t it enough that I have to watch Boston on every ESPN and TBS game? Do I have to see them represented en masse at the All Star Game, too? But I digress.

1B – Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins. Although you could make an argument for Kevin Youkilis here, I’ll go with Morneau, who matches the Greek God of Walks in every category except RBI where he leads Youk by 15. And I don’t want to hear anything about a Minneapolis bias here.

2B – Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers. This guy can hit and run circles around Dustin Pedroia. By season’s end, he’ll have put together a 25HR / 40SB season. He’s the most deserving AL 2B.

SS – Derek Jeter, New York Yankees. A decade ago, this would’ve been a tough call between ARod, Jeter, Nomar, and Miguel Tejada. Now Jeter is the last man standing among that quartet of AL shortstops. There are really no deserving AL SS’s, so Jeter’s as good a choice as any, I guess.

3B – Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees. No matter how you look at the numbers, he’s the class of the league here. No brainer.

OF – Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers; Grady Sizemore, Cleveland Indians; Milton Bradley, Texas Rangers. Hamilton has been an absolute beast for Texas with an eye-popping 76 RBI. Considering the long road he’s taken to big league glory, he’s a guy you just want to root for. On the other end of the spectrum, Milton Bradley is one guy that’s easy to root against. But there’s no denying his numbers (.332, 15 HR, 48 RBI). Sizemore’s blend of power and speed (17 HR; 17 steals) has been the lone bright spot in an otherwise lackluster Indians offense.

DH – Jose Guillen, Kansas City Royals. I know you can’t really vote for Guillen because he doesn’t “play” DH (only “full-time” DH’s qualify for the voting), but he’s much more deserving of a starting nod than Big Papi David Ortiz. Toiling in relative anonymity in KC, Guillen has posted a .293 average with 13 HR and 60 RBI (good for 2nd in the league). I’m lobbying for him to start in place of the injured Ortiz.

Tomorrow, I’ll preview my NL ballot.

Posted in Baseball | 2 Comments

Jackson’s Birthday Cake

Posted on June 22, 2008 by Jason

Here’s some video of Jackson eating his birthday cake at his party last week. As you can see, he had a unique way of bringing the cake eating time to a close!

Posted in Humor, Kids, Video | 1 Comment

Random Thoughts

Posted on June 18, 2008 by Jason

These days my blogging (and my thoughts) is pretty random and sporadic. Today, I give you a few of my random thoughts:

  • As if we needed further confirmation that Tiger is the best player on the planet, now comes this. Winning the U.S. Open with a torn ACL? And he’s been hurt since last July?
  • I’ve always wondered, do you have to rotate the tires on a motorcycle? I’m thinking not, but then again….
  • Joshua learned this week that mosquito bites itch. Yesterday he said to me, “Daddy, why did God give me these skeeter bites?” What do you say to that?!
  • I had to teach Matthew 7 last Sunday, the part where Jesus says, “Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and the door will be opened unto you.” We had a great discussion on prayer and faith. I’m curious to know what some of you think. How do we reconcile Jesus’ statement with our experience. He doesn’t qualify His statement by saying that if we ask for the right things we’ll receive them. He simply says ask and you’ll receive. Yet, my experience with prayer is quite different. How should we understand what Jesus says? I don’t have an answer; just curious what you think.
  • I’m at IMPACT this week teaching from the book of Micah. I’m convinced that Micah’s message of social justice is meant to awaken us from the doldrums of understanding our faith purely in terms of personal piety and to move us toward a pursuit of biblical justice and the righteousness of God. There is perhaps no more important message for the 21st century church to hear.

Hope you all have a great week.

Posted in Kids, Random, Scripture, Social Issues, Sports | 3 Comments

MyPod: Viva la Vida

Posted on June 17, 2008 by Jason

The likeliest disc to receive my annual “Album of the Year” title for 2008 just dropped this morning. Coldplay’s Viva la Vida sounds like their strongest effort to date, at least at first blush. Whereas X&Y plodded in some places, the Brian Eno-produced Viva la Vida is a seamless blend of piano, guitar, and Chris Martin’s falsetto. I’ve been loving the title track for a couple weeks now, but the entire album is great. Of course, I’m a Coldplay homer, so what do you expect?

Posted in Music | 3 Comments