Ben and I have been attending some pretty thought provoking workshops here in Miami at the CCDA (Christian Community Development Association) conference. In the world of Christian Community Development people talk a lot about living “incarnationally”. This word, incarnational, keeps showing up in every workshop we attend. It is not a word you will find in the dictionary. Incarnational is a coined term popularly used by many Christians to mean, ‘a person’s embodiment of the gospel in a concrete location.’ It’s not a novel idea, right; we as the Church are the body of Christ, so it logically makes sense to refer to this as living incarnationally. Not so fast though. I think we need to remember a few important things when we use the term incarnational to describe our outreach. This is not semantics; it could mean the difference between pointing to Jesus or displacing Him. Here are two important qualifications I would like to offer on the subject:
One, there is only one true incarnation, and he is Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus is the only pure embodiment of the gospel; we are not. I think we would all agree with this statement. Yet, I find myself at times eclipsing Jesus in my attempt to be incarnational rather than simply pointing people to Jesus (as well as looking for them to point me to Him), the one full incarnation. When we say we are living incarnationally this does not mean we are Jesus but that we represent and point to Jesus.
Second, we must acknowledge that incarnational living is a two way street. If we are able to embody the gospel through the Spirit in a concrete location, then it would follow that we will at times also have the gospel embodied before us by others. In other words, we reciprocally point one another to Jesus. I know when I think of living incarnationally, I think of it as my behavior towards others and not others’ behavior towards me. We must expand our view of living incarnationally to also include learning from others’ incarnational living.
What do you think? Do you think speaking of living incarnationally in our neighborhoods undermines the incarnation of Christ, why or why not? What other dangers do you think there are in using this language if any? How would you define living incarnationally? And what does living incarnationally mean to you?
Hello Ross,
You’ve raised some thoughtful patristic and medieval theologies there.
I suggest it is both.
In a narrow sense, living incarnationally is relevant and Scriptural. Since Paul wrote in Corinthians that God has written the Gospel in our hearts and that we are the Gospel, living out the reality and truth of that Gospel is theologically, incarnational: the Word of Christ in the flesh.
In a more profound and deeper sense, i shudder to trifle with Incarnation. In Latin, “In carnare”, in the flesh, is God in Christ, holy, sinless, majestic, without guile, assuming human flesh because “the unassumed is the unhealed” (Gregory of Nunziazus). Thus, for sinful me to think that i am God Incarnate in some inner-city, decadent corner of America might be too far-fetched for orthodoxy. Good orthopraxis, bad othodoxy, might I add.
But then again, that is just me. C.S.Lewis is right: there is “a far deeper magic” than the inscriptions on the stone table. And that magic stretches beyond the beginning of time.
I think i learned that profanity is not simply the use of cuss or swear words but also the cheapening and denigrating of that which is holy and awesome. Just like using “awesome” for a movie or a basketball game and then singing “Awesome God”. Just like the Gospel for acts of charity, the Bible in lieu of socioeconomic changes. And, incarnation for the social gospel.
Our problem is that we seem to have a very low respect, regard and reverence for the holy. And in our myopia, we seem to always think of that song: “Like a rose trampled on the ground; You took the fall and thought of me: ABOVE ALL.”
Woe is the rugged individualists! Woe to the self-made people- and who are so proud of their creator (the self)!
Thanks Ross & Ronaldo for your thoughts. The concept of living incarnational is a helpful and needed balance to our unbiblical dichotomy of deed and action as James loudly denounces. If a new word/phrase is able to capture an age old concept and breathe some life and excitement, fanning the flames of our generation, then praise God! Yet your concerns are valid, not because of the term, but because of the propensity for us as humans to become entrapped with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life! I am currently reading a book on Biblical Economics and the writer continues to stress the point the problem is not money (which is a neutral thing- like a word), but that as humans we want to be God and we’re mad He beat us to it! We must never assume or imagine ourselves to be the makers of peace on earth, but as the vessels of that peace and proclaimers of the greatest peacemaker.
Incarational living is a beautiful testimony to the power of God in us when we are able to live life with others sharing deeply, sacrificing greatly, rejoicing in our sufferings, and giving a reason for the hope the hope that we have. True incarnational living costs a great deal in fact it costs us all that we have, and as far as I understand it thats what we are all called to do as God’s disciples, for those who loose their life will find it. For some that will mean moving intentionally to a new community to demonstrate their love, but for others it will be the realization that God has already called them to participate in this livinig of a word made flesh right where they are, placed there by God’s providence! May God grant us all the grace to rely, abide and live by His spirit. For the most precious gift Jesus gave us was the spirit to carry out His work in us. Christ proclaims that through the Spirit we may do even greater things than He did! Praise be to the Trinity!