GOD’S GRACE AND CHRISTIAN ETHICS IN THE PREACHED SERMON .

GOD’S GRACE AND CHRISTIAN ETHICS IN THE PREACHED SERMON:BRINGING LUTHERAN PROCLAMATION OF GOD’S GRACETOGETHER WITH ANABAPTIST-MENNONITE ETHICAL TEACHINGbyAllan R. Rudy-FroeseA Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Theology of Emmanuel Collegeand the Pastoral Department of the Toronto School of Theologyin conformity with the requirements for the degree ofDoctor of Philosophy in TheologyAwarded by the University of St. Michael’s College Copyright by Allan R. Rudy-Froese 2012

God’s Grace and Christian Ethics in the Preached Sermon: Bringing LutheranProclamation of God’s Grace together with Anabaptist-Mennonite EthicalTeachingAllan R. Rudy-FroeseDoctor of Philosophy in TheologyPastoral Department of Emmanuel CollegeToronto School of TheologyAwarded by the University of St. Michael’s College2012ABSTRACTThe contextual task at hand is that of moving God’s grace to the centre of North AmericanMennonite theology and preaching, where a strong theology of discipleship has left God’s graceand agency at the margins. Moving grace to the centre of the preached sermon requires thescholarly disciplines of New Testament studies, theology, and homiletics. An exploration ofPaul’s “logic” used to weave God’s grace and Christian ethics, together with a spatial reading ofRomans 5 and 6, reveals that believers are “in Christ” – a new territory or sphere where God’ssuperabundant grace gives rise to new behaviour. In an attempt to grapple theologically with thedynamics of God’s grace and Christian discipleship, the work of two theological ethicists isexamined. John Howard Yoder, an Anabaptist-Mennonite scholar, assumes the grace of God butdoes not develop it in a fulsome way in his case for discipleship modeled on the nonviolent wayof Jesus. Oswald Bayer, a Lutheran scholar, characterizes discipleship not as following Jesus butas a passive venture where the believer responds to God’s grace (God’s spoken promissio) and isthereby “opened up” and “uncurved” and thus able to recognize and respond in love to God,ii

creation, and the needs of the neighbour. Paul Scott Wilson, together with other contributors tothe law/gospel school of homiletics, brings the best of Mennonite discipleship and Lutherangrace together with his understanding of proclamation – a term that he defines in a particularway. Through the Holy Spirit, the preached sermon is both about the gospel (teaching) and anevent of the gospel (proclamation), but the emphasis is on the latter. It is only in the context ofthe crucified and risen Christ who speaks a word of promise, that this same Jesus Christ can beappropriated as teacher and model for life. Finally, new possibilities in theology and preachingare explored with a view to integrating law/gospel homiletics and God’s spoken promissio withAnabaptist-Mennonite theology and preaching.iii

CONTENTSINTRODUCTIONBackground .Thesis Statement .Thesis Context: Joining a Wave of Mennonite Grace .Thesis Structure .1447CHAPTER 1: GRACE AND ETHICS IN PAUL’S LOGIC . 11Introduction. 11Part I: Three Approaches to Paul’s Logic of Grace and Ethics .The Indicative/Imperative Approach .Narrative Approaches .N. T. Wright .Richard B. Hays .Narrative Readings: Potential and Limits .A Narrative Spirituality Approach.Spirituality .Cruciformity .The Possibilities of Cruciform Narrative Spirituality .12131922273235363842Part II: The Logic of Grace and Obedience in Romans 5-6 .Romans 5 and 6 in the Context of Romans .Spatial Readings .A Geographical Reading of Romans 5-8 .A Spatial Reading of Romans 5 and 6 .Romans 5:1-11: Moving into Graceland .Romans 5:12-21: Moving from Sin to Grace .Romans 6:1-14: Immigration by baptism .Romans 6:15-23: A Place for Freedom and Worship .Sum: The Sphere of Grace and Obedience .Concluding Comments: Paul, God’s Grace, and Christian Obedience .4547505053535657596162CHAPTER 2: JOHN HOWARD YODER’S THEOLOGY OF GRACE . 64Introduction. 64Background Issues . 66iv

A Theological Framework for God’s Grace and Christian Ethics. 66The Topic of Grace in Current Mennonite Theology . 67Yoder: Mennonite and Ecumenist . 68Searching for Grace in Yoder . 69Ethical assumptions in The Politics of Jesus . 71Justification . 73Yoder, Justification, and Grace in Anabaptist-Mennonite Context . 77Ecclesiology. 81Christian Ethics is only for Christians . 82Christian Resources for Ethical Living . 83Yoder, the Church, and Ethics . 85Eschatology. 87The Powers and Principalities. 88Living with the Rebellious Powers . 90Cross-Resurrection Logic . 94Yoder in Conversation on Eschatology . 95Conclusion: Loops and Missing Loops . 101CHAPTER 3: OSWALD BAYER ON GOD’S PROMISE AND CHRISTIAN ETHICS . 103Introduction. 104An Introduction to Promisso . 105Promise as Speech-Act: Martin Luther’s Discovery . 107Promise, Relationship, and Language . 109Promise and Community . 111Promise and Justification by Grace through Faith . 112Promise, Law and Gospel, and Jesus Christ . 112Promise and Creation . 115Promise and Ethics . 117Initial Observations on Bayer and Yoder . 120Promise and Ethics in Justification and Sanctification, Ecclesiology, and Eschatology. 121Justification and Sanctification . 121Justification as State of Being. 123Justification and the Cry to “Be Opened”. 126Justification and the “Happy Exchange” . 127A Passive Faith . 128Sanctification as the Other Side of Justification . 130Sanctification and the Orders of Creation . 131Justification/Sanctification and Ethics: Walking the Mountain Ridge . 133Ecclesiology . 135The Word and the Church. 135Marks of the Church (Notae Ecclesiae). 138The Church Turned to the World. 141Eschatology. 143Progress. 143v

The Interweaving of Time . 145The Cross of Jesus Christ . 145Word, Table, and Baptism . 146Bayer and Yoder: Notes on Moving Grace to the Centre of the Sermon . 147CHAPTER 4: GRACE AND ETHICS IN THE NEW HOMILETIC: A LAW/GOSPELAPPROACH . 153Introduction. 153The Early Years of the New Homiletic: The Gospel is in and Ethics is Out . 157Thou Shalt Not Moralize. 158Some Direction Signs for Ethics . 161Form over Theology in Actual Sermons . 164Theological Questions for the New Homiletic . 166The Law/Gospel School of Homiletics. 168The Law/Gospel School of Homiletics: General Introduction . 169Lutheran Sources . . . and More . 169Cross/Resurrection and Law/Grace: Dynamic Dialectics . 170Performative Christ-event . 172The Law/Gospel School is Comprehensive . 175The Law/Gospel School Unites Theology and Form . 177The Law/Gospel School of Homiletics: Christian Ethics with God at the Centre. 181The Priority of God’s Grace and Agency . 182God’s Grace is Empowering. 183Grace is More than Empowerment . 184Personal, Social, and Structural Life are Untied. 184Teaching and Proclamation . 185Conclusions. 187CHAPTER 5 MOVING GRACE TO THE CENTRE OF THE SERMON: THEOLOGY ANDHOMILETICAL PRACTICE . 190Introduction. 191Law/Gospel Homiletics: A Mennonite Experiment . 192Jesus Christ is Gift before Model or Teacher . 193Justification and Sanctification . 198Justification and Sanctification: Individual, Social, and Cosmic . 199Justification and Sanctification: Freedom to Love the Neighbour . 202Ecclesiology . 205The “Middle Term” . 206Preaching against the Powers . 208Prophetic Preaching . 209Eschatology. 212Conclusion . 217vi

A Preaching Course: Moving God’s Grace to the Centre of the Mennonite Sermon . 217Course Description, Objectives, and Bibliography . 219Course Bibliography. 220Rationale for Course Sermons . 221Analysis of Sermons which Place God’s Grace at the Centre. 222“The Talking God and the Speechless Prophet”. 223“Swept Upstream” . 225“Mother to Mother: Centered in a Circle of Need” . 227“An Impossible Christmas” . 230“Untitled Sermon” . 232Comment on Sermons . 235Class Schedule and Assignments . 235Commentary on Schedule and Assignments . 236Conclusion . 237BIBLIOGRAPHY. 240vii

INTRODUCTIONBackgroundThree events stand out as spiritual and intellectual impetus for this study:Event 1: “We have been given work to do but not the power to do it.” These were thewords that I recall of John E. Toews, then president of Conrad Grebel College, Waterloo,Ontario, in a sermon preached at Rockway Mennonite Church in the spring of 1995. Being giventhe work to do but not the power to do it, was Toews way of critiquing a current North AmericanMennonite view of discipleship. I heard the preacher calling for a new and strong connectionbetween the call of Jesus to radically serve others and the empowering grace of God. JohnHoward Yoder, a Mennonite scholar whose work I was somewhat familiar with, was mentionedby Toews in this sermon as one who had rightly called the church in the 1970s and beyond toheed the radical call to follow Jesus in everyday life – especially in following Jesus’ way ofnonviolence. But Yoder, the preacher suggested, had sadly sidelined the work of the Spirit andthe grace of God, making it seem as though it was up to the Christian to solve the world’s ills. Iheard Toews calling for a reassessment of current Mennonite theology which would takeseriously the unmerited and empowering grace of God together with Jesus’ call to radicaldiscipleship.The notion that discipleship was strongly connected to the empowering grace of Godstruck me as both stunning and liberating. Having been an M. Div.-toting minister and preacherin a Mennonite context for more than ten years I was forced to look back on hundreds of my ownsermons. In my preaching I was constantly, albeit with well worked out narrative homiletical1

2strategies, calling for more acts of love, more discipleship, better ethics – how else is thepreacher supposed to end a sermon? Following a model given to me in Mennonite institutions,including the works of John Howard Yoder, living a life like Jesus was at the centre of mypreaching. I was preaching on human agency and paying little attention to the agency and graceof God – the place where discipleship has its source.Event 2: Some years later I was engaged in a conversation over coffee with an undergraduniversity student who had spent most of her teen years listening to my sermons.Meg: “I really want to thank you for the teaching and preaching, over the years.”Me: “Wow. You’re welcome. Why are you thanking me?”Meg: “I liked your stories. The Jesus stories were

heed the radical call to follow Jesus in everyday life – especially in following Jesus’ way of nonviolence. But Yoder, the preacher suggested, had sadly sidelined the work of the Spirit and the grace of God, making it seem as though it was up to the Christian to solve the world’s ills. I