04-2 Hermeneutics.pdf

COLLOQUIUM FRATRUM“Through the mutual conversation and consolation of the brethren . . .”Smalcald Articles III/IVFOLLOWING DR. MARVA DAWN’S LORDIn the Reformation issue of LOGIA, Pastor Andrew Dimitreviewed two of Dr. Marva Dawn’s books. He ended with a statementthat cannot stand without contradiction. His closing statementwas: “Perhaps, after all, Ms. Dawn would like me to leavemy church and forsake my Lord, in order to join her church andfollow her Lord.”I have exchanged letters with Pastor Dimit. In my letter tohim I stated,For a book review to contain the suggestion that Marvais a non-Christian, that she follows a different “lord”other than the precious Lord Jesus who has sustainedher with so much strength during her faith and healthbattles, is completely inaccurate and inappropriate, anunloving, cruel, and sarcastic statement, in my opinion.In Pastor Dimit’s response to my letter he defended hisreview, ending with this statement: “Ms. Dawn is the one whowrote books devoid of the gospel of forgiveness, so she shouldn’ttake offense to them being named as such.”I urge the readers of LOGIA to be fair to Dr. Dawn by readingthe books that were reviewed so that they can answer for themselvesif she follows a different Lord than they follow. Permit meto share a few quotations from The Hilarity of Community.We experience glad Hilarity in the sure knowledge thatwe are loved by God, as manifested in the past by God’screation of us and in the life, death, resurrection, andascension of Jesus Christ. Our present Hilarity is madepossible by the empowering indwelling of the HolySpirit in our lives. Our Hilarity is heightened when welook forward confidently to the wild ecstasy that will beours at the end of time when all suffering is finished andwe experience the eternal, incredible Joy of face-to-facecommunion with God (Preface, p. x).Relationships that float around on the surface deny thereality of God’s gutsy love, a love so full that it compelledChrist to suffer depths of degradation and cruel crucifixionto demonstrate it to us (Preface, p. xv).Though we have blown it, we need not despair. Forgivenessgives us new hope. Though from a human perspectiveour offerings are anything but pleasing as a sacrificeand far from holy in the way we live, yet God receivesthem as such when we respond to his love in our worship.All kinds of things spoil our offering—nastywords, cruel actions, judgmental thoughts, selfish failures,manipulative insensitivities, proud stubbornnesses.What a great Hilarity it creates in our lives when,for all these errors, Christ offers forgiveness andremoves the condemnation (p. 22).In the same way, we who are God’s people are setapart as special vessels for his purposes. That does notmean, of course, that we are better than anyone else.Pride has no place when we realize how often we loseour love and the Hilarity that motivates it. However,we do understand what distinguishes us from thosewho do not believe—not our success at acting moreholy, but God’s loving forgiveness which sets us apartas holy (p. 23).Yet the Hilarity of our faith is this hope: in his perfectlove Christ forgives us. He makes our communities holyin God’s sight (p. 24).Dr. Dawn’s Lord surely sounds like my Lord. What aboutyou?The Reverend Orval MuellerNew Orleans, Louisiana49