Transforming Renewal

Charismatic Renewal meets Thomas Merton

Andy Lord

• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN:
  9781625640543
  9781498227186
• eBook ISBN:
  9781630877491
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Theology

Pentecostal and charismatic renewal movements have seen great growth over the last century and have engaged with many Christian traditions. Yet there are signs that all is not well, and there is a need to develop theologies of renewal that engage with practice and across the traditions if the movements are to continue to grow. In particular, this book seeks an ecumenical engagement between David Watson and Thomas Merton, leaders in the charismatic and monastic renewal movements. The aim is to reflect on the theological roots of these renewal movements through a study of particular people who lived them in practice and sought to help others understand how the triune God was at work. This is done against the wider background of contemporary renewalist theology to develop constructive proposals for renewal theology in the future. Receptive ecumenism provides the method for bringing the different voices into conversation in ways that also point forward in approaches to ecumenical dialogue. It is thus a study relevant to those seeking new ways in theology, those involved in renewal and ecumenical movements, students of Thomas Merton, and all who seek to better understand the Christian renewal movements that have swept the world.

1

Renewal through Conversation

Seeking Renewal

Renewal is something desired by many people, communities, and nations. It is the seeking of practices that will regenerate, reinvigorate, and make new individuals, groups, and areas where things have become run down.1 Thus we talk about personal renewal, urban renewal, political renewal, and community renewal. It is the basic awareness that things are not as they should be and there is a lament as to how people and communities are living and the way society is headed. What is needed is fresh vision and action to repair the problems and make things new. Renewal thus describes a movement from lament to newness via vision and action. This movement is often spoken of as a journey from death to life, from darkness to light, and from despair to hope. Renewal is rooted in the past, appreciating that there have been many good things to celebrate; it is acted upon in the present in times of challenge; and it points ahead to a fresh future in which things are to be different. This is the very general understanding of renewal that many in the world would sign up to be part of, but in the present work we are particularly interested in spiritual renewal within the Christian tradition. This overlaps with wider understandings of renewal as “spiritual” is taken to correspond to the way in which Christian faith relates to the whole of life in this world: personal, communal, national, and political. Yet at the same time there is an inevitable focus on particular faith practices that encourage a spiritual approach to the whole of life. In Christian history we can see that where faith has reached a low ebb and practices seem dull, there arise movements of renewal that promise fresh hope. Movements of Christian renewal are rooted in the Scriptures and history, encourage faith practices in the present, and engender an attitude of hope for the future. They follow patterns of death and resurrection in as much as they mirror the central narrative of Jesus that shapes Christian faith. They are also characterized by an emphasis on the work of God in renewal rather than primarily relying on increased human effort. Sometimes this is spoken of in terms of revival, emphasizing the sense of newness and of God’s initiative, although the meaning of the terms overlaps. In either case, Christian renewal follows the pattern of Jesus and is energized by the work of the Holy Spirit of God, who is seen as the one who sustains and renews the whole of creation.

Within this still broad understanding of renewal this book seeks to engage with the nature of charismatic renewal movements in the worldwide church that have arisen since the 1960s. These are often seen alongside the Pentecostal movement in their emphasis on the present work of the Holy Spirit to bring new life into struggling churches. These movements are often traced to the Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles in 1906 and have resulted in over five hundred million people being affected.2 Yet this is to simplify the historical reality which is characterized by many different movements, each with different roots, contexts, beliefs, and character. Despite the differences there appears a shared emphasis on the work and gifts of the Holy Spirit that remake faith anew for the world today. In this, the term “renewal” has come to the fore as a way of describing these disparate movements. Research by the Pew Foundation has since 2010 used the term “renewalist” to describe movements often known as Pentecostal, charismatic, or neo-charismatic.3 Within world Christianity, movements characterized by renewal continue to have a huge impact on its development and also on the renewal of the wider world. This is partly due to their combining personal transformation with the desire to share the good news of Jesus and his empowering Spirit “to the ends of the earth.”4 Christian faith is seen as a way to bring goodness into the world and overcome all that gets in the way of life, justice and peace.

Against this positive backdrop it may be surprising to suggest that not all is well with renewal. Yes, there is much that testifies to the power of renewal to transform individuals, communities, and wider society.5 Yet if we focus in on particular histories of renewal then we see many setbacks and examples of decline as well as examples of things made new. Congregations that were transformed have tried to keep the forms of worship that renewed them yet seem to have lost the energy of the Spirit of God. Individuals delivered from addictions have found themselves slipping back into unhealthy patterns of life. Spontaneous movements of life have established structures and leadership that begin to seem more about the institution than the spiritual life that started it. Such patterns of decline have motivated one international leader in charismatic renewal to state that “Renewal has reached a crisis—and we have to choose how we react.”6 This should not surprise us as renewal presupposes that things will decline towards eventual death unless fresh life comes. Renewal thus describes the ongoing process of seeking God for the life that overcomes decline. The temptation is for present renewal to be sought using the same form and practices used in the past. Whilst inspired by the past, renewal is always about life in the present context. The Holy Spirit is sought for the church and world of today rather than for how things used to be. I am suggesting that in many places renewal has declined in its impact and hence fresh renewal is required. This is not a search after perfection but rather a seeking of new life from God to flow into the always mixed lives of people today. Renewal moves things forward in the direction of life and yet is always incomplete: renewal movements contain the glory and the shame that Peter Hocken notes in relation to pentecostalism.7 To seek renewal is to seek fresh life that offers transformation and hope despite the failures.

If such renewal is worth seeking then the question is: how? As I have suggested, it is not simply through trying to keep past patterns and structures, to repeat specific forms of prayer, to sing certain songs, to hold to particular understandings of Scripture, to exalt certain leaders or to get angry towards those who don’t seem renewed. At the heart of renewal is the surprise of the Holy Spirit.8 As Christians, we seek renewal by seeking the Holy Spirit and letting ourselves be surprised by God. In other words, to seek renewal is to be open before God to what is different. More particularly, it is about being open in a personal way to God and to others who have encountered God in fresh ways. Renewal is personal and yet communal—encountering the Spirit is individual and also connects people. This is the truth at the heart of renewal movements and is true to the way the Spirit is presented in the New Testament.9 I want here to suggest that renewal is a work of the Holy Spirit in humanity that brings fresh life. This life is sought by individuals and this seeking leads to an embrace of those who are different and encourages and challenges faith in new directions. So renewal is about people and conversations, about engaging with those who are different, within the aim of letting God’s life-giving Holy Spirit breathe afresh on us. This ...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• Chapter 1: Renewal through Conversation
• Chapter 2: God’s Renewal
• Chapter 3: Renewal of Humanity
• Chapter 4: The Process of Renewal
• Chapter 5: Renewal in Daily Life
• Chapter 6: Conclusion
• Bibliography