Quote
“The polarity of ‘secular versus sacred’ is alien from the start to the categories of Hebrew wisdom. Rather, reflection on human experience without resort to the religious language of Israel’s traditional institutions of law, cult, and prophecy is characteristic of wisdom, and is by no means a sign of secular origin.” ~ Brevard S. Childs, Introduction to the Old Testament as Scripture, p. 574 (emphasis mine)
Never thought I’d quote Dr. Childs in an entry, but his observation about Song of Songs is something that we need to consider as Christians in the 21st century. All we do can be an act of worship to God – even washing the dishes or holding hands with a member of the opposite sex. We need to get rid of this dichotomy between holy and profane, secular and sacred. P.O.D. and Amy Grant have served as ministers to the Gospel, even if they didn’t lace every song with “Jesus” this and “Jesus” that, with an “Amen” thrown in for good measure. On the flip side, Chris Tomlin’s songs of worship and praise are a great contribution to the “playlist” of the church. There’s room for both. It doesn’t have to be “either, or”…it can’t be that way.
I guess this means I disagree with Dr. Jones. I still believe you are called into a ministry regardless of your profession. Maybe I’m trying to justify my experience here – I believe my time spent managing at Papa John’s and substituting in the high school allowed for ministry opportunities that I couldn’t have had during my youth ministry days – even if they weren’t “Christian” professions.
Preach on! Although at times we may feel that if we’re not in “ministry,”, we’re not working for God. However, no matter what we do, we’re still reaching out to people in countless ways. Being a minister is a profession to all of us, and simply because we do not serve behind the pulpit does not mean that God does not work through us to serve others. If we’re not living on purpose- doing the jobs we have right now for God- then what’s the point of even living? I would hate to think that God left me the moment I stepped into work and then rejoined me the minute I left work. Whatever we do, we do it for His glory, even the mundane. People still see us as living witnesses everday of the week, not just on Sunday. To categorize ministers as the only people with a career in Jesus would not only be foolish- it would be detremential to the whole Chrisitan identity as well.
I meant to say this a long time ago. I figure, why not go ahead and say it now?
Amazingly enough, this post helped me on my OTI final last year. I remembered what I had said and generally said the same thing on the final essay. See? I’m really studying when I post these things and respond to your posts! Thanks for helping me study.
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