The Consummating Will of God refers to the intention that God has had from the beginning of creation and will accomplish by the end of time. This intention is in contrast to the Gnostic assumption that creation is basically evil and that God’s saving work is to enable the faithful to be “raptured” out of this evil world. It also stands as a challenge to a belief that while God created the world as “good,” it has become so hopelessly defiant of God’s goodness that in desperation, God sent Christ to redeem the world. The Consummating Will of God sees the act of Christ’s coming, death, and resurrection as part of a plan of salvation that God intended from the beginning and will bring to fulfillment in the end.
If the process of confession and forgiveness between Black and White congregations takes place, God can then liberate them to seek signs of God’s redemptive power at work in the whole Body of Christ. Economic benefits and societal acceptance, for example, are strengths that can be utilized for the good of the whole. Could not such economic privileges, political power, managerial abilities, and shared theological truths contribute to a strategy by which the structures of racism in the larger society might be confronted?
We live in a culture that emphasizes individualism. “I” is what is important. What affects me positively is attractive, and what asks for sacrifice is a major challenge to my life. Despite the fact that the Gospel challenges this view of life with an emphasis on relationships, in many ways, the church has fallen victim to it. We join a church. We ask the church to care for me and my family. We decide whether to stay or leave a church based on whether it is meeting our individual needs or not. That excessive individualism has been a major factor in dividing our humanity.
BODY OF CHRIST
In this age of institutional distrust, the church needs some experience that help the membership reconnect. Central to the church’s identity is the belief that by our baptism, we are invited to be part of the Body of Christ. How do we emphasize the communal connection within the Body of Christ? What if you can use modern technology to connect your membership and engage them in a spiritual conversation that deepens their faith and offers them a vision of being called to be part of the One Body of Christ that reaches across the world? If God is the sovereign Lord of all creation and has called the church to be a light unto the world, then members have a firmer foundation upon which to stand as they adjust to this rapidly changing world. We’ve a Story to tell to the nations that they desperately hunger to hear.