77-11 Position Paper on the Christian Lifestyle
We see our lives fragmented and isolated by the insensitivities of ourselves, other people, and institutions. We believe and confess that the Lord our God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love God and are keeping the commandments, to a thousand generations. (Deut. 7:9)
The Apostle Paul calls us to not be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. (Romans 12)
The early Christian community was of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he or she possessed was their own, but they had everything in common. (Acts 4:32) This same spirit calls us to preach good news to the poor and has sent us to proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty the oppressed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18-19)
1) That we review our lives in the light of the values listed below:
-- Devotion: We know and acknowledge that the Lord our God is God, Creator Supreme of the universe. In celebrating the miracle of our creation, we will worship God regularly as the primary and unifying event in our lives. We seek through regular worship and devotion to serve God’s creation.
-- Simplicity: We will seek to simplify our lifestyle. We choose to order our lives around our needs rather than our wants. We seek to simplify our lives in terms of our possessions, our behavior, and our habits. Through an engaging discipline of prayer, work, study, and exercise, we seek a simple freedom from unnecessary complexity and superfluous activity.
-- Hospitality: Our life together will be hospitable. We choose to live a lifestyle of love, trust, and openness. We seek a sense of hospitality that welcomes friends, acquaintances, strangers… even our enemies. We seek the inner strength and peace that enables us to greet all who come to our door as Christ Himself.
-- Equity: We seek to move beyond equality to equity in our relationships. We seek to develop an attitude of fairness and justice in accordance with God’s righteousness. We will explore with each other our particular gifts, and encourage one another to share these abilities, hoping to grow into more complete human beings.
-- Responsibility: The previous commitments find their fulfillment in the commitment of responsibility. Loving because we were first loved, we are motivated to love and care for ourselves and our fellow creatures and all creation, which we see as marvelously interconnected. We seek not to become self-sufficient or independent, but interdependent, living cooperatively with our fellow global citizens within the limits of our resources.
2) That we take steps, both individually and corporately, to integrate these values into our lifestyle, motivated by forgiveness and not guilt.
3) That we share with groups/individuals in the community, the church, and the university, our values demonstrating freedom and joy in our lifestyle.
+ The fall conference of subregion 4 of the Southeast region focused on the topic “New Community in Christ.” The Speaker was Magally Rodriguez O’Hearn of the Liberation Center in Miami.
+ Subregion 2 of the Southeast region focused its fall conference on “Christian Living.” The group surveyed Christian living with particular attention to daily relations with others through a series of small group discussions.
+ The theme of the fall Texas state Lutheran student retreat was “Contemporary Christian Contemplation.” It was presented by the Rev. Ron Birk, campus pastor at South West Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.
+ A file has been started in the national office with resources on this position paper.