Our Disorderly World
That the world is changing is yesterday's news. That it is changing rapidly and apparently without any discernible order or sequence is something many of us are trying to comprehend.
From the rising exodus of people in Zimbabwe to South Africa, to the struggling, starving people of Haiti who can no longer afford rising food prices, it is apparent that our world is experiencing serious disruption.
Roman Catholic Pope Benedict XVI made his first visit to the U.S. Everywhere he went, he was greeted with sincere enthusiasm. He celebrated mass in public stadiums that were filled to capacity. He met with seminary students, urging them to acknowledge God's call to service and ministry. His message brought a new awareness of the ongoing struggle regarding God's calling and hearing His voice amid the cacophony of our disorderly world.
What lies behind the pontiff's popularity during his visit to a people racked by individual and collective chasms of religious differences, and unsure about their purpose or raison d'étre? Is it explained by a cultural nostalgia that longs for simpler times when certainty ruled and there was an element of predictability in the events of public experience? Perhaps.
One thing is sure—God is not unfamiliar with chaos. The Creation Hymn reminds us that God began with that which was formless, empty, and dark (Genesis 1:2). Ours is not the first time the earth has been a chaotic, "formless void" of darkness. God is Supreme and is unaffected by our global disorderliness.
God remains constant, sure, and certain.
His sovereignty may be contested by strutting mortals who pilfer notoriety for brief moments in the glare of time's footlights. The legacy of tears left by petty tyrants never deters the eternal purpose of our God. We do not long with nostalgia for pomp and circumstance that would reorder our often fragmented and fractured experience of divine encounter.
We do not hesitate to affirm the priesthood of all believers, acknowledging God's omnipresence in our worship and communal life together. In this issue of Holiness Today, we present the annual report of the Board of General Superintendents. This report affirms our continuing confidence in God's missional activity among the people called Nazarenes.
Also, Tom Nees and Scott Shaw explore the changes, or lack of change, that can cause churches to thrive or die. Carla Sunberg introduces a panel of ministers and leaders engaged in a timely discussion. And Beth Clayton Luthye reveals a glimpse of hope amidst suffering in Haiti.
Even in the uncertainty of disorder, we affirm the eternal presence of Him who hovers over our chaos, ready to renovate, renew, and reorder our disorderly world.
David J. Felter, editor in chief.
Holiness Today, May/June 2008
Please note: This article was originally published in 2008. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.
