Chapter 4 sets out 6 historical models of simplicity:
1. Exhuberant caring and sharing (the period following the Apostolic age)
2. The power of renunciation (Desert Fathers and Mothers)
3. The joy of simplicity (St. Francis of Assissi)
4. Theology in the cause of simplicity (the Reformation)
5. Hearing the voice of God and obeying (seventeenth century Quakers)
6. Simplicity in action (John Wesley and early Methodists)
Many saints who have come before us have tried to navigate their way through the cultural waters of life as it intersects with the Christian faith. Or as Foster writes: "History has a wonderful way of freeing us from the cult of the contemporary...We realize more pointedly than ever before that God has spoken in the past, and that we are not the only ones who have sought to live in faithful conformity to his word." (p. 61)
The paradox once again is that "simplicity" is not that simple. We can't just take a historical model and plop it into our lives as the way we can "acheive simplicity." For example, I can learn from the Desert Fathers and Mothers, and be moved by their insights and writings, but I cannot just up and leave my children to fend for themselves while I commune with God in the desert. The question is: what can we learn from those who have sought to be obedient to Christ in the past? And what adjustments is God calling us to make in the life we are currently leading?
As I was reading quickly through this chapter (more trying to catch up than to think, ponder, and pray), I was reminded of the 'cloud of witnesses' Paul wrote about in Hebrews. Suddenly I had an image of the saints Foster mentioned (glowing with blurry faces) reaching out across history and across the globe, linked together with other saints whose faith stories we may never know. I recognized people who have touched my life and the ones who touched theirs and could see the link spreading out. It reminded me that we don't live in isolation from the body of Christ (not even the ones who chose to live their faith isolated from the world around them).
ReplyDeleteWe may not be able to live out our faith in exactly the same manner as they did, but each one offers an example of what it meant for them to respond to Christ's call in their time, place, and situation. They not only bear witness to what it means to live out a life devoted to God but show that it can be done.