Reframing Paul: Conversations in Grace Community by Mark Strom

by Mark Strom

The Greco-Roman world was shaped by ideals and abstract ideas. The Apostle Paul left them behind. But they continue to shape evangelical teaching and practice. This picture contradicts the common impression of Paul as an abstract theologian, someone who wrestled with deep theological doctrine while hovering six feet above everyday reality. But in fact, it was the philosopher's of Paul's day--and even some of Paul's Christian opponents--who traded heavily in abstractions, one-way rhetoric and top-down hierarchies while depreciating the currency of common experience. By contrast, Paul the tentmaker was a conversationalist of God's good news, a storyteller of Jesus Christ, an apostle who walked the avenues and back alleys of everyday reality. His passion was for communities of grace and conversation where the new reality of Christ was explored and embodied within the daily messiness of life. Reframing Paul unveils this Paul in his original context and invites us to engage him on new terms. Courageously author Mark Strom draws Paul into vital conversation with contemporary evangelicalism. His book is for those who wonder why people leave churches for alternative spiritual paths--and who may even be tempted to do so themselves. More than anything, his book is for those who wonder what's gone wrong and who want to learn how the church can be an attractive community of transforming grace and conversation.

Genres: Theology

Paperback

First published November 1, 2000

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most interesting part of this book is the survey of the Greco-Roman world which formed the context of the letters written by St Paul found in the Christian New Testament of the Bible. The author discusses what he calls the social, historical and personal frames of the ancient world and compares these to Paul's. The essential point of the book is that St Paul has been misappropriated by the Christian evangelical movement in developing a structure that is controlling, ideological, and self-perpetuating. At the heart of the social fabric of evangelicalism is a resistance to genuine conversation that is open, creative, radical and subversive in positive ways. An actual analysis of Paul's writings in the context of the thought and experience world of his day shows that there is no biblical authority for what evangelicalism takes for granted as being "determined by God". What the average Christian experiences when they attend church is worlds away from the freedom St Paul envisaged for the Christian. Instead, evangelicalism is all about conformity. The author describes the stifling power of evangelical structures and processes in the following paragraph:

Conformity requires ideals, ideals require persuasive oratory, the orator needs to feel he knows the truth; persuading others of the truth is the basis of conformity. The conventions of preaching establish boundaries for the comgregation's thought, feelings and behaviour. The effect is to make the whole system seem self-evidently true and to pull people back from the storms of their questions and doubts into the shelters of authorised explanations and ideals. They must be calmed before they find grief, anger and freedom.

For the author, the key to Christan freedom in community is "grace-full comversation". 'Conversations marked by grace. Conversations full of grace. Conversations that bring grace. For the author, the rhetoric of grace abounds in the church but the structures and processes of the evangelical community are inherently resistant to its being experienced in everyday life. This situation leads to many people leaving (or being jettisoned from) the traditional church. If only we could recover grace-full conversation the Christian community might have a chance.

The last section of the book provides a sense of what grace-full conversation might look like in practice and the challenges of implementing such conversations within the evangelical system. The negative effects of traditional preaching, absolutist theologies, idealism and authority are explored leading to the breakdown of meaning experienced by contemporary believers. In the last chapter of the book the author shares his own personal journey attempting to nurture a grace-full community - including the warts and disappointing outcome. The second-to-last paragraph on the power of grace to subvert is excellent and a good place to finish this brief review:

Grace is subversive. It undermines the ideals and standards of those of us who cannot tolerate weakness in others (or in ourselves). It undermines the pride of those of us who search out every vestige of unbiblical belief and practice. It undermines the presumption of those of us who preach the pure gospel to cure all ills. It undermines the safety of those of us who throw off the shackles of abusive and codependent relationships only to exclude grace from those who have hurt us. It undermines our need to find the ideal, the answer, the method, the cure. We ate left with the weakness of grace-full comversation.

[Dale Linn · Rating 5 out of 5]

You had me at sophrosyne, but then you lost me when you claimed that Paul "set aside theological accuracy." I only just met you, and I'm already a fan, but I wish we were buddies so we could fight it out over some of your over statements.

I'm over here shouting agreement that our formalized structures have separated belief from experience and lay from clergy, but I waded through the whole book looking for some coherent theory for how we apply the Word to our life without some level of abstraction. Is that the word I want to use there? Whatever is the term for applying principle and precedents to life. Is this some kind of In His Steps drivel where we're just going to close our eyes and feel the answers flowing through us? Because I live in a world of diversity, and that's not how that works over here.

On an editorial note, I humbly appreciate you AmericaniZIng the spelling of some words, but I think a friend would let you know it took me some research to learn what you meant by "White Ant". That's colloquial. We call them termites, but we don't use them as a synonym for "undermine." Perhaps we should. I'll do my best to make that a thing.

[Nathan Marone]

What an odd book. Part analysis of Greco Roman philosophy and rhetorical conventions, part interpretation of Paul's letters, part critique of evangelical culture, and part blather in conclusion. If you are interested in any one of those things alone, there are probably better books to consult. But as a whole package, Strom's book is compelling.

The big point: evangelical culture has much in common with Greco-Roman culture. What we expect of our preachers and pastors is much what they would have expected from gifted orators of the day. The idea is provocative and especially so when applied to the way that seminaries and Bible colleges prepare ministers.

Strom seems to lose sight of the occasional nature of Paul's letters at times and his solution to the problem ranges from a radical restructuring of the church itself to an incoherent recommendation of genuine grace and conversation.

Overall, however, I'm left with much to think about.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very stimulating...

too bad he ends up where he does. His critique is great. His prescription is untenable, ultimately. He seems to advocate something like ecclesiological anarchy. Add a hundred years of practice to what he advocates and you end up w/Unitarianism, in my opinion. There is simply no "immune system" in his church.

But we all have lots to learn from this guy. A great read.

[Joshua Lenon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author reframes Paul's writings in the context of his communities in Ephesus and Corinth (among others). We are reminded that theology is not something born out in lecture halls and church services but everyday life. The living out of the resurrection of Jesus Christ brings us into the community God desires for us and into a deeper knowledge of who He is.

[Mark Traphagen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find my lengthy review here:
http://foolishsage.com/2005/06/15/ref...