There are some big happenings just south of here in Orange County this weekend.

The Presbyterian Global Fellowship is holding their third annual Inside-Out Conference in Long Beach this weekend. For details of what is happening you can check out the PGF Outbox blog.  (For the GA Junkies out there this is the same convention center that was the site of the 212th General Assembly (2000) of the PC(USA).)

There’s also some political event going on at a megachurch down there.  With the price of one of the good seats at $2000 I’m skipping it.  But seriously, this blending (blurring?) of church and state has raised issues with some people. (Example 1 and Example 2 from On Faith)

But I want to take a step back from this direct and high-profile political involvement and mention another church and culture article.  This comes from David Virtue of Virtue Online and in a recent post he discusses a book by Dr. Peter Hammond titled Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat. (now apparently out of print)  Mr. Virtue begins his entry with this:

You may or may not agree with this and if you agree you may consider the concept of a complete system a positive or a negative (Mr. Virtue goes on to discuss it as a negative).  But it struck me that a scholar and friend of mine views the ancient Hebrew society as a complete system with implications for the modern Christian Church to be integrated in society, not an institution outside it.  This is not that the United States should be a theocracy, but rather how Christians corporately and individually participate in our culture.  And yes, this flies in the face of American individualism and the church as just a spiritual institution.

The Rev. Dr. Robert Linthicum is a parish associate at our church and head of the parachurch organization Partners in Urban Transformation.  Previously an urban parish minister and leader at World Vision in urban ministry, he is an expert in community organizing.  With his background and study he has a theological perspective that sees the Biblical instructions to ancient Israel as a complete system, an integration of their spiritual, economic and political life so that there are no rich or poor but a culture that is equitable to everyone.  And through this lens he reads the rest of the Bible to see God’s people as the workers for God’s social vision even today.

Now, you may not agree with his theological viewpoint; I can say that I am not in total agreement with some of the things I have heard Bob say.  But in the same way that Mr. Virtue is discussing Islam as a complete system, this particular view has ancient Israel intended to be a complete system and the Christian Church the inheritors of that legacy.

I have been trying to find a good resource on line that explains some of this but have not located any.  You can get some of this viewpoint from one of Rev. Linthicum’s sermons (larger mp3, smaller wma).  His central books on this are Transforming Power and Building a People of Power.

For consideration.  Your mileage may vary.