Evelyn Underhill, one of the more spiritually subtle, perceptive Anglican spiritual writers, spoke of un-selfing the self. She didn’t mean denial of self, but the surrender of self-interest, self concern and self-promotion as the controlling motivations in Christian devotion and service. She was far too shrewd to be taken in by all the disclaimers that can be invented; that self-denial is psychologically damaging or diminishing; that leadership is about charisma, authority, and effective strategic thinking; that there is a proper love of self; that self-esteem is good and lack of it is bad.
If all these points are true what does it mean that the one who was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped? And why DID Paul place this great hymn of humble sovereignty and exalted servant-hood, smack bang in the middle of a letter about disunity and dangerously self-centred attitudes? (Philippians 2.1-11). Just look at the community descriptions and community exhortations that lead into this sublime statement of divine condescension, this hymn about the miracle of the non-grasping God:
The Community Descriptions
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Encouragement from being united with Christ
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Comfort from Christ’s love
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Fellowship with the Spirit
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Tenderness and compassion towards each other
The Community Exhortations
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Likeminded, same love, one in spirit and purpose
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In humility count others better than yourselves
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Not only your own interests but those of others
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Do everything without complaining
The Community’s Defining Call
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Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling
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God is at work within you…to do his purpose
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Shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life
Now whatever else those community descriptors mean, they are a call to Christ-like kenosis. They describe what un-selfing the self might look like. And they tackle head on attitudes that very easily attach themselves to common forms of leadership, approaches to ministry and claims to authority within the Christian community. And their contradiction isn’t an argument but a theology rooted in the truth of who Christ is, and the nature of redeeming love as self-giving and non grasping.
The community theologian is one who embodies and lives the truth of Christ, the self-emptying, non-grasping One whose authority is defined by obedience to the Father and whose Lordship is the victory of love. But then, the community of Christ is made up of all those called to the same kenotic lifestyle, to the taking up of the cross, to the reckless losing of life for Christ’s sake and the Gospel’s – that’s what Paul means by being stars in a dark universe…holding out the word of life. The community theologian is one called, by God and by the community, to think out and help them think out, what working out their own salvation with fear and trembling might mean for THIS community; called too, to remind and encourage that it is God who is at work to will and do according to His purpose; called to hold out the word of life, proclaim the gospel of redeeming and reconciling love in a world where redemptive conciliation seems beyond human grasp – and must therefore come by divine gift.
The community theologian’s thinking isn’t therefore imposed on the community, but arises from good questions, creative conversations, biblical reflection, prayerful listening, – all of these are communal activities and spiritual disciplines of those who covenant together to follow after Christ.
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Working out our own salvation with fear and trembling…. And God at work amongst us to will and do according to His purpose – two theological assumptions that define the theological community and the work of the community theologian – fear and trembling, God at work…fear and trembling because God IS at work – and because GOD is at work, amongst of all people US, and of all times NOW.
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The Community theologian heightens our awareness of divine activity in our all too human forms of community – and does so by reminding us, with the gentle persistence of scottish drizzle on a June day in the Trossachs, of the grace, kenosis and non-grasping love of God in Christ, who ’emptied himself of all but love’.
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