The title of this series, “Ancient-Future Discipleship,” is an homage to the work of Robert Webber. Webber argued that the future of the church is ancient. We need to recover our ancient foundation not to reproduce the past, but to resource ourselves for current and future challenges.

The church is an odd institution in that it began in the past, but has its roots in the future. In Ephesians 2:20 Paul says that the church is built on the foundation of the prophets and apostles (who lived and died in the past), but he goes on to say that the church has Jesus Christ as its cornerstone. Jesus is not confined to the past, but has been resurrected. He is the future. So the cornerstone of the church is not in its past, but in its future. The church not only has ancient wisdom (from the past), it also has a resurrected Lord who is leading and guiding it today into its future.

In this series we are seeking to recover our ancient roots (which will challenge many of our modern practices, beliefs, and assumptions), but not to merely recover and restore the past, but to better understand the heart of our living Lord who is calling us into the future.

What we find in the church’s ancient catechisms is a repeated pattern of teaching on three texts: the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer. We will be looking at each of these in turn.

In this first teaching I am primarily relying on two pentecostal theologians: Simon Chan and Chris Green.

Here are links to the books mentioned:

* Simon Chan Liturgical Theology

* Chris Green Being Transfigured

If you have any questions or reflections, please utilize the comment section here on this post. I’d love to keep the discussion going.

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