Still reading Robert Banks' Paul's Idea of Community, his study of Paul's New Testament letters as they address matters of Christian life. It's not time yet for a summary; I'm not even sure I can do one, there are so many important issues raised.

But Banks did the right thing by identifying up front a fundamental concept that underpins all else that Paul writes: freedom. Specifically, freedom in Christ, and how it stands in direct opposition to the restrictions that the traditions of men impose. This is the basis of Jim Petersen's claim that the NT speaks only to the functions of a Christian life and not to its form; in fact, form is justified only insofar as it supports those functions, and different forms that support a given function equally well are equally valid.

Sometimes I think of Christians as a people chilled to the bone. We read in the New Testament about Christians who are on fire, filled with life-giving warmth that spills over abundantly and irresistably. And we read that they warmed themselves at bonfires. But we search in vain for a straighforward description of how to build any sort of bonfire, much less the Proper Way to build a bonfire.

So we look for clues, working backwards from the descriptions of their bonfire gatherings towards detailed and intricate plans for building a bonfire. And we gather together in groups to construct bonfires according to those plans. And soon enough, the purpose of our gatherings shift from being warmed at the fire to building a Proper Bonfire. We don't even put our plans to the test of seeing whether the fire will actually ignite, much less provide warmth to those gathered; as long as we are carrying out the plans properly, we are doing our part.

At the same time, many Christians sit in the dark, chilled to the bone. Perhaps some of them once participated in those gatherings, and found some small warmth in the physical exertion of building the fire, and some hope in the promises that the fire would eventually burn and provide real warmth. But the promises were never realized, and they eventually found the cold preferable to the endless, never-completed labor. Even the shame that the bonfire-builders were all too happy to motivate them with has lost its effectiveness.

Meanwhile, a few Christians have found ways to warm themselves a bit. They try sharing their bit of warmth with someone else, and find to their surprise that both end up warmer than either would have alone. They study up on how to build a campfire for their family, trying this and that until the fire ignites and begins to provide warmth, discarding seemingly bright ideas that actually smother the fire, nurturing and building on the ideas that lead the fire to grow brighter. They invite others to sit at the fire with them, and tell them what they know about fire-building.

Most of those engaged in building Proper Bonfires look askance at their efforts. Some point out that the fires are small and uncertain, and certainly don't compare to the potential that lies in a Proper Bonfire. Others say that whatever sort of warmth you think you're getting from such a fire, it can't be Proper Warmth because it isn't coming from a Proper Bonfire. Still others say that such fires are a useful, perhaps even an important part of a complete and balanced spirtual life, but that we mustn't lose sight of the fact that Proper Bonfires must be built, and that those Christians are neglecting their duty in not helping to build them.

Editor's note: How are you staying warm?