Scripture & Discernment: Decision Making in the Church

by Luke Timothy Johnson

Luke Timothy Johnson begins his study of the practical issue of how decisions are made in the church by admitting to a that there ought to be a connection between what the church claims to be, and how it does things. Because the church claims to be a community of faith, it does not reach decisions simply on the basis of good management policy, or the analysis of market trends, or efficiency, or even ideological consistency, but in response to God's activity in the world that presses upon us and urges us to decision.

Faced with how to respond to God's leading, the church decides what to do on the basis of two Scripture and discernment. Because it calls the church into being Scripture is the fundamental authority in the church's life. Yet it is not enough for a congregation simply to turn to the Bible when a decision must be reached, for Scripture does not directly address all issues which face the church today, and those it does often reflect greatly differing historical and social contexts than our own.

Thus, added to the authority of Scripture in the church's decision making is a process of discernment, in which the members of the community--under the guidance of the Holy Spirit--recall how God has worked in their lives as individuals and as a community and discern together God's direction for the future. Johnson argues that this very pattern of decision making can be found in Scripture itself, notably in one of the central events of the book of Acts. Beginning with the conversion of Cornelius and culminating in the Apostolic Council of Acts 15, we see how a string of smaller narratives combine to tell the story of God's movement within their midst, and how this narrative became the basis for the reinterpretation of Scripture and the inclusion of Gentiles into the fellowship of the church.

Looking at a number of thorny issues facing the contemporary church, Johnson demonstrates how the interaction of Scripture and discernment can and must become the basis for how we respond to the decisions with which the church wrestles today.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Biblical Studies, School, Nonfiction

168 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1996

About the author

Luke Timothy Johnson is an American New Testament scholar and historian of early Christianity. He is the Robert W. Woodruff Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at Candler School of Theology and a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University.

Johnson's research interests encompass the Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts of early Christianity (particularly moral discourse), Luke-Acts, the Pastoral Epistles, and the Epistle of James.

Reviews

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this on the shelf for awhile but picked it up and read it because of a podcast conversation I had on discernment. LTJ is a Catholic biblical scholar so this is outside the usual literature on discernment, and he focuses mostly on discernment as decision making, but there are some helpful insights here, especially on how we use Scripture in our discernment processes. The heart of the book is a close reading of Acts 10-15 which shows how the early church navigated a major shift in their communal life (namely, Gentile inclusion). While this book came out in 1996, and the conversation has advanced and shifted some LTJ also suggests ways that insights from Acts may help us as we wrestle with women in ministry, homosexuality and stewardship.

[Kade Minton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was initially recommended this book as it might pertain to my senior capstone (the ethics of euthanasia and assisted suicide), and I cannot be more satisfied with the recommendations that this book makes. Luke reminds Christians that discernment comes with following Christ, and discernment should not only be displayed by individuals but must also be used in group settings to make theological decisions. I only wish that the plan Luke outlines for the church could be put to use. I think he hits something that could change the way the church makes decisions, but such change will be met with resistance as "narratives of faith" are less believed now than ever.

[Cristina Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
After getting through part 1 that was foundational information that could be skipped by many , parts 2 and 3 looked at Acts as a guide for decision making in the church and takeaways for today, which was interesting and thought-provoking.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, but dense, careful and thorough.

[Kessia Reyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luke Timothy Johnson, distinguished New Testament scholar, does not favor easy answers and offers none in this book. In it you'll find no 10-step guide to anything because this is not a manual for administrators, it is a theological proposal on decision making in the church. As the title indicates, in Johnson’s view the key element in decision making as a theological process is discernment.

In this well reasoned, dynamic proposal, Johnson has given the church a clear challenge. How will it move into the future by faith? How will it remain responsive to God’s present leadings? How will operate under the authority of Scripture as it does so? He rightly insists that church life should be characterized by decisions reflective of Scripture, grounded in faith, and receptive to God.

The silent question on every page is “What does it mean to make a biblical decision?” How can a church not merely decide, but decide in such a way that the process and the conclusions are congruent with the church’s Scriptures? Johnson aims to derive the method and the controls of the process from Scripture insofar as is possible and his efforts generously reward the reader. His clear and specific articulation of how the NT authorizes theology is immensely helpful. He spends considerable time in the biblical text, drawing out details and theological insights, and he convincingly establishes Acts 10-15 as a paradigm for theological decision making in the church. Also on exegetical and theological grounds, though with less success, he argues for formal and material criteria for the process of discernment. His exegetical work also not only provides us with conclusions, but with a window into the process, demonstrating how reading biblical narratives can bring us to theological insights.

Even where his argument is not thoroughly evidenced, it is cogent and this is what makes the book so useful. Annoyingly but strategically he delays for more than a hundred pages the insistent question of the reader. “Yes, but how?” His evasions are intentional, slowing the journey down long enough for the conceptual ground to be cleared and the biblical foundation to be laid. Also to his credit, Johnson offers practical (if not easy) helps and devices for actualizing his suggestions. His is a well-rounded, biblically conscientious proposal for the church.

The chief problem with Johnson’s work in this volume shows up in every chapter. His view of the nature of Scripture is fundamentally deficient. This (significant) shortcoming, however, does not make the challenge of this book for theological discernment any less clear, any less potent, or any less urgent. The witness of Scripture, particularly Acts 10-15, remain standing as a testimony to the need for decision making in the church that is faithful to God’s voice in Scripture and in the lives of His people. And I share the hopeful conviction that Johnson articulates in his final line: “This text can effect that which it describes.”

[Gipson Baucum · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had points of great interest to me, and also some pretty heavy disappointments. The most helpful part of the book without question was the exegetical sections in which the author examined the process of decision making in the book of Acts, most notably in chapters 10-15. The application of decision making as a theological process as advocated by the author is a bit messy by the author's own admission. I found his encouragement against automatically harmonizing sections of scripture that have surface disagreements pretty refreshing. But, some of his underlying assumptions are a little tough for me to swallow, including the idea that Luke/Acts are idealized narratives in places, not a serious attempt at recording history. I also had trouble with the idea that the idea that Paul was inconsistent with his theology and at times subordinated it to the cultural demands of the day (in essence opting to do the advocating the wrong thing/immature thing in order to make life easier for his readers. The author also advocates that there are times in which we must choose between following one of two conflicting theological principles in scripture. The messiness of the authors proposals are convenient in a world where there are few absolutes. His methods would in fact challenge us to constantly examine our beliefs because of our experiences, which is not altogether a bad thing. But they also do a lot to subordinate the role of scripture to our experiences (even if it's still given a strong voice).

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Johnson always writes with clarity and with the intent to challenge old ways. This work is no different. Readers will doubtlessly pick up helpful insights that will stretch some of the familiar patterns of church life. I will not give away Johnson's prescription for reaching decision in the church, but I will offer that his ideas and suggestions work far better on paper than in church sanctuaries. He senses this at times throughout the book, particularly in the final chapter, and thus tries to offer practical advice on how and where to start implementation of church decision-making at the local level. I question the value of these suggestions and wonder still at the practicality of what he suggests. His conclusions for church life and church decision-making seem to require church members and church leaders to be far more theologically astute than what most local churches boast. This seems to tip Johnson's hand for the time that he has spent in the academy and away from the daily duties of local church work. Nevertheless, the book will pay dividends in many areas, not least in one's understanding of Acts 10-15, which is the central text of the entire work.

[Tommi Karjalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was slightly uneven in weight. Parts I and II concerning the theory were well written, but Part III where Johnson presents how his method works in practice was the weakest. (imho)

Interestingly enough he does not emphasise tradition as much as I expected, but has supplemented tradition with the need to listen to peoples' narratives. Theology does not then discuss so much with the past as it does with the present (not all narratives are good). Practicing discernment in decision making is making theology. The church not only decides what has to be done in a given situation but it also decides what to keep from the Scriptures (not final word, and not always right: Paul struggled and made mistakes, and so will we). I find that this logic goes well within the writing process of the canonical NT but apply anymore. Thus, personally I did not find his argument convincing.

[Robert D. Cornwall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luke Timothy Johnson has written a most helfpul primer on discernment for the church -- helping us bring scripture into conversation with experience in such a way that we can seek God's lead in life and church.

This isn't a new book, but definitely one I should have read a long time ago.

It is especially pertinent today, however, as the church seeks clarification on what it means to be welcoming and perhaps affirming of our LGBT brothers and sisters.