The Sacred /Secular Dualism
“In the beginning God created
the Heaven and the earth.”
Gen 1:1
…and we have already agreed that:
Everything belongs to God
“For from him and through him
and to him are all things…”
Rom 11:36
And God placed all things under his feet and
appointed him to be head over everything for the
church, which is his body, the fullness of him
who fills everything in every way. Ephesians 1:22-23, NIV
For as many of you as have been baptized into
Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor
Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither
male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:27-28 KJV
How then did the secular-sacred divide
come about?
Sacred
Missionaries
Monks
Pastors
Priests
Evangelists
Church workers
Secular
Carpenters
Doctors
Lawyers
Accountants
Mechanics
Businessmen
The Form-Matter dualism of Plato, Aristotle, etc.,
divided reality into the
eternal, perfect, 'spiritual'
realm where God is,
Plato
and the transient, imperfect, changing, earthly stream-of-life.
Dualism
is not just a philosophical or theological
concept; it is a worldview that has its impact
in the real world,
of work, politics, family life, church life
and in the very soul of society.
Symbols and art portray a universal dualism
Dualisms
are inescapable in the face of:
Right and Wrong
Good and Evil
Heaven and Hell
Spiritual and Material
Heresy often springs from the elevating of one side
as good and rejecting or minimizing of the other.
Sacred
Things pertaining to the
spiritual, eternal, and
unchanging upper realm of
God in heaven
Things pertaining to the
physical, temporal, and
changing lower realm of
humans on earth
Secular
Sacred
Direct church-related work
by missionaries, ministers,
pastors, evangelists, etc.
Home, school, health
services, business,
marketplace, the trades, the
arts, sports, government,
labor, sex, money, etc
Secular
The struggle to correct this worldview continues…
The Priesthood of all believers was a major issue
during the Reformation (1517-1540)
This struck a blow to the clergy laity division
Now we are members of one another
Rom 12:5
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and
every one members one of another.
KJV
“All members of the laos (people) of God
belong to one another, minister to one
another, need one another and contribute to
the rich unity and ministry of the whole.”
Paul Stevens, The Other Six Days, p 64
But the Sacred Secular dualism has created a
disconnect between Sunday and the other six
days, Sunday being sacred and our work on
Monday to Saturday being secular.
Sunday
Monday…
A proper theology of work provides a seamless
connection between Sunday and the other six days!
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday...
Gathering for Faith Development on Sunday
Scattering for Faith Engagement on the other six days
The real work of the Clergy as leaders
among the people is:
Ephesians 4:12
“…the equipping of the saints for the work of
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,…”
NKJV
until the whole people of God begin to see our
vocation, in whatever sphere, as sacred and
pleasing to God and an opportunity to glorify
God by our good works or good work.