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Bert
Waggoner,
the
National
Director
of
Vineyard
USA,
has
long
contended
that
it
is
important
for
the
Vineyard
to
continue
to
develop
theologically,
to
grow
and
deepen
in
its
heart
for
Scripture
and
careful
thinking.
Bert
himself
continues
to
be
a
voracious
student
of
theology,
and
his
perspectives
as
the
National
Director
are
consistently
undergirded
by
his
wide
reading
and
sustained
reflection
over
many
years
as
a
pastor
and
church
planter.
We
recently
asked
him
about
what
he
sees
as
key
theological
themes
in
the
new
century,
as
well
as
important
emphases
for
us
to
be
considering
in
the
Vineyard.
What
are
you
seeing
as
the
key
themes
of
theology
that
are
emerging
as
especially
important
today?
I
think
that
eschatology,
with
its
message
of
hope,
will
continue
to
be
at
the
forefront
of
theological
development.
In
addition,
there
is
now
a
renewed
focus
on
the
Trinity,
as
well,
which
is
wonderful.
Though
we
in
the
Western
church
have
always
had
a
theology
of
the
Trinity,
we
haven’t
really
had
an
experience
of
the
Trinity.
The
reality
of
the
Trinity
ought
to
affect
everything
we
do.
It
should
influence
our
prayer
lives,
our
approach
to
social
relationships—how
we
relate
as
husbands
and
wives,
how
we
relate
within
the
church—and
it
should
also
affect
our
worship.
Our
worship
should
reflect
a
holistic,
Trinitarian
focus.
(One
of
the
best
books
I’ve
found
on
this
was
Millard
Erickson’s
little
book,
Making
Sense
of
the
Trinity.)
There
is
much
being
written
today
in
theological
anthropology,
which
is
fundamental
to
our
understanding
of
spirituality
and
how
we
minister
to
people.
The
nature
of
personhood
is
a
driving
question
in
our
time.
So
many
of
our
views
of
spirituality
have
wrongly,
I
think,
been
shaped
by
Greek
thought—which
divides
the
person
up
into
parts—instead
of
Hebraic
thought,
which
sees
people
holistically,
sees
them
as
eschatologically
moving
toward
true
personhood.
Stan
Grenz’s
book
on
these
matters,
The
Social
God
and
the
Relational
Self,
is
very
helpful.
Are
there
certain
themes
we
in
the
Vineyard
to
which
should
be
paying
special
attention?
I
think
the
Vineyard
needs
to
continue
to
develop
its
focus
on
social
justice.
As
evangelicals,
our
tendency
is
to
emphasize
personal
piety
and
shy
away
from
social
justice.
The
book
highlighted
in
a
previous
issue
of
Cutting
Edge,
Divided
by
Faith,
emphasized
our
evangelical
tendency
to
be
blind
to
many
social
issues
because
of
our
focus
on
spirituality
and
the
individual.
I
think
we
need
to
be
challenged
continually
to
address
those
issues.
Also,
our
understanding
of
the
kingdom
of
God
has
focused
especially
on
ministering
to
people
with
words
of
knowledge,
healing,
“power
ministry,”
and
so
on.
But
I
believe
we
need
to
carry
our
focus
on
the
kingdom
into
other
areas,
as
well.
So
when
we
take
Communion,
for
example,
we
are
partaking
of
the
reality
of
the
kingdom
and
the
presence
of
Christ.
The
same
thing
would
be
true
of
water
baptism.
Water
baptism
is
more
than
a
“symbol”
of
something
internal.
I
believe
that
something
very
significant
happens.
Historically
baptism
was
understood
as
a
moment
of
deliverance,
and
a
point
at
which
one
was
filled
with
the
Spirit,
experienced
an
in-breaking
of
the
kingdom.
I
think
we
should
apply
this
perspective
to
our
preaching,
as
well.
Preaching
is
not
just
a
communication
of
nice
ideas;
Jesus
is
really
speaking.
We
should
expect
in
the
preaching
event
the
dynamic
of
God’s
kingdom
to
be
present.
As
we
continue
work
out
a
fuller
theology
of
the
kingdom,
it
should
influence
us
in
all
of
these
matters.
The
Vineyard
is
growing,
with
a
larger
number
of
churches
both
here
and
around
the
world.
What
does
that
growth
mean
for
us
theologically?
The
Vineyard
is
becoming
increasingly
diverse,
which
means,
first,
that
we
must
continue
to
choose
to
love
those
within
orthodoxy
even
amidst
our
theological
diversity.
We
need
to
be
united
in
the
essentials,
and
choose
to
love
in
our
differences.
That’s
a
small
statement
with
big
implications.
Within
those
commitments
to
Jesus,
Scripture,
the
creeds
of
the
church,
and
the
kingdom
of
God,
we
have
room
for
a
lot
of
diversity
which
has
been
in
the
Body
of
Christ
for
2000
years.
Robert
Webber
articulates
a
very
healthy
position
on
this
in
his
book,
Ancient-Future
Faith.
Of
course,
we
will
also
be
influenced
as
the
Vineyard
grows
internationally.
Much
of
our
theology
here
in
the
United
States
was
shaped
in
the
context
of
the
Enlightenment,
in
scientific
rationalism
and
pragmatism.
However,
in
the
Two-Thirds
world,
for
example,
they
do
not
think
in
these
same
categories.
As
I’ve
interacted
more
this
year
with
the
Vineyard
leaders
in
South
and
Central
America,
I’ve
realized
that
they
are
going
to
challenge
us
in
a
lot
of
our
assumptions.
The
more
we
relate
to
the
rest
of
the
church
in
the
Two-Thirds
world,
the
more
we
will
be
challenged
to
restate
our
theology
in
terms
that
take
into
consideration
paradigms
that
are
new
to
us.
Of
course,
the
folks
in
the
United
Kingdom
also
influence
us,
because
they
have
not
been
so
shaped
by
fundamentalism
as
we
have
here
in
the
United
States.
And
the
believers
in
Germanic-speaking
nations
who
have
been
influenced
by
the
prominent
European
theologians
will
increasingly
challenge
us
about
the
way
we
state
our
theology.
I
think
we
are
being
enriched
by
these
relationships,
and
I
think
this
will
grow
even
more
as
we
have
more
consistent
time
with
believers
from
Africa
and
Asia,
as
well.
How
should
we
best
approach
this
growing
diversity
in
the
Vineyard?
We
need
to
embrace
our
increasing
diversity
as
something
from
God.
I
believe
there
are
many
forms
that
Vineyards
can
take.
We
can
have
seeker
churches,
“traditional”
Vineyards,
churches
that
are
more
given
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