Where Do We Go From Here

33 WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? Paul’s statement asks, how do we know confidently what God requires? Could we be wrong? And could it be the case that at times, or even as a general rule, God wants us to follow “human authority”? If we think of our local judicial system, or local government, would we not want to obey them as a general rule? For there are more than enough Scriptural and theological reasons to be “good citizens”. And Paul himself relies on “human authority” himself on occasion, such as in his appeal to being a Roman citizen when under arrest. Interpreters of Acts have over the centuries realised that these sort of black and white doctrinal statements raise serious problems. For example, Raymond E. Brown perceptively articulates the dilemma the overall impression of Acts offers to readers: A triumphal picture is painted in Acts. All setbacks are temporary and quickly turn out for good in a Christian movement which is constantly growing numerically... and geographically... On finishing Acts, the reading audience might quite logically have concluded that very soon afterwards the whole world would become Christian... The plan of continuity presented in Luke/Acts is oriented towards the bigger is better; it does not prepare for major defeats or for losses that are not recouped. Such an ecclesiology, when taken in isolation, will leave Christians perplexed when their institutions begin to close, when their churches are being abandoned for lack of members. It hardly needs saying that “major defeats” and “losses that are not recouped” are very much part of our current ecclesial experience in Australia.