The Sacred /Secular Dualism

“In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth.”

Gen 1:1

“For from him and through him and to him are all things…”

Rom 11:36

…and we have already agreed that: Everything belongs to God

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

SecularCarpenters

DoctorsLawyers

AccountantsMechanics

Businessmen

SacredMissionaries

MonksPastorsPriests

EvangelistsChurch workers

How then did the secular-sacred divide come about?

and the transient, imperfect, changing, earthly stream-of-life.

The Form-Matter dualism of Plato, Aristotle, etc.,

divided reality into the eternal, perfect,

'spiritual' realm where God is,

Plato

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.

Dualism

Symbols and art portray a universal dualism

Dualisms

are inescapable in the face of:

Right and WrongGood and Evil

Heaven and HellSpiritual and Material

Heresy often springs from the elevating of one side as good and rejecting or minimizing of the other.

SacredThings 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

SacredDirect 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.