Kim Gentes

Being a copycat gets a bad rap.  Intellectual property laws aside, I’ve become convinced that we need to get back to the fine art of copying the work of others! But not just any work- the work of people's lives. And not just everyone- but people whose lives brilliantly articulate the story of Jesus.

From our very early days, we learn to copy others.  In fact, as a young boy, I copied everything. I learned to tie shoelaces by copying, to play hockey by copying other, even to talk by copying my parents.  I was quite normal in this respect.   As I grew older, I had to learn in other ways- sometimes by reading instructions, sometimes by trial and error, sometimes by taking courses.  What I found is that learning is never so accelerated and empowering as it is in the operation of "copying" another persons actions, manner or life.

When I was about 17 years old, I became a Christian.  Since that time, the people I have learned a lot from have always been people I could "copy".  Those kind of people were attractive in this regard, because they possessed a quality, a skill, or a way of life that seemed not only desirable, but attainable. Additionally, something about their lives was laid open and transparant. Not just that, but they invited others into their life in way that was genuine- they were accessible. The apostle Paul was fairly clear about this important concept in his letter to the Corinthians.

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
2 Cor. 3:3

You might think, "oh that is a nice idea, but really, we don't need that now- we have the Bible".   I agree in part- the canonization of the Biblical text was an essential step to codifying the basis of our faith.  Life, doctrine and practice are completely and powerfully articulated in the written Word.  But, though this is true, we still need human examples of Jesus life being lived out in front of us.  Even the first and second century disciples found that the living examples of Jesus and the twelves apostles were an especially articulate letter for them to read and duplicate.

Below is a statement written by Papias, a first century student of John the Apostle:

But if I met with anyone who had been a follower of the elders anywhere, I made it a point to inquire what were the declarations of the elders. What was said by Andrew, Peter or Philip. What by Thomas, James, John, Matthew, or any other of the disciples of our Lord. What was said by Aristion, and the presbyter John, disciples of the Lord; for I do not think that I derived so much benefit from books as from the living voice of those that are still surviving' (emphasis mine)1

This states what is obvious to just about every student- that the interaction, and verbal engagement of a speaker will always be more impacting than reading information off of a page.  It is not hard to imagine, in this context, that the living Apostles were a powerful framework for the "living theology" of the church. Once they died out, it becomes clear that the absence of canon establishment and the loss of direct apostolic leadership brings a meandering feel to the direction of the church for the next 250 years.

But more than that, Papias is powerfully restating the value of Paul's instructions to the Corinthians- we need living examples.  I would go as far as saying that when we lose the living examples of true Christlikeness, the community as a whole suffers a type of biblical illiteracy.  Paul said we were the epistles (letters) of God written to the present generation.

Is your life open and accessible, allowing others to read it clearly? Just as important, is the quality and character of your epistle a substance worthwhile copying?

blessings
Kim Gentes

1. Eusebius Pamphilus of Caesarea (trans. C.F. Cruse), Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998), pg. 104