Incarnational Tradition and Covenant Path Marking<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This is the last in our series of posts on legalism, which we have called covenant path marking because those who practice these acts see them as faithful\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2005\/06\/16\/incarnational-tradition-and-covenant-path-marking\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Incarnational Tradition and Covenant Path Marking\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This is the last in our series of posts on legalism, which we have called covenant path marking because those who practice these acts see them as faithful\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2005\/06\/16\/incarnational-tradition-and-covenant-path-marking\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Jesus Creed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2005-06-16T10:27:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Scot McKnight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Scot McKnight\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2005\/06\/16\/incarnational-tradition-and-covenant-path-marking\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2005\/06\/16\/incarnational-tradition-and-covenant-path-marking\/\",\"name\":\"Incarnational Tradition and Covenant Path Marking\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2005-06-16T10:27:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2005-06-16T10:27:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#\/schema\/person\/5919e847c58ffe6efb5899fb61797252\"},\"description\":\"This is the last in our series of posts on legalism, which we have called covenant path marking because those who practice these acts see them as faithful\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2005\/06\/16\/incarnational-tradition-and-covenant-path-marking\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2005\/06\/16\/incarnational-tradition-and-covenant-path-marking\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2005\/06\/16\/incarnational-tradition-and-covenant-path-marking\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Incarnational Tradition and Covenant Path Marking\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/\",\"name\":\"Jesus Creed\",\"description\":\"Scot McKnight on Jesus and orthodox faith in the 21st century\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#\/schema\/person\/5919e847c58ffe6efb5899fb61797252\",\"name\":\"Scot McKnight\",\"description\":\"Scot McKnight is a recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. 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<\/div>\n

This is the last in our series of posts on legalism, which we have called covenant path marking because those who practice these acts see them as faithful embodiments of the covenant.<\/p>\n

The Incarnational tradition, more accurately the sacramental tradition, is Foster\u2019s<\/a> weakest chapter, partly I\u2019m guessing because he is Quaker. At any rate, he chooses Susanna Wesley, examines briefly divine aesthetics, and then looks at Dag Hammarskjold. As for its defining parts, Foster sees it as concerned with God as manifest through material means and that the material mediates the divine. There is a religious dimension and an arena for the everyday life.<\/p>\n

[By way of critique: nothing substantial on the Lord\u2019s Supper; nothing on Eastern Orthodox theology of icons, which is where this is most clearly elucidated; nothing on Roman Catholic churches and the like. Nothing on Alexander Schmemann\u2019s For the Life of the World<\/a>.]<\/p>\n

The strengths: God is with us, it roots everyday life, gives meaning to work, corrects Gnosticism, beckons us Godward, the body becomes important, and deepens our ecological sensitivities. The potential perils include idolatry and the sense of managing the divine through the material.<\/p>\n

When does the Incarnational tradition become covenant path marking: whenever specific embodiments of the faith \u2014 say the Lord\u2019s Supper, baptism, candles, crosses \u2014 are identified with what they are intended to reveal or manifest or make present. Whenever we judge our own spirituality on the basis of whether or not we have \u201cdone one of these things\u201d or whenever we judge others on that basis.<\/p>\n

Covenant path marking is here to stay because of human nature. The mystery of the Christian life is that it is about union with God, communion with others, for the good of the world \u2014 and any means or any material embodiment or anything else that is designed to lead us to that can never be as important as loving God, loving others, or living in the Spirit. We need to keep in mind that we have a tendency to confuse the ring with the beloved.<\/p>\n

We also need to keep in mind that what we value will become a covenant path marker, revealing to us that covenant path markers are good but not the end, not the goal toward which we strive.<\/p>\n

Finally, we need to realize that everyone of us is susceptible to this problem, so let us quit thinking that others have the problem with legalism.<\/p>\n

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This is the last in our series of posts on legalism, which we have called covenant path marking because those who practice these acts see them as faithful embodiments of the covenant. The Incarnational tradition, more accurately the sacramental tradition, is Foster\u2019s weakest chapter, partly I\u2019m guessing because he is Quaker. 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