Writing, for all its benefits, is rather impersonal. Even biographies, though they describe the events of a person’s life, often fall short of truly introducing us to that person. I know many facts about Clive Staples Lewis, but I would never venture to profess that I know the man. Having those facts does not necessarily help me better connect to him through his writing. Despite the impersonality of much writing, I am endeavoring to write, rather routinely, to you. And if I shall be writing to you, I shall first labor to introduce myself to you; hopefully less so with a listing of facts and more with a hand toward helping you come to know the physical, the intellectual, and the spiritual context from which I will be writing.
It should come as no surprise by this point that I am a follower of the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua of Nazareth. I have been made spiritually alive by the grace of God the Father that is found in Yeshua. Therefore, more than simply having a mind and personality, I also have a spiritual identity. Like my body and my mind though, my spiritual identity is complex and paradoxical. If I were to try to spiritually describe myself in a simple statement, I would say I am an evangelically-liturgical, reformed charismatic.
It is hard for me to read the previous sentence aloud without smiling. In many ways, evangelicalism is considered to be non-liturgical, and reformed theology and charismatic theology have long existed on opposing ends of the theological spectrum. It is a hard and ridiculous space to exist in for me. I am not evangelical enough for evangelicals, nor am I liturgical enough for those who inhabit that part of Christendom. Likewise, I’m too reformed for charismatics and too charismatic for my reformed brothers and sisters. However, it is my genuine and rigorous reading and study of the scriptures, as well as my own unique personality, that cause me to be this way, and I find it allows me to connect with and consciously enjoy the presence of YHWH Elohim in a myriad of ways.
I am evangelical because I believe the scriptures are the final authority in matters of life and the practice of faith, that people can only be made right with YHWH Elohim through the life, death, resurrection, ascension, and exaltation of the Anointed King Yeshua of Nazareth by personally changing their minds about themselves and Him and choosing to trust completely in Him for a reconciled relationship with God, and finally, that our faith in Yeshua calls us to engage in the world to make it a better place for all image-bearers of YHWH, which includes sharing the beauty of the Kingdom of God through proclamation, love, kindness, justice, and by example. I take time to elucidate what I mean when I call myself evangelical because the term has become so laden down with social-political baggage, primarily because there are many who confidently call themselves evangelicals when they are really fundamentalists.1
When I say I am liturgical, I mean to communicate that I view life (and seek to live life) sacramentally. I believe that seasons, relationships, food, the animal kingdom, and even the hardships of this world and my life are empty vessels to be filled with the substance of the Messiah. I believe that these things are banners that remind the spiritually alive of God’s power, His mercy, His wrath, and His love. All of material life and the material world is a shadow of a spiritual reality, and like Plato2 we can gleam a little information about the real from these shadows.3
When I describe myself as reformed,4 I mean that I affirm the five “solas;” that is, I believe salvation is possible by grace alone (sola gratia), through faith alone (sola fide), in Christ alone (solus Christus), who is clearly revealed in the scriptures alone (sola scriptura), for the glory of God alone (soli Deo gloria). I affirm most of the articles of the Belgic Confession.5 “Most” because I cannot recall every detail of every article, but I do know for sure I do not agree with the article on the governance of the church, especially that the governance they espouse was instituted by the Lord Yeshua, because it wasn’t. Finally, I agree that YHWH Elohim is a God of covenants more than He is a God of “dispensations.”6
And finally, I am charismatic (though I prefer the term continuationist). By charismatic I mean that I do not believe that certain “spiritual gifts” listed in the New Testament have ceased or stopped. It is the Spirit who gives the gifts (1 Cor. 12:4) and I have not seen anywhere in the New Testament that implies the Spirit only intended to give some gifts for a limited time. Because I affirm the authority of the scriptures as a reformed evangelical, I will not be convinced by the anecdotal argument cessationists offer about never experiencing or seeing certain things happen, and because of my high view of scripture, I will not despise prophecies (1 Thess. 5:20). I do not believe it is God’s will to always heal a person, I don’t believe that every believer who has been baptized in Holy Spirit speaks in tongues, and I don’t believe that everyone who calls themself a prophet is a prophet of the Lord Yeshua.
Who is Marcus Brandon McClain? I am a body; I am a culturally unique, sexual male who is a child of Africa and a product of America. I am a soul; I am a logical, social introvert. And I am a spirit; I am a liturgical, charismatic, reformed evangelical who stands firmly in the middle of this four-circled venn diagram. My sincere hope and prayer is that these three articles have been less of a listing of facts about myself and will be a guide and aid that provides meaningful context to those things I have written and will write. Continue to journey with me: Marcus Brandon McClain.
For a simple but thorough history of evangelicalism, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiiRnO7UTTk
The Allegory of the Cave, https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/seyer/files/plato_republic_514b-518d_allegory-of-the-cave.pdf
To learn more about the extent of liturgy, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1xr-E4-Es8
For an overview of reformed theology, see: https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/what-is-reformed-theology
The Belgic Confession, https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/confessions/belgic-confession
You can read about dispensational theology here: https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/dispensationalism