Rob Norris began his preaching career as a teenager, traveling between small churches in his native Wales. Eventually, his journey led him to the 3,500-member Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, where he has served for the past nearly 28 years. Norris’ mission has remained the same: To be an advocate for the Kingdom of Heaven. The 60-year-old shared with The Washington Examiner thoughts on his faith and its awesome responsibilities in an unwelcoming world. Do you consider yourself to be of a specific faith?
I would certainly be regarded as an evangelical, and a conservative evangelical, at that — one who has tasted the grace of God, is clear about the nature of God, and is committed to the authority of the Scripture in all that it teaches. I hold Scripture to be the final authority in faith and practice, and in directing all that I believe and proclaim.
Within that, I would see myself as Reformed — holding to those doctrines of the Reformation that were essential in defining the nature of the Gospel: Faith alone through Christ alone by grace alone.
Fourth Presbyterian is one of the more affluent congregations in the Washington area. What challenges are posed in preaching to the generally comfortable?
I think part of the challenge is to realize that we’re stewards, not owners of our gifts. All that comes to us comes from the hands of God, and because we’ve received the generosity of divine love, we have therefore the responsibility to display the generosity of human love and caring.
Few among us realize our own needs as much as we realize the needs of those who have much less. Consequently, to reach the up-and-outers as well as the down-and-outers requires different strategies — and that goes for reaching people, as well, who are part of the intellectual elite of the region.
But if you believe that every man and woman regardless of circumstance has a need for God, then our responsibility is to be faithful in proclaiming the Gospel, and ultimately to trust in a God more powerful than ourselves.
In a world and a city where — as your church website says — Christ is not welcome, what should Christians hold to most of all in their day-to-day [living]?
I think you hold to the faith recognizing that you will be a witness to Christ, but that the world will see you as a hypocrite. We were born in sin and saved by grace, but we still sin. Internally, we seek the grace of Christ. Externally, we seek to manifest his presence, and exhibit his grace, and live with the opportunities to commend the Christian Gospel no matter where we are, or with whom.
There should be a sense of humility about every Christian, because we are sinners all, but saved by grace. The way to deal with the fallenness of our world is not to condemn it, but to exhibit grace and manifest forgiveness, and to commend something greater than ourselves. There can be no arrogance to those who know that through the life and death of another, they have life for eternity through His power.
In a newsy town, how much should churches and pastors pay attention to current events?
We inform ourselves to pray, and we inform our congregations to pray. I believe that every Christian has his or her own particular responsibility to be a citizen of this world, and also of heaven. My task is to be an advocate of heaven. It’s much easier to see where we belong in this world, but it is the minister’s appointment to be an advocate for heaven. The confusion of those two kingdoms can lead to a very unhealthy place where the church becomes political. We try very hard to stay away from that.
At your core, what is one of your defining beliefs?
I believe that Jesus Christ, the son of God, took on human flesh to live my life and die my death, that I may gain eternity by his grace alone.
– Leah Fabel
