Testing the Appropriation of Postmodern Epistemological Developments
Andrew publishes an awesome post/word regarding the emergent engagement of postmodernity (read it!):
I believe that Christians need to concentrate on being Christian and that far too often the emergent conversation works so hard to make “postmodern-conversant” people that it forgets that the goal of the church is to make Christian people who follow God’s spirit through the whims and follies of every changing scene, whether it be modernity, postmodernity, or whatever else comes our way. May the church today - in all its forms - have the faith to live through this blip on the cultural radar. May we simply do what the church has always been called to do - worship God, make disciples, care for the oppressed, and move beyond selfishness toward unity with God.
Consuming Jesus and Moving Beyond Race and Class 2
Any proceeding notes, thoughts, and/or brief commentary concern chapter one of a must-read book titled Consuming Jesus: Beyond Race and Class in a Consumer Church, by Paul Louis Metzger. Read More »
Luke’s Pragmatic Attribution of the Term Savior
The Lukan reference to Jesus of Nazareth as ‘Savior’ has more to do with the later Christian community’s need for eschatological reconsideration than the author’s Christological perception. Read More »
Jesus and Conflict in a Proclamation of God’s Reign
Jesus of Nazareth’s public life and ministry were burdened with an absurd amount of conflict because of his incredible commitment to an ideological view of God and God’s place in a life wherein social, political, and religious aspects were inseparably fused. The final climax of this conflict - Jesus’ crucifixion - can be seen in all four canonical Gospels (Matt. 27.35; Mk. 15.24; Lk. 23.33; Jn. 19.18). The multiple layers and deep dynamics characteristic of the conflict leading up to this quadruple Gospel attestation are, however, most vividly displayed in the Gospel of Mark. Read More »
James Fowler’s Six Stages of Faith Development
I have long been interested in developmental psychologist James Fowler’s Stages of Faith. The Stages offer readers a socio-scientific sort of glimpse into developmental aspects of faith that may - or may not - personally resonate. More often than not, people introduced to the list can in fact place themselves in one stage or another. Sometimes personal experiences reveal a broad span across a few stages too.
Fowler’s Stages, if nothing else, can serve as one tool with which those who are dedicated to critical self-examination and self-awareness can semi-accurately gauge their faith journey. Read More »
Osteen’s 7 Simple Steps to Become a Better You!
I was going to write up a great big review concerning Joel Osteen’s new book Become a Better You …
Personally, I think that this book - as are most of Osteen’s works - is shelved wrong in bookstores. It should not be shelved under Christianity; it belongs in the self-help section. Joel Osteen, in Become a Better You, is a self-help guru and motivational speaker draped in Christian-looking garb. Is he good at what he does? Yes. Does it help people? Perhaps. Is it holistically Christian? Not if you are having a difficult time in life, it isn’t. In fact, it’s hardly realistic. Why? There is no - zero - theology of suffering and/or death. Christianity, the last time I checked, majored on these aspects of theology in a very serious and intentional manner. Osteen misses most - if not all - of this very real aspect of Christian thought and theology that speaks directly and holistically about personal transformation. Read More »
Ecological Sustainability is a Theological Issue
Christians in North America have ignored environmental issues for far, far too long. We have justified our actions - or lack thereof - by leaning too heavily upon complicated, if not abstractly vague, eschatological schematics. It worked too, at least for the time being. Why would or should anyone care about ecological stewardship if Jesus was returning tomorrow? You see, Jesus’ cataclysmic return not only signified the beginning of a new age for the Church, but also the subsequent end of the old age of the world. The total and utter destruction of earth as we know it, for some mysterious reason, become a practical if not fatalistic reality. The logic of this sort of apocalyptic thinking, of course, leads one to what would seem to be a very solid conclusion: if the world is going to be morphed into dust, why then should we worry about environmental issues? Well, most Evangelicals did not worry about it at all! Read More »
I have a Two-sided Coin and No Pockets!
One reader e-mailed me to ask if I was a religious liberal. My side nearly exploded as it tried to absorb the crush of my resultant and hearty laughter. No! I am no religious liberal! I tried religious liberalism for a bit. I nibbled on it like a dense fish foolishly flirting with a hook, but quickly discovered that it tasted of the same old, failed, and unmistakable humanism of bygone years. I’m also not a religious conservative either. It’s just as distracting. This detrimental pair happily share the two sides of a sad coin of codependency. I chucked it into a wishing well a long time ago. My wish? To go far beyond that dichotomy; to dive into Gospel.
Three Major Presuppositions of the Jesus Seminar
The three major presuppositions of the Jesus Seminar: 1. Scientific Naturalism (i.e., anything outside the realm of natural explanation can never be backed by historical evidence). 2. The primacy of the apocryphal gospels. 3. The necessity of a politically correct Jesus. Read More »
