whatever you do.

Western Civilization: The whole is comprised of two dominant worldviews/traditions.

Greek Tradition: detached, disembodied, timeless, universal, reflective, critical, rational

Hebrew Tradition: involved, embodied, historical, local, committed to specificity

If anyone can figure out how to lead a civilization anywhere when it is rooted in this soup my hat is off to them!

Tags: philosophy, western, civilization, greek, hebrew, plato, jesus, culture

During the next few weeks I am going to engage the art of journaling. Although I do keep this blog updated on a generally frequent basis, I don’t feel that I have made use of its potential in a way that has really been able to transform and impact my life and relationships. As my vehicle in this exercise I am going to be reading and journaling through Don Postema’s devotional journal, Space for God. As I read and pray through Don’s book I will interact with various themes and images that I come across. I will do my best to articulate prayers, pictures, stories and thoughts that are stirred up through my practice.

To be completely transparent, I am doing this in part to get a grade for a class. As part of my grade in Spiritual Formation I am to engage with Don’s book through a journal to be handed in at the end of the semester. I decided to do my journaling in this more public space both to encourage myself to be consistent with my journals, and to maybe share with you all some truth and beauty along the way. I hope that this is as invigorating for you as it for me.

“What else can make us one but prayer? What else can unite us but a common recognition that all that is, is a divine gift calling forth from us words and actions of thanks? What else can gather us but a spirituality of gratitude that sets us free from our many divisions and allows us to celebrate together the presence of the living Christ among us? Don has brought together John Calvin and Thomas Merton; Dutch and Japanese drawings; Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox reflections. What unites them? Gratitude, the deep awareness of the giftedness of life. The prayer of thanks is indeed the place where we all can meet – not looking at each other and finding fault with each other but looking together at him who forgives us our faults over and again.”

– Henri J. M. Nouwen (from the preface to Space for God)

Tags: journaling, spirituality, don postema, discipline

doorway1, originally uploaded by senor diecast.

Just a recent photo I took while at home. I love the various wood textures and the old architecture of our place.
And I really dig light and shadow.

Eternal life. Where is it? When is it? For a long time I have thought about eternal life as a life after all my birthdays have run out. For most of my years I have spoken about the eternal life as the ‘afterlife,’ as ‘life after death.’ But the older I become, the less interest my ‘afterlife’ holds for me. Worrying not only about tomorrow, next year, and the next decade, but even about the next life seems a false preoccupation. Wondering how things will be for me after I die seems, for the most part, a distraction. When my clear goal is the eternal life, that life must be reachable right now, where I am, because eternal life is life in and with God, and God is where I am here and now.

– Henri Nouwen

This to me is one of the basic differences between the Jewish way (life with God here and now) and the Platonic/Greek way (life with God after you escape this world).

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

Luke 10:25-28

What is blocking you from tasting life with God now?

Tags: heaven, eternal, nouwen

From page 46 of Exploring Protestant Traditions… “Historically, Lutheran interpreters have viewed the unity of the Bible ‘from a Pauline perspective, regarding Paul’s exposition of justification as the most profound theological reading of the gospel.’ ”

This isn’t really unique to Lutheranism, but my question is around the idea that Paul’s doctrine of justification is “the doctrine by which the church stand or falls.” (p. 47) I have no problem with Paul’s emphasis on the doctrine of justification by faith, nor the Lutheran re-emphasis, but what I do have a problem with is how it seems to push the life and teaching of Jesus into a Christian footnote. What authority does the earthly teaching and ministry of Jesus hold when it seems to be subservient to what is deemed the most glorious work of scripture – the doctrinal work of Paul? How can we hold the ministry of Jesus and his gospel of the Kingdom of God in a rightful relationship with Paul’s doctrine of justification by faith? What comes first? Should we not interpret Paul’s doctrine in light of Jesus’ gospel? It just seems that have often reversed this.

I assume it is this question among others that will be discussed at the upcoming Reclaiming Paul Conference. If anyone has an extra plane ticket to Kansas City I would love to snatch it up!

Tags: justification, gospel, protestant, christian, tradition, paul

Sorry for the absence as of late. My head has been getting reorganized into full-time student mode. I’ve been out of the school world for 5 years now, so it has taken a bit of work to get organized. I’ve been working iCal like never before.

In a most incredible turn of events, one of my classes this semester is focused on contemporary theology with an emphasis on the emerging church movement. It was my friendships and engagement with emergent and various similar groups of people that began my re-engagement with theology and a search for a deeper understanding of God’s mission and the church. So when I found out that this course was being offered I jumped at the opportunity.

As a launching point into 21st Century theology we briefly exploring the major Protestant traditions of the last 500 years. I am right now taking a break from reading the chapter on Lutheranism out of Exploring Protestant Traditions by David Buschart. He does a pretty good job of uncovering the historical, theological and methodological distinctives of each denominational tradition. I really appreciate his withholding of judgement. The goal of the text is not to vilify or baptize any individual tradition, but to enrich all by encouraging open and honest reading. I’m enjoying engaging with this text.

The class composition is interesting. I was expecting a lot of “new reformers” and me. It is a bit more broadbased than I was expecting, but most students described themselves as “theologically conservative” last week. A few stated an interest in reading some of the emerging thoughts and a few folks were wonderfully honest in their confession of not having made up their minds on almost everything. As far as I could tell, I was the only person in the class to self-identify as being emergent in my position (whatever that means). When describing myself I even used the term “conversation” without realizing. I guess I really am emergent.

I guess this sort of folds back into the constant question posed around the internets concerning that word. The word emergent describes many people that I have come to see as friends in the journey. If I was following some specific church father I would call myself Wesleyan or Lutheran or whatever as a way of identifying with my tribe, so why should I feel ashamed of aligning myself with this triby non-tribe of fellow emegents? I mean, I just don’t really fit fully into any other space. I was raised Baptist and I’m grateful to the formative influence that tribe has had on my life. I don’t really see the harm in calling myself a Baptimergent or some such thing.

Anyway, I think I’ll leave those thoughts incomplete for now. Back to it.

Tags: emergent, emerging, church, school, theology

My friend Mike just alerted me to this. Apparently Stanley Hauerwas has his own podcast. Having just finished reading Resident Aliens I just about spit my coffee everywhere when he told me about it.

Tags: hauerwas, podcast, theology

Why do I spend all my time on this chatter about Jesus and the has-come/is-coming reign of God in the world, when I could be discussing more important matters – such as contending how the ages of church history line up with the seven churches of Revelation?

…

Sorry… just noticing how far I’ve come in my pursuit of what I think is important in life. If contemplation on literal Revelation eschatology orders, fulfilled prophecies, army ranks, etc. is your bag; please don’t take too much offense. It’s just that, from where I am standing today, I think it is a monumental waste of time.

Oh, and what is up with 3am? Seriously. There is some sort of train-of-thought vortex when you reach that point in the night. Stupid thoughts leak in as insightful thoughts drain out your nose. Bed time.

Tags: stupidity

I don’t know what brought it on, but I’ve been listening to and watching Neil Young all afternoon. For many, many years I was a Neil Young fanatic, but as of late haven’t paid him much attention. Today I rediscovered a man who is easily one of the top five song writers of the past 50 years. I’d like to introduce you to Cortez the Killer, as performed by Neil, Dave Matthews (and Warren Haynes from Gov’t Mule) and a blazing rendition by Joe Satriani, Grace Potter and company. Enjoy.

Tags: music, neil young, canada, rock, cortez, dave matthews, joe satriani, grace potter, warren haynes, gov’t mule