creating space
i’m not sure how it exactly works, but often times my mind collects snipets of conversations, experiences and readings and fuses them together in the melting pot of my frontal lobe. throw in my pre-disposition of angst and my 3 with a wing 4 ennegram and you have a recipe for disaster…or at least a mediocre blog post.
lately the common denominator linking my thoughts has been in the idea of creating space that helps people connect to the living God and partner with him for the redemption of the world.
here are the pieces…
*a question over email to a friend in california: “you mentioned that we need to ‘dream up’ church again. i’ve been wrestling this one for the last 18 months…my question is this: how do we remain true to orthodoxy (so that we don’t get wingnuts making stuff up on the spot) and yet interpret the and imply the scriptures for our time, not so that we’re relevant (that’s b.s.) but so that people realize their place in the Grand Narrative?”
*a friend of mine is in her last year of a nursing degree. she does all her research for papers online, rarely does she use a book. why? in her words, the world of medicine is progressing at a far greater rate than it ever has so the way we understand the human body is in constant flux. new information, new modus operandi, same body. so my questions to myself: “should theology be any different?” and “why is the suggestion of new thinking and approach often received as a threat?” and finally “is there really room for an evolution of thought/theology within the church?”
next up, how does one lead in our present north american context where many are skeptical of the church and its leaders and where expectations placed on clergy are either dated or un-biblical?
here are some more pieces…
*an excellent post by david fitch
*timely words from this eugene peterson article first published in 1983:
“Gabriel Marcel wrote that life is not so much a problem to be solved as a mystery to be explored. That is certainly the biblical stance: life is not something we manage to hammer together and keep in repair by our wits; it is an unfathomable gift. We are immersed in mysteries: incredible love, confounding evil, the creation, the cross, grace, God.
The secularized mind is terrorized by mysteries. Thus it makes lists, labels people, assigns roles, and solves problems. But a solved life is a reduced life. These tightly buttoned-up people never take great faith risks or make convincing love talk. They deny or ignore the mysteries and diminish human existence to what can be managed, controlled, and fixed. We live in a cult of experts who explain and solve. The vast technological apparatus around us gives the impression that there is a tool for everything if we can only afford it. Pastors cast in the role of spiritual technologists are hard put to keep that role from absorbing everything else, since there are so many things that need to be and can, in fact, be fixed.” (full article here - ht)
and further…
*how does this all relate to how we language, communicate and tell the story of Jesus? Jer and I intend to podcast about this over at thinkerlabs before the week is out.
thoughts?
Filed by Joe at February 14th, 2007 under Rants