emerging

Continuing to Think of Faith as a Commons...

From one perspective, faith may seem more concerned with afterlife, or non-afterlife, moral and social norms, views of who or what God is or is not -- much surrounding a developmental process inside one's head.  However, there is a more practical side to all this mental activity.  Faith is directional.  Purposed.  As a commons,  one might think that this means awareness that there are many ways to conceive God.  It also means that there are corollaries in living the life of a faith commons.

continue reading "Peace On Earth"

In recent days under the broad topic of Thematics, several directions have crossed my mind.  Most notable was that I saw the need for Thematics to be seen as a control mechanism that more often than not places limits on behavior and faith.  For instance it is very common to first meet a person and be asked, "Where do you go to church?"  That is a loaded question -- loaded with all kinds of value judgments and connecting Themes.

continue reading "TRUTH As A Commons"

I mentioned to Bill in an earlier post that Thematics seem to be occupying my mind lately.

What I meant by Thematics may be unclear (still is to me, as it is unfolding).  To make it even more confusing I think Thematics is related to Memes...

 A meme, (IPA: /mi:m/) as defined within memetic theory, comprises a unit of cultural information, cultural evolution or diffusion that propagates from one mind to another analogously to the way in which a gene propagates from one organism to another as a unit of genetic information and of biological evolution. Multiple memes may propagate as cooperative groups called memeplexes (meme complexes). (From Wikipedia)

continue reading "Memes and Thematics"

All

This subject may greatly offend some of us.  At one time I would have been very uncomfortable with it.  Now it is time to face the heart of what is the matter with humanity and "our" relation with God.  The last few words may have sounded clumsy, but rest assured it was stated that way with purpose.

Scanning Marcus Borg's book "Jesus" in the bookstore, there were two chapters that immediately arrested my attention.  At the outset, Marcus introduces the idea of Domination.  A chord was struck with me because I have strong feelings about the Biblical theology of Dominion, and I wondered whether Marcus was going to relate to it in some way.  In the closing chapters of his book, he examines a culmination of Domination in the final week of Jesus.  Especially noteworthy is his view of the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem which he calls a "Prophetic act."  He goes on to explain how riding an ass colt was a direct confrontation -- one of many that Jesus lived out for the benefit of human eyes.  I am going to buy the book, Marcus, so don't feel that I am bent on stealing your thoughts.  Rather, I hope to relate some of what struck me to my own journey -- and, I think, all of our journeys.

continue reading "Confronting God"

One of the interesting features of the stale doctrine of Inerrancy/Infallibility is faith (trust) in the concept of God having revealed what eventually came to be written down by men. 'Theopneustos' existed at one point in time, but according to I/I the breath of God has ceased for a Dispensational period.

This accounts for the backward looking theological viewpoint of fundamentalism, and the lack of vision for the future (other than to sit and wait). It also accounts IMO for a tremendous lack of interest among the postmodern populace. A God who is distant and silent but for his spokesmen and interpreters today does not tend to hold relevance to people who question such things.

continue reading "Continuing Revelation"

In this short work by C. H. Dodd, he outlines what he means by the subject title above. Near the end of his work, he writes:

["The real problem for the student of the New Testament is not whether this or that incident in the life of Jesus is credibly reported, this or that saying rightly attributed to Him; nor yet whether such and such a doctrine. in Paul or John can be derived from Judaism or the "mystery religions." It is, whether the fundamental affirmations of the apostolic Preaching are true and relevant. We cannot answer this question without understanding the Preaching, nor understand it without painstaking study of material which in some of its forms is strange and elusive; but without answering this question, we cannot confidently claim the name of Christian for that which we preach. To select from the New Testament certain passages which seem to have a "modern" ring, and to declare that these represent the "permanent element" in it, is not necessarily to preach the Gospel. It is, moreover, easy to be mistaken, on a superficial reading, about the true meaning of passages which may strike us as congenial. Some of them may not be as "modern" as they sound. The discipline of confronting the Gospel of primitive Christianity, in those forms of statement which are least congenial to the modern mind, compels us to re-think, not only the Gospel, but our own prepossessions.]

continue reading "Apostolic Preaching and Its Development"