Living Spirituality: January 2017

Monday, January 30, 2017

Reflection for the Week - January 30

In spite of what some are proposing, “We are not all Christians, Muslims, theists, or atheists.” As much as I’m sympathetic with something like this; the attempt to express solidarity, it is unhelpfully formulated. We are not ‘everyone.’ This is called relativism and relativism is dead. Protest, as has become all too clear in recent times, actually means there really is a difference in points of view and thus everything is not the same. I’d suggest the overarching scenario here is more likely pluralism and pluralism is alive and well. My wager is that’s good. To embrace a compassionate and loving pluralism will not make us all the same; there will be opposing positions. But these positions are to be held with mutual respect, openness for discussion, and a strong dose of gracious concern for the other. A better formulation, in my view, is: oneself as another with all its welcoming, yet arduous, complexity and diversity.

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Reading Early Genesis

In light of the compelling data for human evolution, Christians should now work out what implications this has for viable ways of interpreting Genesis 1-3. If you’re interested in this issue, check out From Evolution to Eden, where we attempt to offer a credible way forward. ‘Defining’ moments are upon us. Don’t miss them.

http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Eden-Making-Sense-Genesis/dp/1938367197/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440154029&sr=8-1&keywords=laughery

http://www.bookdepository.com/From-Evolution-Eden-George-Diepstra/9781938367199 BEST PRICE!

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/from-evolution-to-eden-gregory-j-laughery/1121224279?ean=9781938367199

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Thursday Thoughts - January 26

Let’s face it, while humans are unique, they are also not put together in the best way possible. We malfunction, break down, and wear out. Death will claim us all. Perhaps, because of this we can begin to perceive that a Christ like ‘transformed life’ is not merely a hope, but even more importantly a necessity.

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Living Spiritual Rhythms - January 25

Protest is a negation of relativism.

Monday, January 23, 2017

Reflection for the Week - January 23

A Christian view of Suffering is often that it is – outweighed by benefits – but I’m not convinced. As I see it there are two problems with this: the potential underplaying of suffering itself and the assumption that it is ‘outweighed by benefits.’ The first, suffering, can be horrific and inescapable. It has to be recognized that suffering can leave deep wounds that are extremely difficult to heal. The second, well, I think that it’s better not use the term ‘outweighed,’ even in a case where thriving or the desires of the heart are an outcome, whether this is related to God or otherwise. In my view, ‘outweighed’ is something like a category mistake because the agony of profound suffering in time, in spite of potential benefits, is not outweighed by them. We’re just not made that way. Memory, emotion, imagination, and longing, are all unavoidable traits of each person: sufferer or benefiter. Thus, when we take humanness into consideration, there is a need to find a better way of configuring this thorny issue. I’d wager that should a benefit in the midst of suffering arise, both are experienced in the flow of a life that is a wild and messy blend of the two. Nothing in this context is really outweighed by anything else, since what is lived in time is an embodied phenomenon of emerging complexity and dense mutuality.

Friday, January 20, 2017

Friday Musings – January 20

Far too many churches operate like casinos or other business enterprises that suck the blood out of the naively faithful, while promising in return that God’s will for them is a life of health and wealth. There’s no better example than this of ‘fake news.’