If you never felt you had ‘permission’ in church, at
home, or in community, to ask questions about the biblical text or its
interpretation, something is wrong. Get that. Something is wrong. No shaming
tactics, guilt trips, or theological dogmatism, should put you off. You’re
right to raise questions and look for responses where available, come what may.
Let’s face it, sometimes there are no answers. We just don’t have enough
information. So, go ahead. Question! Be curious. Explore. Certainty about the
biblical text or its interpretations is not, as it’s often touted to be, a
safe place, but a dangerously controlling and manipulative illusion.
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Living Spiritual Rhythms - January 29
Monday, January 29, 2018
Reflection for the Week - January 29
There are three prevailing worldviews that tend to
dominate the g-local context today. First, matter matters. This is the notion
that all there is―is matter. Scientific hubris is attempting to capture the
totality of what is, but in its reductionism and anti-theism is doomed to fail.
Life is more important than matter. Second, money matters. Consumer strategies
and corporate values teach us that all that’s real is―money. When money becomes
a god in church, politics, economics, and society, everything is sacrificed on
the altar of death and redemption is left lying in the ashes of the meltdown.
People are more important than money. Third, power matters. Cutting down and
shredding responsibility or anything else that stands in the way means that all
that counts is―power. Outrageous claims and acts of terror oppress and
de-dignify an ethical imperative that is trampled by bullets and bombs. Love
and justice are more important than power.
Friday, January 26, 2018
Identity, Imagination, and What is Real?
Plato and Aristotle had different views of identity,
imagination, and what is real. Where are we today? And how should we reflect on
these three significant topics for ourselves? If you’re interested in exploring
this further, check out my new book Living Imagination.
https://www.amazon.com/Living-Imagination-Who-What-Real/dp/1938367294/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1512647459&sr=1-1&keywords=laughery
Friday Musings - January 26
To not be resigned to death in the midst of chaos
and uncertainty is a challenge and a destiny. Fighting against addiction and
abuse - the injustices of tolerance – takes hard work and deep commitment. As
life frays from the peaceful center to the edges of despair and back, death
frequently looms large on the horizon of existence. It perversely seeks to
convince us that this is the final space. Frantic attempts to escape from this
lie only enslave us and lead to false release. By contrast, life, worn as it
may be, is a hopeful adventure worth embracing.
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Thursday Thoughts - January 25
One of the salient features of the twenty-first
century is that we are living in a post-trust culture. As I have recently
mentioned, this means that our ability to trust institutions, governments, politicians,
economics, and churches is coming to an end. Furthermore, the Christian faith
in the West seems to be losing its traction, coherence, and credibility. The
principles of marketing and consumerism in many churches are replacing the deep
spiritual realities of truth, unity, and love, which are so essential in a
world lost in propaganda and fraud. It seems to me, therefore, that this is a
defining moment. We now find ourselves at a historic crossroads and where to go
from here is a somewhat open question.
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Living Spiritual Rhythms - January 24
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time
These salient words from TS Eliot in the Four Quartets set the tone for this
post. Poets, like Eliot, have ways with words that configure worlds and how we
view them. Thus, they are creators of powerful images of innovation and
impertinence, which careen off the walls of time and sweep over the landscape
of life, calling us to re-envision where we started. Being engaged in the
intricate and inquisitive art of exploration is a perpetual challenge, which
comes to an end with a new perception of the beginning.
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