The fierce debate about Christian living in the face of Empire is well known. My brief response to the issue goes something like this. While there are various sources to explore, I am thinking along the lines of the prophets (Isa; Jer; Ezk; Dan) and 1 Peter, where there seems to be a working out of the types of Empire living that are appropriate. That is, in these texts, we encounter, in a deft and wise manner, the coming to terms with Empire. This includes some accommodation and some resistance. Finding our way along will be arduous, and the where and when we resist or accommodate not always precisely clear, yet while it won’t be perfect, we should be a standing for truth and love, as we seek to follow in the footsteps of the Christ. Being aliens is no easy task and it will require a living hope for transformation, no matter how oppressive or inviting Empire may appear to be.
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Monday, October 29, 2018
Reflection for the Week - October 29
Control issues, manipulation, and insecurity will inevitably be relationally destructive to self and other, whereas the dynamic trio of faith, hope, and love connected to the Resourceful One brings about the possibility of cooperation and a deep healing of relational bonds. This refiguration results in shock therapy that can lead us in the direction of taking the risk of seeing anew, beyond the confines of a visible field of perception. That is, as the economy of gift (grace) over that of exchange (if you give to me, I’ll give to you) comes into focus, it will open up horizons for an encounter with the Divine, which instigates transformation.
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Thursday Thoughts - October 25
Questioning God’s existence is highly appropriate for beings like us.
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Monday, October 15, 2018
Living Mark's Story is now 84% off on Amazon !
I’d wager that to read and hear this story is to
enter into a possible world; a world
of subversive reversals of perspective, intrigue, mystery, and strange riddles,
with Jesus as its central protagonist. Far from a simple tale, filled with easy
answers or a basic list of rules to follow, Mark’s story is explosive;
combining literary creativity and theological force. 
Reflection for the Week - October 15
In Science & Theology discussions, especially among theists and Christians, the question is often posed: Was Paul right or wrong about his views of an historical Adam & Eve? Perhaps, to frame the question this way is not the best way of approaching it. It looks to me like Paul appeals to the OT and tradition out of his Jewish/Greco-Roman perspective. There seems little doubt he would have believed in a historical Adam & Eve, but since he would have had no other option, he therefore can’t be right or wrong. He worked with what he had and with what was being revealed. When it comes to human origins, cosmology, and the theology connected to them, Paul writes as an authoritative apostle and communicates what he could about these matters. Yet, because of a lack of information (not the case for his encounter with the Risen One, though this was still somewhat opaque according to one narrator; three conversion stories in Acts) on any alternative for origins or cosmology and their theological implications, Paul has to be understood within the limits of his historical and cultural context on such issues. I’d wager he can be more and less influenced by this context, depending on the matter at hand. Paul is therefore not right or wrong regarding his views of Adam & Eve. He is the ‘more’ contextually influenced Paul on these matters and as such, right or wrong is a category mistake. Thus, it is no longer an option, but now an obligation to try to sort out the varying degrees of context and the role they played in Paul’s writings, and then to try to work other things out from there.
Thursday, October 11, 2018
Thursday Thoughts - October 11
In the search for personal knowledge it is possible
to put far too much weight on knowing and being a knower. This over-emphasis is
a major plague, and expresses itself in several ways including: reductionism,
hiddenness, and falsification. Other perspectives are necessary. My proposal,
for one of these, is that increasing in knowledge is to ‘be known.’ Being known
carries significant power for knowing and therefore without this ‘knowness’ our
knowledge will surely be greatly impoverished. The more one attempts to be a
knower with a single focus trajectory of knowing, the further one is away from
the validity of knowledge.
