I was reading out of a John Shelby Spong book this morning and had to post this quote...
"The task of the modern Christian is to have the living Word that moves beneath the literal words of the Bible erupt to call people into life and into the task of building an inclusive community where Christ is seen in all persons, where those in Christ can begin to respect the dignity of every human being, and where all people can begin to repsond to the presence of God that is over, under, around, and through all of life."
Wow...
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
Those Unspoken Of
I came across three verses in Matthew that floored me. In Matthew 27:51-53 there is an amazing phenomenon mentioned that no other Gospel mentions. I don’t remember ever hearing about this in a sermon or teaching. It seems like such a huge event just to be limited to one Gospel account. I mean, if you were an eye witness to this, it would make turning water into wine a minor detail. But there it is brushed over in Matthew alone with no New Testament hint anywhere else. Come on. Click on the link and scroll down. You gotta read this for yourself.
Those unspoken of is a fascinating category. Groups of people, verses, stories, individuals, and rules are a few of the infamous members that get the silent treatment. Although we could go many directions with this topic I want to hang out in the realm of Scripture for a brief moment. I love reading or hearing about verses that have gotten the silent treatment in my life. I love having conversations about obscure and difficult passages of Scripture. Internetmonk.com recently started a great series of posts over difficult passages of Scripture. Here is an example. Those unspoken of are deserving of our attention. Whether it’s Jesus preaching to the spirits in prison from Noah’s day (1 Peter 3:18-20) or a scandalous inclusive verse like 1 Timothy 4:10 we need to at least acknowledge the presence of those unspoken of. So what about you? What are some unspoken mysteries you’ve come across lately?
Those unspoken of is a fascinating category. Groups of people, verses, stories, individuals, and rules are a few of the infamous members that get the silent treatment. Although we could go many directions with this topic I want to hang out in the realm of Scripture for a brief moment. I love reading or hearing about verses that have gotten the silent treatment in my life. I love having conversations about obscure and difficult passages of Scripture. Internetmonk.com recently started a great series of posts over difficult passages of Scripture. Here is an example. Those unspoken of are deserving of our attention. Whether it’s Jesus preaching to the spirits in prison from Noah’s day (1 Peter 3:18-20) or a scandalous inclusive verse like 1 Timothy 4:10 we need to at least acknowledge the presence of those unspoken of. So what about you? What are some unspoken mysteries you’ve come across lately?
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Ubuntu
I first encountered the word Ubuntu (pronounced oo-BOON-too) in this amazing article. I strongly encourage you to read the article. I wanted to learn more about Ubuntu so I purchased Michael Battle’s book Ubuntu: I in You and You in Me . Here is what I’ve learned so far…
Ubuntu is an African philosophy of personhood. It is an African way of seeing a person. It emphasizes the communal and spiritual dimension of human identity and challenges the philosophy of individualism. Ubuntu is about the interconnection of human beings on a global scale as well as the interconnection of human beings living across the street from one another. Michael Battle argues that Ubuntu teaches us that the only true way to know self is in community. It helps us see how we all are inextricably linked together. I cannot help but think about Paul’s words about the Body of Christ: “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26). Desmond Tutu describes Ubuntu like this:
“A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed.”
There is an African idiom that states, “A person is a person through other persons.” In other words no one can be human alone. We are created for relationships by a Relationship. Ubuntu, according to Battle, is “the development of the kind of character in a person who proves a neighbor to a stranger and welcomes them as friends.” It does not presuppose that individuals lose their unique personalities, but it never loses sight of their place in the whole. Understanding Ubuntu means we realize that we are all connected. As Tutu proclaims we must begin by understanding that as much as God loves us, God equally loves our enemies. Ubuntu connects us with our enemies. Our healing is connected to theirs. Jesus is in the business of drawing all people to Himself. Ubuntu reminds us that we are each a God-carrier, a tabernacle of the Holy Spirit. Without a communal dimension there is a danger that we confuse self with God.
For this last section I want to pass on some of the more provocative thoughts from Battle. He suggests that what we often call a personal relationship with God in the West is shorthand for my own version of God. Instead of seeing ourselves made in the image of God, we create God from our own image. He counters the Bible Belt question “Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus?” with “Do you have a communal relationship with Jesus?” Try starting an invitation to the altar with that one. It sounds so foreign because we’ve never been asked that question. Does a communal relationship with Jesus matter just as much as a personal relationship with Jesus? Does it carry the same salvific importance? Is it possible to argue that my very salvation is dependent on yours? That’s radical stuff for Western ears to hear…almost as radical as asking a thief to become your treasurer.
Thoughts?
Ubuntu is an African philosophy of personhood. It is an African way of seeing a person. It emphasizes the communal and spiritual dimension of human identity and challenges the philosophy of individualism. Ubuntu is about the interconnection of human beings on a global scale as well as the interconnection of human beings living across the street from one another. Michael Battle argues that Ubuntu teaches us that the only true way to know self is in community. It helps us see how we all are inextricably linked together. I cannot help but think about Paul’s words about the Body of Christ: “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26). Desmond Tutu describes Ubuntu like this:
“A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed.”
There is an African idiom that states, “A person is a person through other persons.” In other words no one can be human alone. We are created for relationships by a Relationship. Ubuntu, according to Battle, is “the development of the kind of character in a person who proves a neighbor to a stranger and welcomes them as friends.” It does not presuppose that individuals lose their unique personalities, but it never loses sight of their place in the whole. Understanding Ubuntu means we realize that we are all connected. As Tutu proclaims we must begin by understanding that as much as God loves us, God equally loves our enemies. Ubuntu connects us with our enemies. Our healing is connected to theirs. Jesus is in the business of drawing all people to Himself. Ubuntu reminds us that we are each a God-carrier, a tabernacle of the Holy Spirit. Without a communal dimension there is a danger that we confuse self with God.
For this last section I want to pass on some of the more provocative thoughts from Battle. He suggests that what we often call a personal relationship with God in the West is shorthand for my own version of God. Instead of seeing ourselves made in the image of God, we create God from our own image. He counters the Bible Belt question “Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus?” with “Do you have a communal relationship with Jesus?” Try starting an invitation to the altar with that one. It sounds so foreign because we’ve never been asked that question. Does a communal relationship with Jesus matter just as much as a personal relationship with Jesus? Does it carry the same salvific importance? Is it possible to argue that my very salvation is dependent on yours? That’s radical stuff for Western ears to hear…almost as radical as asking a thief to become your treasurer.
Thoughts?
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