Riddle Me An Experience In the Economy of the Church

I have been listening to Leonard Sweet’s So Beautiful. David Phillips does a good job reviewing the book here. I confess I prefer print and paper. The thought of a Kindle has intrigued me. But, I like paper and print. Bibliophiles love books in their hands, on their shelves, and in their homes. It is the experience. Reading at that level becomes tactile. I rarely read articles of any length on a screen. I prefer to print it. It is the one area where I scuttle concern for my inner carbon footprint.

We all like different experiences. Leaving the hospital last week after a visit I noticed a fellow with his Kindle in tow on his way to visit. He knew he might be there a while. A friend of mine gets so much “windshield time” he prefers audiobooks like the one I have been listening to.

Some feel life is better not reading. To each his own.

I read Mark Riddle’s post titled, “The Downfall of Creating Experiences.” (The link may be dead. I called and chided Mark to get to the heart of the blog problem so you may read the piece.) Read the story »

Thoughts from the Edge – Acts of Grace

The heat here is oppressive. Those without any kind of conditioned air will be under an alert for the THI (Temperature Humidity Index). Warnings have been issues. Suffering in this heat will be common. Either age or existing medical condition will create the circumstance for difficulty. We can be right about these facts. The call is to excel in acts of grace wherein we give oursevles out of love for God and neighbor. Here are some thoughts from the texts for this coming Sunday.

 

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Friday Photo

Dad

Friday Photo

Horne Notes a Take On Against Christianity

Good conversation partners are hard to come by, especially when it comes to theology. Mark lived in Minco, just west of Tuttle. He pastored a small PCA church. Mark moved to St. Louis and we rarely connect. But, I do read his blog and keep track of his goings on. For some time he has touted Peter Leithart. He persuades me to buy another book. Here is a clip of a review he points to that is worth considering,

I just finished reading Against Christianity by Peter Leithart. In this book, Dr. Leithart contrasts compares and contrasts “Christianity” and “Christendom.” Christianity is defined as “a set of doctrines or a system of ideas.” Unfortunately, as the good doctor points out, “The Bible gives no hint that a Christian ‘belief system’ might be isolated from the life of the Church, subjected to a scientific or logical analysis, and have its truth compared with competing ‘belief systems.’” Jesus didn’t come to propose a new philosophy, but rather to establish a new society, the Church. And the Church is not only a new society, but a new humanity, the beginning of the eschatological state of the human race. As Leithart writes, “…the Church presented herself not as another ’sect’ or cult that existed under the umbrella of the polis; she was an alternative governing body for the city and the beginning of a new city.”

(Read the rest at: The Flying Inn: Against Christianity. via Mark)

Theology and Context – Bob “Good Point” Hyatt

N.T. Wright uses the “steering wheel” to make some good points about justification in his new book, Justification: God’s Plan & Paul’s Vision. Arguing for reading the words translated “righteousness” in the Old and New Testaments in their historic contexts, Wright suggests we may have found a shorthand word in justification that we are asking to do more than “steer the car.” Context means something.

Conversations about theology run rampant around the Internet and Interwebs. Some would as soon pitch those forays as immense wastes of time. And, indeed some are. But, many have kept and lost their “faith” attempting to answer some of the not so simple questions. Assuming those who question their faith simply possess an antagonistic bent is to miss the depths of the human experience that looks for, if not demands, some explanation – even if one is not available. We are just that way.

Enter Bob Hyatt. Suggesting theology is only the purview of pastors (issues of pastoral care and the care of the soul) is akin to arguing only academics get theology. The matter is one of an inherent elitism if not intellectual snobbery. But, to dismiss theology as un-necessary is to proceed as though questions of/about god/God matter to no one of consequence. Bob offers some great thoughts considering the question, “Theology?”

Take him up and read his post offer some suggestions. If you like come back here and let’s carry on the conversation as well.