real-ness...
as i watched the daily show last night, i realized that john's really ticked off self was telling the truth in so many ways..."real americans do THIS"...
for some time now, i have felt this same type of scenario erupting in the church..."real christians do THIS"...somehow, there has been this linking and equation shifting that essentially says this: "real american christians do THIS"...
today, i feel that this is a very, very dangerous equation to start putting up as the litmus test...progressive christians are often accused of not being patriotic...they are often labeled as "socialists"...i have even been accused of not "loving jesus as much as me" (quoted from another)...it's as if critical thinking or contextual critique to the traditional system is - lately the word communist has been used the most...for example: dr. king critiquing the social system of inequality...labeled a communist - labeled unpatriotic - and so on...then murdered...
IF truth of real-ness is assessed through the judgment of another, who happens to have the power to connect the dots?...wow... this seems to resemble other times in history where humanity was assessed and divided through the eyes of power...then punished for not fitting the equation...
i don't like this word REAL...it's very presumptuous...presumptuous in the sense that power dictates what REAL looks like...that kind of power scares me...
posted by Monica @ 8:07 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
This is where, as always, I like Barth. Real reality, real humanity, all realness is found in Jesus Christ and in no other. It is not objective to our vision of where it should or should not be, but is only subjective in God. We cannot wield it like a political or religious weapon, we all have to aspire to be real in Jesus.
That presumptuous on our part scares me too.
i knew you might point us to barth :) i guess my greatest struggle with barth is how to understand our "subjectiveness in god..." this is exactly why we feel the liberty to point accusingly to UN-REALNESS as oppossed to our REALNESS...our realness in christ is according to (kata)...our witness of the risen one was always "kata"...even kata barth...
i think this is why the kenotic hymn in philippians gets louder every day for me...humility is the greatest gift...and honestly, we all have some work to do in this area...
The humility point is exactly why I love the reformed faith because its doctrine of humanity starts with our sinfulness and God's greatness in comparison. Nothing can be more humbling. But that sinfulness and unknowing is not the invitation to throw our hands in the air and say "we do not know what is real or true", it is precisely the point to cling to God in Christ as the only realness.
Conversely, it also takes a great burden off of ones shoulders in having know absolutely.
On the topic of humbleness did you see the dinner/ self roast that McCain and Obama did the other day? Obama said the one thing he would change about himself was that he was "too awesome". It was the funniest thing ever. Humbleness is hard.
i didn't see it but i will try to find it...
only clinging to what we are in and through christ...i in know way want to throw up my hands - but right now because of the strange REAL-ness climate, i am tending to wave my hands to mystery rather than the ability to name REAL... i feel sure i will come the other way at least a million times tomorrow...
our god, our help in ages past might be something i hum all day...maybe i'll hum rat in a cage...who knows what my anthem will be...but i do know i am going to meditate on what i am clinging to...
tim, it was humbling to read the lectionary for today...
the lord's delight is in those who fear and yet hope in the steadfastness of god's love...
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I have always thought that fear and hope were such a unusual juxtaposition. That is one of the reasons I love God and love the bible.
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