Theological Assertions

A few theological points:

God works through politics.  It is sometimes painful, aggravating and challenging, but he is there.  Churches should be more political, rather than less.

For this reason, process is crucial to any organization.  Process should be understood by all participating.

The work of Jesus is comprehensible first by understanding his process: parable, story, and revelation.  His process of interpreting scripture must be our process.  This is one example of "following Jesus:" recognizing the the beauty to which scripture directs us.  As sinners, we will always be arguing over some form of content: but it is the process that allows us to work through our divisions. 

It follows that Scripture does not exhaust human experience.  The dualisms, for example, in Galatians [Jew nor Greek, etc], are not the complete taxonomy of all binary systems.  It instead points to the direction Jesus works in our lives - as someone who forces us to reexamine the yes/no stance we are inclined to take.  Abundance, Joy and Freedom are affirmed because the chains of our habits have been revealed; our anxieties are redeemed not through an exhausted ideology, but through the Word, the communication of God, as represented by the cooperative engagement with other brothers and sisters clothed in Christ. 

Comments

[LivingDust]

Perhaps it is the "process" that enables believers to comfortably bypass Scripture(s) and work through to "error" rather than to "obedience".

[J. C. Fisher]

You mean the process of "plain reading" by (for example) Southern Baptist "believers", LD? Could be! ;-/

[Heidi]

During this past month, I think I am only sure of one thing, and that is that I need to sign a 12 month teacing contract instead of 10. I have been reading so many so called religious posts and have finally gotten to the point where I do not understand most. Take the last two posts on this thread; I have no idea what either of you are saying, and I am also confused by the name of the first person, living dust? I can't even figure that one out.

What I know, though, is I would like the anger and the hatred to stop. Let's give permission to all our precious Jenny's to stop throwing rocks, even though at times their really might not be enough.

I have many, many Roman Catholic relatives who I know, will not take communion at my son's ordination. These people will be his aunts, his uncles, his cousins. For them, it would be blasphemy and it would not be in accordance with the 'process' of scripture.

So, we all get to pick and choose. The Romans ask my son why he will not become a 'real' priest, my sister-in-law wonders why I stay in the Episcopal Church when hers is the only one with the right way to the Lord. People in my own church question my opinions of the GLBT, accuse me of being heretical. Lots of people now assume my son is gay because I don't find homosexuality a sin. I think his girlfriend might wonder about that.

Accusations, throwing stones, false witness. I just know that these are not the ways of the Lord. No, let me correct that, they are not.

[Renee in Ohio]

For what it's worth, I have posted some new reflections on "all of this" at Faithful Ohio.

[J. C. Fisher]

Sorry to have ticked you off, Heidi: forgive me.

"LivingDust" here (I don't know the origin of his/her handle: Genesis creation-story, perhaps?), who has previously ID'd self as a Southern Baptist, has shown up to snipe at Salty's thoughtful (IMO) entry. I, in turn (not demonstrating Christian maturity particularly well---admittedly) then sniped back.

It seems that whenever a Christian (especially a Christian w/ a certain non-condemning POV re LGBTs and their relationships ;-/) says something that requires some thought, some effort, to engage . . . you'll get a knee-jerk reaction (from within Anglicanism, or in LD's case, outside it) that says "No, it's all very PLAINLY easy---only your unbelief (heresy, apostacy, Baal-worship, etc.) makes it hard."

I just wonder what it is about engaging ideas which is so threatening? Like our Almighty, All-Merciful GOD somehow can't take the Deep Thinking?

Strange.