Life always moves
Ever wonder why life constantly moves? We move to get food. We move to work. We move to relax. We even move in our sleep. Life constantly moves.
While walking the other day, it came into my head that perhaps this is my inability to understand Conservative theology.
At St. Mary’s University, I studied Political Science. One of the earliest things I can recall learning in the Poly Sci department was what liberal and conservative meant in a classical sense. Not ideologically or politically motivated definitions, but something more fundamental.
Liberals and conservatives are always looking for answers to the current questions being asked by culture. Liberals (as I recall the definition) default to look to a model that is new in order to begin to answer the questions being asked. “Health care is broken? Lets create a model that will work for the current needs.”
Conservatives (as I recall the definition) default to look to a model that has worked in the past in order to begin to answer the questions being asked. “Health care is broken? The private market works for car insurance even though car insurance is mandatory, we should have the private market model for health care as well.”
As a self-identified liberal I am beginning to see that people, just because they are alive and life means movement, are seeking answers to the hard questions. So the question is not “are we going to move on these difficult questions?” We are because we are alive. The question seems to be “Which direction will guide us, the future or the past?”
More Godspell thoughts
During the only performance of Godspell I have seen there was applause from the audience when Jesus was brought back on stage after his death wearing all white. Applause? I thought this was interesting because it was not as though the people did not know Jesus comes back, but could the applauding be an expression of our cultures embedded theology? That is to say we American Christians really like the Resurrection.
For example there was no clapping during the parables of Jesus, or his baptism, or his Crucifixion, or his touching the unclean. (Although there was clapping when Jesus did the robot!) Although these events are remarkable in their own right. In fact the Resurrection would not be possible without the Crucifixion.
Why did we not clap when Jesus told the story of the prodigal son? This is a beloved story of resurrection. Why was there no clapping when the younger son came back to his home? Or when his father hugged him?
I guess that is part of the reason we go to church on Easter more than any other day (Christmas might be a close rival). We really like the resurrection. But the question remains:
For all that we like about the resurrection do we even know what it means? Do we just think it means that we too will get to be resurrected?
If we understood the political dynamics of the resurrection (that is God saying yes to the politics of Jesus and no to the politics of empire) then would we American Christians clap at the resurrection?
I guess it makes a different if we are Americans or Christians.
Fishing for men???
Taken from one of my favorite books, “Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus” by Ched Myers
There is perhaps no expression more traditionally misunderstood than Jesus’ invitation to these workers to become ‘fishers of men’ (Mark 1:17). This metaphor, despite the grand old tradition of missionary interpretation, does not refer to the “saving of souls,” as if Jesus were conferring upon these men instant evangelist status. Rather, the image is carefully chosen from Jeremiah 16:16, where it is used as a symbol of Yahweh’s censure of Israel. Elsewhere the “hooking of fish” is a euphemism for judgment upon the rich (Amos 4:2) and powerful (Ezekiel 29:4). Taking this mandate for his own, Jesus is inviting common fold to join him in his struggle to overturn the existing order of power and privilege.
I would add two things to this. Matthew 17:27 Jesus asks his disciples to pull a fish out of the water and remove the riches in its mouth. Secondly, In light of this interpretation it is highly ironic that James Avery would make an gold and silver “fishers of men” bracelet.
Where my mind is today…
“Christian nonviolence is not a strategy to rid the world of violence, but rather the way Christians must live in a world of violence. In short Christians are not nonviolent because we believe our nonviolence is a strategy to rid the world of war, but rather because faithful followers of Christ in a world of war cannot imagine being anything else than nonviolent.”
-Stanley Hauerwas interpreting Yoder’s pacifism
“Jesus did not bring a new idea : rather in him an old idea ceased being an idea at all and became a living reality.”
-John Knox
“I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.”
-Susan B. Anthony
“Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is .”
“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
“There is enough for everyone’s need but not enough for everyone’s greed.”
-Gandhi
“If we have more than we need while someone else has less, then we are thieves.”
– Shane Claiborne
If the attitude we have toward water as a power source is the same as we have toward oil as a power source, then we will be in the same energy crisis in the future.
- paraphrased comments of Joan Chittister
“What you believe follows only after what you do.”
- Scott-Martin Kosofsky, a book designer and editor, decided to revise the “Book of Customs,”
Jesus wants to save Christians
How to listen
