Friday, September 21, 2007
"Biblically Based." God Approved?
I have heard of "Biblically based" programs before--and each time (including this time), I've wondered- what does that even mean? Now- you might think that a seminarian would know what the words "Biblically based" mean. Now- I can infer what it means-usually it is a conservative Christian group- and Biblically based is usually code for anti-gay ("pro-family" as they would say), anti-choice (pro-life), and/or usually involves getting "saved". And quite often, the words "Biblically based" are meant to infer- "GOD APPROVED." But for me- the descriptors listed above (anti-gay for example) are NOT God approved...which is what brings me to my point.
If I, a progressive Christian, were to ever use the words "Biblically based" (dare to dream...), then I would mean something more along the lines of pro-love, acceptance, inclusiveness, and forgiveness (and some other stuff). That is a radically different view of what it means for something to be "Biblically based". The Bible means many different things to many different people. Some people believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God. Others believe the Bible is inspired by God, but fallible because it was written by humans. Others believe that the Bible has no worth whatsoever. Still others consider the Bible a story of a people's experience of God and that these stories can inform us about characteristics of God. Whatever your belief- we can agree that when it comes to the Bible- we may literally be speaking different languages. What we privilege in the Bible (because you can find pretty much anything in there: from violence to peace and everything in between)- depends on where we sit. What do we choose to uphold and why?
I think it's important for all of us to ask ourselves these questions. First- what do we believe about our religious texts? Second, why? We all have baggage with our beliefs-- some of these things yield beliefs that uplift, and others leave us with beliefs that destruct. Knowing that, I feel like it serves us all to examine our belief systems and think about the terms that we use to describe them.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Lucy, we've got some atoning to do...
Recently, I signed the United Church of Christ's petition, "100,000 for Peace" which calls on the
I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that our reasons for entering
The “100,000 for Peace” petition states that I am signing to "support the ministries of compassion for victims here and in the
Do I want the troops out of
Friday, September 14, 2007
Successful War?
All of this talk has caused me to reflect considerably on the idea that war can somehow be "successful". Is there such a thing as a successful war? How do we know it when we see it? Who's success is it?
In all cases of war, thousands upon thousands of lives are lost. Human suffering is at its peak. Cruelty is running amuck. Can anything be considered a "success" under such circumstances? Surely, people may say, "Saddaam was murdering his own people." This is true- but wasn't that also a war? A war waged against his citizens.
I wonder- isn't any violence against another person participating in some kind of "war"? It seems that we are always at war with something- the war on drugs, the war on poverty, the war on "illegal immigration", the war on terror. Most of time, I feel like there is even a "war on peace."
At what point do we stop seeing things as an epic battle between good and evil? What is wrong in the world depends on where you sit. From where I sit, the wars that we are fighting seem to have one target: the poor. In the end, aren't the poor the ones who truly experience the brunt of whatever war is being fought? For example, in the war on "poverty", social programs are cut. Instead of a time limit on poverty, there is a time limit on welfare- as if limiting the social program will eliminate unfair wages, racism, and sexism.
God weeps at the wars we are waging because most often- the wars waged are waged in God's name. But the words "war" and "God" do not belong in the same sentence. I choose a God of hope, of possibility. After Virginia Tech's convocation in April, after the tragic day of shooting and mayhem, the campus pastor stated, "Let us cast our lot with hope in defiance of despair." This speaks to me. A theology of hope. Not a theology of despair... and war is a theology of despair.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
In the beginning...
This blog has been designed for a class entitled Public Theology in which we are to comment on current social issues theologically. I have titled the blog "Belief in Context". I chose this title because I find that it is only when our beliefs are placed in context, or in relationship to the world around us, that they true come alive and have meaning. In other words, it's not enough to have a conviction, we must understand that conviction in relationship to the real world.
The Bible is a nuanced book- it has things in it that we LOVE and things in it that we HATE-- but to struggle with those things, and to struggle with them in light of the happenings of our world seems to be a great way to engage our faith. I hope you will join me for that journey.