Rather than cut and paste their work into my space, be sure to visit two blogs whose commentary on current issues are worthy of your time.
The first is from my friend of 30 years, Ed Kilbourne, whose blog, A Place to Watch the Rain offers a theological conundrum on the power play in the church with his post A New Low Pressure System. The larger questions raised are compelling.
The second is from Bishop Will Willimon (still can't quite get that in my head - maybe because I'm a Vandy guy, and he's from Duke, the "Vanderbilt" of Tobacco Road), whose blog, A Peculiar Prophet (man, we like ourselves, don't we? - of course I'm not planning on being appointed to the North Alabama Conference, can you tell?) whose post titled Thinking Like a Christian is a challenging examination of what is going on with the theological tug of war in the church. Be sure to read the comments posted in response to his article. There's much about Willimon's writing that drives me nuts (for me, it's what too much of his written work comes off as - self-aggrandizement wrapped in feigned humility, which often gets in the way of good theological insight) but this article is a nice piece of work.
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"Blessed are the Cheesemakers???"
In this scene from Monte Python's 'Life of Brian', a small group assembles in the distance during the Sermon on the Mount. They hear small fragments of the sermon and extrapolate their own meaning - based on bits and pieces.
Imagine - rather than making the effort to draw closer to the living Christ, they settle for simple answers that satisfy their curiosity and fit into their comfortable paradigms - then - they go off to a stoning...
If we take nothing else away from these pieces that Johnny points to, perhaps it is this... the answers are rarely easy, and seldom fit into the tiny package we would like them to...
We are called to go beyond tabloid theology and ask ourselves those really tough questions that make us squirm in the basement of our souls.
Through the scripture and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, God reveals answers that are both often uncomfortable and comforting - often at the same time.
But only by drawing closer to him can we hear what he is saying!
And with regard to the issues raised, "In eesentials, unity, in non-essentials, liberty, and in all things, charity"
- St. Augustine
Thanks again, Johnny,
Rich
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