Aaron's Intellectual Exports

Week 10 - Wednesday

2008-03-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

Great course. Loved it. Todays class on the cycle of how consumers interact with producers and the text they create is fascinating. Consumers tend not to have the power to produce their own original product but often must use what is supplied by the producers to remix products into forms that become the consumer’s identity. This is not unlike reader response theory in hermeneutics. The power of meaning ultimately lies with the reader/consumer and not with the producers/author’s intent. At the material level of remixing music and clothing, I think this is fine. However, when this practice overflows into the way people work out their spirituality, which it inevitably does, it makes for some big problems. I believe that words matter. The meaning of the words we find in the Bible matter. If we disregard what the original meaning of those words are, are we not disposing of true meaning? We can never arrive at perfect meaning but this is no excuse for blatent disregard of the text and exalting reader response.

Week 10 - Response to Harmony's "Week 9: Response to Annie: Wednesday"

2008-03-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

While I agree with Harmony that Junior Highers are more exposed to sexuality in media and therefore they know more than we did about the mechanics of sex at their age, I cannot agree that they have a clearer understanding of themselves as sexual beings. In fact, quite the opposite is it at work I believe. The nature of our consumerist, marketing driven culture has obscured the reality of true identity and generated an absurd substitute built upon suggestion and the preponderance of 'cool' and sensuality. Sex has been overly glorified as something that is intrinsically fulfilling and empowering. How can we say that junior highers of any culture have a mature or balanced view of their sexuality yet? How can we make such a claim in a culture such as our's when many adults have a skewed view of sexuality?

Week 10 - Revised outline/draft

2008-03-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

I. Describing Naturalism and how it plays out in my world and church.
According to Webster’s dictionary, naturalism is understood as, “The doctrine that the world can be understood in scientific terms without recourse to spiritual or supernatural explanations.”
Naturalism originated in Europe and was popularized in the 18th century as a philosophy built upon the empiricism and objectivity of the Enlightenment. Furthermore, naturalism has used Darwinian evolution as its main argument in that the origins of the universe can be explained without the agency of intelligent design. This ideology has had great success in the West because the cultural climate was already primed by the empiricism and objectivism of the Enlightenment. The hopeless message of naturalism has created a void of meaning in our culture. In turn, consumerism has helped lead Western culture into filling that void of meaning with absurdity. However, I believe many are convinced that science is incapable of answering the ‘why do we exist’ question. Therefore, many are comfortable with science and faith coexisting without conflict. On the other hand, the Church’s reaction to naturalism has been predominantly one of fear. A dominant belief has been that any concession with naturalism would lead to the demise of theism.

II. Using Bevans anthropological strategy to express the Gospel in Naturalism.
Bevans anthropological model is the best strategy for contextualizing and expressing the Gospel in the culture of naturalism. The anthropological model is useful because God’s work can already be seen in the naturalist’s culture of cosmology, physics, biology etc. Pointing to evidence of God in the physcial universe and asking good questions allows the faith seeking naturalist to "play back" what he is hearing from the missionary into a scientific world view.

III. Ways the Church can address naturalism's impact internally and externally.
Churches can bring in authors and leaders in the Intelligent Design community to give seminars and presentations to their congregants. Churches could also implement curriculum for small groups and Sunday school classes that would study concepts like Darwinian evolution, cosmology, geology and how the findings in these fields can be compatible with a Biblical world view. Churches can also encourage that the schools and universities within their tradition have robust physical science courses and degree programs. This in turn would do good things for the Church’s world reputation and thereby its witness. Subsequently, this could have a large impact on the global community because students from colleges and universities go on to effect change in a variety of different fields.

Revised outline for paper

2008-03-10T07:35:00.000-07:00

The title of my paper is THE IMPACT OF NATURALISM ON CULTURE AND CHURCH.
I have decided the basic sub headings for the paper they are: Intro: The history naturalism. Naturalism’s impact on my culture. Naturalism’s impact on the Church. Strategy from Bevans that the Church can implement. Direct actions the Church can take. I have also decided that I will focus primarily upon Bevans anthropological model for contextual theology. I thought that this was the best choice because it takes seriously the scientific issues that naturalism has. Naturalism focues on the concepts of energy and an eternal creative force. This is not inconsistent with the Gospel. There are parallels to these things and the idea of an eternal creative intelligence. I will develop this further in my paper.

Week 9 - Response to Todds week 9 wednesday reflection

2008-03-10T07:24:00.000-07:00

I really liked what Todd had to say about youth culture and how the future of the Church is dependent upon them. As a youth pastor, I believe that teens are a pivotal ministry of the Church. The facts are, most people who come to Christian faith do so at this age range. And many who do, remain Christians for the rest of their life. Youth pastors need to be more trained and given more resources then they typically are. They are on the frontlines of ministry and often in the trenches, so to speak. The issues that youth pastors deal with are just as difficult as with adults. The teen age range is so fragile and impressionable. The video about marketing cool revealed just how impressionable teens really are. All churches must take this kind of ministry seriously or risk not carrying on the faith into the next generation.

Week 9 - Bevans 9

2008-03-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

I liked what Bevans has to say about being countercultural and not being anticultural. We need to be calling people away from these things in their culture that stand in contrast to the Gospel. However, we cannot call people out of their culture entirely. In fact culture is a good thing too. I also liked how the countercultural model was inclusive. As Christians we should be looking for examples of Christ in other traditions and not seeking to distill everything down to an exclusive rigidity that other religions and cultures have nothing to add. This does not strip any authority from Christianity. In fact, Bevans says that its the "Christian fact" that remains the standard for morality and God's standard, not the surrounding culture and varying traditions.

Week 9 - Wednesday

2008-03-05T21:06:00.000-08:00

Today's class was very enlightening. I felt like the hidden power of what drives our culture was revealed. After seeing this, I doubt that anyone would argue that our culture cannot be typified as consumeristic. I was saddened to see how easily we are controled by the illusion of finding fulfillment in products and services. The 'cool factor' and the power it has over us is undeniable. The PBS documentary demonstrated in alot of ways who we are and what we value. That scares me. But the 'cool factor' is getting more and more elusive. 'Cool' is both an ideal created by the consumer and the producer but both are having a hard time defining what it is and is not. Perhaps the 'cool' illusion will come to an end and all we will be left with is who we really are: Spiritual beings that cannot fill our voids with products and the false identities they bring.

Week 9 - Cobb 9

2008-03-04T21:22:00.000-08:00

It was encouraging to read this chapter because it demonstrates that our culture is more then open to hearing about the afterlife. There are many depictions of what the afterlife is like in movies and TV. While this is trendy and fad fancy it is interesting that such a culture movement is taking place in a post enlightenment world. People are not satisifed with all of science's answers. Tolstoy was right, science has no answer for why we exist. This question is philosophical and cannot be answered in a laboratory. Cobb made a good point, it seems that Christians and secular culture agree that an apocalyptic event will occur that will altar our world forever. Omega myths abound but not just in religious circles. Americans are coming to terms with death and willing to hear more about death not being the end of life. I believe that this leaves room for the Church to engage our culture in some great ways.

Week 9 - Monday

2008-03-03T20:41:00.000-08:00

After studying today Differance, Difference and anti-essentialism I now more than ever believe that Christian traditions need to give other Christian traditions a break on how they interpret scripture. Derrida's point that we cannot describe things as they actually are is well taken here. Human language inherently limits what one can say. How can we look at the Bible as being something not touched by the inconsistencies and limitations of human language? On the upside, if we are willing to recognize the limitations of human language then we may in fact encourage unity in the Body of Christ among its many different denoms. The irony between dividing over the Bible when the Bible was made to unite us is conclusive to our misunderstanding of our own languages. I hope the rest of the Church can more openly accept this.

Outline for paper

2008-02-29T18:11:00.000-08:00

I would like to do my final paper on the impact that Scientific Naturalism has had on the culture of my local community, world and Church. In addition, I would discuss the implications that Scientific Naturalism holds for how the Church communicates the gospel in intellectually honest and relevant ways. I would start by defining Scientific Naturalism and tracing the progress and development of it from the enlightenment forward till now. In the process of doing this I will make mention of breakthroughs in physics, biology and cosmology and their impact on Church and culture. I would integrate Bevans' translational and anthropological model to find ways to express the Gospel in the atheistic culture of Naturalism. Furthermore, I would demonstrate what approaches and activities the Church could initiate in reaching people effected by or within this aspect of culure. To accomplish all this I would untilize various scholarly sources and my own experiences and observations.

Week 8 - Cobb 8

2008-02-29T17:55:00.000-08:00

Salvation is certainly not a trademarked word by the Church. All humans, despite their creed, desire salvation of one sort of another. This theme is seen most obviously in commercial advertising and the arts, in particular music. I liked wat Cobb said about music being therapeutic to the human soul. We confess through music and find also a sense of absolution. Music has a way of making us feel validated and understood, thereby creating a sense of renewal and hope for the future. The soteriological overtones of music is found across cultures. Cobb does a good job in tracking the African experience of slavery manifested in spirituals then in gospel music and hymns. From there came jazz, blues and of course rock and roll. We also see the salvation theme in movies and their preoccupation with redemptive violence. Redemptive violence seems to be an oxy moron, I think Cobb agrees based upon his satirical use of the western movie plot.

Week 8 - Bevans 8

2008-02-29T17:30:00.000-08:00

The transcendental model reminds me of my upbringing in the pentecostal and charismatic tradition. One's theology is not based upon a scholarly hermeneutic but solely upon the authenticity of experience and personal revelation. The question is not what did the scripture mean when it was written but what does it mean now to me. Bevans makes the point that in the transcendental model, reality is not waiting to be found some where out there but is determined on an individual basis. And individuals create their own sense of what is reality and what is not. This sounds esoteric to me but I know its hard and fast truth. Bevans is right, every theologian (every Christian) does not develop their theology and worldview in a vaccum. We are all products of our circumstances, experiences and biology. It is a far gone conclusion that we form our views of God and reality from that starting point, not from some purely objective approach to the Bible. Bevans makes good use of liberation theology and hispanic culture as an example of the transcendental model in a good light. Interestingly, Latin American expressions of Christianity are highly pentecostal and charismatic, coincidental?

Response to Emmet's "Bevans Ch 8"

2008-02-28T18:16:00.000-08:00

I liked what Emmet said when he quoted Bevans, "The ordinary Christian believer is a theologian." I agree with Emmet's assertion that the ordinary believer has authority to develop their own hermeneutic. However, don't we develop our interpretations and applications of scripture from an education of the text? Therefore, it would be fair to say that those with a stronger education of the Bible would be more authoritative than the average believer. I don't think that Emmet touched on the subject of comparing the authority of the lay men with the professional minister but I think it is relevant. Being a minister is not like being a medical doctor or a lawyer, our authority is spiritual. Other Christians have the same ability to read, interpret and apply the scriptures as we do. Does our authority come from being a "professional minister" with a degree or from God, who gives revelation, clarity and insight?

Week 8 - Wednesday

2008-02-27T22:45:00.000-08:00

I really liked what Wess had to say today about Deconstruction. A previous pastor that I worked with/for said to me before I left for Fuller, "Aaron, your problem is that you seem to define yourself more about what you do not believe than what you do." This has bothered me because I dont want to be that way but from Wess' teaching today I have found some comfort in Deconstruction. Deconstruction seems to be more concerned about what is untrue first. Deconstruction defines what is false as a way to arrive at truth. I have had to become a deconstructionalist to distill the truth out of the falseness and that which I think is missing the point. And I love how Jesus seemed to do that with matters of the Law by saying things like, "You have heard it was said, an eye for an eye but I tell you...." I agree with Caputo and Wess, Jesus was a deconstructionist.

Week 8 - Monday

2008-02-25T19:07:00.000-08:00

Our discussion today about myths got me thinking about how our hyper-commercialized culture has impacted the Church. Every day, every where we go we are being bombarded by ads. These ads are all competing for our attention with various messages. However, the connotation of these messages join together in a chorus that sings out, "You are a consumer and your stimulation is the most important thing about you." This connotation leads us into a paradigm of unbiblical values. And the Church, in many ways, has bought into it. The myth has become that if we just figure out the right method or program then the people will come and will be interested. This in turn has put the focus on the method rather than the message.

Week 7 - Barker 14

2008-02-22T16:47:00.000-08:00

Politics and culture seem to go hand in hand quite well. Gramsci's point about a ruling class excercising hegemony over a suboordinate class and "winning consent," so to speak, is an important one. But Barker makes a case that the ruling classes of yester year are gone and now the hegemony that exists is an extension of the government, book publishers and film companies. The subtle power of cultural influence is more fluid and less static than it was even 50 years ago. Therefore, I ended up agreeing more with Focault than Gramsci. Focault believes that the power to control culture is not located now in the highly educated and far removed intellectuals but in the movements of the common people.

Week 7 - Barker 13

2008-02-22T16:34:00.000-08:00

I liked what Braker had to say about youth sub culture. The idea of a sub culture existing anymore is some what of a misnomer because everything is marketed to. What is counter cultural is often tied to youth culture and club culture. However, that has become so marketed and consumed that it is no longer really subversive or counter cultural except to an illusion of what is mainstream, straight and majority. In this kind of youth sub culture, what you consume is seen as an expression of your creativity and individuality. The irony is that the opposite is actually true. Barker notices the resistance and danger plus fun aspect of what it means to be a teenager has been exemplified by the mainstream culture seen as, "youth sub culture."

Week 7 - Wednesday

2008-02-20T19:02:00.000-08:00

Todays discussion about the praxis model led me to think that maybe we have been putting the cart before the horse, so to speak. It seems that a lot of Churches believe they have to do Church right before they can do the mission work. This reveals the subtle yet unsettling dichotomy between what it means to do church and do ministry. How did we get here? Why has the institutional nature of what it means to do Church superceded what it means to be the Church? I think it's from this that we get the idea of having professional ministers who do the ministry while the lay people just finance it. The emergent Church and the conversation surrounding it seems to be addressing these kind of issues and pointing us to more of a praxis model.

A response to Jason's, Week 6-Barker, Chapter 12 (Cultural Space and Urban Place)

2008-02-19T22:51:00.000-08:00

I liked Jasons point about space and place being something that we are constantly defining and redefining as we interact with people and messages in our environment. This interaction with its defining and redefining, can cause a lot of unrest as Jason points out. However, I felt like Jason was drawing upon a larger point. Perhaps all these things that touch our lives and invade our space are competing to capture us. Everything is marketed with messages that contain subtle and sometimes not so subtle imperatives. All of these messages are competing for our attention. It seems like each one wants to define who we are and fill our deepest needs. How completely overwhelming and confusing. Its no wonder to me why we all feel the need for some space and some peace there.

Week 7 - Bevans 7

2008-02-19T22:27:00.000-08:00

Finally a contextual model of theology that I can really like. The synthetic model, with its incorporation of all the models that came before, has a way of utilizing what is best about all the others. This is also called the "interculturation model" or the "conversation model." This cross pollination allows for a high flexibility in the way one does ministry in variable cultures. Furthermore, the synthetic model seems to encourage alot of input from various sources and viewpoints within a culture that would allow the gospel to really find a home there. Certainly the idea of not making the gospel message applicable in one way but multiple ways, seems more Christ like and early Church like to me. I think this also allows for a robust sytematic theology to develop and take root within a myraid of cultures.

Week 7 - Cobb 7

2008-02-19T21:29:00.000-08:00

I liked this Chapter on sin. Certainly there is a pattern in our culture and others of the covenant/jeremiad narrative. The sense is that we have lost paradise and that the Divine calls us to own up to our sins. Cobb goes at length to discuss the various myths in the world's cultures of paradises lost by human transgression. However, I am shocked by the misreading of the Garden of Eden allegory by the Church. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil simply revealed Adam and Eve's true created condition, nude/sinful. Their nudity represented their sinfulness. This important fact is revealed by their shame for their nudity after the Fall. Notice, the text says they were in fact made nude (2:25) but did not know it until after they consumed the fruit (3:5-7). If their nudity represented something good (like intimacy, freedom or openness between each other and God) then why would they be ashamed of it when they realized it? The truth that Adam and Eve did not know they were naked before the Fall is further revealed by God's question. "Who told you that you were naked?" Why would God ask this if they had knowledge of it before the Fall? The tree of the knowledge of good and evil did not make humans sinful. The tree did what it was named for, it revealed what was good or evil about the consumers of the fruit. The tree revealed to humanity that they were naked and had been made so all along.

Week 7 - Monday

2008-02-18T19:45:00.000-08:00

Today Prof. Bolger said that post modernism has not erased religion but modified it into spirituality. This is a step away from the institutional church but not necessarily from orthodoxy or traditional doctrine.

However, I think that post modernism's spirituality is at its core a real departure from orthodoxy and traditional doctrine as it was understood in the modern and premodern era. I cannot help but see that modernism, with its foundation in the enlightenment and strict objectivity, tried to erase religion and any superstitious model of reality. The theory of evolution and other advances in scientific understanding, contradicted what orthodox Christianity had to say on the nature of reality and the origins of the universe. Subsequently, the very existence of God was called into question because findings in science so contradicted what was held as fact by the Church based upon a literal reading of certain texts. I do not believe that post modern spirituality is trying to reconcile science with scripture. I think the spirituality we see today is comfortable with the Bible as errant and non authoritative on numerous issues including the process by which the universe came to exist. I am cool with that, but let's admit that post-modern spirituality is a departure from the traditional orthodoxy of the Christian religion.

Week 6 - Cobb 6

2008-02-15T08:51:00.000-08:00

Theological anthropology is something that deeply interests me. I am perplexed by the questions of what exactly is human identity. Cobb quotes sociologist David Lyons. I agree with what Lyons says about accessorized identity, that our identity is that of consumers and therfore pliable based upon what we buy. Our clothes, food, entertainment, cars etc., all give us our sense of identity. Perhaps this has not always been true in the way it is now. However, what a person owns and how much seems to be a theme throughout history for measuring that peson's status. Cobb also puts forward the question of whether or not humans are intrinsically evil or good. I think we can find reason in Genesis to believe that God made humans with both good and evil in them. Free will cannot exist without the presence of evil. If we believe that God could have given free will to perfect beings in a perfect realm, how would they ever choose anything but right? This is a Catch 22. How can a morally perfect being ever choose to become morally imperfect? If they did, were they ever perfect?

Week 6 - Bevans 6

2008-02-14T20:12:00.000-08:00

Bevans uses Liberation theology as an example for how theology is contextualized in praxis. Praxis seems to mean the philosophical ideal of making your theory your practice and vice versa. The praxis model, with its focus on putting faith into action, seems to be exactly what the emergent Church is trying to practice. As a model, Liberation theoogy rises out of the culture of Latin America. It finds its roots in Biblical passages that demonstrate God's saving and delivering power to an oppressed people, which covers a lot of text! Liberation theology is a good model for praxis because it contextualizes both the needs of a culture with the true faith and practice of a biblical worldview. The emergent Church can identify with this as it attempts to shift the Western church away from just words and talking about mission to actually doing church in ways that is focused on mission.

Week 6 - Barker 12

2008-02-14T19:57:00.000-08:00

I liked what Barker had to say about city being like a text. Certainly the city should be understood as not just one city but a group of cities. Different subcultures coming together to make up a greater identity that is LA, New York or Chicago. As Barker points out, perhaps the boundary for how we come to understand city is breaking down in respect to the internet. The internet has created the sense of a Global village even if this is not material reality. Perhaps this has a liberating and uniting effect for how we see others around the world. Here in LA we can see impact of the "concrete jungle" mentality and how it has enhanced our sense of the LA fortress. Urban sprawl and the need to distinguish neighborhoods and people groups for security reasons has an unsettling effect.

Week 6 - Barker 11

2008-02-14T19:34:00.000-08:00

Certainly TV plays an powerful role to both shape our culture and display it. The power TV wields as text can be easily seen today in the advocacy Journalism that is the News. CNN, NBC and CBS are seen as being left leaning, while Fox describes themselves as neutral. Fox says, "We report you decide." Or, this is a "No Spin Zone." However, it seems most would agree that Fox is right leaning. This clearly demonstrates the kind of hegemony that Barker talks about. The News network is in the dominant role and we have little choice other than to be subjected to it. The News dispenses ideology whether it wants to or not. The News network has the subtle but immensely powerful tool of focusing our view of the world on whatever corporate executives decide. This focus may be based upon an agenda as Barker discusses. This in turn shapes out atitudes and beliefs about people groups, ourselves, ethics and the economy.

A response to Ben's "Week 6 Wednesday"

2008-02-13T21:51:00.000-08:00

I liked what Ben had to say about individualism and its impact on the Church. Approaching Christianity by asking "Whats in it for me?" seems ok at face value. However, this question often rises from a strong sense of self interest and personal gain. The Church has responded to the "whats in it for me?" question in a way that should make everyone want to be a Christian. The common response out there is," You get to go to heaven." Or, "God will bless you materially with money and spiritually with a sense of fulfillment." Or, "God will give you a sense of being purpose driven so that you can be happy." But I wonder if it would be more Pauline or Christlike to respond to the, "whats in it for me?" question by saying, "You get to suffer for the cause of Christ." Or, "You get to be the servant of all." Or, "You get to be last instead of first." Or, "You get to lay down your selfish ambition and worldly desires for the things of the kingdom." How many people today would like that answer?

Week 6 - Wednesday

2008-02-13T18:28:00.000-08:00

I liked what Gidden had to say about calling this time peroid Late Modernity instead of post-modernity. That seems to make more sense to me. It seems that the people of the 1980's and 1990's, in their anticipation of the millenium, thought everything of the 20th century was going to be left behind. And so there was much talk about post structualism, post propositionalism, post absolutism, post traditional, post analog, post everything. According to predictions made just after WWII, weren't we supposed to have flying cars by now, a cure for cancer and ray guns? The utopian dream of a completely new reality with a new set of rules for thinking and being, has not yet materialized. Here we are, eight years into the first decade of the 21st century and I still drive a dirty car with an internal combustion engine and my hair is still falling out. Communism still exists, people are still killing each other over religion and 3 point sermons are still popular. Perhaps big change is something that takes longer than we think and tends to happen when nobody is looking? Perhaps we are not as "post" as some thought we would be by now.

Week 6 - Monday

2008-02-11T19:02:00.000-08:00

Touchdown Jesus! If anything, todays excercise (while fun) revealed that doing a straight anthropological approach to ministry in another culture leads to some pretty warped theology. The idea that the gospel message can rise out of preexisting elements in every culture is not realistic. Paul says that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but life to those who are being saved. Now, I dont know what all that means but I must concede that God is calling us to reach beyond our own understanding when it comes down to the gospel. This means that the gospel is not always consistent with catagories of understanding that already we have. However, I see the value in encouraging a culture to express worship in their unique ways. In addition, I think finding parallel elements in a culture to relate to the gospel message is also useful.

Week 5 - Cobb 5

2008-02-11T09:42:00.000-08:00

Cobb stresses that contemporary Western culture, like the well read man at the beginning of the chapter, is coming to terms with the infinite unknown. All our knowledge has led to an even greater sense of isolation, emptiness and cruel irony. Therefore, in many ways culture is reacting to such knowledge (as seen in popular films/music) with a type of bitterness toward God and/or an acceptance of the truth that we all are just grubs on a trembling leaf on a huge tree in a vast forest. Thus, the image of God that many people have is docetic or just metaphorical of the infinite unknown. Cobb's discussion leads me to believe that there is a growing sense of hopelessness out there being spurned on by the trivialization effect of pop culture on Christian spirituality coupled with our ever expanding scientific knowledge of the nature of universe. There is a big disconnect between Christian spirituality and the sciences view of reality. How can the Church answer the hard questions and address the disillusioned view of God that is so prevalent? How can the Church do this if Church is preoccuppied with catchy music, purpose driven philosophy and entertainment?

Week 5 - Bevans Chap 5

2008-02-07T18:33:00.000-08:00

The anthropological model and indigenization that Bevans talks about in chapter 5 has been something I have been giving a lot of thought to lately. I think many don't realize that God uses culture as his language to communicate with. Or do we really believe that the creator of the universe is intrinsically preoccupied with things like water baptism, blood sacrifices and sacred meals? One cannot understand these theological words and traditions without first understanding the Judaic context they are drenched in. And I think this is the point Bevans is driving at. These things are entirely contextual within Judaism and meant to communicate God's message to the Jews first. This does not mean that we should not understand words like atonement or carry on the Judaic traditions of the early Church. However, is that what we are trying to convert people to, the vocabulary words and traditions of the early Church? I like what Jesus said, "Man was not made for the Sabbath but the Sabbath for man." I think that the Church should be more flexible in allowing cultures to experience God today in the contemporary ways he reveals himself.

Response to Harmony's Week 5 Wednesday

2008-02-06T21:03:00.000-08:00

If humans see their condition, that they are living in a society that is making some people more powerful than others and not caring for all people, they may be able to transform and live a life that the revolutionary Jesus would desire of the human person.

I agree with Harmony here. No matter what kind of society we live in (Capitialist, socialist, fascist) as Christians we are called to help the poor and marginalized. I believe that no matter what kind of economic system is in place there will always be marginalized people groups. However, capitalism has created more aid thats been sent to the poor people of the world than any other economic system. Its easy to demonize capitalism for its inherent greed, materialism and consumerism. But would we rather have a totalitarian state ruled by the iron hand of a socialist or fascist government? At least republic capitalism impowers the private sector. Socialism, while utopian in its ideals, puts to much power in the government as the fixed ruling class.

Week 5 - Barker 10

2008-02-06T20:30:00.000-08:00

Barker points out in Chap 10 that men and women have two different ways of interacting and perceiving reality. While this comes as no shock, the impact of biochemistry and sexuality on culture is becoming more and more pronounced. The use of sex and sensuality by our culture to communicate messages about what kind of car to buy to what kind of person we should be is unsettling. Barker goes on to point out that the use of sex to communciate ideas like this creates a sense of subjectivity which permeates our culture. I liked what Barker said about psychoanalysis. Certainly there is truth in psychoanalysis and its findings on human sexuality as a driving force behind a myriad of motivators from childhood through adulthood. The church's response to sexuality as predominantly a negative one should be cause for concern. If God made sex and sex is such a huge part of what it means to be alive and creative then the Church needs to be able to express itself holistically without demonizing the sexual.

Week 5 - Barker 9

2008-02-06T20:06:00.000-08:00

I'm Sorry Wes. I will post on the individual chapters in Barker from here on.

This being Black History month, I thought it would be appropriate to comment on Barker's discussion in chapter 9 about African American culture. Barker discusses at length the impact of media and assimilationist strategies on African Americans. Barker also goes at length to show that African American culture exists separately in many ways from white culture. B.E.T. is an obvious testimony to this fact. However, I struggled with Barker's point that hard work, honesty, responsibility and education are valued by the middle and upper class of African Americans but that lower class of blacks, while containing these same qualities, simply lack the opportunities and options to utilize these values. What opportunity or option do we need to be able to act responsibly? Bill Cosby has been maginalized by the African American left because he criticizes American black culture for thinking like this. However, I see Barker's point that the "macho black man" and "strong black woman" image is a cultural response to years of white oppression and forced assimilation .

Week 5 - Wed

2008-02-06T18:11:00.000-08:00

I thought the quote by Fidel Castro was relevant to the class discussion on Marxism but a little hard to understand. One of our classmates raised a good question about the nature of Marx's exposure to Christianity, Church and/or the Sermon on the Mount. Its interesting that Marx was raised as Catholic for a few years and then Lutheran later. Certainly Marx was familar with some Christian liturgy. However Marx was adamently against religion as a fundamental piece of society's fabric. He saw religious faith as an excuse to not work for justice in the here and now. I cannot picture Marx employing the Sermon on the Mount to support any of his ideology. The Sermon on the Mount has its under pinnings in the supernatural and meta-physical nature of God's kingdom. While the Sermon is meant for real world application, eschatological elements cannot be distilled away from it. The Sermon taught that how we live here and now has an effect in the spirit realm and defines our place in the world to come. Something tells me Marx would never have subscribed to this.

Week 5 - Monday

2008-02-04T19:32:00.000-08:00

I found today's class to be really insightful. I particulary enjoyed seeing how the Gospel impacts the Chinese culture. I found it really interesting that Christianity grew faster after the missionaries were deported from China. Perhaps the foreign missionaries, by their methods, were actually keeping Christianity from being assimilated into Chinese culture. Therefore, when the missionaires left Christianity was developed and spread by its Chinese adherents in Chinese ways, thus causing the growth of the Church. This is interesting to me because this is so like the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was the power at work in the dispersion of the early church. When the Jews refused to accept the Gospel they forced Christianity out of Palestine and thereby aided the spread and growth of the Church. Certainly God used the missionaries to bring the Gospel but God did not need foreign missionaries to keep Christianity alive and well in China.

Week 4 Barker 7-8

2008-02-04T12:59:00.000-08:00

I liked Barkers view on post modernity being related to how ideas are often confined to cultural contexts. Certainly how a people arrives at truth and meaning is contingent upon language and values, but isn't some meaning and truth absolute? Can't we say that what God wants for humanity is absolute, not dependent upon where one comes from? I think this is a key battle now in the church as the church tries to relate to the rest of a pluralitic world. I am trying to reconcile the truth of the gospel message for how that translates itself into different cultural contexts. Isn't this the goal of missions?

Week 4 - Bevans Chapter 4

2008-01-31T09:18:00.000-08:00

I liked what Bevans had to say about translation being more about understanding the meaning of a text in another language rather than translation being about recreating a text word for word in another language. This brings into scope the difficulty in understanding what the books of the Bible meant in their day. Consider how humans today run into interference and misunderstandings when commnicating ideas in their same culture and language. When the Biblical authors communicate ideas about the nature of the Trinity, the divinty of Christ, atonement, eschatology etc; we have to realize that complex language from 2000 years ago must be used to describe the esoteric and incommunicable nature of these ideas. The problem with language is that it inherently limits what one can say. Perhaps in light of such inconsistenies within human language and translation we should be more flexible in our acceptance of other Christian traditions.

Week 4 - Wednesday

2008-01-30T14:06:00.000-08:00

Marxism waxes of virtue and higher truth but is it? It seems that the fatal downfall of Marxism may be its rejection of the meta-physical and theological. This rejection marginalizes the human spirit and aspects of humanity that are just as true and real as the intellect. Marx felt that so much about religion focused on the afterlife that people would not want to work for change here and now. But I wonder what kind of theology/church Marx was exposed to? True faith and Christianity must be reflected in justice and a social gospel here and now. Perhaps Marx misunderstood Christianity. Maybe if Marx had a better experience with Christianity, Marxism and its spinoff of communism would never have taken root.

Response to Chris "Week 3 Monday"

2008-01-29T09:47:00.000-08:00

I dont agree that the 80/90's attractional model for church needs to salvaged or combined with the missional model. I believe that the attractional model was a huge mistake. The attractional model put the church's focus not on the message of the Gospel but on the methods and powers of western culture to manipulate and influence people. The attractional model was a shift away from discipleship, a shift away from worship and a shift away from the Jesus of the NT. The attractional model offered water downed sermons based on motivational/self help teachings imported from corporate America and pop culture. I know my language is strong here but I have seen the ramifications of the attractional model and its like junk food for the Body of Christ. However, I am convinced that the missional model is much closer to a Biblical model for the church. John Boyd said of attractional model, "I read the gospels over and over. Nothing I was doing on Sunday was what I thought Jesus would be doing if he were here." Right on John.

Week 4 - Monday

2008-01-28T17:37:00.000-08:00

I loved the John Boyd quote today, I read the gospels over and over. Nothing I was doing on Sunday was what I thought Jesus would be doing if he were here. This is the kind of conviction about church and ministry that we need more of. I believe that if all the "Sunday Show" churches had this conviction there would be more discipleship taking place. It seems that the more we can make church less of a production and more of a time of interaction with others and participation in real ministry, the more meaningful church will be. Ryan said today that 80% of people who attend the mega churches depend on that one hour a week on Sunday for spiritual formation. I agree with Ryan that it is grossly unrealistic to expect people to be transformed into the character of Christ at the rate of one hour a week. If churches recognized this I believe that they would spend a lot less time and money focusing on Sunday mornings and more on discipleship, small groups and missions.

A Response to Denise's "Week 3 Wed"

2008-01-25T19:54:00.000-08:00

"I just find myself turned off of this movement by a common sentiment of rejection toward all things “traditional.” I find it difficult to entirely reject the older faith traditions in which I’ve seen and experienced Christ at work. "

Certainly there are churches which are emerging that are rejecting Christian traditions for the sake of doing so. However, the emerging church is not to be feared or seen as an alien force at work among us. The Protestant Reformation was the emerging church. The main-line denoms that took shape in Europe hundreds of years ago (Presby, Methodists, Lutheran etc.) were the emerging church of their time. The non-denom evangelical churches (think Willow Creek) of the last quarter of the 20th century were the emerging church. And now we are faced with something new. The emerging church is the same church that has been morphing and developing since the Reformation. While there are expressions of the emerging church which should be criticized; the emerging church on a whole is the Body of Christ of the 21st century.

Week 3- Bevans Chap 3

2008-01-25T10:55:00.000-08:00

I don't think many Christians realize how their beliefs and practices rise out of models. I grew up in a hyper-charismatic, Pentecostal Christian tradition. When I began studying theology and philosophy as an undergrad, I began to see how the model I was raised with effected the way I viewed scripture, atonement and Church. Working out of my model I believed that the Bible was like a book of magic. I was taught that you can quote scripture out loud and supernaturally control demons, nature and other people. Faith was the focus in this model of theology. My Christianity was mostly about having faith in the power of faith. From this model I held a strong Christus Victor view of atonement. From this model the Bible had to be inerrant and scientifically authoritative for it to be powerful or valid. Bevans makes a good point to study our models of theology and philosophical underpinnings. When one is able to do this adequately they are able to have a more informed faith. In turn, I believe this makes for a stronger faith.

Week 3 - Barker Chap 5-6

2008-01-25T10:09:00.000-08:00

While there has been many contributing factors that have created the cultural climate we are now in, I cant help but believe that the natural sciences (biology, physics etc) have been the greatest contributors. As Barker points out, Fordism, consumerism and capitalism have all run their course and left us with unfulfilled promises. However, I think the discoveries and theories generated from the natural sciences have led the charge. Barker makes note of such revelations as wave-particle duality and the ever mysterious field of quantum physics. The world went from the Newtonian absolutism of the enlightenment era to Einstein's relativity of the 20th century. In 1927, quantum physicist Werner Heisenberg introduced the uncertainty principle and shocked the scientific world. The uncertainty principle reveals a universe that is unknowable and unpredictable in its elementary foundations. Particles/waves are unpredictable because they are constantly in motion. Einstein reacted to Heisenberg’s findings with disbelief and said, God does not play dice with the universe. Heisenberg responded saying, Einstein, don’t tell God what to do. Barker makes note of the fact that culture is in a constant state of flux caused by a plurality of forces interacting with it. However, since the natural sciences have been considered our greatest means of knowledge, I believe their impact has caused the most change and will continue to do so.

Week 3 - Cobb Chapter 3

2008-01-24T23:52:00.000-08:00

Cobb wrote extensively in this chapter about Tertullian, Augustine and Paul Tillich. I found it interesting to see the congruencies between these 3 men surrounding the topic of how the Church engages culture. I agree with them that we are very distracted from the things of God by forces in out culture. But how far should we worry about this and retract? Cobb quotes Tertullian saying that we are defiled by our culture when we engage it on its terms. I am not sure what this means but is it even possible not to engage the culture on its terms? Unless one goes into monasticism I don't see any other way than to be defiled by culture, in Tertullian's terms. I think its easy to demonize the culture as anything that is outside what is called "Church." But is this really helpful?

Week 3 - Wed

2008-01-23T15:22:00.000-08:00

I liked what Ryan said today about the gospel. The gospel message is not just about Jesus dying for our sins. The Gospel is an invitation to participate in turning the world upside down. To bring the transforming power of God’s kingdom into our world. This view allows people to see themselves as participants in a solution to their world's problems. This empowers people. However, I think this is such a revolutionary idea to many because it calls for action. The Gospel has been presented mostly as a system of ideas that one either subscribes to or not. Being a Christian has had more to do with ideas and beliefs rather than action and participation. Many Christians believe that they pay the professional ministers to do the ministering for them. They just bring their friends to the Sunday morning show and allow the professional ministers to minister. But I like this idea of church being based upon corporate participation in doing ministery and not an event that ministers put on for everyone else.

MLK day post

2008-01-20T20:36:00.000-08:00

We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. MLK Jr: "Letter from Birmingham Jail."

I love this quote because it represents the best about what we are to be to each other. Certainly MLK undertsood what it meant as a community to struggle for common goals. As a Christian, he had a firm grasp on identifying with the pain and needs of others. It is my belief that the Church can also identify with the words of MLK here. What would it look like if a community of Christians truly felt this way about each other? I can look back on my life and pick out a time when I sensed this kind of mutuality and fellowship with other Christians. I believe that if a community of believers can truly focus on pursuing God together and delight in each other, they too can experience the kind of unity MLK describes here.

Week 2 - Barker Chapters 3 & 4

2008-01-17T19:23:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed how Barker described the inter-connectivity of thoughts, language, emotions and behavior. Barker seems to claim that culture pivots upon language because language gives us a "map of meaning". But this does not clarify the human experience and what culture is because meaning is an arbitrary notion often given different definitions by the user and receiver. I agree with Barker that such findings reveal that the human experience is not something static but evolving. If anything is clear about how we perceive the world and each other is that we are constantly changing. This is true biologically, emotionally and culturally. What is interesting to me is that the natural sciences are discovering the same kind of uncertainties. Discoveries in quantum physics and cosmology are saying that the universe is ultimately a strange and unknowable place. Most scientists now believe that our three pound box of brains is most assuredly unable to understand it all even if it all could be understood.

Week 2 - Cobb Chapter 2

2008-01-17T18:55:00.000-08:00

I found Cobb's indepth look at hyperreality as enlightening. The fact that we do like the false, hyped up reality instead of the real thing only means that there will be a growing demand for simple reality. All the technology and hype attached to and enhancing reality into complete fabrication will eventually lead to a popular desire to strip those things out of reality. I am not saying that we will do away with TV's, theme parks, movies and computers. However, I think eventually simple and true experiences will become the fashionable thing to do. In the same way, "going camping" is a mostly 20th century phenom because we romanticized the simple adventures of pioneers and explorers of yesterday. I think people in the Western Church are going to become more intune with this simplification sentiment and begin to want more of an organic, intimate, less hyped up version of church.

Week 2 - Bevans Chap 2

2008-01-17T18:12:00.000-08:00

I think that Bevans' point that the contextualization of theology needs to be realized as inevitable and embraced is a good place to stand. I think many Christians who have not been educated in critical studies of the Bible believe that there is only one right way of interpreting and applying the Bible. This in turn has led only to bring divisions and judgmentalism within the Church. I think its ironic that Christians then and still now divide over their views on the Bible when the Bible was made to unite us. I believe that this fact demonstrates that the Bible can be interpreted and applied differently in different cultural contexts because the text is not relative but elastic.

Comments on Chris' Week 2- Wed

2008-01-16T19:42:00.000-08:00

I agree whole heartedly with you here Chris. We need to be very careful how we commercialize church and ministry. However, I don't think Jesus had to deal with the kind or amount of commercialism in the church back then like we do today. I think the Western Church is going through an identity crisis. There is a permeating sense of irrelevance in the Western Church as membership drops in mainline denoms and many non denoms. The Church is no longer the authority on reality like it used to be. So by default the Church is looking for ways to regain some of its prestige. I believe this can be seen in many churches focus on programming, entertainment and fun. Many churches believe that they need to be the hub for all things artistic...this way people will take them seriously. I find that many churches in their admirable pursuit of trying to reach people are asking the wrong question. I think their question is, "How can we make Christianity and Church look cool?" Or at least, "How can we keep Christianity and Church from looking uncool?" Ultimately these are the same question. I think these kinds of questions lead us into a paradigm of unbiblical values and turns our focus onto trusting methods instead of the message.

Week 2 Wednesday

2008-01-16T18:54:00.000-08:00

I liked Prof. Bolger's point today that Jesus stood against (in some ways) the high culture of his day. The Preisthood and teachers of the Law were seen in ancient Palestine as elite, educated and authoritative. However, we find in the Gospels that these members of society often looked down upon and oppressed the working class. In this context Jesus turned Judaic culture upside down by siding with the poor. Jesus said things like, the first will be last and the last first. But Jesus went even further than just altaring how people viewed social structures. I believe Jesus was subversive to the Mosaic/OT traditional understandings of ethics and morality. Jesus often said things like, you have heard it said, "An eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth." But I say.....Therefore, I think Jesus was more than just the fulfillment of the Law. I think Jesus was a reformer of the Law. In Mark 10, Jesus countermanded the Torah by saying the only excuse for divorce is adultery. The Pharisees pointed out to Jesus that Deuteronomy 24 says that a man may divorce his wife if he just finds something objectionable about her. Jesus countered saying that Moses (not God) allowed arbitrary reasons for divorce because the people were belligerent. So the question becomes: was Deuteronomy 24 God’s Word or Moses’ word? Jesus was inferring that Moses did not communicate the ideal or the real will of God in this matter. Thus, I think Jesus confronted the Judaic culture (which was a mixture of God's incomplete revelation and the traditions of men) with a clear and wholistic revelation of God's will.

Week 2 - Monday reflection

2008-01-14T21:53:00.000-08:00

I found Prof. Bolger's point that culture can be understood as anything about us that is beyond biology to be intriguing. It made me think about how our biology might actually impact culture. Can biology really be seen as something occuring and effecting things only outside culture? I dont think so. In light of many people now believing that such things as sexual preference is genetic how could these same people simultaneously believe that culture is not impacted by biology? After all, there is such a thing as "gay culture." I am not a evolutionary biologist but I think that different people groups from different parts of the world have adapted biologically to their environments in some unique ways. How have these biological adaptations impacted how these people consume and interact with their world?

Responding to Brett Yee's Blog

2008-01-13T17:59:00.000-08:00

This is in response to Brett's MP520 - Reflection - Lecture 1-9-08.

Two things I liked about Brett's entry: First, I liked what Brett had to say about the church needing to becoming more incarnational. Second, I also feel a little pessimistic sometimes about Church and how its being done.

One thing I would like to expound upon: I think its hard not to be really critical about such things as "entertainment evangelism." The juxtaposition of these two words reveals the trivialization that has taken place in Western Christianty. The absurdity of what takes place on Sunday mornings in some (not all) churches shocks me. Why is there a perceived need for such things as videos, rock bands, djs, dancing, expensive lighting arrays, cameras in the aisles, simultaneous painting or sculpting during service etc? I am convinced that the Western Church is going through an identity crisis right now. Prior to the enlightenment the Church was the high authority on science and the nature of reality. Church was also the main event in a community every week. There was not much to rival Church back then because this was the time before TV and a plethora of leisure activities. However, in a post enlightenment world the Church is no longer seen as the authority for science and reality or the main place where community happens. So in response to this loss in prestige the Church has desired a new prestige; to become the harbinger of all things artistic, entertaining, fun and sensational. But the Church's identity can not be located in these things. When the Church places its focus on becoming this kind of place for people (even with the intention for it all to be for evangelism) it inevitably marginalizes its Gospel message. The Gospel message is not, being a Christ follower is intrinsically fun and entertaining. God's purpose in your life is to help you achieve personal greatness in your career path and relationships. Rather the message we are called to is about, sacrifice, love, servant hood and death to ourselves.

Week 1 - Bevans - Chap 1

2008-01-12T14:41:00.000-08:00

I liked how Bevans pointed to colonialism and post colonialisms effects on worldviews. I can certainly see how we arrived at post modernism through the shift in ideas from a "classicist culture" into an "empiricist culture." This shift brought on some relativism and pluralism that in many ways was needed and not detrimental. I think the Church has been slow to respond to such a shift in thinking because its identity for so long has been wrapped up in seeing the Bible as historicaly and scientifically inerrant. Therefore, the Church has held onto modernism's claim of there being just one way to look at things. However, I think the Church is now responding and making some changes. We can see such changes as many churches are now non denominational/post institutional and utilizing arts, technology and a more missional mindset. Demographically and culturally speaking, diversity in church congregations is something many pastors deelply desire for the health of their church. Bevans point about culture being seen as only western culture in modernism is a great point and an issue for the Church to recognize as it looks internally at its own traditions and values. I once attended a conference for pastors where the key note speaker said it was a disaster that all of the pastors in the room were middle aged, white, upper class, men. I think Bevans would have agreed.

Week 1 - Cobb - Chapter 1

2008-01-10T22:28:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed how Cobb talked about the effects of TV and media on us. I agree with him that TV has reduced our desire for substance with its focus on pictures instead of words and its proliferate use of spectacle and the sensational to keep viewers interested. This has shaped our perception of reality in some scary ways. I love my TV but the fact that I look forward to it so much scares me. I agree with Cobb's assertion that many people depend on TV and entertainment to construct their sense of reality and value system (we all do probably to one degree or another). My question is, does the Church need to compete with mass media for people's attention to be relevant? How is the Church and Christian spirituality different from a product or service? On another note, I didn't quite connect with Cobb's point about Disney being a reliable intellectual commentary on culture and a beacon of hope for early 20th century America. I mean, I like Donald Duck as much as the next guy but seeing him as a message of political and cultural significance is a bit of a stretch. Maybe that wasn't Cobb's point but it sure seemed that way.

Week 1 - Wed

2008-01-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

I learned today that evangelism is not all about inviting people to church. Furthermore, I liked how Dr. Bolger described UK Christians waiting to be asked about their faith. Shouldn't we be living in such a way that causes interest in Christianity? This makes sense to me because we live in a culture where 99% of the people have already heard that Jesus died for their sins. We don't seem to have a lack of doctrine being pushed around. What seems to be lacking is relationships between Christians and non Christians. On another note, today's discussion about the demise of institutional churches in Europe and the US made me wonder if we may be seeing the demise of the professional minister too (Brian McLaren made this point too). If so, how will I make my living? Something tells me that's probably not the right question.

Week 1-Chapter 2- Barker

2008-01-08T21:59:00.000-08:00

I found it interesting that Barker says modernism's preoccupation with the desire to fully understand and harness nature is akin to controlling nature itself, which in turn is an attempt to control humanity. I agree with Barker. I think this is representational of the arrogance that postmodern thinkers are reacting against when critiquing modernism and its claims. I am fascinated with this shift in ideas because I believe it offers so much to Christian spirituality. I also liked how Barker notes that an ordered Global Village is not what we have arrived at really. Instead the Global Village is typified by an increase in points of conflict and upheavel. I agree with this observation but cannot go so far as to say that the Global Village (as a one world culture) is not also a developing reality with many positive aspects.

Chapter 1 from Barker

2008-01-08T19:00:00.000-08:00

First of all, I found it interesting that cultural studies is not clearly defined. The semantics involved with the field of cultural studies both liberates and limits what can be articulated and observed. I also found the discussion about Marxism and capitalism compelling. The fact that capitalism has suceeded and Marxism (socialism) has failed is noteworthy. Perhaps humans need the clear stratification of class with the upper class at one end and the working class at the other. Perhaps this is not evil. Maybe capitalism has suceeded because it allows for upward movement from the factory floor to the office. Where as Marxism tends to assign people their place and obligate them to remain there?

Week 1 Monday

2008-01-07T21:51:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by the syllabus and the course introduction that Prof. Bolger gave. I had no idea that the course would cover so many diferent facets of culture including Biology and Psychology. Today I learned that the medium is the message (McLuhan). I also learned today how to start my own Blog.....not bad eh?