Bonhoeffer versus John Shelby Spong
My vote is for Bonhoeffer any time 🙂
“Bonhoeffer’s call for “non-religious Christianity” (Nicht-religiöse Christentum) had nothing to do with abandoning rigid dogma and other forms of traditional Christianity in favour of a more spontaneous communion with the Ground of Being. Instead, it stands for the church having the courage to be the church, to follow Jesus in his uncompromising concreteness, and not to seek refuge in the shadows of pseudo-theological, liturgical or ethical obscurantism.”
An experiential approach to theology (pdf)
I was told Prof. Klaus is one of the top Lutheran theologians in South Africa.
Evolutionary Hermeneutics (pdf)
Now this makes our discussion on “The Word of God” more stimulating.
5 Crucial Questions on the State of Leadership
Great quote and good questions for it. Here’s the quote:
“In order to be able to assume the responsibility for other people’s growth, leaders must themselves have grown to true maturity and inner freedom. They must not be locked up in a prison of illusion or selfishness, and they must have allowed others to guide them.
“We can only command if we know how to obey. We can only be a leader if we know how to be a servant. We can only be a mother—or a father—figure if we are conscious of ourselves as a daughter or a son. Jesus is the Lamb before the He is the Shepherd. His authority comes from the Father; He is the beloved Son of the Father” (p. 225).
Wow …Not a very sexy term but the content it worth some time:
“An epi-modernist approach makes it easier to distinguish between early and late modernit(ies). The extreme anti-modernist would hesitate to accept the adjective “late” because it could be taken to imply a willingness to accept or even to promote the survival of some aspect of the (early) modern. The extreme ultra-modernist might resist the adjective “late” because this implies the explanatory power of some aspect of the (early) modern is waning. Of course we cannot know precisely what new forms of philosophical reflection will emerge in the coming decades and centuries, but insofar as they participate in the ongoing reconstructive process of transmitting traditions and cultures we can anticipate that they will not simply involve a complete rejection of nor a naïve return to the formulations of an earlier era.
Being an epi-modernist today simply means attending to the early modern as other, without wholesale rejection or embrace, attempting to discern how we can emerge out of, build upon, and move beyond earlier formulations of the biblical tradition while remaining attached to the lived intuitions that characterize Christian life in the world.”
Finally, all hostages released
Glad the Korean hostages are all free now. But sad to know the aftermath will still be hard.
Is there still a need for church?
Sure … we all need something to complain about? and who’s paying my salary? and feeding my addiction for chips!? (just kidding!) And now to more pressing questions…
“In these revolutionary post-church/pathological-church times I wonder if we need to move beyond arguements of legitimising our existence as gathering of Christians and instead address the question facing us in the west of why we should bother gathering at all?”
I have a question. That day i was at church and everyone was singing something about the Lord letting His son die for all of us. So i wondered why are they singing happily. It’s sad. Imagine if you have to sacrifice your kid to save millions of people, would you do it?
Maybe that’s why God is God and we’re not. Anthromorphosising God can help us understand God better but would still fall short in understanding who he truly is.
Good point. But i dont think it helps to understand by singing and dancing. Thats just entertainment, right? I mean, any kid could sing and dance to christian tunes but not understanding anything. Its good though, to keep their innocent minds filled with the concept of god in order for them to absorb the teachings better when they are ready.
Everyone need to be saved at the end of the day. Satan shall not win this war!
mackie – i think you have brought up a good point. too often, people take lightly the suffering dimensions of the life and death of Jesus. Perhaps, we need to appreciate the sufferings better before we can truly rejoice in the liberation it brings?
Bob – My mind drifted to a Stephen Hawking quote:
““I think computer viruses should count as life. I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive. We’ve created life in our own image.””
Another question. Whats there in heaven that every christian wanted so much? My fellow church friends said there’s a reward waiting for everyone. Is that true?