STOP SPEAKING THE GOSPEL!!!!

I have spent over three years deep within philosophy and theology.

I love it. I am exploring a theology which I feel can have a major impact on our christian lives. Thinking and stratagizing and analyzing is what I love.

HOWEVER . . . There is more. Because of page length constraints the end of my thesis is only the jumping off point.

Here is the key: Praxis Praxis Praxis.

So what is my desperate desire??

Our church is considering "adopting" an area of Denver that has some significant needs. Needs that have nothing to do with orally "preaching the Gospel."

Rather, these needs have everything to do with preaching the Gospel as Christ preached it. Yes, he spoke the Gospel, he taught. But more importantly he LIVED the Gospel. He was overflowing with the Love that IS God.

So how do we do this?

Simple, we find a need and we fill it. We become servants. We live as if we are responsible for the other person.

I want our church to reach out in love and fill the needs of this adopted community. Fill the "secular" needs.

The example I see is a church and outreach orginization in downtown Toronto. This place opens its doors the community. The teach ESL, they teach computer skills, the have a food pantry. They recognize a need in the community and do everything they can to fill it.

Come on folks, I am calling for us to stop speaking the Gospel

Lets LIVE it!!

Quick update

For those who are interested:

I defended my thesis today. I passed. They thought I defended very well.

However, they want revision for two of the philosophers, before they sign off on the thesis itself.

so more work, but with those revisions they will sign off, so I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

A peek at my Thesis

Modern Theo-Philosophy, with its emphasis on rationality and reason, made “God” obsolete; limiting and confining God’s significance within Being. Western Christianity was left destitute, supposedly delusional in its belief in God. However, within the postmodern era, where meta-narratives are continually being questioned, there is a wounding of reason which opens a space for a new dialectic of God. There is, therefore, a need within Western Christianity for a way in which to speak of, approach and engage God. There is a desperate requirement for a turn in the way in which Western Christians approach the world and God.

Though much of Modern Christianity spurns the ideas of Postmodernity, I argue that many of the concepts which are found therein are not only helpful in regaining a significant dialectic God, but are, in fact, at the very core of Western Christianity. Exploring the works of Derrida, Levinas, Marion and Volf – four of the major Postmodern theo-philosophers – I attempt to elucidate a new dialectic of God that forms the basis of a shift in loyalties, a shift in the gaze of Western Christians. Examining core concepts of Postmodern philosophy such as the I, the other, le tout autre and the consequential formation of Identity we find that whereas Modernity made God obsolete, Postmodern Phenomenology wounds the situated existent in such a way that dialectic of God becomes relevant to that situated existent.

Through the imitation of an act of Love – acted out by God, within Being – Western Christianity regains a hope of peace with the other. Through the imitation of this act with God, the identity of the situated existent is formed in such a way that they are able to see the realm of Being through the eyes of le tout Aautre – through the eyes of God.

It is this new gaze, this new perspective of Love which allows for the hope of peace, the hope of faith and Love. This, however, is only the foundation of the larger project of action within this new perspective. From this starting point, there must then be a an examination of how exactly this new gaze is played out within the subjective existent’s life.

The Meme finally

So I have been tagged by my loving sis (I will get you for this . . . oh wait I'm making you read my thesis, never mind) to add my comments to this meme thingy (thingy is a technical term by the way)

It is on a book called unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity . . . And Why it Matters It is supposed to groundbreaking research on what 16-29 year olds think of Christianity, and Christianity's image problem.

Sorry but . . . DUH. We had to do research to figure out that Christianity is viewed in a bad light??? Come on folks.

Now, seriously, the task of the meme is to list three negative stereotypes of Christians, and then one thing that we should be known for.

1) All Christians are radical fundamentalist, Right-wing, Capitalist Pigs. (sorry, I am a grad student so sometimes the student attitudes creep in) Seriously though, many of these students really think this. Tell some one you are christian and they run screaming thinking you are going to smack them upside the head with the biggest bible in the world and scream "Come to JAAY-ZUS thou unholy spawn of the devil!!! Or they might suspect that you are secretly the manager of a sweat shop hidden in your house's crawl space.

2) Christians are idiots. Like sub-moronic on the IQ scale. Common don't you know that evolution has been completly proven and that to believe in God is good reason to suspect that one is seriously delusional and in need of institutionalization (Just read Freud)

3) This one is the WORST: Christians have no compassion for others. Don't you see people picketing abortion clinics, Planned Parenthood, and don't you see them screaming such things as "You are going to HELL you sick and perverted childmolesting Faggot at any place where there might be even a small gathering of Gay, Lesbian, or Transgendered folks.

So, with a few tongue in cheek examples (that unfortunately are all too true) you can see that christians are uncompassionate, sub-moronic, delusional pigs.

Don't you feel all warm and cozy to call yourself a christian??

So what is the one thing that we should be known for?

One simple word: LOVE

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment and a second is like it. You shall love the lord your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. (Matt. 22:37-40 NRSV)

Can't ask for something more simple than that. even a delusion sub-moronic individual can do it. Love gets rid of the whole uncompassionate thing, now we just have to figure out how to not be Right Wing, bible thumping pigs!!!

Not too hard right?