double duty
Well, I've started a second, "safer" blog, which I will be able to "publicize" to a wider circle. There's a lot of stuff I've written here that would just fluster, even anger some folks, and I don't want to do that. Some people just see the world differently than I do, and I can't make them change. I hope I can influence them, and they will influence me, but reading this blog would be a step toward ending relationship, and I don't want that.
So, my time will be divided between here and www.blogigo.co.uk/chialphamatt
Regarding my most recent post, well, it blew up into a ranting and raving session at God. The questions went deep, and bundled with my inability to swallow the concept of hell as active torment for eternity. I'll spare everyone my rants. Here's something else:
The call of Christ flies directly in the face of all hedonism. His call is not to congregate in safe (boring) communities, insulated from the devestation of hedonism and wickedness. The world is wise and ardent in pursuing its aims. The follower of Jesus must be all the more. People spend gobs of money and time and energy to revel at Mardi Gras. Jesus followers ought to spend gobs of time and money and energy to confront wickedness, injustice and oppression, and to break the powers of poverty and ignorance--to encounter and share eternal joys and pleasures with every creature. Christ's call is a call to charge into battle, not retreat.
So, basically, it gets really difficult for me to divorce my efforts of sharing faith and the core of my faith, itself. The theology and philosophy behind those efforts is intimately tied to my relationship with God. If I am losing confidence in my "ministry" or leadership, or questioning the concept or current methods of evangelism, I end up losing confidence in faith. It's a tough pill to swallow, but it's actually kind of comforting to know that my belief and practice are so tightly knit together; that's never a bad thing.
there really is more to say about this. it will be on one of my blogs soon.
So, my time will be divided between here and www.blogigo.co.uk/chialphamatt
Regarding my most recent post, well, it blew up into a ranting and raving session at God. The questions went deep, and bundled with my inability to swallow the concept of hell as active torment for eternity. I'll spare everyone my rants. Here's something else:
The call of Christ flies directly in the face of all hedonism. His call is not to congregate in safe (boring) communities, insulated from the devestation of hedonism and wickedness. The world is wise and ardent in pursuing its aims. The follower of Jesus must be all the more. People spend gobs of money and time and energy to revel at Mardi Gras. Jesus followers ought to spend gobs of time and money and energy to confront wickedness, injustice and oppression, and to break the powers of poverty and ignorance--to encounter and share eternal joys and pleasures with every creature. Christ's call is a call to charge into battle, not retreat.
So, basically, it gets really difficult for me to divorce my efforts of sharing faith and the core of my faith, itself. The theology and philosophy behind those efforts is intimately tied to my relationship with God. If I am losing confidence in my "ministry" or leadership, or questioning the concept or current methods of evangelism, I end up losing confidence in faith. It's a tough pill to swallow, but it's actually kind of comforting to know that my belief and practice are so tightly knit together; that's never a bad thing.
there really is more to say about this. it will be on one of my blogs soon.
posted by Unknown @ 11:05 PM
1 Comments:
At 10:28 PM,
Unknown said…
Paradox.
I'm looking at two hedonisms, maybe. GK and others would claim that Christianity is hedonism, as we seek to enjoy life through God to the utmost; that is our purpose.
A nonChristian hedonism seeks to fully express and enjoy the self without regard for God. I do think Christ calls for subjection of the will and a circumcision of the heart. This redirection of desire often results in suffering, not pleasure. The self is subjucated to God, but this is not a total abnegation of the self; it is a resituation of the self within the rule of God's Kingdom, under the authority of God's law. From here, "there is fullness of joy, and...pleasures evermore."
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