Marginal Christianity

For those with ears to hear! Saul (aka Paul) was a culture warrior before he met the risen Christ on the Damacus Rd. He believed it his religious duty to persecute those Jews who were doing it wrong (those pesky Jews who believed in Jesus). Michael Gorman tells us how and how the Christian Paul was transformed. “He was most likely attempting to secure his justification before God through imitating, at least to some degree, the violent priestly hero Phinehas, who purified Israel and stayed God’s wrath by killing an Israelite and his Midianite consort (Num. 25: 6-13). According to Psalm 106:31 (LXX 105:31), Phinehas was justified by his violent zeal: his act was “reckoned to him as righteousness” (elogisthē autō eis dikaiosynēn); the Greek phrase is exactly the same as the parallel text in Genesis 15:6 and in Romans 4:3, 5, 9, 22-24. When Paul was justified, reconciled to God, his oppressive, violent public behavior changed dramatically, and so did his spirituality, his relatio...

The church is not called to change the world, it's called to participate in and witness to the changed world brought by Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and ascension. I posted this earlier on my facebook status and one friend responded: “I think that would change the world.” I agree but not perhaps in the sense my friend means and not as I suspect many American Christians, progressive or evangelical believe. My thesis is this: “Changing the world” is a mantra that has been present in many ways in American Christianity throughout its existence. Some of it came from post-millenial thought. Steven Pointer explains: “During most of the nineteenth century, American Protestants believed they were living in special times, that current events were hastening the coming of the Kingdom of God on earth. Hymns like the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" became popular because they so well expressed this hope: "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the...

Posted by debradeanmurphy under Uncategorized 1 Comment   As the CNN anchor was about to introduce another segment on another hero in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, music began to play in the background. It was almost imperceptible–so conditioned are we to expect this kind of artfully packaged reporting in the wake of so-call “natural” disasters. The intent is hardly disguised: “human interest” stories like these are meant to restore our faith in the basic decency of humans. And to boost advertising revenues for the network. The cynic might say the latter is more important to network executives but we viewers reliably–storm after tragic storm–give them the data they need to keep at it. We consume these stories, are moved to tears by them (the music helps with that), and grant our permission again and again to be manipulated in such easy, overt ways. To say this isn’t to denigrate the selflessness of ordinary people who often go to extraordinary lengths to h...

By Ben Swihart   July 21, 2017 I thought she was joking. “I had to find someone who wouldn’t annoy me the whole time. Consider this your fair warning—this will be a spiritual experience for me.” A friend called me a couple of weeks ago with an extra ticket to see U2 ’s Joshua Tree tour. I remembered liking some of their songs on the radio, and knowing that everything sounds better at a live concert, I happily accepted. Having not yet been lured into the cult of Bono’s personality, all I knew was the legend that preceded him—international poverty relief icon, (aging) Gen-X sex symbol, and all-around good guy. As the openers left the stage, a scrolling montage of poetry slowly came into focus. While those around me were ordering another $12 beer and taking selfies with their new merchandise, the depth and radicality of this real-life “U2charist” struck me. Maybe this dude was the real deal. While waiting for the founder of the ONE anti-poverty campaign, th...

Thu, 15/12/2016 - 12:20 | Andrew Perriman In his talk on Daniel 4 this week Barney made passing reference to the “biblical mandate to bring justice by changing the structures of society”. I forget exactly the point he was making, but it would have had something to do with Daniel’s words to Nebuchadnezzar after interpreting the dream about the tree that is cut back to the stump: Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity. ( Dan. 4:27 ) The talk was excellent and stimulated good conversation. But I’m not sure about that throw-away comment. Is there really such a “biblical mandate”? Is it clearly taught in scripture that a central task of the church is to go and bring justice by changing the structures of society? There’s no question that God’s people are expected to demonstrate justice internally , i...

The Book of the Twelve for Lent 2016 The Great Triad - Micah           It’s hard to start anywhere else in Micah than 6:8 because it is familiar to many and captures the heart of Israel’s faith in a memorable fashion: “(God) has told you, O mortal, what is good;      and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness,      and to walk humbly with your God?”           I want to explore this passage today by three P’s I often use to describe Christian existence.           -priorities: our deepest convictions about God, life, and how we should live           -passions: the drives and energies to move us to act           -practices: what we do     ...

                          David Fitch August 3, 2015 Missional church is nothing but a Sunday morning service with some justice projects added on. I don’t agree with this statement at all. I do not think this describes what missional church is. Nonetheless, during my travels, a majority of my encounters with self described missional churches can be described in this way. There is a massive disconnect between the practices traditionally described as church – including Sunday morning worship – and life in the neighborhood and communities where we live, where we engage the mission of God as a people. I think this construal of church (Sunday morning services + some add on justice projects) is bad because: It makes justice into a project. When we organize endeavors from the center to reach places of overt need, injustices ...

Before you pound me for my title, read on and find out in what particular respect I would want Bill Belichik and not Pete Carroll as my pastor.   I know both have had cheating scandals along with their great success, but it’s not their morals I’m interested in.   I know they are opposite personalities, but it’s not their personalities I’m interested in. I am only interested in one thing that separates the two by a wide margin, a characteristic that made the difference in the Super Bowl. And I contend we need pastors like Belichik rather than Carroll to be a difference, the right kind of difference, in our world. Surprising fact:   Seattle under Carroll has never lost a blowout game.   Neither did USC until the last few games of his tenure there when things fell apart.   But in games decided by 6 points or less, Seattle is 11-13. Carroll is a big picture, rah-rah, emotional leader guy who connects well with his people.   On the details, he’s not so go...

Oct 27 Posted by Daniel José Camacho In the spirit of Upworthy/Humans-esqe hagiography: Two street evangelists sat next to each other on the subway. One asked: “Excuse me, do you have a personal relationship with God?” The other responded: “Let me ask you : do you have a structural relationship with God? Have you accepted Jesus Christ into your neighborhood as your stranger, as the one who is hungry, sick, and imprisoned? 1  If not, it’s never too late because God has a wonderful plan for this world. 2  Many people today have a personal relationship or spirituality with God but lack religion. 3  Faith ends up being an emotional concert or theoretical equation that does little to change the concrete circumstances of the orphans and widows who are distressed around us. Seeking personal prosperity or productivity/stress-relief via some form of mediation, many personal-relationships-with-God fall neatly into the patterns of our world’s consumption. In Ame...