Accompanied by one question I’d ask each. Apologies; yes I know this is yet another top-ten for the new decade ahead, but for me it helps as trajectory-setting. Also; networking / relationship is a life-long work-in-progress and so likewise I feel no compulsion to finish this post, nor the pressing questions I would ask. All I know is that I have been influenced, and hope to continue to be, by these folks. Alphabetized, by last name: Read more…
Now that the Deadly Vipers controv has died down I can comment in retrospect and objectively.
More so than the controversy itself I think I’ll comment on the emerging asian-american consensus that is arising, a vociferous element that has finally gotten in touch with its angry side, its unabashed and bold calling out of the “white man” and its strong presence on the internet. I would say the DV controv is in some respects the hallmark event that congealed the solidarity of this movement, a sort of historic moment in my opinion. I see strengths and weaknesses of this incipient movement: Read more…
Letty Russell, theologian and feminist
Reading through selections of Letty Russell, Feminist Interpretation of the Bible. It’s poignant, moving, and sad. Several of these scholars, having started from a Christian frame of reference, have eventually become so discouraged so as to have given up on the Bible entirely, concluding the chasm between the Bible (and thus, God) and feminism unbridgeable. They stand antagonized by a God who is male, oppressive, and dominant. But I find Letty Russell as a light in the sadness; while recognizing the oppression, she sees the End – eschatological fulfillment – as the reason to carry on. Maybe the Bible is sexist. Maybe we won’t see women treated fairly today, or for a long time. But a Day comes… and so she ends on a hopeful note. In the same volume, Phyllis Trible recognizes: Women as victims of the text, but refusing to let go w/o a blessing – tenaciously pouring over a male-oriented, male-interpreted Scripture, trying to find a light that will both be true to revelation and at the same time treat women as full persons and not just supplementary helpers. I find myself deeply reflective over these words, repentant, moved, and hitherto part of the dialogue. We’re going to comment respectfully and thoughtfully here (assuming there will be any comments). Anything slanderous / disrespectful will be deleted.
OK – here we go. Things have been stewing lately, not to mention the whole Deadly Viper controv, but also things I’ve been observing about the academic / ecclesial establishment. A black man is fired at one place with no attempt to consider racial dimensions behind the act. And then I hear at a recent Halloween party for Regent seminarians someone not only donned blackface but completely justified his behavior. And this is never addressed up here. So I’ve had enough. Dispensing with my usual policy of avoiding polemics. Read more…
Still fresh from licking my wounds after closing down missio (interestingly the last few posts have been about church planting) I find myself actually open again to the idea of planting again someday. Mind you, I would never ever plant again the way we did it before. Not to discredit our work and those who’ve travailed with us – not a second was wasted nor regretted in my view. But this baby’s got some mileage and if I’m ever gonna do it again, the process has to be a lot more efficient, more streamlined and success has got to be guaranteed. Because failure is just WAY too costly, and I’m not alone in testifying to that. Failure’s great – it teaches you things – but yeah – you’re not smart if you like to make the same mistakes over and over again. Read more…
Starting a new series titled “1st World Re-Evangelization” where I’d like to muse on some thoughts about ministering in a 1st world context as a 3rd world immigrant (what some might call “third culture”). Especially what it’s like as a minority (Korean-American) ministering in a predominantly Caucasian context. I find it intriguing – and different in many ways. Hence, the title, 1st World Re-Evangelization. Also because it is the title of a class I’m taking now, “Empowering the Church for First World Re-Evangelization: Theological And Missional Themes” – so don’t deconstruct the title too much, I didn’t come up with it. It is however a chance to hash out both in-class and out, in theory as well as in praxis, what this idea of “re-evangelizing the first world” really means – as a Christian in a postmodern world and as a minority in a dominant culture context. Either way, a minority. So I turn my first thoughts towards the theme of chaplaincy. Specifically police chaplaincy, and our own local support officer program here in Bellingham / Whatcom County. Read more…
No better way to get the year started, aye?
Instigated by my recent foray into the theology of the Old Testament under professor Ian Provan, I found myself fascinated by a number of things – his perspective on Ezra / Nehemiah / Esther for one – but also the look into the wisdom lits, particularly Song of Songs. Long been held an allegorical reading of the love of Christ for the Church, I’ve always walked away thinking that was a stretch; it always seemed to me a pretty obvious picture of one thing: eros. Defining songs as allegorical just never really convinced me as I can’t seem to see that as the author’s intent. At any rate this is not so much about splitting hermeneutical hairs as much as it is about the deep redemptive value of a theology on sex; Songs has the potential to address the neurotic dysfunctionalism of our view on sex today; the problem is the allegorical message of Christ and the church keeps getting in the way – it seems to be blinding us to the more obvious – the literal interpretation of songs as a theology on the “healing of sex”. But at any rate:
Is there indeed, such a thing as a “theology of sex”? Is it in there, in the text? Is it an a priori of secularism? Is it relevant, devotional-type material? Can you make heads or tails of it? Does it speak to the church or the individual?
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