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Hang on folks, I’m not depressed; I’m ok.

But someone out there might be. And you might even be a Christian, and yet baffled that you are experiencing this. I know first-hand that crazy feeling; the baffling “why am I, a Christian, going through these feelings, this experience?” And yet having climbed out of that depth several times in my life, I have yet to think theologically about it; i mean who would? But this stream-of-thought spurred on by a reading in Hans Urs Von Balthasar has caused me to realize the theological significance of the private hell we go through when depressed – it is an identification with the passion of the Christ; and this, hinted by Balthasar, is what is happening. Essentially the passion of God on a cross is incarnated in us. See if any shrink will tell you that. Here is the original snippet from Balthasar, The Word Made Flesh, pp. 199-200 (rather than cut and paste, I’m actually typing it out – it’s that good – to get it into my noggin): Read more…

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I’m going to attempt a synthesis here, stated concisely. Simply put, this discussion on Nouvelle Theologie and Sacramentalism can be understood one of two ways:

a) a return to superstition

b) a recovery of imagination, meaning, the reality of the divine, and the over-used word, mystery

Despite my stated qualms, I’ve said that the debate is helpful. Here’s how:

You climb into the warm recliner, sitting across from a man with a pad. You pour out your gut-feelings, the angst, while he scribbles away furiously. He asks you about your mother, and you talk about your childhood. After an hour of listening he begins to repeat back to you what you have said, weaving a tapestry of insightful council of how repressed desires have finally made their way into aberrant behavior; the prescription? A talking cure, and the need to re-assess your formation as an adult in light of your past. You might need some medication. You thank your pastor on the way out.

So my question is: is this distinctly pastoral ministry?

The appropriation of secular methodology has essentially sent the message that we’ve lost faith in the mediating symbols of the Church to affect grace, comfort, healing. For what is distinctly pastoral: to offer psychological advice (for which we are not trained), or to draw back upon the counselee’s union w/ Christ via baptism? To come back to the place where the congregant finds his / her belonging to God via sacramental union – in other words, Communion? (I’m taking Purves‘ lead here – and I think he’s dead-on).

Another application: how can we talk about God’s design in a parishioner’s life when there is no overall design? In a word, “Providence” is crippled when the universe is emptied of mystical significance. From where I stand, that is one of the most important concepts in a pastor’s toolbox; we have to believe there is meaning to what happens in people’s lives.

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Pardon my French s’il vous plais.

I’ve been groaning under the weight of finishing off my MDiv and the words of Scot McKnight perfectly capture what I’ve been feeling:

Rarely has so much been expected of so few. Those in ministry are expected to be competent in church history, systematic theology, ethics, apologetics, contemporary social analysis, Christian education, missions, evangelism, homiletics and psychology. At the same time, they are expected to master at least two archaic languages – and these, it is often claimed, must be reduced in palatable form for the person on the street! (McKnight, NT Greek Grammatical Analysis)

I just LOVE that quote.

And it explains much of how I feel – (I admit, I’m complaining) so it begs the question – WHO NEEDS ALL OF THIS STUFF?

And my answer is:

Read more…

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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…

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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.

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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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