I'm reviewing the situation...
What are you changing your mind about? What are you rethinking, reconsidering, re-viewing (seeing again, possibly from a different perspective)? This is not a right/wrong question--NOT what were you wrong about that you have now "seen the light on" and made right?--but what are you rethinking, and why?
My personal example (at least one of 'em): I'm re-thinking the whole "role of women" question and find myself moving towards a somewhat more "egalitarian" position. And I haven't worked it all out. I continue to believe that there are fundamental, God-ordained differences between men and women, but am less sure that that matters as much in terms of the roles people play in the life and work of the church. What's pushed me in this direction is a continuing conversation within our own church, and some reading that I've done. I'm sure as well that my culture is impinging on my thought processes!
A second example has to do with evolution. Actually, that's probably not the right way to put it. I think what I'm rethinking is the ways in which science (a form of "general revelation") and faith ("special revelation") interact. If, for example, the evidence supporting evolution is increasingly compelling (and I think it is), how do I respond to that in/by faith? I haven't worked this one all out either!
The point here is NOT to debate these particular issues (although I'm happy to hear from you on them), but instead to invite us to discuss ways in which we see ourselves changing.
Change is not automatically good, of course: forward steps, backwards steps, and steps off the cliff are all forms of "change"! Your rethinkings do not need to be limited to intellctual or theological issues (as my two examples tended to be)--you may be rethinking prayer, church (as we've already been discussing), or almost anything else. And you don't need to have it all worked through. And there's nothing to say that your reconsideration process won't eventually lead you to reaffirm what you've previously held to. But whatever you may find yourself reconsidering, I'd be interested in hearing about it!
posted by Brian Emmet @ 5:50 PM
11 Comments:
Wow, Brian! You have a wonderful way of stirring the pot! I, too, wonder where to start; although, it seems that your initial question has more to do with "what" are we rethinking/evaluating vs. what different conclusions have we come to and why? If I am correct about my assumption, I guess the question of women's roles is certainly one that I find myself regularly wrestling with. This is not due to any external pressure from either within our church from the outside. For me, three different dynamics are converging: 1. A deep sense of gratitude to several women who have made a SIGNIFICANT difference in my life, two of whom most of the blog readers know or at least have met . . . my wife and 89 year old Peg Zabawa. The second factor is a greater and greater understanding of the plight of most women in most of the Muslim world. Right now I am reading and greatly enjoying, "Reading Lolitta in Tehran." Understanding their delimma, has foreced me to ask the sometimes uncomfortable questios . . . what is the proper role/place for a woman? Finally, facing the reality that in the emerging generation women are playing a more and more significant role . . . at least outside the church. These young people have no qualms about working for a woman; the gender differences are smaller, except in the church! i had wondeful, get acquainted lunch with a new friend, an Air Force Academy grad (same year as me), who is now a Christian psychiatrist! He, too, had played football in high school and two years at AF. When I asked him if his wife played a sport in H.S., he replied, "No, she was a cheerleader." Then, we both went on to discuss how when we were in high school there were no women's sports. Now they have three or more sports every season, and (at least in our area), there is hardly a young girl, like hardly a young man who hasn't grown up playing organized soccer. Sooooooo, I am taking all of this and trying to filter it through God's Word, especially when we look at the topic of our last blog, the Kingdom of God. I would be the last to say that I have any clear "revelation" on this issue. Just ponderngs at this point. ERR
Thanks, Robert and Randy--others, please weigh in. Please remember that the direction of this particular post is not to resolve any issue in particular, or even discuss specific topics. Instead, I'm asking us to think about how our thinking or 'position' may have changed/be changing. We've already been discussing ways in which our thinking aboiuit "church" is changing. If there is anything to the idea that we are likely entering a once-every-500-year shift in culture, I would guess that means change is ahead (and already afoot)! I'm not encouraging us to drive off any intellectual cliffs, nor to be casual or careless about living faithful lives in Christ, but I do think we are in an historical "moment" when various "re-" words may become increasingly worthwhile--review, reconsider, reflect, rethink, reappraise...
Reaffirm...
Recommit.
I am just hanging on and looking forward to my REward in heaven; unless, HE decides to REturn, first. In that case, I will have to REnew my heartfelt devotion to Him and REceive whatever HE has instore for those of us who are alive at HIS coming!!!!!
Brian, you said:
"I'm re-thinking the whole "role of women" question and find myself moving towards a somewhat more "egalitarian" position. And I haven't worked it all out. I continue to believe that there are fundamental, God-ordained differences between men and women, but am less sure that that matters as much in terms of the roles people play in the life and work of the church. What's pushed me in this direction is a continuing conversation within our own church, and some reading that I've done."
I am re-thinking that as well. I have been surprised to find how much common ground I share with feminists about women and women's roles, out of my Christian views of the worth of the individual and the need for respect and honor towards women. Most feminist that I have met are NOT men haters...they just want to be treated equally and with respect. I can't argue with that.
good post.
As I indicated in an earlier post, my growing burden for the plight of most Muslim women has put me on a journey reading and trying to gain an even greater understanding of their circumstances. At the wake for a funeral that I conducted in early December, I met a young woman, who is a student at the Univ. of Maryland majoring in Women's Studies. I shared with her my interests and concerns, an area (i.e., Muslim women) that she was not that knowledgable about. At the conclusion of our conversation, she gave me a "compliment." She said that I was a feminist! First time I have ever been called one. Not sure if that is a good thing or not!!!! ERR
This is an area that many people associated with the so-called "emerging church" are re-thinking. You can find a lot of discussion about it at open source theology and the Generous Orthodoxy Think tank.
j
OK: some of us may be reconsidering men's and women's roles, and no, we haven't figured it all out.
Now: what else have you been rethinking, revisiting, reviewing? I'm trying to ask about our questions, not the answers we've come up with, because we may not really have the answers anywhere near as clearly as we have the questions. And my real point in asking is that I think we often can benefit from some assistance in making sure we're framing the right questions in the right kinds of ways.
So: what else you been thinkin' on?
here is another one, what about the nature of salvation? the conversion process?
Is it really necessary to confess faith in Jesus, be baptized and join the church to "be saved"?
or is salvation a process or journey toward surrender to the Love of God that somewhere along the way connects with the spirit of Jesus, consciously or unconsciously?
I am revisiting this, because I have recently met a lot of people who do not refer to themselves as "Christians" but who seem more spiritual, and to have more "Christ-like" character than most church people I have known. One of them is a Jewish lady, the wife of Debbie's boss. She is not a Christian, she is more of a jewish new ager... and yet, the fruit of the spirit is evident in her life and she experience spiritual revelations that seem "right" to me. She is clearly moving toward LOVE....and we know that LOVE is a person.
I am seeing salvation as an ongoing journey or process (we are being saved), and I am not sure that church membership is very helpful in that journey.
In deference to Robert, I would probably see membership in a 'high church' tradition as more a positive factor for the kind of salvation I am talking about than hyper participation in a conservative, "Bible-Believing" evangelical church.
Ferment is both a decay process and a process that can be used to produce something wonderful (wine). I think we're living in times of significant ferment--may God bring something drinkable out of the mess!
Doesn't frementation also releas a lot of gas? I am wondering if it is not time for another wise, thought provoking question from the Jedi Master, Brian?
why don't you all throw it open for any of your team to post a new topic? That would probably make the blog a little more lively.
Scott McNight...the blogmaster of the Jesuscreed blog, has started a thread about gender roles from the point of view of Genesis 1-3... he argues for an egalitarian interpretation of the creation story.
here is the link:
http://www.jesuscreed.org/?p=2143#comments
Post a Comment
<< Home