Existential Punk

21st Century Thoughts On Christianity & Evangelism

"Christians should be troublemakers, creators of uncertainty, agents of a dimension incompatible with society."

     - Jacques Ellul

'But in regards to evangelism, I would hope that my witnessing (in both word and deed) to my own faith may guide the course of others as they discern God’s call on their life. For some, but not all, that may mean changing faiths, and if Westerners do so rather freely I don’t want to impinge upon someone else’s ability to do the same. Ultimately where they or I move on the faith continuum may not be as important as the fact that through our encounter we nudge, prod, and love each other towards being something different, something better than we were before we met. I’ve never had any encounter like this that wasn’t as some point messy. But they were worth it. And its likely my theological understanding of the Holy Spirit that allows me to make peace with that.'

    - Joe (from comment #12 at a pomomusings post on Plurality 2.0)

i really resonated with both of these things said by two different people that i read today. The first was retweeted on Twitter and the second was a comment on a post by Nanette Sawyer at pomousings. i don't know about you, but i am often a troublemaker. Often i try to be one in a good sense where i challenge people, their thinking and their assumptions. This is a good thing as this is how we grow. Jesus was a troublemaker, a rabble rouser, especially when confronting the Pharisees of his day. i no longer live in a life of uncertainty certainty because life is not perfect and very far from certain. i rather be honest in expressing this rather than walking around happy clappy and in a false sense of certainty that i find to be too inauthentic. Jesus' radical message went against societal norms and irritated the status quo. In other words, Jesus was an 'agent of a dimension incompatible with society.' i desire to model Jesus in this way and i often do, being told i am reprobate, a sinner, going to hell, burn in hell for eternity, not a Christian, et al. The thing is, i know i am a sinner falling short everyday. i am in need of G-D's grace and mercy every second, every ninute, every hour, every day, every week, every month, every year, always until the day i take my last breath! As humans, we are all going to fail and succeed. It's just part of the human condition.

Adam Walker Cleaveland's series on Plurality 2.0 has been wonderful and i encourage you to check out the diverse voices he has contributing to the series. The second quote above was in response to one of the more interesting posts i resonated with. My ideas on evangelism and the exclusiveness of the Gospel and Christianity has changed and evolved over the past several years. For me, the crux of evangelism has become about furthering along my own conversion through encounters with the others i meet in my life. In addition to that thought, Joe saying, 'Ultimately where they or I move on the faith continuum may not be as important as the fact that through our encounter we nudge, prod, and love each other towards being something different, something better than we were before we met.' is just another dimension of how i view evangelism. It's not about getting someone to assent to some particular dogma or doctrine, but in how the Divine meets each of us in our encounters with one another and transforms us through those encounters. As he says, these encounters can be messy, but life is messy, faith is messy, authentic relationships are messy. i rather be authentic and messy than neat, inauthentic and so very certain about everything.

What are your thoughts?

Reaching Greedily For The Kool-Aid

'To "choose" dogma and faith over doubt and experiment is to throw out the ripening vintage and reach greedily for the Kool-Aid.'

    -Christopher Hitchens

i found this quote yesterday and it got me thinking. i know Hitchens is a devout atheist, but i find truth in some of his words. It has been important for me in my journey not to throw the baby out with the bathwater and to be able to find nuggets of truth from different sources. i have a deep and abiding faith in Christ even though it is imperfect and fails often. i agree that choosing DOGMA over doubt and experiment is like throwing out that ripening vintage and greedily reaching for a cheap and sugarcoated Kool-Aid. Our lives are not certain in any form. We must be open enough to realize this and accept doubt, questions, and the like as an authentic and natural part of being human. Trying new things, experiementing, like many in the emergent conversation are doing with fresh expressions in churches. The places that don't experiment become dry, boring, rote, and often sugarcoat. Many churches have become places of doing the thinking for us and we just listen and take what they say at face-value rather than places where there is dialogue and room for people to doubt, question, lament, etc. If G-D has relationship with us and the church is to model this relationship, then shouldn't that relationship be a two-way street? G-D is not about control and getting us to drink the proverbial Kool-Aid. G-D is about real relationship. Thus, the church has much to learn if it does not want to find itself irrelevant to people. Let's embrace the ripening vintage that i believe G-D wants to give us rather than waste it for the horribly tasting Kool-Aid.

What do you think?

Essence Of The Liberal Outlook According To Bertrand Russell

"The essence of the Liberal outlook lies not in what opinions are held, but in how they are held: instead of being held dogmatically, they are held tentatively, and with a consciousness that new evidence may at any moment lead to their abandonment."

    -Bertrand Russell

i LOVE cool and interesting quotes and i collect them all the time. Often i add them to my Apple email program as rotating signatures at the end of my emails. Bertrand Russell's quote above really spoke to me when i found it recently on someone's blog. i like what he says but i also can see some liberals being just as dogmatic about their beliefs as those on the right/conservative side of the spectrum who hold tightly to their fundamental beliefs. i think his quote is a great attitude for ALL human beings to aspire to because none of us has a monopoly on truth and what is the correct way to believe. i am not out to change people's minds but to challenge ALL of us, INCLUDING myself, that none of us has a monopoly on truth and that we must hold our opinions lightly! What do you think?

Philip Yancey on Faith . . .

Found another cool blog here. On the about page he quotes Philip Yancey on faith:

“Unavoidably and by instinct, I question and reevaluate my faith all the time.”

Wes then follows up the quote saying this:

"He and I share that affliction. I envy those to whom faith seems to come naturally, because it’s often more difficult for folks like me who are skeptical by nature

I’m not as certain about as many things as I used to be. That applies to doctrines, other religions, and my spiritual worldview in general. In fact, I am 100% (as in totally, completely, etc.) certain about very little in those realms and I am comfortable with that. I like being on that edge, and I think part of my purpose is to (carefully) be there. I think God can handle all of my doubts and curiosities. Despite all the unsettled questions, I believe in Christ with both mind and heart. I respect the many who don’t and I believe that I have much to learn from everyone, no matter their faith (or lack thereof).

I have little time for traditional churches, but hey, if you’re happy at one then more power to you"

i absolutely LOVE the honesty and authenticity expressed by both of these people. i find myself relating wholeheartedly with these sentiments as i have trudged through this life often referred to as a journey. The old cliche that the journey is much more important than the destination never rang more true for me than in my life over the past decade or so. i enjoy when i find things others write that i resonate with because living with Lyme Disease has impeded my cognitive abilities. So, when i struggle to find how to express my inner workings, it is a huge help when i find people like Yancey and Wes who are going through similar things as me. My Creator is so GOOD!

WWII Vet held by Nazi's breaks silence

HT to CNN for this enlightening and sad Veterans Day story. Happy Veterans Day and a HEARTFELT THANK YOU to ALL our troops who bravely and selflessly serve our nation.

i LOVE what Anthony Acevedo says at the end of the article:

His message on this Veterans Day, he says, is never to hold animosity toward anybody.

 "You only live once. Let's keep trucking. If we don't do that, who's going to do it for us? We have to be happy. Why hate?" he says. "The world is full of hate, and yet they don't know what they want." 

Latinos and Gay Marriage

As Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere." You'd think that as Latinos, proud and strong and willing to fight for our own rights,- we'd refuse to turn against the "punier kid," wouldn't you? 

___________________________________________________________________________________

A GREAT commentary on why Latinos should see gay marriage as a civil right from Fernando Espuelas at CNN.

So it was BOTH the Latino community and the African American community that came out in droves to vote for Obama and also voted yes on Prop 8. How ironic that two groups who have experienced prejudice would vote to take away our rights. It sounds so hypocritical to me. i am blown away by this and left dazed and confused. i will not turn negative towards them and i will continue to stand up for them because it is the right thing to do. BUT, i will still be honest with them about my feelings of betrayal. i LOVE the Martin Luther King, Jr. quote above as it really does sum up the situation.

It's the answer spoken by . . .

HT to my good friend over at Headphonaught's Nanolog for this inspiring portion from President-Elect Barack Obama's acceptance speech at Grant Park in Chicago last night:

"... If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.

We are, and always will be, the United States of America."

Sweet Quote!

Friend, teacher and writer Len Sweet has a new book just released called "11: Indispensable Relationships You Can't Be Without"

Amazon Reviewer, N. Hooker "Nevan" from Louisville, KY has this to say about the book:

"Relationships are like investments...it's important that you diversify. Sweet highlights 11 key relationships that we all need, and the best part is that they're all rooted in Biblical stories and teachings. "

AND also states this REALLY COOL QUOTE from LEN SWEET:

"...the older I get the more complex my theology becomes...but the older I get the more simple my faith becomes."

This is certainly true for me for the most part! Simple yet very deep is how I find Len Sweet's writings.

Gotta love Jon Stewart

HT to my friend Roy once again for this one from Jon Stewart of The Daily Show:

                                                    John Stewart:

"On a Tuesday morning at 11 o'clock a.m., a prominent politician spoke to Americans about race-- as though they were adults"

"Change We Can Believe In ..."

i LOVE this quote from Obama 08: "I'm ASKING YOU TO BELIEVE. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington ... I'm asking you to believe in yours."