Tuesday, September 28, 2004
enscribing ecclesiological identity in the unique crevasses of our sociological context
church is never ahistorical. to etch “be the church” as one’s ecclesiological slogan is to potentially deny the incarnation, a Jewish Christ walking among a Jewish people, cracking Jewish jokes and building a Jewish community.
For to “be the church” is to be embodied among particular people in the unique crevasses where God has placed us. Those unique crevasses might be called by sociological names: Jewish, early, African, Roman, Celtic, Gen X, postmodern, even emergent. Such names, such attention to the unique crevasses of one’s existence, need not be read as a defining label, but as an expression of Incarnation, a respecting of the unique contours of enscribed identity.
Posted by steve at 11:15 AM
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Hi Steve,
many years ago E. Stanely Jones wrote a book called “The Christ of the Indian Road”. His thoughts were on how Christ might truly emerge from within the context of Indian culture. It still makes good reading today. So is Christ being allowed to emerge from our culture today? I guess this is one of the questions you and others are wrestling with. A friend of mine who isn’t a christian read the old and new testaments last year and said she couldn’t believe it ever became a religious text book – especially the old testament but I think she threw Paul into that category as well. Some people I’d expect to get that comment from, but Fiona is athoughtful women and engages with what she’s reading in a deeper way than many christians would (to be expected of a novelist). So how do you respond to someone like that who likes Jesus’ ideas but can’t get a grip on why we revere the old testament so much – ‘what’s it for’ she might ask and I guess we need to be ready with a good answer, otherwise we can’t expect Jesus to walk the New Zealand Road. I’ve had some thoughts, but I’m interested on what your thoughts are on this matter because I think it relates to what you’ve just written about church.
P.S. I’ve been thinking about your comments on xtreme discipleship and environmentalism. Did you read the anarchistic article in the Press on saturday about Gardening as Protest. I’ve used it and your posting a stepping stone to considering our relationship with the land and God, still thinking it through though.
Comment by Andrew Mac — September 28, 2004 @ 12:35 pm
Thanks Steve for bringing a different twist to the interesting “slogan”.
Comment by Sivin Kit — September 28, 2004 @ 2:55 pm
Liked what you said. Bob Carlton sent me over here after I made a post on the idea of “slogans” on my blog yesterday. I am glad I am not alone!
Peace,
Rick
Comment by rick — September 29, 2004 @ 3:02 pm