Journeys In Between

Trinity and Gender

I thought some of you might be interested in a post by John Stackhouse called, Does the Trinity Prove Anything about Gender? Got me thinking about the whole Sophia/Spirit thing too. I think there is lots to chew on here.

Trinity Terror

I was a proud and amused dad the other day. The story is, as I arrived home from work and  my wife and I caught up on the events of the day, she informed me, with some apprehension in her voice, that she'd been forced to explain the Trinity to our son during the day.

"He's only four!" she said. "Well, he is my son," I reminded her with a cheeky grin, "In a few years time he'll either be an atheist or correcting the pastor." Hmmm, she said.

But in truth I was just glad the task fell on her (looks around to check wife not looking over shoulder) because he was so very close to asking the hard questions the night before that I'd been getting a little apprehensive myself. His mind is getting sharper and sharper but he doesn't yet have the language or life experience to understand what understanding I have to offer. It's far, far easier to answer older people. I think he's rapidly becoming my greatest challenge. Anyway, I'm sure my wife will get revenge one of these days and hand him over to me for the sex question. Hmmm.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, he did seem reasonably satisfied with how she explained everything ... for the moment ... till he takes it to the next level.

Sacrilegious Art

You know, I find it kinda ironic that the type of Christian most likely to question my interest in Christian art, and whether iconography is too close to idolatry, is invariably the same type of Christian most likely to commit true visual sacrilege. If kitsch is the lowest form of art, then Kitschtianity is the lowest form of religion. Jesus suffered for this?

Feed URL Change

For those who currently subscribe to this blog (or would like to, hint, hint) please be advised that I have just changed my feed address to http://feeds.feedburner.com/mattstone so you will need to update if you want to stay in touch. Easiest way to update is just click here and  subscribe via your feed reader of choice.

Burn in Hell: Falmer condemned in Huxley trial

Ealier today it was reported that Robert Black Farmer has been found guilty of the brutal attack on northmead girl, Lauren Huxley, in which she was beaten, doused in petrol and left for dead in her garage, which Farmer then set alight.

Asked if he had a message for Farmer after the trial, Mr Huxley replied: "Go burn in hell, with petrol, where you belong you bastard.''

Now, over and above my sympathy for this local family and the revulsion I feel at what we humans can do to another, what struck me here was how, in the face of monstorous injustice, people suddenly discover the relevance of hell and divine judgement.

This sudden relevance becomes even more acute where justice in this life proves elusive, where perpetrators go free and escape even secular judgement. Just pause for a moment and recall how often that happens. Imagine a world where there was no consequence for injustice, where all you could say to the father was, "that was just a learning experience Farmer had to go through in his spiritual journey." Does that not pile horror on top of horror? This is not an abstract concept we are talking about. Don't just think, feel.

Hell says there is a court beyond these courts.

Now of course, many of you would challenge this, asking, what about the self perpetuating nature of vengence, the ultimate emptiness of revenge and our call to forgive? This is an importance question, yes. The Kingdom of God cannot come through retribution, I agree. That's why the apostles didn't stop there in their teaching. But the key to understanding is recognizing that forgiveness always comes with a cost, a cost to the forgiver. To forgive means, not to deny injustice was done, but to take the consequences of injustice onto oneself, to sit with it; and for the relationship, in that process, to be transformed.

This is the ultimate why behind the crucifixion. To save us from hell, to save humanity from the consequences of its own injustice, God went through hell himself. We live in the shadow of that.

So, while accepting this father's cry for justice, complete justice, I also pray that one day he can find the peace that comes, not through justice, but through reconciliation. But its a tough call, for I know that involves coming to grips with a very personal hell. What I am suggesting here though is that to deny hell is to deny his hell.

Religion News

Religion news that grabbed my attention this week.

Jedi attack. "A man who dressed up as Darth Vader, wearing a black garbage bag for a cape, and assaulted the founders of Britain's first Jedi church has been given a suspended sentence ... Hughes claimed he couldn't remember the incident, having drunk the best part of a 10 litre box of wine beforehand." I think that speaks for itself.

Vatican refuses to rule out alien life. "The search for extraterrestrial life does not contradict belief in God, the Pope's chief astronomer said, adding that some aliens may even be innocent of the original sin." I backed up on that original sin comment but I certainly have no theological issues with aliens per se. My own skepticism about intelligent life and UFOs is grounded in science.

An Evangelical Manifesto

I have finished reading An Evangelical Manifesto and am pleased to say I found it refreshingly moderate. It positions evangelicalism between opposing Protestant tendencies towards liberal revisionism and conservative fundamentalism, has some very interesting things to say about the public square and engagement with other religions, and overall does a good job at clarifying evangelical Christian identity. This is a declaration I would put my name to. If you are not a Christian, read it, be informed. Actually, if you are a Christian, read it too.

Emerging Reality Check

Here are some great "reality check" questions from the Rubicon

1. So you are a missional incarnational expression of church - who would miss you if you weren’t there anymore?
2. So you are a missional incarnational expression of church - who is it you find yourselves ministering to… people like you?
3. So you are a missional incarnational expression of church - what point has there been to your existence - for whose benefit?
4. So you are a missional incarnational expression of church - How dirty have you got trying to be a transforming influence in your community?
5. So you are a missional incarnational expression of church - Why do you do what you do - to embody the gospel by standing up for true love, justice and grace?

Now, the church I am involved with is not missional incarnational, at least not as a whole, but there are those of us who strive to be missionally engaged with our community so this is still a good self check. So here goes, just letting it flow.

1. I don't think the average person in the street would panic if we suddenly weren't there one day, but we have forged relationships with some local families who very much value our friendship and presence in their lives. Just today my wife called me (and some others) to pray for her going into a tough situation after receiving a despirate call for help (which I won't go into), so yes, some would miss very much.
2. Not at all. We minister to people from just about every religion under the sun, from different cultures and different socio-economic and educational backgrounds.
3. There have been times when God has very much been glorified, in a public way, and others where no one really seemed to benefit. Sometimes we just do what we do as an obedience thing.
4. Walking alongside people with drug addictions, mental health issues, in financial, legal and relational crises, in all sorts of dark spiritual spaces, as friends, sharing lives, yeah, its tested what we know about our own boundaries.
5. I would like to think we do more than just embody the gospel and actually communicate it more explicitly as well. There have been some missed opportunities. I am trying to be more alert to them. I do it simply because its the way, the truth and the life God has awakened me to.

Not sure how this sits with you all. Often its less than glamourous. Often my practice falls short of my aspirations. How do you find respond to the questions?

Here are some great "reality check" questions from the Rubicon

1. So you are a missional incarnational expression of church - who would miss you if you weren’t there anymore?
2. So you are a missional incarnational expression of church - who is it you find yourselves ministering to… people like you?
3. So you are a missional incarnational expression of church - what point has there been to your existence - for whose benefit?
4. So you are a missional incarnational expression of church - How dirty have you got trying to be a transforming influence in your community?
5. So you are a missional incarnational expression of church - Why do you do what you do - to embody the gospel by standing up for true love, justice and grace?

Now, the church I am involved with is not missional incarnational, at least not as a whole, but there are those of us who strive to be missionally engaged with our community so this is still a good self check. So here goes, just letting it flow.

1. I don't think the average person in the street would panic if we suddenly weren't there one day, but we have forged relationships with some local families who very much value our friendship and presence in their lives. Just today my wife called me (and some others) to pray for her going into a tough situation after receiving a despirate call for help (which I won't go into), so yes, some would miss very much.
2. Not at all. We minister to people from just about every religion under the sun, from different cultures and different socio-economic and educational backgrounds.
3. There have been times when God has very much been glorified, in a public way, and others where no one really seemed to benefit. Sometimes we just do what we do as an obedience thing.
4. Walking alongside people with drug addictions, mental health issues, in financial, legal and relational crises, in all sorts of dark spiritual spaces, as friends, sharing lives, yeah, its tested what we know about our own boundaries.
5. I would like to think we do more than just embody the gospel and actually communicate it more explicitly as well. There have been some missed opportunities. I am trying to be more alert to them. I do it simply because its the way, the truth and the life God has awakened me to.

Not sure how this sits with you all. Often its less than glamourous. Often my practice falls short of my aspirations. How do you find respond to the questions?

Prayers Before Any Task

Lord Jesus Christ, my God,
You have said, "Apart from me You can do nothing."
In faith I embrace Your words, Lord,
And I entreat Your goodness.
Help me to carry out the work I am about to begin,
And to bring it to completion.
To You I give glory,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen.

- Unknown

Saints

Just an observation, but I was searching the Bible the other day and noted that the word "saint" does not appear anywhere in scripture. It's always "saints", plural, in reference to the people of God together.

In the Old Testament the bulk of the references are in the Psalm and Daniel. In the New Testament the bulk of the references are in Acts, the letters of Paul, and Revelation.

What does that say about the church do you think? What does that say about how we should refer to historic church leaders and apostles?

Just an observation, but I was searching the Bible the other day and noted that the word "saint" does not appear anywhere in scripture. It's always "saints", plural, in reference to the people of God together.

In the Old Testament the bulk of the references are in the Psalm and Daniel. In the New Testament the bulk of the references are in Acts, the letters of Paul, and Revelation.

What does that say about the church do you think? What does that say about how we should refer to historic church leaders and apostles?