Daily Archives: March 20, 2009

How?

Posted by on March 20, 2009 Comments Off

There’s a good review of Robert Smith’s new book, Doctrine that Dances at Theology Forum. Now, I’m sure there are some good things about the book, but man, if there was ever an example of how theologians pick the worst metaphors, this is it. Smith argues that the doctrinal preacher (the book is a plea for “doctrinal preaching”) is best described as an “exegetical escort” and a “doxological dancer.”

I mean, I know a lot of preachers can be rightly described as whores, but lets not run with that metaphor, ok? Preaching is hard enough without reimagining it in metaphors that sound derived from the sex trade.

Have a Laugh Break

Posted by on March 20, 2009 1 comment

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQTd_xXpDQ0&feature=channel]

Church and Postmodern Culture: Call for Bloggers

Posted by on March 20, 2009 Comments Off

The folks at the Church and Postmodern Culture blog have put out a call for bloggers to come on board and join them in exploring the interesection of “theory” and “on the ground” church practice and mission. So far there hasn’t been much response, at least in the comments. Those who are interested in the imporant conversations taking place over there, and have the time and commitment should really think about joining up with the team over there. I for one would love to see more output from that particular blog.

The Nature of Mission

Posted by on March 20, 2009 2 comments

In an article on the legacy of J.C. Hoekendijk, Bert Hoedemaker gives a concise statement of Hoekendijk’s idea of the nature of mission:

“Mission” came to mean for Hoekendijk the vicarious existence of the whole people of God for the world, presence and service wherever the divine initiative with regard to the world manifests itself in world history, and witness as a postscript to the “self-evident” movement of this message toward the poor. On this basis he dreamed of a missionary existence and a missionary theology in which all compartmentalization and mutual suspicion between a traditional missionary establishment and a traditional church establishment would disappear.

Hoedemaker also notes that the key theological figures that Hoekendijk associated with during his later years were Johann Baptist Metz and Jürgen Moltmann.

Guyhood as Awkward Construct

Posted by on March 20, 2009 2 comments

Lovely quote about the role male friendship is generally portrayed on the sliver screen:

The usual conceit of the Apatow-era romantic comedy is that male friendship is a given. In Knocked Up, for example, the squalid house that Seth Rogen shares with his roommates is a kind of cozy swamp from which his character must emerge to take on the adult responsibilities of fatherhood, and it’s Katherine Heigl’s character who’s excluded from the regressive fun. What’s subversive about I Love You, Man (directed and co-written by John Hamburg, who also shared writing credits on Zoolander and both Meet the Parents movies) is the way it treats straight masculinity as an awkward construct, a code that must be mastered. In the early stages of Peter and Sydney’s friendship, Syd functions as a kind of guru of guyhood, coaching Pete on how to access his inner dude. But once the barriers have fallen and they’ve jammed on that Rush song together, Pete also helps to bring out Sydney’s fruitier side, convincing him to apologize for his sometimes offensive candor and even, eventually, to watch Chocolat. By movie’s end, they’re processing their friendship in meta-conversations worthy of any pair of female friends and exchanging extravagant endearments: “I love you, Tyco Bra-he.” “I love you, Broseph Goebbels.”

I must admit to having a man crush on Paul Rudd. I love you, Brosario Dawson.

Quote of the Day: The Impotence of Revolution

Posted by on March 20, 2009 2 comments

Revolutionary sanctions of death cannot overcome the social purpose of death in any status quo. In any revolution, the means of death cannot transcend death, much less defeat or destroy death. At the most, it can alter the guise of death or make death appear more attractive. This remains the reality even though a revolution is represented in the loftiest human idealism, or where the provocations to revolt have become humanly intolerable and revolution seems the only recourse, or where the cause is humanly just, informed by worthy intentions and sensible precautions against corruption, abuse, and scandal.

The issue here is the vitality of the moral power of death in the origins of revolution, and not merely one of distortion or abandonment or compromise of initial revolutionary aims, nor one of subsequent counterrevolutionary events undoing a splendid revolutionary charter.

William Stringfellow, An Ethic for Christians and Other Aliens in a Strange Land, 123.

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