tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11900172.post2508020303703590140..comments2023-09-17T07:02:09.587-04:00Comments on p e a c e f u l t u r m o i l: Two competing visions: What I do and do not find appealing about Christianitytinythinkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17137637122776756669noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11900172.post-81832646392944089102012-04-26T08:43:01.422-04:002012-04-26T08:43:01.422-04:00I specifically said "some".I specifically said "some".tinythinkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17137637122776756669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11900172.post-67545008563618939452012-04-26T06:58:08.945-04:002012-04-26T06:58:08.945-04:00"To begin, I am not one of those who is cling..."To begin, I am not one of those who is clinging to Christianity. Some who are dubbed to be "liberal" or "progressive" Christians have remain with it because they grew up with it, stayed with it, and are fond of it; they see themselves as trying to rehabilitate it, perhaps keeping some elements on life support."<br /><br /><b>I found this essay interesting. You have a lot of valuable interesting tings to say. I have a problem with this quote above. I think perhaps a lot of Americans turn to a liberal view of theology because it's some last ditch effort to stay i the faith. I don't think that's true in Canada for example where more liberal theology is typical of most Canadian Christianity. In Europe has a 500 year old liberal theological tradition and many Chruches in Germany for example are the original liberal denominations.<br /><br />The real problem I have with it is that it doesn't given credit to liberal theological types for thinking. It's a version of the atheist line (there I go with my perennial war agaisnt atheism) it very much reminds me of their "enabling" line. Liberal theology is enabling fundamentalism. That's obvious nonsense because fundies think liberal are satanic.<br /><br />It assume liberalism is not the older tradition and it is. Liberal theology has never been arount keeping a dying Christianity going. <br /><br />btw that whole assertion that Christianity is dying is bull shit. It's not much better shape THAN IT'S detractors want us to believe.<br /><br />You are not giving enough credit to liberals to see for themselves and decide for themselves an have concupiscence of their own to find their liberal convictions regardless of what they feel about the larger tradition.<br /><br />We do think for ourselves.</b>Joseph Hinman (Metacrock)https://www.blogger.com/profile/06957529748541493998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11900172.post-50783214467720616632011-03-05T23:03:45.422-05:002011-03-05T23:03:45.422-05:00Hello Jessica, nice to meet you. I think part of t...Hello Jessica, nice to meet you. I think part of the problem is that there is this idea that you can't take sin, or atonement, or the cross, etc seriously unless you do it in the way in which many people are familiar, with the underlying assumption that this is always how people have viewed it. Some of what I write is newer but quite a bit has ancient roots. <br /><br />I don't pretend to get it all right, and in the series that developed out of this post (to try to make more sense of it), I really want to convey that I am not trying to rewrite Christianity or make it "soft". It can be confusing and frustrating. But I also think that can be a sign of actively engaging with the Bible, tradition, etc, to really be working on it, rather than just passively accepting what one thinks everyone else expects or assumes. I'm glad you found my long rambling essay useful. Be well.tinythinkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17137637122776756669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11900172.post-60487601692740418122011-03-05T09:43:34.184-05:002011-03-05T09:43:34.184-05:00You were right that it was rather long...but i enj...You were right that it was rather long...but i enjoyed it nonetheless! I identify with each part of your description of Christianity and the spiritual journey you've gone on. I share a similar background and was able to easily recognize the truth in your "raw" version of what fundamentalists believe. (and what they believe about someone who hold beliefs such as yours!) <br />I really appreciate the beauty of what you shared in seeing spirituality/Christianity in a new light. It opened my mind to new ideas and lifted my spirit. I have been in a questioning phase for a while and it is funny (because i never could have accepted this idea before) but sometimes i almost feel like "God" has led me here. I always thought it was only Satan that could offer these kind of "new-agey" (as you put it) tones of spirituality. <br />I appreciate learning from you since you have gone much further along this road than I have yet. You went through atheism. I respect that (i wouldn't have been able to say that only a year or so ago...but now i find myself with the same thoughts and questions and objections. Thanks for sharing.jessicahttp://www.thefrenchmama.comnoreply@blogger.com