..::On Kenosis::..

When it comes to having been Catholic, I’ve always proceeded with caution. Until now having that in my past has been troublesome, not because it actually is or should be deemed so but I had convinced myself that it was. Being Catholic is something I was in the past, kind of like an alcoholic or something, at least that’s the way I made myself think of it. Pondering this always induced feelings of anger and relief. Angered by the fact that I was connected to a group that people found reason to hate, one that people labeled as not getting into heaven, and one that was continually being painted with a corrupt brush. Not to mention the fact that I had declared a revolution in my family and erected a wall of piety between my parents and I, for no other reason other than that I had decided that my ministry to them would be to show them their evil Catholic ways. I was relieved to have separated myself from them (Catholics, baby-baptizers, pope supporters, alcoholics, and any other label I had convinced myself they were worthy of). I was hard-pressed to make sure that my beliefs were the right ones, ones that would certainly get me into heaven, and ones that were well outside the reach of any Catholic tendencies. Being Catholic was a poison, and I thought being Protestant was the antidote.

It wasn’t until recently that I began to sniff out my own sub-conscious inclination to run from who I was, and to realize that this wasn’t how things were meant to be. The problem wasn’t with Catholicism AT ALL; it was with my presuppositions and me. One thing I picked up while calling myself a Protestant was that scripture and true Christianity (i.e. Romans 6:6, Ephesians 4:22, and Colossians 3:9) required that I abhor, run from, and revolt against who I was in the past. For me, it wasn’t about despising my sin it was about despising myself. I guess you can imagine that this wasn’t a good time for me. I was an overly dramatic teen who often compared his life to Job and asked why he had to be born into such wretched family. I figured I was well on my way to being the next Billy Graham, if only I could manage a small excursion through depravity with a few sexual escapades and alcoholic debaucheries (we all know these are perfect ingredients for a great testimony).

still more to come...

Posted by jared slack at Tuesday, October 25, 2005 | Permalink | Comments

I was in the 8th grade when I think I began my journey of faith. Well, at least that’s about where I would put it at the moment. Until then I was Catholic, but now I guess I would consider myself Protestant. Until then I was Hispanic, now I guess I would consider myself “white”. It’s such a strange thing growing up, making decisions for yourself, changing and adapting into who you will become, figuring out who it that you are now, and most importantly meshing those two things with who it is that you were and have always been.

As of recently I’ve been conflicted in so many ways about who it is that I am and what it is that I believe. Ranging all the way from politics to religion, the entire spectrum of what it is that might make me who I am has never been an area of earnest conviction. Nor has it been one of apathy I would say, but it seems that my beliefs have been based solely upon my particular associations, justified or not. For example: I’ve been Catholic because my family was, white because my friends were, Mexican because I was Catholic, Republican because I was Protestant, anti-Catholic because I was Baptist, white because all my friends were, and an ass (well, I don’t imagine there’s an excuse for that). But until now, I have convinced myself that the “way to be” was the “way to fit in”, and whether or not my spiritual/political meanderings where actual representations of the people I surrounded myself with was ancillary. I’m not saying this to demean any community I’ve been in cohorts with, it just seems that as a person I tend to go with whatever flow I find myself in at the time.

As a result, I’ve evolved into a man who has no personal identity pertaining to who he is and what he stands for. And worse yet, has no backbone to stand up for what he was or where he came from. This is a problem.

to be continued...

Posted by jared slack at Thursday, October 20, 2005 | Permalink | Comments

hello,

A new post is coming soon. I promise.

Although, it will not be a continuance of my writing on the Church, culture, and truth. Something else has drawn my attention at the moment, and I am presently spending some time on this subject.

For the past couple days I have been doing alot of pondering and responding here.

talk with you soon,
jared.

Posted by jared slack at Tuesday, October 18, 2005 | Permalink | Comments

Sorry it is taking me so long to get these things out... I have alot of stuff going on right now.

Introduction - Culture Shock

Culture of Fear

At present, it is becoming more evident that the church’s understanding of the nature of truth simply does not coincide with the presumptions of contemporary society. This is resultant of its blatant disregard for the contextual nature of theology that we see exemplified in the practice of the early Church (see Acts 15). Rather than embrace the study of God as a fluid practice that takes seriously the need to understand and interact with one’s social, political, and economical environment, theologians of our time have sought to shore up the basement of their unchanging and unresponsive theological enterprise with theories founded upon modernist assumptions. Thus, while the church has clenched tightly, although futilely, to their claim as the supreme arbiter of truth, society has shown no interest in the many notions that under-gird the church. These including, but not limited to: truth being certain, objective, and hence absolute. The problem is not that those statements aren’t necessarily true, but that they don’t show any sort of relevance or consideration to the current philosophical situation in the world. We could chase an epistemological rabbit by discussing the numerous theories of knowledge, stumbling our way from foundationalism to subjectivism, but it seems that rather than do so, I might do well in proposing my take on the current stance of popular Christianity (or Modern Evangelicalism), and its vehement opposition of postmodernism.

Modern evangelical thought has perpetuated the assumption that the best mode of operation when encountering society is fear and opposition. This opposition is not one of deep conviction, but merely based upon an a priori principle. The powers that be have decided for us that rather than engage culture in a meaningful, progressive, and constructive manner we should fear and oppose it without question. The principle might be: “If we didn’t produce it, label it, or rip it off and make it our own, then stay clear.” In all circumstances in which the Church rubs shoulders with culture, our first and only priority has been to demonize their ways and retreat into our cocoon of exclusivism we create called “correct Christian conduct.” The modern church has perpetuated a culture of fear. One fears first, and asks questions later. The spiritual life of a Christian has morphed into a practice defined by what we keep ourselves from rather than what we give ourselves to. This type of fear has found ample ground in the postmodern cultural milieu, and caused a chasm of silence to develop between the church and society.

Posted by jared slack at Tuesday, October 11, 2005 | Permalink | Comments

A 17 year old girl stands in front of her student group and gives her testimony:

"ok, so i was like totally laying in my bed one night, and I was really thinking hard about whether or not God exists, you know? And so, as I lay there, this total sense of peace just like overwhelmed me, and I couldn't move my body at all. And then like as I'm laying there paralyzed, through my window I see this bright light. Not like a you're going to heaven bright light, but a like a beam or whatever, and it totally like shined in my room eventhough it was dark outside. As it passed through the window it like reflected off this dreamscicle that hung from my window seal that my boyfriend John got for our 6 & 1/2 week anniversary. And as it passed through this gift that John got me to show how much he loved me, the beam of light like shined right on my chest. When I looked down at where the light was shining it like totally lit up this cross that I wear around my neck. And from then on I just knew that God was real and that he wanted me to be with John forever."

Religious Experience.

What role does religious experience play in our faith? Should it play any role at all? Should the Bible be the only foundation of my faith in God?

Good questions.

I completely agree that the above paragraph is not a good example of what a true religious experience that leads to faith might look like. I have often found myself in such situations in which someone stands up and gives a testimony much like this, and it scares me to think that someone might base their faith in Jesus on something so "unbelievable." It happens though. Unfortunately, far too often we allow such examples to convince us that as a whole religious experience breeds a faith that is based upon our irrational passions and mere images of what we want to see and believe.

I have heard it said that religious experience should in no way warrant any type of belief, and the only foundation of one's belief should be in the biblical text and the promises that it makes. I believe this to an extent, but only a small one. I believe without any qualms whatsoever that what the Bible tells me about God is true. God is loving, beautiful, creative, wrathful, merciful, grace-filled, and holy. I believe these things, and I would give my life for them. I however do not believe them based upon any view that says that the Bible must be the foundation of my belief. Such a standard is never mentioned in the biblical text itself. I don't believe that God is love because I believe that the Bible is true. I believe that God is love, simple because God is love. I see no need to qualify or back up such a statement. In fact, we have ample instances in the biblical text that point to the notion that religious experience is perfectly apt in being the beginning of one's faith.

Moses and the burning bush. (see Hebrews 11:24- 29)

The voice of God telling Noah to build the Ark. (see Hebrews 11:7)

Paul on the road to Damascus. (Acts 22:6-11)

These are examples of religious experiences that lead to great acts of faith. Where would we be without Moses? Not here. Also, isn't it interesting to note that the person responsible for most of the New Testament came to faith as a result of a private religious experience? What has changed since then? Some has, I admit that, but it seems like it would be best for me to have a faith that somewhat resembled the same type of faith that Paul possessed.

Here's the deal. I'm not advocating the idea that faith is based solely on religious experience. Religious experience is not the foundation of my belief in Jesus, in the same way that I don't believe that the Bible should be the singular foundation for my faith in Jesus. In fact, I don't think there is such a thing that could be the foundation of all that I believe. I just don't think that is how faith works. Now, we shouldn't go about life hoping to be blinded by a bright light or be scared feces-less by a talking, fiery shrub. Personally, I haven't seen Jesus floating above my bed in well over 6 months (kidding), but I have experienced the peace and love of God. I hope I experience it daily, as I do the same for you. It's these experiences that shape my faith and give it texture and character.

Here's the next deal. I don't really know how faith works. I'm completely unfinished in the Jesus department, or any department for that matter. I have grown quite weary however of people who claim to have it all figured out and make claims about faith that discount everything except scripture. I don't have a clue as to how experience or the Bible play a role in being the essence of my faith in Jesus. I do believe they are an essential part of it though, and without either we wouldn't get very far.

peace.
jayrod.

Posted by jared slack at Sunday, October 02, 2005 | Permalink | Comments