13. From Wired, 6/7/2001
But what about e-mail? If people write
fewer letters, won't that hurt the bottom
line even more?
"E-mail is not a threat,"
Brennan said.
Much of the content of many e-mails, from
jokes to chain letters, would not have been
sent via the U.S. Mail, said Tom Wakefield,
president of PostalWorkersOnline.com.
Many of these short communications
would instead be conducted by telephone.
14. Rick Merritt, founder of PostalWatch, said he hasn't seen e-
mail hurt it, yet. "If (electronic commerce and the Internet) are
impacting the Postal Service at all, it's just now starting to,"
Merritt said.
But online billing is a threat because its potential for
acceptance hasn't been realized yet, Brennan said.
... "First-class mail is enormously
secure,"Brennan said. "People trust the Postal Service."
... just as the Postal Service survived the telegraph, telephone
and television, the demise of mail is nowhere near, advocates
say.
"There are other, faster ways to communicate," Brennan said.
"But some things will never change. There will always be some
type of mail delivery."
15.
16. from Huffington Post, November 12, 2010
WASHINGTON — The Postal Service said Friday it lost
$8.5 billion last year despite deep cuts of more than
100,000 jobs and other reductions in recent years. The
post office had estimated it would lose $6 billion to $7
billion, but a sharp decline in mail took a toll. Increased
use of the Internet and the recession, which cut
advertising and other business mail, meant less money
for the agency.
...Of particular concern has been the decline
in the lucrative first-class mail, largely
consisting of personal letters and cards, bills
and payments and similar items. First-class
mail volume fell 6.6 percent in 2010, 8.6
percent in 2009, and 4.8 percent in 2008.
Traditionally, this mail has produced more
than half of total revenue.
17. 2011
… “The situation is dire,” said Thomas R. Carper,
the Delaware Democrat who is chairman of the
Senate subcommittee that oversees the postal
service. “If we do nothing, if we don’t react in a
smart, appropriate way, the postal service could
literally close later this year….”
18. February 9, 2012
Huffington Post
Us Postal Service Loses $3.3 Billion in Just Three
Months
The US Postal Service reported a net loss of $3.3
billion in its first quarter as plummeting mail
volumes overshadowed stronger than expected
holidy shipping, the cash-strapped agency said
Thursday.... The service lost $5.1 billion last
year....
The agency repeated calls to Congress to allow it
to ... expand into new
businesses....”
19. The analogy may be
faulty.
But it may not.
Lessons to be
learned?
Precautions to
consider?
20. 20
Are we in the envelope,
paper, stamp, mailbox, post
office business?
43. Never accept and be content with unanalyzed
assumptions, assumptions about the work, about the
people, about the church or Christianity. Never be
afraid to ask questions about the work we have
inherited or the work we are doing. There is no
question that should not be asked or that is outlawed.
The day we are completely satisfied with what we
have been doing; the day we have found the perfect,
unchangeable system of work, the perfect answer,
never in need of being corrected again, on that day
we will know that we are wrong, that we have made
the greatest mistake of all. (Christianity
Rediscovered, 146)
44. Do not merely try to bring
others to where you are,
as wonderful as that
place might be.
But do not leave them
where they are either.
Instead, go with them to a
place neither you nor
they have ever been
before.
Fr. Vincent Donovan (adapted)
58. Walking away from church (LA Times)
Organized religion's increasing identification with conservative
politics is a turnoff to more and more young adults. Evangelical
Protestantism has been hit hard by this development.
October 17, 2010|By Robert D. Putnam and David E. Campbell
The most rapidly growing religious category today is composed of
those Americans who say they have no religious affiliation. While
middle-aged and older Americans continue to embrace organized
religion, rapidly increasing numbers of young people are rejecting
it.
As recently as 1990, all but 7% of Americans claimed a religious
affiliation, a figure that had held constant for decades. Today, 17%
of Americans say they have no religion, and these new "nones" are
very heavily concentrated among Americans who have come of age
since 1990. Between 25% and 30% of twentysomethings today say
they have no religious affiliation — roughly four times higher than
in any previous generation.
59. So, why this sudden jump in youthful disaffection from organized religion? The
surprising answer, according to a mounting body of evidence, is politics. Very few
of these new "nones" actually call themselves atheists, and many have rather
conventional beliefs about God and theology. But they have been alienated from
organized religion by its increasingly conservative politics.
During the 1980s, the public face of American religion turned sharply right.
Political allegiances and religious observance became more closely aligned, and
both religion and politics became more polarized. Abortion and homosexuality
became more prominent issues on the national political agenda, and activists
such as Jerry Falwell and Ralph Reed began looking to expand religious activism
into electoral politics. Church attendance gradually became the primary dividing
line between Republicans and Democrats in national elections.
This political "God gap" is a recent development. Up until the 1970s, progressive
Democrats were common in church pews and many conservative Republicans
didn't attend church. But after 1980, both churchgoing progressives and secular
conservatives became rarer and rarer. Some Americans brought their religion
and their politics into alignment by adjusting their political views to their
religious faith. But, surprisingly, more of them adjusted their religion to fit their
politics.
60. For many religious Americans, this alignment of religion and politics was divinely
ordained, a long-sought retort to the immorality of the 1960s. Other Americans
were not so sure.
Throughout the 1990s and into the new century, the increasingly prominent
association between religion and conservative politics provoked a backlash among
moderates and progressives, many of whom had previously considered
themselves religious. The fraction of Americans who agreed "strongly" that
religious leaders should not try to influence government decisions nearly doubled
from 22% in 1991 to 38% in 2008, and the fraction who insisted that religious
leaders should not try to influence how people vote rose to 45% from 30%.
This backlash was especially forceful among youth coming of age in the 1990s and
just forming their views about religion. Some of that generation, to be sure, held
deeply conservative moral and political views, and they felt very comfortable in
the ranks of increasingly conservative churchgoers. But a majority of the
Millennial generation was liberal on most social issues, and above all, on
homosexuality. The fraction of twentysomethings who said that homosexual
relations were "always" or "almost always" wrong plummeted from about 75% in
1990 to about 40% in 2008. (Ironically, in polling, Millennials are actually more
uneasy about abortion than their parents.)
61. Just as this generation moved to the left on most social issues
— above all, homosexuality — many prominent religious
leaders moved to the right, using the issue of same-sex
marriage to mobilize electoral support for conservative
Republicans. In the short run, this tactic worked to increase
GOP turnout, but the subsequent backlash undermined
sympathy for religion among many young moderates and
progressives. Increasingly, young people saw religion as
intolerant, hypocritical, judgmental and homophobic. If
being religious entailed political conservatism, they
concluded, religion was not for them.
62. Sociologists Michael Hout and Claude Fischer of UC
Berkeley were among the first to call attention to the
ensuing rise in young "nones," and in our recent book,
"American Grace," we have extended their analysis,
showing that the association between religion and politics
(and especially religion's intolerance of homosexuality)
was the single strongest factor in this portentous shift. In
religious affinities, as in taste in music and preference for
colas, habits formed in early adulthood tend to harden
over time. So if more than one-quarter of today's young
people are setting off in adult life with no religious
identification, compared with about one-20th of previous
generations, the prospects for religious observance in the
coming decades are substantially diminished.
63. Evangelical Protestantism, which saw dramatic growth in the
1970s and 1980s, has been hit hard by this more recent
development. From the early 1970s to the late 1980s the
fraction of Americans age 18 to 29 who identified with
evangelical Protestantism rose to 25% from 20%, but since
1990, that fraction has fallen back to about 17%. Meanwhile,
the proportion of young Americans who have no religious
affiliation at all rose from just over 10% as late as 1990 to its
current proportion of about 27%.
64. Continuing to sound the trumpet for conservative social policy on issues such as
homosexuality may or may not be the right thing to do from a theological point of
view, but it is likely to mean saving fewer souls.
Nevertheless, predictions of the demise of religion in America would be premature.
More likely is that as growing numbers of young Americans reject religious
doctrine that is too political or intolerant for their taste, innovative religious
leaders will concoct more palatable offerings. Jesus taught his disciples to be
"fishers of men," and the pool of un-churched moderate and progressive young
people must be an attractive target for religious anglers.
To be sure, some of these young people will remain secularists. Many of them,
however, espouse beliefs that would seem to make them potential converts to a
religion that offered some of the attractions of modern evangelicalism without the
conservative political overlay.
Robert D. Putnam, a professor of public policy at Harvard University, and David
E. Campbell, a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame, are
the authors of "American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us."
Information about a talk Robert Putnam will be giving on Oct. 21 in Los Angeles
can be found zocalopublicsquare.org.
65. Dave Kinnaman, You Lost Me:
“The church is not adequately preparing the next generation to follow
Christ faithfully in a rapidly changing culture.” (p. 21). The church
is ...
Overprotective—“a creativity killer where risk taking and being
involved in culture are anathema” (p. 92).
Shallow—“easy platitudes, proof texting and formulaic slogans”
Antiscience—“science appears to welcome questions and skepticism,
while matters of faith seem impenetrable” (p. 93).
Repressive—”Religious rules—particularly sexual mores—feel stifling
to the individualist mindset of young adults...”
Exclusive—“a culture that esteems open-mindedness, tolerance, and
71. From the place where
we are right
Flowers will never
grow
In the spring.
The place where we
are right
Is hard and trampled
Like a yard.
But doubts and loves
Dig up the world
Like a mole, a plow.
And a whisper will be
heard in the place
Where the ruined
House once stood.
Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai
72. Some Provocative Questions
1. The narrative question: What is the shape of the
biblical narrative? Storyline, plotline?
2. The authority question: What is the Bible, and
what is it for? How does it have authority?
3. The God question: Is God violent? Why does
God seem so violent and genocidal in so many
bible passages?
73. 4. The Jesus Question: Who is Jesus, and
why does he matter?
5. The Gospel Question: What is the gospel -
a message of evacuation or transformation?
Exclusion or inclusion?
74. 6. The church question: What do we do
about the church?
7. The sex question: Can we deal with
issues of sexuality without fighting and
dividing?
8. The future question: Can we find a
more hopeful vision of the future?
75. 9. The pluralism question: How should
we relate to people of other faiths?
10. The next step question: How can
we pursue this quest in humility, love,
and peace?
90. sdrawkcab gnidaer
Rick Warren, Billy Graham, Charles Finney, John Wesley (or Calvin), Luther,
Aquinas, Augustine, Paul, Jesus
reading forwards
Adam, Eve, Sarah, Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, John the Baptist, Mary, Jesus
121. LEGAL CONSTITUTION COMMUNITY LIBRARY
Uniformity Diversity
Preserve order Preserve diversity
agreement argument
enforcement of conformity encouragement to risk
122. LEGAL CONSTITUTION COMMUNITY LIBRARY
Rules to live by Stories to live by
Submission Creativity
Analyze, interpret, argue Enter, inhabit, practice
amendments? new acquisitions
123. Stories in conversation ...
David, Goliath, and the Temple
Two Arks
Pharaoh, Hagar, Solomon
Joshua, Jesus, and the Canaanites
126. Derek Flood graphically displays Paul’s edited quotation of Psalm 18:41-49 and
Deuteronomy 32:43 in Romans 15:8-10. Notice what Paul picks to retain and what he
chooses to reject:
For I tell you that Christ has become a servant
of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the
promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles
may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: “I
destroyed my foes. They cried for help, but there
was no one to save them—to the LORD, but he did
not answer…. He is the God who avenges me, who
puts the Gentiles under me…. Therefore I will
praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to
your name.” (Ps. 18:41–49).
127. Again, it says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles,
with his people, for he will avenge the
blood of his servants; he will take
vengeance on his enemies and make
atonement for his land and people.”
(Deut. 32:43)
128. Flood concludes: “Paul is making a very different
point from the original intent of these Psalms. In
fact, he is making the opposite point—we should
not cry out for God’s wrath and judgment [on the
other], because we are all sinners in need of mercy.”
He concludes, “This is not a case of careless out-of-
context proof-texting; it is an artful and deliberate
reshaping of these verses … from their original cry
for divine violence into a confession of universal
culpability that highlights our need for mercy.”
129.
130. Letting Come ...
Adapting and creating infrastructures
Adapting and creating practices
Prototyping microcosms ...
Crystallizing vision and intention
131. A plan for “letting come” in the
American church in the next ten
years
132. 1. Network a maximally
diverse team of
collaborative leaders.
- mutual learning, trust, respect,
encouragement
- networking networks
133.
134. 2. Articulate &
disseminate a new
vision - with
proposals/demands -
through all media and a
variety of networked
voices
- Theological, ecclesial, missional, spiritual, social,
economic, political
135. 3. Announce a “bigger”
movement that gathers
the past and present
into a hopeful &
challenging vision for
the future.
- telling a new story
- social movement theory
- theology of movements and institutions
- branding
137. using/avoiding existing polity
creating workable protocols
new economic models
new training models
new communication models
new support/connection models
new heroes who embody the new
values of the movement
139. 6. Attract new people in
new ways to the new
zone.
“Bring in a new day with new
people.”
New leaders, new members,
new training
140. 7a. Expect some legacy
entities (eventually) to
imitate innovative
entities - so prioritize the
innovative entities.
(expect most to ignore or
criticize before imitating)
141. 7b. Shift from tree model
(1 fruit) into garden
model (many fruits).
142. 8. Expect to rebrand and
rename just about
everything - to
communicate new
identity and ethos - thus
creating new diversity
and new alliances.
153. We know how to have
a STRONG-
HOSTILE
CHRISTIAN
IDENTITY.
154. STRONG-
HOSTILE
We have the only way.
You are going to hell.
We are God’s chosen.
You worship false gods.
resistance if futile.
you will be assimilated - or
eliminated.
155. We know how to have
a weak-
benign
CHRISTIAN
IDENTITY.
156. weak-benign
it doesn’t matter what you believe.
all religions are the same.
all roads lead to god.
only sincerity matters.
doctrines divide.
keep religion private.
Mind/Matter: I don’t, it doesn’t.
162. QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Ivan Illich (Austrian
former priest,
philosopher, social
critic, 1926-2002)
163. Neither revolution nor reformation
can ultimately change a society,
rather you must tell a new powerful
tale, one so persuasive that it sweeps
away the old myths and becomes the
preferred story …
164. … one so inclusive that it gathers all the
bits of our past and our present into a
coherent whole, one that even shines
some light into the future so that we can
take the next step…. If you want to
change a society, then you have to tell an
alternative story.
- attributed to Ivan Illich (Austrian former priest,
philosopher, social critic, 1926-2002)
167. Jesus entered a world like ours -
running on stories of
Domination
Revolution
Purification/Scapegoating
Isolation
Competition
Victimization/Self-preservation
This is remarkably similar to the religious
situation in Jesus’ day.
169. We could call these the stories of the
clenching fist ...
Warrior narratives
Conflict narratives
Sword narratives
They tell us who we
are.
170. -Domination - We are the exceptional,
superior, in-charge, divinely chosen
-Revolution - We are the
dispossessed, righteous warriors
-Purification/Scapegoating - We are
the pure who know who the enemies
among us are
-Isolation - We are the pure who must
remain separate from the impure.
-Competition - We are the fittest who
survive, the heroic few who know how
to prevail.
-Victimization/Self-preservation - We
are the oppressed, aggrieved victims
171. Domination: Us over them
Revolution: Us versus them
Purification: Us versus some of us
Isolation: Us away from them
Competition: Us competing with them.
Victimization: Us in spite of them
174. We could call these the stories of the
clenched fist ...
Warrior narratives
Conflict narratives
Sword narratives
175. Jesus came with an alternative
story:
the good news
of the kingdom* of God.
[*reign, commonwealth, dream, dance,
economy, ecosystem, movement, beloved
community, network, etc]
176. A story of the
open hand ...
Gardener narrative
Peacemaking narrative
Plowshare/Pruning hook narrative
177. The good news of the kingdom
of God
-called people to repentance
(paradigm shift/ radical
rethinking),
- a new way of life,
-a new identity “in Christ”
178. Clenching Fist Stories
Domination: Us over them
Revolution: Us versus them
Purification: Us versus some of us
Self-preservation: Us in spite of them
Isolation: Us away from them
Competition: Us competing with them.
179. Jesus’ Open-Hand Narrative of
Creation/Liberation/Reconciliation
NOT Domination: Service, Neighborliness
NOT Revolution: Reconciliation
NOT Purification: Welcome/Hospitality/Inclusion
NOT Self-preservation: Pursuit of common good
NOT Isolation: Incarnation ... Penetration ...
Identification
NOT Competition: Generosity, Self-Giving
183. Hypocrisy:
Religions can intentionally or
accidentally baptize, support,
legitimize, and camouflage the six
clenched-fist stories.
They can cover up a wolf-ish,
clenched- fist message in open-
hand, sheep’s language.
185. Actuality:
It is not our religious
differences that keep us apart,
but rather a haunting
religious similarity ... one
thing we all hold in common.
186. Actuality:
We build our religious identity
through hostile, oppositional
narratives ... we know who
we are by who we are
against.
188. We often disciple people into the
wrong story … and help them
become “christians” without
challenging their stories.
In such a way, the Christian
religion can become the most
dangerous story, not the most
healing and liberating story.
189. 1. The DOMINATION Jesus who
dominates through cultural
colonization, militarism, and
economic hegemony.
2. The REVOLUTION/REVENGE
Jesus who is planning revenge on his
enemies.
We believe Jesus proclaims the power of
love, not the love of power.
190. 3. The PURIFICATION Jesus who excludes
and shames the impure rather than graciously
including and healing them.
4. The ISOLATION Jesus who invites people
to withdraw into a “holy bubble” of a “nice
christian subculture” awaiting evacuation.
We believe Jesus calls us to incarnation and
transformation, not condemnation and evacuation.
191. We’re tired of …
5. The SELF-PRESERVATION Jesus who
complains about how badly “we Christians”
are being treated (and ignores the atrocities
we’ve committed).
6. The COMPETITION Jesus who promises
blessings and prosperity without a mission or a
cross.
We believe Jesus taught the joy of being a
blessing, not the happiness of getting blessed,
the joy of giving over receiving.
192. A weak and benign Christian
identity may be less dangerous
than a strong and hostile
identity ...
But there is a better alternative:
193. A strong and benevolent
Christian identity centered
on Jesus and his story
(good news) of the
kingdom/commonwealth of
God.
194. STRONG-
HOSTILE
We have the only way.
You are going to hell.
We are God’s chosen.
You worship false gods.
resistance if futile.
you will be assimilated - or
195. weak-benign
it doesn’t matter what you believe.
all religions are the same.
all roads lead to god.
only sincerity matters.
doctrines divide.
keep religion private.
196. strong-
benevolent
Because I Follow Jesus, I love you.
I move toward “the other.”
I break down walls of hostility.
i stand with you in solidarity.
you are made in God’s image.
i am your servant.
I practice human-kindness.
201. O God, whose love makes us
one family,
May your unspeakable
Name be revered.
202. Here on earth may your
kingdom come … on earth
as in heaven may your
dreams come true.
203. Give us today our bread for
today.
And forgive us our wrongs
as we forgive.
204. Lead us away from the
perilous trial,
Liberate us from the evil.
205. For the kingdom is yours and
yours alone, the power is yours
and yours alone, and the glory
is yours and yours alone, now
and forever. Amen. (Hallelujah
… Amen)
210. The outcome will depend in large
measure on the prevailing stories
that shape our understanding….
Perhaps the most difficult yet
essential aspect of this work is to
change our stories…. Thus, the
true believers of the New Right
gained power not by their
numbers, which were relatively
small, but by their ability to
control the stories …
- David Korten, The Great Turning, p. 20,
237
211. [Jesus] dedicated his life to
changing the prevailing stories.
- David Korten, The Great Turning, p. 20, 237, 261
212. The idea of Jesus as the messianic Christ and
founder of an imperial church was a reconstruction
that did not come to fruition until nearly three
centuries after his crucifixion, when the emperor
Constantine embraced Christianity and made it the
official religion of the Roman Empire. Christianity
has served empire ever since, lending moral
legitimacy to unconscionable violence and
oppression in the name of the man whose life was
devoted to teaching love and compassion.
- David Korten, The Great Turning, p. 259
214. Conventional View Emerging View
The Human
Situation: What
is the story that
we find
ourselves in?
God created the world as perfect,
but because our primal
ancestors, Adam and Eve, did
not maintain the absolute
perfection demanded by God,
God has irrevocably determined
that the entire universe and all it
contains will be destroyed, and
the souls of all human beings –
except for those specifically
exempted – will be forever
punished for their imperfection
in hell.1
God created the world as good, but
human beings – as individuals, and as
groups – have rebelled against God and
filled the world with evil and injustice
like a terrible disease. God wants to save
humanity and heal it from its sickness,
but humanity is hopelessly lost and
confused, like sheep without a shepherd,
wandering farther and farther into
lostness and danger. Left to themselves,
human beings will spiral downward in
sickness and evil.
Basic
Questions: What
questions did
Jesus come to
answer?
Since everyone is doomed to
hell, Jesus seeks to answer these
questions: how can individuals
be saved from eternal
punishment in hell and instead
go to heaven after they die? How
can God help individuals be
happy and successful until then?
Since the human race is in such desperate
trouble, Jesus seeks to answer this
question: what must be done about the
mess we’re in? The mess refers both to
the general human condition and its
specific outworking among his
contemporaries: living under domination
by the Roman empire, and divided into
various competing sects.
Jesus’ message:
How did Jesus
respond to the
crisis?
Jesus says, in essence, “If you
want to be among those
specifically qualified to escape
being forever punished for your
sins in hell, you must repent of
your individual sins and believe
that my Father punished me on
the cross so He won’t have to
punish you in hell. Only if you
believe this will you go to
heaven when everyone else is
banished to hell.”2
This is the
good news.
Jesus says, in essence, “Other people and
groups – including your own religious
leaders - are leading you farther and
farther astray. I have been sent by God
with this good news – that God loves
humanity, even in its lostness and sin.
God graciously invites everyone and
anyone to question and reject what they
have been told and instead follow a new
path. Trust me and become my disciple,
and you will be transformed, and you will
participate in the transformation of the
world, which is possible, beginning right
now.”3
This is the good news.
1
Of course, there are many modern western non-religious ontologies and framing stories too,
plus Eastern ontologies and framing stories – both religious and irreligious.
2
This reflects a Calvinistic Evangelical protestant version of the message. The popular Roman
Catholic version might say, “You must believe in the teachings of the church and follow its
instructions, especially those regarding sacraments.” The popular mainline or liberal Protestant
215. Conventional View Emerging View
The Human
Situation: What
is the story that
we find
ourselves in?
God created the world as perfect,
but because our primal
ancestors, Adam and Eve, did
not maintain the absolute
perfection demanded by God,
God has irrevocably determined
that the entire universe and all it
contains will be destroyed, and
the souls of all human beings –
except for those specifically
exempted – will be forever
punished for their imperfection
in hell.1
God created the world as good, but
human beings – as individuals, and as
groups – have rebelled against God and
filled the world with evil and injustice
like a terrible disease. God wants to save
humanity and heal it from its sickness,
but humanity is hopelessly lost and
confused, like sheep without a shepherd,
wandering farther and farther into
lostness and danger. Left to themselves,
human beings will spiral downward in
sickness and evil.
Basic
Questions: What
questions did
Jesus come to
answer?
Since everyone is doomed to
hell, Jesus seeks to answer these
questions: how can individuals
be saved from eternal
punishment in hell and instead
go to heaven after they die? How
can God help individuals be
happy and successful until then?
Since the human race is in such desperate
trouble, Jesus seeks to answer this
question: what must be done about the
mess we’re in? The mess refers both to
the general human condition and its
specific outworking among his
contemporaries: living under domination
by the Roman empire, and divided into
various competing sects.
Jesus’ message:
How did Jesus
respond to the
crisis?
Jesus says, in essence, “If you
want to be among those
specifically qualified to escape
being forever punished for your
sins in hell, you must repent of
your individual sins and believe
that my Father punished me on
the cross so He won’t have to
punish you in hell. Only if you
believe this will you go to
heaven when everyone else is
banished to hell.”2
This is the
good news.
Jesus says, in essence, “Other people and
groups – including your own religious
leaders - are leading you farther and
farther astray. I have been sent by God
with this good news – that God loves
humanity, even in its lostness and sin.
God graciously invites everyone and
anyone to question and reject what they
have been told and instead follow a new
path. Trust me and become my disciple,
and you will be transformed, and you will
participate in the transformation of the
world, which is possible, beginning right
now.”3
This is the good news.
1
Of course, there are many modern western non-religious ontologies and framing stories too,
plus Eastern ontologies and framing stories – both religious and irreligious.
2
This reflects a Calvinistic Evangelical protestant version of the message. The popular Roman
Catholic version might say, “You must believe in the teachings of the church and follow its
instructions, especially those regarding sacraments.” The popular mainline or liberal Protestant
2 questions:
From Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a
Revolution of Hope
What are the top global
problems?
What does the message of Jesus
say to those problems?
216. Conventional View Emerging View
The Human
Situation: What
is the story that
we find
ourselves in?
God created the world as perfect,
but because our primal
ancestors, Adam and Eve, did
not maintain the absolute
perfection demanded by God,
God has irrevocably determined
that the entire universe and all it
contains will be destroyed, and
the souls of all human beings –
except for those specifically
exempted – will be forever
punished for their imperfection
in hell.1
God created the world as good, but
human beings – as individuals, and as
groups – have rebelled against God and
filled the world with evil and injustice
like a terrible disease. God wants to save
humanity and heal it from its sickness,
but humanity is hopelessly lost and
confused, like sheep without a shepherd,
wandering farther and farther into
lostness and danger. Left to themselves,
human beings will spiral downward in
sickness and evil.
Basic
Questions: What
questions did
Jesus come to
answer?
Since everyone is doomed to
hell, Jesus seeks to answer these
questions: how can individuals
be saved from eternal
punishment in hell and instead
go to heaven after they die? How
can God help individuals be
happy and successful until then?
Since the human race is in such desperate
trouble, Jesus seeks to answer this
question: what must be done about the
mess we’re in? The mess refers both to
the general human condition and its
specific outworking among his
contemporaries: living under domination
by the Roman empire, and divided into
various competing sects.
Jesus’ message:
How did Jesus
respond to the
crisis?
Jesus says, in essence, “If you
want to be among those
specifically qualified to escape
being forever punished for your
sins in hell, you must repent of
your individual sins and believe
that my Father punished me on
the cross so He won’t have to
punish you in hell. Only if you
believe this will you go to
heaven when everyone else is
banished to hell.”2
This is the
good news.
Jesus says, in essence, “Other people and
groups – including your own religious
leaders - are leading you farther and
farther astray. I have been sent by God
with this good news – that God loves
humanity, even in its lostness and sin.
God graciously invites everyone and
anyone to question and reject what they
have been told and instead follow a new
path. Trust me and become my disciple,
and you will be transformed, and you will
participate in the transformation of the
world, which is possible, beginning right
now.”3
This is the good news.
1
Of course, there are many modern western non-religious ontologies and framing stories too,
plus Eastern ontologies and framing stories – both religious and irreligious.
2
This reflects a Calvinistic Evangelical protestant version of the message. The popular Roman
Catholic version might say, “You must believe in the teachings of the church and follow its
instructions, especially those regarding sacraments.” The popular mainline or liberal Protestant
Top Global Problems:
High Noon (20)
United Nations University (15)
Copenhagen Consensus (10)
Millennium Development Goals (8)
PEACE plan (5)
217. Conventional View Emerging View
The Human
Situation: What
is the story that
we find
ourselves in?
God created the world as perfect,
but because our primal
ancestors, Adam and Eve, did
not maintain the absolute
perfection demanded by God,
God has irrevocably determined
that the entire universe and all it
contains will be destroyed, and
the souls of all human beings –
except for those specifically
exempted – will be forever
punished for their imperfection
in hell.1
God created the world as good, but
human beings – as individuals, and as
groups – have rebelled against God and
filled the world with evil and injustice
like a terrible disease. God wants to save
humanity and heal it from its sickness,
but humanity is hopelessly lost and
confused, like sheep without a shepherd,
wandering farther and farther into
lostness and danger. Left to themselves,
human beings will spiral downward in
sickness and evil.
Basic
Questions: What
questions did
Jesus come to
answer?
Since everyone is doomed to
hell, Jesus seeks to answer these
questions: how can individuals
be saved from eternal
punishment in hell and instead
go to heaven after they die? How
can God help individuals be
happy and successful until then?
Since the human race is in such desperate
trouble, Jesus seeks to answer this
question: what must be done about the
mess we’re in? The mess refers both to
the general human condition and its
specific outworking among his
contemporaries: living under domination
by the Roman empire, and divided into
various competing sects.
Jesus’ message:
How did Jesus
respond to the
crisis?
Jesus says, in essence, “If you
want to be among those
specifically qualified to escape
being forever punished for your
sins in hell, you must repent of
your individual sins and believe
that my Father punished me on
the cross so He won’t have to
punish you in hell. Only if you
believe this will you go to
heaven when everyone else is
banished to hell.”2
This is the
good news.
Jesus says, in essence, “Other people and
groups – including your own religious
leaders - are leading you farther and
farther astray. I have been sent by God
with this good news – that God loves
humanity, even in its lostness and sin.
God graciously invites everyone and
anyone to question and reject what they
have been told and instead follow a new
path. Trust me and become my disciple,
and you will be transformed, and you will
participate in the transformation of the
world, which is possible, beginning right
now.”3
This is the good news.
1
Of course, there are many modern western non-religious ontologies and framing stories too,
plus Eastern ontologies and framing stories – both religious and irreligious.
2
This reflects a Calvinistic Evangelical protestant version of the message. The popular Roman
Catholic version might say, “You must believe in the teachings of the church and follow its
instructions, especially those regarding sacraments.” The popular mainline or liberal Protestant
United Nations University: The State of the Future
Top Fifteen Challenges: How can …
1. … sustainable development be achieved for all?
2. … everyone have sufficient clean water without conflict?
3. … population growth and resources be brought into
balance?
4. … genuine democracy emerge from authoritarian
regimes?
5. … policymaking be made more sensitive to global long-
term perspectives?
6. … the global convergence of information and
communications technologies work for everyone?
7. … ethical market economies be encouraged to help
reduce the gap between rich and poor?
218. Conventional View Emerging View
The Human
Situation: What
is the story that
we find
ourselves in?
God created the world as perfect,
but because our primal
ancestors, Adam and Eve, did
not maintain the absolute
perfection demanded by God,
God has irrevocably determined
that the entire universe and all it
contains will be destroyed, and
the souls of all human beings –
except for those specifically
exempted – will be forever
punished for their imperfection
in hell.1
God created the world as good, but
human beings – as individuals, and as
groups – have rebelled against God and
filled the world with evil and injustice
like a terrible disease. God wants to save
humanity and heal it from its sickness,
but humanity is hopelessly lost and
confused, like sheep without a shepherd,
wandering farther and farther into
lostness and danger. Left to themselves,
human beings will spiral downward in
sickness and evil.
Basic
Questions: What
questions did
Jesus come to
answer?
Since everyone is doomed to
hell, Jesus seeks to answer these
questions: how can individuals
be saved from eternal
punishment in hell and instead
go to heaven after they die? How
can God help individuals be
happy and successful until then?
Since the human race is in such desperate
trouble, Jesus seeks to answer this
question: what must be done about the
mess we’re in? The mess refers both to
the general human condition and its
specific outworking among his
contemporaries: living under domination
by the Roman empire, and divided into
various competing sects.
Jesus’ message:
How did Jesus
respond to the
crisis?
Jesus says, in essence, “If you
want to be among those
specifically qualified to escape
being forever punished for your
sins in hell, you must repent of
your individual sins and believe
that my Father punished me on
the cross so He won’t have to
punish you in hell. Only if you
believe this will you go to
heaven when everyone else is
banished to hell.”2
This is the
good news.
Jesus says, in essence, “Other people and
groups – including your own religious
leaders - are leading you farther and
farther astray. I have been sent by God
with this good news – that God loves
humanity, even in its lostness and sin.
God graciously invites everyone and
anyone to question and reject what they
have been told and instead follow a new
path. Trust me and become my disciple,
and you will be transformed, and you will
participate in the transformation of the
world, which is possible, beginning right
now.”3
This is the good news.
1
Of course, there are many modern western non-religious ontologies and framing stories too,
plus Eastern ontologies and framing stories – both religious and irreligious.
2
This reflects a Calvinistic Evangelical protestant version of the message. The popular Roman
Catholic version might say, “You must believe in the teachings of the church and follow its
instructions, especially those regarding sacraments.” The popular mainline or liberal Protestant
8. … the threat of new and reemerging diseases and immune
micro-organisms be reduced?
9. … the capacity to decide be improved as the nature of work
and institutions change?
10. … shared values and new security strategies reduce ethnic
conflicts, terrorism, and the use of weapons of mass
destruction?
11. … the changing status of women help improve the human
condition?
12. … transnational organized crime networks be stopped from
becoming more powerful and sophisticated global enterprises?
13. … growing energy demands be met safely and efficiently?
14. … scientific and technological breakthroughs be accelerated
to improve the human condition?
15. … ethical considerations become more routinely
incorporated into global decisions?
219. Conventional View Emerging View
The Human
Situation: What
is the story that
we find
ourselves in?
God created the world as perfect,
but because our primal
ancestors, Adam and Eve, did
not maintain the absolute
perfection demanded by God,
God has irrevocably determined
that the entire universe and all it
contains will be destroyed, and
the souls of all human beings –
except for those specifically
exempted – will be forever
punished for their imperfection
in hell.1
God created the world as good, but
human beings – as individuals, and as
groups – have rebelled against God and
filled the world with evil and injustice
like a terrible disease. God wants to save
humanity and heal it from its sickness,
but humanity is hopelessly lost and
confused, like sheep without a shepherd,
wandering farther and farther into
lostness and danger. Left to themselves,
human beings will spiral downward in
sickness and evil.
Basic
Questions: What
questions did
Jesus come to
answer?
Since everyone is doomed to
hell, Jesus seeks to answer these
questions: how can individuals
be saved from eternal
punishment in hell and instead
go to heaven after they die? How
can God help individuals be
happy and successful until then?
Since the human race is in such desperate
trouble, Jesus seeks to answer this
question: what must be done about the
mess we’re in? The mess refers both to
the general human condition and its
specific outworking among his
contemporaries: living under domination
by the Roman empire, and divided into
various competing sects.
Jesus’ message:
How did Jesus
respond to the
crisis?
Jesus says, in essence, “If you
want to be among those
specifically qualified to escape
being forever punished for your
sins in hell, you must repent of
your individual sins and believe
that my Father punished me on
the cross so He won’t have to
punish you in hell. Only if you
believe this will you go to
heaven when everyone else is
banished to hell.”2
This is the
good news.
Jesus says, in essence, “Other people and
groups – including your own religious
leaders - are leading you farther and
farther astray. I have been sent by God
with this good news – that God loves
humanity, even in its lostness and sin.
God graciously invites everyone and
anyone to question and reject what they
have been told and instead follow a new
path. Trust me and become my disciple,
and you will be transformed, and you will
participate in the transformation of the
world, which is possible, beginning right
now.”3
This is the good news.
1
Of course, there are many modern western non-religious ontologies and framing stories too,
plus Eastern ontologies and framing stories – both religious and irreligious.
2
This reflects a Calvinistic Evangelical protestant version of the message. The popular Roman
Catholic version might say, “You must believe in the teachings of the church and follow its
instructions, especially those regarding sacraments.” The popular mainline or liberal Protestant
8 Millennium Development Goals:
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
2. Achieve universal primary education.
3. Promote gender equality and empower women.
4. Reduce child mortality.
5. Improve maternal health.
6. Combat HIV/AIDs, malaria, and other diseases.
7. Ensure environmental sustainability.
8. Develop a global partnership for development
220. Conventional View Emerging View
The Human
Situation: What
is the story that
we find
ourselves in?
God created the world as perfect,
but because our primal
ancestors, Adam and Eve, did
not maintain the absolute
perfection demanded by God,
God has irrevocably determined
that the entire universe and all it
contains will be destroyed, and
the souls of all human beings –
except for those specifically
exempted – will be forever
punished for their imperfection
in hell.1
God created the world as good, but
human beings – as individuals, and as
groups – have rebelled against God and
filled the world with evil and injustice
like a terrible disease. God wants to save
humanity and heal it from its sickness,
but humanity is hopelessly lost and
confused, like sheep without a shepherd,
wandering farther and farther into
lostness and danger. Left to themselves,
human beings will spiral downward in
sickness and evil.
Basic
Questions: What
questions did
Jesus come to
answer?
Since everyone is doomed to
hell, Jesus seeks to answer these
questions: how can individuals
be saved from eternal
punishment in hell and instead
go to heaven after they die? How
can God help individuals be
happy and successful until then?
Since the human race is in such desperate
trouble, Jesus seeks to answer this
question: what must be done about the
mess we’re in? The mess refers both to
the general human condition and its
specific outworking among his
contemporaries: living under domination
by the Roman empire, and divided into
various competing sects.
Jesus’ message:
How did Jesus
respond to the
crisis?
Jesus says, in essence, “If you
want to be among those
specifically qualified to escape
being forever punished for your
sins in hell, you must repent of
your individual sins and believe
that my Father punished me on
the cross so He won’t have to
punish you in hell. Only if you
believe this will you go to
heaven when everyone else is
banished to hell.”2
This is the
good news.
Jesus says, in essence, “Other people and
groups – including your own religious
leaders - are leading you farther and
farther astray. I have been sent by God
with this good news – that God loves
humanity, even in its lostness and sin.
God graciously invites everyone and
anyone to question and reject what they
have been told and instead follow a new
path. Trust me and become my disciple,
and you will be transformed, and you will
participate in the transformation of the
world, which is possible, beginning right
now.”3
This is the good news.
1
Of course, there are many modern western non-religious ontologies and framing stories too,
plus Eastern ontologies and framing stories – both religious and irreligious.
2
This reflects a Calvinistic Evangelical protestant version of the message. The popular Roman
Catholic version might say, “You must believe in the teachings of the church and follow its
instructions, especially those regarding sacraments.” The popular mainline or liberal Protestant
Copenhagen Consensus Top 10
Global Problems
1. Hunger and malnutrition
2. Climate change
3. Conflicts
4. Financial Instability
5. Water and Sanitation
6. Subsidies and Trade Barriers
7. Population/Migration
8. Communicable Diseases
9. Education
10. Governance and Corruption
221. Conventional View Emerging View
The Human
Situation: What
is the story that
we find
ourselves in?
God created the world as perfect,
but because our primal
ancestors, Adam and Eve, did
not maintain the absolute
perfection demanded by God,
God has irrevocably determined
that the entire universe and all it
contains will be destroyed, and
the souls of all human beings –
except for those specifically
exempted – will be forever
punished for their imperfection
in hell.1
God created the world as good, but
human beings – as individuals, and as
groups – have rebelled against God and
filled the world with evil and injustice
like a terrible disease. God wants to save
humanity and heal it from its sickness,
but humanity is hopelessly lost and
confused, like sheep without a shepherd,
wandering farther and farther into
lostness and danger. Left to themselves,
human beings will spiral downward in
sickness and evil.
Basic
Questions: What
questions did
Jesus come to
answer?
Since everyone is doomed to
hell, Jesus seeks to answer these
questions: how can individuals
be saved from eternal
punishment in hell and instead
go to heaven after they die? How
can God help individuals be
happy and successful until then?
Since the human race is in such desperate
trouble, Jesus seeks to answer this
question: what must be done about the
mess we’re in? The mess refers both to
the general human condition and its
specific outworking among his
contemporaries: living under domination
by the Roman empire, and divided into
various competing sects.
Jesus’ message:
How did Jesus
respond to the
crisis?
Jesus says, in essence, “If you
want to be among those
specifically qualified to escape
being forever punished for your
sins in hell, you must repent of
your individual sins and believe
that my Father punished me on
the cross so He won’t have to
punish you in hell. Only if you
believe this will you go to
heaven when everyone else is
banished to hell.”2
This is the
good news.
Jesus says, in essence, “Other people and
groups – including your own religious
leaders - are leading you farther and
farther astray. I have been sent by God
with this good news – that God loves
humanity, even in its lostness and sin.
God graciously invites everyone and
anyone to question and reject what they
have been told and instead follow a new
path. Trust me and become my disciple,
and you will be transformed, and you will
participate in the transformation of the
world, which is possible, beginning right
now.”3
This is the good news.
1
Of course, there are many modern western non-religious ontologies and framing stories too,
plus Eastern ontologies and framing stories – both religious and irreligious.
2
This reflects a Calvinistic Evangelical protestant version of the message. The popular Roman
Catholic version might say, “You must believe in the teachings of the church and follow its
instructions, especially those regarding sacraments.” The popular mainline or liberal Protestant
Rick Warren’s PEACE Plan
1. Plant churches to combat spiritual
emptiness
2. Equip servant leaders to combat corrupt
leadership
3. Assist the poor through humanitarian aid
(poverty)
4. Care for the sick to combat disease
5. Educate the next generation to combat
ignorance
222. spiritual emptiness corrupt leadership
poverty disease ignorance hunger
and malnutrition climate change
conflicts Financial Instability
Water/Sanitation subsidies/trade
barriers population/ migration
communicable diseases education
governance/corruption hunger
education gender inequality child
mortality maternal health
environmental sustainability ethnic
conflicts terrorism weapons of mass
destruction organized crime networks
energy demands clean water
population growth authoritarian
regimes
239. Societal Machine
Equity Security
Prosperity
Heat
Solar Energy
Resources
Waste
Framing Story
4. The Failure of the World’s
Religions to provide a framing story
capable of healing the societal
machine - i.e. Good News. (The crisis
of purpose.)
242. The kingdom of God …
A God who forgives …
A God who includes …
A God who notices …
A God who serves …
A nonviolent God who reconciles
…
A God who heals …
A God who transcends boundaries
…
A God who sides with the poor …
A God who is present …
243. Domination: Us over them
Revolution: Us versus them
Purification: Us versus some of us
Victimization: Us in spite of them
Isolation: Us away from them
Competition: Us competing with them.
Kingdom of God/New Creation/
Reconciliation: Some of us for all
of us.
244. Non-Domination: Service
Non-Revolution: Nonviolent subversive action
Non-Purification: Eating with outcasts
Non-Victimization: Your faith has saved you!
Non-Isolation: Physicians come to the sick
Non-Accumulation: Seek first God’s kingdom and justice
Kingdom of God/New Creation/
Reconciliation: Love God, love
neighbor, love enemy, proclaim good
news
247. After John was put in
prison, Jesus went into
Galilee, proclaiming the
good news of God.
The time has come, he
said. The kingdom of
God has come near.
Repent and believe the
good news!
Mark 1:15
248. Conventional View Emerging View
The Human
Situation: What
is the story that
we find
ourselves in?
God created the world as perfect,
but because our primal
ancestors, Adam and Eve, did
not maintain the absolute
perfection demanded by God,
God has irrevocably determined
that the entire universe and all it
contains will be destroyed, and
the souls of all human beings –
except for those specifically
exempted – will be forever
punished for their imperfection
in hell.1
God created the world as good, but
human beings – as individuals, and as
groups – have rebelled against God and
filled the world with evil and injustice
like a terrible disease. God wants to save
humanity and heal it from its sickness,
but humanity is hopelessly lost and
confused, like sheep without a shepherd,
wandering farther and farther into
lostness and danger. Left to themselves,
human beings will spiral downward in
sickness and evil.
Basic
Questions: What
questions did
Jesus come to
answer?
Since everyone is doomed to
hell, Jesus seeks to answer these
questions: how can individuals
be saved from eternal
punishment in hell and instead
go to heaven after they die? How
can God help individuals be
happy and successful until then?
Since the human race is in such desperate
trouble, Jesus seeks to answer this
question: what must be done about the
mess we’re in? The mess refers both to
the general human condition and its
specific outworking among his
contemporaries: living under domination
by the Roman empire, and divided into
various competing sects.
Jesus’ message:
How did Jesus
respond to the
crisis?
Jesus says, in essence, “If you
want to be among those
specifically qualified to escape
being forever punished for your
sins in hell, you must repent of
your individual sins and believe
that my Father punished me on
the cross so He won’t have to
punish you in hell. Only if you
believe this will you go to
heaven when everyone else is
banished to hell.”2
This is the
good news.
Jesus says, in essence, “Other people and
groups – including your own religious
leaders - are leading you farther and
farther astray. I have been sent by God
with this good news – that God loves
humanity, even in its lostness and sin.
God graciously invites everyone and
anyone to question and reject what they
have been told and instead follow a new
path. Trust me and become my disciple,
and you will be transformed, and you will
participate in the transformation of the
world, which is possible, beginning right
now.”3
This is the good news.
1
Of course, there are many modern western non-religious ontologies and framing stories too,
plus Eastern ontologies and framing stories – both religious and irreligious.
2
This reflects a Calvinistic Evangelical protestant version of the message. The popular Roman
Catholic version might say, “You must believe in the teachings of the church and follow its
instructions, especially those regarding sacraments.” The popular mainline or liberal Protestant
4 Crises:
Planetary crisis (Prosperity)
Poverty crisis (Equity)
Peace-making crisis (Security)
Purpose crisis (Spirituality/story)
250. The essence of struggle is neither endurance nor
denial. The essence of struggle is the decision to
become new rather than simply to become older. It
is the opportunity to grow either smaller or larger
in the process. There is, then, a gift hidden in the
travails of forced change. It is the gift of beginning
again: conversion.
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
- Sister Joan
Chittister, Scarred
by Struggle,
Transformed by
Hope, p. 22
251. Our God, whose love
makes us one family,
May your unspeakable
Name be revered.
Here on earth may your
commonwealth come…
On earth, as in heaven, may your
dreams come true.
252. Give us today our bread for
today.
Forgive us our wrongs as we
forgive.
Lead us away from the perilous trial,
Liberate us from the evil.
253. For the kingdom is yours and yours alone,
the power is yours and yours alone, the glory
is yours and yours alone,
Now and forever. Amen.
254. Conventional View Emerging View
The Human
Situation: What
is the story that
we find
ourselves in?
God created the world as perfect,
but because our primal
ancestors, Adam and Eve, did
not maintain the absolute
perfection demanded by God,
God has irrevocably determined
that the entire universe and all it
contains will be destroyed, and
the souls of all human beings –
except for those specifically
exempted – will be forever
punished for their imperfection
in hell.1
God created the world as good, but
human beings – as individuals, and as
groups – have rebelled against God and
filled the world with evil and injustice
like a terrible disease. God wants to save
humanity and heal it from its sickness,
but humanity is hopelessly lost and
confused, like sheep without a shepherd,
wandering farther and farther into
lostness and danger. Left to themselves,
human beings will spiral downward in
sickness and evil.
Basic
Questions: What
questions did
Jesus come to
answer?
Since everyone is doomed to
hell, Jesus seeks to answer these
questions: how can individuals
be saved from eternal
punishment in hell and instead
go to heaven after they die? How
can God help individuals be
happy and successful until then?
Since the human race is in such desperate
trouble, Jesus seeks to answer this
question: what must be done about the
mess we’re in? The mess refers both to
the general human condition and its
specific outworking among his
contemporaries: living under domination
by the Roman empire, and divided into
various competing sects.
Jesus’ message:
How did Jesus
respond to the
crisis?
Jesus says, in essence, “If you
want to be among those
specifically qualified to escape
being forever punished for your
sins in hell, you must repent of
your individual sins and believe
that my Father punished me on
the cross so He won’t have to
punish you in hell. Only if you
believe this will you go to
heaven when everyone else is
banished to hell.”2
This is the
good news.
Jesus says, in essence, “Other people and
groups – including your own religious
leaders - are leading you farther and
farther astray. I have been sent by God
with this good news – that God loves
humanity, even in its lostness and sin.
God graciously invites everyone and
anyone to question and reject what they
have been told and instead follow a new
path. Trust me and become my disciple,
and you will be transformed, and you will
participate in the transformation of the
world, which is possible, beginning right
now.”3
This is the good news.
1
Of course, there are many modern western non-religious ontologies and framing stories too,
plus Eastern ontologies and framing stories – both religious and irreligious.
2
This reflects a Calvinistic Evangelical protestant version of the message. The popular Roman
Catholic version might say, “You must believe in the teachings of the church and follow its
instructions, especially those regarding sacraments.” The popular mainline or liberal Protestant
257. QUESTION 4: JESUS
who is he and why is he so important?
IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD (LOGOS),
AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD AND THE
WORD WAS GOD ... THE WORD BECAME FLESH
AND DWELT AMONG US.
(JOHN 1)
258. insights and contributions
- nonviolent theme in the Bible
- a narrative of evolution, emergence
- deconstruction of atonement theory
- uniqueness and universality of Christ
- proper apocalypticism
- a sense of what has gone wrong and why
- a sense of what is real and good, and why
rene girard
259. If love and violence are incompatible, the definition of the
Logos must take this into account.The difference between
the Greek Logos and the Johannine Logos must be an
obvious one, which gets concealed only in the tortuous
complications of a type of thought that never succeeds in
ridding itself of its own violence. (270)
260. Heidegger is absolutely right to state that there has never
been any thought in the West but Greek thought, even
when the labels were Christian. Christianity has no special
existence in the domain of thought. Continuity with the
Greek Logos has never been interrupted... everything is
Greek and nothing is Christian. (273)
261. By cultural Platonism we mean the unexamined conviction
that human institutions have been and are what they are
for all eternity, that they have little need to evolve and
none whatsoever to be engendered.
... It is quite evident how a universal Platonism manages to
obscure any phenomena that contradict it. (TH 59)
262. Behaving in a truly divine manner, on an earth still in the
clutches of violence, means not dominating humans, not
overwhelming them with supernatural power; it means not
terrifying and astonishing them in turn, through the sufferings
and blessings on can confer; it means not creating difference
between doubles and not taking part in their disputes.‘God
is no respecter of persons.’ He makes no distinction
between ‘Greeks and Jews, men and women, etc.’ This can
look like complete indifference and can lead to the
conclusion that the all-powerful does not exist, so long as his
transcendence keeps him infinitely far from us and our
violent undertakings. But the same characteristics are
revealed as a heroic and perfect love once this
transcendence becomes incarnate in a human being and
walks among men, to teach them about the true God and to
draw them closer to Him. (234)
263. There is no privileged stance from which absolute truth
can be discovered...That is why the Word that states itself
to be absolutely true never speaks except from the
position of a victim in the process of being expelled....
[F]or two thousand years this Word has been
misunderstood, despite the enormous amount of publicity
it has received. (435)
264. Jesus as the non-violent
word of God.
God with and for the
poor.
God who cares for
creation.
265. What are the questions?
1. The narrative question: What is the shape of the
biblical narrative? Storyline, plotline?
2. The authority question: What is the Bible, and
what is it for? How does it have authority?
3. The God question: Is God violent? Why does
God seem so violent and genocidal in so many
bible passages?
266. 4. The Jesus Question: Who is Jesus, and
why does he matter?
5. The Gospel Question: What is the gospel -
a message of evacuation or transformation?
Exclusion or inclusion?
- Reign, kingdom, economy, ecosystem,
dance, friendship, network of God.
267. 6. The church question: What do we do
about the church?
- The church as school of Christ-
likeness and love, training and
deploying of love-peace-justice
activists.
268. 7. The sex question: Can we deal with
issues of sexuality without fighting and
dividing?
- Deeper issue: sexuality to
embodiment to humanity to creation
269. 8. The future question: Can we find a
more hopeful vision of the future?
- Evacuation plan to incarnation plan, a
Participatory Eschatology
270. 9. The pluralism question: How should
we relate to people of other faiths?
- Seeking a strong and benevolent
Christian identity
271. 10. The next step question: How can
we pursue this quest in humility, love,
and peace?
- Winning a hearing, not winning an
argument.
272. Something is on the way out and something
else is painfully being born.
It is as if something were crumbling,
decaying, and exhausting itself,
while something else, still indistinct, were
arising from the rubble....
We are in a phase when one age is
succeeding another, when everything is
possible.
Vaclav Havel,“The New Measure of Man”
273. Fr. Vincent Donovan:
Do not leave others where they
are.
Do not bring them to where you
are, as beautiful as that place
might be.
Instead, go with them to a new
place neither you nor they have
ever been before.
274. Go into all the world and proclaim the
gospel (the good, joyful, healing story)
to all creation.
- Jesus
275.
276. something is trying to be born:
envisioning a new kind of Christian faith
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