Sunday, February 20, 2011
Terrorism
The great terror I experience is not to know, and more, not to be known. Not to be in loving relationship. My hands tremble so, I cannot continue as the computer is so fidgety.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Well, Here We Go....
Another new year! So. Not given to "resolutions," nevertheless, I believe in critical assessment and situational analysis, as did the character Fagen in Dickens' novel Oliver Twist. In the musical rendition he chants, "I am reviewing...the situation." Very worthwhile process, yes, indeed.
"Love your neighbor as yourself," God commands, according to Hebrew authority, including the dude known as Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Messiah, our Saviour, Our Lord, Wholly Man and Wholly God. Heavy-duty battery, there, though is it alkaline?
How many Christians love their neighbor as themselves? It's a tough gig, loving one's neighbor as oneself. Yet, it is no doubt the central task of the Christian, at least for those are Bible centered in their theology.
Growing up in a fundamental Christian Baptist church as I did, I was taught about titheing, and somewhere along my journey I came to believe that authentic titheing was not just ten percent, but was fifteen percent. That is, to tithe was to give back to God fifteen percent of one's income, before taxes. A bit later in my life I included the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Socialist Party, and American Friends Service Committee (among others) on my list of those doing work for God to whom I would give part of my tithe.
It's arguable that I made errors in the matter on several accounts. What God requires, I have decided, is one hundred percent of one's material resources. One hundred percent sharing, that is authentic koinonian distribution of "wealth." Various authorities proclaim the importance of good stewardship, but few explain the details of what "stewardship" should be, that is, service, ministry, helping, giving, in a word loving at every opportunity, all the time, out of consciousness of loving without necessarily being "conscious" of it.
Read an evangelistic book. Invariably the writer seeks to lead sinners to Christ and much information is given about ramifications in the life of a person who throws himself in faith into Jesus' wheelbarrow. Theology. Ethics. Morality. Eschatology. Christology. Lots of stuff an evanelist has to tell you about how you should live as a Christian.
But where do most such evangelists place God's command, "Love your neighbor as yourself" in their scheme. Certainly not central. If I loved my neighbor as myself, how would I go about conducting my life? It seems to me that the contractual paragraphs regarding the matter need to be moved up from the small print.
"Love your neighbor as yourself," God commands, according to Hebrew authority, including the dude known as Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Messiah, our Saviour, Our Lord, Wholly Man and Wholly God. Heavy-duty battery, there, though is it alkaline?
How many Christians love their neighbor as themselves? It's a tough gig, loving one's neighbor as oneself. Yet, it is no doubt the central task of the Christian, at least for those are Bible centered in their theology.
Growing up in a fundamental Christian Baptist church as I did, I was taught about titheing, and somewhere along my journey I came to believe that authentic titheing was not just ten percent, but was fifteen percent. That is, to tithe was to give back to God fifteen percent of one's income, before taxes. A bit later in my life I included the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Socialist Party, and American Friends Service Committee (among others) on my list of those doing work for God to whom I would give part of my tithe.
It's arguable that I made errors in the matter on several accounts. What God requires, I have decided, is one hundred percent of one's material resources. One hundred percent sharing, that is authentic koinonian distribution of "wealth." Various authorities proclaim the importance of good stewardship, but few explain the details of what "stewardship" should be, that is, service, ministry, helping, giving, in a word loving at every opportunity, all the time, out of consciousness of loving without necessarily being "conscious" of it.
Read an evangelistic book. Invariably the writer seeks to lead sinners to Christ and much information is given about ramifications in the life of a person who throws himself in faith into Jesus' wheelbarrow. Theology. Ethics. Morality. Eschatology. Christology. Lots of stuff an evanelist has to tell you about how you should live as a Christian.
But where do most such evangelists place God's command, "Love your neighbor as yourself" in their scheme. Certainly not central. If I loved my neighbor as myself, how would I go about conducting my life? It seems to me that the contractual paragraphs regarding the matter need to be moved up from the small print.
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