theology / nausea

 

Theology can make a person nauseated, just ask SØren Kierkegaard. However, I must touch on the subject in terms of how it returns to postcoloniality and the making of public policy.   There are those who say there is no God.  I think it is a bit presumptuous to follow that conclusion. There is no strong evidence against their being God, either as first cause or creator of beings who can be conscious of themselves. God is by definition unspeakable and Christ the image of the unseen God, if you have any question. But, Christianity has taken a beating throughout the years and especially in the 21st century, dominated by supposed critical thought. College folk and those on the street are speaking ill of Christianity, seeing it as the dooming factor of negative thought that “still haunts the world, even in the posttruth age.” I am sorry that they (sic) feel that way. Christianity, along with other religions, is seen as irrational at its core.  The only basis on which to act any particular way, for these folks (which is becoming a majority) is ecological.  Just think of it, morality is for sheep, as Nietzsche wrote. But somehow we must act in a friendly way to the Earth. The Earth is always evolving into something different, and this is by God’s design. There is a book out that explains how “This funny and counter-intuitive book reveals how human intelligence may actually be more of a liability than a gift…” as the review goes.  The title is If Nietzsche were a Narwhal:  What Animal Intelligence Reveals About Human Stupidity.  This clever book assaults human consciousness, perhaps more than Daniel Dennett does in his book Consciousness Explained and in the lectures he gives. Nothing comical about our view of ourselves, God did not make humans as a trick or a joke.  It seems that a forgiving understanding of humxnity is needed, and Christianity offers forgiveness. Ecology of a changing Earth should pervade our awareness, but (you saw that coming) blaming humxns for every disastrous happenings, like the melting of ice in Greenland is not a humanly caused phenomenon, the Earth changes.  A good question is “does God change or is Good immutable?” God is touched by humxnity in many ways.  God was affected by the sins of God’s people.  The prophets demonstrate this, especially the prophet Isaiah. Being in sync with God and the process of God’s plan will keep us delivered from shame and blame.  This is the greatest gift I have to give in theological terms, Christ Jesus did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but he emptied himself, taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of mxn . . . being obedient to death on a cross . . . This is the true message of Christianity.  Yes, we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (poor SØren), but we have a mediator.  This is where it gets tough to swallow; many are in a struggle with the “Trinity.” I will not nauseate you with my dribble on that matter.  However, for those of you who cannot accept contradictions in the Bible, you have not studied it and the scholarship that has gone into Biblical literature enough to know that we just have to accept God’s grace.  There are endless scholars from the early church to Augustine to Gerhard Ebeling to William Barr to NT Wright. Obviously, there is a broad spectrum. Although I am sorry he is an atheist now, I do respect the work of Bart Ehrman, I do think there was a proto-orthodoxy, for all the implications that can have.  I am an orthodox Christian, but I am not to blame for the atrocities of the past that were committed in Christ’s name.  This brings us full-circle to the questions about postcolonialism. That is where the blogging began. We will pick up the conversation from that perspective.  Remember though that any accusation against Christianity that uses foul language, I will automatically not consider as scholarly.  Anyone who wants to reply to any part of this blog is welcome.  I will do my best to maintain replies.

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