My Progressive Response to a dirty 7 letter word.
The new profanity in conservative Christianity is Rob Bell. Say his name and you either get "Who's that?" or a blur of passionate discourse that is either wholely supportive or completely opposed.
I hate figures like that. I hate figures that further polarize the already disjointed church. I hate hearing Christians fight about meaningless things. I hate hearing Christians fight at all.
Under normal circumstances I will back away from any kind of controversial reading. Ever since I read the Prayer of Jabez I've just not enjoyed being manipulated. I dont like the brain challenge. I dont like to be frustrated to tears about the same old faith questions. I asked most of them as a religion major in college and decided the answers were unknowable and stopped fighting. I don't want to say that I have maybe stopped fighting that instinct to not work it out...because i dont care how passionate you are, a lot of the debates out there are things that I dont so much care about.
I will say that I bought the 7 letter word's latest book and read the preface and the first chapter before i got out of the bathroom. (dont read all grossed out like you dont read in the bathroom...geesh. cummon)
I decided when i put the book down that I want to blog a reaction after every chapter i read. (or every time i put the book down whichever comes first.) Thats why this post is called a progressive response. Not because my opinions are any more forward thinking than yours. I'm pretty stunted in my logical growth. But really because I'm going to watch my opinions form in front of me about this book and will be as candid and truthful as I can be. Even if I'm scared of the other 7 letter word often associated with Rob Bell...Heretic.
Wanna come?
Chapter 1. Beat me over the head with a bat of questions.
You might not know the feeling i'm about to reference, but if you've never experienced it before, you may someday. Have you ever been in church or in a religion class or at a seminar about something spiritual and been struck with the feeling of, "But what about this verse?" or "that can't possibly be true." or "i dont know that i can believe that." The doubting Thomas syndrome, so to speak. Or have you ever been engaged in a conversation with a non christian who asked you a question that you both could not answer and it made your head swirl with fear?
no no..Rob Bell didnt make me feel that feeling. He just reminded me of everytime in my life i have felt it. EVERY time. All at once compounded on top of itself, he battered me with question after question that I myself have asked at some point in response to some preacher, or professor, or guest speaker, or camp director. He reminded me of the questions I asked of them in my heart that made my forhead wrinkle over my nose and sent me sprialing down into the depths of my own worry and doubt and fear. The same doubt and fear that I choke back when I see the hungry kids on the Sally Struthers commercial, the same fear I swallow when i'm not as sure as someone else. The same doubt i have when i read a verse about an angry God. That wrinkled forehead that acknowledges that somehow this doesnt add up...
I did really well in Geometry in High School...do you know why I did so well? Because its logical and it makes perfect sense...Every angle added up to the same number everytime. Every shape had a name and every name had a definition. If there was a question, there was an answer. That 15 year old in geometry is not dead. I tucked her away for a long time when thinking about spirituality, but she's not dead. She's twice as old asking the same questions and begging the same logic. She does not die when responding to God. Based on the world around me, and how even the simplest of things had a complicated substructure that goes infinitely smaller than I can see, I would imagine that God was a logical being too...the Earth testifies to such. Therefore, i cannot accept what you might be wanting to tell me...that some parts have to just be overlooked. That some things will not make sense. She hates that answer. Give that answer too much and she'll go back into hiding. :)
And its that part of me, the part that has despised pushing aside questions that compells me to continue down this road with my seven letter friend. Be his thoughts right or wrong, at the end of the day I'll find a companion in the void of information who is seeking answers to unanswerable questions. :)
I hate figures like that. I hate figures that further polarize the already disjointed church. I hate hearing Christians fight about meaningless things. I hate hearing Christians fight at all.
Under normal circumstances I will back away from any kind of controversial reading. Ever since I read the Prayer of Jabez I've just not enjoyed being manipulated. I dont like the brain challenge. I dont like to be frustrated to tears about the same old faith questions. I asked most of them as a religion major in college and decided the answers were unknowable and stopped fighting. I don't want to say that I have maybe stopped fighting that instinct to not work it out...because i dont care how passionate you are, a lot of the debates out there are things that I dont so much care about.
I will say that I bought the 7 letter word's latest book and read the preface and the first chapter before i got out of the bathroom. (dont read all grossed out like you dont read in the bathroom...geesh. cummon)
I decided when i put the book down that I want to blog a reaction after every chapter i read. (or every time i put the book down whichever comes first.) Thats why this post is called a progressive response. Not because my opinions are any more forward thinking than yours. I'm pretty stunted in my logical growth. But really because I'm going to watch my opinions form in front of me about this book and will be as candid and truthful as I can be. Even if I'm scared of the other 7 letter word often associated with Rob Bell...Heretic.
Wanna come?
Chapter 1. Beat me over the head with a bat of questions.
You might not know the feeling i'm about to reference, but if you've never experienced it before, you may someday. Have you ever been in church or in a religion class or at a seminar about something spiritual and been struck with the feeling of, "But what about this verse?" or "that can't possibly be true." or "i dont know that i can believe that." The doubting Thomas syndrome, so to speak. Or have you ever been engaged in a conversation with a non christian who asked you a question that you both could not answer and it made your head swirl with fear?
no no..Rob Bell didnt make me feel that feeling. He just reminded me of everytime in my life i have felt it. EVERY time. All at once compounded on top of itself, he battered me with question after question that I myself have asked at some point in response to some preacher, or professor, or guest speaker, or camp director. He reminded me of the questions I asked of them in my heart that made my forhead wrinkle over my nose and sent me sprialing down into the depths of my own worry and doubt and fear. The same doubt and fear that I choke back when I see the hungry kids on the Sally Struthers commercial, the same fear I swallow when i'm not as sure as someone else. The same doubt i have when i read a verse about an angry God. That wrinkled forehead that acknowledges that somehow this doesnt add up...
I did really well in Geometry in High School...do you know why I did so well? Because its logical and it makes perfect sense...Every angle added up to the same number everytime. Every shape had a name and every name had a definition. If there was a question, there was an answer. That 15 year old in geometry is not dead. I tucked her away for a long time when thinking about spirituality, but she's not dead. She's twice as old asking the same questions and begging the same logic. She does not die when responding to God. Based on the world around me, and how even the simplest of things had a complicated substructure that goes infinitely smaller than I can see, I would imagine that God was a logical being too...the Earth testifies to such. Therefore, i cannot accept what you might be wanting to tell me...that some parts have to just be overlooked. That some things will not make sense. She hates that answer. Give that answer too much and she'll go back into hiding. :)
And its that part of me, the part that has despised pushing aside questions that compells me to continue down this road with my seven letter friend. Be his thoughts right or wrong, at the end of the day I'll find a companion in the void of information who is seeking answers to unanswerable questions. :)
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