Just a note to the faithful few who still check up on this blog. As you can see, I've been a bit too preoccupied with other things to do much blogging. In fact, I'm not getting a whole lot done very quickly any more. My reading is at a slow crawl right now. I've found that the preaching/teaching thing is pretty time-consuming.
I'm reading a book I picked up at BN last week, Jesus for President. It's not especially heavy reading (not compared to some of the other stuff I'm reading). It's also put together in a format that is postmodern and visually interesting. Dare I call it "emegent?" The book is a critique of contemporary American Christian idolatry. Here are a few quotes. To find the book, look in my currently reading list and click the link.
"So can you pick up what we're putting down, smell what we are stepping in? Jesus would make for a bad president. It's hard to imagine Jesus wearing a 'God bless Rome' T-shirt and promoting his campaign with stickers and buttons and a hundred-million-dollar campaign. And he would be considerably uncomfortable as commander in chief of the largest military in the world. Nevertheless, he was political. All of his titles granted him political authority. Calling hm Messiah or Lord is like acclaiming him--unlikely as it is--as president. He was the president who did not want to be a president. His politics aspired to something different from state power (86)."
"Author and professor Walter Wink does brilliant work exploring Jesus' creativity in his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, especially in the familiar 'turn the other cheek' verses (Matt. 5:38-42). Wink points out that Jesus was not suggesting that we let people sadistically step all over us. Jesus taught enemy love with imagination. He gave three real examples of how to interact with our adversaries. In each instance, Jesus points us toward disarming others. Jesus teaches us to refuse to oppos evil on its own terms. He invites us to transcend both passivity and violence a third way (92)."
At any rate, it's been an interesting side read so far.
Jason
6.04.2008
Jesus for President
Posted by Jason at 10:27 PM
Labels: Christianity and politics
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4 comments:
I think i smell what you're steppin in and i think it smells good.
Sounds better than the 'light read' John Hagee book about Christians defending Israel's right as a state, which I picked up in the intellectual section at Wal-mart the other day. :)
How are you and your family these days?
We're good, thanks! How is your fam?
I can well imagine what the Hagee book is about. If you're looking for a different theology of politics, I'd recommend this book or The Myth of a Christian Nation. There are many others, too!
Tell Dasha I said hi!
Jason
Hey man, looks like this is the only thing you'll check nowadays! Thilini and me are back in L.A. for good...moving into a new apt. in Whittier (close to BIOLA), and getting new jobs! There are times when I wish I had the companionship of intellectual Christians by my side as Los Angeles Atheists are intensely anti-Christian and intellectually argumentative...I've been surviving them, however! When classes start and reading for the M.Div starts I'll definitely be having more conversations with you! Take Care...
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