A picture is worth a thousand words, in my case maybe two thousand, but I think that this picture speaks clearly of what my blog represents. Participation!This entry is actually a dialogue where I was attempting to explain why I appear sometimes to be critical of the existent systems.
--My critique of so many practices in the U.S. and the U.S. church is because there are sinful structures in need of redemption, which prevent people from knowing God and I think that is wrong. Whoever said, “Ignorance is bliss”, was right on cue. When I am ignorant, I live in a bubble, ignoring the pain and difficult circumstances which surround our everyday lives. Scripture speaks of humans perishing for lack of knowledge, which is defined as ignorance. People need creative outlet’s to use their giftedness to draw others unto themselves, and in the process drawing humans to God. That is what reconciliation is all about. There are hundreds of organizations that we can partner with to participate with God’s reconciliation of humanity. Humans need Christians to be able to truly love them and honor anothers’ giftedness and unique abilities. We need to honor others, for their dignity is human, because we know that they are created in God’s image, but that image has been twisted, perverted, but is still good. I don’t know many people who would say that Tiger Woods is not a gifted golfer, or that Mozart was not a gifted composer. I believe that ALL humans have this giftedness, the problem is that we as a culture only recognize gifts which suit our own perspectives, for our own entertainment. Most humans have gifts, which by our cultural standards do not fit a paradigm which is relevant to the context of our society, but I believe God sees things differently. I personally have a gift for creative poetry, usually exhibited in either poetic rap music or creative writing. How many people in the Church care about rap music? If I am a gifted expository teacher, I would be loved and embraced, because it fits a predetermined category of giftedness, which we say fits the paradigm of scripture. I believe that we must look LARGER and outward. Teaching, prophetic gifts, apostolic gifts are God given and desperately need to come to life in the context of the Missio Dei, i.e. the Mission of God in the world. We are all missionaries, calling structures, systems, people back to the original vocation for which God intended.
Sports is a great way to connect with people from diverse backgrounds. I don’t need anything but people, a basketball, and a hoop. WORD! PEACE!
2 comments:
What's up Paul? In reference to this post - check out this book called "Imagine - A Vision for Christians in the Arts" by Steve Turner. I'm in the middle of it (as I'm in the middle of 3 books right now!) and it has a unique perspective that you don't see in the predominant church mainstream... you made me think of that book when you said this:
"Most humans have gifts, which by our cultural standards do not fit a paradigm which is relevant to the context of our society, but I believe God sees things differently. I personally have a gift for creative poetry, usually exhibited in either poetic rap music or creative writing. How many people in the Church care about rap music?"
I think Kelly will like the book also - being an artist. :)
Hey Janet, thanks for the reference, I read through some of it on Amazon, through the link. I am attempting to engage with the current context of our churches to observe how it is difficult it is for people to connect with the creative gifts which God has given them to proclaim the gospel of Christ.
This was spurred on by a class that I finished called Reactivating the Missional Church, where Alan Hirsch believes that the Mission of God in the world, shapes our churches, not the other way around. It was fascinating. Anyways, thanks for the post, talk soon.
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