|
|
Bible Questions and Spiritual Discussion
| |
Kelley
|
04/26/2011 00:54 |
ROFL, you sooo crack me up! You should do like a video blog.
|
| |
jennyjm
|
04/26/2011 09:48 |
I enjoyed those videos. I do also agree that theology does depend somewhat on culture, and culture is subject to change. However, I would suggest a caveat: While finer points of theology may change, the essentials of the Christian faith do not. The gospel message of Christ's life, atoning death, and resurrection are not subject to revisionist history. Certain beliefs are the pillars of Christianity: Without them, the "roof" comes down, and you are left with a mess that isn't Christianity at all.
BTW, I liked your example of the changing idea within Christian circles of the purpose of sex. There are some hints in the Bible, in my opinion, that sex was not always simply for procreation, but this is not stated outright. There are many issues of this nature, and many differences between individuals and denominations about the finer points of the faith. Debate is healthy as long as we can agree on the essentials.
|
| |
Bibleman
|
04/26/2011 20:06 |
indeed, the only doctrine that is core is that Jesus is the messiah. Aside from that, we can argue all day...
|
| |
John T
|
05/05/2011 17:38 |
Hey James - do you happen to have a non youtube version?
|
| |
Bibleman
|
05/06/2011 18:21 |
yeah, its on my facebook page.
here's part 1: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=167686466623341
and part 2: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=167687286623259
and obviously, my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/James.Bibleman.Griffey
|
| |
Calico
|
05/21/2011 11:52 |
Heya James, happy Saturday to you,
...yes, it's more than a paragraph of writing here, deal with it, my digital-native friend (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_native)... ;-P
I watched this video a few weeks ago and had wanted to write, but got wrapped up on another couple of threads; sorry for Skyping you and saying "I'll write!" and then not doing so. My bad. :-(
Still, for my part, I LOVE this. I LOVE what you have going on inside your head, James, the wrestling you are going through as you press forward. In my heart, after watching this and having had a few weeks to mull-over the content, I have this thought that "when Griffey writes his book one day, and shares it with the masses, I am going to proudly hold the first copy hot-off-the-press, AUTOGRAPHED no less, and say 'I saw the very beginnings of this thing, years ago!'"
I like your comment in the following here, which I extrapolated as being "(because of the church's) continuing it's isolationist style (descending) into unbridled narcissism, so it is that places like (this building) become essential (for the gathering of 'isolationist-from-outside-community'-type people)." Your comment is apt, it's true, and offers to us illumination that this matter is amazingly blinding to the persons who engage in separation (of themselves with real-world matters).
Perhaps the following thought of yours is the most important one from what you shared in your vid. It has been rolling around in my head for the last three weeks (more on WHY this has been rolling around in my head later): "How do we draw (the family unit) BACK OUT INTO COMMUNITY?" This is an up-ending sort of concept for the church, since, yes, we view "OUR community-inside-our-group" as BEING community. Indeed it is not that "our community" is NOT community (it is), but the obscuring-ness and up-closeness of being WITHIN it makes it look as if that is ALL that there is (and it isn't!).
Can we let the WHOLENESS and robustness of "that outside community" be something that can help to entirely RE-FRAME our conception of "OUR community?" Can we "learn from the community/culture/country/gender we're not," without diluting Christ-in-us? I think we can. In fact, when I consider what I view Brian Hardin's journey (being an Anglican minister, ordained from the Diocese Of Rwanda to become AN AMERICAN MISSIONARY TO THE CULTURE AND COUNTRY OF THE U.S.A. so as to help American/North American Christians be exposed to the Gospel of Christ; for those reading along here I offer to you to listen to "The Boiling Point" month-end talk from http://www.dailyaudiobible.com/Groups/1000068287/Daily_Audio_Bible/Community/_Month_End/The_Boiling_Point/The_Boiling_Point.aspx), I think this is VERY possible. And I think it is EXTREMELY NECESSARY. These others and their stories can help us entirely re-frame what we understand community to be, and offer to us a finer focus on what roll we might have in it. Hell, in our Christian comfortability and sensibilities, what does the word community even MEAN, anyway??? What do we KNOW of, when it comes to what community really means???
Above, I had said that your thought has been rolling around in my head for the last three weeks, and here's why: I recently heard Chris Heuertz (http://www.wordmadeflesh.org/author/chrisheuertz/) speak at our church, and his matter of redefining "community" is extremely relevant to your thought of "How do we draw (the family unit) BACK OUT community?" In fact, the entire last three weeks has been radically reshaping my thinking about "community" and the comfortability of the Church in North America. A quote from Chris: "when the dominant consciousness becomes the false center, it brings us to the poverty of our relationships," and THAT causes EXCLUSION of community, and it causes OUR separation FROM them in very blinded, skewed, harmful ways (for all people concerned).
Perhaps the things Chris Heuertz shared in the discussion might reach into the wrestlings you are having with "the anti-church rant," James. It was videocast here http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/2-chris-heuertz/id143889873?i=93853768, on 5/9/11. I leave it to you if you wish to watch it; but if you should, think wholly on what he says in relation to what YOU have said ("How do we draw (the family unit) BACK OUT community?").
One thing is for certain, about what you have posited to us (to me), James: it starts with us, EACH ONE OF US, doing EXACTLY as you are doing. You are causing me to keep on going (as much as I already have been and must continue to do) in challenging my own "modern Christian thought." Let me offer to you my thanks for what you have shared here; with no caveats on any of it, and with whole-hearted support for you; hoping to encourage others to watch your video and respond here.
Praying with you, Mr. James "Bibleman" Griffey,
Tom
|
|
