RobCast - The Podcast by Rob Bell

Rob Bell has created a podcast entitled "Robcast". It is not bad if you like Rob Bell but if you don't then you might not. I happen to like him and so I am enjoying the "Robcast". 

"Salmon River" by Fredlyfish4 at the English language Wikipedia. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salmon_River.JPG#/media/File:Salmon_River.JPG

In the second episode Bell spoke of the saying: first a mountain is a mountain and a river is a river, then a mountain is not a mountain and a river is not a river, and then a mountain is a mountain and a river is a river again.

Bell goes through and talks about how when we are young we believe things are what others tell us they are. A river is a river and a mountain is a mountain. God is in heaven, Jesus died for you, etc.

At some point in our lives we begin to question everything. This is natural and only the most insecure of adults fear this when they see younger generations go through this process of deconstructing. A river is no longer a river and a mountain is no longer a mountain. God is not in heaven, Jesus did not die for you specifically, etc.

This is where the challenge is. Once we deconstruct the things in our lives, the next part of life is to reconstruct something out of those pieces. Over time many of the things that we learned when we were small and then broke apart begin to make sense in a different way than they did before. We may not believe that God is an actual man in the clouds, but we are comfortable talking about the hands and feet of God once again. We understand things in a different way even though we may use language we previously dismissed. The river is a river again, and the mountain is a mountain again. God is in heaven, Jesus died for you, etc. 

Not everything will return. That is true. After Seminary I cannot go back to seeing God exclusively as a male. After my sons were born I cannot go back to seeing God as demanding the death of Jesus. After seeing where the logic takes me, I can no longer affirm that everything happens for a reason. There are somethings that may be discarded for a long time.

First a mountain is a mountain and a river is a river, then a mountain is not a mountain and a river is not a river, and then a mountain is a mountain and a river is a river again.

Stuff you should know and why - Pt. 3

Post-Cynical Christianity - By Tony Jones

First of all, recently became Dr. Jones. Which makes me think of these clips:

If you have not read Dr. Jones' article, here is why I think you should. 

We live in the age in which it is en vogue to deconstruct and tear things down. I am a big fan of deconstruction of all sorts of embedded theologies.

Part of the popularity of deconstructing is the relative ease it takes to do it. When we have poked holes in people arguments and broke about every sacred cow down it makes us feel like we accomplished something. And we did. Which is why we do it again and again. 

But if all you are doing is taking things apart at some point you will be surrounded by nothing but parts. 

Dr. Jones' line is spot on:  

You can either be a stand-up comedian, or you can be an agent of change. Few people can make the transition from one to the other.

I am do not want to be in a church with a bunch of clowns. I am far more fascinated with architects.