book proposal: jesus versus the church

8/13/2019 Book Proposal: Jesus Versus The Church

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(ENDORSEMENTS: I have a confirmation from Shane Claiborne that he will endorse this bookRob !ell will endorse on obtainin" a contract for this book#

Book Title: $es%s &ers%s The Ch%rch b' George Elerick

Table of Contents:

oreward I)*reface: !' *astor Do%" *a"ittIntrod%ction b' Dr+ Creston Davis,# Introd%ction-# .cknowled"ements/# $es%s 0as 1eft The !%ildin"2# Christianit' is Sec%larism3# Television 4ill Save 5s6# $es%s7 The ."nostic8# Don9t Ste on The ;rass


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is a third otion we have 'et to consider+

This book (for a "eneral a%dience# will invite the reader on the o%rne' to discover better words thatclearl' seak of a messa"e that was meant for the world and not %st a few eole7 not %st for theCh%rch+ That ma'be in the midst of the mistake called Ch%rch7 we mi"ht come to realiFe thatChristianit' is sec%larism+ This work will challen"e the idea that what is7 isnGt what has to be+ It will

chan"e the wa' eole think and talk abo%t Christianit'7 $es%s7 ;od and the 4orld+ Each chaterwill visit certain asects of c%lt%re7 oc%lt%re and be"in askin" how can we learn from c%lt%reBwhat is c%lt%reB how did $es%s resond to c%lt%reB .nd %ltimatel'7 rather than demoniFin" c%lt%re7how will c%lt%re hel shae the f%t%re of the Ch%rch in the most ositive wa'+ Each chater willalso dive into hottoic iss%es that the Ch%rch as a whole are resondin" to (e+"+7 homose%alit'7women in leadershi and etc+# and how c%lt%re7 a better)$ewish ori"in %nderstandin" of scrit%re7dialo"%e and alication will hel %s make better decisions for the f%t%re of the Ch%rch and%ltimatel' Christianit'+ !' emlo'in" oc%lt%re7 mass c%lt%re7 ostmodern tho%"ht and anecdotethis will be a treatise for a chan"e in ersective+

Audience:

4ith b%FF words like *ostChristianit' and *ostCh%rch floatin" aro%nd and definin"societ'7 there is now a demo"rahic awaitin" their voices to be heard+ Man' of the adherents ofthis socalled *ost Christian societ' are not %st nonChristians S%nda' ch%rch articiants areconsiderin" themselves a art of this a%dience as well+ This work aims to reach both "ro%s ofeole and invite them into a theoretical wrestlin" match with ;od and their tho%"hts on 0im+

The intention is that this book will be an accessible look into c%lt%re7 the messa"e of $es%s andhow it relates to the f%t%re of the ch%rch+ This does not intend to be an aloof scholastic work7 b%trather one that reaches those who articiate in the "eneral Christian dialo"%e and some of thosewho mi"ht be @%estionin" the role of Ch%rch in societ' and what the f%t%re reall' holds for theCh%rch+ The a%dience incl%des those who ma' not be reli"io%s b%t are interested in the

conversation occ%rrin" within Christendom+

Chapter Summaries:

Jesus Has Left the Building

C%lt%re and ch%rch have had @%ite a d'sf%nctional relationshi historicall' seakin"+ MostChristian scholarshi has distanced itself from the c%lt%re within which it lives mis@%otin" Abe in theworld not of it9 I osit in this first chater that the f%t%re of the ch%rch needs c%lt%re to save it+ Thatwitho%t thin"s like c%lt%re there will be no f%t%re of the ch%rch+ 4here this deviates from the

traditional ostch%rch rhetoric is that it dissects the messa"e of $es%s not as one intended tocreate a reli"io%s eression in the s'stematic sense7 b%t rather as a movement7 and for an'movement to s%stain itself7 it m%st remain mobile+

This chater will also answer the @%estion of whether or not Christianit' was meant to be a%niversall' imosed worldview or if $es%s meant somethin" else+ (For Eample:To be IN theworld and not OF it has been over%sed to elain what it means to have a health' distance fromthe world 'et in the time)lan"%a"e of $es%s H IN imlies 1O&E O means to be %ndone+ TheCh%rch is meant to love the world7 to even die for it 'et7 is also not meant to become %ndone b'their own inabilit' to love s%ch a world+#

One of the most diffic%lt @%estions that we are "oin" to have to tackle in this chater is definin"

c%lt%re+ It is s%ch a va"%e word and has had man' meanin"s thro%"ho%t cent%ries of anal'sis+ So7

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I can9t romise that I am "oin" to "ive a %niversal definition7 b%t rather I want to offer a Aworkin"9descrition that will hel f%rther o%r conversation+ ostmodern eraB H lan"%a"eB

Merriam4ebster defines c%lt%re as three searateb%tconnected ideas:

the beliefs7 c%stoms7 arts7 etc+7 of a artic%lar societ'7 "ro%7 lace7 or time

a artic%lar societ' that has its own beliefs7 wa's of life7 art7 etc+

a wa' of thinkin"7 behavin"7 or workin" that eists in a lace or or"aniFation (s%ch as a

b%siness#

So7 for the sake of o%r on"oin" disc%ssion7 I want to %se the third definition+ Mainl' beca%se thefirst definition ass%mes that beliefs and c%stoms are somehow obective or arbitrar'7 as if the'somehow ma"icall' recede the societ' or "ro% that emlo's them+ The second definition is alsoroblematic beca%se it sets c%lt%re % as somethin" that is onl' ascribed to artic%lar "ro%s withinsociet'7 altho%"h there is some tr%th in that distinction7 I think for the d%ration of the book7 I lan to%se the third definition+ 4hich rooses that c%lt%re is a wa' of thinkin"7 behavin" or workin"

c%lt%re is embedded into who we are+ Now7 that co%ld be a bad thin"+ M' ar"%ment for this chater7amon"st man' others7 will be that c%lt%re has iss%es+ In this artic%lar definition7 the wa' wo%ld bever' close to what the !%ddhists refer to as a Dao or to when Christians refer to the words of $es%sas AThe 4a'9+ It imlies a commitment to somethin" o%tside of one9s self+ 4hich I think is where wehave "one wron"+ That7 %st as the third definition demonstrates above7 it9s a wa' of behavin" H asif the behavio%rs behave for %s7 it9s a wa' of thinkin" H where the tho%"hts think for %s and so on+ Ithink the %nreli"io%s messa"e of $es%s seems @%ite a""ressivel' co%nterint%itive to this ver' modeof livin" life+

I "rew % in a home where m' siblin"s and I were either h'sicall' or emotionall' ab%sed+ Somemi"ht also %se the word ne"lected+ Now7 as I9m older7 I brin" those eeriences with meever'where I "o+ The' are in me+ The' aren9t "hosts that follow me aro%nd7 as oetic as that

so%nds+ M' foster dad was an"r' H a lot That9s inme+ It9s visceral+ It9s so%ldee+ .ltho%"h7 itmi"ht have initiall' started as somethin" o%tside of me7 it9s within me now+ I9m ossessed+ I wonderif that9s what $es%s act%all' dealt with when he enco%ntered demon ossessed eole7 he wasfreein" them from what was within H ma'be demons aren9t some m'thical creat%re of darkness7b%t rather the darkness from within+ 4h' is it that $es%s "oes to s%ch "reat len"ths to differentiatehis kin"dom from Athe world9s9 kin"domB JI think its imortant to note the historical ? "eo"rahicalsi"nificance here7 that the centre of the Aworld9 for allintense %roses7 was RomeK+ !eca%seower is that which can be distorted from witho%t+ 1ove7 when obectified can be t%rned intoorno"rah'+ 4hen we make thin"s into obects7 we can worshi them+ I wonder if this is whatMoses was "ettin" at when he came down with the Ten Commandments and the first one was: Notto have an' other "ods9B Or7 don9t make thin"s into obects7 don9t "ive them obectstat%s+ Don9tmake bea%t' a "od7 or else 'o% mi"ht misaroriate bea%t' for an overmanic%red7 blotchfree7

m%scletoned "%' or "irl+ Don9t make reli"ion into a "od7 or else 'o% mi"ht think 'o% have all theanswers+ Don9t make ac@%isition into a "od7 or else 'o% mi"ht %stif' killin" others Jand acts of warKto "et what 'o% think 'o% need+ Lo% see7 for me7 the ower of the messa"e of $es%s is not that iswas meant for the Ch%rch7 or a ch%rch7 b%t for the world+ or h%mans+ It9s @%ite a radical messa"ewhen 'o% bein" seein" it from this ersective+ That ma'be7 $es%s left the Ch%rch lon" before itbe"an+ Ma'be the whis7 t%rnedtables and verbal barbs aren9t for those who don9t believe7 b%t forthose who think the' do+

Christianity is Secularism

!od "ecomes human# Something other than him$herself# %ay"e Christianity has to do the

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Thro%"h s%bversion+

The emire of cons%merism has led the Ch%rch in too man' directions+ This chater is not onl'how to "et it back7 b%t also seeks to offer wa's to relace cons%merism with somethin" else that$es%s offered7 a societ' b%ilt on "ivin" and)or "race+ This will deal with the social and c%lt%ralimlications of s%ch an idea where "race doesn9t siml' relace the c%lt%re ideas7 b%t "race associal s%bversion toward the c%rrent societ' of ch%rch and the world and how "race s%bverts o%r

d%alism+

%y Chemical ,omance

4orshi shows % in o%r c%lt%re in a variet' of wa's+ 4e have cheerleaders+ 4e have football"ames+ 4e have billboards+ 4e have sin"ers7 bands7 artists7 dancers7 and etc+ 4orshi is intrinsicto o%r social make%+ The ori"in of worshi resides in ancient s%erstitio%s activit'+ 4esometimes worshi witho%t even knowin" it+ !%t wh' is that imortant as a c%lt%ral si"nB !eca%seif we9re not caref%l7 we mi"ht become so cons%med with worshi that we do nothin" else b%tind%ce a chemical hi"h+ M' claim here is that ;od does not need h%mans to worshi him (even"od as a him is roblematic# that worshi as intrinsic as it seems to who we are as eole7act%all' ne"ates what it means to celebrate o%r ;od"iven h%manit'+

This chater shows how c%lt%re7 ch%rch and reli"ion (as is# in "eneral %shes %s to o%r chemicallimit and wh' this mi"ht not be a "ood thin"+ This also will answer the @%estion of whether we needworshi and how it ri"htl' can hel save the f%t%re of the ostinstit%tional ch%rch+ This is asociolo"ical look into the effects of worshi in and o%t of the ch%rch+

The -ther Side of The Tracks: 'omen) Homoseuals) ,acism -h %y./

No matter how A4estern9 we are7 there are n%ances of colonialism7 imerialism and even caste

s'stems within o%r societ' and all reli"io%s eressions+ This chater will directl' deal with s%chhot toics as: women in societ')ch%rch7 homohobia (1;!T#7 reli"io%s cometitivism7 racism('e7 it still "oes on#7 and more to name a few+ This will dissect wh' we do s%ch thin"s7 how thech%rch has had a hand in it and how we can reverse the notion of reli"ion bein" a tribal idea+

(."ain7 this chater (nor this book# is intended to demonise c%lt%re7 b%t rather see it like m%chan'thin" else7 when ri"htl' %sed can act%all' chan"e the landscae of Christianit' for the better(which the distance between the ch%rch and Christianit' is where I think the Ch%rch has "onewron"#+ 4hich is somethin" that needs to haen and 'et there seems to be a "a in this "enre ofwritin"+ This chater will elain wh' it does need to haen+

Tour !uides 0 Skyscrapers

In $es%s9 famo%s ra'er7 he ra's for %nit'7 b%t how does that haenB !' bein" in the world not ofit+ !%t what does that meanB O%r c%lt%re is increasin"l' escaist+ The c%lt%re of denial ervadeso%r lives7 rhetoric and relationshis+ !%t7 4h'B The movies7 theatre and entertainment arestatisticall' the hi"hest aid ind%stries+ 4e learn as Christians7 as eole7 not to be Ahere9+ !%t weare s%osed to be in the world+ This chater dives into the man' reasons wh' we think we9rebetter off thererather than hereand also how that hilosoh' destro's the whole ra'er of $ohn,8+

.nd also how the Ch%rch has heled in it7 b%t also how the Ch%rch co%ld be shaed b' bein" in

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the world and what that reall' means in c%lt%ral terms+ $es%s seaks of what is aro%nd %s as if it isfleetin" and frivolo%s7 b%t who made the r%le that all cities in the world have to have sk'scraersBThis chater dives into that and also elores what it means to be a ostinstit%tional ch%rch in aostworld narrative and what the latter imlies in terms of the eistence of this world and what$es%s mi"ht have reall' meant+

Christianity the Sitcom) 1ot the %o&ie

4hen we obectif' thin"s and ideas7 what we essentiall' do is ecl%de those thin"s that don9t fitthat thin" or idea+ 4e %sh them aside+ $es%s7 eseciall' thro%"h man' of the arables tends toredraw the bo%ndaries on incl%sion+ *arables are more like sitcoms7 short7 sweet and to the oint+$es%s emlo's these in a tribal societ'+ Tribalism is r%nnin" ramant in o%r societ'+ This chatertakes a look at Christianit'9s role with the whole of c%lt%re7 histor' and societ' and asks whetherwe are meant to be art of the stor' or the framer of the whole of realit' (micronarrative vers%smetanarrative#+ $es%s seems to think we are meant to coeist with others7 rather than overtakethem with o%r ideas+ This chater deals with evan"elism (within societ' and Christianit'# and askswhether $es%s reall' enco%ra"ed s%ch a thin"+ If Christianit' can be %niversal b%t den' he"emon'+!%t also seeks to make sense of Christianit' in relationshi to other narratives that relate to itwithin societ' incl%din" other reli"ions and what $es%s had to sa' abo%t them+

Jesus on The Animal Farm

So what does the new Ch%rch look likeB 4hat does it look like after all of the aboveB Does it lookcomm%nist (not in the eorative sense rather the new comm%nism#B New comm%nism seems tobe sweein" thro%"h the Emer"ent)*ro"ressive conversation7 more secificall' in movements likenew monasticism and so on+ Other @%estions incl%de: 4ill the Ch%rch look nothin" like the formerch%rch at allB Sho%ld it incl%de the creedsB 4ill it look like the Ch%rch in .ctsB Or will wecomletel' imlode into o%r c%lt%re and become %st another fad like some .merican ch%rchesB

This chater elores all of the above7 all the while ima"inin" $es%s on Orwell9s .nimal arm andwhere the' went wron"7 b%t the with hel of $es%s7 where the Ch%rch mi"ht "o ri"ht+

Synopsis:

Jesus After Churchwill be a 2>3>7>>>word book tar"eted at those who are still c%rio%s abo%ttheir faith o%rne'+ or those who are in the middle of a "rowin" conversation amon"st theEmer"ent)*ro"ressive)*ro Those who are h%n"r' for more and donGt want to settle for less+ It is forthose who know there is more to the messa"e+ It is for those who like the scholastic b%t who needit to be heard in an accessible wa'+ This is a challen"e to those who tend to embrace a more onesided view of the Christian o%rne'7 it is an invitation into transformation b' disc%ssin" c%lt%rall'relevant toics ertainin" to faith and that directl' affect an' faith comm%nit'+ This will differ from

other contemorar' writers in that it will seek to investi"ate the f%t%re or end of ch%rch as we knowit7 all the while emlo'in" hilosoh'7 oc%lt%re7 sociolo"' and the like+ The redominantChristian book on similar s%bects tend to make tr%th claims abo%t ch%rch all the while keein" thech%rch where it is+ Meanin" most writers (even s%osed Aostmodern9 one9s still desire to kee thech%rch rooted in historical Christianit' H this is ervasive+ I ose that it is in the end of ch%rchwhere the salvation lies (at least in its esoteric c%rrent form# I think it is not %st the end of ch%rchthat we sho%ld seek7 b%t a comlete recreation of somethin" %niversal and "lobal+ This bookseeks to %nack s%ch a radical claim+ I also think its relevance is seen b' all of the c%rrentconversations on the above iss%es as seen in man' eriodicals (both reli"io%s and otherwise#7 aswell as the sec%lar world takin" note even in s%ch hi"hrofile ma"aFines like Tie!

It is for those in the Emer"ent ? *ro"ressive conversations alon" with an' believer or nonbeliever

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who wonders abo%t the f%t%re of the Ch%rch and what it mi"ht look like+ It will be for those whodesire to know more abo%t how c%lt%ral en"a"ement has7 will and sho%ld hel shae and ma'beeven save the f%t%re of Ch%rch and %ltimatel' a new form of Christianit'+ This toic seems to becentral to man' conversations and conferences7 b%t there still seems to be a deficit in terms of aviable resonse+ !ooks that will be in this "enre co%ld incl%de !rian Mclaren9s A New "ind ofChristianit#P7 *eter Rollins $ow not to %&eak of GodP7 and Shane Claiborne9s Jesus for'residentP+

Authors+ Story:

There is alwa's a resc%e7 isnGt thereB I mean7 once 'o% oen a book of an' sorts there issomeone or somethin" needin" some t'e of resc%e+ Central to ever' stor' is the desire to be free+M' stor' has a resc%e as well+ I was thrown into a world of chaos that involved two arents whosold and did dr%"s and a mother who was a rostit%te+

.nd I was onl' 2 'ears old7 b%t it was tra%matic eno%"h for me to never for"et m' arents face as

m' siblin"s and I were wrenched from their "rass and taken awa' to searate homes to start anew life and a new be"innin"+ I wrestled with the concet of ;od at a ver' 'o%n" a"e7 a atternthat wo%ld follow me thro%"ho%t m' life7 the idea of wrestlin" with ;od has been somewhat centralto m' faith+ .nd even to eole like $acob who had to be blessed b' ;od b%t onl' after he wrestledwith him7 I seek the same+ ;od calls %s all into a ministr' of resc%e+

. realiFation that we never sto needin" 0is resc%e on a dail' basis+

M' stor' has taken me to almost ever' state on the 5+S+ Ma and overseas+ D%rin" m' o%rne'sG Ihave come to see ;od as m' friend and lover and rotector and someone who never stoschasin" after me7 another central theme in Scrit%re from the Old to the New+

I received m' !achelor of .rts in Theolo"' from California !atist 5niversit' and will be workin" onm' Masters in AReli"ion7 Ethics and Societ'9 ver' soon+ I have st%died relentless ho%rs on thelan"%a"e of the .ramaic7 S'riac and ;reek to come to %nderstand what is shared here+ I havebeen to Israel+ I have shared life in a $ewish s'na"o"%e+ This isnGt taken li"htl'+ I have hadconversation with 5niversit' rofessors thro%"ho%t the 5nited States abo%t this information+

I have worked in Ch%rches (internationall'# for the last ,- 'ears and now do workshos forch%rches on how to transition from bein" static and sta"nant to movements who are e@%ied tobe malleable forces for chan"e in li"ht of ostmodernism and to learn that ostmodernism is notthe enem'+ I have friends7 famil' and other latforms I nat%rall' brin" with me beca%se of m'nomadic lifest'le that I can %se to romote this work+

I have been in ch%rches since I was at the a"e of seven and have had direct eeriences withother reli"ions (I was hometa%"ht b' Mormons and $ehovah 4itnesses# and have sent time in a$ewish S'na"o"%e+ M' eerience which is not all incl%sive here has allowed me the a%thorit' tobe able to write abo%t s%ch thin"s as the above offered+

I have had the oort%nit' to en"a"e with eole from all different races7 back"ro%nds7 faiths andwalks of life which has h%mbl' afforded me with the eerience of learnin" how to listen to eolewhere the' are at and meet their needs+ I have in no awa' arrived7 b%t the o%rne' has challen"ed

me to "row in m' skills as a writer7 seaker and a issional erson+ I have been %blished invario%s ma"aFines7 s%ch as Relevant Ma"aFine (a ro"ressive Christian ma"aFine# and will "ladl'

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s%bmit the links to view these %blications on re@%est+ I have been workin" in ch%rches for overtwelve 'ears of which have allowed me to sit ri"ht in the thick of it all7 not onl' am I a articiator7sometimes I can easil' be seen as the eretrator+ I have sent time with Lo%th for Christ andLo%th 4ith . Mission+ I have done vol%nteer work with Christian .id+ .s I write this7 I am "oin" tobe sendin" a month in *akistan on "lobal develoment+

This eerience of bein" in ch%rches on staff has enabled me with the e'es to see that thin"s toneed to chan"e+ That too often we reserve o%rselves and traditions over bein" a comm%nit'desi"ned to fi"ht for the oressed+ M' wife and I have started a "rassroots nonrofit or"aniFationcalled 3- Da's which has been insired b' the reb%ildin" of the temle b' the tribal rohetNehemiah+ 4e are called into a life of reb%ildin" relationshis and restorin" the val%e of those wecome into contact with+ 3- Da's does %st that+

I c%rrentl' divide m' time seakin" in the 5Q7 b%t have soken and lan to contin%e seakin"internationall'+ I have soken for L4.M at their bases on c%lt%ral transformation and%nderstandin"+ I have been invited to do radio slots for 5C! (still bein" invited#+ I am c%rrentl' inconversation with some of the movers and shakers within the Emer"ent Conversation (e+"+7 !rianMclaren7 .dele Sakler where we are findin" relevant wa's to meet "lobal needs head on+ I have

been interviewed (and am c%rrentl' invited back# on the 5Q9s n%mber one Christian Radio:*remier+ I have soken at the ed"'7 relevant o%tdoor weekend conference: ;reen!elt on theerversion of Missions I am c%rrentl' in conversation with Srin" 0arvest and New 4ine to seakthere+ I consistentl' do radio slots for !!C9s *a%se for Tho%"ht+

2LATF-,%

I am a o%rnalist for the local newsaer7 The Tiverton ;aFette+

I have been writin" for The 0%ffin"ton *ost Newsaer as an online blo""er for over three 'earsand contin%e to do so+ I have also been "iven the c%rrent oort%nit' to write for *hilosoh' Nowand have been "iven m' blo" b' *atheos+com I have m' first book Jesus (ootleggedwith the%blisher O!ooks (www+obooks+com# and it has been o%t since $an%ar'7 ->,,+ I live in En"landwith m' wife and two children+ I have soken at ;reen!elt 5Q (a threeda' o%tdoor festival withother wellknown names7 s%ch as: Rob !ell7 !rian Mclaren7 Shane Claiborne7 and Ton' Camoloto name a few# I have also been invited to be the headliner (with !rian Mclaren# at the ->,2*ro"ressive Christian .ssociation in !ritain+ I was invited to seak at S%bvertin" the Norm II atDr%r' 5niversit' in Srin"field7 Misso%ri (->,/# alon"side *eter Rollins7 $ohn Ca%to and others+ Ihave been invited to Seak in Delhi in November ->,/ on *olitical Theolo"' (and s%bse@%entl'have been invited back to seak on m' own work the followin" 'ear# I have been invited to seakat the ->,2 iFek Conference in Ohio+ I have a artnershi with m' wife entitled: Cross C%lt%re

Cons%ltanc' which is a webinarbased initiative (we also seak in erson# that emowerscomm%nit' "ro%s7 ch%rches7 comm%nities on some of the most ertinent iss%e of o%r time:domesticviolence7 "endere@%alit'7 ostmodern identit'7 ostmodernism ? international relationsand more H O%r artnershi has artnered with *atheos+com to brin" some of the reso%rcebasedwebinars to their latform H which also works as crosslatform romotion+ I have almost over/7>>> friends (and "rowin"# on acebook7 and over 63> friends on Twitter (and "rowin"#+

*OSSI!1E END D.TE OR M.N5SCRI*T: 2)->,2 ()ate *hen Author *ill %end Finished+anuscri&t to *%blisher#

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ED5C.TION

2ost3!raduate Certificate: Ethics) ,eligion 0 SocietyS%ervisors: Dr Mark 4'nn Dr Esther ReedEeter 5niversit'7 Eeter7 Devon7 5Q

BA Teenage *e&elopment 0 TheologyCalifornia !atist 5niversit'7 California (5S.#

%aths 4B5 English 4A5 Spanish 4A5 Journalism 4A5

0emet 0i"h School7 0emet7 California (5S.#.C.DEMIC .ND RE1.TED .C0IE&EMENTS

Ja6aharlal 1ehru (ni&ersity) 1e6 *elhi77ndia

->,3 ? ->,2

Theme: Material Theolo"'

2rogressi&e Christian 1et6ork) (8 1ocation: T!.->,2Theme: Christian Materialism

*rury (ni&ersity) Springfield %-) 4(SA5->,/Title: Can ostmodernism live in the Ch%rchBJw)*eter Rollins7 Cla'ton Crockett7 $ohn Ca%toK

Cam"ridge (ni&ersity) A&ello Conference->,-Theme: *s'choanal'Fin" the Errata of 0e"el ? Newton

!reenBelt -utdoor Conferences->,-Title: Domesticatin" Monsters

9

J;eor"eElerickK

Cultural Theorist


10/24

Society for the Study of Theology) Scotland (8 ->,,

Title, E-orcising $egel.s Ghost, A social re/alignent of the $ol# %&irit

The notion of the $ol# %&irit has been a contro0ersial to&ic since the ince&tion ofthe idea! For soe it was nothing ore than another nae for God1 and for others it eerged as ali0ing1 breathing third entit# in the e-tra/biblical theolog# of the Trinit#! For a select few1 it was the

Geist or Ghost of the world 2*elt Geist31 the abiding &rinci&al that has sha&ed realit# as wecurrentl# engage with it!

$owe0er1 for $egel1 it was soething entirel# different! In the ideologicalconstellations of $egel lie a re/assessent and re/alignent of the role of the $ol#%&irit that I think histor#1 out of sacrilegious a&&rehension has arginali4ed! I think if we are to takethe role of the $ol# %&irit 2and b# i&lication1 God3 seriousl# as a &i0otal co&onent in assisting inthe de0elo&ent of a world filled with &otential now is the tie to re0isit $egel and his 0iew of the$ol# %&irit as the $uan (ond and how that will fore0er transfor the global 2&olitical1 social1econoic1 ecological and sub5ecti0e e&iricis3 landsca&es we inhabit!

Clareont %choolof Theolo"'7 California7 (5S.# ->,,

Theme: *ostmodern)*rocess Theolo"' w) $ohn Cobb

SER&ICE TO *ROESSION

$o%rnal: %ar 0 2hilosophy H Mar Dictionar' b' Ian raser$o%rnal: 7nternational Journal of 9iek Studies (.rticle endin"#-,C7* %em"ershipResearcher!ooks:A 9iek *ictionaryw)Re !%tler9iek 0 Educationw).ntonio ;arciaThe *eath of Culture(%sin" iFek to criti@%e c%lt%re sent to &erso#

COMM5NITL IN&O1&EMENT)O5TRE.C0Tutoring: Sanish7 En"lish7 Drama (c%rrent#Community *e&elopmentwith Teena"ers (on"oin"#E&ent %anager: Innercit' estival with m%ltile M*9s (->,,#TE.C0IN; .RE.S)CO5RSES *RE*.RED TO TE.C0

A 2hilosophy of Ethics9iek 0 -ntology(nderstanding Lacan%aterialist Theology7ntroduction to 2hilosophical %aterialism7ntroduction to Continental 2hilosophy

Film and the !aeAtheist TheologySemiotics of 7dentityAn 7ntroduction to 7dentity$7dentity 2oliticsAn introduction to Freud1.N;5.;ES

Bilingual 4,ead) 'rite) Speak5:Sanish1o&ice 4Speak5:TamilFrench:5ndertakin"JS.M*1EK .**ENDI: DET.I1S O RESE.RC0 INTERESTS

ET0ICS: T0E DE&E1O*MENT ? SOCI.1 CONSTR5CTION

1


11/24

The investi"ation into the anthroolo"' of ethics and its val%e in societ'SOCI.1 IDENTITL ? T0E MIND

Emlo'in" the work of .ntonio Damasio7 this is an investi"ation into the matri of social identit'C.N ONE !E RE5DI.N TOD.LB

re%dGs toolo"ical str%ct%re of the Id7 S%ere"o and E"o has been an inval%able tool not onl' for

s'choanal'sis b%t also for c%lt%ral theor'+ 0owever7 one maor criti@%e that has been s%stainedthro%"ho%t re%dGs lon"standin" histor' is his binar' claim that most of realit' can be s%mmed %either thro%"h se or a""ression+ Diehard re%dians know this is an %nderareciated red%ctionof re%dGs contet+ 0owever7 this red%ction has also been in oc%lt%re7 if not cooted b' it+ Onewa' o%t of s%ch an ideolo"ical deadlock is to revisit re%dGs work in these areas via oc%lt%reand discover how one can still maintain a certain roimit' to re%dGs initial claims (which I claimbelon"s to a s%bset of other ossibilities#+ The ossibilities can be reactivated not onl' thro%"h aroer readin" of re%dian tho%"ht7 b%t also via c%lt%re itself7 via the hilosoh' of ostmodernism+RE5D .S . RE.DER O !.5DRI11.RD:

$ean !a%drillard was)is one of the most rominent thinkers er%tin" o%t of continental)ostmodern

hilosoh'+ 0is notion of sim%lacr%m is @%ite ivotal to %nderstandin" the media7 comm%nicationand identit'+ 0owever7 m' claim is that his oststr%ct%ral tho%"ht has a lot to add to re%dGsframework+ If one takes serio%sl' the notion of sim%lacr%m via s'choanal'sis then we are metwith a series of endless ossibilities not onl' in the act of s'choanal'sis (i+e+7 the ethics ofs'choanal'tic ractice# b%t also as a viable tool for interactin" with the olitical7 %nconscio%s7 oc%lt%re7 affect and aesthetics+ This is a deeer look into the conver"ence of two hilosohical"iants and what wo%ld haen if that sat in a room to"ether+RE5D7 !IOET0ICS .ND *OST05M.NISM:

This is an area that is still @%ite new in that (altho%"h re%d had worked on Ethics at lar"e# re%dhas directl' never had to deal with a lot of the new technolo"ical chan"es of toda'+ 4hat wo%ld thes'choanal'tic rohet have to sa' abo%t !ioEthics and where it is headin" toda'B *osth%manism is becomin" an everincreasin" hilosoh' that has immense merit d%e to the realit' oftechnolo"' becomin" more central to o%r dail' lives+ 4here wo%ld re%d stand on thisB 0ow wo%lda re%dian s'nosis allow for roer disco%rseB

F,E(*) LACA1) AFFECT 0 S(BJECT7;7T


12/24

Dan 4ilson7 California !atist 5niversit'7


13/24

creation of the commercial itself+ This is so imortant to take note of7 beca%se even on this basic

level the rod%ct has alread' made a commitment to 'o% and now it onl' waits for 'o%r

commitment to it+

ollowin" this the bea%t' rod%ct tends to be endorsed b' a celebrit'7 someone well known7 most

of the time worldwide+ in this moment7 on another level7 somethin" even more m'sterio%s haens

beca%se this famo%s erson has ali"ned themselves to this rod%ct and the' are %niversall'

known7 the rod%ct itself becomes %niversal b' s%""estion+ Ever'one is %sin" it+ This is the end

tr%th and the res%mtion is that if 'o% are not %sin" the man%fact%red "oods7 then 'o% m%st be

o%tside of the circle+

Net what haens is that since the ill%strio%s erson is romotin" this rod%ct line the roosition

shifts to also romisin" the %rchaser that the' then will also ac@%ire similar looks and fame as that

of the erson on the screen+ In that same moment somethin" else occ%rs7 and this is an imortant

one in the life of marketers7 the rod%ct stos becomin" %st a rod%ct and becomes an obect of

desire+ This is when the commercial is no lon"er a commercial b%t a erverse eamle of what

haens in o%r societ' when we want to convince someone to take a hold of o%r fantastic rod%ct+

4hen the listick stos bein" listick is the moment we need to be"in askin" hard @%estions abo%t

the listick+ 4hen the rod%ct becomes an obect we desire it starts to believe for %s+ It starts to

lant desires within %s that ma' or ma' not be tr%e b%t we wo%ld never know after the commercial

has left o%r screens beca%se we have not been "iven the chance to think for o%rselves+ Lo% mi"ht

have noticed a similarit' to another rocess called indoctrination+

Common Sense. 1o) thanks/

Indoctrination is a form of brainwashin" whereb' information is %sed over and over in a reetitio%s

wa' to imose %on the listener certain set beliefs abo%t a artic%lar s%bect that ma' or ma' not

be tr%e+ This techni@%e haens in the militar'7 social cl%bs7 and even the ch%rch+ There are thin"s

like lit%r"' or h'mns7 worshi son"s7 and the ch%rch service str%ct%re itself+ The dan"er is when we

take these thin"s and obectif' them7 when we take them all as some sort of contin"enc' we

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cannot live witho%t+ Sadl' it seems this has occ%rred ri"ht %nderneath o%r noses and ews+

4e have been made to believe there is s%ch a thin" as Christian Acommon sense97 that one siFe

fits all+ This ver' iss%e seems to er%t @%ite a few times in the letters of .ostle *a%l and it

introd%ces itself thro%"h the roblem of circ%mcision+ This was a $ewish rite of assa"e that some

"ro%s took @%ite serio%sl' as a wa' to demonstrate their ;odbestowed chosenness+ It was also a

wa' to kee others o%t+

Thro%"ho%t man' of his letters *a%l attacks this notion of circ%mcision as a tool for ecl%sivist

belief and)or articiation+ !' doin" so7 he does somethin" interestin"7 he oens % the "ates7 in

fact7 he b%rns them down7 b' him challen"in" the common sense of the reli"io%s elite he demands

that ever'one be acceted b' ;od+ Ever'one+

!elief itself has become its own s%bc%lt%re that is mani%lated to the oint that we no lon"er

believe an'thin" abo%t realit'7 b%t rather realit' is mediated thro%"h obects that think for %s+ .

"reat eamle wo%ld be when we "o to the movies and choose what we want to watch+ In this7 is

the ill%sion of choice+ 4hat we donGt do is think abo%t the fact that those ,>,- movies were re

chosen for %s+ The limit of this choice is invisible+

4e donGt see the room filled with the mana"ers and officers who took the time to decide which

movies to show at the local cinemas+ .ll we see are the reviews that emer"e on o%r television

screens+ The same "oes with the radio+ 4hen we listen to the station and there are son"s we like

what we mi"ht not realiFe is that these son"s are rechosen for %s+ Even when we call in and

re@%est a son" it is not romised b%t the ossibilit' of it now eists and "ives %s a false sense of

hoe+ In this re"ard7 belief is somethin" that frames o%r ver' eistence and we %st don9t know it+

The Fetish of the Church Fathers

Can we talk abo%t incl%sivism a bit moreB This seems to be an imortant toic in the Christian

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conversation at the moment+ It9s the idea that we sho%ld be incl%din" those that orthodo

Christianit' mi"ht ecl%din"+ The weakness is the ar"%ment toward incl%sivism is that it %ltimatel'

fails based on the realit' that we will never be able to incl%de ever'one+ The moment we do incl%de

ever'one7 we naivel' ecl%de those who donGt want to be a art of the incl%sive nat%re of the

Ch%rch+ Incl%sion b' nat%re ass%mes a %niversal aeal7 meanin" that it intends that ever'one be

a art+ !%t the dan"er in this wa' of thinkin" lies in the notion of %niversalit'+

If ever'one is incl%ded7 then there is no lon"er a need for incl%sion+ !%t interestin"l' eno%"h7

$es%s sa's to his a%dience that Uthe oor will alwa's be with 'o%U+ There is more than a handf%l of

interretations of what he meant7 b%t how abo%t we "o with the literal for nowB If $es%s was bein"

directl' literal abo%t overt' bein" an eidemic we will never be able to fi then the idealistic

%nderstandin" of "lobal incl%sion fails beca%se the oor will alwa's remain with %s+ Someone will

alwa's be ecl%ded+ Incl%sion7 however altr%istic cannot f%ll' cat%re the essence of itself+ It fails

at bein" what it wants to be+ This is the same with belief+ !elief as a static idea that we never

@%estion never allows for the essence of an obect to chan"e7 in fact7 it demands the obect to

remain the same+

In demandin" the obect to sta' the same the concet becomes cr'stalliFed7 reserved and

historical+ If we donGt challen"e o%r beliefs than we will never chan"e7 we will siml' chan"e %nder

the "%ise of bein" chan"ed+ or most of %s o%r reference to realit' and what we deem as the here

and now tends to be framed b' histor'+ !' those before %s+ 4e look to historical doc%ments7

histor' books and other scholastic methods to hel %s discover where we came from+ 4e have

been made to believe that o%r histor' defines %s7 b%t even more ervasive that we m%st

retroactivel' demonstrate blind resect to those before %s+ I am thinkin" more secificall' abo%t the

Creeds+ The Creeds7 "enerall' seakin" are a series of beliefs comiled at Ch%rch co%ncil meetin"

in the 'ear /-3+ The' rofess certain thin"s abo%t ;od7 $es%s7 Mar'7 The 0ol' Sirit and other ke'

la'ers in the narrativeGs we now call the ;osels+ Certain characteristics of the stor' s%ch as Mar'

was vir"in at the birth of her son $es%s or that $es%s will come back one da' and %d"e the whole

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of h%manit' are eamles that er%t o%t of this ancient doc%ment+ These confessions are not

wron" in and of themselves7 b%t I think we err in "ivin" them so m%ch of o%r belief+ In fact7 the

belief in somethin" "ives ower to that obect+ It essentiall' becomes a fetish7 somethin" we %se to

mask o%r fear to realiFe that we either co%ld be wron" or that the statement mi"ht not be tr%e+ I

think how we have almost deified the Creeds thro%"ho%t Ch%rch histor' has tr%l' dama"ed the

Ch%rch+

4e have centred o%r whole %nderstandin" aro%nd a doc%ment and commentar' that has followed

thereafter b' leadin" imortant fi"%res in the conversation s%ch as St+ .%"%stine7 Irenae%s7 St+

I"nati%s of 1o'ola7 and Thomas .@%inas to name a few+ I think the "reatest act of resect we can

show to the a%thors and commentators of the Nicene Creed is to take their work to the f%llness of

its concl%sion which is that we are meant to contin%e and evolve it as needed+ In fact the'

themselves donGt deif' their work7 the' decentraliFe themselves within their work7 so another act of

resect is to not centralise or canonise their works b%t rather in the most resectf%l wa' evolve

them thro%"h "racio%s disre"ard+ This is so imortant beca%se what this means is that to be

resonsible with histor' means we kee movin" forward rather than live retroactivel'+ That we

m%st be"in lookin" to now to inform %s of now+ O%r contet7 o%r a%diences7 o%r interretations

these are %st as imortant to %s then the creeds themselves+ IsnGt this %ltimatel' what the

incarnation is abo%tB 1ettin" "o of o%r histor' to learn somethin" new7 %st like ;od didB Rather

than creatin" the ch%rch fathers into a s'stem of tho%"ht where we meas%re how and what we

believe7 what if we resect them as individ%als who contrib%ted to an on"oin" disc%ssion7 one that

will contin%e lon" after this book is even %blished+ In the ancient world belief wasnGt siml' belief

in the sense that we define it toda'+ The .ramaic word for belief is aanits meanin" is to foster or

allow sace for belief+ !%t isnGt belief in the traditional sense+ Nowhere in this .ramaic word is there

the imlication that one m%st commit themselves to an' idea+ In this re"ard7 to the ancient world7

belief was the allowance for belief+ It was %st as hol' as belief itself+ It was the willin"ness to

rovide sace for belief to occ%r+ 4hat this means is that we are then resonsible for what we

believe in+ That rather than ointin" to obects o%tside of %s7 we intentionall' choose what to accet

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and what to reect+

1ihilistic !race

!elief witho%t en@%ir' is a form of domesticated nihilism+ 1et me elain+ If we aroach belief as a

s'stem of tho%"ht within itself then what we do as eole is eret%ate certain strands of tho%"ht

within tho%"ht+ 4hat transires then are that those beliefs become the onl' reference oint for

realit'7 the meas%rin" rod b' which we translate an'thin" and ever'thin"+ The maor iss%e with this

aradi"m is that it be"ins lacin" ever'thin" and ever'one in little boes and these eole and

obects are never allowed to chan"e+ 4hen and if the' do7 the' are resonded to as enemies or

concets so forei"n that the' are %ltimatel' reected beca%se the' look nothin" like their former

selves+ This is the c%rse of common sense seems to also fit within this definition+ .lbert Einstein

once said this of common sense7 Common sense is the collection of re%dices ac@%ired b' a"e

ei"hteen+U Common sense is a "eneraliFed reorderin" of realit'+ Someone mi"ht sa' its common

sense not to smoke while re"nant7 or that its common sense not hit women7 or that its common to

have three meals a da'+ The %nderl'in" erverse ass%mtion of common sense it that it ass%mes

ever'one either has the availabilit' of reso%rces to be eosed to the common social mores and

that if the' do not the' m%st be at a loss+ . "reat eamle is obesit'+ Toda' obesit' tends to be

sh%nned as oosed to the sticklike fi"%res that cas%all' "et blown over b' the wind+ !%t in the

medieval a"esiit was a si"n of affl%ence to have a few more rolls at the table So7 then one mi"ht

sa' for them common sense was to be overwei"ht+

The rhetoric itself is @%ite ecl%sive+ It demands that all s%rrender to the most o%larised view of

realit' that are decided b' the masses+ The same haens in ch%rches when eole react to

different beliefs It creates Fombies who merel' follow after somethin" b%t are never alive+ The

ervasive hilosoh' of common sense has sn%ck in thro%"h the back door of o%r ch%rches and it

seems it has become the new theolo"' of the da'+ 1et9s take for eamle7 the Reli"io%s Ri"ht

res%me that if one is to wear the title of Christian that the' are meant to believe certain thin"s+

iiThat there are certain creedal commitments that m%st be handed down for someone to oin the

cl%b+ On the other hand7 the ro"ressive Christians reect almost an' do"ma and in essence

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become reverse nihilists who claim an ethical "osel witho%t an'thin" to believe in+ !%t I think both

sides lack somethin" the' both reach abo%t "raceiii+ In 0ebrew7 the idea of "race is defined as

noncontin"ent favo%r+ 5nconditional accetance+ 5nbroken alle"iance+ ;race has onl' one

re@%irement for favo%r7 that there are no re@%irements for favo%r+ In terms of labels of an' kind

;race is nihilistic+ Nihilistic "race is what

The ancient Eastern world defined tr%th not as a concrete never chan"in" idea7 b%t rather

somethin" that evolved+ Tr%th chan"es+ Now7 it wo%ld be too eas' to dismiss this notion as some

ostmodern "%' writin" a book abo%t a ostmodern ;od+ 1et9s think abo%t this tho%"h+ or 'ears

and 'ears eole believed that the earth was the centre of the %niverse+ This was the acceted

tr%th+ .n'thin" co%nter to this idea was considered heres'+ .n' discoveries that were born o%t of

en@%ir' that challen"ed the %niversal order were considered a"ainst the Catholic Ch%rch+ !%t as

we now know the earth revolves aro%nd the s%n+ Tr%th had evolved beca%se someone decided to

ask a @%estion abo%t the nat%re of the %niverse+ If we allow tr%th to solidif' and never allow it the

sace it needs to flo%rish then we become eole who advocate the eistence of nothin"+ 4e hel

eret%ate the sim%lation of these obects rather than the oint of their reference+ The cross is

@%ite a si"nificant s'mbol or icon within Christianit'+ !%t7 I wonder if the icon has become more

than it sho%ldB

$ean !a%drillard was a c%lt%ral theorist and hilosoher who osited the followin": when icons

become the s%bstit%te for Uthe %re and intelli"ible Idea of ;odU the sim%lacra (sim%lation#

becomes omniotent in the conscience of h%mankind+

The omniotence of the sim%lacra creates a nihilistic stance on reli"ion7 in which the conscience

to's with that notion that Udee down ;od never eisted7 that onl' the sim%lacra eisted7 even that

;od himself was never an'thin" b%t his own sim%lacr%mU+ The aarent in dan"er in centraliFin"

an icon7 whether it be as metahor or not is that over time the icon itself inherentl' s%resses the

obect it is mean to refer to+ 4hich in that moment the sim%lation takes over as the new thin" to

believe in and whatever Atr%ths9 that emer"e o%t of o%r eerience of these icons become the ver'

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thin" it %sed to refer to thereb' relacin" an' oint of reference at all+

The *harisees were an ardent $ewish reli"io%s order who altho%"h wellintentioned took the

$ewish law m%ch too serio%sl' to the oint that the' ecl%ded all other nations and eoles

beca%se the' somehow interreted Torah as bein" solel' abo%t them and their

olitical salvation+ The' had become so committed to their beliefs that an' other realit' be'ond

those beliefs were the ver' enem' a"ainst them+ The' were ideolo"icall' entrenched in their own

worldview+ $es%s enters the scene and be"ins reinterretin" the Torah in new7 fresh and incl%sive

wa's+ 0e be"in talkin" abo%t a societ' where ever'one was val%able and even the most %nclean

of eole were cared for+

0e also be"an reorderin" the wa' Torah was aroached+ In one lace he %sed a o%lar rabbinic

hrase7 Lo% have heard it was said7 b%t I sa' ivP however o%lar it was in %se then did not take

into acco%nt those who mi"ht not want to hear what is bein" said+ It %st so haened that those

who didn9t want to hear had a lot of infl%ence with Rome+ 4e will "et to that later+ Notice what

$es%s does here7 he takes the initial o%larised idea or interretation and then t%rns it on its head+

$es%s is a oc%lt%re iconoclast7 he takes the clichVs of the da' and idiomaticall' chan"es the

wa' eole view realit'+ In this re"ard7 $es%s was an a"nostic+

4h'B

!eca%se he takes what has been deemed as sociall' accetable and t%rns on its head+ 0e creates

do%bt in the fabric of historicall' identified relationshi d'namics+ 0e to%ches leers+ 0e interacts

with women in in s%ch a wa' that co%ld be easil' misconstr%ed as @%estionable+ 0e "athers ,-

men who ran"e from em%rderers7 ta collectors7 terrorists and lo%dmo%ths+ $es%s forces eole

to reeval%ate what the' believe thereb' in that moment creatin" a ri or "a in belief itself+

.llowin" somethin" other than what has been to emer"e+ This is a hol' a"nosticism that does not

den' the eistence of ;od b%t rather denies that what has been7 isn9t necessaril' tr%e abo%t what

co%ld be+ I don9t think we9re siml' meant to %se this as some tool for ecclesiastical destr%ction7 b%t

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I do believe it is meant to be a tool of internal and eternal s%bversion+

Internal7 in that I think we are resonsible for what we ersonall' believe7 we cannot siml' %se

rhetoric that absolves o%rselves from accetin" certain beliefs and discardin" others+ 4hen we %se

hrases like 4ell7 the !ible sa's thisP or ;od sa's thatP sadl' what we are %ltimatel' claimin" is

that we do not know how to think criticall'+ Let7 there are several laces within scrit%re itself that

imlore %s to Atest the siritsv9 which is another wa' of sa'in" make s%re 'o% know what 'o%9re

believin"+ 0ol' a"nosticism is not an eas' rocess beca%se it laces %s in a eret%al sace of

discomfort and decenters all the thin"s we once tho%"ht were tr%e and leaves %s with a "a for

thin"s to emer"e+ This sace for emer"ence is an alltoo imortant one7 one we m%st abandon to

itself+

4hat this means in ractice is that when we "et rid of a belief we do not siml' fill it with another+

4e allow the hole to breathe7 to heal7 to rest and to %ltimatel' seal over+ Now7 this is where the

scar' art comes in beca%se 'o% mi"ht want to react to this b' statin" well7 then there is nothin"

there7 and I wo%ld resond b' sa'in"7 Eactl'P+ Remember the Creation stor'B It is o%t of nothin"

that ;od creates somethin"+ The internal sace is where we be"in to chan"e into who we are

meant to be+ The more time we send aolo"eticall' defendin" o%r worldviews the more like the

Tin Man we become7 a stiff and ri"id shadow of o%r former selves who have no heart+ I know that

this seems harsh7 b%t in realit' if love does win than that is what m%st win not o%r ideas or beliefs+

Eternall' what this does mean is we m%st be willin" to s%bvert the nat%ral order of realit'+ $es%s

did not siml' challen"e reli"io%s norms b%t also the social and olitical str%ct%res in lace+ 0e

sent a lot of time talkin" abo%t how to interact with one another7 and even how to interact with

those who are 'o%r enem'+ !eliefs are the ver' s'stems we are meant to s%bvert+ !eliefs abo%t

each other7 beliefs abo%t "overnments7 beliefs abo%t societ' and %ltimatel' the world as a whole+

The notion of heaven isn9t abo%t whether it eists or not7 b%t rather that there is alwa's somethin"

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that eists be'ond o%r c%rrent social order+ That we can all work to"ether toward this new kind of

world+ . world where we learn to love those who hate %s7 where labels in ever' sense of that word

no lon"er eist7 where love is the interreter of how we r%n societ'+ This is wh' hol' a"nosticism is

so imortant beca%se it is the mediator between what is now and o%r otential for a Athen9 kind of

world+

4hen we see a oor man on the street and walk on b' this is the reco"nition that nothin" will ever

chan"e+ 4hen we send time "ettin" to know this "%' and @%ite ossibl' helin" him to a better

life7 this is a moment of hol' a"nosticism+ 4hen we challen"e o%r "overnments to allow more

sace for o%tsiders all the while dissolvin" the idea of territorial borders we are articiatin" in hol'

a"nosticism+ 4hen we also challen"e one another in the wa's we believe and what we believe7

this is the most imortant act of hol' a"nosticism and love that I don9t think there is eno%"h of+

4hat this does mean is that we can no lon"er s%ort mass belief in the name of harmon' or

wholeness+ 4hich is siml' harmon' %nder the "%ise of harmon'+

It9s interestin" that in the book of .cts where the a%thor states the attit%de of the earl' ch%rch as

the' were all in one accordP and 'et the rest of the narrative describes disa"reements in and

thro%"ho%t the collection of stories+

I think the a%thor was roectin" a moment where the' mi"ht have all been on the same a"e+ The

dan"er is to think that the' alwa's "ot alon" which is clearl' not the case when we read the rest of

the New Testament+ There were schisms and even imlications that some of them %st walked

awa' from each other to follow their own ;od"iven dreams+ I am not advocatin" some sort of

searatist realit' where we all embrace o%r own versions of Christianit' and never attemt to "et

alon"+ !%t I think its how we have come to define harmon'vithat has reall' distorted o%r

%nderstandin" of what it means to be in one accord+

Missionar' and a%thor *a%l of Tars%s once emlo'ed a colo%rf%l metahor for what I deem is not

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siml' the ch%rch b%t also for h%manit'+ 0e be"ins seakin" of a bod' and how we each have a

role in this thin" called the bod'+ 0e "oes into a descrition b' claimin" that some are the e'es and

nose and etc+ in fact he sa's it this wa' want 'o% to think abo%t how all this makes 'o% more

si"nificant7 not less+ . bod' isnGt %st a sin"le art blown % into somethin" h%"e+ ItGs all the

differentb%tsimilar arts arran"ed and f%nctionin" to"ether+ If oot said7 UIGm not ele"ant like

0and7 embellished with rin"s I "%ess I donGt belon" to this bod'7U wo%ld that make it soB If Ear

said7 UIGm not bea%tif%l like E'e7 limid and eressive I donGt deserve a lace on the head7U wo%ld

'o% want to remove it from the bod'B If the bod' was all e'e7 how co%ld it hearB If all ear7 how

co%ld it smellB .s it is7 we see that ;od has caref%ll' laced each art of the bod' ri"ht where he

wanted it+viiP 4hat I think is interestin" is the word he chooses to %se for bod'7 which in the ;reek is

Soma+ Swiss *s'chiatrist Carl $%n" elains the soma as a shadow that casts somethin" other

than itselfviii+

The bod' is that which is not tr%e of itself+ The bod' as a metahor in *a%l9s work tends to be

interreted as a s'mbol for to"etherness7 eace and harmon'7 b%t what if that9s not what *a%l

meant+ Notice how he writes it7 he first seaks of the bod' then he "oes into descritive roles that

make the bod'+ It is the roles workin" to"ether that alread' ass%me the bod'9s eistence+ Can I

add a little more on *a%l9s idea of the bod'iB 4hat if the bod' reresents idealism7 the erfect

whole which tends to be defined b' ever'one "ettin" alon" and a shadow of harmonio%s camfire

son"s are s%n" in choired %nison+ .ltho%"h7 I do believe %nit' is ossible7 I do not believe erfect

%nit' is what *a%l was "oin" for+ I think he was attackin" somethin" more sinister here7 the notion

of idealism itself+ Idealism sometimes refers to a tradition in tho%"ht that reresents thin"s of a

erfect form7 as in the fields of ethics7 moralit'7 aesthetics7 and val%e+ In this wa'7 it reresents a

h%man erfect bein" or circ%mstance+P Idealism seems to have cret into the ch%rch and o%r

theolo"' since its incetion and it seems *a%l attacks this elsewhere tooi+

So in $%n"ian terms the soma or bod' casts somethin" that is not tr%e of itself+ It is not bein"

who)what it is+ It is roectin" an %ntr%e selfima"e+ In fact7 it9s the selfima"e that $%n" and other

s'chiatrists and s'choanal'sts seek to eradicate7 it seems *a%l feels the same wa'+ 4hen *a%l

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takes the time to oeticall' describe roles that make % the bod' I think he is doin" somethin"

radical here7 he is claimin" that it is in the discover' of self where tr%e %nit' arises from+ That when

we as individ%als eha%st all of o%r reso%rces in vent%rin" o%tside of the beliefs we have deified

and be"in to discover o%r ;od"iven identities that is when tr%e %nit' emer"es+ This isn9t some

reli"io%s manifesto toward an oversirit%aliFed individ%alism7 this idea is that we send all of o%r

ener"' tr'in" "et ever'one to rall' aro%nd a ca%se of an' kind and in the midst of doin" so either

the ca%se or the self "ets convol%ted and lost+ !%t7 I osit that when we discover who we are

meant to be in ;od that that is when we alread' are the ver' bod' we have been fi"htin" to be+

4hen we fi"%re o%t o%r role in societ'7 ch%rch7 home7 love and etc+ this is when we are one ste

closer to the harmon' we all crave+ It is o%r identit' in who we are that is so imortant in the

Qin"dom of ;od7 b%t we are chasin" after so man' different beliefs we %st don9t know what we

believe an'more+ This is wh' hol' a"nosticism is so imortant7 not onl' beca%se $es%s himself was

an ideolo"ical a"nostic b%t beca%se he calls %s to be the same

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iObesity and metabolism by Mrta Korbonits (2008)

iiThese are generalisations to make the point that what we need is not more distance from one another bt less of it and sometimes to pro!e sch a point we need to start

from the e"tremes#

iiihttp$%%www#talmidi#co#il%htm%articles%articles&'#htm

ivMatthew $&8

v *ohn +$

viAnthropology of Belief. Jonathan Mair. Lent 2011

vii ,orinthians 2$-2 (M./)

viii*ng 1eich$ ody as .hadow y*ohn ,onger(33)

ix Some of which I think he might have included if we lived in our time today

xhttp$%%en#wikipedia#org%wiki%4dealism

xi ,orinthians 5$8-3$ 6as a man already circmcised when he was called7 e shold not become ncircmcised# 6as a man ncircmcised when he

was called7 e shold not be circmcised# ,ircmcision is nothing and ncircmcision is nothing# Keeping /od9s commands is what conts# :ote$ :otice what ;al does

here he eradicates the notion of something other than self to look pto< he remo!es the idea that one shold compare themsel!es to another< which is ltimately at the heart

of idealism which states one of two things< either we need to work together as a whole for a perfect end or that 4 need to sbconsciosly be more like someone else# ere

;al seems to challenge both ideas#

--- The Tele!ision ,hapter#=o yo remember Mike Tea>ee7 ?o know the obno"ios character from ,harlie the ,hocolate factory7 e was so consmed with watching tele!ision< that in the end< it

consmed him#
http://s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1%3F_encoding=UTF8&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books&field-author=John%20Congerhttp://s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1%3F_encoding=UTF8&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books&field-author=John%20Congerhttp://s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1%3F_encoding=UTF8&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books&field-author=John%20Congerhttp://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?NIV_version=yes&passage=1+Corinthians+7:18-19http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?NIV_version=yes&passage=1+Corinthians+7:18-19http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?NIV_version=yes&passage=1+Corinthians+7:18-19http://s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1%3F_encoding=UTF8&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books&field-author=John%20Congerhttp://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?NIV_version=yes&passage=1+Corinthians+7:18-19

book proposal: jesus versus the church

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