Safe Haven

One of the defining characteristics of evangelical Protestant theology has been certainty, and at that a certainty that extends to the most specific, seemingly trivial of matters. I ask plainly, have we sacrificed mystery for certainty? Or I should say, mysticism. Have we doctrinally parsed every page of the Bible so that it doesn't scare us anymore? And I don't mean that fleeing in terror sort of scared. I mean worship-inducing, awe-inspiring sort of scared. What sort of doctrinal assumptions do you make as you approach the Bible that might suck all the mystery (or all the correction) right out of it? Is your theology too comfortable? Can it, and start over. Well, what do you think? I would turn the comments on, but I don't know how. Very well, if you wish to comment, send all of them to: jlkbb5@mizzou.edu. No spam.

I had some thoughts about theology. Some people see theology as a barrier to Christians and their walk with the Lord. True, some discussion is pointless infighting, with the sins of anger and arrogance at the forefront. But far too many Christians mistake "simply Christian" for easy, and an abscence of conflict. We should learn as much about the mysteries of God as we can. Furthermore, we should learn to speak the language of theology so we can explore these mysteries together. Sure, it will be somewhat jargon-filled, but we already have a jargon as Christians. Even the most basic of Christian doctrine seems fresh to any mind willing to dive into the mystery. We must at all costs avoid sin if we feel the need to dispute each other in matters of doctrine. Even to see some weaknesses in our own beliefs, or that of our particular traditions, the theological journey has merit. In any case, theology is another good place to see God's love for us in Christ if we look for it.

This is my religious autobiography, intermingled with an analysis of Robert Wuthnow's After Heaven: Spirituality in America since the 1950s. Enjoy. A Spirituality of Dwelling in the Incarnation Spirituality in the United States has undergone profound change. The spirituality of dwelling that allegedly prevailed in the 1950s depended on unimpeded transmission and repetition of religious practices, and community orientation. Wuthnow rightly asserts that such spirituality is unlikely to survive the rapid change that this nation has seen. That shift from dwelling to seeking is quite apparent, yet the solution of a “practice-oriented spirituality” is little more than platitudes, speaking to a need that is not filled with generalities. God, ever-present as the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, reminds us in the Scriptures and by his very presence that this culture is not so much faster, more materialistic, or any more lost than the one to which he spoke in biblica...

The construction of the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church originates from many angles. Philip Jenkins’ work, Pedophiles and Priests: Anatomy of a Contemporary Crisis, attempts to distill all the pressures for reform into the most pertinent elements, organized around a central theme: All the pressure points for reform had the effect of pushing the Catholic Church from a “sect” to a “church”. The three most compelling aspects of Jenkins’ argument are litigation, the media, and internal division. Once placing these factors within the argument, we can then critically evaluate Jenkins’ overall argument. Litigation is potentially the most dangerous aspect of the scandal for the Roman Catholic Church. Damage awards have the ability to cripple the church, and at a speed not rivaled by bad media coverage. In addition, the possibility of high damages encourages false accusations, and true accusers who might have otherwise elected not to sue (125). Another interesting point deals with th...

Well, I had to entirely rewrite the submission on Philip Jenkins' book, Pedophiles and Priests: Anatomy of a Contemporary Crisis . Therefore, I'll post the resumbmission for you here.

Too long not to post. Great Thanksgiving. We traversed all of Missouri, Kansas, and half of Colorado before arriving at our vacation destination in Colorado City. Thanks to Kevin Kettinger for driving 13 hours each way so I could celebrate. Seriously though, brother, there's only so much introspective acoustic guitar music I can take (John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews). Good times.