| Thursday, November 17, 2005 |
| Invasion of the Mind-Snatchers |
For those of you who don't know me that well or haven't taken the time to read my bio, I just graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University last spring. I was sick enough to think that I desired/needed/was called to do more schooling. So I applied to Nazarene Theological Seminary, Kansas City, MO. Many had told me- even a few of my profs and denominational leaders- that this was a good conservative Christian seminary and so off I went.
What I have found at NTS is a group of high-minded elitists who see anything capatilist, pro-life, defense-minded, right wing, or white as the epitomy of all evil. They are ready, however, to canonize such "theologians" as Freire, Gutierrez, Cone, and Isasi-Diaz. All of whom I would find much more convincing (and, frankly, Christian) if they would begin with the Word of God and not their own "experience".
Going out from IWU I had made the erroneous assumption that most Christians (and certainly most ministers) fell very near myself in their beliefs- both theological and political. Such is not the case. Yet I have also found that I like it this way. My beliefs have been challenged and I have had to do excess research to continue to buttress my agruements. If anything my own beliefs have become harder and stronger and it has brought me great joy to irritate my peers who lean to the left. Who abducted the Christians and replaced them with leftist, weak-willed, sissified, look-a-likes?
Several years ago Pope Benedict XVI who was, at the time, Bishop Ratzinger, stated that Liberation Theology was anathema. Let me, many years later, echo this statement. The idea of "social justice" (a misnomer- it should be "social mercy"- because justice implies what one deserves) is disgusting. It has nothing to do with Bible and even less to do with the Cross. In the past months I have been told that because I am not black, hispanic, poor, or a woman that I am an oppressor. Give me a break: one, I don't buy that; two, it has nothing to do with the Gospel. Christ promised us eternal life and for His Spirit to work within us and I have heard far too many "theologians" state that they "reject" any Gospel that does not deal with their liberation (from poverty and physical oppression) in this life. Well, they better start by leaving the Christian church- there is nothing for them here. At least not in the Bible and creeds I know of.
P.S. If this all sounds too extreme to be true simply read the following books: A Black Theology of Liberation by James H. Cone, In La Lucha by Ada Isasi-Diaz, or A Theology of Liberation by Gustavo Gutierrez- just for starters. |
posted by D.M. @ 6:18 PM  |
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| 7 Comments: |
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Why can't we just all get along?
Why, because you can't help people who have a disdain for both history and facts.
Your prolife, capitalistic, Biblically inerrant (even when it uses masculine terms for God), non-pc, weighlifting, leftist butt kicking, Reagan Republican friend Bill
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You are so cute when you get mad Devin.... But be careful you do not paint IWU completely either red or blue... I am here holding down the blue end of the bench (over here Devin... yep, there! you found me sitting behind John Wesley in the "American Holiness movement" section... ;-)
--coach d
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Devin, now let's not jump to conclusions and assume all Christians are right-wing conservatives. Wait, I'm an oppressor too. You forgot, though, if you're a homosexual and Caucasion, you are considered a victim also. What a great point to make that people try to speak to Word of God by their "experience" and "feeling" instead of heading directly, say, for the Truth (God's Word). Reject scripture, do they? Wow, that's about a two-year-old mentality on that. "When I play hide and go seek wif my fwiends, I just cover my eyes and stand in fwont of vem. If I hide from what is twuf (truth for those who are of not 2-year-old mentality), it will not get me." Well, this intelligence obviously works, right? Oh wait, unless the friend who is the seeker is a blind parapligic, he will find you if you stand out in the open with the "hands-over-eyes" strategy. Good thing for God, though, that truth has never been based on a consensus. Whether a thousand or none believe it, truth is truth. It is embarassing when people reject this truth from their lives considering that would be stating, erroneously, that their experience trumps, not only Christ, but hundreds and thousands of years of accepted, edited, prayed for, and honed dogma and doctorine. Unbelievable that they can state their maximum of 100 some odd years beats the 10 or 20 times that multiple intelligent minds have poured into Sciptures and understanding them. Well, well done on this one too, buddy.
C-Man
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Oh Devin, dare I say it? Duke seems closer to the Wesleyan ethos than your description of NTS! Okay, perhaps that was an unfair jab. However, your post raises some very good issues that the Wesleyan Church needs to wrestle with. Are all of the seminaries the Wesleyan Church is "approving" actually seminares that we would want our future ministers trained in? Is it time to do a review of seminaries and then come up with a new list not based on denominational affinity but rather ethos, beliefs, and praxis? This would be an interesting discussion to bring before the education and ministry department. Aquire a collection of seminary bulletins, meet with deans, and then decide whether or not a school is fit to train Wesleyan ministersy. Let's stop assuming that all because something bears the label "Nazarene" or "Free Methodist" or even "Wesleyan" that it will automatically line up doctrinally as well as pragmatically with what we believe.
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Hey Devin,
Danielle and John here! CONGRATS ON THE TWINS! That's amazing! Sarah, I am so excited for you!!:)
How's Kansas treating you? Tell your family hello for us!
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To the Person who last commented,
While you raise some interesting points you do, as well, engage in some mud-slinging. It is easy to sit back and take pot shots at those of us who take a moral stand on issues when you yourself lack to the...uh, guts? to even leave your name.
On some of the actual issues you raised: I am not saying we should not aid the poor, give aid to the needy, protect the defenseless, what I am saying is that liberation theology reads the Bible in light of socialism instead of reading socialism in light of the Bible. Until the liberation theology movement moves beyond that fact it will continue to be resisted within the Protestand and Catholic churches. Their lack of exegesis and focus on "experience" as truth is what makes them anathema. By no means is the liberation theology movement alone in their error but it is the movement that I take greatest issue with.
Si vis pacem para bellum. And good luck on finding your guts.
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Name: D.M.
Home: Overland Park, Kansas, United States
About Me: I've lived at least 5 years in the last two but come out. After trials of fire and flame we are marching on and if we don't take the world we'll sure as heck die trying.
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Why can't we just all get along?
Why, because you can't help people who have a disdain for both history and facts.
Your prolife, capitalistic, Biblically inerrant (even when it uses masculine terms for God), non-pc, weighlifting, leftist butt kicking, Reagan Republican friend Bill