postmodern reputation

Just finished Brian D. McLaren’s book A Generous Orthodoxy… and found that in many respects Brian is in exactly the same spot as I am. I’m fed up with the modern idea that the Bible can be reduced down to a few principles and rules… kind of has the condescending tone that had God asked, we could have done a more concise job, but since He didn’t, we’ll go ahead and take a run at it anyway. The Bible is anecdotal for a reason… I think God chose to impart wisdom via stories and by demonstration because this media has a richness that an additional 20 or 30 commandments would not have.

Ever wonder why the Bible is so three dimensional? Why the stories and the events are told in such an open way? Why the stories are not always followed by the meaning, but that the meaning is left up to the reader to decipher? Why statements that seem contradictory are often truly balance? Ever wonder why God didn’t just make a list of rules that encapsulates orthopraxy?

I think that when we answer these questions, we have the reason that the Bible has remained relevant to life in so many cultures and across such a span of time… and will always be relevant.

Aslan

Aslan the lion from CS Lewis' fertile imagination... He's not safe, but He's good.

Good place for me to start, as those who know me well will attest. As we get acquainted, you’ll see the pitbull side of me, but don’t be fooled by this dimension, or by the rough exterior… there’s more under the hood.

No one has ever accused me of not having an opinion, as those over at http://raw-faith.net will attest. I have really appreciated Karen Haluza and her blog over the past year.

I’m anticipating good things from this blog, and want to particularly encourage those who don’t agree with me to engage… I find the stretching process invaluable, although sometimes painful.

-vern-