Comments for The Other Journal http://theotherjournal.com An intersection of theology and culture Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:11:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian – A Review by Dennis http://theotherjournal.com/2012/02/06/bloodlines-race-cross-and-the-christian-a-review/#comment-3018 Dennis Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:11:00 +0000 http://theotherjournal.com/?p=3869#comment-3018 Thanks for this thorough review! Contrary to the cynical view that one comment suggests (that your review was somehow decided upon before even reading the book), I find that you gave a fair treatment to Dr. Piper, as you note the "good intentions" that seem to rest behind the book. As an African American pastor, who has a PhD in Biblical Studies and tries to negotiate the tough terrain of race and faith in my urban context, I find this review very helpful. Thanks for this thorough review! Contrary to the cynical view that one comment suggests (that your review was somehow decided upon before even reading the book), I find that you gave a fair treatment to Dr. Piper, as you note the “good intentions” that seem to rest behind the book. As an African American pastor, who has a PhD in Biblical Studies and tries to negotiate the tough terrain of race and faith in my urban context, I find this review very helpful.

]]> Comment on Call to Revival: A Review of Tim Suttle’s An Evangelical Social Gospel? by Tyner http://theotherjournal.com/2012/02/21/call-to-revival-a-review-of-tim-suttles-an-evangelical-social-gospel/#comment-3017 Tyner Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:56:00 +0000 http://theotherjournal.com/?p=3929#comment-3017 "Theological work is like children gathered around a table, playing with blocks—collaboratively erecting certain structures, contemplating them, and then tearing them down to their foundations and starting all over." That's the way I feel about philosophy. You can't become too wedded to a particular belief or framework. Someone always comes back with a... "But what about [this]?" As to Suttle's hopes, I'm not sure if we're all cut out for the contemplative life, but the more the merrier! Great article. “Theological work is like children gathered around a table, playing with blocks—collaboratively erecting certain structures, contemplating them, and then tearing them down to their foundations and starting all over.”
That’s the way I feel about philosophy. You can’t become too wedded to a particular belief or framework. Someone always comes back with a… “But what about [this]?” As to Suttle’s hopes, I’m not sure if we’re all cut out for the contemplative life, but the more the merrier!

Great article.

]]> Comment on Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian – A Review by Brian Howell http://theotherjournal.com/2012/02/06/bloodlines-race-cross-and-the-christian-a-review/#comment-3014 Brian Howell Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:22:00 +0000 http://theotherjournal.com/?p=3869#comment-3014 I'm about halfway though the book, and your review is, from what I've read, perceptive, accurate, and right on the mark.  I'm pleased, genuinely, that Piper has taken this up. He speaks some very hard truths and by God's grace will reach an audience that might not otherwise listen to this message. But for all the reasons you explain above, this is not the best, or even a particularly strong, example of what the kingdom will look like as racism is dismantled. I’m about halfway though the book, and your review is, from what I’ve read, perceptive, accurate, and right on the mark.  I’m pleased, genuinely, that Piper has taken this up. He speaks some very hard truths and by God’s grace will reach an audience that might not otherwise listen to this message. But for all the reasons you explain above, this is not the best, or even a particularly strong, example of what the kingdom will look like as racism is dismantled.

]]> Comment on The Killer in Me Is the Killer in You: An Interview with Richard Beck by Ron Kuipers http://theotherjournal.com/2012/02/16/the-killer-in-me-is-the-killer-in-you-an-interview-with-richard-beck/#comment-3013 Ron Kuipers Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:28:00 +0000 http://theotherjournal.com/?p=3923#comment-3013 This is such a wonderful and helpful interview. I realize that much of the discussion was focused on a certain social psychology prevalent in many Christian churches, but what also struck me is how universally human this social psychology seems to be, and the roadblocks it sets in front of our efforts to reach, contact, and love one another. Thinking of the secular-religious divide in particular, this interview made me think of Charles Taylor's words in  A Secular Age: Both sides have the virus, and must fight against it. (p. 709) This is such a wonderful and helpful interview. I realize that much of the discussion was focused on a certain social psychology prevalent in many Christian churches, but what also struck me is how universally human this social psychology seems to be, and the roadblocks it sets in front of our efforts to reach, contact, and love one another. Thinking of the secular-religious divide in particular, this interview made me think of Charles Taylor’s words in  A Secular Age: Both sides have the virus, and must fight against it. (p. 709)

]]> Comment on The Killer in Me Is the Killer in You: An Interview with Richard Beck by Richard http://theotherjournal.com/2012/02/16/the-killer-in-me-is-the-killer-in-you-an-interview-with-richard-beck/#comment-3009 Richard Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:09:00 +0000 http://theotherjournal.com/?p=3923#comment-3009 Hi Matt, To clarify a bit, in the quote you cite I was talking about Newt Gingrich's use of the label enemy and his recommendation to kill them. I was speaking to the psychology at work in his statement, and the psychology he was trying to exploit in his audience, that enemies are infrahumans. More, the profound shock and scandal of Jesus's command "Love your enemies" doesn't make sense if this psychology isn't understood to be at work in the background. So I don't think I'm abandoning Christian speech as much as using psychology to understand why Christian speech is so scandalous to modern hearers of the gospel. Hi Matt,
To clarify a bit, in the quote you cite I was talking about Newt Gingrich’s use of the label enemy and his recommendation to kill them. I was speaking to the psychology at work in his statement, and the psychology he was trying to exploit in his audience, that enemies are infrahumans. More, the profound shock and scandal of Jesus’s command “Love your enemies” doesn’t make sense if this psychology isn’t understood to be at work in the background.

So I don’t think I’m abandoning Christian speech as much as using psychology to understand why Christian speech is so scandalous to modern hearers of the gospel.

]]> Comment on The Killer in Me Is the Killer in You: An Interview with Richard Beck by jdmcneil http://theotherjournal.com/2012/02/16/the-killer-in-me-is-the-killer-in-you-an-interview-with-richard-beck/#comment-3008 jdmcneil Sun, 19 Feb 2012 21:24:00 +0000 http://theotherjournal.com/?p=3923#comment-3008 What a thoughtful and emotionally hopeful dialogue.  I was reminded of both the power and limitations of the metaphors we use to describe, and then shape our relating.  Beck has a number of memorable quotes from the piece, but more importantly he expands the "integrative conversation" beyond the metaphors of therapeutic psychologies. This changes our level of analysis (individual to social), and allows us to struggle a bit more with the psychology of groups and systems that we "less-consciously" engage in "everyday," yet none -the-less have enduring generational consequences. Beck's comments on his new text, seem to point away from "healing" and "maturity" (purity) as the central metaphors of integration and more towards "balance/adaptation" and "inclusion." I find this a helpful additive when the question is not simply how do "you" get along with your "neighbor," but how are "we" getting along with our "neighbors?"  We seem to begin with objectifying (infrahumans) the whole group as a threat first, and then each member who broadly falls into the category. I would argue that we need more metaphorical tools that help us perceive and understand the group's influence on the individual, not just the group as an extension of the individual. It may be akin to saying, we need to remind ourselves to read the Bible as a member of an interactive community trying to live out inclusion, not just as an individual agent trying to be nicer to more people.  While both are necessary, these are qualitatively different exercises. I would differ with Beck in one of his statements, namely that he sees his work as less entangled by anthropology and epistemological debate (slightly overstated).  I think he is actually addressing the need for a broader consideration of our anthropologies in our "relatedness" and tendency to "categorize" and rank to insure our survival. What a thoughtful and emotionally hopeful dialogue.  I was reminded of both the power and limitations of the metaphors we use to describe, and then shape our relating.  Beck has a number of memorable quotes from the piece, but more importantly he expands the “integrative conversation” beyond the metaphors of therapeutic psychologies. This changes our level of analysis (individual to social), and allows us to struggle a bit more with the psychology of groups and systems that we “less-consciously” engage in “everyday,” yet none -the-less have enduring generational consequences. Beck’s comments on his new text, seem to point away from “healing” and “maturity” (purity) as the central metaphors of integration and more towards “balance/adaptation” and “inclusion.” I find this a helpful additive when the question is not simply how do “you” get along with your “neighbor,” but how are “we” getting along with our “neighbors?”  We seem to begin with objectifying (infrahumans) the whole group as a threat first, and then each member who broadly falls into the category. I would argue that we need more metaphorical tools that help us perceive and understand the group’s influence on the individual, not just the group as an extension of the individual. It may be akin to saying, we need to remind ourselves to read the Bible as a member of an interactive community trying to live out inclusion, not just as an individual agent trying to be nicer to more people.  While both are necessary, these are qualitatively different exercises.

I would differ with Beck in one of his statements, namely that he sees his work as less entangled by anthropology and epistemological debate (slightly overstated).  I think he is actually addressing the need for a broader consideration of our anthropologies in our “relatedness” and tendency to “categorize” and rank to insure our survival.

]]> Comment on Suffering and the Love of God (A Tribute to My Wife) by Ricardo55 http://theotherjournal.com/2012/02/14/suffering-and-the-love-of-god-a-tribute-to-my-wife/#comment-3007 Ricardo55 Sun, 19 Feb 2012 05:17:00 +0000 http://theotherjournal.com/?p=3911#comment-3007 I found this article very helpful in acquiring a biblical/eternal perspective regarding evil which so often surrounds us.  I especially enjoyed reading the triumphant paragraph (as I'll call it)... the 3rd to last paragraph... as well as the four helpful steps following.  Often, when I'm feeing the effects of evil around me, I feel like I'm just trudging along in life with heavy steps along the way. What I need is to keep the glorious work of Christ and our eternal home in view, so as to lift my mind and heart towards the Almighty God. I found this article very helpful in acquiring a biblical/eternal perspective regarding evil which so often surrounds us.  I especially enjoyed reading the triumphant paragraph (as I’ll call it)… the 3rd to last paragraph… as well as the four helpful steps following.  Often, when I’m feeing the effects of evil around me, I feel like I’m just trudging along in life with heavy steps along the way. What I need is to keep the glorious work of Christ and our eternal home in view, so as to lift my mind and heart towards the Almighty God.

]]> Comment on To Love Oneself Through Food: Geneen Roth and a Christian Resistance to Compulsive Eating by Movie Review: Colombiana | http://theotherjournal.com/2011/09/22/to-love-oneself-through-food-geneen-roth-and-a-christian-resistance-to-compulsive-eating/#comment-3006 Movie Review: Colombiana | Sat, 18 Feb 2012 21:26:16 +0000 http://theotherjournal.com/?p=3483#comment-3006 [...] to this discussion is Elizabeth Antus’s (of Women In Theology) article in The Other Journal, To Love Oneself Through Food. Unhealthy social forces convince women to obsess over the size of their bodies already as is, and [...] [...] to this discussion is Elizabeth Antus’s (of Women In Theology) article in The Other Journal, To Love Oneself Through Food. Unhealthy social forces convince women to obsess over the size of their bodies already as is, and [...]

]]> Comment on The Killer in Me Is the Killer in You: An Interview with Richard Beck by Doyle http://theotherjournal.com/2012/02/16/the-killer-in-me-is-the-killer-in-you-an-interview-with-richard-beck/#comment-3005 Doyle Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:13:00 +0000 http://theotherjournal.com/?p=3923#comment-3005 Haven't read Beck's book but hope to.  In brief and maybe too simplistic, He identifies what I believe is the cultural expression of the individual conflict of reconciling the duality of each of us.  We have a psychological crisis when we try to integrate both the depraved and the divine aspects of ourselves and the propensity to "fragment" or split these parts off, one from the other.  Beginning with the individual and then collectively growing into our sociological and cultural fiber.  I would wonder if the eventual end of such an internal conflict becomes more external, much like the Borderline Personality who must develop this conflict outside themselves due to their inability to integrate these two parts internally.  In other words, that we culturally are becoming more Borderline-ish in nature.    Haven’t read Beck’s book but hope to.  In brief and maybe too simplistic, He identifies what I believe is the cultural expression of the individual conflict of reconciling the duality of each of us.  We have a psychological crisis when we try to integrate both the depraved and the divine aspects of ourselves and the propensity to “fragment” or split these parts off, one from the other.  Beginning with the individual and then collectively growing into our sociological and cultural fiber.  I would wonder if the eventual end of such an internal conflict becomes more external, much like the Borderline Personality who must develop this conflict outside themselves due to their inability to integrate these two parts internally.  In other words, that we culturally are becoming more Borderline-ish in nature.   

]]> Comment on The Killer in Me Is the Killer in You: An Interview with Richard Beck by laurenwilford http://theotherjournal.com/2012/02/16/the-killer-in-me-is-the-killer-in-you-an-interview-with-richard-beck/#comment-3004 laurenwilford Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:46:00 +0000 http://theotherjournal.com/?p=3923#comment-3004 The discussion of liberal/conservative moral grammar, of purity vs. justice: that is a lightbulb for me. Why don't more people talk about this? My heart is swollen every day from trying to bridge this communication gap. It's everywhere.  The discussion of liberal/conservative moral grammar, of purity vs. justice: that is a lightbulb for me. Why don’t more people talk about this? My heart is swollen every day from trying to bridge this communication gap. It’s everywhere. 

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