the negatives of positive
Over at aropaxnation, dave shared a great little post about negativity in christian circles, this prompted a reply that got too big and turned into a post…. So here are my 3 approaches to the question of questioning, be it theology or practice….
1. The happy clappy cult of positivity- sung "where never is heard a discouraging word.... and something about deer and antelopes" where critique is always bad. I remember hearing a former H##%$*%G pastor saying from the pulpit. "you can write me a complaint but it will get filled in the round bin next to my desk.
2. The oh so PoMo cult of negativity – Where we like to cut down just for the fun of it (and it can be fun), but this can defiantly get you down after a while and not allow anybody to say boo without somebody coming up and saying “Well actually in the Greek boo had many different meanings and well yours is wrong sooo…. DIE IN HELL HERETIC”
3. The culture of community – This I believe is the middle ground, in any functioning community there is encouragement, good debate and a willingness to have all members of the community involved… when we have this culture we can sit around discussing the theology of the talk we have just heard and feel open enough to either agree or disagree. Criticism becouse a tool to improve when it is done in a loving community.
I know that these are caricatures but I believe I have experienced both the extremes and the middle ground, and I know the middle ground gives much freedom.
Lets strive for the middle ground or as I like to term it… The Radical Middle!
2 Comments:
The only problem is, is that in a community of believers, we have people who sit on all sides of the fence, not to mention those people who waver between the extremes depending on how their day is. But yes, I agree, critism has it's place - as long as it's done from a place of love.
true but too often we think that good "community" is where we all end up on the "same side of the fence" a sort of community though the fact that we all think the same...
but that is easy .. its easy to like people who think like me.. look like me... ware the same bad christian t-shirts as me...
but to strive to live in a community with diferences that takes TRUE love... compromise and acceptance
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