Surfing through my friend's blogs, I noted that Tripp had found this news clip:
Yoga? Really? oh modern mindsetted/literalist people, is there no area that you can't declare a warzone? Before you correct me, yes I know that yoga has it's roots in hinduism, but unlike Christianity, has allowed it to be secularized. Yes we protect our "sacred cows" from things like the postmodern worldview (what Doug Pagitt is representing)....but wait, hindu's are the ones that believe cows to be sacred?!!?! i'm confused...enlighten me master Macarther!
I'm really getting tired of Macarthur and his "War on Error" as he calls it (see his book "Truth Wars". Like evangelical "crusades" the language is far from culturally sensitive, and simply shows how callous some of these people can be towards the feelings of others. CHISTIANITY IS NOT A WAR PEOPLE!!!
Interesting how this is a one-sided war! It is either them or..... well no, postmodern Christianity allows and respects their viewpoints. Is that declaring war on innocent civillians? Wait....Macarther (and his like) are not commencing in war as much as they are deliberatly attempting genocide! They want to stamp out all who believe differently and are seeing the world and their faith through a new set of lenses, so that only those who hold to their version of "Truth" are the only ones left calling themselves "Christian"! Interesting huh?
Read Tripps blog to get his take....and thanks to Tripp for letting me repost this!
Here's my question:
ReplyDeleteWhat's the right response to a guy like this?
In this context, I ignore it. I honestly watched 15 seconds of the video before I decided that I didn't care. What do you think?
if you didn't watch it all, you missed the best part! He says that when you're stressed out, when you need relaxing, etc... all we need is to go to the bible for that relief and comfort! ha!
ReplyDeleteThat's like a blog response the other day to a pastor's post that said that the bible is all councilors need when treating people (no self-help, equipping, or enabling techniques) with personal psychological needs. He said he ONLY refers people to CHRISTIAN counselors for the reason he states that:
"I do believe (as I presented in my sermon) that God & His Word is sufficient in solving whatever problems we encounter and cause. Traditional Christianity has had a Bible based belief that is long standing:"The Bible is sufficient for faith & practice."
"I do believe the Bible to be the most effective approach to helping us in our problems (spiritual, emotional, and marital). No self help book or seminar can (or has) stood the tests or time the Bible has when it comes to solving humanity's problems."
This was in partial his response to how Councilors fit into his "Fully Rely On God is Enough" sermon. But I can say with comic certainty that the Bible surely had mental illness, chemical imbalances,and other psychological disorders solved when it was written. I sadly shake my head at this.
my point is that there are areas that the Bible doesn't address, although at times, it is a great source for comfort!
But how would i respond to Macarther? well ideally, I would love to sit and have a conversation with him. I've read most of his latest book, his blog posts, and know most of his stances and reasoning behind things. He hates the emergent approach, and postmodernity (like he can do anything to stop it). But i would love to sit and have a conversation with him.
I would love to hear not only what he thinks, but what has brought him to believe that (and I don't just mean proof-texting scripture at me, but telling my what in his life has led him to hold so defensively to what he is so outspoken about). Then I would like to sit and respond to him with respect and care. I would like to tell him my story and how it has informed my beliefs. Then to continue to chat about how we differ and why. to learn from each other.
But that is utopian thinking, because I know that, if granted an audience, just like the many times I have sat down with people just like him (especially when they are talking about his "Truth Wars" book, and follow it blindly, and attack me or others who disagree), He will willingly tell me what he thinks, tell me how I'm wrong, and never let me truly speak. no true CONVERSATION would happen!
so we would depart calling me names, and I would depart shaking my head in pity for a person that allows beliefs to get between him and people.
I wish I could ignore him, but actually I owe Macarther gratitude. Because he is popular, because he has attacked postmodern people and thinking (emergent specifically), and because there are people who will allow themselves to be indoctrinated by HIS thinking...and thus attack others, I have had more people come to me and start talking honestly and openly, asking questions and allowing me to better inform them about what postmodernity means, and to help them make sense of their transitional lives/beliefs.
So to Macarther i salute, bow with respect, w/e...thanks for furthering the gap more between people who have developed critical thinking skills, and those who haven't. between modernity and postmodernity. The Irony is, that in (at least my understanding) of a more postmodern Christianity, there is room for his beliefs in the conversation, and his beliefs will be respected and listened to. but the reverse is not true in his personal belief structure!
so ignore him i want, but ignore him i can't. But I shouldn't want to ignore people who are like this, for that makes me no better than them. Instead, there is always an open invite to respectful dialog.
So...I've never heard of anyone reading the Bible and their blood pressure going down. Yoga on the other hand has been proven to help people's blood pressure and stress level! Of course that was proven by "science", which I guess is evil too!
ReplyDeleteOh well, I'm on my way to Yoga! :)
-Alison