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I have been thinking theology, that is thinking about the nature and meaning of things, since I can remember. Where I now find myself is the result of the journey from then to now.
What I understand to be the current Christian paradigm, (that is the Christian way of seeing the world and the nature and meaning of things), seems to have been the mainstream paradigm for most of my journey and no longer accords with how I now understand the world and the nature and meaning of things. So it no longer meets my needs.
I am in a place where what Marcus Borg called the ‘emerging paradigm’ allows me to continue to explore the nature of who I am in relation to the world and that which lies beyond my current experience, or understanding.
My intent is to invite you into a dialogue about that ‘emerging paradigm’. It will mean for me taking some risks in thinking, the “What ifs” of open thinking. I have to say I am not really interested in engaging in an argument about who might be right, or wrong. Orthodoxy, in the sense of right belief, is not an interest of mine. To change the image, achieving orthodoxy would be like arriving at a terminus from which I could no longer continue an exciting journey which remains to be completed.
A wise Philosopher - was it Socrates or Plato? – said something along the lines that, rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of a wise man. For me, things like 10 commandments and 39 articles, denominational covenants, confessions, or statements fall into that category. Current arguments within churches about right belief seem to me to be sterile in their attempts to set boundaries about who can be counted a ‘believer’, ‘member’, in or out. They feel to me to be essentially about control when used as tests of orthodoxy.
Jesus, as I understand his teaching, was concerned with relationships, most especially ours with each other and the divine, the holy, God, to express that which lies beyond either our experience, or control.
If this is your journey I would be delighted and honored if you wish to travel with me.
Simply respond with your comment. All I ask is that you identify yourself.
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2 comments:
good luck on the journey. i have a blog that does much of the same.
www.jesusisnowhere.com
take care.
This has been a journey of 45 years or more. Thankyou for sharing that journey with me. You once said that the journey is at once both terrifying and wonderful. You have a voice now and there can be no-one more thrilled than I. I'll come with you as you go on and help where I can. Maybe you WILL write that book, maybe this is the first stepping stone, it is in you certainly!! I look forward to walking on with you. Mary...
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