p a s s i o n + r e a s o n

After what has seemed to be a sabbatical, the class email has returned.

Some administrative stuff first. If you missed the last couple of classes (or handouts), get 'em here. Download Week 4: Social Consciousness of the Old Testament, Week 5: Social Conscience of the New Testament, and Week 6: First World Ideals.

The discussion threads that we've started have been pretty good, for a start. Keep it up... actually I hope we'll start rolling some more! During the past couple of weeks or so, I have been thinking about how Jubilee can be a real and tangible part of our lives. I'm imagining how life would be like - not only for us, personally, but for those around the world - if those who call themselves Christians were really committed (in actions) to concepts of Jubilee, peace, advocacy, righteousness, holiness...Shalom. When I read the papers, read websites (like the excellent blog of Jordon Cooper), it can be easy to get jaded about the world - and the idea that our faith can even be a vibrant and transforming agent.

But, as I said in class, deconstructing these ideas, is just a start and should not be the only thing we do. To keep on lamenting and pointing out these problems would simply be insulting your intelligence, I think, besides we're not really doing a study of Jeremiah, the master lamenter in the Bible (although that would be a good idea learning about it, eh? It would be good to disabuse ourselves of the notion that we should be "happy-clappy" and "happy shining" Christians. Would someone sign up to teach that class, please!)

So, we move on - to reconstructing a vibrant faith for this new millenium. (And I think Jordon Cooper's blog gives challenging snippets on how that may look like. He's a Saskatoon pastor, a thinker, a sarcastically funny and down-to-earth guy, and a voice which I really respect.)

It is not only about a social gospel, which is a "social care"-oriented "making the world a better place" message, highlighted in Week 5's Tommy Douglas mini-biography. The other end of the spectrum is the "soul care" message. And of course, that is one of the fundamentals of our church's (practiced) theology - and likely yours, too, if you took some time to investigate what doctrines you've been raised up to believe. But, it is not right to be solely at one end or the other - well not solely at the soul-care end, I think. What do you think? Do you think I'm getting adventurous and inviting rebuke?

Well, WWJD? That's the million dollar question (or really, multi-billion or trillion dollar question since we're addressing how much we consume - as it's our own lifestyles under the microscope these next couple of classes). This last class we checked out the story of the Rich Young Man. Question is: what is your idol? What can't you let go of? Why can't you let go of it? Why can't we let go of our consumerism? If you trace back your unfettered desire for cool things, the latest threads, etc. it amounts to no less than rape of our planet, and figuratively speaking, also of the workers up and down the chain.

That might've been blunt, but we'd better start shaping up. Our Christian witness of our lifestyles to Africa, Asia, South America - the developing world - seem to them (and to the perceptive souls here) to be about chasing pipe dreams at their expense.

This week's assignment (do you remember?) is to identify one commercial or advertisement that catches your eye or ear or your senses. Tell us: how does it make us want to chase it?

I have the Malibu Rum commercial (Man on bicycle, with heavy Jamaican accent: "This is total gridlock!") running through my head. Answer to question posed: Maybe we really don't want a life filled with stuff, running around, stuck in traffic jams, but one of tranquility.

Your thoughts now... and remember, we're on the journey towards God, the highest prize, expessing and reflecting His glory and love as he moves us towards him. This is good news, isn't it?