tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403232.post5668449725137670451..comments2024-02-10T08:46:51.419-05:00Comments on Rude Armchair Theology: Poverty (with cuss words)Mike Croghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18099387827886541138noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403232.post-11612586824126133502009-10-22T15:16:21.592-04:002009-10-22T15:16:21.592-04:00I just wanted to say Amen and Amen Mike. Amen to ...I just wanted to say Amen and Amen Mike. Amen to how much we need to be about this and Amen to how hard it is to stay focused on this, when as churches we're just struggling to survive and not kill each other. But I'm with you.jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06047233930837762858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403232.post-49614540567748819782009-10-22T09:43:43.839-04:002009-10-22T09:43:43.839-04:00Well, I like your rambles, son. ;-)
No, I agree ...Well, I like your rambles, son. ;-)<br /><br />No, I agree 100%. You'll notice I didn't say anything about protecting anyone from being shat upon. I think you're exactly, completely right: the whole point of the gospel is redemption, is grace - *in retrospect* (and those two words are hella important) the shitting upon can indeed be the best thing(s) that ever happened to someone. That's redemption. And that's IF you become, as you say, one of those who "have been shat upon and find hope anyway". Not everyone finds hope. Some people end up totally broken.<br /><br />My point, though, is that I know few people who have been through shit like that and found hope *all by themselves*. Some people do that, and, like, holy shit! But most people I know who have come back from hell did so with the help of other people - other people who loved them. And by "loved them" I don't mean "taught them to believe some whack-ass doctrine" or "protected them and kept them safe from bad shit" or "gave them stuff" - I mean LOVED THEM. Simple and complicated as that.<br /><br />And that, I think, is supposed to be the whole reason the Church exists. And even in my oddball corner of the Church, we do precious little of that, really.<br /><br />I'm a little poor in spirit (according to my interpretation). I've been through a pretty small amount of hell. Even that small amount has been obviously key to me becoming who I am today - i.e., much of the good in me can be pretty directly traced to the small amount of shit that's fallen on my head.<br /><br />The rest of that beatitude goes, "Blessed are the poor [in spirit] - the kingdom of God/heaven belongs to them." I know lots of people who have been shat on more than me, and I do believe they get this "kingdom of God" stuff better than I do. But I feel like I get this much: What the church is supposed to be doing - what I'm supposed to be doing - is helping to bridge the gap between "shat upon" and "shat upon and found hope". Not sure where that leaves me, tho....Mike Croghanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18099387827886541138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403232.post-91448634124635513712009-10-22T08:31:50.822-04:002009-10-22T08:31:50.822-04:00It seems that people who have been shat upon and f...It seems that people who have been shat upon and find hope anyway are doing okay.<br /><br />If I may speculate, are you sure it's not you who are "poor of spirit"? I sometimes think that lots of people of faith spend a lot of effort protecting others from things that are "bad". Yet they [that is: I] find myself envying the resulting person after they had gone through hell.<br /><br />I mean, isn't it all grace? And I think the point is to never have fear because everything that happens is grace. That's what I find myself envying in those who survive the worst: when they embrace that that is their life and it is all a gift.<br /><br />I'm rambling around, but when I got to the point in your post when you identified those "poor of spirit", I expected you to point the finger at yourself. Then I scrambled to figure out why ... and ended up dropping the "SC" to have just rambled.Jayce from Rochesterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05766605787783546357noreply@blogger.com