I haven't read this book, and I don't know if I will (not that I'm protesting it, I just don't think I'll ever actually pick it up) but it's books like these that I think are distracting us from the community and growth intended by God.
Focusing on what we're not is reverse-engineering a problem with no solution.
I never want to be defined by something I don't do.
Christians forever have been obsessed with definition, drawing neat and solid circles around our favorite theology, making sure whatever our particular denomination upholds does not bleed into another. Our boundaries create a crowded false feeling of community, but in reality, we're distancing ourselves from brothers and sisters, while alienating a confused culture left outside the margins.
We remain smugly in the center of our circles rejoicing in our superiority.
My Macbook dictionary defines definition (See also: Department of Redundancy Dept.) as " an exact statement or description of the nature, scope, or meaning of something."
It is illogical to define something by all of it's non-attributes.
An image of a person is not clearly defined by understanding that he is NOT the same as any of the other 6.5 billion people in the world. An image of an apple is not realized by understanding that it is not a paper plate.
Our definition is fluid and dynamic. It is something powerful, and it needs to be captured. But I don't think that it can be done by drawing more circles.
So then what are we? How are we defined?
"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35
4 comments:
i'm not sure how to phrase this other than to say i really appreciated that post.
Thank you, I appreciate that
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! That was articulated very well. Does any way or religion have it completely figured out? And if you claim to have it all figured out...well, then I know you don't.
Actually, sometimes I'm okay being defined by what I'm not.
Example: I'm NOT a bro-hoe!
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