tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746468652435913462.post674656284373154899..comments2023-09-20T09:39:24.282-04:00Comments on Spirit in the Wild Wood: Christian diversity -- final thoughtsdedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110715735805987539noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746468652435913462.post-751646129575563542007-11-07T22:13:00.000-05:002007-11-07T22:13:00.000-05:00ded - this is rich stuff! I am particularly moved...ded - this is rich stuff! I am particularly moved by the thought that what makes us different is the same stuff that makes everyone different. We cannot help to bring our diversity into our organizations, including church organizations. The things that make us different are both the gifting that we have received from God and the conflicts/symbols/structures that are part of our world i.e. not from God. Rather than allowing those conflicts/symbols/structures (lust of flesh, eyes and pride) to divide us, a more Godly response would be to love one another. That love would lead us to seek understanding from those who with whom we disagree. <BR/><BR/>I want to understand that this world is not my home and live out of that paradigm. We will always feel conflict here. It's normal. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had to tell us to love one another. Great writing, my friend. I am inspired and encouraged.Jimazinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10664766059554867723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746468652435913462.post-78408702757908844692007-11-01T16:42:00.000-04:002007-11-01T16:42:00.000-04:00Ben, thanks for the encouragement. Listening is s...Ben, thanks for the encouragement. Listening is so key to being in the spirit. We either hear what we have been programmed to hear, or we hear much more because of His love within us!dedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04110715735805987539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746468652435913462.post-55976801671305318542007-11-01T16:36:00.000-04:002007-11-01T16:36:00.000-04:00CSP IV, thanks for reading here. I got excited ove...CSP IV, thanks for reading here. I got excited over your insight into this using the Roanoke colony. My students learned about the Lost Colony just last week!!<BR/><BR/>Interesting to me that you made the connection. I was thinking about where to go next and a topic I intend to write about is spirit life as the anti-dote to knowing ourselves according to who we are in the world. Surely the fellowship which is deepest is a function of knowing one another after the spirit and not after the flesh.dedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04110715735805987539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746468652435913462.post-6495586335585267982007-11-01T10:47:00.000-04:002007-11-01T10:47:00.000-04:00"...that we find the humility of Christ, in Christ...<I>"...that we find the humility of Christ, in Christ and become more fully human."</I><BR/><BR/>I see this as the krux of the matter. It really is natural for all of us to assume that our tradition isn't based on tradition... Then all of our conversations with people of a different tradition is wrought with blind attempts to fortify our defenses and put holes in our "opponents" defenses.<BR/><BR/>I've often been guilty of this myself. One of the things I am learning to do is LISTEN. If we are listening in humility then our differences can actually be enjoyed while keeping Christ at the center.<BR/><BR/>Great stuff here, ded. Thanks for putting it together.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746468652435913462.post-2899027543670583022007-11-01T08:04:00.000-04:002007-11-01T08:04:00.000-04:00DED this is CSP IV... As an historian and the son...DED this is CSP IV... As an historian and the son of an historian I'm going to take some historical and spiritual liberty here and suggest another pattern for the current mix offered by a colony which pre-dated those mentioned in Jamestown and Plymouth. One of the greatest mysteries of American History is what happened to the Roanoke Colony. A mystery of the walk we are taking is our dual citizenship.<BR/><BR/>I suppose that when hope of provision from their former home was exhausted the colonists arrived at the place where hope in self-provision was all that remained. They certainly couldn't turn fully to this new world for hope and provision. At some point however, the new was all that remained perhaps they had to fully immerse themselves in this new place and take a new citizenship leaving all that was of their former world and their former self behind. This transformation was so complete that almost no clue remains of their former existence. Over the years some research has been done on those from the region that have the same English name as some from the original colony. More recent work involves DNA comparisons between these people and other descendants of the colonists that still remain in England. <BR/><BR/>If all that remained was a label of our former life or some imperceptible trace of our previous citizenship what impact would this have on our shared walk?<BR/><BR/>I realize that this is rather quick and simplistic but I thought I'd toss it in none the less.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746468652435913462.post-46792626930030300072007-10-31T20:05:00.000-04:002007-10-31T20:05:00.000-04:00I am glad you got something out of it, Craig. You...I am glad you got something out of it, Craig. You are so right that I am not trying to say we become super human, but that we find the humility of Christ, in Christ and become more fully human.dedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04110715735805987539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746468652435913462.post-46237415920622424562007-10-31T19:44:00.000-04:002007-10-31T19:44:00.000-04:00Great post ded! I like this line: "… what causes s...Great post ded! I like this line:<BR/><BR/> "… what causes such great diversity among Christian believers, the simple answer is money/conflict, religion as we imagine it in our hearts and politics over what our institutional structure should be"<BR/><BR/>It would be an edifying adventure, it seems to me, if we attempted to discuss differences on this level. If, for example, I as a PCA pastor would sit down with someone from a radically different tradition and rather than start with doctrinal distinctions followed by machine gun volleys of Bible verses we were to ask "Where are my desires? What are my idols? What of my tradition is built upon sand?"<BR/><BR/>One caution: though I agree we should be wholly different I would not want that to mean we should seek to be super human. The difference you are referring to actually makes us more human.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com