{"id":508,"date":"2013-12-02T20:20:56","date_gmt":"2013-12-02T20:20:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beta.dminlgp.com\/?p=508"},"modified":"2014-08-13T21:04:24","modified_gmt":"2014-08-13T21:04:24","slug":"boundaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/boundaries\/","title":{"rendered":"Boundaries"},"content":{"rendered":"
I absolutely love to drive and especially when I can drive a sports car down windy hilly roads in the country! \u00a0There is something about shifting down into a curve and throwing the balance of the car at just the right time and powering up and through the curve and finding the next gear even before straightening out. \u00a0Then, with petal to the metal, watch the tach gauge swing hard to the right with the kph climbing fast while the white lines become a blur! \u00a0And all the time my wife is holding her breath! \u00a0That is driving while intoxicated, drunk on the sport of motor car racing! \u00a0As\u00a0exhilarating as all this is, it must take place within boundaries. \u00a0The engine must not be stretched beyond the rpm max for too long. \u00a0The curves must be respected; they are absolute and unforgiving. \u00a0The driver must know and trust the tires as they are the driver\u2019s only contact with the road. \u00a0Absolute awareness and alertness is critical for even a split second lapse of concentration can be disaster. \u00a0One\u00a0could almost think this is about navigating theological conversations! \u00a0They too have boundaries!<\/div>\n
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I really appreciated the Respectful Conversation articles and this exercise. \u00a0I otherwise would not have read these articles and I would have missed them to my own loss. \u00a0I particularly appreciated that they were focused and brief. \u00a0I do not know what\u00a0controls were communicated to the contributors but I have a feeling that some basic\u00a0\u2018boundaries\u2019 were given to them to keep them focused and to the point within some number of words. \u00a0I also appreciated that the contributors wrote on several subjects providing the reader a way to view the author from more than one vantage point. \u00a0The reader is not limited to a myopic view of a writer. I actually agreed with some views while in somewhat disagreement with others by the same author. \u00a0Last, I appreciated the subjects themselves. \u00a0They are not trivial, not surface, but more seminal in nature and absolutely in play everywhere in the idea marketplace of today\u2019s world. \u00a0The primary boundary, named as such by the title of the web site, is respect. \u00a0I do believe that the boundary of respect was maintained by the authors, though a few skirted closely by the discreet choice of language. \u00a0However, who am I to make that judgment for you! \u00a0You may think that the boundaries were often broken. \u00a0And maybe the engine was overrun! \u00a0Maybe even the tires broke loose a few times! \u00a0Well, that\u2019s all in the race!<\/div>\n
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I quickly browsed through the whole list but zeroed in on three topics. \u00a0These are my comments concerning some articles within those topics.<\/div>\n
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Concerning the topic: Evangelicalism and the Broader Christian Tradition.<\/div>\n
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  • Two quotes really summed up the article by Karl Giberson, What Does\u00a0\u201cEvangelical\u201d Really Mean? \u00a0He wrote, \u201cIt seems to me that evangelicalism, as a label to distinguish one group of Christians from another has been moving closer to \u2018fundamentalist.\u2019 \u00a0 \u2026 . \u00a0But there can be no doubt that evangelicals cannot claim to be \u2018known by their love\u2019 as Jesus had hoped.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • I agree, but throwing out words (as he suggests) and making up new ones causes words to be worth less and provides less contrast from which learning and growth can take place. \u00a0I disagree with his premise that the word\u00a0\u2018evangelicalism\u2019 should be thrown out.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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    • \n
      Evangelicals and the Stewardship of Words by C. Ben Mitchell. \u00a0Mitchell writes,\u00a0“The reason the noun is most important is because the Author and Finisher of our faith did not pray in John 17 that \u201cevangelicals would be one\u201d just as he and his Father are one, but that God\u2019s people would be one people.\u201d<\/div>\n
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      • I do not think he answered the issue, but dodged it by focusing on the noun,\u00a0\u201cchristian,\u201d and ignoring the adjective, evangelical. \u00a0Also, I think his\u00a0argument above is shallow. \u00a0Evangelical was never meant to be a\u00a0descriptor of all believers, but of a subset based on some criteria. \u00a0His\u00a0argument was not strong at all.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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        • Evangelical is an Adjective, not a Noun \u00a0by Kyle Roberts. \u00a0Roberts writes,\u00a0\u201dBut if we are going to retain or recover a healthy semblance of unity amidst diversity for the future, I wonder if those of us who are prone to thinking of ourselves too often as\u00a0evangelicals<\/em>\u00a0(the noun) should begin to consciously identify rather as\u00a0evangelical\u00a0<\/em>Christians (an adjective) who share a common ethos and a central passion for the Gospel.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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          • I like his straight forward approach, clear about his\u00a0argument, and concrete in his\u00a0declaration. \u00a0His article was a positive contribution; a thoughtful one provoking focus on the substance of what is meant by the word evangelical and if the descriptor still applies and if so, how.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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            • In the article, Why The Label, by Richard W. Mouw one reads his idea about the real problem with the word\u00a0evangelical. \u00a0He writes,\u00a0“We do have a \u201cbranding\u201d problem these days. But I am inclined to see the problem as also an opportunity. It is important, for one thing, to rescue the label by sticking to the basics. In this regard, I find the four Bebbington marks of evangelicalism to provide an excellent set of talking points: why we care about biblical authority; why we think it supremely important to invite people to know Jesus personally; why we place a strong emphasis on the redemptive work that was sealed at Calvary; and why we sense a commitment to an active and robust life of discipleship.\u201d<\/li>\n
            • When I read this article, I yelled,\u00a0\u201cYes!\u201d \u00a0Of all the articles in this topic, I thought this guy hit the nail on the head. \u00a0He put the light on the core issues and set up the boundaries within which to discuss them. \u00a0Right on!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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              Topic 5: \u00a0 Evangelicalism and Politics<\/div>\n
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              • How Then Should I Live by Christine Kim<\/li>\n
              • Kim writes, \u201cPolitics cannot be divorced from my everyday reality, even if I tried to divorce myself from it.\u201d<\/li>\n
              • Also, \u201cWhen engaging in political discourse or action in the public square or in a Christian community, my attitude and posture should be that of humility and civility; I do not presume to have the right answer just because I hold \u201can evangelical\u201d perspective.\u201d<\/li>\n
              • Kim\u2019s article was fresh air; reflecting a very practical response as opposed to an academic or theoretical one. \u00a0I do believe that she caught the idea of being\u00a0\u2018respectful\u2019 from an emotional perspective.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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                • The Call of the Hour: A True Christian Approach to Politics by Ted Williams<\/li>\n
                • Williams writes,\u00a0\u201cThe challenge surrounding Christian civic involvement is clear. America\u2019s two major political parties frame our debates in ways that falsely demonize and isolate those with different opinions.\u201d \u00a0and \u00a0\u201dThe major cause is that modern Americans often adhere to the unbiblical principle of dualism, which essentially separates the religious and the secular.\u201d<\/li>\n
                • \u201cBefore adopting an ideological position, every Christian must ask himself, what is God\u2019s will for the government? What direction does biblical text provide for the major policy questions of the day? In this way, we avoid the false choices of conservatives who are fanatically committed to small government as an ideology and of liberals who are equally as fanatical about the ability of the state to create heaven on earth.\u00a0 Somewhere in the middle is a true Christian perspective, one that recognizes both God\u2019s ultimate sovereignty and the proper role of the state in a just society. What may be shocking to both sides is that the God of the Judeo-Christian bible is in many ways both a liberal and a conservative.\u201d<\/li>\n
                • I really wish he were wrong. \u00a0But I agree and even feel personally guilty. \u00a0We have indeed\u00a0allowed the two parties to frame the issues their way and force us into one of their\u00a0\u2018boundaries\u2019 for their own selfish power purposes.<\/li>\n
                • The author rightly, in my opinion, presses the\u00a0idea of searching for God\u2019s will concerning an issue rather than forcing a choice based on party ideology.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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                  • The Renewal of the Political? \u00a0The Holy Spirit and Public Square \u00a0by \u00a0Amos Yong. \u00a0Yong responds while allowing his pentecostal lapel to show itself loudly. \u00a0This is not negative, but perhaps a bit parochial.<\/li>\n
                  • He writes, \u201cFor me, the point in the end is not a political theology in the abstract but a political way of thinking and living the footsteps of Jesus as messiah. This requires nothing less than life full of the Spirit of Jesus, which is attentive to contextual realities and demands, and capable of seeing how the message of the gospel has distinctive political and public consequences that require action and discerning embodiment.\u201d<\/li>\n
                  • I agree with his solution. \u00a0He welcomes the Holy Spirit into the marketplace. \u00a0He takes down the boundary of the dualistic approach of secular and sacred. \u00a0Good\u00a0article and good thrust.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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                    • And Liberty And Justice For All \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0by \u00a0 \u00a0John Hawthorne<\/li>\n
                    • The real value of Hawthorne\u2019s article is the summary of three solutions:<\/li>\n
                    • 1-\u201cIf evangelicals are only a quarter of the population, we\u2019ll need to find better ways of engaging with those who don\u2019t share our faith perspectives. It means being willing to influence those things we can while not fighting over the things we can\u2019t.\u201d<\/li>\n
                    • 2-\u201cwe need to craft an understanding of the country based on the current realities. Let\u2019s not fight over Jefferson\u2019s views on religion or the church memberships of the signers of the Declaration. We live in a culture that is marked by demographic diversity. We are surrounded by ideological diversity. We need to engage that discussion on the basis of guiding values and not on claims of superiority.\u201d<\/li>\n
                    • 3-\u201cevangelicals are at our best when we\u2019re advocating for those who can\u2019t advocate for themselves. This has been the heart of the pro-life movement. But it goes beyond that. It means that we are passionate about justice \u2014 not just in a narrow partisan sense but in the \u201cleast of these\u201d sense. Let\u2019s worry less about political party orientation and think together with non-evangelicals about how we speak on behalf of those without voice.\u201d<\/li>\n
                    • All three are good and this is a very good summary of his article and the whole issue, in my opinion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
                      <\/div>\n
                      Topic 7: American Evangelicalism and Higher Education<\/div>\n
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                      • The Elephant in The Room \u00a0 \u00a0by \u00a0 \u00a0Harold Heie<\/li>\n
                      • \u201cTo those who worry about a Christian college or seminary losing constituents and supporters because of an insistence on remaining true to its core theological and educational beliefs, I dare to ask the question: \u2018Cannot God raise up new constituents who will support us precisely because we remained true to our core beliefs?\u2019 To believe otherwise reflects a lack of \u201cfaith\u201d on the part of the institution\u2019s leadership.\u201d<\/li>\n
                      • My response is a hearty\u00a0\u201cAmen!\u201d<\/li>\n
                      • BUT, I think Heie comes up a bit short. \u00a0It still requires entering into some discussion to assist the dissenter to have a voice concerning the issue. \u00a0Simply proclaiming the elephant is not the whole solution!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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                        • Recovering Education as Formation \u00a0 \u00a0by \u00a0 \u00a0Justin D. Barnard<\/li>\n
                        • \u201cTwo great challenges to higher education are these: the omnipresence of digital technology, and the triumph of global consumerism.\u00a0 Together, these two powerful forces shape human desire and patterns of thought in ways that are significantly at odds with a genuinely Christian vision of higher education and of life.\u00a0 Specifically, both reinforce the supremacy of the solitary appetitive Self as the moral center of the universe.\u00a0 What matters (indeed, all that matters) is what\u00a0I<\/strong>\u00a0want<\/em>.\u00a0 Moreover, the intrinsic aim of digital technology is maximal efficiency in actualizing user desire.\u00a0 Thus, the catechesis of global consumerism teaches us that the chief end of man is the satisfaction of whatever desires we happen to have, and digital technology is our Deliverer.\u201d<\/li>\n
                        • \u201cMeaning must take precedence over quantity.\u00a0 Formation should be favored over mere information.\u00a0 Communal narrative unity should be sought before radically individualized plurality.\u201d<\/li>\n
                        • The two quotes above really sum up the author\u2019s perspective. \u00a0I believe he is on to something. \u00a0The two dynamics of consumerism and digital technology are pervasive. \u00a0The break\u00a0boundaries all the time for their own selfish purposes and those who leverage their purposes. \u00a0Perhaps Harold Heie should acknowledge that these also are elephants in the room!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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                          • The Troubled Insecurity of Evangelical Education by Karl Giberson<\/li>\n
                          • \u201cThe issue was not so much that I taught evolution in my classes for evolution was the\u00a0only<\/em>\u00a0view taught in the science classes, which was appropriate. The issue was that I became a public figure, writing books and speaking widely on the topic.\u201d<\/li>\n
                          • I was troubled while reading this article. \u00a0Though Karl made a fair point regarding his treatment in the public evangelical arena, I sensed an attitude issue. \u00a0I do not know this person but I wonder how were his relationship with his cohorts and how his interactions were conducted.<\/li>\n
                          • In another article Giberson writes regarding Evangelical Exclusiveness in which he calls\u00a0evangelicals\u00a0hypocrites because they do not live out without passion their\u00a0\u201cbelief\u201d about the truth of the good news, both\u00a0positively and negatively (heaven and hell).<\/li>\n
                          • I\u00a0could not agree more with his sentiment, but this tips me off that perhaps he has broken an attitude\u00a0boundary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                            <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
                            Good articles! \u00a0Good exercise! \u00a0Not quite as cool as driving my Audi TT through the countryside, but pretty good!<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                            I absolutely love to drive and especially when I can drive a sports car down windy hilly roads in the country! \u00a0There is something about shifting down into a curve and throwing the balance of the car at just the right time and powering up and through the curve and finding the next gear even […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2,214],"class_list":["post-508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dminlgp","tag-respectfulconversations","cohort-lgp3"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=508"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/508\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1842,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/508\/revisions\/1842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}