Disqus - Latest Comments for Lee_Price

Re: Experimental Theology: The Rise of the Witches

Lee_Price — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 20:45:51 -0000

I'm looking so forward to this new Experimental Theology adventure! For the past couple of decades, I've enjoyed lasting friendships with at least a dozen witches, Wiccans, and other pagans. I find that I can always find numerous points of similarity between their worldviews and mine, and they're generally open to seeing that too, even when they enter the discussion with strongly anti-Christian opinions. I've found them more open-minded than most atheists and we share a love of seeing the world as an enchanted place that we have a responsibility to care for. Please be gentle with our witch friends!

Re: Experimental Theology: Sunset Is My Business

Lee_Price — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 13:14:02 -0000

This is beautiful. Thank you.

Looking forward to tonight's sunset...

Re: On Nondual Thinking: Part 4, The Dualisms of the Cosmic Christ

Lee_Price — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 11:37:12 -0000

To offer a little pushback, I think that John’s choice of light and darkness as a metaphor also reveals the limits of dualistic thinking. I liked the arguments presented in Barbara Brown Taylor’s recent book Learning to Walk in the Dark for proposing a Christian embrace of the darkness, as opposed to the blanket dualistic dismissal of Light=Good and Darkness= Bad. I’d go with Taylor as thinking that the light/dark dichotomy remains somewhat useful but is best approached as a metaphor that should be read… nonliterally and nondualistically.

Re: Experimental Theology: The Scientific Gaze and Mental Health

Lee_Price — Tue, 25 May 2021 09:18:31 -0000

I’m not convinced this is a new situation based on the enlightenment’s adoption of a scientific gaze method. I’m currently leading a Bible study on Exodus, and your dichotomy looks exactly like the nihilistic materialism of the building-obsessed Egyptians vs. the spiritual world view of the Israelites’ Yahweh. The scientific gaze may be overly infected by materialism, but it’s problematic because of its ancient reductionist materialist tendencies.

Re: The Weeks & Sundays After Pentecost, Yr A, 2020: Old Testament Passage – The Reign of Christ, and more

Lee_Price — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 14:37:13 -0000

I’m currently preparing to lead an adult Sunday School series based on the Advent sermons and writings of the Episcopal priest Fleming Rutledge, author of Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ. Approximately a third of her Advent book is drawn from sermons preached the three weeks preceding Advent because she feels that the lectionary selections for these weeks set the foundation for Advent. So you and the Celts aren’t the only ones who sniff Advent in the wind! Here’s a link to one of Rutledge’s pre-Advent sermons:
https://generousorthodoxy.o...

Re: An Invitation to "A Johnny Cash Christmas"

Lee_Price — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 07:11:56 -0000

I just finished reading Trains, Jesus, and Murder, and it exceeded all my high expectations. As a long-term reader of the blog, I was prepared for the high quality of the song analysis but what I didn’t expect was that the book’s real subject would be about what it means to be a Christian in today’s world. That’s a big subject for a small book but in chapter after chapter it keeps squarely hitting the bullseye. I’m set to lead a seven-week adult Sunday School class on Trains, Jesus, and Murder starting in mid-January, and I’ve rarely been so excited about getting started. The class is in for a treat!

Re: Experimental Theology: Paul and the Law in Galatians and Romans

Lee_Price — Tue, 14 May 2019 10:06:53 -0000

Some thoughts, largely based on the writings of Mark Nanos and other “Paul Within Judaism” scholars (a post-New Perspective take on Paul): In his writings, Paul assumes the identity markers of the population that he is writing to, and therefore when he writes in Galatians that “we were held captive under the law,” his “we” is from a God-Fearer perspective rather than Paul’s natural Jewish perspective. He probably did not anticipate that his letter would be shared among Jewish audiences—instead, he’s making an argument specifically for God-Fearers, who were former Pagans interested in following Judaism but not to the extent of becoming Proselytes (with adult males accepting circumcision).

Reformation-based “works-righteousness” explanations and Paul’s use of “works of the Law” are largely foreign terms for first-century Judaism. Works of the law does, however, show up in some writings on the God-Fearers, who appear to have been attempting to follow some targeted portions of the Torah, which may have been called “works of the Law.” Paul’s insistence is therefore that the God-Fearers will never join the Jewish family (or achieve “salvation”) simply by this approach of following “works of the Law.” But now, with the resurrection of Jesus, the age/world has altogether changed and suddenly Gentiles can be freely admitted into the Jewish family simply through acceptance of the gift of grace. The Torah remains a gift of God to the Jews—it is “holy and righteous and good,” as Paul writes in Romans. But for the Galatians, who were God-Fearers and not Jews, the Torah is a potentially enslaving power, now entirely unnecessary for Gentiles who want to worship the one God. For the Galatians to accept circumcision would be to continue to live in a pre-resurrection world in which God’s grace has not been offered yet. Paul says: Don’t go back there. It’s a new world now and God is welcoming you into the fold.

When read in this way, I think there’s a lot less dissonance between Galatians and Romans.

For more on this perspective, see the PDF articles available on Mark Nanos’ “Projects” page on his website:
http://www.marknanos.com/pr...

Re: Experimental Theology: America's Holocaust

Lee_Price — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 11:37:54 -0000

I can't vouch for this as I just read about it for the first time today, but apparently a National Memorial for Peace and Justice (a national lynching memorial) and an accompanying Legacy Museum opened in Mobile, Alabama this past April. It's an initiative of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). There's more on it in Ted Grimsrud's blog Thinking Pacifism.
Link to Memorial and Museum website: https://museumandmemorial.e...
Link to Thinking Pacifism: https://thinkingpacifism.ne...

As always, thank you for challenging me through your blog day after day, week after week!

Re: Experimental Theology: Journal Week 19: (Not) Minding the Gap

Lee_Price — Sun, 13 May 2018 16:20:55 -0000

A good friend on Facebook posts a weekly Friday Question. This week the question was: "You just won a free trip to any destination in the world - but it MUST be somewhere you've never been before. Where are you going?"

I struggled with the resulting "existential test of commitment" (to use your very apt term) for a few hours, and finally responded with one of my favorite quotes from the movie My Dinner with Andre: "Tell me, why do we require a trip to Mount Everest in order to be able to perceive one moment of reality? I mean... I mean, is Mount Everest more "real" than New York? I mean, isn't New York "real"? I mean, you see, I think if you could become fully aware of what existed in the cigar store next door to this restaurant, I think it would just blow your brains out! I mean... I mean, isn't there just as much "reality" to be perceived in the cigar store as there is on Mount Everest?"

Thanks for being so helpful in explaining why I had so much trouble in responding. Very simply, I don't want to live in that gap!

Re: Journal Week 4: The Bleeding, Stinking, Mad Shadow of Jesus

Lee_Price — Sat, 27 Jan 2018 19:38:44 -0000

Thomas Merton loved Flannery O'Connor's writings! He'd probably be the first to congratulate you on changing your lead quote.

Re: The Obligations of Grace: Part 3, Falling From Grace

Lee_Price — Wed, 06 Sep 2017 11:59:37 -0000

I recently listened to Peter Enns’ “Bible for Normal People” podcast interview with Amy-Jill Levine, in whichLevine said she wished Christians took their baptisms more seriously. Specifically, she wished that Christian baptism was the equivalent of being born into the Jewish faith—her point being that if you’re Jewish and take that fall (whether it be wrong belief, violation of covenant, etc.) you’re still in the Jewish family. But Christians keep their families small and are fast to exclude—because they don’t take the baptism experience seriously enough. (This is both paraphrasing and expanding on Levine, but I think this is what she was implying.)

The apostle Paul seems to have a similar view of Jewishness, at least according to most New Perspective authors. If you're Jewish, you’re born into the covenant and mere violations of the covenant don’t easily place you outside the circle.

So is this concept of a fall from grace an invitation to keep the family small, permitting the easy shunning of those who fail to behave or respond correctly? Since there aren’t clear guidelines, Christian communities appear to get the option of defining the fall from grace, excommunicating and excluding according to arbitrarily drawn lines. “You didn’t show enough love” is a hard standard to define, but easy to apply. Ananias and Sapphira were in, but now they’re out and good riddance.

Even though I’m inclined to concede that you and Barclay are reading Paul correctly, I’m finding Levine’s concept of a big-tent family much more attractive.

Re: The Paradoxes of Progressive Political Theology: The Paradox Revisited

Lee_Price — Thu, 18 May 2017 12:59:09 -0000

Tim, I'm sure I spoke out of line on this as you obviously know much more about MJ than I do. My wife thinks she held him when he was a baby at Salford, but that's as close as I come to any actual personal connection. Looking at this through the theological division that Beck proposes--and realizing that there could naturally be a large grey area between the two approaches, I think anyone working for the UN in Africa would be exposed to Niebuhrian approaches. I've been under the impression that MJ's original impetus for involvement was more mainstream Anabaptist, but I could be wrong. While I accept Beck's proposed division, I also tend to think of both approaches as equally Christian.

Re: The Paradoxes of Progressive Political Theology: The Paradox Revisited

Lee_Price — Thu, 11 May 2017 10:30:35 -0000

Yes, very Anabaptist. No arguments with you on any of these points. My current exemplar of progressive Anabaptist responsibility in action is the story of Michael (M.J.) Sharp, which I mentioned yesterday. But Sharp wasn't out to change the political situation, like Bonhoeffer, because that's not generally what Anabaptists do. He was offering assistance to people, one at a time.

Re: The Paradoxes of Progressive Political Theology: The Paradox Revisited

Lee_Price — Thu, 11 May 2017 09:46:22 -0000

I rarely think of Anabaptist theology as optimistic since it has a fairly low view of human nature, but the City on a Hill aspect of it is a potent central image of grace-filled optimism, albeit sometimes a bit tarnished by purity concerns. My natural tendency is toward pessimism, so Anabaptism offers a well-grounded corrective. I think we need Niebuhrians and Anabaptists (which is your point, right?).

Re: The Paradoxes of Progressive Political Theology: The Paradox Revisited

Lee_Price — Thu, 11 May 2017 09:32:50 -0000

Definitely more dissonance! There are Anabaptists who have adopted schemes for alternative taxes, withholding, or simply living in deep enough poverty so as not to pay taxes. But I have better things to do with my time than get embroiled in all the legal problems that accompany the first two, and at this point I'm not opting for poverty either. This is one of the points where Catholic monks and dedicated Anabaptists have much in common (adoption of poverty as witness to an alternative Kingdom).

Re: The Paradoxes of Progressive Political Theology: The Paradox Revisited

Lee_Price — Thu, 11 May 2017 08:52:14 -0000

Yesterday, I mentioned in a comment that I haven’t been able to personally reconcile the act of voting with Anabaptist theology. Here’s the reason: In the US political system, power is temporarily transferred through a democratic voting system from the people to elected officials. The act of voting is a sign of consent to the system, granting that the transfer of power is legitimate regardless of the outcome. Since the President is the commander of the Armed Forces and the Congress declares war and pays the war bills, the voter automatically becomes complicit—even a partner--in a system of institutionalized violence.

I can’t reconcile this with Anabaptist peace theology, particularly as expressed in Article 23 of the Mennonite USA Confession of Faith: “We may participate in government or other institutions of society only in ways that do not violate the love and holiness taught by Christ and do not compromise our loyalty to Christ. We witness to the nations by being that “city on a hill” which demonstrates the way of Christ.”

And, as I also mentioned yesterday, I vote nevertheless and live with the theological dissonance.

Re: Experimental Theology: The Paradoxes of Progressive Political Theology: How Did Progressives Come to Think They Were Anabaptists?

Lee_Price — Wed, 10 May 2017 09:54:58 -0000

Most progressive Mennonites that I know--including the ethnic ones--have significant Niebuhrian leanings. Personally, if cornered for an opinion, I can't even reconcile the act of voting with Anabaptist theology. We're called to be God's kingdom breaking into the world: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9. So, yes, Anabaptists are to be a witness to the world and the Powers of a different way.

But... as with most progressive Anabaptists, I vote and live with the theological dissonance.

Re: Experimental Theology: The Paradoxes of Progressive Political Theology: How Did Progressives Come to Think They Were Anabaptists?

Lee_Price — Wed, 10 May 2017 09:24:03 -0000

Stuart Murray's book THE NAKED ANABAPTIST explores such a fusion in reasonable depth. (Good book!)

“In many nations, then, not only in Britain and Ireland, there are growing numbers of 'neo-Anabaptists' and 'hyphenated Anabaptists'. Neo-Anabaptists identify with the Anabaptist tradition and are happy to be known as Anabaptists, but have no historic or cultural links with any Anabaptist-related denomination. Hyphenated Anabaptists find inspiration and resources in the Anabaptist tradition, but do not identify themselves as Anabaptists. They might be Baptist-Anabaptists, Methodist-Anabaptists, Anglican-Anabaptists, Pentecostal-Anabaptists or various other combinations... If you identify with either of these designations, The Naked Anabaptist is for you.” Stuart Murray

Re: Experimental Theology: The Paradoxes of Progressive Political Theology: How Did Progressives Come to Think They Were Anabaptists?

Lee_Price — Wed, 10 May 2017 09:08:57 -0000

As an Anabaptist (baptized in the Mennonite Church at age 27, married in it, but currently attending Methodist because there are no Mennonite churches in the area where we relocated), I largely agree with this. For a progressive Anabaptism, look to the life of Michael (MJ) Sharp, who was murdered just last month while serving as a Christian peacebuilder in the Congo.
http://emu.edu/now/news/201...

Re: Experimental Theology: Krampus (2015): A Theological Review

Lee_Price — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 09:22:37 -0000

Let's hope we always keep the Lamed Vovniks (the Jewish 36 righteous men or hidden saints) among us! I've always assumed their primary purpose was to keep the enchantment intact. Thanks for the review! It sounds like a worthy holiday movie. (Also, the book The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg is my favorite parable on the loss of enchantment at Christmas time--but I can't read it aloud anymore to the kids because I always cry.)

Re: Experimental Theology: She Was the First To Say Yes

Lee_Price — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 09:49:50 -0000

The original painting by Tanner is on view in the American Wing of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It's a beautiful painting. I hope it's okay to share a meditation that I wrote on it last year.
http://21essays.blogspot.co...

Re: The Hypocrisy of the Benedict Option

Lee_Price — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 09:02:14 -0000

From several of your recent posts, it sounded like your friends in England were finding effective ways of being cruciform Franciscans within a secular society. In his book The Naked Anabaptist, the English writer Stuart Murray makes a compelling case for the need of Franciscan option communities (well, he doesn't use that term, but I think it's what he's talking about!) in a post-Christendom world. In past centuries, Anabaptists have too often slipped into the Benedict Option but their theology supports your Franciscan model.

Re: Experimental Theology: Tzimtzum, Cruciformity and Theodicy

Lee_Price — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 10:01:08 -0000

I’ve found John H. Walton’s book The Lost World of Genesis One very helpful (despite its terrible title) partly because of Walton’s complete dismissal of the idea of creation ex nihilo based upon his placing of the original Hebrew language into its historic context. Walton interprets the first creation story as not being about “creation” but the forming/separating/building of pre-existing materials to establish a Zion-in-macrocosm Temple of the entire cosmos. This act only takes place when man is ready to exercise talents for stewardship, worship, and love. On the sixth day, man takes his place as priest in the temple, rendering it fully functional.

I think it’s an interesting approach to the problems you cite, and I can fairly easily integrate your ideas on tzimtzum and the cruciform nature of God into Walton’s scenario.

Re: A Good Friday Meditation: The Isenheim Altarpiece

Lee_Price — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 08:58:16 -0000

Someday I hope to visit Alsace and see the full altarpiece, but in the meantime--much closer to home--I can always visit "The Small Crucifixion" by Grunewald at the National Gallery in Washington, DC. It's the only Grunewald painting in a US museum. The figures are rearranged, and John the Baptist and the lamb are dropped, but the image of Jesus is much the same. Well worth a visit to Washington!
http://www.nga.gov/content/...

Re: Two unknown Cézanne sketches found in Barnes artworks

Lee_Price — Sat, 21 Feb 2015 22:41:24 -0000

The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia has a state-of-the-art conservation laboratory for treating paintings on canvas, which covers most of the work in the collection. These particular items were works of art on paper, so they were sent for treatment to the paper conservators at the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia. Both institutions have a long history of working together.