10. Impassibility - Okay. Nobody loves God not suffering more than I do (except maybe Thomas Weinandy), but maybe we should scrap this six syllable word and instead just say that God does not suffer.
9. Contextual theology - Sure all theology is done from a particular location. There is no neutral, universal standpoint from which anyone can speak of God. All speaking of God does emerge from a particular social location. Why does this necessarily have to entail that all language of God is limited to its historical context? If this is the case, then theology is just ornamentation and let's all go home and play cards...
8. Fundamentalist - I don't know why this word comes up so much at Garrett. It is not like there are any of them here. That being said, all of us are fundamentalists. The only question is what is fundamental for you. For most of the people at Garrett, what is fundamental is that George Bush is bad and that we should change the negative language about the practice of homosexuality in the United Methodist Book of Discipline. These days, some liberals at Garrett are finally being honest about this phenomenon and are even admitting the presence of fundaliberals in our midst!
7. Inclusive, tolerance, accepting - Tolerance may be the plague of the modern church. These days many of our churches tolerate far too much. Moreover, it amazes me how people who preach inclusiveness, tolerance, and acceptance can be so uninclusive, intolerant, and unaccepting.
6. Wesleyan Quadrilateral - I hate this term. Billy Abraham has wonderfully argued for why we must reject the Methodist Quadrilateral. He calls it that because the phrase "Wesleyan Quadrilateral" was actually coined by Albert Outler, not John Wesley. Around these parts people forget the Quadrilateral is a theological method, not a docrtine itself. Contemporary theology has illustrated how the Quadrilateral is a way for reason and experience to defeat Scripture and tradition. This can be displayed in a Methodist leader who once remarked, "I ran homosexuality through the Quadrilateral and Scripture lost, three to one." Where have you gone Mr. Wesley? Our church turns its lonely eyes to you...
5. Hellenization thesis - I get so tired of hearing about how the Greeks irrevocably ruined Christianity when they substitued the static, inert, lifeless god of Greek philosophy for the dynamic, active, living God of the Old Testament, or should I say the Hebrew Scriptures, or I mean the First Testament, whatever...
4. Liberal/Progressive Evangelical - I have no idea what this means. As I have told many people, the best definition I can come up with for "liberal/progressive evangelical" is that we all get to call ourselves evangelicals but we also all get to stay liberals.
3. Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer - Let me be clear. If you replace the language of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with the language of Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, then you are a heretic (modalistic monarchianism). If you read your Bible more, you might recall that the Son is the one through whom all things were made and that without him was not any thing made that was made (John 1:3).
2. Social justice - Don't get me wrong. I too cannot wait for the day when justice will rain down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream (Amos 5:24). Then again, who isn't for social justice? I have never heard someone say, "I hate social justice." That is, until now I guess...
1. Pericope - Why the heck can't we just say "verses" or "passage of Scripture?" Give me a break...This word, perhaps more than any other, is indicative of the kind of intellectual elitism that runs rampant in United Methodist seminaries and, if you aren't careful, might just infect you while you are there!
Friday, August 31, 2007
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