In Denial of Death, Ernest Becker argues (in chp. 4) that human character is a “vital lie.” He connects the development of what human beings call “character” to the necessity of psychological repression: living bluntly and truly honestly in the face of the mystery, power, and splendor of the world would be altogether too much for us. We are too symbolic for our own good–too existentially “aware” of the ambiguous, fragile, and yet beautiful nature of existence and of our... Read more
In my Public Theology class last night, we discussed–albeit too briefly–Pope Francis as a public theologian and, as an example of public theology, his recently released Laudato Si,’ a 192 page Encyclical on the imperative to address climate change (pleasantly subtitled: “On Care for Our Common Home.” When discussion public theology, we academics tend to be drawn to discussing the writings of established academic public theologians (whether Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Reinhold Niebuhr, or James Cone, Catherine Keller, and Shawn Copeland, or so... Read more
I never had the honor of meeting Phyllis Tickle or even of hearing her speak. I did, however, have the pleasure of reading some of her work. She passed away yesterday, Sept. 22, at 81 years old. Several years ago, I picked up The Great Emergence. I felt as if I was reading someone with a sage-like insight and a prophetic voice. If there can be such a thing as a gentle, eminently reasonable, and optimistic prophet, she would qualify.... Read more
The Coalition of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) has announced today (via a statement on its website) the long-awaited decision regarding what to do about Eastern Mennonite University and Goshen College. These are the two historic Mennonite colleges that recently adopted inclusive (anti-discrimination) hiring policies for gay and lesbian persons. This bold change put them out of step with the majority of CCCU institutions and with the CCCU’s own inernal hiring policy. It also caused a bit of a furor... Read more
In participation for my Christian Ethics class this semester, I read Wolfhart Panneberg’s (the late, great, German theologian) Ethics. His introductory chapter, “Society and the Christian Faith,” is a interesting reflection on the uniquely political, even paradoxically political, nature of the Christian gospel. The kingdom announced by and enacted by Jesus, Pannenberg says, is one that is certainly political in content–though having a different shape than other dominant political expressions. Much of the conundrums Christians and the church face now is... Read more
Tomorrow I begin teaching my fall course, Evil, Death, and Alienation (Don’t worry, students: I’ll throw in some cute kitten pictures here and there to lighten the mood). I’ve been looking forward to this course. Readers of this blog know of my ongoing interest in the work of Ernest Becker, in particular The Denial of Death. So, as I wrap up final preparations for tomorrow’s class session, in which I’ll be showing a few fantastic clips of Birdman, thought I’d... Read more
John Piper recently responded to this question from a listener to his podcast: Pastor John, is Kim Davis wrong for not signing same sex marriage licenses? His basic answer did not surprise me in the least. It’s no secret that Piper affirms a “traditional” view that same sex marriage and same sex eroticism is sinful, unbiblical, and that the Supreme Court disregarded both God’s law and the constitution in the Obergefell decision. Piper insists that unrepentant, practicing homosexuals will undergo a “capital... Read more
These days, an otherwise unknown country clerk, Kim Davis, gets front-page news attention for defying the law of the land on account of her Christian and biblical principles. These days, Democratic presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, speaks in front of some 15,000 people at (very conservative evangelical) Liberty University, and includes biblical references in his speech about finding common ground on concerns for justice and family values (Matt 7:12, Amos 5:24). These days, for all intents and purposes, the same sex... Read more
This post is a contribution to the Patheos book club discussion of Curt Thompson’s recent work, The Soul of Shame. As I discussed in my first post on Thompson’s excellent book, shame can have a profoundly disintegrating effect on our sense of self. Shame is distinguished, Thompson shows, from guilt, in that shame impacts (more than guilt does) our inner sense of self–of who we are. When we experience guilt, we sense that we have done something wrong (i.e. against... Read more
Somehow I missed Stephen Colbert’s interview with Joe Biden last night on Late Night. I had to watch it today because I heard it was a powerful, emotional interview AND because I heard Biden dropped a Kierkegaard quote-bomb. Which he did. He mentioned that his wife, Jill Biden (a professor), taped a Kierkegaard quote on the mirror: “Faith Sees Best in the Dark.” Here is the original and larger context of Kierkegaard’s quote: The believer humanly comprehends how heavy the... Read more
Unsystematic Theology
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In