Theological Frustration

I've just been going through my blog reader this morning, and I am frustrated.

First, Glenn points us to this article in The Herald. Here are the paragraphs Glenn highlighted, with his emphasis:

Israel last night suspended its aerial bombardment of southern Lebanon for 48 hours to allow for an investigation into bombing in Qana which killed at least 60 people including 37 children.

Israel insisted it launched its strike on Qana because Hizbollah guerrillas had fired 40 rockets into northern Israel from there, wounding five Israelis.

Next on my Bloglines tour I went to one of the 20-25 professional theologians I follow. Let me check... Yes, they are all academics. You would know a lot of their names. A lot of authors in there. These are smart people that I admire and respect, and I constantly learn a lot from them.

Yet, on a day (or day after) when the above quote can be found in the paper, and, more to the point, the above actions can be found on our planet, not a single one of these theologians is talking about what is happening in the Middle East. Not one. (Yes, its a very small sampling, but work with me on this - this is my world this morning.)

Wait, Let me check again...

Yup. No on is talking about Israel and Lebanon. Come to think of it, no one is talking about Palestine.

No one is talking about Iraq.
No one is talking about Sudan.
No one is talking about HIV/AIDS.
No one is talking about Afghanistan.
No one is talking about global warming.
No one is talking about corporate greed.
No one is talking about the minimum wage.
No one is talking about corrupt politicians and regimes.
No one is talking about starvation and our overflowing garbage cans.
No one is talking about the millions (in their own countries) living below the poverty line.

No one is talking about what it means to be a follower of Christ in this environment, at this time.

Look, I've already said I learn a lot from these smart people, and it's true. But, I also remember hearing the late Stan Grenz say something about theology being for all the community of the people of God, or else it was a waste of time. (God, have I mentioned lately you took Stan too early? Somebody messed up there.)

Some time ago I expressed my own concerns as a new grad student of theology.

Well, all this is just to say that I'm feeling it again this morning.

Comments

[ryan]

I often wonder about the same things Mike... Yesterday, our church service was a communal lament where I was responsible for the "international" component. I offered a fairly emotional prayer about the situation in Lebanon, Congo etc and, after the service, was under the impression that the service had been a good thing for our church to go through together - to genuinely express our sorrow, bitterness, anger to God regarding the pain and injustice so rampant in our world. Alas, after the service, several comments I got tempered my evaluation of the service. One women said she appreciated my prayer, but proceeded to explain to me how Israel's response in Lebanon was totally justified etc... Someone else, not surprisingly with some fairly strong eschatological views, insinuated that this was all a necessary step on the march toward Aramageddon... Another guy was more interested in criticizing a theologian that came up in conversation who held the disastrous opinion that God merely destroys the unrighteous rather than subjecting them to eternal conscious torment. Somehow this was deemed more important than the subject of our corporate lament that morning. I like theology, and I enjoy theological wrangling as much as the next person, but when it leads to this kind of utter lack of perspective something has gone seriously awry.

[Pete]

Just one question, what were they talking about?

[David T]

Hey Mike, don't let it you get down, lad. Keep in mind you are in good and growing company!

From the New York Times article you emailed me I see Greg Boyd is getting Hell from devout evengelicals in his own church because of his penetrating views on the blind Evangelical support of the USA, the flag, and its Christian president's ill-conceived actions in Iraq and its current hesitation to press for an immediate stop to the carnage in Lebanon. New Martin Luther Kings are surfacing to remind us that violence, hatred and bigotry in the name of the Prince of Peace just don't wash and that at the heart of democracy should be justice and compassion.

Another good sign is that I detect a growing all-be-it late rejection of the LaHaye Left Behind crap that is a rehash of the Hal Lindsay dispensational nonsense of the Seventies. However, we should note that rejecting the comfy pre-Trib escape hatch brings with it the concept that Christians will likely go through persecution (didn't Jesus have something to say on this?). My only thought on this is that when the shock of this hits the Christian church, and because of the current paucity of Christian ethics within the Religious Right, we will damn well deserve it!!

PS: I just got Robin Meyers new book "Why the Christian Right is Wrong." Looks good. Stay radical, lad.

[Troy]

Mike your point is very well received. I believe theologians like you are the future…if there is a future to be had.

I have grown increasingly conscious of the lack of airtime social/justice/environmental/poverty issues, like those discussed on your blog, are given from the pulpit. (At least from any pulpit I am exposed to).

As I reflect on the teaching I have received since my conversion to Christianity, some15 years ago, it all seems so academic and theoretical, full of dogma & proof-texting. (This from a theology grad!!) I was once a great fan of theological wrangling but today I declare that I am done with it.

Recently I have been taking more of a “parable of the sheep and the goats” approach to theological questions, discussions and debates. What I mean is that I am seeing the finer points of theology more and more irrelevant and seeing what on earth we are doing as increasingly important! And if anyone takes issue with the drastic, and some would say liberal, turn in my thinking I ask them to go read the parable of the sheep and the goats and argue with the author.

So, back to my initial point. Bless you for having the long-suffering to still delve into the academic side of theological studies. I pray that you can get in there and mess things up a bit.

[lynne]

read this.

thanks Bobbie (& Jim) for the link

[Jamie Arpin-Ricci]

I understand your frustration, but wonder if you have jumped too quickly to some conclusions. I would wonder what they are blogging on too. For example, I read a blog post today that addressed how to relate to different critics in the theological conversation happening online. Without addressing some of the questions- without overcoming the polarized categories of "conserative" and "liberal"- a conversation, for example, about the war and the politics involved may not even be possible.

So, while I affirm your concern, a small, one day, topical sampling may be an unfair measure. However, your concern and frustration are heard and affirmed.

Peace,
Jamie

[Mike]

Hey Jamie - I absolutely agree that my "sample" isn't much of a sample at all. Also, to reiterate, there's no disrespect intended. I often find these folks very helpful (or I wouldn't be following their blogs.)

My little "experiment" merely points out what I've felt for a while... that there is a gap between "theology" in the academic sense, and being a follower of Jesus in the real-world sense. Furthermore, Stan Grenz was the only academic I ever heard address this gap.

I think in relatively peaceful times the gap is invisible. But, with the craziness in the world these days, much of it at least invoking the veil of religion, the gap becomes much more apparent.

That's what I struggle with.

[Jordon]

Mike, I'll try not to take it personally that you called me "no one" but I have been blogging about Lebanon and trying to find an ethic in all of it and I have been blogging some Barbara Ehrenreich about poverty and corporate greed. I am not talking about starvation and hunger but I am working in a place that feeds about 200 hungry people a day with some pretty good food (good enough that I eat two meals a day while at work), helps battered women and children, and is a community to those that are marginalized and forgotten by society. There are some of us out there that are bringing up these important topics.

[wilsonian]

You look like a bridge.

[Mike]

Jordon - dude, buddy, pal. Obviously I made myself as clear as mud... as usual. In my post I was (in my head) differentiating between academic theologians and practitioners. You are obviously a practictioner. No slander intended. No one? You? Never! see you at Cultivate.

Wilsonian - that explains the stress I'm under. Get it - the stress!

Never mind.

Hey - see you at Cultivate too!

[Jordon]

Mike, I had an idea of what you met and I think you are right and wrong at the same time. You are right that the academia isn't talking about this but they rarely do until later. I am thinking about the excellent scholarly books on Rwanda and societal collapse that only get written when the dust settles. I have a feeling that quite a few academics are in the middle of these crisis' as we speak and their books will come out later.

What disturbs me more is the lack of practitioners talking about this with their communities. I remember talking about asinine it was to be focused on whose tax cuts were bigger while the Rwanda genocide was happening. While our church responded, many pastors thought I was nuts to preach on something so "big" or "controversial" as if genocide is controversial.

We can make a big difference is only we can get past our seven habits of being a successful Christian mentality.

Good post btw.

[Mike]

Preach it, brother. And I hope you're right about those books.

(I've noticed that a few people have linked to the post, and it has indeed quickly turned to more of a "what is the church" saying issue. And I'm not against that - it's also an important conversation.)

[Phil]

Mike and others -

"No one is talking about what it means to be a follower of Christ in this environment, at this time."

If you're interested pop pver to my blog and read thoughts and reflctions from Rt. Rev. Munib Younan, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran church of Jordan and The Holy Land.

May God raise all of our voices at this tragic time.

Peace.

[Jamie Arpin-Ricci]

Fair enough!