180 Degrees

Wow! I apologize for that excruciating stream of consciousness that is my first post~ However, the rule I made for myself when starting this blog is that I would never delete anything I wrote and published, no matter how annoying or imperfect. It's part of the emerging process, which never really stops, not even at physical death. Anyway, if you got through that post, and are still reading, blessings on you:)

I was thinking last night while staring at my pale blue ceiling how true and meaningful "opposites" of the things we cherish can actually be. And how it's possible that opposites don't always (in fact, rarely), mean contradictions. Both sides are necessary, but way too much attention is usually paid to only one side. I started thinking about this within the context of my faith, and discovered some really cool things about doing a 180 - things you probably discovered a long time ago. I'm a bit late on the emerging track.

The Word of God / The Silence of God

Whenever Christians, particularly evangelicals, think of the Bible, they think of it as the Word of God. A word that speaks to them in their personal situation. A word that gives them right direction, or food for thought. There is always this sense of guidance when opening the pages of scripture, no matter if the person opening it is an inerrantist or not. Preachers usually utilize scripture with their speech, always talking, sometimes hitting the nail on the head. Sometimes not. As beautiful as the Word of God is, the Silence of God is equally as beautiful. God sometimes speaks, is sometimes silent. This silence is wonderful and peaceful at times; it is frightening at other times. Yet, it is one way God interacts with Her creatures. Most Christians prefer word to silence, but how much more we grow in the Divine Silence! In the midst of it, I hate the deafening silence; in hindsight, I praise God's awesome way of doing what needs to be done.

The Son of God / The Daughter of God (or Father God/Mother God)

I'm not trying to be heretical here. I usually don't have to try too hard for that~ I love Christ as the son of God. As the beautiful representation of God's character and love who came in human flesh. Incarnation never ceases to amaze me, especially when I realize that incarnation continues in the present. Now, the Church is the incarnation of God in the world.

But as the Church, we are comprised of men and women. The Son of God image does it for me. I am male after all. But what about my sisters in Christ? Some female Christians identify just fine with a male Christ; others would love a Daughter of God image. And why shouldn't they have that? Christ, as the embodiment of a multi-gender God, wasn't only male, but also just as much female. A sort of native American niizh manitoag, a "two-spirit" person. Male and female combined. Not only is this a comforting "opposite" for many females, but also for our gay, lesbian, and transgendered brothers and sisters.

Learning / Listening (I mean, really listening -> following)

Of course, these two things don't have to be exclusive, but they often are. Learning is useful, and exciting (to me, anyway), but it just doesn't cut it in real Christianity. If God's purpose for His people was just to learn facts and theories, what a boring and useless purpose that would be! "Drop what you're doing and follow me" was the exclamation of Christ to his disciples. Listening takes guts. Learning is safe. Listening and following is scary, 'cause you often don't know where you're going. Where will Christ take us next? Following makes us listen, makes us ready to move, prepares us for action.

Propositions / Mystery

This is my personal favorite 180. I have come to hate propositions. I know this is not always a good thing, and I constantly have to remember the important place of beliefs agreed upon within the Community of Christ. However, I remain convinced that statements of faith usually quench the awesome, inherent mystery within the Christian faith. Right belief too often = boorrrrrring. I can say "Jesus is God" until I turn blue in the face. How often do we think about how "Jesus is God" actually works? What does that really mean? It's less important for me to actually assent to "Jesus is God" than to really think about what it means. The same applies to all statements of orthodoxy. And some orthodox statements just don't jive with life in Christ as we experience it. Mystery has to play a role in faith. Who wants to worship a God we fully understand?

I could do this all day, but I'd have to apologize again for my "stream of consciousness." Think about some 180s that are meaningful to you. Peace & blessings.