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I have been reading a few of the many great novels I have missed.  Currently reading "A Passage to India."  Have read "Absalom, Absalom," and "Anna Karenina" in the last year.  These and others are classics for good reasons.

I have a hard time following the technical and linguistic arguments on "status confesionis."  In practice, would accepting the report disallow pro-gay marriage positions, and imply excommunication for them?

I can't see why it would.  This issue is not doctrinal, at least in the sense of addressing doctrines of God, soteriology, Christology, etc.  It was those issues that the historical church debated in its councils.  And it was those kinds of issues that established orthodoxy, and brought about church ruptures.

The recent political season has shown just how far apart we can be on many important political, moral, and economic issues.  But while I may internally question the intelligence, knowledge, or even good will of some people in my congregation who take opposing views, I have no desire to exclude them from fellowship.  In fact, such members may be the toe of the body that my big mouth badly needs. 

It seems to me that our beliefs on the un/acceptability of homosexual marriage falls into such a category.  It is a social/moral issue about which we might disagree.  Moving it into the category of heresies along with Arianism, or tri-theism, etc. crosses far too many bridges. 

Debating what some term meant in another language in 500 year-old documents seems to miss the point. 

All true!  As a former missionary I can affirm them.  Though, in a good sense, I think it's true that "once a missionary, always a missionary."

Posted in: Music as Mission

Terrific to hear.

I met a missionary who is an ethno-musicologist.  She works in Africa trying to track down local music.

A problem she runs into is that the African music scene has been taken over by western pop artists, and earlier, by European hymnody.  Curious if you did or can blend in the local traditions.

The classic definition of justice is "rendering to each his due."

That's a good start, but invites lots of questions:  Due to whom?  What things?  Due on what basis?  Etc.

N. Wolterstorff has two recent books on justice, if you want to pursue it in depth. 

I am told that Bono was at an awards ceremony and heard a Christian Artist thank God for "giving" him a particular song.

Bono's response was, "I'm sorry to hear that God has no sense of rhythm or melody."

I suspect that 99% of the songs our kids listen to today won't be heard 30 years from now.

So?  Hold our noses and ears and listen to some good stuff, hoping they outgrow the bad?

Amen!  The problem is, our theology in the West is not aimed at shame and cleanliness; It is aimed at sin and guilt, e.g. the Satisfaction Theory of Atonement.  Therefore we are rarely effective evangelizing in the East.  But the Bible and ancient theology from the East does address our condition in this way.  Do you know any western theologians who are working in this area?

A colleague turned me toward psychological studies on this.  Makes sense.  A name to pursue is Brene Brown.  She has two TED talks that are instructive here.  She points out that shame is quite common in our culture as well.

In general, shame says, "I am not OK," rather than saying, "I have done wrong."  Thus the solution is acceptance rather than absolution.  God in Christ sees us for who we really are, and nonetheless loves us, and is proud to call us his children and friends.

You could check my "From Cairo to Christ."  It tells the story of my fellow Calvin Sem. grad who converted from Islam 40 years ago, and has been working as an evangelist to Muslims every since.  IVP 2017

I checked out Accidental Courtesy.  

Perhaps what we struggle with here is the difference between sin and vice.  A sin can be forgiven, and the memory of it removed from our consciousness, as either an individual or as a people.  

A vice, however, is not eliminated by forgiveness.  A vice, like lust, anger, pride, or I think, racism, must be eliminated over a long struggle that changes attitudes and feelings, be they individual or corporate.  I don't think our church, or many others, has dealt with this as well as we have with individual acts of sinfulness.

But Jesus famously did, when he commented on the 10 Commandments in the Sermon on the Mount.  There he clearly showed that failing to perform sinful acts is not enough.  It does not address the root attitudes/vices.  Our thoughts, attitudes, feelings, and perspectives need to be converted as well.

So the question is not that of forgiveness only.  Forgiving an act of violence, for instance, leaves the perpetrator and the victim off the hook regarding the underlying anger or resentment that may lie below the act.  I wish we had been more well trained in the conversion of vices into virtues, not just in the forgiveness of particular sins.

And now I have a reading recommendation for any who wish to pursue this.  Miroslav Volf, The End of Memory: Remembering Rightly in a Violent World.

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