4 Comments

1. 

   Justin Detmers on October 14, 2008 at 4:35 pm

   Jeremy,
   I’ve read just the intro and a chapter or so, but I’m eager to read the rest of the book – which sounds quite called for.
   Growing up in a squarely conservative evangelical context found me up to my eyes in the culture-war (w/o realizing it)…it took me a while to know where that stuff ended and where orthodoxy (& orthopraxy) began. I argue that, when we’ve set ourselves against ‘them’ (liberals, academics, gays, the media, and anyone not like ‘us’), nearly everything will come across in a threatening and antagonistic (offensive) tone. In this culture-war construct, one can’t be a faithful Christian without being abrasive to culture and counter intuitive…
   I read the Gospel as news, a report that God loves us and is ‘for us’, even though He doesn’t have to be (*cough cough, Grace!). However, much of my experience finds me looking at an argument that starts with sin, helps ‘us’ vilify ‘them’, and provokes fear and obligation instead of the joy/relief that comes from crossing over from death to life.
   While it is be true that sinful man is God’s enemy, God isn’t ours; though we sin & offend and so on, God’s offer of redemption is inherently the opposite of an offense…

   Later,

   p.s.
   What are you hoping to do when you’re done at GRTS?

   Reply
2. 

   Jeremy on October 15, 2008 at 9:25 am

   thanks for this justin! I feel exactly the same the way…shoot, you should have wrote my book for me 🙂

   Anyway, like you I certainly acknowledge that people react negatively, even in offense, to the demands of Jesus and His news. Both are not, however, in and of themselves offensive. I think you nailed it that the culture wars have shown a crapy Jesus and beginning the Story with sin tells a crapy Story…

   Thanks again man! You looking at GRTS still? I should be done May 2010 with the MDiv, but then will probably continue with the ThM program.

   thanks again man!
   -jeremy

   Reply
3. 

   Justin Detmers on October 16, 2008 at 10:12 am

   …I don’t know about me doing any serious writing, I’m usually too busy to even put up a thoughtful post on my blog. (Ha ha)
   Anyway, I’m following through with the school-teacher thing (it would set me up to study in the summer & move if I could be part of a church plant) for the time being – I’m done in April with MSU’s program.
   I’m going to start slowly with sem. either this spring or summer by taking a class at GRTS or North Park in Chicago. I’m leaning toward NP because they allow 30 credits in a distance scenario and with this economy who knows where I’ll be a few years…and I like Scot McKnight’s work.

   Justin

   Reply
4. 

   Chris on October 20, 2008 at 8:15 pm

   Jeremy,

   I appreciate the postion you take regarding the starting point of God’s story and, as you mentioned in an earlier post, the image bearing of humanity. Sin is not the launching point of the story…as a matter of fact the “set-up” really only takes the first 11 chapters in Genesis…the rest of the story is about redemption, restoration, and reconciliation. Reconcilation both verically…between God and all things, and horizontally…within culture (see Isaiah 60).

   As far as the gospel being offensive…when an autonomous humanity, drowning in a hazy reality of separation from their Creator and possibly their created purposes, is faced with the brute knowledge of their soterical inadequacies…they might be offended. However, when faced with the knowledge of the solution–of a Creator God who is seeking them out–who is reconciling and restoring broken people…that message is rather (un)offensive.

   Thanks for you hard work and I look forward to reading your book.

   Peace,

   C.

   Reply