“The idol determines the ‘god’ on the basis of the aim, hence of an anterior gaze…The idol is constituted by the thrust of an aim anterior to any possible spectacle, but also by a first visible, where, settling, it attains, without seeing, its invisible mirror, low-water mark of its rise…In other words, the proposition “GodContinue reading “Idol/Idle Chatter: Thinking God without Being”
Tag Archives: faith
It’s called The Book of Revelation, not “Revelations”
The most popular and feared book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation, suffers a thousand deaths every time someone gets this wrong. You can hear it at any coffee shop (at least in my town), church parking lot, or casual argument at work when a co-worker is trying to convince you of all theContinue reading “It’s called The Book of Revelation, not “Revelations””
God is Nothing: Lacan Wrestles with Thing 1 & Thing 2
“In the symbolic order, the empty spaces are as signifying as the full ones; in reading Freud today, it certainly seems that the first step of the whole of his dialectical movement is constituted by the gap of an emptiness” -Jacques Lacan in his “Response to Jean Hyppolite’s Commentary on Freud’s ‘Verneinung.’” Everyone wants something. Continue reading “God is Nothing: Lacan Wrestles with Thing 1 & Thing 2”
Easter Hope is Paranormal Hope that our Bodies Matter
ParanormalChrist’s genesis is the very ambiguous event that we call the Resurrection of Jesus. It is this singular event that has shaped the contours of faith, belief, hope and dared to challenge the norms of creation by declaring that the impossible has happened and it has happened definitively in Jesus. And this impossible event, thisContinue reading “Easter Hope is Paranormal Hope that our Bodies Matter”
Christianity and Capitalism: The Enigma of Capital
Protests at Zuccotti Park A Small Explanation This review is forthcoming in the next Review and Expositor Theological Journal. The theme of the Spring 2013 issue is “Christianity and Economics” and it is largely the product of a series of papers presented by myself and a host of other academic and pastoral colleagues at lastContinue reading “Christianity and Capitalism: The Enigma of Capital”
Parables: Stories About the End of the World
The following is a sermon I preached in year B this past summer. In my ministerial context, sermons are generally 20-30 minutes. This one is on the 30 minute side due to the pedagogical material at the front of the sermon. I hope this helps you wrestle with this very short Markan parable as muchContinue reading “Parables: Stories About the End of the World”
The Christ Aporia: his last name is not Christ and he’s not your friend
Aporia…confusion is of the devil, but aporia is of the Father -this is the least one can say about a definition of the Christ, a symbol as rich as it is dense, as familiar as it is foreign. Or one can say it as John Milbank does in his seminal text, The Word Made Strange,Continue reading “The Christ Aporia: his last name is not Christ and he’s not your friend”
Who needs the death of Jesus? We have Facebook
The widespread use of twitter, tumblr, Facebook, etc, and the past success of the movie “Social Media” and the accolades it received across various Hollywood awards shows should have gained the attention of the church and thoughtful followers of Jesus. Yet, this is not the case. Normally, us self-professed Christian folk can dismiss the latestContinue reading “Who needs the death of Jesus? We have Facebook”
The Perverse Core of Atonement: Sacrifice or Relationship?
For me, all doctrines and dogma are “fair game” and worth critical examinination. A faith that is not able to withstand questions is an antique to be admired, not a faith that dares to walk and encounter the world with us. The atonement, by virtue of its function in faith and theology, cannot be anContinue reading “The Perverse Core of Atonement: Sacrifice or Relationship?”
Other-Wise Atonement: Thinking about the Human Sacrifice of Jesus
In the past week I have had three conversations with fellow Brothers in Christ in regard to our ideas of atonement and its relationship to ministry and life. Chief among these concerns has been the reality that more and more folks, especially folks under 30 (I am 31 FTR) are abandoning organized religion and churches.Continue reading “Other-Wise Atonement: Thinking about the Human Sacrifice of Jesus”
ParanormalChrist 