Blog 14

I wanted to use this blog to organize my thoughts for the final exam. First, considering a reaction to the school shooting from a theological point of view based on prayer, I would like to discuss the implications of the Lord's prayer and what they mean for a response to this tragedy. In the Lord's prayer, we are taught to pray to Our Father in Heaven, who is holy--the point that God is ours, not mine, in our prayers, and the acknowledgement that God is our Creator forces us to recognize that God is the ruler of everyone, including both the victims and perpetrators of violent acts. We then also acknowledge that everything we have comes from God, down to the very bread that we eat daily, and we pray for God's kingdom to come. In The Upside Down Kingdom, the author talks about the kingdom as being possible here on earth--that we can bring about God's kingdom through social action and responsibility, thus reversing the human-nature centeredness of the world. Lastly, the Lord's prayer teaches us that we must first pray for forgiveness for ourselves and then give our forgiveness to others. We also ask God to save us from evil--not only the cosmic evil, but that which we ourselves are involved in. Viewing the school shooting from this perspective can explain a great deal about the response of the Amish people who were affected by the tragedy. Examining the response from a theological lens, we are forced to acknowledge the fact that we are all sinners, and each of us is as guilty as the next--we all owe our lives and our everything to God; thus, we cannot separate our sinful acts from those of others and label them worse. We cannot dehumanize our persecuters; in fact, we should forgive them, just as many of the victims of the shootings have already done. In recognizing that we must also ask for forgiveness, we are better able to forgive. Tragedies remind us that we are not in control of our lives and cannot dictate our own blessings. The fact that we pray for God's kingdom makes us responsible to act out God's kingdom through our actions, and this certainly calls for the radical act of forgiveness that is often so difficult to commit. If we believe that the law of prayer is the law of belief, and that our believe is truth, because if it weren't, it would not be real belief, than we are obligated to respond in a godly manner.
This brings about the subject of narrative, in the idea of forgiveness and acting out the lifestyle of Christianity to which we are called. Our prayer reminds us of the fact that God is creator, and that God created order out of chaos. God does not create things that are not good. In our indebtedness to God for creating and blessing us, God shows us grace; however, with that grace, comes a responsibility. This responsibility ties into living a lifestyle of Christianity, rather than believing in the concept of Christianity. We are called to radical behavior, just as it was radical in the days when Jesus lived. The reason it is so radical is because it is so different from our human nature--to forgive, to consider others before ourselves, to express beliefs that are not widely accepted. The actions of the Amish families who forgave the man who murdered their kin were seen as radical by most who witnessed it. Analysis of the tragedy from a Christian narrative viewpoint based on the teachings and lifestyle of Jesus would, however, undoubtedly lead to a similar response as that expressed by many in the community. The tragedy opened up an opportunity to show exactly the kind of radical love to which Jesus calls us. It is through our responses to things like this that we can show discipleship through our reactions, and be the example of which Jesus speaks when he tells us that we are light and salt.
The discipleship concept laid out in our narrative interpretation of a Biblical worldview towards the school shooting brings about the third approach, that of ministry and God's will for us. As I recalled the layers of faith that we discussed in class, I began to wonder if a tragic event can't play a significant role in helping us move from one "level" to the next--that it might make us ask deeper questions and lead us to a better understanding of our mission. In a sense, we can think about life-changing events as being faith-changing events as well--that is, they may change the nature of our faith, and if we allow them, aid in deepening its roots. Analysis from this viewpoint leads me to ponder the message that we may receive from the school shooting about what we should be doing with our faith and how we should be using our gifts. We should remember that we are God's creatures--God's creation, and we must interpret events from this perspective, rather than the more tempting instinct to mold our responses to what suits us best. This is, in a sense, making ourselves the creators and giving ourselves the responsibility that belongs to God. Our own image of God and "what Jesus would do" may be very different from the truth, especially if it is not based in the Biblical message about discipleship and duty.
This brings me to the ethics section, from which a number of different interpretations can be drawn. In determining reactions from an ethical standpoint, I think it is important to ask the right questions and examine their answers from a Biblical perspective--this will not always bring about the same response, but I think it is a good start to understanding the role that each party plays in any interaction between groups. In the case of the shooting, a biblical perspective based in ethics might, if looking from a deontological base, consider the responsibility of each person involved in the event--how that responsibility may have been breached by some, and how those affected might react in a responsible way. A virtue/narrative base might consider the way in which such a tragedy fits into the ongoing story of God's creation and our lives on earth--this takes away a bit of the individuality in the responses of the victims, but at the same time it lends a sort of freedom to them. It enables them to see the issue in perspective and further give up control to God. This action in turn makes the forgiveness of which we have discussed so much even more possible.
These four perspectives from which a Biblical worldview can be formed combine to paint a stronger and more cohesive picture of what a response from such a worldview might look like.

blog 13

The last two weeks have left me feeling somewhat in a funk about my worship life, and I have been thinking a lot about religion in such an abstract way that I have felt disconnected in prayer and uninspired to turn to God for guidance. After discussing prayer in such depth, I have somehow felt distanced, struggling with the concept of what it means to pray and getting caught up in whether I do it right, which keeps me from doing it all all. I am thinking about this problem a great deal and seem to be doing little about it. Considering Christian ethics from the perspective of secular roots, I also find myself distancing and feel the consequences of this in my general mood. I wonder so often why it is that at the time when we need God most in our lives, we tend to shut God out, despite fully recognizing our dependence. I also wonder why it is so difficult to share this in a matter of fact way with others, when we, or at least I, know what a freeing and inspiring experience it can be. I know that it is in this fashion that prayer is meant to be a powerful form of worship, just as I know that practicing "personal" Christian ethics is a useless endeavor without community to endorse and enforce it. When community is such an integral part, or should be, of a Christian's lifestyle and ability to worship, why is it that we fear that deep of a connection and resort to what seems like more comfortable and simple interactions. The vulnerability that worshiping expresses and facilitates is nothing less than a wonderful gift, but somehow it seems that people will do anything and everything to prevent being perceived as vulnerable. Why do we associate it with weakness? It obviously takes more courage to make oneself vulnerable than it does to move along with a silent, self-conscous crowd. Strength is manifested in the ability to trust, and we do so little of that. To trust in God, if one believes in God, should not be challenging at all. To trust in people, who are fallible, is in some senses an even greater exhibition of faith. I think of Jesus, who was a person--capable of messing up? The fate of humanity has always been in the hands of God, but God then put it in the hands of a mortal--God made mortal--how much faith God put in God's creation...it seems strange that we put such little faith back into God. The feelings I have struggled with over the last few weeks are not new, and I know that they are not permanent. It is dealing with them that makes them go away, and what we so often don't want to do when we are troubled. Talking about it, however, makes me want to worship and be vulnerable--or admit that I am vulnerable, because that never changes.