Thursday, March 09, 2006

CST 12/3/06 "Living Isaiah 58"

on: 12th March 2006 @ 8.30pm

at: Favorit (Teviot Place) (view map)

Seed Thoughts and Questions on Living Isaiah 58
(with thanks to Wes White)

  • Biblical hope has the power to effect change, since God is involved in effecting it. We have too often limited this hope in the arena of justice-seeking.
  • The kingdom of God is a political image with reference to the whole of creation. It is an eschatological vision demanding localised anticipation.
  • "Religion is the opiate of the people" (Marx) "What distinguishes the Christian from other honourable people? At most a pious face and parted hair" (Feuerbach) "Eat shit now, pie-in-the-sky when you die" (Bono) Are we to blame for these misunderstandings?
  • Isaiah 58 calls us to an approach to theology meaning "an end of theology as conceptual representation; it is farewell to spectator theologians." (Kuno Fussel)
  • "Religious fervour is well and good as long as it is likewise convenient" (Wes White)
  • "It is to these- the poorest, those with no power or influence, the wretched, the neglected- to whom God has given priority in the kingdom, not only for their own sake, but also for he rest of us who can enter the kingdom only alongside them." (Richard Bauckham, cf. Zaccheus in Lk 19)
  • "What might be the outcome if communities of faith were empowered to energize spirituality to such a degree that a rhetoric of force were countered with demonstrations of service?" (Wes White) How does Isaiah answer this question?
  • How can we fast in a way that pleases God?

Other texts for consideration
Amos 5:21-24
James 1:27
Luke 19:1-10
Matthew 25:31-46
Revelation 21:5

Welcome to Coffee Shop Theology

"Theology is a community affair" (Jurgen Moltmann)

We believe theology is truly thrilling. We also affirm that theology is not just the task of the academic and pastor - it belongs to us all. And theology does not just happen in Bible College, university and church hall - it happens wherever people engage with God.

In the spirit of the incarnation, and following the lead of Mosaic's Public Theology thing, the web's Open Source Theology, and the apostle Paul's trip to the Areopagus, a few of us are trying to take theological discussion into the public domain; into the place where people discuss weighty matters - in our case the coffee shops of Edinburgh.

We seek to wrestle with our thinking about God through informal conversation which encourages open questioning and, where opinions differ, sincere respect. We seek to create an open community where we can share our passions, concerns and thoughts about the church. We seek to create a cross-confessional environment where we can challenge each other, open each other's eyes to new perspectives and explore new ways that we can engage with both our shared Christian tradition and our contemporary culture. So if you are waiting for your hazelnut latte and hear a bunch of people in the corner getting excited about God, that'll be us. Get your coffee to sit in, and pull up a chair.

If you are interested in being part of a lively, informal and welcoming discussion on matters relating to (mainly but not exclusively) Christian theology then reply to this thread or email me and we'd love to have you with us.

This is the CST mini-site, so if you found this without coming via my main blog, congratulations! If you can't make a CST session but the conversation sounds interesting, come join us online at the santa fe trail. Oh, and if you have any burning questions, please post a comment there and maybe it'll become a new thread or even a theme for the next CST session!