What’s Up? 07/05/10

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Al Qaeda, America, Amerigo Vesppuci, BP, coleslaw, Condiments, corn salsa, government, neuroscience, Obama, oil companies, psychology, psychopaths, Salads, terrorism, vegetables, Wall Street, willpower

Oh it was a scrumptious July 4! The Contrarian, bless his dear heart, taped both the semi and finals of Wimbledon, and we watched it on Friday and Sunday nights. My hero won!

Well, as you know, I have several, but pound for pound, if I could transpose Johnny Depp’s head onto Rafa’s body, I’d be in some kinda heaven. Not that Rafa or Johnny have to complain about their opposite features, but together, I don’t think a woman could live without swooning.

A beautiful two matches, and a chance to hear a little from an old favorite, Bjorn Borg as well. On the the Open where Rafa will have a tougher time with the speed of those cement like courts.

I would have liked a Federer-Nadal final cuz I always like to see Neanderthal boy lose, to my sexy Spaniard.

Well, okay, digging head from the clouds and returning to the mundane world of reality. Sigh…

Yesterday we have grilled steaks and pasta salad. The crowning glory was a corn salsa I threw together. It was simply divine. I’ll give you the basics:

Corn Salsa

the corn from 3 ears, cut off and sauteed in some olive oil until charred a bit

Throw in a bowl and add:

1 jalapeno, finely diced (or other hot pepper as you like)

1 rib of celery finally chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped red pepper

1/2 cup red onion (or scallions if you prefer)

1/4 cup chopped Italian flat leave parsley or cilantro as you like

juice of one lime

salt and pepper

Drizzle of olive oil to coat

Mix and eat. Great at room temperature.

(feel free to substitute other veggies like carrots, zucchini, radishes, whatever)

 

It would be best if you not miss out on Vodka’s take on the news. I  promise you, it’s always unique. Strip clubs seem to be taking a beating on many fronts (and backs). BP refused their claim of lost wages due to loss of customers along the Gulf coast. And then there is Michael Steele’s attempt to woo GOP’ers into contributions by showing them some free jiggles. It’s a tough economy so it seems.

Speaking of limes, I thought you might like this refreshing new take on coleslaw, which can get soooo mundane sometimes. It’s all cilantro-y and chili peppery and, sounds perfect for those summer grilling adventures. Easy side to make with some real inventiveness. Thanks to Epicurious!

Okay, so this is long, and depressing, but frankly, my little cutsie blurbs do not lead to your being critically informed. This post does. The link was broken so I’ve sent you to the main site, and go to Government Isn’t the Problem, by Evert Cilliers (aka Adam Ash), dated today. Read it, all of it.

Perhaps no brain is as fascinating to me as the sociopath or psychopath as they used to be called. Neuroscientist Jim Fallon, has been looking at them from a genetic point of view. This is the third of three parts and the other two can be accessed though links part way through part 3. A really interesting look. Are we victims of people who have no choice?

Think you know how America got it’s name? Maybe you do, and maybe you don’t. Follow the link and find out.

We are all victims of our urges. None of us are successful all of the time in invoking will power to subdue them. Scientific American gives us so real advice on how we might do better, whether it be avoiding chocolate to excess, beer, or shoes.

All is not gloom and doom. Elizabeth Kaeton has a doozy of a post on Queen Liz’s latest letter to us in Merika. Seems, our revolution has been revoked, and we are back in. Be grateful that I gave you a toy to play with. This will not happen often, since I’m about serious business here most days.

And that is enough for now. Have a great day. It’s crappy rain here, and for the foreseeable future into infinity. Iowa is startin’ to be a real drag. House smells like wet fur. I’m tempted to make them all stay out anyway. I need to nap.

Contemporary Christologies

Tags

Book Reviews, Christianity, Contemporary Christologies, Don Schweitzer, religion, theology

Let me first thank Fortress Press for their gracious offering to me  of Don Schweitzer’s Contemporary Christologies, for review.

I always feel a bit of a fraud, daring to review a book, the subject of which is either theology or biblical studies. I have no degrees in either and am at best a lay student. Yet, on the other hand, Fortress realizes the value of people such as myself in widening the appeal of books usually reserved for the university and formal student. 

Which is all to say, that knowing my audience is not by and large the college campus, I’ll make no attempt to be too technical here.

Professor Schweitzer starts off with the question, “Who do you say that I am?” from Mark 8:29, and indeed that is exactly what Christology is all about. Our human attempts to define Christ for us, and for the larger community in which we engage.

In this introductory look at the subject, Schweitzer gives us three models of atonement (ways of looking at Jesus saving grace). He then shows us how fifteen modern theologians approach this issue, and how they vision the Christ as impacting our world today.

Indeed, perhaps in each generation or century, there are times when we ask: Is Christ still relevant to our current problems?  All of these theologians, albeit by different means, would argue a resounding “Yes!”

The first model is that of Christus Victor, an objective classical model which sees the world in terms of good and evil, with Jesus being a transformative figure who brings hope and promise into the world, that in the end,will see good prevail.

The second model is the moral theory. In following this model, Jesus transforms people by the power of his example. He models perfect love, and we, his followers emulate him, thus turning aside from evil to good. It seeks to transform our faulty understanding of God, replacing it with a correct one.

In the third model we find salvation theory via substitutionary satisfaction. Jesus in his full humanity offered himself as sacrifice for our sins which we could never repay. We thus are reconciled again with God.

Schweitzer, then turns to fleshing out these models by reference to various theologians today. I would admit that I was aware, and had read something of seven of the fifteen. Some of them are dear favorites of mine, namely Jon Sobrino, and Elizabeth Johnson.

Each theologian’s Christology is explained and placed against the model it most closely follows. Strengths and weaknesses are explored. Always, attention is paid to the main issue before us: how Christologies impact and can be relevant to the world today. Each sees Jesus as providing a framework for addressing our most pressing problems, a blueprint, if you will, for assessing whether we are indeed “putting on the mind of Christ.”

As such, this book is extraordinarily relevant. It is easy today for many to reduce Jesus to prophet, healer, and consciousness of humanity. It is convenient and easy to simply read the Gospels in order to get a “good idea” of how to treat others and our world. It is easy to dismiss the great work done by those who have gone before.

But it is not profitable I would argue, and I think that this book argues the same. There is a much deeper and more compelling depth of belief that awaits the one who seeks Jesus in a traditional theological methodology. While some may argue that we must bow to secular repugnance at “mystical” explanations of the resurrection and offer Jesus as fully human prophet,  I think the answer is more complicated.

We indeed may need to relate Jesus to a world today that is inclined to pooh-pooh anything mystical or God-like in Jesus. But that need not mean, and should not mean that we discard that way of looking completely. What I believe Schweitzer shows, is that, while we need not focus on the resurrection as actual divine event, we can use it to enter into God more fully, and the wonder of right relationship with the divine.

No doubt, I don’t express this at all adequately, but I can only relate that after reading, and, sometimes for the first time actually understanding in some poor way the well framed theologies of various deeply thoughtful people herein, I come away with a much more awe-inspiring belief than that which I started with.

As a bonus, to anyone who reads this introduction, comes a beginning for where you want to move next in your travels into theology. Are you compelled by a Elizabeth Johnson and her feminist vision? Or are you intrigued with Douglas John Hall’s contention that modern America’s pursuit of optimism actually hampers our growth as human beings and our increasing need to empathize with all in our world?

What Professor Schweitzer does so well, in my estimation, is to “turn” you on to new voices you may have been totally unaware of. He might as well, turn you off to others. At the very least he helps each of us lay persons to begin, or continue as the case may be, toward a personal theology that is well-informed. In the end, it is what each of us should do, if we are to be truly Christian.

If you admit yourself to be, as I do, fairly ignorant when it comes to anything more than the generalities of theology, then this book is a great starting point to a more informed and mature theology. I recommend it.