Archives For everyday theology

Why We Need Everyday Theology

Chris —  September 4, 2012

In the Middle Ages, Theology was named “Queen of the Sciences.”  It was a noble idea, that the study of God is the greatest of all studies.  The problem is, this puts theology on a pedestal far away from where we live our lives.

I think that this problem is painfully apparent in our modern life.  These days we’re convinced life can be boiled down to information to be quantified and experiences to be bought and sold.  That is, until we are stuck alone in a quiet room with our own thoughts, or tragedy shakes us from our futile busyness.

Everyday-Theology-Logo-Black

What if placing theology on a pedestal actually killed it?  Being a queen means no longer walking among the base.  Maybe the reason “men lead lives of quiet desperation” is that we can an find no depth, or purpose in our day to day.

Everyday Theology isn’t that different from what Jesus did when he strode through the streets of ancient Palestine.  He took God from heaven to earth.  A theology modeled after Jesus will take our ideas God and eternity and push them through the sieve of daily life.

My friend John Chandler has organized a get together of compadres from Ecclesia Network, Missio Alliance and a few “off the map” communities of Jesus people from around Texas.  Dr. Roger Olson, of Truett Theological Seminary and the Missio Alliance, will kick things off. He will be followed by 13 practitioners, from 13 different church communities, telling their stories of how theology shapes our activities and our thinking, not just on Sunday, but Monday through Saturday as well.

I’m thrilled that John’s going to let me help MC, and that we’re hosting at my home away from home Space12.

I hope you can join us.

In Church, God, Life, Mission , , , , , , ,
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“In Judaism, there is a distinct activity called kavanah. It is cultivated in order to maximize the inwardness of our actions. It means to pay attention, to direct the mind and heart in order to maximize the levels of intentionality in our actions. This applies to actions/deeds as it does to the study of Scripture and to prayer but goes beyond these activities themselves to the notion of attentiveness to God Himself.

It is not primarily an awareness of being commanded by God, but an awareness of the God who commands. The focus in kavanah shifts from the deed itself to its inner meaning, the goal being to find access to the sacred in the deed itself. It is finding the essence of the task, to partake of its inspiration, to be made equal to the task of fulfilling holy command’s. Abraham Heschel says that ‘kavanah is direction to God and requires the involvement and redirection of the whole person. It is the act of bringing together the scattered forces of the self; it means the participation of heart and soul, not only of will and mind.'”

Frost and Hirsch Shaping of Things to Come (in print and digital.)

God on Monday

Posted by Chris on January 23, 2012 In Life , , ,
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