Monday, February 24, 2014

Last Word

This post is probably not the last word on the idea of Jesus -- and those of us who follow him -- living as "subversives" in a world that is fundamentally antithetical to him.  But I caused some people some discomfort with some of the ways I overplayed the tune, so I'll try to change that from here on out.  If you are one of those who felt hurt, I sincerely apologize.  It was never my intention to be anything other than honest.  And I do appreciate those who have engaged with me on this issue.  I hope to prove myself open and accepting to differing viewpoints.

All that being said, almost everything I have to say about being "subversives" for Jesus comes from my readings of Eugene Peterson (probably best known as the author of The Message).  His book The Contemplative Pastor contains a chapter entitled "The Subversive Pastor" which has become hugely influential for many in my little circle of Christianity.  He now has an entire book dedicated to Subversive Spirituality.  I haven't read that one, so I can't recommend it except by reputation.  But I do recommend reading "The Subversive Pastor" in The Contemplative Pastor.  That single chapter alone is well worth the price of the whole book.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Do you hear what I hear?

A whole lot (some might say everything!) depends on perspective. What I hear in a word may be very different from what someone else hears. I was reminded of this by a commenter to this blog who wrote about how crucially important it is to 'know your audience'. One of the most intriguing and frightening things about writing (perhaps especially in an online web-based blog format) is that to a large extent I can't know my audience.

Sure, I have friends and maybe followers that I invite to read one way or another.  But there is an entire online world out there that might interact with this blog in ways I can't even imagine, let alone predict. Like I said, that's scary...but it's also part of what makes it so potentially fun!

I pair those words - scary/fun - intentionally. Personally, I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to scary things. I recall as a child the embarrassment of having to sit with my mom outside of a local community haunted house (at the old Fashion Square in La Habra if anyone cares to remember) one Halloween because I was too scared to go inside. For many years I refused to ride Space Mountain at Disneyland because I was convinced, contrary to any and all testimony from family and friends, that it went upside down. For some reason I equated roller coaster inversion with imminent bodily danger.

Anyhow, now that I'm a parent, I'm determined not to raise kids as wimpy as I was. So I've been constantly repeating to them the mantra that 'it's not scary, it's fun!' in the hope that it will somehow rub off. I think I'm even seeing some modest results. Whenever there is the potential for something to be thought of as 'scary' we consider instead whether it might not rather be (or also be) 'fun'. This tends to involve lots of talk about what is pretend and what is real, which seems to me like an added bonus.

Anyway, so much depends on our perspectives. One person's 'scary' is another person's 'fun' - and vice versa. Given that simple fact of communication, it's obvious why 'know your audience' is such valuable advice.

But I wonder if there isn't also a corollary equally as valuable: 'know your speaker'. 

As depicted throughout the Gospels, Jesus deserves a lot of credit for how well he spoke to his various audiences. If anyone could serve as a model of quality communication, it would be him. But, then, if that's the case, why was he (and why does he continue to be?) so widely misunderstood?

It's significant to me to recognize how often Jesus almost pleaded with his audience to acknowledge who he was and where he was coming from as a speaker, and to listen to and interpret what he was saying accordingly. It seems it just isn't enough for a speaker - even a uniquely gifted speaker like Jesus - to know her audience. The audience plays an indispensable role in what is heard, determined in large part by the assumptions, preconceptions, past histories and present judgments each one holds about the speaker to whom they are listening.

As I read it, "to whomever has ears to hear" is one of Jesus' most troubling subversive sayings...

Monday, February 17, 2014

Subversives

I mentioned in the previous post that one of the reasons I appreciate wordplay is that it can be subversive. To be "subversive" is to overthrow, undermine, or contribute to the downfall of something already established.  When Chapter 1 of the Gospel of John uses the ancient Greek philosophical term "logos" to identify Jesus, the author is taking something that already had an established network of intellectual and cultural associations, and redefining it in such a way as to replace those with something new and, in many ways, incompatible. In doing so, those who hear the subversive word are offered the opportunity to change their minds about what they had previously believed and enter into a new reality transformed by the redefinition of once familiar ideas in unfamiliar ways.  This is the essence of what the Bible calls "metanoia" -- repentance.

So, the way I see it, subversive wordplay is one of the best things a Biblical text can do for us. But, when I've expressed this view to others, I've repeatedly encountered substantial resistance. It seems that some of us are pretty uncomfortable with the idea that Jesus of all people would be a subversive.  This makes sense, since the "subversive" label is sometimes used as a cynical political weapon to silence or slander one's opponents.  With such negative connotations, it is understandable why we might not want to paint Jesus with that same brush.

This in itself is one reason why I think reclaiming the positive label of "subversive" for the Gospel of Jesus Christ is an important task. In order to get a better understanding of the Word, we need to "overthrow, undermine, or contribute to the downfall" of our possibly mistaken preconceptions.  To quote "Sound Theology" by Jonathan Rundman -- "you can't build up nothin' 'til you knock down somethin' first"...

'Friendly Fire' is an intentionally subversive title for this blog. Tom's initial comment on the previous post goes in the right direction.  More to come...

Monday, February 10, 2014

Welcome, Friends!

play-on-words
I like wordplay. And if the Bible is any indication, God does, too.  It's not only evident in the fact that the first recorded act was performed through the creative use of language ("Let there be..."), but all throughout the Hebrew and Greek Testaments there are numerous examples of puns, alliterations, innuendos, metaphors, ironies, parables, allusions, meaningful namings and re-namings, and other literary devices.
For me as a Christian, the word "word" itself is a significant plaything -- an intentionally subversive re-imagining of an ancient Greek philosophical concept ("logos") in the person of Jesus.
So, when I think of wordplay in this context, I like to think about playing around with Jesus, the Word. And I appreciate the idea that Jesus might want to play around with me.  It's too easy for me to take most things -- especially myself-- way too seriously.  And then life becomes nothing but a burden of obligations and expectations and deadlines to be met or, more often, to be missed. Yet, all the while, Jesus is calling -- like a mischievous truant outside my boarding school window -- "Come away with me.  My yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Song of Solomon 2:10, Matthew 11:28-30)
So, I'm using this blog to set up some playdates for myself and Jesus.  I'll share them with you in the next few posts, and I hope you'll play along in the comments section.  But the basic idea is that the title of this blog -- "Friendly Fire" -- has been intentionally chosen for the many wordplays it conjures up for me. Follow with me as we explore some of them, and maybe we can have some fun wordplaying together.