i knew that was good stuff...

i love to read

my two great literary loves are science fiction and theology (which explains 'beneath still earth', if you've had the privilege/nightmare of reading it).

over the course of my life i've often begun thinking about something in the bible, something i've not heard articulated before or something i think we've missed out on as a church.

for example, in the mid-nineties when all the world was goo-goo about generation x i began to think that there was something more going on than just a generation swing. i did some work and arrived at the conclusion that "postmodernism", that giant of epistemology/literature/architecture was - at least - subtextually involved.

also, about five years ago i began to think that the way we talk about salvation needed an overhaul. i had done too many alter calls producing no-alterations, and asked for too many people to accept jesus as their lord and savior who did so...but not really; so, i began to investigate ignatius, athanasius, and chrystostom and - lo and behold - found my efforts at working with theosis to be far more successful (in both the long and the short run) than my efforts at substitutionary atonement (and, yes, i am aware that "my efforts" are all but insignificant when compared with the work of the spirit upon someone's life...so, all of this is only relevant insofar as it compares to my shred of contribution)

also, about two years ago i began to think differently about "the world" and we did our series "kosmos" at westwinds about God's dream to redeem the earth not just blow it up

anyways, i say all of that to say that i've always felt surprised/validated to find out that others are thinking the same things i'm thinking - all over the world, from every denomination and tribe. usually, i find this out after i've been called a crack-pot by few local-yokels, but still it feels good to know i'm not nuts.

my recent time at q
along with the following books i've just read

finding our way again
recovering the scandal of the cross
missing the mark
surprised by hope

anyways - it's been cool to find out (after the fact) that somehow, somewhere, god has been speaking to complete strangers along the same lines as i've heard him speak to me.