Now Brewing..

I have the greatest wife ever! She came back from Austin and brought me three different coffees from one of my favorite Texas roasters; Mozart's, in Austin. I am drinking an organic, fair trade Bolivian coffee. It is highly aromatic, mild body and nutty undertones.

Pragmatism

I am in the process of researching the philosophy and practice of pragmatism. For some reason it makes sense to me; it feeds my need to question and delve into inquiry. Below are some basic tenets of pragmatism that I am mulling over in my head:

• An ideology is only true if it works satisfactorily. Its truth is found in its practical consequences.
• What concrete difference would it make if my theory were true and its rival false?
• Theories are judged by their fruits and consequences, not their relation to facts and data.

What Paul Meant 2

Chapter 2 is full of theological and historical unpacking of the gospels and Pauls letters. Judging from Pauls letters Wills shows that Paul argued, ridiculed and comforted at the same time. He lived as a man on a mission. His relationship to Jesus suggests that he spent much time in trainingand study before he traveled though. Wills takes us through a long journey of quotes by Paul and how they reflect similar things Jesus said. He points out that Pauls captions of 'Jesus' saying is probably closer to what was actually said because he wrote 20 years before any of the gospels were written.
Paul's interaction with the other apostles, though strained and sometimes tense, provided him with enough knowledge to proceed in basing many theological arguments on the words of Jesus. Paul probably didn't quote Jesus verbatim any more than the gospel writer did but he obviously understood the message Jesus had. It is many times missed and distorted but Paul taught the message of love, just as Jesus had. His letters have been taken out of context many times and abused by naive hermeneutics.

Quote from Chapter 2:

Those who say that Paul was an alien spirit superimposed on that of a loving Jesus do not see that they both taught the same message of love. (54)

What Paul Meant 1

So the first chapter of Gary Wills book What Paul Meant discusses the distrust and sometimes hate directed at Paul. From Thomas Jefferson to Nietzsche; he has been called the 'great deceiver'. Wills tells us that part of the problem with Paul has been the randomness and inaccuracies in his letters. Only 7 can traced back to Paul- 1 Thess, Gal, Phil, Phlm, 1 Cor, 2 Cor, and Rom- the rest are believed to have been penned by followers of Paul.
Wills spends much time on the Resurrection of Jesus and Pauls expierence with that. I wont go into all the theology but in essence, Paul has been greatly misunderstood- partly because of Luke's account of Paul- and partly because Jesus has been interpreted through Paul, instead of the other way around.

What excites me about this book is that it is exploring new ways in which to approach the Bible. The Bible can trusted but for different reasons than what many hold to today. Being challenged in new ways is beginning to cause me to approach the Bible more humbly. Nothing kills understanding and wisdom like arrogance. I leave you with this quote from chapter 1:

Luke is a theological artist. He creates for a purpose, and the purpose can shift from one part of his story to the next. (31)

What Paul Meant

Just picked up What Paul Meant by Gary Willis and will be posting chapter summaries...give some feedback...Gary has some interesting things to say, especially about the authenticity of the Pauline letters and their original intent...more to come...

Common Wealth: Chapter 2; part 1

Chapter two is long and sets up Jeff's arguments.



Jeff begins the chapter by listing six earth changing trends that will shape the world and it inhabitants for centuries to come. They are as follows:



1. Sustained economic growth has reached 'most' or the world. Most countries and individuals in them are making more money.



2. The worlds population will continue to rise. We are at 6.6 billion currently, projected 9 billion by 2050.



3. The rise in income will be greatest in Asia. Half the worlds population resides there.



4. The world is moving from rural to urban.



5. Humans are contributing to various environmental crisis. (not global warming necessarily; i.e. deforestation, desertification, plant extinction etc...)



6. The gap between rich and poor is widening.

Jeff spends the remainder of the chapter going into more detail about sustainable economic policies and technologies. The quote below stood out to me:

The challenge for this century will not be in the limited availability of fossil fuels, but in their safe ecological use and in the timely investments needed to ensure that the right kinds of fuels are available at the right times and places....(44)

Without explicitly saying it, Jeff is talking about good stewardship of the resources that we have. I dont understand those who are vehemently against global warming issues that demand perfection from environmentalists. I have a family member that critiques Al Gore by saying "you talk about global warming and pollution yet you drive an SUV". No one is saying give up every modern amenity but take small steps at saving energy where you can...anyway...chapter 3 is next....

Coffee

I am now brewing Peets Coffee House Blend. Peets is an exalent coffee company and the house blend is mild and good in the evening. Check it out...

Common Wealth 1

I'm currently reading a book by Jeffery D. Sachs called Common Wealth: Economics For a Crowded Planet. I just finished the first chapter and so far I am impressed but I can hear my more 'conservative' friends cringing.
Jeff talks about how our world economy is moving toward a more global community and the need for sustainable practices and economic policies. He says that our problem isn't a lack of policies but a lack of cooperation between nations. Jeff lists four crises that our world faces: 1)Human pressures on ecosystems, 2) the worlds population, 3) extreme poverty, 4) the process of problem solving. He suggests that modest investments (globally) in population reduction, evironmental stewardship and eradication of extreme poverty are possible. So far, what I like about the book is that he is suggesting that we must stop believing in the old way, and discover and live into a new way of cooperation and recognition of what we share on this planet.
I know that some of this sounds 'idealistic' and over simplified, but how many people have shed their deeply held beliefs in a matter of days? months? years? Peace and sustainability is a process, it takes time and small steps in new directions...

Talking About Grace

I will be teaching about grace tomorrow. Hopefully I can move beyond talking about it and practice it...pray that my tongue swells...and my mouth remains shut...

Aliens

15 year old children (yes, they are still children) are aliens. They arrived on a large bus and hopefully will leave on another bus to whatever planet they arrived on. Just as scary, the fact that I seem to understand their language and their 'customs'.