In these initiatives, ‘tolerance’ is not the point. My Lords, I can ‘tolerate’ someone standing on the other side of the street. I don’t need to engage with them. ‘Tolerance’ all too easily supposes that all religions are basically the same, and that all of them can be discounted for the purposes of public life. No, my Lords: ‘tolerance’ is a parody of something deeper, richer and more costly, for which we must work: a genuine and reciprocal freedom, a freedom properly contextualised within a wise responsibility, freedom not to be gratuitously rude or offensive, especially to those who are already in danger on the margins of society, but to speak the truth as we see it while simultaneously listening to the truth as others see it, and to work forwards from there.He attempts to place the now-famous Danish cartoons and the Muslim reaction to them within the context of a larger social and moral framework.
* * * * * *
As I noted earlier, I've started reading Wright's The Challenge of Jesus. Once begun, I felt I was entering into an ongoing conversation. I need a feel for how Wright uses words, and a larger picture of the arguments within which he places himself.
Wright has written three heavy tomes, so far, in a series called Christian Origins and the Question of God: The New Testament and the People of God, Jesus and the Victory of God, The Resurrection and the Son of God. Some of the material in The Challenge of Jesus is culled from the lengthier works (especially Jesus and the Victory of God), so I assume some supporting evidence has been left out of the shorter book, which makes me curious.
At any rate, I am scanning Wright's recent book on the Bible, The Last Word, to get a feel for his view of scripture. I continue to feel I have come into a conversation late, maybe bitten off more than I can chew.
I haven't read any of his work, nor do I know much about him. I do like what he said about "freedom not to be gratuitously rude or offensive"... my goodness, we need some lessons in manners: ALL of us, Christian and nonChristian alike. My pastor talked about the "God hates f*gs" kind of morality on Sunday - that really is just preaching a different kind of morality: one of hatred, denying the Christ who was able to say "Go and sin no more" without throwing a single stone.
ReplyDelete(I know you know what I mean Julana, so I'm not going to waste a lot of space qualifying that comment.)
I'll be interested to learn more as you do.
Yes, I know what you mean. I like this: "the Christ who was able to say "Go and sin no more" without throwing a single stone."
ReplyDeleteThere does seem to be a marked loss of civility and respect in the arena of public dialogue. Some people seem to think freedom of speech means freedom to commit verbal/visual violence,especially under the guise of humor.
I guess I should try reading him. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteMartin,
ReplyDeleteI think he rewards reading. The minister mentioned him one Sunday in a sermon, so I thought maybe he wasn't too far out. But I get the feeling he's a little more liberal than I am. But he seems to be somewhat conservative as a Bible scholar, in the bigger scheme of things.
Hi, Julana. I'm jealous because I've really been wanting to read N.T. Wright's works ever since I heard about him. He is somewhat notorious in the field of NT studies, but he's not a liberal. He's more of a fresh thinker, trying to place Paul and Jesus squarely within their historical contexts. If you ever hear of a movement called "The New Perspective on Paul" that's N.T. Wright. I soooo badly want to read his works.
ReplyDeleteIf you let it be known that you're tackling him, people might think you're quite the intellectual! :) I've read several posts from the male-theoblogs debating NT Wright--all the while confessing that they have never read him.
Scot McKnight, an NT scholor and professor, is reading through Wright's latest book on his blog )www.jesuscreed.com, and he is finding plenty to think about.
Did I mention I'm jealous? LOL!
Hannah,
ReplyDeleteI'd like to be an intellectual, but learned during two years in graduate school that I am not one. Just did not get that gene.:-)
We are fortunate to have a good library here; it has several of Wright's books, but not nearly all. The internet is a gift, in that you can get a number of his articles and sermons on it, now.
I'm bloglining Jesus Creed right now, because of your posts about it, and because Rhymes with Kerouac (Today at the Mission) bloglines it. I was so surprised to read that McKnight identifies himself as an Anabaptist, because they seem rare out here in the blogosphere (other than the social blogs).
McKnight is also reading Peterson's Christ Plays in Ten THousand Places, which I started and got distracted from by blogging, and the recommendations for Total Truth, months ago.
Hi Julana,
ReplyDelete*sigh* So many interesting writers, so little time...LOL
I ought to read McKnight's blog more; I don't know much about him. He is professor at the university of my church's denomination, the Evangelical Covenant Church. The ECC recognizes both infant and believer baptism. (I have had both, though I am not an anabaptist...my kids were all baptised as infants.)
Bonnie,
ReplyDeleteMy husband is from a Reformed/ Christian Reformed background, and was baptized as an infant. I was baptized as a teen.
I had never heard of that EC denomination until reading about it on the blogs. I think Musings from the Windowsill is a Covenant blogger.
You are right: so many books, so little time. I just picked up one (at a discount) by Mark D. Roberts, because I had read a few things on his blog, and was impressed. The back of the book said he studied philosophy and religion at Harvard, which I didn't know. I am still surprised when evidence of people from virtual world shows up in the "real" one.