rjb@akgua.UUCP (R.J. Brown [Bob]) (08/15/85)
Gary concludes his long and learned essay trashing confessional theology as follows: >>Christianity will survive but only in popular form in church backyards >>at ice-cream socials and rummage sales - in short, in purely social >>forms and contexts. The historic theological tradition is elsewhere >>wanting nothing to do with ice-cream or used clothes. To "us" the >>former is "heresy", worse, it is apathy, and still worse it is a >>denial, betrayal and noncommitment to the historic Christian tradition >>post-Reformation. Secular theologians in the modern world are the true >>inheritors of historic Christian theological tradition. >> >>So Chuck, do you prefer ice-cream to theology ? >> >> Gary (grudgingly apologizing for my (earned) arrogance) I think you're painting a stereotype that has validity for some of the stale and dead churches and denominations. However, the social scope that you present is rather limited. The sick are being healed, the hungry are being fed, the naked clothed, the prisoners visited, ..., and the Good News is being preached. Yes, there is some time for ice cream too. I admonish you Gary that you walk humbly with your treasure of knowledge ( you do indeed exhibit great intellectual skill). The lessons for today are "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall." and "God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble." Or does God even fit into Post-Everything Theology ?? Bob Brown {...ihnp4!akgua!rjb}