To use a biblical metaphor, the Church needs Mary and Martha. Whereas so much of our frenetic American society is focused on "Doing," the Church should deliberately create spaces where "Being" and "Doing" are held in sacred tension. Jesus followers need opportunities to pause, center ourselves psychologically and spiritually, focus on being mindfully present in the moment, and … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Holds Together Contemplative Practices and Social Justice
Allen Ginsberg
Beatnik Christianity Minors on Progressive Revelation and Majors on Incarnational Revelation
Progressive revelation is the belief that Scripture steadily uncovers more about God's character, nature, and purposes through the passage of time. For many theologians and ministers, it's the linchpin for how they make sense of the Bible's inner-continuity. This framework is used to explain an awful lot of disharmonious ideas like the slow evolution from polytheistic language … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Minors on Progressive Revelation and Majors on Incarnational Revelation
Beatnik Christianity Eschews Toxic Positivity for the Liminal Space of Holy Saturday
Brené Brown and others have recently normalized the term "toxic positivity." My preference remains "oppressive optimism," but it's the same basic idea. According to the psychology website Right as Rain, "Toxic positivity involves dismissing negative emotions and responding to distress with false reassurances rather than empathy. It comes from feeling uncomfortable with negative … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Eschews Toxic Positivity for the Liminal Space of Holy Saturday
Beatnik Christianity Habitually Questions the Unquestionable
Living in Christian culture is like walking through an unmarked minefield. You might blissfully stroll through just fine, but if you do encounter a problem you'll never know about it until after the explosion. You see, Christians are supposed to anticipate the idiosyncratic and tribalist expectations of what's off-limits, especially regarding what questions are and aren't … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Habitually Questions the Unquestionable
Beatnik Christianity Centers Around the Beaten Down and the Beatitudes
The term "beat" had a layered meaning for the Beat Generation. For Jack Kerouac it referenced underworld slang and meant feeling beat down and downtrodden. The beat movement also had deep influence from jazz music, so others tied it to that genre's creativity, unconventionality, and improvisation with musical beat. Others joked that they marched to the beat of a different … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Centers Around the Beaten Down and the Beatitudes
