It's become a folk wisdom among American Christians that people are simply a product of their time and place. For instance, Southern slave owners shouldn't be judged too harshly because that was the world in which they lived. It's unfortunate, but they didn't know any better. The implicit belief here is one of cultural and psychological determinism. We're products of our … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christian Professes the Church-State “Heresies” of Roger Williams
Atheism
Beatnik Christianity Minimizes the Use of “Ism”s As Pre-Packaged Ideologies
It's perturbing when people demand unconditional loyalty to their ideological "ism"s. I affirm traditional creedal orthodoxy, but distance myself from conservatism. I'm fond of the Anglican tradition, but want no part of the bureaucracy that is Anglicanism. I support nonviolence, but am leery of pacifism. I believe in gender equality, but am tentative about latching onto … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Minimizes the Use of “Ism”s As Pre-Packaged Ideologies
Beatnik Christianity Repudiates Honor-Guilt And Honor-Shame Cultural Paradigms
One of the insights I most appreciate from the field of cultural anthropology is the identification of the sister paradigms of honor-guilt cultures and honor-shame cultures. In guilt societies, control is maintained by continually reinforcing individual themes of inward guilt for condemned behaviors. The moral order is preserved through law, punishment, and forgiveness. In … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Repudiates Honor-Guilt And Honor-Shame Cultural Paradigms
