Remember that scene in Office Space where Peter Gibbons first arrives at work? He sits down at his cubicle on Monday morning to that incessant, high-pitched repetition of, "Corporate accounts payable, Nina speaking. Just a moment." That look of utter despair tells you everything. This is a broken man who hates his work life. Long-term stress has resulted in acute apathy, … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Has Permanent Burnout with Christian Culture
Eastern Orthodoxy
Beatnik Christianity Creates Room for the Eastern Orthodox View of Theosis
Protestant theology dating all the way back to the 16th century contains a strong, unnatural break between justification and sanctification. Paul writes about salvation in the past, present, and future tense. You were saved. You're being saved. You will be saved. It's a salvific process, not a salvific moment. The Reformers were right that the process begins … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Creates Room for the Eastern Orthodox View of Theosis
Beatnik Christianity Affirms the Mystical Interconnectedness of All Things
Have you ever heard of the Overview Effect? It's a cognitive shift reported by astronauts while looking at the Earth. It's a state of awe infused with a sense of self-transcendence. Astronaunt Mae Jemison reflected, "When you look at the Earth from space, you realize that our planet is a beautiful, interconnected system. We are all in this together." That's a powerful … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Affirms the Mystical Interconnectedness of All Things
Beatnik Christianity Calls for Discernment with Our Theological Metaphors
1980's Metaphors We Live By is a classic book by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson. The authors suggest that the conceptual metaphors we use in day-to-day conversations both reflect and create the way we think, feel, perceive, and interact in the world. A popular American metaphor like "time is money" shapes our collective cultural values and cultivates our individual interior … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Calls for Discernment with Our Theological Metaphors
Beatnik Christianity Expects Jesus Followers to Grow and Develop
Show me a person who's virtually unchanged over a 20-year period and I'll show you someone who's terribly boring and likely suffering from trauma-induced stagnation. It's an entirely natural psychological process of human growth and development for people to have experiences that influence their worldviews, personalities, relationships, interests, and values. Therein lies a lot … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Expects Jesus Followers to Grow and Develop
