The more one deep-dives the evolving relational contract of marriage within the Bible the more it becomes clear it's as awkward as it is fuzzy. Almost none of our modern marital ideals like love, trust, equality, communication, and reciprocity are anywhere near as apparent as we'd like. Instead what we find throughout the Old Testament are practices like arranged marriages, … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Recognizes Scripture’s Awkwardness and Fuzziness on Marriage
Hermeneutics
Beatnik Christianity Is Sex-Positive
Christian culture has long taught an unhealthy, unnatural, androcentic, and repressive view of human sexuality that appears blissfully unaware of Song of Songs. I'm not denying that Christians ever say positive things about sex, but even when they do the ratio is usually all wrong. The enculturated formula tends to prescribe two-thirds negativity to one-third positivity. If … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Is Sex-Positive
Beatnik Christianity Restores A Christocentric Biblical Hermeneutic
Biblical interpretation has drastically evolved over the centuries, but one principle that has remained relatively stable has been the affirmation of a pivoting Christocentric hermeneutic. Jesus followers at least profess that the whole sweep of the Bible's redemptive narrative from Genesis to Revelation should be perceived through the lens of Jesus. The Old Testament looks … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Restores A Christocentric Biblical Hermeneutic
Beatnik Christianity Minimizes Polite Gentility And Maximizes Robust Civility
In an interview with On Being's Krista Tippett, Richard Mouw suggested, "A lot of people today who have strong convictions are not very civil and a lot of people who are civil don't have very strong convictions. What we really need is convicted civility." In that same interview, the former president of Fuller Seminary also observed, "Too often in life we proceed with a … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Minimizes Polite Gentility And Maximizes Robust Civility
Beatnik Christianity Affirms A Robustly Nondualistic Perspective
Feeling scorned by my lapsed allegiance to conservative evangelicalism and the Republican Party, a family member dismissively impugned, "If you're not a conservative and you're not a liberal, then what are you? You're trying to carve out a middle-ground that doesn't exist!" Though clearly intended as a rhetorical question, I decided to answer. "The English language has a word … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Affirms A Robustly Nondualistic Perspective
