Tuesday, November 30, 2004

re-imagining repentance

...is kinda redundant if you know much about the word repent... or at least if you know what i know about it... its less about the churchy definition of 'turn or burn' and probably something that is a little more common knowledge... that is, there are good, healthy ways to imagine our reality and bad or unhealthy (or evil for those of you who are hard-core old-skoolers) ways to imagine it... and how we see our reality guides our lives... point is, when jesus commanded these people in the gospels to repent, he was saying, 'you have been viewing reality only partially'... repent... or re-imagine your reality, your possibility, your values, your mission... you are a part of creation, not separate from it... so live like it!

in light of my some of my new understandings of reality, particularly stated in this post, i must ask:

if we are to be all-embracing of people, truly valuing a multiplicity of understanding and opinion, then how do i understand jesus' words, "repent for the kingdom of god is at hand"?... good question really...

well, this should not be limited to a 'salvation' (as many think of the word) passage so much as a continued salvation passage... let me explain...

jesus was saying this to religious people in his day... nominal religious people, perhaps, but people who 'knew the right stuff' just the same... so he wasn't call people to some 'conversion' experience or anything... he was calling people to re-calibrate... something we must continually do to ourselves... and each other?...

so repentance actually might look like helping people see their reality in a more full picture... now, anyone can do this... and of course we can do it for ourselves... but we can also do it for each other... but only when it is solicited... or is that too modern to think that way?...

well, those are just some thoughts... i think i might continue on this topic of 'how people change' in subsequent posts...

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