Comments on: A Useful Practice http://consumingjesus.org/2009/03/29/a-useful-practice/ Beyond Race and Class Issues In a Consumer Church Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:25:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: len http://consumingjesus.org/2009/03/29/a-useful-practice/comment-page-1/#comment-383 len Sat, 04 Apr 2009 17:19:03 +0000 http://consumingjesus.org/2009/03/29/a-useful-practice/#comment-383 Not directly related.. a project I started on Trinitarian leadership and then discovered Milan's paper.. http://nextreformation.com/?p=2665 Not directly related.. a project I started on Trinitarian leadership and then discovered Milan’s paper.. http://nextreformation.com/?p=2665

]]> By: Paul Louis Metzger http://consumingjesus.org/2009/03/29/a-useful-practice/comment-page-1/#comment-380 Paul Louis Metzger Thu, 02 Apr 2009 23:54:29 +0000 http://consumingjesus.org/2009/03/29/a-useful-practice/#comment-380 Thank you for your important insights, Karyn. Your reflections and story remind me of Walter Wink's work. Thank you for your important insights, Karyn. Your reflections and story remind me of Walter Wink’s work.

]]> By: Kelsi Johns http://consumingjesus.org/2009/03/29/a-useful-practice/comment-page-1/#comment-378 Kelsi Johns Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:35:04 +0000 http://consumingjesus.org/2009/03/29/a-useful-practice/#comment-378 Wow that is powerful. Powerful first of all to even make the decision to fight the everyday thinking that perpetuates harmful stereotypes. I agree, when I allow myself to judge somebody and then am proven wrong once I get to know them or proven wrong simply by the grace of God convicting me, it is so liberating to realize that A) it is by no means my duty or prerogative to judge them or their character, and that by doing that I am bringing judgment on my self B) God created them and loves them as he loves all his creation and C) I am created to love that person and they are broken just as I am. Realizing these 3 things draws me to the "other": to the imposing homeless person, to the shady character outside the parking garage. Seeing somebody through the eyes of Christ rather than through our own prideful, broken lens is redeeming to our relationship to humanity in general. I appreciate your powerful point that by you not feeding into those two young men's stereotypes, you were empowering them. That is so true: when we see people for who they really are ("beautiful young brothers") we then react to them in that light, and a different story unfolds between us and them. That is powerful. Wow that is powerful. Powerful first of all to even make the decision to fight the everyday thinking that perpetuates harmful stereotypes. I agree, when I allow myself to judge somebody and then am proven wrong once I get to know them or proven wrong simply by the grace of God convicting me, it is so liberating to realize that A) it is by no means my duty or prerogative to judge them or their character, and that by doing that I am bringing judgment on my self B) God created them and loves them as he loves all his creation and C) I am created to love that person and they are broken just as I am. Realizing these 3 things draws me to the “other”: to the imposing homeless person, to the shady character outside the parking garage. Seeing somebody through the eyes of Christ rather than through our own prideful, broken lens is redeeming to our relationship to humanity in general.

I appreciate your powerful point that by you not feeding into those two young men’s stereotypes, you were empowering them. That is so true: when we see people for who they really are (“beautiful young brothers”) we then react to them in that light, and a different story unfolds between us and them. That is powerful.

]]> By: Ross http://consumingjesus.org/2009/03/29/a-useful-practice/comment-page-1/#comment-377 Ross Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:34:57 +0000 http://consumingjesus.org/2009/03/29/a-useful-practice/#comment-377 Karyn thanks for sharing. You bring up some great practical points that could have helped me in the past. I have allowed shallow judgments to incorrectly lead me to wrong conclusion. For example, I met this man on the street named Tom Sawyer. Some dirt, an unpleasant smell, and an absence of teeth caused me to draw some quick conclusions about Tom Sawyer. Later, I found out that Tom Sawyer was the lead tenor for his church choir. The man has a beautiful voice and beautiful smile despite his lack of teeth. God healed me through Tom Sawyer. He made me realize, I am still blind and deaf in the way I look at people. I love watching Jesus in the New Testament mess with social norms. You know . . . touching gentiles considered unclean, hanging out with sinners considered unworthy, and playing with children considered a nuisance. It’s as if Jesus is playing by a different set of rule. Oh wait, he is. He is playing by his Fathers rules. I love it! I want that. I want Him. Karyn thanks for sharing. You bring up some great practical points that could have helped me in the past. I have allowed shallow judgments to incorrectly lead me to wrong conclusion. For example, I met this man on the street named Tom Sawyer. Some dirt, an unpleasant smell, and an absence of teeth caused me to draw some quick conclusions about Tom Sawyer. Later, I found out that Tom Sawyer was the lead tenor for his church choir. The man has a beautiful voice and beautiful smile despite his lack of teeth. God healed me through Tom Sawyer. He made me realize, I am still blind and deaf in the way I look at people.

I love watching Jesus in the New Testament mess with social norms. You know . . . touching gentiles considered unclean, hanging out with sinners considered unworthy, and playing with children considered a nuisance. It’s as if Jesus is playing by a different set of rule. Oh wait, he is. He is playing by his Fathers rules. I love it! I want that. I want Him.

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