The opening sermon of our Chaos Theology series is now online. The theme is identity. You can find the Beauty in the Breakdown video here and the sermon audio is here.[Sorry about the quality - working on that]
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8 comments:
Good question Tom, I think pride is a complicated word, with multiple meanings, and we need to distingush between dignity and value which are good and egotism which is bad. Pride in a theological sense is the attitude that places me at the centre instead of God. I tend to try and avoid using the pride word because of this complication.
Not entirely related to the above, just agreeing - let's get some blog action!
Having said I won't comment, I guess the pride issue is a fine line. When we do something well, or acheive something, that can be offered to God as an act of worship, with gratefulness for the talents he's given us. In that sense we can be 'proud' of what we've done, because we know it was through God and for God that anything was acheived. Paul certainly felt free to use the word 'boast' on certain occasions. When we keep that glory, absorb it rather than reflect it, then pride becomes destructive.
Jeremy
On the subject of pride was just reading galatians this am. Would love to write more (actually would prefer more of a chit-chat)but have to sort out the year 10 timetables. See ya! Naomi
Galatians 6:4
Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else,
Galatians 6:3-5 (in Context)
James 1:9&10
The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position.
But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower.
Pete, thanks for your professional imput on the subject. What do you think is the best word to use when discribing a human self centred attitude?
Tom, CS Lewis is really good on pride in the Great Divorce - in fact he is really good on exploring all sorts of sin, and the effect that they have on people.
Jeremy,
I like what you've said about Paul using the word "boast". When Paul does boast, it's in an upside-down way. He boasts in the things that show his weakness. He boasts in the cross. He boasts in what other people have become.
Mark,
Just listened to the sermon (was watching my kiddos the first time around).
As you described our identity and beauty as God's creation, the thing that kept coming to my mind was the phrase: "If anyone is in Christ - they are New Creation!" When a person is united to Jesus by faith, they become what they were created to be. Our true beauty, our true humanity, even, is re-created. Very cool to contemplate myself, my identity, as wrapped up in Jesus.
Also, I really liked being reminded that we are made in God's image. God is the God of self-giving love (I stole that phrase from NT Wright, who I think got it from Paul in Phillipians). So does part of being made in God's image mean that we too are meant to be people who give ourselves in love for others? Like we can't be who we were made to be until we start to give ourselves away? That would kind of put the whole "the universe revolves around me" thing into perspective.
Thanks dan, I like that idea of our true identity being reflecting the God in whose image we are made, the God of self giving love.
Naomi your bible verses were great thank you
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