Open Blogging

Terry says:

Has anyone else here read or followed Richard Beck? I bought a couple of his books a few years ago and got distracted and never read them. His work seems to be just what I need right now.

At the core of his teaching is the idea that all of this deconstruction eventually leads to a functional atheism. While our theology and reason are sharper than ever, our spiritual lives have become “disenchanted”. How do we get back to having spiritual expectations again?

Anyway, just curious if others are familiar with his work.

Terry says:

Michael – Beck was raised in the fundamentalist Church of Christ, but was educated to become a psychologist. He never lost his faith, but gradually moved toward more progressive, less literal belief. He wanted to follow Christ’s teaching and became a prison chaplain, where he encountered the whole gamut of crazy and hard-to-explain spiritual encounters.

My own deconstruction involved simultaneous reconstruction, so I never moved all the way to the left like many do. But it has definitely left me in a disenchanted space – being able to explain away so much supernatural as simply natural. Looking down on believers who see God doing daily miracles might be intellectually honest, but it’s not an inspiring way to live. How do you get back to childlike wonder? Or pray for God to actually heal someone instead of just giving the doctors wisdom?

I’ll never be charismatic, but a good dose of the contemplative (dare I say mystical?) might bring some balance.

Pineapple Head says:

Terry, I sure appreciate you sharing your thoughts. I think your pursuit of something beyond explainable faith is admirable. I’m not a charismatic person myself, but contemplative and mystical fit me just fine.

I’ve always seemed to keep my theological perspectives “lean and mean,” so there hasn’t been that much to deconstruct from. Yet, when it comes to church, well, I always feel in flux, questioning so much about how the church functions. And I’m a pastor! 🙂

The three authors who’ve helped me much over the past couple years have been Pete Greig (How to hear God), Pete Scazzero (Emotionally Healthy Spirituality), and Nick Cave (Faith, Hope, and Carnage. These three writers push me into a more engaged faith, a faith that goes beyond explainable.