(Ir)religiosity

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We cannot speak of what we believe

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Peter Rollins has an excellent post on why/how he denies the resurrection that has been bouncing around the blogosphere over the last week or so.  If you haven’t read it you should, he has some good food for thought.  Ultimately, insisting on rigid assent to the factuality and historicity of the resurrection misses the point.  Indeed, one could assent to such propositions and still unashamedly deny the very existence and power of the  resurrection. The point is not so much what may or may not have happened in the past, but what is happening now in the continued present and on into the im/possible future.

This strikes to the very root of belief.  Todd Littleton offers a great comment:

We cannot say what we believe. We only do what we believe.

Jonathan Brink has two excellent posts that address this very thing.  Our true, and often hidden belief, it seems to me at least, lies not in our creedal propositions or our elaborate systematic theologies (though those are not without some merit) but in our naked encounters with the other and our willingness to allow oursleves to be transformed by such a meeting.  It is in that moment and through that event that our true belief, birthed through vulnerability and empathy and with complete disregard for dignified formulation, is laid bare for all to see.

We simply cannot rightly speak of what we truly believe.  It evades the very extremities of our language and discourse.  For true, transformative belief — and in theology I cannot think of any legitimate belief except that which truly transforms — can only be made known within the realm of relationship and the sphere of praxis.

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Written by Blake Huggins

February 6th, 2009 at 7:30 am

Posted in Uncategorized

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  • djames_abi
    "We simply cannot rightly speak of what we truly believe. "

    This is illogical, non-sensical and completely unbiblical. Just take any 3 paragraphs anywhere in any of the apostles' writings or Jesus' discourses and see if you can support the idea that you can't speak of what you truly believe.

    I don't wish to appear harsh, but this type of double-speak has no inherent meaning.

    Dave
  • Well, I'm sorry to appear harsh as well but I believe you have completely missed my point. Jesus did things. He offered a transformative way of being in the world. My contention is simply this: our actions are more revealing and more indicative of our true theology than any mental assent or verbal formulation.

    We can talk about our belief all we want to, but I want argue that beliefs are only efficacious insofar as they transform our mode of relating to the other and rupture our daily, mundane mode of existence. That is, I believe, the essence of the Incarnation and the veracity of the Gospel.
  • djames_abi
    From what you write, here, I don't believe I missed your point at all. You have reinforced that I understood you well.

    Jesus did do things, of course. But you state it as if that's all that happened - and then draw a conclusion based on that. This is a logical fallacy and the heart of the weakness in your position. Jesus did things in the context of what he taught and the way he thought. No one can act apart from a belief system.

    You're setting up a sort of straw man argument when you state that "our actions are more revealing..." because it implies that there is (usually, for most people) a disconnect between what they say they believe and what they really believe. However, at the heart of becoming like Christ is being transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we believe correctly and then act accordingly. I think most sincere Christians try to think and act this way - and this is in no way diminished by being able to speak of what we truly believe. In fact, how can we possibly disciple others in the faith apart from being able to clearly articulate what it is that God has said we should believe - so that they too can believe and act accordingly.

    Dave
  • "No one can act apart from a belief system."

    Right. And I'm simply suggesting that what we do, and how we relate with one another reveals our true belief system, no matter who much we might claim otherwise.

    I definitely agree with you that at the heart of being like Christ is the push toward transformation (though I'd argue that acting may come before proposition and may in fact trump proposition). My experience has been that we allow our orthodoxies and our theological system to hinder deep transformation. In other words, we simply talk about our theology and what we belief rather than doing it and allowing ourselves to be radically re-aligned and restored into the Image of God.

    My larger point here is that our orthodoxy and our belief is only useful insofar as it pushes us to transformation. Maybe I have a pessimistic view, but it seems that more often than not we are more concerned with defending a belief system or a certain theology than we are tangible transformation. We worship God, not our human constructions. In that respect I think many of us may be guilty of idolatry.
  • dad
    Yeah too bad more "protest ants" don't "shake the dust" off their endless doctrinal shadow boxing and live out the essentials of Jesus teaching. good stuff. i noticed Littleton drew the notion from Dallas Willard...
  • I really like how you say this.
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