The marginalized...

[I guess this blog may as well serve as a bin for things too long for Facebook]

I know this is likely to sound very "white middle-class"-ish, (but hey, I am white middle-class, sort of), but I've been thinking about this concept of "the marginalized" that we toy with in theology and sermons (as the better of us move into actual practice), and here's where I am at:

I think the strawmen in my mind of both conservative evangelicals and social justice liberals both frame the issue in the wrong way. The conservangelical strawman says "here poor man, I'm giving you this coat because of Jesus, would you like to talk about Him?" The sojiberal strawman says "here poor man, I'm giving you this coat because Jesus is on your side."*

I think a better way to frame it might be: "here, I'm giving you a coat, Jesus."

Side-note: has Jesus, having taken away the sacrifices of the altar, made our neighbor, and in particular our afflicted neighbor, the place of sacrifice?

Just a thought.

*You can replace "giving you this coat" with "yelling at the government with you" if you prefer; I just put it that way because it flows better.

Customary Introduction

Within the last half an hour I've felt overwhelmingly compelled to begin again as a blogger.

I initially wondered if what I wanted to capture in writing would not be better committed to a personal journal rather than a public format, as I am bound, of necessity, to regret later what I write now. But, journals get lost, and publicly airing my thoughts does hold a certain level of appeal.

This one won't be a "minutia of daily life blog;" that's why God (through the agency of Mark Zuckerberg) created Facebook.

Rather, I will be posting, erratically (in low spurts and high spurts), my comments on all the head-spinning wonder and non-sense that I encounter, having returned to seminary six years after my first attempt.

God Bless,
-Scott