As many of you blog-readers may know, there has been some sharp debate over whether The Complex Christ was ‘theological’ or not, with some arguing that it was simply sociological, and others wanting – as I do – to argue that as it attempted to speak about God (and thus allow God to speak) it was theology, even if not in the tradition of classic academic theology. (See archives of Jonny’s or Maggi’s blogs)
Anyway, Pete Rollins of Ikon has a nice take on the subject here.
And I just love their website:
‘iconic | apocalyptic | heretical | emerging | failing’
Comments
6 responses to “Theology or not…”
You’re on holiday, aren’t you?
Plenty of posting.
Have you sorted the “ISN’T THEOLOGY” T-shirt?
More seriously though, the Apophatic revival is really interesting.
Collapsing texts until they break in order to communicate and explore Other.
Holiday no. T-shirt yes – haven’t you seen it?!
Tell me more about collapsing texts…
Ikon are great, a very perceptive bunch of people. I would ask how theology can really be disentangled from considering this world, and the people of it? We only know Godinsofar as through people’s encounters with and experiences of the divine, the God of all creation…
I would entirely agree. My point in the previous debates on this was that, as no one has seen God, then all our talk about God really boils down to something approaching metaphor and allusion.
It’s perhaps like trying to describe a director using the films they’ve made… We can’t say exactly, but if we are truly the ‘body of Christ’, and all of us are created in God’s image, then surely we are learning something about God’s character from what he’s (directly or indirectly) created, whether it be science, social structures or computer models.
I think it’s a battle that has to be won: people need to be given permission to speak theologically; it needs to be set free from the dusty libraries and acadamies.
Collapsing texts is something I’ve been wondering about since reading
Denys Turner’s The Darkness of God. From what I understand, He talks about the dialectical processes involved in the apophatic tradition.
It’s a process where language is purposely tested to destruction and proven to be inadequate when attempting to describe the divine. Yet this must also apply to visual vernaculars as well. I’m wondering if a visual apophatic can be developed and used as a spiritual discipline.
So, I read yer bookmate. Stayed up all night reading it out loud to the Mrs. Got a bit scared cos when I typed it in Google it seemed to be a seriously psychotic religious disorder – but I mistyped, I put in “Christ Complex”. DOH!
This ‘oh no there’s not enough Bible’ hogwash has plagued a lot of decent books, so I hear yer. Like thingys thought about, ‘well, if it’s about God it is Theological… duh?’ Class act that one.
About yer book… yup. All good – not as good as Harry Harrison’s ‘Stainless Steel Rat’ or 2000AD, but it kept me awake.
Please, please don’t bring out a sequel called: ‘Complex Christ 2, actually I was mistaken, it’s all V simplex…’
Essentially book very helpful (unlike this comment) especially the whole 6-stage-doodar. Udaman, K.