07.22.05
Posted in christ-haunted life at 1:55 pm by
I’ve been reading The Gospel According to America. So far my favourite bit has been the ‘not-an-introduction-introduction’ that was really a ‘call to rememberance.’ Perhaps, you’re now scratching your head wondering to yourself, “What’s a call to rememberance?” The best thing you could do to answer that question would be to buy yourself a copy of David Dark’s newest offering and read it to find out for yourself.
For my purposes, though, I’ll offer my interpretation of the importance of remembering. I think the value of ‘remembering’ as a method of communicating allows people to couch their feelings in their own unique self-setting. By understanding the self-setting of others, it becomes much more easy to accept the differences that you may have with folks. For example, I’ve never been as close to understanding the politics of the current President until I spoke with a west Texas republican. It’s not that I’m a repbublican now, far from it, but by better understanding the cultural eccentricities of a particular landscape, I’m able to truly listen to individuals.
Rememberance also calls us to confession. That is, by remembering our own self-settings we’re able to tell our stories–our testimony, perhaps even the good news we’ve experienced–and in doing so, we admit our perspective. We own our slant publicly. By owning up to our understanding of life, we re-create our self-settings for our listeners. We allow them, then, to walk with us for a while.
To me, this blog is my attempt to let y’all try on my shoes. To get the scent of my life. Those blogs I like best do the same. Recently, though, (and in truth probably spurred on by David’s book) I’ve sensed the need to better offer a self-setting to all of you who stop by this place from time to time. It is my hope that by describing the story of my path to this point, you may better understand my ethos.
Clearly, this would be a momentus task for one post. Thus, I’ll pursue these ends in a short series under the title ‘a christ haunted life’. Of course, my story, for what it’s worth, is truly only a part of an authentic dialogue. So, as I do, I’d ask that some of y’all play along. Participate in the revelation of your own self-settings, tell your stories, confess to the things that make you who you are.
This, I hold, is one of the greatest luxuries this electronic community offers. We’ve the opportunity to share, in meaningful depth, our lives. If David Dark is right, and I wouldn’t have spent as much time on this if I didn’t think he is right, the only way to break the bitter and adversarial method of political, civil, emotional, and religious discourse (though I woudl not imply that these discourses are distinctly separate), is to confessionally remember together.
In community lies the great secret: if we ever hope to be saved–from bickering, or any other vice–it is through a community of listeners who, prizing more than their desire to be correct, value the process of hearing and listening above all.
So, I will share my story, but it is my distinct hope that many of you will follow suit. That you’ll remember, too. And, that through this rememberance we may break the cycle of discourse that so prevalently afflicts our society.
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Posted in christ-haunted life at 1:55 pm by
I’ve been reading The Gospel According to America. So far my favourite bit has been the ‘not-an-introduction-introduction’ that was really a ‘call to rememberance.’ Perhaps, you’re now scratching your head wondering to yourself, “What’s a call to rememberance?” The best thing you could do to answer that question would be to buy yourself a copy of David Dark’s newest offering and read it to find out for yourself.
For my purposes, though, I’ll offer my interpretation of the importance of remembering. I think the value of ‘remembering’ as a method of communicating allows people to couch their feelings in their own unique self-setting. By understanding the self-setting of others, it becomes much more easy to accept the differences that you may have with folks. For example, I’ve never been as close to understanding the politics of the current President until I spoke with a west Texas republican. It’s not that I’m a repbublican now, far from it, but by better understanding the cultural eccentricities of a particular landscape, I’m able to truly listen to individuals.
Rememberance also calls us to confession. That is, by remembering our own self-settings we’re able to tell our stories–our testimony, perhaps even the good news we’ve experienced–and in doing so, we admit our perspective. We own our slant publicly. By owning up to our understanding of life, we re-create our self-settings for our listeners. We allow them, then, to walk with us for a while.
To me, this blog is my attempt to let y’all try on my shoes. To get the scent of my life. Those blogs I like best do the same. Recently, though, (and in truth probably spurred on by David’s book) I’ve sensed the need to better offer a self-setting to all of you who stop by this place from time to time. It is my hope that by describing the story of my path to this point, you may better understand my ethos.
Clearly, this would be a momentus task for one post. Thus, I’ll pursue these ends in a short series under the title ‘a christ haunted life’. Of course, my story, for what it’s worth, is truly only a part of an authentic dialogue. So, as I do, I’d ask that some of y’all play along. Participate in the revelation of your own self-settings, tell your stories, confess to the things that make you who you are.
This, I hold, is one of the greatest luxuries this electronic community offers. We’ve the opportunity to share, in meaningful depth, our lives. If David Dark is right, and I wouldn’t have spent as much time on this if I didn’t think he is right, the only way to break the bitter and adversarial method of political, civil, emotional, and religious discourse (though I woudl not imply that these discourses are distinctly separate), is to confessionally remember together.
In community lies the great secret: if we ever hope to be saved–from bickering, or any other vice–it is through a community of listeners who, prizing more than their desire to be correct, value the process of hearing and listening above all.
So, I will share my story, but it is my distinct hope that many of you will follow suit. That you’ll remember, too. And, that through this rememberance we may break the cycle of discourse that so prevalently afflicts our society.
Permalink
Trackback URL »
http://www.badchristian.com/2005/07/22/a_christ_haunted_life_vol_1_an_introduct/trackback/
if you post to your blog and then post a comment here with a link, that would suffice.
ninjanun said,
July 22, 2005 at 2:22 pm
Did you want us to put our own self-settings on our own blog, or leave it in the comments as a comparison/contrast to yours?
Brandon said,
July 22, 2005 at 2:34 pm
My preference would be a trackback. However, as blogspot lags behind the times and doesn’t really offer that functionality
if you post to your blog and then post a comment here with a link, that would suffice.
The comment sections can serve as chance to respond to each person’s story. As you say, an opporutnity to compare and contrast the stories of others with your own.
Jen said,
July 23, 2005 at 12:07 pm
Wow - great thoughts - I look forward ti hearing “your story”….
shupac said,
July 23, 2005 at 12:16 pm
Very interesting, and very perceptive, I think. Philosophers talk about “situated knowledge,” and I think we might just as reasonably talk about “situated belief.” Our redeemed souls are inevitably “of this world” to a degree. And on the subject of self-setting…you might check out www.whereproject.org
Allison said,
July 23, 2005 at 1:59 pm
Oh, this looks like a good writing assignment, and it happily coincides with thoughts I’ve had lately about my blog and how much I disclose there (or not).
Scribbling a reminder to myself for after I’m done with today’s real (pays-the-bills) work…
Chaos is Normal said,
July 24, 2005 at 2:32 pm
Roots
The Hornet’s Nest: A Novel of the Revolutionary War by Jimmy Carter is my most recent read.
I think it relates to
badchristians blog entry on The Gospel According to America
I haven’t read the above mentioned book, but I have been reading…
meg said,
July 26, 2005 at 1:03 pm
Brandon,
great idea. I’ll pursue it on my blog shortly. Keep sharing because it is in telling our stories and hearing those of others that we grow.
ninjanun said,
August 8, 2005 at 12:39 pm
Okay, I started my own “Christ-haunted” story. Not sure if it’s what you were looking for, but I think it will be beneficial for me to just start at the beginning, even tho’ the Messiah doesn’t factor in until a little later.
My Story
From the Salmon said,
August 16, 2005 at 4:08 am
Caution: Community at Work
If you read yesterday’s bit of navel gazing, I talked a little about this medium as being at its essence both interactive and conversational. I also mentioned that I saw this site as an entry point into a particular conversation or, quite possi…
Scott said,
March 5, 2006 at 3:04 am
Dear Badass Christian,
I came across your blog while doing some research on the author Flannery O’Connor, who as a Catholic growing up in the South, made referrence to the “Christ Haunted South”. I am trying to figure out precisely what she meant by that. If you know, please enlighten me. I found this site to be quite intriguing, and I especially enjoyed it when the author of one blog referred to himself as a “bad christian” because he likes to ask questions. I am looking forward to your reply.
Thanks,
Scott
Brandon said,
March 5, 2006 at 9:11 am
Hey Scott,
Thanks for the note! I’m glad you like the site, and regardless of your current religious leanings (whatever they may currently be) know that you’re welcome to stick around here.
As far as your question goes, I have to honestly tell you that I’m not sure about O’Connor’s use of the “Christ Haunted South.” However, I might know some people more educated than I that could help you. The forum is on the Sarah Masen website. Sarah’s husband, David, is quite a smart fellow. He’s the person who wrote the book The Gospel According To America that I reference in this post, and he’s also done quite a bit of literary analysis on Flannery O’Connor.
If you ask your question of David at that forum, I would bet you could get a good answer. Tell them I sent you!
Best,
Brandon
p.s. I hope you stick around!