In the process of writing up my thesis I have noticed a significant weight gain, apparently pecking at a keyboard all day does not burn a huge amount of calories. So in an effort to not become the ire of Jim West I have started working out. But one of the drawbacks of working out is the time commitment it takes, so in an effort to redeem my time I have downloaded some Lectures from itunes. One lecture that I have really enjoyed was Cornel West's presentation of "Democracy Matters," presented at Stanford's Aurora Forum. There were times that I was so overcome by West's vision of prophetic hope that I shed some tears, now the people working out with me must have thought that I was a bit strange having an emotional experience on a life cycle, but what are you gonna do? Needless to say if you have about an hour and half of time to spend listening to a lecture I highly recommend West.
6 comments:
I should listen. I don't know much West, but I have carried around this quote for many years: "I cannot be an optimist, but I am a prisoner of hope."
Metalepsis,
Just finished reading "Simply Christian" by Wright. Interesting book. At times I wondered if he affirmed the deity of Christ. I think he does, but I found it interesting that he never refers to Jesus as "Jesus Christ." Only "Jesus" or "Jesus of Nazareth." Any thoughts? Thanks.
Joe from Idaho
I think you would really dig West, his emphasis on the tragic/comic is akin to Flannery O'Conner, as revealed in that quote.
Joe from Id-a-hoe,
I read “Simply Christian” about a year ago, so I will have to take a look at it again…
But because of how your question is being framed, I am left wondering if you might be reading Wright with suspicion, and because of this, and the fact that he does not write in a way that you are accustomed to, has resulted in your either over, or perhaps under reading him.
Central to Wright’s academic project is the fact that Jesus came as Israel’s “Christ,” which simply means messiah, in order to restore Israel (and thus everything that entailed). Why Wright refers to Jesus in different ways is, I suppose, to jar readers from the conception that Christ was just Jesus’ last name. But believing that Jesus was the Christ, does not in fact prove his deity, nor does the resurrection itself prove that Jesus was God, and there are some who believe that Jesus was both the Christ and resurrected (or at least they believe this is what the first followers of Jesus believed), but think that the deification of Jesus came much later in the history of Christianity.
So what makes you think that Wright might deny Jesus’ deity?
Metalepsis,
As I said, I DO think he affirms the deity of Christ. And you are right. I probably read Wright with some suspicion, just because some in my church have "warned" me of his writings. I wanted to give this scholar a chance, and this was simply an observation. Perhaps I need to read more of him to get a feel for his writing. And recommendations? Thanks.
Joe
Joe,
Sorry Joe I got the impression that you were not entirely sure about Wright. I think you started with the right book. You have to remember that Simply Christian was intended as an apology for Christianity in the vein of C.S.Lewis. As far as recommendations I liked his book "Paul: A Fresh Perspective," but his devotional works are good too. He has a series of lecture/sermons on discipleship that I have benefited greatly from.
I have a hard time understanding why people are so antagonistic against Wright's work. So I applaud you for reading him, I imagine that it would have been easy to just form an opinion based on what you had heard. Keep reading and keep an open mind, because Wright has a lot to offer.
Cheers,
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