• Archive of "poetry" Category

    Toward a Thepoetic of the Cross (Book Review)

    September 27, 2010 // 1 Comment »

    Every so often I get an invitation to read and review a forthcoming book here at lifeasmission.  Ocassionally, I get really excited about the book I’m asked to take a look at.  That’s how I felt when I was contacted by Jason Derr (see some of his articles for the Huffington Post here) and asked to review his first book, Towards a Theopoetic of the Cross.

    Most of that excitement stemmed from the fact that I had no idea what a theopoetic of the cross was!  Jason has helped me with that.

    After setting the stage for what he intends in the book, Jason turns his attention to describing theopoetics before he applies them to the cross and discipleship.

    I love theology, but I am no poet.  Few would find this to be a problem, but as Derr notes,

    There is no theology without poetry. (37)

    Poetry, like no other kind of writing, has the potential to enliven our imaginations.  As the author points out,

    The theopoet is never safe to have at dinner parties, he will turn the whole thing into a Eucharist, s/he will remind us of the spiritual possibilities of the 6 o’clock news. (42)

    Derr also points out that theopoetry is a realm of discourse for the “differently wisdomed,” a moniker which seems immeasurably more helpful in speaking of the theological contributions which might be offered by those we think of as having “learning disabilities.”

    We are reminded by the author that,

    The cross announces embarrassment to the church and to the world, that the unholy is holy, that it is revelation and that faith is not wrapped up in our neat moralities, our safe pleasantries. (58)

    In a footnote to this text Derr acknowledges that this reality can be pushed too far, but it nevertheless reminds us that the cross, despite its evolution as a symbol and icon, was, and always should be, seen as a scandalous event to regard.

    The cross, the author would have us remember, is an affront to our inclinations toward positions of power, be they “Christian” or not.  This idea flows into his final section on discipleship.

    As only a theopoet might, Derr encourages us to envision a praxiological kind of discipleship through the metaphor of meal:

    Te eat a meal, to be in love with its tastes is to enter into discipleship to it, to be transformed by it, to be driven into the school of the kitchen and to learn at its pots and pans, at its dirty dishes, at its spices and seasonings. (93)

    This brief overview hardly does justice to the book.  Derr engages with the work of theologians such as Jugern Moltmann, Gustavo Gutierrez, Douglas John Hall, Martin Luther, and others.  He talks often of the manner of our incarnational engagement with the poor and oppressed and offers his take on how the Church ought to think of the GLBTQ community.

    For those interested in sustained theological reflection and argumentation, this book will probably leave you wanting.  But, for those, not unlike me, who have to work harder to appreciate the nuances of what poetic language and thinking can do for our vision of God, this book is worth your time.

    Posted in art, christendom, church, culture, discipleship, gender, gospel, Jesus, justice, poetry, post-christendom, salvation, theological education, theology, western culture

    Hope Has Died

    February 17, 2006 // No Comments »

    Hope has died
    The pain cuts deep
    Joy has vanished
    Like dreams from sleep

    I wasn’t ready
    Not quite prepared
    A familiar void
    Leaves me scared

    Will hope return
    Today or the next
    Does it even matter
    If I try my best

    I skew my thoughts
    Some here, some there
    The fight is pointless
    Like beating the air

    And yet I trust
    In things unseen
    Still convinced
    Of hope redeemed

    Hope may die
    But faith persists
    Has power to guide
    Has wings to lift

    Faith sustains
    Until such time
    That hope returns
    In form sublime

    And this I’ve learned
    Of hope hast died
    It’s always stronger
    The second time

    So left to wait
    And wait I must
    It’s now in faith
    I put my trust

    Posted in poetry

    Otro JR

    January 18, 2006 // 1 Comment »

    Not sure if you noticed, but I finally found a way to permanently host word documents on the web with a program called Writely. It’ really great and super easy. Anyway, I created a list of some of the papers I have written over in the right column. There’s also a smaller section below it called “Otro JR.” Here I have published a few poems and songs that I have written since coming out to Fuller. I have really enjoyed trying to express myself I little bit more artisticly (I am by no means great at it). The latest thing I posted is “Had You Been With Me Tonight.”

    Posted in poetry

    Yeah I’m Sappy, Step Off

    October 27, 2005 // 2 Comments »

    Last night in our Isaiah class Dr. Goldingay was talking about the spirit of God. The word for spirit in the OT, ruach, is the same word for breath and even the NT word for spirit, pneuma, carries a similar connotation.

    Jews of the OT as well as those of Jesus day equated breath with life (Gen. 2:7, Ps. 104:29, Rev. 11:11). In another OT class I have this quarter the professor was talking about every breath we take being evidence of God’s grace and an element of praise. I can’t tell you how much fun I have had with this concept.

    One little bit of this fun I penned in that Isaiah class last night. Here comes the romantic in me…

    Kiss of Life

    Our lips embrace
    A mystery begun
    Two breaths unite
    A new life is formed

    Flesh and Spirit
    Shared in a moment
    The very life of God
    Incarnated in kiss
    ———————————————————

    So husbands, kiss your wives, wives kiss your husbands, let all those who kiss be drunk on this mystery of sharing the breath of life.

    Posted in Fuller Seminary, poetry