Bubba Alert and Miscellanea

Funniest thing I heard all week: Chad from our small group calls Promise Keepers...Promise Kweefers. I know the spelling isn't right, but it keeps the PK intact.

Spent almost three hours on the radio yesterday talking about theocrats, separation of church and state, and abortion. Every time the phone lit up and the producer typed in the name of a small town, I was like, "Here we go again." Brian, the show's host, asked me the first time I said it, "You know this guy?" "No, but he's from Hydro, Oklahoma. What are the odds he's moderate or liberal?" It would delight my soul to no end if people who called themselves Christians actually knew something about their faith. Many of the callers yesterday operated under what Charles Kimball calls "detailed ignorance." (When Religion Becomes Evil, pg. 17) They know many details about their faith, but they don't know how the details are held together, and they don't understand the faith comprehensively. One caller made one of my favorite statements of the day: "Jesus couldn't use violence to bring about the kingdom of God because his main mission was to die on the cross for our sins." See. Detailed ignorance. Here I thought dying on the cross was a result of preaching and living the kingdom. Silly me.

Stupidest thing I heard this week: "After you kill enough of those Iraqis, you kind of love the little bastards." Hmm...this from a soldier. Wow! Talk about the love of Christ! This was in response to my now hopelessly offered "how can you love and kill your enemies at the same time" conundrum for neo-cons.

Sanest thing I heard this week (from the pastor): "People experience grace in this world because a warm body shows it to them." Yes, the grace of God is experienced by interacting with others, not by waiting for God to shower it on us or them.

Bubba has migrated over from Mainstream Baptist to my blog. Bruce shut off comments over there, and Bubba, who also posted under the name "anonymous," can no longer spew his love for violence and disdain for all things moderate to liberal, so he has come over here to try. If I discover he has a fixed IP, I will block it. In the meantime, I will be deleting all subsequent comments from Bubba. And really, who uses that name with the goal of having anyone hear him with any degree of seriousness? If you happen to stumble on one before I delete it, feel free to respond, but know that your response will not make much sense once I delete Bubba's nonsense.

Comments

[Frank Hamrick]

Hey friend,
I love reading your blog and my nickname is "Bubba". I confess to having grown up fundamentalist but going to Duke Divinity school w/ the likes of Hauerwas and Hayes was the chemotherapy I needed to be completly "healed". I actually have a blog that no one looks at "bubbasblogsc.blogspot.com"...and, although no one takes me seriously...I don't care...cuz I do.
Peace,
Frank/Bubba

[bobstevens]

I dislike the characterization of the belief in substitutionary atonement as ignorance. It's certainly an integral part of the faith of many, so how can you claim that they're ignorant about their own faith?

They're ignorant about your faith, which is similar but differs mainly in that key component (and literalism).

I pretty much find ignorance the most insulting term ever created, and I like to think that it should be use sparingly. Sure, it's all over, but I don't think the specific example you cited is a valid one.

[greg]

bob,

You're reading a bit too much into what I said. A person can believe in substitutionary atonement and not believe Jesus' main mission was to die on the cross. Since there are several different ways to look at atonement, I find it troubling when someone insists one of them was the main thing Jesus was doing and that the others are either not important or not orthodox. When the Gospels are given a fair reading, the kingdom of God or heaven stands out far more than any phraseology related to atonement. That's my point.

[greg]

Frank,

I think you're a different Bubba than the one I was talking about. And if you went to Duke, I'll retract my Bubba dig.

[Gilbert]

Greg,

You are on the radio? When / where?

[greg]

I only guest on the local liberal talk radio show occasionally. Left Hook radio on WKY AM 930, Saturday, 4-6 p.m. I'm technically a moderate, but for OK, I'm pretty liberal. If I were in Boston, they'd accuse me of being a right-winger, I'm sure. When I have an article in the Gazette that interests them, they invite me on. I was there to talk about the article I did on theocrats and using the Bible in public policy debate in the 6/29 Gazette.

[jvpastor]

Great post, I co-opted it over at my place. Kimball's definition fits evangelical Christianity perfectly.

[Todd]

As always compelling insight and a depth of perception that makes you a great read.

[Bruce]

Greg,

Sorry to hear that Bubba migrated to your blog.

I've talked with him on the phone. He is a persistent fellow.

I think he was born to argue.

[greg]

Todd,

Thanks. Snowhill Todd?

Bruce,

I've emailed with him off-blog and we're going to try a fresh start. I even have a real name and picture of him now.

[bobstevens]

Thanks for the clarification, greg. And sorry for being too fiesty.

[greg]

bob,

Not a problem. I'm sorry I wasn't as clear as I could have been the first time. I know I talk bad about substitutionary atonement on a regular basis, so it's no surprise that people read things into my comments about it.

[badcatholic]

Hmm. I had a Bubba commenting on my blog for a while who was persistent and apparently immune to logic. Streak gamely went head to head with him, and eventually he left. I wonder if that was the same one...