Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Thought for the day

Is a covenant still a covenant if it excludes in any way?

Does theology define a covenant or does behavior? Or both?

If a covenant is about right relationship, what makes the relationship right?

5 comments:

Revd. Neal Terry said...

1. A covenant is not a covenant UNLESS it excludes deliberately. The call to covenant is often dressed up in langauage which professes that this is a positive, affirmative statement of who we are but will always by definition determine who we are not and thereby exclude. If you look at the to other 90% of the Nicene creed, i.e. not the nice fluffy bits that get read out in churches every Sunday, you see that it is in fact a list of what is considered heresy.
2. Behaviour defines a covenant, theology is used to justify the behaviour. Covenant is a human perversion of relationship. The Ark of the covenant was not prescribed within the tablets it contained, that is simply man made glorification and perversion of the covenant with God. Jesus is the only covenant we need now although organised religion still needs to wrap it up in all sorts of other nonsense.
3. The only thing I've found on this road is sacrifice, a willingness to say I don't know, I don't have all the answers. But I'll keep trying...

God Bless.

Cynthia said...

Wow. Yes, I agree on all three counts. Yet it seems we contradict ourselves, i.e., the Church, when we use the word covenant. We progressives think of it as something all-embracing but there are certain behaviors we also wish to exclude: arrogance, rudeness, meanness, superiority and the like.

Thanks for your commnent and welcome to this blog.

June Butler said...

Jesus is the only covenant we need now although organised religion still needs to wrap it up in all sorts of other nonsense.

Amen.

Love God.
Love our neighbor.

Revd. Neal Terry said...

A pleasure Cynthia, I have been reading your blof for a while although this is the first time I have commented. this covenant thing has got me a tad worked up! To encourage an amen from Grandmere is heartening.

Cynthia said...

This covenant thing gets me worked up, too, 'me'. But that is good because it means we care a great deal and are not likely to up and run just because things get difficult.

Yes, Mimi, you are heartening. Jesus summed it up very well. Why do we then make it so hard?