Bulimia nervosa, commonly known as bulimia, is an eating disorder and psychological condition in which the subject engages in recurrent binge eating followed by feelings of guilt, depression, and self-condemnation and intentional purging to compensate for the excessive eating, usually to prevent weight gain (see anorexia nervosa). Purging can take the form of vomiting, fasting, inappropriate use of laxatives, enemas, diuretics or other medication, or excessive physical exercise. The cycle damages bodily organs. Bulimia is common especially among young women of normal or nearly normal weight (Wikipedia).

I am reading a book What the Best College Teachers Do coincidentally, about what great college teachers do to motivate their students in their courses. It is fascinating. Early in the book I ran across the term “bulimic education” a kind of cram (binge) for a test because its important to remember and give back (purge) on a test all those facts the instructors wants the student to remember, thinking that with this common exercise, one has learned something.

When I saw that term, I thought about the thousands of followers of Jesus who have “bulimic spirituality.” They binge on certain spiritual activities and then purge all over anyone who will listen to their new found spirituality. I used to call this part of the flock “constipated Christians” always taking in and rarely giving out until the preverbal cork pops and then they vomit on whoever is the closest. But, I think it is time for a “phrase upgrade” from “constipated Christians” although I still like the ring of that, to “bulimic spirituality.”

In what “spirituality” are you bulimic? If it works like the physical / psychological, we probably don’t ever recognize the condition in our lives, much less know what specific spiritually we binge and purge with.

Here’s a short video clip of Brian McLaren asking me a question about God’s EPIC Adventure. Enjoy.

Two important events have occurred this week. My first book, God’s EPIC Adventure, is in print and I’ve been Simpsonized!

It has been and interesting process starting a publishing company HarmonPress and publishing my first book, God’s EPIC Adventure through that imprint. It’s an interesting feeling to hold a book in your hand and seeing your name on the front cover. For years I have researched and written lots of material. I was used to writing things like, Sweet says, or McLaren says, or Wright says, but when I saw my name appear in that context in the ForeWord which is written by Len Sweet, Griffin says, it seemed a little strange. Brian McLaren wrote the Afterword. You can read all about it at HarmonPress.

Secondly, I received an email from someone who had been Simponized and followed the link to see how that happened. It was kind of fun and you can see the results to the above.

You are quite correct in observing that the traditional seminary will train you for the body of Christ in residence, and the denomination will deploy you among bodies of Christ in residence, and those franchised bodies of Christ in residence will fully expect you to stay in residence! Keep office hours, maintain fixed worship times, renovate the property slowly and with great concern for memorial plaques, and above all, keep the other residents happy! Mission Mover: Beyond Education for Church Leadership. 92.

When I read the above paragraph from Mission Mover, I reflected on my own experience of the first two churches that I pastored in SoCal. They were “resident churches” and they wanted me to stay in residence abiding to office hours, washing my car once a week so that it set an example to others who arrived on Sunday morning and saw the car in the Pastor’s parking space. They wanted to have church at the “holy” appointed times Sunday AM and PM and Mid-week worship on Wednesday. They wanted me to be the caretaker of the property including mowing the grass on the front lawn so the church property would look picturesque to those passing by in their cars. They wanted me to keep the “memorial plaques” spit shinned. They certainly wanted me to keep everyone happy.

Well I was a complete failure! I did not keep regular office hours. I refused to wash my car on Saturday or park in the Pastor’s spot on Sunday. I changed the holy Sunday service to a different location and format. I refused to mow the lawn, I moved the “holy altar benches” into the men’s room of the gym so the guys would have a place to sit and tie their gym shoes. I moved the trophy case and trophies from the foyer to the gym. None of these changes made the “saints” happy. They were rather “crappy” in their attitude instead.

Of course, I did not last long in the “resident styled” church. I’ve always wanted to be innovative and missional. That hasn’t changed.

If you are thinking about theological education, you might want to read this book.

Brain McLaren suggests that we who live in the West may be living in an Echo Chamber where it is difficult to “listen to the voice of others.” One solution to this potential difficulty is to get out of the Echo Chamber by reading and thinking about how folks in other parts of the world think and write. The following article is a great start toward that goal.

A UNIVERSAL CORE?
by Sherman YL Kuek, OSL
Sherman is an itinerant minister and an Adjunct Lecturer in Christian Theology at Seminari Theoloji Malaysia (STM). He spends much of his time journeying with his friends in reflecting on faith, life, and culture in a profoundly theological and yet simple way. Sherman blogs on www.ShermanKuek.net.

In speaking of contextualisation, there are (rather simplistically) two trends of thought:

1) The gospel consists of a “static universal core”, a series of articulations which is time insensitive and perennially unchanging. The contextualisation project is simply about enfleshing this core with a cultural facade for the facilitation of communication and understanding. The core, essentially, does not change.

2) The gospel consists of a “dynamic universal core”, a series of articulations which is time sensitive and perennially changing with the development of our theological understanding. The contextualisation project, whilst being about the cultural expression of this “dynamic universal core”, (more…)