Just got home from the Forge “Postcards” event in Fitzroy this evening, and heard from Baxter Kruger – author of “The Great Dance” (thus the title – and thanks Bec for the correction!). He has an interesting take on what the whole Christianity thing is all about, which I quite liked some of until I had my thought patterns interrupted by discussion. Then I lost what I was originally thinking and think that I missed a lot of the good stuff.
But basically, to strip it all down to bare bones, Kruger’s basic ideas were that God meets us in our humanity, and that the sacred-secular divide is a made up one, and that Christ wants to meet us in the things that we love, and in the role we fill in society. Which as a starting place – I’m more than happy to give a big tick to. I have no doubt that our separation between what is a God thing and what is just us doing stuff has been made up. God is interested in meeting me in my workplace as much as in my home as much as in my church.
One from one so far. Kruger then takes this a few steps further (and this is where some of my details get sketchy and I’m sure I’ll have messed this up, so if you’re a fellow attendee, please correct me here), and almost seemed to say that this puts all of us already in a relationship with God, in the things we do that we just feel like there’s something bigger, that he is in those and the only difference is whether or not we recognise what God is doing in that. Now that’s a poor reflection on what Baxter said, mainly because that was the part that I struggled with.
To be brutally honest, I think that there’s an element of this being the message that people want to hear. While I have no doubt that God often speaks through the things that we enjoy, I think there’s an element in there of us wanting to find good excuses to go out and do fun stuff. Which is not to rule out what he was saying, just that I think there’s a little bit of people-pleasing going on here.
It’s all a bit of a muddle in my head – I’d love to hear back over what was said so that I can get it clearer: I’m pretty sure there’s a lot more of value than what I got down in that first bit. But all in all, another opportunity to expand my theological horizons, and that can’t be all bad now can it.
Geoff is a 25 year old Database Administrator Consultant. He was a volunteer youth leader at Yarra Valley Vineyard Christian Fellowship for 6 years, but doesn't do that any more. He is cursed with barracking for Richmond. His favourite number is 17 and his favourite song is Last Goodbye by Jeff Buckley
Don’t think my head can quite be bothered with the theological intricracies of the evening just yet, (you saved me blogging extensively about what he said that’s for sure!)… but as you asked for correction
if do happen to be hunting for the book, try ‘The Great Dance’ rather than Divine. Might get you just that little bit further along Brunswick St.
Maybe thinking about the origin of “fun” could be helpful. You know how some things are delightful for almost no apparent reason – the sun sparkling on the surf as you get up after being knocked down for the umpteenth time… gazing at a beautiful scene or work of art, first sip of an excellent latte… The capacity to delight in things does not always have selfishness at its roots. I think that quality is a tiny taste of the essence of God – reading Genesis shows God quite able to look delightedly on His day’s work. I think some of that resides in us, although it is of course often subjected to our natural human tendencies to polute things…. I heard him too but at Forge – I will blog about it at some time. By the way, you can get “The Great Dance” at Tabor. It is a VERY skinny book with a built in bookmark – a rarity in theology land.
Mmmm, I’m not sure that’s the bit that I had the most trouble with. But I think I will get onto that book – my mind was all over the place last night so it’d be good to be able to have a decent look through that stuff.