FB07 – What is Radical about Christmas?
The term “radical” carries with it certain connotations, such as:
• Being out-of-step with majority-thinking
• Pressing for significant social change.
But it also has the meaning of:
• that which is central, core, at the heart of, being most fundamental, or at the deepest level (foundational).
Of course, these somewhat different meanings of “radical” are related and come together around such ideas as:
• Social or cultural change, as advocated by some revolutionaries, is intended to cut to the core of what’s really important, and call for fundamental change in one’s own life and that of others.
• In contrast, acceptance of the status quo is most often accepted without much reflection; we find our inherited traditions and ways of life to be generally convenient and comfortable.
Given such meanings, how should we regard Jesus’ teaching on the Kingdom of God over against the “kingdoms of this world”?
I’ve enjoyed Sojourners over the years because of its readiness to “tell it like it is,” both culturally and scripturally. Many who read Sojourners support the idea that the teachings of Jesus were radical in his own time, and, if we are open to deep reflection, are still radical today.
Is John Gehring overstating the case here for Christian radicalism?
https://sojo.net/articles/why-christmas-radical
First published on Facebook Page (My Reads and Views):
www.facebook.com/ronInRegina/posts/155649836303909/
First published here: 2021/02/19