Gender, Race, and Anthropology

This weeks reading were pretty good overall...

Bevans: The Anthropological Model
The Antropological Method has someone come into a new culture and try to make connections with the culture and biblical truth and revelation of God and who God is. We are adapting our Christian models with the ideas, values, and representations of the culture. I enjoyed the quote: "When we approach the man of another faith than our own it will be in spite of expectancy to find how God has been speaking to him and what new understandings of grace and love of God we may ourselves discover in this encounter" (pg. 56). I think it opens up our eyes to see how God is working in the lives of people and like Paul in Acts we can name the God who is in control of these actions.

Cobb: Images of God
I found it interesting that Cobb choose certain aspects of how culture wrestles with Christianity. I think he did a good job revealing how we invest our time and thoughts into who is God and where has God gone in our community. I think people are seeking for a gospel that helps then wrestle with concepts that our deeper and bigger than a message that was about damnation. I think we missed something about grace and communicating this concept because wouldn't we be in a different place if people could understand this concept and seek it in their life. Cobb expressed and revealed a disconnect between cultural producers and God.

Cultural Theory: Race and Ethnicity
I liked the simple definitions of race, racism, and ethnic terms. It helps propel easier understanding of the core of judgment and superiority of differences. I found it interesting that the connections between race and cultural value was found in media portrayals of their certain race or ethnic group. Issues of power and control seem to be the foundational factor in this heartbreaking issue. It seems that often times our fears get in our own way to see people as humans. If we connect with to the Bevans book it seems that American Christians have a hard time seeing the beauty of the gospel working outside of their safe zones that we all create for ourselves. What would happen if we died to ourselves and perfection ideals and sought out the transforming power of a gospel that was surrounded by Kingdom Ethics?

Sex, Subjectivity, and Representation:
I love reading and engaging Feminist thoughts and brining to light the demoralizing and oppressive nature of women. I think it's sad that a whole chapter has to be written about the nature and humanity of women but I know that this work is positive, healthy, and useful to seeing people as whole humans rather than just their gender or the previous chapters recognition of different skin tones. It's amazing that if we begin to learn about how one another process life and moments we begin to understand the beauty of life and how we live in and with it. I appreciate the beauty of my gender but how does the church reconcile their past oppression with future hope of equality and unity? And how does that then translate to the American public?

Classmate Response can be found here for Todd's post on Cobb.