Youth, Synthetic Model, and Sin

Barker: Youth, Style, and Resistance:
I have been doing research on youth for quite some time and I don't think I ever get bored with the topic. I think Barker brought new ideas and identities to the realm of youth. I walked away with new questions. When youth begin to interact with life they try to repurpose what they see and how they interact with the bricolage of life. At what point as adults then have we given up repurposing, re-valuing, deconstructing, and asking new questions on how life is and how we interact with it. I think youth culture asks new questions but how do we help students interact with consumerism and consumption in the church? Does it challenge the leadership of churches to reevaluate how we give the congregation hope outside of consumption or are we giving people one more thing to consume?

Cultural Politics and Cultural Policy:
What is REALLY the future of cultural theory and how do we make it practical in our everyday lives? How do we really make meaning and give identity to a topic that is so wide and expansive on so many topics...How do we begin to relate to all cultures when I have been given a Western lens to view life with? When the practice is so multi disciplinary how do we make meaning when there are so many cultural variables at play? I think these are my left over questions as I wrestled with the last chapter. I think the one thing that really stood out was the minimal interaction with religion and how that plays a role in our meaning making. How will the bigger church find meaning in the practice of cultural theory? How do we recognize that meaning is made in our current locations and communities and how do we make this practical in our expanding world views?

Bevans: The Synthetic Model
I really liked this quote: "The contextualization of theology must become an attitude. Christians have to give up the notion that there is such a thing as 'plain theology' or 'just theology.' Theology as such does not exist. Because contexts constantly change, theology has constantly to change as well" (94). I think this model really brings to light the questions that I have from the last chapter in Barker. How are we making theology practical to people? I don't want or need another thing to tell me how to act or what to do. I think this model lets life be lived out in a way that is beautiful and wonderful and lets real life be lived and theological praxis come into play.....

Response to Chase:
I really like your thoughts for this model. I think you are very right when you related this model into a postmodern context. I think there are also draw backs but I think this is the model where a lot of youth and young adults relate, draw, and find meaning within theology. I think the model is non threatening to relationship building and it shows and helps redefine what it means to wrestle with theology and approach scripture. I like that we can bring all of our experiences together and have them relate. Thanks for your post.

Cobb:Sin
Yeah I don't like Cobb, I think he understands cultural entities and tries to make conclusions with everyday life, which I think is helpful but deep down I don't know if he is even convinced by the practice.... We are all broken and I think he lets that be known in the chapter. Even in the darkness we can still have light and even in these places we can show and share truth where once there was not light to be seen. As life progresses we need to be able to see that God can and should be in all places, even if they are places that we are told that it couldn't exist....