Part 314: Dear reader.

My understanding of faith and the impact it has on the human condition has developed into what you, dear reader, may consider to be a mish-mash of liberal, progressive and deconstructivist concepts. Many jurists, philosophers, economists, political theorists, and theologians have influenced my thinking. The list below is by no means exhaustive.  It acts as a signpost to the background to my current position.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Karl Popper, Jim Palmer, Jim Rigby, David Hayward, Marcus Borg, Walter Brueggemann, Don Cupitt, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Jacques Derrida, John Kenneth Galbraith, Oliver Wendell Holmes. Kurt Struckmeyer, Leonardo Boff, Gustavo Gutierrez, Oscar Romeo, Roscoe Pound, Hans Kelsen, Richard Hooker, John Robinson, Martin Luther King Jnr, John Shelby Spong and Richard Rohr.

I believe it of great importance to understand the interactions between disciplines in both theoretical and practical terms. It is no use adopting a silo mentality.

The conclusion I draw, provisional as it is, is that we must seek to follow Jesus, to assist those in need and to press for social justice. We must seek to dismantle systemic injustice. I commend the Followingjesus.org website that accords with my current position.  Of course,  you may disagree with my opinions.  I do not seek to influence anyone.

The following is from the website:

 Following Jesus website offers many different people—those who remain in the church, those who dwell on its margins, those who have left, and those who have never ventured near—with a description of a life of faith that is both intelligent and passionate. It is an invitation to forsake a traditional religion of ease and comfort for a vibrant life of challenge, risk, and fulfillment. It is an appeal for all people of passion, zeal, and courage to embrace a life of service, justice, and nonviolence, and by doing so become followers of the Way of Jesus.

Following Jesus is not easy. It calls us to become troublemakers, revolutionaries, seekers of change, and agents of transformation for justice and peace in the world. No small task.