Passion and creative tension

After reading an article from The Ooze I find myself wondering about tension between passion for Christ and moderation (or to use Brian McLaren's term "Generous Orthodoxy"). The author of the article in The Ooze maintains that we live in a world that is no longer defined by the bell curve. Perhaps you remember the bell curve from college statistics or better yet from high school teachers who graded on a curve. The bell curve defines normality and extremes. Statistically, the majority of things within one standard deviation of the center (mean). In a bell curve world, 68% of us are moderate/average/normal.
Author/preacher/teacher Leonard Sweet says we now live in the world of the "well-curve" where most of us are at extremes. (The "well-curve" is essentially the bell curve turned upside down.) The author of the article in the Ooze feels that this is a call to be extreme Christians rather than simply average Christians.
Now, I firmly believe that we are called to be radical followers of Christ. Yet, I follow a savior who preached and taught a message that is more balanced than most of us. He balanced law and grace, love and justice, action and belief, personal and social holiness, care for individuals and care for community . . . In everything Jesus showed us a way that is difficult primarily because it forces us to live in creative tension between extremes.
So now as I look at the image of the roller coaster that I suggested in Sunday's sermon was the appropriate image for the Christian life, I notice that it looks like a bell curve. Okay--I'm pushing this a bit far BUT what if in our well-curve, extremist world we are called to live passionately in creative tension between the extremes? Perhaps what our world needs most right now are Christians with a generous orthodoxy that reach out to both ends of the curve?
What do you think?

In the Garden

Anyone who thinks God does not have a sense of humor must not spend much time with him!
Next week, I will be the speaker for the Aldersgate Women's Retreat. And after our discussion of metaphors for the Christian journey I remembered the theme--In the Garden!!!
Okay, so I already admitted it wasn't a metaphor that resonated with me. So I can use some help. (Trav are you out there?) Trav already mentioned the importance of fruitfulness for a garden. And Marty mentioned the fact that with gardens you get both fruit and weeds and you have to learn to take both the good and the bad.
What are some of your other thoughts about Gardens and the Christian life?
(Also for another wonderful metaphor on Christian faith, check out the link "What if we had a jazz-shaped faith?")

The journey is the destination

Last night we had the first gathering of the Trinity Plunders, a group whose goal is to plunder our culture in order to better communicate the gospel. In the midst of our brainstorming on video clips, music and drama, Tony asked some great questions that made me wake up this morning pondering such big issues such as Christian perfection and the strengths and weaknesses of the metaphor of journey for the Christian life.

Somewhere I read that the metaphor of journey was supposed to appeal to men and the metaphor of homecoming was supposed to appeal to women. However, the metaphor of journey has always resonated with me and some of the greatest writings related to the Christian life as a journey were written by women (the Interior Castle by Teresa of Avila and Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard).

Of course the journey is one of the archetypical metaphors that crosses culture, religion, and time. Whether it is Homer’s The Odyssey (or for those of a more modern mindset Joel and Ethan Coen’s “O Brother Where Art Thou?”), Bunyon’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Mark Twain’s Huck Finn . . . well we can go on and on . . . journey is an important metaphor for humans.

Even my business background emphasizes the importance of journey when management experts speak of an emphasis on process rather than product.

And actually, the difference between process and product is one of the reasons that I think the metaphor is so important for Christian life. Christian life isn’t about product, it is about relationship. Whatever we may think about the idea of Christian perfection, the goal of Christian living is not perfection but relationship with Christ who calls us to “Follow me.” As our Bishop says, we are on the road (on a journey) with Christ.

I have a t-shirt that I bought when my Sunday School Class at Epworth (whom I referred to as the Extreme Sunday School Class but was otherwise known as Heart, Mind and Soul) went on a class retreat that included a trip down the Ocoee. The shirt reads, “The Journey is the Destination.” The class thought it was a very appropriate shirt for me because it seemed to reflect the theology I preached and taught.

We talked last night of other possible metaphors, such as expedition, excursion, passage, and trip. But for me, journey will remain the strongest metaphor for the Christian life.

So what is your favorite metaphor for the Christian life?