So, thanks to the good work of Mike Morrell and his internets I just received Peter Rollins book, Insurrection. It was like Christmas 18 days early. I intend to blog about the book as I read it, but presently the blog is having technical difficulties (not sure why). Wanted to share a couple initial thoughts…
First off, as soon as I opened the book I realized that Bonhoeffer was foundational (can I use that word?) for Rollins’ premise. So, I stopped by 1801 Mills and grabbed a couple relevant books - Bonhoeffer for Armchair Theologians by Stephen R. Haynes, Lori Brandt Hale and 2 of Greg Boyd’s books, Repenting of Religion and God of the Possible (mainly the first, but have been wanting to read the other one too).
Sadly, I’m not up on my Bonhoeffer, so I’ve got some work to do.
Now, as I read the first couple chapters of Insurrection I could tell this book was the following:
- a) the real deal
- b) surprisingly accessible (more so than How (Not) to Speak of God)
- c) Explosions in the Sky would be an appropriate soundtrack to the book
That said, the push (because that’s what it feels like) to “religionless Christianity” that Bonhoeffer and Rollins are advocating is deeply compelling. I admit that I’m still struggling to grasp the tangibleness of what that could look like. But the drive toward peeling back the layers of accumulated religion is a good one, but one that I fear too often ends too quickly in some kind of sentimentality. By which I mean, the nostalgia of “restorationism” that doesn’t actually restore nor move us forward. I recognize this isn’t whatRollins (or Bonhoeffer, I reckon) are doing, but my concern is that that is how it will be appropriated by others (myself not withstanding).
The last bit to share for now is the sense that this move to Insurrection is a deeply human (that’s a good thing) endeavor. Too often our “religionFULL Christianity” does not leave room for grief, pain, suffering, brokenness, or the like. If the move that Rollins is driving toward would allow for this I would be very grateful. Again, I’m wondering what that would look like in practice (in the mainline, liturgical, and mega/evangelical).
That’s it for now… more to come….
Oh, also reading (and very much enjoying) Sean Gladding’s, The Story of God, the Story of Us!
