Ben Myers started a "meme" (I have no idea what a "meme" is)
here. We're supposed to confess stuff about our theology, and I think the object is to be as shamelessly self-indulgent as possible. There are tonnes of others
here.
I confess that although I’m an egalitarian in theory, probably the real reason I’m not a patriarchalist in my marriage is that I’m not responsible enough to be in charge.
I confess that my college roommate "came out" to me first. I confess that I can get along great with homosexuals in the church but I cannot get along at all with homosexual hermeneutics. I will defend homosexuals against prejudice, persecution and blanket condemnation, but I cannot honestly defend homosexual behavior itself.
I confess that the school I go to belongs to a tradition that does not ordain women, that has distinguished in its curriculum between Expository Preaching (for men) and Expository Teaching (for women), and that used to replace the pulpit with a lectern whenever a woman spoke in chapel. The only reason they don’t do that anymore is because the lectern just replaced the pulpit permanently.
I confess that I fully support the ordination of women.
I confess I believe Calvinistic predestination is violent, unscriptural, and reductionistic. Its intent to safeguard the sovereignty of God is noble, but it ends up limiting God’s sovereignty by telling God that he’s not allowed not to control everything.
I confess I believe Premillennialism in general and Dispensationalism in particular are not only crazy but violent, racist, and gnostic. Moreover, anybody who has read Matthew 24 without their stupid cap on can see the aim is actually to be the one who gets left behind. The one taken away is taken off to be destroyed.
I confess I like Foucault better than Marx only because Foucault sees even the powerful as victims of power. Thus I think Foucault has better resources than Marx for an eschatological ecclesiology where the New Creation cohabitates with the old world order.
I confess, on the other hand, that I like Marcuse better than Foucault because Marcuse’s Marxism of aesthetic resistance possesses resources for an account of the “church as sacrament” in the Yoderian sense (as sign of New Creation and witness to the state).
I confess that I’m starting to like Cavanaugh better than Hauerwas, particularly because Cavanaugh has just about converted Hauerwas’s liturgical ethics into liberation theology.
I confess I read Yoder as a liberation theologian, and that is why I am quick to defend him against charges of rationalism and sociological reductionism by sacramental theologians. I believe that as a liberation theologian Yoder has a more thoroughgoing sacramentalism than many sacramental theologians.
I confess I believe that any theology that does not terminate in liberation theology has a deficient christology and a deficient everything else as well.
I confess that as a teenager in Australia I was involved in the Word-Faith, Health and Wealth cult, and I “spoke in tongues” regularly. I watched a video about Rich Mullins and I liked his Jesus better than Kenneth Copeland’s, so I left the movement. Rich Mullins saved me from the Prosperity “Gospel.”
I confess I only speak in tongues now to freak out my friends. See here, for instance.
I confess I have a love-hate relationship with the writings of Richard Horsley and Neil Elliott. Why is such great talent wasted on authorship hypotheses?! Why do they allow authorship hypotheses to control the logic and the results of their arguments?
I confess I have seen over 12,000 different movies in my 25 years, and I confess that that number is increasing at an average rate of 1.3 movies per day. I confess I do not know how to reconcile this fact with my ever-expanding reading list. I read an average of 2.4 books per week, but I should be reading 4 per week. If I could cut movies out of my diet I could read 5 per week, but that will never happen.
I confess I am thoroughly Yoderian in my ecumenical approach, which means I operate on the principle that narrative christology is key to the ecumenical task. But I also agree with Lindbeck that the best way to be ecumenical is to be radically traditional.
I confess I believe orthopraxy is more important than orthodoxy, not because orthodoxy isn’t important, but because orthodoxy exists for the sake of orthopraxy. I think I’m influenced by Lindbeck here too, but also, originally, and in a different way by Yoder.
I confess I think Lyotard and Derrida are saying essentially the same thing as Wittgenstein, but Wittgenstein says it best.
I confess that Nancey Murphy is the most intimidating woman I’ve never met.
I confess I’m convinced that Paul was just as much of a radical as Jesus, and that those who write that Paul institutionalized the Jesus movement are missing out on all the adventure.
I confess I think Hauerwas’s Unleashing the Scripture is both profound and retarded, but mostly retarded.
I confess I’m fed up with people telling me that a militant pacifist is a contradiction. I assume they’re trying to get me to calm down, but I won’t. I’ll calm down (maybe) when Christians stop sending their children to murder men, women and children for whom Christ died.
I confess that every time I’m up at night reading about the exploits of the Berrigan brothers I wind up waking up my wife to remind her not to get too attached to having a home and/or a husband.
I confess David Burrell is way more fun to be around than Hauerwas, and that my friend Solomon thinks Hauerwas is showing early signs of Parkinson’s, but don’t let that start a rumor.
I confess I have spent way too much money on books this year! (Cf. my first confession.)
I confess Jesus as Lord.
Labels: Confessions, Memes, Theology
19 Comments:
You wrote: "I confess that Nancey Murphy is the most intimidating woman I’ve never met."
If you met her, you'd think she's even more intimidating. She is SOO brilliant. The only reason she didn't intimidate me is that I had Molly Marshall for a teacher and so was used to blindingly brilliant women whose personalities just blow you away.
I don't think Yoder would have agreed that he was a liberation theologian--any more than Moltmann or Bonhoeffer are. But in each case there are commonalities. And Yoder deliberately learned Spanish and toured Latin America in the '70s (when liberation theology was being born) lecturing and interacting with it.
You have to define "liberation theology" VERY broadly to include Yoder, but Yoder was definitely far more positive about it than, say, Hauerwas. I do think that he worried that some forms of liberation theology were Constantinian(and some were violent!) and that some forms committed the error of "trying to force history to come out right" which Yoder always insisted was GOD's job, not ours.
You wrote: "I confess that Nancey Murphy is the most intimidating woman I’ve never met."
Given Nancey's journey through the Charismatic Catholic movement into the baptist tradition, it looks like you have something in common.
Michael, thanks for the comments. Yes I am generalizing a bit when I say I read Yoder as a liberation theologian. I'm following some of Zimmerman's insights in Practicing the Politics on that score.
Nonetheless, insomuch as you don't have to be constantinian, violent, or coercive to be a liberation theologian chiefly committed to social change, that's the lens through which I'm currently reading Yoder. It's part of my attempt to retrieve him out of Hauerwasianism. But I've also noticed a lot of convergence between some of Yoder's comments in that 76 Sojourners article, "The National Ritual," and Bill Cavanaugh's stuff. It seems that Yoder saw more clearly than I had previously realized that Enlightenment Liberalism is a kind of religious subversion of Christianity. In that light Yoder's "reduction" of theology to ecclesiology can be seen as liberation theology. He's concerned with forming counter-states, or real-states, over against (in Cavanaugh's language) the simulacrum, i.e., the cheap and unauthorized pirated version (of the church).
So, yeah, in a sense you have to broaden what liberation theology is typically taken to be in order to make Yoder "fit," but my point is that, the problems you mentioned aside, if we do use the "liberation" label for Yoder we can better understand what he was doing and further distinguish his ecclesiology from that of Hauerwas.
What do you think?
great confessions here. I definitely connect with the radical egalitarian in theory / patriarchalist in marriage, but for irresponsibility dynamic.
Thom,
Did you and Hauerwas have some nasty break-up I am not aware of?
Also, in no particular order:
I confess that I think feminism often fails (or at least some forms of feminism fail) because it isn't postmodern enough.
I confess that I think it's problematic to begin theologizing from one's experience of being abused by abuses of a particular idea or system (i.e. male leadership). I confess that when I hear women point to painful experiences as proof that feminism theology must be accepted, it sounds similar to people arguing that the "wars of religion" render Christianity incredible.
I confess that I too affirm the ordination of women.
I confess that while I too affirm the "ordination of women," denomination differences make the phrase "ordination of women" a less than extremely helpful way of putting the question.
I confess that one of the problems with congregational autonomy is that militates against allowing women to do what they're good at, since the "position" of "lead pastor" is not really accountable to anyone. If we had some real accountability, even complimentarians (I confess that I like that word, too, and some of the ideas it carries) would feel better about woman preachers.
I confess that if I am ever to accept "full equality" in terms of leadership positions, it will be because someone argued hermeneutically for this position without setting aside Paul's rooting of the issues in the creation story as an indication that he was still too patriarchal to truly understand the gospel.
I confess that in thinking through these questions I don't see how we can ignore the possible social implications of our biological differences (i.e. adam will never bear or nurse children; eve will never be as physically strong as adam).
I confess that qualifications for ministry should be first of all character, second Spiritual giftedness, and that I haven't got much farther than this yet.
I confess that I am married to an extraordinary woman who meets both of these criteria, and that I feel guilty (before God; she's too sweet to make me feel guilty before here) that I am a part of a church that does not facilitate the faithful use of her gifts.
I confess that said wife has never felt oppressed in the Restoration movement, nor has she ever been told she could not do something because she's a woman. I confess that on the contrary, many leaders of my own Restoration communities (Idleman, Scott, Moore, George) fully recognize and praise her giftedness, and encourage her to do all she can.
I also confess that this wonderful woman is extremely excited about devoting years of her life primarily to the raising of our childre, and that I think it's important to the kingdom that she do so, and that her actions are no less valuable or political than if she were raising someone else's children (of whatever age, including adults).
I confess that I couldn't agree more about Dispensationalism and premillennialism, and it is hard not to yell at people who tell me that since it's a "nonessential" I shouldn't be so openly against it, or that I should be nice to people who teaech a doctrine I think is dangerous and violent to Scripture.
I confess that I don't understand why more Christians don't take Jesus' Sermon on the Mount more seriously.
I confess that if there were a personal/political split to Jesus' command to turn the other cheek, then he would be talking "politically" and not "personally," but I confess that I cannot find reasons to think such a split faithfully interprets the text.
I confess that Thom watches too many movies.
I confess that a month ago I went on a day-long "spiritual retreat" and read through a piece on the seven deadly sins only to find out that I am deeply guilty of all of them on an almost daily basis.
I confess that I've never read most of the guys you mention in your confessions, and that I'd rather read Wright then all of them, although I want to read them too.
I confess that I think nonviolence and "personal evangelism" are both extremely important and cannot in the end be separated from one another, since both are appropriately particular ways of saying "love", and that I am disturbed by the fact that most people who care about one don't care about the other.
I confess that calling non-Christians to nonviolence seems to betray an over-realized eschatology.
I confess that making my confessions this public is uncomfortable to me.
I confess that I'm afraid of what response some of my confessions might engender.
I confess that I nevertheless enjoyed reading and participating in this post.
...
I confess that I do actually know the difference between "then" and "than", though one of my confessions indicates otherwise.
I might as well therefore confess that I read back through some of these to see how they "sounded"
...
DeFaz,
I’ll reply to your confessions piecemeal. But in answer to your question, no, Hauerwas and I have not had a nasty break up. It’s hard to break away from Hauerwas for a couple of reasons. 1) He’s so important to so many different conversations, and he’s right about an awful damn lot. 2) He’s incredibly hard to critique because almost 100% of the time he’s already responded in some obscure location to any critique you could come up with. He continues to be important for virtue and character ethics, for narrative theology, for the critique of constantinianism, for his theology of pacifism, particularly in Peaceable Kingdom, for his critique of political liberalism, for his ecumenism and for his trenchant critiques of modernity. Michael Westmoreland-White confesses that he finds Jeff Stout (Democracy and Tradition) more useful than Hauerwas, but for my part, in that debate, I find Chomsky more useful than both of them. That’s an odd thing to say because Chomsky is speaking out of political liberalism, but his critique still in many ways cuts deeper than Hauerwas’s. My main two problems with Hauerwas are his hermeneutics and his aversion toward liberation theology. In the latter regard, I don’t necessarily disagree with what Hauerwas has said, but I disagree with what he’s left unsaid, distinctions he hasn’t made (yet?). As far as his hermeneutics goes, he has a lot of important things to say, but he’s not familiar enough with exegesis and historical studies to make some of the claims he’s made. He wrongly represents the alternatives as fundamentalism/higher criticism on the one hand, or Stanley Fish on the other. He works with Hays for Christ’s sake. How does he categorize him?
It was a while back that I came to realize that most of what was great about Hauerwas was actually Yoder, so that’s when I decided to switch from Duke to E.M.U. (I think Hauerwas would agree with me.) As far as my comment that David Burrell is more fun to be around than Hauerwas, that’s just true. Hauerwas might have been having some personal problems, but when I saw him he was incredibly aloof and disengaged. Burrell was so much fun to talk to, and he was so unpretentious and generous and humorous. I just was more impressed with him than with my hero Stanley.
That said, on to your confessions:
I confess regarding your problems with feminist theology that I think you’re right that sometimes it can be too indebted to modernist categories.
I confess that I agree that it’s illegitimate to dismiss Paul as “conservative” or “institutional.” I confess that you might be interested to read an interview with Craig Keener in which he addresses these questions. You might like it. Perhaps none of it will be new to you.
I confess for the record I wasn’t trying to bad mouth my school. I was just stating the unfortunate facts. There’s obviously a great deal about OCC that I deeply appreciate and support.
I confess that your question regarding the sociological implications of biological differences is interesting, but I confess that I don’t know what you do with the exceptions. There are tonnes of women that are physically, mentally and spiritually stronger than I am. They might also be barren. Do these exceptions matter? Do they make a difference? Or do such exceptions perhaps reveal a deficiency in this kind of reasoning?
I confess that I strongly agree with you that raising children (even one’s own children) is a thoroughly political act.
I confess that you should be thankful that I’ve seen so many movies. I confess that I watch movies vicariously for as many as will believe in me when I tell them what’s worth their time and what isn’t.
I confess that I have come to see “personal evangelism” as recruiting for a life of activism, and thus that I share your confession that nonviolence and evangelism cannot be separated.
I confess that I sharply disagree with you that calling non-Christians to nonviolence is the result of an over-realized eschatology. I confess that most violence waged by most states is not grounded in realism, especially not a post-lapsarian realism, but in utopianism. Praying for kings that there might be peace and calling kings to peace are not two different things, and we don’t have to make the mistake of thinking we’re building the kingdom of God by calling for the end of war, or capital punishment (which is useless).
I confess that, nevertheless, your confessions are very significant, and that you ought to post them on your own blog and have Ben Myers link to you.
Thanks for responding quickly. A few comments and clarifications.
Good. I knew you would.
I will read the Keener essay and get back to you, though I must admit that in the past he has at times impressed me as an exegete and yet at others I have been confused as to what he can't see (or oversees) in the text.
I did not at all mean to imply that you were bad-mouthing OCC, though I see now why it seemed that way. But don't worry, I know that you love Ozark and I really wasn't even thinking in those terms (of "balancing your bad with good").
I know that my suggestion about biological differences doesn't offer much in terms of specific conclusions, I just think it is interesting. And yes, there may be women out there that are stronger out there, but as a group it is hard to deny that men are physically more stronger than women. That is not to say superior; really that is not to say anything but what is said, namely, it is true and (I think at least) it is interesting. I wonder if industrialization has not so malformed our understanding of societal roles in general that it becomes nearly impossible to think well about the more specific question of gender roles. And I don't really think that the exceptions call into question the observation, although I once again admit that the observaiton as observation isn't worth much, and that I don't know where to take it next (if anywhere). In the end, all I can say is Yes, they do make a difference (or at least they might), and yes, the difficulty of pinpointing the difference they make does call into the question this way of reasoning.
Good. I knew you would.
I was just kidding, and that's a good point (even if you're slightly kidding). What should I watch next?
As long as your activism is not divorced from a person coming to know God in personal (though never private) terms and that their sinfulness is more than merely refusing to be (the right kind of) activists.
Good. I knew you would. I have no idea what "post-lapsarianism realism" is, but I'll soon find out. One of the reasons I included that confession was so you would talk about it. I wouldn't mind a longer post on it (or a link to a previous post).
Thanks. I think I will post them.
Oh, and thanks for the absolution. It feels good to be clean.
...
By the way, if you say that their sinfulness is simply not being (the right kind) of activists, then I will lovingly accuse you of reductionism, which you generally work hard to avoid.
Sarcastic responses:
I confess that I only know the definitions to four of the words in your responses.
I confess that Michael's first child will probably have one white eyebrow
Real responses:
I confess that I am without a hunger and a thirst for righteousness
I confess that I had my butt whooped by 4 Germans in a coffee shop last week. My conversation with them about the Politics of Jesus, nonviolence and absolutism ended up backfiring on me. I misrepresented the church, and I'm scared to talk openly about those issues.
Tony,
On the kid . . . one can hope.
On the hunger and thirst . . . you probably want it more than you realize. Don't worry about how you feel, but whether you have a problem with people getting screwed over. If you don't care about that either, serve someone getting screwed over and you will.
On getting your butt whooped . . . good. I have the same fear, and for good reasons - that 's why I never stop learning (especially because I learn very slow). My concern is that we might have reasons for the same fear in two or five or ten or fifteen years. Let's not let that happen.
Love you bud. Email me and let me know how things are going.
I confess that I love this idea nearly as much as I love this blog (which is a lot).
I confess that, along with Michael, I typically neither know the names of the authors you mention nor the works which they have produced. Furthermore, unlike Michael, I confess that I don't care to.
I confess that I find it more comfortable to think about and confess my theological lenses than to deal with and talk about my sins.
I confess that I would rather read Eugene Peterson and Brennan Manning than Aquinas or Barth.
I confess that I haven't saturated my theological development and training enough in prayer.
I confess that along with neglecting prayer, I have often overlooked the lives of hurt, broken people while trying to think more like Jesus. Strange, isn't it?
I confess that I would rather write a sermon or an essay on forgiveness than deal with it in my life. It is so much easier on a screen.
I confess, Thom, that I will never forget the time I hugged you in the living room of a friend's house. My heart was broken, my body was dehydrated, but you gave me strength.
I confess that this is about as random of a post as I have ever written.
I confess that I believe it is largely due to my neglect of our relationship that my biological brother has left the faith.
I confess that although I still enjoy making fun on annihilationists, I am quickly becoming one…much to my disappointment.
I confess that talking to a Calvinist or a dispensationalist about the character and plan of God gives me a headache and the distinct impression that I am speaking in an unintelligible tongue.
I confess that I can't help but read the scriptures like Ozark (i.e. Mark Moore and Mark Scott) has taught me.
I confess that I would bet a lunch-date that by 2017 (if the Lord tarries), the majority of OCC's faculty will teach the N.T. as consistent, nonviolent activists.
I confess, Thom, that I absolutely love when you wear your shirt with the American flag on it.
I confess that I am terrified about the state and future of the American church. I don’t doubt that most of its congregants will end up in heaven (through their acceptance of a justification-through-faith doctrine) but I think they may show up looking very confused and not end up liking Jesus very much.
I confess that I fear the same could accurately be said of me.
I confess that I am too cynical of the Church, even though I convince myself that my cynicism is motivated by love.
But I still confess that if the church is to be a faithful representation of the body of Christ (Eph 1) and reach its true potential in displaying the manifold wisdom of God to every living creature (Eph 3) than something has to change!
I confess that although I think God is giving me a vision for what the church in America needs, I don't have the courage or the faith to follow through with it…since common sense tells me that it would seem ludicrous and fail miserably (sort of like using a cross to save the world, I suppose.)
I confess that I loved and agree with what you said about orthodoxy and orthopraxy.
I confess that my orthodoxy is better than my orthopraxy.
I confess that I could confess a hundred more facts, but since this is not my blog, I'll end here.
I confess that Jesus is the Christ.
So I slept on it and I have a few more confession I want off my chest:
I confess that within 6 months I will probably be a full blown open theist.
I confess that I do not believe in the plenary inspiration of the scriptures.
I confess that I still do not believe in egalitarianism. (Maybe it is some sort of chauvinistic stronghold in my life, but hey, this is confession time, not explanation time.)
I confess that although I agree with Thom's and Michael discussion about evangelism and revolutionaries, I have not converted anyone in almost two years…and I wouldn't necessarily describe that person as a revolutionary. Additionally, to my knowledge, I have never participated in an evangelistic effort (and yes, I know that is a messed up way of talking about it) that has resulted in a revolutionary being born.
I confess that I have too much money in my bank account to expect anyone to follow my teaching about finances or resources.
I confess that I voted for Bush in 20O4. And in 2008, I will be willing to vote for anyone besides Hilary.
I confess that I would change anything in my life in an instance if the Church ever told me to do so.
I confess that there are certain people I don't want to read my memes.
I still confess that Jesus is the Christ.
ok, I guess I should do this too.
I confess that I heard a preacher this past week and thought to myself, "I could do better than he did."
I confess that I listen to more sermons than most people I know and still wonder if they are sinking in?
I confess that I am sometimes more amazed at a great speaker than a great God.
I also confess that I would rather read Peterson than Barth. (By the way, Dan, Subversive Spirituality was GREAT!)
I confess that I sometimes listen to Spanish radio stations even though I understand 8% of what they say.
I confess that I still enjoy studying natural theology, though not as much as I used to.
I confess that I try please everyone - and think that I can.
I confess that, due to my eclectic nature, I can come off as more intellegent in many areas than I actually am.
I confess that I did not tell people at my home church that I was a pacifist because I knew they would think I was crazy. - and it may decrease the amount of support I would get.
I confess that I don't like talking about pacifism.
I confess that I have not been near as sacrificial with my money as I am asking other do be to support MSGF.
I confess that I think more American Christians should be missionaries.
I confess that I will do just about anything to be well liked.
I could go on, and I might later, but that's all for now.
More than anything else, I confess Jesus as Lord.
i confess that i prefer biblical studies to theology.
i confess that i think a split between these two “disciplines” is stupid.
i confess that i am a recovering materialist.
i confess that i cuss way too much.
i confess that i enjoy being an ass.
i confess that hardcore death metal music makes me feel good.
i confess that i am still pissed at my dad for committing suicide in prison.
i confess that wright’s “new testament & the people of god” gave my extreme skepticism and cynicism hope.
i confess that most preaching i hear bores me.
i confess that i am a bad friend.
i confess that i would usually rather hang out with my friends (who have become/are becoming followers of Jesus over the last few years) than with my friends who are paid ministers.
i confess that i hate windows os.
i confess that most of the reasons i’ve been given as to why i should not baptize my soon-to-be-born baby are unsatisfactory.
i confess that my wife has more grace and patience than anyone i know.
i confess that i like to smoke when i’m stressed and drink when i’m depressed.
i confess that i have never claimed to be a pacifist, and don’t foresee it happening.
i confess that i hated living in joplin, missouri; but now deeply miss it.
i confess that social interactions are extremely difficult for me because of my asperger’s syndrome.
i confess that i can’t wait to live life with my daughter.
i confess that sherlock holmes is some of the best reading in the world.
i confess that my family is awesome.
i confess that i worship a jewish man that’s probably shorter than me.
i confess that what matters most to me now wouldn’t have mattered to me a few years ago.
i confess the resurrection.
I confess that I'm intrigued by this post and am eager to participate. So, in no particular order:
I confess that I'm afraid about what my husband might think of some of my confessions. Along the same line, I confess that I'm more concerned with what he thinks of me than anyone else I know.
I confess that more than half the time I don't know what Thom is talking about and that half of that time I'm perfectly happy to remain ignorant. On the bright side, the other half of the time I'm very intrigued by what Thom has to say.
I confess that although I'm fully committed to Christ and his Church, I'm not impressed with Christianity.
I confess that I watch too many movies.
I confess that I can never remember actors names and that drives Thom crazy. I also can never remember the meaning of words, that annoys Thom even worse.
I confess that, although I don't know what all it entails, I think I might be a little bit of an open theist. I also confess that maybe I should learn more about it before I go declaring myself one.
I confess that I don't understand Christians who think God wants them to be successful in life. I confess that they annoy me.
I confess that I've been studying birth control (not extensively but quite a bit) and I'm struggling to reconcile most forms of birth control to Christianity.
I confess that I've been I've actually found myself thinking less of other young wives for making uninformed decisions about it.
I also confess that sometimes I wish I too could be ignorant again so I could choose a less complicated form of birth control and not have to be so responsible. I confess that I'm going to start a blog that deals with this, as soon as I can think of a good name.
I confess that I have come to believe that having/adopting and raising God-fearing Jesus disciples is one of the most important and effective peace-making strategies.
I confess that I think keeping peace between our children and between us and our children may be some of the best practice we will get.
I confess that I've already failed several times to keep peace between me and my infant daughter.
I confess that I also, like Dan, voted for Bush in '04. But I confess that it was only because I wasn't brave enough or informed enough to vote for someone else.
I confess that I like the idea of a woman president. But, again, I confess that I don't think I'm brave enough to vote liberal. And I guess there's more than gender to consider.
I confess that when I was twelve I confessed Jesus as Lord. I had no idea what that meant.
I confess that I probably still don't really know what it means to confess him as Lord since I fail to be his sold out servant, but that I do it anyway. Is that hypocritical?
I confess that Thom will probably read my comment and find no less than three typos or miss-used words.
I confess my theology is being influenced by post-Cartesian assumptions.
I confess that being a therapist is one of the hardest things I have ever done.
I confess I think about becoming a part-time professor at times.
I confess while I thoroughly enjoy being a woman and have no problems with my gender identity, I have sometimes thought that I would be taken more seriously theologically and academically if I were a man.
I confess I still struggle a great deal with the hermeneutics towards abortion and homosexuality.
I confess I have great difficulty dating a man who expects me to quit my career in order to raise children though I would probably prefer that.
I confess not almost posting this because I was intimidated by the previous posts and words that were used.
I confess my biblical study has decreased since I graduated from OCC.
I confess to feeling as if Jesus were not inside of me during several experiences this year I would not have made it.
I confess that I'm still a hardcore Yoderian.
I confess that I'm finding the Church Father's fascinating.
I confess that I still can't theologically condone infant baptism. (I'm Menno)
I confess that I'm beginning to call it a 'sacrament' and not merely an ordinance.
I confess that I'm still a Christian pacifist.
I confess that my own sexual inclinations are about as disordered as they get.
I confess that my marriage has enscripted me into a saving discipline that is slowly training me to love properly, freely, and joyfully.
I confess that I love preaching in churches.
I confess that churches scare me.
I confess that I would love to be a pastor some day.
I confess that Jesus is Lord.
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