My sermon at Crosswalk is now online

The sermon I gave at the Crosswalk Church on February 2 is now online at the Crosswalk Church website. The sermon is entitled, The Corporation, and is essentially a theological response to the corporation and the form of life embodied by free-market capitalism. If you haven't seen the documentary film, The Corporation, I highly recommend it. I'd love to hear what you think of the message after you listen to or watch it.

Comments

[David Oceguera]

I listened to your sermon. I enjoyed it. I wonder if living by a different narrative, at least in some of our churches, isn't almost impossible. It seems that whenever we attempt to engage in a conversation that deals with a new narrative, even if we don't use that word, people feel uneasy. Almost like we are taking the rug from under them. That is at least what I have encountered. In some places even, the word 'narrative' is a difficult word for people to understand. I think Tim Keel addresses the issues that we all live according to a narrative even if we don't have one. How do we introduce a new narrative to a community of faith that has long prided itself in a certain 'narrative'? Any thoughts?

[Ryan Bell]

David, I think you're absolutely right. It is nearly impossible. It challenging work and takes a long time. It can't be done quickly. The only way I know how is for the community of faith to reengage scripture as that new narrative of God's kingdom. To really allow scripture to challenge the "script" we've been given about how the world works. What usually happens, I'm afraid, is that we read the Bible in such a way that it merely reinforces the dominant narrative of our culture, as it's been delivered to us. Part of the problem is that we have been taught to read the Bible alone and in theraputic ways (to make us feel better). So it never has a chance to challenge the fundamental underlying narratives of our lives. When we read the Scripture in a community that is captivated by God's mission to transform the world by love, scripture can do it's subversive work and create a community that lives by a different narrative.

But, as I say, this is long and difficult work and takes a particular kind of discipline as a pastor.