Karsakov's Disease

I was reading the book, "The Man who thought his wife was a hat", written by Oliver Sacks, the same person who wrote "Awakenings", and I came across an interesting neurological condition that seems to illustrate the postmodern paradigm we live in. It is called Karsakov's Syndrome, where a person has no memory of who they are, or in other words, has lost their personal story. I am not an expert in neurological diseases (I can't even spell "neurological"), but when I read this I was struck with the seemingly obvious comparison with our present postmodern position (say that three times fast).
I spend a good bit of time outside of my church. Whether it be in hospitals, coffee shops, or other places, the one thing I am noticing is that people are hungry for a story. Rick Warren calls it a purpose; having a purpose for life. That is part of it, but it is more wholistic than just having a purpose. A purpose is something that is part of a story, but a story is the essence of meaning, where everything is born, and from which everything is sustained.
People with Karsakov's syndrome have the dreadful tendency to forget who they are and what they are doing. They will lose their whole personal story, and from scratch, have to make a new one up. You see, it is impossible to live without some sort of personal narrative. This is why they create one, for they couldn't live without some sort of identity; an identity that comes from a story.
This is the picture of many in our postmodern time. There is a hunger for a narrative that explains life, that gives it meaning. Many search for it in many different places, and in many different ways. yet, when they are dissapointed, they quickly forget the story they have taken on and put on something else. Christianity is just one of the stories offered to our Karsakov society. Yet, the story of Christ is the story of the world' s true meaning. It is the story that allows us to find who we are, and what this world we live in is all about.
Maybe the role of the church is not to "reach the lost", but share the story. Story...huh...sounds like "good news".

Sheep and the Goats

I have been preaching the lectionary lately. That is not normal for my faith tradition. Most pastors in my denomination don't even know what the lectionary is. I have come to love it.
The last three weeks the passages I have preached from are from Matthew 25. This weeks passage is the story of Jesus explaining what it will be like when he returns to this earth. The passage starts out with Jesus saying that he will seperate the sheep from the goats (the unfaithful from the faithful). I have heard and read this story many times. Although I have never preached on it specifically, I have heard it taught or preached from. It seems like each time I heard it preached from the emphasis of the speaker was placed wanting to be a "sheep" that was "in" rather than a "goat" that was out. I don't believe I've ever heard anyone follow the passage and Jesus' statement to see how Jesus differintiates between the sheep and the goats. Jesus actually tells those listening that he will be able to tell who are his followers because they fed the hungry, gave water to the thirsty, was hospitable to the stranger, clothed the naked, cared for the sick, and visited those in jail.
Is this a list of defining Christian characteristics according to the Christ himself? I know, I know, there are those of you out there that are getting nervous that I am saying that these things are what saves you...these acts of work. Well I am not, however, I am saying that Jesus seems to be saying here that he saves, but those that have truly been redeemed by him, will do these things. What does this say about me? What does this say about my faith community? What does this say about the church universal?
I don't want to be a goat, I want to be a good following sheep.

A Late Halloween Picture. There are more on the Pics pages, for those interested.

Barthian Wisdom

Saw this quote from Karl Barth, father of "Neo-Orthodoxy". Thought it was interesting

"Theology is a peculiarly beautiful discipline. Indeed, we can confidently say that it is the most beautiful of all disciplines. To find academic study distasteful is the mark of the Philistine. It is an extreme form of Philistinism to find, or to be able to find, theology distasteful. The theologian who labors without joy is not a theologian at all. Sulky faces, morose thoughts and boring ways of speaking are intolerable in this field."
-- Karl Barth

What do you think?