A thought from a while ago, but thought I'd republish it here

I blogged for a while on MySpace, but I've gotten out of MySpace for the most part and joined Facebook, but figured it'd be best for all parties involved to have a separate place for blogging. What follows are some ideas that come to mind about a year and a half ago, but the themes have been weighing heavily on my mind and heart ever since. It's about atonement and consumption, especially in reference to Christ as the Second Adam. I've merely copied and pasted what follows (and may do that on another occasion or two, please forgive me if that bothers you)...


Don't ya love those "aha!" moments?

One year ago, I began the course at ATS entitled "Atonement in the Post-Modern World." In this class, we examined the chief elements of atonement and the theories/approaches offered by various figures throughout the history of the church. Simultaneously, we examined the nuances of our own culture & sub-cultures discerning specific ways in which the atonement of Christ could speak to various people groups throughout the nation and world today. This involved cultural criticism and identifying one or more problems to which atonement and reconciliation are needed. The issue I chose to tackle for my project was the problem of consumerism running rampant in today's society (and it is certainly not absent in the church!). I won't go through all the paper here (who would want to read a 12+ page blog?) so I'll stick to the points pertinent to the "aha!" moment that came to me tonight. (By the way, if you do want to read the paper I wrote for this, let me know and I'll send it to you.)

The heart of the issue is in what is called "consecrated consumption." Essentially, some level of consuming is necessary in order to live and is in fact ordained (at least permitted) by God even before the fall (cf. Gen. 2, in which God permits man to eat of any fruit except one.) Living in the parameters of "consecrated consumption" means that one only consumes what is necessary for good and holy living (i.e., consuming to live). It is when we (and Adam & Eve) step outside those parameters that we take part in a problematic (sinful, if you will) form of consumption that leads into a trapping cycle of what we see so common today in the problem of consumerism. So you can see that the modern problem of consumerism is closely connected to the original sin; consuming outside of God's ordained parameters! It is in this type of consumption where the problem controls humanity and we find ourselves perpetually unsatisfied, finding our purpose in trying to consume in order to fill the supposed unmet need brought to our attention (i.e., living to consume). Do you see the difference?

Where the atonement of Christ (i.e. the solution) enters here is in Christ's re-heading of the human race so that they might once again know the life of the Triune God, whose persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) are eternally giving to (not taking, or consuming from) one another and the creation, humanity, etc. Therefore, our proper response is to participate in that life whereby we find our purpose and identity not in taking or consuming, but in giving ourselves wholly to God & neighbor. When we recognize that true identity & purpose for which we were created, we can begin to regain vision of what "consecrated consumption" really is...

And this is where the "aha!" moment caught me tonight.

There is a proper reception (i.e., consumption) to the life and gifts of God. It is not something to be exploited (Philippians 2:6). Go back to Genesis 2 and find that consecrated type of consumption. In Genesis 3, the serpent tempts Eve & Adam to 'take and eat' of that which is not to be partaken. This led (and leads) to death! Is it not incredibly interesting and amazing that very similar words are in the promise that begins the process of undoing that very death. These words were spoken by Christ on the eve of his death when he offered, "Take and eat; this is my body given for you..."?!?! Talk about "consecrated consumption"! And one day we will find ourselves in a same type of paradise as our first parents, who had access to the tree of life for their consumption. When Christ returns and the new Jerusalem is begun, we will once again have access to that fruit so that we may once again and more fully enjoy the fellowship of giving and receiving (the life of the Godhead) and consuming rightly from the tree of life (Rev. 22:2)!