Tod Bolsinger - Astonishing Generosity as Revolutionary Action

If you have read my blog the last few weeks you have seen me mention several times that Richard Pratt was at our church and offered some great sermons (which you can listen to or download here).  One of the things he challenged me to do was to become a regular at the Bistro across the street.  He said I need to go there often and our church members need to go there often.  And, we need to be such excellent guests and tippers that waiters and waitresses want to fight over who gets to serve us.

This is a hot button issue for me.  On more than one occasion I have heard and read people who say that wait-staff in restaurants do not have particularly good impressions of Christians and that for some, Sunday is the worst day of the week because of the church people.  The church people are generally seen to be rude, demanding and poor tippers.  So, Pratt's exhoration to me was to do my part in changing the reputation of Christians in that regard.

So imagine my delight today when I read Tod Bolsinger's blog and found a post that added some theological and exegetical weight to the above.  Tod says (quoting N. T. Wright) that Christians are to be marked by "astonishing generosity."  Here are a few sound bites from Tod's post and let me encourage you to read the rest.

The quote itself was a reference to Matthew 5:38-42, when Jesus tells
his followers “to turn the other cheek” when struck, “give their cloak”
when asked for a coat, or to carry a load an “extra mile” when a person
makes you haul something for one.  He is saying in effect, that even
when people use or take advantage of you, they in the words of Bishop
Wright, “must be met with astonishing generosity.”  (Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God, p. 290)

It’s not enough to be generous, Jesus was saying.  But our generosity
must astonish the people around us, leaving them dumbfounded for an
explanation, flabbergasted for a rationale.  It’s not enough to be good
to the people who are good to us, if we are going to be his followers
are generosity must flow to the very people who we DON’T want to be
generous.

In a section on how so many religious leaders of his day, thought
that the only way the world would change would be through violent
revolution, Wright tells us:

“Jesus
summoned his hearers to the real revolution, which would come about
through his people reflecting the generous love of God into the whole
world.” (p. 507)

Ah, that’s it.   
• This is not just a strategy for adding some kindness to the world.  It’s a strategy for changing the world.  (It's a revolution strategy!)
• It’s not just about making the world better, it’s about making the world new. 
•
Generosity is not just about making people think we are good nice and
kind, it is about helping people see that God is good, compassionate
and responsive to their cries.

It is a central activity of the followers of Christ to reveal God to the world.

Heh - looks like Steve McCoy was also astonished by this post.

Technorati Tags: Religion, Theology, Bible, Christian, Christianity, N. T. Wright, Tod Bolsinger, Generosity

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