Communial Sin

As I start to think through the different topics I am wanting to bring up on this blog i started to realize that so many of the topics have to do with "things being bad and our attempts to try to fix them" I believe in order for us to be able to honestly look at the state of things, we first must confess our weaknesses, inadiquiencys, and our sins. Everytime that I try to clear things up with God the only things that I confess are the things that I do, my sins. I think about how "I, Ben Dudley" have caused problems, gone against God's desire and didn't love my neighbor first etc. Something that never comes to mind when I go to confess my sin is the sins that I commit in my community. I have been reading some articles about the idea of "communial sin" and it really has me thinking. What is communial sin? I do know this...in an article I read from Sojourners, written by Dale W. Brown, he says that it is easy for us to think of individual sins and name those because we are able to find abunch that we don't do and point at others who do these sins and it makes us feel better about ourselves. But communial sins are ones that we do as communities and so in order to confess these sins it takes a realization that we are guilty of these sins and admitting that we play apart and we can't point the finger at others and feel good...because they are our sins.

This concept is kinda new to me, maybe some of you have thought about this more extensively than I and can share some insight. I would like to throw out a few communial sins that I feel like we need to ask God to forgive. If you connect with any of these please share your thoughts. If there are others that you know of that I didn't share, please share those. If you see something that I write that you don't see as a communial sin, please share you thoughts on these as well.

-Father forgive us for what we have done to the environment that you left us to care for...
-Father forgive us for exploiting the poor to gain more wealth
-Father forgive us for using the Bible as a weapon to "prove" points
-Father forgive us for the sins we commit as a nation in this time of war
-Father forgive us for not caring for "the least of these"
-Father forgive us for not having unity amongst the body of Believers
-Father forgive us for standing by and allowing the AIDS epidemic get out of control

Again, this is just a start...i may add some more in the comment section but I would love for you guys to share some as well.

Welcome

Let me start by saying, "Welcome to the new blog." Over the past 4 years I have been on a spiritual, political, intellectual journey that has lead me down some very different paths. The road that I have been on is called "Deconstruction Ave" and I have started to see road signs saying only a few more miles until I merge onto "Reconstruction Trail." In order to prepare for the merge I feel it necessary to try and journal/vent/rant/rave/question/share/dialogue my thoughts and feelings about all that I have been considering over this time of my life. I am currently reading "The Last Word and the Word After That" by Brian McClaren. In the book there is the most beautiful description of deconstruction that I want to share with you.

"It's like taking apart a cheesy billboard that somebody built along the highway so that people can see the beautiful view the billboard was hiding...if you deconstruct a theory, you're doing it in the hope that a greater understanding of justice can come."

This blog will stay on topic at all times. I have another blog for journaling life's adventures and such, but this one will be on topic. Now with that said, the topics could be wide ranging from politics to religion, war and peace, from Liberals to conservatives, right to left, wrong and right, black and white to color. All to say, this is my space to share my thoughts and hopefully if you read this blog you will participate with me in these discussions. There is a comment section that I ask you to use. In fact, I wish there was a way to make it a requirement of you the reader to share feedback. I am a firm believer that the only way to truly find answers is through community. So if you want to go on this journey with me in search of the onramp of "reconstruction" then you are committing to participate via the comment section or the starting of your own blog.

For those willing to take the journey with me...here are the rules!

Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway.
John Wayne (1907 - 1979)

Let us be courageous in our efforts to deconstruct!


Wisdom is what's left after we've run out of personal opinions.
Cullen Hightower

In our efforts to seek Truth, let us not hold to our pride

Cynicism is an unpleasant way of saying the truth.
Lillian Hellman (1905 - 1984), The Little Foxes, 1939

Let us be willing to share the truth with one another, even when it hurts...but in doing so keep the spirit of LOVE above all else.


I hope that while so many people are out smelling the flowers, someone is taking the time to plant some.
Herbert Rappaport

Let us talk this out but not stop living it out, for that is where it will truly manifest itself!

So once again, welcome and let's get started!
cheers, ben

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