I Thought I Had Heard Everything . . . I Guess Not

Just when you think you've heard it all.   This from the Layman Online: 

"Once honored for voicing substantive theology in the Reformed tradition, Union Theological Seminary’s 2010 Sprunt Lectures will feature a feminist speaker who favors replacing the cross with a lactating breast.  The event will occur May 3-5 on the seminary’s Richmond, Va., campus. Union is one of 11 seminaries that are officially related to the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Sprunt Lecturer Margaret R. Miles is emerita professor of Historical Theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkley, Calif. Employing a title reminiscent of the denominationally sponsored Re-Imagining God Conference in 1993, Miles’ topic is “Revisioning Historical Theology.” 

“Although theologians may have claimed that crucifixion scenes exhibited the extremity of God’s love for humans, it was scenes of the child sucking at the breast that spoke to people on the basis of their earliest experience,” she said. This symbol was replaced by the cross, argued Miles, when patriarchal Western Europeans “secularized the breast. . . .  Miles suggested that the cross is inappropriate as a symbol of God’s love because `it presents a violent act as salvific.'”

This is one of those cases where the less I say, the better.  It speaks for itself.

To read the article, Click here

Comments

[Philip Walker]

Sometimes, I really do wonder whether these people can seriously believe everything that comes out of their own mouths. I mean, leave aside all the theological stuff: the idea that the breast was a Christian image before the cross is historically lunatic. There's a better case to be made for Ichthus, and that's not very likely in itself.

[Evan]

When you can show me in the Bible where Christ was crucified on a breast, then we'll talk.

[Spencer]

Well, now I suppose we have heard it all. "Presents a violent act as salvific?" I guess it's time to go back to the Epistle to the Hebrews.

[Timinator]

I have heard it all. Let's just keep to the Bible not some fiction way of thinking.

[Chris Sherman]

Whatever. I can't seem to think of anything better to say than that.

[bil]

Sounds like my college experience

[Bill Weber]

Ah, but a lactating breast is so much more nurturing than a cross! Seriously though, the cross was a violent act that saved us. Human sin is seen in all of its violence toward God at the cross, and the punishment of death it deserved was borne by our precious Lord.

[hb]

I think the breast milk this woman suckled contained crack! Unbelievable!!!

[Matt S Holst]

I never learned this in my Historical Theology classes at WSC. Can I get my money back?

[Robin]

Gentlemen,

This ought not surprise us.

Dr. Peter Jones explains in his book "The God of Sex" the "concept of spirituality and sexuality as defined in pagan terms, why and how pagan approaches to human sexuality produce a `culture of death', it defines biblically based spirituality and sexuality and why and how the Christian approach to human sexuality produces a `culture of life', and why the issues of human sexuality and human spirituality are so critically important for the Christian community to understand within the context of biblical teachings, instructions, and commandments."

http://www.amazon.com/God-Sex-Peter-Jones/dp/0781443725/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266943657&sr=8-1

We have opportunities here to engage the culture with the Truth.

This particular case is an apologetic issue.

I think Dr. Jone's view may perhaps equip us to effectively engage the gay and feminist movements, as well as equip our children to withstand the onslaught of the androdgenous trend in culture.

.02

Robin

[pb]

Lord...have...mercy.
What else is there to say?

[Zrim]

The kookiness has a sort of La Leche League feel to it. Bada-bop.

[Richard]

Please keep us abreast of further developments, Kim. Doh!

[Chris Sherman]

"...it was scenes of the child sucking at the breast that spoke to people on the basis of their earliest experience,”

Nowadays, this would disenfranchise all those who were bottle fed.

[Patrick Yamada]

Were they allowed to speak, these would be the people at the end of the age when Christ came back to judge the world who would say, "Actually, the Jesus in my experience isn't so judgmental."

So this is what the feminization of Western society has brought us-- salvation from nothing. God can't be vengeful and absolutely just in feminized soteriology, so we are saved from hurt feelings and sadness rather than from wrath.

[Charles S]

Rofl, Zrim, Richard

[Charles S]

This certainly augments my theology.

[Durell Flood]

So what then are we to call the followers such doctrine?

Boobs?

[Ryan Bates]

Remember what the book of Romans tells us. When you see people doing these ridiculous things, you can know that they are under God's judgement right now.
God's judgement is active. He has given this woman up to do these ridiculous things because she has rejected the Truth about God and suppressed it. The real question one gets from this is can she find her back to truth, or better yet, has she ever embraced truth in the first place, or has she always rejected the truth about God, which led her off the rails and to become stark raving mad, as she is now.

[Felix from Glenside PA]

LOL Boobs indeed