| | "In my parents' generation, rebellion was pop culture. It's not anymore. You can see it in something as simple as where their music was at and where ours is now. If you look at our Billboard Top 100, a lot of those songs on there are from Christian country artists. A lot of rappers, too, are very Christian. The fact that [religion] is even still talked about is kind of wild to me. I think my generation understands it, but they are too selfish to let it matter." - Shia LaBeouf, comparing this generation to the last
This quote stopped me in my tracks. I cannot help but think that Shia has actually caught onto something pretty relevant and truthful to the contemporary condition. Essentially, what he seems to be saying is that, to some degree, our generation has accepted that there is Something or Someone beyond this world that points to value or meaning. Rebellion was more of a customary trend in the previous generation, because it was important for them to define the individual...not to generalize or anything, of course. Today, however, we've calmed down some; perhaps we're more boring for that reason, but nonetheless, we get that it's not just about the individual, as our aims to be "green" would like to suggest, but like Shia said, there is a selfishness, this stubbornness that coincides with our desire for comfort, that obstructs our trajectory toward applying our understanding of "religion." It's a very Zizekian idea - to know exactly what it is we do, i.e. choose to be complacent, and continue to do it anyway. Consequently, what gets elucidated in all of this is the undeniable fact that believing is not the same as following.
This might sound strange, but I recently had moments where I actually wondered if my belief system reflected Judaism more than Christianity. What I mean by that is, I think much of the way I've been living suggests that I'm still waiting for a Messiah, rather than taking in that He's already come and has transformed life as we know it. I'm still waiting to be reassured that everything will ultimately be okay. My absolute obsession with wanting clarity for my future's path is ultimately this thirst to know that my life will not end up in ruins or be labelled as expendable, unnecessary, useless...the like. And now that I think about it, the cries I have let out on behalf of brokenness, mine and others', point to a deep-seated anger and frustration, a hesitation to believe that healing will ever come...that atrocities as public as international affairs, as intimate as one's soul, will never have its meeting with Redemption.
So much of me has been demanding His Kingdom come already, and I wonder if I've just completely neglected to see that it already has, marking its entrance on a cross. So if the cross indicates the arrival of the Kingdom and all that it stands for, then His promises of favor...freedom for captives...adoption for the fatherless...are then already fulfilled.
Perhaps then, this means that I don't have to wait for the day when I'll "feel" healed, or wait for the day when the broken will be saved. Instead, maybe this means that I am healed and that they are saved - it's just a matter of giving Him the benefit of the doubt, trusting that He has beautifully satisfied the core of our human longing, and then...proving Shia wrong by finally letting our "religion" matter to the point of selflessness.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven" then means...those who do not have it all together are fortunate, because Jesus makes available to you the hope and healing of Heaven.
So I'm not saying there shouldn't be a posture of waiting or seeking, but Victory implies a consciousness that the war has already been won; meaning, there is validity in Him constantly saying, "Don't worry," or "Don't be afraid," because when it comes down to it, there's nothing to be worried about or afraid of.
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| | Posted 6/15/2009 2:50 AM - 3 Views
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