There were over 40 submissions for the Out of context theology contest, so it was pretty hard to pick a winner. I suggest so you'll know when the next contest is announced. Anyway, here are few of my favorites (read: honorable mentions):
“It is one giant pile of decomposition that just happens to look like a church.” (Rick McKinley, This Beautiful Mess, p. 13) -
“The Bible is propaganda.” (Tony Jones, Postmodern Youth Ministry, p. 196) -
“Most churches know who and what their dogs are but simply lack the courage to pull the trigger and shoot their dogs.” (Mark Driscoll, Confessions of a Reformission Rev., p. 34) -
"The emerging church is like junior high students and sex - a lot of people talking about it, but not a lot of people actually doing it - and those that are doing it are messy - and fertile as hell!" (Mark Scandrette, An Emergent Manifesto of Hope, p. 22) -
“Now if God chooses to adorn dung, he can do so.” (Martin Luther, Luther's Works, 34:184) -
“If you have a penis, I told the group if guys, God has spoken.” (Donald Miller, To Own a Dragon, p. 107) -
“God may speak to us through Russian Communism, a flute concerto, a blossoming shrub, or a dead dog.” (Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics I.1, p.55) - Shaun
And the now for the totally subjective winner (drumroll, please):
“I say I’m a pacifist because I’m a violent son of a bitch.” (Stanly Hauerwas, quoted in by Colman McCarthy, The Progressive, April 2003) -
Scott has been contacted and will receive his copy of Tony Jones' very shortly. Thanks to everyone who submitted entries into the contest!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Good selections & a fun contest. I’ll look forward to seeing it again.
Just stumbled across your site…
Cool idea going on here, but the winning quote, while Colman McCarthy (whoever that may be) may have said it at one time, is not correctly attributed.
The quote “I’m a pacifist because I’m a violent son of a bitch” is a quote generally attributed to Stanley Hauerwas, the famous (and some say infamous) Christian ethicist at Duke Divinity School.
Don’t want to rain on the parade, but Hauerwas said that way before 2003.
Hooray for me!!
Andrew, the quote as originally submitted was correctly attributed to Hauerwas. Colman McCarthy is the author of the article in which the quote appears.
I found the article from the lovely Hauerwas archive.
As Stanley’s tongue has become more reserved in recent years it wouldn’t surprise me that the quote is from earlier than 2003. I’d be interested to see some of those earlier references if you happen to come across any.
Andrew & Scott: Thanks, guys. I’ve fixed the attribution for that quote. I wish we knew the original source, though.
{ 1 trackback }