“Oddball” theology
October 9, 2007
In the October 8 issue of Newsweek, which has Mitt Romney on the cover, the “Editor’s Desk” column contains this:
All theologies (especially orthodox theologies) can seem oddball when you look at them closely . . ..
I have to admit, my intuition is precisely the opposite. It’s the do-it-yourself, Shelia-istic, pop-star syncretism, eclectic New-Age-y stuff that seems “oddball” to me. “Orthodox” theologies — when you look at them “closely — don’t seem “oddball” at all. What was it Chesterton said about “believing anything”?
3 Comments
Comments are closed.
Remind me again why we give a s–t about what Mitt Romney thinks about theology?
Michael,
I think Rick was saying that the editor’s desk of Newsweek said this, not Mr. Romney. I imagine that this will cause exactly zero people to leave the path of orthodoxy. In much the same way, a thermometer may not give many people fevers, but may well show when someone already has a fever. That this would appear in a major news magazine is just one more symptom of what we already knew, that orthodoxy is not popular in popular culture. Knowing this, we (and by this I mean especially me, sitting here at this computer pontificating) must rededicate ourselves to prayer and works of charity in our daily lives. May God give us the grace to make a good start!
I think that what they mean is that orthodox (Christian) theologies accept what seems foolish to the world – things like the Virgin Birth, or turning water into wine, or transubstantiation. Chances are, the author thinks it’s all just a bunch of mumbo jumbo on top of the message “be a nice guy.”