argumentative

That's a dangerous line isn't it? That says that the world is crap because we have not been strident enough with God and that because we have not been God is effectively punishing creation for our incompetence. Which means that we will be judged most severely…

Yes. I like it except for that implication. I like the acceptance and permission of argument as a legitimate part of prayer. And I like the challenge not to accept the world as it is, and to compare that to what God has promised. But the suggestion that the state of things are a direct result of us not nagging God enough? Hmm.

theologically correct?

Why doesn't the bible say what I want it to say?

It would make resource writing a whole lot easier.

Why not just let it say what you want it to say?

That's what everyone else does.

Hehe.

It'll only come back and bite me later though won't it?

Of course that was not a suggestion you should go with the flow.

Do you think trying to be theologically correct professional Christians with no formal training is a help as we don't think in straight lines or traditionally, or a hindrance as we tend to fly off on whacky tangents pursuing culturally motivated novelty?

At it's best, I think (hope?) it's both and that's a good thing. We can think outside the box more because we haven't been trained into the box. (Does that imply that theological training is like house training a puppy?) And potentially we can relate our theological thinking to culturally relevant stuff more easily too. Having said that, I now feel like I'm accusing anyone who's theologically trained of being narrow minded and set in their ways, which clearly isn't true.

At worst, we get distracted by cultural stuff, or led off down our own ranty cul-de-sacs and perhaps don't have the theological tools to get ourselves out?

Or we believe stuff that is not true.

Although perhaps theologians do that by habit as well?

Yes, I think that's sort of what I meant by the ranty cul-de-sacs. Everyone gets hung up on things that aren't (quite) true sometimes don't they?

Is it all about expectation?

Reality is we discuss stuff that we're interested in (and because it's sometimes easier than doing real work?)

No I find work easier!

...and that we're passionate about. I wouldn't expect that we'd come up with any groundbreaking new theological gems, although there's always a chance. I also don't imagine that many people, if any, are reading the stuff we've blogged, and those that are probably aren't looking for a definitive theological statement on anything. So as long as we don't become deluded and start to think that what we've got here is absolute truth and nothing else is valid, we're probably OK.

Perhaps a dose of humility in with that ingenuity and improvisation?

Sounds ok to me :-)