The Coming of an Alternative-Counter Script in Christian Tradition

Having been greatly helped and prodded along by Walter Brueggemann’s 19 Theses, I yield to their prophetic voice allowing them to speak into the life of Scripture and life itself as a way of detouring conventional, popular notions about God and the church (with their strong warning against the idolatry of nationalism). Here I have interjected (parenthetically) theses 3, 8, 14 and 15 as a way of drawing out meaning while reading Psalm 33:13-22.

The LORD looks down from heaven;
he sees all humankind.
From where he sits enthroned he watches
all the inhabitants of the earth —
he who fashions the hearts of them all,
and observes all their deeds.
A king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
and by its great might it cannot save.

(³ - The dominant scripting in our society is a script of technological, therapeutic, consumer militarism that socializes us all, liberal and conservative.)

Truly the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
to deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.

(⁸ - The task of descripting, relinquishment and disengagement is accomplished by a steady, patient, intentional articulation of an alternative script that we say can make us happy and make us safe.)

Our soul waits for the LORD;
he is our help and shield.
Our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.

(¹⁴ - The entry point into the counter-script is baptism. Whereby we say in the old liturgies, “do you renounce the dominant script?” ^{15 -} The nurture, formation, and socialization into the counter-script with this illusive, irascible character is the work of ministry. We do that work of nurture, formation, and socialization by the practices of preaching, liturgy, education, social action, spirituality, and neighboring of all kinds.)

Artwork: White Crucifixion