I’ve been reading Paul Lample’s “Learning and the Evolution of the Bahá’í Community.” From page 15, he presents various possible roles for the “learned Bahai” in the Bahai community, saying among other things that learned Baha’i is not an “artist”, and concluding “Perhaps the learned Baha’i is more like the ‘scout’ who helps to guide an expedition on a journey into unexplored territory.” I found it striking that he did not mention the possibility that the learned Bahai could be a servant, someone who uses knowledge to minister to the faithful.
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Archive for October, 2008
The knower as servant (response to Paul Lample)
Posted by Sen on October 20, 2008
Posted in Community, Theology | Tagged: Baha'u'llah, Bahai, Bahai scholarship, bahai theology, Community, creative theology, creativity, evolution, learned Bahai, learning, Paul Lample, postmodern, postmodern theology, scholar, scholar as archaeologist, scholar as artist, scholar as scout, scholar as servant, scholars, scholarship, Sen McGlinn, بهائیت, سن مک گلین | 7 Comments »
What is theology, and what’s it good for ?
Posted by Sen on October 1, 2008
On my web site, I’ve put up my part of two discussion threads about theology, and how the Bahai community can face the fact that some people know more than others, on particular topics, but without replicating the structures of past religions in which greater knowledge often translates into greater authority. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Church and State, Community, Theology | Tagged: Bahai, bahai theology, Church and State, disenrollment, political theology, postmodern theology, reason and revelation, Sen McGlinn, Theology, unenrollement, بهائیت, سن مک گلین | Leave a Comment »
Violetta Zein mentions this letter, and the preceding events, at around 1 hour 24 minutes in her excellent youtube video:…