You may have noticed along the right side of my blog, just after my blog archive, a list of links shining in their light blue hue under “Blogs I Like.” If you have never taken my invitation to explore, you should probably do so soon, or now even. Yes, stop reading and do so...
Ok, you can keep reading.
Anyway, I put this lovely list here so I had a permanent place to keep my favorite blogs. Typically, I check them daily to see if, say, Peter Enns has again written on the brokenness of the Bible or if Ben Myers (Faith and Theology) has typed more theological inspiration or if James Smith (Fors Clavigera) has expanded on his new book. I feel connected with them, like my blog is just one among a big blogging cul-de-sac.
Richard Beck is an experimental psychologist (whatever that is) at Abilene Christian University. He blogs at Experimental Theology and has his own shiny blue link.
Like I do, I cruised over to his place, to peer around and see what was new--hopefully I wasn’t intruding. Only this time I was stunned. The title of his most recent post was Welcoming Bianca?...
Why does this sound *so* familiar?
I know this.
AH, yes! I remember! It sounds like something I wrote awhile back.
In January I watched a movie called Lars and the Real Girl. I liked it and blogged about it (you can read it here).
I was struck by the similarities between our posts, though he had a different twist. I wrote about Bianca being a Christian practice of sorts. Followers of Jesus who find it difficult to extend a welcome to sisters and brothers could practice hospitality with Bianca. Much of Christianity is not natural. Actually, most of it is exceedingly difficult. So practice can help I think (this has been something I’ve wanted to explore).
Our experimental theologian, Dr. Beck, wrote about Christians being vulnerable and carrying around or wearing their own Bianca so to speak, a frankness about their own brokenness, hurt and failure. There are many ways of seeing and reading this movie, though Dr. Beck would have me know that credit for his post goes to Mark Love (read his reply to my comment, toward the bottom).
I know it’s nerdy, but I’m a little starstruck. It’s cool when someone you respect notices you, talks with you or replies to your comment on his blog.
Cheers.
