#BurnItAllDown

A Devotional For (Anything But) Ordinary Time

The ancient movement begun by that radical Palestinian Jew, Jesus of Nazareth, has many aspects that go back millennia.

One of them is the concept of a “liturgical calendar,” a way to mark the days and hours each year that is infused with the holy story of God and God’s people.

After #FuckThisShit (2016) and #ShutTheHellUp (2017), Tuhina Verma Rasche and I have been considering a new digital devotional, especially when it comes to a season that is often overlooked — the Season After Pentecost, what some Christian communities call “Ordinary Time.” This lasts all the way from the festival of Pentecost to the beginning of the “New Year” with Advent.

And this is what we came up with:

And like our other devotionals, this is the work of all of you, our community.

There is not just one way to contribute; one of the important aspects of this devotional is that people can engage with it in whatever way, shape, or form resonates with them.

That being said, there are two primary things to highlight with #burnitalldown:

1. “igniting the spark to burn down bad theology” is pretty much calling out dehumanizing and de-formative theology, and

2. “lighting up a way to reveal words of liberation,” which is highlighting and supporting a theology that gives life and liberates.

These can be via blog post, spoken word, mini-podcast, sketch, video… however you want to engage. Just remember to use the hashtag #burnitalldown, and we will amplify on social media.

If you have an idea for a blog post, please write it and post it on your social media platform and send the link to either of us (jpchesnut@gmail.com and/or tvrasche@gmail.com)

If you don’t have a space on the internet to publish that post, email it to us and it can be published here.

Why this devotional? Why now?

There’s been so much dehumanizing theology on the internet, and we want to encourage people to engage. We also want to amplify voices that aren’t just speaking out against dehumanizing theology, but are providing words of life in a death-dealing world.

Your post can be whatever you need it to be. You can follow the Revised Common Lectionary, or feel free to write on whatever inspires you or troubles you. This devotional is a communal practice and not highly structured. There is a lot of time between now and the beginning of Advent to share our theological ideas with one another.

So, join us. Let’s #BurnItAllDown together.