Hyper-Realism?

The religious heart or frame of mind is not "realist" because it is not satisfied with the reality that is all around it. Nor is it antirealist, because it is not trying to substitute fabrications for reality; rather, it is what I would call "hyper-realist," in search of the real beyond the real, the hyper, the uber or au-dela, the beyond, in search of the event that stirs within things that will exceed our present horizons.

From What Would Jesus Deconstruct Chapter 2 Spiritual Journeys , Postmodern Paths

Ran across this while eating breakfast at a local truckstop yesterday morning and it is in keeping with the topic of the previous post on "realism". I'm not sure I know what John Caputo means here by the hyper-real. But I think we want to move beyond our everyday notions and prejudices of what we think that the "real" is.

Realism - Attachment to the Past

Realism has for most of my life held a positive meaning for me. But that has changed over the last decade. I came across this through Thomas Barnett's blog which points to an article he wrote for World Politics Review. The insight is offered as a result of the interplay between his two main activities, working in the national security realm and investigating new business opportunities in emerging/frontier economies

I find the perspective it offers invaluable, because it reveals how often what we call "realism" tends to be hopelessly trapped in centuries past.

Jesus and Deconstruction

"deconstruction is a theory of truth, in which truth spells trouble. As does Jesus. That is what they have in common."

"so I am employing the word in a rigorous sense here, not proposing to stretch it just to produce a shock or pander to a biblical audience. I am proposing that what happens in deconstruction has an inner sympathy with the very "kingdom of God" that Jesus calls for ..."

from What Would Jesus Deconstruct? The Good News of Post-modernism for the Church by John D. Caputo.

Reading things like this help me leave and refresh, however briefly, from the many mental and physical chores that take up my time.

Update

Been so busy lately. Was in DC over Labor Day. Working 10-11 hour days. Physically exhausting since I work in so many places and do a lot of walking and carrying: laptop, briefcase, pulse generators, oscilloscopes, etc. Re-reading What Would Jesus Deconstruct by John Caputo and The Left Hand of God by Adof Holl. The latter has to be the most entertaining book ever written about the Holy Spirit. Wry humor and an exhaustive knowledge of Christian history shine forth.

The Word, Idol or Icon?

It has been a while since I stopped by the Website of Unknowing. Always good and interesting things there. Carl shows respect for everyone across the theological spectrum. I particularly liked these thoughts which educated me on the difference between an idol and an icon and that the Word should be received as the latter: The Word As Icon. The concept of an icon is not really part of my Southern Bible Belt spiritual roots so it is not part of my religious instincts. From reading this maybe it should be. He says:

"an icon functions as a luminous “window onto heaven,” directing our gaze and our love through and beyond itself to that which can never be contained by anything of human design."