One more post from the NS Lyons interview here.

I think are three urgent theology-related questions (here we are again with urgent theology) that it seems to no longer be very articulate at speaking to today. The first is how Christianity can be life affirming—that is, reinforcing and celebrating the joy and goodness of living in the here and now, in a creation that is good—and not just obsessed with escaping this life for another, immaterial world of pure spirit as quickly as possible. The second is how Christianity can be strength affirming. By this I mean strength both metaphorically and literally. Why is it good that a man be strong? Why shouldn’t he strive for the fullest potential excellence of body that God has endowed us with? Does Christianity only despise the body? (It is no coincidence that an enthusiasm for bodybuilding is the hallmark of today’s vitalist movement: today there is rebellious joy in strength.) Or, for that matter, why should he bother to pursue any kind of human excellence at all? Why not just sit on the couch and become a fat gender blob? Does Christ only care for the weak and the lame? The last is how Christianity can be courage affirming: Can it give a man courage to act and to struggle in defense of the Good, and for what is right, or is it only a religion for the meek, a religion purely about acceptance and turning the other cheek? All three of these questions are obviously intertwined, and related to what could be described as a masculine Christianity, or a “Christianity of Struggle.”

So

1. How can Christianity be life affirming?
2. How can Christianity be strength affirming?
3. How can Christianity by courage affirming?

Thoughts?