here is an article I read from Sam's friend/mentor, Wade Hodges.
This article is an interesting look at a "come and see" (numerically driven) church moving into the role of a "go and do" (gospel driven) church, and I felt is a glimmer of hope for the direction of church and the gospel.
peace,
ron
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
jesus camp showing
Just letting you all know, that I will be watching Jesus Camp at my place at 12:00 Noon on Friday, February 2nd. All five of you who read this can come. Actually, you must come. Until then, here is another video to keep you entertained until then.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Hot Tub Theology
For all of you Hot Tub theologians, I got the movie "Jesus Camp", and we need to set up a time to see it. It really depends on you, because my schedule is pretty open. Until we figure this out, here is the trailer for you to see.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Matthew 21:32
"Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him."
I'm still wrestling with the thought of the kingdom of God.
What about this guy?
And what about the guy in this song?
Lyrics to "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." By Sufjan Stevens
His father was a drinker
And his mother cried in bed
Folding John Wayne's T-shirts
When the swingset hit his head
The neighbors they adored him
For his humor and his conversation
Look underneath the house there
Find the few living things
Rotting fast in their sleep of the dead
Twenty-seven people, even more
They were boys with their cars, summer jobs
Oh my God
Are you one of them?
He dressed up like a clown for them
With his face paint white and red
And on his best behavior
In a dark room on the bed he kissed them all
He'd kill ten thousand people
With a sleight of his hand
Running far, running fast to the dead
He took of all their clothes for them
He put a cloth on their lips
Quiet hands, quiet kiss
On the mouth
And in my best behavior
I am really just like him
Look beneath the floorboards
For the secrets I have hid
what about this guy...
and what about this "monster"?
It seems that we've written them all off as not being in the kingdom or not having a chance to even meet or reconcile with God. But this is the black and white world of christendom that I was talking about earlier. It is the black and white world which tells us who is going to heaven and who is not. I think it begins with knowing God and realizing that we are children of God first. After this, we need to realize that everybody else is a child of God, and then asking them if they believe they are hurting others through their actions. The Kingdom is not cut and dry, but instead it is very complicated and hard to understand. I don't know, I'm rambling now. what do you think?
I'm still wrestling with the thought of the kingdom of God.
What about this guy?
And what about the guy in this song?
Lyrics to "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." By Sufjan Stevens
His father was a drinker
And his mother cried in bed
Folding John Wayne's T-shirts
When the swingset hit his head
The neighbors they adored him
For his humor and his conversation
Look underneath the house there
Find the few living things
Rotting fast in their sleep of the dead
Twenty-seven people, even more
They were boys with their cars, summer jobs
Oh my God
Are you one of them?
He dressed up like a clown for them
With his face paint white and red
And on his best behavior
In a dark room on the bed he kissed them all
He'd kill ten thousand people
With a sleight of his hand
Running far, running fast to the dead
He took of all their clothes for them
He put a cloth on their lips
Quiet hands, quiet kiss
On the mouth
And in my best behavior
I am really just like him
Look beneath the floorboards
For the secrets I have hid
what about this guy...
and what about this "monster"?
It seems that we've written them all off as not being in the kingdom or not having a chance to even meet or reconcile with God. But this is the black and white world of christendom that I was talking about earlier. It is the black and white world which tells us who is going to heaven and who is not. I think it begins with knowing God and realizing that we are children of God first. After this, we need to realize that everybody else is a child of God, and then asking them if they believe they are hurting others through their actions. The Kingdom is not cut and dry, but instead it is very complicated and hard to understand. I don't know, I'm rambling now. what do you think?
Monday, January 22, 2007
Brokenness is what we long for?
It's the thought of brokenness that confuses me as a christ follower. If we are truly broken, then why do we feel that others need to be saved before we do (remember to invite your coworkers and neighbors to friend day...but not the homeless or the drugdealers - that's too far out there)? Jesus tells us that the prostitutes and tax collectors will make it into the kingdom before we will. It's because they are broken. They realize that they are not worthy to even hang out with Jesus, but he still wants them. Jesus is the king of the "losers"! These are the people he longs to be with.
I wonder if where we went wrong is when we began mistaking the gospels for our morality. It's like we've taken the thought that we are made in the image of God to mean that we are to be God himself - pure, perfect, and above everybody else. Our quest for holiness has fogged our vision so that we don't see others and in the end, our morality has trumped out faith. But our moraily is far deeper than faith; doesn't God want faith before virtue?
Kierkegaard, my current favorite theologian/philosopher, showed this when he spoke about Abraham. He talked about how Abraham was about to act on God's call to murder his son, and he does this out of faith - his virtue of not killing another is nowhere to be found, but his faith is clearly there. How freaky would it be if God had asked you to kill your son to show your love and faith in YHWH? But Abraham did so with tears rolling down his face, I imagine, and God stopped Abraham because he saw this faith - Abraham was broken but still faithful. He was willing to give it all up to God.
Sam asked, "What is good worship". It's a pretty open ended question for sure, but I believe that what we are talking about is the first step into "good worship" - worship that is pleasing to God - this idea that we are broken and no better than anybody else or that there are no second class citizens. Good worship is the realization that we are all on the same level, on the same earth, with the same God, and with same problem: our morality. To some this sounds a lot like the social Gospel, to others it may sound similar to communism, but to me this is the Kingdom of God. You can find this kind of worship in Alcoholics Anonymous. Could you imagine a faith community built upon authenticity (sarcasm implied)? What if the AA steps were an intro class into your church or ministry - knowing that you are not any better than anybody else on that stage or in that congregation (I know that Christ the King church in Bellingham offered it at one point in time).
The rich young ruler was almost there. He told Jesus that he was a follower of YHWH and obeyed his rules, but in the end he couldn't give up his securities (his possesions). It's the brokenness that Jesus was looking for and the realization of what the ruler was truly following; this is how we've been taught to look at this passage, but what if he would have said "Okay" to selling his possesions? What would Jesus have said next? I wonder if he would have kept finding other things in his life and would have kept going from there until the ruler finally went away sad? Jesus was searching for his brokenness and a realization that brokenness is beyond what we are comprehending in Christ. The Kingdom of God is a love for other people, not other things.
What do we see in today's Church though? The happy christendom where everybody is striving to achieve the norms given to us by the culture and the church! People are being told how to be good christians and good americans and how to be "normal". It is this aesetic which numbs to the point of no differences, and in the end we all look and act the same. The anaesetic? Where is it? What will wake us up? Where is the pill that will make us see? When will we realize what makes us a "real boy or girl"? What will take away the numbing and help us realize that we are still striving for the same thing as the rest of the world? I think it could be the realization of sin and the color that it brings to our black and white world. The realization of our sin is beautiful because it is the brokenness that we long for.
I wonder if where we went wrong is when we began mistaking the gospels for our morality. It's like we've taken the thought that we are made in the image of God to mean that we are to be God himself - pure, perfect, and above everybody else. Our quest for holiness has fogged our vision so that we don't see others and in the end, our morality has trumped out faith. But our moraily is far deeper than faith; doesn't God want faith before virtue?
Kierkegaard, my current favorite theologian/philosopher, showed this when he spoke about Abraham. He talked about how Abraham was about to act on God's call to murder his son, and he does this out of faith - his virtue of not killing another is nowhere to be found, but his faith is clearly there. How freaky would it be if God had asked you to kill your son to show your love and faith in YHWH? But Abraham did so with tears rolling down his face, I imagine, and God stopped Abraham because he saw this faith - Abraham was broken but still faithful. He was willing to give it all up to God.
Sam asked, "What is good worship". It's a pretty open ended question for sure, but I believe that what we are talking about is the first step into "good worship" - worship that is pleasing to God - this idea that we are broken and no better than anybody else or that there are no second class citizens. Good worship is the realization that we are all on the same level, on the same earth, with the same God, and with same problem: our morality. To some this sounds a lot like the social Gospel, to others it may sound similar to communism, but to me this is the Kingdom of God. You can find this kind of worship in Alcoholics Anonymous. Could you imagine a faith community built upon authenticity (sarcasm implied)? What if the AA steps were an intro class into your church or ministry - knowing that you are not any better than anybody else on that stage or in that congregation (I know that Christ the King church in Bellingham offered it at one point in time).
The rich young ruler was almost there. He told Jesus that he was a follower of YHWH and obeyed his rules, but in the end he couldn't give up his securities (his possesions). It's the brokenness that Jesus was looking for and the realization of what the ruler was truly following; this is how we've been taught to look at this passage, but what if he would have said "Okay" to selling his possesions? What would Jesus have said next? I wonder if he would have kept finding other things in his life and would have kept going from there until the ruler finally went away sad? Jesus was searching for his brokenness and a realization that brokenness is beyond what we are comprehending in Christ. The Kingdom of God is a love for other people, not other things.
What do we see in today's Church though? The happy christendom where everybody is striving to achieve the norms given to us by the culture and the church! People are being told how to be good christians and good americans and how to be "normal". It is this aesetic which numbs to the point of no differences, and in the end we all look and act the same. The anaesetic? Where is it? What will wake us up? Where is the pill that will make us see? When will we realize what makes us a "real boy or girl"? What will take away the numbing and help us realize that we are still striving for the same thing as the rest of the world? I think it could be the realization of sin and the color that it brings to our black and white world. The realization of our sin is beautiful because it is the brokenness that we long for.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Influential Christian Thinkers
Kurt and I are both in Influential thinkers together. It is a long class (6:00-9:30). If you don't like "rabbit trails" within conversations, this class would drive you nuts. During our break, Kurt and I walked out in a sort of daze and asked "what the nuts was he talking about?".
We discussed Abolition of Man and now the book is starting to take shape. I'm actually enjoying it a little more, but this seems like a book tht you would have to discuss or else you are screwed. The prof kept quoting Nietzche, Plato, Augustine, and Aristotle along side the book. Matt would be excited, because we will be discussing Heidegger next week.
My Christianity and Culture class is the balls. I'm pretty much finished with "Myth of a Christian Nation". It was an interesting book. The premise of the book is that it looks at Christianity and thier involvement in war and conflict, and how un-christian that is. Basically throughout christian history, beginning in the third and fourth century with Constantine's conversion, christianity has been involved with war in some way. From the reformation to the New World to many of today's conflicts within the last 15 years, Christianity has been involved. There was a wonderful quote describing christianity and their actions saying,
"love is patient and kind; enslaving and torturing people is neither. Love is never rude; burning people alive is. Love does not insist on its own way and is not irritable or resentful when others disagree; compelling people to agree with you by using force is the direct antithesis. Love doesn't rejoice in wrongdoing, even if (especially if) those rejoicing credit God, who supposedly gave them the power to do it. Love bears all things while believing the best in others and hoping the best for others; imprisoning, enslaving, and killing others inthe name of your religious views is not bearing their burdens, believing the best about them, or hoping the best for them."
Hmmm. Interesting thought. I wonder if we christians have lost our voice in our culture? With our ugly past and loss of imagination, how does christianity regain a voice in culture without trying to take it over? We already took america away from one culture, and now it seems that the church rallies around the battle cry to "take back america for God". I don't think that christians want to take back america for god, but instead for Christians. It's like we are striving for everybody to think like us because we can't stand to be around non christians. How many times do christians get excited to find out that somebody of some kind of importance is christian (sports stars, both popular and unknown musicians, doctors and nurses, presidents of a country, etc.). It's like the spirit is thought to move more through these people rather than ourselves and brings us closer to christian thought by changing laws, thoughts and sports.
I'm rambling. I'll stop. Let me know what you think.
ron
We discussed Abolition of Man and now the book is starting to take shape. I'm actually enjoying it a little more, but this seems like a book tht you would have to discuss or else you are screwed. The prof kept quoting Nietzche, Plato, Augustine, and Aristotle along side the book. Matt would be excited, because we will be discussing Heidegger next week.
My Christianity and Culture class is the balls. I'm pretty much finished with "Myth of a Christian Nation". It was an interesting book. The premise of the book is that it looks at Christianity and thier involvement in war and conflict, and how un-christian that is. Basically throughout christian history, beginning in the third and fourth century with Constantine's conversion, christianity has been involved with war in some way. From the reformation to the New World to many of today's conflicts within the last 15 years, Christianity has been involved. There was a wonderful quote describing christianity and their actions saying,
"love is patient and kind; enslaving and torturing people is neither. Love is never rude; burning people alive is. Love does not insist on its own way and is not irritable or resentful when others disagree; compelling people to agree with you by using force is the direct antithesis. Love doesn't rejoice in wrongdoing, even if (especially if) those rejoicing credit God, who supposedly gave them the power to do it. Love bears all things while believing the best in others and hoping the best for others; imprisoning, enslaving, and killing others inthe name of your religious views is not bearing their burdens, believing the best about them, or hoping the best for them."
Hmmm. Interesting thought. I wonder if we christians have lost our voice in our culture? With our ugly past and loss of imagination, how does christianity regain a voice in culture without trying to take it over? We already took america away from one culture, and now it seems that the church rallies around the battle cry to "take back america for God". I don't think that christians want to take back america for god, but instead for Christians. It's like we are striving for everybody to think like us because we can't stand to be around non christians. How many times do christians get excited to find out that somebody of some kind of importance is christian (sports stars, both popular and unknown musicians, doctors and nurses, presidents of a country, etc.). It's like the spirit is thought to move more through these people rather than ourselves and brings us closer to christian thought by changing laws, thoughts and sports.
I'm rambling. I'll stop. Let me know what you think.
ron
Sunday, January 14, 2007
disappointed
I finished reading "the abolition of Man" yesterday. All I can say is, "I don't get it". I mean I understood most of it, but there were times I would be reading it and literally feel my eyes begin to glaze over. I thought that this was supposed to be Lewis' best work! I didn't feel that way about it. It seemed like a bunch of big words given for the sake of using a bunch of big words. At least it wasn't a big book to read.
Now reading: Myth of a Christian Nation by Gregory Boyd. Just started this one. Seems pretty interesting, but usually when you agree with the premise of the book it turns out pretty interesting.
I added my friend Colin Potts to the mix. Check out his blog. He's trying to keep up with it on the regular, plus he started a blog called "Books that don't suck" that never got past one post.
Peace,
ron
Now reading: Myth of a Christian Nation by Gregory Boyd. Just started this one. Seems pretty interesting, but usually when you agree with the premise of the book it turns out pretty interesting.
I added my friend Colin Potts to the mix. Check out his blog. He's trying to keep up with it on the regular, plus he started a blog called "Books that don't suck" that never got past one post.
Peace,
ron
Thursday, January 11, 2007
School is in...
and I get to buy new books!
Here are some of the books for my future reading fun:
(Influential thinkers of the Twentieth Century)
Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis
Pensees - Blaise Pascal
Confessions - Augustine
On Christian Doctrine - Augustine
Birth of Tragedy and the Case of Wagner - Frederich Nietzche
Fear and Trembling - Soren Kierkegaard
The Present Age - Soren Kierkegaard
Technology and Justice - ???
Closing of the American Mind - Bloom
Epistle to the Romans - Karl Barth
Then in my other class:
(Christianity and Culture)
Living Thoughts of Kierkegaard - W.H. Auden
Myth of a Christian Nation - Gregory Boyd
A Peculiar People - Clapp
The Grand Inquisitor - Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Secret Message of Jesus Christ - Brian McLaren
Geneology of Morals - Frederich Nietzche
How (not) To Speak to God - Peter Rollins
I also have a class on Psalms and the Wisdom books, the History of Christianity from the reformation up to the present and my music theory class. This semester will be filled with a lot of reading and paper writing. I'm excited for that and I feel nerdy about it. Oh well.
peace,
ron
Here are some of the books for my future reading fun:
(Influential thinkers of the Twentieth Century)
Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis
Pensees - Blaise Pascal
Confessions - Augustine
On Christian Doctrine - Augustine
Birth of Tragedy and the Case of Wagner - Frederich Nietzche
Fear and Trembling - Soren Kierkegaard
The Present Age - Soren Kierkegaard
Technology and Justice - ???
Closing of the American Mind - Bloom
Epistle to the Romans - Karl Barth
Then in my other class:
(Christianity and Culture)
Living Thoughts of Kierkegaard - W.H. Auden
Myth of a Christian Nation - Gregory Boyd
A Peculiar People - Clapp
The Grand Inquisitor - Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Secret Message of Jesus Christ - Brian McLaren
Geneology of Morals - Frederich Nietzche
How (not) To Speak to God - Peter Rollins
I also have a class on Psalms and the Wisdom books, the History of Christianity from the reformation up to the present and my music theory class. This semester will be filled with a lot of reading and paper writing. I'm excited for that and I feel nerdy about it. Oh well.
peace,
ron
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)