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| “Or how much curious and loving attention was expended by the first man who looked hard enough at the insides of trees, the entrails of cats, the hind ends of horses and the juice of pine tree to realize he could turn them all into the first fiddle. No doubt his wife urged him to get up and do something useful. I am sure that he was a stalwart enough lover of things to pay no attention at all to her nagging; but how wonderful it would have been if he had known what we know now about his dawdling. He could have silenced her with the greatest riposte of all time: Don’t bother me; I am creating the possibility of the Bach unaccompanied sonatas” (Robert Farrar Capon, The Supper of the Lamb, p. 19 HT to Doug Wilson |
Take the day off tomorrow and just sit around looking at these optical illusions.
I’m considering taking a couple of days and being really nice. No rants. No “The Rush Limbaugh of Christianity.” Just nice, like real Christians. Especially nice to those wonderful ministries that help us all be good Christians by providing us with godly, Spirit-anointed merchandise for ourselves and our children.
Ugh…I dunno if I can do it.
Yesterday I announced to our congregation that I will was resigning and moving in a couple months. This was the culmination of six months of agonizing prayer and advice seeking. I wasn’t looking to leave my beloved church… and they weren’t looking to have me leave… so to decide to pack up go was a real stretch for me.
I’ve always feared that someday I would have to figure out if it was time to leave a ministry. The only other church I worked in previously figured it out for me so this was a new process for me and my wife.
Here’s the letter I read to our church this past Sunday:
More »Many of the BHT old timers will remember our good Canadian friend Robert. As you can read on this Livejournal post, he is dealing with some serious problems and certainly needs our prayers. I feel badly that Robert isn’t with us. My suggestion that he read a book on science and creation caused him to rethink the age of the earth and move away from a literal, creationist view of Genesis. Then my war-blogging proved too much for him and he left the BHT. I haven’t checked on his blog for a while, so I hope you will drop him a note or just pray for him and his family.
Not to offend anyone, male or female, but does anyone else make the distinction between “beer” and “girl beer” ? Sort of like how checkers is “ladies chess.”
My wife likes this French Lambic that comes in several flavours, which can be quite good, and quite spendy at times, but ultimately I think it qualifys as a womens beverage.
Do the ladies of the Tavern drink beer or girls beer?
I noticed at a recent Calvin and Hopps a natural disdain for guys that order “flavoured” beer. Seems a little girly to me. Ahhnold style.
Sam Adams Chocolate Bock isn’t too bad. Northern Lights Chocolate beer is refering to the colour, whereas Sam Adams refers to the taste and the colour.
Here is Douglas Wilson getting it exactly right on the subject of optimism vs pessimism in a consumerist evangelicalism. He recommends a book I can’t say enough good things about: The Puritan Hope, by Iain Murray. Read everything Murray writes, but this is outstanding.
John Hendryx sent over the chart that contrasted charitable giving in red and blue states. This came out after Begala and others blasted Bush states for being welfare states while the blue states are tax paying states. It’s interesting.
BTW- if there is anyone here who believes I am as hacked off as my on-line persona…..you’re absolutely right. I read, go into a rage, break stuff, blog, then I kick the dog and smack the kid around a bit. All because Christian bookstores and Canadian youth ministers ruined my world. (jn)
Michael: I have to get to class now, but let me say that I think I misstated my case. I don’t mean conservatives when I say fundamentalists. I mean the extreme, odd, far right fundamentalist. The ones I hear on the radio railing for an hour at a time about all the people going to hell because they (fill in the blank). It just seems to me the more wacky right people get, the more they totally ignore Jesus’ command to help people. Yet many of the far left people I have known are very giving and especially concerned about the marginalized, the sick, the poor, and the like. Of course this is all based on observations of individuals, rather than institutions, so I don’t know that I can really make any kind of axiomatic statement about it.
Addict their little minds to the drug before they know what’s hit ‘em: The PRAISEBABY COLLECTION!!!
Combining popular praise and worship songs with colorful animation and real world object this video and audio collection will actively engage your baby’s spirit and mind, stimulating early learning in the areas of tactile, cognitive, social, emotional and most importantly spiritual development.Translation: Don’t play Mozart. Play this junk, which we will sell to you with the usual pack of evangelical lies about what they do as opposed to other kinds of music, and then get you set up to buy more and more and more….thus qualifying your child to be a real Christian!
St. Annes Pub is excellent this month. Go bar hopping, please. Enjoy the sanity: Hearts Made Glad: A Tribute to Wine.
Great letter at IM Underground from a teacher I would love to meet.
Does anyone else agree with me that conservatives actually do more privately to help social causes like hunger than liberals do, but liberals keep the issues on the front burner and are more visible? It seems to me that liberals have the problem of wanting government to finally be the solution to whatever the problem is: more $$ for education, more social workers, more “programs.” But conservatives actually fund more things and get private schools, mercy ministries and faith-based programs off the ground?
Take Eastern Ky for example. Conservatives are doing lots more than liberals up here, but they trumpet things like political and moral issues, or the latest revival or concert, rather than social ministries. Liberals don’t do as much, but they put almost all their focus on what they do. They especially want the government to do more, which conservatives don’t particularly care much about except in odd (and inconsistent) places.
BTW- when I write my essay about the decrease in reading literature, I want to hear from all you movie fans. It’s in the oven now.
I usually drink: 2 cups of coffee, one in the morning and one at lunch. 1-2 glasses of water, one each at lunch and at work. 1-2 Diet Rite sodas at work and when I get home. A glass of juice sometime during the day. 2 glasses of tea, usually at dinner. Maybe another diet soda in the evening.
Jim, misanthropy is too strong of a word. I recant and may reword.
While my mother was here, we had a short conversation about Christmas presents. It seems as though she knew that I have been trying to get an iPod and thus communicated that to a family member who would probably spring for it.
One problem, though. My Mom said that I wanted a triPod. Guess what I’m getting for Christmas.
Only in my world.
I have decided to place O’Reilly in the same category as Dr. Laura. Irrelevant and embarrassing.
I apologize if this has already been posted, but the Boar’s Head Tavern can be added to your “My Yahoo” frontpage, as can any blog that has an RSS feed.
Simply go to the bottom of your page, click “add content”, do a search for “Boar’s Head Tavern” and your page will show the latest 5 or so entries on the blog. Because it feeds directly from the website it is updated in real time.
Revisiting the link that Michael put up the other day, the Christianity Today Music Review had an interesting note on U2.
Despite his declarations of faith and tremendous work for African AIDS and debt relief, U2 frontman Bono remains an enigma to many Christians who aren’t sure what to make of his spiritual beliefs and public behavior.
You mean the spiritual beliefs of helping the poor and needy? I would say that would qualify as an enigma to most suburban Christians. Wait, he actually wrote a song about peace in Israel? Real Christians pray for judgment, not peace. If peace came the rapture might even be delayed…
I bought the album yesterday. Fantastic.
Michael, I ran across this while reading Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz last evening, I thought of you. I don’t think I could call it encouragement…
There’s not a lot of work in the Christian market if you won’t write self-righteous, conservative propaganda. I write new-realism essays. I am not a commodity.
Monk: As a volunteer, unpaid youth minister at my local church… you’re right… mostly. I’ll add a few points, tho.
First, I think it’s important for the chuch to view youth ministry as a function of the individual church – not just some guy who works with the teenyboppers. Your statement about ministering and discipling the whole family is dead on, but it needs to be expanded to include the pastor, the elders, the deacons, and the members of the church. Oh – and what Joell said… we can teach people to use the church as a resource, but whether they learn is up to them.
Still, it’s our job and responsibility to build our youth and ministry programs around family discipleship. Accept babysitting as part of the job, but don’t TREAT it like babysitting.
And one final note: I’d love to take my kids to a poor area. Problem is: most of them come from a poor area. Even so, we’re still teaching them the value of communicating God’s grace through giving what we have.
Joell’s Canadian response to me is here.
A. “Pimpin’ Immaturity” was simply echoing Alex’s post, his link, and the IM article I referenced. (No one needs to read it. Just know it’s there.) Is Alex’s link wrong, too? I’d like to know,. I’d also like to know if “it’s not that way where I live” is going to be your response to every difference in ministry experiences I ever post? It seems that when I find any negative in my ministry experience or dealing with churches, you have nothing similar in your experience at all and respond as such. Maybe I’m cynical and depressed, or you are refusing to acknowledge the negatives that are there, or Canadian churches are really doing it right.
B. Since I work with hundreds of non-Christian students from all kinds of families, I thought about that one. I’m still right. Family based is the way to go. And this is typical. You disagree with me, yet you don’t endorse the alternative. Is church-based, youth group based, non-family based YM the way to go? Because I am going to say that the best way to minister to all those kids without good families is…..with our church families! tada!!
C. Don’t agree with me. It’s annoying.
D. Best two lines so far. “Who are you gonna get to do it?” Gotta love that kind of pragmatism. Let’s leave the kids to the college students and then wonder why evangelicalism is immature. And of course “Maybe it’s a Canadian thing again...” We need to play the Canadian national anthem every time that comes up.
E. Stop it. Stop it.
F. STOP IT. I’m begging you. For my sake….for your sake…..for the CHILDREN!!! Stop now!!!!!!
G. “The average Youth Group doesn’t sing much.” You’re right. I lied. I knew that was crap when I typed it. When need MORE emphasis on music. A lot more.
H. Arrrrrrrghhhhh!!!
I. The real problem comes when the old fogies don’t want them What the…....... So you’ve got people up there who don’t WANT young people in church? Oooooooookkaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.
J. have fun finding adults to do this Wait…...you mean in Canada it’s HARD finding adults to work with youth? And THAT’S why we use so many college kids and twenty-somethings. thumps self in head Well, now that is the darndest thing. It’s EXACTLY like that here! I used to have to go and sit down in the living rooms of grown ups, and tell them how much I needed their help. I called it TEAM: Training and Educating Adults in Ministry, and it was the most time consuming thing I did. NOW I understand!
K. when we do go to one of those “hype” events God does something in a kid’s heart and we mutter under our breath that it wasn’t supposed to happen… and then we go again the next year. “God does something in a kid’s heart” at all of these events, so we have to go back? No matter what ELSE happened? Or didn’t happen? Like, the messages were all junk, but a kid walked forward and cried, so I gotta go back? .....................Why?
L. This doesn’t make any sense. Speak American.
M. it must be a US (or maybe an urban area) thing Play it again, Sam!
Postscript: And church should be fun. Not because of the games (though they do play an important part) but because they become part of something inherently meaningful (didn’t someone call it “christian hedonism”?) Fun and games. Do a rewrite of the Gospels with that for me sometime, and I especially want some of that discipleship stuff cleared up for me because, it just doesn’t SOUND like Jesus is talking about fun and games down here in the states. Maybe it’s a Canadian thing.
And that ain’t Christian Hedonism. Being part of something meaningful is good, and really important. And sometimes fun, and lots of times a lot more than just fun. Shoot for joy, have some fun in the process maybe? (Am I having fun here at OBI? About 10% of the time. I guess I’m screwed.) But Christian Hedonism says find your joy in God, and be willing to fight, even suffer for it. It doesn’t mean sanctuary volleyball. At least not for me any more.
But writing this…..THIS was fun!!
(A BIG JN+)
Do you ever feel sympathy for the Sanhedrin?
I mean, come on. Let’s face it. Jesus went around Jerusalem and Galilee talking about how he didn’t come to judge. Then he talked about how he WAS going to judge. Flipflopped between the two statements several times.
And he talked about how all you have to do is believe. But then he talked about how you’d better be doing a lot more than that, or you won’t see the Father.
According to John’s recollections, he got just downright WIERD and zany, even worse than what I’ve mentioned, on regular occasion.
Honestly. What’s a rational mind to make of it all? Can you blame the pharisees for being confused? Angry?
I am told that Jesus was deliberately obfuscating things, in order to confound those dull, angry pharisees. I suppose I should find a delightful glee in that.
Perhaps I would, if I didn’t feel like a dull, non-understanding, angry pharisee myself so much of the time.
I’m told that, with the Holy Spirit, I can ken to the zany, contradictory stuff Jesus said. Okay, I’m waiting.
Some days, I just want to excise all the gospels except for the parts which simply say things to the effect of “all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”
I guess I’m almost a universalist at heart because it’s going to take 99.998% of people getting in, before I’ll be able to get in.
My line by line reponse to iMonks youth ministry rant. More »
For something completely off-topic, esoteric, and of interest to very few, check out why Britain’s fox hunting ban is a victory for urban bullies.
Re: the new confession, Christians should be smarter.
The fact that a politician or statesman or government official misuses scripture in support of a cause has no bearing on the morality of that cause, any more than the fact that Luther, or Calvin, or Augustine, misuse certain scriptures to support their positions has any bearing on whether their views are correct on those topics. Or, for that matter, the fact that Paul and Peter rely on a faulty Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures to reinforce their points, or the fact that Matthew manages to turn the entire OT canon into a continuous stream of Messianic prophecies that simply aren’t there in the original, or the fact that Stephen, Jude and the author of Hebrews can argue points concerning angels based on rabbinic traditions that were heavily influenced by Platonic thinking that have no OT basis whatsoever, unless one takes Daniel as prophecy rather than apocalypse…
Oh, never mind. I’m too tired to go on. But some of the people on that list would do well to review some of the “old” confessions first.
Anyone wishing to contribute tracks to the forthcoming “Christmas With Capon” CD is welcome to email me, post mp3s to places where I can get them, or even send me tapes or CDs of your talent. If I get enough, I’ll burn discs and send copies to all contributors. Lurkers are welcome to participate. All submissions become the property of Boars Head Tavern, Inc., and we reserve the right, etc.
You know, Calvinism looks really ugly when it’s just veil to hide misanthropy. Even a sleepy old drunk like me can’t let this one past:
I would think that, sadly, Hell’s occupants will outnumber those in Heaven because God’s goal in Salvation is to magnify His Grace!
By this logic, nobody is going to be saved; by sending us all to hell, God’s Grace is demonstrated?? I’m sorry, I’m drunk, but not drunk enough to buy that.
You’ve turned grace on its ear, and made it ungrace. That’s a serious matter, since there really are only two ways you can sin: you can reject the grace offered you, or you can decline to extend it to others. Look up “merciful” in a concordance.
There’s Exodus 20:
... visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Mercy always trumps justice. If it doesn’t, there’s no hope. And if there’s no hope, then please don’t waste your breath or effort. Christianity isn’t fatalistic.
Read it again, over and over through the Bible. Mercy always trumps justice.
I’d tell you to repent, but it won’t do any good, and you’re gonna be saved anyway. But you’ll probably be miserable in eternity, because you’re going to be surrounded by people you don’t like.
Oh, and Michael’s right about youth ministry, too.
It’s interesting that Brian Mclaren has thrown in with this Sojourners project: A New Confession of Christ. There is a lot here that’s good….even excellent. And there are several things here that I would disagree with vigorously. There are a lot of assumptions here that are pretty wide of the mark for those of us who support the war on terror as a just war, and a lot of accusations thrown around that are fairly tin foil in quality. Still, a lot good, as I said. (Witheringtion is in there, too.)
I have a youth ministry word for you. Straight from God: Abandon ship.
Here is what I concluded after giving away a whole career to this thing called “youth ministry.”
A. Shred it. And about 80% of the professionals associated with it. They are pimpin’ immaturity like Jesse Jackson pimps poverty and dependence on government.
B. Do Christian ministries with families. Teach families to disciple and minister to their kids. Teach families to reach out and include OTHER kids. Teach families to use the church as a resource and not a baby sitting service or a club.
C. If you are going to do youth ministry, hire a missions specialist. Someone who understands culture and communication. How to minister to the world of young people. How to penetrate that culture and be present on campuses and on the streets. Get out of that baby sitting mindset. If you go into the culture, have a freakin’ reason, and don’t stay there just to be cool.
D. About 75% of youth ministers are too young, won’t read, practice gnosticism, are wrapped up in their own young adult spiritual/sexual/materialistic deal and shouldn’t be around other human beings. The standard evangelical idea of a youth minister makes me want to hurl. Where’s a zealous idiot? Let’s give the kids to him.
E. If you have to do it, do things for the poor and other people with needs. Get involved in church planting and missions. Use the gifts of kids to communicate, serve and make better. Start a tutoring program. Do community service. Build things. Be a community organization, not a church club. Show kids how to love people who need to be loved. Get to the nursing homes and the cancer wards a lot, not just at Christmas.
F. You can do E without wasting $50k of your churches money on sending you on some God-awful beach vacation and calling it a missions trip. Go work. Paint. Cook. Make something. Do something. YOU ARE YOUNG. Be creative. Use the arts. Challenge the culture. Be different from other youth clubs.
G. Stop singing so dxxx much. Arrrrrrgghhh!!
H. Read something. Make them read something together. And not something written by a CCM star.
I. Make them go to GROWN UP CHURCH. The reason the boomers have turned the church into a circus is they’ve simply brought their idiotic youth group ideas into the adult service. That was a REAL STUPID THING TO DO. Make the kids go to real church and not skater church. (Yes, the presence of youth ought to change the culture of the service. That’s another essay I wrote, but don’t bother me. I’m on a roll.)
J. Mentoring. Mentoring. Mentoring.
K. Youth ministry is NOT producing what it says it is. All these events, gatherings, festivals, concerts, etc. are producing a very mixed bag. There is a lot of hype and spin in Youth Ministry. A lot of worthless and bad stuff is going on, and most youth ministry pros know it.
L. If the point is to keep kids entertained and out of jail, just say so. If the point is to make disciples, then do it.
M. Lose the gnosticism. Have some decent theology please.
I don’t know if any of you frequent 40 Bicycles, but Alastair writes some good stuff, most of which I agree with. This is particularly good.
Growing up in various evangelical youth groups, I encountered a form of faith that was often infantile, unwilling to progress beyond a gooey affection for Jesus. The intense focus on an emotional relationship and ‘asking Jesus into your heart’ led to a suspicion of theology and careful Bible study. Thought-provoking questions were often defused with trite and insubstantial platitudes. Peter Pan Christianity was the order of the day. The gospel had little to say about the real world. We were more concerned with going to spiritual Neverland when we died. I do not doubt for a moment that this experience has served to stunt my spiritual growth in a number of respects. I still struggle with its legacy in my life.
I find this has been my experience as of late. I’m coming around to the conclusion that much of what passes for “youth ministry” is subpar, and that a complete re-thinking of that entire concept is required. But the above cited post touches on more issues than just youth ministry. Read it.
I talk to everyone like they are already a believer, virtually no differentiation.
I would say this differently. I’d say I talk to everyone like they need Jesus. We all do. Believer or unbeliever. Saved, Damned, Elect or Reprobate. We need Jesus!
I’ve ducked out of trying to figure out who is and who isn’t a believer.
I agree which brings me back to my second sentence. We all need Jesus.
9 Marks reviews the best book on worship I read a year ago, Worship by the Book edited by D.A. Carson, but featuring good chapters by Kent Hughes and Tim Keller, among others. The reviewer makes this interesting comment on Timothy Keller’s endorsement of using non-Christians in musical ensembles.
For all the good Reformed wisdom in Keller’s piece, there is a strange departure in the last few pages. He writes: “We often include non-Christian musicians in our services who have wonderful gifts and talent. We do not use them as soloists, but we incorporate them into our ensembles” (239). His reasoning is really on two levels. First, he argues that “God’s natural gifts in creation are as much a work of grace as God’s gifts are in salvation,” so the church is therefore justified in allowing non-Christians to “bring their ‘peculiar honors’ and gifts to praise their Creator.” Second, Keller says he and his leaders “pray that the gathered worship itself will have an impact on them.” While I certainly agree that musical talent is a gift from God and that Christians should pray for gathered worship to have an effect on non-Christians, I do not think it follows from these that we ought to allow non-Christians to lead the gathered church. Both for their own souls’ sake and the sake of those Christians who are gathered to worship, wouldn’t it be better for non-Christians to be in the congregation, and not on the stage?Hmmmmm. I agree with Keller, mostly for the first reason. I wonder if the reviewer would also say that unprofessed or unbaptized children couldn’t sing in a children’s choir in a worship service? Sometimes the New Puritans outdo themselves.
Universalism works operationally for me. I talk to everyone like they are already a believer, virtually no differentiation. I don’t have to wonder, I just treat everyone like a brother or sister. Secondarily I consider myself aligned with God’s plan, after all he so loved the world that He sent His Son, He didn’t just Love 10 or so percent of us.
I know that He’s not saving everyone, that some are going to die and be damned. I’ve no clue as to how many or who, not my business. I’ve ducked out of trying to figure out who is and who isn’t a believer.
Take a look at that Matzah Man suit…he was bruised for our transgressions, by his stripes we are healed…lol…the bread of life without leaven…
John Leo hands out some awards for “Over the Top” rhetoric this past year. Really, people. Calm down.
George Will at his best on the liberal view of conservatives on college faculties.
Jonah on the manipulation of “liberal” and “conservative” labels in the Ukrainian crisis.
Michelle Malkin is just wonderful. This column is an example. Noel! Write like this woman!!
Communism is hip this year…
My cousin is a communist. He won’t admit it but I think he is. Obviously because I make more than him I should pay for his movies, drinks and popcorn. He bought his own candy for the movie (we went and saw “The Machinist”) but still wanted to “mooch” off of mine.
Capon: I have abandoned him. I like his approach to the parables but I just can’t squelch my objections to his, as others put it, near-Universalism. While I could wrangle his understanding it’s too much of a distraction while reading. There is too much baggage.
Heaven’s population will so outweigh hell’s as to be ridiculous.
Of course I disagree. Say it with me… “ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY FOUR THOU—okay it’s too early for that. I would think that, sadly, Hell’s occupants will outnumber those in Heaven because God’s goal in Salvation is to magnify His Grace! If He saved the majority why did He start with Abraham? One guy w/ two kids. Why start with Israel? There are larger nations. Much larger. I am guessing about 10% for a few reasons (in Isaiah there is a mention of one-tenth).
Somebody is cracking me up. This is too funny.
The NRO gift giving guide. In case you can’t find anything here.
A wonderful store for Christian intellectuals.
I will be glad to act as a broker between BHT members who need info for gift buying. My info may suck. All I ask is that you give me specific questions. I also hope you will remember this isn’t about a “wish list.” That’s why we don’t set this up with a Wish list on the sidebar somewhere. The fun is the surprise, or the horror, or whatever.
This “Bush is a zealot” stuff is bizarre. Is the equation actually “all conservatives are dangerous zealots?” I thought so.
This really says it: If my faith doesn’t agree with my politics, guess what goes out the window?
The Openness Boys get some sympathetic press.
Do words matter? Like “Father, Son and Holy Spirit?”
A time to hate: Why it’s not always a sin.
Witherington’s DaVinci Debunking is reviewed positively.
The Giant Jesus of Cincinatti. Maybe he’s praying for the Reds.
I’m going to write about this. I have some thoughts.
More proof of the atrocious state of our government school system. Why aren’t we taught who these guys are and what they are all about? Apparently it’s cool to wear a shirt with a cold-blooded killer on it, or to use his own words “a revolutionary must become a cold killing machine motivated by pure hate.” Take a look
Quote from the article: “What’s the definition of irony? How about a terrorist leader who died fighting for anti-capitalist ideals fueling multimillion-dollar profits for the fashion and film industries?”
So apparently in 20 years we can look forward to toddlers running around in Arafat gear.
A discussion about NPR being superior to talk radio. Vewy intewesting. Apparently, these fellows believe NPR goes the second mile to try and understand red state culture, while talk radio doesn’t. I really have to agree, but there are reasons. I don’t like being called a Nazi, for starters.
JS: Don’t feel bad. My posting here is more intermitent than ever.
In other news, I’ve encountered my first, actual, Serpent Seed doctrine follower. I’m having fun… more later.
They are talking about Andrew Sullivan’s article all over the web. Seems the blue states are more moral and less hypocritcal than the red states. Does Andrew have a point? Or does he need a lesson in statistics? The discussion continues at In The Agora and you can find more good links from there.
This quote from Discerning really interests me.
It is time to put the Reformation behind us, along with its warring children —fundamentalism, liberalism and the many flavors of “evangelical” Christianity that have done more to dogmatize, politicize and commercialize the Gospel than truly manifest it’s saving power for postmodern times. Serious Christians need a fresh start . . .OK. I don’t want to fight 16th century battles against 16th century enemies either. I don’t want to be in the cul de sacs of irrelevence either. But since the “Reformation” was a recovery of the gospel, and a commitment to be always reforming on that basis, what does this quote mean? Particularly, what does it mean in regard to the solas? This kind of pomo endorsing rhetoric makes me break out in hives. Great t-shirt and bumper sticker. Now what does it mean?
Resources for Advent, at The Text This Week, a site that proves lectionary preaching is da shizzle.
The students are back, and I am returning to work. I have another meeting with the boss to determine what it means to be assistant to the President. I figure that’s his job and I’ll take it as it comes. On Friday I’m going to Louisville to watch state championship football. We have four divisions, and we’re going to see Owensboro Catholic play Belfry for the AA title. (It’s odd that someone who likes high school football wouldn’t care much for any other forms. I think it has more to do with the overall cultural experience.)
Thanks to Kent for serving as the BHT elf this year. He joins a long line of esteemed elves who have served their blog with pride, and then been forgotten.
CT’s listing of the top Christian albums of ‘04 says one thing: apparently the only music that counts is CCM. Is it just me, or does it occur to anyone else that it might be good to recognize what Christians are doing in other kinds of music? Or is this a situation where you get to label yourself as a Christian in hopes of selling a few more records, rather than just letting your art do the talking? Don’t get me wrong. I respect the art of Sara Groves and the others on the list. They are talented, but what about classical music? Jazz? Folk? Gospel? Bluegrass or Country for goodness sake? Is this telling us CT should be retitled “White Surburban Evangelical Christianity Today?”
Which makes me recall a comment I received over at ms.us, to the effect that Christian publishing and bookstores are ministries and- guess what?- shouldn’t be criticized. Uh-huh. I also got a note saying I shouldn’t criticize Rick Warren unless I know him. This is so stupid I am almost afraid to type it.
Jessie, I guess we’d have to compare chronologies, but at the very least we’ve had some parallels…I lived in Western Colorado from ‘90 to ‘01 and here in the Otter Tail since then. I work in Fergus Falls here.
I’d love to get together, I’m assuming you’re coming home with Larisa and I know your time will likely be tight, but consider yourselves invited up to our place for a nice wife-cooked meal. (A lot of people tell us that they like hanging around our marriage.) We live about 14 miles north of town surrounded by Minnesota woods, we’d love to have you join us but if that doesn’t work out any other sort of BHT3D-North would work out fine for me/us.
So, Kent are you following me or something? You say you used to live in Colorado, which is where I grew up, and you currently live in Otter Tail County, which is where my parents live and where I’ll be staying for a few weeks when I get back to the states. My parents have a little house in Fergus Falls—maybe we can get together for a drink somewhere and have our own little mini-BHT3D.
Sorry about the intermittent posting. This is a side effect of living in a foreign country where you can only get to the internet every few days.
I figured my post about spiritual warfare would generate some comment, and I’ve happily read Michael’s post about spiritual warfare. The truth of the matter is that I agree with 90% of what Michael says and has said about the subject—my previous post was an expression of amazement after an experience that I didn’t know how to explain any other way. That said, here’s some clarification:
In other news, I now have to become a Catholic. The Virgin Mary appeared to me last night in a dream and told me that so. I’m not joking. Unfortunately, the church I went to in the dream apparently serves peanut butter and jelly as communion elements, so I’m not sure where I’m going to find that….
Sorry… couldn’t find the link for this… I’ll replace it once I do…
anyway….
Churches turning around, like the CFL, says sociologist
RELIGION: 37% of Canadians attend at least monthly
BY BOB HARVEY CANWEST NEWS SERVICE
— Ottawa Citizen
Christmas doesn’t begin in Bethlehem. All you have to do is pick up the Bible and see how far into the story the birth of Jesus occurs to know that the beginning is elsewhere. But where? Where does it begin? More »
I was born in South Dakota but have lived in Texas since I was 5 (1983). I don’t have a thick accent, and my wife of several years does not have big hair. I have two little girls, and we’re settled just outside of Austin. I love the Hill Country, but I’d rather be in Colorado (or Nepal, where I met my wife).
I was raised Baptist Arminian, swung over to 5-point calvinism, moved back to some undefined “balanced” place, and then came back to calvinism once I studied sin and realized my own depravity. I’ve been “saved” since I was a little kid, but my relationship with the Lord has really developed since I left home for college.
Politically I’m a pro-life libertarian with environmental sympathies. I desire a strong national defense, and I’m undecided on the death penalty. I like listening to Boortz and Jeff Ward on AM radio. I get way too cynical about politics in general and politicians in particular.
I love the Nicene Creed. Theologically I would put myself as a Progressive Dispensationalist. I don’t care to debate about the rapture, but I’ll talk about chiliasm ad naseum. I love New Testament Studies, and am making plans to complete my masters and pursue a doctorate. And as one of my professors once said, “I, unlike most Christians, believe that God is real.”
After looking at Monergism’s new book store, let’s say the BHT decided to tear out the seldom used women’s restroom and turned it into a small bookshop. What title(s) would you submit for the inventory?
It’s me Jim, consider yourself included…
There’s a email request on it’s way asking for your snail addy.
[Jim slowly lifts his head the bar]
Um, whoever is doing the xmas thing, I’m in, I’ll figure out who you are and send you whatever I was supposed to send you tomorrow.
[Jim slowly lowers his head back down to the bar and falls back asleep.]
The first Sunday in Advent. It’s cold…but not enough to snow. Noel is going back to Lexington today at 2.. Matthew, treasure her while she can’t get up and leave! I’m doing an Advent series on “Christmas for Beginners,” and I don’t know where the series will go. I have a lot of different things to talk about and decided not to chase a theme. Today the text is John 1:1-18. The theme: Christmas doesn’t begin in Bethlehem. It begins with questions we all ask about God: Does he exist? What is he like? Has he left us a clue? What if he did? Bethlehem is where these questions and answers intersect. “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” Christmas is about our deepest longings for life, our deepest fears about death, and our deepest hopes that life means something.
Found a great Wesley Advent hymn to use as a closer. Awesome text, especially this verse.
“He deigns in flesh to appear,
Widest extremes to join;
To bring our vileness near,
And make us all divine:
And we the life of God shall know,
For God is manifest below”
Thanks Michael for the short explanation of Liberation Theology, I seem to remember reading some stuff years back about it’s presence in South American Catholicism…maybe I’m dreaming. Sounds like just another attempt at “Jesus and _______ ” thinking. It’s seems no different than when the “God in America” folks try to make the point that homeschooled conservatives reading 18th and 19th century literature is what God’s been aiming for all these years. Don’t they get the point that Jesus wasn’t all about political solutions (from either side of the fence)?
Please note that I said “I want to say “I know it when I see/experience it”, but…”, my pre-acknowlegement of that as a subjective statement agrees with your assessment of such a point of view as being individualistic, it is without universal meaning.
Writing that last paragraph sent me off into a person exposition that I placed on my own blog instead of here, suffice to say here that we struggle a lot with finding long term meaningful fellowship in an institutional setting.
I think I “grok” your “Evangelical City” model; church seeking to provide a substitute for culture. I can see a lot of pitfalls with such an approach and join you in disagreeing with it. Our intent should be to take part in the surrounding culture not to replace the surrounding culture.
Revenge of the Calvinist…..Bookstores! Join the Monergism Revolution! Monergism Books is now open. (Where’s the BHT discount, dude?)
For Jesse and the rest: My totally unacceptable views on spiritual warfare. I’m probably possessed.
Paddling in school. We do it. I’m against it. I need to write about it.
Kent: Liberation theology is a primarily Marxist interpretation of the church that asserts the church exists where people are being freed from oppression or injustice of any kind. This means that instead of sitting in buildings listening to pastors preach, true Christians are in the streets, in the third world, working for political and social change and occasionally participating in revolution that throws off oppression. American evangelicals probably know as little about this sort of thing as any group of people on the planet, and Ron Sider is about as close as you might get to bumping into it. Maybe James Cone if you could stand it. It is more a liberal/radical Catholic thing.
I think the church is one of those intentional communities I spoke of. I don’t think it is the inevitable antithesis of intentional community. Evangelicals may be too ghettoized in some ways and too acculturated in others, but I do not believe they are wrong to read the New Testament and see leadership, discipline (and therefore, membership), confessionalism, some form of congregational existence, church government, etc. There are simply a bookful of commands in the New Testament that can only be obeyed in a local church. The Lord’s Supper quickly comes to mind, as well as passages like Hebrews 13:17.
It’s hard not to wonder how “I know it when I see it” avoids qualifying as saying “church” is an experience for the (autonomous) individual who can assign the meaning of “church” to whatever experience is meaningful to him/her.
By the “Evangelical City,” I mean the evangelical rejection of the church as primarily a Word/Sacrament/disciple-nurturing community in favor of attempting to relate as many parts of life as possible to the institution itself. “All things and every night at the church.” So instead of Christians in “community” service, we invite the community to come to our gym, school, club, etc. Bill and I have talked about this at length. I don’t have a problem with a congregation having “ministries” under its roof, but those need to be expressions of the members’ own callings, and not the church’s attempts to just get bigger and bigger. I have worked at churches with dozens and dozens of ministries “under roof,” but in the best instances, these were the callings and initiatives of the members, with various levels of church support. The leadership of the church, in my opinion, should keep the center of the “church life” Word/Sacrament/Worship. The building up and equipping of disciples to minister in the world- not an attempt to out do the world with bigger, better and pastor-run activities.
Michael, (mining comments) So I suppose I am asking you how you identify a community as “church?”
I want to simply answer, “Wherever two or more are gathered…”
But I know that there’s more to it than that.
I think of the list of things the early believers shared together in Acts 2:42-47, but I resist the idea that you can apply a template to something and call it “church”.
I want to say “I know it when I see/experience it”, but I have to acknowledge how subjective and experiential such a statement is.
I then re-read the part of your comment that says The post war evangelical church’s attempt to BE some sort of CITY is doomed to failure., and (possibly) agree, is this the Augustinian “City on a Hill” you’re referring to?
And what do you mean by I don’t want to be seen as advocating some kind of liberation theology where the church exists where liberational movements exist.? I suddenly realize that I likely don’t understand your terminology.
What’s a “Liberational Movement”?
Also, as a frank aside. The only community I’ve ever been involved with that was “centered around the Gospel” was a small group Bible study. Every “church” I’ve been involved with was centered around “the Gospel, and _______”. (Could I insert “CITY” into the blank?)
Elizabeth Madlyn
November 26 – 3:00 PM
6lbs 15oz, 19 3/4 in.
Mom and baby are doing fine. Thanks for your prayers.
Fellows, let me know if you want to be part of the BHT gift exchange, the deadline is tomorrow.
Michael, I read Merton’s quote. Evangelicalism lacks that connectedness with the world and people that surround us, the only reason that we care about “them” is as “conversion fodder”. This is harsh but true, there is a “them” and “us” mentality.
This is why I’ve never been able to fully connect with evangelicalism, I’ve been unwilling to fully accept such a false dichotomy, but I’m still affected by it. It’s as if we’ve developed a thought disorder in which the “bell no longer toils for me when it toils for thee”; there is no community connectedness other than within our own cultural subset.
But I guess I see the same thing with Republicans and Democrats, Harley-Davidson and Honda riders and Chevy and Ford Truck owners. The guy that says he really enjoys hanging out with bowhunters reminds me of the brother-in-law who said that the greatest thing about Promise Keepers was standing there in a big crowd of guys “just like me”.
Laurie and I call “Christianese”, statements like “God is good, all the time” or “Go is in control”, SCR’s for “Standard Christian Responses”. Meaning that it’s just the stuff that believers are programmed to say without thinking about what they’re saying. Ghetto talk, our own eubonics, and our language affects our thinking.
Not too long ago I drove across town and barely made it to where I needed to be in time for a meeting. I breathed “God is Good” as a sigh of relief giving credit to Him for my timely arrival; since the converse is always true would it have been appropriate to say “God is Bad” had I not gotten there on time?
More reasons to detox from being “churched”, whatever that is…
Phillip is writing me from California.
Judson: It’s not a spiritual essential, but the fact that no one can sing parts in church is a real artistic loss. I grew up singing parts and treasure that experience. It is one of my real pleasures. I don’t like that particular result of overheads, but then what we are now churning out as worship leaders don’t tend to be trained musicians anymore. Singing is now part of our performance mentality.
And on Rob, I am trying to be full of compassion here. I have gotten many letters from people I respect telling me to distance myself and withdraw any endorsement of DR. I’m not going to do that at this point. My only “complaint” now is I want to know what is going on. I get the feeling a LOT is going on, and some of it frightens and concerns me for Rob’s own sake. I’m just watching and wondering, praying for Rob as I think of him, but I think the DR and Antithesis supporting communities deserve a long explanation or defense or something. All this contradictory, cryptic crap feels manipulative, and I don’t like it.
JS: You have prompted a very long post. I’ll do it at ms.us later. Don’t take it personally.
Kent: The monastery that concerns me the most is evangelicalism itself.
So in spite of my growing skepticism, I am now a believer in some kind of spiritual warfare again. This is because of something that happened this weekend with my fiance that I have no other explanation for. Without going into too many details, this Friday we went for a walk outside. Everything was fine. We came home to her place, I sat down in a chair, and Larisa went into the kitchen. When she came back she wanted to break up, for reasons that were clearly rediculous (we both agreed on this afterwards). What followed in the next three hours I can only describe as spiritual warfare as we fought with (I know of no other way to describe this) some diabolic influence and spirits that was tormenting her, and physically exhausted both of us. I don’t know what else to say about it, but it was weird. And not something I want to do again.
So maybe I’m crazy. But that’s that.
Michael, I never think of you as living within a ghetto or monastary as so much is brought to your doorstep by your students. Your writing perspective also has the flavor of being written from “occupied territory”.
I’ve been dealing with a lot of disciplinary issues lately while serving in an intentional community and have noticed little difference between the issues the believers and non-believers are struggling with.
Is it possible you were exposed to something that was simply “different” as contrasted with something “outside of your monastary”?
A gripe.
The LCMS church I joined a year ago does not use hymnals.
I grew up Southern Baptists. We used hymnals.
I know how to read music. I like to sing. Give me written music, and I can sing it, in key.
DON’T give me written music, and I can’t.
My church is huge. 6 worship services every Sunday morning. Two auditoriums. 2 Powerpoint projectors in each, with the words to the hymns displayed.
But no music.
Why? The hymns are not too familiar, but they strike me as mainly traditional Lutheran. The melodies are beautiful- more ancient sounding than the Baptist fare I grew up singing.
But the problem with those more ancient-sounding melodies is that they wander all over the place (in comparison to what the modern ear is used to hearing). It’s danged hard to just GUESS where each next note is going to go.
After one or two iterations, of course it gets easier- but by then the hymn is over, and it may not get sung again for a while. Weeks, or months.
What’s the purpose? To consternate people enough that they keep coming back long enough to learn the hymns?
Or to save money on hymnals? (not likely, we have a ton of moolah.)
I think Rob has finally gotten around to calling us all sucky Christians.
I noticed he’s still selling books to all us sucky Christians.
And still publishing some good articles for us sucky Christians.
I don’t yet ken why Antithesis is all about despair, but the other places are still chugging along.
It might sound like I’m resentful, but in fact I’m not. We ARE sucky Christians. Consumeristic, accommodationist, and divisive.
And I strongly believe that as a church we need a constant stream of Jeremiahs for this sort of thing.
Personally, Rob is one of my favorite Jeremiahs (imonk being another). There are a TON of them out there, and the bulk of them are idiots. This guy actually seems to know what he’s talking about. Whatever beating about the heads and shoulders needs to be done, I suspect he’ll do one of the best jobs, and I intend to listen.
Warning: may possibly be blasphemous. Definitely leftist. Possibly idiotic. But definitely fun, and I like it.
Thomas Merton had this experience of being in the middle of Louisville and suddenly realizing his life wasn’t the monastery, but the world of real people. His soul was split from that moment onward. He never felt normal as the monk he was before, but he always needed that monastery as home in order to be himself.
I feel so much the same. I return from family Thanksgiving. My mom continues to approach total blindness. In the near immediate family is a 23 year old drug dealer and an 18 year old cutter. I visit their suburban world, and I am choking. The world seems so God-empty sometimes, and people so lost, almost more pointless in their lives than animals.
Wednesday night we worshipped with Noel’s congregation. They sang and testified of God’s goodness in a year of awful loss for their church. Even children- many children- gave thanks to God, and some cried at the loss of the pastor who loved them. Pastor Roukas’ wife and daughter were there, and Mrs. Roukas- just a wisp of a woman, afflicted with MS- testified of God’s goodness, and did so as only someone thoroughly and totally convnced of the sovereignty of God can do. I asked myself if I really was part of this community of faith? Did I believe like this? Could I ever testify like this? She said that faith was a gift, and the past few weeks had proven it. I believed that, at least. I want to be part of this community of BELIEVERS because without the community, and the story of Jesus in the Bible, and the church year, and the Psalms, and the testimonies——I’m not sure I could still believe on my own. I need to be in this community, and I need it to be part of me.
Then this morning at 8 a.m. I am standing in a ridiculously long line at Target, along side hundreds of other shoppers, and tonight I am five hours away, in the crowd at a high school football game, surrounded by thousands of fans from a public school and a large Catholic school. I like this world. As strange as it is, I like its feel. I feel its captivity to the idols and the emptiness of the age, and I want to live my life anchored to Christ in the midst of all this, where the light can be seen.
I do not want to come back to my evangelical community or even to my church, and yet I do. I cannot conceive of myself un-belonging to these communities, yet I need to walk away from them into the world more often. I need to go where no one cares about the theological questions we debate. I need to go where the values vacuum and the battle to fill that vacuum are a part of daily life and not the topic of a sermon. (I really dislike sermon titles today.)
The Owensboro Catholic fans that surrounded me tonight were a classy bunch. Enthusiastic and focused. They cheered on their boys without disrespecting the other team. They all prayed with sincerity and said a loud amen at the end of the invocation. When anyone was injured, the entire team knelt and prayed. All up and down the sideline. Our athletes wouldn’t do that. This connection between the church, the school, the families in the stands and team on the field felt very good. There is something about Catholicism that is more confident and comfortable in the world than we are. I was taught it was cheap grace. Maybe my teachers were wrong.
The Corbin Redhounds lost the game because they decided to go for a 2 point conversion rather than an extra point to tie and probably go to overtime. It didn’t work. I was proud of their backbone. I wish I’d been around such a coach as a boy. I would like to have learned to put it all out there on won play, do your best, and walk away unashamed. My religion has made me entirely too ashamed of simple, good experiences like that one. Yeah, it was bitter to lose by one point, but they gave their all. What else mattered tonight and 50 years from now?
I’m glad to be home, and have my daughter here for an extra day. She leads the family Christmas decoration hurricane tomorrow. Life is good.