In my never-ceasing social and cultural critique of evangelicalism in America, I’ve settled on a term picked up from Ellul: the lonely crowd. I believe this is a concise and accurate description of the character of much of embodied church life and practice. This is in spite of (and perhaps symptomatic of) the current ubiquity of words like ‘community’, ‘authenticity’, ‘incarnational’, and the real and felt need to have stronger social bonds within the body for greater intimacy, honesty and accountability. I think we sense that our existential malaise is irrefutable, but that we are unable to assess it except in terms of a disorder or a disability. And so the remedies for the lonely crowd are concocted from the same worldview that fashioned the environment in the first place. If I had to muster evidence for this intuition, I’d point out that the remedies tend toward the programmatic. Having a vital and healthy “incarnational” church and “intentional community” is a matter of adopting the right strategy and communicative techniques. It is now de rigueur that one’s purpose-mission-value statements incorporate the goal of “building community” and “growing together.” These are “solutions” for our lonely crowd. This hyper-church is the sanctified version of the business model recently skewered in IBM’s “Stop Talking Start Doing” advertising campaign.

On the principle of lex orandi, lex credendi, I have a theory that the way we talk about our physical environs, our embodied life and work, anticipates and reflects our deepest commitments. So when those words shift, I think it exceedingly significant. Here are three easy questions to serve as examples: More »« Less

I’ll answer the lurker’s question: NO.

The author’s claim is that we should “embrace” this violent subculture. What does that mean? Affirm? Lovingly caress? What? I have zero patience for the patronizing false humility of anti-pharisee crusaders. I have zero patience for berating people into proving their christian manhood and the patriarchal misanthropy clothed in the supposed “love of Jesus.” The ways of rage and violence and those who work them stand under the eternal rebuke of Jesus’ teaching and the Cross. Embrace? Let’s start with the victims of violence.

By Mr. Bradley’s logic, we should “embrace” with understanding the one who strikes in domestic abuse and say not even a word for the victim. By Mr. Bradley’s logic, other awful/awesome (take your pick) “angry,” “pissed-off” “mosh-pit white dudes” should be “embraced,” too, like say Aryan Nation and the KKK. Such twisted thinking by a christian only seems possible when there is some Point one wants to drive into people. God bless all those who reach out to oppressors and the violent with the Gospel—yes, even Bull Connor needed Jesus—but Mr. Bradley’s way of making his Point is to skip over all judgment of sin and thereby effectively silence the victim of violence and injustice. If this article is typical of Mr. Bradley’s thinking about ministry, I’m speechless with horror that he is training pastors in my denomination.

The author of the piece Michael linked to described his friend’s eyewitness account of two hardcore punks brutally beating an “emo kid” without cause. The author then writes:

Can Christianity reach this awesome sub-culture?

Awesome? Awesome? Scusi, but I’d rather be tied to a chair, locked in a completely dark room with that praise ditty “Our God is an awesome God, He etc. etc. etc.” running on continuous loop at 120 decibels for 72 hours straight before I EVER want to hear or read the word ‘awesome’ used again the way it is in the sentence above. More »« Less

Michael: I am interested in reading the story about protestants converting to EO, but the link isn’t working for me.

Kent: I share your categorical dismay. If you are submitting to the uncategorical categorization, then I will follow you into the categoriless abyss.

BUT I’M GOING DOWN IN A BLAZE OF GLORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jim, I figured you’d be ‘in’ and I figured you wouldn’t reply ‘til Thursday. You proceeded my expectations.

On the beer hall test thing…a big ‘meee tooo’ with both Michael & Jack. I cannot wait to see (in this order) the results for Pirate, Jim & Joel. Santa is wiggling his frozen glutes off with anticipatory glee!

Jack, I so much look forward to the day that our adoption(s?) are paid off and I can afford to meet you somewhere warm enough for you to tolerate (it’s 3 now, heading to a cozy high of 15 today).

Santalert: Today is the last day of the rest of your BHT Christmas decision making process.  Fall off the fence if you’re on it and let me know if you landed on the ‘opt it’ side.  The elves are cogitating and trying to creatify a randomization name drawing process…so…let me know.  (Quite a poet eh?)

Remember that you need to let Santa (aka ‘Kent’) know that you want to be part of the BHT gift exchange by tomorrow...Wednesday…November 29…2006…at midnight.

Cool, Santa’s finding messages in his inbox this morning.

Sharon, Clinical Supervision via case study is a regular part of my professional life. I find it to be the best skill building/growth experience there is; at least in my line of work…which is much like your line of work at least as regards working with people and their behaviours.

All, I’m including the following photo for no other reason than that I need to share it with others. My pragmatic excuse is that from my sharing somebody may learn a new technique for removing stubborn egg deposits from cooking utensils while camping.

Seen on a t-shirt in Fargo (careful how you pronounce that!):

Lutefisk, the piece of cod that passes all human understanding.

It’s me Jim, consider yourself included…

There’s a email request on it’s way asking for your snail addy.

I have contributed to this organization in the past:

Heifer International

It’s fun to do it in other people’s names, and send them Christmas cards. If they’ve never heard of the organization it always piques their curiosity.

On the subject of Christmas ministries... Several years ago when I taught a youth Sunday School class in the Louisville area, we took the kids to volunteer in a mall working with the Salvation Army angel tree. We did shifts at a table in the mall, giving folks instructions on who to shop for and taking in the gifts once people had done their shopping. The angel tree is great. You can volunteer to work the table like we did, or you can shop for a child, or both!

Michael and I have also given to Prison Fellowship’s angel tree program. This allows you to give money so that an incarcerated mom or dad can purchase Christmas gifts for his/her family. It’s another very practical way to share the love of Christ with a family in need.

Our family has been involved with World Vision almost as long as we’ve been a family. World Vision has a neat gift-giving program for Christmas. They’ll send you a catalog where you can buy all sorts of things to help people in other countries who are in need. Would you like to buy 10 ducks for a family for $20? Could your Sunday School class raise $75 to provide a goat? Or maybe the whole church would like to chip in for a dairy cow? ($525) You may also give immunizations to children, medical supplies, or purchase a share of a water well (and much, much more!) Talk about sharing God’s love by meeting real needs! Check it out on line at www.worldvisiongifts.org today!

Gentlemen (term loosely applied)-

I am endeavoring to provide those less fortunate some niceties for the holidays. The Salvation Army has a program that works in concert with the Angel Tree gift drive. It is called “Operation Red Net Stocking”. This program is the same as the angel tree; however, the goal is to fill a red net stocking with 7-10 items for a boy or girl ranging in age from 0-12 years old. The items should be a mix of necessities and toys. Thus the contents can be either as inexpensive or as costly as you choose. If you are interested please let me know. However, I suggest that you contact you local Salvation Army office, as anything you do through me will go to children here in the Nashville area.

Further, as of November the first, I have begun my yearly ritual of listening to Christmas music. There is just no way to listen to it all in the one short month following thanks giving.