Auburn vs LSU

If anyone needs me tomorrow, I will be at the Auburn/LSU game in Auburn! Props to my friend Andy who offered up one of their passes for the game. I received the offer to go hang out with these friends at a game, however, the only day that I could make it was for the LSU game (ie the biggest game of the year thus far for all non-football fans). Honestly I thought that there was no way that it would work out. I figured there was a waiting list for these tickets and I would be close to the bottom. However, God has smiled upon me. Not only do I get to spend the day in Auburn at the game, but I get to do so with friends that I don't get to see much. Good times, good friends, and maybe we will find some good food.

War Eagle!

Solomon update

Several days, weeks, months, years, ago I posted an entry centering around Solomon. My question was this: "why is Solomon named 'Jedidiah' by God through the prophet Nathan? Did everyone simply forget about this name that he was given? Why did God himself refer to Solomon as 'Solomon' instead of Jedidiah?" I had a gut feeling that the inclusion of the name in the text was there for a specific reason. I have to admit that I still don't feel that I have the complete answer, but here are my further thoughts on the subject.

(1) Solomon is conceived at the same time that God judges David's sin by killing his son conceived in sin. Solomon is the first "legitimate" child of David and Bathsheba. I believe, along with several other scholars, that God's naming of Solomon as 'Jedidiah' is a way of showing David that he still has a chance of fulfilling his God-given destiny. The name Jedidiah means "beloved of God." God hasn't given up on David and shows this through the naming of Solomon.

(2) Here's where I venture out in my interpretations. The first thought is one that seems to be the consensus of the scholars that I have referenced. This second thought is mine and may venture away from the beaten path. Here's the deal. After Solomon takes the leadership of Israel, he begins to build the kingdom that we all know of so well. Solomon's temple is the envy of the nations, Solomon's wealth is known by all (look at the queen of Sheba narrative). The list of Solomon's achievements go on and on. However, if you look closely at the text it appears that all is not well. The kingdom is built upon the backs of slave labor. Apparently the memory of the Israelites is relatively short. (remember I am the Lord that brought you out of Egypt!) The kingdom becomes a kingdom that continues to grow in its pursuit of wealth and power. This pursuit of wealth and power becomes the impetus for Solomon's acclimation into the deities of his political marriages. As you can see this road goes downhill quickly.

In reflecting upon this, and thinking of our present situation in the US and the way that most American's live their lives, I can't help but to think that the narrative of Solomon is being lived out right here in the US. While I was thinking on this one day I just simply said to myself, "that's what happens when you forget that you are the beloved of God." I think myself solved the mystery for me. What if the writer is showing us that Solomon, though beginning with good intentions, somehow allowed his pure intentions to become perverted thinking that HE could build the kingdom that would be the fulfillment of God's plan? What if all along, God was asking Solomon to participate in what GOD was building, resting in the knowledge that God has chosen Solomon and rooted him in the one who created all things? What if we, in present day US, lived our lives working with God, building his kingdom instead of trying to build our own? What if we rested in the name that God has already given us, "beloved of God" and quit trying to build a name for ourselves?

I know that this interpretation is highly tainted by my present social location. But after all, aren't all interpretations tainted by such? Just a thought. Please give me some feed back and let me know what ya think!

Shalom,
'Jedidiah'

No, I'm not dead

It's official...I am not dead. Several of my blog-mates have told me that they planned a blogging funeral for me, however, I am back from the dead. Here is the reason for my long departure from blogging...I'm moving. Yeah, I know, you were expecting something bigger. Maybe like I had a winning lottery ticket and was afraid to give away my identity. Instead of striking it insanely rich, here are the real details. Read on and I think you will see the problem.

After 5.5 years at College Park, Holly and I are packing up our bags and moving back down to central Florida. Holly is now a full time faculty member at Southeastern University teaching in the English department. We were contacted about the position on a Saturday back in July. (For all of you COG people out there, it was the Saturday before General Assembly) We had a group of youth that we were taking up to Indianapolis to compete in the national teen talent competition. We were scheduled to leave that Sunday. Here's where the fun starts. We were given until Monday morning to make the decision knowing that we would be with youth group students for the next week. Please don't get me wrong, I love being with students on trips. However, this is not the most conducive environment for making such a large decisions. So in an effort to involve our pastor in the decision process, Holly and I decided to talk with him that Sunday before leaving for General Assembly. Here's the really weird part...that Sunday morning he has a heart attack. Needless to say, our meeting with the pastor was not a high priority for him that day. That Sunday, with our pastor in the hospital, the group left for Indianapolis. Through a long series of events, Holly and I decided that she would accept the position at Southeastern. Another problem here is that we could not tell our pastor when we returned because of his heart condition. Thankfully, he is in process of making a great recovery. However, we were only able to make our plans public (ie I resigned) two Sundays ago. And it is at this point that we arrive at my somewhat excusable reason for leaving the blogging community. In short, all I have had going on in my life has been centered around this move. Since it was not public, I had nothing else to blog about! Now that the move is out in the open, I don't have time to blog as I am now single (until I join Holly at SEU) trying to pack one house and get another house ready to sell!

Please excuse my blogging delays, but please be aware that I am not dead and will be back to ranting frantically before you know it.

Shalom,
Chris

PS Does anyone know of any open jobs in Central Florida?

Solomon?

This post is primarily a question posed to all of you biblical scholars out there. I am doing some research for a series of wednesday night youth talks entitled "the beloved of God." While doing some research I came across 2 Samuel and the narrative of David, Bathsheba and the birth of Solomon. I have read that passage before but never noticed that God declared through the prophet Nathan that Solomon's name was to be Jedidiah "beloved of God." Please tell me how I got through a Christian College and even a seminary without noticing this?! Anyway, further research has shown that the name Jedidiah is not mentioned anywhere else in scripture. In fact, every time that God speaks or refers to Solomon, God uses the name Solomon and not Jedidiah. I have a couple of ideas of what could possibly be behind this. I would love some feedback though from you OT scholars out there.

Shalom.

*Image at the top is from http://www.sxc.hu and was posted by brainloc

Downtown Huntsville

I live in Huntsville. I like this city...sometimes. It is a great city that has a great mix of big city life (we have all the major restaurants: 2 Cracker Barrels, and coming soon a PF Changs. wooooohoooo!!!) and the quite country life. We have just enough people in the city to offset the fundamentalist bible belt beliefs found in the rural areas of the south (though this thought is by no means dead in the city!) The city is definitely growing into a metropolitan feel and well, Holly and I want to move into a condo downtown. I realize that this is not practical and would cost twice as much as a place in the suburbs but we would love to have the experience! I guess I can't complain because I only live 1 mile away from downtown now. Holly and I take great pleasure in walking our dogs through big spring park, sometimes even venturing into the historic twickenham district. I realize that its just a dream, a really big and not practical dream, but I am allowed to dream!

Shalom.

PS If anyone is wanting to surprise Holly and I with a condo, we would really like to have one in the 301 east development (www.301east.com). We are not too picky, so we will accept any of the condo floor plans that you want to buy for us. Thanks.

The Secret Message of Jesus

I just finished reading the secret message of Jesus last week. Let me say first of all that I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone. Having said that, if you have read McLaren's other works, then you have a good idea of what he is going to say in this book. Here's my problem with the book, the presupposition of the book's title "The Secret Message of Jesus" is that the message that is included in the pages following this title are in some way a revelation of a "secret" message of Jesus. I guess that I have been in this whole emergent conversation a little too long now, but the message given in the book is simply a restatement of the message of Christ that others are teaching who are taking serious the hermeneutical issues of postmodernity. What I mean by all of this rambling is that it is hard to believe that there are people that this message would be new to thereby requiring the book's revealing of its secrecy. I guess we all see through our own presuppositions, however, it is hard to understand why some are fighting so hard against works like this and others that are trying to take serious the words of Christ in light of cultural and social factors. Here's the basic message of McLaren (or rather Jesus') secret message:

The book is in three movements; the context of the message, wrestling with the message and what the world and our spirituality would look like if we took this message seriously. I have to say that the best part of the book lies in the second and third sections. The major point of the book is that the message of Jesus has been so watered down by the gospel of accommodation that is has lost its pointed edge that pierces through injustice, poverty, bondage, sickness, environmental concerns, and even severs connections with the empire when they become too entangled with the church. If you know the term holistic salvation, then you know what McLaren is saying here. In essence, the gospel is good news to all people and all creation. God is in the process of saving us and our world, not just our souls (though this is part of the plan). I don't understand why some of the fundamentalist critiques of this book bash McLaren for including these aspects? Do they want or look forward to the rest of creation blowing or burning up? I understand that we should be concerned with saving people's souls, but what about the rest of the person? Can their bodies be healed? Can their minds be healed? Can their families even the world around them be healed? I just don't understand sometimes.

One of the main things that sticks out to me in the book is the chapter on seeing the kingdom. McLaren talks of a guy who goes to Sea World with his family. As the guy and his family are watching the killer whales swim in synchronization, he finds himself wiping away a tear as he is overcome with emotion. He realizes that his daughter is doing the same thing. He finally comes to the conclusion that moments such as these are moments that we see the world as it once was, as it will be, with whales dancing in harmony. I can relate. I have had these moments. We are never given a big picture of what the kingdom of God looks like. We merely have a series of still images that give a particular angle, a new vantage point for seeing what the kingdom of God is like. You can't know the totality of the kingdom's economics, but you can know that it is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than a rich person to enter the kingdom. You don't know exactly what you will do in the kingdom, but you know that you have potential like a mustard seed, though its small, you can produce a hundred times more. The parables, Jesus' teachings, etc. were all glimpses of the kingdom, not a picture. The kingdom of God is about a way of life and not only about an existential belief in a God who cares only about moral behavior. McLaren does a great job of helping us see this.

Has anyone else out there read the book? I would be interested to hear what you have to say about it.

Now, for some comic relief, here are some links to reviews of the book from the fundamentalist community.

Southern View Chapel Book Review
emergent no blog

Dr. King and my trip to Montgomery

It's funny how you miss things. I was born in Montgomery and lived in Wetumpka (just outside of Montgomery) for several years. I knew that Montgomery was famous for it's historical sites. However, living in the south we were primarily told about the Little White House or as it is also known, the First White House of the Confederacy. Oh yeah, there's also a small Church where some black guy pastored next to the Capital. We never were really told to much about this little insignificant church though, just the Capital and the little white house.

Well, this past Monday Holly and I found ourselves headed down to Montgomery to complete some adoption paper work. I finally took the time to go and visit that little insignificant church were the black man pastored. I visited the Dexter Ave King Memorial Church. This is the Church that Dr King pastored from 1954 to 1960. We were not able to go inside the Church but had a great time touring the outside. It is an incredible feeling to stand on those steps and realize that Dr King and many other civil rights leaders have walked those very steps. I am sorry that many revere the little white house of the confederacy more than this little church. But, that's kind of the way that it goes. Those that fight for themselves get applauded as heroes and those that fight for others often come from and find themselves in the fringes. They are the ones that get passed by. I see this as sort of a paradigm of the church throughout history. When the church has really been working as the people of God participating in the Missio Dei, it has found itself in the minority role where its prophetic voice stands out and rings loudly against a sea of sameness. I pray that we will not loose the "small" prophetic voice of the church. While the rest of the world is fighting for what they deem necessary, may the Church of God (not necessarily the denomination) continue to fight for justice and God's kingdom from the fringes without fanfare. Visiting the King Memorial Church only took a few minutes but will be a few minutes that I will not quickly forget.

Shalom.



*Notice the scripture text that is being used in the next service. I find this very fitting.*

My new addiction

Here's my new addiction: Othello (sometimes known as Reversi). Actually I am addicted to the computer version and have not actually played the real life version. I had never played this game until about two weeks ago and now I can't quit!

Film Review: Capote

After much anticipation, Holly and I finally set down long enough to watch Capote last night. I have to say first and foremost, the film was great! If you are not in any way attached to Capote, ie love of literature, love of people with really weird voices, etc., then you may find the film a little "weird" or even slow. The film tells the story of Truman's interaction with Holcomb, Kansas that would later become his novel "In Cold Blood." There were several themes that one has to wrestle with in watching this film. First of all, Truman gets in way over his head in attempting to tell the stories of the murderers (In Cold Blood is the story of two guys that murder a family of four in Holcomb). In essence, he uses the guys to get the story that he needs to write his historical novel. What he is unprepared for are the bonds that he builds with both the murderers and the families in Holcomb. This aspect of the film is all to real. How many times do we use people to get what we want? We often justify it with "well, this is going to be the greatest book ever written. They are going to die anyway, so why not get their story..." and the list goes on and on. We are inherently selfish creatures. We must, however, learn to live a life that is welcoming and accepting of each "other" that we encounter. Each person has a story, even the person on death row, and if we listen long enough, we just might hear echoes of our own stories in theirs. This is precisely what happens to Capote. He connects with the murderer because their stories are so similar. He even states, "It's as if we were raised in the same house. He happened to go out the back door and I went out the front." The film closes with his quote, "there are more tears shed over answered prayers then unanswered prayers." The quest to write the perfect novel ended up costing Capote his life. The people that knew him, said that he was never the same after the events of Holcomb. His answered prayer turned out to be the beginning of the end for Capote. What was the answered prayer? Watch the movie.

Shalom.

It's great to be alive

Here are three reasons that it is great to be alive right now:

1. Stanley Cup finals. I am a little bit ticked that they kept the rest of the season from us. Still, I am happy to get what little hockey I can. Congrats Carolina!

2. Game 6. The Heat are still alive.

3. World Cup. I have never watched the World Cup before, but I am loving it! It's hockey without the ice and bad headaches!

Shalom.

Camp Update

Thanks to all that are helping me out with this camp issue. Here's the basic data for the past week. The week went much better than last year. The speaker, music, everything just seemed to work better. One reason could be the lack of students. This year was an incredibly low year in numbers. I know people have to make budget through tuition, but I like the smaller camps. Packed camps are for the birds. Finally, student's lives were changed and for this I thank God.

Now, here's my critique/response to the previous comments:

1. (Good idea) THERE'S NO BANQUET HERE!!! Thank God they got rid of the banquet. This idea never made sense to me. They preach all week about remaining pure and not to lust and then place a dinner entirely centered around finding someone of the opposite sex as a focal point of the week. I guess you're not supposed to lust while eating.

2. (Good idea) They got rid of the baptismal service. The students were told to go back to their home churches and ask their pastor to do the baptism in the presence of friends and church family. What a concept!

3. (Bad idea) Pete is right about providing a crisis point for youth. I also agree that camp USED to do that. Students have changed. My students were offended by what they called "scare tactics" to get them to come to the altar. Perhaps we are trying a little to hard to create the crisis moments in the services. Students can see through the facades. Perhaps we could place them in a different environment altogether to create a space for the crisis moments. Students expect these moments at camp. In a sense we are commercializing them by perpetuating the traditional camp cycle (saved night, sanctified night, Holy Spirit night, go change your world night). In essence our students are paying $100 for a spiritual guarantee. I know that this is oversimplifying the issue, but it does go through my head.

4. (Bad idea) Cheesy games must go. Here's a revolutionary idea: let the students go take a nap in the afternoon. This is the most requested activity at camps nationally. (data supporting this conclusion was not available at time of publication) The camp that I would like to take our students to is down in Daytona. The students are involved in a large scale service in the morning and evening with major bands and such, and then are pretty much free during the day to be on the beach, go shopping, etc. But this is all done as a youth group.

5. (Good idea) Use camps to build youth groups!!! Each year at camp our guys in the youth group are split up from the girls in the youth group for most of the day. I like the camps that allow the youth groups to be together during the day. The friendship aspect of camp is great. However, those friends leave when camp is over. We need to spend more time building communities of faith that are stronger when they get back home.

6. (Good idea) Be real!!! This ties in to #3. There are crisis experiences all around us. We have to teach our students to acknowledge them as such and understand that the ground upon which they walk, the rooms in which they sit, etc. are all holy spaces. Let's teach students to find these holy spaces and discern the voice of God wherever they are. Yes, we must even teach them to discern the presence of God while sitting in the theater watching Harry Potter! (I am sorry to say that this was an issue at camp this year) Students no longer accept the world of the "Holy bubble" nor should we expect them to. I guess my critique here is more of a theological critique but still, we need to look at things such as this.

Final point. I am all for experiences etc. that will impact the lives of students. After all, that's my purpose in life, to bring students into an understanding of and a life in the presence of God. I guess that's why I take the camp issue so personally. In many cases, we as youth ministers have limited opportunities to take students out of their normal surroundings and place them in a sitting that is conducive to them hearing from God. When someone messes up one of these chances, I take it personally. These are real lives that we are playing with here, and we cannot allow traditions or politics get in the way of creating a spiritual experience for them.

Shalom.

Gone

If anyone needs me this week I will be unavailable. I'm at Camp! I will most definitely have a lot to talk about when I return due to my love/hate relationship with denominational camps. I am thinking about forming a secret society for youth pastors who are afraid to come out of the closet and tell their true feelings of denominational camps. True, there was a day in the past that I looked forward to making the trip south to the mountains. Now I am less enthusiastic. I see youth culture drastically changing before my eyes, and I see denominational camps failing to account for those changes in their programming and service structures. Perhaps its just me, but if you are a youth minister and are needing to come out of the camp closet, leave a comment and I'll let you know about our first Denominational Camps Anonymous meeting.

Shalom.

Post-graduation

I have officially received my monthly kick from Pete and have decided to get my butt in gear and write something. This past month has been an incredible month. I finally got all of my papers in, which for a while there I wasn't sure was going to happen. The whole graduation thing was good. I was happy to say that I was from the seminary. The ceremony, reception, and commissioning service were all very well put together. I received my 5,241st Bible at the commissioning service. When we got there for graduation practice, which turns out to be simply fill out a bunch of forms practice, I was very disheartened to not see a star by my name. A star indicates that you graduate with honors. I thought for sure that I would get a little star but alas, there was none. However, I asked about it and sure enough, I was supposed to have a star! I offered to draw a star in all of the programs but they didn't like that too much. The ceremony had a very moving keynote address given by Dr. Gause. I was greatly impressed. The other speeches in the awards ceremony were equally impressive. There was a constant theme of empowering women for ministry that kept surfacing in the ceremony and service (not a shocker for those that have been through the seminary). What was a shocker though, was the complete disregard for inclusive language by the denominational leader that spoke. I was greatly disappointed in the language that was used during this part of the ceremony. There is much work to be done my friends.

The picture at the top of this post is a picture of one of the things that my incredible wife gave me for graduation. I wanted a mountain bike, however, she got a VW Beetle when she got her MA and she didn't want me to be able to say that I got her a Bug and she got me a bike. So, she got me this incredible book shelf and a shopping spree at a bookstore for graduation! I loved it! We have many book cases in our house, however, this is the first nice real wood case that we have had. I use it in the living room to shelve my "I want company to see these" books. Here are some of the books that she got me as well:


The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard
Exclusion and Embrace by Miroslav Volf
Theology of Hope by Jurgen Moltmann
The Coming of God by Moltmann
A Social Reading of the Old Testament by Walter Brueggemann
Texts under Negotiation: The Bible and Postmodern Imagination by Bruegemann
Bum Rush the Page: a def poetry jam
Signs in Contemporary Culture: An Introduction to Semiotics by Arthur Asa Berger
Planting Missional Churches by Ed Setzer
Conetmplative Youth Ministry by Mark Yaconelli

My wife rocks!

Shalom.

Carman

I know as a youth minister, I am not supposed to lead people into sin. However, I cannot help but post this cd cover even though many of my brothers and sisters out there will stumble into jealousy, envy, and even lust. I am sorry, but my good friend and youth sponsor extraordinare, Danielle, braved a Carman concert and brought me back an autographed copy of this "Ultimate Praise" cd. I think that I could die happy now. I feel that I have a special connection to Carman himself. Are you ready to R.I.O.T.? Do you know who the Champion is? Have you ever received a Witches Invitation? I recently read an interview with Derek Webb in Relevant Magazine. He said that the Christian industry was falling into a state of ordinary cheesiness. Perhaps the way out of the Cheesiness of contemporary Christian music is through the stylings of Carman! Come on, the guy not only sings, but he also talks through his songs, raps, acts, and dances (have you seen the video to A2J? Now that's hot!). What could be more relevant in our day that Carman?*



*I realize that reading the above may be a bit painful for Danielle. I would just like to take this time to affirm you as the coolest person on earth for getting this autographed cd. You rock Danielle!

Da...............................Vinci

Just as a point of reference, you must say the title to this post as if you were one of the superfans found on Saturday Night Live. "DA................VINCI." Ok, now that we have that out of the way, I would like to say that I am not trying to rip off of my friend Pete's blog, however, I also went and saw the DaVinci Code on Saturday night. Here's my take.

First of all, it was so great to actually go see a movie. Granted, I have been told that seeing this movie will send me to hell, so all in all, I guess it all balances out. (BTW, I finally watched the Chronicles of Narnia on Friday night, so I guess that means that I can still make it to heaven.) The movie, from a critical perspective, was just an ok movie. It is worth seeing, but there were some odd cuts, slow dialogue, and even some mediocre acting by Mr. Hanks. (Did I mention predictable at times?) Still, I would recommend seeing it over the Flight 93 and DEFINITELY over RV.

Secondly, here's my take on the whole sacrilegious side of things. WHO IN THE WORLD FEELS THREATENED BY THIS MOVIE!!!!!???? I just don't get it. I did not leave the movie questioning my faith. I did not leave the movie thinking that Jesus was not divine. I DID leave the movie a little hungry however, and, a Nestle's Crunch Ice Cream Bar later, I was fine. Here's what I did think was worthy of noting in the film: the relation of semiotics to this whole debate.

I had never stopped to realize that this entire issue is an issue of symbols! Indeed the film opens in a lecture on "religious symbology." The relationship between a symbol and the way that we perceive reality through the interpretation of those symbols are of great interest to me. What the movie taught me has nothing to do with Constantine, or marriage. What the movie taught me, or rather affirmed in my spirit, is that we should all check our usage of religious cultural symbols and question what they are telling others. What does our use of the cross in jewelry and fashion really represent? Is it possible that the symbol of the cross once meant something that is so much more in depth than what it is used for now? Are there symbols, or images of Christ that have been so assimilated into culture, or rather viewed through specific cultural lenses, that they no longer look anything like the Jesus Christ that actually walked on this earth? I left the movie questioning my faith to the extent that I want to be open to critiquing the cultural symbols that have replaced, or become synonymous with our religious symbols.

If you can't tell, here's my suggestion. Go see the film if you want to know what it's about. (or if you simply want to tick off the fundamentalists who are trying to make Ron Howard go bankrupt.) The film is good, but don't expect too much. And finally, make sure that you don't go in the middle of a thunderstorm - you stand less of a chance of getting struck by lightening on the way out of the theater.

KKK

For the past few weeks, I have really not liked living in the South. Let me back up and say, thanks for putting up with my sabbatical from blogging. I have been focused upon school work so I haven't had the chance to blog, but I'm back for better or for worse. (You can thank Pete for the constant kicks needed to get blogging again.)

Now, for the real post: the image used here was printed in the Huntsville Times a couple of weeks ago. Apparently the KKK held a rally in Northern Alabama, where I live, protesting the current imigration issue. I couldn't believe it, the KKK is actually calling for Black and White people to ban together to kick the "Mexicans" out. The protest itself, or rather the very fact that it happened, was enough to tick me off. What pushed me over the edge however, was the image that I have placed above. That is an eight year old kid that is wearing the official dress of the KKK. Does this fire anyone else up?! Eight years old and the kid is already being taught a form of hatred that is so dark many of us will never be able to comprehend it. What's worse, is that the kid will be taught that the hatred inside of him is actually based upon scripture.

I wish that I could spend enough time, and knew enough words to express the feelings I have for these people. Still, I am forced with the fact that the gospel of Christ must be the good news for even those hiding behind their white masks. I recently faced this issue on an even more personal basis. Our former neighbors were not necessarily the neighborly type. He was a former Marine that got a kick out of spitting his chewing tobacco on my support peace sticker on my car. The day finally came for this family, who lovingly screams obsenities at each other, to move out. Why did they move out? Well, apparently the city of Athens, which is close by, is 87% white. Finally, they can let their children and grandchildren play in the yard again. I struggle to love people like this. But still, the way of peace means peace in all situations. I am learning what this means and what it looks like in practice. Until I have an answer for my reaction to such hatred and prejudice, I have a proposition: let's deport the KKK. Just a thought.

Shalom.

Theologian Quiz

Everyone else has done this, and, since I would jump off a bridge if everyone else did it, I decided to take the quiz. I was a little upset that Moltmann didn't take the top spot. I like him.

Anselm 73% J�rgen Moltmann 73% Martin Luther 67% Friedrich Schleiermacher 53% Charles Finney 53% John Calvin 47% Paul Tillich 40% Jonathan Edwards 40% Karl Barth 40% Augustine 20% Which theologian are you? created with QuizFarm.com

Real Update

I was looking over the last several posts and noticed that I have not posting anything serious in quite a while. So here's my serious post.

I purchased Brian McLaren's new book The Secret Message of Jesus the other day and have been thinking about its premise for quite some time. I am not one of those people that looks for the secret codes, etc. that are found in the Bible. Thus, when I saw the title of McLaren's book, I had to say that my first thought was, "oh no! They got McLaren!" Thankfully, the book is not a rendering of secret code language, but is an attempt to peel back the layers of what we have superimposed culturally upon the message of Christ. The freedom that comes from such a presupposition is very freeing to me. I have become more and more aware lately of the gaping differences between the Jesus of scripture and the Jesus of the Church. My heart breaks every time I see the way that we have watered down the message of Christ. Here's a good case in point.

I am constantly amazed by youth. I love working with youth, they will act like they don't care and don't know anything one moment, and then the next moment will give you a truth that you have never seen before. Last Sunday I was sitting in Sunday School and was facilitating a discussion on the call of the disciples. We were reading from Luke 5, where Jesus gets in the boat with Simon. One of the students noticed that Jesus waits until right after Simon began to catch fish before calling him to "fish for men." Here's a guy who makes his living by catching fish. He has caught nothing, and then finally gets what he is looking for, he finally has enough money to live for a while, and then Jesus calls him to leave it! What a rip off! Is this the way that God works? We work our whole life trying to get what we need to make it, and then, just when we think we have it, Jesus says, "ok, I've got something better. I know you worked hard and you've finally arrived, but, well...it doesn't really matter anymore! There's something bigger out there to which you can give your life!"

This is exactly how I feel right now. I have been liberated by the fact that I don't have to accept the culturally watered down version of Christ. Furthermore, I have been liberated because this revelation leads me to believe that there is no such thing as a utopian ideal out there. My life is not about what I can work towards, it is about what I give myself to. I know that there is another way of reading this above scripture. If there wasn't, then TBN would be off the air. I appreciate the fact that there are multiple readings of the scripture that constantly keep each of us in check. However, I also understand that the scriptures are all about a new way of life. I can't help but wander if we are simply just adding Christianity on to our idealized American Dreams. What if the call of God is bigger? What if the call of God is to abandon the American Dream and devote ourselves to something that is bigger? What if there is no Utopian Ideal? Then again, what if there is a utopian ideal that we refer to in passing as the Kingdom of God and what if we are completely missing it by not living in it?

Shalom.

Update for Pete

Here's an update for Pete.




HI.



Shalom,
Chris

Emergent Friends

I made this banner a while back and would like to make it available for all of those thinking of making the plunge into the emergent world. Perhaps this could be a way to ease into the conversation without having to throw away all of your (deleted word) McDowell books. (BTW I am wondering what the youth people are thinking in the COG by partnering with him?) I originally made this for my atcscelerate profile, but then I got too frustrated with the message board and quit. My loss is your gain. Now you can use this banner as a way of announcing your thinking of being an emergent leader.