I marvel at the fact that ...

I marvel at the fact that God called me, a pacifist of the Anabaptist tradition, to minister in a town where the majority of the inhabitants are either trained killers or the family of trained killers.

I've got members of the special forces in my Bible Study!

Awesome.

Evangelicals and Excessive Sex: Mark Driscoll and Ed Young from Augustine's Perspective

I am linking above to a blog post that I read from Wade Burleson.

I find this interesting because though I didn’t find this blog post until today, last night I gave my lesson to the youth group on Chastity: the Christian Virtue of Sexuality.

I taught the youth that:

1) Chastity isn’t the Resistance of Sexuality, but it is the Pursuit of the Highest form of Sexuality.
2) God created sexuality
3) God created sexuality for a purpose
4) It was designed to be experienced in a particular way: In a lifelong committed marriage relationship
5) It’s physical but also spiritual
6) “The Two become One” (1 Corinthians 6:16; Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5)
7) When we engage in sexual activity, something spiritual happens
8) This is why sex outside of a lifelong committed marriage relationship can be so devastating
9) Wait for that marriage relationship for the spiritual connection to take place
10) Don’t Settle for a Watered Down, Degraded, Generic form of the Most Incredibly Intimacy Two People Can Have

I’ve started positing the PP of my lesson outlines online.

I actually mentioned Ed Young’s antics on the subject. Ed Young is a performance-artist. Art is his background and he uses his God-given gifts and passions for ministry purposes. If you really want to understand him, study the performance art of the prophet Ezekiel and the enacted parables of Jesus for where Pastor Young is coming from.

Ed Young believes that the Church in America MUST address the huge and seemingly all-encompassing problem that sexual immorality is in our country. And he’s doing so by proclaiming God’s great intention for sex and how small and degraded the world’s form of sex is.

As I told the youth: God is crazy about sex! He created it. It was his idea. It was one of his best ideas. BUT he created sex for a purpose and that’s a lifelong committed marriage relationship.

from a BP article on the "Anabaptism and Contemporary Baptists" Conference at SWBTS

I read this BP article on the "Anabaptism and Contemporary Baptists" conference at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Good stuff, but check out the closing lines from Seminary President Dr. Paige Patterson:

Patterson called "the current trend in Baptist and Southern Baptist life to identify with the Reformed faith" a "major step backward" that "must be resisted." "Why should Baptists identify with those who formerly persecuted and misrepresented them?" he asked.

As someone who admires the Anabaptist and Radical Reformation Traditions, someone who is not in any way associated with the Reformed Tradition, and someone who disagrees with the Conservative Resurgence, I find so much that is so wrong with these statements, I nearly fell out of my seat laughing.

Pastor Carries Concealed Weapon

I learned yesterday that a there is a local pastor in my area that has begun to carry a concealed weapon - a gun.

What are your thoughts on such a thing?

Recent and Current Reads

RECENT READS

Duino Elegies, by Rainer Maria Wilke

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S. Thompson

The House at Pooh Corner, by A.A. Milne

Letters to Orpheus, by Rainer Maria Wilke

The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

The Sign of Four, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

A Study in Scarlet, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame

Winnie-the-Pooh, by A.A. Milne



CURRENT READS

Divine Comedy, by Dante

The Magic Mountain, by Thomas Mann

Moby Dick, by Hermann Melville

Omeros, by Derek Walcott

The Silver Chair, by C.S. Lewis

I TAKE IT BACK ...

In 2010, I state how pained I was when Stone Temple Pilot's eponymous album flopped in my estimation. Well, I take that back.

A year has gone by and I revisited the album last month and have been relistening to it for several weeks. My opinion has changed.

I now believe that this is a very good album and is worth the listening. In fact, I have yet to put it down.

But why did I initially not like it? Here is my theory:

For this argument, there are three types of albums for me:

- Albums I initally enjoy.
- Albums I do not like.
- Albums I do not initially like but then learn to enjoy over subsequent listenings.

Now STP was my favourite band of the 1990s and I have either loved or really enjoyed all of their albums. Core (1992) and Purple (1994) are in my Top 50 Favourite Albums and the latter has occasionally been in my Top Ten.

Furthermore, I have either loved or liked every single STP album at first listening. Not a single variation in their first five. But here is their sixth and I do not like it on the first go.

I was flummoxed. But now that I have had more opportunities for the tunes to settle in and find their groove ...


I am now very much relieved. I can now happily state that STP has made 6 albums in a row that I have enjoyed.

Bring on number seven!

MY TOP ALBUMS OF 2011

Best of Gloucester County (2011) – Danielson

I discovered Danielson and he (they) became one of my favorites real quickly. I lauded Ships (2006) as probably the best “Christian album” I’ve ever heard. Well, it is the best “Christian album” I’ve ever heard and it was the best album I heard last year. In fact, Ships has now been moved into my Top 10. Top 10! Do you know how often that occurs? The last time was 2004! But what about the dreaded follow-up? No fears. This is another great album by one of the best Christian musicians out there. I highly recommend it.



Helplessness Blues (2011) - Fleet Foxes

I discovered Fleet Foxes last year and immediately fell in love with them. Their album, Fleet Foxes (2008), - which has now been moved into my Top 50 - was one the best albums of last year. Wonderfully, their sophomore effort was just as brilliant and is the best album of the year. Their EP Sun Giant (2008) was an honorable mention last year.



Oh, Perilous World (2007) – Rasputina

Here is a quirky little album of cello-rock. Yes, cello-rock. These songs combine great songwriting and arrangement, good production, good singing, great lyrics (many about historical events), and the cello. A great listen. I’m currently listening to the follow-up album, Sister Kinderhook (2010)



Ringo (1973) – Ringo Starr

I first learned of this album while I was in high school. Think about it:

- This album came out in 1973
- ALL FOUR BEATLES wrote songs for the album
- ALL FOUR BEATLES perform on the album

Can we not argue that this is practically the LAST Beatle album? But throw all that out and it’s still a really great album with top-notch songs. Ringo Starr appears in Revolver (1966), Sgt. Pepper’s ... (1967), and The Beatles (1968) which are in my Top 50 and in Abbey Road (1969) which is in my Top 10.



Seven Swans (2004) - Sufjan Stevens

Here is another fantastic album by certainly one of the best musicians who happens to be a Christian. In fact, I think this album is my favorite of his and once of the best Christian albums I’ve ever heard. I highly recommend it. His album, Illinois (2005) appeared on my last year’s Top Ten. His album, Age of Adz (2010), appears as an honorable mention.



Smile (2011) – The Beach Boys

After forty plus years, The Beach Boys finally released Smile. This was to be the follow-up to Pet Sounds (1966) but was abandoned by the group before it could be completed. For the following decade, songs from the Smile Sessions were “salvaged” for subsequent Beach Boy albums. These, plus many of the unreleased songs, found their way onto bootlegged copies of Smile. It wasn’t until 2004 that Brian Wilson released a newly recorded Smile as a solo album. The popularity of this solo album (and the release of The Pet Sounds Sessions [1997]) sparked renewed interest in this unfinished project. So finally, this year, The Smile Sessions was released and included all of the recordings that were to be a part of the originally proposed album. Now obviously, since the project was abandoned, much of the album lacks the polish that one heard in Pet Sounds and which one can hear in Smile (2004). Think of it in terms of The Beatles Anthology (1995-1996). Nevertheless, this is a great album and a wonder to finally behold. Smile (2004) by Brian Wilson is in my Top 10 and also my favorite album.



Write About Love (2010) - Belle and Sebastian

Belle and Sebastian continue to amaze me with their superb songwriting, vocals, and arrangement. The lead singer and songwriter is a christian and his faith often appears in his songs, Write About Love is no exception. This is a really great album. Their albums, Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant (2000), If You’re Feeling Sinister (1996), and Tiger Milk (1996) all appeared as honorable mentions last year. Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003) is in my Top 50.



HONORABLE MENTIONS

Age of Adz (2010) - Sufjan Stevens

Band of Joy (2010) – Robert Plant

Berlin (1973) – Lou Reed

Blue Cathedral (2004) – Comets on Fire

I’m Going Away (2009) - The Fiery Furnaces

In the Wake of Poseidon (1979) – King Crimson

Joe’s Garage (1979) – Frank Zappa

King of Limbs (2011) – Radiohead

Logos (2009) – Atlas Sound

The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1975) – Rick Wakeman

Oar (1969) – Skip Spence

Octopus (1972) – Gentle Giant

S.F. Sorrow (1968) - The Pretty Things

Simple Things (2001) – Zero 7

Thickfreakness (2003) – The Black Keys

Vampire Weekend (2008) - Vampire Weekend

Veckatimest (2009) – Grizzly Bear

Volume One (2008) – She & Him

Widow City (2007) – The Fiery Furnaces

Yeah Ghost (2009) – Zero 7

Start Warts

Alright, I'm about to betray my generation. So what else is new!

Last week, I watched the entire, original Star Wars trilogy. I hadn't done so in many years.

...


I didn't like it. It was boring, contrived, silly, badly written, badly acted (mostly), stupid, and with gawdawlful dialogue.

Pity.

Samuel, Eli, and Yahweh in 1 Samuel 3

In 1 Samuel 3, Yahweh calls out to the young Samuel at night, three times. Each time, Samuel thinks it is Eli calling him and, therefore, runs to him. Each time, Eli states that he didn’t summon Samuel. However, on third time, Eli realizes that it is Yahweh calling to Samuel and tells the latter to answer Yahweh, and Samuel does so on the third calling.

When I was meditating on this story last week, I was struck by the question of why Yahweh allowed Samuel to believe it was Eli that was summoning him those first three times. Yahweh could have called out to Samuel once and make his identity known.

Then the answer came to me.

The purpose of allowing Samuel to think it was Eli who was summoning him was for the benefit of Eli. As verse 8 shows, it was on the third time that Eli realized that it was Yahweh who was talking to Samuel. The message Yahweh delivers to Samuel is a prophecy concerning Eli and his family. Eli knows this is a true prophecy because he knows that it did come from Yahweh.

That’s good writing.

An Interesting Parallel in Luke-Acts

Presuming that the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts are companions pieces, note the beginnings of both Luke and Acts:

In Luke 1:9 Zechariah is chosen by casting lots.

In Acts 1:26, Matthias is chosen by casting lots.

“I Buried Radiohead”

I think Radiohead front man, Thom Yorke, and producer Nigel Godrich are incrementally killing off the other members of Radiohead and replacing them with computerized music. I think it began just after OK Computer was released and before Kid A. The drummer went first.

Evidence:

1) Radiohead’s music has become increasingly computertized

2) Radiohead’s music is becoming more and more like Thom York’s solo work

3) Thom York’s solo album is called, The Eraser. (i.e., he’s “erasing” the other members of the band.

4) He thinks computers are “okay” (i.e., the Radiohead album, OK Computer)

5) Songs pointing to this:

a. "How to Disappear Completely", Kid A
b. “Knives Out”, Amnesiac
c. "Go to Sleep. (Little Man being Erased)", Hail to the Thief
d. "We suck Young Blood. (Your Time is up)", Hail to the Thief
e. “Myxomatosis. (Judge, Jury & Executioner)", Hail to the Thief
f. "Bodysnatchers", In Rainbows
g. “Give Up the Ghost”, King of Limbs


More to come.

You Might Find This Amusing ...

Recently, a youth from the church in which I serve was accusing me of not using the Bible when I taught.

There were people in the church who learned of this and, naturally, became concerned over what I was teaching.

...

It turns out that the youth was complaining that I too often put the scripture for Wednesday night lessons on power point and did not actually open a Bible to read the scripture directly from it.

I actually thought the whole matter was funny. I wasn't worried about the initial charge because I knew the accusations were bogus. Why should I worry? I simply said, "Well, I keep all my lessons saved on power point. You can look over them and see how much Bible I use."

I actually felt honored. "What happened to the Southern Baptist seminary professors during the Conservative Resurgence is now happening to me! Whoopee!"

Astronomers discover planet made of diamond

"Twinkle, Twinkle, little star ..."

FIRST-PERSON: The root cause of the London riots

Here is another embarrassing article on biological evolution in the Baptist Press.

This could be one of the worst.

Apparently, the article’s author believes that the root cause of the 2011 London Riots is evolution.

Follow the “logic” of his argument:
1) Young people are rioting because Britain has created a culture in which people no longer believe they have souls.

2) England once believed that God was both Creator and Judge to mankind. After Darwin, God was no longer revered as Creator.

3) Thus, God is no longer feared as Judge.

Q.E.D.

He supports his “theory” by citing a British commentator who used metaphors to describe the rioters in “feral” terms.

Shazam!

It would a waste of time to pick apart the “logic” of this sorrowful piece of an article. So allow me to simply offer some pre-Darwin evidence to the contrary.
The following is a list of riots and protests involving violent disorder that have occurred in London:

• The Massacre of the Jews at the coronation of Richard I in 1189.

• William with the long beard causes riots in 1196 when he preaches for the poor against the rich.

• In 1221 riots occur after London defeats Westminster in an annual wrestling contest; ring-leaders hanged or mutilated in punishment.

• Rioting between goldsmiths and tailors in 1268.

• In 1391 riots break out in Salisbury Place over a baker's loaf.
• Evil May Day riot against foreigners takes place in 1517.

• The 1668 Bawdy House Riots took place following repression of a series of attacks against brothels.

• The Sacheverell riots in 1710, following the trial of the preacher, Henry Sacheverell.

• In 1719 Spitalfields weavers rioted, attacking women wearing Indian clothing and then attempting to rescue their arrested comrades.

• Riots in 1743 against Gin Taxes and other legislation to control the Gin Craze, principally the Gin Act 1736; rioting was fuelled by consumption of the drink itself.

• The Massacre of St George's Fields in 1768 after the imprisonment of John Wilkes for criticising the King.

• The Spitalfield Riots of 1769 when silk weavers attempted to maintain their rate of pay.

• Gordon Riots against Catholics in 1780.

• Old Price Riots, 1809 following a rise in the price of theatre tickets.

• Spa Fields riots in 1816 when Spenceans met in support of the common ownership of land.

• Attacks in 1830 against the Duke of Wellington in his carriage and on his home, for his opposition to electoral reform (which had been seen partly as a solution to rioting by rural workers).

Worst Directors

Since Transformers 3 is now in theatres, I thought I would post my list of worst film directors.

Michael Bay
Uwe Boll
Kevin Costner
Kevin Smith
Lars von Trier
Paul Verhoeven
John Waters
Doris Wishman
Ed Wood

A Modern Translation of a Word in Isaiah 30:22

If we use the Dynamic Equivalence approach to this verse, the word should read like this:

"Then you will defile your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you will throw them away like a tampon and say to them, 'Away with you!'" (Isaiah 30:22)

My Submission to the July Addition of the Brookwood Builder

First Lady Hillary Clinton once famously titled one of her books, It Takes a Village. The title was attributed to an African proverb: "It takes a village to raise a child." Senator Bob Dole famously replied responded: "... it does not take a village to raise a child. It takes a family to raise a child."

I certainly believe that it takes a family to raise a child. I also believe that it takes God to raise a child. And, most importantly, I believe that it takes Jesus to raise a child.

What can we say about raising children and being a family in the present world? The social, economic, political, and cultural movements of 20th and 21st century America have led to the present situation in which the stability, the definition, and the recognition of family is doubtful and open to serious questions.

Is a family made up of only two parents or also one parent? What is a parent? Is a parent biological or legal? Is a family made up of a child and parents or a child and grandparents? Does a family consist of a child and guardian(s)? If so, what constitutes a guardian? What if a parent or a guardian is gay? What constitutes a marriage? Is it spiritual, legal, or both? Does a marriage still exist if one of these factors is absent? These are questions that have sent governments and social groups to scrambling for answers, public policy solutions, and some form of stability.

Let’s face it: what we traditionally thought a family should look like hasn’t looked like that or been like that for a long time. Certainly, the reality of what it means to be a family has shifted since I was born.

I am a part of the Generation X (born in the 60s and 70s), and mine is the first generation who were children during the mass fragmentation of the American home; a fragmentation that has continued into the Millennial Generation (born in the 80s and 90s). Of my generation it was said that our family lives became so unstable and so prone to disappointment that we lost all faith in family and began to invest all of our trust and personal relationships in friends and non-familiar relationships. Now this is being said of the Millennial Generation.

Yet, despite the undeniable societal sea changes, the individual problems are not new. The Bible mentions single mothers: Tamar was a single mother (Genesis 38), as was Hagar (Genesis 21:10-21), and others (2 Samuel 14; 1 Kings 17; Luke 7:12). The Bible mentions aging couples raising children: Sarah and Abraham raised Isaac (Genesis 21-22), and Elizabeth and Zacharias raised John the Baptist (Luke 1:57-80). In fact, the Bible mentions families that read like the tabloid headlines (Genesis 9:22; 19:36; 38:9; 2 Samuel 13:11-15; Hosea 1:2). In truth, the existence of these problems isn’t new, only the scope and our awareness of them. What we’re seeing in the present world is an aggregate of individual situations. Yet, it seems to me that the very fact that God included these situations in the Scriptures means that it should be of interest to us.

Read these accounts. These are real people with in real circumstances and real problems that needed to be overcome. And God was there. God was with them. He took care of them. God was always there, and he still is. He came as the child of a pregnant and unwed mother. (1) He came as Jesus who is called Immanuel, which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). And he is “with us always to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

The Kingdom of God has come in the in the person and work of Jesus. It is a work of which we as followers of Jesus are called to enact with every aspect of our individual persons. We stand in the present world poised between the Resurrection of Jesus (which is the beginning of God’s plan to heal an unstable, hurting, fragmented, and fluctuating world) and the final consummation when God will make everything over and new. And we are charged with the responsibility and the power of the Holy Spirit here and now to be people through whom signs of that final consummation, of that healing, that forgiveness, that reconciliation, come to birth within the present world.

Remember Jesus’ commission to us: “Just as the Father sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21). We are to be Christ to the world just like Christ is God to the world. We are to be there for others just like God in Christ is there for us. We are to be there for unwed mothers, the divorced, the widowed, the families of the deployed, and the aging guardians of young children.

I stated that the great family problem we’re seeing in the present world is an aggregate of individual situations and this is true. And the greater problem can only be solved by addressing each individual situation one by one. We are called to help build the City of God brick by brick, person by person.

Yes, it takes a family to raise a child. Yes, it takes God to raise a child. Yes, it takes Jesus to raise a child. And, therefore, as his body and his workers, it takes a church to help raise a child and help maintain a family. In fact, we are to be a family for Generation X, the Millennial Generation, and all others (Matthew 12:49; Luke 3:38; Acts 3:26; Ephesians 3:15). So let’s go out and be the stability and trustworthiness of God in Christ.




(1)Did you ever note how many “non-traditional” family situations are referenced in the two Birth Narratives of Jesus in Matthew and Luke? Take particular notice of those alluded to in the Genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:1-17: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, David, Uriah’s wife, Solomon, and Mary.

A Pleasure to Burn

I saw this at a gas station on Friday near the Marine Base.

I question whether it's good form to have such a sign at this in a military town when the country is at war in three Arab/Muslim countries.

Emailed Querstions and Answers on Politics

Last week friend from university emailed me with this question:

"I have a question that I don't mean to come off confrontational....I'm really trying to learn something. I just watched the republican primary debate in NH and this occured to me: how can a party/belief system be so staunchly pro personal freedom be so anti same sex marraige and anti choice? It seems to be a glaring contradiction at a fundamental level. Again, not trying to pick a fight...just get another perspective!"

Here was my reply:

"Actually, I haven't been interested in politics for over a decade. I flung it all off for the sake of Art and Religion. I don't keep up with it and don't vote. I'm sure I'm a model citizen somewhere. So, I can't help you with any political contradictions on fundamental levels. Sorry, my friend."

It's difficult ...

It's difficult to be an evangelical Christian these days when you cannot tell the difference between Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith.