Category Archives: Theology

Church of Christ, Ministry, The Word, Theology

Adventures in The Christian Calendar

As a good member of a Resoration brotherhood, I have never celebrated the Chistian year. The reason always given to me for this fact was becuse we don’t see Peter or Paul or Barnabus or John celebrating the Christian year in the New Testament. It wasn’t until a few years ago that it occured to me that a good half of first century New Testament Christians (the Jewish half including the men I mentioned above) were busy celebrating the Jewish calendar. Imagine that.

This year I intend to celebrate the Christian calendar which begin this Sunday.

To assist me on this journey I will be reading through Robert Webber’s Ancient-Future Time. I already read through A-FT back in 2004 but I am now working through the text at a Berean pace so as to fully understand each of the cycles that I will experience throughout the year.

I will also be using the daily readings found in the lectionary Book of Common Worship: Daily Prayer to guide me each day.

I am extremely excited about having my daily devotional walk me through the entire year in a new yet well worn path. I look forward to blogging my way through this experience.

Anyone out there want to join me? Drop me an email at

kickingatthedarkness (at) gmail (dot) com

Books, Faith in Action, Theology

Judge a Book by the Cover


Synopsis:

A tongue-in-cheek look at contemporary culture through the eyes of a screenwriter who pens a hit about the last unbeliever on Earth navigating a thoroughly Christian world.
An unwary “pagan” discovers he’s one of the last remaining unbelievers in a world populated by Christians. Or so imagines Larry Hutch, a screenwriter with hopes of writing a hit movie. While struggling in his faith and dealing with personal crises, he imagines a strange new world where song lyrics are altered to conform to “Christian” standards (the Beatles belt out “I Wanna Hold Your Tithe”) and French fries, newly labeled “McScriptures,” are tools for evangelism. Larry’s screenplay is a big hit with his agent, Ned, but Ned’s Southern Baptist wife is less than amused. Both men’s futures will be on the line when the world witnesses A PAGAN’S NIGHTMARE.

From the author Ray Blackston:

Some will call this new novel a comic spoof of legalism. Others may call it controversial and insensitive. I hope at least a few will call it humorous and daring!

I can testify that I felt obedient in writing this book. I wrote it for this reason: Over the past couple of decades the Christian community in America has created (for better or worse) its own subculture, complete with videos, audios, non-fiction, fiction (I’m a tiny part of that!), trinkets, clothing, billboards, bumper stickers, and buzzwords. In some instances, originality is sacrificed on the altar of profit as we, the Christians, “sanitize” secular products for our own benefit. Now, whether all this is healthy or not is a topic that can be debated for days upon days. (And I am not volunteering to moderate such a discussion!) But consider this: if the only thing the lost world ever observed was our products and buzzwords instead of our authenticity and grace, if they were only exposed to the commercialization of religion but never introduced to the person of Jesus, the result might well be . . . a pagan’s nightmare.

May God grant us the grace to laugh at ourselves.

Looks interesting. Not my genre but thought-provoking nonetheless.

Film & Theology, Leadership, Ministry, Theology

2007: The Year of William Wilburforce

I am making a bold prediction here. Over the last few weeks I have heard the name William Wilberforce over and over and over. 2007 is going to be his year. And with good reason.

Wilberforce was a member of British parliment near the end of the 18th century. In 1784, a great change occured in his life. He became a Christian.

This great change influenced the way he lived and lit a new fire in his belly. Wilberforce set out to abolish slavery in all of the British Empire. It became his all consuming passion. He dedicated the rest of his life to this end. Friends were lost and enemies were made but he never gave up. For 34 years, he continued to push for an end to the “horrors of the slave trade.”

One month after he passed away, Parliment passed the Slavery Abolition Act, freeing all slaves within the Brish empire.

One man. One Faith. One Pursuit. Millions of lives changed.

Wlden Media will release Amazing Grace: The William Wilberforce Story next Spring. I hope you all get to see it.

In conjuction with the movie, you can sign an online petition that has as its aim to abolish slavery world wide. Click over there and sign it or download it and pass it around to those around you.

I wish that there were a few canidates out there that had these kinds of ideas. I would gladly vote for any man or woman that stood for something like justice and truth instead of just a donkey or an elephant.

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Books, Ministry, Religion, Resources, Review, The Word, Theology

New Testament and the People of God 1

Even though we haven’t We have now officially kicked off the group read. I have completed the first chapter of Wright’s The New Testament and the People of God and, as expected, was blown away. Just a hint of the gold that I have been busy mining:

The New Testament has not been around as long as the land of Israel, but in other ways there are remarkable parallels. It is a small book, smaller than anybody else’s holy book, small enough to be read through in a day or two. But it has had an importance belied by its slim appearance. It has again and again been a battleground for warring armies. Sometimes they have come to plunder its treasures for their own use, or to annex bits of its territory as part of a larger empire in need of a few extra strategic mountains, especially holy ones. Sometimes they have come to fight their private battles of neutral territory, finding in the debates about a book or a passage a convenient place to stage a war which is really between two world views or philosophies, themselves comparatively unrelated to the New Testament and its concerns. There are many places whose fragile beauty has been trampled by heavy-footed exegetes in search of a Greek root, a quick sermon, or a political slogan. And yet it has remained a powerful and evocative book, full of delicacy and majesty, tears and laughter. This book is a book of wisdom for all peoples, but we have made it a den of scholarship, or of a narrow, hard and exclusive piety. (3-4)
What ought to be done with this strange and powerful little book? A volume of Shakespeare may be used to prop up a table leg, or it may be used as the basis for a philosophical theory. It is not difficult, though, to see that using it as the foundation for dramatic productions of the plays themselves carries more authenticity than either of these. There is a general appropriateness about using Shakespeare as a basis of plays, which justifies itself without much more argument. (5-6)

The New Testament, I suggest, must be read so as to be understood, read within appropriate contexts, within an acoustic which will allow its full overtones to be heard. It must be read with as little distortion as possible, and with as much sensitivity as possible to its different levels of meaning. It must be read so that the stories, and the Story, which it tells can be heard as stories, not as rambling ways of declaring unstoried ‘ideas.’ It must not be read with the assumption that we already know what it is going to say, and without the arrogance that assumes ‘we’- whichever group that might be- already have ancestral rights over this or that passage, book, or writer. And for full appropriateness, it must be read in such a way as to set in motion the drama which it suggests. (6)

I felt that the first quote was escpecially pionant due to the recent turmoil that has erupted in and around the country of Israel over the recent weeks. Too often our arguing and debates over scripture turns to war almost as quickly as the real thing. Casualties take their toll on both sides of such conflict and leave those still left in the battle with a bitter taste in our mouths. We were not born to kill, it is something that we learn.

Again, I have been amazed at Wright’s ability to write ith both lofty, eloquant, doctarial prose and then everyday, run of the mill conversation. Brilliant.

I can’t wait to acctually begin sharing with the group. hear what others have to say. We have to have the first five chapters read by the end of the month so keep looking for my thoughts and reactions. Great stuff!!!

Ministry, The Word, Theology

Late Night Revelation (Replay)

I posted this back in March under the title The Practical Theology of the Waffle House. Since that time I have revisited it, cleaned it up, and added a few things here and there. I chose to publish this version in the August newsletter for my church.

We are soon headed into Fall which means only one thing here in Texas.

Football.

I sketched this story out on the back of the placemat after a football game last season. My dad is a coach so we went to the Waffle House near his school after the game and I’ve never been the same.

As the season begins, I know that there will be a few late nights and similar opportunities. Just as I was not content with the way this article read back in March I am not content with with reacting the way I did back in October. I am ready to share my plate, my life, and my Jesus with people who are nothing like me. Maybe you are too.

Thanks for letting me get away with replaying this so soon. Here’s to a new season.

It was probably only the second time that I had ever stepped foot
inside one of these restaurants. The air was smokey. To say that the
cliental was shady would be an understatement. I made my way over to
the booth in the corner careful not to touch anything. As I looked
over the menu, I was less than thrilled with the choices. I wasn’t
hungry for any of the items listed but I was with my parents so I felt
that I should at least eat something here instead of walking to the
fast food establishment next door. I ended up ordering a simple
hamburger. After I ordered, I began to glance around the building
looking at the other people there.

I saw an older man sitting at the counter. His face was beaten and
weathered by the elements. He looked homeless. I didn’t see him eat
but I watched him as he drank his coffee. After a cup or two he
lowered his head and walked out into the cold night. As he left, two
young women walked in. The had just come from a high school sporting
event. Their sweat shirts sported the the mother of all swear words in
bright, bold white letters. As they cozied into the booth behind me
all eyes were on them. Whispers became audible insults. The girls just
laughed and went on about their night. Some high schoolers came in
looking for something to eat. They sat down at the counter where the
old man had sat. These people were so different from me.

The more and more I watched them the more convinced I became of the
new belief stirring in my heart. This belief is a simple and radical
idea. It doesn’t sit comfortably with me because it demands a
response. A response to the world and to the people sitting around me
that night.

Jesus would have eaten at the Waffle House.

He would have. There is no doubt in my mind. Jesus was the kind of
Savior that would have cozied up to the counter and had some
hash-browns covered and smothered with some guy who was at the end of
his rope. Jesus would have eaten with him, covered the bill, and
changed the man’s life. Maybe it would be with the touch of his hand
or maybe it would have been with just a look or Jesus might have even
spoken a word of encouragement or discipline to the man but the
message would have been clear.

“I am your Savior. I traveled across the universe to be with you. I
know who you are. I know your name. I know where you’ve been. I know
where your going. I want you to abandon your plans and join up with
me. I’ve done all the hard work. All you have to do is say yes.”

Yeah, Jesus would have eaten at the Waffle House.

Matthew 9:10-13 says this:

That night Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to be his dinner
guests, along with his fellow tax collectors and many other notorious
sinners. The Pharisees were indignant. “Why does your teacher eat with
such scum?” they asked his disciples.

When he heard this, Jesus replied, “Healthy people don’t need a
doctor—sick people do.”  Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning
of this Scripture: ‘I want you to be merciful; I don’t want your
sacrifices.’ For I have come to call sinners, not those who think they
are already good enough.”

As followers of this Savior what does that say about where we should
eat and who we should eat with? Think about that the when you eat at
the House or the next time your sitting in the booth at Chicken
Express or whenever you grab a slice of Sbarro in the food court.
Somebody there could benefit from you sharing not only your plate but
your faith as well.

Faith in Action, Ministry, Theology

A Change of Perspective

Dill: I think I’ll be a clown when I get grown. Yes sir, a clown. There ain’t one thing in this world I can do about folks except laugh, so I’m gonna join the circus and laugh my head off.
Jem: You got it backwards, Dill. Clowns are sad; it’s folks that laugh at them.
Dill: Well I’m gonna be a new kinda clown. I’m gonna stand in the middle of the ring and laugh at folks.

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird has had a profound influence on me since the first time that I read it. I remember wanting to be as good of a man as Atticus Finch was: A man who stood up for those who are forced to sit down. However, I often find myself more like Dill, throwing my hands up in the air and making a cynical comment about life.

As I have prepared to move I have been thinking about the pain and frustrations, joys and triumphs, great people and the not-so great, patterns of conflicts, organizational habits and overal ministry ethos that I have experienced in my first full time ministry. What am I going to take with me to Texas?

No doubt I will take the memories of the students who have shared their lives with me but what else will make that 10hr journey?

I Corinthians 9:24-27
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

In the long marathon that is ministry the wisdom, resolve, discernment, and courage of someone like Atticus Finch will keep you in the race. Dill’s cynasism in a recipe for burnout.

Firm on the Rock, Ministry, Religion, Theology

Latte, Bees, Life, and the Gospel

Akeelah and the Bee is the inspirational story, co-presented by Lionsgate Films, 2929 Entertainment and Starbucks Entertainment, of a precocious eleven-year-old girl with a gift for spelling. Despite objections from her mother, Akeelah enters various spelling contests, for which she is tutored by the forthright Dr. Larabee (Laurence Fishburne) and the proud residents of her neighborhood. Akeelah’s aptitude wins her a spot in the national spelling bee, and her determination instills all those who help her with a sense of neighborhood pride as they witness the courage and inspiration of one amazing little girl.

Did you catch that? This new movie is co-produced by, of all companies, Starbucks. While this might come as a quirky fact to many of you, it doesn’t surprise me in the least.

As I sit here at my desk typing this, the radio in my office is tuned to the satilite station XM 75: Hear Music. The mood in my office is always rich and smooth, just like a certain hot beverage. The soothing voice of the on-air personality wispers, “The sound of Starbucks” as the latest David Grey tune gently begins and I feel like I’m right there at the coffee shop- sans the sounds of coffee grinders and foaming milk, of course. Then, when I hear a new artist or a great new song, I can just pick it up at the register the next time I’m ordering a tall White Chocolate Mocha.

The bottom line for Starbucks is that it is first and foremost selling coffee but they are more interested in selling a lifestyle of laid back, hipster cool. And guess what? It works. It works because it seems to be a natural occurance. Starbucks isn’t trying hard to force you into buying their coffee and then thrusting the lifestyle on you. It happens almost organically.

You walk in to buy a cup of joe. The atmosphere is warm and inviting. The cashier asks for your name and scribbles it on to your cup. While you wait for your Carmel Machiatto you peruse the CDs, mugs, coasters, and brewing machines. You walk out with your drink, a tumbler with “Starry Night”, and that ultra-cool Sam Cooke compilation. You climb into your SUV and flip the channel to 75. Tracy Chapman sings to you as you travel to work where you can buy a cold frapachino from the vending machine near your cubicle. That night you head out to go see the latest flick with your favorite actor, Larry “Cowboy Curtis” Fishburn. On the way home you pop that Sam Cooke compilation in the dash and smile. What a day.

Starbucks not only sells Coffee but Music, Movies, and Mood. Starbucks is branded as a lifestyle more than a beverage. And that got me thinking…

Part 2: Salvation and Lifestyle Are Not Mutually Exclusive

Books, Theology

It’s No Secret At All

“I think that Jesus would have been political.”

Eight small words uttered by a college freshman struggeling to articulate his new reality. What my friend was trying to say was that he is now begining to understand, after growing up in a Christian home and attending a Christian school for all his life, that Jesus Christ would have cause a huge problem for politics, cultural and national identity, social structures, and the status quo. As he spoke, all I could do was smile because I knew that I was witnessing this young man owning his faith. Up until this point in his life he had lived the faith of others- parents, ministers, teachers. Like Jacob, he is wrestling. I began this wrestling match around the same time and have continued through this day. I hope I never stop. I pray thet neither does he.

If Jesus Christ really did come to this world as a messenger of hope and forgiveness and true life found through Him then his words and actions should redefine the way we live our lives.

Christ gave us a new paradigm. Why do we insist on still using the world’s busted one?

Over the weekend I began reading the much anticipated new book by Brian McLaren, The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth that Could Change Everything. McLaren addresses this wrestling match head on. Much of what he writes is simply a rehashing of points I’ve read before in Wright and Yoder but with McLaren the information is accessible to all. No advance degree is needed for reading this former English professor’s thoughts on first century Judaism and the impact of our Savior.

Here are a few exerpts to whet your appetite:

What if many have carried on a religion that faithfully celebrates Jesus in ritual and art, teaches about Jesus is sermons and books, sings about Jesus in songs and hymns, and theorizes about Jesus is seminaries and classrooms… but somewhere along the way missed rich and radical traesures hidden in the essential message of Jesus?

What if his secret message had practical implications for such issues as how you live your daily life, how you earn and spend money, how you treat people of other races and religions, and how the nations of the world conduct their foreign policy? What is his message directly or indirectly addressed issues like advertising, environmentalism, terrorism, econmics, sexuality, marriage, parenting, the quest for happiness and peace, and racial reconciliation?

If the Christian religion “misunderestimates” the message of Jesus and his message- if it doesn’t know or believe the truth about Jesus and his message- the whole world will suffer from Christian ignorance, confusion, or delusion. But if it discovers, understands, believes, and lives Jesus’ message- if it becomes increasingly faithful to the reality of what Jesus taught in word and example- then everyone could benefit: Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, agnostics, atheists, everyone.

I don’t want to spoil the ending, but I’ll let you in on this: the further I go on this search, the more inspired, moved, challenged, shocked, and motivated I become about the secret message of Jesus.

I’ve become convinced that if the good news of Jesus were carried in a newspaper today, it wouldn’t be hidden in the religion section (although it would no doubt cause a ruckus there). It would be a major story in every section…

… this much is clear: the carpenter’s son from Galilee challenges every existing political movement (Essene, Pharisee, Zealot, Herodian) to a radical rethinking and dares everyone to imagine and consider his revolutionary alternative.

There you go. Just a few snippets so that you can see where McLaren is going. He isn’t speaking of some gnostic secret message of Jesus that will lead to transcendence. No, he is simply asking us to re-evaluate the message of Jesus Christ- take off the layers of theological gunk that 2000 years of war, power struggles, and history have added to this radical message stripping it of the power that it once had- and see it with new eyes and a renewed heart. Let this powerful message effect you whole life and impact those around you.

Theology

Whoa…

Excuse me… Um. We ordered the large Jesus statue for our building.

The Beatles can step aside thanks to the 62-foot, $250,000 Jesus statue erected by the Solid Rock Church of Monroe, Ohio. The sculpture towers over the church and nearby interstate 75, serving as a “beacon of hope and salvation.”

“We’re living in a day when a lot of people feel hopeless, but we believe that when people see him, they will understand he is the hope for the world,” said Darlene Bishop, wife of pastor Lawrence Bishop and originator of the idea.

There is also some debate as to the biggest Jesus ever status as Eureka Springs, Ark. claims to have a 67-foot Jesus.

For $250,000 I wonder how much “hope and salvation” could have been offered to people in the form of food and shelter? Our evangelism tactics are messed up.

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Faith in Action, Popular Culture, Theology

School Choice and the 1st Century

1 Comment

Very interesting article over at Out of Ur, the blog for Leadership Journal. I am a product of Christian education. I went to a private k-12 school as a kid, I graduated from a private 4 year college, and, for now, I work for a private k-12 school. It a real “circle of life” I guess. There are pros and cons of this kind of environment and I know that where I choose to send my kids has a lot to say about my theology and perspective on the world around me. I don’t have any children yet but the reality of where to send them when they reach school age is always on my mind.

The article Really Old School: What 1st Century Judaism Says About the Public/Private/Home School Dilemma looks at the four Jewish beleif systems that were vying for dominance in the first century: the Essenes, the Sadducees, the Zealots, and the Pharisees. The author compares these faith communities with modern day school choices: Homeschool, Public, and Private education.

Very good thoughts but sadly little follow through. It is worth the read though.

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