cgsayler

Ecclesiology corresponds to Christology

2010-10-08T08:24:00.000-07:00

I'm reading through a commentary on the book of Revelation, and I ran across a line that made me stop and think:

Ecclesiology corresponds to Christology; the meaning of discipleship corresponds to one's idea of Christ.

Think about it - if we are to imitate Christ, to become like Christ, then our understanding of Jesus directly affects how we live our lives and what it means to be a Christian.

Here's a bit of the context surrounding that quote (in a section starting "Christian existence is determined for John by sharing the ministry of Christ" under a discussion of Rev 1:5b-6):

John knows, and preserves, the Pauline tension between the "already" and "not yet" of Christian existence. This corresponds to the "already" and "not yet" of the coming of Christ. As in Judaism, the Christ is the one who is to come, and Revelation looks forward to this coming to establish the just reign of God on this earth (e.g., 19:6-16; 22:20). But Revelation and Christian faith not only look forward to the "not yet" but backward to the "already" of the coming of Christ. Despite all appearances [specifically to an oppressed late first-century Christian under Roman rule], the Christ has in fact come. The meaning of "Christ" must therefore be redefined in terms of who Jesus actually was - the one who gave his life for others. Despite all appearances, the royal messianic community already exists and represents the reign of God in this world. The meaning of this community also must be redefined as love for he world that suffers even to death. Ecclesiology corresponds to Christology; the meaning of discipleship corresponds to one's idea of Christ.

Both the "already" and the "not yet" could be misunderstood when taken alone. Taking the "not yet" in isolation could lead to a neglect of the principal conviction of the Christian faith, that the Christ has already come and that he meaning of "Christ" for Christians must be redefined in terms of who Jesus of Nazareth actually was. The danger inherent in this one-sided affirmation of the "not yet" can and does lead to thinking of the Christ yet to come as the warrior king who will establish God's kingdom with violence, rather than the suffering Man for Others, Jesus of Nazareth. John corrects this by repeatedly using the human name "Jesus" for the Christ and by portraying the Christ throughout as the slaughtered Lamb... The potential misunderstanding of the "already" of Christian existence had become a dangerous reality in some of John's opponents in the churches. Revelation corrects this by an emphasis on the future in many passages, including the prophetic words immediately following. Yet John does not allow abuse of realized eschatology to cause him to overreact and reject it entirely. The Christian life is not only a time of waiting; the songs and praises of Revelation show that the celebration has already begun. (1)

Immediately, in my too-often cynical mind, I thought of Joel Osteen and the "prosperity doctrine". I thought of our materialistic culture and churches that follow in line where being a Christian doesn't require anything of you - you can still have your nice home in Briargate or Gleneagle (or Hollywood or the OC), you can have your nice picket fence (and a pool if in CA), you get your 2.5 kids, you go shopping for stuff to help you keep up with the Joneses every week. Being a Christian is just a small part of who you are. You never have to suffer because you have enough money and feel like you have some control over your life and your destiny.

And I wonder two things - First, if this is what our discipleship in churches has led to, what is our image of Christ? Do we have only a "not yet" understanding of Christ, the one who will come in glory? Do we forget about the suffering Christ, the one who loved the world, who entered into its filth, and loved even unto death?

And second, could this possibly indicate that we lack discipleship period? Susan was telling me that NT Wright brings this up as a serious critique of the Church in Surprised by Hope. We have become so consumed with "going to the ends of the world" to save souls that we forget about the primary part of that passage - to make disciples (in the Greek, the "go into all the world" is almost more like "as you go" and the emphasis of what Jesus said as he left earth was "make disciples"). Maybe our churches are not discipling well (if at all).

Maybe Christology has nothing to do with it because maybe we have forgotten who Christ was (Jesus, the definitive revelation of God), and we do not let Christ seriously inform our Christianity and so our discipleship. Sometimes I feel like our churches have been more influenced by the Boardroom and business principles than Christ - the "command" to "go into all the world" has become an excuse to introduce marketing to churches (and I'm not just talking about the evangelical megachurches - I was briefly a marketing intern at a liberal church so I know it happens across the board). Our "Executive" pastors are in effect Chief Executive Officers (CEO's). We have "accounting" pastors (VP of Finance or CFO), "outreach" pastors (VP of Marketing?), etc. But shouldn't the gist be on making disciples rather than growing our church? Or is it really all about the money - the bigger the church, the more money we get? To turn that on its head, why not dig deep into making disciples, for a disciple is more self-sacrificing and will be more likely to actually give 10% rather than 1%?

What about Jesus, the human Christ, the one we are to imitate, who suffered, who reached out to the poor, the outcast, the oppressed, the poor? He crossed ethnic lines, gender lines, touched the unclean, talked with the prostitute. He spoke to the poor (who comprised the majority of his following), and his closest disciples were Galileans - not chic, cool aristocrats wearing the nicest clothes or people "in the know" with contacts, but rather fishermen and the like from a backwater area of a Israel, a small province in a corner of the Roman empire. Jesus fasted, he got away from the crowds and prayed, he associated with and so gave dignity to those who had no dignity. He healed their infirmity, and by doing so he allowed those who were sick and diseased to come back into society. And he broke social norms - he picked grain on the Sabbath, he touched the unclean. He responded to violence against him with nonviolence. He loved people so much that he allowed them to kill him, and in his death he brought forth a new way of life.

Then early Christians took his example and lived likewise - they were known as those who brought their money together to care for the sick, the poor, to aid the shipwrecked and buy gifts for orphans (from a document from Tertullian in the second century). In a society where the elderly were neglected and in which the poor elderly were left to die, they were known for giving dignity in death even to their poor, and they started the first retirement homes. They took in orphans. Christians were the ones who stayed in Rome during the epidemic and cared for those who were sick and dying while the rich and powerful fled Rome.

And they were revolutionary. Instead of calling out "Caesar is Lord" they said "Christ is Lord" - a slap in the face of Rome. They did not believe that the government was the solution to their problems, nor was a political party or geo-political revolution (like the Zealots) - it was Christ and Christ alone. For this they were persecuted - they were "unpatriotic" and did not serve the state as their utmost authority (therefore they were seditious and charged with treason). As such, they could not be ultimately controlled by the state - their highest authority was in Christ.

How does this understanding of Christ and the early church influence our churches today? Do we follow the example of the early church in following Christ and letting him shape us, or are we shaped and influenced by the populist Tea Party or populist Obama-mania? Do we give of ourselves to help the orphans and the poor or do we save up for our Cayenne or BMW, or maybe that new iPhone 4, and so give in to consumerism and matieralism? Do we reach out across ethnic lines and talk to those who are different, try to get into their shoes, or do we stick to our nice white (or black or latino) churches where everyone is of the same socio-economic/ethnic demographic and anathemize the "other"?

This is a call upon myself as to everyone else. When I ask these questions, I realize my own frequent failings and areas I need to work on. But maybe through the questioning I can become a better person and the Church can become more and more become the imitation of Christ.

Grace and Peace

(1) Boring, M. Eugene. Revelation. John Knox Press: Louisville (1989). Pages 78-79.

Engagement Story

2010-08-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post this so that I have access to it in the future when our wedding site is down. It's mostly from Susan's perspective. It happened July 5, 2010.

We were planning on getting engaged but I (Susan) had thought that it would have taken longer for the ring to arrive in the mail than it did. All day I was thinking, "Is he going to propose? Nah! He doesn't have the ring yet."

We drove around that afternoon looking at venues for our wedding reception. Christopher had placed a CD that I had put together for him of songs that reminded me of us. As we drove around we sang at the top of our lungs to each song.

For dinner we went up to Cascade, CO to the restaurant Wines of Colorado. When I (Susan) used to work in Green Mountain Falls, I would drive by this restaurant everyday and think that I wanted to go there someday with Christopher. Wines of Colorado has a very romantic yet comfortable atmosphere. The back porch is set beside a small creek in a wooded area. We ate messy but delicious burgers and talked beside the babbling brook.

Next, we drove down the canyon to Manitou Springs and a yerba mate tea shop named The Mate Factor where we had gone on our first date. As we sipped tasty Lime and Peach Mates we sat at the very same table we had that fateful day a year and a half ago and reminisced about when we had first started dating.

After the Mate Factor, we went for a hike at Garden of the Gods Park. As we came to the top of a hill with a great view, Christopher suggested that we veer off the trail a bit. We came upon a small bench and I said gullibly out loud, "Oh, someone brought a couch up here!" As we walked a little further I noticed that in front of the bench were photos of us, books we had read or discussed together, champagne glasses, and some souvenirs from Burundi, Africa, all items that represented who we are as a couple. It was then that I realized that he was probably going to propose but I still was thinking in the back of my mind, "What is he doing? He doesn't have the ring yet!" He opened the champagne and we poured two glasses. Then Christopher began to serenade me with his guitar. He sung me a song by AJ Rafael (I Just Want You) and transitioned it into the end of Taylor Swift's 'Love Story.' He had changed the words to "Marry me, Susan. You'll never have to be alone. I love you and that's all I really know. I talked to your dad go pick out a white dress. It's a love story, baby, just say yes!"

Christopher told me he had a gift for me and motioned for me to open the present beside the champagne glasses. Christopher bought me a charm bracelet a year ago and has been adding charms to it for special occasions since then. The gift he bought me was a charm with a ring on it. He then put down his guitar and pulled out a ring box and knelt down on one knee and proposed. I was so shock that he had the ring that I was just staring at it and surprised that this was happening that I was left speechless. He told me to put the ring on and I did. He asked me to marry him again and I said...Yes!

Religion as a factor in development in Asia versus Africa

2010-05-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

I would like to suggest in this blog that religion played at least a partial role in why Asia has developed significantly in the last 100 years while Africa has not (if anything, much of sub-Saharan Africa has gone backwards in the last 30-50 years). I don't believe this is a discussion ender as to why Africa is behind, but maybe it plays a part. This post reflects my thinking through this idea rather than a well-formed thesis. I haven't studied any of this, so this is based on my perceptions. Also, I love Africa, and I have many close friends in Burundi, but Asia as a whole is more developed, and I often ask why.

Look at Asia and then look at Africa. Two continents, both with massive infusion of aid from Western nations since WWII, both with booming populations, and yet for some reason Asia has become a world player in economics, trade, finance, politics, etc, while Africa has few countries that can claim to be a leader in (or have much of any concept of) any of these areas. Why? I propose that religion might have played a part.

Asia has a much stronger Muslim presence than Africa (particularly sub-Saharan Africa). I am not very familiar with most Eastern religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism [which technically isn't a religion per se], etc), but I believe they might contribute as well.

Islam places an emphasis on hygiene and self-development. To the first point, because of their higher hygiene standards, I wouldn't be surprised if Muslim nations have lower rates of infectious disease than most other nations in the world (again, I've done no research to prove this). And to the second point, Islam has historically had an emphasis on learning, education, and even tolerance. During the (early/middle) medieval period, the Muslim kingdoms were centers of learning. The Western renaissance, enlightenment, and preceding time of expanded intellectual exploration/scholasticism (starting in the 12th century-ish) was largely resultant from the Crusades and increased contact with the Muslim world in which the West was re-introduced to the ancient wisdom of the Greeks (which the Muslims had largely preserved) and the thinking of the Islamic scholars (who had huge advances in geometry, architecture, etc, while the West fell into the intellectual/scholastic "dark ages" following the collapse of Rome). I do not know Islam very well, but I would suppose that people are encouraged to be educated and to use their minds (I'm not talking about extremism here but rather mainline Islam). In addition, during the middle ages of Europe which were characterized by xenophobia and persecution of Jews, the Muslim kingdoms were quite tolerant - the movie "The Kingdom of Heaven" was rather accurate on that note. In the Holy Land under Muslim rule for example, Jews and Eastern Orthodox Christians (including Syriac Christians) lived side by side with Muslims without persecution.

Now moving to the Eastern religions... The caste system in India encourages certain people to be business leaders, which encourages business growth. This may have contributed to India's expansion in the global scene in the last century. Granted, this is not an airtight theory since Nepal is the world's only officially Hindu nation, and they are as bad as Burundi in terms of GDP/capita. As for the other religions, I would suggest that many of them believe in progressive existence, if you will, a sort of reincarnation where ones status in the cosmos can improve. Rather than being deterministic, they believe in progress.

The combination of these religious influences create rather progressive cultures in Asia (I realize I am using vast over-generalizations in referring to "Asia", so please forgive me for that).

In contrast, look at Africa. There is a very large Muslim population in northern Africa (80%+ of the population), and a significant presence in West Africa, but Central, East, and Southern Africa have much lower populations of Muslims. Christianity has a greater presence in those areas that Islam does not. Native animism is still prevalent and has a strong pull, with both Christianity and Islam often showing significant syncretism.

For the purpose of this post, I will look at sub-Saharan Africa and not address the influence of Islam.

First let's look at African animism. I am no expert, but what I know of animism is that it is rather deterministic. There is an overwhelming fear of the ancestors, and you must keep them happy at all costs. Part of this means keeping the traditions and doing things like they've always been done. There is a strong aversion to change.

And finally, we look at area I have the most expertise in: Christianity. The number of Christians in Africa started growing dramatically in the early 1900's, and the 1950's saw an increase in the rate of growth (see graph). This coincides with the rise in fundamentalism in America - read: dispensationalism. Dispensationalism holds to evacuation theology (rapture) and tends toward the belief that the physical conditions of the world don't matter and that the soul is of utmost importance (you, my 5 readers, are familiar with this). Pray a prayer and your soul is eternally safe in heaven's lock-box. Don't pay much attention to your physical condition - someday you'll fly away to heaven and this earth will be burned up. Hallelujah?

I wonder if this mentality hasn't played a part in why Africa has had a hard time keeping pace "physically" (economically, politically, etc) with the rest of the world. If the world is of no consequence, why bother with these pesky human concoctions? Just concern yourself with saving souls.

I'm not totally convinced of this, but maybe it played a role. The missionaries to Africa were probably rather dispensationalist themselves, and I'm sure they passed that along to their converts. There are a myriad of other reasons as to why Africa and Asia are in their respective states, but maybe this contributed.

Medieval Pietism and the Moravians

2010-01-20T12:23:00.000-08:00

I'm still working my way through Gustav Aulen's Christus Victor, reading a few pages every few months (I'm 100 pages in and it's taken me 2.5 years). Toward the end of his discussion of the Latin view of the Atonement as understood in the Middle Ages, Aulen addresses medieval Passion-mysticism, or the "religious phenomenon of Devotion to the Passion" (97). I find it fascinating, and its reach can be seen in churches like New Life Church in Colorado Springs today, so I wanted to discuss it a bit.

During the middle ages, the theological understanding of the atonement (the topic of Christus Victor) moved from the classical understanding (that of the victorious Christ who conquers evil) to the Latin view. The Latin view uses strong legal terminology to describe the atonement, and the emphasis moves from Christ-as-God offering himself in a deal with the devil to ransom mankind to Christ-as-man offering himself to appease a just God. The medieval understanding is that God is absolutely just, and in order to make atonement for sin, humanity must make amends, but only a perfect person could make a sacrifice to atone for sin (for most evangelicals, this is their only understanding of atonement, so this probably sounds familiar). Sin is very powerful, and God is too just to look past sin. Also, the power of the devil is diminished in the medieval mind, so the classical understanding of Christ doing a deal with the Satan to buy redemption of man is no longer considered.

Also during the Middle Ages, the phenomenon of Devotion to the Passion arises, and this was apparently quite an important movement. During this period, the empty cross of the triumphant Christ is replaced by the cross with the suffering Christ on it (the traditional Roman Catholic crucifix) as both "theology and piety agreed in concentrating their attention on the passion and death of Christ" (97). As Thomas a Kempis says in the Imitatio Christi, "The whole life of Christ was a cross and a martyrdom." Aulen continues, "The attitude of the Christian is to be meditatio et imitatio; to enter with loving compassion into the unspeakable sufferings of Christ, to follow in his steps, and so to be cleansed and united with the eternal Divine Love: per vulnera humanitatis ad intima divinitatis."

And this is where I think it gets really interesting - how this is reflected in the Moravians, and here I will let Aulen speak for himself.

It is, indeed, not surprising that an emotional mysticism of this type should appear side by side with the thoroughly rationalistic and juridical theory of the satisfaction of God's justice. Just in the same way the Pietism of Herrnhuth in the eighteenth century emerged in an age which could find no religious satisfaction in the same doctrine of the Atonement in its Protestant form, and produced the evangelical hymns of the Passion whose tone is closely similar to that of the medieval devotion. (98)

Aulen doesn't go as far as to say that Protestant Pietism is directly linked to the medieval Passion-mysticism, but I think the similarity is fascinating. Those who are familiar with theFurnace at New Life have all heard the stories of the Moravians giving their lives that "the Lamb that was slain [may] receive the reward for his suffering". Similar to the medieval mystics, there is an understanding that the Christian life is to be lived as a passion and enduring suffering as Christ endured suffering (in not-so-Catholic terms).

When I read this, I was blown away because it gave me a greater understanding of the Moravians (a group I've always respected) and theFurnace. Maybe this will help current and former Furnacites to better understand themselves and where this all came from. And I think it would be interesting to consider in a future post (which, knowing me, will probably never come) how the Latin view is necessary and correlates strongly with this sort of Pietism and what the implications are if we move back to a more classical approach. But that is for another time.

Wisdom versus Knowledge

2009-12-11T13:28:00.001-08:00

I just ran across a fascinating article that I'd love to hear anyone's opinion on. It's written from a business management perspective, but I think the ideas could be applied to Christianity as well.

Also, it assumes that reason alone is not enough, something that strongly echoes Jean-Francois Lyotard, an early postmodern philosopher.

Click here for the article.

On the afterlife. Or is that missing the point?

2009-12-06T09:37:00.000-08:00

And if a man has gone down even to Hades, and stands awestruck before the heroes who have descended thither, regarding them as gods, still he may see the fact of Christ's resurrection and His victory over death, and reason from it that, of all these, He alone is very Lord and God. (Chapter 45)

I ran across this passage in Athanasius's On the Incarnation, and it cause me to immediately respond and annotate my copy. It almost seems that in the time of Athanasius (300's AD), there was as of yet not a strongly defined theory about the afterlife. After death came Hades (or Sheol, the Hebrew equivalent), a place where all the dead went. There wasn't really heaven or hell in their conception. It wasn't about dieing so that you go to heaven to be with God.

No, instead I believe that the focus of so much of the early church wasn't on life after death but on the resurrection. It's about God redeeming and restoring all things - the entire cosmos being remade, the metanoia, if you will [1]. That is the resurrection - we don't come back as quasi spirits, but we will be resurrected as Christ was, in spirit and body.

N.T. Wright discusses the origins of the emphasis on heaven and hell in Simply Christian. He says that in medieval plays, the characters would end up on either one side of the stage or the other indicating a sort of heaven or hell. The focus was on which side you ended up on. An argument could also be made that neoplantism might have had a role in it as well.

Anyway, my point is just that the "afterlife" isn't a big part of early Christian thought. It wasn't about where you went when you died. It was about what will happen when you are resurrected.

And I believe this holds big implications for us today. Christianity is about the world here and now, the real world around us, for it is this world that will be remade in the same way that we are recreated in Christ.

I admit that this isn't a fully researched argument, but it does reflect my theology. That's my food for thought for the day.

[1] For those of you who've seen Ray Vanderlog's That the World May Know series, he says "if you will" all the time. It made me chuckle when I wrote that. I'd highly recommend checking out the video series for a GREAT historical perspective on Scripture. Also, metanoia refers to recreation; it's the word Paul uses to describe what happens you become a Christian when the old is gone and the new has come. John also uses metanoia but to describe the new heaven and new earth, which gives rise to the question of whether the earth will by materially destroyed or just transformed. (I'm not a Greek scholar, so feel free to correct me if you know more than I do.)

Thoughts on Homelessness

2009-10-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Sunday evening, a few of us from !Luke's Thing watched The Soloist. Stacia brought the movie up during our group earlier in the day, and we then spent a decent bit of time discussing homelessness.

In brief, the movie is about a journalist in LA who stumbles upon a homeless man who went to Julliard and wonders how such a brilliant man can fall into homelessness; in the process of writing a column about him, the journalist unintentionally befriends the man. (click the title above for a more detailed description)

A little less than a year ago, a few of us formed a group we called "SEAM", or Subversive Emergence At theMILL. The goal of that group was to help the homeless of Colorado Springs. We started by doing some research, reading articles on homelessness in the Springs, and seeing what resources are available. I admit, it wasn't a very thorough study (at least on my part), but we did learn a bit from it.

Then we started helping out with "Pizza in the Park", a ministry started by the Poole's, a New Life couple, that serves pizza to the homeless in Acacia Park downtown every Saturday. It was there that we were able to meet some of the homeless and talk to them a bit. I was trying to be more strategic and look at the big picture of how to help, so I wasn't bothered by actually trying to hear the stories of individual homeless.

After a couple months of doing that on and off, we kind of stopped going on Saturdays and our group morphed/merged into Luke's Thing (now !Luke's Thing). Some of us had concluded that the homeless were a bit hopeless, but not as hopeless as we initially thought. They were resourceful and seemed to have enough food. It seemed that many were content living on the streets; they would probably be willing to live in a warm apartment with plenty of food, but only if someone would also bring them free alcohol and/or drugs. Living on the streets allows them to skirt responsibility of a job and such.

But The Soloist made me rethink some of that. I realized that I had never spent time to develop relationships with any of the homeless. I might have spent a few minutes talking to someone, but that was about it - I wasn't interested in their stories but in how to help them.

But I think I was wrong in my approach. I wonder now if the only way to help them is to listen to their stories, to be their friend, to understand who they are and why they hurt, why they are on the streets today. It is only by knowing their stories that one can know how to help, or if help is even what is needed. Maybe just being a friend is help in itself; maybe that will give them initiative to get off the streets, but maybe they'll stay on the street, sleeping just west of I-25 and Cimmaron by Fountain creek and spending their days downtown panhandling. Maybe more than a "dollar for food" they need someone to talk to, someone to buy them a sandwich and then sit down and listen to them.

What if we revived SEAM but with a different strategy - rather than being strategic, be relational. I know, some who might read this would think, "DUH!!", but that type of thinking isn't most natural to me. Relationship is difficult and time consuming and has limited impact (one person at a time), whereas with strategy, you could start something that might help 20 people at a time. But maybe that isn't what's needed. What if we went downtown two by two some day, and each group found a homeless person and took that person out to lunch or dinner? What if we became regulars at Pizza in the Park and genuinely developed relationship with a few people, learning their stories and not just their faces? Maybe, just maybe, we could take this a step further than we've gone before. And maybe, just maybe, God might be brought glory through our actions.

Wisdom of Peter: Suffering

2009-10-26T10:15:00.000-07:00

In our small group on Sunday afternoons (known as !Luke's Thing), we've been discussing violence - how are we as Christians to respond to violence, is there justification for us to use violence, etc.

Meanwhile, I've kind of been reading through 1 Peter (slowly, a couple chapters a week). I was reading through chapters 3 and 4 today, it it hit me how much Peter had been talking about suffering. I started writing out some things that I remembered reading recently in Peter and then went back and looked through the chapter and found that nearly every section dealt with suffering, often suffering violence for doing good.

Here is a summary/paraphrase of what Peter says about suffering, and then I'd like to tie that back into our discussion on violence. All the following are out of 1 Peter.

2:13-17 -> Everyone, submit authority. This is a big theme for Peter, as most of the rest of the book ties back to the issue of submitting to different authorities
2:13-25 -> Slaves, be considerate and good to your masters, and endure unfair hardship and you will be commended by God
3:1-6 -> Wives, submit to husbands who may not be Christian so that they may be won over by your behavior
3:8-22 -> You're blessed when you suffer for doing good; also, don't repay evil with evil but with blessing/goodness
4:1-7 -> "He who has suffered in his body is done with sin" (4:1 NIV) because he no longer lives for evil human desires but for God
4:12-19 -> It's normal to suffer for being a Christian; rejoice in it
Also, in at least two places, self control is tied to suffering; Peter exhorts the Church to be self controlled so that they can bear through suffering (c.f. my last post in which I discussed Athanasius saying that Christians trained to be self controlled that they might faithfully endure suffering/death)

All this makes me wonder more if we are ever to respond violently to violence or if we are to endure violence in the same way that Jesus did: as a sheep led to the slaughter he didn't open his mouth.

Anyway, food for thought.

(forgive the typos - I should have proofed it better when I first posted)

Athanasius - On the Incarnation

2009-09-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

I've been reading On the Incarnation, a classic treatise by Athanasius of Alexandria (Egypt), a church father from the fourth century. The version I have has an introduction by CS Lewis in which he argues that everyone needs to great classics to gain perspective on the present world; he argues that most classics are very accessible. To today's reader, Athanasius isn't too bad, though the writing style is different and it's denser than popular works today.

Anyway, I ran across this passage earlier this week and really wanted to post it. It is a very powerful testimony to the resurrection and to how we are to live today. So here is some wisdom from Athanasius.

For that death is destroyed, and that the Cross has become the victory over it, and that it has no more power but is verily dead, this is no small proof, or rather an evident warrant, that it is despised by all Christ's disciples, and that they all take the aggressive against it and no longer fear it; but by the sign of the Cross and by faith in Christ tread it down as dead. 2. For of old, before the divine sojourn of the Saviour took place, even to the saints death was terrible , and all wept for the dead as though they perished. But now that the Saviour has raised His body, death is no longer terrible; for all who believe in Christ tread him under as nought, and choose rather to die than to deny their faith in Christ. For they verily know that when they die they are not destroyed, but actually [begin to] live, and become incorruptible through the Resurrection. 3. And that devil that once maliciously exulted in death, now that its pains were loosed, remained the only one truly dead. And a proof of this is, that before men believe Christ, they see in death an object of terror, and play the coward before him. But when they are gone over to Christ's faith and teaching, their contempt for death is so great that they even eagerly rush upon it, and become witnesses for the Resurrection the Saviour has accomplished against it. For while still tender in years they make haste to die, and not men only, but women also, exercise themselves by bodily discipline against it. So weak has he become, that even women who were formerly deceived by him, now mock at him as dead and paralyzed. 4. For as when a tyrant has been defeated by a real king, and bound hand and foot, then all that pass by laugh him to scorn, buffeting and reviling him, no longer fearing his fury and barbarity, because of the king who has conquered him; so also, death having been conquered and exposed by the Saviour on the Cross, and bound hand and foot, all they who are in Christ, as they pass by, trample on him, and witnessing to Christ scoff at death, jesting at him, and saying what has been written against him of old: O death , where is your victory? O grave, where is your sting. (section 27 of On the Incarnation)

Update in London

2009-06-18T06:17:00.000-07:00

I made it to London (via Toronto). Heathrow is a boring airport by yourself. And I couldn't find free WiFi anywhere! One of the highest volume airports in the world and no free WiFi! So I ended up paying 7 GBP for 3 hours (using the Cloud network... it was the cheapest for 3 hours). While that's way better than the kiosks (1GBP/10 minutes), I'm still irritated. A quick Google search shows that there should be free wifi in the SkyTeam lounge of terminal 4... wherever that might be.

Another major downside of Heathrow Terminal 4, the brand new terminal that's still being worked on - it has a serious lack of power points (electrical outlets) - like there are 3 places in the entire terminal that I've seen, and I've been scouring the seating areas. One of the outlets was sharing the outlet with a coke machine, one is for cell phone charging near gate 17 (the one I'm currently on), and one was in the prayer room.

Also, I was unable to check my luggage through from Denver to Burundi. So I got to London and had to pick up two 45 pound (20 kg) bags - my backpack with my stuff and an army duffel bag with clothes donations - and carry them around, along with my two carry-on bags - one which is full of laptops and is not light either. Some guy told me that I had to pick them up (they wouldn't lock them up if I "forgot" them), but he also said KLM could check them right away. So I went up to KLM in T4 at like 8am, got my boarding pass from the kiosk, but when I went to check them, they said they couldn't check them until 1:30pm! So I had 5 hours to kill outside the security checkpoint in Terminal 4... rubbish. Not only that, but I have 2 huge bags and 2 smaller bags on a trolley - not something you can just take with you wherever - like the bathroom. So I did some homework in a quiet corner near construction (noisy w/ construction, but I was the only passenger there and they didn't kick me out), then I went downstairs to arrivals and set up camp in a Starbucks with my cart full of bags (no wifi there either).

About an hour into that, I ran out of battery and really, really had to go to the bathroom, but again, I couldn't with all these bags. So I'm sitting there debating whether to ask some random person to watch my bags or wait another 3 hours to check in my bags - they keep having this announcement saying they'll destroy all unattended baggage, so I'm a bit paranoid. But I just had a coffee in addition to finishing off my nalgene, so I gotta go. I was trying to pick the person I wanted to ask - a younger person but someone who looks responsible, maybe someone married, preferably an approachable woman (I profile, I know), and I figured I should probably break the ice by commenting about them somehow, but I couldn't find anyone who it appeared it would be easy to build rapport with. And then some 30-ish guy and his wife and their newborn end up sitting next to me, and he has a good solid American accent (did I detect Coloradan?), his wife was wearing athletic shoes, and he has on a New Belgium brewery shirt on (brewed in Fort Collins, CO). So I started talking to him, and turns out he lived in the Springs for a while and now lives in London and is waiting for friends flying in from Minneapolis! We hit it off well, and he was all for watching my bags as I ran to the loo. Praise God, quite literally! That was just what I needed at that point!

I ended up checking my bags a bit after noon and now I'm in Terminal 4 with my expensive internet at the one of three power points in the terminal. until I leave in 2 hours to Amsterdam. They have these plasma TVs all over with news on, and they keep talking about gossip, rumors, and the MP scandal. As much as I dislike American news, I really can't stand British news!

Apparently I've been moved to a different flight into Burundi - I was supposed to get in at 8:30am tomorrow, but now I have a 6 hour layover in Nairobi, Kenya, so I'll arrive in Burundi at 1pm tomorrow.

Also, it's free for me to receive texts internationally, but it does cost me more to send them. Not sure if I'll have access in Burundi or not, but feel free to text me until then.

And finally, I have a photo album that I've been uploading pics as I go along on this trip. Nothing exciting on there yet, but maybe someday there will be!

Thomas à Kempis on Suffering

2009-06-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

I've been meditating on a passage from The Imitiation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis, a late medieval monk.

Aaron stern quoted one line of it in theMILL a few weeks

ago during his series on "Success". When I picked up

Imitation a day or two later, I noticed the passage that

Aaron quoted on the very next page.

Here is most of that chapter:

Jesus has many who love his heavenly kingdom, but few who bear his cross. He has many who desire consolation, but few who care for trial. He finds many to share his table, but few to take part in his fasting. All desire to be happy with him; few wish to suffer anything for him. Many follow him to the breaking of bread, but few to the drinking of the chalice of his passion. Many revere his miracles; few approach the shame of the cross. Many love him as long as they encounter no hardship; many praise and bless him as long as they receive some comfort from him. But if Jesus hides himself and leaves them for a while, they fall either into complaints or into deep dejection. Those, on the contrary, who love him for his own saek and not for any comfort of their own, bless him in all trial and anguish of heart as well as in the bliss ofconsolation. Even if he should never give them consolation, yet they would continue to praise him and wish always to give him thanks. What power there is in pure love for Jesus - Love that is free from all self-interest and self-love!

Do not those who always seek consolation deserve to be called mercenaries? Do not those who always think of their own profit and gain prove that they love themselves rather than Christ? Where can a man be found who desires to serve God for nothing? Rarely indeed is a man so spiritual as to strip himself of all things. And who shall find a man so truly poor in spirit as to be free from every creature? His value is like that of things brought from the most distant lands.

Book Two: The Eleventh Chapter

Aaron's series on Success has really been making me think. How much am I willing to suffer for Christ? Am I willing to suffer? Am I willing to follow Christ if it means doing menial jobs or if no one notices me? Just some thoughts that have been rolling around in my head. Maybe this can spark some brain things in you too.

blessings

Burundi Info Letter 09

2009-05-22T10:52:00.001-07:00

Dear friends and family,

I pray that all is well with you! After graduating in 2007 with my BA in Theology from Azusa Pacific University, I took a semester off and then started on my MBA at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs with a dual emphasis in Finance and International Business. I intend to graduate next May (2010). I also got a girlfriend at the beginning of the year, and she has been keeping me quite busy as well!

Over the last few years, I have been seeking God’s direction for my life. When studying theology, I had a strong missional pull. I realized that the missionary model that had been used by America for the last few hundred years to tell the world about redemption through Christ was no longer effective in much of the world. I discovered that using business was a much more effective means of getting into countries gaining an audience. So I decided to get my MBA.

Last summer, some friends and I went to Bujumbura, Burundi, on a scouting trip to figure out how we could partner with a local church there. During that trip, we fell in love with the people and made many friends. We also learned in an intimate way need in that country.

Burundi is arguably the world’s poorest nation – a nation of strife, genocide, poverty and despair. Many people have heard of the genocide in Rwanda. Burundi, just south of Rwanda, was in a vicious war before problems broke out in Rwanda (roughly 15 years ago), and peace has just come to the country in the last couple years. The war was crippling to the nation, leaving a trail of genocide, tribal tensions, and a decimated economy in the wake – the story of Rwanda is Burundi’s story as well. Today, Burundi is trying to rebuild from that past, and pastors like our friend Felicien Juma and churches like his are leading the charge. They are bringing reconciliation and working on behalf their congregants for a better life for their children.

And that is where we enter in. The need in Burundi is overwhelming – we have experienced it first hand. But there is hope. And there are practical ways that we in America can partner with the Burundian people to bring about tangible change in the world.

One major area that Felicien and his church need help is financially. However, they are not looking for handouts – we are working with them to develop sustainable businesses that will provide continual income. This summer, my team will be setting up an internet café in downtown Bujumbura. We will lend them money to get started then they will pay the loan back with the profits from the business, and after the loan is paid back, all the profits from the café will go to the church to support the ministries of the church. In the next couple years, the church is planning on building an orphanage, and the profits from the internet café will also support those orphans.

This summer, our team will also be leading a VBS for the children of the neighborhood; teaching English, business, and computer classes to the children and adults of the church; and going to Nyanza Lac, a remote village in Burundi close to the Tanzania border, where we will present the gospel and encourage the church. We also plan on distributing some food and clothes to the orphans and widows of the church as well as to a Pigmy village. I will be leaving on June 17^th, and the rest of the team will be leaving a few days later. We will be there for 3 weeks.

The purpose of this letter was to just inform you about my life and adventures lately, but if you feel the Spirit compelling you to support us, that would be most appreciated. If you can pray, please do – we are going into a spiritually dark nation. If you can financially support us, we can definitely use that as well – we are trusting God for financial provision since most of us are not financially able to cover all the expenses of the trip. If you would like to donate, please make your checks out to “Magnetic Ministries” (the ministry we are routing donations through this year) and send them to me and I will forward them Magnetic. Feel free to send checks even
after I have left for Burundi. Here is my address:

Christopher Sayler

7720 Midnight Rd

Falcon, CO 80831

For further information on our trip, check out the following websites we’ve created:

www.danforthdesigns.com/burundi

This is a video compilation from last year and gives a good feel for Burundi, our hosts, and our involvement.

teamburundi09.wikidot.com

This site gives more information about the trip. It also lists specific projects that you can support.

teamburundi09.blogspot.com

This is our team blog that will be updated before and during the trip. It will be especially interesting while we are in Burundi as we will update it nearly daily with our adventures.

Thank you for praying for me as I embark on this adventure.

May God bless you immensely as we partner to advance his Kingdom!

Christopher Sayler

(cgsayler@gmail.com | 719.659.4576)

P.S. We are also in need of people who would be interested in loaning money to us to set up the internet café. If you or someone you know might be interested in doing so, we could pay 5% straight interest on any money lent and the loan would be repaid within 2 years. Note that this is not for financial investment purposes – this is an investment in the Kingdom of God that will sustainably reduce poverty and support a church; however, it is high risk, so please don’t invest anything you can’t live without. The internet café needs about $4000 – because we are taking laptops with us and setting it up ourselves we are saving multiple thousands of dollars. Also, if you are interested in supporting a business for Rev. Felicien and his family, we would like to lend him about $10,000 to start a minibus business – that loan would be repaid in about 2 years as well. Thank you!

repetitive, loveless, cheap sex

2009-04-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

I've had a lot of ideas floating around in my head lately that I'd love to get into a blog sometime, and this is not one. I was just reading Galatians 5 in the Message, and this passage struck me because of its vivid imagery and how applicable it is to the world today. I fully understand that it is Peterson's interpretation of Paul (not a direct translation from the original Greek), but the way he was able to make it apply to the world today is powerful.

^19-21It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.
This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.
^22-23But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
^23-24Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.
^25-26Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.

Paul was specifically addressing legalism and those who infiltrated the church in Galatia saying that these new non-Jewish followers of Christ had to follow the old Jewish customs and laws. However, we can take the same words that Paul used to argue against those who came to destroy new-found freedom and apply them today to other systems and beliefs that come into our lives to destroy our freedom in Christ.

I could go off on a long post about this passage - every section has something powerful and important in it. However, most people don't read long posts, so instead, I'd love to hear any comments that you guys might have about the Message's translation of this passage.

What do you think about verses 19-21 regarding the way that is contrary to the life of the Spirit? What about verses 22-23, discussing the fruit of the Spirit? And what about this line: "We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original"? I'd love to hear your thoughts and applications of these verses. Thanks!

Life - good and crazy

2009-03-20T22:18:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted, let alone posted about my life, so I thought I'd put a short little ditty about my life for the past few months (and because I'm a narcissist and a bit prideful and desperately need more people to focus on me - but let's pretend I didn't say that). So for those of you I'm not in contact with weekly, here goes...

Definitely the biggest thing going on in my life lately is that I got a girlfriend! I'm going out with an absolutely incredible young woman named Susan, whom I care very deeply about (and I like her a lot too!). It's been a lot of fun going out with her. We've had our struggles, our highs and lows (which seem to come back to back), but overall it's been a great experience, and more specifically, it has been a wonderful learning experience (since, as you might know, I've never dated before). We make a great couple, and I'm really excited to see where this relationship will go!

In terms of school, I decided just before the beginning of the semester to take over a full load so as to knock the rest of my classes out faster and graduate in December. It has been and is going to be an intense year. I'm currently in International Finance (love the topic, very much dislike the class and professor - the worst prof I've ever had, hands down), Investments Analysis and Management, and Operations Management. Investments is online, and it's a decent bit of work - I didn't do much of anything in the class prior to the midterm a week ago, and then I started studying for it a few days in advance and spent the entirety of those days relearning statistics and trying to understand equations. All in all, I'm learning interesting stuff, but it's a lot of work and brain things going on.

I took a couple noteworthy trips to CA lately - to LA and SF. Right after Christmas, I traveled to LA with Susan and our friend Stacia (though at that time Susan and I weren't going out). It was kind of interesting in that my former roomies were all out of town, but they let me stay at their place, so I had the place to myself for the first couple days. It was great to see some of my old friends while I was there. If I didn't get to see you while I was there, I'm sorry! I had a very limited amount of time while there, so sorry if I missed you!

Then a couple weeks ago I went to San Francisco to an "International Career Fair", which was almost more like a conference than a career fair. I went to a few workshops/seminars that were very informative, so it was well worth it. And I was so happy to hang out with my good friend Sara and her bf Brian while I was there - and I'm eternally grateful to Brian for letting me crash at his place.

And that brings us to now. Midterms are over, so it's the final stretch for school, which will be fun as I try to raise my grades a bit (I spent a bit too much time with Susan and not enough time studying during the last couple months). And organizing a trip back to Burundi is in full swing as well. And I'm trying to start a not-for-profit along those lines too (since I started my MBA, I discovered that a "not-for-profit" is different from a "nonprofit" because technically, most airlines and most businesses in general right now are non-profit at the moment; their purpose is "for-profit" but they are currently operating without profit - thus "nonprofit"). I'm working on developing a microfinance system, so we'll see how that all goes.

I hope this post finds you in good health and living life to the fullest, bringing glory to God every day. Blessings.

Following

2009-02-07T10:38:00.001-08:00

Sorry, this isn't a theological blog. I just stumbled upon this nice little gadget called following that allows people to follow blogs easier. I know most of my readers are pretty tech savvy, so you probably have your RSS readers or your google homepage outfitted with feeds (my preference), but for those of you who do not have a good system for keeping up on blogs but are interested in doing so, this might be for you.

On the right sidebar is a gadget that says "Following", and if you click on "Follow this blog" it will add a little feed with my posts to your blogger dashboard (where it goes if you go to blogger.com and login). That way you can keep up on what I'm thinking about! Because everyone needs to know what I am thinking about... (because I don't have enough pride in my life as is...)

Do not resist an evildoer

2009-01-15T19:55:00.000-08:00

It just hit me recently that my friend Matt and I were talking about radical pacifism a week before the shootings in December '07. Maybe I'm wrong in my timing, but I think it was only about a week before the shooting when I was telling him about Christian pacifism and my own leanings in that direction. He asked me what I would do if I was married and someone came into my house with a gun to shoot my wife and kids.

And then New Life was shot up. Two girls died. Many more would have if it wasn't for Jean Assam physically using violence to resist violence. And I'm torn to this day over that issue.

I was reading an article by Greg Boyd on the Christus Victor view of the attonment, and it quoted Jesus in the sermon on the mount:

You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also… You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous (Mt 5: 38-39, 43-45).

Jesus could have called all the powers of the cosmos to save him from death at the hands of evil. But he didn't. Many Christians can get around this and justify violence by saying that he was destined to die and it was in the cards for him (ironic choice of words); God willed for Jesus to die.

But that doesn't seem to do justice to the setting. Does God desire evil for us all in the name of good? That doesn't seem right. But this radical "do not resist an evildoer" business... that seems a bit extreme. What if New Life had that position? Would the shooter have been shooting until the police came? Any way you look at it, violence would have been the final word in the matter (whether at the hands of New Life security or at the hands of "secular" police). And what about criminal justice in general? Doesn't that necessitate that Christians not enter the police force because police at times use violence to suppress further violence? And wouldn't a society based on non-violence be immediately swallowed up by a violent one that they couldn't resist?

There seem to be a lot of issues with non-violence and pacifism. But maybe the point isn't that it all makes sense but rather that we are to follow the example of Jesus and let God do the rest. If we die as a result, maybe our lives are to be an example of non-violence to others that through everyone becoming non-violent, we all may live better. We are to be faithful witnesses, not those who change the rules and say it is in God's name.

Feel free to weigh in with your own thougths on the issue. I don't have any answers. Just more questions. I feel in some ways compelled to live this radical nonviolence in the face of such violence around us, but at the same time I question logic of doing so (as my questions above indicate). Please tell me your thoughts.

Joy to the World

2008-12-25T20:49:00.000-08:00

I was going to extrapolate on a Christmas song every day for the last few days before Christmas, but I got busy and distracted. But I definitely wanted to do one more Christmas song: Joy to the World. In my opinion, this song has some of the best theology, and fortunately as well, it's one of the best known (and most ppl know all the verses). Instead of going into the lyrics myself, I'd like to just put the lyrics up here and let you meditate on them and let God reveal himself to you through the lyrics.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Comfort and Joy

2008-12-14T22:41:00.000-08:00

I'm really into Christmas songs. I like them a lot. So many have great theology (even if bad history). One that has been speaking to me this year has been God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (I'd suggest checking out the lyrics for the lesser known verses 3-5). I want to meditate on some lyrics in this song that are so powerful. I might do a few songs in this series, and the point is just to get all of us (me too) to think a bit more about the lyrics of these great songs and understand a bit more depth that is involved.

While the whole song is incredible and rich with imagery of the shepherds and the angels (and a great theme of the Christ who came to conquer Satan in verses 1 and 3), I want to focus here on the chorus:

O tidings of comfort and joy,
comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.

I've been thinking on and off about this chorus lately, but something just brought it to my mind in a new way the other day. I have a friend whose grandmother passed away this last week, and as I was praying for her and thinking about how tragic it is to have loved ones pass away, I was again brought back to this chorus: comfort and joy. And I thought of what those words must have meant to a Hebrew people in the first century...

Here was a people in captivity in their own land, under the oppressive rule of the Roman Empire. But they were a people of hope, a people who believed the Messiah would come to set things right. They were promised a future, but again they faced repression. They were given prophecies of a world set right, but they could see none of it.

I love the book of Isaiah, and I was drawn into it this morning, into the beginning of Second Isaiah, the messages of comfort where it says,

"Comfort, oh comfort my people,"
   says your God.
"Speak softly and tenderly to Jerusalem,
   but also make it very clear
That she has served her sentence,
   that her sin is taken care of—forgiven!
She's been punished enough and more than enough,
   and now it's over and done with."
Thunder in the desert!
   "Prepare for God's arrival!
Make the road straight and smooth,
   a highway fit for our God.
Fill in the valleys,
   level off the hills,
Smooth out the ruts,
   clear out the rocks.
Then God's bright glory will shine
   and everyone will see it.
   Yes. Just as God has said." (Isaiah 40:1-5 The Message)

This passage dates back even further, given to the people of God while in exile in Babylon. The Hebrews in Babylon were in mourning for their land had been taken from them. God seemed to abandon them. They were without hope. Psalm 137 sets the mood of the people very well:

By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down and wept,
When we remembered Zion.
Upon the willows in the midst of it
We hung our harps.
How can we sing the Lord's song
In a foreign land? (Ps 137:1,2,4 NIV)

But to these people, Isaiah breathes a word from the Lord: Comfort! Comfort my people! Take heart! Have hope! For things will be set right; one is coming who will make things right.

A few friends from APU and I get together on Sunday nights and celebrate Advent. Last week, Alexander mentioned how Advent parallels Lent, and you can feel that in the liturgy and songs of Advent: there is a sort of sorrow yet an excitement for new things are coming.

And I that is where I'll leave this post: with a sort of unsettledness but moving to resolution. We live in a world that is not right. In Advent, we remember that all the more. The world does need setting right. Loved ones die, there is poverty in Burundi, war in the Congo; there is not peace on earth. And at this moment in the church calendar, we are left with that. Into this world of pain and sorrow, God breathes a word of comfort. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. (Luke 2:11,14 NIV)

The Judgmental Church

2008-11-16T11:25:00.000-08:00

This morning I went to Sunday School at Woodmen Valley Chapel with my friend Rebecca. The topic of discussion was the third chapter of CS Lewis's Mere Christianity, which discusses Christian behavior. My table discussed a little bit of how Christians are perceived: judgmental, anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage. And we discussed a bit of how we should act.

And then someone at the table made a remark that shocked me because I resonated so much with it. She said that Christian behavior was part of the reason she hadn't been going to church for the past few years. She was a Christian, but she saw the actions of Christians as so not Christ-like, so she stopped going. And it hit me because that is quite possibly the main reason I have had such issue with Evangelical Christianity for the past few years.

I've been frustrated with people who claim to be Christian who are judgmental. I've been frustrated by those who in high school would go to youth group and church on Sunday morning (at least most of the time) but then would go out partying and getting drunk and sleeping around the rest of the week. It drives me crazy how we preach about reaching the lost, but when someone who is a social outcast comes to church… well, we didn't mean them! We want the cool kids, the business professionals, the community leaders, those who have it all together to be coming to Christ, not these losers.

And then I look at Jesus. When he walked the earth, he hung out with the social outcasts - the prostitutes, the sell-out tax collectors, socially reprehensible thieves, the unclean, the culturally and racially different Samaritans. (Charlie Hall led worship at theMILL last Friday and has this great song related to this called "Hookers and Robbers".)

I look at one of my friends from high school who was on the fringe of society. I took time to get to know her. Others rejected her. She was different, yes, but she was also gifted in ways that "normal" people weren't, and those "normal" Christians weren't willing to try to understand her. They stood in judgment without ever knowing her. They betrayed what Christ called us to do. I'm still her friend, and though we live a thousand miles away from each other now, we still stay in contact. Since the church rejected her, she has turned her back on the church. All she has seen is judgment from the church. And that hurts me.

It hurts me to see such blatant abuse of power. It hurts me to see a vulnerable young woman so rejected. In the years since I moved, she has had a hard life, and she is now a stripper. I look at her and see such talent with writing, but no one else saw that. I see where she is today, and it infuriates me what the church has done to her. She was so pure when I met her, but she was violated by the church, and her body followed soon after.

It is stories like hers that make me ashamed at times to call myself a Christian. That is part of the reason that I am so drawn to the emerging church - a church that does things different, or at least tries. But I also realize that we as Christians are a part of a history of Christianity. And so it frustrates me because I am caught in this continuum of wanting to abandon Christianity and just live like Jesus, and this desire to be true to the history of Christianity. And I see no resolution in sight. But I pray nonetheless for the Kingdom of God to come, and I pray that he would use me.

God who sets things right

2008-10-30T09:04:00.000-07:00

I ran across this passage the other night that I think is incredible...

But my salvation will last forever,
My setting-things-right will never be obsolete. (Isaiah 51:6, Message)

This concept of the God who sets things right is really central to my theology right now. Jesus came to set things right. And here in this passage, the salvation of God is equated with setting things right.

Second Isaiah (chapters 40-56) deals with comforting the people of God after the loss of all that they once knew - " 'Comfort, oh comfort my people,' says your God." (40:1) After a tumultous time, a time of the anger of God poured out on his people because they turned their backs on him, God brings a message of hope, a message of comfort. God is not the God who leaves his people abandoned, sitting in the dust without hope. Instead, he is the God of Hope - the God who sets things right. He is working to bring about a new creation - both in the cosmic realm and individually. He has come to bring life and re-create things to how they were originally intended to be.

It reminds me of a song by Lovelite (a worship band in LA that my friend Matt Castle plays in) called "Brand New":

You make everything brand new
With your power to undo
I am complete when I'm with you
I give myself away

I love the dual aspect of how this applies to us. First of all, God is setting everything right. He is setting us right and remaking us into his perfect creation. He is working on our stuff, our junk, and working it out of us.

At the same time, this making-all-things-new is a call to all of us. We are called to continue the work of Jesus - we are called his hands and feet. We are to advance the Kingdom of God by making things right. We are called to be the people who set things right. My good friend Luke just got back from a couple weeks in Uganda and Kenya, and he said that it restored his faith in the church. He saw pastors and churches giving selflessly out of the little they had to help those who had less. That is something I remember from Burundi as well - everyone was so selfless and sacrificial. But that isn't just something for the African churches. This is a call to us in America as well. We are called to be selfless. When was the last time you gave of yourself for someone who had less? When was the last time that I did?

Narrative pt III - Conclusion

2008-10-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

It's been over a month since I made may last post, so sorry about the delay. Life has been busy. But there was more than that. I realized that I got myself in a bit deeper than I intended. I have been struggling to figure out how to communicate my eschatology in a way that does justice to the culmination of all things, to the work of Christ, and, the most difficult part, what that means for us today. Here goes...

When we left the story in the last post, we had just discussed Christ's victory over evil. But we left on a rather sour note… There is still evil in the world. You know it, and so do I. There is genocide in Burundi and Rwanda, abject poverty in much of the world, famine and disease. What went wrong? Why wasn’t everything made suddenly right when Jesus conquered death?

In ancient Hebrew apocalyptic and prophetic writings, the Jewish people seemed to believe that when Messiah came, the world would enter into shalom - peace and prosperity. However, apparently there was another time period between the coming of the Messiah and shalom, and that is what we live in now. We live in a time of tension, of an "already but not yet" era. Through his death and resurrection, Christ did definitively destroy evil. It is done. But it has not fully been realized.

Think of a war in which there are two groups fighting, in this case one for good and one for evil. Now lets say the strategy of the evil army is suddenly compromised. Does the conquered group suddenly cease to exist? If they have no where to turn to, they will fight to the death even though there is no chance of victory. They will still try to convince their people that they are winning (think of the US invasion of Iraq when the Iraqi leaders were on TV saying that the US will fail - even while there are US tanks pulling into Baghdad in the background). Even after the tide has turned in the other direction in a definitive sense, there is still the mop-up stage.

In the early church, some theologians used this analogy: Humanity was held in hostage to the powers of evil. Christ broke into the bastion where humanity was held and led them out triumphant procession. Satan lost his hold on man, but he is still very much active trying to regain control. But he can't.

So we live in a time of "already but not yet". What does that mean for us? To answer that question, we must ask another - what is it that we're moving toward?

The story of Christianity says that we're moving toward a time when evil is finally and absolutely eradicated, a time when shalom is once again experienced. It will be a time of peace, a time when all is set right. It is a time when all who have died in faith will be raised up to new life. Biblical writers use very vivid imagery to describe this time. Look at the end of the book of Revelation. "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea" (21:1). There is a sort of parallel between the Genesis account of creation and what happens in the future. Gen 1:1 says that the Spirit of God hovered over the waters (which symbolize chaos), and here again we have the image of the seas, but now they are no more. There truly is peace.

"Then the angel showed me the river of water of life as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse" (Rev 22:1-3). This too shows an almost direct parallel to creation (Gen 2:8-10, 15).

It is almost like the first few chapters in Genesis move backwards. Genesis tells the story of creation, of a garden, of peace, and then a fall from peace because of sin. The Christian story reverses that and says that there is redemption from sin through Jesus, that through that we can again be at shalom.

"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying for pain, for the old order of things has passed away.' He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!'" (Rev. 21:3-5).

We live in a time in which this is not yet reality. But look at Rev 21:5. The creator God, the God of compassion and mercy, the God who is not up there looking for whom he might smite but instead is full of grace - the almighty, living, compassionate God of heaven and earth is making everything new. The verb refers to here and now; the cosmos is in the process of being made new. The "making" started with Jesus, but it continues with us. Jesus started this thing, and he empowered the Church to continue his work, the work of bringing shalom.

And that is the exciting part, the part that gives meaning and purpose to our lives. We are called to bring peace to all realms of life. We as humans find our truest calling when we are working to bring shalom to earth.

Narrative pt II - The Story Begins

2008-09-09T11:44:00.000-07:00

Again, here's some music that sets the mood -
Crush by Paul van Dyk

As I tell this story, think of it as just that - a story. Do not let your mind stray thinking about whether this is historically accurate; bracket that out of your mind for the moment and embrace the narrative. It has a mythic value that transcends historicity. (That's not to say that I think it is fictional necessarily; it's just not the point.)

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and void, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (Gen 1:1-2). In the ancient near east, creation stories involved the creator god creating order out of disorder. The waters were a sign of chaos - a force that no human could subdue.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth - he created order out of chaos, certainty out of confusion. He created light and sun and plants and animals; and at the pinnacle of creation, he creates humanity. This new creation is all good. He places the man and the woman in the center of this awesome new creation in a garden - a place teaming with life and vitality. Humanity is given the role of caretaker of this beautiful new world. Everything is at peace - shalom.

But something goes wrong. In the midst of this goodness and perfection, the man and the woman chose to act in defiance against the one who created them. They listened to the serpent, they obeyed evil, they ate the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil - and in so doing, they brought separation and estrangement between themselves and God.

As a result of this sin, the whole world fell under a curse - things are not as they were meant to be. There is estrangement between people, estrangement between humanity and God, estrangement between people and the earth, and we feel an estrangement and tension within ourselves - we ourselves are not whole. The world isn't right. Evil was allowed into the world. The forces of darkness were allowed to have their way in this world. Humanity became enslaved to evil. But that isn't how it was meant to be.

There was a battle that was raging between good and evil, and at this point, it appeared as though evil had won. Humanity was theirs.

But into this battle, into this story, God steps into this world. It is as if the director of the play acknowledged that things weren't going right, so he becomes an actor in the drama that is unfolding. While God had the power to destroy evil outright, he instead plays along with the story and becomes a part of it. The creator God becomes man - being born of the virgin Mary, he becomes a helpless child. The almighty God - a weak child! This is subversive in the face of a world which relies on physical might and strength.

This child grows into a man, and as a man, he teaches people to be different from the evil system that is around them - if a person strikes you on one cheek, turn to them the other also; don't retaliate! If someone insists on taking your outer coat, give to them your shirt as well! This is revolutionary and very subversive.

And then he lives it. The perfect and innocent God-man is betrayed. But he doesn't fight back. He is given a rigged trial, but he doesn't respond with polemics. Instead he offers himself as a sheep led to the slaughter. He is crucified - a shameful death only fitting of the worst of criminals. On that horrible Friday, he dies.

At this point, all evil rejoices for they have killed the Son of God. There is a party in Hell for evil has won! What a tragedy for all that is good and beautiful! And on that Saturday, it seems that all hope is lost. The one who was meant to bring about a new world order is instead trampled under foot by the old one.

But that isn't the end of it. For on the third day, Jesus, the Son of God, steps forward from the grave! He is alive! God resurrected Jesus from death! You see, Jesus, the man who never sinned, was subjected to evil and death. But the kingdom of evil had only been given power over those who were under the power of sin; Jesus was not under sin, and so evil had abused its power. The kingdom of evil did what should not have been done in killing Jesus. God was justified in raising Jesus back to life. And in that moment, Jesus triumphed over sin and death, over the powers and the kingdom of evil. The resurrection was like when the Romans conquered a people and then led their rulers away as humiliated prisoners - having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Colossians 2:15). It is because of that that Christians now can say, "Death has been swallowed up in victory!
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?" (I Corinthians 15:54-55)
This is the celebration of Easter - that evil has been conquered!

But there is still evil in the world. You know it, and so do I. There is genocide in Burundi and Rwanda, abject poverty in much of the world, famine and disease. What went wrong? Why wasn’t everything made suddenly right when Jesus conquered death?

In my next post, I will deal with the next part of this story - eschatology or the end, the consummation of all things. The end of this story is very exciting - it is the stage of this narrative that you and I live in now. And I think it gives meaning and purpose to our lives. So stay tuned for the next part of this narrative!

Narrative pt I - An Overview of Narrative Theology

2008-09-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

Here's some theme music to start things off with (a song that's been stuck in my head for a few days now) -
Beautiful Together by Oceanlab

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and void, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Gen 1:1-2)

Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden… In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden… The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (Gen 2:8-10, 15)

To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life." (Gen 3:17)

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. (Rom 8:22)

Then the angel showed me the river of water of life as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. (Rev 22:1-3)

In contrast with systematic theology's dry, often lifeless systems and developed explanations of how God works and how he relates to humanity and such, I have found narrative theology to be a more life-giving and vibrant way to look at theology. Often systematic theology pulls this verse out here to prove something about the atonement and that verse there to prove something about eschatology; this creates a totally new story line of how things are. It's almost Gnostic - we have found a way to reinterpret the hidden secrets of the Bible to see how things "really are".

Narrative theology, on the other hand, looks at the Bible as a narrative or a "metanarrative", if you will - a story that subsumes and, furthermore, consumes everything. It is cosmic in scope. It is a story of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation. Many studying the Bible in the last few centuries have argued that there is a "hermeneutical gap" between the Bible and today's world that must be bridged meaning that there is a massive difference between then and now and so we need to reinterpret the Bible in a way that makes sense today. But the narrative theologians (such as Hans Frei) instead argue that there is no gap - the world of the Bible and the world today are one and the same. It is very much like the Hebrews of the Old Testament - the Torah, writings, and the Prophets told their story: their past, their struggles, and their hopes. I think this is such a vibrant way for us to view Scripture today.

So in my next few posts, I hope to show my theology through the narrative of Scripture. The verses I listed at the beginning of this post give a bit of a taste of what it will look like - they give a brief sketch of the beginning and end, Genesis to Revelation, and the big picture of what this story looks like. This is the story in which you and I live. It is a story of good news, of hope, of a future, of the redemption of all things. Please join me as I tell this story, for it is your story and mine.

Some Thoughts on Narratives

2008-08-08T22:06:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about narratives lately. Everyone lives by narratives. We all have scripts that we've either constructed or bought into. There are personal narratives and metanarratives.

There are the scientists who believe a neo-Darwinian metanarrative about life being a cosmic accident and that there is no point to life. There are those who believe scripts about climbing the ladder of success and through the rat race becoming happy. There are the girls who believe a script that they are worthless and therefore find value in men. There are men who believe scripts about being superior to women and so find justification in objectifying and degrading women.

In a management/leadership class that I just finished this summer, we discussed conflict management. Dr. Sylvester's approach to conflict management appears to have been based on Ellis's ABC's of Counseling: "A" is an antecedent event, "B" is the belief about that event A, and "C" is the emotional consequence of that belief. Too often it is held that the cause of "C" is "A", whereas there is actually a "B" (the belief about A) that is in between. Change the B belief about A and then C changes.

Ellis's ABC's seem to relate very well to narratives. Everyone is faced with the same "A" world around us. But at the same time, we interpret everything; we do not hold value-free judgments about the objective world around us. And that is where "B" comes in - "B" involves the scripts and narratives that we use to make sense of the world.

Jean-Francois Lyotard wrote in his seminal work The Postmodern Condition (1979), "Simplifying to the extreme, I define postmodern as incredulity toward metanarratives." Many people have interpreted Lyotard as advocating individual narratives over metanarratives - in other words, there is no narrative that makes sense of everything (a metanarrative). Instead, all we have are these small narratives.

And isn't that were so many people get stuck? People get caught up in their individualistic lives, consumed with their own narratives that are so small in the grand scheme of things - but then again, they could argue that there is no grand scheme and that all we have are our individual narratives.

But is this true? Do people really believe deep down that there is no metanarrative? James K.A. Smith (philosopher at Calvin College) argues that the way Lyotard uses the term "metanarrative" is not with regard to over-arching stories that make sense of everything, but rather "metanarrative" for Lyotard refers only to modern stories that were supposed to explain everything (such as those developed by Hegel, Adam Smith, Marx, etc). From my experience, this seems to much more accurately reflect postmodern people.

When I was researching raves before getting into the scene, something I came across a few times was a gnostic narrative that seemed to underlie raving philosophy. Ravers that I have known don't necessarily believe in some well-defined "gnostic narrative", but the spirit of it is rather present. It's fascinating to see. (Specifically, this can be seen in Tiesto's visuals for his Elements tour last summer and in the design for rave fliers.) And I would use that as further proof that people really do want and maybe need narratives and metanarratives to make sense of the world.

This probably comes as no surprise since if you're reading this, you probably lean postmodern. But I think it does give greater legitimacy to the Emerging church's emphasis on narratives. Speaking of which, I'm going to go write a story.

Seduction by Experience

2008-07-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

This last Saturday night, I went to Global Dance Fest, a rave at Red Rocks amphitheater in Denver. It was incredible. But I began to wonder, what was it that made it such an unbelievable night? I think a large part of it was that it was an experience I will never forget.

Recently, I've been realizing some values of our culture and how they influences me. One such value is the value of pleasure above many others (such as sacrifice). Another related value of our culture is experience. We think it is of great value to have many experiences, a variety of experiences, because somehow by experiencing much , we become better people. But I would go a step further and say that it isn't so much that we become better people from it - that is, that experience is the means to the end of "better personhood" - but rather that experience is in itself an end worth pursuing. So how do I approach this value from a Christian perspective?

(The next three paragraphs are theological then the last four paragraphs deal specifically with raving, so feel free to skip ahead if you get bored by theology.)

In the early church (prior to Constantine), asceticism was valued by many groups, including Tertullian (one of my favorite theologians), many monastic orders, many Orthodox theologians and the Desert Fathers among others. They were very influenced by the Hellenistic, Platonic culture of the day, which, contrary to American culture of today, said that the denial of the flesh was to be highly valued, for by abusing the body, you purify it and purge the evil from it. Platonism said that the physical world was evil and the spiritual was good (this is oversimplifying Platonism, but it gives a feel for the line of thought). Thus, deny the physical to attain the spiritual. And Christianity was heavily influenced by this in the first few centuries AD.

This line of thought is still prominent in some branches of Christianity today, such as the Holiness movement, many Asian churches, and much of Pentecostalism. They emphasize denial of the flesh as in such acts as fasting and living a fasted life - a life of denial. I grew up in an atmosphere that valued this, though it was not the pinnacle of values for the churches I grew up in (prior to attending New Life and becoming acquainted with the Furnace and David Perkins, where fasting is central to life). I appreciate this type of lifestyle, and I am not one given to the desires of the flesh. I live a very moderate life. I fully admit the influence of the Holiness movement on me.

But let's look at this from another angle. Many in the emerging church take a different approach, one that I have heard before but which I have not fully appreciated until recently. They say that God created all things and that therefore all things are good. God delights in the beauty of creation. He rejoices when we enjoy that beauty. There is an aesthetic value thrown into this theological equation which destroys the nice systems of modernity - it is not quantitative, nor can it be explained by reason, science or an equation. It is beauty. And this line of thought says that we are to enjoy life because God delights when we are having fun and enjoying life. This can at times go too far and say that we should enjoy life at all costs, which I disagree with. I think there is an aspect of responsibility involved; what value is it if I enjoy tripping on really hard drugs only to destroy my body after a couple years. Then I am no longer able to enjoy the wonders of creation. When I talk about creation, I do not just mean nature, but I extend that to the entire created world. This includes photons and vibrations - light, color, sound, touch, etc. In other worlds, creation is that which we can experience.

So what do I make of all this? When I'm at raves, that is not the time that I practice strict asceticism. At the same time, I am not given over to every experience possible. I go to well-produced raves, ones which create an experience that draws the raver in. They use sound and light and visuals; there's dancing (I liquid dance) and the spiritual experience of being in one place with thousands of others who are experiencing much the same thing. This is an experience to behold.

But there is the potential to go further. One of the girls I was hanging out with at GDF last weekend was on acid, shrooms, two types of ecstasy, pot, tobacco, and alcohol. She was totally absorbed in the experience she was having. On the one hand, I would have liked to know what that experience was like, but the sacrifice that would have had to be made to do that is beyond what I will do (not to mention the horrors and pain of coming off of such a trip). And I really feel sorry for how she's going to be in a few years when the effects of all those drugs reek havoc on her body and mind. Most people at the rave were just rolling on ecstasy or on a bit of pot. For me, this is further than I want to go. You can have quite the mystical experience without such mind-altering drugs, but I'm sure the drugs would probably make it that much more enchanting.

Experience is quite seductive. The sirens of experience sing their songs trying to distract, entice, pull me further than I want to go so that I can have an experience beyond what I can imagine. But what is the price that must be paid?

Ultimately, I would say that the purpose of life is not to experience all that can be experienced, but rather to give glory to God. And that is where the questions need to lie - how does this bring glory to God?

Wisdom of John Mayer, part II

2008-07-14T23:05:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite John Mayer songs is "Love Song for No One" on his Room for Squares album. I've become more careful about who I tell this to because when I tell people the lyrics, they usually think it's really depressing and sad. And that is somewhat correct… after all, the times that it's running through my head most are when I've just ended what might have been the beginning of a relationship. But that's not the case now. Right now I'm single and OK with it - looking, but not desperately, and at the same time not jaded by any recent experiences. This song is upbeat and hopeful, while at the same time a bit nostalgic for what might have been. It does rather reflect my attitude right now, so I thought I'd share some lines:

Staying home alone on a Friday

Flat on the floor looking back

On old love, or lack thereof

After all the crushes are faded

And all my wishful thinking was wrong

I'm jaded, I hate it

I'm tired of being alone

So hurry up and get here

So tired of being alone

So hurry up and get here

Get here

Searching all my days just to find you

I'm not sure who I'm looking for

I'll know it when I see you

Until then, I'll hide in my bedroom

Staying up all night just to write

A love song for no one

I could have met you in a sandbox

I could have passed you on the sidewalk

Could I have missed my chance

And watched you walk away?

I'm tired of being alone

So hurry up and get here

I'm so tired of being alone

So hurry up and get here

I can understand Mayer's feelings, but something that kind of bugs me about this song is the line "Searching all my days just to find you." I think this is such a limiting view on life. If life boils down to finding "true love" and that satisfaction is found in a man or woman, we're in for problems. It's nice, but that's not the ultimate purpose of life. As a Christian, I believe that the ultimate purpose of life is to bring glory to God, but that's another topic for another time.

But don't all of us single folk feel like this song says sometimes? And I think that's alright.

Theological Worldview

2008-07-01T06:03:00.000-07:00

I just got back from my adventures in Burundi, London, and Grenoble (France) on Sunday night, but there's still too much fomenting in my mind that's not fully developed, so I can't write anything about my experiences. However, this trip has affected me (or afflicted me), if in nothing else than that it's early in the morning and I'm awake... damn jet lag. So I'll blog.

I was reading Luke's blog this morning about an online quiz that tells what your theological worldview is. Matt was telling me about it last night over coffee, so I decided to take it. Surprise, surprise... it said I'm emergent/postmodern. I've noticed that when I'm tired, I have a tendency to be more analytic, and because I'm so jet lagged (i.e. tired but awake), I want to take this post to deconstruct the quiz and point out a few things about it. First, here are my results:

You scored as a Emergent/Postmodern

You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this.

Emergent/Postmodern

86%

Neo orthodox

79%

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan

68%

Roman Catholic

61%

Classical Liberal

39%

Modern Liberal

36%

Reformed Evangelical

36%

Charismatic/Pentecostal

32%

Fundamentalist

25%

I do find it amusing that I rank lowest in Charismatic/Pentecostal and Fundamentalist; I grew up in that type of setting. Granted, my parents considered themselves quite liberal for the churches that they pastored and then attended, but it still was very influential in my rearing. I was surprised that Charismatic was so low, but whatever.

Ok, on to deconstruction of the statements that I had issue with (the quiz gave a statement and you responded on a scale of 1-5 of disagree or agree):

There were a number of questions that I thought were either loaded or not as simple as they seem. Take this for example: "We cannot understand God without looking first at humanity." The question is intended to see whether you have a theology from above or below. I generally have a theology from above, meaning I believe in external divine revelation that is of divine origin, not human origin. Liberals have a theology from below, meaning that theology is only developed out of human experience. But when you get into it, isn't all of our knowledge and understanding contextual to our setting? Even revelatory knowledge is revealed in a contextual way. Look at the dreams and visions throughout the Bible and into the early church (the Montanists, for example): they are infused with images from their cultural settings. In other words, God uses human experience and culture to illustrate his revelation. We can say that we need to get past the cultural aspects and distill the visions and dreams for their pure meaning that is objective and devoid of human experience. I disagree, and instead I would side with Derrida who claims that all we have is the text (you cannot look behind the text... all there is is the text). The Holy Spirit can and should illuminate what the text means to us, so in a way, I really agree with Derrida that meaning is only truly found in the interpretation (though I would add that the interpretation must be guided by the Spirit). And to pursue that line of thought further would really hurt my brain this early in the morning.

Next question... "There is little or no human element in the Bible, it is a divine book." This is a loaded question. Is it a divine book? Absolutely!!! I believe that the Bible is inspired by God. I don't have a full explanation as to how exactly this works, but I'm OK with that. Does the Bible have human elements? Absolutely!!! How else do we explain the difference in writing styles between Luke, John, Matthew, Mark and Paul? Why else would prophecy be so full of cultural analogies and so contextual to their cultural settings?

"The use of spiritual gifts in worship is central." I agree with this statement, but I define spiritual gifts (and worship) slightly different than Pentecostals and Charismatics. What I believe the comment was really getting at was, "Dramatic manifestations of the Spirit (including, but not limited to, speaking in tongues, prophecy, visions, miracles, etc) in a worship service is central." Pentecostals/Charismatics focus on tongues, prophecy, and other dramatic, extraordinary manifestations of the Spirit. I believe that the gifts of the Spirit still exist today. However, they are also easily abused. While I was in Africa, our team got into a big discussion one night over gifts of the Spirit and dramatic manifestations of the occult. One of the guys told me about this atheist/agnostic who went to a Pentecostal church and was rather impressed by the tongues and interpretation. But he wanted to test it. He was studying linguistics. He went to one of his professors who knew an obscure language and asked him to translate something for him. The professor translated the inflammatory statement (something very anti-Christian) into the obscure language. The guy went to the church again and gave this tongue to the church. Someone interpreted it saying that God loved the church and was wanting to bless the people and so on. Needless to say, the man never returned.

I don't say this to destroy anyone who is borderline about tongues. Fred Markert, a missionary and one of my heroes, has some incredible stories about tongues, including one in a small country north of Iran. He and a traveling companion were in this country to look into starting a YWAM base. They were approached by a local who spoke to them in a native tongue. Fred had never learned this language, but he felt prompted to respond to this guy, so he responded by speaking in tongues. The man took them to this building (Fred had no clue what was going on at the time) where someone was able to translate into English what was going on. The local said that Fred had told him that he wanted to buy this building (note, Fred told the local man in the local language that he wanted to do this while Fred was just speaking in tongues not knowing what he was saying). And I could go on with other stories, but I just wanted to share one to say that I do believe that the gifts can be legit.

Back to my original point about gifts... I define them outside the standard Charismatic definition. I would expand "gifts" from the dramatic manifestations of the Spirit to the general giftings that God has placed within us. I am gifted in academics and thought. I use my gifts as worship to God. Others are gifted in administration. Not too exciting, but necessary nonetheless. The central concept that must be understood regarding gifts is that they must be used in love (see the love chapter, 1 Cor 13, and the surrounding chapters which focus on gifts).

Now a quick note about worship. Too often we limit "worship" to singing in church. I'm assuming that is what the quiz wanted the reader to think. But that is such a limited view! Worship is all-encompassing! It is not limited to church on Sunday morning. It is the way I live my life, how I use my gifts. So I absolutely agree with the statement "The use of spiritual gifts in worship is central" for that is the purpose of spiritual gifts - to bring glory to God, and this itself is a very big concept that encompasses all of life.

And now for another statement: "Revival is what the church needs more than anything else." This kind of makes me laugh because the concept of revival is quite American.

"We must always seek to understand God through the person of Christ." This kind of confused me because it seems to imply that we can ONLY understand God through the person of Christ, but I believe we can come to a more full understanding of God through the Holy Spirit and through natural revelation. But couldn't you argue that the person of Christ is also present in the HS and in natural revelation?

"It is right to baptize infants." I have no issue with it. The theology behind it is pretty basic: we enter the church through baptism, so why not baptize kids when they're born so that they grow up in the church? There is also the belief that there is no salvation outside of the church, so you want to get kids into the church as soon as possible. Believer's baptism makes sense, and I agree with it too, but it seems rather existential, so I would not say that it is the ONLY right way to baptize.

" 'God says it. I believe it. That settles it.' " Yea, it sounds pretty Fundamentalist, but is it? My initial reaction was to click "disagree", but that wouldn't be fair. In my last post, I talked about how God told me to change my sermon at the last minute. I did. God said to. I believed and acted. That settled it. What's dangerous is when you become a literalist and do not think critically and reflectively about scripture. When a person takes something that was written 2000-3000 years ago and interprets it literally through a contemporary framework, then you run into issues. That's the "God says it. I believe it. That settles it." that I have issue with.

I suppose I've written enough, so I'll leave it at that. Blessings upon you all. May the Almighty God, the God of peace, reign in your life and all that you are.

Bujumbura and the great commission

2008-05-30T06:32:00.000-07:00

So we're in Burundi, and it's great. I'm loving it.

One thing I wanted to post was with regard to our church's view on the great commission (well, Acts 1 version). The verses say that the church is to be Jesus' witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. I've always understood that to mean that Jerusalem and Judea were very similar, Samaria is a bit further out, and the ends of the earth is the end. But here, they emphasize something a bit different, but something that is more accurate:

Jerusalem is our local city/community/neighborhood. Judea are those who are like you. Samaria are those who are not like you and may in fact be hated by you. And the ends of the earth is still the end.

The Samaria part is what hit me because it is very accurate. As Felicien (our contact, the pastor) put it, Samaria is like the pygmies - a people who have traditionally been maligned in this culture. Samaria might be the south end of Colorado Springs or the illegal immagrants living a couple miles away. It represents the poor and the disenfranchised, the ostracised and estranged - those who are rejected and outside of the system.

Anyway, that was my biggest theological revelation so far.

And Matt, for all my cynicism, God is still speaking. I had a brilliant sermon prepared and then I felt God was telling me to say something different last night. So I changed it and created a new sermon an hour before I spoke, and the church (or at least Felicien) was very encouraged and wanted me to speak on it again and go into more depth. (I spoke on using gifts in love for the strengthening of the church - 1 Cor 12-13.)

Enough for now.

Blessings and shalom

London

2008-05-21T07:47:00.000-07:00

We made it to London! And I have about 2 minutes until the computer I'm on is out of time. Check out our team blog for Skyler's post.
Blessings from London.

Off to Burundi!

2008-05-20T04:11:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been full of things that I would have loved to have blogged about but haven't had time to. The lack of time has been due to finishing up my first semester of grad school (and the major projects and finals associated with those classes) and working over half time at Sbux and finalizing stuff for Africa. The major events that I'd like to reflect on sometime were attending a seminar two weeks ago by Walter Brueggemann, liberal-leaning Old Testament Biblical scholar, and hearing a lecture at Focus on the Family by Dinesh D'Souza, politically conservative intellectual and recently a convert to Christianity and an intellectual apologist for that cause (that event was kind of odd because here I am, a little barista, and I'm surrounded by some of the most influential politically conservative Christians in America - it was also a bit awkward for that reason considering my views on such issues).

Friends, I am headed off to Africa in about 6 hours. We have a fun itinerary to get there that includes four freaking layovers (2 hours in Toronto, 14 hours in London, 3 hours in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and an hour in Kigali, Rwanda). We'll be in Burundi for a month, then we're stopping in France for a week on the way back (Jeremie, our team leader, is from France, so we'll be staying with his relatives).

I'm excited and exhausted. The last few days before were really busy as I finally went shopping, grabbed everything I need, and then packed this morning between 2-4am.

Please check out our team blog. The first guys have been in Burundi for 3 days, and they have a couple posts up, and I'm sure when Hoffman, Skyler and myself get there, we'll start posting too. Ummm... I think that's it.

Be blessed, and please pray for us. In the last couple days, we've made connections with World Relief in Burundi, which runs the most effective microfinance organization in Burundi, and we're planning on meeting with them on Friday. They seemed to indicate that they are interested in partnering with us, so pray for a unity of spirit between our team and their organization.

To him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Burundi and the West

2008-05-01T21:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I'll be leaving to Burundi in a little over 2 weeks. Check out a website I made for the trip. This semester has really flown by for me. Part of the reason is that I'm working about 30 hours a week in addition to attending grad school full time. This is in contrast with my last semester studying theology where I was studying full time and only working about 10 hours a week. Anyway, the point is that I've been busy, and it's just now hitting me that I'm headed out to a rather unstable African nation in about 2 weeks.

I got in a pretty big discussion with my dad the other day over the trip. He and my mom are concerned, and reasonably so. Our trip is not sponsored by any particular group, and no one in particular is charged with coming to our rescue in the event that there is a military coup or major tribal warfare that breaks out. In other words, we're on our own.

This made me reflect on the nature of mission, of our culture in the West, and how Christians live around the world. I've been thinking a lot about it over the last few days. I think back to the Moravian missionaries who would pack their belongings in caskets when they went on a mission abroad because they believed that they would die in the field with the people they went to minister to. In that day, the only one they could turn to for help was God. They weren't Americans with the biggest and greatest army ever assembled there to bail them out. When they left, it was them, the people they went to minister to, and God.

I also started thinking a thought that really disturbed me: many Christians around the world live their lives in the type of conditions that we're going to. I'm going to spend a month in the world's poorest nation. But the people there... they live it. Felicien, our contact, he lives in these conditions. His church, they're poor. Like really poor. They live with mortar fire and rebel groups attacking their cities. There is little security in their lives. What I will be living for a month is the only reality these people know. And that really bothers me.

So yea, this isn't like one of my normal theological rants. Just some reflections on my trip. The trip that's 2 weeks away with quite a bit to do in the meantime.

Jonah: salvation ≠ knowledge

2008-04-17T10:20:00.000-07:00

I've been reading through the minor prophets for the last month or two (I think I was inspired by one of Glenn Packiam's borderline-emergent sermons at theMILL). Today, I read Jonah.

Chapter 3 of Jonah struck me in a weird way. I think that often in our evangelical world, we feel that if someone is going to convert to Christianity that they have to have a certain base knowledge to convert - like they must accept that Jesus raised from the dead, that he is the son of God, that God is the creator and Lord of all things, that he is omniscient… the list seems to go on. Maybe it's just me, but I kind of get that impression from evangelicalism at large - that people must accept some absolute statements about how things are (truth with a capital T).

Now look at Jonah 3 (it's short - take a moment to read it). Jonah preaches to the city of Nineveh. This city is the capital of the Assyrian empire, and as such typifies extreme violence and ruthlessness of that empire (they were known for putting hooks through their captives tongues and cheeks when relocating people from one place to another). But look at what happens when Jonah preaches there: the people repent. They put on sackcloth and declared a fast, everyone from the servants and cattle to the king and his nobles. The king issued a decree in which he said, "Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish." Immediately following, the text says that God saw what they did and had compassion and did not bring about the destruction he had planned.

Let me ask you, was it out of knowledge that the people responded to God? Did they accept certain absolute truths? Did Jonah hear them repeating the Shemah in the streets (Deut 6:4, the central prayer to the Jewish faith)? Did they accept that this God was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the creator God, the God of earth and sea, the One who led the people of Israel out of Egypt? These were propositional truths central to the Jewish faith. I'm pretty sure that someone in Jonah's day could not have claimed to be a follower of YHWH and at the same time not held to the centrality of these claims.

So what was it that God saw that made him turn from his plans of destruction? Was it not the abandoning of their evil ways and violence? And what were those evil ways?

Last night while I was reading through the Proverbs, the fear of the Lord kept popping up (side note: I'm not a huge fan of John Bevere). I was praying about that, wondering what the fear of the Lord is to me today in my own life and context. I found myself reading Micah 6:8 (which is as close to a life verse as I'll get) for the answer: What is it the Lord requires of you, but to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before the Lord. I found myself connecting the two in that to fear the Lord is to do what the Lord requires - act justly, love mercy, walk humbly before the Lord. I think the same could be said of abandoning evil ways: to abandon evil ways is to act justly, love mercy, and embrace humility before the Lord.

From all we know, the people of Nineveh did not embrace propositional truths. Instead, they acted in line with truth. And God saved them because they gave up their violence and embraced justice, mercy, and humility.

Just some food for thought. I'd love to hear your comments.

Reflections on Easter

2008-03-23T13:31:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up rather excited. I was going to try to get to Garden of the Gods at sunrise to rejoice in the coming of Easter with the rising of the sun, but after posting my last blog last night at 11pm, I knew that wouldn't happen. But I was excited when I awoke nonetheless.

After a rough couple days in which we remembered the betrayal of Christ, the crucifixion, and Holy Saturday where Christ lay in the tomb, we come to a day of great joy.

Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus the Christ! Today is the day that we celebrate the victory over sin and death - to use my favorite theological framework, the Christus Victor and accompanying apocalyptic perspective.

My home church, New Life, has an annual Broadway-style production that visually illustrates this so well. It's a passion play, but accompanying the physical narrative are spiritual beings. At the crucifixion, the demonic forces party in the evil that has been perpetrated, and on Holy Saturday, they continue in their great joy since the Son of God is dead. But on Easter morning, all hell breaks loose as Jesus looses the power of hell. The evil beings who previously had rejoiced are now scared and flee. Evil had been conquered! Jesus displayed his power over the greatest evil - death. He bursts forth from the tomb full of live and vigor - resurrection life!

This is what we celebrate today - the resurrection of Christ. This is not a resuscitation where life is breathed back into his old body but the body will die again. This is resurrection - a body that will last forever. Christ is the first-fruits of the recapitulatio - the re-creation where God makes all things brand new. Christ has conquered evil and paved the way for the Kingdom of God to come.

So rejoice today in freedom from the clutches of sin and death. Rejoice in the life that has been given to you by Christ. Rejoice that Jesus has won the battle with the devil. Rejoice!

He is risen indeed!

Reflections on Holy Saturday

2008-03-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

My day was incredibly busy. But as I went through the things I had to do, I found myself at random times thinking back to and engaged with the Passion narrative.

On Holy Saturday, the disciples were in shock. They had spent three years following this man whom they thought was the Messiah - the Anointed One of YWHW who was going to drive out the Roman occupation of Israel and re-establish the Davidic kingdom. They had invested three years of their lives into this man, learning from him and modeling his actions. But here he was... dead and in the sheol. He died on a tree; he was cursed.

"What were we thinking?" they must have asked. Their one hope for redemption of their nation was dead. What hope was there left? What was there to look forward to?

I can't imagine how depressed the disciples must have been on Holy Saturday. Less than a week ago, they were with Jesus as he came into the city - a city that was in an uproar over who this man was. Everyone expected him to re-establish the kingdom in Jerusalem. And now...

It seems as though hope was lost. Yet hope was all there was to hang on to. For joy comes in the morning. As the earth is in waiting during the winter freeze and comes to life in the spring, so is Holy Saturday. Something had been set in motion which had yet to come to fruition. But today, it seems as though hope is lost.

Maybe all there is to do on days like this is to wait in silence; there are no words to speak. In the Dark Night, we must remember that God is still God. For joy comes in the morning.

(also check out Wes's blog quoting NT Wright regarding Holy Saturday and this other post I found)

Reflections on Good Friday

2008-03-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into theMILL tonight to find that they were celebrating Good Friday. Well, they had communion in remembrance of Good Friday, but at least it was something.

As I was meditating while taking communion, I was again drawn back into the narrative of Holy Week. My theology friend Wes posted a blog in which he said something that hit me: "We Protestants have embraced an empty cross (without Jesus on it) at the expense of losing sight of the flesh and blood suffering which happened." We've lost sight of the suffering Christ went through. And if we remember it, it is to be thankful that Jesus suffered so we wouldn't have to. But should this be the case?

With the elements in my hands, I remembered how Christ was the ultimate model of Kenosis - a Greek word meaning an emptying off all. We often think of this with reference to Phil. 2, but I think the cross models it even better. Christ not only emptied himself of his glory in heaven, but he even emptied himself of what he could have had as a human. He was ridiculed and shamed and he ended up dieing as the ultimate act of emptying himself.

We like to think of Jesus as the model whom we should follow, but I have yet to hear an evangelical preacher talk about how we should follow Christ's model of suffering. But that is exactly what I was thinking of tonight. By ingesting the body and blood of Christ, I am taking Christ's way as my own, the good and the bad. I take the path he took - one of ridicule, shame, and death. In communion, he becomes a part of me physically as I eat the bread dipped in wine and as my body then assimilates that into itself.

I choose the path that Christ walked, the path that led to his death.

Reflections on Maundy Thursday

2008-03-20T22:47:00.000-07:00

This is the first year that I've really paid attention to Holy Week and the meaning importance it holds in the Christian calendar. I want to reflect briefly on today and what I glean from this day.

Maundy Thursday is the day that Christians remember Jesus' washing of his disciples' feet, the Last Supper, and the betrayal of Christ. One thing that hit me as I was reading through the gospel accounts of these events is that at the Last Supper, Jesus gave the cup and the bread to all 12 of his disciples, including Judas Iscariot, whom he knew was going to betray him. He let someone whom he knew full well was outside of the fold to take part in this sacred event.

As I ponder Jesus' actions in giving the cup and bread to Judas, I wonder what I can take from this. I'm reminded of my Bible classes where I learned that Jesus came to open up the circle of who are the people of God. It reminds me that I am not the one who is to judge if a person is a Christian or not - that is God's prerogative alone. Some who may not seem to be numbered among God's people really are, such as the prostitute who washed Jesus feet with her tears or the tax collectors who turned from extortion or the lepers whom Christ healed, all people whom in Jesus day would have been considered cursed by God and outside of the people of God. And then I remember that tomorrow, Good Friday, Christ was crucified on a "tree", a death that was considered by Jews of his day as definitely cursed. But all this is more theoretical than practical in my day to day life.

So what else do I learn from this passage? Maybe that Christ showed sorrow and love to a man whom he knew full well was about to betray him. He was saying, "I know what you are about to do. I know that you will betray me in such a deep way that hurts very badly. But I still love you." This radical love and forgiveness is what impacts me more deeply than anything. We see this again on the cross where Jesus cries out, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." He offered a radical embracing of humanity in love.

A radical forgiveness and embracing of those who betray speaks to me. If Christ can embrace the ones who betrayed him, I should do the same. And if I should embrace those who betray me, how much more should I show forgiveness and love to those who violate me on such lower levels?

Just as an example, tonight at work, my coworkers were gossiping about different people who currently work with us or who have in the past. I was trying to be positive and point out good points of people rather than just the negative, but it amazes me how often people, even Christians, can be so bitter and negative toward others. This just doesn't seem right for Christ-followers. We should model radical love in building people up rather than tearing them down behind their backs. It just saddened me. And it saddens me more that I took part in this, even if to a minor extent.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Cyborg or just fully human?

2008-03-10T22:50:00.000-07:00

In my previous blog, I discussed the melding of humanity and technology. All this makes me think, and I wonder if maybe this isn't what it is to be human after all. Some other postmodern philosophers such as Wittgenstein (and I think Foucault) have discussed another idea that I feel is related: when a basketball player practices a significant amount, he eventually finds that the game is being played through him; or when a pianist practices a lot, eventually the music seems to be played through the musician. They use this with regard to linguistics to prove the contextuality of language as a rule-based system rather than viewing language as a correspondent theory (that each word corresponds with some object in the world).

But think about it: isn't the piano becoming an extension of the musician or the game (maybe the ball) an extension of the player? Think of pre-modern humanity (or even artisans today) dealing with tools - the tool becomes a part of the person. So how much different is it for us to be melding ourselves with technology today? Isn't that what humans have always done? Haven't we always found tools to make us stronger and faster and more able to do our tasks - in other words, to improve on what we are? So is it bad for me to have an outboard brain that remembers and knows more than my organic brain?

I realize that it is probably a bit of an uncomfortable area to discuss. It seems fully acceptable for me to use a chisel to improve my rock-hewing abilities (enhance my external body), but when it comes to the brain, it's a different story. It's an area of ethics. And for as much as I studied theology, the question of what is ethically right always seems to evade me. But that's another topic for another time.

I just finished watching the movie "Scanner Darkly", another movie based upon a Phillip K. Dick novel ("Blade Runner" was also based on a novel by him). A friend of mine recommended it, so I thought I'd check it out. I think I have a thing for postmodern movies. As with "Blade Runner", it brings up the issues of what it is real - the image being more real than reality. Here's a quote that I found by Jean Baudrillard about Phillip K. Dick just to provoke thought:

It is hyperreal. It is a universe of simulation, which is something altogether different. And this is so not because Dick speaks specifically of simulacra. SF has always done so, but it has always played upon the double, on artificial replication or imaginary duplication, whereas here the double has disappeared. There is no more double; one is always already in the other world, an other world which is not another, without mirrors or projection or utopias as means for reflection. The simulation is impassable, unsurpassable, checkmated, without exteriority. We can no longer move "through the mirror" to the other side, as we could during the golden age of transcendence.[*]

One of my friends asked me a good question with regard to my cyborg nature: How does this fit into my theological anthropology? I've been thinking about that on and off for a few days and I can't say that I'm sure.

Anyway, I just thought I'd post some of my random thoughts following my last blog. I'd love to get anyone's take on this. Ha… I do have a feeling I went a ways over most of my readers' heads with this one, so sorry about that. I hope to get back down to reality soon.

I am a cyborg.

2008-02-28T22:26:00.001-08:00

I've had an article posted on my wall - my physical wall above my computer - for the last couple months . It's an article titled "Your Outboard Brain Knows All" that I found in Wired magazine (which, by the way, is a must have in my opinion - even if you just skim it, Wired is a great resource for keeping abreast tech happenings).

Anyway, the article discusses a sort of "cyber punk" approach to postmodernism as exemplified in the movie Blade Runner. The central concept to this branch of postmodern thought is that there is a blurring of the line between technology and humanity (an idea also brought up by French philosopher Jean Baudrillard with his concept of the simulacra). Here's a synopsis of Blade Runner:

Deckard is a Blade Runner, a police man of the future who hunts down and terminates replicants, artificially created humans. He wants to get out of the force, but is drawn back in when 4 "skin jobs", a slang term for replicants, hijack a ship back to Earth. The city that Deckard must search for his prey is a huge, sprawling, bleak vision of the future. This film questions what it is to be human, and why life is so precious. 1

In Blade Runner, the question is subtly raised as to whether the protagonist (Deckard) was a human or a replicant. The line is greatly blurred as to whether he is real or not. Baudrillard addresses this issue when he suggests that the image (simulacrum) is becoming more real than that which is real.

Now when you first hear this idea, you're probably trying to figure out what on earth I'm talking about. When I first read a synopsis of Baudrillard a few years ago, that was my thought. "It's kind of a cool philosophy, it has some cool sci-fi qualities, but it doesn't reflect reality." That was the extent of my analysis of his philosophy.

But when you read the Wired article, it raises the same questions and thoughts as Blade Runner and Baudrillard, but it's related directly to reality. The article asks, where does my brain end and the internet pick up? I think I often epitomize the Google generation. I keep pretty much anything I might need to know in my Google docs or archived in my Gmail, from papers I wrote on postmodernism in my undergrad to contact info of people in class groups to… just about anything I've ever written. If I'm on the phone and someone mentions something and I have no clue what they're talking about, I just Google or Wikipedia it and I immediately have a brief sketch of the topic/movie/song/philosophical concept/disease, etc. When I'm off-line for whatever reason (usually if I'm at work making you coffee or driving around - though even this is minimized because I can text Google), I feel like there's a little part of me missing.

I was driving to a group meeting last week, and I was running a few minutes late (big surprise, I know). I was going to call someone in the group to tell her that I was on the way, but then I realized I didn't have anyone's number in my phone. I remembered that I have everyone's information in my Gmail contacts, but I had no way to connect to the internet from where I was - driving through the prairie east of the Springs. (Needless to say, I don't have an iPhone, and I'm afraid of the costs of using the internet on my phone.) I could know more if I could hook my real brain into my virtual brain (the internet). The image or simulacrum has become as real to me as the original. A part of me is a piece of technology. Google is my brain, or at least an extension. I am a cyborg.

Wisdom of John Mayer, part I

2008-02-19T21:09:00.000-08:00

Some of you know the situation I found myself in a few weeks ago, but if you don't here's a brief recap: I really liked this girl in November and December. She was going to China for a month during January. I said I'd wait for her. She came back dating one of my best friends.

So I spent like four days in hell between when I got an email from them telling me the situation (Jan 30 - they were still in China) through when I finally had coffee with my guy friend who fell for the girl (Feb 2). I've made peace with both of them and have no hard feelings (and I know that things wouldn't have worked out between the girl and myself), but it was still a very trying time.

I realize that my situation wasn't really that huge of an issue considering we weren't going out or anything, but considering that I've never dated before and was finally - in my mind - pretty close to dating when she got back, it was an emotional rollercoaster.

I found myself listening to John Mayer quite a bit in the two weeks that followed. I found him to be a rather wise man. One song in particular really stood out - My Stupid Mouth. There are these lines toward the end of the song that kind of hit me…

So maybe I try to hard
But it's all because of this desire
Just wanna be liked
Just wanna be funny
Looks like the joke's on me
So call me captain backfire

Oh, another social casualty
Score one more for me

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's felt that. I tried my best. I did what I thought was right in this situation before she left to China. And… it kind of blew up in my face. "Call me captain backfire." I know that she wasn't right for me. But there's still kind of this numbness about it all. You can say that I need to grow up and get over it. You're probably right. But for me, this is all new. I'm the kid who didn't date in high school… nor in college for that matter. I tried to avoid personal drama at all costs, and I still ended up with a mess for a few days.

Anyway, I just wanted to share a little bit of my last month with you. I would appreciate a brief prayer offered up asking for continued peace and reconciliation for me. There's a few other issues this caused that I'm now trying to navigate. I pray this finds you in the center of God's will. Be blessed!

Summer Missions Update

2008-01-22T20:32:00.000-08:00

Alright, I just wanted to give a brief update on where I'm at with regard to summer missions. After seeking God more, seeking the counsel of my community, and just thinking about it, I've decided not to go to China. I will attribute that voice telling me not to go to God. Besides the logistical nightmare, cost of the trip, and the sheer exhaustion that I would be feeling by the time I got to China (let alone after being there for a month and a half), there were some other issues involved that could really compromise the ministry value that I could perform on that trip.

As for my commitment to going to Burundi despite the violence, I had never really thought of the issue. All along, I felt as thought it was the right thing to do in going there. It hasn't crossed my mind that maybe it's not right to go. Even in light of the violence, I still see no reason not to go. Hoffman (one of the guys on the trip) has told me stories of his missionary aunt in Colombia and how God has pulled her through. One story in particular that has stuck in my mind was of one time when she was walking along she encountered some guerrillas (drug goons or something). I can't remember exactly how the story goes, but as she drew closer to them, they got scared and ran away. She asked a young boy who saw the event why they left. He told her that they ran away because of the big men who were with her. She was walking alone. God had protected her.

It seems that when we are in situations in which we have no one else to depend upon that God pulls through most. Hoff's aunt had nothing to rely on but God. Similarly, when we're in Burundi, we will have to rely on God for so much. We aren't going to be toting around bigger guns than the guerrillas. I'm probably going to take some pepper spray, but that's it. This reminds me of a passage from the Old Testament, "Some trust in horses and others in chariots, but I put my trust in the Lord." [I don't know where that's found and I probably butchered it, but the general idea is the same.] I would rephrase that for our trip, "Some trust in AK's other in grenades, but I put my trust in the Lord."

May the name of the Lord be praised throughout all the earth.

To live is Christ...

2008-01-14T21:04:00.000-08:00

To die is gain.

Today as I was driving home from work, Chris Hoffman called me. We’re planning on going to Africa this summer along with my former roommates from APU Jeremie Castagna and David Danforth (both of whom are currently living in LA). We’ve been working on booking flights to Burundi for the last week. I thought he was calling to tell me he booked his flight.

There was a civil war in Burundi very similar to that in Rwanda from 1993-2005 with genocide and abuses galore. The last of the rebel groups signed a peace treaty in 2006, though not everyone has been on board with that. Rather than telling me that he booked tickets, Hoffman told me that violence had erupted again in Burundi. We’re going to be in the capital city of Bujumbura. The latest violence is in the outskirts of the city – in Bujumbura Rural and Bubanza. A couple families were killed a few days ago by guerillas with grenades.

I realized for the first time in this whole process that we might die overseas. We’re going to a nation with about as much internal strife as anywhere, a nation with the least happy people in the world, the poorest nation on earth. We’re Americans, prime targets for revolutionaries and insurrectionists to kidnap or kill. I could give my life on this trip.

And all that’s been going through my mind is “To live is Christ, to die is gain.” It’s reassuring when you know that you’re life is not your own.

I’m thinking about writing a farewell note before I leave - something to have on my computer in case I don’t return. In a way, this is what Christianity is about. I will be willfully laying my life down in service of others. I will in essence be saying, “God, my life is truly and entirely yours, for life or death.” And as the great Church Father Tertullian said, “The seed of the church is planted with the blood of the saints.”

There is a peace I feel about this whole ordeal, at least the giving of my life part. I have no qualms about giving my physical life to God unto death (other than the pain part, but I think I could get through that).

That’s not to say I’m not anxious about everything else. I think I’ve figured out why I’ve been loosing so much weight lately – I loose weight when I’m stressed. Between holiday season at Starbucks (really stressful), figuring out what I’m doing this summer, and what to do with this beautiful girl (a whole other subject) my nerves have been a bit high.

So I find myself here at the end of my day once again offering my life and all that goes with it to God. To live is Christ. To die is gain.

Please pray for me. Right now I’m facing the decision of whether or not to go to China after Burundi. I had pretty much decided on going. I had my itinerary planned out and everything, ready to book the cheapest flights. Then last night while I was in prayer, I felt a strong voice in my spirit saying, “Don’t go to China.” I can’t attest to the origin of that voice, whether God or the demonic, or my own anxiety over the whole ordeal. So please pray for wisdom and guidance for me.

Christus Victor

2008-01-07T19:53:00.000-08:00

I was reading through Christus Victor last night and came across a couple paragraphs that really hit me, so my blog on dating will have to wait (I have yet to write it... some developments made me rethink a lot of what I was about to say). What follows is the conclusion of the second chapter of Christus Victor by Gustaf Aulén, Sweedish Theologian of the early 20th century. The chapter focuses on Irenaeus's view of the atonement. Irenaeus was a Church Father from the second century AD; he was rather Eastern in his thought, and maybe that's part of the reason I like him so much. Enough said. Here's the text:

The teaching of Irenaeus is clear and consistent, and forms a thoroughly typical example of that view of the Atonement which we have called the Classical Idea.

First, then, it must be emphasized that the work of the atonement is regarded as carried through by God himself; and this, not merely in the sense that God authorizes, sanctions, and initiates the plan of salvation, but that He Himself is the effective agent in the redemptive work, from beginning to end. It is the Word of God incarnate who overcomes the tyrants which hold man in bondage; God Himself enters into the world of sin and death, that He may reconcile the world to Himself. Therefore Incarnation and Atonement stand in no sort of antithesis; rather, they belong inseparably together. It is God's Love, the Divine agape, that removes the sentence that rested upon mankind, and creates a new kind of relation between the human race and Himself, a relation which is altogether different from any sort of justification by legal righteousness. The whole dispensation is the work of grace. 'Mankind, that had fallen into captivity, is now by God's mercy delivered out of the power of them that held them in bondage. God had mercy upon His creation, and bestowed upon them a new salvation through His Word, that is, Christ, so that men might learn by expeience that they cannot attain to incorruption of themselves, but by God's grace only.'

Second, it is to be emphasized that his view of the Atonement has regularly a dualistic background - namely, the reality of forces of evil, which are hostile to the Divine will. Consequently, so far as the sphere of these forces extends, there is enmity between God and the world. The work of atonement is therefore depicted in dramatic terms, as a conflict with powers of evil and a triumph over them. This involves a necessary double-sidedness, in that God is at once the Reconciler and the Reconciled. His enmity is taken away in the very act in which He reconciles the world unto Himself.

Just to make a quick note, the dualism that Aulén speaks of is not a metaphysical dualism of the Greek philosophers; rather, he defines this sort of dualism in the following terms:

It is used in the sense in which the idea constantly occurs in Scripture, of the opposition between God and that which in His own created world resists His will; between the Divine Love and the rebellion of created wills against Him. This Dualism is an altogether radical opposition, but it is not an absolute Dualism; for in the scriptural view evil has not an eternal existence.

This is a bit better of an explanation of the Christus Victor theme that I introduced in earlier blogs on myspace, probably because it's coming from the guy who coined the term. At the same time it is a bit more heady as well. Anyway, I hope that maybe this helps you think differently about the atonement next time you take Communion or think about what it is that Christ came to do.

PS. I was on David Crowder's myspace page briefly today and noticed that he's going to be playing at APU on March 8th. I'm jealous of all of you out there.

Why I blog

2007-12-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

Why I blog

Sometimes I feel as though my blogs could be misinterpreted. I don’t want people to assign a motive to my actions and in so doing judge me. So I want to make it clear why I blog, especially sometimes about very personal things, which this week is full of. I would put my reasons for blogging in four categories: desire for community, to show what a Christian life is like, my appreciation for a similar transparency in writing, and because it’s kind of wired into who I am.

Before I get into those three areas, I want to explain one thing. I have heard that David Brainerd, a great missionary to the Native Americans and friend of Jonathan Edwards (1700’s), kept a journal at the beginning of his ministry. He stopped keeping a journal after someone told him that it was prideful. It is really a shame that he quit journaling, for his journals are a missionary classic today because of their transparency and a look into his life. I fear at times that my motive is pride. But I can tell you with a clean heart today, that when I’m recounting my spiritual walk or speaking of difficulties in relationships, it’s not motivated out of pride. Especially this week, with the many struggles I’ve had, the reasons I’m about to expound on are much more true than my desire to be known and admired as great – as a person who has it all together. Quite the opposite is often the case. I struggle frequently with low self-esteem, and a generally low self-image. I wish I knew exactly who I was and who I was created to be. I wish I was a man with great confidence in myself without becoming prideful. But I don’t and I’m not. I’m a broken man, prone to depravity just like everyone else. And on the flip side, I wish I could say that I am always humble. But I’m not. I struggle with self-centeredness as I take my eyes off of God and others and place them firmly on myself. But in both circumstances, I’m just grateful for redemption.

The desire for community is something that God has placed within us. We are made for other people. Sometimes I blog because I want to share what’s going on in my life with my friends. You might say that instead of writing down my experiences, I should talk about them in face-to-face interaction. I would say that face-to-face interaction is great and possibly the best form of communication, but I personally am a writer. I love having coffee with friends and discussing life with them, but when I write, it’s different. I’ll get into that later.

Another comment I want to make about community is regarding the desire within us to know others and to be fully known ourselves. I desire to be known. Pastor Ted would frequently say that we should live our lives as an open book. When I first heard this, it was such a new concept to me. I’m from North Dakota, which is very individualistic, and I was also quite young and naive (I’m not claiming to be much better now, though I believe I have grown a bit). I didn’t understand why anyone would want to live their lives in a way that people knew their good, their bad and their crap. I had quite a bit of crap in my life I hoped no one would ever know. Over the course of my time at New Life and then with close friends/roommates at APU, I really came to appreciate this kind of openness. I came to realize that everyone has some crap. But when everything is in the light, there is no room for darkness. It’s such a simple concept, but it’s so powerfully real. And as we all know, Pastor Ted proved with his life how true this is. Now I understand that it’s so freeing and wonderful to be known.

My second reason for blogging is to show others a Christian life. This is the area that probably sounds most prideful, and I will admit that because of this I have been tempted to not blog many things. But you have no clue how much I desired to have an inside look into different Christians when I was younger. I wanted to know what these people I looked up to struggled with, if they were always like they were on Sundays and when they were with me, if they had hopes and fears and how they navigated the faith. It was my experience that many people were fake. I wondered if anyone was real. It’s something I still long for today. I think it’s also the reason that such transparent writing appeals to me, but I’ll get into that in a minute. Because that was something I really didn’t get when I was younger, I want to open myself up so that I can possibly be that to someone else. I don’t claim to be perfect. I don’t believe that I have the Christian faith (let alone life) figured out. My life is not the archtype that everyone should follow; quite the contrary! I believe that there are as many ways to live the Christian life as there are Christians. But maybe someone will see my life as revealed in my blogs and be encouraged. Maybe someone will find hope. Maybe someone will be prodded on in their journey through life by reading through thoughts on my own life.

That flows nicely into the third reason I gave: I appreciate those Christians who have gone before who have left a transparent account of their life. It’s kind of like reading a novel with well developed characters (ha… something I just realized I haven’t done since before college). You become attached to these characters because you see all of them. You don’t just see their good, but you see their bad. You can identify with them because they’re like you: they aren’t perfect. I love reading through the Old Testament stories – well, more of thinking back over them… I’m not going to lie; the OT is a bit dry most of the time. For the last few years, I’ve been contemplating the life of Moses. He’s an amazing guy. And he absolutely wasn’t perfect. I especially enjoy reading many emerging church writers because of their transparency. A big theme of the emerging church is journeying with others toward God. It’s about living life together. I love to hear what they are going through and get an inside scoop on them. This is probably a large part of the reason I love listening to Erwin McMannus of Mosaic in LA speak. He’s so honest, baring his soul before the world. He isn’t putting on a Christian face on Sunday morning when he speaks at church and then living differently. There’s such an authenticity in him. I want that to be said of me.

And finally, I believe that writing is a part of who I am. Writing gives me a chance to systematically think through things, to go back over what I just wrote and see if it makes sense, and to just get out of me and onto a relatively permanent medium what is in my head. If you knew all the thoughts and ideas going on in my head, you might understand. And I’m sure it’s the same with everyone, but this is just my way of organizing all that stuff up there. Also, I just enjoy writing. I realized as I finished writing this blog (I went back to put this line in) – I realized that I really enjoyed my concluding paragraph. It’s brilliant (ha, I struggle with pride too). Since I’m going to be writing down my thoughts anyway, why not share it with people? Why not give others an inside scoop into what’s going on in me? What if maybe, just maybe, someone might be encouraged by it? What if by reading my blog, someone sees that they aren’t the only one who doesn’t have everything figured out? I’m probably going to blog right away on dating – you can be assured I know nothing and am totally broken when it comes to dating. You can take solace that you aren’t the only one with issues. I just want to live my life in such a transparent and authentic way that no one can call me false or a hypocrite.

So that’s a bit of my reasoning for writing. Maybe you can relate. Maybe you read my blog partly because of one of those reasons. Maybe you just like my writing style. But I hope that through it you are encouraged that you aren’t alone in your fears and doubts. Maybe you can see a different perspective on Christianity and life than you have in the past. And maybe it will be of some value to you in your journey toward the Living God.