It's Christmas...I love the Christmas season. Lights, trees, the Grinch, snow...I love it. But there is a dark underbelly to the season. We clean everything up...dress is up on the surface, putting on our nostalgic emotional facade...to pretend like everything is fine. All is well with the world. We even dress up the Christmas story. Ever see the nativity scenes people put out? Nice, peaceful, Mary and Joseph...pleasant looking Shepherds...the baby Jesus sleeping soundly...clean straw...you get the picture. Once I asked my high school students, many of whom were farmers, what was missing. They smiled...and you know what they said. I'm sure the cattle weren't just "lowing".
This was exam week at Dordt College, and I just finished grading essay questions and papers. Now don't get me wrong, there are many thoughtful students at Dordt and I read many thoughtful and interesting essays. But these creative engagements were mixed in with quite a bit of bull$#&t. Christianity nice and neatly packaged. Everything figured out..."t's" crossed and "i's" dotted. Gumball Christianity...put in a quarter and out comes the answer...without much thought at all. I really don't blame the students...many of them have been trained to think about faith in this way. Through many years of schooling and indoctrination...we are trained to spit out answers even if our lives reflect we believe very little of what we say to be true.
So what's my point? The Luke narrative of Christ's birth penetrates through the bull$#&t if we let it. "In the days of Cesar Augustus...", in other words, in the days of the son of the gods is born the Son of God. Luke tells is as it is...in the midst of misery, oppression, and exile...in the middle of a dark cave rank with animal waste...a child is born. He has come to deal with the messiness, to enter into it, in order to do away with it. He surely hasn't come to dress it up a little and pretend everything is fine. What we need this Christmas season is honesty...seeing the world as it is...seeing ourselves as we truly are. Only then will we be able to make sense of the hope and peace God brings in the Christ child.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Saturday, December 8, 2007
The Golden Compass
What follows is a piece I was asked to write for my church on the Golden Compass...
The controversial part of the story is the characterization of both Christianity and the church. The church is represented as an organization bent upon control and obsessed with power. They are involved in secret activity to prevent the truth from being known in order to protect the authority of the church. The quest at the center of the film is to discover the secrets of Dust…and the possible existence of other worlds…which are not in the Church’s best interest. Is the Dust good or bad? Is it something to fear and overcome, or is it a part of the natural world? This is what Lyra is trying to find out.
So how should we – the church – respond to such a story? Should we read the books? Or more importantly, should we go and see this film? In my humble opinion the answer is both “yes” and “no”. There have always been critics of Christianity and more specifically the church. There have always been accusations against the church regarding the abuse of power, influence, and control. And there have always been critics of God. Pullman is not the first author to speak of the death of God, nor will he be the last. There are those in the world who look at the suffering, the sorrow, and the mess we have made of things…and shake their fist at the heavens. There are some who look at the church and the North American manifestation of Christianity and shake their heads. We are escapists they say…we are uncomfortable in our own skin…so we fantasize about another world…a spiritual world…far away from the reality of this one. Or like Karl Marx, they say we use our religion to justify the status quo…promising those we oppress bliss and happiness in the life to come…a reward for the pain and suffering they accept in the here and now. I hate to say it…but sometimes they are right! Too much of modern Christianity is “pie in the sky, go there when I die” Christianity. Too much of modern Christianity refuses to recognize the goodness of creation, that we were created to be human, and although things are not the way they should be, God is at work making things right. Pullman wants the audience, or the reader, to love this world…to love our humanity - to quit looking upward and start living life. Believe it or not – biblical Christianity wants the same thing! Biblical Christianity proclaims that in Jesus Christ God has come to reconcile the cosmos to Himself…and that instead of us looking to the heavens…God comes down, and enters into our world as the baby in the manger. Biblical Christianity takes this world seriously, proclaiming the good news that in Jesus Christ God is at work making all things new. Some “gods” need to die…false ones…including the false “god” set forth sometimes in modern Christianity. “The god who is not God”, as Luther would say. In this way, we can stand along side authors like Pullman, and not be afraid of films like The Golden Compass.
But there is still a “no” to consider. These books have been marketed as children’s books, and my guess is the films will be directed at older children as well. Here is where we must be careful. Our job as parents, teachers, members of the body of Christ, is to train up our children in the Lord. Personally, I will not let my children read these books until they are much older, and able to discern the ideas the book engages. I have heard the film softens the controversial aspects of the books, but we still must be careful. Parental discretion must be used with regard to your child’s ability to discern the subject matter of the film, and your willingness and ability as parents to process these ideas with them. Our children will encounter these ideas at some point in their lives, but we should be careful not to expose them needlessly or before they are ready.
Should Christians go and see this film? I would answer with a qualified “yes”. We need to engage the world of ideas, we need to understand how others see the world, and we need to see how others view Christianity and the church. But we must also be discerning with our children and their ability to process these ideas, protecting them from needless exposure, or at the least, being willing to watch with them, and help guide their thoughts on what they see and hear.
The Golden Compass: Should we See It?
This Friday the film The Golden Compass will be released in theaters, including the Sioux Center theaters. The film is based upon the fantasy trilogy, His Dark Materials, written by Phillip Pullman. There is much controversy surrounding both the books and now the film. The latest Christianity Today has referred to the books as the “Chronicles of Atheism”, a contrast to C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narina. The Golden Compass tells of the quest of Lyra, a young girl who sets out to discover the secrets surrounding the mysterious disappearance of children, and the strange activities taking place in the North. These stories are fantasy, similar to The Lord of the Rings. There are witches, talking polar bears, and magic compasses, all in a world where John Calvin is pope, and the geographic center of the church is located in Geneva. Maybe for us Reformed folk, the last part isn’t too hard to imagine!The controversial part of the story is the characterization of both Christianity and the church. The church is represented as an organization bent upon control and obsessed with power. They are involved in secret activity to prevent the truth from being known in order to protect the authority of the church. The quest at the center of the film is to discover the secrets of Dust…and the possible existence of other worlds…which are not in the Church’s best interest. Is the Dust good or bad? Is it something to fear and overcome, or is it a part of the natural world? This is what Lyra is trying to find out.
So how should we – the church – respond to such a story? Should we read the books? Or more importantly, should we go and see this film? In my humble opinion the answer is both “yes” and “no”. There have always been critics of Christianity and more specifically the church. There have always been accusations against the church regarding the abuse of power, influence, and control. And there have always been critics of God. Pullman is not the first author to speak of the death of God, nor will he be the last. There are those in the world who look at the suffering, the sorrow, and the mess we have made of things…and shake their fist at the heavens. There are some who look at the church and the North American manifestation of Christianity and shake their heads. We are escapists they say…we are uncomfortable in our own skin…so we fantasize about another world…a spiritual world…far away from the reality of this one. Or like Karl Marx, they say we use our religion to justify the status quo…promising those we oppress bliss and happiness in the life to come…a reward for the pain and suffering they accept in the here and now. I hate to say it…but sometimes they are right! Too much of modern Christianity is “pie in the sky, go there when I die” Christianity. Too much of modern Christianity refuses to recognize the goodness of creation, that we were created to be human, and although things are not the way they should be, God is at work making things right. Pullman wants the audience, or the reader, to love this world…to love our humanity - to quit looking upward and start living life. Believe it or not – biblical Christianity wants the same thing! Biblical Christianity proclaims that in Jesus Christ God has come to reconcile the cosmos to Himself…and that instead of us looking to the heavens…God comes down, and enters into our world as the baby in the manger. Biblical Christianity takes this world seriously, proclaiming the good news that in Jesus Christ God is at work making all things new. Some “gods” need to die…false ones…including the false “god” set forth sometimes in modern Christianity. “The god who is not God”, as Luther would say. In this way, we can stand along side authors like Pullman, and not be afraid of films like The Golden Compass.
But there is still a “no” to consider. These books have been marketed as children’s books, and my guess is the films will be directed at older children as well. Here is where we must be careful. Our job as parents, teachers, members of the body of Christ, is to train up our children in the Lord. Personally, I will not let my children read these books until they are much older, and able to discern the ideas the book engages. I have heard the film softens the controversial aspects of the books, but we still must be careful. Parental discretion must be used with regard to your child’s ability to discern the subject matter of the film, and your willingness and ability as parents to process these ideas with them. Our children will encounter these ideas at some point in their lives, but we should be careful not to expose them needlessly or before they are ready.
Should Christians go and see this film? I would answer with a qualified “yes”. We need to engage the world of ideas, we need to understand how others see the world, and we need to see how others view Christianity and the church. But we must also be discerning with our children and their ability to process these ideas, protecting them from needless exposure, or at the least, being willing to watch with them, and help guide their thoughts on what they see and hear.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
A New Reality
Tony Campolo visited Dordt this past week. I can tell I'm getting older...most of the students I asked had never heard of him. He gave two lectures in which he challenged students and faculty to engage the world on behalf of the poor and the oppressed. He challenged us to proclaim the new reality of the Kingdom of God - he challenged us to take action. For the most part I agreed with the things he had to say...and even if I disagreed...we need people like Campolo to stick their fingers in our faces and shake things up a bit. People like Campolo remind us of things we sometimes miss...they challenge us to think differently about issues...they say things that tick people off...but I'll take anger over apathy any day.
That being said...I have to admit I was disappointed. After listening to the evening lectures, and conversing with him over supper, I am left with the feeling that Campolo doesn't go far enough. On Wednesday evening he talked about the "new reality" of the kingdom...that we as Christians should be idealistic, not giving into the status quo, but proclaiming and participating in the reality of Christ's kingdom. Yet I couldn't help but think, for Campolo, this new reality is the reality of the democratic party. That government solutions and programs using the existing properly funded structures will bring an end to poverty and injustice. That if the existing educational structures are properly supported and expanded into third world nations, poverty and oppression will be brought to an end. But what if the structures are part of the problem? What if the choice between a republican candidate and a democratic candidate is really no choice at all? What if it comes down, as it did in the 2004 election, to Bush and Bush lite?
What if Christians came to recognize that the school structures (both public and Christian) are oppressive and need to be radically rebuilt? What if Christians came to realize the economic structures in our country are establishing a caste system with little economic mobility...and the jobs that are being created by the economy tend to be low paying with lower benefits? What if we finally realized that both parties want to engage in the politics of fear in order to preserve "national interests" at the expense of the poor in the third world? What if Christians demanded a political candidate who offered a radically different perspective than the status quo politics we find today? What if Christians demanded more then just band aid solutions to poverty and injustice? That in order to impact these issues we might just have to understand the complexity of poverty and oppression, and admit the solutions are just as complex. What if we finally were awakened to the fact that the majority of the poor in this country are not in the inner cities...but in rural America? That many of the poor are "invisible"... How do we work to eradicate poverty where ever it is found? How do transform the college experience from one of debt and job training...to thoughtful reflection and equipping people for participation in the new reality established by Christ's kingdom?
That being said...I have to admit I was disappointed. After listening to the evening lectures, and conversing with him over supper, I am left with the feeling that Campolo doesn't go far enough. On Wednesday evening he talked about the "new reality" of the kingdom...that we as Christians should be idealistic, not giving into the status quo, but proclaiming and participating in the reality of Christ's kingdom. Yet I couldn't help but think, for Campolo, this new reality is the reality of the democratic party. That government solutions and programs using the existing properly funded structures will bring an end to poverty and injustice. That if the existing educational structures are properly supported and expanded into third world nations, poverty and oppression will be brought to an end. But what if the structures are part of the problem? What if the choice between a republican candidate and a democratic candidate is really no choice at all? What if it comes down, as it did in the 2004 election, to Bush and Bush lite?
What if Christians came to recognize that the school structures (both public and Christian) are oppressive and need to be radically rebuilt? What if Christians came to realize the economic structures in our country are establishing a caste system with little economic mobility...and the jobs that are being created by the economy tend to be low paying with lower benefits? What if we finally realized that both parties want to engage in the politics of fear in order to preserve "national interests" at the expense of the poor in the third world? What if Christians demanded a political candidate who offered a radically different perspective than the status quo politics we find today? What if Christians demanded more then just band aid solutions to poverty and injustice? That in order to impact these issues we might just have to understand the complexity of poverty and oppression, and admit the solutions are just as complex. What if we finally were awakened to the fact that the majority of the poor in this country are not in the inner cities...but in rural America? That many of the poor are "invisible"... How do we work to eradicate poverty where ever it is found? How do transform the college experience from one of debt and job training...to thoughtful reflection and equipping people for participation in the new reality established by Christ's kingdom?
Saturday, November 3, 2007
A Poem for Vanessa
How do you grieve for what you never had? How do you grieve
for what might have been?
The hopes and fears never expressed
The joys and sorrows that will never come…
The simple things we take for granted
To watch you sleeping – dreaming – smiling
To smell your new born baby skin…so clean and unblemished
To see your big eyes – open – looking – trying to make sense of the strange world into
which you were forced to come.
To see your sister hold you, your brother hit you…and to hear you cry.
To be able to comfort you and tell you everything will be fine…
How does one grieve for pudding filled long johns that will never be eaten?
For monkey bars and tunnel slides never to be explored…
For swimming pools, fishing poles, and happy meals…
For all that little girls are supposed to do without a care in the world.
How does one grieve an empty chair? For the extra crib and a car seat never bought…
How does one grieve for graduations and weddings that will never come?
How do you grieve for someone you barely know?
I wanted you to experience this world
The colors, the smells, the warmth, the cold
I wanted you to skin your knee, to catch a cold, to have your heart broken.
I wanted to teach you things…
To dance, to play catch, to tackle your older brother…
I wanted to hold your hand as we walked…
I wanted to read to you stories of bears and rabbits…talking lions and fairy godmothers
But these things are not to be…
There will come a day when we will see you again
You will have so much to tell us
We will walk together hand in hand through the tall grass, the wind at our back
I will listen as you tell of your adventures
The places you have been, the things you have done…
The woman you have become…
For the dead have a history…you are not forsaken or abandoned
The Lord still beckons…calling you to become the woman he intends for you to be
Please know we will never forget you
Not a day will pass without your name fluttering through our thoughts like a butterfly
dancing across the blue sky.
I hope you will remember us…
Be patient – wait for us – we will see you soon.
for what might have been?
The hopes and fears never expressed
The joys and sorrows that will never come…
The simple things we take for granted
To watch you sleeping – dreaming – smiling
To smell your new born baby skin…so clean and unblemished
To see your big eyes – open – looking – trying to make sense of the strange world into
which you were forced to come.
To see your sister hold you, your brother hit you…and to hear you cry.
To be able to comfort you and tell you everything will be fine…
How does one grieve for pudding filled long johns that will never be eaten?
For monkey bars and tunnel slides never to be explored…
For swimming pools, fishing poles, and happy meals…
For all that little girls are supposed to do without a care in the world.
How does one grieve an empty chair? For the extra crib and a car seat never bought…
How does one grieve for graduations and weddings that will never come?
How do you grieve for someone you barely know?
I wanted you to experience this world
The colors, the smells, the warmth, the cold
I wanted you to skin your knee, to catch a cold, to have your heart broken.
I wanted to teach you things…
To dance, to play catch, to tackle your older brother…
I wanted to hold your hand as we walked…
I wanted to read to you stories of bears and rabbits…talking lions and fairy godmothers
But these things are not to be…
There will come a day when we will see you again
You will have so much to tell us
We will walk together hand in hand through the tall grass, the wind at our back
I will listen as you tell of your adventures
The places you have been, the things you have done…
The woman you have become…
For the dead have a history…you are not forsaken or abandoned
The Lord still beckons…calling you to become the woman he intends for you to be
Please know we will never forget you
Not a day will pass without your name fluttering through our thoughts like a butterfly
dancing across the blue sky.
I hope you will remember us…
Be patient – wait for us – we will see you soon.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Heresy Club
Today is Halloween...or as we call it around here, Reformation Day. The day Luther played a nasty trick on the Roman Catholic Church. He knocked on the door...and left them 95 Theses. This morning a student put up his 30 Theses directed against Dordt College, but more specifically the Theology Dept. And I quote: "Members of the Dordt College Theology Dept. Advocate doctrines that are borderline heretical" Borderline? Hmmmm..... Then this one..."Members of the Dordt College Theology Dept. Advocate doctrines that are heretical" What? Which is it? This next one is ironic..."The Dordt College Theology dept. contradicts itself" There are more...but that's good for now...
So what is a heretic anyway? Is it true to say that history is written by the "winners"? Roman Catholics call us heretics...we return the favor. The Eastern Orthodox tell us we are welcome back to the Church anytime. Even within Reformed circles we can't quite agree on who's in and who's out. So who is right? How do we determine who's right? Do we have to be right? (Heresy! Heresy!)
Today in Theology 101 I gave a presentation on the gospel of Mark. I told the students that Mark is calling us to "see" who Jesus is...and if we "see" him...to follow Him along the way. Who is Jesus for Mark? Jesus is the Son of God... the King...but He is a suffering King, the suffering servant of Isaiah. The crucified Christ...who calls those who "see" him rightly to take up their cross and follow him. In other words we are called to enter into the suffering of Christ...by entering into the suffering of others. The church for the world...
Some want to erect fences - doctrinal fences that declare who is in and who's out. Separating the sheep from the goats, as if that were our job. Doctrine becomes a rigid tool for beating others over the head...beating them either into submission or destroying them. Fences into which the Biblical narrative, and the revelation God has given us, is forced. So that God becomes, as Luther would say, the "god who is not God" - a god after our own image. That is the danger of doctrinalism.
I'm not opposed to doctrine...we all have doctrinal beliefs - and these beliefs are important. But from where do these beliefs spring? Do the confessions and creeds flow out of scripture? Or do we conform our understanding of scripture to the confessions and creeds?
Today is Halloween...or Reformation day as we call it. Tonight I will be taking my kids "trick or treating"...I guess that makes me a heretic.
So what is a heretic anyway? Is it true to say that history is written by the "winners"? Roman Catholics call us heretics...we return the favor. The Eastern Orthodox tell us we are welcome back to the Church anytime. Even within Reformed circles we can't quite agree on who's in and who's out. So who is right? How do we determine who's right? Do we have to be right? (Heresy! Heresy!)
Today in Theology 101 I gave a presentation on the gospel of Mark. I told the students that Mark is calling us to "see" who Jesus is...and if we "see" him...to follow Him along the way. Who is Jesus for Mark? Jesus is the Son of God... the King...but He is a suffering King, the suffering servant of Isaiah. The crucified Christ...who calls those who "see" him rightly to take up their cross and follow him. In other words we are called to enter into the suffering of Christ...by entering into the suffering of others. The church for the world...
Some want to erect fences - doctrinal fences that declare who is in and who's out. Separating the sheep from the goats, as if that were our job. Doctrine becomes a rigid tool for beating others over the head...beating them either into submission or destroying them. Fences into which the Biblical narrative, and the revelation God has given us, is forced. So that God becomes, as Luther would say, the "god who is not God" - a god after our own image. That is the danger of doctrinalism.
I'm not opposed to doctrine...we all have doctrinal beliefs - and these beliefs are important. But from where do these beliefs spring? Do the confessions and creeds flow out of scripture? Or do we conform our understanding of scripture to the confessions and creeds?
Today is Halloween...or Reformation day as we call it. Tonight I will be taking my kids "trick or treating"...I guess that makes me a heretic.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Temple or Tabernacle?
Shameless self promotion...that's what this is.
I wrote a piece for Perspectives...a journal for reformed thought. I intertwined three things...Stephen's speech in Acts 7, Walter Bruggemann's theological thought, and an interesting story about my Grandpa Lief.
Here's the link to the online version.
http://www.perspectivesjournal.org/2007/10/insideout.html
Enjoy...(but only if you want too)
I wrote a piece for Perspectives...a journal for reformed thought. I intertwined three things...Stephen's speech in Acts 7, Walter Bruggemann's theological thought, and an interesting story about my Grandpa Lief.
Here's the link to the online version.
http://www.perspectivesjournal.org/2007/10/insideout.html
Enjoy...(but only if you want too)
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Inerrancy
If for Halloween someone told me I had to dress up like some from the history of the church...I would be Martin Luther. I grew up in Minnesota, I went to a Lutheran church, and I have a tendency to let my passions get the best of me. I have as yet to drop an f-bomb on any of my students...but I bet if Luther were teaching at Dordt, which is a funny thought, he surely would have done so already and been promptly fired.
Today, after my Theology 101 class, I let my passions get the best of me. I had seen a post on the Dordt forum that caught my eye...challenging the notion that C.S. Lewis was a Christian. I love C.S. Lewis...his writings, as they do for so many, help me wrestle with the Christian faith. I knew the student who wrote it would be coming in for the next class...I had her in my sights...and I couldn't stop the words from coming out of my mouth..."So you don't think C.S. Lewis is a Christian?" I hope she can forgive me...it was the Luther in me. We preceded to argue about the issue of Biblical inerrancy. I threw out some thoughts...she rebutted...some other students chimed in...other students were waiting to talk to me about the Theology 101 test on Friday...but I kept on. When I act like this I think of Seinfeld...and the phrase pops into my head..."Luther!"
Did we resolve anything? Nope. Was I all fired up...yup. I had done the exact same thing the day before. A rep from a confessional upstart seminary stopped in my office for a fight...and I gave him one. We went from the Westminster to Moltmann to N.T. Wright to Calvin. I just can't help myself. I had other things to do - but I love a good fight.
So why did I title this blog "inerrancy"? Just to get your attention! No seriously, I found this on the website of St. Olaf with regard to Luther. How often we take our 20th century issues and impose them back upon historical Christianity...onto people like Luther.
Here's the link. Hope you enjoy it...and if I ever go all Luther on you...please show me grace. Us Luther types need it badly.
http://www.stolaf.edu/people/edwards/luthbibl.htm
Today, after my Theology 101 class, I let my passions get the best of me. I had seen a post on the Dordt forum that caught my eye...challenging the notion that C.S. Lewis was a Christian. I love C.S. Lewis...his writings, as they do for so many, help me wrestle with the Christian faith. I knew the student who wrote it would be coming in for the next class...I had her in my sights...and I couldn't stop the words from coming out of my mouth..."So you don't think C.S. Lewis is a Christian?" I hope she can forgive me...it was the Luther in me. We preceded to argue about the issue of Biblical inerrancy. I threw out some thoughts...she rebutted...some other students chimed in...other students were waiting to talk to me about the Theology 101 test on Friday...but I kept on. When I act like this I think of Seinfeld...and the phrase pops into my head..."Luther!"
Did we resolve anything? Nope. Was I all fired up...yup. I had done the exact same thing the day before. A rep from a confessional upstart seminary stopped in my office for a fight...and I gave him one. We went from the Westminster to Moltmann to N.T. Wright to Calvin. I just can't help myself. I had other things to do - but I love a good fight.
So why did I title this blog "inerrancy"? Just to get your attention! No seriously, I found this on the website of St. Olaf with regard to Luther. How often we take our 20th century issues and impose them back upon historical Christianity...onto people like Luther.
Here's the link. Hope you enjoy it...and if I ever go all Luther on you...please show me grace. Us Luther types need it badly.
http://www.stolaf.edu/people/edwards/luthbibl.htm
Monday, October 22, 2007
Liefism
Found something funny on the internet today. Another Lief...Dan Lief...has used the term "Liefism". Funny.
For me, the term was coined by Pella Christian grad Timothy Jabaay. He referred to the Bible IV senior doctrine class as "Liefism"...It just kinda stuck.
Follow the link below...UCLA student Dan Lief makes reference to "Liefism"...better be careful...it seems to be spreading.
http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/archives/id/18785/
For me, the term was coined by Pella Christian grad Timothy Jabaay. He referred to the Bible IV senior doctrine class as "Liefism"...It just kinda stuck.
Follow the link below...UCLA student Dan Lief makes reference to "Liefism"...better be careful...it seems to be spreading.
http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/archives/id/18785/
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Faith and Spirituality
"If there be God - please forgive me. When I try to raise my thoughts to Heaven, there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives and hurt my very soul..."
"How painful is this unknown pain - I have no Faith."
What does it mean to have faith? What does it mean to be a "Christian"? What does it mean to be "spiritual"? The more I learn, the more I wrestle with other people's thoughts and experiences, the longer I teach and encounter young people who are trying to figure out the answers to these questions...the more I have to say I don't know. The above quotes are from Mother Teresa's recently released letters...intimate expressions of uncertainty and doubt. Mother Teresa! A woman who dedicated her life to the poor and suffering on the streets of Calcutta. A woman who lived out her Catholic belief in the crucified Christ in whom God reveals his solidarity with the poor and oppressed. A woman who is held up as the example of someone who "did something"...who acted upon her beliefs. Who would seem to be the one person who had it all together...no doubts and uncertainties...pouring herself out in service because her faith was rock solid. Come on, if Mother Teresa has doubts...
It's been a crazy few weeks for me at Dordt College. Students are struggling...probably for a lot of reasons. I see my job as a privilege...I get invited into the lives of so many young people. Their joys, their sorrows, their struggles. The last few weeks have been primarily struggles. Students who don't think they are good enough...spiritual enough...who aren't sure if they have faith...if they believe. They don't pray enough, read the Bible enough, "believe" enough. Some of them remind me of the Opus Dei priest in the Da Vinci code...as they talk I can almost hear the cracking of the whip. So what is my great advice? What is my wise council? "Join the club..." I say.
I've been on a kick lately...I often I latch on to a theme and beat the drum for a while. Lately I have been pounding away at our humanity. We are human after all...we are not angels or gnostic spiritual entities. We are human beings...made from the dust of the earth...meant to be a part of this world. "This world is not my home?" B.S. It is my home...and I love it...which is why I truly grieve when people I love die. We are meant to be human...to live in this world the way God intended. Now don't worry, I believe in sin, and depravity. Yes, sin has warped our humanity, and the world is not as it should be. But we are still meant to be human, and we must never forget it.
So what does this have to do with Mother Teresa? Her letters give me comfort. Her letters let me know I am not leading young people astray. Her letters reveal that she too was human. After all, to be human is to doubt. To be human is to read the bible and not get anything out of it. To be human is to not want to pray...and not "feel" anything even if you make yourself do it. To be human is to not want to go to church on a particular Sunday morning, but to do it anyway. I have come to love this little add on..."do it anyway". This is part of being human. This is an important part of "spirituality". Not that we pray, read scripture, or worship when we feel like it (John Henry Newman argues that if we only pray when we feel like it...we will never pray)...but that in the majority of times when we don't...we do it anyway. And that's ok.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Necessary Evil
Bring up the war in Iraq in this part of the country (NW Iowa) and you're likely to get one of two responses. Either people don't want to talk about it...or they get all patriotic on you. "Support the troops"..."sacrifice"..."freedom"..."remember 9-11" - George W. Bush as the mythical American hero...and this is just in the Christian community. Now I'm not questioning any one's salvation...many people who give me the aforementioned lines are good Christian people. But I have this strange feeling that when it comes to war...the Christian community no longer views it as a "necessary evil"...just necessary.
Read any Christian throughout history who has defended the necessity of war...and you will always find someone who thinks war is hell. War is evil...it may be necessary at times, it may even be just...but it is still evil. Last Friday I was challenged by an Anabaptist student in my Theology 101 class on the issue of pacifism. I told him the truth...In my heart of hearts I long to be a pacifist...but I just can't. Reinhold Niebuhr convinced me I can't. When I taught Christian Ethics at Pella Christian I would have the students read his piece entitled "Why the Christian Church is not Pacifist". Which is nobler...to tolerate tyranny for a long period of time...or anarchy for a short period of time? Both are evil...tyranny and anarchy. But sometimes, according to Niebuhr, we are forced to choose the lesser of two evils for the sake of justice and peace.
But with regard to the war in Iraq...the Christian community seems content to call war "necessary". To question the war, to question the policies of the Bush administration, to question Bush himself...is understood to be both unpatriotic and heretical. As if the Christian church is dependent upon the American version of "freedom" for it's survival...As if the promise that Christ gave to Peter..."the gates of hades will not prevail against it (the Church)..." is somehow inadequate. As if it is a noble and glorious thing to send our young men and women into the meat grinder..shattering them emotionally, physically, spiritually...
Lately I've been watching Ken Burns documentary The War. He does a good job of showing both the insanity and treachery of the war, but also I believe it's necessity. The men and women he interviews are not proud of the violence, the gore, the inhumanity...they did what they thought they needed to do. Many of them, I firmly believe, recognize the horror of war...the evil. Listening to them talk, I did not get a sense of intense patriotism or self righteousness...I came away with a sense of survival. I talked with my grandfather once about his experience in WWII...I even got it down on tape. I came away with a similar feeling...war is hell, even when it may be the right thing to do.
I know I am fortunate to never have been forced onto the battle field. My grandfather and my father, who was in Vietnam, didn't have such a luxury. Maybe that means I should shut my mouth...but as someone who works with the young people being sent to Iraq I can't. As a Christian who believes in the hope of Christ's resurrection and presence of the Kingdom of God, right now...right here...I can't. As someone who knows someone walking the streets of Baghdad with an M16 strapped over his shoulder...I can't. That doesn't make me a pacifist...it makes me a Christian who thinks we need to call war what it is...hell, evil, "not the way it's supposed to be."
By the way...a former student of mine is in Baghdad right now. He emails me from time to time...and I don't email him as much as I should. But if you don't have any personal connections to this war...get connected. Send Brandon Talsma an email. Let him know you are thinking about him, praying for him...let him know you hope he can come home soon, get married, and live a good life.
brandontalsma@hotmail.com
Read any Christian throughout history who has defended the necessity of war...and you will always find someone who thinks war is hell. War is evil...it may be necessary at times, it may even be just...but it is still evil. Last Friday I was challenged by an Anabaptist student in my Theology 101 class on the issue of pacifism. I told him the truth...In my heart of hearts I long to be a pacifist...but I just can't. Reinhold Niebuhr convinced me I can't. When I taught Christian Ethics at Pella Christian I would have the students read his piece entitled "Why the Christian Church is not Pacifist". Which is nobler...to tolerate tyranny for a long period of time...or anarchy for a short period of time? Both are evil...tyranny and anarchy. But sometimes, according to Niebuhr, we are forced to choose the lesser of two evils for the sake of justice and peace.
But with regard to the war in Iraq...the Christian community seems content to call war "necessary". To question the war, to question the policies of the Bush administration, to question Bush himself...is understood to be both unpatriotic and heretical. As if the Christian church is dependent upon the American version of "freedom" for it's survival...As if the promise that Christ gave to Peter..."the gates of hades will not prevail against it (the Church)..." is somehow inadequate. As if it is a noble and glorious thing to send our young men and women into the meat grinder..shattering them emotionally, physically, spiritually...
Lately I've been watching Ken Burns documentary The War. He does a good job of showing both the insanity and treachery of the war, but also I believe it's necessity. The men and women he interviews are not proud of the violence, the gore, the inhumanity...they did what they thought they needed to do. Many of them, I firmly believe, recognize the horror of war...the evil. Listening to them talk, I did not get a sense of intense patriotism or self righteousness...I came away with a sense of survival. I talked with my grandfather once about his experience in WWII...I even got it down on tape. I came away with a similar feeling...war is hell, even when it may be the right thing to do.
I know I am fortunate to never have been forced onto the battle field. My grandfather and my father, who was in Vietnam, didn't have such a luxury. Maybe that means I should shut my mouth...but as someone who works with the young people being sent to Iraq I can't. As a Christian who believes in the hope of Christ's resurrection and presence of the Kingdom of God, right now...right here...I can't. As someone who knows someone walking the streets of Baghdad with an M16 strapped over his shoulder...I can't. That doesn't make me a pacifist...it makes me a Christian who thinks we need to call war what it is...hell, evil, "not the way it's supposed to be."
By the way...a former student of mine is in Baghdad right now. He emails me from time to time...and I don't email him as much as I should. But if you don't have any personal connections to this war...get connected. Send Brandon Talsma an email. Let him know you are thinking about him, praying for him...let him know you hope he can come home soon, get married, and live a good life.
brandontalsma@hotmail.com
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Three Hours One Tuesday
For three hours on a Tuesday afternoon my wife and I were having twins. Healthy twin girls. I can't tell you how excited we were. My wife cried...said something like"poor Christian"...and we immediately made plans to move him out of the big bedroom upstairs to make room for the girls. Amazing what you can do with three hours. I had them graduated from high school, going to college, becoming doctors and lawyers...pastors...
I remember it well...we came home and I went back upstairs to finish painting the bedroom with this rock in my gut. "Why didn't they say everything is ok?" I kept asking myself that question over and over. "Is everything ok?" I asked the technician. "Didn't she say anything?" - referring to the doctor that had examined the sonogram in complete, horrible, silence. "No..." "Well it's hard to tell with twins..." And that was that. So I went home and painted, listening to Sufjan Stevens, afraid to let myself relax.
I came down a few hours later, having finished the bedroom, and noticed my wife was on the phone. She was crying. She scribbled down some weird technical jargon for "one of our girls is not going to live". She had a terrible condition - there was nothing we could do - one would live and the other would die.
Terrible thing being a parent. Frightening. I don't cry easily...my wife will tell you that...but now when I see or read about the plight of children my heart breaks and tears well up in my eyes. That's what being a father does to you. So what do you do when you can't do a damn thing. Nothing but wait. Wait for a daughter to be born to die. This is what my summer consisted of...waiting and preparing for the inevitable.
For some reason I kept thinking of Paul's words in Romans..."Jacob I have loved...Esau I hated." Hated? What does that mean? I know I'm taking the text out of context...but I can't get the words out of my head. One lives, the other dies...doesn't make much sense. The randomness of the whole thing...the "rotten luck" as our doctor put it. She kept telling us it was nothing we did...these things just happen...but it's hard to live with "things just happen".
Don't get me wrong...I'm not pissed at God or anything. I don't question his goodness. I don't scream "why me!!!" I'm just pissed and I have a right to be. The Old Testament lets me be pissed. David, Job, Israel, Jesus - they all let me be pissed. But I am thankful for the experiences of others. I am thankful for Jurgen Moltmann, Karl Barth, C.S. Lewis, and countless others who have helped me make sense of the Biblical narrative. Who have helped me contemplate the meaning of Exodus 3:7 "For I have seen the misery of my people...", and the forsakeness of Christ on the cross. I am thankful for their help in understanding what the resurrection of Jesus Christ means for my daughter...along with the hope of bodily resurrection and new creation. I am thankful for my years at a Catholic high school - for going to mass on Thursdays...and for experiencing the Stations of the Cross during lent. I am thankful for St. James Episcopal Church in Oskaloosa, IA and the sickly old lady who always sat in the back pew, bent over the kneeler pouring her broken humanity out in prayer. And for the thoughts of Moltmann...who helped me wrestle with the history the dead have with God...and N.T Wright who gave me the green light to offer prayers for my dead daughter. Frankly, I'm passed the point of caring if it is heretical or not...if loving my dead daughter and trying to make sense of her death makes me a heretic...so be it. But most of all...I am thankful for all of those people in my life who let me curse what has happened, without questioning my faith, and just give me the space to be righteously pissed.
I remember it well...we came home and I went back upstairs to finish painting the bedroom with this rock in my gut. "Why didn't they say everything is ok?" I kept asking myself that question over and over. "Is everything ok?" I asked the technician. "Didn't she say anything?" - referring to the doctor that had examined the sonogram in complete, horrible, silence. "No..." "Well it's hard to tell with twins..." And that was that. So I went home and painted, listening to Sufjan Stevens, afraid to let myself relax.
I came down a few hours later, having finished the bedroom, and noticed my wife was on the phone. She was crying. She scribbled down some weird technical jargon for "one of our girls is not going to live". She had a terrible condition - there was nothing we could do - one would live and the other would die.
Terrible thing being a parent. Frightening. I don't cry easily...my wife will tell you that...but now when I see or read about the plight of children my heart breaks and tears well up in my eyes. That's what being a father does to you. So what do you do when you can't do a damn thing. Nothing but wait. Wait for a daughter to be born to die. This is what my summer consisted of...waiting and preparing for the inevitable.
For some reason I kept thinking of Paul's words in Romans..."Jacob I have loved...Esau I hated." Hated? What does that mean? I know I'm taking the text out of context...but I can't get the words out of my head. One lives, the other dies...doesn't make much sense. The randomness of the whole thing...the "rotten luck" as our doctor put it. She kept telling us it was nothing we did...these things just happen...but it's hard to live with "things just happen".
Don't get me wrong...I'm not pissed at God or anything. I don't question his goodness. I don't scream "why me!!!" I'm just pissed and I have a right to be. The Old Testament lets me be pissed. David, Job, Israel, Jesus - they all let me be pissed. But I am thankful for the experiences of others. I am thankful for Jurgen Moltmann, Karl Barth, C.S. Lewis, and countless others who have helped me make sense of the Biblical narrative. Who have helped me contemplate the meaning of Exodus 3:7 "For I have seen the misery of my people...", and the forsakeness of Christ on the cross. I am thankful for their help in understanding what the resurrection of Jesus Christ means for my daughter...along with the hope of bodily resurrection and new creation. I am thankful for my years at a Catholic high school - for going to mass on Thursdays...and for experiencing the Stations of the Cross during lent. I am thankful for St. James Episcopal Church in Oskaloosa, IA and the sickly old lady who always sat in the back pew, bent over the kneeler pouring her broken humanity out in prayer. And for the thoughts of Moltmann...who helped me wrestle with the history the dead have with God...and N.T Wright who gave me the green light to offer prayers for my dead daughter. Frankly, I'm passed the point of caring if it is heretical or not...if loving my dead daughter and trying to make sense of her death makes me a heretic...so be it. But most of all...I am thankful for all of those people in my life who let me curse what has happened, without questioning my faith, and just give me the space to be righteously pissed.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Imaginative Remembering
I attended a poetry reading last Sunday evening...I even participated. A bunch of lyrical, thought provoking English profs - and then me - a theology / youth ministry punk way out of his league. I really enjoyed listening to the poems and short stories read by the good people from the Dordt College English dept. I have strong feelings about the connection between the world of poetry and literature, and the world of theology. For too long it seems we "conservative" theology folk have been influenced by a combination of modernism and fundamentalism. We have turned the Bible into a deposit of doctrinal truth...a book of historical and scientific facts...facts that came be pulled out of their context and thrown at people like grenades - "The Bible says.....the Bible says....the Bible says...". And then we wonder why the Bible loses it's meaning for our young people? If it's a book of facts to be conquered...many of them believe they have conquered! They know all there is to know...their arsenal of weaponry is full. So when I ask students to read along with me in class...many do...some don't. Some take that time to glance at their planners, or whisper something to their neighbor, or just totally space out. But their not alone...look around during a church service sometime when the Bible is being read.
Could this have something to do with a loss of imagination? We have worked really hard to drain the biblical story of mystery, magic, and along with it- meaning. The North American Christian community is no longer a story telling community. We have left that to the "heathen". So called "secular" authors, filmmakers, musicians, artists...tell wonderful stories - but far too often we lob our bible grenades back at them, afraid of letting ourselves be human lest we venture away from the "truth".
We need our poets, our authors, our story tellers. We need more theology students to engage the creativity of poetry and literature...and we need more of our English majors to delve into theology. The Christian community has to remember that we are a people with a story, and we all need to learn how to creatively enter into and share that story. We need to be awakened to the mystery and power of the Biblical narrative, and reclaim the Bible for what it is...the memory of Israel and the memory of the Apostles as they proclaim what God has done for us, and the hope of what he is about to do.
The phrase "Imaginative Remembering" comes from Old Testament scholar Walter Bruggemann. I love that phrase and use it every chance I get. Sometime is causes students concern...after all to "imagine" something is to make something up. But I reassure them the phrase does not mean the Bible is fiction...but that the Bible is memory rooted in the historical actions of the God who has entered into covenant with his people, and with his creation, revealed to us through narrative . A story about a God who has, as Exodus 3:7 proclaims, "seen the misery" of his people - and more importantly - has come to do something about it. This is a wonderful story, a powerful story...and it's about time the Christian community once again allow the story to speak.
Could this have something to do with a loss of imagination? We have worked really hard to drain the biblical story of mystery, magic, and along with it- meaning. The North American Christian community is no longer a story telling community. We have left that to the "heathen". So called "secular" authors, filmmakers, musicians, artists...tell wonderful stories - but far too often we lob our bible grenades back at them, afraid of letting ourselves be human lest we venture away from the "truth".
We need our poets, our authors, our story tellers. We need more theology students to engage the creativity of poetry and literature...and we need more of our English majors to delve into theology. The Christian community has to remember that we are a people with a story, and we all need to learn how to creatively enter into and share that story. We need to be awakened to the mystery and power of the Biblical narrative, and reclaim the Bible for what it is...the memory of Israel and the memory of the Apostles as they proclaim what God has done for us, and the hope of what he is about to do.
The phrase "Imaginative Remembering" comes from Old Testament scholar Walter Bruggemann. I love that phrase and use it every chance I get. Sometime is causes students concern...after all to "imagine" something is to make something up. But I reassure them the phrase does not mean the Bible is fiction...but that the Bible is memory rooted in the historical actions of the God who has entered into covenant with his people, and with his creation, revealed to us through narrative . A story about a God who has, as Exodus 3:7 proclaims, "seen the misery" of his people - and more importantly - has come to do something about it. This is a wonderful story, a powerful story...and it's about time the Christian community once again allow the story to speak.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
American Beauty
The Dordt College Faith and Film club was brought to life last year. I, along with a handful of students and a few community members, picked some films we thought were significant and once a month we watched one and discussed it. The club survived the summer, and now the students are in control. They have picked some good ones...
The first film chosen for the new year was American Beauty - which we watched last Tuesday - but not without controversy. Some on campus thought the film shouldn't be shown. There is vulgarity, violence, and sexuality...and, to be honest, the film is not easy to watch. But does this mean we shouldn't watch it?
Admittedly, the film is one of my favorites...so I'm biased. The reason for this bias is that I'm a father. I know this should probably put me on the other side of the debate...after all fathers are supposed to oppose such films that corrupt the minds of their children, but in my case being a father has caused me to embrace this film all the more. I can identify with Lester, the main character of the film. We are all seeking the big deal...we are all trying to make sense of the world, to find happiness and contentment, to find those things in life that will wake us up from the comatose stupor we too often find ourselves in. So we frantically look for the next big thing...
This happens in the Christian community as well. Our young people feel this need to move from spiritual high to spiritual high. They want to make a difference...which means traveling the world to bring the gospel to a people in desperate need. At our college campus it means being a part of praise and worship, prayer retreats, mission projects - the list could go on. For others in the church is usually manifests itself as the next big book or author with some new big idea. After all, Christians have been failing miserably in living out the gospel, we have failed miserably in carrying out the great commission...so these books and authors try to get us back on track with these grandiose ideas and spiritual exercises. So we go out and climb rocks...quit our jobs...beat our chests...watch Braveheart...go on retreats and mission projects - all in search of the next big deal.
This is what American Beauty is really about. For Lester, he is searching for meaning in sexual conquest, power, and drugs...but we are allowed to fill in the blanks for ourselves. The point of American beauty is that Lester doesn't "get it" until he has tried all of these things...and failed to arrive at contentment. When does he finally "get it"? Looking at a picture of his family. I'll admit...I am moved by the final scenes of American Beauty as Lester discovers meaning and purpose in the ordinary things of life. The leaves in fall, his grandmother's leathery hands, lying on his back and watching the stars...and Jane his daughter...and Carolyn his wife. When I see the shot of his daughter standing in the doorway with a princess costume on, I am reminded of my daughter fluttering around the yard with her Tinkerbell wings. I think of my son pretending to be a monkey on the rocks at Oak Grove...I think of my newborn daughter and the spiritual act of changing her dirty diapers. Here lies the meaning of life...too be found in the ordinary things of life. If we could only quit looking to the horizon, and look instead at what has been put right in front of us...that is the point of American Beauty. That we might finally give thanks for the explosions of grace and beauty to be discovered in the ordinary moments of our "stupid little lives."
The first film chosen for the new year was American Beauty - which we watched last Tuesday - but not without controversy. Some on campus thought the film shouldn't be shown. There is vulgarity, violence, and sexuality...and, to be honest, the film is not easy to watch. But does this mean we shouldn't watch it?
Admittedly, the film is one of my favorites...so I'm biased. The reason for this bias is that I'm a father. I know this should probably put me on the other side of the debate...after all fathers are supposed to oppose such films that corrupt the minds of their children, but in my case being a father has caused me to embrace this film all the more. I can identify with Lester, the main character of the film. We are all seeking the big deal...we are all trying to make sense of the world, to find happiness and contentment, to find those things in life that will wake us up from the comatose stupor we too often find ourselves in. So we frantically look for the next big thing...
This happens in the Christian community as well. Our young people feel this need to move from spiritual high to spiritual high. They want to make a difference...which means traveling the world to bring the gospel to a people in desperate need. At our college campus it means being a part of praise and worship, prayer retreats, mission projects - the list could go on. For others in the church is usually manifests itself as the next big book or author with some new big idea. After all, Christians have been failing miserably in living out the gospel, we have failed miserably in carrying out the great commission...so these books and authors try to get us back on track with these grandiose ideas and spiritual exercises. So we go out and climb rocks...quit our jobs...beat our chests...watch Braveheart...go on retreats and mission projects - all in search of the next big deal.
This is what American Beauty is really about. For Lester, he is searching for meaning in sexual conquest, power, and drugs...but we are allowed to fill in the blanks for ourselves. The point of American beauty is that Lester doesn't "get it" until he has tried all of these things...and failed to arrive at contentment. When does he finally "get it"? Looking at a picture of his family. I'll admit...I am moved by the final scenes of American Beauty as Lester discovers meaning and purpose in the ordinary things of life. The leaves in fall, his grandmother's leathery hands, lying on his back and watching the stars...and Jane his daughter...and Carolyn his wife. When I see the shot of his daughter standing in the doorway with a princess costume on, I am reminded of my daughter fluttering around the yard with her Tinkerbell wings. I think of my son pretending to be a monkey on the rocks at Oak Grove...I think of my newborn daughter and the spiritual act of changing her dirty diapers. Here lies the meaning of life...too be found in the ordinary things of life. If we could only quit looking to the horizon, and look instead at what has been put right in front of us...that is the point of American Beauty. That we might finally give thanks for the explosions of grace and beauty to be discovered in the ordinary moments of our "stupid little lives."
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Life in the City
Thanks to the generosity of a friend, I just spent about five days in New York City. Five days of the subway, buses, walking, running (trying to catch the trains and buses), baseball (Yankee stadium), and eating. I've been to New York twice before...but this time I felt like I finally caught a glimpse of city life. Being a Midwestern Iowa / Minnesota boy...the city usually makes me long for the open prairie and the comfort of the familiar. But this time I noticed something. In the midst of the busyness, noise, and obnoxious symbols of hyper-capitalism; I witnessed the fusion of culture and community. The African American elders staking their claim to the storefront sidewalks with their plastic lawn chairs in Harlem. The Puerto Rican flags perched 
proudly atop the roofs of automobiles and the heads of young Hispanic women. What looked like a Hasidic Jewish picnic in Central park, amidst the families and lovers trying to find small pieces of Eden in the midst of concrete and high rise buildings. And the rowdy mob of young men who have found ritual and religion in the bleachers of Yankee stadium; proclaiming solidarity with the poor in the face of the oppressive wealthy box seat holders, and celebrating a secular form of vicarious atonement with chants of "Derek Jeter" and "Hip Hip Jorge!"
But what impacted me the most were the improvised signs of life and beauty in places that seemed desolate and barren. The graffiti on bridges and empty storefronts depicting pictures full of color and hope. The mariachi band singing in the middle of a subway train to people trying hard not to notice each other. The young African American men dancing in the midst of Time's Square station. Most strikingly...the different groups of people from all walks of life, from every culture and nation, living together. While New York is far from a utopia (I witnessed plenty of brokenness ...), my time in the big city helped me better understand why John uses the imagery of a city, the new Jerusalem, in talking about the "new heavens and the new earth."
"I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 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 with be with them and be their God'" (Revelation 21:2-3)
What I experienced during my time in New York, to borrow from the Eastern Orthodox, were icons; snapshots of city life that point beyond themselves to something much greater. To life as it was meant to be...and to a life that one day will be once again.
proudly atop the roofs of automobiles and the heads of young Hispanic women. What looked like a Hasidic Jewish picnic in Central park, amidst the families and lovers trying to find small pieces of Eden in the midst of concrete and high rise buildings. And the rowdy mob of young men who have found ritual and religion in the bleachers of Yankee stadium; proclaiming solidarity with the poor in the face of the oppressive wealthy box seat holders, and celebrating a secular form of vicarious atonement with chants of "Derek Jeter" and "Hip Hip Jorge!"But what impacted me the most were the improvised signs of life and beauty in places that seemed desolate and barren. The graffiti on bridges and empty storefronts depicting pictures full of color and hope. The mariachi band singing in the middle of a subway train to people trying hard not to notice each other. The young African American men dancing in the midst of Time's Square station. Most strikingly...the different groups of people from all walks of life, from every culture and nation, living together. While New York is far from a utopia (I witnessed plenty of brokenness ...), my time in the big city helped me better understand why John uses the imagery of a city, the new Jerusalem, in talking about the "new heavens and the new earth."
"I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 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 with be with them and be their God'" (Revelation 21:2-3)
What I experienced during my time in New York, to borrow from the Eastern Orthodox, were icons; snapshots of city life that point beyond themselves to something much greater. To life as it was meant to be...and to a life that one day will be once again.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
What my Father Gave Me
My father and I really do not have much in common. It used to bother me, but not as much anymore. We are different people with different experiences. My father grew up in a blue collar family, and began working in a local meat market at a young age. He served in Vietnam, came home and got married. He started a family and needed to pay the bills, so he began working. Going to school may have been an option, but not a very good one. He worked hard to support his family, buy us some toys, pay for Christian school tuition, and he took us to the occasional movie.
My dad liked action movies, James Bond, war flicks, etc…but he also liked science fiction. I remember staying up late on Saturday nights…until midnight!...watching Dr. Who. He took us to see the original Superman movies, and I will never forget going to The Return of the Jedi. Never mind the critics…I was a kid, and I was mesmerized. Blown away. Inspired. I became a Star Wars nut, collecting as many of the action figures as I could, recreating the battles between the Imperial forces and the Rebels. I also was hooked on superheros. Superman, Spiderman, The Incredible Hulk – you name the hero, and I was into them. (Except for Batman…he really didn’t have any cool super powers.)
Whether he knew it or not, my father had given me a gift. Imagination. I would get caught up into entirely different worlds, where good battled against the forces of evil. Where there was more to the world then met the eye…there was something beyond the way things were. There were other forces at work in the world…forces from other dimensions, other places.
I still get caught up into these worlds. I love the Lord of the Rings, the new Spiderman films (although I was disappointed with the third one), and I can’t wait to read the Chronicles of Narnia to my kids. But the influence these things had upon me goes much deeper then entertainment. I am a teacher, and for 9 months I stand in front of 18-23 year old young men and women and share ideas. To be a teacher, from my perspective, is to be a story teller. We take all kinds of narratives...historical, scientific, social, theological - and try to help young people understand them, and find the meaning and purpose in them. To teach from a Christian perspective, means we cast visions. We speak of the hope that the way the world is - the violence, oppression, and suffering - is not the way it always will be. We speak of incarnation, of resurrection, of the new heavens and the new earth...and this takes imagination. C.S. Lewis feared that the modern educational system would produce "men with no chests"...people with no heart...no imagination. I am thankful that I did not need to rely on an educational system to open my mind to think grand thoughts. Imagination is a gift my father has unknowingly given to me, and I am forever grateful.
My dad liked action movies, James Bond, war flicks, etc…but he also liked science fiction. I remember staying up late on Saturday nights…until midnight!...watching Dr. Who. He took us to see the original Superman movies, and I will never forget going to The Return of the Jedi. Never mind the critics…I was a kid, and I was mesmerized. Blown away. Inspired. I became a Star Wars nut, collecting as many of the action figures as I could, recreating the battles between the Imperial forces and the Rebels. I also was hooked on superheros. Superman, Spiderman, The Incredible Hulk – you name the hero, and I was into them. (Except for Batman…he really didn’t have any cool super powers.)
Whether he knew it or not, my father had given me a gift. Imagination. I would get caught up into entirely different worlds, where good battled against the forces of evil. Where there was more to the world then met the eye…there was something beyond the way things were. There were other forces at work in the world…forces from other dimensions, other places.
I still get caught up into these worlds. I love the Lord of the Rings, the new Spiderman films (although I was disappointed with the third one), and I can’t wait to read the Chronicles of Narnia to my kids. But the influence these things had upon me goes much deeper then entertainment. I am a teacher, and for 9 months I stand in front of 18-23 year old young men and women and share ideas. To be a teacher, from my perspective, is to be a story teller. We take all kinds of narratives...historical, scientific, social, theological - and try to help young people understand them, and find the meaning and purpose in them. To teach from a Christian perspective, means we cast visions. We speak of the hope that the way the world is - the violence, oppression, and suffering - is not the way it always will be. We speak of incarnation, of resurrection, of the new heavens and the new earth...and this takes imagination. C.S. Lewis feared that the modern educational system would produce "men with no chests"...people with no heart...no imagination. I am thankful that I did not need to rely on an educational system to open my mind to think grand thoughts. Imagination is a gift my father has unknowingly given to me, and I am forever grateful.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Little Miss Sunshine
Let me begin by saying if you did not like Little Miss Sunshine, in the words of my good friend Lee, "you didn't get it did you". Ok ok, so maybe you did get it and still didn't like it. Fine. But too often in Christian circles we judge films by shallow, moralistic, criteria. Many Christians believe good films have little to no vulgar language, no sex or violence, and a straight forward, preachy, message that is usually moralistic . Little attention is given to the art of film making, or the intricate interweaving of images, music, and dialogue. Recently, I showed clips from two films to students in the Engaging Culture course I teach. The first was from the film Time Changer - a so called Christian film, made by a Christian director, and distributed by a Christian film company. This film was moralistic, preachy, and the acting was horrible. (Not to mention a plot that was contrived and laughable.) The second was Pulp Fiction, a Quentin Tarantino film that focuses on thug hit men and the underbelly crime world of Los Angeles. The question I left students to ponder over spring break: Which of these films is a "good" film? My answer? Pulp Fiction - hands down. Which of these films is a Christian film? Pulp Fiction...without a doubt.
The first time I saw Little Miss Sunshine I left the theater moved by the gospel and stirred by the Spirit. As far as I am concerned, there are few better cinematic presentations of the gospel. It begins with brokenness; a family made up of people who by the standards of American culture are all losers. A suicidal homosexual, a drug snorting grandpa, a divorced mother, a desperate and bankrupt father, a depressed and nihilistic son, and a slightly overweight young daughter who wears the disproportionately large round glasses of a grandmother. They are all brought together around Olive, the daughter, who by default ends up in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. The story focuses on their road trip to California, in an old, unreliable, Volkswagen van, trying to get Olive to the pageant on time.
At first glance there doesn't appear to be much that sets the film apart from other cheap laugh road trip films. But two important keys unlock the film: the Sufjan Stevens song playing as they begin their trip, and a discussion Olive has with her suicidal homosexual uncle. The Sufjan Stevens song is "Chicago", from the Come on Feel the Illinoise album. The film only includes the instrumentation, but listen to the lyrics and one discovers the song conveys a redemptive theme. The chorus begins with this refrain: "You came to save us....all things go, all things go. To recreate us...all things go, all things go." Eventually, the somber admission "I've made a lot of mistakes" gives way to a wonderful proclaimation of new creation. In this context we encounter the discussion between Olive and her uncle concerning the existence of heaven. Olive tells him that she believes there is a heaven, to which her uncle asks if he will get in. "Yes" Olive emphatically replies...too which her uncle, who has been depressed and suicidal, can only smile.
The Roman Catholic tradition has historically understood redemption as a pilgrimage, with the vehicle for this journey being the church. We come to her broken and battered, and are led through the wilderness of this world by her instruction as we encounter the crucified and risen Christ. Lately, the church has taken quite a beating, and most of the time, it is well deserved. The church is not perfect...and this is why the Volkswagen van in Little Miss Sunshine is a perfect symbol for her. It is old, battered, first gear doesn't work, and the horn keeps going off. But it is in this van, gathered around a child, the characters are transformed.
Throughout the film Olive provides a beautiful picture of incarnation. The most powerful example being her descent into Dwayne's (her brother) despair, and her silent solidarity with him in suffering. As the film ends, Olive is the one around whom the family rallies, hand in hand joyfully dancing. Every time I see these final scenes, I am reminded of Jeremiah's proclamation to the people of Israel, living with the despair of exile:
Yes, God's Message: 'You're going to look at this place, these empty and desolate towns of Judah and streets of Jerusalem, and say, "A wasteland. Unlivable. Not even a dog could live here." But the time is coming when you're going to hear laughter and celebration, marriage festivities, people exclaiming, "Thank God-of-the-Angel-Armies. He's so good! His love never quits," as they bring thank offerings into God's Temple. I'll restore everything that was lost in this land. I'll make everything as good as new.' I, God, say so. . (Jeremiah 33:10-11 from the Message)
Amen.
The first time I saw Little Miss Sunshine I left the theater moved by the gospel and stirred by the Spirit. As far as I am concerned, there are few better cinematic presentations of the gospel. It begins with brokenness; a family made up of people who by the standards of American culture are all losers. A suicidal homosexual, a drug snorting grandpa, a divorced mother, a desperate and bankrupt father, a depressed and nihilistic son, and a slightly overweight young daughter who wears the disproportionately large round glasses of a grandmother. They are all brought together around Olive, the daughter, who by default ends up in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. The story focuses on their road trip to California, in an old, unreliable, Volkswagen van, trying to get Olive to the pageant on time.
At first glance there doesn't appear to be much that sets the film apart from other cheap laugh road trip films. But two important keys unlock the film: the Sufjan Stevens song playing as they begin their trip, and a discussion Olive has with her suicidal homosexual uncle. The Sufjan Stevens song is "Chicago", from the Come on Feel the Illinoise album. The film only includes the instrumentation, but listen to the lyrics and one discovers the song conveys a redemptive theme. The chorus begins with this refrain: "You came to save us....all things go, all things go. To recreate us...all things go, all things go." Eventually, the somber admission "I've made a lot of mistakes" gives way to a wonderful proclaimation of new creation. In this context we encounter the discussion between Olive and her uncle concerning the existence of heaven. Olive tells him that she believes there is a heaven, to which her uncle asks if he will get in. "Yes" Olive emphatically replies...too which her uncle, who has been depressed and suicidal, can only smile.
The Roman Catholic tradition has historically understood redemption as a pilgrimage, with the vehicle for this journey being the church. We come to her broken and battered, and are led through the wilderness of this world by her instruction as we encounter the crucified and risen Christ. Lately, the church has taken quite a beating, and most of the time, it is well deserved. The church is not perfect...and this is why the Volkswagen van in Little Miss Sunshine is a perfect symbol for her. It is old, battered, first gear doesn't work, and the horn keeps going off. But it is in this van, gathered around a child, the characters are transformed.
Throughout the film Olive provides a beautiful picture of incarnation. The most powerful example being her descent into Dwayne's (her brother) despair, and her silent solidarity with him in suffering. As the film ends, Olive is the one around whom the family rallies, hand in hand joyfully dancing. Every time I see these final scenes, I am reminded of Jeremiah's proclamation to the people of Israel, living with the despair of exile:
Yes, God's Message: 'You're going to look at this place, these empty and desolate towns of Judah and streets of Jerusalem, and say, "A wasteland. Unlivable. Not even a dog could live here." But the time is coming when you're going to hear laughter and celebration, marriage festivities, people exclaiming, "Thank God-of-the-Angel-Armies. He's so good! His love never quits," as they bring thank offerings into God's Temple. I'll restore everything that was lost in this land. I'll make everything as good as new.' I, God, say so. . (Jeremiah 33:10-11 from the Message)
Amen.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Including the Excluded
This past week has been an interesting one for Dordt College. On Thursday the campus was visited by the group Soulforce as a part of their Equality Ride. Soulforce is a group that promotes issues of justice and equality on behalf of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and trans-gender people. While I believe the group has Christian roots (I think it was founded by Mel White), technically I do not believe they claim to be a Christian organization. The Equality ride is a bus tour that visits Christian college campuses in order to challenge what are believed to be unjust policies toward GLBT individuals. But the main focus of thier campaign is to dialouge with Christians about the issue of homoseuxality.
The issue of homosexuality is both controversial and complicated. There are so many factors that influence how people percieve the issue. This visit forced the Dordt community to move the issue from the abstract to the concrete. It's one thing to talk about it in the context of a classroom, constructing "homosexuals" into some type of artifical abstraction. But to come face to face with a real person, to talk to them, and interact with them, changes things. A friend and I were able to talk with a couple of members of the Soulforce team in a local coffee shop the Friday after they visited. It was a good conversation. We disagreed about some things...but I think we found some very important common ground.
The gospel of Luke does not allow us to turn a blind eye to the plight of the homosexual community. Throughout Luke's gospel, Jesus redraws the social boundaries and structures as he ministers to those who have been excluded. Luke's birth account establishes Jesus' place amongst the excluded - he is the ultimate outcast, forced to be born amongst the stink of livestock, because there was "no room in the inn". In Luke 4, Jesus defines his own ministry in the context of Jubilee. He has come to set the captives free - to proclaim the Year of the Lord's favor...to break down the barriers that keep people on the outside, and bring them home. Read through the gospel and you see Jesus touches the lepers, he eats with sinners and tax collectors, he allows women to sit at his feet and learn (the Mary and Martha story); everywhere he goes he challenges the status quo and aligns himself with the oppressed. He proclaims a new order - a new Kingdom - the Kingdom of God, and throws the doors of His royal banquet wide open so all may come and eat at the table.
Regardless of how we view homsexuality Luke's gospel does not allow us to shut the door on our homosexual brothers and sisters. We don't have to agree with them...but we had better be ready to love them. We had better be ready to stand alongside of them and advocate for them in the face of oppression and exlcusion. We had better be ready to proclaim the good news of the gospel - that the grace of God does not depend upon our sexual orientation. The grace of God in Jesus Christ comes to all of us - broken and inwardly turned - in order to make us new creations.
The issue of homosexuality is both controversial and complicated. There are so many factors that influence how people percieve the issue. This visit forced the Dordt community to move the issue from the abstract to the concrete. It's one thing to talk about it in the context of a classroom, constructing "homosexuals" into some type of artifical abstraction. But to come face to face with a real person, to talk to them, and interact with them, changes things. A friend and I were able to talk with a couple of members of the Soulforce team in a local coffee shop the Friday after they visited. It was a good conversation. We disagreed about some things...but I think we found some very important common ground.
The gospel of Luke does not allow us to turn a blind eye to the plight of the homosexual community. Throughout Luke's gospel, Jesus redraws the social boundaries and structures as he ministers to those who have been excluded. Luke's birth account establishes Jesus' place amongst the excluded - he is the ultimate outcast, forced to be born amongst the stink of livestock, because there was "no room in the inn". In Luke 4, Jesus defines his own ministry in the context of Jubilee. He has come to set the captives free - to proclaim the Year of the Lord's favor...to break down the barriers that keep people on the outside, and bring them home. Read through the gospel and you see Jesus touches the lepers, he eats with sinners and tax collectors, he allows women to sit at his feet and learn (the Mary and Martha story); everywhere he goes he challenges the status quo and aligns himself with the oppressed. He proclaims a new order - a new Kingdom - the Kingdom of God, and throws the doors of His royal banquet wide open so all may come and eat at the table.
Regardless of how we view homsexuality Luke's gospel does not allow us to shut the door on our homosexual brothers and sisters. We don't have to agree with them...but we had better be ready to love them. We had better be ready to stand alongside of them and advocate for them in the face of oppression and exlcusion. We had better be ready to proclaim the good news of the gospel - that the grace of God does not depend upon our sexual orientation. The grace of God in Jesus Christ comes to all of us - broken and inwardly turned - in order to make us new creations.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Youth Ministry as Truth Telling
In the book Resident Aliens, Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon give an assessment of the Christ and Culture problem. From their perspective, the church tends to fall off on either side. We either withdraw from the world content to let it all "go to hell", or we accommodate ourselves so much to the prevailing cultural winds, the gospel is no longer recognizable. Resident Aliens calls us to a different way - the way of being the Christian community. A community within which our identity is formed by the Christ event, and the Biblical testimony concerning that event. But this community does not exist for itself...it must never become an inwardly turned community. The Christian community exists for the world...to remind the world who it really is, and who it will one day once again will be. This is what it means to proclaim the Kingdom of God.
I am using this book with Youth Ministry students, trying to help them grapple with the essence of Christian Youth Ministry. So many youth ministry programs want to meet the needs of young people - emotional, relational, sometimes even physical needs. What else can we expect from a consumer culture? EVERYTHING is about meeting my needs. Maybe we are asking the wrong things from our youth leaders. The last thing young people need is another person to give them strokes, to tell them how great they are, to tell them they can and should do anything they want to. Maybe what they need are people who will tell them the truth. People who will help them question, discern, and probe the culture that is coming at them. People who are more interested in helping them remember who they are; leaders who are more interested in helping them form a Christian identity rooted in the scriptures and born out in Christian community. After all, isn't this what Christian ministry is about? Prophetically proclaiming the new reality that has come upon us because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ...not the affirmation of the way things are.
Is this easier said then done? Of course...but most things worth doing are.
I am using this book with Youth Ministry students, trying to help them grapple with the essence of Christian Youth Ministry. So many youth ministry programs want to meet the needs of young people - emotional, relational, sometimes even physical needs. What else can we expect from a consumer culture? EVERYTHING is about meeting my needs. Maybe we are asking the wrong things from our youth leaders. The last thing young people need is another person to give them strokes, to tell them how great they are, to tell them they can and should do anything they want to. Maybe what they need are people who will tell them the truth. People who will help them question, discern, and probe the culture that is coming at them. People who are more interested in helping them remember who they are; leaders who are more interested in helping them form a Christian identity rooted in the scriptures and born out in Christian community. After all, isn't this what Christian ministry is about? Prophetically proclaiming the new reality that has come upon us because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ...not the affirmation of the way things are.
Is this easier said then done? Of course...but most things worth doing are.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Being a good "Christian Atheist"
Recently I came across an interesting concept...that Christians must become good atheists. The idea comes from something I read in Karl Barth, although I have forgotten where. Christian atheism...it just doesn't seem right. But what Barth is calling us to is the rejection of all attempts to make God into our own image. As Christians, we have the tendency to say too much...to go beyond what God has revealed to us. This leads to what Luther has called "the god who is not God". Contemporary Christianity is ripe with it. On one side we find the "Buddy Jesus" ("he's a booster...he's come to help us out..."), while on the other we find a tyrant, or the "unmoved mover" of Aristotle, which usually leads to determinism or a modified form of Deism. Barth believes that most of the time atheism is rejecting these false portrayals of God, and that we would do well to join them.
The God of scripture is not the "unmoved mover of Aristotle", He is the God who sees the misery of His people, and is moved to do something about it (Exodus 3:7). He is the God who in creating humanity has created a partner, not a slave; someone to commune with, not to rule over(Genesis 1and 2). The God of the Bible is a God who sometimes chooses to use scoundrals (Jacob), and who allows people to argue with Him (Abraham, Moses, Job). The God of the Bible is the God who has made Himself known in the person of Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has identified with the lowly, the suffering, the outcast (Luke's gospel). In Christ, God tells what he is like (John's gospel), and informs us of the way things are supposed to be (Matthew 5-7). On the cross, God has entered into our situation, our disobedience, our forsakeness, and he has taken it upon Himself. In the resurrection of Jesus Christ, He has given us a glimpse of the future he has planned for His people and for all creation.
Some may say I have skipped over some important stuff...some not very nice stuff. Violence, judgment, floods, exile - the wrath and judgment of God against our sin and disobedience. For sure, it's all there written in the pages of scripture. But wrath is never the final word. Judgment is never the final word. Darkness is followed by light, just as morning always chases away the evening. So too we do not stop at Good Friday...but we live in expectation of Easter morning. According to Barth, Jesus Christ is God's "yes", God's Word of grace, for humanity and for creation. This is what we as the Christian community are called to proclaim to the world.
So let's all become good "Chrsitian atheists" in Barth's sense of the term. Let us reject the gods of our own making, and proclaim to the world the God of Jesus Christ - the God of the Bible.
The God of scripture is not the "unmoved mover of Aristotle", He is the God who sees the misery of His people, and is moved to do something about it (Exodus 3:7). He is the God who in creating humanity has created a partner, not a slave; someone to commune with, not to rule over(Genesis 1and 2). The God of the Bible is a God who sometimes chooses to use scoundrals (Jacob), and who allows people to argue with Him (Abraham, Moses, Job). The God of the Bible is the God who has made Himself known in the person of Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has identified with the lowly, the suffering, the outcast (Luke's gospel). In Christ, God tells what he is like (John's gospel), and informs us of the way things are supposed to be (Matthew 5-7). On the cross, God has entered into our situation, our disobedience, our forsakeness, and he has taken it upon Himself. In the resurrection of Jesus Christ, He has given us a glimpse of the future he has planned for His people and for all creation.
Some may say I have skipped over some important stuff...some not very nice stuff. Violence, judgment, floods, exile - the wrath and judgment of God against our sin and disobedience. For sure, it's all there written in the pages of scripture. But wrath is never the final word. Judgment is never the final word. Darkness is followed by light, just as morning always chases away the evening. So too we do not stop at Good Friday...but we live in expectation of Easter morning. According to Barth, Jesus Christ is God's "yes", God's Word of grace, for humanity and for creation. This is what we as the Christian community are called to proclaim to the world.
So let's all become good "Chrsitian atheists" in Barth's sense of the term. Let us reject the gods of our own making, and proclaim to the world the God of Jesus Christ - the God of the Bible.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Answers in Genesis
Yesterday in Theology 101 we began to work our way through scripture, starting with creation. "And God said.....and it was so." What are we to do with Genesis 1? Some Christians argue for a six 24-hour creation, even to the point of making it a so called "salvation issue". The argument goes like this: if we cannot take Genesis 1 "literally" (meaning historically and scientifically in a modern sense), then we cannot trust anything in scripture. If God did not create the cosmos in six 24-hour days, then how can we trust the resurrection accounts found in the gospels? Thus, the entire Bible stands or falls on this issue.
But what if Genesis 1 has nothing to do with science? What if Genesis is not about history - in the modern sense? What if Genesis is really concerned with theology? Not the "how" but the "Who". As with any text if you begin with the wrong questions you end up with the wrong answers - and sometimes those wrong answers can be dangerous.
The beauty of Genesis 1 is how it engages the "stories" or "worldviews" of the reader. For the people of Israel - Genesis 1 undercut the ancient mythology of Egypt and later Babylon. The revelation of Genesis 1 concerns the identity of the God who led them out of Egypt. He is the Creator of all things, the one who brought order from chaos, who separated the waters and put the seas in their place. He is the one who merely speaks and creation happens. There is no struggle, no eternal conflict. He is not to be found in the sun, moon, and stars - they are not to be worshipped, for they are merely signs to mark the seasons. Finally, He is a God of grace and mercy. A God who makes a space for His creation - for His people - to exist in relationship with Him. A God who binds Himself to what he has made, establishing a covenant with all creation through the humans who bear His image.
The power of Genesis 1 is demonstrated in that it speaks the same Word to us in the 21st century. Genesis 1 competes with the modern myths of our day - consumerism, Freudian sexuality, atheistic existentialism, Darwinism, etc.... Maybe we don't realize how these "myths" have influenced us, as we end up making god, and religion, in our own image. Based upon these myths we define our human identity more in economic, competition, sexuality categories then by the revelation God has given us concerning who we are. In my own teaching experience , it is amazing how hungry young people are to hear the message of Genesis 1 - if only we would let it speak! If only we would get past these silly arguments about science, and leave those issues for the scientists to wrestle with!
Answers in Genesis? Yes! But not scientific ones. The answers we find are theological. They speak to the identity of the God we worship, and to our own place in creation as humans made in the image of this God. In this way the message of Genesis 1 under girds the entire Biblical story, and we can ultimately refer to Genesis as "gospel" - good news.
But what if Genesis 1 has nothing to do with science? What if Genesis is not about history - in the modern sense? What if Genesis is really concerned with theology? Not the "how" but the "Who". As with any text if you begin with the wrong questions you end up with the wrong answers - and sometimes those wrong answers can be dangerous.
The beauty of Genesis 1 is how it engages the "stories" or "worldviews" of the reader. For the people of Israel - Genesis 1 undercut the ancient mythology of Egypt and later Babylon. The revelation of Genesis 1 concerns the identity of the God who led them out of Egypt. He is the Creator of all things, the one who brought order from chaos, who separated the waters and put the seas in their place. He is the one who merely speaks and creation happens. There is no struggle, no eternal conflict. He is not to be found in the sun, moon, and stars - they are not to be worshipped, for they are merely signs to mark the seasons. Finally, He is a God of grace and mercy. A God who makes a space for His creation - for His people - to exist in relationship with Him. A God who binds Himself to what he has made, establishing a covenant with all creation through the humans who bear His image.
The power of Genesis 1 is demonstrated in that it speaks the same Word to us in the 21st century. Genesis 1 competes with the modern myths of our day - consumerism, Freudian sexuality, atheistic existentialism, Darwinism, etc.... Maybe we don't realize how these "myths" have influenced us, as we end up making god, and religion, in our own image. Based upon these myths we define our human identity more in economic, competition, sexuality categories then by the revelation God has given us concerning who we are. In my own teaching experience , it is amazing how hungry young people are to hear the message of Genesis 1 - if only we would let it speak! If only we would get past these silly arguments about science, and leave those issues for the scientists to wrestle with!
Answers in Genesis? Yes! But not scientific ones. The answers we find are theological. They speak to the identity of the God we worship, and to our own place in creation as humans made in the image of this God. In this way the message of Genesis 1 under girds the entire Biblical story, and we can ultimately refer to Genesis as "gospel" - good news.
Friday, February 2, 2007
The B-I-B-L-E: That's the book for me...
We had an interesting Theology 101 class this morning. It started with a good discussion concerning the symbolism of The Magician's Nephew, but eventually turned to a more controversial topic. How should we view the different translations of the Bible? People take this very seriously - especially protestants. After all, the Bible is the final authority on all things. We use words like "infallible" and "inerrant", and usually qualify that with "in the original manuscripts"...which we no longer conveniently posses. Most Christians know the Bible was written in ancient languages - Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic - but for some reason when we start to discuss translation we forget.
Study the history of the Bible and I think you will find some interesting surprises. How was the Bible put together? When? What should we make of the fact that we no longer have the "original manuscripts"? Frankly, after looking into this a bit myself, we have nothing to worry about. I am confident we can trust the Bible as we have it today - in spite of the issues. What does strike me about the Bible is how cultural it is. The Bible involves language, worldviews, and ideas rooted in human experience. We need to take John seriously - "the Word became flesh". Of course, for those who believe it is God's Word, there is more to the Bible then human culture. But we must be careful to not emphasize the divine element of scripture at the expense of the human. The best theologians throughout Church history have understood this. Yet...many Christians today want to dispense with the human part - the culture - of the Bible. Instead, they understand it as a book of abstract doctrinal propositions and rules, which ironically end up justifying the preservation of specific manifestations of human culture (the 1950's for many in American forms of Christianity).
All of this leads to the issue of gender inclusive language. Is it ok to provide new translations that seek to move Biblical interpretation out of patriarchal categories? Or are we simply exchanging one form of cultural baggage, patriarchy, with another, feminism? To dig deeper, what should be the primary focus of interpretation? The meaning of individual words, or the wider story? Maybe it is impossible to separate the two.....
Study the history of the Bible and I think you will find some interesting surprises. How was the Bible put together? When? What should we make of the fact that we no longer have the "original manuscripts"? Frankly, after looking into this a bit myself, we have nothing to worry about. I am confident we can trust the Bible as we have it today - in spite of the issues. What does strike me about the Bible is how cultural it is. The Bible involves language, worldviews, and ideas rooted in human experience. We need to take John seriously - "the Word became flesh". Of course, for those who believe it is God's Word, there is more to the Bible then human culture. But we must be careful to not emphasize the divine element of scripture at the expense of the human. The best theologians throughout Church history have understood this. Yet...many Christians today want to dispense with the human part - the culture - of the Bible. Instead, they understand it as a book of abstract doctrinal propositions and rules, which ironically end up justifying the preservation of specific manifestations of human culture (the 1950's for many in American forms of Christianity).
All of this leads to the issue of gender inclusive language. Is it ok to provide new translations that seek to move Biblical interpretation out of patriarchal categories? Or are we simply exchanging one form of cultural baggage, patriarchy, with another, feminism? To dig deeper, what should be the primary focus of interpretation? The meaning of individual words, or the wider story? Maybe it is impossible to separate the two.....
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
"To reconcile to himself all things..."
Tuesdays and Thursdays I teach a course called "Engaging Culture". This course is geared toward students interested in youth ministry, but there are a variety of disciplines represented. So far we have been working to establish the foundations for discussing the relationship between Christianity and culture. We are reading - or at least trying to read - Neibhur's Christ and Culture, which sets forth the different "solutions" Christians have given to the "problem" of Christ and culture throughout history. An important undercurrent of this discussion is the recognition that many Christian scholars question Neibuhr's motives and conclusions, even if he provides an important foundation for beginning the discussion.
But today the focus was scripture. How should we Biblically understand our relationship to culture? As we progressed from the Old Testament to the New, we ended with a passage from Paul. Colossians 1:15-20. Towards the end of this passage Paul says this:
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile
to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace
through his blood shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:19-20)
This led to two important questions: What does Paul mean by "reconcile"? And what does Christ's blood have to do with "all things"? Good questions. To take it one step further - what does this mean for culture?
Clearly this passage forces us to move beyond the individualistic expressions of Christianity held dear by many Americans. For sure, Christ did die for our sins...but the power of his death and resurrection reaches much further. Jesus Christ is not just Lord of my life, in an individual sense, he is also Lord of the entire cosmos. All of creation has been impacted by the fall - including the culture we create. For Paul, the good news of the gospel is that in Christ, all creation, including culture, is being reconciled to God.
What are the implications of this? Salvation is not just a human thing. The redemption Christ brings is for horses, grass, rivers and lakes; it is for ipods, airplanes, tractors, and power tools; it is for schools, hospitals, governments, and grocery stores; there is no aspect of culture untouched by grace. What does this look like? Well....that's what class time is for. Stay tuned.
But today the focus was scripture. How should we Biblically understand our relationship to culture? As we progressed from the Old Testament to the New, we ended with a passage from Paul. Colossians 1:15-20. Towards the end of this passage Paul says this:
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile
to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace
through his blood shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:19-20)
This led to two important questions: What does Paul mean by "reconcile"? And what does Christ's blood have to do with "all things"? Good questions. To take it one step further - what does this mean for culture?
Clearly this passage forces us to move beyond the individualistic expressions of Christianity held dear by many Americans. For sure, Christ did die for our sins...but the power of his death and resurrection reaches much further. Jesus Christ is not just Lord of my life, in an individual sense, he is also Lord of the entire cosmos. All of creation has been impacted by the fall - including the culture we create. For Paul, the good news of the gospel is that in Christ, all creation, including culture, is being reconciled to God.
What are the implications of this? Salvation is not just a human thing. The redemption Christ brings is for horses, grass, rivers and lakes; it is for ipods, airplanes, tractors, and power tools; it is for schools, hospitals, governments, and grocery stores; there is no aspect of culture untouched by grace. What does this look like? Well....that's what class time is for. Stay tuned.
Monday, January 29, 2007
What ever happened to "magic"?
On Monday - Wednesday - Friday I teach Theology 101. This is the general education requirement for students attending Dordt College - a Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Reformed tradition. Because it is a Gen Ed. requirement most of the students are either underclassmen, or upper classmen who have avoided taking it. Overall, it really is a joy to teach.
Today we had an interesting discussion. Students are required to read C.S. Lewis' The Magician's Nephew, mainly to help get them to think differently about reading scripture. So many Christians want to treat the Bible like a doctrinal text book - open up to Genesis 12:3 and pull out doctrines X,Y, or Z and apply them to life abstractly, ripped out of context. It's really amazing the idols we are able to construct for ourselves treating the Bible this way - making God in our own image. The Magician's Nephew forces the reader to think about story, which I believe is the proper way to view scripture. Not story as in "myth" or "fairy tale" - please know that I believe the Bible is rooted in historical events. But story as in narrative. This is really the power of the Bible - the narrative. The powerful story of God acting - creating, redeeming, re-creating; first in the history of Israel (Old Testament) and more fully in the person of Jesus Christ (New Testament).
The discussion this morning focused on the idea of "magic". In the Magician's Nephew, the adults have a difficult time in Narnia. Uncle Andrew does not hear the song of Aslan as he sings creation into existence. He sees the new world from a utilitarian perspective, focusing primarily on the money he could make exploiting the resources of the new land. His reaction to the world of Narnia is fear - which instinctively leads to the desire for control. The kids, however, see the world differently. They are awed by it. They hear the sweet song Aslan sings - and make the connection between the melody and the creation it brings forth. This discussion always makes me think about my kids - especially my daughter. She is 5 - and she is in love with the world. She talks to the moon and the sun, she plays with ladybugs, loves to lay in the snow, and watch the clouds. To her, the world is magical. Things happen....leaves turn yellow, the sun sets, the rain falls, and she doesn't understand how any of it works. But that's ok by her. As far as she is concerned all of life is magical. She believes in God, and knows that Jesus is in her heart - although she cannot figure out how he got in there - but that does not diminish the magic.
So what happens? How do we go from small children enchanted with the world to adults who are bored with it all? Don't get me wrong...I believe learning is a good thing. I think C.S. Lewis does too. After all having faith like a child does not mean being immature or stupid...it means being open to the possibility of mystery and magic. So why does so much "schooling" tend to destroy this sense of mystery instead of foster it? Why does Christianity, and more specifically Christian worship, get turned into cold, abstract, doctrinal propositions, and 30 minute lectures that explain everything? Especially since the scriptures are ripe with mystery and symbols...the waters of baptism, the bread and wine somehow connected to the body and the blood, a baby born in a manger that somehow is both fully God and fully human...And think about the stories! Bread falling from the sky, waters parting, Kings, prophets, fire from the sky - all the makings of an exciting narrative - a great story! And yet we get soooo bored with it all. Amazing.
This is what we talked about today in class.
Today we had an interesting discussion. Students are required to read C.S. Lewis' The Magician's Nephew, mainly to help get them to think differently about reading scripture. So many Christians want to treat the Bible like a doctrinal text book - open up to Genesis 12:3 and pull out doctrines X,Y, or Z and apply them to life abstractly, ripped out of context. It's really amazing the idols we are able to construct for ourselves treating the Bible this way - making God in our own image. The Magician's Nephew forces the reader to think about story, which I believe is the proper way to view scripture. Not story as in "myth" or "fairy tale" - please know that I believe the Bible is rooted in historical events. But story as in narrative. This is really the power of the Bible - the narrative. The powerful story of God acting - creating, redeeming, re-creating; first in the history of Israel (Old Testament) and more fully in the person of Jesus Christ (New Testament).
The discussion this morning focused on the idea of "magic". In the Magician's Nephew, the adults have a difficult time in Narnia. Uncle Andrew does not hear the song of Aslan as he sings creation into existence. He sees the new world from a utilitarian perspective, focusing primarily on the money he could make exploiting the resources of the new land. His reaction to the world of Narnia is fear - which instinctively leads to the desire for control. The kids, however, see the world differently. They are awed by it. They hear the sweet song Aslan sings - and make the connection between the melody and the creation it brings forth. This discussion always makes me think about my kids - especially my daughter. She is 5 - and she is in love with the world. She talks to the moon and the sun, she plays with ladybugs, loves to lay in the snow, and watch the clouds. To her, the world is magical. Things happen....leaves turn yellow, the sun sets, the rain falls, and she doesn't understand how any of it works. But that's ok by her. As far as she is concerned all of life is magical. She believes in God, and knows that Jesus is in her heart - although she cannot figure out how he got in there - but that does not diminish the magic.
So what happens? How do we go from small children enchanted with the world to adults who are bored with it all? Don't get me wrong...I believe learning is a good thing. I think C.S. Lewis does too. After all having faith like a child does not mean being immature or stupid...it means being open to the possibility of mystery and magic. So why does so much "schooling" tend to destroy this sense of mystery instead of foster it? Why does Christianity, and more specifically Christian worship, get turned into cold, abstract, doctrinal propositions, and 30 minute lectures that explain everything? Especially since the scriptures are ripe with mystery and symbols...the waters of baptism, the bread and wine somehow connected to the body and the blood, a baby born in a manger that somehow is both fully God and fully human...And think about the stories! Bread falling from the sky, waters parting, Kings, prophets, fire from the sky - all the makings of an exciting narrative - a great story! And yet we get soooo bored with it all. Amazing.
This is what we talked about today in class.
What I don't want this to become......
A few weeks ago I was listening to Garrison Keillor on Prairie Home Companion. I enjoy the Lake Wobegon stories because, like for so many others, they remind me of my family. In this particular story he was talking about the obsession so many people have with My Space, Xanga, and blogs. He made a statement that made me laugh....he referred to them as "narcissistic monuments to ourselves". So true...yet here I am creating a blog. What gives?
What I DO NOT want this blog to become is a "narcissistic monument to myself". I do not want this to become a space to brag, boast, complain, or poke fun. I DO want this to become a space to express and wrestle with ideas. As an educator, I am wrestling with ideas everyday. My students help me wrestle with ideas through the questions they ask and the challenges they raise. My hope is to use this space to let others in on this wrestling.
Please feel free to enter into the fray - and let me know what you think.
What I DO NOT want this blog to become is a "narcissistic monument to myself". I do not want this to become a space to brag, boast, complain, or poke fun. I DO want this to become a space to express and wrestle with ideas. As an educator, I am wrestling with ideas everyday. My students help me wrestle with ideas through the questions they ask and the challenges they raise. My hope is to use this space to let others in on this wrestling.
Please feel free to enter into the fray - and let me know what you think.
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