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January 31, 2006
Fascinating....
Andrew Jones has the most fascinating post of the week:
Driscoll and McLaren and the Six Degrees of Separation from Matthew Fox
Posted by rhett at 09:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Traveling the world by blog.....
Oh how I wish I could read German right now, especially when one of the few words I can read is Bonhoeffer.
There have been thousands of times, especially since I first started in seminary, that I wish I could read German. What a treat that would be to be able to read some of the great theologians in their original language.
Posted by rhett at 08:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Bolsinger on Barna....
Tod Bolsinger has some great posts on George Barna's new book Revolution.
His post today on Trinity, Community and Church is a great one.
Bolsinger says:
Since God is a Trinity, the essence of God is loving relationship, best understood as Communion. Therefore, the essence of humanity, as God's creation, is also relationship.
This can be very difficult for us modern Westerners to grasp. In cultures where identity is tied to family relationships, trinitarian relationship and identity is more easily understood and accepted. But we have been so steeped in individualism that we forget that even the Lone Ranger had Tonto. We naturally believe that the very essence of humanity is the individual will. Truly understanding who God is, is absolutely necessary to understanding who we are and who we are meant to become.
I am more and more beginning to understand the importance of the reciprocal nature of the Trinity these days, and how that reciprocity is indicative of who we are also, as creatures made in the image of God.
Posted by rhett at 11:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 30, 2006
Drew's lunch with the Barna Group...
Drew has lunch with the Barna Group today, and in the process of digesting the interaction
David asks, "What if we, as the church, have gotten really good about drawing people into our weekend church services? What if we have gotten really good about engaging them in worship, teaching, and fellowship during these weekend services? We'd probably be pretty happy right?
However, what if in doing this, we have made people dependant on the weekend service for worship, teaching, and fellowship? What if in doing this, we have enabled them to be unable to worship, learn from Scripture, and engage in fellowship throughout the rest of the week? What if in doing this, we have actually been "doing" church for our congregants rather than releasing them "to be" the church. What if in doing this, we are actually doing more of a spiritual diservice to them in the process?
Posted by rhett at 07:29 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Inviting Jesus into our presence/place....really?
My friend Drew Sams has a great post titled, How Dare We Invite Jesus Into This Place.
Here's a sample:
So, the question came up in class, "How often do we in our prayers and in our conversations invite Jesus into a situation or a place?"
I mean, when you think about it, we do it all the time.
"Jesus, during this difficult time, we invite you into this place and give us peace."
"Lord, we ask that you be with us here today as we plan the upcoming year."
It has become so common in our language that if you type in "inviting Jesus" into Google, 1,680,000 search results come up at the time this was written.
So when our teacher brought up this common request today in class…we all thought nothing of it.
Until he said it was...
unbiblical.
what? unbiblical? are you saying that thousands of pastors and, come to think of it, millions of believers pray an unbiblical prayer?
after our initial shock gave way to an awkward silence...one student broke through and asked what we were all thinking, "what?"
Posted by rhett at 12:18 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
"community killers", and the space between planning and spontaneity in worrship...
Chris Gonzalez, a friend of mine, and college pastor in Arizona, has a good post about Community Killers. I haven't thought too much on that topic Chris, but I like what you have to say.
I will be thinking about these things when I am with my group.
I think that one of the best things for our community, and what has really made it thrive is not only the honesty and vulnerability that I think the college community brings to the places they are a part of.....but somehow being able to thread the line between overplanning, and chaos. What do I mean by that? I think that as a college community we do a good job of being organized, efficient, thinking and planning for short and long term....but we have also somehow avoided overplanning every little detail during our Wednesday night services, retreats, socials, etc.....A little chaos on the fringes has been healthy for us in developing leadership, maintaining creativity, authenticity, and making sure that the Holy Spirit has a place in our worship, rather than our dictating and controlling of every little minute. And trust me, I don't think it is really anything that we do ourselves, or can take responsibility for. We do what we can, and we leave the rest in God's hands.....that seems to work out well :-)
Sorry...just had to get that off my chest.
Wondering about that space between planning and spontaneity in Christian community and worship. Anyone else wrestle with this?
Posted by rhett at 09:36 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Ongoing debate....
Brian McClaren and Mark Driscoll have been debating a pastoral response to homosexuality
Posted by rhett at 09:31 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 26, 2006
Iran's President and Germany's Hitler.....scary times!
I have been thinking a lot about the recent, and ongoing comments from the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
And it is somewhat shocking to me the lack of alarm or attention it is getting in most of the main stream media. I am no scholar on Hitler or his rise to power in Germany, but very few seemed to pay attention to his rantings until it was too late.
People seem to either be too busy, or feel helpless in the global scale of politics to think their opinions or actions can have any effect.
But if you have studied the Nazi's rise to power in Germany, you know that it was a particularly dark time for Christians and the Church. There were some amazing Christians and theologians who opposed Hitler....Dietrich Bonhoeffer comes most to mind. But most of the Christian Church was either compliant with the Nazi's rise to power, or seemed to look off in the other direction as if nothing was going on. Even to the point that the Bible was replaced on pulpits with a copy of "Mein Kempf", and the Nazi flagged draped over it.
When I was visiting the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C., I was most impacted by the place when I was leaving, and came across this quote posted on the wall as you leave:
First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me--
and there was no one left to speak out for me.
Let's hope that the Church in 2006 does not repeat the mistakes of the past, or we may find ourselves wondering who will be left to speak for others, and for us.
Posted by rhett at 10:29 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 25, 2006
I think the Pope speaks very eloquently on this issue...
"Eros, reduced to pure 'sex' has become a commodity, a mere 'thing' to be bought and sold, or rather, man himself has become a commodity."
"Here we are actually dealing with a debasement of the human body: no longer is it integrated into our overall existential freedom; no longer is it a vital expression of our whole being, but it is more or less relegated to the purely biological sphere," he said.
Posted by rhett at 10:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Self-Care: Jethro and Moses, and the Sabbath Rhythm.
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good. You will surely wear yourself out, both you and and these people with you. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone..........So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you."
I was reflecting on this passage this morning from Exodus 18:17-22, and a few things are running through my mind:
1) I think there is a tendency in ministry to do the Lone Ranger thing, and to go about tasks alone.
2) There is a tendency to equate burnout and exhaustion with the qualification that it is okay since we are serving God.
3) We not only burn ourselves out when we push and push, but we burn out those around us.
4) God has given us people and community to bear the tasks, joys, burdens, etc. of ministry with one another.
5) Delegating the work of ministry is an important gift/skill to learn and possess.
6) It is no surprise that talk of Sabbath rest abounds in the Exodus text.
This is a beautiful passage about Jethro taking interest in the self-care of Moses, his son-in-law. Jethro knows that if Moses is going to continue to follow God and lead His people out of the wilderness, then he is going to have to take more care of himself, and not go about this task alone. Jethro also knows that if Moses burns himself out, he is also going to burn out those around him.
I see this in ministry all the time. And I have experience it myself. Leaders often take on the brunt of the task, and either a) don't want anyone else involved in making decisions b) don't know how to delegate and allow others into the process. If a pastor or church leader does not learn how to do this, then I think a burnout is sure to happen at some point, and then we become angry at those around us for not helping out, though we have not allowed them to help. Or we become angry at God, and disillusioned with our calling, or with the church and its people.
Self-care is an important aspect of ministry and it is a discipline that I believe must be practiced time and time again so that one can get into a good rhythm. The 6 days work, and 1 day rest is a rhythm. A Sabbath rhythm, and we must learn to join in on it.
Self-care is also not only important for pastors, ministers and those who are leading, but for everyone that is volunteering. I see too often where a great volunteer comes along, and the next thing you know, we have pulled them into so many things in the service of God and the church, that they too get burned out.
Self-care is ultimately about letting go of the control in your life, and maybe the ego or pride that says only I can do this task. It's about allowing the other members of the body (I Cor. 12) being in on the work of God.
Posted by rhett at 10:10 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 24, 2006
Some comenters give some insight into the question that a student posed to me.
"What do you , Rhett, do when you feel distant from God?"
Here is what they do when they feel distant from God.....
Comments
When I feel distant from God, it usually is not God's end. If I believe that God has forgiven me, then I know he is with me. However, my faith is really the issue, not God. I just don't believe sometimes that God loves me. And, I know that I am sinful. But when I sin, it becomes worse--that feeling of distance. And, I do sin. So, there is the issue. What do I really believe about God?
Rhett--this has come up a lot with young adults that I know and have mentored over the years...as well as my personal experience. When someone feels dry, I usually end up finding a sin issue is what it is (big or small). However, it takes a few lattes to get there.
Posted by: Rich Kirkpatrick at January 23, 2006 09:58 PM
I would begin by reading Psalm 13...one of the most honest prayers in Scripture...and just let David's words marinate in my heart.
I wish that I would do this every time I felt distant from God...usually I mistakingly run to other things for comfort before I finally come around to the Love that had been there all along.
Posted by: Drew at January 23, 2006 11:25 PM
For me, feeling distant from God is usually more about me and less about God. More specifically, it's about how I'm spending my time and how busy I am, which typically means less time in prayer and less time in the Word. It's not always the case, but I guess I start with discipline - making it a point to set aside time daily to pray, read or just be still and clear my mind. It's the running around from place to place, the constant "to do" list occupying my thoughts and the tv filler that keep my mind occupied and leave little room for God at all.
Posted by: Heather at January 24, 2006 06:12 PM
Posted by rhett at 06:26 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 23, 2006
I knew I was a Presbyterian for a reason :-)
Posted by rhett at 09:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
I like your feedback.....
"What do you , Rhett, do when you feel distant from God?"
That is the question that I received this week from an anonymous student. Even though I field tons of questions from students throughout the week I instituted something new this week. I leave 3x5 cards up at the front of the sanctuary next to a basket. And I told students that if they ever have any questions, and maybe they don't want to ask them out loud, or just don't have the time, they can write any question they want down onto a card, and place it into the basket. The questions can be about anything that is on their mind, from something I said in a sermon, to something they are struggling with, to listing doubts, or fears, etc.
So this is the first question?
I have some thoughts on this issue, and I will come back to that, but I would like to hear from you.
If you were to answer this question for yourself in a paragraph or less, what would you say?
Posted by rhett at 08:57 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
This should be interesting....
Codebreakers rack their brains to solve Dan Brown's new poser
The CIA, the Freemasons, the Mormons and an unfinished pyramid on the US dollar bill are all expected to figure prominently in Dan Brown’s next adventure when it is published this year or early next.
Posted by rhett at 08:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 22, 2006
Soul Meets Body.....
One of my favorite bands to listen to right now is Death Cab for Cutie. I have been especially drawn to the song Soul Meets Body, and have been wondering ways to implement my love for that song into a blog post. Why? I'm just drawn to the lyrics and the haunting melody and music. The song begins with these words:
I want to live where soul meets body
And let the sun wrap its arms around me
And bathe my skin in water cool and cleansing
And feel, feel what its like to be new
I am captivated by this concept of soul meets body. In the book by Rodney Clapp Tortured Wonders: Christian Spirituality for People, not Angels he says this:
Theology, or thinking about God, who by definition has no physical body, usually is a highly disembodied practice. It links to textual artifacts (especially the Scriptures) and ocasionally to archeological artifacts. But it is not hard, when one is doing theology, to forget about the body. Maybe thinking and writing about theology, and spirituality, should be done in the course of physical examinations (although it would be hard to concentrate). That would keep us down to earth and aware of the bodies that we possess, that we are, as human creatures. There are, I learned that day in the doctor's office, few pretensions to angelic, ethereal spirituality when your elbows are on the cold plastic of the examination table and you hear rubber gloves being snapped on behind you.
The Scriptures affirm this idea of flesh, and in John 1:14 we read, "And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth." In Philippians 2:7 we read, "...but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form....". In Colossians 1:19, Paul writes, "For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell." There is certainly an affirmation of God in the flesh in our Scriptures, and his life was not a disembodied spiritual existence.
The other day I was watching the movie The Doctor with William Hurt. Hurt plays a California surgeon who is basically aloof from his patients until he becomes a patient himself. And it is only through his own bodily cancer, and his experience as a patient, that he then begins to understand and empathize with his own patients. I remember watching this in my Ethics class a few years ago, and it made me think about my own current work in Marriage and Family Therapy. It has been said that for us to be therapists, and to have never gone through therapy ourselves...that could almost be considered unethical. If I have never sat on the side of a client and understood their experience how could I counsel them.
I think the same should be said for pastors as well. I think that as pastors we often point people to only spriitual things, while disembodying them, and failing to acknowledge the flesh. Not only the flesh of Jesus Christ and his humanity, but the flesh of our own lives, for good or for bad. When we live lives that are wholistic/holistic, acknowledging both the role of soul and body, then I believe we can best live integrated lives as Christians. Sometimes as pastors we sit behind our doors locked away in books and we fail to walk in the shoes of the lives that we minister to. That seems unethical.
So as I listen to this song "Soul Meets Body", I am reminded of the colission between diety and humanity, and how that colission cleanses our lives, and brings something new out of them.
Posted by rhett at 07:08 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 21, 2006
Wow....what do you think?
Steve McCoy, and, An Open Letter to SBC Seminary Students
HT: Brent Thomas
I think this is a fascinating, well written post. I am not Southern Baptist, but I spent my university days in an SBC school. And as a current member of the PCUSA, all I can say is that we have our own problems as well that our going to come to a head this year, here.
Posted by rhett at 10:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 18, 2006
Mark Driscoll....interesting.
I saw this over at Mark Driscoll's blog today:
In the mid-1990s I was part of what is now known as the Emerging Church and spent some time traveling the country to speak on the emerging church in the emerging culture on a team put together by Leadership Network called the Young Leader Network. But, I eventually had to distance myself from the Emergent stream of the network because friends like Brian McLaren and Doug Pagitt began pushing a theological agenda that greatly troubled me. Examples include referring to God as a chick, questioning God's sovereignty over and knowledge of the future, denial of the substitutionary atonement at the cross, a low view of Scripture, and denial of hell which is one hell of a mistake.
I have been hearing a lot about Mark Driscoll, and I have been waiting to read his book Radical Reformission, but just haven't had time yet. Very interesting.
HT: Emergent No
Posted by rhett at 03:55 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Great....what am I to do now?
As you alread know if you read this blog....I am a LOST addict. My wife and I Tivo it on Wednesday night, and we watch it on Thursday. Yeah, I know, we can hardly wait till then, but then there is the issue of the college ministry I pastor. I didn't think they would be cool with changing nights based on LOST. Just kidding. So I am addicted. I think it is the most amazing show on TV, and one of the best ever. And there are many reasons for that. And now my students are getting addicted, and Tivo'ing it as well.
And I have been trying hard to resist any other shows since there is only so much time in my schedule, and there are only so many good shows. But for over a year plus now I have listened to everyone rant and rave about 24. My students are obsessed and I have to say that I was pretty much hooked from only one episode, but I resisted.
Maybe until now.....I was over at Hugh Hewitt and read this from him:
BTW: "24," which I watched for the first time on Sunday and Monday nights and to which I am now completely addicted --has there ever been a faster, more compelling drama set in our times?-- seemed to me to use a different ad strategy of many more, smaller breaks that keep the viewer in place for fear of missing the opening of the next segment, an opening wherein crucial plot developments could occur.
Then I read this today:
More on "24"
by Hugh Hewitt
January 18, 2006 09:54 AM PST
Melinda Penner helps write the superb Stand to Reason blog, and this morning sent me this e-mail re: "24":
Hugh,
You just experienced what I did last year. I decided to tune in to
the "Day 4" premiere to see what all the talk was about and was an
addict in 15 minutes. I borrowed the DVDs of the first three "days"
and completely wasted three weekends watching those. I couldn't
stop! I'd decide to go to bed after this episode but then had to
keep going to see what happened. I finally learned to turn it off in
the middle of an episode because it usually has a lull somewhere
during the hour.
After seeing the first three seasons almost continuously and getting
four hours in two nights of the premiere, it was very hard to only
get an hour at a time the rest of the season on TV.
I love the show because it's morally smart. Jack almost unfailingly
makes the correct and necessary decision given the moral dilemmas
he's faced with. But it also shows the cost of having to engage evil
and the horrible choices it presents.
Glad you're one of us now.
M
Melinda's short, closing paragraph has a great deal in it that explains the success of the program.
UPDATE: Melinda has written about "24" at length in an aearlier post.
SIgn me up.....how should I do this? Shut down my weekend and sit in front of the tv for days on end....just pick up this season? What to do?
Posted by rhett at 03:34 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Good discussion going on.....
One True God Blog has some interesting discussion going on in regards to Hugh Hewitt's interview with Father Fassio back in early January. I had commented on this interview, and was intrigued by some of the comments regarding interpretation. Mark D. Roberts weighs in on this issue at One True God Blog. Here is an excerpt:
Evangelicals do recognize that we are all "traditioned" people, deeply embedded in our own communities of interpretation and our own historical context. Nevertheless, we do not agree with the Roman Catholic Church that an authoritative tradition is the means of interpreting the Bible. Pope Benedict XVI's reported statement about the difference between Christian and Muslim methods of interpreting our the Bible and the Qur'an respectively must also be read in that light, and in light of the larger question of doctrinal change and authority. But then, that would be a different question for a different time.
Posted by rhett at 03:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 17, 2006
Face to Face......
I have not been thinking about this issue that much, so i'm not quite ready to make anything more than an initial observation. And it is this: That there is a deep correlation between our interaction with God, and of that with humans. Meaning for ex. Until we truly feel forgiveness from God, we might be unable to forgive others, or experience that forgivness from others. Another example maybe is that when we experience the grace of God in our lives, I think we are better able to extend grace to others as well.
Does that make sense? Rare is it that we are able to go the extra step, if we have yet taken that step in our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Why do I talk about this? For a couple of reasons: 1) I have been thinking more about this issue as I work on my MFT degree, and begin to integrate it more fully into my M.Div. degree. 2) I was thinking about a beatiful passage in Gen. 32-33 that I have been reading.
This passage is much more effective in Hebrew, as one is able to pick up more on the play of words but it is a beatfiful passage nonetheless.
In Genesis 32:29-30, after Jacob has wrestled with a "man" he says:
Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved."
Beatiful passage....Then we find in Genesis 33 Jacob fearful of his coming encounter with his brother Esau whom he has not seen since he stole his birthright and fled. The passage in Genesis 33:10 says this:
Jacob said, "No, please; if I find favor with you, then accept my present from my hand; for truly to see your face is like seeing the face of God--since you received me with such favor."
This passage is a beatiful play on words and this concept of face to face.
But I wonder if Jacob would have seen Esau the same way if he had not earlier wrestled with the "man", leaving knowing that he had seen God face to face. I think this experience prepared him for this face to face encounter with Esau, an encounter that truly revealed the grace and forgiveness of God.
I think that our encounters with God often lead and prepare us to better encounter those in our lives.
Nothing ground breaking, but something I am thinking about.
Posted by rhett at 11:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Not a surprise.....
Internet users judge Web sites in less than a blink
That's why overhauling our college website was about the first thing I did. Or truth be told, had others do for us. Thanks to our web guy Jared Kleier.
Posted by rhett at 10:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
My USC students aren't going to like this.....
My USC students aren't going to like this
Posted by rhett at 04:40 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 16, 2006
Hmmmmmm....
The 50 Most Influential Christians in America
Well, they certainly covered their bases didn't they?
I would have had about 5 of those 50 on my list, which raises a few observations in my mind.
1. What I consider influential, and what others consider influential, obviously are not the same.
2. Influential does not necessarily mean you are influencing in good ways.
3. I am living in a different America.
4. It seems influence is most associated with money, power, tv shows, publications, press, public image, etc.
5. I would bet that the most influential people are those whose names we don't even know...at least yet.
Okay, I'm stopping here, otherwise I'm bound to get on a long, crazy tangent.
Posted by rhett at 06:03 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Happy Birthday to a great man......
I still believe that standing up for the truth of God is the greatest thing in the world. This is the end of life. The end of life is not to be happy. The end of life is not to achieve pleasure and avoid pain. The end of life is to do the will of God, come what may.
"The Most Durable Power," sermon, Montgomery (Alabama), 6 November 1956
Posted by rhett at 07:40 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 13, 2006
Yes! Such a great post by Brian about LOST
Brian at Christian Thinker has a brilliant post on LOST.
Here is a former post of mine on what LOST has been teaching me
Posted by rhett at 07:12 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
A former co-worker, and my future brother-in-law....
And I would like to welcome back into the blogosphere Drew Sams. Drew was a senior at USC when I was the intern at Bel Air. He sat on the committee that hired me. He started a post-college ministry at Bel Air, then became the interim high school pastor. He is now the high school pastor at Calvary Westlake Village, CA.
On a personal note, my wife and I set up Drew and my now sister-in-law Erika on a blind date back in 2004. And he will be my brother-in-law in June. Sweet!
Posted by rhett at 06:39 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Some good reads for the weekend........
Mark Roberts has got some great posts on The Bible as God's Word.
Here is a fascinating post on a topic you don't hear much about....a post on Christian gamers and violence.
HT: Smart Christian
Doug Pagitt is gearing up for a debate on Emergent
Collegiate minister Chris Gonzalez has a great post today on Jesus' compassion for the crowd, and a great comment from my NT professor from Fuller, Don Hagner. I'm grew up in Arizona, so I know how overwhelming ASU can be. Keep up the good work at ASU.
Speaking of Arizona, drummer Zach Lind will be speaking at a Christian conference in Arizona
Posted by rhett at 06:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
What? That's in the Bible?
I think that is a common question for people if they have never read through the entire Bible. One of the interesting things about reading the Bible from cover to cover is that you come across stories and events that you may have never read before. And that sometimes raises a lot of questions. Often we just jump into the Bible and flip to the passage that most quickly answers the question we were looking for, or most easily gives us the proper defense against an argument we want to wage or defend against.
I remember in college spending hours of time just looking at those passages that could give me a position of free will and predestination, or what was the Biblical "rule" on alcohol, or what does it say about women in ministry. But sometimes those can be the only places we spend in the Bible and we miss out on a lot.
And often when we read through the Bible we come across the passages that don't often get preached, or never get preached.
Today I was reading in Genesis, and I was reading 19:30-38.
New International Version (NIV)
Lot and His Daughters
30 Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. 31 One day the older daughter said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is no man around here to lie with us, as is the custom all over the earth. 32 Let's get our father to drink wine and then lie with him and preserve our family line through our father."
33 That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and lay with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.
34 The next day the older daughter said to the younger, "Last night I lay with my father. Let's get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and lie with him so we can preserve our family line through our father." 35 So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went and lay with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.
36 So both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father. 37 The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab [a];he is the father of the Moabites of today. 38 The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi [b];he is the father of the Ammonites of today.
What do you do with that? Now I know we can exegete it, and look at the commentaries, and we can wax and wane a lot of theories, but just let that sit for a while.........
When we read through the Bible we get immersed in the reality of the humanity that is God's people. And I don't think it is always helpful to just ignore or push away certain passages because they make us uncomfortable, or paint the people of God in a bad light.
So instead of commenting more, I just wonder what we do when we come across tough passages in Scripture that we don't always read, or never read, and how we live in the midst of those questions, etc.
Posted by rhett at 05:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 11, 2006
Reading through the Bible and the humor of God...
I have seen a lot of new year resolutions to read through the Bible this year....and that is a good thing. But I want to qualify that statement. I think it is good depending on how you read through the Bible. Not that other ways are bad, but I think there is a way that I feel, in my own opinion is very beneficial for us as believers in Jesus Christ.
And that is to read through the Bible this year without analyzing it to death at each point, but allowing the narrative of the text to speak for itself as you read through it. Meaning: Read through it as a story, a true story nonetheless, and not simply as a theological or biblical textbook. I think we miss a lot when we do that. I think we miss a lot when we spend most of our time in the footnotes looking at translations and definitions and the calculation exchange of ancient measurements.
This does not mean you don't stop and ask any questions, or make any notes, but sit down, read your bible and enjoy it. And don't misinterpret me. Please study your Bible, but what I am asking as well, is that you read it, and let it speak to you, and hear the parts that we often overlook when all we usually do with the Bible is open it up for answers. And when we find those answers, we don't read the other parts.
I think most of us spend a lot of time in Bible studies which are great, and reading theology books and textbooks, but we rarely just read the bible like a story. And when this happens I think we lose our wonder and amazement at the work of God. We miss the tragedy and triumph of what it means to be human. And I think we miss the humor a lot of the time.
One of the best things that I have ever done, was to one time in three and half months, read the Bible from cover to cover. When I finished doing that I felt like I had never understood the Bible in such a profound was as I did then. To step back after reading and see the ebb and flow of history, the sin of man and the grace of God so clearly...it was eye opening.
As a pastor and former seminary student I have read through all the parts of the Bible, but I was never required to read it from front to cover as you would a story. And that changed my perception of this divinely inspired text.
This morning I was reading in Genesis, and I was reading through Genesis 11:1-9. Now this text can be looked at on many levels, and there is a ton to talk about. But one thing stood out, and that is the humor of the author of the text. The humor of God as well.
It is the story of the Tower of Babel and here is the part I found humorous:
4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.
They wanted to make a name for themselves so they decided to build a tower to the heavens. But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. Now that is funny. So much for their attempt to build into the heavens. It was so small that the LORD had to come down and see.
OT scholar Gerhard Von Rad in his commentary on Genesis says this:
"And the Lord came down!" We should not apologetically weaken this very ancient way of speaking, when the Yahwist without embarrassment has let it stand. The God of the whole world and of mankind is meant here. On the Yahwistic idiom, Procksch comments correctly: "Yahweh must draw near, not because he is nearsighted, but because he dwells at such a tremendous height and their work is so tiny. God's movement must therefore be understood as a remarkable satire on man's doing." pp. 149
Don't you love my hypocrisy about encouraging you to read the Bible daily as a story, and then using an OT scholar's commentary to comment. Great.
But hopefully this new year, do you not only study the Bible, but you read the Bible as a story, and allow that story open your eyes to wonders, humor, joy, tragedy and more that has always been there, but that we often overlook. That is transforming.
Posted by rhett at 05:31 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 10, 2006
follow up....
as in regards to my last post about Hugh Hewitt's interview and Father Fassio...well, NT Scholar, author, pastor and blogger, Mark D. Roberts is addressing this interview, and specifically the section I highlighted at One True God Blog. Check it out.
Posted by rhett at 09:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Interesting interview, and questions about interpretation in human community...
Hugh Hewitt last Thursday had what I thought was a very interesting interview with Father Joseph Fessio, Provost of Ava Maria University in Naples, Florida, and student and friend of Benedict XVI. The interview was basically a discussion of the Pope's view of Islam, and they get into an interesting exchange about Islam and the West. Here is a portion of the interview that really interested me:
HH: Father Fessio, before the break, you were telling us that after the presentation at Castel Gandolfo by two scholars of Islam this summer with Benedict in attendance, as well as his former students, for the first time in your memory, the Pope did not allow his students to first comment and reserve comment, but in fact, went first. Why, and what did he say?
JF: Well, the thesis that was proposed by this scholar was that Islam can enter into the modern world if the Koran is reinterpreted by taking the specific legislation, and going back to the principles, and then adapting it to our times, especially with the dignity that we ascribe to women, which has come through Christianity, of course. And immediately, the Holy Father, in his beautiful calm but clear way, said well, there's a fundamental problem with that, because he said in the Islamic tradition, God has given His word to Mohammed, but it's an eternal word. It's not Mohammed's word. It's there for eternity the way it is. There's no possibility of adapting it or interpreting it, whereas in Christianity, and Judaism, the dynamism's completely different, that God has worked through His creatures. And so, it is not just the word of God, it's the word of Isaiah, not just the word of God, but the word of Mark. He's used His human creatures, and inspired them to speak His word to the world, and therefore by establishing a Church in which he gives authority to His followers to carry on the tradition and interpret it, there's an inner logic to the Christian Bible, which permits it and requires it to be adapted and applied to new situations. I was...I mean, Hugh, I wish I could say it as clearly and as beautifully as he did, but that's why he's Pope and I'm not, okay? That's one of the reasons. One of others, but his seeing that distinction when the Koran, which is seen as something dropped out of Heaven, which cannot be adapted or applied, even, and the Bible, which is a word of God that comes through a human community, it was stunning.
I find the several closing sentences by Fassio to be very beautiful, and interesting as well. Beautiful in the sense that God has chosen humanity to speak His Word to, and to pass it down, translate it, interpret it, etc. Fassio also goes on to say that though the Bible has an inner logic which "permits it and requires it to be adapted and applied to new situations."
I believe that the word of God has come through a human community, but how do we interpret it as a community? Some communities would not allow for, or do not allow for any inner logic that allows it to be applied to new situations, while others go too far ultimately, giving ultimate control to the community without any perameters of how that text is interpreted by a community.
Most Christians I think are afraid of a slippery slope, and if one thing is allowed the ability to be applied in a new way, then everything goes. I understand that fear, but I do not think that it is true.
One of the reasons that I went to Fuller Theological Seminary, and that I work at my church is that they allow for women in ministry, from any director position, to ultimately being ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament. This is one key issue for example, where I understand Fassio's words here, and where I believe that a new application of interpretation in community was, and is appropriate.
Posted by rhett at 06:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
the author I cited on the "new urbanism"
A few posts back I talked about the Apple Store, and possibly how it tied into the "new urbanism", and it's concept of the "third place" as discussed by Eric Jacobsen. That post was spawned by some interesting email and phone conversations from friends, as well as some comments by some bloggers. So in case you are interested, here is the book, Sidewalks in the Kingdom: New Urbanism and the Christian Faith
Posted by rhett at 05:37 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 09, 2006
Great....
Between virtual therapy, and virtual church, my Master of Divinity degree, and my M.S. in Marital in Family Therapy that I am working on is going to be irrelevant. :-)
Maybe I should go online....hardly.
Virtual experience, can never replace the human encounter. Hopefully not, or we are in trouble in my opinion.
Posted by rhett at 06:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Apple is watching.....
I know I have been talking about Apple a lot, and for a good reason if you have read some of my latest posts. Then I came across this today:
Yes...It's The Experience
Long-time visitors to this Web site realize, "It's all about the experience" for Apple's retail stores. That's what differentiates Apple stores from others. Now there is proof, with this unadulterated gushing from a blogger who visited the Pasadena (S. Calif.) store. And then read his follow-up, which is even more interesting.
[Jan 8, 2006]
Yeah...that was me gushing over the store in Pasadena...haaa. Haaa. See, I told you they have good customer service. They even read our blogs.
Posted by rhett at 06:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 08, 2006
Colossians....
I'm currently in the midst of extensive study in the book of Colossians, which is the book that I will be doing about a 7-8 week series for my college group in the next few months. And as you can see from the left sidebar I have been pulling material from a variety of resources, from the text to commentaries. One of the commentaries that I have decided to use is one that I was reading a lot about online from other bloggers. It is Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire. In fact, the authors, Brian J. Walsh and Sylvia C. Keesmat, who are married, call this book an "anti-commentary", as they have chosen, as Biblical scholars to write a commentary that is less technical than your average commentary, hoping to open the door for lay people to read it. It is also a very different commentary in the sense that they are spending the majority of the time looking at the text of Colossians, and placing it into the modern context. They do this through a variety of means that are very intriguing.
The authors contend:
Colossians is a subversive tract for subversive living, and it insists that such an alternative imagination and alternative way of life is formed and sustained in the context of community. So while this book began in our community with each other and with our friend Tom Wright, it immediately encompasses a larger community. pp. 9
They spend a great deal of time in the beginning looking at the dominant Roman Empire, and the effects that had on the culture, specifically the Christians. They then move to the present and address the issues of globalization and postmodernity, and the effects that they have had on Christians and their culture. One of the things that really intrigues me is this statement:
When a religion aggressively proselytizes and seeks to tranform the world, its most important resource is its images. It is image that transforms the imagination, and it is imagination that engenders a lifestyle. And what globalization does better than anything else is transform the imagination. That is why the entertainment and advertising industries are the first wave of the emerging global consciousness. pp. 29.
Interesting observation.
It makes me look at our churches and wonder how much they are driven by entertainment and advertising.
With, or without knowing it, it seems as if the Church has succumbed to the emerging global consciousness.
It seems to me that what the authors are contending is that the Apostle Paul instilled in the Christian community, is an imagination, and an alternative, that did not have to succumb to the dominant culture of the Roman empire. Paul presented a striking, and subversive alternative way of life in the person of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we too, in 2006 are presented with an alternative way to live, that is different than the dominant culture we live in. And that alternative is Jesus Christ.
Posted by rhett at 08:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Tony Jones on Emergent for 2006
Tony Jones on the State of Emergent 2006
Here is an excerpt:
The past year saw increased attention coming our way from national and local media, and it saw the first "third-person" books written on the movement from the breathtakingly bad (D.A. Carson's Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church) to the even-handedly critical (R. Scott Smith's Truth and the New Kind of Christian) to the openly supportive (Ryan Bolger and Eddie Gibbs's Emerging Churches). And for those of us who frequent the blogosphere, the online chatter about Emergent and the emerging church is louder than my three preschoolers.
Posted by rhett at 08:27 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 07, 2006
The Apple Store continued, and the New Urbanism
My previous post on the Apple Store, and my experiences there really resonated with a lot of you. There was some really good comments on this post, and what seems to be clear is that people are drawn to places where they can connect with others and the Apple Store provides that, such as some coffee shops do. One of the commenters, Rich wonders if it's like the experience in street markets long ago. Lars thinks the design and architecture connect deep within us. And everyone agreed that they are addicted, and want to buy when they walk in there, but usally don't have money for it.
Fuller professor Eric Jacobsen is doing a lot of work as a theologian on what is termed the "New Urbanism." The New Urbanism stresses the importance of a "third place", where people spend their time away from home and work. For me, that has probably always been a coffee shop where I hang with friends and study. Sometimes it was the gym, or a local sandwich shop. Jacobsen says,
Jacobsen said places like Zona Rosa might make an ideal "third place," the term New Urbanists use for a location where a person spends time that is not his home or place of employment. The third place is an important part of a community, he said. It's where people from diverse backgrounds learn to interact.
Here is the full article,
Churches Embrace New Urbanism as Antidote to Isolation
It's interesting that a lot of Christians, especially those that are younger, don't often see the church as this "third place", but rather secular institutions, such as a bar, club, coffee house.....the Apple Store.
Why is this?
I had a friend comment to me, who happens to work in an Apple Store, that he feels more used (in a good way), and does more ministry than he did when he was a full-time pastor. Interesting.
Posted by rhett at 12:01 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 06, 2006
The Apple Store...more than consuming, but an experience.
There is something amazing about going into an Apple Store, and I don't mean this online one, but going to one in person. I don't know if it's the clean, slick look. If it's thek customer service. I don't know if it's all the gadgets that consume me, and make me envy like no other. Yes, walking into an Apple Store is a quick step to breaking a commandment, and coveting those things that others have. I'm not saying it's a good thing, but that's what happens when I go in there.
I went in last night to the Apple Store in Pasadena, CA, on Colorado Blvd. in Old Town, and it was so packed. So packed that I wasn't able to get an appointment last night to get a new key for my computer. So I went back in today. And it is quite an experience. It's more than just a store, but it is an event. You don't go in just to purchase something, but rather to browse, to talk with others, to learn from a seminary about i-Tunes, or podcasts, etc.
I walked out after about 30 minutes after getting a new key, and talking with some help. I just had the feeling that there is a lot of community in that store, and that a lot of people go in there beyond just wanting to buy things. But rather to talk with others, learn in a group environment, etc.
I'm rambling, but there is just something about that store. Am I the only one who feels this way, or do you have the same experience when you go in?
Posted by rhett at 04:15 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
January 05, 2006
Why am I not surprised...again?
Are you serious? Can Robertson talk about any issue without saying that God is "smoting", or destroying, people, or cities?
Posted by rhett at 10:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 04, 2006
Absolutely fascinating...a must read article!
What do these two have in common?
The Beastles
Apostle Paul
Andy Crouch in Christianity Today Magazine, online, has this fascinating article from September/October 2005, called Let's Do The Mash: The Who Boys, the Beastles, and the Bible
In this article, Crouch looks at the genre of mash-up music, and it's comparison to the Biblical text. Crouch asserts that the same way that mash-up music draws from different genres, styles and songs, to compose a new song, so does the Biblical text, drawing on different texts within the Bible, to compose a new passage.
The term mash-up refers to a new breed of Web-based applications created by hackers and programmers (typically on a volunteer basis) to mix at least two different services from disparate, and even competing, Web sites. A mash-up, for example, could overlay traffic data from one source on the Internet over maps from Yahoo, Microsoft, Google or any content provider. The term mash-up comes from the hip-hop music practice of mixing two or more songs.
This capability to mix and match data and applications from multiple sources into one dynamic entity is considered by many to represent the promise of the Web service standard (also referred to as on-demand computing).
Also see Understanding "Web Services" in the "Did You Know...?" section of Webopedia.
source
This article is absolutely fascinating. Crouch says at the end of the article,
Remixed or unmixed, the Scriptures have been on my mind as I listen to the Beastles, the Who Boys, and DJ Dangermouse. Snatching sources from the grasp of powerful interests that seek to limit their use, mixing genres with abandon, taking apart and putting together a long history, correlating the most familiar with the most surprising, redeeming chaos by remixing it with harmony—this is not just what happens in a DJ's basement studio. It's the story of the Bible, especially the dramatic reinterpretation of the Old Testament that takes place in the books of the New. Matthew does it, with his astonishing claims that events in the life of Jesus "fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet"—cutting, pasting, and sampling from prophetic passages about young virgins, weeping in Ramah, donkeys and colts. Paul does it, remixing audaciously in Ephesians 4:7. In that mashup of a verse, Psalm 68:18's "You ascended the high mount, leading captives in your train and receiving gifts from people" becomes "When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people," leading into a poetic riff on Christ's ascension and the nature of spiritual gifts. In Colossians, Paul does it with pagan sources too, taking the songs of the Empire, the language of supremacy and pax Romana and even the word "gospel" itself (the gospel, or euangelion, being the message of imperial success in battle), and deconstructing them to the beat of Christ crucified and risen. The writer to the Hebrews does it, with his catena of scriptures in Hebrews 1 and his mashup about faith in Hebrews 11. John the Revelator does it, sampling the weirdest tracks from Isaiah and Ezekiel and Daniel and more, punctuated over and over by the one word that sums up the Psalms: "Hallelujah!"
The mashed up quality of Scripture, so easy for us to miss after twenty centuries of reverence for its inspiration, was obvious to the Jewish authorities, custodians of the texts being appropriated by the Jesus movement, who cast that movement's members out of the synagogue. It was obvious to the Roman authorities who saw just how subversive it would be—so subversive they labeled it "atheism." It became obvious to me as a third-year student of classical Greek when I first read the gospel of Mark in the original language. Written by an author who had not had the benefit of an Athenian education, it sounded as ugly in comparison to Homer or Herodotus as the Beastie Boys do in comparison to the Beatles—and yet it overwhelmed me with its power in a way that lovely Homer never did.
And the genius of the Christian movement is that thanks to writers like Walsh and Keesmaat, the mashups continue, drawing the myths of our time into the groove of the ancient text, pitilessly and mercifully revealing their folly and their beauty, inviting our age to sing along. It is possible to pray along with the Beastie Boys—maybe even with Celine Dion. You just have to mash it up with the gospel, mash it up good.
This is the good news of the mashup:
It will all be taken apart. It will all be put together. Even the trash will tell a story.
I would be interested to hear from some musicians, or those who study and know a lot about music, as well as theology.
Maybe Brent has some thoughts on this since I know he has some insights, and strong opinions on music.
Or maybe Zach Lind has some thoughts on this since he is a musician and comments a lot on theology.
Or maybe our college worship leader, Kevin Carey has some thoughts on this. I'm sure you have some great thoughts on this Kevin.
Posted by rhett at 01:49 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Tragic miscommunication...
Talk about a devastating story. I was filled with joy last night when the newsflash came across the screen saying that all but one of the miners had survived....then I go to The Drudge Report at 2:10am and read this:
Hatfield told the families gathered at the Sago Baptist Church that "there had been a lack of communication, that what we were told was wrong and that only one survived," said John Groves, whose brother Jerry Groves was one of the trapped miners.
I couldn't imagine what it must have felt like to think your friends and family were dead...then told they were alive...only to find out that there was miscommunication, and that they were actually dead.
Tragic news story. May our prayers and thoughts be with the families who lost loved ones, and that community.
Posted by rhett at 02:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 03, 2006
GOOGLE...
GOOGLE is after world dominance I think.... Industry Feeling Presence of the 800-Pound Google
Posted by rhett at 01:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The homeless and prayer.....and a book by a college student.
The Word on the Street: What the homeless taught me about prayer, by Philip Yancey is an interesting article in Christianity Today. In it, Yancey says this:
"If you're writing a book about prayer, you should hang around the homeless for a while," said my wife, a veteran of inner-city ministry. "Street people pray as a necessity, not a luxury."
Her advice made sense, especially after I interviewed Mike Yankoski, a Westmont College student who, along with a friend, left school for five months to live on the street. (His book, Under the Overpass, tells the story.) Mike told me that homeless people, having hit bottom, don't waste time building up an image or trying to conform. And they pray without pretense, a refreshing contrast to what he found in some churches.
Posted by rhett at 01:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 02, 2006
Another blog for Mark Roberts....
Mark Roberts has a new blog, The Daily Psalm. Count 'em. I think that is four blogs that Mark writes for now. Two of his own, and two that he is a part of.
Wow!
This should be a great new blog.
Posted by rhett at 12:28 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
A very wet Rose Parade...
So I figured, what's a little rain when the Rose Parade ends a few blocks from your house! With that in mind, a few of us cruised over to the end of the parade route, soaking wet. But, the best thing about rain is that it wasn't as crowded, and we stood in the front, only a few feet from the band and floats as they went by. It was very wet and windy, but everyone involved seemed to be having a great time.
As soon as I get off vacation in about a day, I will be about ready to pick the blogging pace back up.
Looking forward to 2006.
Posted by rhett at 11:56 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 01, 2006
Rose Parade....
This is the first New Year that my wife and I are celebrating in our Pasadena home. The cool thing is that the Rose Parade passes about a block from our neighborhood. What does that mean for us? They shut down our street, and store horses and other things on our street. Plus they give us a bunch of free passes to go to a post-parade float party.
Posted by rhett at 08:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
