Survey the landscape of American Christianity on any given Sunday and you'll find plenty of evidence that God is on the throne, we're walking in victory, and Satan's utterly crushed. There are lots of praise choruses about our victory and God's goodness, along with clapping and shouting "praise the Lord". It's the winning team for certain, at least if noise and bravado is any indicator. Unfortunately, it's not. Have you seen the movies from the Youth Rallies during the reign of the … [Read more...]
The Dilemma of Pluralism
February 3, 2010 By 14 Comments
This morning's BBC report discloses that the French government has refused to grant citizenship to man because he is forcing his wife to wear the 'full veil'. Because she is not free to 'come and go with her face uncovered', this man's values place him a category of person to whom the French government denies citizenship. It is recommended by the French government that anyone showing signs of "radical religious practice" be refused citizenship. I'm interested in your thoughts on this … [Read more...]
The Great Divorce: read it, see it, live it.
February 2, 2010 By 20 Comments
Taproot Theater is presently offering a marvelous production of CS Lewis' classic book, "The Great Divorce" on their mainstage. After watching a play or movie derived from a book, I usually come away with a heavy preference for the book; things are left out; the visuals are other than what I'd imagined. I go back to reading. In this case the opposite proved to be true. Taproot's production is so brilliantly crafted and executed, that I left with a more profound appreciation for the book … [Read more...]
Modernity, Post-Modernity, and the Limits of Knowing
January 27, 2010 By 80 Comments
The question on the table is this: How can we step outside of our own context fully enough to objectively assess the faith? This is the question post-modernity brings to the table. Rather than decrying post-modernity for critiquing the arrogant declarations of certainty that have come from people of faith down through the centuries, I'd suggest at the outset, that there are things to learn from the post-modern problem: 1. They've pointed out the elephant in the room: we don't KNOW (in the … [Read more...]
The quake: shaking our assumptions?
January 15, 2010 By 14 Comments
David Brooks excellent article about this week's quake in Haiti is a must read. Whether you agree with his diagnosis or not, he shines a light on a problem that absolutely must be addressed: There is no formulaic relationship between $$ aid and economic development/autonomy. Haiti is the ongoing recipient of immense investments. By some estimates, they have the highest per capita ration of NGO's (nongovernmental organizations, like World Vision) in the world. In spite of this, Haiti … [Read more...]
The quake: shaking our assumptions?
January 15, 2010 By 14 Comments
David Brooks excellent article about this week's quake in Haiti is a must read. Whether you agree with his diagnosis or not, he shines a light on a problem that absolutely must be addressed: There is no formulaic relationship between $$ aid and economic development/autonomy. Haiti is the ongoing recipient of immense investments. By some estimates, they have the highest per capita ration of NGO's (nongovernmental organizations, like World Vision) in the world. In spite of this, Haiti … [Read more...]
Incarnational…
November 30, 2009 By 4 Comments
As we move into the advent season, I'm looking out the window of my room, located in southern Germany, across the Bodensee lake to the shores of Switzerland, only a few short miles away. I'm reading, "The Shame and the Sacrifice" while here in Germany, which is the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life, the German pastor who had the chance to remain in America as WWII was beginning, but elected instead to return to his homeland in order to walk with his own people through what he anticipated … [Read more...]
Defining our faith by the gear…
November 29, 2009 By 10 Comments
As I travelled from Munich to Friedrichschaffen on the train yesterday, I felt a little out of place because the truth of the matter is that I wear my outdoor recreation clothes for everything, including traveling on trains in Europe. But Europeans don't do this. I don't think I saw any clothing on any of my fellow train travelers labelled "North Face", or "Patagonia", or "Mountain Hardwear", other than the American (who, it turns out, was at Cal Poly the same year as me, but I digress). … [Read more...]
Children’s Rights… everywhere except here
November 20, 2009 By 58 Comments
Remember that I'm musing here, not preaching. The purpose of this blog, at least some of the time, is simply to incite discussion. That's surely the case this time.... I'm driving up the writing cabin to work on my book project, listening to NPR as I park on the interstate during the end of rush hour. It's here, about 30 miles north of Seattle, that I learn that November 19 is the 20th anniversary of "Convention on the Rights of the Child", which is a UN declaration that seeks to hold … [Read more...]
“AND”: the importance of paradox to faith
November 3, 2009 By 74 Comments
Webster's Dictionary defines paradox this way: an argument that apparently derives self-contradictory conclusions by valid deduction from acceptable premises Neat systems bother me. It doesn't matter whether it's Calvinism or Arminianism, fundamentalism or liberalism, Catholicism or Protestantism. All these constructs bother me for two reasons. First, each system has its own inherent strengths and weaknesses. Our role, isn't to be fans of a system, but to be followers of Jesus, and … [Read more...]
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