Winding down my time in Fresno, I’m sitting, waiting for my flight. Fresno, increasingly represents this schizophrenic division that I see in me and all of us, every time I’m here. The place, of course, reminds me of my youth, and the marvelous times I had, especially in high school. Life was full and good, with a solid self esteem that came from my involvement in the music world, and a few good friends with whom I’d play tennis, eat... Read more
After spending a glorious Sunday afternoon watching the best Ice Hockey game ever (and I’ve seen many), I posted a tongue and cheek comment on my facebook page, indicating that Canada had both the gold medal and health care. The comments that ensued were a reminder that Christians are as deeply divided and entrenched on this issue as everyone else. We’re red Christians and blue Christians – big government Christians, and small government Christians, and we’re good at pushing each... Read more
If you’re one of those “it’s all going to burn up anyway” Christians, there’s a good chance you’ll be eating a big slab of meat tonight, cooked over a fire, complemented by a pesticide laced salad, enhanced by an Italian Red, and washed down with coffee that was utterly affordable thanks to the rainforest that was cleared to increase the crop size. If I thought it was all going to burn up, especially in the near term (as I’ve been... Read more
There’s a new category tag on this blog and it’s called “Rule of Life”. Each posting I offer that will help equip people for developing the disciplines to sustain and enliven their faith will be tagged “rule of life”. For those interested the the “why” of rule of life, I’ll suggest listening to the teaching from my church on February 21st, 2010. I’ll open this category with two things: 1. Resource – for a quick overview of what a rule... Read more
This past Sunday I preached on ‘glorying in our tribulations’. Starting on Monday, it’s been lab work on the same subject. The convergence zone of too many obligations, with some fresh new challenges tossed in, and obligations ‘out’ every night, conspired with some weighty and important decisions that need to be made. Toss in a shortage of sleep (from too much too do, too much thinking, and not enough exercise), and the whole mixture becomes a sort of toxic ‘stress... Read more
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... Read more
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... Read more
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... Read more
There were many in the evangelical world of my youth (read: James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, et. al.) who decried the ‘liberal courts’ for overstepping their bounds by using the court as means of legislating, rather than limiting their responsibilities to ‘upholding the constitution according intent of its framers’. They viewed Roe v Wade as an example of, not merely ruling on a case, but of using a case to create and impose a new ethos that was far beyond the... Read more
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... Read more
Fibonacci Faith: Changing Everything
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