worshiparts

my remarks for the national day of prayer

2011-05-06T23:07:00.000-05:00

I don’t think Garry Guimond really knows me, so it is interesting that he picked me to talk about government, because, while I’ve never held public office, I worked for the government most of my life and I used to be really active in local politics.

When I was really young, I leaned liberal, not because I knew what that meant, exactly, but because that was where the cute girls were leaning and – can I be honest with you? – the liberals were just more fun. They were fun, but they were delusional. See, they thought the government was the savior of the world.

But after college, I was in the military, I got married, and I became a Christian, and I began to drift more and more conservative. In fact, I was a conservative editorial cartoonist for many years, I worked on many local campaigns, I was active in grass roots party politics, and I even subscribed to The National Review. I was conservative because it was patriotic, fiscally responsible, and appealed to my Christian ideas about objective truth. But my conservative friends were also deluded. They thought that the American Experiment was the savior of the world.

Now that I am in pastoral ministry, I have become more of a libertarian. I would love for the government to lean toward civil liberty. They make excellent policemen, but I would love it if they would leave the moral wrestling matches to the poets, philosophers, preachers, and parents.

What I have learned is that maybe the US government is the best in the world, maybe it DOES make a really great policeman, but government, ANY government makes a lousy God.

This world already has a savior; it doesn’t need another one, amen?

Here’s what Paul has to say about it: “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim 2:1-5)

Our government won’t save us and neither will our ideals. What will save us is the Lord, Jesus Christ, and his reconciliation of all things to himself.

That said, having worked for the government most of my life, I know that they need prayer every bit as much as the rest of us, maybe more so. So let’s go to the Lord…

Father, God, we thank you so much for many things, but especially today, we thank you that we were born in this great country at this very important time in its history so that we might be the ones to lift these particular servants and leaders up to you. For in your word, you tell us that, even if it seems like they are working at cross-purposes with you and your church, that YOU are in control, that they are YOUR servants even if they don’t know it, and that you have put them there for your purposes in your timing.

So, Father, we pray that you would protect and provide for the leaders of our nation, our state, our county, and our community.

Father, we pray that you would grant them wisdom, patience, discernment, and an awareness of your love and provision.

Also, Father, we pray that you would help us, as implicit members of this great representative government of ours, to pick our battles carefully. I pray that you would help us, as US citizens, agents of your son, and bearers of your image, to be chiefly concerned with exalting you among the nations, not by winning our little skirmishes, but by submitting to your authority, living lives of obedience, love, and grace amidst our circle of influence, helping to change one life at a time, starting with our own.

By this humble service to you, our fervent prayer, which you have promised will avail much, we call on all Americans everywhere, to quit abdicating our responsibility to the poor, the widow, and the alien - giving it over to our overworked and overextended government - and put it back in the lap of the church where it belongs. We repent of paying others to do our ministry, and pray that our leaders will recognize this as YOUR sovereign will and get out of the way.

But most of all, in our government, our homes, and everywhere else in this great nation, Father, we pray your will, not ours, be done. If that prayer was good enough for your son, it is good enough for us – so we humbly ask it in HIS precious name, amen.

run, forrest, run!

2011-04-18T02:08:00.001-05:00

Ed groaning his way into the finish line in his first competitive run since 1985. Four miles in 39:23. Not bad for an old guy. It was the Run with Your Heart in Eureka, IL. The run is a fundraiser for the Heart House shelter for victims of abuse. I have been volunteering at this race for a few years now, but this is the first time I have actually run in it.

my sermons...

2011-03-28T23:05:00.000-05:00

http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/washington-christian-church/id298774314 This is a link to our itunes page where you can hear my most recent sermons. Mine are on the following dates (oldest to newest):

7/26/09, 9/20/09, 1/24/10, 3/21/10, 6/20/10, 6/27/10, 10/3/10, 1/16/11, 3/27/11.

Check them out and tell me what you think.

christians in the hands of an angry mob

2011-03-28T15:55:00.000-05:00

Have you ever heard one of your Christian friends say something like this: "I can't believe anyone doesn't believe in God! The evidence is all around us. All you have to do is look"? If so, you have probably been forced, as have I, to beg the question, "Why are there still so many atheists?" Seriously, if it's so easy to prove the existence of God, why are there still so many people yelling about it? Why isn't everybody on board?

This link will point you to a really interesting article on this topic on Christianity Today's website. In it, Shawn Graves, a philosophy professor, posits that God isn't always as noisy as we say he is, and he is often drowned out by the noisiness of his followers.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/marchweb-only/whytherearestillatheists.html?start=1

He suggests that, while there may be much more at work in the minds of atheists than "cold rationality," in other words they carry baggage to this argument (e.g., anti-establishment or anti-authoritarian attitudes, etc.), the same is true of us. We rarely come to faith, or lack thereof, on rationality alone, but rather with a slew of psycho-social influences that predispose us to lean one way or the other.

Graves also suggests that some who claim Christ have ugly ulterior motives that drive a deeper wedge between the camps of belief and unbelief. Those who use religion to justify oppression, discompassion, judgment, or exclusion not only misrepresent our God but, by their behavior, bring him dishonor (Graves presents US slavery and Manifest Destiny as examples). To be sure, the atheist might be guilty of the same motives, but at least he doesn't drag God through the mud in the process.

I've also included a fun link in case you've never heard Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers play "Atheists Don't Have No Songs." It is awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFWA1A9XFi8&feature=related

Have you ever been guilty of dismissing the atheist as foolish or characterizing him as self-absorbed? If so, check this article out and tell me what you think...

hipostacy

2011-03-14T15:30:00.000-05:00

In this post, I am summarizing a really interesting article from Christianity Today by researcher and author of Generation Ex-Christian, Drew Dyck. You can read the entire article and see a video interview with Dyck at the following link:

http://christianitytoday.imirus.com/Mpowered/book/vctrc11/i1/p12

In the past two decades, the number of Americans claiming "no religion" has nearly doubled, from 8.1% to about 15%. This can be attributed, primarily, to 20- and 30-somethings drifting away from the faith of their youth, numbering closer to 22%. The problem is less, "Who is unchristian?" than, "Who is EX-Christian?" What is behind this drift, and what can we do about it?

Some say this happens every generation, but the numbers are 5-6 times the historic rate for young Christians who stray from the church in their late teens and early twenties. Plus, young people are delaying the factors that usually bring them back to the church (namely, marriage and children). If they are away a decade rather than a couple years, the estrangement is considerably more problematic. So the problem remains - why?

Does it revolve around moral compromise? Is the disconnect between their upbringing and their behavior too great to accommodate? Perhaps, but it appears to be much more complicated than that. New Atheist literature may be involved. They may have been hurt by the church. They may have been enticed by other spiritual pursuits (Buddhism, Wicca, etc.). But Dyck's research indicated that, almost invariably, it had more to do with their experiences INSIDE rather than OUTSIDE the church.

His research seems to point toward a superficial theology taught (or at least implied) in many churches - what sociologist Christian Smith calls "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism." This is a theology that revolves around a distant deity that rewards people for being "good, nice, and fair" and focuses on helping its followers "be happy and feel good about themselves." Understandably, this inauthentic, surface-only faith holds little attraction to a young person (or anyone else, for that matter) who is trying to make sense of the world and maintain their faith in the midst of the very real struggles of life in a broken world.

So maybe this is the why, but the question remains - what do we do about it? We can do only so much to "fix" the culture, and we have little control over those that hope to seduce us away from the faith, but what we CAN control is our response to it all. For example...

First, try not to get hysterical.

Second, avoid the two typical responses, which are (1) going on the offensive with our most compelling "arguments" and unintentionally judgmental sermons, and (2) disengaging completely.

Third, engage ex-Christians (or those who express doubts while still in the fold) and their doubts with love and compassion rather than trite platitudes or criticism for asking "insolent questions." Dyck relates that nearly every person he interviewed expressed unchristian push-back from their Christian "friends" (one was actually slapped on the face!).

So, basically there is no substitute for thoughtful and prayerful engagement of those with questions and doubts, whether inside or outside the church. Can I go out on a limb here and suggest that the perfect solution for helping the average Christ follower engage the doubter is Q Place? If you are unfamiliar with Q Place, you can learn more at http://www.qplace.com/ or you can email me, but basically Q Place groups are groups intended to meet people where they are and engage them in spiritual questions without telling them what to believe or judging them for disagreeing with us. Sounds like just about the perfect solution.

I will finish with a quote from Drew Dyck: "This means viewing their skepticism for what it often is: the tortured language of spiritual longing. And once we've listened long and hard to their stories, and built bridges of trust, we will be ready to light the way back home."

Amen, and amen.

FRANCO FUN

2011-03-13T18:25:00.000-05:00

Since his painfully disappointing turn as Oscar host, James Franco has not been on my list of favorite people. But as of yesterday, he is officially redeemed.

The teaming of visionary, genre-bending director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire and 28 Days Later) and Mr. Franco was a match made in heaven. I have watched 127 Hours twice in the last two days, and I am still reeling. It recounts the true story of Aron Ralston, rock climber and thrill seeker, who was trapped at the bottom of a rocky crevasse for over five days before freeing himself. It is a powerful and moving tale of the triumph of the human spirit and a brilliant bit of filmmaking, and Franco was completely invested from the first frame to the last.

See it and tell me what you think, but I will warn you - there are three or four minutes near the end of the film that are among the most visceral and graphic I have ever seen. This segment was essential but challenging. And even though I was physically uncomfortable, it was worth it.

BACK FROM THE DEAD

2011-03-13T18:20:00.000-05:00

Long time, no posts. I am going to try to be more diligent about posting stuff here. Since my last post, much has changed in my life. My son is still at Columbia College Chicago studying film, my daughter is getting ready to cut her first demo CD, my wife is studying public relations at Bradley, and I have lost over 70 pounds and have become an avid runner. Stay tuned for more interesting stuff (I hope).

2009-03-16T02:04:00.001-05:00

My new sermon's up on itunes. Check it out at the link in my last post.

wcc is podcasting

2008-12-19T15:14:00.000-06:00

Next time you are in iTunes, search for Washington Christian Church and you will find our podcast. My most recent sermon is there and is entitled "RSVP - come as you are." Check it out and let me know what you think.

If you have trouble finding our podcast page, here is the URL:

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=298774314

and the second is like it

2008-12-19T11:04:00.000-06:00

An awesome Breakpoint broadcast on my birthday
(for more Breakpoint, visit http://www.breakpoint.org/):

WALL-E
What It Means to Be Human
December 18, 2008

The fact that the hit movie WALL-E has a plot that even a child can follow doesn’t mean it’s juvenile. Released earlier this year, the Pixar film follows the story of a little robot named WALL-E. While the rest of Earth’s inhabitants have embarked on a 700-year cruise-like vacation aboard a space station, this little robot is left behind to clean up the planet.

As WALL-E sifts through the trash, he begins to learn what it’s like to be human. A Rubik’s Cube says something about the human capacity for logic and play; an old VHS tape of Hello Dolly teaches him about the human capacity for creativity. One hand-holding scene, which WALL-E plays over and over, teaches him about love.

The little robot continues, day in and day out, to do his task of cleaning up the earth, until a “female” robot, aptly named EVE, comes along. EVE, or Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator, is on a mission to see if the earth can once again sustain life. If so, humans can one day return to it.

Ironically, while WALL-E is trying to learn about what is to be human, humans adrift in the cosmic space station have grown robot-like, tethered to machines and out of touch with each other and their own creative impulses.

Many critics saw the film as an environmental movie. But while WALL-E has a lot to say about the stewardship of the creation, it is ultimately about much more. Filmmaker Andrew Stanton, an outspoken Christian, recently explained to World Magazine that what really interested him in the story line was “the idea of the most human thing in the universe being a machine, because it has more interest in finding out what the point of living is than actual people.”

“The greatest commandment Christ gives us is to love,” Stanton says, “but that's not always our priority. So I came up with this premise that . . . irrational love defeats the world's programming.” That’s why Stanton created WALL-E and EVE to work literally against their own robotic programming to demonstrate love, first for each other, and then for humanity.

In contrast to robots learning to love, Stanton wanted to show how humans had become machinelike. Our routines and habits, he argues, have programmed us “to the point that we're not really making connections to the people next to us. We're not engaging in relationships, which are the point of living—relationship with God and relationship with other people.”
I couldn’t agree more.

Another thing you’ll notice about the film is that all the humans are enormously obese. This was the result of Stanton’s imaginative logic of what would happen to humans as the result of living long term in zero-gravity conditions. But, Stanton told Christianity Today, it’s also what humans would look like when we become “big babies with no reason to grow up.” Stanton explains, “I was going with the logic of what would happen if you were in a perpetual vacation with no real purpose in life.”

Through the stark depiction of such perpetual laziness, viewers rediscover something that all of us can easily lose sight of: the value and beauty of meaningful work.

Sacrifice, love, logic, playfulness, creativity, connection, work—take some time this Christmas and let a little robot remind you what it means to be human, created in God’s image.

engaging culture

2008-06-03T00:01:00.000-05:00

Excellent article. Read it.

http://www.abpnews.com/3206.article

expelled

2008-05-20T23:45:00.000-05:00

The following is a posting I made to Brett McCracken's blog (visit Brett's blog at http://stillsearching.wordpress.com/ ) about the new Ben Stein documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. People were really mercilessly bad-mouthing well-meaning Christians so I had to say something...

What makes the likelihood of an intelligent designer any crazier a filter for explaining the unbelievable statistical unlikelihood of DNA and other apparently irreducibly complex systems than the currently popular cosmological explanation that there are an infinite number of parallel universes that make every outcome equally likely? This is just whimsy. It is no more intelligently dishonest to say, “God must be behind it,” than to say, “Infinite multiple universes are behind it.”

Nobody knows the mechanism behind the astronomically complex makings of life. The annoying thing about this whole argument is that those in the scientific community say they do. If they would just admit that they might be wrong, maybe the argument would go away and real scientific inquiry could take place on both sides. Instead, the underpaid scientists in our nation can only get funding to do evolution-centric biological research. Let’s see…feed my kids or buck the system. I’ll feed my kids. There’s a natural selection.

Also, somebody made the point earlier that scientific explanations for supernatural events undermine faith in some way. Not in a Christian worldview, they don’t. Christianity is the basis of all scientific inquiry. It is only because of the insistence on a rational created order that science ever sprung from the muck of superstition and magic in the first place. Without Christianity, there would be no science and we would still be throwing bones to make decisions and casting demons out of epileptics.

Order is a God thing.

movie trends

2008-05-13T13:08:00.000-05:00

It has been suggested that these days there are too many movies that are dark for darkness’ sake. Most cite this year’s best picture nominees as proof. Juno is most assuredly NOT a dark tale, but while I have yet to see Michael Clayton, or Atonement, it is my understanding that both are a bit on the brooding side; but the crown jewels of the new noir cinema are this year’s best picture winner, No Country for Old Men and nominee There Will Be Blood. These films are about as dark as you can get, but they are not devoid of redemptive themes. On the contrary, their crystal clear portrayal of sin and its wages make them akin to the great cautionary tales of the Bible (e.g., the fate of Herod or the David/Bathsheba/Uriah triangle or the miserable end of the reign of Pharaoh).

Much has been made about the lack of closure in No Country, but that is actually the point. It is a movie about whether or not fate is fickle or directed, whether our destiny is determined by our choices or is completely out of our control, and whether we are spiraling downward or just reaping the ever present crop of a fallen world. The movie ends by trying to make both points equally and letting you decide which is most true or which will win out or whether it even matters in the grand scheme of things. It is both chilling and thought provoking that the Coen brothers leave that up to you to decide. That took some real guts. Javier Bardem’s portrayal of Anton Chigurh was the most quietly menacing performance I can remember, and the coin toss scene in the gas station will positively turn your blood to ice.

There’s really no question about anything that happens in There Will Be Blood. It’s a pretty straightforward cautionary tale about what happens when you worship mammon and scale the dead bodies of your competitors to get to the “top.” As soon as things become more important than people, you end up like Daniel Plainview and/or Eli Sunday. The movie does not hammer you with this message, however. You are required to do the heavy lifting to discern who is worse, Eli or Daniel, and to some degree, it is left to your imagination how they got there, but where they end up is no mystery, and that arrival forms the centerpiece of the final act - a most dreadful dance of greed, self-interest, and madness, leading to perhaps the most shocking ending in film history. Not to mention that this movie contains the single most amazing acting performance I have ever seen; I think Daniel Day Lewis is possessed.

Finally, here are two movies that might have flown in under your RADAR and that you should not miss:

Once is a 21st century musical. That is, it is a story told predominantly with song, but it is not contrived or unrealistic; no one breaks into song for no reason. It is quiet, moving, and beautiful, contains amazing musical performances by its leads, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, and tells a real story about real people devoid of tidy Hollywood conventions and predictable endings. It is a movie that sometimes soars and sometimes floats and sometimes sits quietly; in other words, it is a lot like life. I love this movie.

Lars and the Real Girl will turn some off because of its premise, which is, simply stated, a story about a troubled young man who falls in love with a mail-order sex doll. If that had been the end of it, I would never have watched it, but fortunately someone I trusted recommended I ignore the premise and give Lars a fair shake. To call this film uplifting and heartwarming would be a gross understatement. Sexual questions are totally immaterial to this story because it is not about the doll; it is about relationships, unconditional love, the nature of mental illness, and the way a community responds to it. And it is also quite funny without being crass or uncaring.

As an added benefit, Lars has wonderful things to say about the church and would offer a great lesson to its members if they could overlook their surface objections to the premise. Let’s say a Christian watching Lars would be much like a Christian actually welcoming someone who comes to the church looking for God but looking too odd. Could you extend the hand of Christian fellowship to a guy who brought his plastic fiancée to church? Well then how about the guy who brings his “partner” or the guy with tattoos and piercings or girl dressed inappropriately or the older woman who has not showered or, or, or… Lars and the Real Girl will warm your heart and maybe change it a little. Watch it. Trust me.

the man in the mirror

2008-04-08T15:16:00.000-05:00

Many of you may have received an email that goes something like this:

--------------------

At the Emmy awards, Kathy Griffin's acceptance speech said, "A lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus." She went on to say, “Suck it, Jesus. This is my God now!” referring to the Emmy.

As a Christian, I am offended by her hate speech. What do you think might have happened if she had made the hate speech against Muhammad???? Kathy Griffin has the right as an American to say what she thinks. As a Christian-American, so do I.

Today I will refuse to watch any show that she may be on or purchase tickets to any event at which she would perform. What will you do? If you delete this, nothing bad will happen to you, but if you pass this on, you will truly have stood up for Jesus Christ. Let’s see what Christians can do.

------------------------

This really happened, but it was censored from the E! Network broadcast of the awards show. Have you ever heard Kathy Griffin? She’s pretty funny, pretty smart, and probably right; I seriously doubt Jesus had anything to do with her award or her life in general. Jesus is knocking, but Griffin must be in the shower or something (she says she’s an ex-Catholic atheist).

Rather than talk boycott (the Christian's first reaction to everything these days), I think this should be a wake-up call; we need to take a serious look at how people are looking at us.

Why did Griffin think this was a good idea? What cultural environment have we created that would find this funny? I don’t see hatred here, only ignorance and probably a gut reaction to what she sees as holier-than-thou “Christian” hypocrites putting on airs. What could be more hypocritical than an angry, foul-mouthed, sex-obsessed, rap singer giving “props” to Jesus? But should we expect anything else from the world? (“The things of God are foolishness to the unbeliever, for they are spiritually discerned” - Paul, paraphrased)

Perhaps Christians need to do something, but perhaps we should start by looking in the mirror. Individual Christians (especially Christian leaders) need to start asking themselves the hard questions: When was the last time I helped the poor? Who is the last widow or orphan I fed? How long has it been since I visited someone in prison? Am I following Christ or running from the world? What is my fruit? Is it just doctrine and dogma, or is it faith, hope, and love?

There's a reason Ms. Griffin sees us as another target, similar to Joan Rivers or Paris Hilton. We need to figure out what that reason is, or there will be no one to blame for the slander of our Savior but ourselves.

We cannot proclaim our Lord to the world if we cannot even relate to it. In order to reach this culture, we cannot rely on the reasoned arguments of the recent past, but instead, like the first-century Christians, we must be humble, transparent, and compassionate; anything less and today's youth will see right though it. Remember, Jesus was a friend of sinners and came to save the lost not embolden the saved. We must do likewise.

I say take a moment today to pray for Kathy Griffin and others who feel the same. Pray that God will open doors for you to show them God's grace and love. Pray that we never become so comfortable in our Christian fortress that we forget the hordes starving for hope outside our walls.

being happy with third place

2007-10-29T14:39:00.001-05:00

Ah, java.

The biggest thing I miss about Iowa City is its abundance of trendy coffee shops. I used to joke that you couldn’t fall down in Iowa City without hitting your head on one. I miss them.

A couple of months back, I was walking home and, as I was leaving the square, I noticed a couple peering in the window of a new shop. I leaned forward and cupped my hands around my eyes to cut the glare and see inside. I turned to the couple and observed, “Just what we need on the square – one more antique shop,” which drew a pretty good laugh.

The woman then said exactly what I was thinking. “What we need is a coffee shop. I can’t believe Washington doesn’t have even one coffee shop.” We parted company shaking our heads.

Now that there are two new coffee shops in Washington, I am reminded of why I was so fond of them. It is because they are a perfect example of a “third place.”

Sociologist Ray Oldenburg, coined the term “third place” in his book The Great Good Place. He argues that public gathering places like bars, coffee shops, general stores, and other "third places" (in contrast to the first and second places of home and work), are central to local democracy and community vitality, and I tend to agree.

Many ministries are beginning to embrace the idea of the third place as a means to reach deep into their context and meet people where they are. Oldenburg explains, “What suburbia cries for are the means for people to gather easily, inexpensively, regularly, and pleasurably – a ‘place on the corner,’ a real life alternative to television.” One need merely observe the amazing popularity of chains like Starbucks and Seattle’s Best to see that Oldenburg is right on the money.

Ideally, the church would be the perfect third place, and perhaps it once was, but many of the things that make a third place so appealing – its playful attitude, open spirit, and accessibility – have been pushed to the margins in the institutional church. Overcoming this marginalization is at the center of our efforts in LIFEGROUPS, but, because one normally enters a LIFEGROUP through the church and not the converse, if the church is not functioning as a third place, it is unlikely a LIFEGROUP will either.

You have heard me speak of the need for the church to discard our attractional and evangelistic model for a missional and incarnational model. To do this is to stop focusing on attracting people to the church and talking them into the baptistery* (the Holy Spirit will take care of that – John 12:32), but rather placing God’s mission for the church – the Missio Dei – that of reaching the lost with the good news, at the center of our efforts and facilitating it by physically inserting ourselves into our culture to change it from the inside out. I appreciate missiologist Alan Hirsch’s explanation of these terms. He describes being missional as “casting seeds into the world” and describes being incarnational as “embedding those seeds in the earth so they can take root.” Hirsch suggests we must abandon our come-to-us approach and adopt a go-to-them strategy. Exactly what this means in our Washington, Illinois, context remains to be seen, but perhaps third places are a good place to start. Let me share an example:

Last week, when I stepped into The Ugly Mug, the new coffee shop on the square, the first thing I heard was, “Ed!” Remember Cheers? While Cheers may have been a bar, it was the ultimate third place. Didn’t you always wish you could walk into a place and everyone would shout, “Norm?” Anyway, Dee, the barista and owner of the place, immediately began to relate how she had met someone I should talk to. She went on for a bit, and then someone across the room overheard and added an observation. From there, we launched into a lively three-person conversation about the difficulties of experiencing community in our current culture.

In a completely natural and organic way, this space was transformed from a shop on the square to a seedbed for the gospel. I didn’t walk anybody into the baptistery that day, but the Lord was there amidst the decaff latte and espresso.

Ah, Jesus.

*That is not to say we shouldn’t invite people to church or to baptism, only that the approach and the focus could be slightly different

handling divisive people

2007-08-29T15:09:00.000-05:00

Check out this excellent Henry Cloud video by clicking on the following link:

http://www.cloudtownsend.com/videoserver/player.php?clip=CCNT2421&link=http://www.ccn12shop.com/video/CCN/topic/wmv_M/CCNT2421_M.wmv&playerType=WM

back in the day...

2007-08-10T13:30:00.000-05:00

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away ... I was an editorial cartoonist. I worked on and off at several different publications for about ten years. Here are a few of my favorites from my last few years at The Daily Iowan (1996-1998). Enjoy...

after the McVeigh verdict

tough love

after the Clinton verdict (heh, heh)

just a little fear for my kids

truth is stanger than fiction

money for bombs but not for food

flashback

2007-08-03T18:13:00.000-05:00

Check out this article I wrote last September, shortly before we began our involvement with Cornerstone Vocational Center and City on the Hill Church of Christ. Isn't it funny how God works?

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my comfort zone. Am I getting too comfortable in it? Did things I used to consider revolutionary become cliché when I wasn’t looking? Am I becoming my dad? Actually, I have been telling my son to turn down the music a lot recently. Hmmm.

Despite my apparent aptitude for creating controversy, I am finding more and more things controversial myself. This disturbs me a little. For instance, as hard as I try, I can no longer picture Hip Hop or Heavy Metal music as valid options in the worship service. I used to think they might be interesting, but now I can’t picture it. Conversely, I fear our “choruses” are moving from the cutting edge to the cozy middle (Incidentally, I really dislike the term “choruses”. It was coined to describe those church-camp-style songs with all of the meat removed – the sort of song we rarely play – and it is often used as a derogatory term. “Worship songs” would be more accurate). Or consider our outreach. Is it constrained to the usual, safe, suburban, white-dominated realms of soup kitchens, food pantries, Pro-life rallies, and Habitat for Humanity?

Might life be a wee bit too comfortable for us suburban Washingtonians? Are we so privileged that we are in danger of taking our blessings for granted?

One part of me says, “Hey, isn’t this what you’ve been working for all these years?” while the other, deeper, part says, “Are you ever supposed to feel comfortable here?” If we are feeling comfortable, might we be succumbing to the world?

In 2 Corinthians 5:6-8, Paul explained our state this way:
…as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

We are aliens here. We are meant to feel uncomfortable. We shouldn’t want to be assimilated. We long to be at home with the Lord, and until we are, we should feel a little lost. I believe that a burr under our saddle or a stone in our shoe is much more likely to be the tool God uses than a warm bath. Remember, Jesus did not say, “Since everything was easy for me, it will be easy for you too!” He said, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.”1

Change is not everything. In fact, change is not even a virtue. But, neither is it the enemy. Rather, stagnation and comfort are the enemy. Recently I heard that the medical definition of death is a body that has stopped changing. This does not mean that we stop “testing the spirits.”2 We must still be discerning, but the test is whether our discomfort is spiritual or worldly. Have we spotted the problem, or are we the problem?

If something in a worship service challenges you or some outreach opportunity thrusts you out of your comfort zone or something just doesn’t set right with you, look first to see what God may be doing in spite of your discomfort. You may be surprised to see what God can use. Maybe even Hip Hop or Heavy Metal.

1 John 15:20; 2 1 John 4:1

Fold Your Socks

2007-07-24T14:54:00.000-05:00

Zip has a sock fixation. Seriously, we can’t leave a discarded sock alone for more than, say, twenty seconds before she absconds with it to places unknown. For those of you who have never had the pleasure of meeting her, Zip is our cat.

There is precious little method to her obsession. One time, I might find fifteen socks randomly distributed throughout the living room, another time half a dozen, each displaced from our various clothes hampers to its own individual stair, forming a sort of foot path to the upstairs bedroom, but I have always been under the impression that I had a handle on this. You see, there are preventive measures you can take, for instance, she has yet to figure out how to open my sock drawer, and, for some reason or other, she doesn’t fancy socks that are folded together (you know, like your mom taught you). So, I figured I was one step ahead of her. Silly me.

The other day, Janelle, my daughter, was performing a very rare chore; she was actually cleaning her room. Her mom was helping out and was trying to unearth the bureau in the corner so Janelle could sort some of her mountain of clean clothes into its drawers, when she made a startling discovery. Underneath this bureau, in the corner of Janelle’s room, was Zip’s secret repository of white, poly-cotton treasure. The final inventory yielded nearly fifty socks in all shapes and sizes.

This is a perfect example of what is wrong with thinking you have it all figured out. When you think you know what everyone’s thinking or what’s around the next corner or even how many socks you own, you’re more likely to get outsmarted by a three-legged housecat with a brain the size of a walnut.

Don’t get me wrong. Just like you, I can’t function without a few formulas or recipes or help menus, but some things in life are just too messy to fit into a five-step plan. So what do we do?

Solomon explains, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps,” and Jeremiah quotes the Father in a letter to the exiles in Babylon, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

We are much like those ancient Hebrews Jeremiah addressed. Just like us, they thought they had God all figured out, and just like them, we are once again God’s people in exile. While they were in exile, God promised that, if they sought Him with all of their heart, He would bring them once again out of captivity. As we are no longer the controlling institution of the western world, we are once again in exile, and this promise once again applies to us. God has plans for us – plans to help not harm. But, notice He says, “I know the plans I have,” not “You know the plans I have.”

Quit obsessing over where all the socks are. You’ll find them; they’re around somewhere. In the meantime, keep folding your socks like your mom taught you, but try to enjoy life’s unpredictable nature as God allows it to unfold before you. Get intentional about living in community and watch things play out in each other’s lives. Go ahead; make your plans. But remember, God determines your steps, and they’re good ones.

Slackers and Hijackers

2007-07-24T13:36:00.000-05:00

Just yesterday, I was channel surfing and landed briefly on IFC (The Independent Film Channel), during The Henry Rollins Show. For those of you who don’t know, Rollins used to be the lead singer of Black Flag, the predecessor of just about every hard rock band presently in existence. He was a screamer before screaming was cool. Now in his forties, Rollins is the self-proclaimed guardian of our national sanity. In his mind, this means spending all of his time railing against the Bush administration, Fox News, and anything else that smells vaguely like a Republican. Apparently, most episodes feature The Disquisition, a stream-of-consciousness-style rant from uber-liberal actress, Jeanine Garofalo. In this particular installment, Garofalo spent her five minutes of expletive-drenched airtime equating those who don’t oppose the war in Iraq with Eva Braun, the mistress of Adolph Hitler, and Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, Charles Manson’s main squeeze. Excuse me? Did someone just equate me with Eva Braun? Now, don’t get me wrong; I’m all for freedom of speech, but Garofalo’s rant was tasteless, reckless, offensive, and intellectually dishonest. As I see it, this is just one more indication that our culture is embracing postmodernism. As post-modern “intellectuals” continue to discard all our trusted metanarratives, we are left with an every-man-for-himself attitude that is both unhealthy and unnatural.

“Wait a minute,” you say, “What is a metanarrative?” You may not know the term, but chances are much of your life and most of your decisions are determined by one or more of them. A metanarrative is the big story that shapes your worldview. For the ancient Hebrews, it was the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible), during the medieval days it was the Holy Roman Church, the Enlightenment embraced a God of order that informed scientific inquiry as their big story, for the pioneers it was Manifest Destiny, and our modern age has been completely dominated by the metanarrative of Darwinism.

Postmodernism suggests that all of these fail to adequately explain the universe so we must discard them. Left with no big story, the postmodern thinker must fend for himself, writing his own independent mini-narrative as he goes along, with no objective standard by which to measure. Is it any wonder that such a directionless worldview would create such a bitter, angry commentator as Ms. Garofalo? But here’s the rub; I don’t believe it’s her lack of metanarrative that’s the culprit; she subscribes to a worldview, but it is one characterized by what it is not. It is an anti-metanarrative. Its coherence derives from its opposition to tradition and, frankly, common sense. It is a “not you worldview.” Because it opposes our previous metanarratives, it looks like postmodernism, but it’s really just a cop-out for intellectual lightweights.

I believe this need to oppose our past springs primarily from our culture’s distaste for the Christian metanarrative of our forefathers, mischaracterized by rigid formulae and iron-fisted authoritarianism. My question? Who hijacked our metanarrative? Who took Jesus’ story of self-sacrifice and servant leadership and turned it into the list of dos and don’ts that so frustrates today’s culture? Nowhere in scripture is our journey toward salvation, mission, or discipleship characterized as a vending machine – put in a quarter and out comes your selection, salvation or forgiveness or peace or whatever candy bar you choose. Neither is it characterized as a switch you flip -- saved, not saved, saved, not saved, saved…

Life is much messier than that and that is why God had to come down here and get messy with us. Rollins and Garofalo would probably appreciate that if they weren’t so busy disagreeing with us. Perhaps that is why Paul instructs us to do everything “without arguing or grumbling.” Instead we should wrestle with the simple metanarrative at the center of Christianity: God created the world and it was good, but we messed it up, so He had to come down and give us a way to make it right. Now, even though we don’t deserve it, we can have a right relationship with God through His son, not by keeping a bunch of rules but by loving one another.

Wow. What a positive message. That’s a metanarrative I can live with. Unfortunately, angry “not you worldview” subscribers control the conversation and we are stuck defending hijackers.

Baby Steps

2007-04-22T18:55:00.000-05:00

The events at Virginia Tech are chilling. If you are not struggling, at least a little bit, with God’s role in all of this, you are probably in denial. However, it is impossible to function in today’s world without coming to grips with the existence of evil and its relationship to the sovereignty of God. To understand this issue you must understand that we cannot truly enjoy freewill in a world without sin. In order to be truly free, you must be free to do wrong, and when others choose sin, the innocent may suffer. The only alternative is a world without choice, a prison of obedience. This struggle is played out in concrete terms as Virginia Tech law enforcement personnel look to the future. Is it possible to protect 26,000 students from every homicidal maniac without turning the campus into a prison of obedience? Probably not.

Just days ago, I heard that Peoria racked up its sixth homicide for 2007. Peoria residents were fed up and much hand-wringing ensued. “More gun control,” some said. “More money for schools,” said others. Then they turned off the cameras and everyone went home. Those of us watching from our couches most likely retreated to the relative safety of our beds and, after a few moments of anxiety for inner-city Peoria and perhaps a quick prayer, got a good night’s sleep. However, hundreds of inner-city youth were lying awake wondering if they were next. How many of them started considering whether it might be safer to join a gang than try to avoid them? How many will carry a weapon to school tomorrow just to avoid feeling like a victim?

These events are also chilling and they are right in our backyard. But what can we do? What is our responsibility? Do we wait until we can elect politicians who pay better lip-service to better crime prevention? Do we lobby for bigger prisons and more police officers? Do we curse the rich? Do we blame the poor? Do we grumble? Do we scream? Do we pray? Do we weep? We can do these things, or we could do something real.

Big talk, I know. We talk about this a lot. “We need to be Jesus to the world.” “We need to get out of our comfort zone.” “We need to step out on faith.” “We need to put our money where our mouth is.” More talk is not an option. After painting a pretty clear picture of the church’s mission, Jesus suggests that all we have built will meet with destruction if all we do is talk. “Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6).

Fortunately, Washington Christian Church is already doing something. Through our BTG (Bridge The Gap) initiative, we took a big step in the right direction at our Easter evening service. We, a suburban, white, independent Christian church, invited an inner-city, black, non-instrumental Church of Christ to worship with us Easter evening. Our worship teams joined forces and we played with a full band. Their minister preached a rousing sermon and ours offered a time of reconciliation around the Lord's table. It was a HUGE blessing and God was there. We bridged several gaps that night – cultural, racial, and fellowship gaps – with unprecedented success.

Also, many of our men have been regularly helping a young Peoria pastor with his vision to create new, healthy opportunities for young men in inner-city Peoria through the Cornerstone Vocational Center (CVC). At present, we are just helping get the facilities up to snuff, but by summer's end, CVC should be offering several hard-skill training opportunities, some tutoring, and assistance in earning a GED.

Jesus told the rich young ruler first to sell everything he had and give it to the poor. Only then could he truly follow Christ. (Luke 18:22). Are we clinging to our safety and comfort so tightly that it is preventing us from truly following Jesus? We need to find a way to bridge these artificial gaps we've created - to step across the divide we've set between cultures, races, doctrinal beliefs, denominations - and embrace our commonality in Christ. Sure, it might be dangerous; we might have to tread some unfamiliar territory, do some things we've never done before, and maybe even make ourselves uncomfortable. But, like the rich young ruler, only then can we truly follow Christ.

Will joint worship services mend hundred-year-old church divisions or end age-old racial prejudices? Probably not. Will a skills-training center on the south side stop all the senseless killing? Probably not. But it's worth a try.

repent! the end is near!

2007-04-18T01:07:00.000-05:00

You’ve seen them. You know, the tee-shirts depicting the empty sneakers left behind by the raptured teenager or the bumper sticker that reads, “WARNING: In case of rapture, this car will be unmanned!” Perhaps, like me, you have lamented the utter lack of non-rapture-related Christian fiction (unless you like stories about pioneer school marms, that is); in fact Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins have struck exploitation gold with the number one selling book series of all time, Left Behind. Clearly, there is one dominant paradigm in contemporary, evangelical, end times doctrine: Pre-trib rapture. It seems like the only game in town, but is it?

Actually, there are four different, vastly divergent theories about biblical eschatology (from the Greek eschaton, meaning the end of something) – the study of the “end times.” I’m not going to go into detail about them here (click here for a short description of all four theories), but I do want to dispel a couple of myths. The first is that biblical prophecy, especially “end times” prophecy, is virtually impossible to understand – nobody really knows what it means; we are all just guessing. This is patently false. Why would God place so much emphasis on prophecy and leave no clue to unlock it?

The second myth is that the only way to interpret the inerrant and infallible Word of God is to interpret it literally. This is a perplexing position. Even though all scripture is inspired and God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), it was still written for and by human beings. When was the last time you spoke to another human for more than five minutes without utilizing hyperbole, metaphor, or some other linguistic device to make your point?

Sometimes, I think God placed eschatological prophecy in the Word as a "key." Once we figure out the key to unlocking prophecy then we will understand that all of the other "divisive" issues in Scripture (like “predestination” or “preservation of the saints”) are similarly uncomplicated. The "key" that we learn from studying biblical prophecy is simple - rely God's on understanding, not our own (Proverbs 3:5-6). We want to "literalize" everything, but Jesus never did; Jesus taught almost exclusively from parables – little stories that exploded with meaning because of Jesus’ artful use of literary imagery and culturally significant metaphor. Find the lines between the literal and the figurative – the physical and the spiritual – and you can unlock all of Scripture. Spiritual growth in our lives comes, in part, from the conversation about the location of those lines.

The big problem I see in the church's handling of this issue is that if we, as a body, are too scared to touch this issue, if we are intimidated by it, we leave it to the mass media and sensational novelists to characterize us as superstitious nut-jobs. We need to get some perspective. End times prophecy was meant primarily as a warning to the unbeliever and an encouragement for the believer to reach them before it is too late.

Most people I talk to about this subject agree that specific eschatological doctrine is not that critical as long as we live with some urgency and strive to do God's will while we are here. However, many in our churches agree in principle but not in practice. What I mean is, many live like this is practically the most important thing! Look at how often radio preachers are casting their dark visions about armor-plated scorpion-locusts and unmanned cars smashing into oncoming traffic! These prophecies were never meant to inspire fear, but HOPE! Perhaps I am preaching to the choir, but how did we, as a culture, become so bamboozled by fear mongers? Does anyone really think Jesus will come back with a literal sword poking out of His mouth? That would be somewhat like suggesting that all Republicans are literally elephants.

the simple life

2007-03-29T15:21:00.000-05:00

Someone recently shared their concern that some of the technology in use at our church might be directed at a crowd that has little use for it. This person’s position was that statistics and other evidences point to the idea that the baby boomers are thrusting their tech and their “contemporary” ideas on 20-30-year-olds who could care less; church is a place where they hope to escape being bombarded with technology. While I agree in theory, I am uncertain how that translates to practice.

I think the direction worship tech is going – away from flashy toward discreet - is healthy. However, I see the effective use of technology in worship as becoming less and less visible – not going away, but becoming less obvious. How can we use tech to augment rather than amaze – to encourage worship rather than supplant it. Good tech has always been, in my opinion, an attempt to "finesse" rather than "bombard."

Indeed, today’s young people appear to be leaning toward simplicity in worship and away from the over-produced excesses of the mega-church. However, in Washington, Illinois, we are still transitioning. I think the tech-savvy baby boomer is still our major demographic here, but things are shifting. This is why I am taking every opportunity to emphasize becoming more missional and why I am trying to interject more and more “low-tech” artistic contributions this year (like readings, drama, participatory worship events, etc.). I would also like to see involvement at WCC become simpler and simpler – more and more family friendly. Maybe what we need are fewer things to bombard them with?

The boomers’ worst legacy is not their fascination with technology or their eclectic musical tastes, but their relentless rat race. Perhaps the most important job of today’s church is to teach simplicity. Maybe today’s church should be about offering people help getting off the crazy treadmill of our daily lives. It is almost impossible to help people catch their breath in one hour on a Sunday; we need to teach that there is a better way. The spiritual discipline of simplicity is almost completely absent from our modern church vernacular, and we need to bring it back. How do we do this? I am not sure; I have ideas, but I’m willing to admit that they might not work. However, these seem like good questions as we move forward.

The trick is understanding that, whatever this shift is, it is not an indictment of the “classroom church” of our parents’ time or the “corporate church” of ours, but merely a culture shift. We also need to understand that the shift away from technological whiz-bangs is not a shift toward the church of the 1950’s, but toward the church of the first century; as restorationists, we should be tickled to death with this development, but we (the pre-boomers, the boomers, the busters, the gen-x-ers) are ALL creatures of habit.

Is everybody going to get on board if we start moving out of the fellowship hall and into the inner-city? Is everybody going to like it if we replace fluorescent light with candle light? Is everybody going to like everything we do? Nope. What does that mean to us? How do we keep trying to be all things to all people, that we might save a few? Not sure, but if we keep the dialog open we are at least trying.

last year's oscars

2007-03-22T15:18:00.000-05:00

Many guys wait all year for the Superbowl, the playoffs, the World Series, Wimbledon, the Stanley Cup, the Indy 500; I wait all year for the Oscars. The Academy Awards are my Superbowl. I have watched them every year since I was about ten years old. Like most Superbowl fans, I don’t watch the Oscars because I have an inordinate respect for the participants or the voters or the presenters. Instead, like Superbowl fans who love football but not necessarily football players, I love movies but not necessarily movie makers, actors, etc. I like the tributes, the movie clips, and the inside jokes (which is why I also love DVD’s; watching an excellent movie, then learning more about the filmmakers’ motivations and the movie-making process is like a movie geek’s dream!), but I’m often annoyed by the celebrities and their causes and their misplaced sympathies.

This year, unlike years when I have a clear favorite I am rooting for, like Return of the King, I found myself rooting against a movie. I was cheering for “Anything but Brokeback Mountain”. Even though I had not yet seen either movie, I was really happy that Crash won Best Picture just because it wasn’t Brokeback Mountain. It isn’t like me to shun a movie based strictly on its subject matter, but I just can’t get behind a movie about gay cowboys. Sue me.

I had heard good things about Crash, and now it had won Best Picture, so I ran out and rented it and I am so glad I did. Crash is a complex movie – the language is rough and there are some scenes that are difficult to watch – but it is an important movie. Take this passage, spoken by Graham (played by Don Cheadle), at the beginning of the film, “It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something.”

On the surface, Crash looks like a story about prejudice and hatred, but it is actually a modern-day retelling of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. It takes place in a fictional Los Angeles where everyone is the beaten man in the ditch and everyone is the priest or Levite, but maybe everyone could also be the Samaritan. People are walled off and emotionally distant. The characters are products of our 21st-century American culture. All of their connections are either inappropriate or impersonal or illegal; their relationships are all defined by prejudice and distrust until they find themselves in a ditch themselves and have to reach out to the untouchable Samaritan man for help, only to find out that they are just as untouchable to someone else. There is fear and there is pain but there is also hope.

This is what being human is all about. It is what Christ showed us when he risked His reputation to eat with prostitutes and tax collectors. It’s what He modeled when He shared His life and ministry with His circle of twelve comrades. We must share ourselves. We must risk our safe lives behind all this “metal and glass” and touch. Otherwise we will be fated to crash into each other just to feel something.

What are you doing to reach out? What are you doing to overcome your prejudices? Could you reach out to the prostitute or the tax collector? How about the gay cowboy? Maybe I will see Brokeback Mountain after all.

That's the Spirit!

2007-03-22T13:20:00.000-05:00

I recently finished coursework for a class I am taking called "Theology of the Restoration Movement," which was an excellent class and there was TONS of reading involved. This post borrows liberally from North's excellent RM history, Union in Truth. If you haven't read it, do.

Probably the biggest thing I discovered through all of our reading was the continual and everywhere-evident wrestling match our brotherhood is engaged in over balancing the influence of the Holy Spirit with the authority of Scripture. You can see it in the jabs the Restoration Herald takes at the Christian Standard (e.g., I read in the RH a vitriolic and comical criticism of an editorial in the CS about a “definite calling to ministry,” which the RH writer completely discounted because the CS writer could not or would not be more particular about “how” he was called. Are we, as a movement, so convinced that the Holy Spirit can not prick a man’s conscience toward action, as to jest about it? I am afraid I am not that convinced of the Holy Spirit’s impotence.) or in the resistance to non-thru-the-Bible Sunday School offerings (“Why do we need to study Larry Burkett? The Scripture teaches everything about money that is profitable for Christians.” Again, I am afraid I am not so convinced of Burkett’s lack of inspiration that I will recommend a single mother wait until we get to the part about keeping her out of the poor house). The three issues that plagued the early Restoration Movement in this way were multi-church organizations (missionary societies, Bible societies, etc.), located, salaried preachers, and musical instruments in worship – all issues of “Biblical authorization.”

I think this issue is easily described in the tension between two Restoration Movement slogans: “Where the Scripture speaks, we speak; where the Scripture is silent, we are silent,” and “In doctrine, unity; in opinion, liberty; in all things, charity.” Can we really live both of these slogans? Can we balance this tension? The tension stems from our definition of silence; if the Scripture is silent, do we claim no authority or do we claim nothing at all? Does silence imply liberty or prohibition? It is this central concern and the tension it creates that tore our movement in two in 1906.

Perhaps the most difficult implication is that, in order to claim that silence denotes prohibition, we must discard the prompting of the Holy Spirit and the liberty necessary to follow it. Do the current proponents of the Restoration Movement so wish to silence the Holy Spirit that they would deny His guidance in the absence of clear instruction? Does doing so qualify as liberalism? While I am not sure that anything we studied in this class provides a clear cut answer to these questions, it has definitely helped me to better frame the questions so that I can wrestle with them myself.

I frequently run into direct application of this issue within the framework of my position as discipleship minister and as a small group leader. Our congregation is a heterogeneous hodge-podge of different religious backgrounds, attitudes, and doctrines, all vying for position. Standing our doctrinal ground (“in doctrine, unity”) requires an understanding of the differences and I believe those differences often stem from our understanding of the work and influence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer and our lost neighbor.