engaging culture

Excellent article. Read it.

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

expelled

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

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

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

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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.

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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

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

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...

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