Episode 6.1: “Immigration and Identity.” After a summer hiatus, the podcast returns with guest Ryan Hennesy to discuss race, immigration, identity, and otherness. (Originally recorded June 2010)

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1. The Presumptive Podcast: Episode 4.1

1) Beck misappropriated a Black experience and a significant part of Black history. By holding his rally on the date and location of the March on Washington and by deliberately invoking the narrative of that March, Beck takes a story belonging squarely within the history of Black oppression and makes it his own. Beck, a privileged white male, invalidates the experiences and histories of African-Americans by reinterpreting those experiences and histories in light of his whiteness and maleness. Further, Beck called rally participants to “restore honor” and “return to God,” phrases that are code for reclaiming white privilege. Any naive view may insist that Beck only wants the good parts of America restored; but even the best parts of our history is besmirched with racism, classism, violence, and oppression. Framed in these terms, Beck’s rally was a political rally if ever there were one.

2) But make no mistake: this was also a religious rally. Normally, evangelicals like Palin would take umbrage at sharing a notion of “God” with Beck, a Mormon. In fact, a few evangelicals have pointed this out. I take issue, not with Beck’s Mormon beliefs, but with how and where Beck locates God in the world. In fact, I doubt Beck and I mean the same thing when we talk or pray to God. Beck’s God, evidenced by of the rally and speeches, seems to be on the side of white privilege. It’s bad enough to misappropriate the narrative of a historically oppressed people; it’s even worse to claim God while doing so.

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There’s something especially insidious in the debate surrounding the Park51 mosque and community center (AKA the Ground Zero Mosque) in Lower Manhattan. An unhealthy fervor has taken hold of politicians, some in the media, and the general public. Specifically, I take issue the idea that Muslims should not build a religious and cultural center on the “hallowed ground” of the sites of the attacks on 9/11.

There’s a direct connection between this land, to be used as a house of worship of Muslims, and the land known as the West Bank in the Middle East. In both cases, those in power and in a majority want to take away or limit the fair use of the property from people who have legitimate claims of ownership. In both cases, the reasons cited are civil-religious.

Muslims–Arab Muslims in particular–are seen as fundamentally other and dangerous. Often, as in the cases cited above, these Muslims are vilified as violent or with ties to terrorists. But now the rhetoric has become more shrill. Now, “these people” want to “defile” a sacred site in America by building a house of worship and community center near by. In some ways, it’s like temple-worship in the Old Testament where only good Jewish males were allowed in the Temple. Gentiles and women had to wait outside. We say, Let the Muslims build somewhere else.

Yes, in American civil-religion, the sites where the World Trade Center stood are too holy for someone so completely other. But the area is not too holy for a strip-club, street vendors selling cheap mementos, and McDonalds. This single act of exclusion should unmask the myth of our civil-religion; it should shed light on the injustices of our greedy, capricious, and manipulative ways. Instead, we subject ourselves and those in a specific minority group to fear and ridicule and a vicious cycle of oppression.

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I’m reading Jurgen Moltmann’s “Sun of Righteousness, Arise” (thorough review coming), and there’s one quote that is excellent and exciting to think through.

“C.G. Jung rightly discovered in many pictures of that Trinity a ‘fourth person’ in the Virgin Mary, but wrongly turned this into the archetype of a ‘quaternity’. In fact Mary is really a symbol for the saved humanity and new creation of all things. It is for that reason that she finds her living space in the divine Triunity. That means that the open Trinity is the inviting environment for the whole redeemed and renewed creation, which for its own part then becomes the environment for the divine indwelling.” p. 157

Let that blow your mind, suckers.

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The story of Sodom bothers me. To be honest and more accurate, it really bothers me. Just to rehash: Genesis 18-19 tell the story of Abraham and these cities on a plain, Sodom and Gomorrah, cities that “were evil in the sight of God.” These places incurred so much of God’s wrath that God was going to destroy the cities. One of Abraham’s kinfolks, Lot, lived in Sodom. After some pleading by Abraham, God sent a couple of messengers to Sodom to warn Lot to get out of town before the pending destruction. Well, the men of Sodom wanted to brutalize and gang rape the messengers, but Lot took the messengers in his house and protected them. Sure enough, Lot hightailed it out of town the next morning with a warning from the messengers, “Don’t turn around and look back at the city.” Lot’s wife turned around and was transformed into a pillar of salt. Things turn really crazy with Lot and his daughters, but that’s for a another time.

I’m preaching through the book of Genesis, and this text was up for a rousing sermon. I’m well-aware of how Ezekiel and Jesus used the text (Ezekiel 16:49-50 and Matthew 10:11-15) and also well-aware of how it’s used today.

I certainly don’t believe that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of “the gays,” but still the fact that God destroyed two cities–just flat out wiped them out–doesn’t sit well with me. This doesn’t fit with what I really think or know about God. Honestly, whether God destroyed the cities because of gay sex or because of hospitality isn’t as important as the fact God destroyed these cities.

What do you say when a text confronts you like this? How do you makes sense of God through this story?

The Bible’s a risky place. It’s full of spots like this that are hard to deal with: stories you can’t just dismiss, but stories that don’t fit neatly in some grand theological scheme. Maybe that’s OK. I’m not saying Pat Robertson is right to use this story to predict damnation on America or New Orleans. But it’s OK to realize that all the pieces of the Bible don’t fit together as nicely as I’d like them to.

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One thing we believed was this: our moms and dads weren’t the only ones God called into ministry. In fact, we, sons and daughters of preachers, were also called. I think that explains quite well why some of us are in vocational ministry and some of us aren’t.

So from an early age, I understood ministry is more than a job, more than a vocation, more than a calling. It becomes a source of identity. Ministry, then, isn’t just something I choose to do or not do; like race, it’s something attributed on me. And it’s something intensely personal. Ministry, at least for me, ties my life together. My family, my friends, my job, my faith, my church: all huge parts of my life are understood in terms of ministry.

With such an integrated life comes a deeper responsibility. There’s more at stake, there’s more on the table. But despite all our best laid plans we find ourselves broken and in impossible places. In such brokenness we carry on. We carry on.

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In fact, during family visits, we often stroll among the headstones, looking at dates and asking questions. In the center of the cemetery, sticking up like a 6 foot, bleach-dried bone is the monument of one J.L. Thompson who died in 1858. This marker is the tallest in the cemetery, and until today, I had no idea I was a direct descendant of its markee. I had no idea my family has been laid to rest in the same place for over 150 years.

In fact, my maternal grandfather’s family has lived on the same land in southern Arkansas for almost 200 years, something that seems fantastical and odd. I remember my grandfather farming, him harnessing up Blaze, the horse, and plowing between rows of corn. I remember squirrel hunting as a 9 year old in the deep woods along the Saline River. But that land remembers generations of my family in farming, hunting, logging, watering, and laying to rest since well before the Civil War.

Despite some of my urbane ways and finer tastes, there’s also something earthy about my life. This earthiness picks blackberries in the woods and swats flies off my horse as I feed him squash and crawfishes in pools of muddy water (all things I did today as well).

It’s no wonder I call such a place home. Indeed, for many years I’ve known that this place, this land, is where I want to retire (though that’s more than forty years away) and where I want to be laid to rest with my fore-mothers and fore-fathers. In so many ways, I know my story begins and ends with this land. In this land is where I want to end my days.

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Sam Martinez presents:

“An Old-Time Shakespeare YouTube Comedy Hour”

Episode 1 “Old Friends

www.youtube.com/watch?v=58gHHi9Dwe8

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My birthday is in 3.5 weeks. So before you all start asking, “How shall we celebrate,” I thought I’d supply you with my birthday book list (for the summer). Normally, I read about 8-642 books over the course of the summer and I finish up books I’ve started at various times of the year.

Here are my top 10 for summer reading:

1. “Sun of Righteousness, Arise!: God’s Future for Humanity and the Earth” by Jurgen Moltmann
2. “After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters” by NT Wright
3. “Hannah’s Child: A Theologian’s Memoir” by Stanley Hauerwas
4. “Race: A Theological Account” by J. Kameron Carter
5. “The Selected Works Of T. S. Spivet” by Reif Larsen
6. “Toward the Endless Day: The Life of Elisabeth Behr-Sigel” by Olga Lossky
7. “The Church in the Power of the Spirit: A Contribution to Messianic Ecclesiology” by Jurgen Moltmann
8. “The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt” by T.J. Stiles
9. “Let the World Spin: A Novel” by Colum McCann
10. “The Complete Short Stories” by Flannery O’Connor

Grace and peace.

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Episode 5.1: “Grab bag-o-laughs-and-culture” Dallas hosts this episode full of pop culture, Elena Kagan, the pill, shout-outs to our friends, and our succinct judgment on Arizona’s immigration law. (Also, sorry to those who gave word suggestions for our recording. Due to operator error, we lost the recording with your delightful suggestions.)

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Summer camp for Assemblies of God kids in Arkansas was an experience. I remember the first and only time I went as a kid. There was no AC in the dorms, so I had to bring a fan and sleep with the windows wide open. That meant all sorts of bugs buzzed around my head all night. The gym floor was carpeted which meant that I was even worse at basketball. And I remember one night at camp spending several hours at the altar asking God to baptize me with the Holy Spirit so I could speak in tongues.

Tongues is a big part of summer camp for Pentecostals. And with Pentecost Sunday coming up, I’ve been thinking a lot about tongues and language, about the upper room and the tower of Babel.

The story of Babel is found in Genesis 11. Basically, there’s one language of the known earth, and the people assemble to build a city with a tower that will reach the heavens so they can make a name for themselves. God catches wind of the people’s plans, goes down, confuses their language, and scatters them over the earth. Language plans a huge part in the narrative: language used to maintain the empire, language used by God to break up the hegemony. In fact, the tower of Babel is only mentioned once, but the language and unity of people is a huge motif.

Compare that story with this one. 50 days after Jesus is crucified, a remanent of followers of Jesus in Jerusalem are gathered upstairs in a home. It seems more likely that these folks are frightened than anything else, and they start to pray. Something sounds like a wind is blowing through the room, little balls of fire light above their heads, and they begin to speak in languages they do not know. Some folks outside the house assume the folks inside the house are drunk, but in fact the inside-folks are praising God in the native languages of the outside-folks.

There are some noticeable parallels between these two passages. And it’s been said that Pentecost is the reversal of Babel. That is, the day of Pentecost undoes God’s judgment at the tower of Babel. At Babel, the people seek to ascend to the heavens; at Pentecost heaven descends to earth. At Babel, the people want to make a name of themselves; at Pentecost, the people praise the name of God. Etc. But I think it’s more likely that Pentecost is the completion of Babel. That is, Pentecost wasn’t God returning humanity to a pre-Babel-like state; it’s God lifting up those who have suffered under the heel of opression. The problem at Babel wasn’t just people trying to make a building tall enough reach God. The real problem was the imperial mindset and power these people had. They wanted to build an empire and make their name great, and they accomplished this by forcing one language on people who were forced to gather in one place to build one city (Does it make sense that this story was written down in an exilic community in Babylon?!). For these imperialistic reasons, God scattered the people and confused their language. God wasn’t threatened by their phallic-shaped tower in the Middle East.

No, Pentecost completes the work of Babel. Pentecost doesn’t create a new language or new ways of speaking about God. The people on the day of Pentecost declare the wonders of God in particular ways, ways that subvert the dominate language of the empire. In fact, Pentecost marks the death of imperial language, language used to control, homogenize, and marginalize. Speaking in tongues gives life to those who are forced to live in empire and speak that language, tongue-speech gives hope that God is at work in our particular setting, and tongue-speech brings diversity. But it goes beyond that. Peter, in his sermon, declares, “This is that foretold by Joel…even your women-servants will speak for God.” The whole order and arrangement of imperial power is turned on its head.

In a sense, then, tongues are not languages we learn. Speaking in tongues is not a new way of speaking about God. Tongues-speech gives us diversity without division and unity without uniformity. Pentecost is the way of the church to subvert the powers that oppress God’s people and to speak hope, joy, salvation, and peace. Pentecost is a here-and-now mark of the new creation when all people, all nations, all languages are welcomed and participating in the goodness of God’s commonwealth.

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1. NWCU- Engagement and Embrace

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ-uV72pQKI

Since I’m preaching through the stories of the Old Testament, I decided I could put the song to good use. Perhaps one of the most fitting images in the Old Testament is found in Genesis 15. Abram finds himself in the middle of a battle with a couple of bad kings. And he has this existential crisis because he has no heir. God shows up at Abram’s tent and takes Abram outside. God tells Abram to look up at the stars. With “Yellow” by Coldplay playing in the background, God dares Abram to imagine. “Imagine,” says the Lord to Abram, “that your descendants are as numerous as the stars.” The editor of the story says, “Abram believed and God credited to him as righteousness.”

I’ve said time and time again that being a Christian is more than asking Jesus into one’s heart. Of course, it’s true that following Jesus is a huge part of Christian life. But where is Jesus leading us? What if being a Christian is imagining with God and participating in that eschatological dream. This is the unfolding of faith, the mystery of the ways of God, the hope of creation. Daring to dream is a dangerous thing; it’s an affront to the established order and the status quo.

So how we understand God’s working in the world, the essence of the Resurrection and Revelation 21, is how we live here and now. In other words, the shape of the eschaton is the shape of Christian life in the present. This opens up vistas of new possibilities for engagement. A full life is imagining with God and participating in God’s grand plan for the world.

This is what God called Abram to do, and, in a sense, this is what Willy Wonka did in opening up his factory. This is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian.

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Let me say briefly that modern ecumenism focuses on two areas: Faith and Order deals with theology, doctrine, and polity; Life and Work deals with evangelism and mission. There is some contention to whether one has primacy over the other (as in Faith over Work) or whether these ideas are equal in importance. While I have my feelings on the subject, I don’t intended to contribute to that discussion. Instead, my contribution to the whole of ecumenical theology will be pneumatological (partly based on the work of Volf in “After Our Likeness: the Church as the Image of the Trinity” and partly based on Stanley Hauerwas’ Festschrift.).

The most quoted verse in ecumenical gatherings is John 17:21, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” The call for Christian unity is consistently rooted through this Johannine expression. Obviously missing from this passage, but subtly there, is reference to the Holy Spirit. How can there be unity within the life of the Trinity without the Holy Spirit? Indeed, does it makes sense to talk about unity in the Trinity without the “Giver of life“? And what are the implications for this in our ecclesiology?

Perhaps we can answer this in Johannine terms. Here’s the rest of the passage of John 17:20-21: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Compare that with John 16:14-15: “He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.” It could be said that, in Johannine pneumatology, the Spirit bears out the unity of the Father and Son (this is relational and may be different from the filioque controversy) in the life of Christian community. The church is invited into the life of the Trinity by the Holy Spirit.

This is theology-in-relation and allows us to understand ecumenism in a different light. There are two unique features.

One, a theology of friendship. What if, instead of seeking unity through Faith and Order or Life and Work, we sustain our work with friendship? Friendship is our presupposition based on shared experience, familial ties, a network of relations, or common worldview. Following John’s understanding of the Spirit, the complex web of relationships of people and structures is ground in the Spirit, and, in our ever-shrinking world, this can provide a realistic basis for ecumenism. So, for example, my own involvement in ecumenism is based more on friendships I’ve developed over the years than with ecclesiological suppositions. I am already at the ecumenical table because of my web of Christian relations. Friendship is lived ecumenism.

Two, out of such friendships comes virtue. Here’s the Hauerwasian influence: in the bonds of Christian friendship we can find a specific virtue called catholicity. Catholicity is the working of the Holy Spirit, not to bring unity around a common point but, to bring freedom, inclusion, and wholeness. Churches that find commonality in areas of faith or work converge at those points. Convergence is not a static relationship on common points, but it’s the freedom to bring distance and belonging within the wholeness of God. This is an important distinction from talk of unity. Too often “unity” is an oppressive name used to expand or maintain empire. Even a simple look of history can illustrate this point: the United States of America, the United Kingdom, the United Soviet Socialist Republic. Talk of unity from churches which are historically and predominately European can raise serious objections from folks who have found themselves on the “wrong side” of those powers. Speaking of “uniting” reminds marginalized peoples of hegemonic forces and is rife with memories of colonization. In catholicity, we find ourselves rooted in the story of the pre-Constantinian church (a church persecuted and marginalized) and the story of Israel.

Beyond that, catholicity is a move beyond ecumenism, in that catholicity can foster intra-church dialogue. This will be increasing important given generational shifts in attitudes and world-views and given raise of Christianity in the global South. In short, ecumenism is vital but is also a project too short-sighted. It is necessary but also too narrow.

Obviously there is a lot of work to do here theologically. There’s much to be fleshed out and maybe a few inconsistencies. But given that Millennials are less likely to show institutional loyalty (Pew report) and given the rise of global pentecosalism, we must construct a new theology of ecumenism and inter-church relations. I believe this is best understood in the juncture of ecclesiology and pneumatology.

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I’ve been involved in ecumenism since my college days, though must of the work has been focused on justice and peace issues. I’ve been a part of Evangelicals for Social Action, Pentecostals and Charismatics for Peace and Justice, and similar groups. Beyond that, the young adult ministry my church hosts has folks from Catholic, Baptist, non-denominational, etc traditions.

One of the most striking realities of our “strong” young adult presence at the National Workshop is that many seasoned ecumenists are SO glad we’re here. Almost in an overwhelming way. But there is also a sincere sense of warmth and friendship, probably more so that in other meetings I’ve attended.

I suspect that in an ecumenical space, such as this, friendship is both intentional and longed for. Folks come seeking, not only engagement, but also embrace.

Of course, I also come to the NWCU as a Pentecostal—-one of only two here. And of course, I make the obligatory jokes about speaking in tongues, but I have the district sense that the perspectives of Pentecostals, particularly given the strength of African-American and Latino/a Pentecostalism in this country, could contribute a lot to the dialogue.

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What I’m hearing from the headquarters of the Assemblies of God is this: we cannot associate with group, institutions, or persons that/who have views which are “clearly contradictory to the moral teachings of Scripture.” The issues highlighted are often gay marriage or abortion. There’s a clear and deliberate connection between reading Scripture and institutional association with folks who read Scripture in different ways (or in ways which are “contradictory”).

I could write about the hegemonic problem this poses or the hermeneutical problem in entails. Instead, I want to look at what it means to be a community of Scripture.

When Assemblies of God folks think about Scripture, we largely think about it terms of “verbal-plenary inspiration” or as the “final authority.” But we fail to understand how Scripture lives in our communities. For all our talk about the Holy Spirit, for all our speaking in tongues, we have a woeful grasp on how we embody Scripture.

If Scripture is to be believed, well, we certainly want to believe correctly. But if Scripture is to be lived, that may be a different matter. Because living is a messy thing. It’s fraught with inconsistencies and uncharted territories. Living Scripture requires more commitment than allegiance to words on a page. Living Scripture is more complicated than “God said it, that settles it.” Living Scripture is Jesus, the Living Word, the incarnational God. Living Scripture is the Kingdom unfolding before our very eyes and often in spite of ourselves.

One of the most powerful images of Christian life is as the body of Christ. This isn’t the entombed body of Jesus but the resurrected and living Jesus of new creation. Faithful participation in this Body naturally leads to some discomfort because we share space with those who are both “other” and of the same Body. It also means that we cannot claim who is a part of the Body and who is not. We don’t monopolize this holy Corpus.

In fact, I would go so far as to say that faithfulness to Scripture is faithfulness in the Body of the Christ. That is, if we really want to read Scripture, we will live it in our communities. We will yield our desires to control, to colonize, and to homogenize to the life-giving power of the Spirit. We witness the truth, not by maintaining doctrinal purity, but by bearing—-living—-truth in the world.

Let those with ears to hear, live.

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In August of 2009 in Orlando, FL, the General Council of the Assemblies of God elected George Wood as General Superintendent. Wood has two earned doctorates, one from Fuller Seminary (which is hardly the Moody Bible Institute). He is thoughtful and well-educated. But there has been an increasingly odd position coming from the GenSup’s office.

As you may be aware, Dr Wood strongly objected to the recent Society for Pentecostal Studies meeting which featured a dialogue with Tony Jones, an author/blogger/former pastor of an emergent church, who supports same-sex marriage (though same-sex marriage was not on the agenda for the meeting).

Recently, Dr Wood retracted his name from the Covenant of Civility, because “the tent that has grown so large on the signatures of this that are including people who are supportive of gay marriage and abortion rights.” He “cannot be a part of signing a document that includes people who are taking a viewpoint in their own issues that are clearly contradictory to the moral teachings of Scripture.” Everyone knows that you should only be civil to the people with whom you agree! Holy crap, that’s like signing a truce but retracting your signature because the other side signed too.

Also, Dr Wood “thought wording [of the Covenant] such as ‘unity we have in the body of Christ’ was referring strictly to evangelical Christians.” I’m not sure how “the body of Christ” in any way refers to evangelicals. That’s just ridiculous.

It’s apparent Dr Wood has drawn a line in the sand on institutional engagement with those people who read Scripture differently than him. I don’t understand that, and I really have a hard time with that, because I read Scripture differently than Dr Wood. I also have very close friends who read Scripture differently, and I serve with organizations which read Scripture differently.

Increasingly, I fear our Fellowship will be ill-served by this policy of retrenchment. But I, for one, am eager and willing to begin an intra-church dialogue about how the Assemblies of God approaches such issues. I have personally offered myself to Dr Wood for such an end.

If we aren’t willing to engage and dialogue, I know a place overlooking the Dead Sea that would be great for us.

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Episode 4.1: Special Guest Stanley Hauerwas. This episode marks the beginning of our careers in professional podcast recording.

Call us and tell us what you think! 903-Hug-iPod (903-484-4763)

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It feels like 3am, that jolt of energy you get early in the morning when you pull an all-nighter. It’s the time when your brain is a little foggy, when you do foolish (and sometimes risky) things. The risky things keep us from drifting to sleep, remind us we are still alive. But if you’re still long enough, the weariness will take hold.

That’s where we are as a society. 9/11, Iraq, Afghanistan, culture-clashes over gay marriage, the Great Recession, the battle over health care reform. We should be tuckered out from all the craziness of the past 9 years. Instead, we seem to be ratcheting up the craziness. We have become radicalized. Why? Because after the long, weary night which was the last decade, we need to feel alive, to reassert control, to make clear we are still in-charge.

But exhaustion is over-come, not by adrenaline or radicalization, but by sleep. I suspect that only way out is death. Our struggles and battles find rest, not just death in general, but by the particular death, the death of God. In Good Friday, the world finds all its exhaustion, weariness, war-torn existence, and injustice laid bare on the naked, broken physical body of the crucified God. In God’s death, I find far more than personal forgiveness for saying the s-word.

And then comes Sunday, the Lord’s Day, when existence is literally transformed by the over-coming risen Savior. While Friday exposes the old ways–the roots of sin, evil, and death, Sunday opens life-giving power of God. In the Resurrection, we find the way out, the new way, which is as powerful now as it was 20 centuries ago. The Easter way shows the power of life over death, of peace over war, of justice over injustice, of compassion over contempt, of reconciliation over revenge.

As Walter Brueggemann says: “The Easter Lord, via Easter texts, invites an Easter people to be about that defiant civil disobedience of new life in a weary, spent world.”

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But let’s be honest: that’s quite a risk. I know of no youth ministry–none–that uses litany, benedictions, sharing-the-peace, imposing ashes, or Good Friday services. I mean, these things just aren’t done, especially in the Assemblies of God. And yet, I continue on. On Good Friday, we’re conducting a Tenebrae service for youth, young adults, and their families. I have never gone to a Tenebrae service and, honestly, hadn’t heard of Tenebrae until a few months ago.

And here’s where the fear comes in. This is something totally new for me and my community. It’s way different. Way. Maybe off-putting-ly different. My fear says, “people are going to freak out” and “there’ll only be two of you there.” But I still know that this is a good practice for our community, and it’s grounds us more deeply to the Church as a whole.

So if nothing less, we will be on solid ecclesiastical ground. If you care to join our 2 or 3 gathered in Jesus name, we’re meeting this Friday, April 2 at 7p at Dallas First Assembly.

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“I believe that Christ was a believer of individual freedoms. We often brush off answers of why didn’t God stop Hitler the answer we are most given is that God gave us freewill and it our decision on to do what we do with our free will. So it is your freewill not to choose health care don’t give me the ‘it’s to expensive and I can’t afford it.’”

I love the individualism, Hilter, and a health dose of Arminianism referenced there. Of course, the most common Christian argument against this law goes something like: “It’s not the government’s job to force its citizens to take care of the poor; that’s the job of the church.”

This really strikes me as a practically atheistic and odd position. In short, the folks who subscribe to this belief deny the rule and power of God in all corners of the cosmos. In a way, they are saying that Jesus is Lord over the church, just not over the government. And while Thomas Jefferson may subscribe to this view, I suspect Jesus himself would say something different. In fact, all powers, institutions, governments, little league teams, churches, home-owners associations are under the rule of God. Because all powers are subject to God’s power, these organizations and entities have a responsibility to act justly. I obviously don’t want the President to lead us in the Lord’s prayer every morning, but I do believe that there is no authority that is outside God’s control. And as such, all systems are accountable for how those in the margins are treated.

As Walter Wink says:

“God will ‘gather up all things in Christ’…This universal rectificaiton will entail both a healing and a subordination of rebellious structures, systems, and institutions to their rightful places, in service to the One in and through and for whom they exist. The gospel, then, is not a message about the salvation of individuals from the world, but news about a world transfigured, right down to its basic strucutres.” (p 36 The Powers That Be)

I suspect that much of the bad theology coming from people opposed to this bill is due a flawed cosmology. That is, if we come to understand that the universe and all that’s in it is the Lord’s, we may better appreciate our relationship to the powers that be and to each other.

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1. health care reform: where’s the church?

In some ways, Beck embodies the fears of many in our society. I have had multiple conversations this week about the use of the word social and about the relationship between justice and the Good News. I thought I’d refine my position in more than 140 character tweets and less than 2 hours discussions on the phone.

What is the Gospel? In the broadest sense, it quite literally means the “Good News,” which I would describe as God’s movement to make the world right. In terms of the Bible, it could be summed up as Luke 4:18ff. In a very real sense, the Good News is justice. It’s hope and liberation for the poor, the oppressed, the sick, the outcast, the prisoner, the bereaved, and it’s God welcoming us into God’s kingdom. The power (and maybe the problem) with this is the Good News is quite different in different social contexts. Those who are poor and oppressed and imprisoned and outcast are suffering under the injustices of their–and our–societies.

So, for example, oppression of women happens, not because women are ontologically less than men, but because our society constructs womanhood in such as way that is fundamentally unjust and flawed. Whether it’s by making menstruation taboo or denying women a role in public worship, our society hinders and dehumanizes women in ways which directly conflict with God’s eschatological plan for God’s creation. Justice, in this case, includes ways to make right those wrongs, ways that break cycles of injustice and oppression.

Given that injustices are institutional expressions of oppression and prejudice (which are themselves social constructs), justice must be embodied by members of that same society. Justice dismantles the social constructs that oppress and exclude, and then justice embodies God’s Kingdom (or eschatological vision). In this sense, too, the Gospel must be contextualized; the Good News is always arriving. Jesus brought this message to a specific geographic place and time, not through a series of propositions in a timeless void. That’s why we ask: “What is the gospel?” instead of, “What was the Gospel?”

That’s why I have said, “The Gospel is a social construction.” For victims of sexual slavery in Thailand, the Good News looks very specific. For the mental disabled, it also looks specific, as it does for war-weary Afghans and Iraqis. In order to respond to the fears and misgivings and prejudices of our societies, we must give ourselves and our Christian sisters and brothers space to bring Good News to various social contexts.

The Bible of our Christian communities and the communities of the Bible provide a hermeneutic and critique of society at large. At this point, someone may charge that I’m still a cultural imperialist, supplanting my cultural values on others. But here’s where I’ll claim God as revealed in the person of Jesus and revealed in the communities by the Spirit. Because, as Mary reminds us, God lifts us the weak and casts down the mighty, Good-News-bearing communities don’t align themselves with powers that be. Which is further reminder why the Gospel must continually be constructed socially.

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1. At the Altar and On the Streets

Episode 3: “Brouhaha in Minneapolis.” Erica, Dallas, and Sam with special guest Jon Heifner go on a road trip to the annual meeting for the Society for Pentecostal Studies. They run into a little trouble on the way and stir up a little controversy of their own. At the heart of this episode is the need for more hospitality.

Call us and tell us what you think! 903-Hug-iPod (903-484-4763)

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1. The Presumptive Podcast: Episode 4.1

For a little context, you should listen to Episode 3 of The Presumptive Podcast (to be released tomorrow). Until then, I provide a major critique of my denomination.

I remember sermons, or at least pieces of sermons, which included the phrase “people of like, precious faith.” The idea was that our faith is similar (like) and precious (costly or hard to come by). Maybe it’s because the Assemblies of God has had a theological inferiority complex or maybe because the worst parts of us have been the most public (e.g. Swaggart, Bakker, etc). But our bonds of faith have been strong, perhaps even hegemonic. On the whole, I really think we lack the skills for self-critical reflection and for dialogue both within our Fellowship and without.

Indeed, truth is hard fought in our Fellowship, the quest of “the biblical truth” or epistemological truth. Many folks forsake friendship for the sake of biblical rightness. Too often this is cast in terms of theological conversatism or liberalism. And we remain blind to the shadows cast by early church leaders who fought to either conserve the practice of foreskin removal or to open the community to those uncircumcised. We wage costly battles on issues of divorce/remarriage and of whether justice/compassion should be included in our raison d’être. In fact, we allow such issues to break the bonds of our self-styled “Fellowship.”

How sad is it that our “Fellowship” is predicated on right belief? Communion in our church is largely dependent on orthodoxy. We have a “Commission of Doctrinal Purity” for crying out loud. But we call ourselves a Fellowship.

I hope that we can forge a way beyond worn debates about gay marriage, social gospel, and women in ministry and, instead, shift the conversation to hospitality and a deeper theology of friendship. Indeed, such conversations are happening, and such theologies are emerging. I hope we have ears in our Fellowship to hear.

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1. wag of my finger: AG short-sightedness

After the testimony, our pastor said something along the lines of “facts are facts, but truth is truth.” This seemed to provide a excellent recap of what Agnes was saying. Both Agnes and the pastor understand that Agnes is dying, but also they both understand that her existence isn’t mediated by either a medical test or a medical professional. Her life is defined by neither her terminal illness nor by denial of it. In the most literal way possible, Agnes’ life is grounded in her community, her church.

To make my point, there wasn’t talk that Agnes needed to “claim her healing.” No one said that she needed more faith to overcome her sickness or that she needed to repent of some sin. In bonds of community, Agnes finds hope and support and love which, despite what her doctor says, continues to bring her life.

Too often I’ve been to church and heard sermons on “the truth,” as if there’s some objective reality we all need to believe. Or it’s like there is a set of absolute principles out there that everyone should buy into. But what happened on Sunday morning was a clear rejection of that. Truth, in this case, is a practice of living in community. Literally living. And this truth didn’t rest on propositions or authority or facts. This truth resides in the loving arms, in the continued prayers, in the meal-time fellowship of members of our church.

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1. health care reform: where’s the church?

This idea is still deeply ingrained many Pentecostal communities, where the “best” kind of worship is Spirit-led (read: spontaneous) and faith is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Despite 1000s of church services with such experiences, I felt lacking and ignorant. I needed something, not to replace my Pentecostal roots, but something to supplement them. I needed something more than spiritual ecstasy at the altar at summer camp. Richard Foster’s book, “Celebration of Discipline,” provided me with new-old ways to ground my faith, and I’ve been sort of a liturgical-Pentecostal since.

This, of course, makes me something of an oddity, but I have set my course and shepherd those whom I minister with and to down that road. We started celebrating Advent with liturgy and, while I’ve encouraged Lenten fasts in the past, this year I imposed ashes and will observe a Lent similar to our mainline sisters and brothers. What makes this a challenge is the context: youth ministry.

Let’s be honest, big numbers in youth ministry don’t come by rubbing soot on someone’s face or by beginning the service with 5 minutes of meditative silence. But it provides a much needed counter-weight to a religious tradition full of ecstatic experiences like dancing, shouting at the altars, full-body shaking under the power of God. Those experiences are powerful, but they should/must be augmented with deeper rituals.

The struggle is grounding these practices contextually. This, of course, means which translations of Scripture are used, but it also means more than that. What do these ancient practices look like today? How do we fast in a time of unjust hunger? How are we reconciled in an age of two wars? How do we repent in a culture of narcissism? But the struggle of answering these questions is what makes liturgy so powerful. As Stanley Hauerwas might say, a youth ministry with a liturgy is a youth ministry which is not only the bearer of Christ’s message but is itself the message.

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1. Youth Ministry in a Recession

Episode 2.1: “State of Our Unions.” Part one of our Valentine’s Day podcast, we hear the story of Hanah, a story of betrayal and hope in the midst of a broken relationship–all in the home of a pastor.

Call us and tell us what you think! 903-Hug-iPod (903-484-4763)

Related posts:

1. The Presumptive Podcast: Episode 4.1

Today is Ash Wednesday, the day when folks walk around with soot marks on their foreheads. 46 days from Easter, Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the season of Lent. I started observing Lent and attending Ash Wednesday services about 7 years ago. I longed to connect–to root–my faith in the historic practices of the Church, something Pentecostals have been loathe to do. In the process, Lent has become one of the most important seasons of my life. It’s a time of repentance. Through fasting and acts of self-denial, I force myself to reflect and stand in solidarity with the sufferings of Christ and sufferings in the world.

In previous years, I fasted sweets, TV, the internet, but I’ve found the most fruitful and powerful fast is one that is consistently before me and one that causes me to focus on a justice issue. That’s why I’ve chosen meal time fasts (sweets, meats, etc). Multiple times a day I’m forced to change my eating habits.

With changing practices of public worship, it seems that one of the most “respectful” ways to worship is to re-engage with our liturgical pasts, to rediscover the simple, but all the more meaningful, acts like 40 days of fasting and reflection. In fact, coming from a church which has largely ignored the liturgical calendar, I find nothing more freeing and devotional than living my life in the rhythms and seasons of the Church. That’s why you’ll see soot marks on my forehead today.

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1. lent

Last week I wrote about the significance and struggles of language in a “Christian” subculture. And there’s one story that my mind replayed over and over again: The Saints visit to the Super Bowl. Admittedly, I know less about football than I do about hair-brush making. In fact, my one and only football story involves Ryan Morris, Jon Reeves, a nerf football, and ultimately my broken pinky.

Still, I listen to NPR, so this story about copyright claims over “Who Dat?” and the New Orleans Saints fascinates me. Basically, “Who Dat” is a phrase which has been a round for 100 years and which has become synonymous with a Saints’ victory. After the Saints won their conference game and a trip to the Super Bowl, people in New Orleans began to use the phrase on t-shirts and other memorabilia.

Well, the NFL steps in and says they own the rights to this “Who dat” and issues cease and desist orders to the New Orleans business folks for selling unlicensed NFL goods. Of course, copyrights are tricky things, but after a series of negative reports in the Times-Picayune, the NFL backed off their claim.

Put simply, here’s a huge corporation claiming the rights to a local, colloquial phrase, a phrase with roots in Southern injustice and oppression. This is a prime example of the struggle to control language, especially in the context of big money.

It reminds me of the initial encounter Moses had with God, where Moses asked God for a name. God answered, “I am that I am.” Some folks read some metaphysical meaning in that, but I read it more concretely or postcolonlially. God didn’t say, “Well, Moses, my friends call me Frank but you can call me YHWH.” The name of God and the power to define that name eluded Moses. In essence, I hear God saying, “I’ll not be defined by you.”

In a small way, the struggle over the phrase, “Who dat,” is similar. So congrats to the folks of New Orleans who refused to give cede power and control over their language to the NFL.

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What many preachers miss in the discussions and sermons on Genesis is the STORY. Most pastors get caught up on 6 literal days or debuking evolution, and they lose sight of the grandeur and beauty of the story. My struggle and challenge has been to tell the stories faithfully but like it’s the first time we’ve heard them.

Here’s Bishop NT Wright on Adam and Eve, story, and American culture (HT: @pastoralia via @Twoshirts).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BP1PpDyDCw

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1. Being Old Again: New Practices in Youth Ministry

Here’s two things we do (and since I’m a fan of consistency, we do these every week).

1. Deconstructing the news. This is a homage to Stewart and Colbert, and I find ridiculous stories from the week (This week I brought up “Bible-guns” and the Whites-only basketball league). In the most absurd way possible, I break down the meaning of these things.

2. The Week in the Recession. In ’010, we’re taking it back to ’910 (that’s 1910) with some classic games. I love watching kids bob for spam and throw pumpkins, but those things get expensive. A little red rover, thumb wars, rock-paper-scissors, etc, that’s where it is in 2010.

About a month ago, I found all these wooden Popsicle sticks and branded them “Spam-sticks.” Basically, the joke is that spoons are too expensive, but this Spam-stick is cheap and reusable and will retain that Spam-flavor after you use it. We pass out Spam-sticks like peppermint candy.

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1. Being Old Again: New Practices in Youth Ministry

I had a voicemail on my office phone the other day from someone marketing a new movie, a movie with an “inspirational story.” Basically, the caller encouraged me to take my youth group to see this film. Now, it’s really no secret that “inspirational” is code for “Christian.” And that got me thinking about a “Christian” movie. What would that movie look like? Does such a category of movies even exist?

What does “Christian” mean adjectivally? I mean, really.  I go to the “Christian” bookstore which sells, and I’m not making this up, “Testamints.” How genius! Mints with a crosses embossed on them. Christian movies. Christian mints. Christian guns.

Right? Christian guns: slap a Bible verse on that sucker, and you’ve got yourself a genuine Bible-gun, ready for the Taliban. Or better yet, I can brand Psalm 42:1 on my 25-06 in hopes of bagging a 12-point buck deer. Bible-guns, the untapped market in Christian kitsch.

It’s easy to baptize something or somebody and label it/he/she as Christian. But few ask: what does that mean? How does a cross squeezed on a lifesaver make it a Christian mint? Praying to ask Jesus into ones heart? Shooting a Bible-gun? What about eating a Testamint and praying the sinner’s prayer while shooting a Bible-gun?

I suspect “asking Jesus into your heart” makes you a Christian like stamping a scripture on a gun makes that gun Christian. It doesn’t. As my friend Dallas might say, I’m not ontologically a Christian. And I suspect he’s right. It’s difficult to define a state of being (to construct sentences with be verbs) as empirically Christian.

It’s a scary thing to say, “‘Christian’ isn’t a state of being,” because it takes away the ability of those in power to anoint someone or something as acceptable. The powerful retain power by constructing meaning and by defining who is in and who is out, applying the label “Christian.” But the truth is, living in community is a messy thing, a thing not easily defined or divined. Living in community involves much more than lifting a hand and saying a prayer; it involves much more than a linear process of discipleship (e.g. I progressively become more Christian as I pray or read my Bible).

We’ve gotten this wrong too long. We’ve asked too many people to walk down to a prayer bench and sent them merrily on their ways. We’ve had too many discipleship classes with 7 steps to become like a sanitized Jesus. We’ve rejected too many people because they didn’t look or act or believe like “Christians.”

I’m neither a Christian being, nor am I becoming (in a linear sense) Christian. I am, however, “learning the practices and language of and living in a family, the [Church]” (see this great post by Wess Daniels). Learning is creative and tedious and improvisational and dangerous and beautiful. It’s living in this creative/tedious/beautiful family, a family which lives and fails and lives again in faithfulness to the story of God as revealed in Jesus, that matters.

(I’ve been putting off this post. I’ve said so much lately, I don’t want to risk saying this in the absurdity of everything else. But a series of conversations and sermons means I can’t put this off any longer.)

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1. radical christian living/prophetic witness

The entire Samuel J Martinez Foundation was awarded the “Excellente Award for Excellence in recognizing Excellence” by Ryan Beaty and his crew at the Ryan Beaty show.

I’m honored to be awarded an award for awarding an award. In a time when people casually use words like “awesomeness” and “sweet,” it’s refreshing that folks are taking time for “excellence,” pure, simple, undefiled, excellence.

Here’s the full Ryan Beaty Show: Awards Edition.

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1. And The Sammy goes to…

Episode 1.2: We tell you what to think about President Obama’s first year in office, what to think about “Inglourious Basterds,” and what influences have made us the amazing “baby triumvirate” we are.

Call us and tell us what you think! 903-Hug-iPod (903-484-4763)

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1. The Presumptive Podcast: Episode 1.1

Episode 1.1: Introductions, a look at pentecostals and justice, and more in our first episode.

Update: We’re approved by iTunes. Subscribe by searching the iTunes store for The Presumptive Podcast or click this link: itpc://feeds.feedburner.com/ThePresumptivePodcast

Call us and tell us what you think! 903-Hug-iPod (903-484-4763)

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1. The Presumptive Podcast: Episode 1.2

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (PDF version)

Contact: Hannah Heath-Johnson at 214.341.0700 or FASJMAOAFE@comosaywhat.com

Martinez Foundation Announces “Excellence” Award Winner

(DALLAS, TX, 18 January 2010) The Samuel J Martinez Foundation today announced that Rev Ryan Beaty has won the First Annual Samuel J Martinez Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence. The award, nicknamed “The Sammy,” is the universe’s highest honor for individual and organizational achievement in excellence. For the first time in space-time, not only is excellence an award unto itself but an award to be awarded for achieving.

“I am pleased to join with all the citizens of America, and indeed the world, in congratulating Rev Ryan Beaty for his various excellent achievements,” said Chairman Rev Samuel J Martinez. “Ryan’s commitment to non-profit work with children, his innovative and humorous TV show, and world-class Twitter posts make him the type of person we should seek, though ultimately fail, to be. From proctologists to chocolatiers to immigrants, we all can be excellent.”

With its selection of the first recipient, the Selection Committee for the Foundation celebrates the Foundation’s christening (or, if you prefer, circumcision) since its six hour conception and live-birth last December.

Members of the public and the Committee nominated persons for the Sammy. All nominees were evaluated by sundry and inscrutable criteria, including physical attractiveness. Committee members selected Beaty from a list of notables, including actor Burt Reynolds, original “gangsta” Mary Toft, and Terri McClellan Martinez (mother of the founder of the Foundation).

Named after the Rev Samuel J Martinez, the Annual Samuel J Martinez Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence was established by Rev Martinez to enhance humor, self-aggrandizement, competitiveness, narcissism, and excellence. The recipient receives an old bowling trophy and a contribution made to Heifer International in his/her/its name.

More information about the Sammy and the Foundation is available at http:// comosaywhat.com.

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1. Who’s Awarding Me Now?

There are a couple of problems with CBN’s spin on things. First, Robertson has a history of attributing natural disasters to the work of God. Remember what he said after Hurricane Katrina? What about when Ariel Sharon’s stroke was because Israel pulled out of the West Bank? Or when he predicted a tsunami on the west coast in 2006?

So if the earthquake wasn’t caused by God for disobedience, Robertson implied it was caused by the devil for his helping-hand in overthrowing the French. Seriously, folks, this is the clear implication of what he was saying.

At this point, Robertson giving a “history lesson” is like Mark McGwire coaching Little League batting practice. You sure wouldn’t let your kids drink that guy’s juiced up gatorade. Because the real problem with Robertson isn’t just that he’s a idiot, it’s that he’s an idiot with a “Christian” TV show. And the problem with that is a) he seeks to speak authoritatively on the workings and ways of God; b) he holds to a worldview which I believe is at odds with the way of Jesus and is inconsistent with God’s unfolding story.

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So that question is, what have we learned in the past 10 years about our identity, about virtual-self? The characters in The Matrix make no bones about destroying the illusion of the reality they were born into. While the machines and computer systems integrate humanity, this integration serves to enslave humanity. Mr Anderson chooses to disconnect from the illusion and live in the distopian future. In fact, Mr Anderson takes on a new persona and a vastly different character in his “real-self” as Nero. But ultimately the characters, Nero in particular, bend that reality and come to master it. In short, Nero uses technology to master technology, and it’s his mastery of technology that ultimately saves himself and his friends.

Avatar, on the other hand, takes us to a place of limited technology, but it’s a place of organic integration. Nature, on the planet Pandora, is pantheistic, and all life shares in a bond–all life is networked. Jake Sully, the lead character, engages his virtual-self–his Avatar–to find himself. But this virtual-self exists in a real world, in a society with primitive technology. Ultimately, Jake disconnects from the machines that allow him to control his avatar and fully integrates with this primitive self and society he has saved.

So where does this leave us? Are we back where we started? I think on the whole Avatar starts us in a different place than The Matrix. The hope of Avatar isn’t in mastery (of flying pterodactyls or 6-legged beasts) but in communion. Maybe this is the difference between the desire to master the world and the desire to commune with it: humanity of The Matrix is duped, the humanity of Avatar is greedy. If we are unaware of the illusion of reality, then we must master that illusion. But if we greedily distort and control reality, then the answer maybe to reconnect ourselves to that which we sought to control.

It seems that Avatar is probably a movie more suited for our time.

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But I digress. Here are 10 of the best (and by “best” i mean “my favorite”) movies of 2009.

10. (500) Days of Summer. This is a story of boy meets girl, and maybe that’s why I don’t like Zooey Deschanel anymore. I found her so convincing that I might just spit at her if I see her in the street. Or just shake my fist in anger.

9. Julie & Julia. It’s a film about a cookbook and how that cookbook helps define the roles of two women, both struggling to find their niche. Based on a true story, this film is as much about writing as it is cooking. Meryl Streep makes an amazing Julia Child.

8. Coraline. I took our students to see this film on our annual Mystery Trip. This dark animated film contrasts with both Up and Mr Fox. Coraline is unhappy at home and travels to another world based on her own unfulfilled desires. Despite the grandeur and wonder of this new world, slowly things start falling apart there.

7. Up. Who would imagine Ed Asner voicing a crotchety old man? Mr Fredricksen’s world is changing and so he decides to take matters in his own hands. While this film isn’t ground-breaking, it’s cinema undefiled!

6. Moon. I love thrillers. Forget paranormal slashers; give me suspense Hitchcock style. The combination of the setting and the main characters reminded me of 2001 (with much more dialogue), but we get a true sense of the main character Sam Bell. Bell is the lone employee on a lunar mining colony and has to come to terms with his own existence and embrace his own death.

5. The Hurt Locker. This film follows the Bravo Company, an explosives disarmament unit, through the streets and country side of Iraq. The action is intense and the suspense is high, but this is no Saving Private Ryan. While I’ve never been to war, The Hurt Locker portrays the search of meaning in life and tackles the adrenaline rush of battle. In a telling scene, Specialist Eldridge, the youngest member of the team, returns to the barracks and plays a violence, bloody video game. In contrast to Tarentino’s film, The Hurt Locker doesn’t aggrandize violence but does seek to give us a living glimpse into the lives of American soldiers. I’ll add this: the video and editing work are amazing here as well.

4. Fantastic Mr Fox. The detail in this movie alone makes it a wonder to behold. It’s quirky humor and easy pace places this in my top 5. Wes Anderson’s stop-motion take on Roald Dohl’s book is the tale of a wild fox with domestic responsibilities. Fox is torn between his instincts and maturity. Maybe it’s because I recognize that mischievous glint in Mr Fox’s eye, but I most readily identified with this film in 2009.

3. Mary and Max. The words “Aussie clay-mation” go together about like “Christian novel.” But Mary and Max is tied for the most beautiful movie I’ve seen all year. The textures and tones are stark and contrasting, but there were moments when I forgot I was watching pieces of putty moving around. Mary and Max is the story of pen-pals, one a young Australian girl and the other a middle-aged Jewish New Yorker, and their quirky friendship over 20 years. (This film didn’t play in US theaters, but you may can still catch it on the Sundance Selects channel)

2. Avatar. I’m including it here, but this may be redacted on Fri since I haven’t seen this film yet.

1. Inglourious Basterds. I’ve never been a Tarentino fan, until now. Tarentino is a master student of his medium. Imagine a spaghetti western set in Nazi-occupied France. It’s a movie about movies, from the opening credits to the soundtrack to setting of the climax.

Think about all the films (eckham, “Taken”) in which we cheer on the protagonist as she/he exacts violence/revenge. Tarentino takes this glorification of mythologized violence and turns it back on us. Case-in-point: in one of the films final scene, we watch as Nazis, watching a film, applaud and laugh at the slaughter of American troops by a Nazi sniper. But we, the audience, reacted similarly early on the film at violence against the Nazis (and indeed have to stop that reaction moments later).

“Basterds” is tongue-in-cheek and a startling critique of cinema, though it takes some measure of discernment to tell the difference. You must see this film if you care about films or nonviolence.

No related posts.

Last night I was sitting on the sofa and thinking of something witty to say. Then I remembered this episode of the Simpsons when Mr Burns gives Homer a fake award. That seemed sufficiently funny, so I jokingly posted on Facebook and Twitter that I was accepting nominations for the 1st Annual Samuel J Martinez Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence (FASJMAOAFE for short) After that initial idea, I decided to do it for real, giving the recipient a trophy and prize.

Obviously, it’s ridiculously vain to create a fake award in your own honor and even more absurd to make it for real. But this time I decided to put my money where my mouth is, and I’m giving the gift of a sheep to Heifer International in honor of the recipient of the award. I actually have members for the selection committee, and the basis for winning will be randomly determined.

As of the writing of the post, we have 3 nominations and about 30 members of our facebook group for The Sammys. Nominations will remain open until we select the recipient, so nominate away (You can also nominate in the comments here, if you don’t have a Facebook account). And we will announce the winner on December 31, 2009.

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The major disturbing factor about Obama’s presidency for me is that he has added some 60,000 troops to Afghanistan since he took office. I’ve not really heard this point made since I missed the post-speach reaction last night and today (I’ve been working on the set for the church Christmas production). But if you’ll recall, Obama sent an additional 30k troops shortly after he took office, and now he’s sending 30k more, bringing the total number of troops to around 100,000. This I find disheartening, troubling…

However, he has given an 18 month period for this “surge” and then will begin a draw down. This will be before the 2012 election, and it seems that this is sign that Obama is willing to stake his political future on this move. Of course, there are a lot of factors to this time table, but the President is suggesting that there will be measurable progress and troop reduction before he’s up for re-election. This is hardly a politically safe or expedient move given the history of Afghanistan and US involvement there. I think this is one of the most striking points of his plan and doubt that in 18 months he’ll come back wanting more time.

I could certainly say more, but these 2 things seemed most significant in the short time I’ve had to reflect.

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We have a table in the front to the auditorium with the Advent wreath and candles. Our singing worship is the usual fare, but the worship videos and transitions are Advent related. Also, we made an Advent bumper video to loop during the service. You can download from YouTube or vimeo.

Click the image for the pdf or here for the AI file.

Click for PDF

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1. youth service philosophycrea

This Convention, I believe, marked a strategic and ideological change for the North Texas District of the Assemblies of God. Saturday afternoon, we sent students out on DallasAIM, projects designed to serve and being justice. We worked closely with Cornerstone Baptist Church feeding the homeless, working in a clothing closet, preparing a construction site, and visiting, feeding, and bringing Christmas blessings to the elderly and disabled living in a government subsidized high-rise.

I’ve gone to Youth Convention ever since my parents made me (I preferred to spend my Thanksgiving at my grandparents on a deer stand). And I can honestly say that after 10-12 years of Convention, this is the first one where I’ve seen the participants give something back. Because the focus of many Conventions is the take-away: getting something from God.

But it’s my hope and prayer that we’ve laid the ground work, not only for future Conventions, but for student ministries across North Texas to embody the social implications of the Good News of Jesus. It’s my hope that a generation of Assemblies of God students will grow up with formative experiences both at the altar and on the streets.

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Really, there’s nothing that I’ve done to deserve this honor, except maybe accepting this honor. If the Lord hadn’t blessed me so, I would be completely average and unremarkable. So actually, all the praise goes to God, not me.

Some have asked, can’t we all be hair models if we have friends in cosmetology school? And the simple answer is, yes but no. Think about it, if everybody and his grandma were volunteer hair models, who would buy the stuff we’re volunteering to model? The whole idea of modeling is that I am objectified to sell some good or service. And if everybody’s a model and there’s no one left to buy the good or service I’m modeling, why am I volunteering??

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1. Model

I was getting my hair cut for Halloween (as I’m wont to do), and my stylist asked if I would consider being a hair model. Of course, I blushed and played coy. “Oh, do you think I’d make a good model? No one’s ever asked me that before.” But secretly underneath that black plastic smock, I gave myself a thumbs up because that verified what other people have always told me.

Now there’s been some speculation that I may be quitting my job and start modeling full time. And honestly, folks, that’s like asking Sarah Palin if she’s going to run for president in 2012. I’m focused on what I can do to make the world a better place right now. It’s not even on my radar screen. Maybe. No, I’m not going to comment on rumors. I mean, honestly, it’s not really that big of a deal.

My first modeling job (or “gig,” as we in the biz call it) is this evening. But I’m open for bookings for future “gigs.”

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1. Model:Update

But the one thing I missed was worship. The band Salvador gave a mini-concert as did artist Jaci Velasquez. But there was no congregational singing which is rare for both evangelicals and justice/peace-loving type people. What better way to united the hearts and souls of the people of Dallas who are gathered in the name of Jesus than lifting praise to our Lord? So we sang in the car ride home.

Just got this from @justicerevival: “Yes the next two nights we’ll have choirs and singing! Come on back & bring your friends!”

OK, so tomorrow night and Thursday there will be choirs and singing! Now we can have church!

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1. students and justice

last week maine voters repealed a law that allowed for same-sex marriage, and that started me thinking about the myth of modern marriage.

the myth goes something like this. traditional marriage is heterosexual monogamy. this monogamous man/woman couple is the primary functional unit of the nuclear family. and the product of their marriage is biological progeny. the nuclear family is the parents and children, and as the children grow they should gain independence and form their own families. this “traditional” view has come to be the dominate view in our culture over the past 60 years, which makes me question how “traditional” is it.

arguably (what i’m about to argue is…), this view of traditional marriage and family seems to have been a detriment to our society as a whole (take evangelical sex ethics and high divorce rates as one example). as we’ve moved away from extended family structures, our consumption has increased (every family should own a house and furnishings, two cars, etc) and our responsibility to take care of the sick and elderly has decreased (the rise of nursing facilities and rest homes). in fact, this myth that the american family, at the core of which is a “traditional” heterosexual couple, should own their own home is a huge contributor to the financial crisis we’ve been in for over 1 year.

but is there “the traditional view of marriage and family life?” from either a biblical or historical context, we have to answer, no. in fact, the bible is full of polygamy, concubinage, singleness, a little incest. from a historical american perspective, we find married slave owners in relationships with their slaves, extended family complexes in the early 1900s, polygamy in early Mormon communities, and a single dad living with his son and aunt…

and yet, despite that there is not a “traditional” view of marriage, opponents of gay marriage hold to this “traditional” view. in hoping to defeat gay marriage, people tout this modern, american, consumptive idea of marriage and, in effect, work against the thing they hope to save. more simply, the myth behind “traditional” marriage is very thing which undoes “traditional” marriage.

this isnt a polemic for gay marriage, but it should open our eyes to the destructive cultural underpinnings of how our society has tended to view marriage and family life over the past 60 years. and we should see the salvation of marriage in its redefinition, not in locking it in a bunker. with fresh eyes and pure hearts and clear minds, we can subvert the destructive assumptions on which the modern ideal family rests. we should take a hard look at emerging trends in extended family structures, new monasticism, etc.

its likely that what i say here will be misconstrued. and this position wont be shared by many. so to be clear, i am arguing two things: 1) traditional marriage isnt nearly as traditional as we’d thought; 2) the foundations of modern marriage/family life (in america in particular) are destructive to the institution these foundations claim to support.

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1. the myth of one, true love

“we need to “rethink” the muslims in the military issue! DUH!”

and this:

“After 911..they should have all been kicked out.”

and this:

“Our government rounded up all Japanese people during WWII because of national security. I think that is not a bad idea even today. We have allowed people to “interpret” our Constitution to our detriment. Round ‘em up! They can practice their freedom of religion in a POW camp!!!”

there are a ton more, but i think you get the point. these comments were made by people who claim christ and who want to “protect america.” the vitriol extends to president obama, health care reform, gay marriage, abortion, immigration, and “non-christian judges.” these statements reduce down to fear, not a politically conservative view or a christian view. but the out-workings of this fear tend to be ultra politically and socially conservative and blasphemously baptized in the name of christ.

it is the symptom of an empire in decline which still seeks to dominate and label and control, all in a mad grab toward the illusion of power. it is a shrill voice that projects higher to garner attention. but it simply must not be ignored. we must speak up against such statements.

as evil as the violence was at fort hood, this fear is just as evil. and we must not let it continue to find refuge in our christian communities.

**UPDATE**

@cwdaniels posted this link: “Uncommon Insight Into the Horror at Fort Hood http://bit.ly/1ANiUN“

and the american family association released this video the day after the shootings:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hWdkACpcJU

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1. the true measure

[display_podcast]

lyrics:

it was a bright and sunny morning,
when i left my home in forney
with murderous intent upon my heart.

it was a day in mid-november
the leaves had shed their timber
when violent thoughts kept preying on my brain

i’m going to murder someone,
murder someone, murder someone

i’m going to murder someone,
murder someone, murder someone
before the day is done.

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1. my mother’s singing

but i decided to call the person and apologize. it was a tough pill to swallow. and my first instinct was to apologize, but then also subtly let this person know i didnt appreciate being talked about.

but as the phone was ringing i remembered: i’ve been both the victim and the perpetrator. i have offended and been offended. forgiveness is based on truthtelling and right/wrong. but forgiveness becomes less about right and wrong and more about grace. forgiveness rooted in the rule–the justice–of god is a gift that seeks to make fragmented people in a broken world whole.

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1. a farewell to arms and legs, or the silence of the sams.

“We should definitely do as Jesus commands and care for the sick and needy…..But, pawning that responsibility off on the government does not fulfill His command to me and you. Not sure why or when Christians started thinking that handing the Church’s work over to secular government is what God had in mind.” (from a post on a friend’s facebook)

its a fair point. and in all the conversation about reform, i have not heard any practical steps churches could/should take. we’ve spoken for or against, but our response–a christian response–has been woefully inadequate. so i’m going to tackle it.

the north texas district council of the assemblies of god has been involved in health care reform for a long time. we offered insurance plans to all ministers in the district (though that failed and was the subject a a lawsuit); in 2008 we blessed a local pastor with a cochlear implant (and helped other ministers with medical bills). we prayed for the sick since 1914 (in fact, prayers for healing have long been a part of the Pentecostal message)

as for our local church, i recently took a homeless lady, who suffered from bronchitis, to the pharmacy to get her prescription filled. we host an Alzheimers support group, and are presently taking steps to mitigate the spread of H1N1.

these works are great. but these works are limited. like most non-profits, our church is fiscally unable to assist every person who needs help. we simply cant do it all. but we can do something. here are a 3 proposals.

1) setup, run, and support a non-profit health care co-op. christians have long run hospitals, but what if regional or denominational churches teamed up and created a health care organization that provides preventive care, office visits, emergency care, prescription drugs, etc (maybe offer insurance).  churches in the dallas locations of white rock, lake highlands, casa view could form a non-profit health care co-operative.

do we dare dream of that for health care? sadly, probably not. ok, maybe there are legal risks and other liabilities, but does that mean we shouldnt try? should we still do our job as the church?

the assemblies of god does something similar with financial products: we have a denominational credit union (banking), investment services (retirement), and capital investment for church building (loan programs). shoot, we have a denominational educational trust fund, why not have a medical trust fund to help churches get started with these co-ops, medical outreaches? or a trust fund that helps people with serious medical needs?

2. we use the resources that we have. dallas first assembly of god has at least 3 medical doctors who are members. these are giving, caring people i know personally. these are great doctors i trust. we also have nurses and medical techs. how can we better use our own members to work for justice (health care)? we could provide community wide health care screening and consultation, hospice care, homeless care, etc.

what if our church of a couple hundred partnered with these doctors to provide discounted medical treatment to church members and the poor/low-income referred by our church? instead of insurance, we agree to a cash price based on volume and a sliding-scale based on income.

3. we partner with other non-profits. churches without members who are medical professionals can do things like host blood drives, flu shot drives, prescription glasses drives, etc. smaller churches could work with larger churches in providing medical services to members. the county health agency and the centers for disease control may be excellent partners, as well as local hospitals and clinics.

these are just 3 ideas, certainly not the most creative or well thought out, but we have a starting point. the bottom line is if compassion and justice are jobs of the church, then by god and in the name of jesus, we should do these jobs. and we should work with drive and imagination.

yes, i want a public option, but i’ve determined not to wait around for it. talk about ways our churches can bring justice to health care. dream of what that looks like in our communities. and then do it, work for it.

i am–we are–the church is–compelled to act now. what are your suggestions? what are practical ways your church can bring health care justice?

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1. john’s vision and health care

here’s the breakdown of the shopping ritual. i always start with the milk. 2% from the 3rd refrigerator door, and i never get the gallon closest to the front. i like the milk in the back. but one thing that jars me a little is the expiration date on the jug. its kinda how i tell time. i judge how close it is to the holidays or birthdays or flag day by the date on the milk. but those words, “best by xx-xx-xx,” undo some feeling in me.

which is really odd since, in a lot of ways, i’m not driven by time. i dont wear a watch or keep a strict calendar. the clock on the wall in my office has been dead for like…well, if i knew how long it has been dead, i’d disprove my point. but honestly, i’m aware of time, i appreciate time, i like to have good times, but time doesnt drive me.

still, when buying milk time is unavoidable. milk sours, curdles, and ruins. as i look for the jug with the latest expiration date, something fires in my brain. and it makes me still and reflective. it brings a little sorrow. why? because, well, i cant fully explain it. but expiration dates on milk make me sad.

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1. senses

its easy to spot a crisis; its kinda simple to spot a problem; and while it may be harder to diagnose the cause of the problem, it can be done. but what happens when we dont see the problem clearly, when we begin with a misinformed idea? well, i suspect that’s what has happened in discipleship recently.

what i see as the problem is not that we need to teach people how to believe and act, its that we dont construct beliefs and actions thoroughly. of course, i’m not that first to say this (its narrative to the core), but in my circles we thoroughly fail at thorough-ness. we can teach people 16 bullet points of things to believe, or teach them 10 rules written on stone tablets, but these things are abstract and detached from the whole of their lives.

in hermeneutics class, we’d complain that most preachers have no idea about basic hermeneutical rules and guidelines, that preachers butcher the scriptures. to which, my professor would reply, “well, the 16 fundamental truths [of the assemblies of god] keep these preachers in check.” which is totally true, most pastors and ministers dont have to think through the implications of what they preach because they rest on 16 doctrines. but a thorough disciple is willing to break through barriers to follow whenever the road may lead. this can be dangerous, its also authentic and progressive and innovative and bold and uncomfortable.

thorough discipleship doesnt mean that disciples have all the answers. in fact, it means just the opposite. there are many things we dont/cant/wont know. but it means that what we do know integrates and balances in the whole of our lives.

thorough discipleship cannot be replicated. people will diverge and disagree and change over time, but that’s also ok. because our disciples arent constrained by 16 doctrines or 10 ethical behaviors, we have less control over their lives. but what we give up in control, we gain in faithfulness and also in companionship. our lives are formed by living thoroughly with others, just as their lives are shaped by us.

god help us be thorough disciples, people who live and act and think through and through.

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1. waiting tables.

but i am convinced, fundamentally and thoroughly, that god is up to something big and will make the world right. when god says, “look, i’m making everything new,” god means it. and further, i strive to live true to that end. i want to dance in step with god as god moves creation to its goal. i seek to embrace justice and peace as movements in that divine dance. and if john’s revelation is true, and if god is making a world with no sickness, no death, no suffering, and no pain, i want to live with that end in sight and faithfully point others to that end.

acts of justice and compassion are signposts of god’s vision for the world. acts of grace and peace are pointers of god’s consummation. its the job of the church to embody those signposts and pointers, but that task isnt exclusive to the church. just as the end isnt only for the church but for all creation, heralding the end is a job for even the trees and the rocks. government, business, schools, etc can all bring justice in ways that foreshadow Rev 21.

at lunch yesterday, i was talking with a friend about a family he knows personally. the provider in this family lost his job and house because of insurance premiums and medical bills. now the family is homeless, and the provider is just as sick. that reeks of injustice. stories like this abound, and we cannot stay silent while people are sick and poor and taken advantage of. we must be harbingers of god’s grace, peace, and justice.

so for me, this debate about health care reform and a public option is as eschatological as it is political. in fact, i ground my politics in my eschatology. and that’s why i support a public option.

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1. health care reform: where’s the church?

i cut this piece of blue and white nylon string for a belt.

i usually dont do random posts about my day or what i ate for dinner. but today, wow, today was something.

somehow i left this morning without a belt. yes, i stood in front of 250 people in a black suit (donna karan, nonetheless) without a black belt. i was told i needed a hair cut by a man who’s growing out his hair for locks-for-love (or something). and someone used the word gaunt to describe me.

after a quick shower and change of clothes, i went back to the church and, again, managed to make it without a belt. this time i was wearing shorts, so not having a belt normally wouldnt be a problem. EXCEPT, that maybe the adjective gaunt was appropriate since i couldnt keep my shorts up. i’m not much of a sag-er, so my choices at the church were: blue CAT-5 cable, black mic cords, or a blue and white piece of nylon string. so in true arkansas fashion, i cut a piece of that nylon string to fit my gaunt waist line.

it’s 11:45. i just manged to walk in the door and just realized two things: 1) i did not eat supper (which isnt good for gauntness) and 2) i left my mac’s power cord at the church (which just isnt good).

weep not for me.

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one of my huge tells is the phrase “that’s interesting.” its usually preceded by a “hm” and proceeded by a nod of my head. and its gotten me out of plenty of tough situations. “that’s interesting” is polite enough to show interest but vague enough to be non-committal. so whether i agree or disagree with what someone just told me, “that’s interesting” lets me reserve judgment for later. it is my ultimate safe phrase.

so, for good measure, i’ll say, august was an interesting month. and that’s all i have to say about that.

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1. things never change

“The evil that men do lives after them,
The good is oft interred with their bones”

we tend to view history with polarized glasses. its comfortable to divide people into the good (gandhi, MLK Jr, etc) and the bad (hitler, saddam, etc). but the truth is much more complicated: rarely does a historical person fit neatly into either of these camps. the story of a person’s life is gleaming with joys and successes and littered with sufferings and failures.

and perhaps few people have lived out that story as publicly and as powerfully as ted kennedy. starting today, we’ll hear countless takes on the man’s life, but because his struggles–those of his own making and those outside his control–kennedy stands in an almost prophetic tradition. he was no great hero who stood above the people; he wasnt a traditional moral exemplar or a preacher. in living his life, often painfully, in public, kennedy demonstrated for the world the virtues of consistency and the power of carrying on.

how will history judge him? what will our children learn about him? of course only time will tell, but i hope history doesnt whitewash him or paint him as evil. we owe kennedy more than that; he was more than that.

and its in this way that he came to be an everyman of sorts (more so than his brothers). neither savior nor saint, kennedy stands out as a person who succeed and failed and rebounded, who lost and gained, and who changed the world. he wasnt a martyr, and he wasnt a villain. he was us. rest in peace, senator.

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john piper writes, “The tornado in Minneapolis was a gentle but firm warning to the ELCA and all of us: Turn from the approval of sin. Turn from the promotion of behaviors that lead to destruction.” piper sees god’s divine warning and judgment in the weather (like pat robertson did with hurriance katrina and new orleans). piper lists point by point why he thinks this is the case.

greg boyd directly challenges and counters the points made by piper. and boyd rightly leads us to this:

“One has to wonder why God would single out the ELCA’s discussion of homosexuality as worthy of a tornado hit while by-passing so many other serious issues. To give one example, there are over 400 distinct passages encompassing over 3,000 verses in the Bible that address issues related to poverty. Compare this with homosexuality, a topic that is explicitly mentioned a total of two times in the Old Testament and three times in the New. On top of this, the most frequently mentioned reason God judged cities and nations in the Old Testament was because they failed to care for the needy. And, finally, if there’s any sin American churches fail to seriously confront, it’s this one.”

hands down i tend to think like greg boyd, and mostly and strongly disagree with piper. (maybe thats why i HATED SWBTS.) we have to be very cautious about divining the judgment, will, purpose of god through weather or tarot cards or tea leaves or things-that-happen-to-us. that’s not to say that god doesnt work in the world. god certainly does. but god’s judgment looks very specific: namely the cross. its through the life, death, and ultimate resurrection of jesus that god judges the world and that god suffered for and with us.

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fundamentally, we expect more of them; we hold leaders to a high standard. but that’s an unhealthy and unsustainable view. people make mistakes, we fail short. people lose heart when leaders fall because, they think, if the pastor cant get it right, how can i? the truth is that pastor will get it wrong, and the youth staff member will mess up, and the deacon will fail. its bound to happen. no, leaders aren’t called to a higher ethic; there aren’t two codes of morality.

instead, we’re called in invite people into our lives. and its through sharing our lives that we as leaders keep our authentic bearings. its by surrounding ourselves with others that we stay true. and its when we disconnect our private life from our public life that we fail. and when we keep people close (even when we are at our ugliest and grossest and most vulnerable), we can live out god’s grace…grace even for those of us who are supposed to be perfect.

the true measure of a leader isnt in how big her influence is or how many people he knows. the true measure of a leader is in how open she/he lives out his/her life. i’m not looking to be a perfect leader but a leader who invites people in.

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we started having weekly kickball games. nothing formal or fancy (except our regulation size field, bases, and ball). in fact, we measured and lined the field down to the 1/4″. every week we have a pick-up game. meaning, whoever wants to play shows up. we rotate captains and select team-mates. and we play hard for two hours.

i was amazed early on that few people knew the rules. most of the students didnt understand that you can catch a fly foul ball the an out, or that runners have to tag up before advancing a bases if a fielder catches a foul. they didnt understand the concept of a kickers box (which we had and was regulation), or why you have to tag the runner if there isnt a forced play at the base.

i assumed that most people understood baseball/softball rules. and i was wrong. i was accused of cheating, or capriciously making up rules, or not knowing the rules myself. so i printed off copies of the rule book and made the copies available before the games. i also decided to quit playing for some games in order to call the games and explain the rules without giving the advantage to my team.

kickball has been a great thing for us this summer. its active and competitive and doesnt require a whole lot of skill. its been great to build people up, to rejoice in little successes, and to strengthen character through losing. but beyond that, personally, its given me more time to spend with the students i love so dearly.

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every week i close out youth service by saying “i love you all, and i think you’re the best thing since sliced bread.” but i’m looking to update that a bit, needing a new catch phrase. i want something clever but delightful, something evocative. anybody have any suggestions?

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the other resolution i wrote about passed, removing the “preaching requirement” from licensed and ordained ministers. it also removed the distinction which existed between “preaching” ministries and other ministries (music, childern, etc.).

to sum up: we also elected the first female executive presbyter, an executive presbyter under 40, another latino executive presbyter, and reelected all the executive officers. one resolution, to expand the general presbytery to include more women and pastors under 40 had been amended too much (in my opinion) and was referred to committee to bring back at the next general council in 2011.

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1. tip-o-my-hat: AG women

i previously blogged about an amendment to include acts of service and compassion to our raison d’etre. the argument against the amendment was: we already do acts of compassion, why include it? why? because it makes clear that god’s grace in the world and the ministry of jesus is and was about more than saving souls. in fact, the underlying philosophy is just that theologically naive and potentially insidious. if the purpose of the church is evangelism, and works of compassion are employed only to that end, we have lost our bearings.

scare tactics were used when people invoked the dreaded words of “social gospel” and “liberal.” first, the gospel is always social and communal in its scope. and second, if that makes me liberal, so be it.

in fact, the church should work for justice and peace, should serve and show compassion even to those never follow after jesus. as workers of the kingdom, we point to the fulfillment of that kingdom. salvation–the fruit of evangelism–is only one part of that.

tomorrow we’ll have the chance to amend the bylaws, removing the distinction between “preaching” and “non-preaching” ministry, a distinction without a proper theological difference. presently, licensed and ordained ministers are required to preach 15 times a year. though there is certainly a place for speaking ministry, ministers of the gospel are more than speakers. we share the gospel–the good news–in a variety of ways (in of which includes justice and compassion).

we must recognize that people care less about what we say and more about what we do. those who are truly called by god shouldnt desire so much to speak at people but to serve them. i hope and pray that we embrace resolution 27 and an expanding view of ministry.

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1. wag of my finger…AG resolutions

today i tip my hat to assemblies of god women. for almost 100 years, we’ve rightly understood that god calls women to serve and lead the church, but for 100 years, women have only served on a local level (pastors, evangelists, missionaries, etc). until today. today the ultimate legislative body (the General Council) in my church elected the Rev Dr Beth Grant as Executive Presbyter. The newest member of this group of around 15 clergy-persons, Dr Grant also oversees a network for women in ministry.

while we still have a long way to go in fulfilling the neglected promise of our sisters, mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers,  the AG is certainly making strides in the direction of full inclusion. i hope and pray that Dr Grant’s position will open doors for women who are her contemporaries and from my generation.

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1. wag of my finger…AG resolutions

one of the resolutions being considered at the meeting is to include a fourth reason for being to the “governance documents,” which is “to demonstrates [God's] love and compassion for all the world.”

all that’s well and good, but what stuck out most to me was how the existing reasons for being were gender exclusive.

“That’s God’s purpose concerning man is (1) to seek and to save that which is lost, (2) to be worshiped by man, and (3) to build a body of believers in the image of His Son”

it amazes me that, in a church that ordains women, we still dont get the power of exclusive language (or that we dont have the cajones to deal with it). this is an easy problem to solve. no doubt, the heart of the assemblies of god is to reach women as well as men, but i hope that we can clean up some of this archaic language from our constitution.

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1. wag of my finger: AG short-sightedness

on a spring sunday morning 2 years ago, a young man walked in the church from off the street. someone directed him to the youth sunday school class, and this young man came to jesus after class.

this is his story. tom grew up in a refugee camp in sierra leone. in the camp, he was abandoned by his father and his mother died. an orphan, he was taken in by another family of refugees who brought tom with them when they immigrated to the united states.

tom’s foster mother loved him very much, but his foster father was quite harsh. it seems that tom made trouble by fighting and stealing, so the foster dad beat him physically. it was after one such conflict that tom made his way to our church, and i started working with him.

the foster family wanted him out of their apartment in a week; they said tom was unruly and too much trouble. so this sophomore at bryan adams high school was orphaned again. in trying to find a place for tom, i never found out his actual age. he claimed he was only 16 (and he certainly looked it), but his refugee, immigration, legal papers said he was 18. most places i called about orphans or troubled teens would take a minor, but nobody would touch someone over 18.

for the short term, tom lived with us. and as a last resort, i contacted life challenge. it’s a discipleship program for men with life control struggles, mostly drugs or alcohol. but it includes other issues. given tom’s troubled past, this seemed like a good option for him.

he was expelled twice from the program: once for fighting and once for sexual harassment of a young women. again, tom had no where to go. in what was one of the most morally difficult decisions of my life, i told tom that i had no more options for him, that his best chance was with life challenge, and that he blew it…twice. for two years, i’ve struggled with that decision and for failing him. for two years, i would hear from tom sporadically.

until sat. while in line at a supertarget about 5 miles from the church, i looked up and my cashier was tom. in that moment, i felt relief and guilt and joy and shock and i-dont-know-what. now, tom has his own apartment and a stable job at target.

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but what seemed like an odd mantra when i was a teen seems downright wrong as an adult. i was actually appalled when former-assemblies-of-god-girl sarah palin said in her farewell address on saturday: “God’s grace helping those who help themselves.”

has the woman ever read the bible? i’m pretty sure that she should read the whole thing during all the free time she has now. because even if she made a cursory reading of the old and new testaments, palin would see that god’s heart and grace especially goes out to those who can’t help themselves: to the widow and the orphan, to the poor and the hungry, to the sick and the prisoner. god watches over and protects those whom society marginalizes and devalues. (in fact, when the apostle paul was sent out on his missionary journeys the ONE and ONLY thing the church of jerusalem asked him to do was to remember the poor.)

so while it may sound cute and clever to say “god helps those who help themselves,” its actually flat out wrong! we need to be really careful how we invoke god, especially with politics.

*UPDATE* Jim Wallis has his take on the speech here.

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1. good and evil aren’t stark categories, but the capacity for both exists in all the characters.
2. evil isnt just represented in a personal way, but it becomes institutionalized through systematic injustice and oppression.

i’ve heard preachers say that you shouldnt read harry potter. its of the devil, its witchcraft, and its evil (in fact, about 5-6 years ago i worked for a pastor who felt that way). so i decided to read the books for myself. i ordered the first couple of books from ebay, and now own all 7. i love them. over the past couple of years, i read the books several times. in fact, i just reread books 6 and 7 this week after watching the movie.

harry potter is fantasy, myth and is no more dangerous that Lord of the Rings or Naria. its world of magic is compelling, masterfully-developed, thought-provoking (i was going to say enchanting and masterfully-brewed, but that seemed too on-the-nose).

i wholeheartedly recommend the books and the movies with one caveat: kids are supposed to grow with the books. (an 8 year old probably should stick with books 1-2 and wait a couple of years before reading book 7. but adults: enjoy.)

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i’ve always been sensitive to smells. strong smells make my head hurt. bad. and to be honest, thats one of the few things i hate about camp. a room full of nastiness and bad smells for a week. this year i shared a room with a pastor from another city and noticed this horrible smell. it was that mildly sweet and very pungent odor, like a trash can at the state fair.

several times during the week i complained to Sal about how bad the other guy in my room smelled. and i loathed going into the room for that reason. then about thursday i put on my sperry top-sliders. as i leaned down to slip the shoes on my sockless feet, i caught a whiff. IT WAS MY SHOES. it wasnt the other guy; i stunk up the room.

i’m so careful and clean, i never thought to smell myself before pointing my nose in the other direction.

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but frankly, there’s really only one good line out of this article: “Praying a prayer & accepting Jesus ‘in our hearts.’ That is Americanized Evangelical Christianity at its worst.” i whole-heartedly agree. too bad the author didnt see his piece as another example of “americanized evangelical christianity at its worst.”

there are lots of reasons for our preoccupation with heaven and hell, not the least of which include: our obsession with controlling who’s in and who’s outside the faith, the mystery of death, the need for comfort in crisis.

but i would argue that, in the end, what counts is new creation and resurrection, not heaven or hell. any attempt to eulogize a person past the pearly gates or gates of hell is not only futile, but is totally misguided. beyond that, even answering, “i dont know” or “only god can judge” lends credibility to the question. instead, i believe we should turn the question on its head and insist that the assumption behind the question is wrong. or even that the assumption behind the assumption behind the question is wrong.

our faith isnt grounded in a god of dichotomies and polarities, a god of heaven OR hell. instead, we are grounded in a god who longs for creation to be at sabbath, to be a rest, and a god who rests with that same creation.

so i say, rest in peace, michael jackson.

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1. bible ok’s mr t and his gold

we allow the government to help take care of our poor, ensure the safety of citizens, deliver mail, build nuclear weapons. but we hold the government accountable. when its systems and practices are unjust, we call for justice (like MLK). in a way, when any person or institution acts justly and mercifully, its carrying out the message of christ, a sign post to the Kingdom.

i said it, and now i’m thinking thru the implications of it. i would stop short at calling the nation-state an agent of grace or a system of god’s work in the world (though its certainly subjected to god’s reign). but isnt justice, setting the world right, what god is about? shouldnt we laud and encourage any act of justice by anyone? of course, i’m assuming way(s) of looking at justice, a specifically christian way.

so 2 questions:

1. is all justice god’s justice?
2. how do we divine/judge what this justice looks like?

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1. students and justice

that’s like offering glucose testing at a church bake sale. or the ATF raiding a gun show.

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75 cents for two minutes
gray water down rusted drains
baptism fount shared by cars and man

cake donuts and creamy coffee
a breakfast of championless
communion with his fellow humans.

(Tim was a homeless man who came to church last week.)

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LIGHT–my being

Illuminate, shine, glow

LIGHT–the shadows of my heart

Warm, melt, burn

LIGHT–me, mind and body

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i have a good size itunes library, and dont want to clutter up my hard drive with all those files. so a while back, i came across subsonic. basically, i installed subsonic on my ubuntu computer and i can stream my music library to any browser. not only that, it can downsample the bit rate for slower network connections. (i.e. make the songs play better on slower internet connections).

if i need a song from church, i log in and play it off my server. if i’m on the road, i can teether by blackberry to my mac and play songs from there. there’s even a java app that you can download for your mobile phone. unfortunately, it doesnt work on my blackberry.

i will say, subsonic manages its library database of songs far better than itunes. (subsonic and itunes share the same files, but have different databases to store file location, metadata, playcounts, etc). it monitors your library location and adds/removes songs at a scheduled time…and really quickly. it shows lyrics to the songs your listening to, displays play counts, and cover art.

2:Plex

plex is basically a media center for your mac. its built off xbox media center, but its a lot more attractive. imagine a functional, customizable front row, and you have plex. like front row, you can control the app with your apple remote. but unlike front row, you can also control plex with your mouse/track pad.

the amazing thing about plex is it can handle any file type (thats encoded any way). it connects to your iphoto library, itunes library, and any server you like. it searches for the metadata for your TV shows and movies, and can even tell you the weather.

you can add apps to plex. say you want to watch colbert, simply add it from the app store (apps are free) and it streams the video straight from the web. it works with hulu, cnn, and a ton of other web sites.

i’ve tried boxee and xbmc, and plex beats them both. hands down. however, what i really wish for is a combination of plex and subsonic, a media server that will stream all my files via my browser. hey, a boy can dream, can’t he?

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“there’s one smell that even Zicam cant take away: the smell of freedom! http://bit.ly/QS5qj”

its a reference to that fact that they use zinc in their nose spray which could lead to a loss of the sense of smell…and the elections in iran.

so today, zicam’s PR folks were out in full force on twitter, and i received this:

“@massam82 If you want the facts and not the myths, go to Zicam.com to see a full Q&A on the company’s recent product recall.”

and it looks like they’re tweeting this to anybody who tweeted about their product. come on, for real?! like we’re going to believe facts from a company that marketed NOSE POISON?! hahahahahaha. this was my reply back:

“@zicamanswers that’s like giving kids cocaine candy apples for halloween, and then telling them to come over for the recipe.”

i prefer the facts a la Cobert:

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1. nose-pointing

kristin would eat steamed broccoli and cheese or raw broccoli…broccoli…broccoli…broccoli. ughlck. and then something happened. about 3 years ago i tried it, and i loved broccoli. from sam’s club, i would buy big bags of broccoli and finish the bag in 7 days. i craved it. it became broccoli, BROccoli, BROCCOLI!! i was this way for a couple of months. this broccoli lust consumed me.

for months one thought has consumed me: dont you realize that god’s kindness leads toward repentance? its a quote from romans 2.4. where’s moral judgement? where’s outrage? berating? the silent treatment?

paul had just launched into a diatribe about evil in the world and about how wrong we are to judge others. but his answer isnt: “well god will judge ‘em.” the next line is how god is patient and tolerant and kind. it is god’s kindness that brings us into restored relationship. isnt that what repentance is? isnt it restored relationship, connecting the bond that was broken?

we are bruised and scared from broken relationships. and we talk about rights and wrongs, but in truth, no relationship was made whole by simple restitution. no bond was restored by judgment. repentance–restored relationship–is manifest by tolerance, patience, and kindness. god, help us to be consumed with kindness.

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the idea here is that we need to know what the bible says. if we believe or do those things, we’ll be on god’s side. that sounds really good, especially if you teach a 4-5 year old sunday school class. but you really can’t read the bible maturely and believe this.

let me give two of my favorite examples. 1 cor 11.14-16 says that its unnatural for men to have long hair. i’ve heard of preachers standing against long hair for men and know that some pentecostal women let their hair grow out. but seriously, the bible says it, but that doesnt settle the matter. i’m an ordained minister and my hair extends over the ears!

but wait, it gets better: 1 tim 2.9-10 says that women shouldnt wear gold or expensive clothes. does that include expensive clothes on sale? because they were once expensive. or what about platinum? because its more costly than gold. but i really dont have to worry about it because the bible only addresses women here. so as a man, i can gold it up like mr. t.

i heard someone say last week (someone formerly in denominational leadership) that if he had his way, he would ban all books from our colleges/bible schools/seminaries for six months so we could just read the bible. i nearly choked.

i certainly believe the bible is trustworthy, but i also know that its complicated and difficult. we have to wrestle with ourselves, our faith communities, and even the spirit to discern how to live out god’s word today. and a sort of blind, robot faith isnt in the tradition of jesus and his earliest followers. these folks struggled to understand jesus in his day.

but they also continued in their tradition while at same time creatively re-appropriating it. paul did this with circumcision. basically he said, “forget foreskin! what matters is your heart.” this freaked a lot of good jews out. but following the leading of the spirit, the early church came around to agree with paul.

and this is what we need today. not more christians quoting proof texts, thinking if we simple did exactly what the bible said we’d create mayberry. no, we need christians who follow their christian traditions of wrestling and struggling and failing and who creatively and prophetically re-appropriate and re-imagine what it means to live out those traditions.

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1. Christian? The Ontology of Movies, Mints, and Bible-guns.

i’ll be honest and say i very few answers about this. daniel norris, the youth pastor at a church in irving, recently blogged about homosexuality. about a month ago, i read a piece lewis b. smedes did in a book edited by walter wink. professor smedes said some profound things, but he reminded us that heterosexuals too often think of homosexuality as an act. we cast is it as sexual deviance, as unnatural physically. but fundamentally, attraction– love–is more than some physical act. love is more than inflamed lust.  we’re scared to talk about it like this.  ultimately, homosexuality is about more than sex.  if we want to have any meaningful idea on what the Bible says and if we want to have any maturity about this subject, we need to admit that.

smedes goes on and points out that homosexuality is more than choice. i truly believe that people are somehow predisposed to be gay. i suspect there are developmental reasons, possibly epigenetic and environmental factors (and i dont mean environmental as in eating lead paint, but in the womb environment).

these two thoughts still mean the argument can go either way, but these thoughts can give the debate a more civil and substantive tone. i’m not wanting to stir up a can-o-worms here, but the stakes are too high. we need a new way forward, and i propose that we need to shift our thinking in these two areas.

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1. Christian? The Ontology of Movies, Mints, and Bible-guns.

youth pastors deal with this all the time. a students confesses the same stuff over and over, and s/he is genuinely sorry and repentant. but WE set him/her up to fail because WE dont help her/him see the root cause of his/her struggles.

this is more than dr phil psychology. its what it means to become christian.

**Update**

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usually, i have meticulous sermon structure, an expository style with predictable movement. intro; transition; points 1,2,3 with exposition, illustration, application; transition; conclusion. i develop key phrases, write out exactly what i want to say, and stick with the script.

but this was a really different message for me to deliver to adults. i wrote down initially reactions to the chapter in the margins of the book, and then i developed subsequent thoughts in my moleskine. i reread the chapter, refined my thoughts in the moleskine, and preached to myself in the car. the last step was to map out the message on two sheets of 8.5×14 paper, taped together. i wanted the strength of the message to be in the stories and in the movement behind the stories. no word, thought, or idea was developed on a computer.

what do your sermons look like?

and here’s what i developed:

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1. a new way forward

think about it: every week i’m getting up in front of people to speak. that means i believe that i’ve got something to say and that people need to hear it. that not only takes guts, but a certain amount of ego. (the facts that i’m writing this and that i think someone will read it imply a huge ego!)

obviously this poses some problems. here are two which can be the most destructive. 1) many times, insecurities are under the shell of ego. this isnt always the case, but arent deep and troubling insecurities an overwhelming source of church trouble? more on that later. 2) people with large egos, by default, are usually better talkers than listeners.

we dont need more pastors with body guards or more staff members who roll over or more congregants who blindly follow instructions. what we need is mutual submission.

should the board submit to the pastor? absolutely. should the staff submit to the pastor? yes. should the pastor submit to the staff? for sure. and also to the board? without a doubt. and even the congregants? you bet. this idea isnt linked to title or position. from unprogrammed worship to high church, every member of the christian community should live in mutual submission with every other member.

here are some particulars of submission.

1. submission is most powerful as a willful act. what happens when the slave voluntary submits to the master, when children want to submit to their parents? thats the brunt of paul’s argument in ephesians 5 and 6. submission isnt compulsory but an act of discipleship, of love. the traditionally weak (slave, wife, child, etc) experience their freedom in christ, not by rising up and fighting, but by serving their former masters/oppressors/etc.that leads to the idea that, at its core, submission should be mutual. “submit yourselves to each other” is embraced in the trinity: reciprocity, self-giving, deference, love. this is a trinitarian view of leadership that isnt so top down (hierarchical) but circular. leading to…

2. there can be legitimate modes/structures in the church other than just having a lead/head pastor. most of our churches follow pretty much the same model, but it increasingly may be helpful to think and talk and act like there are other ways. we need to be willing to explore new modes of relationality, new nodes of interconnectedness, new thoughts on what it means to be the church together.

my dad embodies this as well as anyone i know. i remember having meals at church (afterglows), everybody’s sitting around together. the meal is over; people are talking and drinking their tea. dad, who has been mingling the whole time, pops up and starts busing the tables. he takes up plates and refills cups and jokes and smiles. my dad, the minister, the servant.

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1. voting spouses, church boards, and enemies.

theres been a lot of talk around me lately about church leadership. pastors, staff, deacons…blah, blah, blah.

i’ve worked with/under four different pastors. totally different pastors. though i dont pretend to have anything figured for certain, i think many pastors and denominational leaders have an imposed view of church leadership. they operate with a few basic assumptions 1) the new testament presents a pattern of church leadership 2) this pattern should be followed 3) the pastor is god’s man (sadly, still mostly men, though some churches allow women) for the church.

if the first pillar crumbles, the others will follow. so we’ll start there. if we’re honest, theres a lot we dont know about the structure of 1st century churches. for sure, they looked differently than churches today, but its difficult (if not impossible) to find a repeatable pattern from the extant text. (what was the structure in Corinth, and why didnt the local leadership do more to solve the problems AND what about the seven churches in asia minor? most of them were jacked up, surely it was because the board ran the church?!)

that said, if we could find a pattern, what means that we should repeat it? what parts of the pattern would be normative and what parts cultural? how do we be consistent in our application and not arbitrary? how normative is normative?

these arent easy questions. but the answers are more difficult. its not nearly as simple as saying, “the bible says ‘this’; and that settles the matter.”

ultimate, though, we ask the wrong sort of questions of the biblical text. should the pastor or the board run the church? can women be deacons and pastors? do staff members serve the pastor or the church members? should staff members vote? we assume that there is the biblical way, and we’re egotistical enough to think we’ve discovered it or foolish enough forgo cultural factors.

we need indigenous churches right here, not just in songs and language, but also in polity. that may look like unprogrammed quaker meetings, or a mega-church with an outside board of directors, or stained glass with pews and hymnals, or folks meeting at park. the particular incarnation of these churches isnt as important as the virtues that drive them.

so attempts to find THE model of early church polity arent just naive and hermeneutically misguided, those attempts just dont work. but virtues do. more on this later.

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1. waiting tables.

**************UPDATE**************

that is: what i’m trying to do is move beyond consumption, beyond the purely creative, and get to integrative creativity.”

**************Original**************

one of the areas i’ve worked on in our student ministry is getting others involved in the weekly service. too many youth pastors i know do all the speaking. they are the dominate face the students see. i want our services to reflect the diversity of the group and inspire others to be involved. basically, all i do every week is the intro-welcome-monologue and the message. in addition to worship time and offering, we have weekly segments contributed by members of the student ministry staff and by students.

this comes from some major influences like jon stewart, stephen colbert, and this american life. each segment has its own intro and music beds, and we try to reflect the personality and style of the contributor. but flow is just as important. the part fits into the whole. our first segment was the game/ice breaker, and then we added “a moment with pedro.” pedro, a staff member, shares a stupid/funny/random story that leads us to our small group time.

last sunday we added a new segment to our service, “acts of grace.” a student, grace, shares a story (or invites others to do so) and leads us into worship.

by the way, we’ve got some great new segments (monthly or randomly) including “better know a parent” and “tales of a spy.” stay tuned.

*acts of grace intro*

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BN-hkyc7e4

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1. Advent at amplify

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hTZ0vuTxrs

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growing up, i never used an alarm since my parents always woke me. i remember my mother sitting on the edge of my bed and rubbing my back to wake me. my mother cant carry a tune in a bucket. but she sang this in the mornings (the second chorus minus the part about death and murder). all these things greatly annoyed me.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=71smG5d29to

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1. The world is flat

torture fundamentally distorts the humanity of the torturer and attempts to sub-humanize the tortured. acts of torture seek to undo the god-image a person bears. torture exploits the physical and psychological welfare of a person for the sake of knowledge or, more heinously, for masochistic delight. its seeks good in the name of evil, truth in the name of violence. there is no justifiable, no defensible christian allowance for torture. none.

a lot can be said here about the will to/for power, the will to/for truth. but perhaps the greatest irony is that power, which usually generates information, seeks facts from someone in a position of weakness. these acts of “strength” show the fragility of power and legitimize the position of the tortured by necessitating the knowledge the tortured possess. in effect, the torturer is brought below the tortured.

in the name of preservation of its citizens, the state seeks the harm of another. it brings to mind the words of Caiaphas in Jn 11.50: “You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” i’m not attributing messianic claims to the tortured: the similarly rests in the desire for power and self-preservation.

so the question now is twofold: should more information be released about the torture of detainees? and should those responsible be held accountable?

obviously, there are political implications to answering “yes.” but ultimately, we cannot reconcile with those we’ve tortured until we repent of our sins against them. and we certainly cannot come to terms with what we’ve done or what was done in our name (in this case, securing us from a terrorist attack) until we know what we did.

so i confess and repent. i confess that detainees, fellow humans, were tortured in my name and in my interest. i am sorry and openly repent for these wrongs. i beg forgiveness from those tortured and from god.

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1. a bitter pill

after going to a live “this american life” show with a friend, i got to thinking about the movies and people. its really rare that you see someone @ the movies by themselves. how many dates involved dinner and a movie? friends meet up to see latest flick. movie-goers dont chat. what is it that makes cinema (or at least going to a cinema) a social medium?

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1. a hip pocket copy of the constitution really isn’t that hip (or useful) of a thank you gift.
2. wait, can you possibly say that number one more time? 1-800-456….
3. i get really cranky when i don’t hear my market place morning report.
4. other people must have much more liberal guilt than me.
5. if i want to hear stupid jokes i’ll watch Parks and Recreation.
6. my contribution of $1/day would be way more than i’ve ever spent @ starbucks.
7. the “gathering storm” commercial is way shorter and makes me feel just as bad.
8. haven’t they come out with an iphone app for this yet?
9. if ATC is sponsored by “the cougar on tvland prime,” do they really need my help?
10. pay $100 for a stupid book?! for that i can shop at the university bookstore.

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i have two windows in my office. one window is to the great outdoors; the other window is to the hallway. sitting at my desk, i look out the hallway window, and i always found it useless.

a couple of years ago i got tired of looking through the window at the egg shell wall of the hall, so i decided to put the window to use. i’d use it to for sketches, developing sermons, remembering dates/names, brainstorming, etc. in january, i wrote down three big ideas i wanted to carry with me through the year. this is one way i attempt to integrate my thoughts and actions. and here they are:

• Incarnation:
  • transcendent
  • immanent

• Deepening:
  • creator
  • redeemer
  • sustainer

• Justice: prophetically re-imagining life in this brave new world
  • critical
  • energizing

how do you use your workspace? what are your reminders of important things?

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1. mapped message

unless you’ve been in a coma for the past 48 hrs, you know there were protests on april 15 (tax day) collectively called “tea parties.” the republican national committee encouraged visitors on its web site to send “virtual tea bags” to democrats in congress. at the “tea party” in washington, dc, something like 1M tea bags were supposed to be delivered at the rally.

in all the organizing, FOXNews adds their name in front of tea parties (see photo) and had fox personalities leading (in the case of Glen Beck) and reporting on the events. yesterday fox posted an article on their web site covering the “frat house humor” used by other networks in reporting the parties, as well as bemoaning the lack of coverage by other news outlets.

fox is in their own little meta-world: promoting and sponsoring “grass-roots” protests, reporting on the events, and then reporting on the lack of reporting by other news outlets. thats called manufacturing news. just to be clear: fox is reporting on reporting of events they promoted.

i’m not knocking the protesters, but the manipulation by fox of the events created a bigger story than would have been otherwise.

**UPDATE**

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“over 1,500 farmers in an Indian state committed suicide after being driven to debt by crop failure, it was reported today.”

this is devastating news. its not enough that these farmers were laden with debt and lack water, but the bleak outlook for their future, both agriculturally and economically, left them little hope. the question is what happens to the families of these farmers: how do they repay the debts? how do they create a livelihood without water?

at yet, the news yesterday and today is about the lack of bank lending and tea parties.

i’m not sure how best to help these particular families in india, but kiva is a microloan program that helps people like these farmers around the world. you loan small amounts of money (say $25) through a loan management fund like kiva. the money is given to the entrepreneur of your choice. after the entrepreneur repays, you can fund another entrepreneur, collect your funds, or donate to microloan program. check out kiva and loan NOW!

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a texas judge has cleared mr cole of all charges for a rape DNA evidence proves he did not commit. after serving 13 years and dying in prison.

according to npr:

State District Judge Charles Baird posthumously exonerated Cole and expunged his record. The victim, Michele Mallin, apologized to Cole’s family for mistakenly identifying Cole as her attacker. She lashed out at Johnson in court, yelling that he had robbed Cole of his life.

It was the first posthumous DNA exoneration in state history.

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1. justice in texas

⁴⁹The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

⁵⁰And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

⁵¹At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. ⁵²The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

⁵⁴When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son^[a] of God!”

this is an amazing piece of the matthean story. it is very apocalyptic and anti-imperial: the state-sponsored worship program, the herodian temple, in shambles; earthquakes; resurrections; a roman solider calling jesus the “son of god” (a title for the caesar).

and these resurrections: nobody was resurrected to paradise. resurrection always meant something bodily and physical to 1st century jews. its interesting the saints’ resurrection isnt tied to jesus’ resurrection but to his death, very significant. matthew seems to say that in jesus’ death, the present order, including the forces of death itself, was ended.

this leads to anti-imperialism. theres a lot of anti-rome talk: the solider saying “son of god”, imperial seal placed on jesus’ tomb & broken at the resurrection, and the “holy ones” being resurrected and entering the “holy city.” (the word for saints is the same word for “holy” in holy city: hagios).

it seems that these “holy ones” enter the “holy city” with THE RESURRECTED ONE, the victor against the roman death penalty and caesar’s brand of justice. this broadens our understanding of jesus death, from some sort of private-forgiveness-of-sin to a direct repudiation of the powers and evils that brought his death. its like a general and his army coming into town after winning a battle. they were just waiting for the victory party.

(i think i’m going to dance in the street on resurrection sunday, maybe rave style, to celebrate. let me know if you want to join in the victory party)

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1. Our Weary, Radicalized World

one of the amazing things about our senses is the ability to be desensitized. that may sound odd, but think about this: are you constantly aware of the feel of the clothes against your skin? do you notice your perfume at the end of the day? or do you hear the buzz of the frig when you’re eating dinner?

our brains have this amazing power to prioritize and set aside sensory information, otherwise we’d go mad. of course, there are times we are keenly aware of our surroundings, but there seems to be a correlation between comfort and sensitivity. the process is all very biological and mechanical, but it can be very elegant and reassuring.

a friend recently told me: “That’s where I…want to live – doing uncomfortable / dangerous stuff for God. Its sounds good, but living it is a little more challenging.”

that got me thinking: is it permanently possible to be both sensitive and uncomfortable? can we be consistently unsettled? how do you make this a part of your life?

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1. nose-pointing

driscoll saying that christians have always believed that satan was a fallen angel that rebelled against god. not sure that’s true. the common story about satan in churches (at least where i grew up) is pieced from several different stories in the bible.

driscoll-”the source of moral evil is rebellion against god.” that’s really not a solid ethical position. i think that driscoll is too general in describing christianity, as if his view of christianity is ubiquitous.

chopra starting quote freud. talking about the complexity of man, i’m not comfortable with describing man as divine, but he’s right in pointing out that individually we are all capable of good and evil.

chopra-”healthy people have no need for satan.” i agree that we need to confront the evil within us, but there’s more to the story, more to pain and suffering than individual responsibility. that seems to be altogether modernist thinking.

lobert- the personal story is much more compelling and effective than driscoll’s rambling. she talks about structured evil (pimps, vegas culture, etc) but fails to name it as a force of satan. instead, the satan talks to her, personally. tie those pieces together, lobert. she kinda did at the end.

pearson-(show just on him and his story on this american life). talking about inventing the devil. again, too individualistic. “christians defend the devil more than they defend god”-that’s a great over generalization. i like the reference to dropping bombs, an allusion to bush and war on terror to fight evil.

back to driscoll. again with rebellion as the source of all bible. “according to the teaching of the bible, satan was an angel.” needs an caveat: according to my reading of the bible. again, rebell. “the earth and humanity will return to how god intended” YES! more of that and redemption than hypothetical demonology, mark. also good trinitrian reference to the work of father, son, and holy spirit in overcoming sin.

chopra off the bat assumes that driscoll’s position is in contradiction with science. “the bible is totally in contradiction…” that’s an stretch and over-generalization. i dont think the idea that nature is simple caprious explains the problems in our world. chopra believes that primiative is less than modern or too simplistic. chopra asks lobert, “what convinces you god is a he?” good question, and at first blush seems to be off topic until you understand gender based violence and evil.

driscoll’s answer that god is a he because of “jesus” is asinine and lame. god’s not a he, come on, driscoll.

pearson-he does, indeed, know the scriptures. he is right, a lot of what we think is myth. i mean that in the sense that our assumptions about what the bible may say, holiness regulation and judgement and losing salvation.

driscoll- the satan of job is different than the one that driscoll himself is presenting. in fact, the idea of satan “the accuser” comes from job. i wish jurgen moltmann were in the discussion about war and duality between creator/creation, good/evil. duality assumes that the terms in question are both opposite and equal. not sure thats the case, driscoll.

chopra-”we have a darkness within us.” this is turn. evil isnt wholely other. but there is also something more, enter walter wink. let’s get wink and moltmann on here.

pearson is answering, can you pick and choose what you believe from the bible. we do all the time. but pearson’s agrument is that parts of bible can be dismissed because its inaccuration. i think that’s a poor way to choose.

lobert-”the bible is true because its true for me, it happened to me.” hmmmmmmmm, she’s more like chopra here. experience is the highest measure of truth for her. but “if you add your own thoughts to it, the bible is void.”

driscoll isnt one to argue academically. but he makes a valid point, in line with nt wright. driscoll asks: why would disciples suffer and die for made up jesus stories? driscoll seems condescending toward pearson.

chopra-”believe is a cover up for insecurity.” that’s ridiculous, it can be, but not always. “we have the choice to choose between evolution or entropy.” if it were as simple as a choice, why would we choose entropy?

chopra asks about exclusivity: what about people before christ and people who dont know christ? driscoll doesnt commit, god ultimately judges and makes those decisions. probably the most humble thing driscoll has said yet.

lobert claims to be raped by demons. not sure what that means. maybe her clients were demonized. she sees selfishness as the ultimate sin. she seems to confuse a supernatural demonic power with the evil we are capable of.

chopra wont deny her experience.

where’s the moderate voice? why are the only voices on either for or against believe in the devil? can’t there be a third way between driscoll’s contemporary evangelical view and chopra’s pantheism?

the host asserts that chopra and pearson are “psycologizing” loberts experience. pearson is right, on the one hand, to attribute to the devil our own guilt and responsibilty for our actions is to make the violater the ultimate vicitim.

driscoll’s answer to a question about the end of time was so weak, that some people are seperated from god and some are received unto him. what’s god ultimately doing in the world? renewed creation, resurrection, etc. that greatest influences our view of evil.

man asked chopra, “you stated earlier that all believe is a cover-up for insecurity. do you believe that.” chopra, “yes.” greatest line of the night!

chopra claims a sort of false humility. that all experiences are equal but that his experiences and opinions are more in line with biology and physics in his opinion. thats laughable.

driscoll argue for our moral responsiblity regardless of satan.

closing thoughts: lobert claims you cant have god without the devil. wow. she needs to think through what she is saying. her whole claim is existential.

pearson closes with darwin. i may disagree with pearson theologically, but he believes what he is saying, that he is genuinely convinced he is now right.

driscoll closes with a scripture for epistles of john.

chopra quotes from the essenes and a challenge to love.

weakest point of the night goes to driscoll, who claimed that god is a man. that’s just embarrassing.

*UPDATE*

a link to the this american life story on pearson

hookers for jesus-loberts ministry

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it was raw and emotive. it definitely has this johnny cash vibe from cash’s later “american recordings.” it was just bruce’s voice, his guitar, and his harmonica. compared with the track from the album, i definately prefer this simple, live version.

*Update*
here’s the embeded video of the official version. compare for yourself.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x_TpslzEew

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now i know that i have (sometimes) odd taste in music, but there’s something original and, yet, familiar about duke special. take “freewheel” again. it opens with this sweeping symphony and backs off to simplicity in the verse. as the chorus bulids, we hear the juxtaposition of broad strings and rhythm with the plainness of a lyrics (just a variation of 9 words):

I don’t want to stand still.

I just want to freewheel

I don’t want to lose this.

here is duke special at his best: grand, sweeping, simple, and approachable. i’m going to get all his stuff, and i hope you will, too.

a bbc review

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nxu8TWub-M

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