Category: religion

Known by Joy

In Acts 14, Luke (the author) offers a one-sentence insight into an argument that would later be fleshed out in Paul’s brilliant theological diatribe to the Romans. After Paul and Barnabas heal a crippled man in Lystra (a city in Asia Minor), crowds of people mistake them for the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes. They begin trying to sacrifice animals to the two visitors , which really distressed Paul and Barnabas. They rush into the crowds, tearing their clothes. They begin proclaiming a new God to them, the God who made heaven and earth and sea. In the midst of their desperate declaration, these words about God tear from their lips: “…He has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”

Interestingly enough, Paul is talking to non-Christian or pre-Christian people. He’s not making the mistaken assumption that only Christians have joy: He’s merely saying that the regular, everyday joys we all experience are gifts from God and evidence of his nature. These pleasures or gifts stand alongside the trees and the oceans as evidence of a creator and giver.

So next time you’re tempted to disdain the secular or profane joys of the world, abstain. Instead choose to see God’s nature in all that is Good.

Book Review: Christian Husband

Christian Husband
Christian Husband

I read this a few months ago, but felt the need to put up a quick review. I picked up this book at a Family Life marriage conference, which was a great experience. Family Life seems really interested in getting all kinds of resources into your hands, and we walked away with a sizable stack of good books. This was the first I read.

The book itself is really basic. The first half explains in simple terms what it means to be a Christian. The second talks in simple terms about what it means to be a husband in light of biblical principles. The entire book follows a growing imaginary dialogue between the author, Bob Lepine, and God about a husband’s responsibilities. Not the most engaging book I’ve read. Even so, the content is worth reflecting on.

Moral Failure and National Security

In reading The 9/11 Commission Report, I’ve come to realize what a huge political distraction the Monica Lewinsky scandal was from the U.S.’s pre-9/11 efforts against Usama Bin Laden. At the time, many in America decried the president’s actions based on their immorality. Little could any of us have realized that those actions, far from staying confined to the president’s conscience or oval office, harmed U.S. and global security and may well have prevented counter-terrorism operations against Al Qaeda.

A Nightmare

Early this morning I dreamt I was in a war zone on the road to Haifa, Israel.  A rich older woman talked me into going with two girls and two other guys so I could write about the experience.  It was such a scary place to be.  Men were driving by in big trucks with machine guns.  Somewhere along the way there was a DeWalt chop-saw, and someone had been using it to kill other people.  There were bones and remains scattered periodically along the side of the road.  I wasn’t able to keep track of who was on which side, and both sides threatened us.  I remember a man who, eyes crazy with zeal, threatened to kill us with his AK-47.  I answered very softly and calmly, and he turned away.  I remembered the passage from Proverbs 15:1 – ” A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

The dream didn’t have a conclusion, and I woke up fearing first for myself, then for the people who will actually live that nightmare.  My first thought this morning was to pray for Israelis and their Palestinian and Arab neighbors.

Gallery show tomorrow night

You’re all invited to a gallery show at 7 p.m. tomorrow night at the Shinn Photo studio (1651 10th Street in Reedley, CA).  I’ll be unveiling a new series of prints, exploring biblical text and quotes against scenes from nature.  A portion of the proceeds of any prints that sell tomorrow evening will go to MCC for world relief.

Violence and Trustworthiness

A personal reflection set on violence and danger: I’ve had three people tell me I need to worry about theft at my storefront. One has been the victim of violent crime; the other two haven’t. All three own firearms for personal protection. I offer this eastern parable:

There was once a little boy who had a beautiful set of marbles. His friend, a little girl, had a bag of candy. When the boy had tired of playing with the marbles, he offered to trade the girl all his marbles for all her candy. Just before the trade was to be made, the boy looked over his marbles and selected his two favorites. He slipped them into his pocket, his agreement notwithstanding. Later that night, he lay awake. One thought burned its way through his mind: I wonder if she gave me all of the candy?

I offer this only as a possibility, and I’m open to refutation: Is it possible that it’s not what others are willing to do that drives our fears, but what we ourselves are willing to do? Is this why perfect love drives out all fears?

* I offer these only as thoughts, and I temper them with some modicum of hubris. The other night, I was faced with a drug-addicted friend of the former residents of my house. He wanted to know how many people were living at my house and offered with a smile that he already knew the layout of the inside of my dwelling. I didn’t sleep for several hours that night, worrying about the guy on the bicycle who stopped by that evening. I didn’t sleep until God gave me this verse from Psalm 121: “He who watches over Israel will neither sleep nor slumber.”

Faith and Politics: An Answer to the Question

I’ve wondered long, hard, and deep about a Christian’s role and responsibility within the political realm.  I’ve felt the waters as if with my pinkie finger, wanting so badly to bathe in the stream of that answer.  This morning the answer hit me like a flood.

A friend pointed out that Judaism is the only world religion in which faith seeks to inform power instead of grasping at it.  I understand now that a modern Christian’s responsibility is to do the same.  My friend put the Old Testament prophetic tradition into an entirely new context for me.  What is a prophet?  According to Abraham Heschel, a Jewish scholar, “The prophet is not only a prophet.  He is also poet, preacher, patriot, statesman, social critic, moralist.”

As American Christians, we are called to speak God’s Word.  We are called to speak prophetically.  We are called to start with the message of salvation and redemption, but we’re not to stop before addressing systemic oppression and the dirtier threads of the fabric of our society.

The answer for me came along with another set of questions.  My previous question (What should Christians be doing about politics?) became: What should I be doing to speak prophetically to our culture?  How can I best be a voice to the nations?  And what’s the weight of that task?

Faith and Patriotism

It seems I’m not the only person to struggle with the competing claims of my faith and my love of country.  President Andrew Johnson said, “I do believe in Almighty God! And I believe also in the Bible…Let us look forward to the time when we can take the flag of our country and nail it below the Cross, and there let it wave as it waved in the olden times, and let us gather around it and inscribed for our motto: “Liberty and Union, one and inseparable, now and forever,” and exclaim, Christ first, our country next!”

Audio Books I’ve Been Listening To

  • The Search: How Google and its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture, by John Battelle.  Fascinating listening.  Battelle knows his stuff, and presents a thoughtful, well-rounded look at search that ranges from the theoretical to the historical, anthropoligical, technological, and literary aspects of search.  He starts his book by examining what he calls the database of intentions.  This is the aggregate or click-stream that comes from people’s searching habits.  What people are searching for is what they care about.  You can see a snapshot of this at Google Zeitgeist.  For some damn reason, Battelle occassionally uses profanity when it’s probably not needed.  I found that *%^&ing odd.  In the epilogue, he lays out a brilliant narrative of the human search for immortality, drawing from the Epic of Gilgamesh, mankind’s earliest known writing. Overall, this book is moderately recommended.  I really enjoyed it, but I think most of my readership would just kinda’ enjoy it.
  • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey.  For some reason, I felt a little cheesy listening to this as an audio book.  I felt like I was back in the 80’s, listening to self-help literature on a cassette tape as I rush from one big-city sales meeting to another.  But the material itself was decent.  I’ve read the book twice previously, so it was mostly review for me.  But the author, who was also the reader, did throw in some new material by way of examples and such.  Covey’s psuedo-Christian Mormon-ness emerges pretty strongly.  Good concepts, though.  The book is divided into two parts.  In the first part, he sets up principles on which he bases the habit.  In the second part, he enumerates the habits themselves.  I found the second part particularly useful.
  • The DaVinci Code, by Dan Brown.  I’ve read the book, and I really enjoyed it.  I know what you’re thinking: “Isn’t that an anti-Christian book?”  Well, sorta.  It’s more anti-Catholic than anything.  It kind of promotes goddess worship and pagan practices.  By now you might think I’m looney or have turned from my faith or something because I said I enjoyed the book.  I assure you, I haven’t turned from my faith.  (I may be a little looney, though.  I’ll let you judge that for yourselves.)  The reason I enjoyed the book is that it’s darn good fiction.  It’s a fun read, and I’ve always been a sucker for a fun read.  Also, I have the ability to read critically.  I don’t believe or buy into everything I read.  I’m not going to read the DaVinci code and worship goddesses any more than I’m going to read it and start searching for the holy grail (also featured).  You see, Brown starts from a flawed premise: that right religion worships equal parts male and female god, and the Catholic church has been suppressing the female side of that equation for centuries.  He also has a bit of a flawed assumption that the (pre-Christian) ancients know more than we do today.  To assume such is to deny both the power of revelation and the wisdom gathered through a long lilterary tradition of philosophers, scientists and Christistian thinkers.  I’m able to enjoy the book because I can take the entire work as fiction and enjoy the story while analyzing and walling off the mistruths, flawed premises, and outright fabrications.  I listened to 6.25 hours of the audio book yesterday, so compelling is the storytelling.

If anyone wants to borrow any of these audio books, I have CDs of them.

Today Show Interview about The DaVinci Code

  • Ian McKellen, on whether there should be a disclaimer at the beginning of the movie to clarify that it’s fiction: “I’ve often thought there should be a disclaimer at the beginning of the Bible. I mean, walking on water? That takes a bit of…….faith or something.”
  • My response: “Yep, Ian, that’s what makes those things supernatural. When you start by acknowledging that such things don’t naturally happen, it means they’re miracles and thus worthy of the telling.”
  • Matt Laurer: “Paul, when you got the call that you were going to be the killer albino monk, how long did it take you to say yes?” Paul Bettany: “It took about ought-point-three seconds to say yes to that. It doesn’t matter what else you have going on. You can’t turn down an offer like that.”
  • My response: “I think if I got a call asking if I want to play a killer albino monk, I’d say yes, too. Who wouldn’t? I’m looking forward to seeing the movie just to see Paul Bettany. He’s great.”