[REFLECTING]

The Final Post

2009-02-18T12:09:00.000-08:00

This blog began in August of 2006. It was originally only going to be to document the trip out west for Whitney and I. Well, this has turned into quite a project of life. From faith, culture, family and simply my own pontification, this has been a wonderful space for me to think out loud with friends across the globe while in grad school.

This time seems to be fitting for a transition out of this blog and into a new medium of "onlineness". I have graduated from Fuller Seminary and will officially be beginning a church plant in urban Los Angeles beginning tomorrow in partnership with the PCUSA. I'm not sure what the new medium will be, but I will be on the lookout for it over the next six months.

If you know anybody in the Los Angeles area who might be interested, or in need, of a new faith community, please be sure to let me know and I would love to connect with them.

Thank you for all of the support on the blog, and I will let you know when we begin with a new online medium.

"Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."

Jesus

Christmas Vacation

2009-01-13T09:45:00.000-08:00

While we are not the Grizwalds, we were similiar to John Candy and Steve Martin in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles as it took us 23 hours to get from LA to Grand Rapids at the beginning of our holiday travels. (Including planes, buses and hitchhiking!) We eventually made it and had a lovely time with friends and family. After 6 days we ventured to Texas, where we spent the rest of our time. We had an equally joyful time with the Walkers... Here are images from the trip.

Whitney made her first snow angel!

We spent some time with Mark, Justin and Dawn at the cottage.

We went back to Hudsonville to see the Nedervelds.

Hanging out at Christmas with the Brost side of the family.

Christmas Eve... Leaving room for Natan, my future brother-in-law.

We had lunch with Grandma and Char at Yesterdogs.

The boys getting ready to go golfing in Texas.

Whitney and her parents at TCU.

The Walker family Christmas dinner.

THe new hot tub!

Semper Reformada

2008-12-30T08:07:00.000-08:00

My friend Paul and I have an ongoing conversation happening regarding the irony of churches professing the reformed tradition, yet forgetting one of the reformers central mottos... Semper Reformada... Always reforming.

He sent me a quote that he read from N.T. Wright yesterday.

"All this, of course, demands as well that the church itself be continually called to account, since we in our turn easily get it wrong and become part of the problem instead of part of the solution. That is why the church must be semper reformanda as it reads the Bible, especially the Gospels. Fortunately, that's what the Gospels are there for, and that's what they are good at, despite generations of so-called critical methods which sometimes seem to have been designed to prevent the Gospels from being themselves. Part of the underlying aim of this essay is to encourage readings of the Bible which, by highlighting the publicness of God and the gospel, set forward those reforms which will enable the church to play its part in holding the powers to account and thus advancing God's restorative justice."

ABC News: Christian Reality TV Arrives on Cable

2008-12-09T13:06:00.001-08:00

ABC News: Christian Reality TV Arrives on Cable

Posted using ShareThis

What do you think? Is this a good idea? Why?

Jay-Z

2008-12-08T09:08:00.000-08:00

Coldplay just came out with a new EP... I may be a bit bias, but I am finding it informative and entertaining. Jay-Z makes an appearance in the remix of the song Lost. For myself, a person about to graduate from grad school and for all beginning to embark upon a career, Jay-Z provides some prophetic words. (Or not?)

Aha, I gotcha, uh...
With the same sword they knight you, they gon' good night you with
Shit, that's only half if they like you
That ain't even the half what they might do
Don't believe me, ask Michael
See Martin, see Malcolm
See Biggie, see Pac, see success and its outcome
See Jesus, see Judas
See Caesar, see Brutus, see success is like suicide
Suicide, it's a suicide
If you succeed, prepare to be crucified
Media meddles, niggaz sue you, you settle
Every step you take, they remind you you're ghetto
So it's tough being Bobby Brown
To be Bobby then, you have to be Bobby now
And the question is, "Is to have had and lost
Better than not having at all?"
Because I'm...

Oh and I, just waiting ‘til the shine wears off
Oh and I, just waiting ‘til the shine wears off

KIVA

2008-12-03T09:26:00.000-08:00

I just got an email from Justin Beck regarding a new website that allows people to give loans that help create business in the two thirds world. Check it out if you get a chance.

www.kiva.org

From Stephanie

2008-11-25T07:31:00.000-08:00

This essay was written by a friend and fellow student at Fuller... She works at Starbucks and called the article Starbucks Church.

"I went to a meeting the other day. It was held in the youth rooms of a church in the neighborhood, and it was a wonderful opportunity to gather and reconnect with all the people who serve in similar ways in other parts of town. It was an ecumenical coming together of sorts - full of reunions and the expected awkward encounters.

We may have entered that church basement representing different communities, but we left knowing that we are truly one. The turning point, you see, was the unveiling of our new mission statement.

Our new mission statement is a living document, meant to direct us, inspire us, and remind us of why we do what we do. It lays out before us the vision. It is a vision which starts out as small as a cup of coffee and moves outward as we seek to connect with one another, with our neighborhood, wider community, and ultimately, with our global community. Our new mission statement challenges all of us to make the decision whether we are simply acting out of compliance or out of commitment fueled by passion for our vision. Our job, we are reminded, is not just a to-do list, but a way of life.

The first fruits of our new mission statement were evident in the videos and testimonies of those who had recently taken steps of service to various communities - walking in the direction of our clearly stated vision. They told stories of building houses in the Gulf Coast, medical clinics in Guatemala, shelters with running water in Costa Rica, advocating for workers all around the world, and setting the example for financial generosity in times of crisis. The world truly is looking to us to set the example, now more than ever.

Recently, 10,000 of our leaders gathered to reconnect with this vision. Bono, as a keynote speaker, inspired all of us to greater compassion and love for our neighbor. During the conference we also donated 50,000 hours of service to the local Katrina ravaged community. We discovered that serving together is truly what connects us. We were reminded that this connection is the core of our mission.

As we start the new year, we will begin with a renewed commitment to love our neighbor, both next door and around the world. We will begin the new year with a commitment to act compassionately and intentionally as we seek to take practical steps that will make this world a better place. We will leave this meeting reminded of why we do what we do. Every single day.

As a Master of Divinity student committed to a life of full time ministry, I came out of this district Starbucks meeting feeling both inspired and unsettled. On one level, it seems that Starbucks is living out the calling of the Church, and doing much better at it! As someone deeply committed to social justice, I am excited to be a part of an organization actually taking steps in raising awareness and encouraging widespread community involvement. I will gladly participate in this awareness raising as I call out beverages in “product red” cups and explain our vision to customers. I will enthusiastically join in with neighborhood service projects. I will proudly be a part of this movement.

As someone deeply committed to the Gospel, I am also left with a feeling of unsettledness. A couple weeks ago the question was posed to me by my pastor: is Christ essential to your life, or just helpful? This question has not escaped my mind and now haunts my reflections on this newfound Starbucks mission. As I reflect on the mission of the church to be engaged in social justice, I wonder in what ways the church should look more like Starbucks, and more importantly, how we should look different. If, in fact, Starbucks has perfected the vision of us justice-loving church types, then we should be unsettled by the fact that they have achieved it without ever explicitly implicating the Gospel in the process. So as we pursue justice and further act out what it means to love our neighbor, let’s ask ourselves how Christ is essential in the process, and not just helpful.

It would be a good conversation to have over a fresh brewed cup of product red® Christmas® blend.

Onward!

Our Starbucks Mission:
To inspire and nurture the human spirit— one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.
Here are the principles of how we live that every day:
Our Coffee
It has always been, and will always be, about quality. We’re passionate about ethically sourcing the finest coffee beans, roasting them with great care, and improving the lives of people who grow them. We care deeply about all of this; our work is never done.
Our Partners
We’re called partners, because it’s not just a job, it’s our passion. Together, we embrace diversity to create a place where each of us can be ourselves. We always treat each other with respect and dignity. And we hold each other to that standard.
Our Customers
When we are fully engaged, we connect with, laugh with, and uplift the lives of our customers— even if just for a few moments. Sure, it starts with the promise of a perfectly made beverage, but our work goes far beyond that. It’s really about human connection.
Our Stores
When our customers feel this sense of belonging, our stores become a haven, a break from the worries outside, a place where you can meet with friends. It’s about enjoyment at the speed of life—sometimes slow and savored, sometimes faster. Always full of humanity.
Our Neighborhood
Every store is part of a community, and we take our responsibility to be good neighbors seriously. We want to be invited in wherever we do business. We can be a force for positive action— bringing together our partners, customers, and the community to contribute every day. Now we see that our responsibility—and our potential for good—is even larger. The world is looking to Starbucks to set the new standard, yet again. We will lead.
Our Shareholders
We know that as we deliver in each of these areas, we enjoy the kind of success that rewards our shareholders. We are fully accountable to get each of these elements right so that Starbucks—and everyone it touches—can endure and thrive.
Onward.'

New Images

2008-11-23T19:45:00.001-08:00

Here are some images of the latest in our lives in Pasadena.

We went to Pebble Beach to visit Grandma and Neal with our friends the Masts'.

We saw two of our favorite bands Sigur Ros and Glen Hansard.

We went to another game at the Rose Bowl with the MsCormick's.

Mary and Kyle came to visit.

We went to San Diego for a church planting assessment.

Whitney and I spent an extra couple of days playing in San Diego after the assessment.

Graduation is only a couple of weeks away. It is remarkable how fast this time at Fuller has gone. I will keep in touch on this blog as to Whitney and I's next moves.

African American Baptists

2008-11-20T16:19:00.000-08:00

Here is a film that I produced for a class called the Church and Mission. We had two assignments that we had to do for the class within a team setting. The first assignment was to create a wiki, which is still emerging, but you can view at

http://ftsmc500.wetpaint.com/?mail=1134

The other assignment that we had to do was to create a youtube video. Here is the youtube video that we created exploring some of the beginning post-colonial trends in African American Baptists.

StoryBuilding

2008-11-17T17:19:00.000-08:00

So I have been imagining how much fun it would be to create stories with people using the internet as the medium to provide this opportunity for community creative writing. I would love to launch a big fancy website to do this, but I do not know how to launch big and fancy websites. Instead, while bored in class today, I created this website.

http://storybuilder.wetpaint.com/

Check it out (the instructions are on the page) if you are interested in participating in story creation with other people. This is an experiment and we'll see how it turns out.

New Music Video From Sigur Ros

2008-11-10T17:42:00.000-08:00

Posture

2008-10-20T16:10:00.000-07:00

You are like this hummingbird.
"Supposed" to be flapping wings at a chaotic pace to stay afloat.
However, instead you stand quietly,
full of confidence
in the midst of the chaos of the "wing flapping world" that surrounds.

A Mustard Plant in Israel

2008-10-15T13:58:00.000-07:00

Well this image certainly changes things.

N.T. Wright in the Colbert Nation

2008-10-15T13:53:00.000-07:00

Implications of Empire

2008-10-09T18:20:00.000-07:00

A friend recently shared a N.T. Wright lecture with me via podcast. I was struck by his reflections, as has been increasingly common in my life with Wright's work. With the current Empire of the West, led by the waning efforts of the American economy, we find importance in the Gospel of John. In John 18:38 we encounter the representative of the Empire of Rome asking Jesus a question. Pilate, the representative, asks, "What is truth?" Do you remember Jesus' response? I certainly did not. And I did not remember because the writer of John does not include Jesus' response. Instead, the writer goes on to tell the story of Jesus' journey to the cross, as if the writer highlights that Truth is not best articulated through words of information, but rather through the atoning actions of the one who ushers in the Kingdom of God. So as the emerging post-modern West continues to struggle over the question of Truth, maybe the actions of Christ over the course of the final three chapters of the book of John, can become part of the conversation.

Canonization Part 2

2008-10-07T11:12:00.001-07:00

Along with the previous post regarding canonization goes the following image. I have found this image extremely helpful in placing different books of the Hebrew Bible in their correct place with the canon and history. (Click on the image to enlarge it. You could also save this image as your desktop to memorize it!)

Canonization

2008-10-07T11:08:00.000-07:00

The process of the canonization of the Bible has recently been intriguing to me. I have especially found the canonization of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) interesting due to a class that I am currently taking. The following quote compares the canon that Protestant Christians landed upon to the canon within Jusaism. The picture that follows the quote provides a visual representation of the differences. The subject is multi-layered and confusing, but well worth a close look.

“Another arrangement of the biblical books, apparently current in the ancient Jewish community of Alexandria, is preserved in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the [Hebrew] Bible. In this three-part division, the historical books are grouped together (Genesis through Kings with Ruth added after Judges, followed by Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther); the poetic books follow (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs); and the prophetic books (here including Daniel) conclude the canon. This generic grouping fails to keep the Torah in a class by itself and identifies prophecy as the climax of the Bible. These two features may account for the acceptance of this division in the Christian world, since Christianity abrogated Torah law and saw its own gospel as the fulfillment of Old Testament messianic prophecies.”

Baruch J. Schwartz, “Bible,” in R.J. Z. Werblowksy and G. Wigoder (eds.), The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), p. 121.

Globalization

2008-09-30T17:21:00.001-07:00

The Latest Images

2008-09-25T13:43:00.001-07:00

Here are some images of the latest in our lives.

We always enjoy our time with Ryan and Jodi down in Seal Beach.

We went to Puerto Vallarta with Justin and Dawn.

We still love Korean BBQ in K-Town at Manna.

Here are images from a part that GPC threw for us to say thanks for our time that we spent with the church. (However, since that time we have committed to staying on to develop Young Adult Ministry for the church. We are very excited!)

We went inside of the Rose Bowl for the first time.

I start classes on Monday. This means that I will be finished with my work here at Fuller in a mere 10 weeks. Craziness! In many ways it feels as if we just arrived. Whitney and I plan on spending a large portion of time over the next three months working through processes of decision making for what life after Fuller might look like. It will be a unique time in life as we continue in our prayer of "having wisdom in the unfolding of life". We are excited as we continue to learn that education is just the beginning, not the ending! Gitty up...

Books

2008-09-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

I have been fortunate to have had the past five weeks to set apart as a time to read and reflect as I have been on summer vacation. As a result, I would highly recommend all of the following books to all whom might be willing to engage with their thoughts.

The Starfish and the Spider by Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom
(A buiness book about the importance and power of decentralizing leadership.)

The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch
(A book about reactivating the missional church.)

The Shaping of Things to Come by Alan Hirsch
(A prerequisite for the Forgotten Ways.)

Jesus Wants to Save Christians by Rob Bell
(An overview of the new exodus perspective.)

The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
(A look at discipleship in the midst of suffering.)

The Shack by William P. Young
(A creative and fun perspective upon the trinity.)

Reasons to Believe by John Marks
(An atheists perspective upon Evangelical Christianity.)

Reasons to Believe by N.T. Wright and Marcus Borg
(Two contrasting views upon the historical Jesus.)

Emerging Churches by Eddie Gibbs and Ryan Bolger
(A report upon some developments throughout the US and the UK regarding the emerging church.)

Judges and the Detroit Tigers

2008-09-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

The book of Judges is found in the Hebrew Bible and is one of the most disturbing books in the whole of God's story. The Detroit Tigers are a MLB team in the AL Central and had the most disappointing season in its teams history. The book of Judges and the 2008 Detroit Tigers share a similar story. Here are five similarities...

1.)
Judges begins with two separate introductions, both signaling toward the dark that is to come in the following chapters. (Judges 1:1-3:6)

The Tigers began this year 0 and 7, including being swept by both the KC Royals and the Chicago White Sox, signaling the disaster of a season that was upon us.

2.)
The LORD promises that he will raise up judges to save the people from oppression. (Judges 2:18)

Different Tigers throughout the season seemed as if they might save the team from humiliation. (Remember Thames' streak? Granderson's return? Galarraga's consistency?)

3.)
The negative foreshadowing that is presented in Judges 1:1 to 3:6 does not seem as if it will be correct as the first few judges that come into leadership are "not that bad", and even appear to be heroic from time to time. (Othniel, Deborah, Barak, Midian)

The 0 and 7 start was forgotten as the Tigers clawed their way to a 52 and 49 record, and even appeared to be in the hunt as they welcomed the White Sox into Comerica Park on Friday, July 25th for a weekend series with the division leaders.

4.)
When the judges died, the people returned to their corrupt ways, however, their practices were even more evil and stubborn than before. (Judges 2:19)

When Thames' streak ended, Ganderson's return soon went south, and Galarraga's arm grew tired, the Tiger's record dipped lower and lower than ever expected

5.)
The intentional foreshadowing in the beginning chapters of Judges turns out to be true as the people of Israel end up killing and raping their own.

The foreshadowing of the 0 and 7 start ends up to be true as the Tigers and their $137,290,196 payroll are officially in LAST PLACE, being overtaking by none other than the... KC Royals.

Just as I am thankful for stories after Judges, namely the birth of Samuel and the progression of the story of God's people toward David, and then of course to David's second son, Jesus, I too am thankful for the hope that 2009 might bring for motown baseball. While despair is near for Tiger fans right now, maybe we can take heart in the post-Judges world of the Biblical narrative!

Greg Laswell: How The Day Sounds

2008-08-13T14:07:00.001-07:00

Oh who would have ever known this?
Could be this easy
I was a long, long way off
Then just like that it was over
Everything I knew of love
I was a long, long way off

And I think I like how the day sounds
Like how the day sounds through this new song

Thank you for opening the window
The sky is clear as my mind is now
I was a long, long way off
Join me in welcoming the sun in
It's much brighter than the night I hid in
I was a long, long way off

And I think I like how the day sounds
Like how the day sounds through this new song
And I think I like how the day sounds
Like how the day sounds through this new song

From a long way down.

Yeah, it's well worth the time that its taken to get here now
Yeah, it's well worth the time that its taken to get here now

Ba da dum...

So go ahead and bang a gong
Nothing can drown out the sound and the whisper of my love

And I think I like how the day sounds
Like how the day sounds through this new song
And I think I like how the day sounds
Like how the day sounds through this new song
Through this new song
Through this new song

And the blinds have all been drawn
I know where I belong, where I belong,
Where I belong
And the blinds have all been drawn
I know where I belong
Where I belong

And I think I like how the day sounds
Like how the day sounds through this new song
And I think I like how the day sounds
Like how the day sounds through this new song

Oh, won't you sing along
Oh, my love won't you sing along
Oh, won't you sing along
Oh, my love won't you sing along
Oh, won't you sing along
Oh, my love won't you sing along
Oh, won't you sing along
Oh, my love won't you sing along

Two films... Two Extremes.

2008-06-20T06:23:00.000-07:00

I have seen a couple films over the past week that were on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. The first film, Whitney and I saw in the theater and frankly, we were reminded why it can be so depressing to spend over eleven dollars a ticket on a film in the box office. We decided to see M. Night Shyamalan's new film, The Happening, on Tuesday night. Even in the midst of a lowly 2 and a half stars on Google, we took the advice from some friends, and belief in M. Night Shyamalan's previous work (The Village, The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs) and walked down to the theater. This was a mistake. Now looking at Rotten Tomatoes (a HORRIBLE 19% rating) and laughing through a movie that was not supposed to be funny, I hope that you will never waste two hours of your life on this film... (Or at least wait until you can put in on your Netflix queue!) The premise of the film was brilliant, but as far as the execution of how it came together, especially in the acting, the movie fell apart. After Shyamalan's Lady in the Water, 2006, and now this debacle, I am beginning to wonder if he was lost his touch???

On the other end of the spectrum, Whitney and I saw Lars and the Real Girl last night. Wow! So original, so thought provoking, so creative... This was, as the New York Times reported, the near perfect film with flawless acting. Seeing these two films side by side reminded me of two things. The first is the importance of acting, and second is the unimportance of the potential within original idea. Shyamalan's idea was brilliantly creative, true to our time, and attention grabbing. (The earth balancing back against humans for all that we have done to the planet through the natural processes of plants.) Lars and the Real Girl was about a man's relationship with a plastic sex doll. (Hardly a wealth of potential!) The potential in original ideas did not compare, however the acting of the cast of Lars and the Real Girl brought the film to life, while the acting of the cast in The Happening killed the original idea from the beginning.

I hope that you spend some time with Lars and the Real Girl. A surprise film and one of the top ten films from 2007.

Whitney's Show

2008-06-17T16:46:00.000-07:00

Another big step has occurred for Whitney and her art. Recently Whitney Warnes Photography has become a reality as she has been shooting photography for people. Some of her clients have been Fuller Theological Seminary for their magazines and website, head shots for individuals, and art for local musicians. Another step in Whitney's career includes displaying her art for the public. This has now become a reality as Whitney's art is now being shown at Coffee by the Books, a local coffee shop connected to Fuller's book store. Here are some images of the process in displaying her art... From setting the pictures on the wall to the show, the following is a collage of what is being displayed right now at Coffee by the Books.

Here are some pics setting up for the display.

Some of the pictures came crashing down after everything was all set up. We had to buy more frames and continue to work to get set up for the big night.

Here is the setup before the show began. After a week of anticipating, the display looked perfect just prior to the show. (Thanks to Grandma and Neil for their contribution ot the show in providing the flowers!)

Here is Whitney just prior to the beginning of the show. Everything looked perfect!

Here are some images of people enjoying Whitney's art.

Whitney's art continues to be on display in the local coffee shop. If you are in the area, be sure to stop by to support Whitney in her gifts.

Surprised?

2008-06-04T10:59:00.001-07:00

1 Peter and James both begin with the most peculiar of introductions.

1 Peter
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

James
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.

So from the very beginning we learn that part of being of person belonging to God includes becoming a chosen exile... A scattered people. It begins in Genesis 3, does it not? Adam and Eve being exiled from Eden. Abraham is chosen by God to scatter. As is Joseph and a host of others throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. Then we come to Christ. Exiled from the presence of God to take on flesh. Exiled from his home town. Exiled away form God once again on the cross. The tradition of being a chosen stranger runs deep throughout the Bible.

So much for prosperity Gospel. (At least prosperity as some define what it means to be prosperous.)

To finish with words from 1 Peter...

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And,

“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

Smore Pics

2008-05-29T22:54:00.000-07:00

The Becks came to town... Here are some pics of our activities for the weekend...

Pics

2008-05-21T15:30:00.001-07:00

Its been a while since I have posted any pictures from recent happenings in Los Angeles... Here are some of the latest...

Whitney and I went to Pebble Beach for our anniversary and to see our family over Easter... We rented a convertible and drove up the PCH all the way from Malibu to Pebble Beach.

I went to Arizona for my friend Ben's Wedding...

While Whitney was in Cancun with her friend Mary...

We've been to many Dodger Games... And sat right behind Matthew McConaughey and his lady for one of the games!

Whitney is still beautiful...

I have been playing slow pitch softball!

Life is good out here in California... Justin and Dawn Beck are coming this evening and we are looking forward to spending some time with our closest friends... I'll post pics of their trip soon...

Blessings...

Tigers Pitching Stats

2008-05-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

There is an informative article on the Detroit Tigers pitching at

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080512/SPORTS0104/805120356/1004/SPORTS

Here are some scary statistics... I find quality starts to be most disturbing...

Justin Verlander
2008
W-L IP H ER BB K ERA
1-6 49 51 35 21 30 6.43

2007
4-1 49 44 15 16 36 2.76

2006
5-3 51 46 18 14 27 3.18

Jeremy Bonderman
2008
W-L IP H ER BB K ERA
2-4 45 46 24 29 25 4.80

2007
3-0 53 52 21 12 46 3.57

2006
4-2 53 42 22 13 47 3.74

Nate Robertson
2008
W-L IP H ER BB K ERA
1-4 40.2 52 30 11 31 6.64

2007
3-3 49.2 56 20 12 26 3.62

2006
4-2 46.1 45 18 17 29 3.50

Kenny Rogers
2008
W-L IP H ER BB K ERA
3-3 43.1 53 28 21 22 5.82

2007
3-2 44 45 22 14 25 4.50

2006
6-2 52 47 19 13 27 3.23

The Tigers are last in the majors in ERA and quality starts (three earned runs or fewer over six innings). The best and worst in both categories (not including Sunday's games):

Earned-run average
1. Oakland 3.25
2. Atlanta 3.54
3. Arizona 3.61
4. Cleveland 3.62
5. White Sox 3.66

26. Milwaukee 4.64
27. Colorado 4.66
28. Washington 4.69
29. Pittsburgh 4.98
30. Detroit 5.09

Quality starts
1. Arizona 23
2. Cleveland 22
3. San Diego 22
4. Boston 21
5. White Sox 21

26. Florida 14
27. Pittsburgh 13
28. Colorado 13
29. Dodgers 12
30. Detroit 9

Row 316

2008-05-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

Our community at church has captured a vision to shed some light on Skid Row in Los Angeles. Long story short, we will be working to gather and distribute 316 bags of resources for people on Skid Row. The project is called Row 316. If you are interested in filling a bag, getting others to fill bags, or helping distribute bags in July on Skid Row, please let me know. You could also join the facebook group or the myspace group. Here is the advertisement that we made for the project...

Viva La Vida

2008-05-12T20:31:00.000-07:00

With the pre order of Coldplay's newest album (Viva La Vida) you can get the title track of the album. There seem to be mixed reviews around SoCal, but I am in, and am in the process of both enjoying and processing the track... You can also buy a new Coldplay track titled Violet Hill on iTunes...

Anyone else heard these songs yet?

Shifting Ecclesial Leadership (Intro)

2008-05-11T18:17:00.001-07:00

This essay will begin with three important definitions that will lay the frame for the arguments in the text to follow. The first important definition is that of the modern self. The modern self articulates a reality that one’s personal identity and destiny should be the self-construction of a rational, autonomous individual. The second important definition that will be important for this paper will be that of the post modern self. In remaining cohesive with the definition for the modern self, the post modern self then articulates a reality that happens both in and beyond the self-construction of a rational, autonomous individual. The final framing definition that will be important to lie in moving forward will be that of church. In its most simple form, church is the group of people called out by God. Of all of the Gospel writers, Matthew is the only one who tells of Jesus using a word that we now translate as church, and he only uses the word three times. The word is e˙kklhsi÷a and is a construction of two words, ek (out) and kalew (to call). In its most literal sense, this word is translated as those who are called out. Yet the obvious question remains, called out for what? The church is a group of people, called out by God in order to render the meaning of the drama of redemption in new sociohistorical contexts through its corporate life. Other important definitions will be handled later as these definitions will be more fluid depending upon the lens, modern or post modern, that the words are viewed through.
The church’s story in North America is deeply immersed within the story of modernity. This is problematic for the church in that the majority of North Americans no longer view the world through a modern lens. The spectacles that North Americans now where are of a postmodern bend. Since the church’s role in the world is to render the meaning of the drama of redemption in new sociohistorical contexts through its corporate life, the church’s job is now to properly respond to this earth-shaking shift from modernity to post modernity. Throughout time, people have responded to the vision and action of leaders. Whether it is responding to the leadership of Martin Luther in the Reformation, or the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. in the civil rights movement, leadership is required for change to happen. This paper will begin by examining the ecclesial leadership of Jesus and Paul. I will then move into arguing that ecclesial leadership needs to begin equipping the church to shift toward a proper balance of orthodoxy and orthopraxy through prioritizing orthokrisis.

Shifting Ecclesial Leadership (Jesus and Paul)

2008-05-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

Jesus has been the most influential leader in the history of humanity. No other human has had the impact that Christ has had on the world. His leadership was unique in modernity and continues to be unique in post modernity. However, the church, within either modernity or post modernity, valued different aspects of the leadership of Jesus. As an illustration, the church of modernity looked at Jesus as an orchestra maestro. The one whom stands before the orchestra and instructs the followers exactly what to play, at what time, how loud, and in what count. A scriptural example of Jesus as leader to the modern church would have been the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5-7 is filled with straightforward advice on how to act within the world. Jesus’ words were filled with wisdom on what to do, what not to do, who is blessed and who is not. He gives a very specific way to pray, he speaks of light and dark, and gives concise instruction on fasting. All in all, his words as a leader were succinct, to the point, and while they were life altering, they were regularly black and white. On the other hand, the church in the post modern world should view the leader Jesus as the point person for a jazz band. Quoting Eddie Gibbs,

“The jazz band leader is in facilitating creative improvisation by every member of the group… Jazz bands cannot simply be assembled on the spot as a group of strangers able to perform together. Time is required for each player to understand the others’ personalities and style.”

In other words, jazz bands require relationship. Scripturally this type of leadership is seen in Jesus as he functions in relationships with the people that he pursued. He tells them stories that connect the ultimate reality of God to their personal stories. Jesus as this type of leader is encountered as he speaks the Parable of the Shrewd Manager to the Pharisees, or as he tells numerous farming parables to a people whose lives are centered upon farming. His words are relevant to the current cultural context that he is dwelling within. Both modern and postmodern contexts have allowed the church to highlight Jesus as a leader. While the emphasis on different scriptures may be different for the two contexts, overall Jesus’ revolutionary message and leadership create space for influence in either.
While the church within modernity may never admit it, in many ways, the apostle Paul was their “leader” of choice. Much more than that of the life and ministry of Jesus, Paul set forth a relatively rational approach to reality. From the earlier definition of modernity, a rational approach to reality fits well. So as Paul writes letter after letter to communities articulating logical hierarchal ecclesial structures, laying forth rational systematic theologies, and communicating numerous black and white lists of “dos” and “don’ts”, the modern church latched on in agreement. However, the transition into post modernity does not mean the death of Paul as a leader! In fact, there are two clear examples of how post modernity will bring to light a different side of his person. The first side of Paul as leader that will be rediscovered in post modernity is his relational side. People of the postmodern generation do not prefer to live in isolation, and neither did Paul. For example, Paul lived in Ephesus for 27 to 36 months, building relationship networks with people and therefore building the church. The second side of Paul’s leadership that will be better articulated in post modernity will be his passion for different people groups and for diversity. There is increased differentiation and fragmentation in the postmodern world, as there was in the numerous different communities that Paul spent time leading. Unlike the majority of the modern world, the postmodern world celebrates diversity. Paul also celebrated diversity, and this was especially made known in Paul’s letter to Galatia as he wrote that all are one. “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Similar to the leadership of Jesus, the leadership of Paul can handle both modern and post modern contexts.
The leadership gifts of both Jesus and Paul are able to sustain either modern or postmodern contexts. We must not make the “modern” mistake in our shift into post modernity of forgetting the work of modernity. I submit that unlike modernity, post modernity gives humanity the opportunity to better “balance”. Whatever the balance may be, leaders must encourage churches into balance, rather than into extremes. So often modernity became a time for extremes. The time was filled with the divisive “either/or” framework of speech, thought and action. Post modernity is an opportunity to leave behind the division of “either/or”, and emphasize the balance that comes in “both/and” thinking, speech and action. The most important balance for leaders within the church in the culture of post modernity will be the proper balance of orthodoxy and orthopraxy. So often the either/or of modernity led churches to only focus on one or the other. The rest of this paper will argue that the people in North American churches that 21st century ecclesial leaders will be leading, strongly desire a proper balance of both orthodoxy and orthopraxy, which will best be able to happen with an emphasis upon the often missing link between the two, orthokrisis.

Shifting Ecclesial Leadership (Orthodoxy)

2008-05-11T18:15:00.002-07:00

Just as the church in modernity may have valued Paul over Jesus, so the church in modernity also valued a proper orthodoxy over a proper orthopraxy. Ortho means “a right sense of” and doxy means “praise”. Literally orthodoxy means a right sense of praise. However, over time, and especially within the movement of the Enlightenment, the definition of orthodoxy has come to deal with a right sense of thought, and has often been used to define one’s thinking as either right or wrong. The either/or nature of orthodoxy fit well within modernity but does not fit well in post modernity. Leadership must become aware of a more balanced understanding of orthodoxy in our current cultural shift. Similar to what we read in the first century church, this balance includes a host of different “orthodoxies” and includes the different orthodoxies at the table of conversation. The next step in equipping leaders will be to encourage this process through a reclaiming of the drama of the gospel.
The first step to coming to a balanced orthodoxy is recapturing the drama of the
Gospel. Van Hoozer quotes Dorothy Sayers in The Drama of Doctrine,

“The gospel is the greatest drama that has ever been staged… A terrifying drama of which God is both the victim and the hero!”

Since the gospel is dramatic, so ought be our orthodoxies that attempt to articulate this gospel. Modernity raped drama from reality, minimizing knowledge, and therefore orthodoxy, to merely information. The modern hope was that scientific progress would lead us to universal agreement through the use of the same reliable methods. Unfortunately this led to universal rationality, which led to propositionalist theology, which was guilty of dedramatizing Scripture. While information, the pursuit of universal agreement and rationality are not bad, to minimize reality to such nonsense is at best bad, and at worst sinful. Leaders must lead the church away from such a narrow understanding of orthodoxy and back into the drama of the story.
What faith seeks to understand is dramatic and needs to be discovered within the context of community. In modernity, it was popular to seek understanding or “orthodoxy” as an individual, often separated from the community. Leadership must encourage the church into a better balance of seeking understanding, and therefore the dramatic in both personal and communal settings. Those whom follow ecclesial leaders should no longer be seen as passive recipients of information, but as co creators of the orthodoxy of drama. This takes imagination, a scary concept for the modern self, especially within the context of community. However, leaders must help this transition of community imagination in order to articulate orthodoxy to happen. But to what end? VanHoozer reminds us that, “the most accurate measure of faith’s understanding (orthodoxy) is how well we participate.” Our measure of orthodoxy then leads us to encourage a proper balance of orthopraxy (right sense of “participation”) with the community’s orthodoxy.

Shifting Ecclesial Leadership (Orthopraxy)

2008-05-11T18:15:00.001-07:00

The way that leaders practice their leadership is the first example of proper orthopraxy for our post modern context. Eddie Gibbs writes,

“Decisions will be made in an operational, rather than policy based structure and therefore must be made as close to the operation in progress as possible by those individuals most directly involved. On the other hand, the decisions are made as a community to the network for input by anyone who can make a worthwhile contribution.”

An operational model of leadership is more malleable and therefore better able to organically move within different contexts. A policy-based structure, which was often implemented in modernity, is less efficient and less able to meet the “operational” needs of the community and the world surrounding the community. This sort of a model of leadership is more inclusive not of all, but of all who make a worthwhile contribution to the community. The ecclesial leadership of post modernity will look more to what an individual has contributed to the community, rather than other assets such as socio economic class, knowledge, or power. Also, one will become a leader not by certain seminary credentials or ordination rights, but by contributing (or practicing) within the community. In short, leadership decisions will be made by people who are invested in the community. Leadership in post modernity must embody these necessary elements by flattening structures through operational leadership and through leadership based upon community contribution.
Most, if not all of ecclesial leadership literature for shifting into post modernity puts a strong emphasis on mission. Eddie Gibbs notes,
“In the shift from a being a predominantly church society to one which is unchurched must recognize their need to turn inside out. In other words, the focus of attention will not be on running programs in order to gather the congregation together, but on equipping people to exercise its God entrusted mission to the world.”

He also adds,

“Most churches are overly preoccupied with what happens in the sanctuary and the church hall. The main purpose of church leaders is to organize events and run programs which are attractive, relevant, and sufficiently publicize to draw people on to their turf.”

The bottom line is that a monumental shift has happened. The shift can be summed in movement. The church’s focus cannot be focused inward, but rather outward. Our movement, as Gibbs wrote, must be inside out. With our previous thought of orthodoxy in mind, our community orthodoxy must not be filled with propositional information, but by viewing our right sense of thought (the Bible) as a script that calls for faithful yet creative performance. This is the heart of orthopraxy that leadership must encourage the next generation of Christians, an inside out mission that flows from a faithful, yet creative participation in the redeeming work of the triune God.

Shifting Ecclesial Leadership (Orthokrisis)

2008-05-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

The bridge that has been missing in helping orthodoxy and orthopraxy to fall into balance for communities has been the missing emphasis upon orthokrisis. Orthokrisis means a right sense of “judgement”. For our context, the right sense of judgment will pertain to leadership reclaiming a proper balance of orthodoxy and orthopraxy through mission, as mission is a tangible reality that requires such a balance. After reading numerous authors reflecting upon ecclesiology within postmodernity, such as Bolger, Gibbs, VanHoozer, Newbigin, and Guder, I have learned that all of them have a strong focus upon mission and especially upon sending. Apostolos is the Greek word “to send”. The gift of apostleship is directly related with the verb to send. Within the different mini narratives of post modern North America , it will will be key for leaders to equip communities for sending. And this sending, as stated earlier, will require othrokrisis.
Newbigin reminds leaders of orthokrisis and therefore “of sending”, again, to remember the effects of modernity that still exists within our post modern culture.
“The missionary challenge of the church amidst a postmodern, post-Christian West is enormous. The church finds itself sharing the gospel with a culture that, on the one hand, is permeated by the heritage of the Enlightenment and modernity and, on the other hand, by postmodern nihilism and hopelessness.”

So as we send, we must remember that part of post modernity is modernity. Like a tile that is part of a mosaic, so is modernity within the context of post modernity. The heritage is long, and thick and still plays a role in the lives and systems that we participate within today.
Just as modernity is a tile on the mosaic of post modernity, so there are numerous other tiles needing redeeming power of God. This is where a good balance of orthodoxy and orthopraxy will be needed as we move deeper into the 21st century. Orthodoxy and orthopraxy will look different for each of these tiles, and therefore, leaders will have to equip the church with orthokrisis for engaging balance within different mini narratives. While each of these tiles have a story behind why they are a part of the post modern mosaic, not all of the tiles are complete in their story. Indeed, none of us have ever known such a time as this when so many of the stories of the people that surround us are void of the larger narrative of God’s redeeming love. The storylessness of this generation is our opportunity. Leaders must be wise in both knowing (orthodoxy) the different stories of the post modern mosaic and practicing (orthopraxy) within the mini narratives. Orthokrisis is most necessary to do this. A right sense of judgement will allow apostles to proclaim where the light of God is shining on tiles, and may discern and drive out darkness that keeps tiles from fully experiencing the light.

Shifting Ecclesial Leadership (Conclusion)

2008-05-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

The leadership of Jesus and Paul transcend beyond time and space. While different portions of their leadership will be prioritized within post modernity, their stories will still engage the next generation of leaders. Modernity often led humanity into extremes. This was no different for leaders leading the church into either the extreme of orthodoxy or orthopraxy. Post modernity is an opportunity to put these two important aspects of life in the Kingdom back into balance. Orthokrisis is the bridge that can help this to happen. The right sense of judgment that will be most helpful in attaining balance between orthodoxy and orthopraxy is through mission. In the end, it is the church’s greatest privilege and responsibility to equip apostles with the meaning of the drama of God’s redemption in new contexts through its corporate life. The is the primary job of leaders in equipping the saints for the shift from modernity into postmodernity.

Iraq and Film

2008-04-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

There have been numerous attempts to tell stories about the Iraq war through film. In fact, if "Iraq" is typed into imdb.com (internet movie data base), 256 hits appear, most of which are documentaries. Surprisingly, very few of these 256 films have lived up to any sort of hype that has surrounded them.

I remember leaving the movie theater after viewing the 2005 film Jarhead. Also attending the movie were some families from my church, one of which had a son in Iraq, fighting in the war. I also distinctly remember the reaction that this family had to Jarhead after viewing the film. They were upset... No... They were livid. Why? Because nothing happened in the movie, except a soldier's long walk through an oil field being covered in "America's gold". I think that the family was expecting the next great war epic... Especially with all the popular Vietnam tales that told of Americas heroic posture. However, Jarhead, and most of the movies created about Iraq are different. The posture is different.

Whitney and I view a little known movie last night that carries an intriguing story. It was called In the Valley of Elah and was probably the most engaging story that we have seen about the war. This movie, like other Iraq war movies, did not have a posture of confidence, but rather of humility.
But rather than leaning upon divisive political views, the movie told the story of a father (ex war hero) seeking to redeem the name of his son (embarrassed at war). The shift that occurred in the generation of army men was stunning. If you get a chance, please see this film, as I think that it is a fair image of the story of the war.

Systematics 3

2008-04-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

I thought that it might be fun to video some lecture from a class at Fuller. (I know, I know... The manifestation of excitement may be overwhelming!) Welcome to classroom Payton 301 for Systematics 3 (eschatology and ecclesiology) with Veli Matti Karkkainen.

Feasting

2008-04-12T09:41:00.000-07:00

He prided himself upon feasting. Every day was a feast and he took pride in its fruit. Feasting was directly connected to celebration, and celebration tied to abundance in life. Every cup of coffee, every conversation, every deal completed, every glass of wine, every morning, every noon, every evening was calling for celebration. He felt that all were called to be great celebrators, maybe they wouldn't be able to celebrate as well as he could, but they were still called to be a feasting people. However, one morning he woke up and didn't find celebration in the cup of coffee. In fact, the experience of the oily water was rather mundane. Conversations also grew burdensome, as people all seemed to always want to speak of the same things... Namely themselves. Another deal was completed, and another, and another and another, and ten more, but what was another deal? It was certainly not longer a feast of adrenaline, but rather another opportunity to top himself in climbing a higher mountain. But his legs were tired. And the wine... no... not the wine... it also no longer tasted of a celebration, but rather more like a coma... Numb and empty. Void of any of the expressions that it had previously manifested over his tongue. Feasting and celebration had turned cold. Until he stopped. He stopped drinking, he stopped feasting, and he stopped celebrating. HE FASTED. And to his surprise abundance again poured in. There was life in the fast. And when it came time to once again drink coffee and wine, to do deals, and to dialogue with humanity, the feast returned. Celebration returned in the balance of the feast and the fast.

Continuing a Ritual

2008-04-02T22:22:00.000-07:00

As I look back upon the past year and a half of blogging I see a pretty steady pattern of experiences mixed with classes. Some pictures and some stories typically comprise the experiences, while the thinking typically comes from the classes. While this quarter will be filled with new experiences, I want to begin to highlight some thinking that will happen via academia. For the next ten weeks I will be delving into the depths of worship, James, 1 Peter, ecclesiology and and eschatology. I know, I know... These classes may sound too pregnant with excitement for anyone to bear, yet I really am excited to share experience in these classes that I will be experiencing in the next 10 weeks.

I thought that I would begin with a simple reflection upon the systematic theology of ecclesiology and eschatology. To even mutter the word systematic in a post modern culture may seem heretical, yet I think I am learning otherwise. May I quote my professor Veli-Matti Karkkainen in his definition of systematic theology...

"Systematic theology is an integrative discipline, which continuously searches for a coherent, balanced understanding of Christian truth and faith in light of God’s revelation and in the context of the history of theology and contemporary world and cultures."

Now that wasn't so bad, was it? Veli-Matti is fully aware of the state of post modernity and reminds us that systematic theology still has a place (and an important place at that!) in our current culture. He simply makes his definition relevant by incorporating the idea of the process of pursuing balance in our understanding of God. I think that even the most skeptical of post modern children can swallow that system! Looking forward to sharing throughout the quarter...

Indeed

2008-03-23T09:15:00.001-07:00

Tigers Camp

2008-03-20T23:21:00.000-07:00

Here is a little spring training video that I found that was put together by Curtis Granderson of the Tigers...

Emphasis in Reconciliation

2008-03-11T12:38:00.000-07:00

Evangelicals love to quote and remember 2 Corinthians 5:7... (Maybe you have met one or two that have memorized the verse, as this verse is in every "Scripture memory" curriculum!) Yet evangelicals often miss the heart beat of 2 Cor 5:7 because they miss the beauty of the following 4 verses that don't encourage a new creation for the creation's sake, but rather a new creation for the purpose of reconciliation...

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The greek word for reconciliation is katalasso, a combination of two words... kata and lasso. Here is what Louw and Nida have to say about the word...

KATALASSO: to reestablish proper friendly interpersonal relations after these have been disrupted or broken (the componential features of this series of meanings involve (1) disruption of friendly relations because of (2) presumed or real provocation, (3) overt behavior designed to remove hostility, and (4) restoration of original friendly relations) — ‘to reconcile, to make things right with one another, reconciliation.

Louw and Nida also include a special note on the word that is worth reading...

Because of the variety and complexity of the components involved in reconciliation, it is often necessary to use an entire phrase in order to communicate satisfactorily the meanings of the terms in this subdomain. In some languages, however, reconciliation is often spoken of in idiomatic terms, for example, ‘to cause to become friends again,’ ‘to cause to snap fingers again’ (a symbol of friendly interpersonal relations in many parts of Africa), ‘to cause to be one again,’ or ‘to take away the separation.’ A particularly crucial element in terms for reconciliation is the assigning of responsibility for original guilt in causing the estrangement. Some terms, for example, imply that the individual who initiates reconciliation is by doing so admitting his guilt in causing the estrangement. This, of course, provides a completely untenable meaning for reconciliation in speaking of God reconciling people to himself through Christ. In a number of languages the contextual basis for an expression for reconciliation is often found in terms relating to the reconciliation of husbands and wives. Such expressions fit in well with many contexts in the Scriptures, especially in speaking of reconciliation of people to God, since God is frequently referred to as the husband and the believers as the wife.

Maybe a special emphasis on reconciliation has been missing... And maybe now is a better time than ever to practice this central gift of the Gospel.

Yael Naim "Far Far" Final Project

2008-03-03T16:22:00.000-08:00

Db

2008-03-03T15:35:00.000-08:00

Something was not right with Whitney's ear. It wasn't that she could not hear... In fact it was quite the opposite. Noise was overwhelming her. It was as if her inner volume had been turned up to 11, when supposed to never surpass 7. Although our insurance would not cover such a visit, Whitney needed to see a doctor, so she went. The doctor asked her what was wrong and she told him that there was something wrong with her ear. He asked if she was having trouble hearing and she politely responded, "No." "In fact," she told the doctor, "I hear too much." "What?" the doctor asked. "Did you say that there is something wrong with your ear?" Without hesitating he rudely left the conversation and went to his drawer to draw out his trusty bell. He drew the noise maker near to Whitney's dear stapes and rang and rang and rang the metal, sending deep vibrations into Whitney's sensitive auditory canal. "No, no, no." Whitney said to the doctor. "I can hear the bell. In fact, your ringing is hurting my ears, not helping them." The doctor responded, "Didn't you say that there was something wrong with your ear?"

Book Review Vanhoozer (Part 1)

2008-03-03T15:33:00.000-08:00

Kevin Vanhoozer received his bachelor’s from Westmont College, a Masters of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Cambridge University, England having studied under Nicholas Lash. Currently Vanhoozer is the research professor of Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is also the editor of The Cambridge Companion to Postmodern Theology and The Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible. As an author, VanHoozer has written numerous books including First Theology: God, Scripture and Hermeneutics and Is There Meaning in This Text?. The Drama of Doctrine is a creative work that integrates VanHoozer’s work in systematics, hermeneutics, and post modernity. With the use of “creative fidelity”, VanHoozer has created a systematic doctrine for a postmodern generation that is often resistant to both fidelity and the systematic. This is the intrigue of VanHoozer’s work.
While many fall into the abyss of extremes to either fidelity or creativity, Vanhoozer provides for his readers a helpful balance between the two. He powerfully labels this balance as creative fidelity. An example of how creative fidelity manifests within his framework of thought is through his idea of Sola Scriptura. To even mention Sola Scriptura within the book implies VanHoozer’s connection to fidelity. However, he rearranges the typical approach to Sola Scriptura as a propositional truth, to a better-balanced approach to Sola Scriptura with a call to both faithful understanding and creative action. “Sola Scriptura returns, then, not by positing the Bible as a textbook filled with propositional information but by viewing the Bible as a script that calls for faithful yet creative performance.” Essentially Vanhoozer is calling for a better balance between the often forgotten and Biblically emphasized reality of orthopraxy, and the over remembered and Biblically less emphasized reality of orthodoxy.
Vanhoozer also approaches systematic doctrine through the lens of creative fidelity. “While some in the church decry using the Bible to generate Doctrine, preferring to emphasize Scripture’s ability to reframing our way of reframing the world and understanding our lives, it is preferable to see doctrine itself as an indispensable and imaginative instrument for shaping the life of the church.” Vanhoozer’s use of the word indispensable represents his post-conservative tie to fidelity. At the same time, Vanhoozer calls the church to repent of using the Bible to generate doctrine in order that the doctrine might reframe the world. He creatively rearranges the purpose of doctrine as an imaginative instrument for shaping the life of the church. While the change is minute form, it is grandiose in function. His reflection, again, is a smart balance between retaining the tradition of the past while reshaping the past to encourage the church into the future.
The excitement of this book comes in the integration of the old with the new. VanHoozer’s foundation of creative fidelity was the most powerful overarching idea that brought a vividness of color in his text not only in the area of hermeneutics of systematics, but also for the practical nature of ecclesiology and missiology. I’ll conclude with one final quote. “The canonical linguistic approach to theology has as its goal the training of competent and truthful witnesses who can themselves incarnate, in a variety of situations, the wisdom of Christ gleaned from indwelling canonical practices and their ecclesial continuations.”

Sola Scriptura

2008-02-28T16:01:00.000-08:00

Piggy backing off of my previous post on VanHoozer's idea of creative fidelity, I thought that I might add to the conversation by connecting it to his quote on the reformers classic Sola Scriptura... VanHoozer writes...

"Sola Scriptura returns, then, not by positing the Bible as a textbook filled with propositional information but by viewing the Bible as a script that calls for faithful yet creative performance."

How can we continue to push away from this modern understanding of Scripture only as propositional truth, found in information posted within the text (otherwise known as the enlightenment textbook)? VanHoozer brings us along in this quote, calling us away from only practicing thought through the lens of Sola Scriptura, and more into action. And again, he calls us to creative fidelity within our action. Thus Sola Scriptura no longer means that absolute Truth in thought is ONLY found in the words of the Bible (the script), but is also connected to creative and faithful action from letting the Truth of the Word seep through our pores. While overall conservative in his approach, even writing upon the often left behind idea of Sola Scriptura, VanHoozer reconnects us with the past and pushes us into the present. A beautiful balance!

Inge

2008-02-16T07:53:00.000-08:00

Poor Brandon Inge is upset... The Tigers third baseman in 2007 is upset because there is no spot for him to play in the Tigers lineup this year. Quoting him from an article posted on ESPN...

"I just want to play every single day. I love this organization and the Detroit Tigers are in my blood, but there's not a starting role for me. I will never be a cancer around this team and I don't plan to be a distraction."

Without even dissecting the words of the article, we can see that there is something not quite right about the combination of all those words... The article was filled with such jargon. You can check it out at...

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2008/news/story?id=3248553

The bottom line, Inge thought that he had "arrived" with his 6 year 24 million dollar deal. He thought that he was on the "in" with the Tigers. However, when one's numbers are .236 with 14 homers and 71 RBIs in a lineup full of fantasy first rounders, there is not going to be much space for "Mike Heath-like" statistics. And oh yeah, Inge also asked the Tigers to trade him and they didn't (But the TIgers are in his blood!). Hmmmm... I wonder if it isn't so much that the Tigers didn't trade Inge, and it was more like they couldn't. I would imagine that other teams would want a little more out of 6 million a year.

Prosperity Gospel and Jason Hepner

2008-02-15T10:36:00.000-08:00

My fellow intern Jason shared this metaphor with me the morning during our intern meeting with our mentor Craig Hall. We were talking about prosperity gospel and sharing our reflections upon the disaster of it.

Farty Preacher

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American Teen

2008-02-14T09:56:00.001-08:00

Whitney and I ventured to see American Teen last night in Pasadena. It was a preview movie, meaning that it has not yet been released and the creators of the film are looking for feedback from audiences. It was, however, released at Sundance a couple of weeks ago and got raving reviews.

Essentially the film follows the lives of 4 "cliche" high school students through their senior year in a small midwestern town in Indiana. While all will undoubtably find their story and the stories of others within the stories of the four whom the film focuses upon, something else stood out to me in the film. It was the most hidden and disheartening part of the overall story.

There were no adults in the lives of the students.

Well, there were adults... But they were hardly "in" the lives of the students. In a best case scenario, the adults were peering into the lives of the students from a safe distance. Sometimes they casted their "wisdom", which was more similiar to casting heavy stones, upon the fragile students, but they were essentially void from the lives of these beautiful people working through numerous layers of personality in pursuit of wholeness. The climax of this hidden theme comes through Hannah's mother. Hannah is the free spirit in the film. The student longing to leave Indiana for California. Hannah's mother is mentally unstable and when dealing with Hannah's decision making process to move to California tells her that she is not special.

"You are not special!"

I encourage everyone to support the film. Let it sink into your soul. How can we continue to help fix this problem?

This you tube is from the creator of the film... Nanette Burstein.

The Biggest Small Day

2008-02-14T09:49:00.000-08:00

No... The title does not imply Valentine's Day... Instead today is the biggest small day of the year because it marks the day that pitchers and catchers report to spring training. I love this day. Watching video of this day brings sensory explosion. The first glance at green grass (which was more powerful when I lived in Michigan!), the sound of the crack of the catcher's glove, and the mysterious smell of pine tar, dirt, sweat, ben gay and Kodiac. I can almost feel the seams of a baseball in my hand as I ponder the senses of the first day of spring training. This year is especially exciting as many are predicting that the Tigers will go 162-0. That is, if their bullpen holds up. It the bullpen stinks then they might only be looking at 150-12.

VanHoozering

2008-02-13T12:57:00.001-08:00

Here is another from VanHoozer. This quote seems to be a perfect bridge in helping people to understand the connection between modernity and post-modernity.

"The turn to performance in postmodernity-toward the idea of an incomplete, fluid work in progress- is simultaneously a turn away form the idea of the finished, complete work in itself."

As many have said many times before, this postmodern generation is more attuned to a right sense of action (or performance) than a right sense of thought. This performance is recognized as ongoing, rather than as complete... A right sense of thought can easily feel complete. A right sense of performance will not feel complete as there is always more to do. This movement (from a complete sense of thought to an ongoing action/performance), however, in itself is a finished work. Vanhoozer provides us with a spiralized connection between two ever distancing cultures, while maintaining the integrity of the current postmodern mindset. These sorts of uniting quotes will be increasingly important as the divisions between modernity and postmodernity grow ever wider.

Michael Stipe with Coldplay

2008-02-10T19:36:00.001-08:00

Last week I had a Hebrew midterm to take early on a Monday morning... Unfortunately at 10 PM on Sunday night, a crucial time to be studying, Coldplay appeared live on PBS at the Austin Music Festival. It was well worth putting studies aside to take in this live Coldplay concert. A special surprise appeared in the form of Michael Stipe (REM) singing a song from his epic satire Saved. I have hunted this song for a while and to finally have this song, sang by Coldplay and Michael Stipe, has been a gift. I'll post the lyrics below the Youtube.

I picture you in the sun wondering what went wrong
And falling down on your knees asking for sympathy
And being caught in between all you wish for and all you seen
And trying to find anything you can feel that you can believe in

May gods love be with you
Always
May gods love be with you

I know I would apologize if I could see your eyes
cause when you showed me myself I became someone else
But I was caught in between all you wish for and all you need
I picture you fast asleep
A nightmare comes
You cant keep awake

May gods love be with you
Always
May gods love be with you

cause if I find
If I find my own way
How much will I find
If I find
If I find my own way
How much will I find
You

I dont know anymore
What its for
Im not even sure
If there is anyone who is in the sun
Will you help me to understand
cause I been caught in between all I wish for and all I need
Maybe youre not even sure what its for
Any more than me

May gods love be with you
Always
May gods love be with you

Creative Fidelity and Bliss

2008-02-06T16:42:00.000-08:00

Kevin Vanhoozer has created what may be the first systematic theology for a post-modern generation. I know, I know... To even pair the word systematic with post-modern is "sinful" in many circles, but I promise, Vanhoozer's book won't bite. In fact, it may be very helpful to many who plan on moving forward with the Gospel in the post-Christian West. The book is called The Drama of Doctrine: A Canonical Liguistic Approach to Christian Theology, and is filled with tasty morsels of truth, I mean Truth, no truth... whatever. The book is filled with mmmmmmm.

I hope to be filling this blog with quotes over the next weeks from Vanhoozer's book. I have wanted to post quotes from his book for a while, but have not yet received an opportunity.... Until now. This simple line was from my reading this afternoon.

"The process of translating the gospel into different cultures displays both constancy and creativity: in short, creative fidelity- passing on the gospel."

So many lean in one direction or the other. CreativitY OR FidelitY. How does a balance of both manifest today in America? This may be one of the most important questions as we move deeper into the depths of humanity and God's dream for it.

By the way... The reason that I have not been able to post as often as I would like over the past month has been because of Hebrew... Yeah, the language. I am in a ten week intensive right now with the original language of the Old Testament. It is so overwhelming that it had me out of bed this morning at 5:30 in the AM, working through the different verb paradigms and strange suffixes for an 8 AM quiz! I took a picture of my bliss for your entertainment.

Yael Naim

2008-01-30T12:03:00.000-08:00

If you have seen the latest commercial from Apple, you already know Yael Naim. With her catchy song "New Soul" blowing up all over the world, it should also be made known that Yael's entire CD is also a magical piece of art. She was born in Paris, grew up in Israel, and is now pursuing a musical career back in Paris. Half of her songs are in Hebrew, but similar to Sigur Ros, doesn't slow down the power of the music for people who only speak English. I think that a fair and weighty evaluation of her will land her in a similar category to Sufjan Stevens. They both have a playful way about their performance, and both also tap into a mysteriously spiritual space of tone. Please check her out if you get a chance.

NEW SOUL

PUPPET

TOXIC

Carrie Underwood's Latest

2008-01-25T16:25:00.001-08:00

PAINFUL

Apocalypse Now and "The 12"

2008-01-25T16:07:00.000-08:00

Okay... So I have been a procrastinator when it comes to viewing old films... I have heard the phrase, "For every new book that one reads, one should read two classics." This makes sense to me on a literary level... But movies??? After watching 2001: Space Odyssey, and now having viewed Apocalypse Now last night... It may be true. What if we watched two classics for every new release that we watch? How would this change our lives? Maybe it comes down to this...

There were probably 12 movies this year that I watched that were paradigm altering in my life, and in the life of the communities that I participate within. There are probably about that many movies every year... Give or take a couple... That have the flesh and blood to change our lives. Now... I probably watched a movie every other night in 2007. That means that I watched probably 150 movies that were anywhere from entertaining, to thought provoking, to a waste of two hours of my life. What if instead of watching those 150 movies (that will never affect the way that I think/live), I would have instead participated within the 12 paradigm changing movies of 1954 or 1967 or 1978 or 1988 or 1994... I think that you get the idea. I wonder how our world would be different if we all focused on the 12 of years past, rather than wasting our time swimming on the latest 2 hour Michael Bay pile of ______? I bet things would change.

2001 Space Odyssey

2008-01-22T08:01:00.001-08:00

Whitney and I watched a classic movie lsat night as we baked bread (an emerging interest in our lives!). Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey is a film now hailed as a classic. Wikipedia summed up the movie by saying...

"2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 science fiction film directed by Stanley Kubrick, written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke. The film deals with thematic elements of human evolution, technology, artificial intelligence, and extraterrestrial life, and is notable for its scientific realism, pioneering special effects, and provocatively ambiguous and often surreal imagery, sound in place of traditional narrative techniques and a very minimal use of dialogue.
Despite receiving mixed reviews upon release, 2001: A Space Odyssey is today recognized by critics as one of the greatest films ever made; the 2002 Sight & Sound poll of critics ranked it among the top ten films of all time.[1] It was nominated for four Academy Awards, and received one for visual effects. In 1991, it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in their National Film Registry.
The film set a new standard for science fiction special effects for both film and television."

I was surprised by two facts that appeared on the outside out the Netflix envelope in which we received the DVD. Firstly, I couldn't believe that the film was made in 1968. Shooting began for the film in 1965, and was released before we landed on the moon. I would imagine that the progressive film captured audiences in new ways (visual and audio) when it first came out 40 years ago. I was also surprised when the film received a G rating. No doubt, the most stunning G movie ever!

After the movie was finished, Whitney and I looked at each other and tried to interpret the film. Well, we did no get very far. So I researched a quote from Kubrick

"You're free to speculate as you wish about the philosophical and allegorical meaning of the film—and such speculation is one indication that it has succeeded in gripping the audience at a deep level—but I don't want to spell out a verbal road map for 2001 that every viewer will feel obligated to pursue or else fear he's missed the point."

We enjoyed the film and will enjoy viewing it again in the near future.

Smiling Addiction

2008-01-16T08:43:00.000-08:00

I am in a media class right now with Craig Detweiler at Fuller and was inspired by this simple and short music video/film. Three simple acts... an ever intensifying second act... and a tragic third act/ending. Simple and brilliant.

Fuller Pride

2008-01-14T23:27:00.000-08:00

While we may not have a football team, or a rugby team, we (Fuller Seminary) do have an American Gladiator... And he just took the lead for the best time in the Eliminator for the hottest (overrated) show in America!!!...

http://www.nbc.com/American_Gladiators/contestants/andy_konigsmark.shtml

121

2008-01-14T17:04:00.001-08:00

121:1 shiyr lamma`aloth 'esâ' `êynay 'el-hehâriym mê'ayinyâbho' `ezriy

121:2 `ezriy mê`im Adonay `osêh shâmayim vâ'ârets

121:3 'al-yittên lammoth raghlekha 'al-yânum shomerekha

121:4 hinnêh lo'-yânumvelo' yiyshân shomêr yisrâ'êl

121:5 Adonay shomerekha Adonaytsillekha `al-yadh yemiynekha

121:6 yomâm hashemesh lo'-yakkekkâhveyârêach ballâyelâh

121:7 Adonay yishmârekha mikkol-râ` yishmor'eth-naphshekha

121:8 Adonay yishmâr-tsê'thkha ubho'ekha mê`attâhve`adh-`olâm

Psa. 121:1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
Psa. 121:2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psa. 121:3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
Psa. 121:4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

Psa. 121:5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
Psa. 121:6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

Psa. 121:7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
Psa. 121:8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Aguilera's New Song

2008-01-14T17:01:00.000-08:00

Who is she singing to?

It's not so easy loving me
It gets so complicated
All the things you've gotta be
Everything's changin
But you're the truth
I'm amazed by all your patience
Everything I put you through

When I'm about to fall
Somehow you're always waitin
with your open arms to catch me
You're gonna save me from myself
from myself, yes
You're gonna save me from myself

My love is tainted by your touch
Cuz some guys have shown me aces
But you've got that royal flush
I know it's crazy everyday
Well tomorrow may be shaky
But you never turn away

Don't ask me why I'm cryin
Cuz when I start to crumble
You know how to keep me smilin
You always save me from myself
from myself, myself
You're gonna save me from myself

I know it's hard, it's hard
But you've broken all my walls
You've been my strength, so strong

And don't ask me why I love you
It's obvious your tenderness
Is what I need to make me
a better woman to myself
to myself, myself
You're gonna save me from myself

2008-01-12T12:02:00.000-08:00

In the middle of the mundane of studying Hebrew yesterday (my primary school work for the next 9 weeks) I was captured and taken in by a favorite and sometimes forgotten artist. Lauryn Hill. Check out this performance at 6:00 minutes in...

The conquering lion shall break every chain
The conquering lion shall break every chain
Give him the victory again and again and again and again
Give him the victory
The conquering lion shall break every chain
The conquering lion shall break every chain
Give him victory again and again and again and again and again and again
Give us some victory ya, oh, ya
The Conquering Lion shall break every chain, every chain, every chain
Conquering Lion shall break every chain
Give us some victory we need some victory, we need some victory
Again and Again and Again and Again, give give give some victory
Oh, Oh,the conquering lion he'll break every chain, everyone of your chains,
everyone of your chains
The conquering lion he's gonna break all of those chains if you just let him
Give Give him the victory again and again and again and again…
Oh, give him the victory

Aging Optics

2008-01-08T12:51:00.000-08:00

I postponed it for as long as I could, but the the optometrist finally forced me behind lens'!

Slavery in Security

2008-01-05T07:52:00.000-08:00

When Israel was delivered from Egypt, they experienced freedom. Yet, they did not encounter freedom for "freedom's" sake. (Paul Pace) Donald Bloesch writes it best.

“Freedom is not the antithesis of obedience, but the means by which we realize obedience. We become free as we decide to obey, and in obedience we discover our freedom. Bultmann upheld not a freedom from authority, as in the Resaissance conception, but a freedom under authority- that which is realized in obedience. Bultmann insisted that genuine freedom involves responsible decision. It “is always freedom gained in responsibility and decision, and therefore it is freedom in insecurity. To be a free person means to let out self-contrived sercurities and cling only to the promise of the divine mercy that is apprehended solely by faith. To be free is to be ourselves- to be true to the destiny appointed to us by God.”

Israel was freed from slavery in order that they might be free to be slaves to Yahweh.

With this in mind, I have been reflecting upon American slavery today. In the land of "freedom", where is our liberty oppressed? Many angles could be taken upon this question, but one has recently stood out to me.

Security.

More than a trillion dollars are spent in the world every year on security and you guessed it, the United States is leading the way. Americans spend more on security that any other country in the history of humankind. In fact, if countries number 2 through 25 on security spending are all added together, they still don't add up to what America spends on securing our nation every year.

What does this mean?

Outside of the fact that ten percent of what the United States spends on security could meet all of the world’s needs, or 100 million dollars a day is spent in the USA keeping bombs ready to blow, I think that Martin Luther King was on to something with this quote.

“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”

With all of the money that we spend on securing our freedom, are we actually enslaving ourselves to the ideal of being safe?

Is our obsession with safety a clue that we are ultimately driven by fear?

Can a drive from fear lead to Good?

Who are the scary ones? An interesting question to ask humanity outside of the United States. (Or to those living in cave systems in Afghanistan.)

Why are Americans driven by such a fear?

Psa. 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

Jeremiah 34:15-17(a) Recently you repented and did what is right in my sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to your own people. You even made a covenant before me in the house that bears my Name. But now you have turned around and profaned my name; each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your slaves again. “Therefore, this is what the LORD says: You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom to your own people. So I now proclaim ‘freedom’ for you, declares the LORD—‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague and famine.

Gal. 5:13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful natured; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”

James 1:25 But those who look intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continue in it—not forgetting what they have heard but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

1Pet. 2:16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover–up for evil; live as God’s slaves.

We are destined to be free people. Fully ourselves. Fully in the grasp of our Creator. In our individualistic sense of American freedom, we, as a country, have become slaves to "self serving security". We are sleeping with an idol, and the inward preserving nature of this idol is harming us and others throughout the world.

Ultimately, we become what we follow. What might a reshaping of out policies on safety mean for us? Mean for the world? Mean for the Kingdom of God?

Top Ten of the Holidays

2008-01-02T14:54:00.000-08:00

Quality craftsmanship on a new bookshelf that I built.

Golfing 36 holes at Lantana.
Spending quality time with family and friends in Texas.

Time to pray.
The Great Debaters. (Don't miss this film.)
The Rose Bowl Parade.

A Michigan victory over Florida.
Kinetic Christmas Party.

The 1st Annual Warnes Christgiving Party.

Spending quality time with Whitney.

Our next quarter at Fuller begins on Monday and the craziness will once again begin. Intensive Hebrew and a Media and Ministry class. Both should be intriguing. We will also be moving forward at GPC as I have decided to accept their invitation to stay at the church. It should be a fun ten weeks!

How Much More

2007-12-20T15:27:00.000-08:00

I have had some extra time, after a long quarter at Fuller, to look at various texts from the scriptures. I have also been reading McLaren's new book titled Everything Must Change. While I have grown less fond of McLaren in some of his latest writing, he has captured me with his latest articulation of reality in his new work. (I recommend the text for all... Not only those seeking to understand reality within a postmodern culture, as has been much of McLaren's previous work.) As I was reading last night before going to bed, McLaren spent a short time on the word construction seen in the Bible, "HOW MUCH MORE". It is a common word construction not only in the New Testament, but also in the entire text. "Paso mallon" is the Greek that the New Testament authors use in order to bring hope to some hopeless contexts. I have been encouraged today in spending time with these texts, written by so many different authors, in so many different communities, throughout the second half of the first century. I hope that they can be an encouragement today to you too!

Matt. 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Matt. 10:25 It is enough for students to be like their teacher, and servants like their master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

Matt. 12:12 How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

Luke 11:13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Luke 12:24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!

Luke 12:28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!

Rom. 5:9 ¶ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!

Rom. 5:10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

Rom. 5:15 ¶ But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!

Rom. 5:17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

Rom. 11:24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

1Cor. 6:3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!

2Cor. 3:9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!

Heb. 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,d so that we may serve the living God!

Heb. 10:29 How much more severely do you think those deserve to be punished who have trampled the Son of God underfoot, who have treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who have insulted the Spirit of grace?

Heb. 12:9 Moreover, we have all had parents who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!

The Latest from Dove

2007-12-18T08:47:00.000-08:00

Dove does a brilliant job in making short films. In light of some teaching that we have done within our community, my friend Rene brought this film to my attention this morning. This is the latest in a series proclaiming the same "saving" message for women (and maybe men too) today.

I Am Legend

2007-12-15T09:05:00.001-08:00

Whitney and I saw I Am Legend yesterday. If you get a chance, please go and see the film. The suspenseful timing is perfect, and the often slow pace gives viewers the feel of the context of the pain in the movie. I was "in" the entire time, and when the ending came, I found myself sad that there was no more. While some of the "Christian" themes in the movie (and there were a ton), could have been a little less forced and awkward, and while I could have done without so many of the close ups on Will Smith's face (a la Tom Cruise in War of the Worlds), and while the ending was a bit cliche (I'll keep it a secret), I really enjoyed the film and appreciate that director Francis Lawrence did a great job articulating some fresh and new ideas for Hollywood. With a 6.1 out of 10 on Rotten Tomatoes, I think that the effort of the film deserves at least a 7!

Kinetic Film

2007-12-12T14:33:00.001-08:00

Here is the latest film that Kinetic has produced. For more of our films please go to www.kineticfilms.blogspot.com.

Paul's Table Manners Part 2

2007-12-11T11:02:00.000-08:00

As we continue to narrow upon the text, it will be necessary to take a quick look at the six verses preceding 1 Corinthians 11:23. In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval. When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not! (1 Corinthians 11:17-22). Paul demonstrates the severity of the error by leaving his, “yes, but…” approach as seen in earlier motifs within his writing, and offering “no praise” toward the Corinthian church for their actions in communion. He writes that one (the poor) remains hungry, while another (the rich) gets drunk. This text, and the severity of Paul’s writing within this specific text, lay the foundation for 1 Corinthians 11:23-34. Paul is not happy with the Corinthian church for their actions around the table.

From the text we know that the church gathered in Corinth for a meal. We also know that the ancient church gathered in homes. Since the homes of the wealthy were more suitable to accommodate large crowds, it was most common to meet in the home of the wealthy. There are many theories surrounding what exactly was happening in the house churches of Corinth regarding the meal. I will highlight three. The first is that in following Hellenistic tradition, the head of the household would invite guests to a meal that was held in two stages. The first stage was the main meal, while the second stage was dessert. The poorer members of the church were simply not invited to the first portion, or the meal, but only to the dessert portion of the party. A second theory is that the rich were actually eating their meal in the presence of the poorer members as the poorer members of the church watched. A third theory, and one that I prefer, is that the rich welcomed the poor into the celebration at the scheduled beginning of the celebration. However, the rich gathered before the scheduled beginning to eat and drink (meat and fine wine) extensively before with poor arrived with their limited contributions. Regardless of which theory one desires to believe, the point of the passage remains clear. There was an overindulgence by the rich at the meal, therefore leaving the poor feeling inferior. To Paul, this is not what Jesus desired the church to practice around the communion table.

Beginning with the assigned text, the first four verses have a unique remembrance motif toward them. For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). The word aÓna¿mnhsin which comes from aÓna¿mnhsiß is translated as remembrance. The word aÓna¿mnhsiß is literally appealing to memory. It is the same word used by the author of Hebrews. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins (Hebrews 10:3). As a Western people, we must “remember” that our understanding of memory keeps the memory in the past. This word, however, also has implications of “remembering into the present”. In the Old Testament, remembering had little to do with the simple act of mental exercise, but also included physical activity. Just as Israel was to remember that they had been delivered from Egypt by building a memorial, so are we to remember the reality of Christ by eating the bread and drinking the wine. I submit that the act of remembering was especially important in the Pauline community of Corinth, as their actions in creating social divisions did not match well with the life of Jesus. Thus, Paul called them to remember the Messiah as they ate, a call of repentance to a people that had strayed from the very purpose of the meal.

Of all of the verses in chapter eleven, verse 27 comes with the most baggage. This baggage has been created in the West by a poor translation of the word aÓnaxi÷wß as “unworthily” rather than as “in an unworthy manner” in the King James Version of the text. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:27, KJV). The mistake has led to excluding people who “feel unworthy” from the table, when communion is precisely meant for those very people, for sinners. There is an individualistic ethos to this translation that is representative of the West. Rather, when translated as “in an unworthy manner”, the text more clearly points the reader away from the “unworthy individual” and toward those whom are unwilling to share their material goods with other Christians in the community. A better way to capture this passage would be to translate aÓnaxi÷wß as careless. Don’t be careless when partaking the elements. In other words, “care” for the elements and “care” for the community that surrounds the elements. This mistranslation of the KJV becomes more clear when put the in context of the passage in its entirety, and when viewed through the lens of Paul’s discontentment with the Corinthian people in their practice of a communion that did not include the very way that Christ lived.

For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves (1 Corinthians 11:29). Paul calls the church to discern the body of Christ to avoid judgment on themselves. Through the lens of the individualized West, and with a poor KJV interpretation upon the word aÓnaxi÷wß, it would be easy to unpack this verse as a mysteriously inward examining of the literal body and blood of Jesus. However, again, this lens is a cultural phenomenon that probably misses the full essence of Paul’s first century words. By the body of Christ, Paul probably meant the people that comprise the church. Paul precedes the term the body of Christ with the word “discern” in verse 29. To fail to discern the body of Christ, or the church, before taking the bread and the wine, is to incur God’s judgment. Paul’s main concern in this passage is unity in the body of Christ between the rich and the poor. This again, is not a text calling the individual to be inwardly introspective in case he or she might need to avoid the table, rather he is calling the church to discern their disunity by viewing the abuse of those of lesser socioeconomic status at the table, lest the rich be judged for their autocratic attitudes.

Paul saw many problems with the church in Corinth. His first letter to the Corinthians was one of pastoral advice for living the best kind of life. Within this specific section of chapter eleven, Paul is urging the church out of a wicked practice. The rich are suppressing the poor and as a result, many are becoming sick and dying. Paul is using the table as a means of making a point that Christ would not have accepted this type of behavior because he came for the very people that were being suppressed in Corinth. This text has an unfortunate history as it has been abused through poor translations and cultural lenses. This text is not one that encourages individuals to be self-absorbed in contemplation before communion in order to evaluate the worthiness of the table… No! The table is a place of celebration for all sinners who recognize the reality of Jesus. Rather this is a text that calls the body of Christ, the church, to discern its call to be the people of God, living in the image of grace, because as Gordon Fee states, “grace received that does not recognize the need to be gracious to others is to miss the point of the Table altogether.”

Paul's Table Manners Part 1

2007-12-11T10:55:00.000-08:00

23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 27Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world. 33So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. 34If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.
1 Corinthians 11:23-34

This passage has an unfortunate history. Often misinterpreted to exclude people from the table, one can only imagine the damage that misinterpretations of this passage has caused, exercising the very point that Paul himself was arguing against. In this paper I hope to give a more informed interpretation of this difficult text, slowly narrowing upon the passage. Beginning with important background information from Corinth and imperative socio cultural ideals, I will then tighten onto the text itself. In the end I will show that Paul’s central premise of this text is to reinforce that the purpose of communion is not to exclude believers based upon status, but rather to include all believers in the practice of communion.

The Aegan Sea was two miles to the east, while the Adriatic sea lay only a couple of miles to the west, Corinth existed in between two seas. A city with over 100,000 inhabitants, because of its location, it attracted a cosmopolitan population. An ancient day Las Vegas, the city was filled with scoundrels, as freed slaves of Greek, Syrian, Jewish, and Egyptian origin came to the thriving city to become wealthy, and many of them did. With the diverse population in mind, one can only imagine the charisma of the city, and therefore the charisma of a growing church in the city. Therefore, Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was overflowing with Christologically pregnant pastoral responses to a charismatic church. The city was filled with many people, with many different ideals due to differing backgrounds. Not surprisingly, within this size of a city, the diverse population also brought large differences in socio economic class.

A natural way that these gaps in class were designated was through meals. Bread and wine were common elements within an ancient meal. At a traditional Jewish meal, the head of the house would say the traditional prayer over the bread, break it and distribute the bread to those whom sat (or lay) at his table. (Again, typically people of the same “status” as him.) Quoting the Dead Sea scrolls from the Qumran community, “And when they prepare the table to dine or the new wine for drinking, the priest shall stretch out his hand as the first to bless the fruits of the bread and of the new wine.” Josephus also records the actions of a noon meal within the Essene community, “they go into the dining room, as into a certain holy temple, and quietly set themselves down; upon which the baker lays them loaves in order; the cook also brings a single plate of one sort of food, and sets it before every one of them; but a priest says grace before the meat and it is unlawful for anyone to taste of the food before grace is said.” Jesus would have naturally fallen into the role of head of house or priest when it came time for the last supper, and thus, his breaking of bread, pouring of wine and prayers would have been common. Yet the Last Supper was different than the typical Jewish meal. The Last Supper had eternal implications, thus Paul commented upon the meal, and we still practice what Jesus told his followers to practice in the meal within our churches today.

Similar to today, it was uncommon for the rich to eat with the poor two thousand years ago, for as people sit at a table with one another, something much more mysterious happens than the satisfaction of appetites. Relationship is pursued. Life is shared, conversation progresses and commonalities are recognized. In the ancient world, table fellowship with another person was a ceremony richly symbolic of friendship, intimacy and unity. Relationship was also reconciled at a meal. When people were estranged in the ancient world, a meal invitation was like an open door toward reconciliation. At a meal, wounds were healed, forgiveness was asked, and forgiveness was granted. With this all in mind, it simply did not make sense that the rich would have table fellowship with the poor. They had nothing in common, no desire for unity, and the rich certainly did not want to put forth the effort to move toward reconciliation with the poor. This thought brings us to 1 Corinthians 11:23-34 and the context surrounding the meal in which Paul is speaking.

The words in 1 Corinthians 11:23-34 are not unique. The chain of historical tradition that Paul received, goes back, largely unbroken, from the words of Jesus himself. These words of Jesus show up in three other spots within the New Testament. They also appear in Matthew, Mark and Luke. All four of the author’s accounts, including Paul’s account, knew Jesus’ words. In essence, Matthew and Mark’s account of the Last Supper are similar, while Luke and Paul’s accounts are similar. However, when compared against each other as pairs (Matthew and Mark versus Luke and Paul), there are two differences that are important for the context of this paper. Firstly, in Matthew and Mark, there is an emphasis upon blood, whereas in Luke and Paul, there is an emphasis upon covenant. The emphasis upon covenant leads to a priority upon relationship, not only between God and human, but also between human and human. This emphasis makes sense in light of Paul’s context for his letter and for his pastoral responses to the sinful actions of the Corinthian church. Luke and Paul also include a command that this action of communion should be repeated, and that this repetition should be practiced as a means of remembering Jesus himself. This remembrance motif is extremely important for the context of the Corinthian situation. I will examine this word later in the paper. While these two differences between Paul and Luke over and against Mark and Matthew are important, and while there are many more differences that I did not highlight, the two most important elements of the Last Supper remain the same in all four accounts. All include the broken body of Christ symbolized by the bread, and the shed blood of Christ symbolized by the wine. And of course, in all four accounts, the elements of the bread and the wine are open to all whom might feast upon them.

Christmas Films

2007-12-08T11:21:00.000-08:00

Whitney and I love to watch films. We have been blessed by the magic of Netflix. For a mere 18 dollars per month, Whitney and I watch a plethora of films from a variety of genres. With the holiday season among us, the genre that we have been commonly viewing has been that of the Christmas variety. While the material can get a little cheesy in the common Christmas film, the premises are always heart warming. The films commonly have the power to bring the "ethos" of Christmas past into the present. Here are the top ten Christmas movies from the past 25 years that Whitney and I recommend watching this holiday season.

10. The Santa Clause 2
The best of the trilogy of Tim Allen's The Santa Clause movies.

9. The Chronicles of Narnia
Okay, so maybe not a "Christmas movie", Santa does make an appearance and there is plenty of snow!

8. Christmas With the Kranks
Another Tim Allen movie that is surprisingly funny and charming.

7. Polar Express
A Chris Van Allsburg classic (from Grand Rapids, MI!).

6. The Family Stone
This movie convinced Whitney to have 6 kids!

5. Elf
Will Ferrell is hysterical in this soon to be classic.

4. A Christmas Story
Watch it all day on cable TV Christmas Eve and Christmas day.

3. Home Alone
This year Whitney and I appreciated how well done this movie was created.

2. Scrooged
The surprise number 2 selection is a creative recreation of A Christmas Carol and features Bill Murray.

1. Christmas Vacation
The movie that combines all that one could ever desire in a Christmas film!

Brakes

2007-12-08T10:58:00.000-08:00

Another quarter at Fuller Seminary has passed. I wrote my last sentence, on my last paper, on Wednesday at 2 PM and smiled as I saved my last document on my hard drive. I have been reflecting upon where I was last year at this time, and I think that this Christmas break will be quite different. I could not wait to dig into winter classes and thus began working on a distance learning class to pass the time. This year, however, the last thing on my mind will be school. (Instead I plan on venturing into the mystery of building a bookshelf! With my lack of experience, it may just take me the whole of 30 days to complete!) As I move into my last year at Fuller, "senioritis" is officially kicking in. While I appreciate the opportunity to study at Fuller, and the process of learning in graduate school, I am getting antsy to pour back into a community of people on a full time vocational basis. After writing approximately 200 pages of Word documents this quarter, I anticipate leaving the computer to once again be with people. My computer and I have become awkwardly acquainted over the past year. We spend more time together than, well, I suppose I spend with anybody else. Strangely enough, my computer is always responsive to me and always warms up as I spend time with him/her. However, my relationship with my computer is awkwardly one way, and this is why I am ready to leave the plastic feel of the keyboard for the flesh and blood of real relationships. Let the countdown begin... 364 days until my last day in the classroom.

The Journey to Emmaus

2007-11-28T15:01:00.000-08:00

For those who continue in the journey of the recognition of the beauty of the road to Emmaus.

can i pull this from the air?
do i have the strength to fight?
or will i hold my tongue
til it passes through the warm and balmy night?

and a mother sets the table
cleans the dishes with her hands
passed down through the poking and the prodding
and the 'don't let this get in the way of your plans'

oh, when it hits me
all i can do is just breathe again
and breathe through
oh, when it hits me
all i can do is just breathe again
and breathe through

can i hope for something more?
can i hope for something real?
standing tall in the backyard praying to my trees
for something to feel

and i hear him pulling up
i hear the door slammed in
the slow whistle of his cigarette
and i all i want is to peel the paint
the paint from his skin

oh, when it hits me
all i can do is just breathe again
breathe through
oh, when it hits me
all i can do is just breathe again
breathe through

and i can't let it go
can't let it go
this is the last time i'll feel it there
i can't let it go because i know
even if i shut my blinds
he's still out there
still out there

oh, when it hits me
all i can do is just breathe again
breathe through
oh, when it hits me
all i can do is just breathe again
breathe through
and _______ the me
and the you

Jet Lagging

2007-11-28T06:55:00.000-08:00

It is 6:55 AM in Los Angeles and I have been awake for two and a half hours. Jet lag can be rough, especially from an area four hours away. This is where Whitney and I came from two days ago. We came from the Dominican Republic, the place where my sister lives. We spent 8 days in the country and all of them were filled with adventure! We arrived on Sunday night and after little sleep we awoke and went to see Lindsay's school. We watched her teach. That was remarkable. I think that this may be the closest thing to the pride a parent feels in watching one of their children. I was overwhelmed with watching my little sissy teach this group of 20 ninitos and ninitas. That evening we met Natan, Lindsay's boyfriend and enjoyed some a meal with one another. With the exception of checking out Jarabacoa, where Lindsay works, the next day was basically the same. We went to school for lunch and hung around the school. That evening however, Lindsay got sick, and had trouble getting out of bed. Wednesday morning, Whitney and my mom taught Lindsay's class while my dad and I built screen doors for Lindsay's house. Wednesday night we went to visit the monks. These are a group of men that live up on a mountain by themselves. Lindsay goes to teach them English once a week. We had dinner with them and received a tour of their property. It was a beautiful place. On Thursday we left for the beach... Cabarete to be more specific. At the beach we relaxed for four days and three nights. Unfortunately, Lindsay remained sick and my dad also got sick on Friday. But in the mean time we did buy some local art, adventure around Cabarete, and eat a marvelous Thanksgiving dinner. Stuffing, yams, mashed potatoes, and chicken. You name it... We had it! It was awesome! In reflecting upon the trip, I am thankful for the chance to have gone. To make a long story short, from beginning to end there were providential flags surrounding us. For this reminder of the presence of God, I am thankful, as I am for the adventure of the trip. We arrived home late Monday night, and we are already back in the swing of the "rat race" of Los Angeles. I will look forward to more reflection upon the trip in the near future.

Crash

2007-11-12T16:24:00.000-08:00

I recently looked at my blog and noticed that the last time I posted was when I was in the Apple Store to have my computer serviced. Well... My computer crashed, and I have been computerless for a long time. (A mysteriously stressful and relaxing time in my life.) Regardless, Apple gave us a new computer (SO COOL), and I thought that I would show a picture of Whitney that we took in our apartment, and take a picture of myself in the library at Fuller on the new computer to show that we are still alive. There is too much to say at this moment, and lots to do as we are packing up and heading to the Dominican in 6 days. Until the time that comes in vacation away from the rat race of life in LA... PAZ!

Brandi Carlile

2007-10-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I've been
And how I got to where I am
But these stories don't mean anything
When you've got no one to tell them to
It's true...I was made for you

I climbed across the mountain tops
Swam all across the ocean blue
I crossed all the lines and I broke all the rules
But baby I broke them all for you
Because even when I was flat broke
You made me feel like a million bucks
Yeah you do and I was made for you

You see the smile that's on my mouth
Is hiding the words that don't come out
And all of my friends who think that I'm blessed
They don't know my head is a mess
No, they don't know who I really am
And they don't know what I've been through but you do
And I was made for you...

Living the Destination

2007-10-13T09:34:00.000-07:00

While the title of this essay makes me squirm a bit, I recently taught on a passage that prioritized the destination, in contrast to, the journey. While the theology of journey and I have been good friends over the past 4 or 5 years, I could not wrap my brain or my heart around Luke 17:11-19 with this sort of lens.

11Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[a]met him. They stood at a distance 13and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" 14When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. 15One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

We simply don't encounter the journey of the Samarian. We also don't learn about the asnwer to Jesus' questions and what happened within the journey of the other nine. The writer of Luke, maybe only as he/she can do, reminds us of the importance, not of the journey, but of the destination of the foreigner... The destination of thankfulness at the feet of Jesus.

In the midst of our busy lives, which are often justified by postmodernly proclaiming that "God is with us in the journey", we need to remember to practice a theology of destination. At the feet of Jesus. In order that, in bringing the text full circle, he might say once again to us, "Rise and go!"

Women in the Emerging Church

2007-10-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

This essay is regarding the role of woman in the first century emerging church. I could not get the footnotes to appear, so please excuse the footnotes that appear in the text. I did include the bibliography at the end. If you need a footnote, please e-mail me and I will get that to you.

There were numerous factors involved with the growth of the church in the first century. With the development of the Roman Empire came the pax romana. There was a long period of peace and people flourished in trade and commerce. Transportation had become easier with the development of roads and a unifying language was established throughout the land. All of these factors were important for the emerging church of the first century, yet not imperative. People were imperative for joining in the mission of God to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world. These imperative people that participated in joining the mission of God were called the church. The church is comprised of both men and women. Due to the numerous layers of controversy surrounding the role of woman in not only the church, but also the market, the household, and the family, men have received the majority of the attention regarding the strength of the church. My hypothesis is that women also played an essential role in the emergence of the church within the first century.
I will investigate this hypothesis in a four-fold manner. The first manner will be to briefly investigate the role of women in the Old Testament through examining some prophetesses. The second will be to investigate the role of women within the life of Jesus, remembering that while the church did not begin until after Penetcost , the stories of women found in the Gospels certainly had an effect on the emerging first century church. The third will be to investigate Luke’s various references to women within the book of Acts. And the fourth will be to investigate the diverse Pauline material regarding women within the emerging church as encountered in several of his letters.
There was a history of women playing important roles within the people of God before the life of Jesus. For instance, while women in the Old Testament filled the prophetic office far less than men, they were periodically placed into positions of prominence and authority. The prophetic nature of Aaron’s sister is revealed in Exodus 15. Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.” (Exodus 15:20, 21). Judges 4:4 begins the account of Deborah and discloses that she was not only a prophet, but also reveals that she “was leading Israel”. Following in the tradition of women playing an important role in the midst of God’s people, 2 Kings 22:13 and 14 shares the story of the prophet Huldah, who spoke prophetically regarding idolatry and the anger of the Lord that resulted form it. The majority of the stories of the Old Testament do prioritize the lives of men, but as one studies the text, it becomes more common to encounter progressive stories of women who played prophetic and formative roles within the people of God.
The stories of the Old Testament carried into first century Judea and the context in which Jesus was born. After Pentecost, as the church began to take shape, communities took on the form of groups that were already in place. While Judaism had numerous different groups within it, the Temple remained central for most groups. When it came to women in the temple, there were different courts that different types of people could venture into. While Gentiles had to stop at the outer court, women would continue into the Court of the Women. However, women were not allowed to enter into the Court of Israel. While Jewish women were given more privilege than all Gentiles, they were not given the same privilege as Jewish men. There were also three groups within Judaism that prayed thanksgiving for being male. “Praised be God that he had not created me a gentile; praised be God that he has not created me a women; praised be God that he has not created me an ignorant man.” The Tosephta, the Palestinian Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud were all traditions that commonly said this prayer, representing more of a traditional perspective on women within Judaism. However, within the synagogues of the Diaspora, women were experiencing more and more responsibility. Hellenism had influenced the synagogues within the Diaspora, and one of the results was allowing women to be more prolific in leadership within worship and prayer. The most important theme of the landscape in which Jesus stepped into regarding women was that there was a significant amount of diversity amongst different people groups, and again, communities began to form throughout groups that were already in place.
The study of Jesus’ views on women as leaders within the people of God can be confusing because the institution of the church was not a priority to him. Rather, Jesus’ central purpose was to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God. In Luke 4 Jesus says, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” (Luke 4:43) Similarly, in Mark 1 Jesus says, “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15) This is important to understand as one ponders the role of women in the emerging church within the first century. Jesus did not come to found the church or a “new” Israel, but rather to proclaim the “true” Israel. As Jesus announced the Kingdom of God and the true Israel, it was clear that he held an egalitarian idealism and this egalitarianism paved the way for women to lead within the church after Pentecost. It was a natural outflow of the life and teaching of Jesus to include women in following him, in providing for the needs of women who were in hardship, and in encouraging women just as he would encourage men. These outflows of Jesus are experienced through the lives of women that he came in contact with; Martha and Mary, the women caught in adultery, the women at the well, the woman with the hemorrhage, and of course, Jesus’ mother Mary. All of these women, and certainly more, were included in the life, teaching, healing, equipping, and empowering of Jesus. As he proclaimed the Kingdom of God for the emergence of the true Israel, it seems that women were included and prepared to do the same.
Jesus came to proclaim the Kingdom and through the Holy Spirit, the church was the result. The Kingdom of God is not the church, but the church is the instrument of the Kingdom. The Gospel writers tell the story of a Jesus who prepared both woman and men to do this. As the Biblical narrative moves through the Gospels and into the book of Acts, a similar theme manifests. As the reality of Jesus bends deeper and deeper into the Gentile world, numerous women initiate movement of the Gospel. The bends of leadership become indirectly evident in the beginning of Acts 17. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God–fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women. (Acts 17:4) It is important to note that these prominent Macedonian women had a “well-earned reputation for their independence and enterprising spirit.” These women were the wives of leading citizens, and the decision for believing in Jesus was theirs and not their husbands. Undoubtedly, maintaining their independent and enterprising spirit, these women played a role within the emergence of the church in Thessalonica. While this story is rather indirect, Luke later becomes more poignant in including specific women within his telling of the story of the emerging church.
Poignancy in Luke’s writing for woman actually begins with a man named Apollos. Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. (Acts 18:24-26) Priscilla and Aquila still attended the synagogue after Paul had left and found that they were most impressed with the articulation of Apollos in his rhetoric. In their hospitable spirit, the couple invited Apollos into their home, where they further explained the way of God. (This was a kind motion in that they did not embarrass Apollos publicly in front of the synagogue. ) This text becomes pertinent to this essay because Luke puts the female name of Priscilla in front of the male name of Aquila three times in Acts 18. This is an unexpected order of names for the context of the first century. Not only is a woman explaining the way of God to a man, but also to a learned man, and also in a manner prioritizing the female teacher in front of the male teacher. The often-sexist church fathers and John Chrysostom even realize the importance of Priscilla. Chrysostom writes that Priscilla was “more pious than her husband” and that “she took him (Apollos), instructed him in the way of God, and made him a perfect teacher.” Priscilla was certainly an important woman and played an important role in the emerging church. Apollos continues in the way of God and even becomes an appreciated colleague of Paul. Priscilla and Aquila also continue in the faith and are often remember by Paul, or the communities that followed Paul, in Romans, 1 Corinthians and 2 Timothy.
The woman that Luke writes about in Acts 16 also plays an intriguing role within the first century church. Luke writes that Paul and his companions arrived in Philippi, which is a Roman colony and leading state in the district of Macedonia. It was also a common place of retirement for military leaders and had very few Jews that lived within its parameters. Paul stayed there several days and then staying true to his pursuit of firstly the Jews, and then the Gentiles, the text says, “On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.” (Acts 16:13) In order to form a synagogue, it was necessary to have ten male heads of the household. Apparently, this type of foundation could not be found within the city, so a group of either Jewish women, or God fearing women, or a mixture of both were gathered to go through the appointed Jewish service of prayer for the Sabbath. It is in this place that Luke includes the phrase “we” and thus indicates that he was also present for this meeting. The “we” makes the historicity of the text substantially more reliable. The two groups converge and it is in this space that Paul meets Lydia.
Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, had her heart opened by God to hear and positively respond to Paul’s message. Lydia was a God fearing Gentile, a successful businesswoman, and she was Paul’s first Gentile convert in Europe. Lydia and her whole household were baptized as Paul and Silas stayed at Lydia’s house before they were taken to prison for exorcising a demon out of a little girl. The hospitality of Lydia is then highlighted as Luke includes that after Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to Lydia’s home. This was a safe haven for them and also for the believers that were gathered in Lydia’s home. Apparently, others had come to know Jesus while Paul and Silas were in prison. Paul and Silas encouraged them while in Lydia’s home before they went on their way. An independent and successful businesswoman, refined into a lover of Jesus, Lydia was an weighty figure in the apostolic church.
Along with others such as Damaris, the foreign woman in Athens who heard Paul at the Areopagus , and Philip’s four daughters, who had the gift of prophesy, it seems that women played a role in the life and growth of the emerging church in the first century through the work of Luke. While the story is heavy on men, in no place are woman restricted in the church in any of their roles within the body of Christ. If anything, these women, when contrasted with first century Judaism, played progressive roles within the people of God. Luke’s approach is different than the approach that we encounter with Paul’s writing. At an initial glance, within Paul’s writing, there seems to be dichotomized thoughts that subordinate woman and thoughts that encourage woman as equal players within the leadership of the church. It is within these texts that the hypothesis of the essay will truly be put to the test.
Two points will be important to remember as we explore some of Paul’s texts regarding the role of women within the emerging church. Firstly, since Paul’s letters are primary, they should be given priority over and against harmonious texts that share the same story. Secondly, it should be noted that Paul’s letters are occasional letters and were written in response to certain sets of circumstances that were happening within certain contexts. Paul had the people whom he was writing to on his mind, but this does not mean that these letters are only for those people. We have much to learn through these letters, but we must remember that they are occasional. Through Paul’s actions in the way that he lived his life, it is easy to see that he was particularly progressive for his time. The question of just how progressive he was, especially in the conversation of male and female roles, is put to the test in his letters. We will examine numerous of Paul’s texts one by one and the occasions that surrounded them.
Suneltheson is the key word in the controversial passage regarding women in Philippians chapter four. Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel (Philippians 4:3a). The TNIV translates the word as contended. Other translations NET translates as struggled, KJV translates as labored and the ASV translates the same. Suneltheson means “to toil together with someone in a struggle, implying opposition and/or competition”. As we revisit the idea that it was more common to encounter Macedonian women in positions of prominence , this passage is relatively self explanatory. We don’t know who the women are, but they were certainly female, and they certainly contended, or struggled, or labored with Paul in his ministry, therefore having an influence within the first century emerging church.
In Romans 16, we come across a couple more woman that Paul mentions in his writing. Phoebe and Junias. The least controversial of the two is Phoebe. I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me (Romans 16:1, 2). Two words are important in this text. The first is diakonos, translated here as deacon and the second is protasis, translated here as benefactor. In the past it has been common to translate these words as “deaconess” and “helper”, thus attempting to make these words seem inferior in status to males. These are poor translations. The word diakonos and how it relates to Phoebe is explained exceptionally well by Craig Blomburg in his book Pentecost to Patmos.

“Although translations often render the first of these terms simply as a “servant”, this was the standard word used for “deacon,” and a distinctly feminine form of the noun had not yet developed in the Greek language. Given that Phoebe is called a diakonos of a specific church, the term is more likely a label for an office in this context.”

The word prostasis would normally have been used in antiquity to mark one as a patron and has a long history and strong connotations toward labeling people as leaders and persons of authority. With the responsibility of patron would also involve the ownership of a home, which would then make sense of Phoebe being the owner of a home in which a house church met from Cenchreae. Another role of Phoebe as a patron would have included financial generosity toward the ministry of Paul. In order to supplement his income that he earned in making tents, Phoebe was certainly a generous financial supporter of the life and ministry that surrounded Paul. Not only was Phoebe an influence on the life of Paul and the church, but it also seems that she took on major leadership rolls within loving and supporting the community that surrounded her.
While the role of Phoebe as a leader in the early church is obvious, the controversy surrounding Romans 16:7 is a bit more complicated. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was (Romans 16:7). Here Paul writes of two people that are outstanding among the apostles. Apostles are elevated among others in the eyes of Paul, and in this instance he calls Junia an apostle. This becomes relevant for this essay as Junia is not read about as a man, but rather as a woman. In some texts, such as the RSV and the ASV, Junia was translated as Junias, a male name, rather than Junia, a female name. The TNIV has the translation correct, in a female form. Translators of these incorrect versions could simply not believe that Paul would label a woman as an apostle and therefore assumed the masculine version of Junianus. It is more likely that Junia is a better translation, marking a woman as an apostle within the first century emerging church.
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). The words are certainly electric, pushing Paul especially progressive within the context of the first century landscape of the New Testament and the emerging church. But does this passage mean anything for woman having influence within the first century emerging church? A common view in refuting this text states that this verse comes from the lips of Paul through a quote but that he did not really mean for the words to be taken at face value for the entire community. Others argue that this text represents the primitive community before Paul, some argue that the text arranges the views of a post-Pauline church, and others call it a word for the Gnostics which Paul had to adapt, using the words polemically to parallel his voice with his opponents. This paper does not allow the space to work through all of these opinions, and at this point I will simply have to state that I fervently disagree with all of these ideas. When Paul boldly and progressively proclaimed that all are one in Christ Jesus, I believe that this is what he meant. It is especially important to refer to this text through the lens of leadership. He did not mean that while we are all one, Jews and free people are allowed to lead and Gentiles and slaves are not. Similarly, he did not mean that we are all one, but that women are not allowed to lead. We are all one, in Christ, therefore on the same playing field as others when it comes to gifting and practicing gifts. This text is not only the highest climax of the often-sad letter of Colossians; it is at its core the most basic statement about what it means to be a follower of God.
The traditional or subordination approach to women in roles of influence within the church desires to explain away Galatians 3:28 because of some seemingly contradictory ideas of Paul within 1 Corinthians and one text within 1 Timothy. The final paragraphs of this essay will deal with these specific texts that seem to contradict all of the previous stories and passages of women that have had exceedingly influential roles within the first century emerging church. While both of these passages are seriously called into question as to whether or not they are authentically Pauline, they will be treated in this essay as if they were authentically Pauline.
The most difficult Pauline passage to understand in light of all the stories of women involved in spheres of influence within the Scriptures is 2 Timothy 2. Thus we warm up with trying to get some handles on 1 Corinthians 14. Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church (1 Corinthians 14:34, 35). This verse must be understood within the educational landscape of first century Corinth. To put it simply, wives were uneducated. Especially when compared to their spouses. In the sequence of 1 Corinthians 14, Paul has been especially emphatic on a fitting and orderly process of worship to press forward into edification in worship for the entire body of Christ. Therefore, woman have been commonly understood as inferior in mind in the Greco-Roman world, and were often denied the opportunity of education. Women participated in worship in the house churches within Corinth, which apparently had trouble articulating an orderly way of praising God. Women, because of the oppression of their education, were adding to the confusion by asking poor questions at inopportune times during worship. So Paul then gives a progression of answers to the problem. A short term answer, as seen in verse 34 and a long-term answer, as seen in verse 35.
The short-term answer calls woman to be silent to maintain proper order of worship. This short-term answer is also a contextual answer for a specific congregation of people and certainly does not apply to all women within all congregations. All one must do is turn a few pages back in the Scriptures to read 1 Corinthians 11:5 in order to understand that Paul calls women, in an apparently different congregation, to pray in the context of worship. So verse 34 is a short-term solution to the problem of the oppression of women in education in Corinth, and verse 35 presents for the church a long-term solution for the problem by husbands taking time to educate their wives. Again Paul, in a progressive manner, instructs husbands to privately tutor their wives. In a world where the common husband would consider this a waste of time, this instruction from Paul is remarkable! In view of the larger context of both 1 Corinthians and the Scriptures, this text is not a “tool” to be used to subordinate women, but rather is a text that’s primary goal is to set women free from the injustice occurring within the first century educational system in order that women may have a stronger voice for the emerging first century church.
In light of all of the stories that call for an egalitarian relationship between men and women, 1 Timothy, at first glance, seems as if it might call into question the apparently progressive nature of Paul’s other support of woman in all different forms of leadership within the New Testament. A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man she must be quiet (1 Timothy 2:11, 12). Before we dig into the ideas of quietness and authority, we should back off of verses 11 and 12 and remember the purpose of 1Timothy. The letter was written to Timothy and was addressing heresy that was happening within the church in Ephesus. 2 Timothy 3:1-9 refers to the heresy with the center of these verses climaxing in verses 6 and 7. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 3:6, 7). Apparently, this heresy was having a controlling effect over gullible women, or gynaikarion, who were swayed by evil desires through being loaded down with sins. As was the case in Corinth, women were also oppressed from an education in Ephesus and were therefore easily subject to influence. These uneducated women were then inspired to spread into the church and teach heresy, which was unacceptable to Paul.
Similar to 1 Corinthians 14, Paul gives both a short-term and long-term answer to the question of these heretic women in Ephesus. The short-term answer is to learn in full submission and quietness, and not to teach or to assume authority over a man. The word for quietness does not mean “without talking”, but rather implies a calmness. It is the same root, hesuchia, as the verb found in 1 Timothy 2:2, “that we may live peaceful and quiet lives”, and also in 2 Thessalonians 3:12, “Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.” referring to settling down. The word that is translated in the TNIV as authority is especially interesting for this paper. This is the only time the Greek word authentein is used in the New Testament. Scholer writes that the word negatively implies “usurpation and abuse of authority” . Banks writes that the word implies “an excessive use of authority over a man, or domination.” Louw and Nida translate the word as “to control in a domineering manner.” This word is different than, exousian, the word used to define the authority of Jesus. Therefore, the authority that Paul is writing of in 1Timothy is that of the seizing authority that the heretic woman from Ephesus laid claim upon over the church. In the short term, Paul deeply desires to keep these heretical woman from teaching in the local house churches, and to keep them calm, in order that they may be in submission to teaching that better aligns with the reality of God.
The long-term implications of this passage is similar to that of the church in Corinth, that the women should learn. Again, this is a remarkable progressive component of the teaching and instruction of Paul, that he would even consider the opportunity for women to be a part of education. He is not only correcting the false teaching that is happening through woman in Ephesus who were preyed upon by heretical men because of their lack of education, he is also pressing for a better way, a way that includes women within the realm of education. With all of this in mind, 1Timothy should be approached as a letter to dismiss and combat false teachers that existed within the city of Ephesus. This was not specifically a transcultural word to refute the leadership of women within the church, but was rather a specific response to a specific incident that was occurring within Ephesus.
The question, again, was not whether or not Paul was progressive, the question, rather, is just how progressive was Paul? From the studies above, we can assume that Paul was very progressive for his time, and played an important role in freeing woman to utilize their gifts any many ways. He called them apostles and prophets, he called woman and men one in Christ, and he encouraged them to learn in the midst of a culture that did not think that it was worth their time to teach women. The world of the first century emerging church was one in transition: political, religious, spiritual, geographical, ideological and chronological. Within all of the texts that we have considered, it is important to note that Paul was steering a careful course through changing cultural seas. While many different communities and many different cultures have interpreted the words of Paul in different ways throughout time, the conversation continues. Paul has important things to say to men and women regarding proper rolls for humanity within the context of leadership that unquestionably still apply in today’s church. The church probably will never come to absolute agreement on this topic because of the different lens’ and different hermeneutics that people apply to the text. However, within the context of this paper, Paul does give people that agree with an egalitarian perspective a strong voice within the discussion of roles of women in ministry and in life.
In researching my hypothesis that women played an essential role in the emergence of the church within the first century, I believe that I have unpacked several examples that demonstrate my hypothesis as true. I gave examples of women prophets in the Old Testament, women in the life of Jesus, women as apostles and teachers in Acts, women in leadership within the sphere of Paul, and I defended key scriptures that may, at first glance, seem to contradict Galatians 3:28, and put men on a pedestal above women regarding leadership within the emerging first century church. This paper and all of the material that was researched within it, constitute just a minute portion of the conversation that continues surrounding this difficult topic. In the end I think that it may be humbly important to quote Raymond Brown.

"I contend that in a divided Christianity, instead of reading the Bible to assure ourselves that we are right, we would do better to read it to discover where we have not been listening. As we Christians of different churches try to give hearing to the previously muffled voices, our views of church will grow larger; and we will come closer to sharing common views."

We are divided regarding exactly what role women played in leadership in the first century church. Moving into the 21st century and all of the hurdles that the church will be facing, can we continue in the process of generously discovering where we have not been listening? This, as Brown writes, will give rise to previously muffled voices, increase our view of the church, and bring us closer to practicing unity.

Bibliography

Ascough, Richard S. What Are They Saying About the Formation of Pauline Churches? Mahmah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1998.

Banks, Robert. Paul’s Idea of Community rev. ed. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2004.

Blomberg, Craig L. From Pentecost to Patmos, An Introduction to Acts Through Revelation Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 2006.

Brown, Raymond. The Churches the Apostles Left Behind New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1984.

Bruce, F.F. ed. The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Book of Acts, rev. ed., by F.F. Bruce Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Press, 1988.

Clark, Elizabeth A. Woman in the Early Church: Messages of the Fathers of the Church. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1983.

Ladd, George Eldon. A Theology of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1974.

Louw and Nida, Accordance Bible Software Version 7.1. Copyright 2006, Oaktree Software Incorporated. www.accordancebible.com.

Hawthorne, Gerald F. and Martin, Ralph P. ed. Dictionary of Paul and His Letters Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Horrell, David G. An Introduction to the Study of Paul New York, NY: T and T Clark, 2006.

Patzia, Arthur G. The Emergence of the Church: Context, Growth, Leadership and Worship Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001.

Scholer, David. Women, Authority, and the Bible Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1986.

Scholer, David M. "Women in Ministry," Covenant Press, Companion Bible Study Series 17 (1984): 64.

Snodgrass, Klyne R. Women, Authority, and the Bible Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1986.

Tucker, Ruth A. and Liefeld, Walter. Daughters of the Church Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1987.

A Must See

2007-09-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

Whitney and I do not buy too many movies. We highly value which movies we place in our library. In fact, I don't think that we have purchased a film since we bought Crash, the academy award winner a couple of years ago. I showed a movie last night at Kinetic (the high school youth group at Glendale Presbyterian Chruch). The film is called God Grew Tired of Us: The Story of Lost Boys of Sudan. It won the Audience Prize and the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and was adored by high school students from GPC. The film is about four different individuals from Sudan whom had survived the civil war, and were now pursuing safety through assimilation into America. If you get a chance, please see the film.

An Extended Thought

2007-09-20T11:49:00.001-07:00

I had a conversation with Justin Beck regarding the previous post surrounding the topic of unity and diversity within the New Testament. The conversation led me to Raymond Brown and the paradoxical thoughts with which he concludes his book, The Churches the Apostles Left Behind. Brown writes…

"I contend that in a divided Christianity, instead of reading the Bible to assure ourselves that we are right, we would do better to read it to discover where we have not been listening. As we Christians of different churches try to give hearing to the previously muffled voices, our views of church will grow larger; and we will come closer to sharing common views."

Let's continue to work at "demufflizing" voices, in order that our views might grow larger and might come closer to sharing common views.

Ephesians 4

Pics

2007-09-15T08:42:00.000-07:00

Thought that I would throw up some of our latest pics...

There was a fire outside of our back door...

Mary came to visit...

Whitney and I still go to the beach as often as we can...

We went to a wedding...

I officiated for the first time!

I had a birthday. I got cologne from the Walkers!

And Dodger Tickets from the Warnes'

Unity and Diversity in the New Testament

2007-09-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

There was an individual who gave me some advice before coming to Fuller. The person said, "Just be sure to stick with orthodoxy Nick... It has stood the test of time."

Orthodox... Ortho (upright), dox (praise). Orthodox = a right sense of praise. Has there ever been a right sense of praise? Is there a right sense of praise? Should there be a right sense of praise?

James Dunn writes...
Dunn: “Perhaps then the tragedy of the early church was its
failure to realize that the biggest heresy of all is the insistence
that there is only one ecclesiastical obedience, only one
orthodoxy”

While often reading through the New Testament over the past year, it seems clear that there were many different communities attempting to work out their understanding of orthodoxy. It also seems that as they chose, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, God blessed. For instance, LEADERSHIP...Within the pastoral epistles of 1 and 2 Timothy, there were leadership structures that were being put into place due to the ritualization and institutionalization was happening as the church grew. Those structures of leadership were different when compared to the structures of leadership in Acts (where elder is used as a Jewish or Jewish Christian leader) or in Philippians where the episkopos (overseer or bishop) and deacons (servants) were addressed in the first chapter of the book. Or how about WORSHIP... It is impossible to harmonize the Gospels with Paul when it comes to the tradition of communion. The table fellowship of Jesus was marked with openness throughout his ministry. Through a literary lens, it is clear that the last supper was a final expression of this. This doesn't match the "closed" table that Paul preaches... But poor Paul... People kept getting drunk at the agape feast before the Eucharist...No wonder he wrote, "For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves." Let's consider SPIRITUAL GIFTS... There are numerous lists of gifts in different places in the New Testament... You guessed it... they are different. The truth is that there was no single orthodoxy when it came to leadership, worship, or spiritual gifts. Even deeper, it doesn't seem that there was one orthodoxy of belief either.

Compare Stephen (Acts 6 and 7), with Paul, with Jesus, with Peter (Acts 2-5 and 8-12) with Philip (Acts 8), John the Baptist, with John, with James... And you get a wide range of people, who come from a wide range of places, who have a wide range of beliefs in what it means to follow Jesus within their particular contexts. From the frustration of Jewish bends from Stephen, to the embracing of Jewish bends from Peter, to the struggle in between from Paul. People did not know what to do with the parting of ways between Jusaism and the hodos (the way), later called Christianity. Or how about the comparing of defining the Gospel according to Jesus (Mark 1:15), according to Paul (Romans 1:16-27), or according to James (James 2:24)... They understood the Gospel differently. This conversation could go on and on through many different subjects...

The deepest tragedy came when one group claimed to have the “orthodoxy” therefore pushing another group outside of a right sense of praise. This still happens today. This breaks my heart. In the name of the Holy Spirit, whom is the glue that holds all of this mystery together, people claim the Truth and therefore send others into a place of lies. Fragment after fragment gets chipped away. Sad.

Within all of this diversity in the New Testament... Is there any unity? Is unity even important? Dunn thinks that there is a sense of unity that is found in the kergyma (proclamation) of our need for repentance, confession and forgiveness through Jesus Christ the son of God. This is the unity. Christ, created by the Father, now held mysteriously in place by the Holy Spirit. Our tangible grasp of who God is, what God's will is, and where God's dreams for humanity lay.

“No one pure form of Christianity that can be called orthodoxy. There was never any form of Christianity that was “right”. Always a unifying element within these diversities. In spite of the different theological perspectives in the NT, the unifying element is that there is a single kergyma… Call to repentance, confession and forgiveness. Jesus is Christ, son of God, Lord, person whom we need to put our faith.”

For the person whom told me to stick with orthodoxy, no worries, I plan on doing so... To follow the tradition of the authoritative Scriptures in the orthodoxy of trusting the Holy Spirit to lead in working out what upright praise means within my context, for this set of moments, to “kergyma” the reality of God’s son, Christ, to the cosmos!

My New Hero

2007-09-10T13:07:00.001-07:00

From Michael

2007-08-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

"That is why you should never put chicken in an omelet."

Shane and Shane

2007-08-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

Okay... For as much as people are giving "Christian" music a hard time, I have to admit that I have been looking forward to August 28th and the release of Shane and Shane's new CD for a long time. After buying the album on ITunes and listening to it, I am feeling neutral. Whitney and I enjoyed a couple of the songs, laughed at a couple of the songs, and thought that the majority of the songs were mediocre. All people that reported on iTunes loved the CD and gave it 4 1/2 stars. I would give the CD 2 1/2 and Whitney gives it a 3. If you like Shane and Shane I feel like you should probably get the CD... If you have never listened, I would suggest going elsewhere for your next music purchase.

Preaching

2007-08-27T19:06:00.001-07:00

I preached a couple of weeks ago at GPC... I have added the teaching onto my Teaching Portfolio if you would like to check it out at http://www.nickwarnesteaching.blogspot.com/. You can also listen to the sermon at http://www.glenpres.org/Audio%20Sermons/Archive%20Sermons%202007/2007-08.19.mp3.

Recently

2007-08-27T16:56:00.000-07:00

Since I lost our Kodak digital camera, a long story, we got a new camera and have been to some fun places... I thought that I might throw some pics on the blog for viewing pleasure!

Pasadena Sandwich Company (The food is HUGE!!!)

The Farmer's Market (Our favorite place to get veggies... Thanks Rene for joining!!!)

Dancing Salsa Outside at Paseo

The Craziness and Beauty of Santa Monica (We have recently enjoyed Sunday trips to the beach!)

More Than a Local Move

2007-08-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

I have been helping Dr. Spittler, the former provost at Fuller Seminary, move his library out of his office. Dr. Spittler hasn't worked at Fuller since 2002, but the seminary has graciously given him a space on campus for the past 5 years. Recently Dr. Spittler was asked to move out of his office due to space restrictions on campus. He has a remarkable amount of books, what he called "40 years worth", surrounding the walls of his office. On my part, moving the books has taken some sweat, and on his part has taken tears. I stood and talked with Dr. Spittler today after we ran out of boxes to continue with the project. Tears filled his eyes as he was reflecting upon his life and work that was represented within the metaphor of his personal library. It was an intense moment as we spoke of the changing world that we dwell within. As Dr. Spittler was tearing over the lament of the boxing of his books, I have been reflecting that those moments of boxing his library probably also stood for a bigger shift with implications not only for the individual of Dr. Spittler, but also for the world.

A student in class was reflecting upon the modern architecture of Fuller's new library that has begun being constructed. He was disappointed that the ethos of the building did not contain more of a postmodern texture. I liked the thought, but the thought was trumped as the professor responded with another. He said, "We can question the architecture of the new building, but the real question is... Why are we even building a library?" I have proposed this thought to a mixed bag of people and the trend seems to be consistent. This question makes more and more sense to younger people. The older the individual, the less sense this question makes.

While Dr. Spittler shed tears this morning over the packing of his library, I think that he was authentic in lamenting over the ending moments of his professional work, but I also feel that there may have been more behind those tears. Maybe those tears also represented a shift that scares many and is being ushered in by a new generation of those who are now caring for one of humanities most precious of resources, information.

Congrats to the Bride and Groom!

2007-08-21T15:01:00.000-07:00

Bryan and Katie got married two weekends ago in Michigan... I got to attend their beautiful wedding in Detroit. Be sure to give them a congrats on Facebook!

Moving Toward a Revolution

2007-08-20T16:08:00.000-07:00

A fellow staff member of mine at GPC quoted Moltmann in an e-mail to me this afternoon...

"The symbol of the cross in the church points to the God who was crucified not between two candles on an altar, but between two thieves in the place of the skull, where the outcasts belong, outside the gates of the city. It does not invite thought but a change of mind. It is a symbol which therefore leads out of the church and out of religious longing into the fellowship of the oppressed and abandoned. On the other hand, it is a symbol which calls the oppressed and godless into the church and through the church into the fellowship of the crucified God.Where this contradiction in the cross, and its revolution in religious values, is forgotten, the cross ceases to be a symbol and becomes an idol, and no longer invites a revolution in thought, but the end of thought in self-affirmation"

Celeb Sighting

2007-08-20T08:34:00.000-07:00

Whitney and I were walking through Paseo Colorado, a local outdoor mall in Pasedena, and I saw him from afar!!! His eyes twinkled, but he seemed more clean cut and skinny to really be him. As he approached I stopped dead in my tracks and looked at him and smiled. He stopped as well, looking at me as if to say, "What the hell are you looking at?". Whitney saved the moment, ran up to him and brilliantly asked him, "Are you Al?" He politely smiled and said yes. Then we awkwardly walked away.

After a Conversation with Mark Frens

2007-08-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

My former college roommate and I were reflecting on MXC memories. MXC was one of our favorite late nights shows in college. We would stay up into the early morning crying in laughter. Our favorite parts were the sound effects that the show would add to the contestants as they were about to participate in the contest. Have a looksie...

For All Yankee Fans

2007-08-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

It seems that NY has the upper edge going into this weekend's series with the Tigers. As of August 11, the Tigers were 11-18 since the All Star break. The Yankees, however, have gone 24-8 in their last 32, surging ahead of the wild card race. It is relieving to have the Yankees back into the race so I don't have to hear their fans complain and moan around Fuller's campus any more... There are many Yankee fans around here and they really don't know what to do without having anything to groan about. But don't worry Yankee fans, we'll move into fall, A Rod will start to suck, the Yankees will choke once again prior to the World Series, and you'll have another off season to make expensive acquisitions of free agents that will lead you deeper into both dept and death as a team. Maybe this weekend will be the start of this process, as the Tigers will unexpectedly take 3 of 4 from the Bronx Bombers, setting them into the tail spin of their repeated cycle of death.

Houseboats 07

2007-08-13T12:46:00.001-07:00

From August 4th to August 8th I spent some time with my favorite high school students from Los Angeles. We ventured up north to Don Pedro Lake to hang out on houseboats. We spent a ton of time in the water... Wakeboarding, tubing, skiing, and just lounging in conversation. Everyday we also had club, cabin time, quiet time, and we ate TONS of good food. Here are some pics from the week.

Final Project

2007-08-02T14:13:00.000-07:00

I have had a blast creating my final project for Theology and Pop Culture. Rather than doing a big/nasty paper, I was allowed to create an interactive blog that looks at some of the current shifts in advertising. I used a ton of videos and pics and thought that it may be fun to meander around for readers... If you get a chance, check it out at

www.shiftingadvertising.blogspot.com

I am off to be on a houseboat with kids from GPC for the next 5 days and then straight to MI for Veenstra's wedding... I proly won't have time to write until then.

Watching Hansard and Job Hug

2007-08-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

Job 42

You have suffered enough
And what with yourself
Its time that you won

7 After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.

You have suffered enough
And what with yourself
Its time that you won

8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has."

You have suffered enough
And what with yourself
Its time that you won

9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job's prayer.

You have suffered enough
And what with yourself
Its time that you won

10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.

You have suffered enough
And what with yourself
Its time that you won

11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver [a] and a gold ring.

12 The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys.

You have suffered enough
And what with yourself
Its time that you won

13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters.

You have suffered enough
And what with yourself
Its time that you won

14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch.

You have suffered enough
And what with yourself
Its time that you won

15 Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job's daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.

You have suffered enough
And what with yourself
Its time that you won

16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so he died, old and full of years.

You have suffered enough
And what with yourself
Its time that you won

Luke 14

2007-07-24T15:55:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest short film that was produced by Kinetic. You can see the rest of our films at www.kineticfilms.blogspot.com. Can anyone guess the primary influence on this movie?

Heaven on the Slopes

2007-07-23T06:42:00.000-07:00

I have been processing the times that I have recently had with family over the past week and I think that the whole of my contemplation hinges on a conversation that I had with Lindsay late into the morning. While much of my studies has been bent towards the idea of being agents of the pursuit of heaven here and now, I have often been left, especially on Monday's (Ecclesiastes Monday), asking the question, "Where is heaven?". So as I have reflected upon the intangibility of heaven, especially in light of difficult circumstances within life, it has been a healthy exercise for me to remember that everything isn't as it should be... Or else, it would be, well... heaven. So as Lindsay and I talk, we are contemplating the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven here and now, and recognize that heaven (or the reign of God) is certainly near in the moments. Lindsay then began to talk about "limited time", and we remembered that in 24 hours we would once again be in much different places. We knew that we would be sad, and we recognized that there is something inherently wrong with being far away from family. The natural next question then filled the air... Would heaven still be near in those moments of distance?

Through all of the Christian jargon of calling (which is important when unabused), in the end, I want to be near to the people whom I love the most. Whether family in Texas, family and friends in Michigan, or family in the Dominican Republic, I want to be near to family. What I have been learning is that this longing is not one of selfishness, as I have thought previously. Rather this longing is one that represents how "it is supposed to be"... or... heaven. When the "supposed to be" is taken away, my feeling is that of sickness. I feel as if one has repeatedly punched me in the throat and placed a giant worm in my esophagus. I am learning that this sickness is not a bad thing, representative of unreality, or "unheaven", but rather representing that of one of the largest realities and a very near and tangible heaven. So approaching this question of heaven still being near in moments of distance, I am growing in hope. While heaven was certainly near on the porch at 2:00 AM with Lindsay, heaven is still near (both literally and metaphorically) when Lindsay went back to Michigan. It is almost as if God mysteriously speaks through the giant worm in reminding me that there is still work to be done. Not everything is as it should be. Through the reminder that heaven is not yet complete, God is then speaking through the present Kingdom of Heaven. "Now and not yet" both make sense to me this morning. And I am thankful that heaven is evident both in the nearness and in the sickness.