Going into Election Day 2016, I was convinced that scriptural believing Christianity is a minority worldview in our country. I continue to be of that opinion. And it’s not because I’m a democrat – I’m actually a small government, social conservative, so I have no party. I voted for a lot of people who lost yesterday. Just like I have done for the past several years. I’m used to my guys/gals losing politically. But here is the thing: politics is not my primary identity. My political leaning does not define who I am. I hope that my faith does. And, as I stated in a sermon several weeks ago, the simple fact that we had the two major party candidates for President that we did, was further evidence that our country is not a “Christian nation.” In fact, it holds our values in contempt. I continue to believe that, and I knew that the day after the election would feel this way for me, because I knew that, regardless of who won, I was going to have a President with whom I very deeply disagreed. Continue reading “Thoughts after the elections”
The Last Horror
It is a happy coincidence on this Feast of All Saints, after just experiencing the frivolity of Halloween with my children last night, that I am working through CS Lewis’ brilliant little book, “The Great Divorce.” It is even happier, that I am working on chapter 9, and find in it, some interesting commentary on “ghosts.”
The contrast from the horror of All Hallow’s Eve to the celebration of the Feast Day of All Saints is also a tension. It’s interesting to think about the purpose of Horror. Peter Leithart just wrote a quick piece on that in “First Things.” He takes time to reflect on Terrence Rafferty’s review in The Atlantic of a Guillermo del Torro movie. He wrote: Continue reading “The Last Horror”
Tragedy in France: Framing our Thinking
Yesterday, Tuesday July 26, a Roman Catholic Priest, Father Jacques Hamel was murdered while conducting mass at a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. The two perpetrators were connected with ISIS. They forced the 84 year old Father Hamel to kneel at the altar before they slit his throat, attempting to behead him. Through his death, Father Hamel joins the glorious company of the martyrs, about whom it is written:
For this reason they are before the throne of God
and worship him day and night within his temple,
and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.
They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat;
for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
-Revelation 7:15-17
What is Resurrection (and why does it matter)?
One of the books I read a bit of during Lent and in preparation for Easter was NT Wright’s book, “Simply Good News.” I’ve really appreciated Bishop Wright’s teachings and theology for some time as I find him a gifted teacher as well as an insightful theologian.
One of the things that Wright has stressed for some time (see “Surprised by Hope”) is what exactly is meant by “Resurrection” in the Gospels. This is an important issue for us today, as we have slipped, I believe, unknowingly into a type of pseudo-Gnosticism that thinks of ‘Resurrection’ solely in terms of the spiritual realm. Bishop Wright says,
“Nor is it the case that the resurrection of Jesus somehow proves something called life after death. Most first-century Jews believed, in any case, that God would look after them following their death.” (p.53)
Continue reading “What is Resurrection (and why does it matter)?”
The Cross, suffering, and Shane Claiborne part 2
This is the second part of a two part response to a Shane Claiborne article titled, “Holy Week in an Unholy World,” that I saw a few times on my facebook timeline during Holy Week. The first part of my response highlighted where I strongly agreed with Shane and was thankful for his post. In this part of the response, I will share a critique I have and why I think it matters.
The pivotal line in Shane’s moving story of the grieving mother’s connection to the Good Friday Worship, was also the main theological point of his article (although to be fair, I would say the main thrust of his article was more about connecting our Christian story to where people are at in our world). Shane writes,
“Afterwards, one woman said to me: ‘I get it! I get it!’ I asked her what she meant. And then she said something more profound than anything I ever learned in seminary: ‘God understands pain. God knows how I feel. God watched his Son die too.’ Then I realized she was the mother of a nineteen-year-old who had just been murdered on our block. God understands our pain. That is good theology for Good Friday.”
Continue reading “The Cross, suffering, and Shane Claiborne part 2”
The Cross, suffering, and Shane Claiborne part 1
During Holy Week there was an article that was floating around my Facebook feed that was written by Shane Claiborne and after reading through it, I thought it might be helpful if I wrote out a couple of thoughts I had in reaction to it. The reason for my post is that there is a part of this piece I can strongly affirm and celebrate, but also another part I find very troublesome. So, I am going to break this piece into two sections, one dealing with an affirmation of what Shane was writing, and another where I want to offer a critique in order to help the four or five people who will actually read this.
You can find his article here.
For those who are not aware of Shane Claiborne’s work, he is a founding member of something called, “The Simple Way,” (a new Monastic community) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Shane teaches and practices non-violence in following Christ, and from all I can tell, strives very hard to live consistently not only with what he teaches, but as to how he understands Christ has called us to live. One of the things I appreciate most about his work is the incarnational work he does in connecting with those on the margins of society. He strives to share Christ’s love especially with the outcast. But I would also say he shares the love of Christ with those on the ‘inside’ as well in his prophetic voice in which he challenges people to follow the call of Christ on their lives in living out a radical discipleship. I want to make sure to include these observations on Shane because I don’t particularly have an ax to grind with him, even if I would find myself on different sides of some issues with him. I do respect his integrity and faith. Continue reading “The Cross, suffering, and Shane Claiborne part 1”