inklings

2010-07-29T21:29:00.002-05:00

It's About Time

I think my last post here was in May of 2009. I've been thinking really hard for 14 months now, and still haven't thought of anything to blog about. Except that I've started a new blog!

http://terrydugan.wordpress.com/

It will focus on really good stuff, good writing, good reading and all that. Nothing too controversial, or too political, that will all remain here. And for all I know, I may fire up this little space again. I'm feeling feisty.

Oh, yeah, and grandchild 3 is on the way! Hurray!

2009-05-19T13:56:00.005-05:00

New Books and Old Books, from Steyn to Chesterton

Consistent with the oft-repeated axiom from C.S. Lewis that the reading of new books should be punctuated with the reading of old books in order to avoid the temptation to "chronological snobbery," two books, one in each category, have ruled the reading corner of late.

The first, a relatively new one, America Alone by Mark Steyn (2005?)(been trying to get this one into my queue for a while) is a wakeup call to post-Christian America and the post-Christian church. With Europe as the model, we are offered a step-by-step analysis of the trends weakening us and the cultural suicide of the world as we know it on both sides of the pond. Some quotables...

On the false promise of secularism:

The meek's prospects of inheriting the earth are considerably diminished in a post-Christian society....[quoting Kathy Shaidle] It is secularism itself which is part of the problem, not the solution, since secularism is precisely what created the European spiritual and moral vacuum into which Islamism has rushed headlong.

On the paralyzing effect of European (now American) Socialism:

The trouble with the social democratic state is that when government does too much, nobody else does much of anything.

On the destructiveness of multiculturalism:

But if you think you genuinely believe that suttee [the Indian cultural practice of burning of the living widow along with the deceased husband] is just an example of the rich tapestry of indigenous cultures, you ought to consider what your pleasant suburb would be like if 25, 48% of the people really believed in it too. Multiculturalism was conceived by the Western elites not to celebrate all cultures but to deny their own; it is, thus, the real suicide bomb.

And there is much more, some of it quite entertaining despite the ominous topic. Which brings me to book two, much older, but in a similar vein and as timely as a stimulus package or an auto industry takeover. At Twin Cities Chesterton Society meetings, we've been reading and discussing the outstanding (large) biography of GKC by Maisie Ward (1942). Gilbert Keith Chesterton is a treasure chest of not just his story, but his vision of the world. A major component consists of early unpublished writing, correspondence and quotations. Enormously clever and joyful on many topics and many levels, GKC watched, wrote, waved his sword/walking stick in the air and cried out against England's initial embrace of precisely what we are now embracing—the diminution of religion, tradition and liberty, and the incremental arrival of the the Servile State. A couple of quotes:

We do not want, as the newspapers say, a church that will move with the world. We want one that will move the world. We want one that will move it away from many of the things towards which it is now moving; for instance, the Servile State. It is by that test that history will really judge, of any church, whether it is the real Church or no. —GKC

[Chesterton]...did not think, then or ever, that any increase of comfort or security was a sufficient good to be bought at the price of liberty. —Maisie Ward

2009-05-15T10:30:00.006-05:00

No, Mr. President [revisited]
From John Piper, this is a brilliant video adaptation. Pass it on...

2009-05-07T12:02:00.004-05:00

Driscoll Watch Continues
As someone who generally welcomes the Reformed Resurgence answer to the reheated liberalism of Emergent, but who is concerned about incipient Christ-obscuring authoritarianism and personality cult lurking in the wings, yet more bold, important, insightful analysis of the MD phenomenon. We need to listen to MacArthur, Phillips, Johnson. So does the strident young preacher in Seattle.

Phillip's review of Driscoll's address at the Gospel Coalition gets close to the heart of what has always troubled me about (enormously successful) guys like this...

And that is what sticks with me and troubles me about Driscoll's talk. It was about him, to a large degree. He was the backdrop, context, and refrain.

I think about the others I've heard. Keller? Preached Christ as the idol-smasher. I didn't have to know anything about Keller. M'man Lig Duncan? Preached Christ's grace and power. I didn't have to know anything about Lig Duncan. Ditto John Piper. Ditto every other I've heard from the conference.

Except Driscoll.

I pray that other mature leaders in this movement will also find courage to help this guy before it's too late. He seems to be surrounded and insulated by layers of young, angry Rehoboam's counselors and enabled by the silence of those who know better but who continue to provide cover.

2009-04-10T15:59:00.003-05:00

Thank You, Isaac Watts. Thank You Lord.

When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of Glory died;
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
save in the death of Christ, my God;
all the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to his blood.

See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were an offering far too small;
love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.

2009-04-01T17:20:00.004-05:00

The Place Where It All Started
My daughter Katie is on an extended jaunt through the British Isles, culminating in a short term course of study at Caperwray Bible School in Northern England. She sent me this picture of her in front of The Eagle and Child, one of the legendary haunts of C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Williams, Barfield and others. Pretty cool.

2009-03-30T10:32:00.003-05:00

Welcome Samantha Rose!
Early Sunday morning (3/29) little Samantha (7 lbs. 1 oz.) made her grand entrance. She is wonderful, big brother Will is wondering a little still, and this Grandpax2 is thrilled. Congratulations and love to Nikki, Mark and Will. Early pix:

2009-03-20T15:08:00.002-05:00

The Answer, My Friend, Is Blowin' In The Wind
The question: "What sort of facilities does the legendary social critic provide for the peons (no pun intended) who labor on his Malibu estate?"

2009-03-17T10:44:00.003-05:00

My Favorite Irish Quote
"Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy."
—William Butler Yeats

2009-03-12T18:14:00.004-05:00

Time for Obama's "Pro-Life" Supporters to Face What They've Done

This from moralaccountability.com. Summarized:

Amidst the fawning press coverage of President Obama’s overturning of the Bush stem cell funding policy, it is important to understand a few basic facts about what he has and has not done.

First, the stories about this decision suggest Obama has restored federal policy to what it was before George W. Bush’s 2001 stem cell policy announcement. This is simply not true. The federal government has in fact never before-even under President Clinton-used taxpayer dollars to encourage the destruction of human embryos, as it will now begin to do....

The president’s decision to take the unprecedented step of encouraging the destruction of human embryos with taxpayer dollars every day seems more removed from the scientific and ethical realities of the debate, and from the aspiration that underlay the policy he has chosen to end: that science and ethics might both be championed together, rather than set against one another.

For all the facts and Obamafuscation, read the whole thing.

2009-02-24T14:17:00.004-06:00

The Amazon Kindle
Some of us in the book-related business have been pondering for some time our future as designers and purveyors of the traditional paper variety. For me, the simultaneously threatening and intriguing front-runner has been the Kindle; an ebook reader that today arrives in its second iteration. Here's a simultaneously comforting and threatening review in the NYTimes, including this small comfort for book cover designers everywhere:

So, for the thousandth time: is this the end of the printed book?
Don’t be silly.
The Kindle has the usual list of e-book perks: dictionary, text search, bookmarks, clippings, MP3 music playback and six type sizes (baby boomers, arise). No trees die to furnish paper for Kindle books, either.
But as traditionalists always point out, an e-book reader is a delicate piece of electronics. It can be lost, dropped or fried in the tub. You’d have to buy an awful lot of $10 best sellers to recoup the purchase price. If Amazon goes under or abandons the Kindle, you lose your entire library. And you can’t pass on or sell an e-book after you’ve read it.

2009-02-10T11:28:00.003-06:00

Weesh.
That's the title given to this original piece created in our high chair last week by my grandson Will age c. 15 mos.
Grandpa: "What is it?
Will: "Weesh."

2009-01-26T16:16:00.003-06:00

"No, Mr. President..."

I attend Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis when I get the chance. I'm not a Baptist, I've never been a Calvinist. In fact I worry some (and have blogged some) about incipient authoritarianism and other issues among the neo-Calvinists (Mark Driscoll, Sovereign Grace Ministries come to mind) with whom JP is sometimes associated. So I don't fit the category of "Piperite," or Reformed Resurgent or whatever.

But I do love John Piper's preaching, and this one he knocked out of the park. At least listen to/view the 3 minute section starting about 20% in—beginning "No, Mr. President..."

Any concern that in the wake of this historic presidential inauguration Mr. Piper may have become soft on the issue of abortion is here eloquently dispelled.

"He is trapped and blind in a culture of deceit..."

Watch it here.

2009-01-23T10:46:00.004-06:00

Keeping Tabs on Obama
Francis Beckwith, Hadley Arkes, Robert P. George and others have launched a new website, moralaccountability.com to monitor and analyze the new administration in regard to moral issues; principally abortion policy and the defininiton of marriage question. The first George piece defines the purpose:

The Moral Accountability Project trusts that those self-identified pro-life and pro-marriage Catholics and Evangelicals who helped to put Barack Obama into a position to accomplish his goals were sincere in their admiration for him. We are willing to believe that they genuinely hope that he will go back on his pledges to attack pro-life laws and repeal pro-marriage policies. Still, actions have consequences, and the actions of these intellectuals and activists will have consequences that are all too easy to predict. With each assault of the Obama administration on laws and policies upholding the sanctity of human life and the dignity of marriage, we will ask all Catholics and Evangelicals, including those who supported Obama, to join us in resisting these assaults. That is what we will do at www.moralaccountability.com.

Our project is offered in a constructive spirit, not one of vilification. Our goal is to help ensure that never again will good intentions conspire with shoddy reasoning and wishful thinking to compromise the rights of the weakest and most vulnerable members of our community and to undermine the institution of marriage. And so in a sincere spirit of friendship, we invite those Catholics and Evangelicals who joined Planned Parenthood, the National Abortion Rights Action League, and similar organizations in helping Obama join us now in repelling the attacks that will be launched against life and marriage in this administration.

A worthy effort.

The website notes that today will be the day Barack Obama reverses the "Mexico City Policy" which forbids the use of American foreign aid money to kill babies. Even he did not possess the "audacity" to do it yesterday on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

"Evangelicals" who supported the Obama campaign (Emergents Brian McClaren, Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt, among many others): The party's over. The Capitol Mall is littered with trash, the promises, platitudes and sophistry rang hollow and then were silent.

Today begins the grim harvest.

Of course Republican politics or politics of any kind are not the hope of the world. But a vote against this was the least you could have done for "the least of these." Can you not see the blood on your hands? May God have mercy on his church. Then, perhaps, on the United States of America.

2009-01-15T18:15:00.011-06:00

Mark Driscoll, Calvinism and the Philistine Press

It's a good idea for evangelical Christians to occasionally get the perspective of observers on the outside, and there is arguably no vantage point farther outside the boundaries of Evangelical Christianity than the New York Times. Cal Thomas used to say that each day he tried to read the Bible and the NYT, just so he'd know "what both sides were up to."

So when on January 6th, the New York Times ran this piece on "young-restless-Reformed" pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, my interest was piqued.

Coastal media folks typically get a lot of things wrong about the beliefs, distinctions and defining characteristics of conservative Christians—those mysterious, anachronistic denizens of the great fly-over space between NY and the West Coast. Perhaps it was Driscoll's growing presence in the heart of a coastal Philistine stronghold that engendered this rare journalistic curiosity, I don't know.

Critics on the reformed and evangelical side will find things that writer Molly Worthen gets wrong. For example, the Calvinist/Armininian debate. I'm not really a Calvinist, but I do know that rooms full of theological volumes have been written to nuance, resolve and explain seeming contradictions within that theology. Worthen broadbrushes these and some other issues just a little.

What's more unsettling is the amount she gets right. Summarizing at the very end of the article:

Driscoll’s New Calvinism underscores a curious fact: the doctrine of total human depravity has always had a funny way of emboldening, rather than humbling, its adherents.

Now this could be taken in a couple of ways. It could be a compliment, it depends on what you mean by "embolden." Think of the (likely apocryphal) quote attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte, "I would rather face 100,000 Italians coming from mass than 1000 Presbyterians rising from their knees." If my Calvin-informed sense of my own "depravity" produces greater humility and greater dependence upon God and leads to fearlessness in service of God and man, good. Humility and boldness are not necessarily at odds. On many levels Driscoll seems to represent that sort of refreshing audacity and courage. Good for him. If it stopped there, everything would be fine.

But Ms. Worthen perceives something else that has been haunting me for some time in regard to the new, young, reformed resurgence; something that the more mature influencers within the movement (Piper, Dever, Carson, MacArthur, Keller and others) desperately need to address. There is another sort of "boldness" that ought to give fellow observers pause. I tried to express it this way, on an earlier post back in May: (apologies for annoying self-quotation!)

...there may be as much to worry about among the young reformed reaction to Emergent. There is a troubling growth of not-very-reformed authoritarian chatter among some of them...Almost as if the right reaction against the emergent loss of scriptural authority is to assert your own authority. Yikes!

What I feared I was sensing in Driscoll and others was not lost on the New York Times (the essential facts, I think, are not disputed). Sometimes "...the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.":

Nowhere is the connection between Driscoll’s hypermasculinity and his Calvinist theology clearer than in his refusal to tolerate opposition at Mars Hill. The Reformed tradition’s resistance to compromise and emphasis on the purity of the worshipping community has always contained the seeds of authoritarianism: John Calvin had heretics burned at the stake and made a man who casually criticized him at a dinner party march through the streets of Geneva, kneeling at every intersection to beg forgiveness. Mars Hill is not 16th-century Geneva, but Driscoll has little patience for dissent. In 2007, two elders protested a plan to reorganize the church that, according to critics, consolidated power in the hands of Driscoll and his closest aides. Driscoll told the congregation that he asked advice on how to handle stubborn subordinates from a “mixed martial artist and Ultimate Fighter, good guy” who attends Mars Hill. “His answer was brilliant,” Driscoll reported. “He said, ‘I break their nose.’ ” When one of the renegade elders refused to repent, the church leadership ordered members to shun him. One member complained on an online message board and instantly found his membership privileges suspended. “They are sinning through questioning,” Driscoll preached. John Calvin couldn’t have said it better himself.

They are sinning through questioning? Yikes, indeed. This approach to church leadership has a rather pre-Reformation magisterial stridency about it to say the least! Very sad. I'm not worried about unconventional methods, blunt, even rough language (I like Luther, too) and in-your-face cultural relevance. I am worried about this.

Time for 95 theses on a very hip Seattle warehouse door?

2009-01-14T09:36:00.004-06:00

Francis Schaeffer Bios Reviewed
Douglas Groothuis of Denver Seminary reviews two recent volumes on the significance of Schaeffer's contribution to apologetics and Christian philosophy. He winds it up with this:

I fear that the younger generation of evangelicals do not know enough about the remarkable life and achievements of Francis Schaeffer; instead they are opting for the trendy but intellectually barren hype of much of the emergent church movement-which claims to be "authentic." ("Authentic" often means little more than emotional, unconventional, and obsessively autobiographical.) Many older evangelicals may have forgotten many of the salient lessons from his life and teachings as well. Reading these two new biographies can help rectify this problem. But better yet, one can read or reread Schaeffer's own books and watch his two film series (the ten-part, "How Should We Then Live?" and five-part, "Whatever Happened to the Human Race?" which are both available on DVD). Indeed, Schaeffer did live an "authentic" life-a life of piety, truth, and courage-worthy of our attention and of our thanksgiving to God.

"Authentic" often means little more than emotional, unconventional, and obsessively autobiographical. Sigh. That is a good description of the spirit of this age isn't it? And it explains "reality" television: one minute of something happening followed by 3 minutes of participants alone with the camera telling us how they felt about that one minute.

2009-01-12T15:34:00.002-06:00

Rick Warren's Inaugural Prayer
I think the Secret Service would haul him off half-way into this suggested prayer, which begins...

Lord, we begin this year with our heads low and our hearts contrite.
We have neglected your Word and commandments.
Forgive us Lord for embracing “Change” without repentance.
Forgive us for putting “Country First" instead of Christ.
Forgive us for worshiping our presidential choice.
For promoting pragmatism, and endorsing evil...

I'm a little uncertain about the "fiat currency" clause, but love the rest.

2009-01-05T11:32:00.003-06:00

Business As Usual in Minnesota
Item: Funny Business in Minnesota. Did anybody really think that the Franken/Ritchie/Star-Tribune consortium would fail to come up with enough votes for the Democrat to win? See the WSJ editorial summary of highly predictable Minnesota electoral shenanigans.

Minnesotans like to think that their state isn't like New Jersey or Louisiana, and typically it isn't. But we can't recall a similar recount involving optical scanning machines that has changed so many votes, and in which nearly every crucial decision worked to the advantage of the same candidate. The Coleman campaign clearly misjudged the politics here, and the apparent willingness of a partisan like Mr. Ritchie to help his preferred candidate, Mr. Franken. If the Canvassing Board certifies Mr. Franken as the winner based on the current count, it will be anointing a tainted and undeserving Senator.

Item: Eagles 26, Vikings 14. Did anybody really think...? From the Star-Tribune's only department still above the waterline:

A playoff berth didn't bring playoff-caliber football from the Vikings, who watched a confident and poised Eagles team rise up and disappoint a packed Dome house.

2008-12-30T11:55:00.002-06:00

Keller on Lewis on Humility

This is a pretty good piece from Tim Keller in Christianity Today, even without the frequent Lewis quotes. An excerpt:

We are on slippery ground because humility cannot be attained directly. Once we become aware of the poison of pride, we begin to notice it all around us. We hear it in the sarcastic, snarky voices in newspaper columns and weblogs. We see it in civic, cultural, and business leaders who never admit weakness or failure. We see it in our neighbors and some friends with their jealousy, self-pity, and boasting.

And so we vow not to talk or act like that. If we then notice "a humble turn of mind" in ourselves, we immediately become smug—but that is pride in our humility. If we catch ourselves doing that we will be particularly impressed with how nuanced and subtle we have become. Humility is so shy. If you begin talking about it, it leaves. To even ask the question, "Am I humble?" is to not be so. Examining your own heart, even for pride, often leads to being proud about your diligence and circumspection.

2008-12-15T13:06:00.002-06:00

Christmas a Pagan Holiday? Bah, Humbug!
Justin Taylor links to this good and common sense from R.C. Sproul. Here's a taste:

Sure, Christmas is a time of commerce. The department stores are decorated to the hilt, the ad pages of the newspapers swell in size, and we tick off the number of shopping days left until Christmas. But why all the commerce? The high degree of commerce at Christmas is driven by one thing: the buying of gifts for others. To present our friends and families with gifts is not an ugly, ignoble vice. It incarnates the amorphous "spirit of Christmas." The tradition rests ultimately on the supreme gift God has given the world. God so loved the world, the Bible says, that He gave His only begotten Son. The giving of gifts is a marvelous response to the receiving of such a gift. For one day a year at least, we taste the sweetness inherent in the truth that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

2008-12-11T12:28:00.004-06:00

More Fun With Facebook Ads
Yeah, me too. I'm so sick of all those Latin Christmas albums out there performed by fake clergymen.

2008-12-09T09:27:00.002-06:00

That Sound of Rustling Pages
you hear all across America is some of us thumbing through our newer Tim LaHaye prophecy library and even our old dusty Hal Lindsey Late-Great books. Read this.

2008-12-08T17:25:00.007-06:00

Old Books and New Ideas

I've added a new label representing a theme I'm fond of, "Old Books." It seems that at almost any given time I've got at least one in the stack by the fireplace that I'm working my way through. Sometimes I buy new editions of old books, but the real prize is always the old edition, as close to the 1st Edition as possible.

My most recent finds in the second category happened at a local library book sale a couple of weeks ago. Big room full of old books, grocery bag full: $5.00. What a deal. So I loaded up an over-sized 1880's 3-volume set of Washington Irving (haven't read anything in them yet, just enjoy looking at them with their beautiful embossing and engraved illustrations), and among a half-dozen others, a copy of E. Stanley Jones The Christ of the Indian Road c. 1925. That one is fascinating in the Theological category and will merit a later post.

A lot of the old books around me right now are, predictably, Chesterton books. Now an official member of the American Chesterton Society, I find my self prepping for the monthly discussion group with whatever piece of his work is on the agenda.

Today's first old book is one of them, and one that led me straight to the second, a truly old classic by Henry James—picked up at some long-forgotten garage or book sale and languishing on my shelf until recently.

1. Tremendous Trifles by G.K. Chesterton 1909

GKC inquirers, start here! This excellent collection (download here) of short articles from the London Illustrated News captures the essence of Chesterton. On the idea of Seeing, particularly the smaller things of the world :

...the object of my school is to show how many extraordinary things even a lazy and ordinary man may see if he can spur himself to the single activity of seeing.

Everything is in an attitude of mind; and at this moment I am in a comfortable attitude. I will sit still and let the marvels and the adventures settle on me like flies. There are plenty of them, I assure you. The world will never starve for want of wonders; but only for want of wonder.

The 39 essays that follow are funny, poignant and off the wall.

One not to miss: The Twelve Men—on how some things are just too important to leave to the experts.

Another: The Red Angel, in wonderful support of reading fairy tales and scary stories to kids. His one exception? My next old book...

2. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James 1898

James was a contemporary of GKC and brother of the "father of pragmatism," philosopher William James, a quirky fellow in his own right. Chesterton summarized Henry's effort:

It describes two innocent children gradually growing at once omniscient and half-witted under the influence of the foul ghosts of a groom and a governess. As I say, I doubt whether Mr. Henry James ought to have published it (no, it is not indecent, do not buy it; it is a spiritual matter)...

So, of course I had to read it. It's terrible. Not all old books are good books. My complaint is not about ghostliness, or preternatural terror, but that the author lead me on only to abandon me at the end. The reader feels the evil atmosphere but is left wondering: Were the horrors real or only in the mind of the narrator? Was the evil in the perceiving or that which was perceived? That may have been James' intent, and perhaps even his genius, I don't know. Like so much modern story-telling and unlike good fairy tales and good stories of terror, it ends without resolution or moral point of view. That's the reason, I suppose, for Chesterton's warning that it was a "spiritual matter."

On the plus side, my old-old copy is mint condition from the Everyman Library with dust jacket still intact!

Next old book: The Christ of the Indian Road by E. Stanley Jones, and old book with ideas that will appeal to some modern Christians and appall others. It did a little of both to me.

2008-12-01T11:47:00.005-06:00

One of the Dumber Things I've Done
The first picture is what a standard trash bin looks like at my house.
The second shows what it looks like after somebody (me) puts ashes from the outdoor fire pit in it under the mistaken impression that there were no live coals remaining.
The third shows what happens to a cedar fence where a conflagration of this type takes place.
Not pictured, the three Dugan children at home while the arsonist was away, each playing a key role in averting greater disaster. Beth, who noticed the unusual glow above the fence gate and alerted Katie, who called us immediately while alerting Tim (the only Boy Scout in the house) who raced to the scene with an extinguisher and put it out.
Also not pictured, the wife exercising heroic restraint as she puts the best construction on it all and speaks to me with kindness and respect (refusing to ask the appropriate "what were you thinking" series of questions) gently suggesting possible venues where the purchase of a metal ash can might be accomplished. We're thinking Home Depot.

2008-11-19T12:40:00.003-06:00

Broad-minded Tolerance or Tyranny?
Why do many of us see the gay marriage agenda as the latter and yet feel the sting of being called narrow minded and intolerant? Excellent analysis of the same-sex marriage debate from S.T. Karnick. He begins:

From the beginning, the debate over “same-sex marriage” has been one of those topsy-turvy issues in which the side that is truly tolerant and fair has been characterized as narrow-minded and oppressive, while the side that is intolerant and blatantly coercive has been depicted as open-minded and sympathetic.
Favoring government-enforced recognition of same-sex “marriage” is not, as the media invariably characterize it, a kindly, liberal-minded position, but instead a fierce, coercive, intolerant one. Despite their agonized complaints about the refusal of the majority of Americans to give in on the subject, those who advocate government recognition of same-sex “marriage” want to use coercion to deny other people their fundamental rights.

And, of course, change is coming.

2008-11-12T10:22:00.002-06:00

Latest Grandson Photo
Will Benjamin at 14 months.

2008-11-05T12:15:00.004-06:00

Change Has Come
There is much to say about what yesterday's election means for America, the church, the unborn and the world. But in the third paragraph of Barack Obama's victory speech last night, a watershed moment came and went almost without notice.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled — Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of red states and blue states; we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

Don't miss the significance of this sentence. For the first time in American history, the declaration that approval—not mere tolerance, not simply the recognition that private sins are none of anybody's business in the public square, but hearty approval—has now been granted to a particular class of moral misbehavior. Along with gender, racial origin, socio-economic status, physical disability or political viewpoint, homosexual activity is, in the new president's view, elevated to equally protected and respected legitimacy in the United States.

The reason the statement slides by with so little notice is of course that it's been a long time coming, and is already the de facto assumption of popular culture. But make no mistake, a corner has been turned. We have been asked first to tolerate, then accept, and now honor.

Those Christians who still take seriously the Epistle to the Romans' description of godlessness and cultural decay are neither naive nor surprised. They understand that sin of every kind is rampant around us—and sometimes within us—and that all sin puts all people in peril of the judgment of God, that the line between good and evil runs through the middle of every human heart. But with the sobering implications of Obama's statement, they also understand that another full rotation in the downward spiral of America is now complete.

...and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. —Romans 1:32 NAS

2008-11-03T16:27:00.003-06:00

The Point of No Return
What is at stake in tomorrow's election cannot be overstated. On any front; the protection of life, the rule of law, national security, economic freedom, individual liberty. As Thomas Sowell points out in this series of short interview segments, a Barack Obama presidency will almost certainly take us past the failsafe point in more than one category. Do not miss segment five. Then pray, then vote, then pray again.

2008-11-03T11:03:00.003-06:00

On the Day Before The Election, First Things First
Happy 14th Birthday to my youngest! You are wonderful!

2008-10-22T14:54:00.004-05:00

Al Franken and Christianity
Just imagine the political decapitation if a candidate for the U.S. Senate had written something this disparaging of the Religion Of Peace and its prophet.

2008-10-22T11:59:00.003-05:00

C.S. Lewis on Politics Part 2
From God in the Dock, Is Progress Possible?

I believe a man is happier, and happy in a richer way, if he has the "freeborn" mind. But I doubt whether he can have this without economic independence, which the new society is abolishing.

2008-10-14T17:19:00.003-05:00

C.S. Lewis on Politics Part 1
In feeble resistance to the tidal wave poised to engulf us all, a series of quotes from gentle C.S. on Liberalism—the madness of modernity, and the twilight of freedom.

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies."
—from The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment, God in the Dock

2008-10-03T15:58:00.004-05:00

After the Veep Debate Write Your Own Caption

Suggestions?

2008-09-30T15:46:00.005-05:00

The Creepiest Political Advertising Thus Far

Take a look at this, Mr. Orwell.
(This post is properly filed under Politics AND Religion.)

2008-09-29T11:25:00.006-05:00

One Morning at the Super America Station

You pull in. Two pumps, two choices, green and red.

The green pump? No, not what you need. Next pump.

The red one? Not sure how this will affect mileage...

2008-09-17T15:38:00.011-05:00

Ending a Blogging Hiatus

There's so much to blather about with the onset of this most unusual political/meteorological/financial season we're in, that I truly don't know where to begin. So I'll show some wonderful grandson pictures! Enjoy. He just celebrated Birthday Uno...

(Cranky, cynical, highly-partisan posts on the state of Politics and Religion to follow)

2008-08-26T10:40:00.004-05:00

Re-Considering Rick Warren

Expecting the worst (in terms of the popular trend of evangelical pandering to the political left out of embarrassment for being seen as part of the religious right) from the Saddleback forum a couple of weeks ago, I was actually quite impressed with Warren's questions for the candidates and his post-show comments here and there.

Here is a WSJ interview with more encouragement for my cautiously growing respect. Sample:

In our interview, he recalls that tolerance used to be the idea that you "treat others with respect." Now, he laments, it has come to mean that "all ideas are equally valid." And so you can begin to understand why some people today are not happy with the idea of tolerance. But Mr. Warren aims to return Americans to that old view. Despite his calm demeanor, his easy laugh and his casual dress, there doesn't seem to be a relativist bone in Mr. Warren's body.

2008-08-14T10:33:00.003-05:00

Lakeland "Outpouring" Analysis from Charisma
We have been watching with fascination and at times horror for several months the satellite TV (GodTV) coverage of the Todd Bentley thing in Florida. What did it mean? Is this Christianity? Is there something wrong with me for finding it appalling? Now that it has imploded, Charisma editor J. Lee Grady offers a post mortem, asks the right questions, and pretty much says what needs to be said. God bless him, good stuff.

2008-08-12T12:26:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday Mrs. D!

You are an amazing person, wife, mother, grandma, teacher, leader, friend, blogger, book-keeper, Bible student, hostess, party-thrower, googler, fearless spokesperson, writer, story-teller, trend analyst, maker of clam chowder, food expert, trip-planner, weeper-with-those-who-weep, smeller of rats, rejoicer-with-those-who rejoice, speed-related card games player, political junkie, expert on all things MWSmith, gift giver, and the list goes on...

This is your day!
Love,
Mr. D

P.S. Say Happy Birthday to her here.

2008-07-26T16:57:00.004-05:00

In Praise of Great Hymns

On her recent "Poetry Monday" Mrs. D has posted the lyrics to Come Thou Fount of Many Blessings, one that we've both rediscovered lately. The verse I especially love is:

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Alister McGrath in Christianity's Dangerous Idea notes that hymn writing has not come easy for all branches of Protestantism. The Puritan Cotton Mather (1663-1728) meant well but came up with the following: (you might want to pull out all the stops on the pipe organ during this stanza)

Ye monsters of the bubbling deep
Your Maker's praises spout;
Up from the sands ye codlings peep,
And wag your tails about.

McGrath notes "It certainly rhymes. But it's not exactly inspirational."

---------------

2008-07-23T14:36:00.005-05:00

Magical Moments on Facebook

As a newcomer to facebook.com, I'm slightly confused about the point of it all but flattered that a few people are willing to be my friends (come to think of it—just like high school!). The ads at the side of the page are interesting aren't they? Here are two recent ones:

You know, I think I just may rent a log homes, or a cool houseboats or something...

I'm not sure how this might compare to a Protestant diamond. Probably has more facets but not quite as much clarity?

2008-07-10T10:35:00.005-05:00

Things People Say When They Mean the Opposite Part II

I forgot about this one:

"A light bulb went off in my head" = "A light bulb went ON in my head"
What you mean is that a sudden bright idea occurred to you, illuminating your thought processes in some way. When a light bulb "goes off" greater darkness is naturally the result. The only bulb that illuminates when it goes off is a flash bulb (people under 30 may need to google "flash bulb") and therefore the phrase "a flash bulb went off in my head" works fine. That's the original figure of speech I think.

and one more in common usage:

"this new idea is based off something" = "this new idea is based ON something"
What we mean is that our new thought begins with and is built upon an existing foundation. A base is a thing on which multiple structures might all be anchored, including our new one. A new idea might "spin off" an older one or "take off" from it, but to say that our innovation is "based off" something implies the opposite sense while making no sense.

"Don't some of these verbally priggish bloggers have something better to do?"

Yes, and we'll get back to it now.

2008-06-23T11:43:00.004-05:00

Things People Say When They Actually Mean Very Nearly the Opposite

I'm fascinated with a recent upturn in a particular phenomenon of popular language. The true meaning of an expression is not merely modified or flavored or colored to cast the speaker in a better light—but shamelessly mis-stated. A couple of random examples:

In religious/spiritual circles

"I am so humbled..." = "I am so very proud..."
This one drives me crazy. Quite often it is perfectly legitimate that the speaker feel honored, gratified, deeply satisfied with whatever recognition or favorable response has come to him. Nobody would fault him for expressing it as "Thank you! I am so honored...". So why the faux-humility? You're not humbled. When you think you deserve accolades and get the opposite, that's humbling.

In advertising (always a rich source of verbal buffoonery)

"You're pre-approved" = "You're absolutely NOT pre-approved"
You might be approved later, post-approved, but you will in fact jump through many hoops to achieve this status.

"For your convenience" = "For our convenience"
The "convenience" line is usually a tip-off that some customary feature or benefit has been removed. "We no longer serve free ice-water, but for your convenience bottled water may be purchased from the food case."

In general

"It's a win/win situation" = "I will win/you probably won't"
All pyramid schemes and red-hot real estate opportunities are built on this trusty foundation.

"It's not about the money" = "It's about the money"
Nuff said.

I would of course be so humbled to hear suggestions and additions from others...for your convenience.

2008-06-06T15:44:00.003-05:00

Chesterton on The World of Obama

Public Radio was fairly breathless all day Thursday as the question "which Democrat will we support?" had been answered at last. As far as most in the media are concerned, the big political questions of 2008 are now resolved. It's time for healing and forward-looking optimism, for reaching out across our differences, working together to elect Obama (virtually a foregone conclusion) in the Fall. And the mood is contagious. All up and down the Malibu beach front broad consensus among ordinary Americans is already palpable. Change at last! Peace and safety! Graduate school, healthcare and hybrids for all! Obama!

For that tiny minority with a rudimentary understanding of the American experiment and a vague consciousness of history, G.K. Chesterton's 83 year old rejoinder is a more accurate assessment of where we may actually stand, and what sort of clouds may be on our horizon. He was addressing those who assume and trust in the notion of inevitable "progress" (Change):

If there is one fact we really can prove, from the history that we really do know, it is that despotism can be a development, often a late development and very often indeed the end of societies that have been highly democratic. A despotism may almost be defined as a tired democracy. As fatigue falls on a community, the citizens are less inclined for that eternal vigilance which has truly been called the price of liberty; and they prefer to arm only one single sentinel to watch the city while they sleep.
—The Everlasting Man: Chapter 3 The Antiquity of Civilization 1925

2008-05-30T12:25:00.015-05:00

The Greek Language, Roman Roads and Starbucks
Musings over a cup of Pike Place Roast

What do all these have in common? Much has been made by Biblical commentators of significant historical providences during an otherwise silent inter-testamental period—between the last book of the Old Testament and the coming of Christ. During that 400 years, two grand empires left behind two great legacies transforming both the speed and effectiveness of communication in the Mediterranean world. Alexander provided the Greek language as the common denominator of commerce and learning, the Romans well-built roads and the freedom to travel on them. Both were intended for human conquest, control and profit, but employed by the feet and pens of the Apostles, invaluable to the spread of the Christian gospel. The rest is world-turned-upside-down history.

Starbucks? Assuming that Common Grace still abounds, I ask what else might be identified, particularly in our time, as useful cultural provisions for the spread of Christianity and the edification of the church? Certainly the printed word, globe-shrinking transportation, radio, television, electronic media, the internet. But one recent development not to be underestimated here in America is the Coffee Shop. "Starbucks," you say? With their ever-so-secular feng shui and nasty new little mermaid logo? Remember, there was nothing particularly Christian about Koine Greek or Roman pavement, and both conveyed many things pagan while at the same time serving infinitely higher purposes. Okay, if you don't like the Seattle original, think Caribou (as I most often do), or Dunn Bros. or whatever else is available where you are, but do think about what the genre has accomplished for human interaction.

What the coffee shop has done for the socially starved and spiritually hungry is remarkable. It has provided a thrifty option, a convenient excuse, a ubiquitous venue for people to get together and talk, read and debate, confess and pray and commiserate and counsel and edify and rebuke and encourage the faint-hearted and weep and laugh and strategize and reflect and google and blog and evangelize and study, test the spirits, examine the scriptures to see if these things be so, ask questions and give answers for the hope that lies within us. In the atmosphere of Starbucks white noise confidentiality, put a coffee cup in my hand, I'm ready to talk.

What did we do before coffee shops? We did lunch and dinner; time-pressure and expense. Bars and pubs; noisy and not usually a good idea. We had people over; still do, but it gets complicated and doesn't happen as readily or spontaneously as meeting at a neutral location. We talked after church; surface-y and truncated, unsatisfying. We used the phone; not as good as face-to-face, and curiously enough, nearly impossible for men. We wrote letters; no we didn't, that was a previous generation.

As on Roman roads and most religious television (now there's a botched providential opportunity!), there are time-wasters, thieves and conspirators too, so the coffee shop can be used for the spread of the worthless and even harmful, but used for good it's just so easy. "Let's meet for coffee" is much more appealing than "can we talk?" So I think it's a 21st Century divine providence. By the way, I say don't sweat the new logo, just appreciate the ambiance and the opportunities and enjoy.

The coffee is better than church basement percolated Folgers too.

2008-05-21T10:21:00.002-05:00

Grandson Escapes!
Just heard from his mom that after leaving him buckled in his bouncy chair for a little while to take care of things in another room, this is what she found upon her return!

2008-05-15T10:24:00.003-05:00

Fun With the Morning Talk Shows
Flipping from NBC's Today Show...
where economist Matt Lauer grilled the CEO of Exxon—scolding him for the nefarious practice of earning a profit for his shareholders and not ignoring the laws of supply and demand. Actually, I think all the supply and demand talk went right over Matt's head. I wonder how he would respond if the handlers of his millions in investments came back and said, "Oh by the way, Mr. Lauer, we thought you were earning too much on this one so we gave your dividend away to somebody who needs it more."
..to Fox and Friends...
where Harry Connick, Jr. live from the Big Easy described one of the post-Katrina houses he helped build for a friend. When asked whether he would ever be invited to stay there,
Connick responds: "That remains to be undecided."

2008-05-13T11:04:00.018-05:00

Even "Christian" Service?
Having pondered for some time the concept of "The World in the Church," and how the secular idolatry of personal ambition, the "pride of life," worms its way even into spiritual enterprises, I find this thought from D.A. Carson's book, A Call to Spiritual Reformation, concise, sobering and dead-on. His topic is glory, Who gets it and in what limited sense it is reflected derivatively in the believer as Christ is "glorified in you" II Thessalonians 1:2:

The Christian’s whole desire, at its best and highest, is that Jesus Christ be praised. It is always a wretched bastardization of our goals when we want to win glory for ourselves instead of for him.... Lying at the heart of all sin is the desire to be the center, to be like God. So if we take on Christian service, and think of such service as the vehicle that will make us central, we have paganized Christian service; we have domesticated Christian living and set it to servitude in a pagan cause. (57–58)

"Paganized Christian service," I suppose, could describe any ministry activity that in the name of the Gospel becomes a vehicle for personal advancement—that motivates participants by an appeal to a need for recognition or to the attractiveness of being "at the center" of a special elite within the ranks.

Sometimes the phenomenon is accompanied by glaring doctrinal, financial or moral deviation—but not every time. Sadly, since 1st century Galatia there have always been preachers, sects and fringe churches with questionable motives. They followed St. Paul all over Asia and beyond. In anything-goes 21st Century America all varieties abound, but I'm convinced it's not just prosperity groups and the patently weird who set Christian activity into "servitude in a pagan cause."

The system works. Personal ambition is an effective motivator. But it is not Christian, and it is a strange bedfellow with Christian doctrine. Yet precious Christian truth is sometimes called into the service of paganized Christianity. Unity. Discipline. Holiness. Even a passionate emphasis on the Cross of Christ and the extirpation of indwelling sin becomes a convenient tool in the hands of some for the advancement of self and the manipulation of others—lots of humility talk, in reality practicing anything but. Mercifully, there are always tell-tale outward signs of corruption on the inside of these gleaming white dishes. Look carefully and Pharisaical roots are showing.

Watch for subtle legalism; a written or unwritten code of extra-biblical conformity necessary to fit in. Watch for evidence of sectarianism; inwardness, group loyalty and pride that goes beyond mere fraternity. And then authoritarianism; an odd preoccupation with "apostles'" and elders' authority and your submission. Without exception, some kind of highly concentrated pyramid structure inevitably emerges to protect leadership and provide a pathway and footholds for the attention-needy novice on his way up. Elitism is another clue. Are there secretive rings within rings inside the church or organization through which a person must progress toward full acceptance?

I'm more convinced than ever that polity is a reliable objective clue to the health of a church. In any church where the ekklesia, the congregation gathered has no meaningful place, where an imperious leader or group of leaders rule absolutely, as in so many apostolic and shepherding groups even within evangelicalism, the culture-medium is perfect for the kind of bastardization Carson describes—and worse.

Incidentally, the blade cuts in many directions. Personality-driven seeker churches and emergent churches are in danger, some apostolic groups for sure, but surprisingly, there may be as much to worry about among the young Reformed reaction to Emergent. There is a troubling growth of not-very-reformed authoritarian chatter among some of them, and at least one up-and-coming new "Reformed" denomination with very ominous symptoms. Almost as if the right reaction against the emergent loss of scriptural authority is to assert your own authority. Yikes! But that's a topic for another day.

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. Matthew 20:25, 26

2008-05-07T10:53:00.006-05:00

Fun With Bumper Stickers
Sometimes it's the juxtaposition of two that provides the entertainment. Yesterday I saw these two placed inches apart on the back of a mini-van:

Yes, when I do pay attention to Minnesota Public Radio I'm frequently outraged.

2008-04-18T10:21:00.003-05:00

"What Should They Regard as Too Obscene...?"

This, from the Yale Daily News, pointed out by Gary Miller over at TVM and others (filed under "Western Culture—It was one heck of a run") apparently is not.

A Bible perspective on the nature of this "art":
"And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done." Romans 1:28 ESV
on the tragedy of the lost soul of an "artist:"
"...having no hope and without God in the world." Ephesians 2:12
on the complicity of others at Jonathan Edwards' Yale:
"...they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them." Romans 1:32

From C.S. Lewis in That Hideous Strength, describing a fictitious regime whose aim in the absence of God, is to reinvent Man as his own God:

What should they find incredible, since they believed no longer in a rational universe? What should they regard as too obscene, since they held that all morality was a mere subjective by-product of the physical and economic situations of men? The time was ripe. From the point of view which is accepted in Hell, the whole history of the earth had led up to this moment.

2008-04-16T09:36:00.002-05:00

The Limitations of Spell-Check
Eye halve spell check too sea and ketch the miss steaks the I can knot sea. Due ewe?

2008-04-15T09:54:00.002-05:00

Blogging Hiatus Apparently Ends

Too busy to do anything but check in on other peoples blogs for the last few weeks, I'm back with a few random links and observations.

Random L & O #1: I'm enjoying the work of Os Guinness again, after hearing him speak on Minnesota Public Radio's Westminster Town Hall Forum last week. An earlier MacLaurin Institute talk entitled "Can Freedom Last Forever?" explores similar themes and goes a little deeper. He's an Englishman (sort of modern-day de Tocqueville) who articulates what America is and needs better than most American pundits. He writes and speaks on a broad range of cultural and spiritual topics.

Random L & O #2: I love quotations, pointed and to the point. Mind and Culture from the Cambridge Study Center is a drawer full of sharp knives. Two examples:

Anti-intellectualism is a disposition to discount the importance of truth and the life of the mind. Living in a sensuous culture and an increasingly emotional democracy, American evangelicals in the last generation have simultaneously toned up their bodies and dumbed down their minds. The result? Many suffer from a modern form of what the ancient stoics called "mental hedonism"-having fit bodies but fat minds.
- Os Guinness

What luck for rulers that men do not think.
- Adolf Hitler

Random L & O #3: Psalm 33:5 "He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD." KJV

2008-03-21T11:12:00.004-05:00

It's Springtime in Minnesota!
My driveway on the second day of Spring, 2008.

2008-03-19T11:57:00.003-05:00

Larry Norman and G.K. Chesterton
Dale Ahlquist, founder of the American Chesterton Society and acting czar of the Twin Cities Chesterton Society, offers this 2005 interview with LN regarding GKC and other matters contemporary Christian. Troubled soul and controversial though he was, Norman is intellectually impressive and quite perceptive about the state of things in popular Christianity in this Gilbert Magazine piece. Regarding Father Brown (GKC's detective protagonist):

...But when I began reading the Father Brown volume, I realized that nothing is more natural than a Christian doing detective work.
GM: How’s that?
LN: Because that’s what each of us is called to do; to search the scriptures, and test the spirit, and follow the light. In essence, to become a converted believer is a miracle beyond our intention. But to carry on from the cross and find out what it means to be a Christian requires that we sleuth our way through the misdirection of modern religious culture and uncover the crimes of our own heart and amass the evidence against ourselves so that we can throw ourselves upon the mercy of the court, which is God’s own unconditional love. So in the end, there is no penance required for our conversion itself, though we may continue to pay the price for our previous choices.

2008-03-17T11:07:00.003-05:00

Happy(?) St. Patrick's Day!

"Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy."

—William Butler Yeats

2008-03-12T11:57:00.003-05:00

Reading and Listening, (Not Much Watching)

Reading
Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola, George Barna
More in-depth analysis will follow, but finished this one in a few sittings over 2 days with great interest. Off the top impressions: A lot of sacred cow tipping, most of it legitimate and even refreshing, some of it perhaps unnecessarily picky (the chapter on the modern concept of Pastor and how that function even in Reformed and evangelical tradition has devolved into a de facto priesthood class is spot-on and powerful, whereas the chapter on the pagan roots of dressing up for church seems less convincing); voluminous foot-notes and references make up for the deficiency of same in Barna's earlier (and related) title Revolution; a little broad-brushing of church history in order to make the case, which is generally a good one; the only alternative offered for "doing church" is house church—a credible one but I still think there are other models that adequately dispense with most of the dispensable excesses of modern American evangelicalism.
Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton
Again, this time for discussion at the Twin Cities Chesterton Society meeting in March. The book is 100 years old this year, and more timely and relevant than today's paper. The introduction alone is a hoot. The chapter entitled The Suicide of Thought is worth the price of the book. My daughter Katie (19) has now joined the eclectic company of Chestertonians meeting at the University Club in St. Paul. Cool!
The Passion of Jesus Christ by John Piper
Getting ready for Easter, 50 reasons why Christ had to suffer and die. Biblical, devotional, wonderful.

Listening
Brandi Carlile The Story. A perfect mix of electric alternative and old finger picking (!?!) from a twenty-something Seattle song-writer. The title track is electrifying.
Tommy Emmanuel The Endless Road. Takes acoustic finger picking to unbelievable heights.

2008-02-22T10:51:00.007-06:00

Another Blog Forecast

And oh...the last time I issued one of those, such a kerfuffle! (thanks to Gary Miller over at Truth vs. the Machine for teaching me that wonderful word)...but I digress.

I have yet to read a single word of the new George Barna/Frank Viola tome Pagan Christianity, but I shall, and this reporter promises to faithfully render a thoughtful review and in-depth analysis for the enjoyment of all seven of you. OK, all six of you.

Barna's first book (Revolution) on the subject of "what's going on in the church/where is it headed?" was somewhat weakly data-supported considering the author's credentials, but nevertheless a wonderful exploration of the topic. It was of course virulently excoriated by all the usual suspects—those who have a career interest in the declining mega-church, seeker-church, authoritarian-church, corporate-church status quo—because it had the temerity to imply that many of the practitioners and gate-keepers of American evangelicalism may not be—gulp—absolutely necessary! That the wind of the Holy Spirit "blows where it lists," that believers can gather and function and the Church be engaged outside the hallowed worship centers and rented auditoriums, and that "where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty." Don't panic, guys, the sun country Relevance and Next Gen Church Growth convocation is still on....lap-top, check...soul patch, check...snorkel & fins, check...Driscoll book for autograph, check....

(Note: If I knew how to put smiley faces all over, I wouldn't sound so mean-spirited. >emoticon here< I love the Church, even when it's silly!)

Barna's summary research on the subject can be read here. I am having some evil fun with one (slightly unfairly isolated) finding:

Among the pastors least likely to support the legitimacy of house churches were pastors who earn more than $75,000 annually;>emoticon with crooked smile<

2008-02-20T14:31:00.005-06:00

"I'm Mel-l-l-ting!!"

2008-02-20T09:57:00.005-06:00

The Rest of What Lord Acton Said
His over-quoted but ever-true dictum about "power corrupting" is not usually read in the context of what precedes it. Interesting.

“I cannot accept, your canon that we are to judge pope and king unlike other men, with a favorable presumption that they do no wrong. If there is any presumption, it is the other way against holders of power…
Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”

2008-02-15T12:12:00.004-06:00

Tabletalk on C.S. Lewis
Ligonier Ministries (R.C. Sproul & Co.) has dedicated an issue to the life and work of CSL. A rather handsome and readable page-turning version of it is online here. Tabletalk is a monthly(?) devotional magazine I used to get. I always enjoyed it, though I don't find myself quite in it's theological camp always. Growing up Arminian you sometimes need a shot of Calvin & Co. to keep you healthy! A.W. Tozer has a line about that somewhere. (Anybody know where/what that is?) In any case, this is a nice issue.

2008-02-06T12:10:00.000-06:00

Vote Harding

Ran into my friend Chuck Chalberg, historian and Chestertonian extraordinaire at the local coffee shop this morning. Now it so happens that in an early '90s fit of apoplectic reaction against the Mpls. Star-Tribune, we decided we just couldn't take it any more, so we don't*—but I'm grateful that Prof. Chalberg pointed me to his piece on Sunday's op-ed page, wondering about what our candidate selection process has become.
___________
*Mrs. D once nailed it in an off-the-cuff one-liner to a Star-Trib phone salesman: "Why would I re-subscribe? I don't like your politics and I don't own a bird."

2008-02-02T16:54:00.000-06:00

A Book About Nothing
On a tip from my niece, I've re-discovered the short stories of P.G. Wodehouse [1881-1975], specifically the Jeeves stories. Jeeves is the original quintessentially capable and nearly omniscient butler, prototype for any number of movie and sit-com characters. The cast of impossibly vain and shallow (but largely harmless and lovable) characters actually remind me of Seinfeld.
Each plot revolves around some minor mess young Bertie Wooster has gotten himself into and Jeeves, his valet, gets him out of. As in TV sit-coms, the principals seem to exist at perpetual leisure and 1920's English social situations provide most of the setting. Sort of Great Gatsby without foreboding and dark cynicism. Cleverly written, fast-moving, mindless entertainment. I'm enjoying it. Sample dialogue:

"Bertie," he said, "I want your advice."
"Carry on."
"At least, not your advice, because that wouldn't be much good to anybody. I mean, you're a pretty consummate old ass, aren't you? Not that I want to hurt your feelings, of course."
"No, no, I see that."
"What I wish you would do is put the whole thing to that fellow Jeeves of yours, and see what he suggests."

2008-01-30T22:23:00.000-06:00

You Must Read This
Not just because the writer is my daughter....

2008-01-22T09:49:00.001-06:00

January 22, 2008: 35 Years of Divine Mercy

But the clock is ticking. Consider these facts:

During 2004, in the U.S.

One baby is aborted every 24 seconds
147 babies are aborted every hour
3,542 babies are aborted every day
24,865 babies are aborted every week
107,750 babies are aborted every month

It's not a Democrat vs. Republican issue—even though one party's record is significantly more dismal than the other. My Republican Congressman, Jim Ramstad has exhibited a tin ear and teflon heart on this issue his entire Washington tenure. Any vote I've cast for him has been a "hold-your-nose-keep-a-conservative-majority" compromise—with an uneasy conscience.

May God have mercy on us.

2008-01-17T14:11:00.000-06:00

Archaeology Supports the Bible—Again

But there is good news and bad news (or at least sobering news) in the story of this ancient temple seal recently unearthed in Jerusalem.

The good news is that once again the Bible is vindicated as history. The seal spells out the name of a priestly family mentioned in Nehemiah as having been in Babylon during the captivity c. 586 B.C. and then returning with the exiles to Jerusalem.

"The seal of the Temech family gives us a direct connection between archaeology and the biblical sources and serves as actual evidence of a family mentioned in the Bible," she said. "One cannot help being astonished by the credibility of the biblical source as seen by the archaeological find."—Dr. Eliat Mazar

It seems, however, to also depict something sadly prescient of syncretistic, spirit-of-the-age influenced Christianity all around us today. The two figures represent priests serving at an altar of incense—Godly activity perfectly consistent with Old Testament law. But above them "a crescent moon, the symbol of the chief Babylonian god Sin, appears on the top of the altar."

Imagine a logo today featuring a cross and a dollar sign, or...?

2008-01-04T11:28:00.000-06:00

Quotable Quotes

From Murray and Spurgeon on the sometimes difficult task of "...rightly dividing the word of truth." (II Tim. 2:15 KJV)

The difference between truth and error is not a chasm but a razor's edge.—John Murray (1898-1975)

Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between what is right and wrong: rather it is the difference between right and almost right. —Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)

Theology is a tricky business. False teaching throughout the history of Christianity begins with the slightest twisting of a text or diversion from principle, even a minor redefinition of words in favor of the innovator's predilections. The only corrective has been free, open, often excruciating "contending for the faith," sometimes arguing over seeming minutae—"on the razor's edge." Great, solid, resilient doctrines have been formed and clarified in the crucible of controversy from the Jerusalem Council onward. It's been fascinating to me over the last few years of reading (and experience), how in the development of aberrant Christian groups one of the first things insidiously ruled out has always been internal or external doctrinal debate—too "contentious," "divisive" or "distracting" —solidifying the position of leaders but effectively closing the door to any restorative influence, insulating the group from change or growth and ensuring a continuation of error.

In the political sphere you also encounter that "fine line" dividing true public virtue from moral insanity. For example: It is always a Christian virtue to care for the weak and needy. But is it Christian virtue to entrust that task to an ever more oppressive, confiscatory secular state—in the name of Christian virtue? True compassion flows from an ethic which rightly values life originating in the command "Thou shalt not kill." But should that compassion be implemented at the casting aside of another Christian virtue rooted in the command "Thou shalt not steal?" My good friends on the religious left seem to think so.

These are indeed times for discernment—and drawing fine lines.

2007-12-20T09:19:00.000-06:00

Related Stories?
From the Times of London, this headline
Archbishop Says Nativity "A Legend"
and from the Evening Standard
Mohammed Now Second Most Popular Boys' Name in Britain

2007-12-18T10:13:00.000-06:00

Mere Christianity

My son Tim and I are nearly finished with a chapter-by-chapter book study of this Lewis classic, and I'm reminded once again why it's a classic. His manner is modest and unassuming. He never leverages his mastery of the language in order to remind you of his own brilliance, but uses it to make complex ideas about God, philosophy and apologetics simple, accessible and clear.

His friendly style doesn't prevent him from cutting to the heart of, for example, "contemporary" Theology. The double irony of the following comment on the importance of studying Theology and on Theological "novelties" (from his intro to Beyond Personality, the final section of the book) is that it was written in 1943.

In other words, Theology is practical; especially now. In the old days, when there was less education and discussion, perhaps it was possible to get on with a very few simple ideas about God. But it is is not so now. Everyone reads, everyone hears things discussed. Consequently, if you do not listen to Theology, that will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones—bad, muddled out-of-date ideas. For a great many of the ideas about God which are trotted out as novelties today, are simply the ones which real theologians tried centuries ago and rejected.

The new approaches of 18th and 19th century skepticism (on the authority of the Bible and the meaning of the Cross) had only recently been embraced as new thoughts by mainline denominations when Lewis wrote this. Sadly, they are being "trotted out" as novelties again in 2007 by New Evangelicals, Post-Evangelicals and others.

These and other equally muddled notions are easily absorbed by groups and individuals who don't place a high value on Theology (or history, for that matter) generally and learn only from each other and their own experiences.

2007-12-14T10:44:00.000-06:00

Christmas Joy

2007-12-12T16:44:00.000-06:00

Noisome Histrionics
It's high time I posted something on this blog. With all the business and fun of the Christmas season upon us, my head is spinning like a dreidel, and there's little time for poignant posting. It seems a little impolitic in this benevolent period to comment on the noisome histrionics emanating in ever more irritating tone from some corners of the presidential race. So until the new year comes (or some irresistible turpitude erupts in political news) I will try to exude all-round good cheer in this space.

Yesterday was the traditional family shopping day, and this year it was an absolute joy from beginning to end, owing in part to his grandmother's and my assignment to push the little grandson's stroller for part of the afternoon. I'll take that duty most any time. (If I can figure out how to post a picture from my cell-phone, I will.) All the kids joined us (even the grown-up ones) and we had a ball.

The day rounded out with Beth's Christmas piano recital (she did great) and cocoa at Starbucks.
___________________________

On a completely different note, favorite word of the week? Turpitude. Goes well with nugatory. Nugatory turpitude.

2007-12-01T22:14:00.000-06:00

Peggy Noonan on a Couple of Topics

This is a pretty good one from a recent WSJ.

On the politics of abortion and the media:

I will never forget that breathtaking moment when, in the CNN/YouTube debate earlier this fall, the woman from Ohio held up a picture and said, "Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama, Mr. Edwards, this is a human fetus. Given a few more months, it will be a baby you could hold in your arms. You all say you're 'for the children.' I would ask you to look America in the eye and tell us how you can support laws to end this life. Thank you."

They were momentarily nonplussed, then awkwardly struggled to answer, to regain lost high ground. One of them, John Edwards I think, finally criticizing the woman for being "manipulative," using "hot images" and indulging in "the politics of personal destruction." The woman then stood in the audience for her follow up. "I beg your pardon, but the literal politics of personal destruction--of destroying a person--is what you stand for."
Oh, I wish I weren't about to say, "Wait, that didn't happen." For of course it did not. Who of our media masters would allow a question so piercing on such a painful and politically incorrect subject? [read all of it]

On the politics of Hillary Clinton with Obama in her rear view mirror (Warning:objects may be closer than they appear...) and how she must be feeling:

...And anger at this nobody who wasn't even in the Senate when you took the big votes, this cream puff who was a functionary in Chicago when you were getting your head beaten in by Ken Starr. What does Mrs. Clinton do when she's feeling angry? What has she done in the past? Goodness, this won't be pretty.

2007-11-30T11:33:00.000-06:00

Nugatory Discomfiture

You guessed it, it's time for this week's vocabulary adventure. It's never been my intention to discomfit my readers on this page. Nobody wants to toil and moil over a blog post, just read and enjoy. That's why here in my virtual hibernaculum, the decision was made to link each new and challenging word from my Word-a-day calendar to its definition at dictionary.com.

In unrelated domestic news, this is the week of the annual major appliance or plumbing fixture breakdown at the Dugan manse. We lose at least one each year during the Christmas holiday. This time it's the overpriced built-in microwave that is kaput. An over-priced replacement unit is on order.

Couldn't think of a kind way to use the word "porcine," though in the political season, all sorts of unkind usage comes easily. I'll take suggestions...

My favorite new word? Nugatory, hands down.

2007-11-21T10:50:00.000-06:00

Ex Cathedra Persiflage

A quick check on my StatCounter the other day showed a grand total of 0 (zero) readers that day, raising the philosophical question: If a blogger posts in the forest, and there is nobody there to read it, does it make a sound?

Some would say that perhaps a new post more often than every 12 days might generate a little more interest, and while I would tend to agree, I also think interesting content might be helpful. But there, of course, is the rub. I've tried multi-page ramblings on church history and ecclesiology, exhortations and pontifications religious and political, some attempts at humor, and pictures of my grandson Will.

So far, the best content idea has probably been the baby picture, but that last string of long words leads to another idea, a new feature sure to overload my StatCounter within days—once the buzz begins throughout the blogosphere: The Word-a-Day Vocabulary Practice post. I have on my desk the Workman Publishing daily tear-off calendar that features a new, often obscure, English word, its definition and a usually entertaining bit of background and instruction about proper usage. The only way to truly add to one's vocabulary is to deliberately use a new word in daily conversation, so about once a week (if I feel like it) I will be posting something that includes that week's Word-a-Day offerings. Here's a start. See if you can pick out this week's words, then as needed, head for dictionary.com:

When you think about it, most blog posts are little more than a pleasant causerie, carried on between friends and relatives. Occasionally they degenerate into a kind of mindless persiflage, but most jaded readers prefer even that to the sentimental treacle common to many of the posts we read. Not to be too stringent in what I demand of fellow bloggers and others, I'm truly suspicious only of those who in their own fevered imaginations claim to speak ex cathedra.

2007-11-10T09:27:00.000-06:00

The Extended Adolescence of the Evangelical Mindset
Came across this entertaining post, "To Baldly Go" by Carl Trueman at Reformation 21. He has some funny stuff about the phenomenon of hair loss and cover-up and then gets a little more pointed on youth-culture obsession among the middle-aged:

...what is it with ministers and Christian leaders who seem to feel a compulsive need to talk about youth culture all the time and to adopt the styles of self-obsessed teenagers in order to demonstrate how `relevant’ their ministries are and how hidebound everybody else’s are? Above all, the arrival among the forty-somethings of the soul patch, that absurdly redundant tuft of hair just below the bottom lip, says it all. That middle-aged ministers think that they are somehow culturally more attuned or useful because they lecture their peers about what kids do or do not believe, and because they adopt the aesthetics and style of the modern metrosexual is a bizarre and sad turn of events.

His observations:

First, in the world of today, as of yesterday, kids find old people (i.e., anyone over twenty-five) to be embarrassing and implausible...
Second, the Bible itself does not seem to put much stock in what the kids think.
Third, the gospel just is not cool.

And finally,

But the point of priorities is basic and important: don’t let your mid-life crisis determine the way you think about the gospel and the church. A hairstyle which tries to hide the ageing process is one thing, ridiculous but harmless; a theological agenda which mimics the world’s obsession with locating wisdom in the very sector of society with least experience of, and perspective on, everything is far more serious and potentially damaging.

2007-11-01T23:04:00.000-05:00

Run for Your Lives, the Baby Boomers Are Coming
P.J. O'Rourke nails it in the Weekly Standard. On the heels of the Greatest Generation the spectre of the Least Generation hitting retirement ought to strike fear in the body politic. We are the biggest bunch of silvery-templed whiners in history. We're so-o-o needy, and we're about to elect another one of our own to the highest office in the land! Hilarious but frightening piece.

So just give us all the money in the federal, state, and local budget. Forget spending on the military, education, and infrastructure. What with Iraq, falling SAT scores, and that bridge collapse in Minneapolis, it's not like the military, education, and infrastructure are doing very well anyway. Besides, you don't have a choice. We are 80 million strong. That's a number equal to almost two-thirds of the registered voters in the United States. Do what we say or we will ballot you into a socio-economic condition that will make North Korea look like the clubhouse at Pebble Beach. And that's the good news....

2007-11-01T10:03:00.000-05:00

The Media and Objectivity
Pat Shortridge at Truth vs. The Machine identifies a revealing trend over at the hapless Minneapolis Star and Tribune. As our own little gray lady continues to take on water, it seems that a steady stream of "journalists" have been observed scampering down her frayed hawsers and into the employ of local liberal (gasp!) politicians. Money quote:

Now, again, I believe in free markets. I begrudge no one a better job making more money doing what they love. But it comes back to the hypocrisy and intellectual honesty. If you want to play on the liberal team, grab a jersey and get in the game. Just don’t pretend that you’re a fair minded, impartial adjudicator wearing a striped shirt.

2007-10-25T09:49:00.000-05:00

Will Benjamin
I swiped this photo from his blog. He'll not be too happy with this in a few years, but I think it's priceless.

2007-10-22T10:15:00.000-05:00

What Do True Values Voters Care About?
Here's an interesting take from the Evangelical Outpost blog, at the just-completed FRC Washington Briefing. Is the timidity of conservatives (not just conservative bloggers) in emphasizing our opposition to abortion in political argument once again attributable to a mis-guided electoral pragmatism? Terror of the dreaded "single-issue" appellation used so successfully to make us feel marginalized in the past? EO says:

The most significant insight I gained from The Washington Briefing was not about the candidates but about the bloggers: Right-leaning bloggers are out of touch with a large portion--if not the majority--of conservatives in America.

Again, not to be too hard on bloggers or other fiscally conservative commentators here. More power to all who labor tirelessly to identify and dispel the clouds of big-government, utopian, collectivist, socialist, anti-free-market, neo-Marxist gas emitted from the left. Shout it from the blog spots and the house-tops, but learn also from EO's astute observation:

The second most significant insight (though I had been ruminating on this for a few months) is that the semantic distinction between "social conservatives" and "fiscal conservatives" presents a false dichotomy. Conservatism is rooted in principles (transcendent moral order, social continuity, prudence, etc) that naturally have implications for economics. If you are a conservative you are conservative about matters of society and thus likely to espouse economic policies that are fiscally conservative as well. But conservatism cannot begin with economic or fiscal issues as the primary concerns, much less push social issues to the periphery. Anyone who thinks tax reduction is essential while abortion and marriage are secondary or unimportant cannot rightly be considered to be "conservative", at least not by the standards of the American conservative tradition. Currently we don’t have a label for people whose primary philosophical concern is their pocketbooks. It is becoming increasingly apparent, though, that we can simply call them "Republicans."

Let's not fear being true conservatives, fiscally and socially, ideologically or politically. It's a winner, and trumpeting an uncertain sound rallies nobody to the battlefront.

2007-10-17T09:36:00.000-05:00

Giuliani vs. Clinton and Being Pro-Life

Justin Taylor's blog Between Two Worlds addresses the dilemma many of us face in this post from a week ago.

As a pro-life Christian 1) does my vote for a GOP candidate who doesn't get it encourage the party to abandon its principles and thereby lose any voice in the protection of babies, and 2) does a non-vote or a third-party vote ensure the election of a Clinton who will eagerly perpetuate the culture of death? Probably both. And such is the dilemma if Rudy is the only "electable" candidate on his side. Taylor writes:

It is a valid, legitimate point that if the Republicans nominate a pro-choice candidate, then this precedence[sic] opens the door for the nomination of pro-choice Republican candidates in the future.

And...

One must recognize that if it comes down to Giuliani vs. Clinton, a vote for a third-party candidate will undoubtedly guarantee a Clinton presidency (likely for the next eight years). Read that sentence again. Now read it one more time. I think it's incontrovertible, and I'm not sure some pro-lifers have sufficiently recognized this.

And this summary...

At the end of the day, perhaps we can categorize the two positions as (1) principled pro-life purity and (2) principled pro-life pragmatism.

I suppose we have a few months to pray/work for better GOP candidate, and a year to ponder what to do if we don't get one.

2007-10-13T13:25:00.000-05:00

Attempting to Organize This Blog
Either now or later, depending on how soon I figure this out, old and new posts will be labeled and listed somewhere on this page. So far, the categories are:

Amnesia Helmet Awards
C.S. Lewis
Politics and Religion
Grandson
The Church

We'll see if I can get them to show up.

2007-10-06T11:33:00.000-05:00

Demas and Bonocus
The Sacred Sandwich offers this to the subject of cultural relevance.

2007-10-04T09:55:00.000-05:00

Re-visiting Mars Hill and Relevance

Acts 17 has long been appealed to as a pattern for the way in which Christians ought to engage unbelieving culture—Paul's appeal to "your own poets" and reference to their monument to the "unknown God" particularly.

Russell D. Moore's Retaking Mars Hill in September's Touchstone addresses what really happened that day in Athens (it's high time somebody did) and challenges much of the evangelical and emergent silliness perpetrated in the name of reaching the world. We are, it seems, either aping pop culture to be more attractive or embracing pop culture to be more authentic. The Apostle, on closer examination, attempted and cared for neither. Just one of many insights here:

Often at the root of so much Christian “engagement” with pop culture lies an embarrassment about the oddity of the gospel. Even Christians feel that other people won’t resonate with this strange biblical world of talking snakes, parting seas, floating axe-heads, virgin conceptions, and emptied graves. It is easier to meet them “where they’re at,” by putting in a Gospel According to Andy Griffith DVD (for the less hip among us) or by growing a soul-patch and quoting Coldplay at the fair-trade coffeehouse (for the more hip among us).

Knowing Andy Griffith episodes or Coldplay lyrics might be important avenues for talking about kingdom matters, but let’s not kid ourselves. We connect with sinners in the same way Christians always have: by telling an awfully freakish-sounding story about a man who was dead, and isn’t anymore, but whom we’ll all meet face-to-face in judgment.

His observations of contemporary Christian music are especially painful—and accurate.

And I've only just gotten started on my soul-patch.

2007-10-01T11:40:00.000-05:00

An Evening With G.K. Chesterton

Meaning to do so for a long time, finally last week I showed up for a monthly meeting of the Twin Cities Chesterton Society. 30+ devotees of the the great English curmudgeon's good sense come to the University Club on Summit Avenue in St. Paul, prepared to discuss one or more of GKC's books or essays. This time it was Fads and Fancies, a book of essays on everything from Hamlet to the role of mothers in education. I decided to go on the spur of the moment, had not read the material, so sat in the corner and mostly listened and learned. These, by the way, are some really smart guys and will be added to my links. Great fun.

Lot's of Chesterton's work is available on line. Check out Fancies Versus Fads, corresponding to the book mentioned above, particularly the article Turning Inside Out (1923) for a taste of his prescience and common-sense brilliance.

The society's meetings are open to anyone and chaired by the founder of the American Chesterton Society based right here in the Southern burbs. I'll be back for more.

2007-09-25T10:03:00.000-05:00

Smiling
This is grandson Will at just 10 days old. He gave us these looks for several minutes. The overwhelming consensus in the room was "smiling." Other explanations are hereby ruled out of order.

2007-09-23T17:52:00.000-05:00

Speaking of Babies...
This is a heads-up about one (of many, I'm sure) organization doing something truly unique and valuable for the kids of Africa, in the name of Christ, The Rafiki Foundation.

In their own words:

The Rafiki Foundation is a Christian organization whose goal is to help Africa’s orphaned and vulnerable children become godly contributors to their communities and the world. It was established in 1985 by Rosemary Jensen and others who desired to help the children of Africa. Rafiki’s plan for Africa has the potential of impacting thousands of children through the establishment of Rafiki Training Villages and Rafiki Satellite Villages.

A little research brought me in contact with very helpful, credible people there, and they come on excellent recommendation.

2007-09-21T10:49:00.000-05:00

These Are The Days
My new favorite old song [listen] from my new favorite old artist, Van Morrison.

These are the days of the endless summer
These are the days, the time is now
There is no past, there’s only future
There’s only here, there’s only now

Oh your smiling face, your gracious presence
The fires of spring are kindling bright
Oh the radiant heart and the song of glory
Crying freedom in the night

These are the days by the sparkling river
His timely grace and our treasured find
This is the love of the one magician
Turned the water into wine

These are days of the endless dancing and the
Long walks on the summer night
These are the days of the true romancing
When I’m holding you oh, so tight

These are the days by the sparkling river
His timely grace and our treasured find
This is the love of the one great magician
Turned water into wine

These are the days now that we must savour
And we must enjoy as we can
These are the days that will last forever
You’ve got to hold them in your heart.

2007-09-20T10:23:00.000-05:00

Nuff Said

Grandson Will Benjamin

2007-09-16T12:44:00.000-05:00

Welcome N0. 1 Grandson Will!

This is Baby Weekend in our world! At 1:57 p.m. Friday, September 14, Will Benjamin—6 lbs. 13 oz.—made his entrance. He's perfect, beautiful, an absolute joy. Thank you Nikki and Mark, thank you Lord Jesus for the gift of life! Now you have to look at some pictures...

The world's most beautiful baby, just a couple of hours old...

...with the world's most beautiful Grandmother...

...and the shamelessly proud, curmudgeonly Grandpa...

...the glorious new family...

...the thief of all our hearts, Will Benjamin Wallace.

2007-09-04T14:26:00.000-05:00

Counter-Culturally Relevant

The C.S. Lewis Institute publishes a newsletter/magazine called Knowing and Doing...quarterly, perhaps? Not sure. The current issue features a short but excellent biography of William Wilberforce. You can download the pdf here.

Wilberforce seems to have been able to balance "knowing and doing," the subjective and objective, a substantial evangelical faith within himself and the application of deep convictions to issues in the public square. His witness was powerfully relevant to his culture but never lost it's footing. He suffered the scorn and contempt of popular culture, but doggedly continued his cause against the slave trade (and against the decline of public morals) all of his adult life. So much of what current evangelicalism tells us we need to do in order to be relevant seems to be little more than concession and accommodation to popular culture, not confrontation of it. We want to be liked, and when we're liked—we're relevant.

2007-08-21T14:19:00.000-05:00

The Irrelevance of Relevance

Over the weekend I picked up and read a short book by Os Guinness, Prophetic Untimeliness: A Challenge to the Idol of Relevance. His premise: that the Evangelical church in America is well on it's way to utter irrelevancy—pretty much due to its relentless and misguided pursuit of relevancy!

It was, by the way, the same old saw (that unless we become more culturally relevant, the church's next generation will be lost) motivating the earliest liberalization and decline of mainline denominational witness in the 1800's, the early 1900's and again in the 1960's, weakening them near unto death. Evangelicals (of whom he is one) says Guinness, are following the same path to the same end.

Anyway, this recent Touchstone article on relevance in preaching offers incisive corroboration. One of several money quotes:

Well, I thought, what word is the right and relevant word depends on what you think relevant. We have no reason to think that what feels relevant to the worldling is actually relevant to his life. We do have reason to believe that what he feels relevant will be that which diverts him from the painful contemplation of his own sins and helps him move along the trajectory he has plotted for himself—to improve, as he understands it, but not to change.

More later.

2007-08-21T10:20:00.000-05:00

The Way it Should Be

Once in a while we're offered a ray of hope. Hope that real goodness still exists and something of the American spirit survives in the wake of post-modern societal decay.

Such was the impact of the scene my wife and I came upon the other day during the monsoon rains of August. A sharp depression in the nearby school yard has been created to provide drainage for the adjacent athletic field, and this day it was overwhelmed, filled with a foot and a half of water, forming a wonderful impromptu pond. Circled around it were a handful of drenched 12-year-old boys on bikes. As we passed one of them took his turn riding straight into the middle of it, the look on his face of pure imbecilic joy beaming through the spray.

I felt the pang of vicarious joy and a little envy. That's what boys ought to be doing on a rainy day. Life is still pretty good in America.

2007-08-16T09:04:00.000-05:00

Random Thoughts

1. What happened to Summer? Whenever the sounds of High School marching band nearby begin to float through our yard, we know it's coming to an end. The only comfort is the good feeling I still get when I remember I don't have to go back to school in September!

2. Scout camp is a good thing. My son and I did our week at Many Point Scout Camp in N. Minnesota early this month. A good time had by all.

3. Something else I've learned from DirectTV...the rooftop dish: When storms come through and you need critical weather information from channel X, Y or Z, your dish-connected TV offers this helpful message on an otherwise blank blue screen, "Searching for Satellite Signal." So up go the rabbit ears on the little emergency TV.

4. Some books worth reading include: When I Don't Desire God by John Piper, not the best title (it seems from the title that it might just be a quick spin-off) for an excellent book—a deep, thoughtful treatment of the pursuit of joy in God; The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis is an every-few-years-re-read; The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden is full of cool information and how-to's and stuff to make—the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, how to skin a rabbit, etc.

5. Van Morrison is cool. The iPod and iTunes have been my ticket to rediscovering old artists that I like more now than I did then.

6. Soon I will be a Grand-dad. Counting down to mid/late September for the birth of the boy-king!

2007-07-28T09:48:00.000-05:00

Join the Emergent Conversation

Begin by learning the language. Here's a helpful glossary to get you started. Some of my favorites:

Absolutes - A concept we must absolutely avoid.
Atonement - Theory of divine child abuse that appeals to vampire Christians who want Jesus for his blood
Authentic - Being one’s real, sinful, doubting self (and proud of it).
Bible - A book through which subjective enlightenment comes to us as we live in community.
Conversation - Equally confused people guessing what things might be “true” and guessing what “true” might mean.
Criticism - 1. Something to which we must be radically open when given by non-Christians. 2. Something to which we must be absolutely closed when given by conservative Christians. 3. Something conservative Christians should accept from us.

These are just a few of the a-b-c's, so grab your half-caf, extra-hot grande (I thought I said "extra hot"... OK?...just bring it to the table) and pull up a chair. Today's topic: authentic missional communities and the urban poor...

2007-07-27T15:16:00.000-05:00

Something Other Than a Baby Boomer's Bright Idea

From Frederica Matthews-Green who has carefully documented her path into Eastern Orthodoxy, answering why so many in this generation are attracted to it:

Orthodoxy itself is appealing, I think, initially because it is visibly beautiful, and because it is rooted in something other than a Baby Boomer’s bright idea.

Hear, hear, evangelical and emergent innovators. I might add "or a GenX/Yer's bright idea" , but it's a pretty good working description of the shifting sands beneath American evangelicalism, isn't it? Maybe it's high time for something old.

And a bonus unrelated thought from the great non-baby-boomer curmudgeon/philosopher/theologian/poet Gilbert Keith Chesterton on seeing and appreciating God's world:

[Children] always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy: for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.
—From Orthodoxy

2007-07-19T10:43:00.000-05:00

Learning from Luther
I came across this quote from the good doctor regarding the way in which conflict and suffering contribute to a greater understanding and appreciation of the Bible:

For as soon as God's Word becomes known through you, the devil will afflict you, will make a real doctor [teacher of doctrine] of you, and will teach you by his temptations to seek and to love God's Word. For I myself...owe my papists [Roman Catholic adversaries] many thanks for so beating, pressing, and frightening me through the devil's raging, that they have turned me into a fairly good theologian, driving me to a goal I should never have reached.

While I have no hope of becoming a doctor or even a good theologian, I can enthusiastically echo the sentiment. Looking back on a fairly intense struggle with aberrant teaching and practice in a group I found myself in a few years ago, I can now see a corollary benefit to that misery—a greater seeking and love (even desperation) for God's Word. It certainly improved my library, including the three volume edition of What Luther Says, where the above quotation can be found. (3:1360, Concordia, 1959).

2007-07-09T14:07:00.000-05:00

My Favorite Live Earth Moment

"Turn the the thermostat down one degree."

—Ludacris

The popular artist offered this when asked for one simple step all of us can take to help the cause and avert environmental destruction. It was in the 90's and humid over most of the country on Saturday, so Mrs. D dutifully walked down the hall and changed our AC setting from 75 to 74. Much better, thank you. Save the planet.

2007-07-03T10:36:00.000-05:00

Amnesia Helmet Goes to Hillary (again)

I have a feeling that over the next few months they're going to need more mantle space at the Chappaqua manse. These folks have so much to forget.

Today's award-winning statement regarding the Libby matter:

"This commutation sends the clear signal that in this administration, cronyism and ideology trump competence and justice." - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.

2007-06-28T13:43:00.000-05:00

Trabant Health Care

In a 2007 comparison of socialism and capitalism we enjoy a luxury not available in the earliest days as the contest between these two systems began. We have the perspective of history, and the evidence is in. The icons and detritus of 70-plus years of European experimentation tell the tragi-comic story of centralized economic control, over against the legacy of capitalism and competition.

Despite all its excesses and unfulfilled promises, economic freedom always tends toward greater political freedom and a better quality of life—and better quality stuff—for all. Sadly, the evidence of history is opaque to many on the Hillary Rodham/Obama left. They seem determined and doomed to repeat the worst of it.

Here's a snapshot of the difference. Forget macro-economic theory for a moment and picture instead two iconic German automobiles, side by side, one representing the socialist East and one the democratic West, both created and built by Germans, shown here in their c. 1990 end-of-cold-war editions. The Mercedes, of course, is legendary for quality, performance, luxury and engineering innovation all the world over. Stats are readily available, say no more.

Consider the less widely known East German Trabant.
• under-powered 2 cylinder, 2 cycle engine
• noisy, smelly, polluting
• 0-60 in 21 seconds
• notoriously unreliable brakes
• essentially unchanged over 30 years of production
• in demand, but about all that was available to East Germans outside the Party elite
• acquired by application to be put on a waiting list
• engineered and produced by state-owned monopoly (single-payer manufacturing?)
• competitor of the Yugo

Question: What could possibly cause one group of Germans (as a nation among the most brilliant engineers and industrialists in modern history) to produce something so pathetic while their Western brethren gave us Mercedes, VW, BMW and Audi?

You know the answer. Then think about what'll happen when government monopolizes health care; when the clattering, sputtering, smoke-spewing specially modified Trabant ambulance pulls up to your door...a week late.

2007-06-21T15:08:00.000-05:00

Old Dog Learns New Trick

My lovely bride presented me with one of these as an anniversary gift earlier in the week, and I'm having fun! It's the 8 gig model and I'm told it will hold my entire CD collection. I'm rediscovering some gems as I load them up in iTunes. It also works great for my growing collection of sermons old and new. This is cool.

2007-06-17T12:03:00.000-05:00

Fun With Pronounce-iation In the Midwest

I think it was the great Diana Ross guest-judging on American Idol (whose performance on that show would not have gotten her past round one were she not the great Diana Ross) who admonished the young contenders that in the delivery of a song it is utterly crucial to "pronounce-iate." Apparently nobody told Michael McDonald that back in the '80s.

What I'm offering here is a beginning list of common, locally observed eccentricities and oddities in our use of the language. Lest anybody think I'm on too high a horse, let me assure you I'm a Minnesohtan and I talk like one. I've had a Californian ask me if I was a Canadian (ouch!) and a Floridian inquire about my farming business—after only a brief introduction and minimal conversation. Also, any hypocrisy will be immediately and mercilessly pointed out by those who know me and read this.

So here they are, grouped in beginning categories for your enjoyment and emendation.
(Readers' additions in blue)

Too Many Syllables for Us
probably = probbly
comfortable = kumpfterbull
incidentally = incidently
didn't = dint
shouldn't = shunt

We Want More Syllables
nuclear = nuculer (Jimmy Carter, though not a Midwesterner,
loved to remind us that he was a "nuculuh" physicist)
athletic = athaletic
realty = reelahty and then, of course...
realtor = reelahter
pastoral = pastorial
oriented = orientated
regardless = irregardless

Vowel Trouble
milk = melk
since = sense
pillow = pellow
The short "i" sound bedevils us even to the point of confusion about definitions—for example, insure and ensure are the same word...we're pretty sure).
get = git (The Bumbling Genius notes this as a Southern phenom, but it's ours too.)

Diphthong Difficulties
about = a boat (owing perhaps to a subconscious preoccupation with lakes and fish)
about = a boot (the closer you get to the Canadian border and really nice lakes and fish)
jaguar = jagwire (for the English it's three syllables: jag-you-war...we prefer jagwire)
counselor = cahnseler (our continuing difficulty with vowel combinations)
Incidently, many Minnesotans believe a diphthong to be an immodest swimsuit, inappropriate attire for camp cahnselers or anyone else.

Double (Consonant) Trouble
February = Febuary (that bru is just too hard to say, particularly outdoors in Febuary)
statistics = stastistics (just too dang many s's and t's to keep straight)
espresso = expresso
escape = exscape (thinking, I suppose, of the exit sign under which we make our exscape)
ornament = ordament (maybe we've just always got a head cold)
jewelry = julery

Confusion With Other More Familiar Words
tract = track (some in my son's former youth ministry insisted that the little pamphlets keep you "on track" and are therefore "tracks")
rapport = repore (falls somewhere between the the exotic French "rapport" and our word "report" with which we're more kumpfterbull, so we'll stick with repore)
pundit = pundant, as in "political pundant"
That last one is a little like "pendant", the piece of julery you wear on a chain around your neck. You could never wear a pundit on a chain around your neck—unless maybe Dick Morris or Robert Raiche.

Inexplicable Changes and Additions
NASA = always Nassau, as in Bahamas
et cetera = eck cetera
familiar = fermillyer
valentine = valentime (mostly a Mr. T foible)

Eck Cetera
Not pronunciation per se, but curious usage and habit.
"the thing is..." = "the thing is is..." (We're never quite sure how many verbs-to-be there ought to be in this phrase. One is is is enough.)
old fashioned = old fashion (even when used as an adjective)
loan = borrow "will you borrow me your pencil?"

To be continued. Feel free to add, correct and comment!