Modern Day Indulgence: The Prayer Cross

I just saw another commercial for the Prayer Cross, and I was once again outraged by it. Martin Luther renounced the selling of indulgences in his 95 Theses:

"The treasures of the indulgences are nets with which they now fish for the riches of men."

The Prayer Cross is a disgusting exploitation of Jesus that preys upon poor or lonely people searching for hope. They are wolves in sheep's clothing seducing the flock into buying a cheap piece of jewelery all the while promising peace and joy.

It is through Christ and Christ alone that people are saved and given hope. I hope this company shuts down, and I hope they can find Christ in the midst of their own lies.

"For my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water."
Jeremiah 2:13

The Audacious Gospel of Jesus

I am sometimes blown away at the lengths we go to make Jesus seem cool to everybody else.





But Jesus isn't trendy, not in the way we desperately want him to be. Every attempt our culture makes, including Christians, to portray Jesus as cool and acceptable plays down the truth that he is the only way to salvation.

In reading through John, it is unmistakable that Jesus claims to be the only way to the Father. Which, despite how true and necessary that claim is, is not a cool thing to say.

I wonder what would happen if we stopped putting our efforts into making Jesus cool, and just preached the audacious gospel that Jesus requires. We probably wouldn't be popular, Jesus probably would be hated by more people, but at least Jesus wouldn't be just another cool commodity on our multi-pathed spiritual journey.

The Calm Before the Storm

I will begin my time at Dallas Theological Seminary on June 1st. I will start with Greek for the summer and then hit the fall semester with a pretty full load. I've been out of an academic setting for about two and a half years, and I'm pretty excited to get back into it. I'm one of those rare dorks that really likes school, and I can wait to smell the perfume of used textbooks mixed with coffee while I pour over a paper in the middle of the night.

As I prepare for this next stage in Lauren's and my life, it hits me that a lot is going to change in a few months. My time and priorities will have to be re-organized, my sleep patterns will shift, my work schedule will be revised, and my knowledge will hopefully be challenged and expanded deeply.

But there are a few things that I'm committed to keeping the same. And here they are:

1. I will maintain a growing love for my wife, no matter how tired I am, no matter how distracted I am with school. It is amazing how much love grows when you're married and making the marriage a priority. It's like everyday I get to find another reason to fall in love with Lauren, and I will stay committed to that.

2. No matter how academic a pursuit theology may be, my view of the Godhead will always be full of wonder and mystery. I think one of the greatest offenses we can commit towards God is approach thinking we understand Him. I know that studying at DTS will give me a lot of knowledge about the Bible and history and expository techniques, but I am committed to letting God become more mysterious the closer I get to Him.

3. I will not live outside of our means, including seminary. Right now we are in a position (through careful budgeting and saving) to afford seminary. But I don't want seminary to ever become more important than living financially responsible.

4. Date Lauren regularly.

I'm sure there are other things, but those are the ones I was musing over. I'm excited about the next phase, but during this calm before the storm, I feel it necessary to get my priorities straight.

Sigur Ros Take Away Show

Take Away Shows will suck you in if you are not careful. Here is Sigur Ros playing in a small Paris cafe. It's amazing!


Sigur Ros - Við spilum endalaust - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

The Keyboardless Computer

My wife and I were in Houston this last weekend and were shown this video by our sister and brother in law. Very funny!

The Globalization of Community: When The Ends of the Earth Become Our Jerusalem

I've been reading the book The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman, and it has really gotten me thinking about the way globalization affects spiritual community and local community.

For example, it is typically taught that when the Great Commission talks about being witnesses in Jerusalem, it is talking about starting the great commission locally and then moving out from there. Up until recently, the question of 'what is local' has never been a problem. But with the growth of technology, specifically the rampant growth of "communities" via the internet, the lines of local and distant have blurred.

I often times feel more local with friends living on the other side of Dallas, or backpacking through Europe, or studying in South America, or fighting in Iraq, than I do with people living next door to me. Is this bad? Is the shifting of 'local' to transcend it's geo-political nature a bad thing? Or is it just an inevitable shift?

The hard part about this question and why I think it can cause controversy, is that we are still a world in transition. Although I might relate my local community more along the lines of those people I am connected with through technology, my next door neighbor may not.

This idea of 'local community' is a far more complex issue than can be addressed in a blog post, but I thought I would at least mention it. It seems like the ends of the earth have become our Jerusalem in many instances, and it will take sometime to sort the impact of that out.

Make Stuff, Sell Stuff, and Buy Stuff: America's True Legacy

In a New York Times column by David Brooks, America is described as a Commercial Republic. Unfortunately, I have to agree. The Greeks are known for the arts and philosophy, the Romans are remembered for their government, army, and architecture, Great Britain epitomized imperialism, and America will be famous for their stuff.

"But if there is one thing we can be sure of, this pause will not last. The cultural DNA of the past 400 years will not be erased. The pendulum will swing hard. The gospel of success will recapture the imagination." Brooks in his article is trying to inspire us. He shows many examples of the American commercial spirit thriving in the midst of economic turmoil and even though the entrepreneurial spirit isn't all over the news, our zeitgeist is the pursuit of success, and it will return.

Like I said, unfortunately, I agree with him. Our country, and often times me included, is obsessed with wealth and stuff. The amount of stuff we buy, the amount of hours we work, the great lengths we go for a larger salary, a better home, a newer car, is all really really absurd. But it is unfortunately what makes America, America.

When I read this article, I couldn't help but remember Jesus's conversation with the rich young ruler. I believe that in some ways the cultural pulse of America approaches Jesus the same way he did. We walk up to Jesus and say, "Look, we have tried to do all the right things. We have Christian schools, freedom that allows us to worship whenever and wherever we want. We have moral laws, we even have In God We Trust written on government buildings and money. What do we need to do get into your kingdom?" Jesus looks back at us, "It's good that you do all that stuff, but if you want to enter my kingdom, you need to get rid of all your stuff, give it to the rest of the world that needs it, and then come follow me."

And then we walk away.

Sometimes I worry that America is and always will be that camel trying to walk through the eye of a needle. The very thing that drives America is the very thing that makes it so hard for us to truly follow Christ.

I'm certainly guilty of holding onto things when God is clearly telling me to give them away.

Anyway...it was an interesting article.

Why Do They Leave? (So long Ryan Adams)

Here is a link to one of the many articles about Ryan Adams recent departure from music. He has influenced my approach and appreciation for music so much in the last few years, I can't help but feel sad about the announcement, but I understand.

Hopefully he will be back, but until then, I'll keep enjoying Heartbreaker and Love is Hell (my two favorites).

Here's to him...

Losing Ground: America's Religiouslessness

I read an article on ABC news yesterday about America becoming less religious and Christian. When I first saw the article title I was a little disheartened. It is hard to see evidence that the church and Christian religion are losing ground in America.

The article states that in the last 18 years, the percentage of Americans who claim to be Christian went from 86 percent to 76 percent. Much of the ground lost was in mainstream Protestant denominations like Methodists and Baptists. Along with the loss, the percentage of people claiming to have no religion have doubled.

On the one hand, I am sad to hear these statistics. In spite of some of my reservations, I am happy to live in a country where Christians have the freedom to worship and form community. On the other hand, I am encouraged to think how God will work in the midst of religion's slow decline.

I believe one of the biggest hindrances of the gospel in America is the myth that most Americans are already Christians. Maybe the recent decline in religiousness is really just a step towards honesty about the true spiritual state in America. The article talks about people claiming a belief in God or a relationship with Jesus, but not associating with religion.

Whenever I hear things like this, I have to remember that God's plan and ambition doesn't worry about statistics, and that He is still fervently pursuing His lost sheep wandering through lonely fields. America is certainly growing less religious, but God is not growing less adamant about His purposes.

So don't fear the stats and decline. Success is not measured by the amount of people claiming to belong to a church or a religious sect. Our success already happened on the cross, and we just have to continue to further the kingdom of grace.

Wilco

If you're a fan of Wilco, as I am, and just want to be reinspired about playing and creating music, watch their documentary "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart."

It's amazing, here are the opening credits:

The World off a String

Reading the book of Job is like searching for buried treasures in a field full of treasures. Job has so much in it that speaks to me. This morning I was reading Job talk about the glory of God in the midst of his affliction. He says, "He stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing." (Job 26:7)

Today, the fact that the Earth is hung on nothing probably wouldn't surprise anybody. We know from Science that the Earth is suspended in space by its orbit and gravitational relation to the sun and the other planets around it. At least that's what we think. To an alien, that explanation may sound as ridiculous as somebody holding the whole world up by a giant fishing line. Then again, a lot of things would probably sound strange to an alien.

My point is this: Job was caught up in the midst of God's wonder. Not knowing whether the earth was round or flat, big or small, close or far from the sun and the moon and the stars, Job looked around and saw that what was going on was supernatural. Even in the midst of His pain and agony and loss he couldn't help but look around and wonder at what God does.

I look at the stars and think those are giant masses of gas expanding and contracting millions and billions and kajillions of miles away. I look at the seasons and think of the earths orbit around the season and the tilt of it's axis. I look at a tree growing and think of the cells of the seed multiplying into a tree and photosynthesis keeping it healthy. And as I think about myself thinking these things, I'm suddenly sick to my stomach.

I forget who tells the Earth to spin, who put gravity in it's place and proportioned it perfectly to make the universe function the way it does. I forgot who expands and contracts the stars and holds the universe in space. I forgot who tells the birds to fly south or north or who told the tiny seed that it was going to grow up to be an oak tree. I forgot that when I actually allow my wonder of the world around me to happen, Science explains very little of the ultimate how's of the world and tells nothing of the why's.

God hangs the earth on nothing...and that doesn't shake me to the core. I hate that I settle for science over wonder. It's like settling for water and vitamin supplements over the juiciest steak, the creamiest mashed potatoes, the most flavorful beer, and the richest chocolate I could ever taste. Science is just part of the great lie Satan has used to keep us from looking up, looking around, looking at eachother, and looking at ourselves and saying in sheer amazement, "Oh God! What have you done?!"

The greatness of God's majesty is just one of the things we keep forgetting. And for the Church here in America to be restored, it's something that we need to remember.