from the bible to the counter culture

This is one of those thoughts that I thought a good while ago and then when I went to write it out I totally lost my train of thought.  So, it's sat as an idea for over 7 months.
Then I began to have a conversation with my brother about his disdain for the cult of personality around Mark Driscoll and the theology being taught in a local Acts29 church plant.  Maybe disdain is too strong a word, but he does have an aversion to it if only out of frustration.  I'll admit I agree with him on a lot of his frustrations, but that's not the point of this post.
The point is the "counter-cultureness" or "otherness" of Scripture.

Why not Momma God?

The language we use when referring to God is symbolic.  It gets at an idea, but because it is human language, our language, it cannot grasp the fullness of God beyond the idea.  Feuerbach got at this a little bit, but went too far in my opinion.  The humanness of our language and symbols does not mean, as Feuerbach says, that God is nothing but the idealistic idea of humanity, a notion created and developed over time (though some would argue that).  Likewise, it is difficult to move our understanding of God beyond our immediate systems and symbolism, because they are deeply rooted in us.  And they, like our language, are human creations and therefore cannot fully grasp and contain the infinite, atemporal and immaterial.  What this means is that any way I or we envision God is influenced, impacted and dependent on the language we use.  Thus, our view of God is often going to be limited to the power and structures held in the symbolism of the words. 
For instance the image to the right is from the Sistine Chapel's ceiling.  It shows God creating the sun and moon, and evidently God is an old man, probably Italian, who sports a long beard and unkempt hair.  God of course doesn't look like this, nor is God Italian. God is depicted as temporal and material, both of which God is, wholly, not.  There's Jesus, then again Jesus is not all of God, but one of three.  Further, God is a man and God isn't a man, nor a woman.  God is God.

Most Honorable Tebow

Tebow mania... I don't get it... and I don't think many other people get it either, much less the ones who are actually maniacal about it all.  He's not that great of a quarterback, at least not yet; of course, that's not the reason people are wild about him anyways.

It's because he's a Christian.  And how he goes about being a Christian is iconic.  There are plenty of Christians in the NFL, but they aren't star quarterbacks, nor do they have a pose, so they don't stand out.

But I'll be honest, I don't think it's because he has Christian faith, or his position as quarterback.  I do think it's about his iconic way of going about his Christian faith.

O! Jacob, how I long to know thee!

"Oh, you. You just couldn't let me go, could you?  This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You truly are incorruptible, aren't you? You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And I won't kill you because you're just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever."  Joker in The Dark Knight

Jacob wrestled with God and Joker wrestles with Batman.  I wrestle with God, but I like how Joker speaks of the relationship, as oppose to what Scripture says about Jacob's relationship with God.

ideologue identity and I

I just thought this too funny to not put on here.

I'm not particularly sure what has inspired this thought process as of late, be it the current debt ceiling fracas or something streaming from my prior post...  I suppose it would be the former at first, and then my ruminating on it that drew connections to the latter.  Of course, none of that matters, really.

I'm like most Americans, I think.  This whole political brinkmanship, infighting and partisanship has bugged me since I actually started paying attention in undergrad.  I suppose its no surprise that its come to this, I have a few friends who are hard-line and unforgiving in their ideology (or should I say dogma) on both ends of the spectrum.  I hate talking politics with them, you can guess why... there is no room for them being wrong, not even in the slightest. They are ideologues.

I'm no foreigner to the mindset of an ideologue.  I think I expressed the fact, even though never clearly stated, that I myself was an ideologue in several areas at one time.  I have since grown out of that; at least I don't think I'm still an unforgiving, dogmatic to a fault ideologue.  I am an idealist, yes, but I have been tempered by reality.  (What does that make me an idealist realist, or a realist idealist?).  Which means I know that I very well could be wrong in many things; I need only experience or reasoning far more sound (not louder) than mine to prove it, as has been proved in the past.  OK, I guess I still can be an unforgiving jerk, but that's only because some people's reasoning is faulty... but does that make a a jerk or an ideologue?  ...it's a rhetorical question, don't answer it.

Even still its difficult not to be an ideologue.  We are all informed by ideals and, thus, an ideology.  Even the apathetic are set on the ideal of apathy.  And I find that my main qualm is with ideologues in the arena of theology/philosophy and politics...

organic and cruelty free: God help me.

I wrote a blog post sometime ago on a book I had to read for my Old Testament class, and I'm not going to lie it changed my life... Well let me rephrase that, it continued the process of change that the love of my life started.  This way my wife gets all of the credit and I score points with her!

You can view that blog post here: christians should be organic and further thoughts on it here: further thoughts on agrarian

The process has been quite a challenging one.  It's just a preference for me that I want simply because it sounds nice... its far more theological for me, I guess you could say its more of a conviction that I think I, as Christian, should eat organic.  It's more than just nicer and cleaner, it's also more "right."  That is, I think Scripture points towards a more ethical, not economic, treatment of the earth and Creation.  (notice the globe... it means my view is holistic and cares for the earth... you know, typical)

God is like fireworks and vice versa

My mother says I think too much and too indepth about things.
Perhaps.

But it's hard not to. 
I can't help but see beyond, be they outcomes or allegories, the thing which is presently at hand... whatever that may be.  I am simply under the impression that there is always something more to everything; what I have right now points to something else and, as such, is somehow revelatory of something more.
For instance, a snide comment to my wife is not merely an isolated, rude remark.  Its much bigger than that and, by knowing that, I am actually able to peer inside myself, able to know from what corner of my heart such a remark originates; perhaps then I can better know the motives of my heart that would form such a remark.  Like wise, I see also in the possible future if such basal actions and instincts are not dealt with and to me it doesn't look pretty.

So having such an internal process... God and fireworks.

New York and The Church of England

What do those two things have in common?
Honestly, the only thing I know of right now is they have both been in the news lately on issues relating to gays.
You can read about it here:
Rowan Williams Backs Gay Bishops
and here:
New law clears way for gay marriage in New York
of the two I'm sure the one most widely known is the latter.
Gay marriage is one of those issues that I think have been wrestling with since college.  Mainly because in the 2000 and 2004 elections the Republicans (or at least this is how I feel) made it in issue in order to mobilize the Religious Right to vote and keep Bush in office.  I've gone through two phases I would say... one is the theological aspect, the other is the political aspect.  I would say that now after, at least, 7 years of wrestling with the issue, I have come to some conclusions.

hope and fear

Friends, Co-Workers Seek Clues in Search For Missing DC Christian Outreach Worker: MyFoxDC.com

I'll admit I am very scared right now and worried.  This is a guy that not only did I spend a whole summer with but shared a room with along with 2 other guys at Myrtle Beach during my heydays in campus ministry.  Of all the summers in college, I'm not gonna lie, that one was probably my most favorite.  Due in no small part to him, of course there was also Springer and Ryan and that was a unique situation in itself.