A Case For Pacifism...

Linkage...

Some sweet links...

Missio Dei Breviary

Audio of Moltmann on Crucified God

that's all for now...

Americans Are NOT Stupid...

Americans Are NOT Stupid - WITH SUBTITLES - The funniest videos clips are here

Easter Dance

"With Easter the laugher of the redeemed, the dance of the liberated and the creative play of fantasy begins. According to Hippolytus the risen Christ is the 'leader of the mystic round-dance' and the church is the bride who dances with him." - Jurgen Moltmann, Church in the Power of the Spirit, 110.

Evangelism Tools

David Fitch, the author of the Great Giveaway, has an interesting post on the creation of a more "missional evangelism tool." I'm not sure how I feel about this, I mean, I think evangelism should be much more fluid than we often make it out to be. For instance, why don't we need tools or cubes to explain our love for baseball, cars, jobs, etc. Those things we seek after and care about are simply natural parts of our lives and conversations, but because we've bifurcated our faith we need some tools for evangelism.

I did find a few things interesting in his post though. One commenter has created a website for a tool, and I kind of like this video on sharing your faith using a legal pad. Also, here's a church's "umbrella metaphor" video that I find particularly unhelpful.

What do you think? Should we or do we need tools for evangelism?

Good Friday

In Christianity the cross is the test of everything which deserves to be called Christian. (p. 7)

Christian identity can be understood only as an act of identification with the crucified Christ, to the extent to which one has accepted the proclamation that in him God has identified himself with the godless and those abandoned by God, to whom one belongs oneself. (p. 19)

Christian identification with the crucified Christ means solidarity with the sufferings of the poor and the misery of both the oppressed and the oppressors. (p. 25)
-Moltmann, The Crucified God

Picture of Brazilian sculptor Guido Rocha's art revealing that Christ really did suffer. via.

What Would Jesus Eat?

My buddy Lucas has launched a new blog called What Would Jesus Eat? There's no one I know that I would trust more on this issue, I mean, he helped inspire my family's Lenten fast from meat (there's poo in that patty). In years to come following his mastering of the divine from this place, Lucas and his wife Sarah plan on loading up the family and moving to the World Hunger Farm to serve the Kingdom and work with food issues.

Go check it out, he has some really good thoughts on what we're eating and how following Christ might just affect that.

Perception

Here's a few videos that I hope to draw up some lessons on perception, enculturation, ethnocentricism, and learning to listen and open ourselves up to the world.

Subliminal messaging: interesting video on how our surrounding culture and context shapes our perception, imagination, and world.



Blind Painter: this is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. Esref Armagan is a painter from Turkey who paints beautiful landscapes and architecture- and he was born BLIND.


EDIT: Sorry, I didn't mean to post it originally in a foreign language. Above is the English video.

Awareness Test: if you only have a few minutes, you definitely need to watch this one:

Praying the Hours

Since my trip to New Mexico to pray with monks in the desert, I've been drawn to rhythmic, orderly prayer. Tim Keel, pastor at Jacob's Well has posted some excellent resources for praying the hours. Tim says this,

The discipline of fixed-hour prayer is a challenging practice for most people to begin to engage because for many of us it is such an alien orientation to a spiritual practice that has largely been individual, spontaneous, and self-directed.

Hope this help in some way. I highly recommend fixed hour prayer, although I suck at it. There is something about moving in and out of prayer towards work and life, instead of the other way around.

Everybody Wants to go to Heaven, but Nobody knows it's a Lie!

It seems that the gospel for too long has been about where we'll end up after we die. Sadly, we begin evangelism with the question (and not relationship), "if you were to die today, would you go to heaven?"

Obsession. Failure. Misguided. Irrelevant.

N.T. Wright has become one of the most formidable and brilliant N.T. scholars of our generation. I agree with him in many ways on his recent book. You can see what he has to say about why heaven doesn't exist in this piece for Time (I really recommend the read, it's well worth it). Because of our unseen Greek influences, heaven has become a matter of discourse for anyone who would dare call themselves a Christian. In the end this leads to a dualism never intended by the N.T. writers or God, I think.

The final book of the Bible, Revelation declares that when Jesus comes back, believers won't be swooped into heaven while the rest experience some tribulation-like some whacked out authors have written. Jesus was resurrected with his new body bearing the marks of crucifixion. This earth too will experience new creation, a resurrection bearing the marks of the crucifixion that it is suffering at the hands of its so called caretakers.

Being Christian does not exempt us from being human. We must care for this world and for people (not simply their souls). It is time we rethought heaven, earth, resurrection, and the future plight of creation intended by God. Towards the earth, we must take care of God's creation for it is on loan from our children. Towards our neighbor, we must seek and create meaningful relationships that care for and allow for that person to share who they truly are and care for their real needs. Towards God, we must be humble enough to allow him to break the boxes we force him to reside in.

What's your hemerneutical score?

I'm a progressive at 71, my wife was a 72. What's your score?

Religion Engaging the Secular

Here's a short video of one of my favorite New Testament scholars, N.T. Wright from Allelon.