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Monthly Archives for July 2006

The problem with Horatio

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” – Wm. Shakespeare, From Hamlet, Act I, Scene 5

In this oft-quoted line, Shakespeare has encapsulated the problem with those who would recomend a life based on reason, to the exclusion of faith. He probably didn’t intend to make this point outside of his play, but the point is still made, that you cannot reason that which is outside of reason. (This point has also been made based on Godel’s Theorum, but that’s for another day.)

This, of course, doesn’t stop people from trying to reason away faith. Just the other day, I nearly bought a book recently released in trade paperback, entitled “The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, And The Future Of Reason,” By Sam Harris. (I should add that the paperback edition is much more attractive than the hardcover.) From a moment’s look at it, I pretty much figured out all he had to say, but considered reading it anyway. However, I decided to read a few reviews first, and I am glad I did. Essentially, the reviews confirmed my first impression.

Harris has a philosophy degree, currently working on a doctorate in neuroscience. According to reviewer Robert Hambourger, the book is “an open appeal for religious intolerance.” Essentially, Harris is anti-faith, proposing that a life based solely on reason would end terrorism and other evils. He is not only against religious extremists, he believes that religious moderates are dangerous, because they can make faith sound reasonable, thus, it’s harder to destroy. He is apparently okay with Buddhism; as it turns out, he is himself into meditation…

There were some, obviously, who liked the book. From the comments, it seemed that most who liked it were themselves looking for a reason to “not believe.” However, here’s an exerpt from Publishers Weekly: “In this sometimes simplistic and misguided book, Harris calls for the end of religious faith … Harris’s book generalizes so much about both religion and reason that it is ineffectual.” Another reviewer commented that the book sounded like a throwback to the Enlightenment, saying nothing new.

The Bible would call Harris a fool. I would simply say, echoing Shakespeare, that there are more things in Heaven and earth than are dreamt of in Mr. Harris’ philosophy. Perhaps even more simply: if you don’t have any faith, you have no basis for understanding faith.

In considering the argument for reason (I am, by the way, a proponent for reason, and would probably agree with Harris on some of his points about religious fundamentalism), it occurred to me that this really isn’t an argument for reason at all; it is, in essence, just another argument for faith. Rather than faith in a god of some sort, it is an argument for faith in reason itself, and more specifically, faith in the human ability to think rationally. It doesn’t take much to see that man’s ability to think rationally is flawed, and no real sign that evolution is helping us out any in that arena.

So then, the issue is not faith versus non-faith, it is faith in a deity against faith in man. Reason is not an alternative, it is essential in understanding the issue and seeing truth. Harris may have only proven that not only does he misunderstand the essence of faith, he doesn’t understand reason either.

As God himself has said, “come, let us reason together.” There are more things, Horatio (and Harris) than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

Written on 31 July 2006 by me under Random Thoughts, Reviews with 2 Comments

Ask a prophet dot com

I had a brainstorm the other day, with thunder and lightning and even a bit of hail; synapses were firing all over the place! I had been thinking of how much fun it would be to do an advice column, especially if you could just make stuff up, and have people believe you anyway.

At some point during the brainstorm (maybe it was when the tornado hit), I began thinking of the web and its possibilities, seeing as how the Ask a Ninja thing is so popular.

Then, it hit me; the best of both worlds, with a spiritual twist: askaprophet.com! I checked, and was shocked to find out that this is one of the 5 dot-com domain names that haven’t been registered yet. It’s still available! I certainly can’t be the first guy to think of this.

This is how it would work: someone in very desperate need of having someone tell them which end is up would contact you via the website with a typical advice-column pseudonym, like “Messed up in Memphis,” and you could respond either through text or video (“ninja” style) with a word from God, especially for them. What better way for people to hear from God?

This isn’t really a new concept; I’ve heard of church groups setting up “prophetic” fortune-telling booths at carnivals and shopping malls, so it’s obviously acceptable to the “personal prophetic” crowd. It’s just a new slant.

I’ve also come up with a new prophetic gimmick you could use for “in person” appearances: the Ezekiel Wheel! It’s a typical “wheel of fortune” only the slots contain prophetic passages from the Old Testament. The visitor spins the wheel, and gets the Scripture that was obviously meant for them. (You could even do it for “suggested donations” to fund youth trips, and so on.)

This is such a great idea, I really don’t know why someone hasn’t thought of this before. In fact, I’d better go and register the name before someone reads this and beats me to it …

Written on 29 July 2006 by me under Humor and/or Sarcasm with 2 Comments

Don’t worry, be happy?

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

-Paul, Letter to the Philippians

So, what’s the deal with Paul, anyway? He sounds like he should be walking around in a Calypso shirt singing, Don’t worry, be happy. It seems that in Paul’s writings, you can find something for everyone. He calls the Galatians stupid and rants about wanting to do terrible things to a few teachers he doesn’t agree with. To the Corinthians, he has lots to say – and has been branded as a misogynist and anti-marriage as a result. Now here, he comes off like someone straight out of the 60′s: “peace, be mellow.”

Today, anyone who preaches “think nice thoughts” gets nailed by the “serious” Christians. Don’t they? Remember Norman Vincent Peale? Bob Schuller? And what about Joel Osteen? Are they really “Christianity lite” or do they really have something to say? (I confess, I have made fun of Bob, too – we used to call the Crystal Cathedral the “Crystal Lite Church.”)

In this day of war, secularism, evil post-modernist philosophy & strife, it’s not always popular to tell people to rejoice that their glass is half-full, and to pray that it gets filled even more. After all, if people are happy, they can’t be controlled by guilt. They may not even feel compelled to tithe, or to sit through another boring, “do more, try harder” sermon.

Paul’s letter to the Philippians is somewhat different than many of his other letters, as this one was not written to correct – if anything, it was just a letter to friends and financial supporters. We might even suppose that this letter reveals the “real” Paul, or perhaps, Paul in a moment of peace.

I’ve always liked Paul, in his various personas, but I think I am especially fond of this one, who, when at the end of the day and his battles have been fought, can say with all sincerity, “Rejoice. Don’t worry, be happy. Give your worries to God, and relish God’s peace. And, think happy thoughts.”

Written on 28 July 2006 by me under Random Thoughts, Spiritual stuff with 3 Comments

Lucky Man (or, Life’s been good to me so far…)

Today is my birthday. It has been my habit for many years that I take some time on my birthday to get alone and contemplate my life. It has always been a beneficial practice, so much so that I should probably try it more than just once a year, but then, I’m not one to go overboard.

My favorite “alone” spot was the beach at Del Mar, California. Check it out, and you’ll see why. There’s even a Starbucks nearby. Now, living in Oregon, that isn’t practical. I could try the coast here, which I do like, but it’s not the same. Again, visit and you’ll see why.

Today, I first went down by the Willamette River, then to a park where I walked through some woods down to a little creek that was so shallow you could actually walk into parts of it without getting wet. It was a good day.

I have lived 50+1 years on this earth so far, and today, as I look at my life, I conclude that I am a very lucky man.

I have an extremely attractive, sexy, wise, loving wife, with whom I am in love as much today as I was 25 years ago when I decided I wanted to marry her. I find that I spend a lot of time simply looking at her, and much of the rest of the time thinking about her.

I have accomplished great things: I have three wonderful children. To say that I am proud of them is an understatement. We have a peaceful and happy household, which I think says a lot. I could go on, but I won’t. You’ll just have to trust me, when I say that I am, indeed, a lucky man.

Certainly there are problems. Life isn’t perfect. As one of the songs I referenced in the title says, “I can’t complain, but sometimes I still do.”

But, on my 51st birthday, I am convinced that I am a lucky man.

Written on 26 July 2006 by me under Random Thoughts with 3 Comments

The Cost of Convenience

We, especially those of us in the good ol’ U S of A, love convenience. We’ve been raised believing that convenience is the sign of world domination. As long as we can get ours, fast (and at a reasonable cost), we’re leading the world. After all, it’s important that we get what we need, whether gas, breakfast-in-a-bag, or our drive-through venti iced soy mocha. That’s how I know we’re winning the war on terror.

Speaking of convenience and coffee, last night I ran a quick errand to our local Target, with the convenient Starbucks just inside the door. I needed some coffee beans, and rather than having to drive a couple of miles out of my way to go to my regular dealer, here was one right in front of me as I came through the check-out!

So, I drifted over to the bean display, and was glad to find the variety I was looking for. I took my selections to the girl at the counter, told her how I wanted them ground (ok, so I’m really lazy), and then I realized the true cost of convenience. These pocket-sized Starbucks, as convenient as they may be, are no substitue for a real, full-sized store. If anything, they are Starbucks “light.”

On one other occasion I had dared purchase a bag of beans at this particular store, and as is my usual habit, requested the beans be ground for a paper cone filter. I’ve done it for years. The girl replied, “what’s that?” I knew I was in for trouble, and I was right.

So, I should have known better, but again, this was convenient. Besides, I had carefully examined the machines at the other Starbucks, and now knew which setting I wanted the beans ground on. So, I walked up to the counter with self-assurance and made my request, only to discover that these mini-stores don’t have the same grinders! Ooops.

Convenience has its costs. You can’t always get what you want. There is no free lunch. And, you can’t get a properly ground bag of coffee at a mini-Starbucks. I think at some point the Starbucks Corp. will have to realize that these “express” are a corporate irresponsibility, and it will cost them… unless, they know the real truth: that their coffee contains a secret addictive ingredient, and they’re assured that you have to have their coffee, no matter how badly the beans are ground.

So, count the cost of convenience. I am, as I sit here typing, drinking my morning coffee made from poorly-ground Sumatra beans. But, I have to go now; my cup is empty.

Written on 25 July 2006 by me under Random Thoughts with 2 Comments

Remember Amalek

Over the past couple of years I have read a few things by Jewish authors, both fact and fiction, and have found them fascinating. As Christians, we seem to forget that Jewish theologians and philosophers have something to say about God; after all, they’ve worshipped Him for a few thousand years more than our own traditions have. Certainly we believe they have misinterpreted some things, especially concerning the Messiah. However, they still have some important thoughts about God and how He relates to the world, things that could possibly enhance our own understanding of God. (I particularly find Jewish perspectives on science and God interesting.)

Rabbi Marc Gellman has a lot of things to say, as those of you who are familiar with him know. Yesterday’s article, Remember Amalek – What the Bible says about fighting terrorism, was outstanding (in my not-so-humble opinion). It’s so good, I’ll shut up now and just let you go read it.

Written on 20 July 2006 by me under Politics/Current Events with 2 Comments

Authority issues, revisited

Suppose, for the sake of argument, that most Evangelical pastors accept the authority of the Bible, however they would interpret that phrase. Most will probably say, at the very least, that the Bible is the Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit. Suppose then, that it is their job to teach/preach/sermonize on Sunday mornings and at other times during the week.

Given these suppositions, wouldn’t you then conclude that these Evangelical pastors carefully examine the passages they reference in their sermons, checking their interpretations against the remainder of the Bible (I am also assuming they believe no one passage is more inspired than another)? Wouldn’t you also conclude that these pastors & teachers operate in “fear and trembling” lest they misrepresent the Word of God?

You’d think so, wouldn’t you? James even says, “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” However, I doubt very much that this is the case. All you have to do is listen to about 10 minutes of “Christian” broadcasting (radio, TV or the internet) to conclude that they must rank their own authority, or the authority of their own “revelations” above the authority of the Bible.

Here’s the deal: if pastors would take the authority of the Bible seriously, they’d probably have to spend about 10 times as long on sermon prep, and, they’d run the risk of finding Scripture that pulls the rug out from under their main point. Trust me, I know from experience. There’s nothing worse than having a great point, then running into a passage that argues against it, especially if you’ve just invested a few hours of study time. Plus, it could mean rethinking your entire approach, which could really be costly.

The authority of Scripture is dangerous, as the author of Hebrews warns: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) It’s not only sharp on the leading edge, but you’ve also got a heck of a sharp edge pointing back at you.

I think it’s interesting that the more traditional churches, who devote more time reverently reading scripture as a part of worship also traditionally have the shortest sermons. It makes me wonder who it is who really believes in the authority of the Bible …

(For more thoughts on this subject, check out an old article of mine, Spinning the Word.)

Written on 19 July 2006 by me under Church, My Own Personal Religion with 1 Comment

Everything falls apart

This morning in the shower I found myself thinking about redemption and about how when God says,

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways.
As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8,9)

He is talking about His plan for the redemption of all creation. The world doesn’t get it at all, and often neither do “the redeemed.” God’s plan is absolutely counterintuitive to our human, fallen nature.

As I thought in the shower (I don’t sing, I just think), my mental search utility dug up the lyrics to a song by Peter Stuart (aka Dog’s Eye View), Everything Falls Apart. It’s a humorous commentary on human nature and our fallen view of God:

I met God this afternoon ridin’ on an uptown train
I said, “Don’t you have better things to do?”
He said, “If I do my job what would you complain about?
So I let it go to Hell, now I’ll have something to do.
He said, “I’ll let it go to hell; does that sound familiar to you?”

Well everything falls apart
then I get to try to put it back together …

It’s interesting that one of the results of sin is now known as the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics (not entirely accurately understood as, “everything falls apart”). Our human nature desires to “fix” what is broken and falling apart, and to project onto our imaginary view of God that same imperative. Then, we get frustrated and disappointed and angry with God because he doesn’t “fix” things. Right?

God is not a “fixer.” If so, he could have dealt with the whole sin thing in the Garden. But, God is not a fixer, he’s a redeemer, and we don’t really get it. Neither do the angels, for that matter. We know that the death and resurrection of Jesus is at the very center of the plan, but we’ve only seen part of it; we don’t know yet how it will all shake out (regardless of “Left Behind”). As a result, we’ve developed a concept of redemption that is awfully close to the definition for “fix.”

So, we don’t get it. We still expect God to fix things according to our sense what is right, and when things continue to fall apart, we blame God and “lose faith.” But, we can’t really lose what we don’t have…

Is it “blind faith” to believe in this mysterious promise of redemption? Not at all; there are signs of redemption all around us, if we’d only take note. But, to do that, we have to first set aside our “guidelines for being God” and see what God himself would say. Perhaps instead of (or perhaps, along with) praying, “God, fix this…” our prayer should be, “show me your redemption.”

The coming of the Kingdom, as demonstrated by Jesus in the Gospels, reveals itself in little ways of redemption that do include “fixing” some things. People are sometimes healed, relationships are restored, and so on. However, we are promised that wars, natural disasters, and poverty will continue until that time that redemption is fully revealed. Things still break, restored relationships are still subject to damage, and people still get sick and die. It would seem that a “fix” is no substitute for redemption.

One thing we know: some day, all creation will be redeemed – until then, things continue to fall apart. A mystery, indeed.

Written on 18 July 2006 by me under Random Thoughts, Spiritual stuff with 1 Comment

Another walk around the elephant

Earlier this week, Plato wrote about his recent experience in church, remarkably similar to my own. I try not to complaint about church, but like Joe Walsh, sometimes I still do. If you’ve been reading my recent series, My Own Personal Religion, you know that I have some issues with what I see in the current trend of worship and church services in general.

The main trend, which is somewhat unusual, given the direction of my life for the past 20 years or so, is away from the focus on the personal experience, and toward a corporate, theologically and historically sound expression of church.

For example, last Sunday in church, worship was “standard” for our style of church: worship choruses, led by a rock/pop worship band. I was noticing during one particular song, that many of the people were really “into” it; however, the only thing the song really said was something like “God you are awesome.” Wow. That’s profound, isn’t it? It was so profound, we sang that line about 25 times. This, by the way, is by one of the “premier” worship songwriters today, and you probably sing it in your church. It struck me that this songwriter really had nothing to say about God – no reasons why God is awesome, no concrete examples, not even a few scriptural quotes. Just, “God you are awesome.” Then, when the song was over, people clapped. ??? Carried away by the profundity? Or by the music (it is a catchy song)?

The sermon started out wonderfully. The guest preacher actually taught the Bible, not his perspective on life. He talked about how he never gave “practical” sermons (the “how to” kind), but teaches the Bible. Yay! I was so happy… until all of a sudden he left the Bible and took a left turn into a patch of non-Biblical perspectives. And, most of the people rejoiced. I was, suffice it to say, disappointed.

A few years ago, I wrote a great little piece entitled The Challenge of the New Church (which can still be found on a few different sites on the web), based on the story of the blind men and the elephant. Each man grabbed hold of a different part of the elephant, and so each had completely different descriptions for what an elephant looked like. The moral of the story obviously is to keep moving, exploring, and open to new ideas.

Since I wrote that article, I have gone through spiritual detox, deconstruction, and decompression (and ocasionally depression). I am now in the process of reconstruction, having found a firm foundation intact, only to find that reconstruction has its own challenges. But, that’s another story. As I sat in church last Sunday, wondering why I was feeling so disjointed from the rest of the people I was with, the thought popped into my head, “you’re just walking around the elephant.” I will credit God with that thought, as it had a ring of truth that went beyond my ability to make stuff up.

As I have been “walking around the elephant” I now am seeing a part of the elephant I haven’t seen or appreciated for over 20 years. It’s not that a personal experience of worship isn’t valid; it’s that it has, for the most part, been removed from the rest of the elephant. People are happy swinging from the elephant’s trunk, not realizing that the foundation lies elsewhere.

There is a need to bring the church around to see that there is a larger context than just the elephant’s trunk; to ignore it is to wind up with one-dimensional worship experiences and preaching that can’t tell when it departs from the Bible. I think it’s time now, to move beyond the “I’m so happy” choruses and “be more committed to the program” sermons and spend a little time finding out about this God that we claim we are following.

Anybody else feel like taking a little walk?

Written on 15 July 2006 by me under Church, My Own Personal Religion with 1 Comment

Authority Issues, continued

Over the years I’ve talked to a number (pick a number, any number) of people about the need to understand the cultural, historical as well as theological contexts of the Bible. More than once, I’ve had people respond with something like, “Shouldn’t the Bible meaning be clear? Why would God gives us the Bible, and make it so we can’t just read it and understand it for ourselves, without learning history, etc.?” I’ve also had people say, “It says it right here, in plain English. I believe the Bible means what it says.” (as Dr. Suess may continue: … and says what it meant, the Bible is faithful, 100%.)

Continuing the theme of my last post, Authority Issues, let’s take a very quick look at these issues.

To respond to the first question, I would remind these people that we have a God to revealed Himself as a man who teaches in parables, so that “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.” (He who has ears, let him hear.) So, at the very least, we have established a precedent for this kind of cryptic communication. I would also point out that Jesus’ disciples were often befuddled, even when Jesus was being clear. Again, a precedent. He who has ears …

But, there are other considerations; I propose that the Bible wasn’t always as hard to understand as it may be now, due to the Bible having been removed, by the church and by time, from its original context. Now, most of us see that the Old Testament can only be properly understood in the context of Israel’s history, which, for the most part, it also conveniently teaches. Paul, when addressing his Gentile audiences, did his best to provide that context, without forcing Gentiles to adopt the Jewish culture (as the “super apostles” apparently were doing, among other things). So, again we have a precedent for reading the Bible in its proper cultural context. Remember, too, that it is the church who removed the Bible from it’s 1st Century, Jewish/Greek context (such as the Roman church, who put everything in a Roman context, the Enlightenment church who put the Bible in a Modern context, and us in the U.S who insist on putting everything in our context).

When something as important as the Bible is removed from its context, I think we have an obligation to bring forward and teach the context as well; this is, I believe, a failure of the church in more often then not, teaching the Bible either isolated from any context, or simply presuming our own equally applies. We are now so far removed from the 1st Century church, not just culturally but in our entire worldview, so that we have a bit of work to do to reconnect.

In other words, it is not God who inspired a cryptic, difficult-to-understand Word, it is the Church who muddied it up. It is, I think, quite presumptuous of us to assume that God has magically created the Bible to be instantly translatable into all languages without regard for history, culture and philosophy. Now, I believe that the Gospel is, in fact, translatable across cultural boundaries, but I also believe that this is part of our challenge, to do it properly. I think it is also presumptuous, and arrogant, for us to expect that we shouldn’t have to “work” at understanding and applying God’s Word. It may even be God’s desire that we work a bit – in cooperation with those around us – to constantly rediscover Truth and learn to apply it in our own circumstances.

I think we are in error if we expect that God has not only inspired the original writing, but has absolutely controlled every transcription and translation. We may wish God to be that way, but it is clear from experience and Scripture that this is not God’s M.O.; the disagreement of various translations themselves demonstrate that God will indeed allow us to err. God does not keep us from error, but rather, He graces us with the way back. I think most of us are aware that later manuscripts contain some things that are not found in earlier manuscripts, indicating that a scribe may have added “clarification” here or there, or simply added stuff that possibly shouldn’t belong. We discover error, and by the grace of God, we repair it. If you believe in a God who prevents us from making errors, then you probably have the wrong religion.

Today, we live in an instant, microwave world. However, if you invest $10-20 in a couple of good, New York cut steaks, you’re not going to toss them in a microwave. No, you may marinate them for a day or two, then probably grill them slowly over some hot coals, and serve them with the appropriate side dishes and a good bottle of wine. If you believe with me that the Bible – Old and New Testament – is the inspired, authoritative Word of God, then isn’t it, too, worth marinating, preparing and serving properly?

As Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Written on 08 July 2006 by me under My Own Personal Religion with 4 Comments