Friday, October 26, 2007
"This Brings Me Great Happiness"
It's simple, it's clean. I can identify. It's fun. Oh, and most importantly, it's a great song.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Matthew 5:13-16
Matthew 5:13-16
13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Carl Bloomberg (Bible Scholar, from his commentary on Matthew):
Both metaphors of salt and light raise important questions about Christian involvement in society regarding all forms of separatism or withdrawal. We are not called to control secular power structures; neither are we promised that we can Christianize the legislation and values of the world. But we must remain active preservative agents, indeed irritants, in calling the world to heed God’s standards. We dare not form isolated Christian enclaves to which the world pays no attention.
13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Carl Bloomberg (Bible Scholar, from his commentary on Matthew):
Both metaphors of salt and light raise important questions about Christian involvement in society regarding all forms of separatism or withdrawal. We are not called to control secular power structures; neither are we promised that we can Christianize the legislation and values of the world. But we must remain active preservative agents, indeed irritants, in calling the world to heed God’s standards. We dare not form isolated Christian enclaves to which the world pays no attention.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Questions
Today, for some odd reason, I was questioning myself about the Christian faith I share with so many others. I wasn't questioning its truth or validity, but rather I was asking questions to clarify certain positions I take based on my understanding of Scripture and God. I imagined myself in an open public forum, in which people submitted anonymous questions in writing and a panel of Christians (which I was on) answered to the best of their ability. We didn't claim to represent "the" definitive answer to be expected of all Christians, just real answers from real Christians. (By the way, I think this could be a good idea to do in real life.) The average answer took around twenty minutes in my mind as a discourse (I commute more than an hour one way to school and back each day, plus I have a three hour gap between classes on Monday and Wednesday, so I've got the time). The questions included my positions on:
-Homosexuality
-What is a "Christian"?
-What happens to people who die that haven't heard about Christ?
-The relationship between the Church and Israel
-Separation of Church and State
The first two were fairly quick, but I did imagine having the audience all close their eyes and asking anyone who wanted a more in-depth answer about anything (for some reason I was emphasizing the answer about homosexuality) to raise their hand. I told them that they could submit what they wanted me to make clearer or adress that I hadn't in writing during an intermission. I ended up doing one more question, first, though.
My longest answer was about what happens to people who die thta haven't heard about Christ, mostly because I explained five perspectives on the subject and how I interpreted them to come to the conclusion of what I believe to be the case concerning such people.
The intermission took place here, at which point I (in reality) prayed and then listened to some of the first Thrice album, Identity Crisis. (No, this was not in any way a reflection of why I was asking myself questions.)
The next two answers were a bit more political in nature, but it was great to re-afirm Israel's importance; I hadn't thought much about it for a while. The church and state question was fun because I got to interpret both the Bible and the United States Constitution.
To conclude all of this, I am a dork. Perhaps the man who told me I thought too much (it was a weird experience, seeing as it was on the day I met him) was right, but I like to think. So I'll try to think about things pertaining to the Kingdom (no, I don't mean the movie staring Jamie Fox). Maybe I'll post my answers sometime...
-Homosexuality
-What is a "Christian"?
-What happens to people who die that haven't heard about Christ?
-The relationship between the Church and Israel
-Separation of Church and State
The first two were fairly quick, but I did imagine having the audience all close their eyes and asking anyone who wanted a more in-depth answer about anything (for some reason I was emphasizing the answer about homosexuality) to raise their hand. I told them that they could submit what they wanted me to make clearer or adress that I hadn't in writing during an intermission. I ended up doing one more question, first, though.
My longest answer was about what happens to people who die thta haven't heard about Christ, mostly because I explained five perspectives on the subject and how I interpreted them to come to the conclusion of what I believe to be the case concerning such people.
The intermission took place here, at which point I (in reality) prayed and then listened to some of the first Thrice album, Identity Crisis. (No, this was not in any way a reflection of why I was asking myself questions.)
The next two answers were a bit more political in nature, but it was great to re-afirm Israel's importance; I hadn't thought much about it for a while. The church and state question was fun because I got to interpret both the Bible and the United States Constitution.
To conclude all of this, I am a dork. Perhaps the man who told me I thought too much (it was a weird experience, seeing as it was on the day I met him) was right, but I like to think. So I'll try to think about things pertaining to the Kingdom (no, I don't mean the movie staring Jamie Fox). Maybe I'll post my answers sometime...
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Going Back For Seconds
Not about my last post, but when I eat. Today I realized that I tend to go back for seconds only when eating foods that begin with the letter "s" or with an "s" sound.
Foods that start with "s":
-Spaghetti
-Soup
-Strawberries (shortcake)
-Sandwiches
-Steak
Foods that start with an "s" sound but not the letter "s":
-Cereal
-Cinnamon Toast (Crunch)
I guess my brain works in aural (sound) association when it comes to eliminating the chances for leftovers.
Foods that start with "s":
-Spaghetti
-Soup
-Strawberries (shortcake)
-Sandwiches
-Steak
Foods that start with an "s" sound but not the letter "s":
-Cereal
-Cinnamon Toast (Crunch)
I guess my brain works in aural (sound) association when it comes to eliminating the chances for leftovers.
About Erik's Videos
I'm not at all supprised that people are resisting the use of A/V mastery. I can see their point, I mean, it's very much been the worldly way of doing things since the 80's, and all it does is keep us from personal contact, right? I wonder if the "rejectors" also were of the generation who trusted Walter Cronkite. I mean, he was the source for public opinion and news for a long time. Maybe before he came along, they thought TV News to be a poor reflection of the newspapers. If that's the case, maybe we need a church A/V Walter Cronkite. Oh, wait...weren't the Billy Graham crusades put in popular public venues like stadiums, and broadcast the world over? Oh, well, I guess he was wrong, and the countless souls saved by his ministry were "false salvations." After all, he did exploit the media the public were receptive to.
As a Communication Studies Major, I've come to understand that the sender of the message is responsible for its success. Don't get me wrong, God is the original sender, and "God brings the increase" as Paul said. As communicators of the Gospel, it's our duty to find the venues by which people will recieve the Gospel. Some people need object lessons, others arguments, others formulas, others analogies. Some need to see the Christian life lived out to prove its worth, others need a stranger to come along and de-rail their false perceptions of life, death, and eternal judgement. Some people are moved to accept by a song. But images? No, it couldn't be. I mean, Jesus didn't use imagery at all, did He? And He certainly didn't take people's circumstances and frames-of-reference into account in order to create a shared reality of understanding the Kingdom, did He?
Please forgive my sarcasm, but my point is that if Jesus left the Throne of Heaven to die on a cross, and met us here, sharing in our life and speaking to people according to their own frame of reference to save them, shoudn't we? I don't remember a commandment saying "Thou shalt not edit the videos, neither use audio clips or art to reach the people. For ye shall be a boring people unto Me."
As a Communication Studies Major, I've come to understand that the sender of the message is responsible for its success. Don't get me wrong, God is the original sender, and "God brings the increase" as Paul said. As communicators of the Gospel, it's our duty to find the venues by which people will recieve the Gospel. Some people need object lessons, others arguments, others formulas, others analogies. Some need to see the Christian life lived out to prove its worth, others need a stranger to come along and de-rail their false perceptions of life, death, and eternal judgement. Some people are moved to accept by a song. But images? No, it couldn't be. I mean, Jesus didn't use imagery at all, did He? And He certainly didn't take people's circumstances and frames-of-reference into account in order to create a shared reality of understanding the Kingdom, did He?
Please forgive my sarcasm, but my point is that if Jesus left the Throne of Heaven to die on a cross, and met us here, sharing in our life and speaking to people according to their own frame of reference to save them, shoudn't we? I don't remember a commandment saying "Thou shalt not edit the videos, neither use audio clips or art to reach the people. For ye shall be a boring people unto Me."
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