Where I Be…

With the launch of Rogue Theologians and the continued work of Missional Lutherans, I’m finding it difficult to sprout new ideas for each site. So, for whomever checks this blog from time to time…know that I’m on a sabbatical of sorts, but if you’d like to stay updated with the spiritual angst of a 20 something college graduate you can find me at Rogue Theo and Missional Lutherans.

Stay frosty.

Rogue Theologians Blog Launch

This past week, a close brother of mine started work on a multi-author blog known as ‘Rogue Theologians’, the purpose of this site is to establish a community of authors, contributors and internet stumblers that can effectively communicate truth in an organized and intentional fashion.

Now perhaps you might be thinking, “Really? This idea isn’t unique, there are plenty of Christian forums, sites and communities online already…maybe even too many communities…why would you want to add another one to the chaotic flood?”

And in many ways, I would agree with you…in that, there are a ridiculous number of voices on the internet, all proclaiming an exponentially larger amount of ideas, opinions and irrelevant information.

But herein lies the purpose of Rogue Theo…what if it were possible to create a community that is more intentional than a trolled-up, Christian forum, where even in a community as concentrated as ‘Christian’, there’s still an overwhelming amount of purposeless tangential information? What if this community moved forward together on similar ideas and confessions? What if it were to actually become one voice, instead of many?

Thus is the purpose and blogging journey of Rogue Theo…I encourage you to check it often, as it will be updated at an exceedingly higher frequency than this here blog…

Paradise Lost – Innocence Shattered (Part II)

Spiritual…but not Religious

We have been placed during a time in which our present society finds increasing tension between themselves and ‘the church’, where one third of our nation is ‘spiritual’ but not ‘religious’, where these so-called Christian buildings are places more associated with fear, judgement and conflict than love, community and healing.  Is it really such a surprise that both those inside and outside the body of Christ feel so cut-off and distant?

Father Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest says this of what we’re deeming ‘Paradise Lost’, “The first half of life is about light (order, meaning clarity, explanation). The second half of life is where God leads us into ‘darkness’ which is actually a much greater teacher than what seemed like light. Now we learn through waiting, trusting, praying and ‘through a glass darkly’”

It seems as though what we’re dealing with in this whole innocent vs. naked community, is an identity crisis of sorts.  We have a people, both Christian and non-Christian who can’t really come to grips with which half of life their dealing with.  We have Christian adults who desire to return to the first half of lighted life; and then we have Christian adults who have no idea as to what to do with this darkened second half of life they find themselves in.

Paradise Lost – Innocence Shattered (Part I)

“Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.

No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest…

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek”

Hebrews 5:1-10

Throughout the entire letter of Hebrews, the writer continuously points to the supremacy of Christ, being Lord of all, firstborn of creation, and in this case, the most tangible mediator between God and Man.

Bushes and Bare-chested Boastings

In the very beginning of the Bible there’s this garden, called Eden, where God puts both man and woman to take care of it, live with it and more or less enjoy the life that he himself sustains.  Then there’s this ‘fall’, where the man and woman decide that God’s reality isn’t really what they’d like to live by…in the end, they wished to place themselves permanently in his shoes…

And the scriptures say, that at the moment of this fall, “Their eyes were opened and they knew that they were naked”

…And then the man and the woman scurried off to the bushes to hide both from God and their nakedness…

Predestiwhat?

Predestination… the focal conversation of perhaps many first semester gatherings of college students…(It especially helps if you attend a Christian university and are currently pulling 4-5 all-nighters a week).

Either way, it seems that we often have ‘deer in the headlights’ experiences when this topic of discussion is brought up.  You’ve got the ‘learned theologian’ who is overly-enthusiastic about both ends of the spectrum and you can’t quite figure out which side he’s on.  Then there’s the individual you prefaces every statement with, ‘Well, I’m no Biblical scholar, but”…to which you wonder, if they’re so keen to point out their lack of scholarship, why are they adding their ‘two cents’ every 15 seconds?

…Just an observation…

Anyway, as I set aside my personal rants for a moment, let’s hop into this, alright?

The reason for my blogging about predestination, election, whatever you want to call it; is based in the reality that this issue is actually very simple…

The ‘L’ Word…

As this whole ‘seminary idea’ has become much less a joke and much more a reality in the last few weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about the dirty ol’ ‘L’ word…Lutheranism.

As a ‘recovering Calvinist’ in my fourth stage of recovery (The whole process is known as ‘TURNIP’), I never really thought I’d be headed with glee to the humble Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN (where I’ll be ‘taking my talents to the non-existent South Beach).  Last winter I had made my peace with the ‘L’ man and decided to look in other directions, namely some non-denominational schools on the east and west coasts…and now we find ourselves in the same spot…once again…with the dirty ‘L’ word looming overhead.

But there’s a different sense about it now.  For years I’ve shirked the label ‘Lutheran’, as that of the worst of known STD’s.  And now, as pastoral formation is less than a year away, I’ve come to a much clearer sense of why it is that I would do something so rash as to call myself…ugh…a Lutheran…

It’s actually very simple, and probably doesn’t deserve a post at all…but keeping in mind the simplicity and clarity of thoughts in 21st century monasticism, here goes…

I would consider my religious heritage of sorts a generous orthodoxy to say the least….from Calvinism, to neo-orthodoxy, to post-Anabaptism, to emergent hibbity-jibbity…it’s been an interesting adventure.

In all of this, as I began with a desire to ‘make the gospel a tad bit more interesting’, the incarnation round-house kicked me in the face as it has brought me back to the simple reality of Christ in time and space.

The simplicity of my confession is that Christ is reality, and that any ‘leap of faith’ possible is simply found in the setting aside of my own reality and the acceptance of his.  That God has declared his people as pure, holy, righteous and without blemish through his son…and therefore, though I may not feel or think this to be true…it is.

This is faith…to die to my reality and sensation…and recognize Christ’s declaration of reality as the only source of truth.

So then there’s this gospel message…and this is where it’s at…this is the entire point…

And this is why I am a Lutheran…not because any other church body doesn’t speak the gospel in clarity…but in that it is in this dirty ‘L’ word of sorts, that we are charged with the task of fighting for every inch of purity in it’s declaration, every measure of universality in it’s application, and every ounce of understanding in the heart’s of God’s people; motivated solely by grace, truth, compassion and a deeply intimate understanding of how this reality permeates all else.

 

 

21st Century Monasticism

Before I begin, I have to make a note that when I discuss and expand upon what I’m calling ’21st century monasticism’, I am by no means trying to analyze or bring into question traditional or new monasticism…in short, I chose the title because it was both catchy (at least in my mind) and relevant to what I’m now going to propose to you.

As of late, I’ve given a lot of thought to the ideas and implications surrounding Paul’s words in Romans 12 that state, “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned”

More specifically, this idea of ‘the measure of faith that God has assigned’ to each member of his body.

So there’s this God, who then calls, redeems and grafts his people into the identity and reality of this Christ, and with all that redeeming, salvation magic; he also apportions a measure of ‘faith’ to each individual.

…Strange…

What does that mean? More so, what does that look like? And why does this God choose to make himself known this way?  That he would grant you and I a different measure of faith…

When ‘Teen Angst’ Hijacks Christianity

Last Thursday, I wedged myself into the backseat of a friend’s car and drove to the opening night of Harry Potter 7…well, the first half, that is.  I’ve never been a Potter fan, nor have I found the time in the last 13 years to read through the series…so, no…I didn’t dress up (though I did consider going as Gandalf for a few minutes).  Aside from my own ‘professional critique’ of the film, which no one needs to hear; I was slapped in the face during the 2 and half hours of film time as to why these story lines motivate me to spring for the door.

Teen Angst…It’s everywhere…Each scene seems to be 5 minutes longer than they should be…dramatic and ‘knowing’ glances, long pauses, emotional departures, young people who so eloquently express their frustration and disillusionment, the oppressive parental generation that just ‘doesn’t get it’…

But let’s pause for a moment…

Because this thought-train isn’t really about my disappointments with Harry Potter, or any other Teen-directed flick that’s come out in the past 16 months.

Instead, I’d like to invite you to seriously consider how this ‘teen angst’ melodrama; its messages, banner-bearers and false perceptions of reality have come to embody certain ideas or movements within Christianity…in other words, how does a reality fueled by Twilight, high school sub-cultures, ‘sticking it to the man’, and ‘how you’ve been knocked down this whole time, but now are somehow going to show ‘them all’ that you’ve had it right all along’ affect the bride of Christ and her mission now…and later?

Missional Lutherans

A little while ago, I was added to a blog called ‘Missional Lutherans’ whose stated purpose is “Making the mission of God an unavoidable issue for the Christian community”

Today my first official post was approved and published, of which is actually a repost of a piece I did about 5 months ago called ‘Christian Nudist Colonies’.

I’ve discussed the ‘missional movement’ before on this blog and I’ve found the definitions given on ‘Missional Lutherans’ to be even more helpful in getting exactly to the point and to the purpose of missional resurgence in American Christianity.

As time and my semester allow, I hope to publish some to-the-point practical thoughts on Christian culture and a missional transition very soon.

If the verbage is driving you nuts right now, take a gander at this short film.

She’s Some Kind of Beautiful

For the past few weeks many of my conversations have revolved around a never ending cynicism, frustration, anger and hopelessness concerning the individuals and communities that make up the body of Christ on this side of eternity.

In one such conversation, a brother and I went back and forth for over an hour about this and that…why so-called Christians just don’t seem to ‘get it’, how there’s seemingly no light at the end of the tunnel, how we wish we could just shake a few of those around us and get this Jesus movement on its way…and how in the end…nothing seems to work…the body, the bride is broken.

In the midst of this dialogue I finally said, “You know, here’s the reality…the bride of Christ is no runway model, no size 6, no perfect 10…the bride of Christ is a morbidly obese spinster in the process of shoveling 15 baconators down her throat…and yet at the same time, God declares in full confidence and spleen-bursting compassion for his bride that she is pure, righteous, holy and without blemish”

Offensive?…perhaps…but I’ll leave that up to your discretion…regardless…are you trackin’?