Everything We Do

It seems to always say more about the reader these days than the author when it comes to appraising good literature, or so says the theorists. I just like em when I like em and don't when I don't. When it comes to poetry I always have payed more attention to the pre-critical response. How the words fight their way into my sinews and back out again. Through heavy breath, or tear. The construction, syntax, and combination draws out response. This is what can make language so powerful, which is why I have always loved words.

Last night in the car driving somewhere I caught the writers' almanac and sometimes I think Keillor does an excellent job picking these out.

How I like a good stiff poem that makes everyone pause for just a moment. Hope you enjoy.

It's A Boy!!!

Two pregnant moms: This is our friend Stephanie Philip who is the other mom, she is 18 weeks along, real close to Rebecca. That's Stephanie's daughter Sariah in the background.

The official votes

And the gender is...!!!!

We are very blessed that God has filled Rebecca's womb with a baby boy! Our firstborn son. We give our triune God all glory, laud, and honor.

A good time was had by all at our 'You Guess It' party. All pictures posted are from the party.

The votes were telling: 12 for boy and 6 for girl. There were a lot of veteran moms picking apart the sonogram viewing, but it seems like more people than not just told us it was a boy anyways. We asked our doctor before she knew, and without budge she said, oh its a boy. We said how do you know? She said, I don't, but I have a 50/50 chance. How did the majority 'just know'. What is that magic?

You Guess It!!!

The official envelope has been sealed. The results are in. Sonograms have been taken. And tonight the gender of our first child will be revealed!

We are hosting a 'you guess it' party tonight with our friends. We will be showing the footage from the last sonogram that was recorded onto VHS tape and then our friends and we ourselves will try to guess the gender. Once all the guesses have been collected (along with suggested names) and read, the envelope will be opened, and the identity will be known to the world.

We thought the premier to Lost was going to be exciting, ha! It doesn't hold a stick to this!

Tune in tommorow...
May I have the envelope please....

Thoughts on GWB and the "new age"

One of the most nostalgic moments I have had in recent weeks is when I tuned in for our former President's last press conference. George W. Bush, in my opinion, gave a very transparent last press conference, one that caused me to think a lot about where I was at eight years ago and what has transpired since he was sworn in. I have gotten married, graduated college, moved twice, etc. And through all of it George W. was in office.

One thing that stuck out in the press conference that I think wasn't covered at all by the press, was just what honest dedication Bush had to this country. The press conference made me take pause to appreciate Bush's desire to uphold justice which I think is one of the God ordained functions of the state. Bush emphasized this, and I think he did so to his credit. But don't count on the press to praise him for that. They didn't. But I found it striking, and honorable. He protected the country for 7 years without having another terrorist attack on his watch. There is success in that. This is a due and proper role that government should have according to scripture, and I want to nod my hat to Bush for executing his office faithfully. Do I agree with everything he did towards this end? No. It seemed evident however, that Bush was concerned about the right things. The things a President, and a government should be concerned about. Justice and protection in the civil sphere. I thought his last press conference was quite stirring and I grew in my admiration for him.

At the end of the day I don't care if he wasn't well spoken, and I don't care (well I do care when it comes to him personally, but not regarding the office of President) what his particular religious affiliation was or wasn't. I care about his duty as civil magistrate and how he carried it out. I am not so sure I am exactly on page with the press about his legacy, or about the past eight years. But my view is informed about what government should and should not do. All in all, I don't think the past eight years were all that bad. I think history will show that, and I actually think his legacy will be more positive than most people think, and I am not a registered republican. Thank you Mr. Bush for your service, your a gentlemen, patriot, pubic servant, and you executed your office faithfully. That's all that matters. And for what its worth I am the kind of guy that would rather have a beer with the outgoing guy than the incoming guy, all I wanted to do yesterday was fly to Crawford, TX and hit up a local pub and talk with the guy about that past eight years, his and mine. He strikes me as a guy that would be better in person.

But for whatever reason the country seems to have up and got itself in an alarming tizzy about our new President, and apparently I am told a new age has dawned. Well, I am sure the tizzy will wear off and reality will set in soon. Fact is, we live in a fallen world. No new age has dawned. People still die and pay taxes. The civil magistrate has a certain role, and a God ordained role, a high duty to uphold the civil affairs of his/her sphere as a temporal authority under God until the age of the new heavens and new earth dawns with the return of Christ. The messianic expectation for President Obama is misguided to say the least. I think he knows that. I wish he would tell Charlie Gibson that. And since this is my blog (and I believe in free speech) I want to say that I think Charlie Gibson is the worst news commentator this side of the gravity line. Just get the facts straight man. Can the network please hire someone else? Gibson just seems dazed and enamored with his own cheesepuffs and goo-goo. But alas, we only get 2 channels on our bunny ears. Will stick with PBS from now on.

All that to say, President Obama is just like the other Presidents. He holds a dignified office, one established by God in his common grace to preserve his world through the administration of justice and the other proper duties of governance. Christians ought to be submissive in so far as they are able, and to pray for him. And I wish someone would remind the country that we have a government of three co-equal branches. The success of the country does not lie solely on the President's shoulders. Checks and balances folks, something I think that is not only good for government, but I think the media and the country right now need some checks and balances.

But I digress...

Waitin' for a train to catch, thinkin' about a dream I had

Well, I hate to throw around such sweeping statements, but it very well could have been one of the best rock shows I have been to in my life. Not only was yesterday the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (I hope that all you Mason Jennings fans listened to his tribute song to Dr. King found on his first album), but it was also the day The Walkmen were scheduled to play Solana Beach's famed club, the Belly-Up Tavern.

The Flower Pot and I got to the show early. I mean, Rebecca is at about 20 weeks, and we enjoy getting places early so we can have time to kick up the feet (more her than I obviously). So we were first in line to get in. Found a great table just off stage right, and we made camp.

The first band to play was Johnny and the Moon. That's right, everybody says Johnny and the who? My thoughts exactly. Their music was terrific but there was just one small problem...Johnny couldn't SING! AGH, it was bad. I told Rebecca a more apt name might be Johnny can't swoon. He sounded like a whiny, hypo-allergenic, pre-adolescent kid trying to scream at neighborhood bullies who just stole his lunch pale. yikes. They could go places if he gets some vocal instruction.

Next up was Beachhouse, a band we have heard a lot about recently. After last night, we probably won't hear much about them from here on out, because we won't be following them. They sounded like a group of Amish folks trying to do Justin Timberlake covers. They were doing the whole pop music that is depressing thing, pop music that wants to be cool depressing pop, but it just sounded like that bad homecoming band that all the students on the student council invited to play at the dance and they weren't really that good. They had some interesting chord progressions that are worthy to note. But overall they were just sleepers. We could not make one lyric that was sung the whole time except the chorus of their "hit" in which the singer repeats in quite a melancholy tone "don't just waste your time." Well, unfortunately, one does waste one's time listening to Beachhouse live. I think there an album band. Heed the chorus of their hit, don't just waste your time.

So then, yes, The Walkmen came out. Man, 30 seconds into the first song we were like, "were those other bands even playing music"? Rebecca said no. I concured. The set started off with the stunning song "Red Moon" from the Walkmen's latest record You and Me. The singer explained how for just five of their west coast dates on this tour they decided to fly out their "all-star" horn players from previous tours. He said they usually hire horn players off craig's list but for five shows they took the best-of-the-best and flew em' out to Diego. It was extraordinary. Four-piece brass section with bass trombone, trombone, and two trumpets. Simply beautiful.

There is something about lead singer Hamilton Leithhauser that stands out above most singers. I think he could be called the best vocalist in indie-rock. What is crazy is that he just licked every single one of his highest pitched songs. Just nailed em'. Oh man, it was crazy as I am sure the videos I am posting on youtube will show.(please excuse the background singing in the video, I couldn't contain myself, I do hit one harmony though). He wails on key. On another note, another strength of the Walkmen is their dynamics. They do soft, loud, mezzo-pianissimo, lilt, 6/8, 4/4, rock, roll, and mezzo forte plus some. This gives their set depth and variety. I equate it to how a band like u2 can be interesting for a long period of time (i.e. 2 hour shows). The Walkmen definitely have the ability to captivate an audience for well over an hour.

But what got me even more about this show wasn't just the superb lighting, the amazing technical skill of the band, their stage presence and energy, or the enthusiasm of the crowd. There is a common thread through The Walkmen's catalogue that was on display last night. It is one thing to have an album with cohesion (like their latest record), but another when an artist's songs begin to take on cohesion within their entire catalogue. What I mean is that each song, from different Walkmen albums, began to make connections with one another during the live set. Songs from the whole range of their career. And when played back to back, a real story begins to form. Some kind of unified ethos and muse. That great untangable of the arts. Why did the music move the audience like it did?

Over and above Leithhauser's vocal ability is his ability to craft astounding lyrics. Lyrics that are pregnant with meaning yet not vague or fuzzy, he is a clear writer. Moreoever, Leithhauser can charge a line, and get the most out of a line than any singer I know. His writing style blends perfectly with the band, and he knows how to have a multi-layered affect. There is something brilliantly human about the content of Leithhauser's song. He comes across not so much as the noble savage being acted upon by forces outside of himself, but rather he seems like the romantic-savage-realist, taking what happens, confronting it, offering solace or despair of various kinds but being content with the conclusions and putting them to verses and poems. The Walkmen, yes, sing songs about longings of all kinds: love, unity, freedom, peace, etc. but they do so in a way that is matched with raw evaluation, there is no pie-in-the-sky troubador stuff here: fact, value, lament, conclusion. Every song just teemed with expectation and energy, even the ballads.


On a personal note. It was quite an amazing hour or so for me. Certain Leithhauser lines landed on me with a punch. A gravity that was palpable. Such lines like the title of this post "waiting for a train to catch..thinking about a dream I had" or the daunting "As far as I can see there is no light to come" or even the hunter's metaphor in Red Moon which Leithhauser sings like a glass of wine saying "you shine, like the steel on my knife." To me, the whole show was something about coming of age but not becoming jaded, pressing on without giving up, getting on with the future without detriment to the past, have determination to march ahead without entirely forgetting one's dreams. In a word, it had something very real and specific to do with you and me.

See these guys every chance you get, I have never said that about another band...

Clean Feet

I want to share with you a great joy that happened recently in my life.

For about 7 years now (since I was 20) I have had a horrible cluster of planters warts on my right foot. At first, I tried all kinds of medication of the acidic variety. I was putting on all kinds of stuff seeking to ward off the warts. Nothing really worked. And this went on for about 2 years. Then, for a couple of years I simply gave up the ghost, tucked my tail between my legs, and threw my hands up in resignation of trying to defeat these warts. It was horrible. I am an athletic person. I continued to golf, play basketball, run, play rock shows with long periods of standing, etc. and my feet would just hurt. That's how it was. It was pain I was coming to live with.

Well, when the knot was tied between the flower pot and I, the war resumed. This time with a close ally. The "axis of evil" was going to be uprooted and brought to justice. Needless to say, the fight was to be a long, broad, sustained campaign. We didn't expect to win or withdrawl overnight. However, there were many times we were close to giving up. We continued to try different strategies. I had made some appointments with foot doctors and what not, but I never went, for many reasons. What I did do however was commit to scraping the crap out of these warts after every shower. And For the past year I sustained this battle front with many different scrapers.

And slowly, yes slowly, they began to diminish. And at long last, a couple of days after we got home from our holiday travels, I noticed one evening, "my warts are gone honey!"

At any rate, I am so thankful to the Lord for allowing these warts to leave me. It is so much more comfortable to walk now. It is really great. I think there might be sermon illustration in here somewhere, I don't know, but what I do know is that my feet feel great! and yes, I feel great!

He's a philosopher too

I am sure there are awards for op-ed's, this should receive em' all for the past five years...

ht: Sean Lucas

Dance of Mahanaim, and yes, Oprah

To hopefully clarify a little of what I said in the last post, I will turn first to the Westminster Confession of Faith. Chapter 16 of the Confession is about good works. It presents some of the most lucid statements regarding the Scriptures teaching on the subject.

This becomes instructive regarding the Christ & culture issue in that it helps to clarify where exactly non-believers can possess genuinely true knowledge of what Calvin called earthly things. Where is the point of contact between the believer and non-believer, and where exactly can the believer perhaps benefit and learn form the non-believer? The confession states in 16.7 that:

Works done by unregenerate men, although for the matter of them they may be things which God commands; and of good use both to themselves and others: yet, because they proceed not from an heart purified by faith; nor are done in a right manner, according to the Word; nor to a right end, the glory of God, they are therefore sinful, and cannot please God, or make a man meet to receive grace from God: and yet, their neglect of them is more sinful and displeasing unto God.

Ok, so in more contemporary English, and in accordance with the point at hand, what this article is saying is that for a work to be truly good it must possess three things: 1) It must proceed from faith, 2) It must be done according to the law of God, 3) It must be done unto his glory. Or put another way, good works must be done out of the right motive (done in faith), must be done for the right end (to the glory of God), and must have the right means (done according to the law of God). What this article also says is that the unregenerate can do things that externally conform to the law of God, even though we know the work doesn't proceed from faith, and isn't done for the glory of God and does not meet the internal requirements of the law of God.

So in the last post when I presented the idea that some of what is put forth on the Oprah show about finances, healthy lifestyles, sex, etc. can be beneficial to the believer, it is in the sense of the external mode of the actions (i.e. having a budget that wife and husband talk about) all the while understanding that the non-believer ultimately has different motives and a different end in mind than the Christian.

This was illustrated quite cleary upon a recent listen Rebecca and I had to Mark Driscoll's sermon Dance of Mahanaim based on a very provocative passage in Song of Songs. Some of Driscoll's application that he drew from the text was identical to Dr. Laura Berman's advice heard on Oprah regarding sex. For instance, Driscoll emphasized the importance for husbands and wives to talk about their grooming with one another. Should the wife have short or long hair? Should the husband grow a beard or not? These questions should be discussed, said Driscoll, and the husband and wife should want to serve one another, want to look good for one another, and have their spouse be their standard of beauty. Again, this was advice that was echoed in what Dr. Berman presented on Oprah (save for the very last point of the spouse being their standard of beauty, I can't recall if Dr. Berman ever said this). Want to have a healthly sex life with your spouse? Look good for them, seek their input in the way you dress and groom, talk about it, etc.

Yet before you think I am being critical of Driscoll, let me say that I'm not. My wife and I really liked his sermon, there were many helpful things presented. Here's the catch. Driscoll went further than Dr. Berman in his applications and discussed the motive and the God glorifying end of the Christian in this matter. Why should husbands seek their wives input in how they shave? Well, because marriage is a picture of Christ and the church and thus the body of the husband belongs to the wife, and vice-versa (1 Cor 7:4). So although Driscoll and Dr. Berman intersected at certain points, they also diverged. And herein lies where the knowledge of believers and unbelievers can cross. It is regarding the external mode of action. Regarding the externals, the believer and unbeliever can look the same, yet we know regarding the internal motive (faith) and end (God's glorify) they couldn't look any different.

Back to the analogy of the surgeon that took out my appendix. He did an amazing job. An excellent Christian surgeon, doing the same operation, would hopefully have the same result as the non-Christian surgeon. Yet the unbelieving surgeon perhaps did an excellent job because he wants good word of mouth reputation (which he got from me) so that he might obtain more clients and thus make more money. The Christian surgeon on the other hand might do an excellent appendix surgery because he wants to glorify God in his vocation, and specifically because of being justified by grace through faith he is freed to truly love his neighbor (the patient) as he loves himself, and thus he wants to do the best job he can for another regardless of his reputation or pay. Now, inevitably situations will arise when a Christian might respond differently than a non-Christian, because of differing convictions. But the point here is that there is a place where non-believers have true and genuine knowledge about earthly affairs. This knowledge is still a gift of God, flowing from his common grace towards all. It is, as the confession states, able to be "of good use both to themselves and others." And it is genuinely good in this qualified sense.

Calvin on two kinds of knowlege, and yes, Oprah

Dovetailing on the last post about Christ and culture, this post focuses on Calvin's understanding of common grace and the common curse, and yes, how it might relate to Oprah.

In 2.2.12-16 of Calvin's Institutes I believe one finds a most instructive treatise on the relationship between Christianity and culture. Calvin posits that at the fall, man (and I do mean the entire human race) lost all his ability to be discerning regarding spiritual matters. A fallen man is one who cannot understand correctly the things of the kingdom of God. As Calvin writes, "[man] is so banished from the Kingdom of God that all qualities belonging to the blessed life of the soul have been extinguished from him, until he recovers them through the grace of regeneration." However, Calvin also affirms that vestiges of the image of God remain in all people. This includes what Calvin calls the natural gifts, or the light of reason. This was not entirely lost at the fall, although it was polluted. As only Calvin can put it, he says, "in man's perverted and degenerate nature some sparks still gleam. These show him to be a rational being, differing from brute beasts, because he is endowed with understanding. Yet, secondly, they show this light choked with dense ignorance, so that it cannot come forth effectively."

Thus, Calvin asserted that the distinction must be made between two kinds of understanding. The distinction is this: that there is one kind of understanding of earthly things; another of heavenly things. Calvin writes: "I call 'earthly things' those which do not pertain to God or his Kingdom, to true justice, or to the blessedness of the future life; but which have their significance and relationship with regard to the present life and are, in a sense, confined within its bounds. I call 'heavenly things' the pure knowledge of God, the nature of true righteounsess, and the mysteries of the Heavenly Kingdom. The first class includes government, household management, all mechanical skills, and the liberal arts. In the second are the knowledge of God and of his will, and the rule by which we conform our lives to it" (italics are mine).

At the end of the day, Calvin is saying that both Christians and non-Christians live in the world together and both live under the common curse, but both also live under common grace. Non-believers can be gifted greatly and manifest extraordinary skill in cultural endeavors that benefit all mankind, believer and non-believer alike. This is a gift of God's common grace. I praise God that a non-believing surgeon was able to spare my life and take my appendix out. He was gifted by God in common grace and he uses his skill for common good, the common cultural enterprise of medicine.

Yet for all this common good. Calvin is quick to note that when it comes to spiritual matters, the unregenerate are "blind as moles!" Yet we must not let this fact cause us to ignore their earthly knowledge. Clavin waxes about these spiritually blind moles saying, "let that admirable light of truth shining in them teach us that the mind of man, though fallen and perverted from its wholeness, is nevertheless clothed and ornamented with God's excellent gifts. If we regard the Spirit of God as the sole fountain of truth, we shall neither reject the truth itself, nor despise it wherever it shall appear, unless we wish to dishonor the Spirit of God" (italics mine). I believe that a proper understanding of common grace should be very liberating for Christians. It is ok to learn from and genuinely desire to gain insight into earthly matters from non-Christians. I just had this experience while back in Nebraska over the Christmas break. I had certain questions about living expenses in Omaha. Some of the most helpful, instructive information was garnered from two non-Christian friends of mine about the housing market, energy bills, groceries, etc. Their current unbelief in Christ doesn't mean they are not wise in other matters. I heartily amen Calvin when he states, "If the Lord has willed that we be helped in physics, dialectic, mathematics, and other like disciplines, by the work and ministry of the ungodly, let us use this assistance. For if we neglect God's gift freely offered [to us] in these arts, we ought suffer just punishment for our sloths."

Which brings me to Oprah. As some of you may know (or those willing to admit they watch Oprah may know), Oprah is having her "best life" series all this week on her television program. Yesterday, she had on Dr. Laura Berman to talk about the issue of sex. The topic was how to have a revived and/or healthier sex life. Rebecca and I decided to watch. And guess what, we learned some things. I believe Dr. Berman, under common grace, had some wise advice. No she didn't mention the bible once. And no, she didn't discuss any of the biblical principles regarding sex. And no she wasn't concerned about glorifying God in sex. But was her presentation entirely void of truth? I don't think so. In so far as much as sexual issues apply to all people, she had wisdom. After all, its not just Christians that have sex. So although Rebecca and I may have a different end in mind with our sex life (the glory of God) and though we may have a different starting point regarding our view on sex, when it comes to the means, I think there can be commonality here. Unbelievers, at some level, want to have healthy sex lives even though they may not have the same end in mind as we do. But when it comes to some of the nuts and bolts of our sexuality, unbelievers take their socks off just like believers do, the anatomy is the same. In keeping with Calvin's principles mentioned above, I think Christians then may be free to garner wisdom about something like sex from a doctor on Oprah, in so far as much as they remain in accordance with biblical principles.

So was everything she said helpful? No. I think she did present some stuff that would not be wise for a Christian to practice in their sex life. Was it all bad? Well, no. I think she offered some helpful tips regarding making sex a priority, how to communicate better about sex in your marriage, and yes, even how to keep it interesting. Again, I am not saying one should throw out Christian principles. I think the light of supernatural revelation as contained in the 66 canonical scriptures should always be used to evaluate human wisdom's. Yet, insofar as human wisdom is not in contradiction with scriptural principles, as Calvin says, we would be dishonoring to God if we did not seek to gleen what we can from those teachings in the world. Although we didn't get to see the whole series, I am sure there were helpful tips on finances, eating habits, etc. that were also wise and helpful. I am imagine both unbelievers and believers walked away from some of the "best life" episodes with new tools for improving certain aspects of "life under the sun."

One other observation is that it was helpful to see this stuff being presented on Oprah and not being preached from Joel Osteen's best life pulpit. As I affirm with Calvin when it comes to spiritual matters, the ungodly are completely blind. When it comes to things of God and salvation, Oprah is a moron. There is no wisdom there. All is veiled to the stone heart regarding heavenly things. This is knowledge only revealed by God by his special grace shown to those who believe in him. This is knowledge that the church speaks on, and must boldly proclaim. Oh how I need to hear gospel sermon's. I need to know the raw truth about eternal matters. I need to know how a wretched worm like myself is justified before a holy God. I need to know about the law and the gospel. I need my faith to increase by the due use of means, the sacraments. And you can be darn sure, I won't tune into Oprah to find about that.

Christ and Culture

For a long time I have read rave reviews and received glowing recommendations for H. Richard Niebuhr's book Christ & Culture. It is widely recognized as a classic paradigm setting book regarding the issue of the relationship between Christianity and culture. When I saw the book on my class syllabus for this winter, I was quite excited that I would finally be able to read this classic I had heard so much about. What provocative angle on the perennial Christ & culture discussions had I long been deprived of?

Well this week I got my opportunity to read the book. And frankly, it was quite a downer. A real big Debbie Downer to be honest (Debbie Downer is a favorite SNL character for us Brittons and we often use it as a category of judgment, akin to thumbs down). It seems a statement perhaps on the contemporary impoverishment of material on this subject that has perhaps provided the environment for a book like this to recieve such acclaim. Although I do think it does serve the purpose for being a good conversation starter about the issue, I do believe after reading the book that there is ample room in the field for new and better "conversation starter" books on the subject.

For one, I thought the book was a bit laborious to read. Niebuhr doesn't really have a very vivid or lucid writing style in my oppinion. His language is a bit confusing and dull. In general he just doesn't seem very inspired from a strictly stylistic point of view. This criticism was perhaps magnified by my anticipation of reading the work. Since I had heard it was a classic, I thought the writing style would have a certain gravitas to it. However, Gravitas was lacking. This is indeed a small point, yet it is something to consider if you are wanting to read this book. Don't expect a C.S. Lewis type literary prowess. Expect something much more drab. As I get older, and have less time to read, I want the books I read to have a good literary sensiblity and be enjoyable to read no matter the topic. I think I have less patience with poor writing nowadays.

A second critique (which is not original with me) is that "culture" is notoriously hard to pin down in Niebuhr's work. Yes, he attempts to define culture at the beginning of the book with the broad idea of culture being 'things we do together.' Yet as one progresses through the book, this definition seems to break down. Take for instance the first type or approach Niebuhr presents regarding the Christ/culture interface. The category is Christ Against Culture. This is a seperatist view which Niebuhr describes as the affirmation of the absolute authority of Christ over-against culture. Niebuhr identifies the book of I John as supporting this view (with its light/darkness distinction) as well as the church father Tertullian, the Mennonites, and also the Amish among others. It is here where culture becomes hard to define. Take the Amish for example. The Amish are not against culture in any ultimate way. They are simply against certain expressions of culture and seek to build their own culture apart from say, dominate culture. Yet Niebuhr, being perhaps a bit too modern (in the philosophical sense), isn't one for nuance. Niebuhr never talks about dominant culture, popular culture, sub-culture, etc. He simply uses broadstrokes, which again, may be helpful for conversation sometimes, but I find it to be ultimately unhelpful and vague. This is a flaw perhaps throughout the entire book. The broad and sweeping categories he uses begs the question as to if anyone would be happy in any of his categories. I don't think the people he places in their categories would really want to be there. Niebuhr indeed states that many are inconsistencies and that his categories are not hermetically sealed. Yet, this begs the question, how helpful and accurate are the categories?

A third critique is that Niebuhr's fifth and final category, Christ the Transformer of Culture, includes Calvin. The fault here is that Niebuhr does not cite one single place in Calvin's corpus where he could be said to fall into this camp. It seems like at a very minimal one should quote and/or cite some kind of primary source evidence for claims like this. Yet such quotes are entirely absent. A pretty irresponsible academic move. It seems to me that Calvin would actually fit better (again not entirely, but better) into the Christ and Culture in Paradox camp.

A final observation/qualm (although I can think of more, I'll stop with this) is that Niebuhr seeks to give evaluation or critique of each type or approach he presents. Yet the one category which is entirely absent of critique is the final Christ the Transformer of Culture category (again, this observation is not new with me). This begs the question, or perhaps doesn't, of what camp Niebuhr falls into? It seems pretty obvious. Especially given the characteristics he mentions of this camp. Such tenants of this camp give an affirmation of creation or to quote directly, "a more positive and hopeful attitude" toward creation. Who wouldn't affirm this? What person in another camp would not affirm positively the creation? I know of none. The Amish? I don't think so. I John? Nah. Also, Niebuhr has a second characteristic of this category as being to understand and affirm man's fall. Really? This is so broad. Anyone who affirms the fall must be in the transformer category? Interesting conversation starter.

At any rate, Niebuhr's taxonomy has ruled the discussion of Christ/culture issues ever since his Alumni Foundation Lectures at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 1949. Yet, I don't think his taxonomy is all that helpful. He gives broad categories, with an all too vague definition of culture, and thus the people he places in these categories really don't fit. His categories then seem a bit contradictory, and a bit embellished in order to make the transformer category look the best.

Granted, I am not saying that it is possible not to be biased. My view of this book and the issue is colored by my bias for a Two Kingdoms understanding of Christ and culture (which Niebuhr doesn't really present, the paradox category is close, yet he wants to posit that tenants of this view hold to some harmful dualisms such as the body/soul dualism which no Two Kingdoms guy to my knowledge would affirm). I am currently conviced that a Two Kingdoms view is most consistent with scripture.

Much more could be said, but suffice it to say this book was unfortunately kind of a downer for me. Thankfully, I think more literature is coming out on this vital topic of Christ and culture that will perhaps de-throne Niebuhr, or make him less of a force. Niebuhr's characterizations, shallow scholarship, and poor writing style made Christ & Culture quite forgettable for me. Yet I imagine it will remain on many a syllabi in years to come for the influence it has had, and yes, its ability to get conversations like this one going. However, I am much more inclined to say that perhaps a better place to start in Christ/culture issues is simply Book 2 of Calvin's Institutes. More on this next time...

Good List and Other News

If you want what I think is a really good list of the top albums coming out of Omaha, NE in the past year, check out omahype's  top ten.  I blew the whistle on the Baby Walrus album a long time ago.  It truly is an amazing album, I heard it before it was pressed and knew it would be well received.  It'll be interesting to see what these guys do in 2009.  The McCarthy Trenching album is really good.  Rebecca and I have been listening to it around the apartment recently.  He is a very talented lyricist, has a grizzly baritone-in-a-bar voice, and displays great guitar work.  I am also a fan of the new Neva Dinova record.  The only qualm I might have is the Faint's record which I thought was a bit sub-par.  

It amazes me that a city like Omaha can have so many releases full of a diverse range of artists.  It is a testament to the arts scene.  I don't know if I can name 10 San Diego releases in the past year. Granted I don't know the scene as well, but the local weeklies do not do a very good job covering it either.

...In other news:

We had another appointment for our child and it went well.  We heard the child's heartbeat, it was normal! praise the Lord!  Our doctor showed us the contrast between Rebecca's heartbeat and the child's.  It was amazing.  Our child's heartbeat was twice as fast.  We could hear two heartbeats at once.

I started my "Christian Life" class which is a capstone ethics course here at Westminster.  Very fascinating stuff, expect more on this class later.

I am buried grading Greek II exams for my TA duties.  I am also teaching a one hour greek unit on Thursday nights.  It is a great honor and privilege to be serving under and helping Dr. Baugh.  He is, in my opinion, one of the best NT profs we currently have on the earth.  Rebecca is auditing greek I!  How exciting!

I am picking through John Zizioulas' book Being as Communion.  Zizioulas is an eastern Orthodox theologian that I discovered through some friends here at the seminary.  It is an amazing read.  He is basically tracing the history of the ontology behind the words that greatly shaped eastern and western theology during the first 500 years of the church.  Those words are the greek words prosopon (face, persona) and ousia (being).  It is stunning to see how the Christian fathers were radically altering the philosophical schemes of their day.  Infusing new Christian content into the philosophical terminology of the day in order to best express the Christian faith.  Few, unfortunately, are doing this in our day.  However, I would suggest that one of my profs, Dr. Horton, has done an amazing service to the contemporary church in publishing his 4 volume series with Westminster John Knox press.  He is doing just what the fathers did.  Dialoging Christianity, specifically the Reformed witness to the Christian faith, with the academy.  The results are rewarding.  Pastors everywhere need this.  

Ok, this post was long, it changed directions, and had no pictures.  We'll try to do better next time.

This is how close

So, according to this story here my wife and I were very close to being victim of the burgeoning Omaha crime scene. We went out with my good friends I used to play music with and had some drinks at the same place, same night as the crime. It was just today I heard that the bar got robbed at gunpoint later the same night we were there. What's going on in Omaha? Does the cities money really need to be spent on a new baseball stadium? Too close for comfort. It is sad to read of burgeoning crime rather than burgeoning art in the city. Someone needs to write the mayor.

There and Back Again

This is a picture of the Salton Sea from 43,000 ft.

Seals and Pelicans at La Jolla cove



Whew, after a crazy day of flying, we landed back in San Diego. Boy are we glad. And we got the most wonderful of suprise coming back to San Diego in that our friends from Omaha, Beth and Harold Isenberger, were able to pick us up from the airport. We then proceeded to have a great time in La Jolla, getting some lunch, catching up, and walking along the beach looking at all the sites. The pictures above are of our day. We started the day in Omaha at six degrees with freezing rain and cold wind, and landed in 68 degree San Diego: fresh air, sunny sky, a climate that heals. Living here has huge benefits.

It was interesting for us to be back in Omaha and really tangibly perceive the cultural differences, both on a micro and macrocosmic scale. The city, the events, the people. The desolate plains makes for quite an introspective and reflective atmosphere that is different than the west coast. I have been thinking a lot lately about how this cultural climate influences the religion of the area, specifically the Reformed communities piety, polity, and practice.

At any rate, we had a restful and productive time back in Omaha. Thanks to our families for putting up with our illnesses, it was great to see you all. Thanks to all our friends for your hospitality, insight, and encouragement. Till next time...

Now we have to go get started in the New Year.