LA Times story (via boingboing) looks into the world of christian music downloading. I’ll be plain, I think it is stealing… flat out wrong… unless of course they’re giving it away (check out Bored-Again Christian.)
Check this story out, the writer is covering a lecture given about Johnny Cash, and it is well worth the read:
Cash’s lyrics to “The Folsom Prison Blues” acknowledge the cold-blooded mind of a murderer, but the lyrics also echo Paul’s words in the book of Romans, chapter seven, Black said.
“The idea that we know what we are doing is bad, but we can’t stop ourselves from doing it on our own power are clearly the ideas of Paul the apostle,” he said.
I’m a treehugger as well as subscribing to classical reformed theology (it used to be an odd combo, it is no longer so rare) and I first became a member of Creation Care in 1999, I figured it was only a matter of time until more people realized this!
I cannot understand a coherent Christian argument against working to recycle and preserve the environment, not that I haven’t heard an attempt made to rationalize both suburban sprawl and clear-cut/monoculture “forest management.”
I admire both John Piper and Mark Driscoll, so it caught my attention that there seems to be a fair bit of chat in the Christian blog-o-sphere about this past weekend’s “Desiring God” conference. Flack is coming from both the more conservative and liberal ends of the spectrum. I use those terms to describe my observations, not as a value judgement. Although, for full disclosure, I have drifted away from the “emergent conversation,” as I find their jargon driven communications too distracting- I agree with what they want to do, just not how they are doing it.
Frankly, I’ve been thinking a fair bit about this since reading these two posts (Immoderate: Mark Driscoll The Impresario and Tall Skinny Kiwi: John Piper and the Desiring God Conference – as well as others, however these are the best representatives of the views I have come across.) I have a great respect for both of these bloggers, although I know neither personally and their views are vastly different.
When it comes down to it, I think Mark and John are espousing classic reformed theology. If reading Luther or Calvin gets you riled up, these guys will too (most emergents would have a hard time sitting at a table with the great reformers.) Mark has a little bit of an explosive personality, rich in contemporary cultural references (and not always condemning those things he is referencing,) which sometimes draws a negative response, so I will try an make a little foray into thinking about him.
The reason why I feel compelled to think about Mark Driscoll’s personality is that I believe he is preaching in the character of Luther; passion and effectiveness are natural by-products of his personality and mission, not a convenient marketing strategy meant to cash in on his hipster appeal. Mark might be a bit off color, but Luther himself was very much so, even while defending sound doctrine. I’ll grant that other times Luther’s theology was a little off, but my theology is also off and as we are all members of a fallen mankind anyone reading this suffers likewise… we are trying to get our collective head around the glories of God, infinite glories – glories that await us in eternity.
Anyway- check out the primary source material here. I’m blessed enough to have at least a two and a half hour daily commute so I’ve already listened to most of it and find it excellent, useful, and fruitful teaching.
Faith alone (Sola Fide)
Scripture alone (Sola Scriptura)
Christ alone (Solus Christus)
Grace alone (Sola Gratia)
Glory to God alone (Soli Deo Gloria)
I’ve got a few loyal (I can see your IP’s, I know you’re out there) readers, so because of the quiet news week I’ll share a little bit from what I’ve been reading.
“Are there problems raised by this Biblical doctrine of the absolute sovereignty of God in providence and grace? Of course there are. Evertything that God reveals of Himself transcends man’s comprehension; every doctrine, therefore, must of necessity terminate in mystery and man must humbly acquiesce in havingit so.”
-J.I. Packer and O. R. Johnston in their Historical and Theological Introduction to Luther’s Bondage of the Will
So many Christians are misled into thinking that they can get their head around God, but as Jonathan Edwards was so fascinated with, His characteristics are all infinite. God isn’t just big, He’s incomprehensible; God doesn’t just exist in Time, He defines it; God doesn’t just have some control over this world, He is the sovereign God; The capacity of His propitiation is not just enough for a finite number of sinners, but for a but for all who repent, an infinite capacity. So adelphoi, think on the infiteness of God and rejoice in it.
In our world of hyper-sexualized media it can be hard to imagine that media execs are opposed to anything that helps them make more of a profit. Apparently, for NBC at least, a bunch of vegetables in a children’s show have been spreading the forbidden love, the love of Christ. Thanks to Get Religion.
Fox is planning on targeting the “christian” audience with new movies under it’s new “FoxFaith” division, hoping to attract the evangelical world to increase their profits. I think that there can be two opinions on this. First, that this is a good thing that means increased safe viewing material with positive values. The second, and the one I believe, is that this is just disgusting… welcome the moneychangers into the temple (remember, our bodies are the temple!) There is this crazy mindset in Christians that seems to think that as long as it looks okay, it must be okay. Whether this is in the performing, visual, recording, literary, or any other art “christians” flock to it, this pale substitute. Wake-up-call, Jesus was more concerned with the inside of things than the outside… even if these movies look “christian” they have a rotten core. The more we encourage large media the more this tendancy will be exploited. I do not advocate removing ourselves from this world and these things, rather I propose that something new is happening.
I see inklings, like the sky before dawn, of an emerging Christian awareness to create media and that goes beyond the bizarre ‘evangelizing’ films produced in the later 20th century to an artistic Christian community that revels in the glory of God – in a way that neither conjures the image of moneychangers nor of washing the outside and leaving insides dirty. I pray that these are not my delusions, but rather a hopeful vision grounded in the reality of a resurging Christianity.
We owe God a death
“We cannot live long in this world.
We owe God a death.
We owe nature a death.
The sentence of death is passed upon us.
We cannot enjoy the comfort of this world long.
And for favour and applause of the world,
we must leave it,
and it will leave us,
we know not how soon.
And this meditation should enforce us to be willing,
however it go with us,
for anything here, for life, or goods, or friends,
or credit and reputation, or whatsoever,
to be willing to seal the cause of Christ
with that which is dearest to us.”
(Works of Richard Sibbes, volume 3, pp. 84-85)
(via together for the Gospel)
Birds of Paradise
Golden-winged, silver-winged
Winged with flashing flame,
Such a flight of birds I saw,
Birds without a name:
Singing songs in their own tongue—
Song of songs—they came.
One to another calling,
Each answering each,
One to another calling
In their proper speech:
High above my head they wheeled,
Far out of reach.
On wings of flame they went and came
With a cadenced clang:
Their silver wings tinkled,
Their golden wings rang;
The wind it whistled through their wings
Where in heaven they sang.
They flashed and they darted
Awhile before mine eyes,
Mounting, mounting, mounting still,
In haste to scale the skies,
Birds without a nest on earth,
Birds of Paradise.
Where the moon riseth not
Nor sun seeks the west,
There to sing their glory
Which they sing at rest,
There to sing their love-song
When they sing their best:—
Not in any garden
That mortal foot hath trod,
Not in any flowering tree
That springs from earthly sod,
But in the garden where they dwell,
The Paradise of God.
Christina Georgina Rossetti
14 November 1864.
(via Biblicalia)
At least purportedly. Thomas Kinkade, hated by art history teachers, artists, and general good taste is supposedly under investigation by the FBI. I don’t have much love for people who produce junk then say “praise Jesus,” and expect us not to call it junk.
(via boingboing)
Full disclosure: My wife, mother, and aunt are all artists… and they all think he produces crap… I just happen to concur. My wife’s christian, my mother and aunt are lapsed catholics (agnostics at best.) My mother-in-law loves his stuff; she, however, is a little to the right of Pat Robertson… on a good day.
So I was reading boingboing this morning, only to see the insanity going on there. Aparently a child saw a ad for a new Barney movie, only it wasn’t (it was a defaced sign with a reference to Barney’s nether regions.) The father wrote into the local paper decrying this act… well in words that are best his (from the editorial):
“Look, Daddy, a Barney movie!” I couldn’t see it, so she guided my eyes to the vulgar obscenity arranged there on the sign. “Look! Up there! Barney’s p***s!” I was shocked when I saw the words arranged on the sign. I quickly averted her eyes and escorted her into the store.
Since then, she has not stopped mentioning Barney’s p***s. This has shaken the bedrock of our family. I made an emergency call to our church’s pastor about this bombshell in my daughter’s life and he is unsure how it will affect her future.
This sort of sick joke is typical of unlawful teenagers across the country, but I just didn’t think the little town of Fallbrook was home to such hoodlums. I am frightened for my daughter’s future; she won’t stop bringing up this horrible movie title! I would like Daniel’s Market to apologize for traumatizing my daughter, and I would like the pranksters to know just how vile their criminal act was.
So of course, like a good god-fearing man he calls his pastor about this… as AN EMERGENCY and the pastor, who aparently is taking quotes from the politician playbook, gives a non-answer. I fear that the party most traumatized by this sign is the father. I don’t have kids myself, but I was blessed because my parents made sure that I never felt sexuality was dirty or wrong, but rather a fact of life. The proper names for body parts never carried a stigma – because anything “secret” or “forbidden” immediately has power. The father has allowed this to have far more power in his life – “christian morals” will never make up for Christ’s power and freedom. Bondage to fears and the unknown are something that Christ comes to conquer, but sadly we are a meek (in the bad way) imitation of Christ.