When given the option of making a solid prediction regarding the continuation of life on planet earth...avoid making claims tied to specific dates. Dates are too messy, and have a nasty habit of being wrong. Far easier to vaguely suggest the end of the world if your advice goes unheeded...some might blow you off, but at least you won't be the laughing stock of the world the morning after your predicted the Apocalypse...
Al Gore should have taken this into consideration when making his predictions...after all, there have been some classic instances of marking the exact date you're dire warnings become completely obsolete...Hal Lindsey, Edgar C. Whisenant, and many, many, many others...
Then it might not be so funny when scientists are utterly confused why science isn't producing the results they've come to expect... Who Knew? Man might not be a parasite, might not be the worst enemy of the world...or at least might not actually be the most powerful force to impact the earth and the rotation of the planets...
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Thank You W. Hollywood, or Why the Sheriff of West Hollywood is Pathetic
The logic behind the Sheriff's stance is...well...not so much logic as it is a putrid excuse for pansy, lily-livered "leadership."
In my quest to avoid using expletives, I am starting to sound like Yosemite Sam...
Can there be ANY serious minded, reasonable person in America who does not recognize that this crosses the line? If we are going to have the sham of "hate crimes" and purport the right to judge motivations and thoughts, isn't this clearly a candidate for such legislation? The lazy approach of Prang, dismissive to the point of arrogance, is both alarming and repulsive.
Seriously now...does anyone REALLY believe that an effigy of Obama would get the same treatment, Halloween not withstanding?
I say this on the eve of an election I really do believe will call into question the value of polls for years to come (Zach & I have wagered cigars on the outcome...I fully expect to be enjoying the cigar he buys me Nov 8th...), and I say this because there is a great amount of hatred in our nation for those we disagree with politically--to the extent that I think there are solid arguments against Christians pouring themselves into the political game, because it is so destructive to healthy, positive discussions...and the most important discussions we can have aren't about taxes, or wars, or health insurance, Social Security, immigration, marriage or even abortion.
Of course, these are also important discussions...and as a Christian in a Democratic Republic I think we do have responsibility to participate...and obviously I do...but this is an issue I have spent some time thinking seriously about.
This matters because, if I get the pleasure of smoking my victory cigar this Wednesday, there will be a lot of violently angry people out there crying "Fraud!" Part of this is because of the disgracefully lop-sided way the news has portrayed the campaigns of McCain and Obama...part of this is because losing is a hard thing to do.
What concerns me is the passivity we display in the face of increasingly violent frustration being expressed by people who disagree with the politics of those elected. Those people who hate Bush talk about the President in a way that should disturb us.
Of course, the Left (though guilty of doing it more, in my opinion) is not alone in violent expressions of their angst. Obama has certainly been the target of violent anger from some on the Right. There are people who talk about Obama in ways that cannot be denounced strong enough; my concern stems from the fact that the one-sided-ness that has favored Obama for 2 years has also failed to denounce the violent rage on the Left in the same way it has chastised it on the Right.
Call basketball players "nappy headed-hoes" on an entertainment show will get you fined, sued, fired, and censored. Hanging the woman running for VP in effigy doesn't even result in a fine or an order to cease and desist.
The Sheriff should be ashamed of this decision. But, of course it's not a real problem, and West Hollywood somehow doesn't care...since this indifference is directed towards someone the community despises.
In my quest to avoid using expletives, I am starting to sound like Yosemite Sam...
Can there be ANY serious minded, reasonable person in America who does not recognize that this crosses the line? If we are going to have the sham of "hate crimes" and purport the right to judge motivations and thoughts, isn't this clearly a candidate for such legislation? The lazy approach of Prang, dismissive to the point of arrogance, is both alarming and repulsive.
Seriously now...does anyone REALLY believe that an effigy of Obama would get the same treatment, Halloween not withstanding?
I say this on the eve of an election I really do believe will call into question the value of polls for years to come (Zach & I have wagered cigars on the outcome...I fully expect to be enjoying the cigar he buys me Nov 8th...), and I say this because there is a great amount of hatred in our nation for those we disagree with politically--to the extent that I think there are solid arguments against Christians pouring themselves into the political game, because it is so destructive to healthy, positive discussions...and the most important discussions we can have aren't about taxes, or wars, or health insurance, Social Security, immigration, marriage or even abortion.
Of course, these are also important discussions...and as a Christian in a Democratic Republic I think we do have responsibility to participate...and obviously I do...but this is an issue I have spent some time thinking seriously about.
This matters because, if I get the pleasure of smoking my victory cigar this Wednesday, there will be a lot of violently angry people out there crying "Fraud!" Part of this is because of the disgracefully lop-sided way the news has portrayed the campaigns of McCain and Obama...part of this is because losing is a hard thing to do.
What concerns me is the passivity we display in the face of increasingly violent frustration being expressed by people who disagree with the politics of those elected. Those people who hate Bush talk about the President in a way that should disturb us.
Of course, the Left (though guilty of doing it more, in my opinion) is not alone in violent expressions of their angst. Obama has certainly been the target of violent anger from some on the Right. There are people who talk about Obama in ways that cannot be denounced strong enough; my concern stems from the fact that the one-sided-ness that has favored Obama for 2 years has also failed to denounce the violent rage on the Left in the same way it has chastised it on the Right.
Call basketball players "nappy headed-hoes" on an entertainment show will get you fined, sued, fired, and censored. Hanging the woman running for VP in effigy doesn't even result in a fine or an order to cease and desist.
The Sheriff should be ashamed of this decision. But, of course it's not a real problem, and West Hollywood somehow doesn't care...since this indifference is directed towards someone the community despises.
Whitmore said that potential hate crimes are evaluated
on a case-by-case basis. If the same display had been made of a Barack
Obama-like doll, for example, authorities would have to evaluate it
independently, Whitmore said.
"That adds a whole other social,
historical hate aspect to the display, and that is embedded in the consciousness
of the country," he said, adding he's not sure whether it would be a hate crime.
"It would be ill-advised of anybody to speculate on that."
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Ares & Athena
"While there they sit at their royal ease, exulting,
the goddess of love and Apollo lord of the silver bow:
they loosed this manic Ares - he has no sense of justice,
Father Zeus ... I wonder if you would fume at me
if I hurled a stunning blow at the god of war
and drove him from the
fighting?"
Zeus the Father,
who marshals ranks of storm clouds gave commands,
"Leap to it then. Launch Athena against him --
the queen of plunder, she's the one - his match,
a marvel at bringing Ares down in pain."
The Iliad, Book 5, Ln 871 - 881
We were reading Diomedes' fight with the gods in class the other day, and as we read this section I couldn't help but reflect on Aeschylus' lessons from The Orestia, as they relate to Homer in this passage (the 8th graders with Zach have their discussions in my classroom while I am enjoying free-periods...I get to listen in, and so I am thoroughly Greek-minded by the time the day is over).
Hera tells Zeus plainly...the god of war does not concern himself with justice as he cuts a path of destruction through the battle lines. Though this doesn't always seem to bother the other gods, at least in this instance when the cause of the Argives is being undone by Ares they come to condemn the god himself, and Zeus tells us something of deadly importance; Wisdom is the best tool for banishing War from the battlefields.
So Athena goes and leads Diomedes to another legendary victory against a god himself. Wisdom leads man against the god of War, and War flees.
This isn't the only time Athena steps in to stop the cycle of violence. At the end of The Odyssey, she is the one that saves both Odysseus and his enemies from continued destruction. In The Orestia, we see the never-ending cycle of broken only when Athena intervenes to satisfy both justice and mercy.
Divine Wisdom, the only salvation from the never-ending cycle of violence and War. Homer's keen insight on this subject validates, yet again, his place in history and culture.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Be Careful What You Wish For
Speaking as a young-ish Republican who, as an even younger Republican once verbally speculated that we were witnessing the complete and utter demise of the Democratic party, reading the jubilee at sites such as HuffPo or DailyKos reminds me of the atmosphere in the Republican ranks in 2002 & 2004.
There can be one major problem with getting all the power in the land...you become responsible for everything...and that will inevitably mean you will lose the favour of the mob. This reality is already sinking in on the Dems...
The Dems are catering to the mob...the Republicans haven't run the best race or articulated their arguments with the greatest eloquence, but that doesn't change the facts; this campaign, for the Dems, has been run on the momentum of a mob that is confused and unhappy with what they believe is going on in the nation. The problem with catering to a mob is that you must continue to satisfy them, or they will do what mobs do best; turn on you.
So to the Dems that may or may not be preparing to celebrate a sweeping victory..take this advice from a Republican who thought he had seen the last vestiges of a serious Democrat party 6 years ago...sometimes the worst thing that can happen to you is getting what you want.
Just know...I'll be watching and waiting to see the Utopia unfold...
There can be one major problem with getting all the power in the land...you become responsible for everything...and that will inevitably mean you will lose the favour of the mob. This reality is already sinking in on the Dems...
The Dems are catering to the mob...the Republicans haven't run the best race or articulated their arguments with the greatest eloquence, but that doesn't change the facts; this campaign, for the Dems, has been run on the momentum of a mob that is confused and unhappy with what they believe is going on in the nation. The problem with catering to a mob is that you must continue to satisfy them, or they will do what mobs do best; turn on you.
So to the Dems that may or may not be preparing to celebrate a sweeping victory..take this advice from a Republican who thought he had seen the last vestiges of a serious Democrat party 6 years ago...sometimes the worst thing that can happen to you is getting what you want.
Just know...I'll be watching and waiting to see the Utopia unfold...
I am actually NOT trying to get into trouble...
Yesterday I made...well, a mistake. It might be understandable...and thus far, nothing has come of it. Still...it comes at the beginning of a less than perfect week...I just want everything to run smoothly from now on...and yesterday didn't help...
See, I teach one of the drama classes at our school; the class for 7th & 8th graders, Monday and Wednesday. Its a lot of fun, and a little challenging; middle-schoolers are not generally prone to drama in the formal sense...its a bit like channeling a river, getting them to use their expressive energies productively.
We've done a lot of work on basic emotional expression, as well as developing their level of comfort in front of their peers, doing silly or awkward things.
Finally we've come to the time when we can begin using lines. I have been looking for sources, but haven't had a whole lot of luck. Finally one of the other teachers lent me a book, and I started picking some scenes. I picked a scene for the ladies of the class from Little Women...for the boys, of whom there are several, I had to try and find a large scene with something interesting.
I found a scene from a play called "Dead End" set sometime in 19th century, on the streets New York. 5 street kids...one rich kid...and a "Jew kid". The language was stylized to make them sound like they were from New York, and some of the sayings are a litte rough. There are issues of class prejudices, racial prejudices...but I decided we could use that to discuss some of what theater allows us to explore.
There were two or three "bad words" such as "ass" or "hell"...I figured it was nothing they hadn't encountered at some point, and we would just change the words and move on.
Somehow...I missed the real gems. I won't repeat the worst of them here... but...at one point one of the charaters teased the "rich kid" for being a sissy...and suggested that he had the appetite and eating habits of an infant...only...not quite like that...
Then there were the derisive racial slurs when the "Jew kid" entered the scene...again, in my cursory reading of the scene, somehow I missed them.
The scene ends with the 5 street kids throwing the "Jew kid" to the ground, holding him down, spreading his legs and preparing to "cockalize" him. Fortunately, none of my kids could figure out what that meant...
Sigh.
As the kids left the class room, on their way to get into their cars with their parents and go home, I heard them muttering some of the delightful new words they had picked up from my class...the end of a not so great Monday.
See, I teach one of the drama classes at our school; the class for 7th & 8th graders, Monday and Wednesday. Its a lot of fun, and a little challenging; middle-schoolers are not generally prone to drama in the formal sense...its a bit like channeling a river, getting them to use their expressive energies productively.
We've done a lot of work on basic emotional expression, as well as developing their level of comfort in front of their peers, doing silly or awkward things.
Finally we've come to the time when we can begin using lines. I have been looking for sources, but haven't had a whole lot of luck. Finally one of the other teachers lent me a book, and I started picking some scenes. I picked a scene for the ladies of the class from Little Women...for the boys, of whom there are several, I had to try and find a large scene with something interesting.
I found a scene from a play called "Dead End" set sometime in 19th century, on the streets New York. 5 street kids...one rich kid...and a "Jew kid". The language was stylized to make them sound like they were from New York, and some of the sayings are a litte rough. There are issues of class prejudices, racial prejudices...but I decided we could use that to discuss some of what theater allows us to explore.
There were two or three "bad words" such as "ass" or "hell"...I figured it was nothing they hadn't encountered at some point, and we would just change the words and move on.
Somehow...I missed the real gems. I won't repeat the worst of them here... but...at one point one of the charaters teased the "rich kid" for being a sissy...and suggested that he had the appetite and eating habits of an infant...only...not quite like that...
Then there were the derisive racial slurs when the "Jew kid" entered the scene...again, in my cursory reading of the scene, somehow I missed them.
The scene ends with the 5 street kids throwing the "Jew kid" to the ground, holding him down, spreading his legs and preparing to "cockalize" him. Fortunately, none of my kids could figure out what that meant...
Sigh.
As the kids left the class room, on their way to get into their cars with their parents and go home, I heard them muttering some of the delightful new words they had picked up from my class...the end of a not so great Monday.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Important Questions
Given the many issues that are up for grabs in the next 2 weeks, there are some relevant, important questions we should be asking...Hugh Hewitt mentions several of them...
Tales of the God-men
I am still ruminating on this, but I need to hash it out a little bit in order to fully process it.
At the church we've attended the last two weeks, I have appreciated the approach of pastor Dave White when laying out his lessons from Philippians. He has offered historical context to his exegesis, and that is always refreshing while trying to study the scriptures.
This last Sunday, while studying Paul's exhortation to humility in Phil. ch 2, Dave reminded us that in the ancient world Christianity's call to think of others before ourselves was in fact a radical proposition. In a world whose seminal work was the Iliad, one's honor is worth dying for, one's glory the only lasting thing you might have in this world.
It was for glory that brilliant Achilles traded his life, greatest of all the Achaean's, and most to be pitied. He had two natures, for he was a god-man; a goddess for a mother, but a man for a father, because Zeus feared the prophecy telling him that Thetis' son would be his undoing. Blessed more than any other man, nearly completely invulnerable, still Achilles was doomed to die, and so he desired the only eternal thing he win for himself; glory from the field of battle.
It was Agamemnon's unjust denial of Achilles' honor that nearly poisoned the Greek campaign for Achilles would withdraw, to the ruin of the Greeks, until the field was set for his most glorious victory, the slaying of Hector, breaker of horses. Unfortunately for Achilles, this great victory would only come after he had lost more than he would have willingly sacrificed, and Achilles himself doesn't last much longer.
Achilles influence on history is significant; apart from being the hero of the most formational work of literature in the Western tradition, he was is inspiration for the first brilliant hero of Western Civilization, Alexander the Great. Alexander, claiming Achilles as both inspiration and ancestor, aspired to god-hood, and set the bar for every great leader that followed him. Julius Caesar, striving to over-take Alexander's legend, also made claims of divinity, as did Augustus after him. Soon, to be Caesar was to be a god...men carrying the mantle of the original god-man, Achilles, hoping to grasp at immortality through their own glory and honor.
Of course, this is common knowledge...but as I reflected on what we know about one of the two most influential God-men in our history, the differences were stark and illuminating. Christ preaches humility of self, and love for those around us as a motivation for our actions. Just how radically different from the lengendary Achilles is the second God-man to change the world.
"who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing tobe grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."
At the church we've attended the last two weeks, I have appreciated the approach of pastor Dave White when laying out his lessons from Philippians. He has offered historical context to his exegesis, and that is always refreshing while trying to study the scriptures.
This last Sunday, while studying Paul's exhortation to humility in Phil. ch 2, Dave reminded us that in the ancient world Christianity's call to think of others before ourselves was in fact a radical proposition. In a world whose seminal work was the Iliad, one's honor is worth dying for, one's glory the only lasting thing you might have in this world.
It was for glory that brilliant Achilles traded his life, greatest of all the Achaean's, and most to be pitied. He had two natures, for he was a god-man; a goddess for a mother, but a man for a father, because Zeus feared the prophecy telling him that Thetis' son would be his undoing. Blessed more than any other man, nearly completely invulnerable, still Achilles was doomed to die, and so he desired the only eternal thing he win for himself; glory from the field of battle.
It was Agamemnon's unjust denial of Achilles' honor that nearly poisoned the Greek campaign for Achilles would withdraw, to the ruin of the Greeks, until the field was set for his most glorious victory, the slaying of Hector, breaker of horses. Unfortunately for Achilles, this great victory would only come after he had lost more than he would have willingly sacrificed, and Achilles himself doesn't last much longer.
Achilles influence on history is significant; apart from being the hero of the most formational work of literature in the Western tradition, he was is inspiration for the first brilliant hero of Western Civilization, Alexander the Great. Alexander, claiming Achilles as both inspiration and ancestor, aspired to god-hood, and set the bar for every great leader that followed him. Julius Caesar, striving to over-take Alexander's legend, also made claims of divinity, as did Augustus after him. Soon, to be Caesar was to be a god...men carrying the mantle of the original god-man, Achilles, hoping to grasp at immortality through their own glory and honor.
Of course, this is common knowledge...but as I reflected on what we know about one of the two most influential God-men in our history, the differences were stark and illuminating. Christ preaches humility of self, and love for those around us as a motivation for our actions. Just how radically different from the lengendary Achilles is the second God-man to change the world.
"who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing tobe grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."
Ramblin' On
Get home from the first day of the last week of 1st Quarter...and its time to ramble on...
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
I'm Shocked, SHOCKED, to find that there is gambling in this establishment...
One question for those deeply miffed at the attacks Palin is leveling at Obama right now: how many questionable associations does Obama get to pass off before you start re-examining your assumptions about his discernment and ideas?
The really laughable thing is the delay on this outrage. These facts have been talked about for literally months. They've been discussed almost non-stop on talk-radio, and occasionally in the mainstream press. It has only been through the willful, self-inflicted blinding by the Obama-R-US press that this hasn't been talked about more. It has been something of a miracle that it hasn't been MORe of an issue until now. It's the "October Surprise" that isn't a surprise...its been there the whole time, the Obamites just wanted to ignore it.
Now, instead of either having Clinton as a candidate, or having dealt with it and moved past it, Obama, having NEVER been really vetted, is having to explain why he was comfortable having so many anti-American associations...why he is comfortable befriending rascists...why he is fine with being supported by unrepentant domestic terrorists...
But no...Bad Palin! Bad McCain! They're not nice!
I would say that it is sad to see the critics of Palin and McCain resort to name calling and stabs at their intelligence...except that they have been calling them names and telling us they are stupid ever since Palin was added to the ticket. No substantial critique...just insults. Too stupid to bother with, I suppose. That's the way to heighten the debate in the country.
4 weeks left...and tighter than ever...
**Update**
Hugh Hewitt has been following this story for months now...today brings more "malicious rumours" from the "unbalanced McCain smear campaign..."
The really laughable thing is the delay on this outrage. These facts have been talked about for literally months. They've been discussed almost non-stop on talk-radio, and occasionally in the mainstream press. It has only been through the willful, self-inflicted blinding by the Obama-R-US press that this hasn't been talked about more. It has been something of a miracle that it hasn't been MORe of an issue until now. It's the "October Surprise" that isn't a surprise...its been there the whole time, the Obamites just wanted to ignore it.
Now, instead of either having Clinton as a candidate, or having dealt with it and moved past it, Obama, having NEVER been really vetted, is having to explain why he was comfortable having so many anti-American associations...why he is comfortable befriending rascists...why he is fine with being supported by unrepentant domestic terrorists...
But no...Bad Palin! Bad McCain! They're not nice!
I would say that it is sad to see the critics of Palin and McCain resort to name calling and stabs at their intelligence...except that they have been calling them names and telling us they are stupid ever since Palin was added to the ticket. No substantial critique...just insults. Too stupid to bother with, I suppose. That's the way to heighten the debate in the country.
4 weeks left...and tighter than ever...
**Update**
Hugh Hewitt has been following this story for months now...today brings more "malicious rumours" from the "unbalanced McCain smear campaign..."
Monday, October 06, 2008
It's the truth...it's just not something we publish
Our school recently took part in a community effort to get essays from students published in the local paper. The question they were writing a response to was, "Where in the world would you like to go, and why?" The answers from my 7th grade class were, predicatably, interesting and it was a joy reading their essays with not so much a critical eye, but more as a guide to the inner workings of their young minds. Some were funny. Some were serious. Some were offensive. Some were disturbing. It was a good slice of 7th grade pie.
One that resonated with me was unfortunately ineligible for sending to the paper. The student, bright and curious, had said that they wanted to visit Germany. The reason they gave was the problem though as I say, it was the paper I felt the most affinity for. The student wanted to visit Germany to see Hitler's house because they wanted to see where the great evil came from, and then they said that they wanted to go see what that evil had done, to reflect on what that evil means and how to fight against it.
Fantastic.
Forget for a moment the picture of having your Christian school's name next to an essay talking about visiting Hitler's house. I love the fact that the student wants to visit history...to be able to see the places that history happened in order to better understand that history.
Of course...once you recall the fact that this is a project for the paper...well, their essay gets good marks, though it will remain safely in my box...and only generically described here.
One that resonated with me was unfortunately ineligible for sending to the paper. The student, bright and curious, had said that they wanted to visit Germany. The reason they gave was the problem though as I say, it was the paper I felt the most affinity for. The student wanted to visit Germany to see Hitler's house because they wanted to see where the great evil came from, and then they said that they wanted to go see what that evil had done, to reflect on what that evil means and how to fight against it.
Fantastic.
Forget for a moment the picture of having your Christian school's name next to an essay talking about visiting Hitler's house. I love the fact that the student wants to visit history...to be able to see the places that history happened in order to better understand that history.
Of course...once you recall the fact that this is a project for the paper...well, their essay gets good marks, though it will remain safely in my box...and only generically described here.
Its Monday Morning
And I love my job.
Sure, I'm tired. I got roughly 4 hours of sleep last night. My house is in mild disarray from the weekend, to say nothing of the perpetual disarray from moving, etc. I am still sick with the phlegm that clings to my lungs despite my best efforts to hack it out. I have a slight headache from coughing so much. The body needs more care; a fact that I am trying to address in my "spare time".
Yes, I have a lot of work to do. I am slightly behind on grading. There are at least half-a-dozen things I was supposed to do before I got here this morning, and they remain undone. Hopefully this evening.
None of this matters...today I get to try and teach my students to love words. Today I get to talk to them about the magic of sitting under the stars and waiting for God to speak to them. Today I get to guide them as they meet Helen and Paris. Today I get to push them to ask questions about God's dealing with Saul...could Saul have been saved? Why doesn't David kill Saul? Why doesn't the Lord end Saul? What matters most to Saul?
It's a good day...even if it is a Monday.
Sure, I'm tired. I got roughly 4 hours of sleep last night. My house is in mild disarray from the weekend, to say nothing of the perpetual disarray from moving, etc. I am still sick with the phlegm that clings to my lungs despite my best efforts to hack it out. I have a slight headache from coughing so much. The body needs more care; a fact that I am trying to address in my "spare time".
Yes, I have a lot of work to do. I am slightly behind on grading. There are at least half-a-dozen things I was supposed to do before I got here this morning, and they remain undone. Hopefully this evening.
None of this matters...today I get to try and teach my students to love words. Today I get to talk to them about the magic of sitting under the stars and waiting for God to speak to them. Today I get to guide them as they meet Helen and Paris. Today I get to push them to ask questions about God's dealing with Saul...could Saul have been saved? Why doesn't David kill Saul? Why doesn't the Lord end Saul? What matters most to Saul?
It's a good day...even if it is a Monday.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Liberty and Jonathan
In Romans 14, Paul speaks to us about living with each other in liberty. The restrictions Christians voluntarily place upon themselves is something that people on the outside looking in frequently don't understand. Why deny yourself? Why make life so much more difficult? Why be different? Paul knew that there were and would always be struggles between those with greater liberties, and lesser liberties. As a pharisee of pharisees, it is easy to guess at some of the challenges that faced Paul in his own ministry to the gentiles.
Still, Paul makes it clear: in Christ, the old concerns about "unclean" do not need to be an issue. Our litmus test is not Levitical Law, but Christ. Philippians 4 is a good summation of our self-imposed standard:
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
This is deceptively simple. It fools many into the belief that Christianity involves no judgement, no standards by which we evaluate right and wrong; in an effort to make up for overly judgemental Christians of former generations, my generation tends to embrace acceptance on all levels, as if those labels meant nothing at all. As with Christ's message, while the gospel frees us from the Levitical code, it does not make our task easier. To honor God, you must obey in your heart, not merely your deeds. The weight of the law is revealed to be greater than any man could ever bear, save one. Paul's words in Romans, in this light, tell us that while all things, in Christ, are good, not all things are good for us.
It is our responsibility to test those things we would take in, to see if they are pleasing to the Lord. It is our task to pro-actively seek God's will, rather than passively allow others to tell us what the Lord wants for us in our lives.
Which brings me to Jonathan. In my Bible/History class, we're deep into I Samuel. The story or David has always been one of my favorites. David is a flawed man, but maintains a heart that turns to the Lord earnestly and consistently. Jonathan, the son of King Saul, is the rightful heir to the throne that David has been promised. In a drama of Homeric proportions, these two men become closest friends, and Jonathan betrays his father (and his own interests) to warn David when Saul would take his life.
The dilemma of Regicide has been something I have been thinking about a lot recently. I am also reading the Iliad in my Literature class, and Agamemnon's behavior begs the question: when is it acceptable to kill the king? Agamemnon pushes Achilles out of the Achean ranks, thereby bringing down ruin upon his own people, until Achilles is roused to action by the death of Patroclus. Why doesn't Achilles end Agamemnon? Or Diomede, Ajax, or any of the myriad of others that seem to be better warriors than the Lord of Men Agamemnon? Its something about the sacred office of the kingship, established by the gods...its something about the polis...ultimately, I am not sure where the line is. Hector shows us that, at least for him, there is no line; he will uphold the king even to the ruin of his entire world. We see in Aeschylus's Orestia Agamemnon's final downfall, and the ruin that it brings...the poet showing us the dilemma of trying to judge the sins of the king. What man can make this decision?
I realize my thoughts are scattered...hold on now, I'm bringing them all together...
Jonathan sides with the annointed one of the Lord, David, over his father, the king. He is active, making a choice to do what be actively believed was right, even at a cost to him and his family. If there is a lesson to pull from all of my scattered thoughts, I think this is it: in our lives, we are allowed to enjoy liberties that challenge all conventional wisdom from religious scholars throughout the ages. Its the freedom of life in Christ. But with that freedom comes a responsibility that we neglect far to often as we embrace that freedom. It demands that we participate in our actions consciously, that we evaluate and measure our steps appropriately, in accordance to what we believe the Lord has allowed for us. The only way to know what the Lord has allowed us to do is to seek His will, earnestly. It may bring us to decisions that upset the norm, that shake the foundations of the establishment...and there may be a price to be paid.
Still, I think when all is said and done, Jonathan shows us clearly that the active responsibility of liberty provides us with opportunities to show love in ways that seem entirely unlikely.
Still, Paul makes it clear: in Christ, the old concerns about "unclean" do not need to be an issue. Our litmus test is not Levitical Law, but Christ. Philippians 4 is a good summation of our self-imposed standard:
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
This is deceptively simple. It fools many into the belief that Christianity involves no judgement, no standards by which we evaluate right and wrong; in an effort to make up for overly judgemental Christians of former generations, my generation tends to embrace acceptance on all levels, as if those labels meant nothing at all. As with Christ's message, while the gospel frees us from the Levitical code, it does not make our task easier. To honor God, you must obey in your heart, not merely your deeds. The weight of the law is revealed to be greater than any man could ever bear, save one. Paul's words in Romans, in this light, tell us that while all things, in Christ, are good, not all things are good for us.
It is our responsibility to test those things we would take in, to see if they are pleasing to the Lord. It is our task to pro-actively seek God's will, rather than passively allow others to tell us what the Lord wants for us in our lives.
Which brings me to Jonathan. In my Bible/History class, we're deep into I Samuel. The story or David has always been one of my favorites. David is a flawed man, but maintains a heart that turns to the Lord earnestly and consistently. Jonathan, the son of King Saul, is the rightful heir to the throne that David has been promised. In a drama of Homeric proportions, these two men become closest friends, and Jonathan betrays his father (and his own interests) to warn David when Saul would take his life.
The dilemma of Regicide has been something I have been thinking about a lot recently. I am also reading the Iliad in my Literature class, and Agamemnon's behavior begs the question: when is it acceptable to kill the king? Agamemnon pushes Achilles out of the Achean ranks, thereby bringing down ruin upon his own people, until Achilles is roused to action by the death of Patroclus. Why doesn't Achilles end Agamemnon? Or Diomede, Ajax, or any of the myriad of others that seem to be better warriors than the Lord of Men Agamemnon? Its something about the sacred office of the kingship, established by the gods...its something about the polis...ultimately, I am not sure where the line is. Hector shows us that, at least for him, there is no line; he will uphold the king even to the ruin of his entire world. We see in Aeschylus's Orestia Agamemnon's final downfall, and the ruin that it brings...the poet showing us the dilemma of trying to judge the sins of the king. What man can make this decision?
I realize my thoughts are scattered...hold on now, I'm bringing them all together...
Jonathan sides with the annointed one of the Lord, David, over his father, the king. He is active, making a choice to do what be actively believed was right, even at a cost to him and his family. If there is a lesson to pull from all of my scattered thoughts, I think this is it: in our lives, we are allowed to enjoy liberties that challenge all conventional wisdom from religious scholars throughout the ages. Its the freedom of life in Christ. But with that freedom comes a responsibility that we neglect far to often as we embrace that freedom. It demands that we participate in our actions consciously, that we evaluate and measure our steps appropriately, in accordance to what we believe the Lord has allowed for us. The only way to know what the Lord has allowed us to do is to seek His will, earnestly. It may bring us to decisions that upset the norm, that shake the foundations of the establishment...and there may be a price to be paid.
Still, I think when all is said and done, Jonathan shows us clearly that the active responsibility of liberty provides us with opportunities to show love in ways that seem entirely unlikely.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
