Cavestock

The Two Cities: A Series

2006-03-26T08:17:00.000-05:00

I have been kicking around the idea for a while, and now that i have completely given up on the American media following what can/will hence forth be considered the single greatest blunder in American Bi-partisanship in 2006 which led to a Dubai company's honorable and mature gesture to forego a business deal on the east coast, I have a little time to flesh it out.
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To begin, i'm not sure if the Church is using its history well. and i think it's mostly because we do not appreciate the story. Other faiths, Islam in particular, have produced an amazing body of historical literature that combines time, faith, and identity. So have we, though. However, we do not use it, and often find ourselves in various states of ideological syncretism.

The Church has always found itself "between the two cities," that is the City of God, and the City of Man: Babylon the Great. the Proverbs reveres Wisdom beyond all else. Discernemnt between the the two cities is to be pursued like i pursue a good night at the bars (a bit of an oxymoron, i know). but as most find, it's not always a cut-and-dry, easy task. Sin, in some major ways, is most seductive because it mimics virtue. Example: Sex is inherently good. God made people to do it, and thus babies and too. Yet, there is a context to it, and outside of that context, sex becomes gaunt desire, that in the words of Dante, "replace appettite with the good of intellect." Accordingly, discerning the Cities is quite comprehensive: it's not just political in nature. it's intellectual, and it is also spiritual.

One express example of the someone using the "other-wordly" leanings of the Church for instilling self-promotion is the piractic actions of Raynald of Châtillon , who specifically targeted muslim pilgrims and sacked their caravans 'In the name of God.' This was clearly political, but he touched on all the hot-button words of a day that saw Saladin over-run a Christian city --a city completely self-sufficient and without need of his "services." It is of note that Saladin had Raynald separated from a group of captives, and personally killed the man with his own hands.

There are also the Gnostic Controversies of the Church's inception. the Gnostics held to a highly platonic understanding of the world, one that held wisdom as the highest pursuit, and saw it as a moment of enlightenent. It was divine and not earthly. Accordingly, the Gnostic Christians laboured greatly to demonstrate that Christ could not have been both fully man and fully God. For God to be of this realm was heresy, he must be configured according to the ways of the unseen realm amongst the perfection of forms --or so the reasoning went.

Yet, for the early strife over the Deity of Christ, the Gnostics lost out on in the early church because their doctrine of Creation, while linked to a respected and rather formative intellectual model, was still overtly un-Christian. To deny that Christ was truly man as much as he was truly God was plainly against the testimony of the patristic fathers, more specifically against the teachings of Scripture, and was furthermore an explicit denial of the goodness of Creation.

It is this last point (the goodness of creation) that leads me to a growing problem in the Church today: an overly critical, albeit, flamboyant denouciation of institutional leadership.

Some have said that it's a man-made organization, an invention, and it doesn't have the best interests of the church as a priority. Others have critiqued it because of the lack of zealous leadership, and its wholesale refusal to accept a smaller, more "efficient" model. And i'm not talking about the Republicans fighting-off their Libertarian counterparts --i'm talking about the Bride of Christ.

I have a number of colleagues (and i call them this because while i hold their positions to be severly ill-thought, i still consider them equals) who are concerned over a local church's desire to expand its facilities, and still others who consider denominationalism, and structured worship to be without the Spirit of God. Most of these are sympathic towards the contemporary house church movement, A movement who has rightly discerned the fallacy of the mega-church movement (a reigning evangelical paradigm since the late seventies) : Bigger is not always better.

What has followed is a rapid and zealous renouncing of epistemical concrete, to the point that talk of Church revolves around 'What do you mean by 'Church,'' in which the Church proper is understood to not reside in any building, is led by Spirit-filled zealous men (and women), whose worship is purposefully-unstructured (read 'contemporary' and spontanious) and Spirit-filled (advent of tongues and prophetic utterances).

This perspective holds that structured worship is the invention of men, as are denominations, that buildings are a waste of time and money and are most times linked to idolatry and early paganism. There is also a dislike of Christian thought, Christian scholarship, and history. Theology is discouraged for study, as is Church history, with the exception of what Scripture states. True knowledge, --a phrase, by the by, which is a purely Gnostic phrase outright-- comes from the enlightenment of the Spirit, not specific historical men (even if they were being led by the Spirit), and especially not historical institutions, and far less by denominations.

The next couple of postings will be to flesh-out the good and honorable concerns of this movement, but also to consider this in the light of the "Two Cities" principle as laid down in the Holy Scripture. This movement, while rightly identifying the mega-church fallacy, has over-stepped its boundaries like MacArthur in Korea --to the point that the house church movement is now accusing fellow brothers and sisters of not having the Spirit of God becasue of the difference in worship styles and perspectives on Creation. There is alot to be learned, and both have inconsistencies --and, in some cases, outright fabrications-- to admit.

The series will cover the Incarnation, the Role of Communal Revelation (the Deposit of the Faith), Diversity in Worship (Denominations), and Politics (conservative patriarchy vs. contemporary progressive agendas). My aim is not to divert any house-churchers from their model, but to bring about an ecumenical understanding that buildings, and incidentally denominationalism, are not inherently bad things (ill use of funds, however, is) but a declaration of the goodness of creation and the diveristy of the Body of Christ, and furthermore, that just because someone's worship is different, it doesn't mean they know the Lord any less (distinctive doctrines withstanding, of course).

Look for Part II later this week.

Missed Opportunities?

2006-02-28T15:08:00.000-05:00

things have kinda cooled off in the world... sorta (Iraq is one example of an immediate exception which comes to mind). but i have had some time to regroup from a few posts ago.

So, two things, Dr. Suess style.

THING 1: the UAE and the port purchase.

so if i understand what is being said in the media, on both sides, the UAE, an Arab country and strongly Muslim, etc., has been floated a deal to buy some port on the East Coast in the US. Right? Right. But the thing is, i understand they are to come into possession of a few terminals right? Right. Or, at least i think (there will be alot of shooting-from-the-hip in this post folks).

So then, the UAE guys are not 'buying' the Port, just some terminals, and this from the Brits --who by the way have had their own high-casualty terrorist bombing on 7/7/05. Is this reason for alarm? yes. is it deserving of the press coverage? yes. Is it deserving of all the 'bi-partisan' attention and talk of UAE as if they are already planning to float a dirty-bomb into port? No.

For one: the contents getting shipped to the terminals in the US Ports are inspected before they are sent out. And Two, the terminal --and the port at large-- is run/supervised our own US Coast Guard. The UAE can't just put anyone in control, and fudge a sleeper through, as if we sold access to Al Qaida or Islamic Jihad lock, stock, and smoking reactors.

THING 2: Dealing with HAMAS.

A few posts back i wrote about the election of Hamas to parliament in Palestine. Fun times. things haven't improved much, and from what i understand, they are running out of money like Mike Tyson at Barnum&Bailey (for those not privy, Mike Tyson, who is in the dregs of bankruptcy, has spent his millions on the up-keep of a personal zoo located on-site at the Tyson Estate.).

America has refused to meet with them because of 1) their track record as a notorious suicide bombing terrorist faction, and 2) their insistence on wiping out Israel. And i stand by US resolve to keep governmental bodies accountable --which is what a war on terror should be focused on: just and responsible governance (i can see the lips of my more progressive comrades curling into a smug, but lovely, smile --but stick with me)

Yet here's the Red Herring: there is such a thing as pushing someone from a being candidate for extremism to an outspoken extremist. And it is because of our refusal to even speak with Hamas --and our movement from a concern over the control of a few terminals to an inflammatory public uproar-- that we continue to loose the people in the market places across the Muslim world. what would it take to form alliances with other Muslim countries to inquire of the state of extremism? What would it take to trust the UAE? what would it take to speak with Egypt in regard to handling Hamas and intercede for more moderate positions on Israel, and more focused attention on the economic issues that Palestine will be facing?

I have to really give it to the "Bi-partisanship" that is being praised throughout the coverage of both of these items: between the left's desire to nail G. Dub for anything and the right's paranoia of an Islamic planet i think we've managed to stereotype every Muslim man and woman through our blatant disregard to discriminate between political terrorism and faith. If we want to make any headway in this war, we had better start looking into these questions.

The Proletariat will Rise, Indeed...

2006-02-12T16:07:00.000-05:00

Came across this today. And it just goes to show how traditions can be manipulated for the monetary benefits of criminals --A family was murdered by paramilitary forces outside of Bogota, apparently the victims of a bloodfued. Chances are the perps will elude capture, but people of similar ilk will meet a violent end in order to atone for the deaths.

Colombia is fascinating. Socially, historically, etc.

I actually wrote a thesis exploring labor conditions in Colombia for my senior seminar at Eastern University. After extensive historical and anthropological research, I found that multi-national corporations, like Coca-Cola, are not the criminals in the ill-treatment of workers as some folks maintain (i'll have to write about these guys some other time). but rather, it is competing Colombian interest groups who are to blame for persecution of unionists. It seems that warring factions have been trying to accomplish one of the following three things: 1) To enforce a rule of law (as opposed to incessant regime changes) in hopes of establishing some vestige of order, global recognition, and American crony-ism 2) To overthrown the current regime to replace it with some loosely communistic regime to satisfy local crony-ism, and 3) To consolidate power over coca production vis-a-vis options one, two, or both at the same time.

And most times, peasants are caught in the middle. they are just normal, small-town folks trying to keep their families clothed and fed.

It seems this country is nearly always in a state of transition and civil war. On one side you have the more formal and recognized governmental powers, and on the other you have the revolutionary, marxist paramilitaries. Now, add drug king-pins, mix and pour over the rocks, and you end up with groups that espouse ideologies of liberation that seem to victimize peasant ignorance and liberate people of precious little except their lives.

It may have been implict, but if you didn't catch it, the article reports that massacres are generally over peasant sympathies and battles for coca fields --which does much to re-enforce my feeling that Marxism in the americas is genuinely suspect. It's just a trading of an officiated capitalism for a dirty, under-the-table capitalism which is purchased at the cost of innocent lives by the privileged few(these 'few' being the wildly jealous have-nots). The war on drugs and revolutionary cause seem to cross many lines in these areas.

I wonder, how many proletariats have overthrown the machine in the Americas, as opposed to merely getting ground-up in its gears, reciting some empty manifesto? How many souls has Liberation Theology actually liberated since its inception?

And what happens when marxism becomes just as much a structural institution as the government and religion Karl Marx himself saw as distractions from the man behind the curtain?

Madness, thou art Palestine

2006-01-30T07:23:00.000-05:00

I was listening to NPR coverage of the Hamas victory in Palestine sunday morning , and though they recognized the road to order as the road less traveled, they spoke optimistically of this new development, saying that when the PLO had formed they "were similar in cause and prejudice, and after relentless pressure from Europe and the States, finally moderated their views on Israel -even acknowledging their right to exist." the palestinian parlamentary representative, who they interviewed affirmed as much.

And generally speaking, i like being optimistic. i am for a Palestine that is willing to "get all their shit in the same bag." I'm not one of those types that hopes Palestine fails at all costs. but they gotta cut out the B.S. Up until recently (that is, before Hamas: the isreali deals to pull out of the West Bank, etc.) they were doing nothing but affirming what the pro-israeli's have been saying for years.

If they can just moderate their religious zeal, organize a functional government that takes care of the Palestian people, and refrain from comissioning suicide bombers in CANDY SHOPS in Tel Aviv, then all the better. it would do amazing things for Palestinian children: let's see, good schools vs. signing-them-up to strap bombs to each other and run into marketplaces to kill civilians -i think i'm with the schools. (look, if it was a military installation, i'd give it to ya, even though it's tantamount to a sucker-punch, i'd still give it to ya).

Then i came across this. Fatah has already staged protests at their chairman's house, now we are seeing Fatah-on-Hamas violence (and vice-a-versa), and even Fatah-on-Fatah violence spreading throughout Gaza and the West Bank. Cell groups are conscientiously marking the end of the israeli-palestinian cease-fire, and are caling for an envigoured campaign of attacks in Israel.

This is also beside the fact that Europe and the US saying they will cut-off funding unless they back-off from extremism has the new parliament thumbing its nose, declaring confidently they will find funding else where.

T-r-o-u-b-l-e

2006-01-27T18:07:00.000-05:00

The title says it all. Unfortunately, there will nothing nice said in this posting, as there is alot of bad things developing in the world, some closer to home than others.

First things first: SO MUCH FOR THE PEACE PROCESS.

HAMAS, a notorious Palestinian terror cell, has been recently voted into office as a viable political party in Palestine. The FPRI guys wrote about this event almost two years before it happened, fearing since the passing of Arafat left the Palestinian government structure in a fractured multiple-party/multiple-interest group system with no real chairmen to take control, that a number of these parties would get behind one group -but only so long as they were settled on one issue: Destroying Israel. And the cows have decided to come home.

There are demonstrations across the territory. Abbas' home was beseiged by demonstrators from his own party, Fatah, who are blaming him for the losing the elections.

A spokemans from Hamas, has released a statement saying that Israel's refusal to speak with them changes nothing.

Secondly: THE ON-COMING GEO-POLITCAL MASSACRE IN BOLIVIA.

Juan Evo Morales, the indigenous, accused terrorist/one-time drug-lord and new 'president-elect' of Bolivia (This dude saw the pollsters putting him at one-third of the popular vote and staged a revolution to seize control of the executive office) has annouced his desire to seize ground from CHILE. This stretch of ground was lost to the Chileans during the Venezulan/Bolivian alliance conflict in 1885, and left Boliva land-locked. Chile carried the day then, and they will do it again -they have the organization, capital, and firepower to do so. Guess who is encouraging Morales to take up this one hundred and twenty-one year old arguement? -Why, none other than HUGO CHAVEZ of Venezuela. Chavez, interestingly enough, has recently been placed getting awful chummy with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Like i said, despots get people killed by the pit-full.

Lastly: WHITE SUPREMECY ROCK-BANDS TO PLAY IN GRANTVILE, PA.

Yeah, i live in Grantville.

Things are about to get real interesting. And earlier this week i distinctly remember a little bird whispering whoever it was that said 'may you live in interesting times' must have meant it as an insult.

Teaser: Some Short Fiction

2006-01-07T15:50:00.000-05:00

*A Bad Day, Indeed*
From 'Thom And Clara'

by Justin Cave
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The rain had been pounding off the road the whole ride home, the drops were large and seemed to bounce like rocks skipping across a lake surface, thousands at a time -rippling and breaking off into a million different pieces; slowing down, speeding up; getting smaller, getting larger; flowing like a heart-pumping river source, pulsating like a migraine headache.

He knew it was a bad habit, but Dudley would trail off when he drove -especially when things were scenic. He positively loved drivng at break-neck speeds on clear fall days, the leaves swirling around the back of the car. One time, He actually side-swiped a parked car while trying to check out a mural on an apartment building in Philadelphia.

He slowed down in bad weather, but like any other time, couldn't fight-off the desire to look out the window. He loved the rain, it was so... relaxing, he thought. Though for the moment, this was all about to change.

Thom didn't see it until he was overtop of it -but even then he knew what had just happened, and his stomach knotted up like a College freshman going through his first break-up. His truck had hit something, and it wasn't a pothole -potholes didn't feel like this.

'Dammit... Oh!" he said, letting all the breath in his lungs out at once.

From somewhere out of the wet haze, a nightly adventurer had made its way out from the amazon of roadside brush. Pulling itself out of the waterary lagoon, like some kind of glorious evolutionary thing, it was just in time to venture its last steps, its last trek, and land right under the steel-belted radials of the Dudley's Escape. The truck screeched to a stop, and sat cock-eyed in the street.

After taking a second to compose himself, Thom opened the door and stepped out into the rain. He stood ther for a minute and gazed back up the street. Inbetween hazard flashes, he could make out a lump some 18 or so yards back. He could hear it before he saw it.

By this time the rain was running down his head and into his eyes and mouth, tasting of mild, cool salt. Scared as hell, he took his first steps towards the lump, and didn't get five strides behind him until he realized what he'd done.

"...Oh... Sh-ite!" he muttered.

It was someone's dog. A retriever mix -young, and hurt in a bad, bad way. Dudley's face sagged like a washcloth on a towl rack -heavy. He perched a fist on a his hip, and pivoting on his heel, gave a quick scan of the area. There wasn't a light for miles.

"Aughh...," He sighed, "...Who let you out?"

The Dog whined and flipped about like a fish stole from its lake.

"God, all you can probably make to think of is your owner."

His clothes were completetly soaked through. This dog was dead, it just didn't know any better, and went on trying to fight and hang on. Dudley knew the injuries were far too pronounced, and did what seemed to come natural. He got down on one knee, and put the thing down himself, with his own hands.

When the dog was still, he let loose of it and kept by its side. "Damn Dog."

Dudley wept. In silence, he hung back with the lump for what seemed like hours before his thoughts turned to home and collar around the its neck.

"Clara is gonna kill me."

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Watch out for this Guy: Juan Evo Morales...

2006-01-05T08:46:00.000-05:00

Over the last month, Bolivia has announced This Guy as their New President. His campaign stomp? -Nationalized natural gas sales and open proliferation of coca planting throughout the country (In accordance with traditional indigenous practice, of course).

How will this effect us? probably not much. Though it does stand as a point of reference for why the I.T. fields need to stop going to India amd Pakistan, inc., and turn south to the Americas.

I used to not understand why there was such an uproar over free-trade agreements until i studied the geography of some these places. To impose an open market for certain agriculture and textile goods over the span of the Central America would drive prices so low as to bankrupt entire local economies.

I (heart) capitalism, and do not feel bad about businesses going under because their model is outdated and inefficient. BUT with this freetrade issue, we are not talking about mere Mom-and-Pop's going out of business because Walmart opens down the street. What we're talking about are entire neighborhoods -whole provincial regions- being "put out of business."

Likewise in the Americas -and i guess Columbia and Bolivia would stand as stated examples- there are not many viable resources outside of, well, cocaine production. So, there is a diplomatic/economic double-edged sword if i ever felt one! Our free-trade agreements decimate what legitamate capital they make, and our war on drugs threatens the other.

Accordingly, if there are not may renewable resources for these countries, why not shift IT operations, and other sustainable initiatives to the south? there are the obvious problems with this suggestion: the sheer mass of of rampant poverty, Indiginous culture that resists modern innovations, and the dense forests of the Americas that are hostile to the infrastructure needed to support such tech-revolutions.

But what else is there to suggest? Take away the genocides and the AIDS pandemic, and we are looking at the next Africa. Guys like Morales lead revolutions that help no-one. Most times, campaigns directed by demogogues get thousands of innocent people killed.

More on this later....

We Need an ‘Enlightened’ Immigration Policy

2005-12-21T16:55:00.000-05:00

Hey all, with talk of the fence being built, i decided to post an article i sent off to the Patriot News recently:
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Over the last few months, columnist Cal Thomas has released some articles discussing immigration issues in America pertaining to security and cultural identity. In the first article, Mr. Thomas goes some length to say that increasing rates of immigration threaten some of the core beliefs of America: faith and history, and that President Bush’s road to public opinion recovery is a rigid, hardliner approach to immigration, i.e., restricting quantities of incoming migrants, and no amnesty for illegals. His second article involves the integration of incoming immigrants to mainline American society in order that they become more, well, “American.” “Immigrants need to be transformed into full Americans, not only in citizenship, but also in language, by their allegiance, voting habits… and attitude,” says Thomas.[1]

And I think Mr. Thomas has raised some important issues facing the immigration question. Really, are we all going to have to start learning a second language? And how safe can our borders be with private enterprise hiring undocumented folks by the handfuls, on top of the southern border already needing constant supervision? Yet, despite these concerns, I believe the approach of Thomas and his proponents to have some seriously negative consequences -like an encouraged contempt for foreigners. Further, this group’s view polarizes the issue far more than is practical or useful to American society both domestically and internationally.

[Domestically]
Mr. Thomas states that the majority culture needs to be protected from the oncoming immigration Diaspora, and that this tidal wave of migration is full of individuals who love not America, and actually want to destroy it. Thus, there is a fear that this “majority culture” is in grave danger of fading away. Thomas relates that “History, language, culture, and faith are at the center of what it means to be an American. These are rapidly being watered down and compromised….”[2] But it is interesting that these values are chosen as points of conflict with incoming immigrants, because nearly every culture has history, faith -and family- as bulwark to their cultural identity. In fact, a number of foreigners take these particular values more seriously than a number of White Anglo-Saxons Protestants I know. When it comes to American distinctives, things like limited government, open markets and freedom of creed, along with respect for private property come to mind. These things, and the fact that in America what the majority wants, the majority gets – because the franchise is in the hands of the people- are what has made this country what it is. So we should be quite careful to examine ourselves when it comes to our new neighbors. Are we uncomfortable because they are a serious threat to local security, or are we really afraid of someone who looks different that the rest of our immediate family. There are words descriptive of those who espouse the latter fear –and they are not pretty.

[Internationally]
Another consideration for our “waspy” traditionalists is the geo-political implications of their belief system. Immigration is a powerful tool in diplomacy and forming relationships on the international scene, and as anti-western sentiment is on the rise, forming friends across cultural/international boundaries is of increasing importance. Accordingly, it should be known that the way one treats an immigrant in one’s country is also a way to the heart of that immigrant’s homeland. Case in point, Slovakia.[3] Last fall I was on assignment for the Institute for Global Engagement, and reported on a conference with Slovakian representatives. The topic for discussion: Why was America being so sluggish in allowing their students and professionals in for education and employment? It had frustrated their diplomats and formed a sour reputation for the US among the people on their streets and in their markets. Sure, we cannot please everyone, but the sad thing is these are immigrants the US needs: they are good for the economy, technological development, and are of immense value to the global perception of the US when we need all the allies we can get. Slovakia in particular has followed the US on security strategy, and though a small and young country, has supported the fight for democracy in Iraq. Denying them student visiting passes is, to say the least, a slap in the face to Slovakia and a misrepresentation of our feelings on foreign affairs.

These matters are also beside the fact that Mr. Thomas assumes the proponents of his statements are the true “conservative” majority, which I don’t believe to be the case. A number of political and economic conservatives hold more considerate views on immigration, amnesty, and deportations. The Economist recently pointed out a Manhattan Institute study reporting 77 of 101 of Republicans say they would prefer immigration policies that favor legal status with the possibility of citizenship (through working, paying taxes and learning English) as opposed to rigid enforcement of deportations.[4]

So, what we really find at issue is the serious need for a down-the-middle approach to immigration policy. One that espouses security and protection of private property but not at the cost of geo-political prestige and genuine alliance-building, One that faces the fact that a number of illegal immigrants seek to stay undocumented due to the corruption exhibited in their homelands, and seeks, much like Mr. Bush’s guest-worker program would, to ease these cautious ones into the larger American society. It would be a policy to assure restless ones against the fear of torture or coercive conscription, but this not at the cost of principled personal character. Some traditionalists will be uncomfortable –but I have a feeling these are a dying breed considering Gen-Xers have continued to embraced the desegregation of the Civil Rights Movement and how structural prejudices continue to fall. Immigration needn’t be a matter of cultural war and fear of a pseudo-Berlin Wall. With the right group of cunning policy makers and diplomats, immigration can be just the right scratch for the backs of all parties involved.

[1] Cal Thomas. Out of Many, Many. The Patriot News.
[2] Cal Thomas. Recovering from Falling Numbers. The Patriot News.
[3] Conference. Allies or Blowback. Longworth Office Building. Washington, DC. 12.01.2004.
[4] Evidence for the Defense. The Economist. Oct.22nd-28th, 2005. p. 34.

Newsy News

2005-11-11T15:21:00.000-05:00

I applied with the Widener School of Law today.

Promoted

2005-11-03T23:22:00.000-05:00

i haven't said much about it to many, but i am now the Director of Development at an immigration rights org in York, Pa. (Apparently, York is the Vegas of immigration detainees.)

It's on a volunteer basis, but it's a pretty important function. Basically, me and my team will be in charge of getting people to pay attention to CIRCLE (said group) and compel them to donate cash to further our work. wow. this means i get to do things here-to-fore i have never had any experience with, e.g., fundraising, grant proposals, and events planning.

though i have planned small conferences at Eastern on theological matters, the audience was EASILY accessible. Circle will be a little more tricky, mostly because conservatives(my main social circle and rearing) have some misunderstanding about immigration.

immigration doesn' t mean open borders, though that is what some may want. immigrants are an asset to the community at large, especially economically speaking (you free-market, libertarian junkies should actually be all over this).

but on another larger, global scale, it just makes good diplomatic sense: want secure borders? want good relations internationally and geopolitcally? well, cultivate relationships vis-a-vis working and student visas. ignore these things, and you can generally bet your reception on the global scene will be pretty cold. such is the case with Slavakia. they want to send their kids here for school, but post 9/11 quotas won' t let it happen... though we will ask them to send troops to Iraq. see the contradiction?

I'm still rooting through all of this, because i also feel that rule law is a good thing, and Law treats those who abide by it quite well -it is also what has kept the papes and protties from killing each other (ireland exempted) for the last.. ummm... 300-ish years.

more to come. suffice it say, i am really excited to have a worthy challenge ahead of me.

Book Tagged

2005-09-26T22:08:00.000-04:00

So a few weeks ago, a mentor and friend tagged me about what my reading life has been digesting. unforunately i never posted about it. some of the questions were how many books do you have, what were the last 5 books you have read, and which books have you found the most meaningful.

as of now, i own over 115 books. that's not counting periodicals. they range from american history to international affairs, theology, and classical lit. i also have a few Boondocks collections counted amongst them. the periodicals usually are about investing, finance, and foreign affairs. there are also a couple Transworldskate mags and a few note worthy issues of Modern Reformation (i know, they're technically Dain Kulp's, but i have had them for a looong time).

The last five books i have read include: two books by Lauren Winner (Mudhouse Sabbath and Real Sex), The Call by Os Guiness, and a book of essays about diplomacy, national security issues, and religious freedom aptly called Religion and Security. Then there's (Still) Following Jesus in a Consumer Driven Culture, and Hugo's Les Miserables. i'm also plugging through a book by Dallas Willard (saving it for you, D.Kearns, get on the ball!) and intermittantly through a collection of essays written by Jaques Barzun.

As of now, the two most meaningful works i have read are -and sorry if this is generic- The Confessions by Saint Augustine and The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri.

Besides his take on grace, The Confessions has been pretty relevent lately since i recently lost a good friend of mine. while the world and creation do not call out at me "WHERE IS HE!?", i have been feeling a nameless emotion that i can't put words to. Like i said before, i still know not of my friend's state, spiritually or otherwise, which has been the closest thing to something like rending. i'm glad i decided to call him up about that Fugazi show a few years back.

The Comedy speaks on a much more personal level. having been out of school, and out looking for my way in the world, i feel like Dante -finding myself lost in a dark wood, somewhere off the path. His writing reveals some deep truths about ourselves, especially in regard to the things we love. if we are honest with ourselves, we all have a Beatrice, and while she is illusary of the beauty and grace of Jesus, she will also show us how we have elevated her beyond simple standards of romatic love and made her into an idol. if you have a heart, this stuff will simply break it -even if you are not a Believer- because you will see the selfish of our pilgrim Dante, and in yourself. You and i know what these things are, and what's more, cannot remove them from the role they play in our relationship with the Lord. What a betrayal it is to put someone else before our very God and Saviour, and set them up as a standard of love. it gives me shivers, because the works of our hands point to us as the prophet pointed at david: You are the Man! but with this red-handedness and guilt also comes an overwhelming sense of grace, forgiveness, redemption, and life.

there are a few other books that make the honorable mention, some short things by Steinbeck, Barzun, and (C.S.) Lewis. but i want people to read this, so i'm keeping it short.

i recently bought a collections of essays by Wendell Berry for my sister, Amy. i realy want to get it, but as of now i would have to specail order it and don't feel like i need it THAT badly.

But that is my book tag. i hope to get a music tag going soon. i have been listening to alot of good music (and some NOT so good!), and am really curious about what everyone has been listening to and why.

Choi.

To a Fallen Comrade

2005-09-01T23:49:00.000-04:00

About 7 years ago i went to Lancaster Bible College where i earned a year-certificate in Bible and Liberal arts. it was the year after i graduated Highschool, and my first few months as a follower of Jesus Christ. while i was there i can honestly say i learned very little that has stuck with me outside of my talks with Dr. Ide, the english professor. what i really got from my year at LBC was a sense of belonging among a group of about 4 guys: Jim McCurry, Paul Lane, Sam Spatola, and Scott Goutremout (honorable mention to Dan Kell).

These guys knew i was just a babe in the faith. they challenged me when i was being irrational and wanted to revert -even, at times, to the point of physical confrontation. they stood by me and brought me closer to the Lord.

And I just recently found that Scott Goutremout has left this life.

i'm not sure what to think. he was someone i loved being around because he struggled with structure and coersion in faith. this sometimes came out, in hindsight, as little rants and some rebellious things he would do -like going out and putting back the occasional beer or three and just skateboard around a dry campus. behavior, that i'll admit, i was, and at times still am, akin with. scott and i spoke very candidly to each other. i think the only person i felt i could speak more frankly with than scott was paul. paul was older by three years, and had really lived through some dark periods where light was dimmed to less than a blip. But Scott was my age, so we were both really immature in that almost twenty-years-old sense -and this was good.

him and i would often take 'winded walks', meaning we'd go out for a stroll, and somewhere find a picnic table where we'd chain-smoke and talk about girls and theology for a few hours. He was the first one to point me to the wisdom literature for spiritual growth. he was also very loyal when it came to our friendship, and fought against things that would threaten it.

he was a very real person, and had some deep-seated issues that he struggled with regularly. Scott came from a small outskirt town in Jersey. i stayed there when we went to NYC. he was adopted, and his family was quite poor. his adopted dad was a pastor without a church, and his adopted mom was a librarian. it didn't help that him and his 'dad' had issues, he was more or less told -from the day he could understand what was being said- that he was lucky to be adopted, which made him feel like his whole life was 'stolen' (to use his own words), as if he shouldn't ever have been there at all. it was something i couldn't relate to.

time went on, and we lost touch. all of us, unfortunately, lost touch. last time i spoke with scott, he was in a community college in NJ, three years ago. he had left LBC for the Jersey music scene, a thing he followed pretty devoutly. unfortunately, i got the feeling that as i aspired to grow closer to the Lord after i left LBC, he had taken a sabbatical from the faith, and it wasn't clear when he was coming back.

i know he struggled with his faith in some serious ways, and asked questions of my other friends that were over my head at the time. sometimes i wasn't sure what page he was on, and i am presently unsure whether he died in the Lord or not. i have been brought low by the thought that i will not meet my friend in Glory. i'm not even sure how he went out.

he was 25.

To my old buddy Scott, a man i knew for a period.
For all the laughs and the night we ran the christmas tree up the court-yard flag pole.
To kissing the girls and comparing notes.
To all the smokes, jokes, and things unsaid.
Hear! Hear!

May you rest in the peace of the Lamb who appears slain, brother, He who is full of life and light, who alone is worthy, beautiful, and full of grace and truth. Amen.

Part of the Problem: Islamic Historiography, Continued...

2005-08-20T14:10:00.000-04:00

while out to find new twists on Islamic historigraphy, i came across this piece from at FRPI. while it doesn't examine the effects of historical narrative and contemporary interfaith/geopolitical disputes, it does shed light on some things that are adding to the probelm. Of these things are a lack of corporate accountablility, and this due to lack of a centralized authority structure.

According to Dr. Radu, Sunni Islam maintains the largest percentage of Muslim followers, and i have read in other places how Sunnism loosely mirrors in comparison with Protestant Christianity - it is fragmented and uncentralized outside of one's (or one group's) inspired interpretation of set scriptures. And one more, laymen are expected to lead devotional-type services besides being regular mosque attenders, which brings to mind the quakers and certain methodist fellowships who practice similar things.

That to say, there is no specific established clergy that makes the leadership/doctrinal calls. Though there may be inspired Imans who make calls in regard to order of worship and bent of sermon content, one Sunni fellowship is not necessarily in line with another a few blocks away. There is nothing like a Vatican to discern among the masses as to what is good and orthodox teaching, which are true believers, and who are the heretical politically-inclined cause-heads.

In passing it makes me think of certain things that have happened to the west that Islam needs to have. For instance, something like an Enlightenment, and something like a Reformation. While these two epochs in history have gone lengths to develope the West, a thing like a Reformation in Muslim world would most likely need to look like a 'consolidation': as opposed to forming a split church that split into other churches as in the west, Islam would need to form something like a bureaucracy - at least for a while.

i'm still diggin'.

Islam: Where to look forward?

2005-08-10T10:25:00.000-04:00

I read this piece by a colleague of mine at the IGE, and it raises an interesting question -if Islam is so very historically focused on looking back at the gloden age of the Caliphate, is there any promise of looking forward, past historical political successes, to a peaceful future political reality?

In the main, Mr. Jones isn't saying anything particularly new. Dr. Huntington said it, and so did Dr. Lewis (that is, Dr. Bernard Lewis, as opposed to Dr. Clive Stapes Lewis). Islam, and particularly radical Islam, has put great emphasis on historical naratives in focusing the attention and actions of its practitioners -for better or worse.

This isn't something unfamiliar to other faiths. Followers of Jesus Christ know too that there is great attention put to historical inheritance and identity in their own tradition as the called-out and redeemed people of God -but they also have a sense of not working backward to a certain point in history, i.e. "the garden" ( i touch on this idea here). They know they are aliens in this world, act as ambassadors from another Kingdom, and find themselves sojourning toward that Kingdom's gates this whole life. For the Christian, that is where home truly is. so it would appear that faith is a progession, a pilgimage towards something.

Islam, at least on the face of it, appears to be somewhat wanting in this perspective -at least to the effect that it doesn't keep extremism from ranking 'looking forward' with directing car-bombings and such. but the question comes, and it may partly because my knowledge if Islam is just under a novice-level, what is that forward looking perspective?

i'm going to do some poking around. feel free to add to the thread.

Non Sequitur

2005-08-09T09:33:00.000-04:00

You gotta read this.

'Been a Long Time...

2005-08-05T09:50:00.000-04:00

So let me do some catchin' up....

i haven't done much blogging mainly because i haven't been able to think clearly about any one thing passionately enough to write about it. Which, i might add, is a condition i have found to increase as one is out of school and outside of any profession that fosters critical thought. But that isn't saying that i'm not thinking. Semper Reformada mis amigas.

life has been business as usual, though the last week-and-a-half has been exceptionally busy: work, particpating in the weekly-reading group, filling in at youth group for a buddy, and then house-sitting for the same buddy (err, buddies, hi Steph!). This also includes cacthing-up with a highschool friend, and running all over God's green creation in order to keep the lawn mowed back home. And on our farm, this is no small task.

in the meantime, i am at the Perez household, and will be here for approx. three weeks. or at least until they have grown weary of driving cross country in search of the golden tablets of Moroni (ha!). I'm actually really looking forward to having some alone time away from my usual abode. it's quiet here and no one will really bother me.

It also helps that the Perez's have a great library: i'm reading four books. Lundgaard's The Enemy Within, Hugo's Les Miserables, and daily readings with J.C. Ryle. The fourth book is called A Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Fool-Hardiness in the First National Park. it's more for humor than anything else. They also have Jon Stewart's Democracy: the Book, which is a guilty pleasure.

did i mention i have mountain-bikes and a case of Sierra Nevada at my disposal? it gets better and better. the only downside so far is that i can't send out email. i don't know why. i can check and read incoming messages, but for some reason, i can't send out any thing. (Hi Cara!)

So, since i have no cell phone, and now no email, i am almost literally cut-off from the outside world. which is great. i feel like a monk -especially with the beer in the fridge and enough pancake batter to last me 'til next year.

i promise to write about something thoughtful, but not right now. mainly because i have to settle on what that something is first.

Neuhaus on the Emergent Church

2005-07-17T10:08:00.000-04:00

i was digging in the First Things archive when i came across this little snippet about the underbelly of new trends in Christian thought. I think Neuhaus has it nailed on the head about what's really suspect with these 'conversations'. you really need to read this at length:

The reinvention of Christianity, the most traditional of American contributions to religious history, proceeds apace. Publisher’s Weekly is excited. An article, “Pomos Toward Paradise,” breathlessly reports the pomos (postmoderns) of the “emerging church” who are rapidly moving toward the paradise of big commercial success, with many of them having arrived. Brian McLaren’s A New Kind of Christian is a tremendous hit. McLaren “calls the emerging church a ‘conversation’ rather than a movement.” It appears that even “movement” suggests too much of an institutional commitment for “emergents” who want to float unencumbered in their spiritual fancies. Says McLaren, “They’re asking questions about what it means to be a Christian in a postmodern, postcolonial world.” Postcolonial? One waits in vain for the postinanity era in the spiritual hustling of what PW calls the world of “viral networking.” (Viral as in virus, one assumes.) A successful marketer explains, “A lot of people who fit into the postmodern category don’t want to be identified as Christian.” Christ is so much easier to take without the riffraff he has attracted over the centuries. The Relevant Media Group is near the top of the market with a “hip, twenty-something demographic that is the primary core of postmodern thinking.” For Relevant, we are told, “the ‘real world’ is largely an urban one.” “We want to be part of our readers’ world,” says a spokesman, so the company is moving from an affluent suburb to a site closer to the center of Orlando, Florida. You can hardly get more urban than that. Postmodern, postcolonial, emerging, viral networking—it’s mostly the hype and chatter of religious pandering to a neophiliac culture. In addition to cashing in on the newest new thing, I expect most of these authors and perhaps even some of the publishers think they are winning souls for Christ. Christianity Today, the mainline evangelical magazine, pays a lot of attention and is concerned about the theological vacuity and doctrinal deviations of the industry, as well it should be. But the stuff sells, as witness PW’s list of the top-forty religion bestsellers in the same issue, a list which (except for one book by the estimable C. S. Lewis) runs the gamut from lower to higher kitsch. Of course, such an observation smacks of elitism, as in having a taste for excellence. The higher elitism, however, is not scornful toward the inevitability of the popular always being popular, as in vulgar, and holds on to the hope that those who sell the fake satisfactions of being superior to Christianity as it has been believed and lived through time will, however inadvertently, lead some people to a commitment to Christ, including his mostly quite ordinary friends who are the Church. Seeing through the preening self-importance of “seeker,” emergent,” “pomo,” and whatever is next month’s hot spiritual pretension, they might even find the courage to call themselves Christians.

That bit about “movement” suggesting "too much of an institutional commitment" for “emergents” who want to float unencumbered in their spiritual fancies" is dead-on. those who truly search need some space to consider what they are getting themselves in to, and need to know they are being thought of and prayed for. however, this is not to be held too far away from a certain strain of accountability. Today 'searching' has become a confession in itself, to the point that you can't confront anyone about taking advantage of God's patience in refusing to put their name to something.

Any appreciation for a rich liturgical identity apart from a stated commitment to the institutions for which they stand is to casually watch from the side-lines instead of meeting with the Risen Christ. period.

I'm with Dr Neuhaus, these cats are barking up the wrong tree.

The God who Suffers, Historical Consciousness, and "Asking the Girl Out"

2005-07-11T20:30:00.000-04:00

i just finished reading this article at MarsHill considering the emotions of God, and mainly that God is one who suffers and that because he does, so do we... and this is a very good thing.

Don Hudson (author) starts off by critiquing this american notion that faith heals all sense of suffering and makes it simply go away. but for the author this is too easy an out, and is indicative of a world view that is constantly striving backward at Eden, an earthly place, instead of ahead to City that built not by the hands of men, but by God himself. My friend Dan wrote something about this a few weeks ago. he made the remark that eden isn't the prefection everyone seems to be after, and that evidently pain was present even in the beginning considering God's decree that birthing-pains would be increased. Instead, the garden was only a glimpse of what will eventually be understood more fully in the New Jerusalem.

i can relate. i have a number of friends who do great justice to the old charicature that Christians are 'so heavenly minded that they are earthly useless'. and it isn't because they are necessarily seeking to purposely avoid pain, some are just naive. As mature Christians, they have either never been faced with a crippling loss or an unshakable depression. When (and if) they are, the last thing they admit is that God would let it happen to them. but we often forget, as Hudson reminds us, that God came into the world to be crucified and rejected, not revered as a earthly prince. If Christ is our example, then we are to follow his lead since the whole of being sanctified is being made after his likeness. And a part of this is suffering, because Jesus is a man of sorrows. He bears the burden -- and yet calls it light and entreats us to join in his yoke, that he is gentle and humble.

From here Hudson goes on to make some interesting statements about life in the hereafter, most pointedly of memories of sin/regets even in Glory, that though we be redeemed, it's a redemption that isn't unaware of the past. He makes mention of the garden, and that the serpent was right, we became as God -knowing both of good and evil. and he makes this clarification, that God knew of Evil before the fall, what it was, and what its consequnces required. alot like a parent knows what will happpen if their child gets tangle up in the "wrong crowd" and becomes rebellious. we ate of the tree, and now we know of evil, what rebellion is like, and what its consequenses are -- just as God does. unfortunately, we know this out of experience, and not out of wisdom gained by communion with our Father. In Christ, we are not under condemnation, but we live with our decisions past and present. we have gained wisdom through them, but at great pains.

there is also something about troubles and sorrow that leads, at least in my mind, to a 'growing up' of sorts, and as Hudson points out, to a view of the larger picture of Hope. As a kid you touched a hot stove --and it frickin' hurt! later, you may have dated --and it frickin' hurt! but hopefully you learned something from pain. you can/should be careful when handling hot things (i guess that can apply to dating too), but in relationships, sometimes people move away or change over time, and that can really suck. When St. Augustine lost his best friend he said that everything was black and that every place cried out at him because his friend was no longer by his side. i can't say i have experienced a pain so deep as to say 'i am left desolate,' But i have had my share of ups-and-downs. But ups-and-downs do not mean that one should avoid making new friendships, should break-off old ones, or stop dating after your heart has been broken.

Sometimes i think of girls i have dated, some of them were good choices --and some were seriously bad choices. and others, it seems, were not choices at all. But for the good, sometimes i hold them to an ideal of one girl --but the more i think about it, the reason for me doing this is because i saw Christ mostly clearly in that one girl --no matter how fallen she was. And with Girls who followed, i see the same picture of Christ that attracted me to them, even if they reminded me in one way or another of that first girl, a long time ago.

i don't know if i'm convincing anyone here, namely because i just jumped from God suffering to dating. So it would appear to be more a "stream of consciousness" as opposed to the "historical consciousness" i had hoped to draw on. But i do know that trials lead to presevearence and hope -- and that this Hope is dwelling with God face to face, one day unhindered by mine and other peoples' sin. And accordingly, i think that those who live with this reflection, who wonder about why trials come in the ways that they do --and then what to do with them-- will be the most ready to lead (or at least console) God's people.

Bombings as G8 initiates: Surprised?

2005-07-07T10:23:00.000-04:00

this morning bombs have wrecked London, injuring several hundreds, with a dead-count as of yet to be disclosed. and a terrorist cell-group has claimed responsibility. it is also of note that the G8 is in its 2nd day of talks. coincidence? i think not.

what is the G8? It is a large gathering of some of the world's heaviest hitters to consider matters of economic, environmental, and diplomatic development.

Look, the world has gotten very small over the last hundred years. people who previously would have never met are meeting face to face for the first time -and some of them are not impressed with what they see. Some are feeling paranoid of losing their sense of distinctivness in the Global Village.

While i think many are concerned about identity-loss, i think a small segment of these actually want to destroy the Village to preserve that distinctiveness, and with these extremists are the dillweeds who play-up popular national/ethnic/religious agendas for the sake of political gain. That minority does things like this to make moderates clam-up... because it works. it throws politicians into a frenzy of argument questioning current international ventures and domestic policies. it makes govenment appear ineffectual and helpless to lend aid let alone protection.

the G8 needs to go through, and Lord willing, go somewhat smoothly. why? so some serious diplomatic relationships can be made to form a global front against bastards who like to kill innocent people for the sake of political gain.

Gents, this is no time for prisoners. first things first... start shooting detainees at Gitmo.

Let's not get too carried away boys...

2005-07-05T18:11:00.000-04:00

So the other day i came across this, and it it got me thinking...

if memory serves us as any use, being protestant/evangelical involves a certain invested concern, and dare i say preoccupation and out-right paranoia, about the growth of bureacracy. Yet, here we have prominant Christian leaders seemingly forming a litmus test for office -and planting a 'sleeper' if they can get away with it.

I think the Church needs to be discerning and vigilant about what is going on here. the Church has a role and a place in the 'public square', but the church is not to enact all angles of this square, and it would appear doing such is what these guys have in mind.

Historically, we have a record that could serve us well to look at, because when the Chruch grew politically where it shouldn't have, it paid the consequences for it later. Consider the fall of Rome. While it openned doors for the Gospel beyond the scope of 'civilization,' it also openned a new dimmension in ecclesiastical corruption. Rome was powerless, but the Church wasn't. Rulers (and thus nations) were essentially baptised into European Christendom, which made it increasingly easy to attach God to national interests.

Christians picked up on this after awhile, making one of the Reformation's hallmarks the development of Christian Resistance Theory. We see this in the work of men like John Jewel, John Calvin, and Peter Martyr Vermigli . It was Luther's contention that we can openly disagree with the magistrate, but when it comes to confrontation, we are to always bow the neck -like the Word says, the magistrate was placed there by God, is his servant, and is to be revered. But after the sixteenth century, it became possible for the Church to respect the State, and place 'checks' on its jurisdiction so as to not blur distinctions between the two.

another example that called for a serious delving into what Christians really thought about governance? The Genevan Reformation. In 1539, The Genevan City Council banished its clergy after they rejected a state-imposed order of worship. Was the Council's order of worship some how not 'Christian'? No, another Swiss city, Berne, used the same model. The point is, it's beside the fact whether the Council's liturgy was biblical, the State doesn't go about sticking its nose where it doesn't belong. The Genevan City Council was using the order not so much as a more principled and orthodox measure of Worship, than as a diplomatic hat-tip to improve relations between the two cities. and this makes a certain amount of sense, it would have solidified relations, and kept the Duchy of Savoy -and the French- off the Council's back. But the mysteries of God are the responsibility of the Church, not politicians. The deposit of the faith was handed to the apostles and those who followed in their train.

Today, we see the shapings of what could be a role-reversal -and this time it's the protestants making the infraction. the American evangelical-protestant establishment may be setting itself up for taste of its own medicine, because the Genevan reformers saw that for a state to rever God, its officers must be True-believers who understand there is an accountability above serving local interest groups. These guys on the Right may be looking to pitch words to knodding heads.

We see the Historic Catholic establishment having similar issues. Of the factors that lead to the Protestant Reformation, one of the most prominent was the vast bureaucracy the Church became. It had grown politically and theologically corrupt. There needed to be reform. The selling of indulgences, nepotism, and recylced left-over doctrines from the middle-ages became tools of manipulation for consolidating power under respective Bishoprics. This wouldn't have been necessarily too bad, but some of these guys just paid lip service to the church to get what they wanted.

The difference today? Well, for one, the the historic Catholic Church threw enough cultural influence around to pull it off. The evangelical constituents in contemporary american politics do not have this same luxury. but they sure think they do, and they should reconsider. we do live in a 'post-christian era', meaning that Christianity isn't the sole competitor in religious worldview out there today. And even within Christendom, the dominant portion of the tradition folk in the country are not fundies. They may espouse a lot of values left over from the Golden Age -may believe that abortion roughly equates murder, if not just irresponsibility, and may further have small issues with homosexuality. But when it comes right down to it, they are not sold-out religious zealots. Or, if they are, they don't identify with these guys' brand of fundamentalism. these folks don't follow Pat Robertson, and most likely got a good laugh at assertions that Tinkie-Winkie and Sponge Bob square-pants are gay. Does the phrase losing-touch-with-your-base sounds familiar? (Add Dean scream here).

Jesus once told a series of parables, and likened the kingdom of God to a mustard seed that grew into a tree and that birds came and made their homes in its branches. Some see this as a good thing, and that the Church will grow to fill the whole world. but judging from the context, i go along with James Montgomery Boice on this one: mustard seeds do not grow into trees, and the birds are alien to the Kingdom -matter of fact, a previous parable -within this same series of parables- told of the birds being significant of Satan and his minions. It is also of note that the parable of the kingdom being "like leathened bread" followed the parable of the mustard seed. Yeast would have meant something to Jesus' audience that it doesn't hold anymore today: Yeast had always been equated with (*gulp*) evil. What is being said here is that when the church gets too big as an establisment (as a bureaucracy), it becomes infected by intruders who act like the servants of God but in truth seek to expand their own power. keep an eye out for the birds, they are hard to spot.

a few months ago, Dr. Os Guinness said spoke of Hitler playing-up popular nationalism to build the Third Reich on the support of 'normal people'. they ate everything he fed them --to the point that they were the ones loading Jews on cattle cars. When i approached Dr. Guinness about avoiding this trap, he half-smiled, raised an eye-brow and said "very carefully." You see, the redemption of German integrity capitvated millions. The normal folks didn't realize Hitler was a nut until it was too late --by then it was either you support him or joined Israel in the death camps.

Germany is an extreme example, but is telling of how we can get carried away into very unorthodox and unfortunate things by the trappings of culture and national identity. Frist isn't Hitler, and Dobson, Bauer, etc. do not have any plans for gassing homosexuals. But they envision the city of God here on Earth, when in this time between the advents we have no continuing city. Our city is the Church --there is our picture and taste of the kingdom come. we go out as ambassadors into foreign territory. We ring the Bell. sometimes we get shot for it. sometimes we get listened to. but we serve our king, and that is why we do it -for good or bad.

i'm thinking out loud here, but I'm willing to bet that the evangelical vote, that coveted piece of franchise that both candidates plugged for at the last minute (like they were car-salesmen getting rid of lemons with maaco paint-jobs) is eating every little bit of it. i'm talking to those Sean Hannity-listening, Weekly-Standard reading folks --good Christian men, and politically inclined: Biblically and historically speaking, is the expansion of a bureaucratic 'protestantium' wise?

Besides, i don't know if i trust any of these guys to handle the global issues facing this country's future.

I am Karl Barth

2005-06-28T04:07:00.000-04:00

This is Fun. Here's what my score came back as:

"You scored as Karl Barth. The daddy of 20th Century theology. You perceive liberal theology to be a disaster and so you insist that the revelation of Christ, not human experience, should be the starting point for all theology."

Well, that explains alot. The funny thing is, the Incarnation is central to any sort of evangelizing I do. look at the break-down of this puppy:

Karl Barth -100%
Anselm -93%
Jonathan Edwards -67%
John Calvin -60%
Martin Luther -47%
Friedrich Schleiermacher -47%
Augustine -40%
Paul Tillich -33%
J?Moltmann -27%
Charles Finney -20%

That my Schleiermacher rated higher than my Augustine is a little bothersome, but not near as bothersome as my Tillich score.

Things get real fun when you go down the list, picking all questions in the extreme negative except for one or two bingers, like "man comes to God completely of his own free will" -you end up with Chuck Finney.

Good show, Ry-Blog.

Which theologian are you?
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Ouch

2005-06-16T18:37:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the story that is my life. Though, they promise my body is worth a $40K sign-on bonus....

Comic Relief: Mandatory Boondocks

2005-06-16T15:12:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite things about living in DC was having the Boondocks published in the comics section. i heart Aaron McGruder. Check this out.

Hmm... Let's not Give 'em any Ideas....

2005-06-12T20:26:00.000-04:00

I just read this piece over at the Institute for Global Engagement, it considers the role of democracy and public confessional religion in nation building, and in this regard, to the project in Iraq.

Some, including myself, think that if the Sunnis can be assured of peace, prosperity, and freedom to owernship without getting shot-up in a post-Saddam, Shiite dominated country, great moves will be made towards a firm semi-democracy taking hold. Alot of this will culminate in the founding of specific protections for Sunnis within a Shiite context -namely that they can't be rounded-up in Ho Chi Minh-style, Shiite-run tribunals for the past wrongs of zealots. Dr. Silk doesn't part ways with these people or myself, and speaks to how critical world events necessitated shifts in American religious ideology and how similar things can aid in unifying Iraq:

Not until after World War II did it become clear that the country was moving beyond a pan-Protestantism to a more inclusive vision of American civil religion. Then "the Judeo-Christian" tradition became a virtual shibboleth, defining a common religious cause by which Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish Americans could fight against a common Communist foe. Late in the twentieth century, some used more inclusive language yet, talking of an "Abrahamic tradition" that brought Islam into the fold.

Will the formation of an inclusive civil religion answer problems with democracy in Iraq? Maybe, but only if it is under the name of Allah. Silk goes on to offer some reflective advice:

Since the late Nineteenth Century, Pan-Islam has been a significant ideology at work in the Muslim world. But to the extent that it has envisioned a lessening of tensions among Sunnis, Shiites and other branches of the faith, this has only been in order to forge a united front against non-Muslims -not, perhaps, the best recipe for Iraq's rejoining the community of nations.

So, yeah. Democracy could get established and Sunnis may get a spot in the public square, but the possibility still holds for the project to come back and give our glutes a good chew. But avoiding this sort of fall-out is not without a course of action.

For one, ecumenicism needs to be pursued more rigorously, be it from (a) Rome that Benedict picks up where Karol Wojtyla left off, (b) in a diplomatic sense between nations, and/or (c) more locally, between Christians and westerns with Muslims on the ground here in the States and in Europe.

It would also help to cool-off the boldness in worldview. Laura Bush's trip to the Middle East didn't go well because success in Iraq was hastely translated as spread of western values through out the region, which, as she found, was not the case. the promotion of women's rights was a bit too much too soon. The people want freedom from tyranny, and this doesn't involve putting away the shroud for a lot of Muslim women. Accept it. Respect it. And live a life that is worthy of being from a country that gives you the option not to wear a shroud.

Am I seeking to avoid global domination by Islamic Middle-Eastern nations? No, i think the only nation semi-capable of that would be China. But if we work as hard at reconciliation as we have at building a non-secular democracy, we might just avoid helping along a Mid-Eastern Kosovo.

At The Drive-In: This Station is Non-Operational...Reviewed

2005-06-10T07:08:00.000-04:00

Okay, it's a been about a week, and i've done enough flitting to make a forest nymph, or our dear lindsay musser, quite envious. My verdict on "This Station is Non-operational"? Well, it's not particularly glowing, but we'll get to this in a minute. First, a little background to help you understand why this 'collection' is a big let down.

I have been a lover of music since i was in highschool and my taste has always been diverse. But at heart, i longed for edgy, hard -and smart- music. I found this in bands like Bad Religion, Pennywise, Fugazi, and newer groups like Turmoil and Kid Dynamite.

Then sometime in 2001, i was up late at a friend's house, watching MTv2, when i saw the video for 'One-Armed Scissors,' and i thought "Damn, this is something." So i checked it out, and ended up buying what would be At the Drive-In's most popular, definative, and unfortunately, final album: Relationship of Command.

The album was heavy: sharp riffs with strategic stop/starts and cryptic, politcally-charged lyrics. I couldn't tell about what per se, but man, these guys sounded really pissed-off about something important. it was enough for me to pick-up In/Casino/Out, where i found the same progressive sound and cryptic lyrics.

In my mind, they were something the scene needed, something that didn't quite fit in with Blink182, Saves the Day, SR-71, or anything of the like which seemed to be dominating shows everywhere. ATDI's sound was something that punched Belle&Sebastian in the face, and told them to "shut-up and cry about something important."

Rolling-Stone has described the music and stage presence of At the Drive-In as pre-irony U2. The desciption itself makes me laugh my ass off, imagining Colin Farrel doing Bono explaining the ridiculous counting sequence in 'vertigo'. (I don't care if 14 stands for their 14th album or their 14th passed kidney stone... it's still dumb.)

At the Drive-In got together sometime in the mid-nineties, out of El Paso, Texas. And as it turns out, from their hometown they could see across the Rio-Grande and into the corresponding squatters. Accordingly, their music deals with border politics: immigration, corporate fall-out, poverty, and the effects of knowing hope, or at least knowing rumours of hope, rest just on the other side of a muddy stretch of water -a creek whose narrow width seemed miles across.

What ATDI brought to the scene was a gritty sense of awareness... and guilt. Just seeing the video for Invalid Litter Dept., with all it's statistical propaganda, is enough to make a good capitalist like myself think, "Dude, one day we are going pay for all of this..."

Then, as abruptly as I discovered ATDI, they broke up. And i think, like any good inocculation, the system felt the effect for good. After the band split, the members have gone on to form numerous side projects, The Mars Volta and Sparta being the most stand-out of post-ATDI projects to date.

However, Despite my enthusiasm for these guys and their work, This Station is Non-Operational may be a bit much. I have to admit, i'm actually pretty disappointed.

For one, an anthology means a few things -like being around longer than 15 years, in the same group, and putting out a good two-handfuls worth of albums that make the industry drop-jaw, and inspire other bands for years to come. I hear 'anthology' and i think Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, and the Beatles. Seriously, i think Pearl Jam has more right to put together an anthology than these guys do -or at the very least a 'best-of' collection- and i hate Pearl jam.

Anthology also means B-sides, rareties, live tracks, and unreleased material. this release hits most of these save Live tracks. But they completely exclude tracks from Acrobat Tenement. This exclusion itself is something of a mystery, and specifically makes this release not an anthology. It makes it little more than a half-assed collection to build capital for funding side-project proliferation. Very, very immature... but whatever works, right?

There are some noteable tracks, and a decent cover of The Smiths 'This Night has Opened my Eyes', but whatever points they gain in this cover, they lose in covering Floyd's 'Lift up thy Stethoscope and Walk. It just didn't work guys, you should have buried that one deep, deeeeeep in the vaults never to see the light of day -or the play list of an ipod- ever again.

The better side Station is that the track listing is not too awfully bad, and it comes with a DVD with a number of music videos and extras. The DVD itself makes the collection worthwhile. its not over priced either: You can most likely pick it up for $14.00 or less. For someone who hasn't been exposed much to ATDI, it's worth checking out.

But on the whole, i liken Station to a pupil who is brilliant but never applies himself, sufficing to slide-by with a little more than bare-minimum effort. For the seasoned fan, it just doesn't make the cut. I give it an overall 78% -which is too low for a band i think of highly.

Impulse Buy

2005-06-06T11:08:00.000-04:00

While running various errands today, i picked up this. Oh man, i can't even relate to you in words how excited i am to open this thing and dig-in.

Okay, who is At the Drive-In? Well, i quess the question is better phrased "who was At the Drive-In?", and to answer in brief, probably one of the best things to happen to indy rock since The Sunny-Day Realestate. I hope to write more about this as i flit through the numerous unreleased tracks and music videos.

Well, as Fate would have It...

2005-06-04T07:45:00.000-04:00

Turns out there will be no trips to South Dakota for Justin... just yet. Why? Part of my incentive can't get off work. And it turns out that the GTI needs a new fuel injector, which means no 29-and-a half-hour drives until it gets fixed.

Add to this that every time i went to talk to my boss about taking some time off he replied "yeah... we'll talk later." Translation: "Are you crazy? you're one of our only servers who shows up to work on time."

It makes me laugh to myself: Isn't dedication and hard work supposed to be rewarding?

Oh, well. "...Thus saith the Lord!"

I must be Crazy

2005-06-03T07:59:00.000-04:00

Ever done something that made absolutely no sense and bordered on being completely irresponbsible? Well, if all goes according to plan, i'll be leaving for here sunday night.