Tuesday, December 06, 2005
"Stuck here in the middle with you."
(or "How to Tick Off Everyone")
No, this is not a discussion about severing ears; Tarentino, Da Vinci, or otherwise. Instead, it is a rant about things that frustrate me:
The Arts. I'm about to make some generalizations. Many nonchristian artists effectively deify the medium (whatever its message) and many christian artists try to justify their artistic endeavors to other christians by either 1) making sure it has some weak message in it that somehow might pass as a gospel presentation or 2) using it as a way to build 'authentic relationships' (whatever that is) with nonchristians to spread the gospel (which is a good thing, of course). But where else do you see christians making these rationalizations to justify their professions? It's just art! It's just a movie! It's just a song! Make art and enjoy art because you have the freedom to do so! The Arts are just communication; languages; another amoral thing to be used for either good or for evil. It's not that big of a deal as people make it out to be. Besides, it's all going to burn one day, so don't stress out about it.
Politics. It is God who brings the rise and fall of kings and empires, not Man. Personally, I have no real interest in politics, though I usually will vote, and vote conservatively. But politics are not going to save the world - you can't change people's hearts by changing their behaviors, through legislation or otherwise. I don't buy the argument of turning America "back into the Christian nation its forefathers meant for it to be" - just because Enlightenment-era deists use the same language as christians, that does not make them christians too. Most of the religious refugees had arrived generations earlier - far back enough for that current generation to not to know the faith of their forebears. Somehow I don't think when Peter wrote "be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good", that included revolution (and note that 'every human institution' included Caesar, whose religious persecution of christians was somewhat more intense than George III's tea taxations). Is it a sin for Christians to not be involved in politics? No. Is it a sin for Christians to be involved in politics? Also no. Jesus said "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting... But my kingdom is not from the world." I am proud to be an American, and when asked will gladly take up arms to defend it, but my first citizenship is in Christ's kingdom - we are but exiles sojourning in this world until His return. It's just politics! If you enjoy politicing, then do so! If not, then don't. Besides, it's all going to burn one day, so don't stress out about it. EDIT: If it's the Gospel of Christ that will change people's hearts, and therefore their behavior, should we concentrate our efforts on, say, trying to get the 10 commandments back in classrooms, or on proclaiming the Gospel?
MacArthur vs. MacLaren fistfights. (Well, not just them, but a subtitle with two extreme scots in it was fun to write - yet essentially another generalization.) This is really one of my biggest frustrations. I don't know what's going to happen to the church (I mean, of course it will survive - maybe not in the West, but somewhere). On one hand, I worry about poor doctrine spilling from the pulpits, yet, on the other, I worry that kneejerk reactions from those with good doctrine will put off the others before there is a chance for them to actually talk about it. "You're a bunch of legalists!" "Well, you're a bunch of antinomians!" [sigh] It's like learning to roast your own coffee beans - once your palette acquires the taste for freshly-roasted coffee (which is great), it's hard to go back to Starbucks, and your coffee-drinking options shrink considerably, but then suddenly you're the jerk that won't go out for coffee anymore [an analogy; not directed toward you, Jon, haha]. I don't know - how are we supposed to increase spiritual discernment in a loving manner? Especially when any challenge of religious thinking (both without and within christianity) is seen as "intolerant", "unloving", and "legalist"? Good grief. We need more of God's grace - not a blind eye, but loving grace - to be "wise as serpents and innocent as doves." I need more of God's grace. And a cup of coffee (freshly-roasted, I hope).
Labels: film/tv/books/arts, religion/theology/philosophy
Comments:
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nice post. btw, i'd drink a cup-o-7-11 if that's the only way we could spend time. well, i might offer you some fresh roasted first. but if you're mind's made up, i'll take up my cross.
you should check out doug's post. it's related to your theme.
ockhamshave.blogspot.com
and i just stumbled across bock's review of macarthur's book, "the gospel according to jesus" (bibsac, vol 146). also related to your theme.
you should check out doug's post. it's related to your theme.
ockhamshave.blogspot.com
and i just stumbled across bock's review of macarthur's book, "the gospel according to jesus" (bibsac, vol 146). also related to your theme.
Thanks. Incidentally, the Websters have become my new coffee suppliers - they have a Costco membership and I get them to pick up freshly-roasted coffee every couple of weeks.
So, about this Bock article, how would I stumble across it as well?
So, about this Bock article, how would I stumble across it as well?
That coffee analogy, is it copyrighted? Let's say you heard it in a sermon where you (andy) attend church, would you stand up and say "you plegarizing fundamentalist?" If no, then prepare yourself to hear it again. If yes, then prepare to hear it in a sermon soon.
I remember last year when I suggested that I wasn't voting for Bush but for a third party candidate, fellow Christians reacted to me like I committed a grevious sin.
Some clarifications I made on my myspace blog 'simulcast':
[on politics] I'm not saying that we should throw politics out the window. I'm saying it's not as big of a deal as lots of christians often treat it... To create a parallel, I manage my money, knowing that it'd be reckless to blow it all on hats (to use a Hot Shots! reference) and go into debt, but also knowing that it's just part of this world that will eventually pass away. It's about being responsible with what you have, but also knowing that it's not the most important thing. Same thing with politics - I vote for who I think will do the best job, but I don't think that it's going to fix all of society's ills. I tend to think of politicians in the same way that I think of doctors, lawyers, and realors - that is, I hire them to take care of the stuff that I don't know how to do myself.
[on the church] I think part of it is a practical reaction of christians trying to unify the church in the face of diverse religious worldviews - something to the effect of "let's not discuss theology because it's divisive", and those who do hold to their theological convictions are seen as legalistic rabble-rousers - and unfortunately, some of these people tend to get a bit too dogmatic about some issues where there is still a bit of room for error. Like Paul says, "'knowledge' puffs up, but love builds up" (1 Cor. 8:1), but at the time, Romans 12:1-2 says that 'renewing the mind' is necessary for discernment. The key here is that we must prayerfully study the Word, but not become prideful in our knowledge of it, and we must be gracious to those aren't at the same point we're at, because we ourselves still have a looooooong way to go: "If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know" (1 Cor. 8:2). But, like I said, we can't turn a blind eye to bad teaching, but we do need be gracious in our response to it.
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[on politics] I'm not saying that we should throw politics out the window. I'm saying it's not as big of a deal as lots of christians often treat it... To create a parallel, I manage my money, knowing that it'd be reckless to blow it all on hats (to use a Hot Shots! reference) and go into debt, but also knowing that it's just part of this world that will eventually pass away. It's about being responsible with what you have, but also knowing that it's not the most important thing. Same thing with politics - I vote for who I think will do the best job, but I don't think that it's going to fix all of society's ills. I tend to think of politicians in the same way that I think of doctors, lawyers, and realors - that is, I hire them to take care of the stuff that I don't know how to do myself.
[on the church] I think part of it is a practical reaction of christians trying to unify the church in the face of diverse religious worldviews - something to the effect of "let's not discuss theology because it's divisive", and those who do hold to their theological convictions are seen as legalistic rabble-rousers - and unfortunately, some of these people tend to get a bit too dogmatic about some issues where there is still a bit of room for error. Like Paul says, "'knowledge' puffs up, but love builds up" (1 Cor. 8:1), but at the time, Romans 12:1-2 says that 'renewing the mind' is necessary for discernment. The key here is that we must prayerfully study the Word, but not become prideful in our knowledge of it, and we must be gracious to those aren't at the same point we're at, because we ourselves still have a looooooong way to go: "If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know" (1 Cor. 8:2). But, like I said, we can't turn a blind eye to bad teaching, but we do need be gracious in our response to it.