A Brief Recommendation

Last week I completed N.T. Wright’s Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church.  For those interested in Christian theology and the historical development of the doctrine of the resurrection, the first two-thirds will be of great interest.  The final third is dedicated to specific applications for how a re-understanding of the resurrection will impact the ministry of the church.

I recognize that a short summary of Wright’s primary argument glosses important details that are critical to his presentation.  Regardless of this fact, the content found within this work is so interesting that I feel compelled to at least provide a taste for you, the reader.

Wright is an eloquent writer, constantly employing helpful illustrations in making his point.  He is also quite witty, poking fun at his opponents in ways that are entertaining.  Up front, I’m telling you that Surprised by Hope is very accessible to the reader, and anything but boring. 

Wright wonders in this book what has happened to the resurrection.  Why, he asks, have Christians lost the significance of this central doctrine in their preaching, ecclessiology, and understanding of mission?  Wright chronicles how the absence of a solid understanding of the resurrection has affected Christians on both the theological left and right, and urges his audience to revisit and leverage a better understanding of this Christian truth for greater effectiveness in the world.

Wright begins his book by sketching the resurrection as it has been understood historically–a helpful and important treatment.  Christians today will find the historical picture much different from the current reality, where heaven is presented as a place you go after death, and an emphasis on the resurrection to come is notably absent.  He then moves into Part II, entitled “God’s Future Plan.”  He moves from an eschatological description of the new heavens and the new earth, to Jesus and what his message had to do with heaven and the new creation, to the return of Jesus as judge, to the redemption of our bodies, and finally to a discussion of purgatory, paradise, and hell.

I will emphasize four key elements in Wright’s presentation.  First, Wright explains the significance of Jesus and his resurrection.  Second, Wright explores the significance of the Kingdom and the New Creation as central to the beliefs of the early church.  Third, Wright explains how hope in the future “marriage” between heaven and earth as it is found in Revelation 21-22 and the resurrected life to come in that new heaven and new earth rests at the historical center of Christian hope.  Lastly, between death and the time or the resurrection, a paradise awaits the faithful who will remain there until the return of Jesus to judge and to bring about the final aspects of the “new creation” which was begun at Jesus’ resurrection.

Part II is the meat of the book.  Part III, entitled, “Hope in Practice: Resurrection and the Mission of the Church,” spells out implications for the ministry of the church as announcing the salvation of God and participation with (he uses the term, “building”) the Kingdom of God.  He places great stress on the full redemption of God’s good creation and how the church is a key player in bringing that about.

As someone who grew up understanding heaven as mostly a place you go after you die, this book was quite challenging and refreshing as well.  This prior formulation of heaven, coupled with belief in a bodily resurrection, left a number of holes in how I understood God’s future.  If I would be raised physically, would my body be removed from this earth to another sphere of reality to dwell?  And if so, what would become of the earth upon which I once lived?  Would it be left behind as a ruin of a former age?

In the past few years I have been challenged to think deeply about what God intends to do with this planet.  Wright has supplemented my thinking, pontificating on the meaning of Revelation 21-22 and the marriage of the new heaven and new earth.  Wright’s theology gives us reason to express care and concern for our planet and to steward it responsibly.  It also provides reason to work for justice in this age as an act of claiming the victory Jesus has won on the cross, recognizing that the good work of the Kingdom accomplished now will endure till the coming of the new heaven and the new earth.

I recommend that you pick up this book and then return to this post.  I recognize that my account will be lacking. Leave your comments, questions, and points of contention you find in Wright’s presentation.  It is my hope that this book will serve as a helpful resource in the preaching ministry of the church, providing a basis from which the church might establish a more effective witness which entails a radical engagement with this world.

Read Full Post »

Oxford Receives $4 Million to Research Belief in God

This release from the Associated Press found here is about a month old, but upon reading it this evening I had some reactions I thought I would share.  The study will explore a number of issues–in fact, I plan to do some digging about exactly what this study will cover.

Roger Trigg, Director of the Ian Ramsey Center for Science and religion stated, “There are a lot of issues. What is it that is innate in human nature to believe in God, whether it is gods or something superhuman or supernatural?”  This study likely will concern very old questions that have yielded a number of different conclusions.  For example, the studies of Tylor, Frazer, Freud, Marx, Jung, Durkheim, Weber, Geertz, and Eliade are only a few of the classic theorists of religion who present differing accounts of religion and how it should be regarded.  Thank you REL601 and Mike Zogry.  If you are ever looking for some light reading and have an interest in classical theories of religion, pick up Frazer’s The Golden Bough.  This edition is only 808 pages.

The Associated Press report is rather abbreviated (the story linked above).  An account from the Religion News Service picked up on 03.17.08 by the Baptist Standard provides a little bit more information.  According to the RNS, “The three year project titled ‘Empirical Expansion in Cognitive Science of Religion and Theology’ is designed to determine if belief in a deity is instinctive or learned.  It will be funded by the Pennsylvania-based John Templeton Foundation.”

Perhaps the most interesting comment from reading these short accounts was the desire to understand if “belief in a deity is instinctive or learned.”  What do you think?  I would think this would be incredibly difficult to discern empirically.  Even if a child is not instinctively taught a religious system, traces of various religious faiths permeate the cultural soup that we swim in.  A “civil religion” of some type seems inescapable.  Would it be possible to isolate a human being in an environment where it could be seen when the “belief in a deity” instinct kicks in?

In tracing the history of religious ideas, it has been impossible to walk back through history and discover the emergence of religious belief.  Different traditions have yielded their own texts and traditions, but to dig back to the earliest moments many of these ideas were solidified cannot be done.  Foundational developments of differing systems of religious belief took place within the context of preliterate cultures.  Along with reconstructing the earliest belief systems a picture of the culture in which it emerged would need to be developed,  which would be difficult to accomplish with any accuracy.

Belief (or unbelief) and god-talk continues to fascinate us as human beings.  It is my sense that this stuff will never go away.  Nevertheless, I’ll be interested in what the Oxford team discovers.

Read Full Post »

Uganda Skateboard Union

Check out this video from Invisible Children here.  Pretty sweet–especially the soundtrack.

Thanks Board Master!

Read Full Post »

“Sin” out of vogue as a theological term/concept?

“Without an idea of sin, Easter is meaningless.” -Mark Driscoll

I would encourage you to check out the article here on popular understandings of sin.  Quotations are taken from the Pope, Joel Osteen, and Tim Keller, to name three.  This article is good reading–particularly when you note the source (USA Today) and use a little imagination to picture the reaction of many who may have read it in the days leading up to Easter.

I grew up with an understanding of sin as things you don’t do (gambling, etc.) and also as part of our condition as humans.  How about you?  Regardless of your background, where have you derived your understanding of this term?  What are your reactions to this article?  Do you think sin receives less attention from the pulpits of our churches today than it did, say, 10-20 years ago?  If so, why do you think this has happened?  If not, where do you find this concept receiving attention?  Lastly, how should talk of “sin” play a part in well-rounded theological discourse and preaching?

I’ll hang up and listen.

Read Full Post »

An Easter Collect

O GOD, who for our redemption didst give thine only-begotten Son to the death of the Cross, and by his glorious resurrection hast delivered us from the power of our enemy; Grant us so to die daily from sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through the same thy Son Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 -The Book of Common Prayer

 He is risen!

Read Full Post »

For those that have ever thought their prayers went unheard…

The answer lies here.

Read Full Post »

Memory and Storytelling

…when a community loses its memory, its members no longer know one another.  How can they know one another if they have forgotten or never learned one another’s stories?  If they do not know one another’s stories, how can they know whether or not to trust one another?  People who do not trust one another do not help one another, and moreover they fear one another.  And this is our predicament now.  Because of a general distrust and suspicion, we not only lose one another’s help and companionship, but we are all now living in jeopardy of being sued. –Wendell Berry, “The Work of Local Culture” in What are People for?, 157

This comment by Wendell Berry struck me, mainly because I do not know my neighbors.  I know one of my neighbors, his name is Pedro, along with some of his family members.  I’ve heard much of his story while standing in the yard.  He’s a great guy.  But he is only one person among many other neighbors who I do not know.

Growing up my neighborhood in East Texas was a vibrant place.  We lived in between the Francis family (later the Townsends) and the Pools (later the Jabrs).  The Adams family lived down the street (no joke).  The Deerdorfs and the Hagars were nearby, and the Evans lived three houses down.  The Martins lived next door to the Evans.  The Bergfields and the Daughertys lived down the hill.  Our families seemed to be on kindly terms.  My access to these families came through the presence of friends who were about my age.  As we played baseball or football in the front yard we came to know one another a bit better.  Sometimes I went over to my friends’ homes and we played for a while.  On these occasions I came to know older and younger siblings, moms and dads, and sometimes even grandparents.

This brings me back to Pedro.  One day as I was standing out front talking to him about nothing, there was plenty of traffic up and down our street.  There is a high Hispanic population in our neighborhood, and every time someone drove by Pedro could tell me their name, and a little bit of their story.  There were people he respected, and others that he didn’t.  I was blown away.  Pedro has lived in De Soto much longer than me, but still!  He’s worked alongside many of these people and spent time with them.  As a commuter to both Lawrence and Gardner, I haven’t had many occasions to be present in my own city.  Being part of a community takes work, and the simplicity of being there.  I think this is captured well in another quote from Wendell Berry:

I was walking one Sunday afternoon several years ago with an older friend.  We went by the ruining log house that had belonged to his grandparents and great-grandparents.  The house stirred my friend’s memory, and he told how the oldtime people used to visit each other in the evenings, especially in the long evening of the winter.  There used to be a sort of institution in our part of the country known as “sitting till bedtime.”  After supper, when they weren’t too tired, neighbors would walk across the fields to visit each other. They popped corn, my friend said, and ate apples and talked.  They told each other stories.  They told each other stories, as I knew myself, that they all had heard before.  Sometimes they told stories about each other, about themselves, living again in their own memories and thus keeping their memories alive.  Among the hearers of these stories were always the children.  When bedtime came, the visitors lit their lanterns and went home.  My friend talked about this, and thought about it, and then he said, “They had everything but money.” — Berry, “The Work of Local Culture”, 158

The work that is done in cities through various associations, whether they be clubs, churches, or whatever, is critical for living a full life.  As far as it relates to the church, it is my hope that the church would be a place where we are able to sit and tell stories–the stories of Scripture and how those stories have impacted and shaped our lives.  I also hope that children are nearby as we tell these stories, stories of both triumph and defeat.  By doing so the memory of the community is strengthened.  To “remember” is critical for the people of God.  Creating such spaces within our communities will produce a treasure trove which is beyond measure.  It is my hope that we would be such a people who would slow down long enough to keep our memories alive.

Read Full Post »

Big XII Tournament Kicks off in KC on Thursday

This Thursday the Big XII tourney comes to town.  I haven’t had cable television for about the past three years (which has done wonders for my reading habits), so I don’t watch as much NCAA and NBA action as I did at one time.  I’ve been thankful for ESPN’s addition of short highlight clips to the write ups for most all televised sporting events, so I’ve kept track of my favorite teams through the web.  Since I don’t watch the full games I also get the chance to read some sports reporting, and I still look at the complete box score in both basketball and baseball.  I’ve kept up with Baylor athletics (my alma mater (did you know that is Latin for “nourishing mother”?) through the internet.  Fortunately I can still catch those games for free.  Unfortunately the voice of the Bears is a guy named John Morris.  He has little idea how to describe the game of basketball.  Football isn’t much better.  Sorry John.

Yesterday on WHB810′s Between the Lines Kevin Kietzman put together a great list of reasons to be excited that the Big XII tourney is in KC this year.  Unfortunately they did not post that list on their website.  Among his reasons were the Sprint Center, the KC Power & Light district, the competitiveness of the Big XII this year, a number of extremely talented players (first among them Michael Beasley), and the fact that KU will have to win the tourney to have a shot at a #1 seed in the Big Dance.  You can check out the matchups for the weekend here.

I have tickets to Thursday’s Baylor vs. Colorado matchup.  Baylor handled Colorado in Boulder earlier this year 68-57, and should be in the NCAA tournament for the first time in 20 years.  Winning this weekend will only solidify their bid.  The Bears went 21-9 this year and finished 9-7 in conference.  A victory Friday would put them up against Oklahoma on Friday, whom the Bears haven’t beaten in 20 years, or something like that.  Baylor lost an overtime heartbreaker to the Sooners back on February 19.

I also have tickets to the Championship game on Sunday.  A Kansas vs. Baylor matchup would be ideal, for me.  Weird stuff always happens in this tournament, so I’m looking forward to the weekend matchups, the fanfare surrounding the games, and the opportunity to take in the experience.  I’m praying for good weather this weekend!

Read Full Post »

ONN ::: Anonymous Hero Donates 200 Kidneys

Read Full Post »

Thinking Poetically

But must I needs want solidness, because

By metaphors I speak; was not God’s laws

His Gospel-laws in olden time held forth

By types, shadows and metaphors?  Yet loth

Will any sober man be to find fault

With them, lest he be found for to assault

The highest wisdom.  No, he rather stoops,

And seeks to find out what by pins and loops,

By calves, and sheep, by heifers, and by rams,

By birds and herbs, and by the blood of lambs

God speaketh to him: and happy is he

That finds the light, and grace that in them be.

John Bunyan begins his classic work The Pilgrim’s Progress  in verse.  He makes an apology of sorts for the form of this book, answering his critics up front.  He defends his allegorical method while extending an invitation to his reader to press on and join the journey.  A sample of his defense is above, as Bunyan defends his use of metaphor by pointing to Scripture.  He continues with these words:

Am I afraid to say that Holy Writ,

Which for its style and phrase puts down all wit,

Is everywhere so full of these things,

(Dark figures, allegories), yet there springs

From that same book that lustre and those rays

Of light that turns our darkest days into night.

Rediscovering the simplicity and brilliance with which Bunyan makes the case that for one to be a communicator of the gospel one must be a poet is quite refreshing.  As a child of the Enlightenment who stands at the crossroads of what some observers have deemed “post-modernity,” I am surprised by how easily Bunyan seems to step in to our time and speak in language that can be easily understood.  Through the telling of his story he employs rhyme and meter, he evokes beautiful imagery, and he excites the imagination.  We are invited to open our minds and think in the images reminiscent of the prophets, who described potential realities in poetic fashion.  He states plainly that:

This book will make a traveller of thee,

If by its counsel thou wilt ruled be;

It will direct thee to the Holy Land,

If thou wilt its directions understand:

Yea, it will make the slothful active be,

The blind also delightful things to see.

Bunyan’s final words in his opening apology are, “come hither, and lay my book, thy head and heart together.”  What a wonderful invitation.

For those that know me well, quoting Bunyan is a bit out of character for me.  This past weekend I was serving alongside three of my students at the Cross-Lines Thrift Store in Kansas City, Kansas.  The Thrift Store had a collection of books, and I ran my eyes across every spine.  Among their collection was The Pilgrim’s Progress.  Nearby was one of my students named Kayla.  I asked her if she had read it.  Her mom was nearby.  Both were not familiar with the work, so I gave them a slight overview of the story contained therein.  Inside the cover we find a man who we soon come to know as Christian, and follow him as he journeys through life.  Along the way Christian encounters a host of various other characters, “The Worldly Wiseman,” Mr. Money Love,” ”Hopeful,” and others.  Upon leaving the store, Kayla took home the copy.  I saw that she brought it along with her to FirstLight this past Sunday.

As my dog and I enjoyed the weather today (around 70 degrees and sunny) I took along my copy of this book and read aloud the opening verse, and was blessed.  I hope you too have friends like John Bunyan who are able to bless you with poetry and prose.

Read Full Post »