Christian Fourth of July

One must love this church's civil religion.

Sad Tonight

I do not know if I am actually sad or sentimental. Whenever I log into Facebook it seems like I step into another person's experience. Couple with my friend's JoAnn's CD playing, I feel like I am lost in another world. It is a fond world that I miss but to which I can never return.

Example of Church

I really am struggling with my inability to find a good church home. Let me give you an example. We have been visiting this church in the neighborhood pretty regularly, but it is just not really for. For one, the worship is too unintentional; and I neither of us fine the preaching particularly insightful. However, being selfish, we visit there because it is close. Sunday - being the last week of the quarter and good Baptists - the church apparently celebrated The Lord's Supper; I say that because no a word was mentioned until the very end of the sermon, and it almost was used as a sermon prop. There was no reverence, explanation of its significance or intention. I was embarrassed and felt unholy even participating in such a remembrance. I think it is a function of too many "how to do" church books and seminars have gotten so far away from Christian authenticity to be unrecognizable.

I am frustrated because I am in a real pickle. The church were we feel most comfortable is an Anglican church in a nearby town. I feel, however, to leave "the Baptist church" I will be sacrificing any future career opportunities in ministry or denominational affairs. We're struggling with what to do.

Finding a Church

It has been more than a year since we left our church home; but we still struggle to find a church where we fit. It is very frustrating. I still have a lot of Baptist sensibilities - particularly immersion - so it is a struggle to leave the tradition. All the Baptists here are the same, however: worshiptainment. Every church is in a dark room with a 45-minute concert followed by a usually poor sermon about some practical aspect of life. Rarely do messages challenge me or worship make me feel in the presence of God. Just a vent really ...

The Battle of Special Interest Groups

The saga of Grey's Anatomy actors Isaiah Washington offers a new opportunity to consider the battles of being offended when two special interest groups collide. Washington called gay co-star T.R. Knight a "fag," and the resulting firestorm got Washington fired. This would not be a story except that Washington is black.

Normally, as Don Imus demonstrated, if a white, straight guy offends a special interest group, he's toast; but who wins in special interest group versus special interest group? Frankly, I am shocked - I thought Washington's blackness would save him. Somewhere "fag" got elevated to the same status as "nigger," which is the most egregious ethnic slur. I did not get the memo ... I thought nothing was on that level ... and rightfully so.

Tensions between gay and black special interest groups is not new. The latter resents the former attempting to piggy back on the civil rights bandwagon and to equate the experiences of gays with those of blacks - a poor comparison at best. Regardless, in a new world where free speech rarely reigns, we should see more similar incidents.

Fun with Race

The only thing more fun than making light of political correctness is making light of all the phony P.C. nature of fabricated racial outrage.

Lewis Hamilton, recently won his first Formula One race and American media widely reported he was the first African-American to win a Formula One race. The only problem - Mr. Hamilton is British. The media, however, as it often does, is so concerned with being P.C. that it will obscure the truth. I just find it funny.

On a side note, I do not understand the definition of "black." I guess if you have any black immediate ancestors, you are considered de facto black. I just think it is unfair that, for example, our Asian friends are denied the racial glory of Tiger Woods, who is half Asian. Isn't Mr. Woods the best Asian golfer in history? Incidentally, Mr. Hamilton, like Barack Obama, Hale Berry, Beyonce, etc., is only half African-American.

Oh, for the day when we're no longer obsessed with race and labels ...

Flushing the Outhouse

Marty Duren, host of the SBC Outpost, decided to shut down his omnipresent news-blog site. He is going back to school to get his education and wants to spend more time with his children. Frankly, I am happy to see that. Although I do not know Marty, he seems like a decent guy. Many of the famous SBC bloggers are in it for themselves. Some are political animals and always have been more into politics than pastoring. They saw an opportunity to gain some power and jumped on the chance to get their names in the press. Others were sycophants to Paige Patterson and others and later turned on their mentors when they did not get a key appointment.

It is my opinion that politics - particularly in church and in the SBC - poisons the sole. All the fundamentalist leaders sold their souls to the devil for power, prestige and wealth. I am glad to see Marty not take this road. So much of our energy as a denomination is spend fighting and fussing it is just a shame. I am glad to see more pastors focused on pastoring and less on politics.

Criswell and Abortion Part 2

Before time gets away from me, I wanted to conclude the post below about fundamentalist pope W.A. Criswell, former pastor of FBC-Dallas, and abortion. Criswell reportedly told a group of doctors he would favor abortion only in the case where a white woman was raped by a black man.

Criswell's view really does not flummox me. It is inline with his generally attitudes about these things. What intrigues me is that it is another example where theology and politics collide for the fundamentalist - and politics always win. I have always been intrigued how people who purport to believe so much in the Bible in many cases fail to live like it. I think in Criswell's view we find the answer.

When fundamentalists say they are conservative and believe the Bible, that really is a cultural-political statement more than a theological one. Conservative means not that they hold a particularly high view of Scripture but hold a very high view of American - and usually Southern - culture. They seek to conserve and preserve a particular way of life. And Criswell shows it. For all the pomp and circumstance about theology and abortion, all that goes out the window when it collides with one's own views of race and place. Again, politics trump theology.

As I close this post, I hope to close any thoughts about fundamentalists, who have generally been rendered completely irrelevant. As the Southern Baptist Convention opens this week in San Antonio, one must ask: "what if there was a big church meeting and no one cared?" I think we are seeing the last gasps of the SBC as we know it - as the political/cultural/denominational force it once was. There may be a resolution to encourage churches to report truthful membership numbers. That will never happen because leaders know they would lose the "largest Protestant denomination" title.

Oh well ... the beat goes on but not for much longer.

Don and Patty

I know I am like five years too late, but I have never been trendy and always a late adopter; but I just started Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz, the evangelical pop spirituality du juor. So far, it has not disappointed. I suspect everyone who might happen across the blog has read it, so I'll spare the review. I am about half way through. Although I have read better writers, I enjoy Miller's content as he describes his coming to terms with his faith and eschewing Christianity for Christian spirituality.

He convicted me as he talked about the churches he dislikes. While he outlined the features of the churches that literally have made him sick, he noted that God loves them too and not to be a smarmy, judgmental church snob ... as I have tended to be.

For example, yesterday the family tried a new church. Lo and behold, it was most of the other churches in the neighborhood we had tried: Thirty minute pop concert, thirty minute non-biblical, practical sermon all in a dark, dank concert hall. This church was slightly different in the personable nature of the pastor and the staff. The pastor greeted everyone as they walked in and seemed genuine. His kind nature made it easier to forgive him for turning the Shema into a parenting guide ... no wonder we make our Jewish brothers nervous. We deconstruct possibly the most holiest of Hebrew Scriptures and turn it into three steps for raising an child to have an A+ Life.

But like Don says, I am not going to be a jerk but just respect the fact that other churches are different. Speaking of, I did not realize from Patty to pipes how many guys from seminary were Donald Miller starter kits. I laughed out loud as he talked about listening to Patty and smoking a pipe on his porch talking about things ... I smiled thinking of some of my buddies from seminary. I wondered why Patty and pipes are popular among the theological crowd - I am a little sad to see the man behind the curtain.

Speaking of Part II ... got to see my first Patty show last night. She seems like such a fun, sweet person. The show was great despite a very short set list that featured few old standards. She is just so darn pleasant you want to hang out with her. Maybe more on that later.


a strange bit of coincidence

A Snapshot of a Fundamentalist's Heart

First, some background ... a colleague is getting Lasik eye surgery from a local physician. She is the kind of woman who can get anyone to open up to her, and as a devoted Christian often gets folks to discuss their faith. So she was having a consultation with a the local Lasik physician, who to this point she had called "the Robot" due to his clinics manufacturing-style operations and his typical doctor's demeanor (Patch Adams he ain't). But yesterday they began to talk about many things - the Christian physicians' organization, abortion, euthanasia, and the doctor's own experience with his mother's long road to eternal rest. He admitted that being a physician he kept her alive via medical procedures long after she wanted to live and she spent her final years in pain and suffering.

Anyway, they discussed abortion. He told a story about a meeting of a group of urologists he had attended years ago ... my colleague shares a last name with an apparently famous urologist. A speaker at this meeting was none other than W.A. Criswell, famous fundamentalist pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas.

W.A. said two shocking things:
1. He was for abortion in one case
2. That case was if a black man raped a white woman

I'll let you digest that for a bit before further commenting.

Stop Down for a Pet Peeve

Okay, I'm going to get in trouble with my one female fan ... two things converge in this post that irritate me - the butchering of the English language (and social decorum in general) and the wussification/feminization of American.

My wife and I are expecting a baby; but, we are not pregnant. Despite the sizable gut that hangs over my shoes, it is all fat no baby. We are not pregnant. She is pregnant. This "we're pregnant" irritates me. One, it simply is factually incorrect. Pregnancy is a medical term describing a state of zygote/fetal gestation. Only women and Arnold Schwartzenegger can become pregnant. So in not case are "we pregnant" when speaking of couples, yes even lesbians (unless each is pregnant simultaneously). "We are expecting a baby" however. I certainly am expecting a baby to arrive in August and not Chinese food or pizza.

I think this is the continual wussification of men whereby they get sucked into all this feminine mystique ... I do not know if this is correct, but I know we're not pregnant.

JPR Says Sayonara

The Waco and Baylor ecclesiastical world had a bomb dropped on it - the inevitable departure of Julie Pennington-Russell from Calvary Baptist Church. Under Julie's tenure, Calvary became the church du jour of Truett faculty and students. We visited a few times, but it was just too trendy for us.

This will be an interesting case study to see whether Calvary can hang on to its momentum without the kitsch of a female pastor. There are lots of great people there, but 99% of them leave in the suburbs and commute in for church. There are so many good churches in Waco, it will be tough to compete. As we were leaving, it seemed like Dayspring was growing in trendiness among Baylor religion/philosophy majors and Truett students.

I do not begrudge Julie at all for leaving - I would have done the same thing; but it is always sad to see the ladder-climbing phenomenon. There really is no good, alternative system. I guess people on both sides of the spectrum are not so different after all.

The folks over at the Outhouse are really working themselves up into a tizzy as the SBC Convention looms. I wonder what all these pastors did before they blogged all day. Few of them pastor large churches, so maybe there is not a lot to do ... but sure more sermon preparation time is valuable (I have read some of the exegeses over there, trust me).

It is easy to throw stones. I acknowledge that. I am just fascinated by the perpetual state of political chaos that seems to surround the SBC. I just wonder how much more for the Kingdom could be done if more time were spent visiting the sick and the lost or feeding the poor. Clearly, many of these once-unknown pastors haver turned blogging into celebrity status. Good for them. It is nice at least to see a little egalitarianism break into the good-ole boys network. One can see lots of jockeying on both sides - fundamentalist and really fundamentalist - for positions of future power plays.