CCM's Generation Next

Gungor (the band) was in town for a show Friday, at a beautiful local venue called Hoyt Sherman place. It's a one-time mansion

converted now into a public space for the arts and civic business.  

The theatre has been nicely restored, and was pretty packed out for the show (at least on the main floor; the balcony was closed off).

The band was great. And let me tell you, this is not your father's Contemporary Christian Music. (Believe me, I know. I AM your father's age. The CCM I grew up with was pablum in comparison. Except for Larry Norman, of course. He was CCM's anti-hero.)

Gungor had the quirkiness of the Decemberists, the breadth of style of The New Pornographers, and a vocal duo that recalled the sound of Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova from Once. Their single, long set was a 4 part drama that ran from Creation, to Fall, to The Bride, to (Re)creation. Outstanding.

It was even more amazing considering that I went high school with the front man's father and his uncle (even played in a rock band with them in my senior year). I'm sure they had a bit of influence on Michael Gungor, the band's leader and namesake.

It was a balmy March evening, and a great night to stroll around the grounds with wife, son and a 20-something mutual friend in tow.

Next up... arena football! :)

3/17

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paddy was a saint
celebrate his heritage
get your irish on


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These 4 guys walk into a bar...

... two Catholics, a Mormon, and a Baptist.

(It's a theology bar, mind you. I am a Seminarian, after all. I drink deep of ideas.)

So the bartender asks the Catholics: "You first, fellas. How do you like your theology?"

"Cafeteria style!" says the first Catholic. "Nothing I like better than a big spread of robust ideas to choose from. I can debate the merits of each and every one! You can probably tell by my shape that I've had plenty over the years."

The second Catholic furrows his brow and says, "Well, I like red meat, but it is Lent... Hm, can I see a menu for Evangelicals as well as one for Catholics? I like some of both, depending on how they play to the voters I'm with at the time. It's fusion style theology, you could say."

The bartender turns to the Mormon and asks: "What about you, sir? Got a special favorite?"

"Actually, yes", says the Mormon. "I'm a fan of everything positive and forward-looking, with strong flavors of achievement. Oh, and an extra helping of success on the side, please. Anything achieved in this life bodes well for the next, you know."

Finally the bartender turns to the quiet older gentleman in the group and asks: "Well, pops, what's your pleasure?"

"Oh, let's see here... I kind of like the looks of that 'autonomy special' you've got there - the one with equal helpings of freedom and responsibility tossed in a dressing of grace and humility. That sounds pretty good to me."

"Coming right up!" says the bartender.

"No, no... no need to do anything special with some fancy presentation or anything. Why don't you just bring out the ingredients, and... I'll just fix it up for myself. I sorta like it that way."

No Baptist in the White House for me, thanks...

... I'm a Republican, you know. We don't go in for their kind.

Huh, you say? Yeah, me, too. I don't get that either. Here's why:

So, the GOP has four remaining presidential candidates left: two Catholics, a Mormon, and a Baptist.

Guess which one the Christian right won't support? The born-again evangelical Baptist! Follow the link and see.

It's amazing to me how personal ideology (and party loyalty!) trump theology every time.

Pi Day

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circular constant
three point one four one five nine
ad infinitum


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Committees and Conventions

I respectfully say "ugh" to both. Two weeks ago, I attended my first meeting of the county GOP Central Committee as a voting member. It was amazing to me how much of a pep-rally rah-rah "look-how-great-WE-are-compared-to-THEM" session it was. Applause for every mumbling statement any speaker made, passing the bucket for donations, promotion of candidates for local offices, special mention of special guests (and what it was that made them special, I'm not sure), reminders of upcoming fundraisers, and so on. It was pretty much like this: take the local Rotary Club or Kiwanis, subtract the helpful philanthropy and add some inflated rhetoric.

Then today, more of the same at the County Convention, just increased by a factor of 10, directed to an audience of over 500. Even more speakers doing self-promotion, even more fundraising (through bucket-passing and delegate "fees"), and even more preachy, inflated rhetoric (against all opponents, foreign and domestic), amid much cheering. I hope that at the upcoming District Convention, it will be more professional and less stridently partisan, but... I doubt it.

Still, I will hold my nose and do my part. Eventually, the delegates will count - in Tampa in August. It's looking more and more like the decision on a presidential candidate will happen there, and so I'll take my Pauline effort as far as I can. Anything to tone down the belligerent rhetoric and change the direction of this party.

Growing Up

In DC501 this term, we have discussed how different age cohorts learn and how their brains function. The table below is kind of a composite of several authors' views on what central focus drives which age cohort when it comes to learning.

Age Group                                                           Focus of Attention

0 - 10
Parents

11 - 14
Peers

15 - 19
Self

20 - 24
Self + Others

25+
Self in Larger World

It can somewhat be summarized by whose preferences have the most influence on you. First, your parents' preferences rule, then those of your peers do.  Then as you carve out your individual niche in life, your self-identity, your own preferences take center stage. As you further mature, others' preferences (family, co-workers, community, society) emerge as important, too, and command your attention.

The transition from self to others as your guiding and motivating force is a difficult one.  It's often coincident with the transition from school to the working world, and the simultaneous transition from others providing for you, to you providing for yourself.  In college, preferences still matter, although perhaps not as much as in high school. But as college gives way to career, personal preferences don't matter nearly as much as social preferences do.

Personal preferences must yield to personal responsibilities (which means attending to the preferences of others). That is what marks transition to adulthood, when your sense of responsibility to others, and your place in the larger society around you, take priority over your preferences. When you let go of what you WANT to do, and embrace what you NEED to do (and SHOULD do), that's maturity.

march

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now it can begin
putting off winter for spring
this month of new life


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