You would think that, growing up in the late 60's / early 70's, I would've gone to a big arena rock show sometime. Nope. Growing up in a town of under 3,000 people, and going to college in cities not much larger, not once have I been to a true 10,000+ concert.
Yes, last year I went to a few shows here at local auditoriums and theaters, and many were great concerts. But with audiences of under 5,000 you can hardly call it arena rock. Heck, I've sung solos in front of over 1,000 people, so I understand this dynamic.
It's just not the same as having an entire sports stadium full of people, no empty seats, and rocking to what's on the stage. Even the Obama rally in June of 2008 was more like that..
So, tonight - it's real live outdoor arena rock like nothing else. A true superstar group, on (what I'm assuming is) one of their last big tours, in a truly enormous venue: Soldier Field in Chicago.
Crank it up, boys... it's worth the 7 hour drive. I can't wait. :)
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Strange Dream
I usually don't remember dreams, even after they wake me in the night. But this one ... wow. Sometimes I will wake with poetry fully formed in my head, and have to get up to write it down, but I've never had a dream like this. And there was no going back to sleep afterwards, either. I had to get up and think.
So at 3:30AM in the morning I wake, fully lucid and dead calm, vividly remembering that I had just emptied the contents of a service revolver directly into...
Well, let me set the stage.
In my dream I am the President of the United States (wearing a custom-tailored brown/olive suit, which I must say looks pretty darn good on me). Yesterday I was informed that Osama Bin Laden and his second-in-command, Sheik Al-Zakawri (or whatever his name is, I forget - I'll just call him Big Al), have been taken alive in Pakistan, and are en route to the US under heavy guard. The general public does not know yet.
Immediately I call for the Cabinet to assemble, along with key leaders of Congress and the Supreme Court justices, whoever can be found (after all, it is summer break) and hustled to Washington in about 12 hours. The press is simply shut out, cold.
Roughly 8 hours later I am in an interrogation room with Osama and Big Al, with cameras rolling. We show them footage of the 9/11 attacks and ask through interpreters if they claim responsibility for the destruction and the deaths of innocent people. They do, proudly - at times launching into a diatribe against the Great Satan. After this, they are offered the opportunity to refresh and get presentable.
Four hours later, those invitees who could make it are hastily assembled in a room in the White House normally used for receptions. Chairs are arranged in a semi-circle facing a wall with a door. Two wide screen monitors are set up to face the group, and White House press corps cameras begin to record the proceedings.
I have the footage of 9/11 begin rolling on the monitors. And I address the group (giving this speech, which was fully formed in my head as I woke), like this:
"What is justice? Who is responsible for ensuring it? We hear cries for justice for the poor & oppressed, along with expectations that government should make it happen. We hear cries against leniency for violent criminals, expecting that the government should dispense justice on behalf of the innocent victims.
"The State bears responsibility for justice in this life; God bears it ... in the next. We do the best we can here and now at doing what's right and just, given our human limitations. And we ask God for forgiveness should our efforts be too weak, or too heavy-handed.
"I hear the words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount echo in my head - turn the other cheek, love your enemies, go the extra mile, do not seek vengeance. But to whom was He speaking? Heads of state? Military commanders? I think ... no. He spoke to individuals. Regular people with regular enemies and regular persecutors. That's the context of His remarks.
"What instruction did He give emperors, and generals in time of war? None. Other writers in the Bible spoke to those things: the King does not bear the sword for nothing; the King is both directed by God and subject to God's judgement. Ladies and Gentlemen, today we face the awful responsibility peculiar to state and military, of dispensing justice against criminals and combatants."
"Too often commanders sit in secure, distant offices and order young men and women to engage the enemy, resulting in death on all sides. But the commanders never engage the enemy directly. Judges sit behind a bench and pronounce sentence, but never help guards and prison staff carry it out, never see the effects on the criminal's family. Not today. Not this time.
(At this point I nodded to an aide, and in come Osama and Big Al, hands secured, but otherwise unfettered. They are seated against the wall, while the 9/11 footage keeps rolling. Then I nodded again, and the video switched to their confessions in the interrogation room. We all watched, an interpreter translating their rants.)
"I'm confident that nearly every one of you, and the vast majority of our fellow citizens, would have had no problems if news reports had stated definitively that these two Al Qaida leaders had been positively identified as killed by missile fire in an attack on their compound. In fact, I dare say that in parts of this country there would be rejoicing and a feeling that justice had been done, that we had just become a lot safer, having broken the back of Al Qaida.
"But here they sit, waiting on our actions today. What do we do in our role as the state and the military? Defer to the world court, or look to the UN for justice? Establish a war crimes tribunal? Hold them as enemy combatants without benefit of trial? Apply harsh interrogation techniques? What exactly is justice in wartime? What does it look like? Is it different on the battlefield than in the White House? And yet, didn't they bring the battlefield to New York City and Washington, DC? In a sense, we are sitting on the battlefield, here and now. We are engaging the enemy.
"Many of us in this room approach God through a Judeo-Christian framework. These men approach God through an Islamic framework. I have been taught to forgive others as I have been forgiven. And as an individual, I can, and I do. But as commander-in-chief of an army at war with these men? As head of state, charged with protecting law-abiding citizens?
(and here I turn to the prisoners and say, through the interpreter, "Say your prayers, as I will say mine.")
"God, you who forgave King David of so much bloodshed, forgive these men of their bloodshed...
So at 3:30AM in the morning I wake, fully lucid and dead calm, vividly remembering that I had just emptied the contents of a service revolver directly into...
Well, let me set the stage.
In my dream I am the President of the United States (wearing a custom-tailored brown/olive suit, which I must say looks pretty darn good on me). Yesterday I was informed that Osama Bin Laden and his second-in-command, Sheik Al-Zakawri (or whatever his name is, I forget - I'll just call him Big Al), have been taken alive in Pakistan, and are en route to the US under heavy guard. The general public does not know yet.
Immediately I call for the Cabinet to assemble, along with key leaders of Congress and the Supreme Court justices, whoever can be found (after all, it is summer break) and hustled to Washington in about 12 hours. The press is simply shut out, cold.
Roughly 8 hours later I am in an interrogation room with Osama and Big Al, with cameras rolling. We show them footage of the 9/11 attacks and ask through interpreters if they claim responsibility for the destruction and the deaths of innocent people. They do, proudly - at times launching into a diatribe against the Great Satan. After this, they are offered the opportunity to refresh and get presentable.
Four hours later, those invitees who could make it are hastily assembled in a room in the White House normally used for receptions. Chairs are arranged in a semi-circle facing a wall with a door. Two wide screen monitors are set up to face the group, and White House press corps cameras begin to record the proceedings.
I have the footage of 9/11 begin rolling on the monitors. And I address the group (giving this speech, which was fully formed in my head as I woke), like this:
"What is justice? Who is responsible for ensuring it? We hear cries for justice for the poor & oppressed, along with expectations that government should make it happen. We hear cries against leniency for violent criminals, expecting that the government should dispense justice on behalf of the innocent victims.
"The State bears responsibility for justice in this life; God bears it ... in the next. We do the best we can here and now at doing what's right and just, given our human limitations. And we ask God for forgiveness should our efforts be too weak, or too heavy-handed.
"I hear the words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount echo in my head - turn the other cheek, love your enemies, go the extra mile, do not seek vengeance. But to whom was He speaking? Heads of state? Military commanders? I think ... no. He spoke to individuals. Regular people with regular enemies and regular persecutors. That's the context of His remarks.
"What instruction did He give emperors, and generals in time of war? None. Other writers in the Bible spoke to those things: the King does not bear the sword for nothing; the King is both directed by God and subject to God's judgement. Ladies and Gentlemen, today we face the awful responsibility peculiar to state and military, of dispensing justice against criminals and combatants."
"Too often commanders sit in secure, distant offices and order young men and women to engage the enemy, resulting in death on all sides. But the commanders never engage the enemy directly. Judges sit behind a bench and pronounce sentence, but never help guards and prison staff carry it out, never see the effects on the criminal's family. Not today. Not this time.
(At this point I nodded to an aide, and in come Osama and Big Al, hands secured, but otherwise unfettered. They are seated against the wall, while the 9/11 footage keeps rolling. Then I nodded again, and the video switched to their confessions in the interrogation room. We all watched, an interpreter translating their rants.)
"I'm confident that nearly every one of you, and the vast majority of our fellow citizens, would have had no problems if news reports had stated definitively that these two Al Qaida leaders had been positively identified as killed by missile fire in an attack on their compound. In fact, I dare say that in parts of this country there would be rejoicing and a feeling that justice had been done, that we had just become a lot safer, having broken the back of Al Qaida.
"But here they sit, waiting on our actions today. What do we do in our role as the state and the military? Defer to the world court, or look to the UN for justice? Establish a war crimes tribunal? Hold them as enemy combatants without benefit of trial? Apply harsh interrogation techniques? What exactly is justice in wartime? What does it look like? Is it different on the battlefield than in the White House? And yet, didn't they bring the battlefield to New York City and Washington, DC? In a sense, we are sitting on the battlefield, here and now. We are engaging the enemy.
"Many of us in this room approach God through a Judeo-Christian framework. These men approach God through an Islamic framework. I have been taught to forgive others as I have been forgiven. And as an individual, I can, and I do. But as commander-in-chief of an army at war with these men? As head of state, charged with protecting law-abiding citizens?
(and here I turn to the prisoners and say, through the interpreter, "Say your prayers, as I will say mine.")
"God, you who forgave King David of so much bloodshed, forgive these men of their bloodshed...
...and me of mine."
I ask the military escort for his sidearm. Without hesitating, I fire POP! POP! POP! into Osama, and POP! POP! POP! into Big Al, each getting one in the head & two in the heart. Ten seconds total elapsed time. I return the sidearm, face the stunned group, and say:
"Let the record show that, on behalf of our innocent civilians killed on 9/11: justice was done today - in this life. And we pray that God will dispense both justice AND mercy in the next life - to all of us."
and then I woke up. And I immediately wanted to know what happened next, in the room, in the press, around the world. But I couldn't go back to it - I just couldn't.
I've been asking myself since then... how could I have thought this through so clearly in my sleep? Is this what I really believe? Is this my version of justice? Or just a crazy, crazy Harrison-Ford-Tom-Clancy-movie-drama dream? I'd like to just forget this whole thing. Ugh.
"Let the record show that, on behalf of our innocent civilians killed on 9/11: justice was done today - in this life. And we pray that God will dispense both justice AND mercy in the next life - to all of us."
and then I woke up. And I immediately wanted to know what happened next, in the room, in the press, around the world. But I couldn't go back to it - I just couldn't.
I've been asking myself since then... how could I have thought this through so clearly in my sleep? Is this what I really believe? Is this my version of justice? Or just a crazy, crazy Harrison-Ford-Tom-Clancy-movie-drama dream? I'd like to just forget this whole thing. Ugh.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Some doctor YOU are!
So here I was having a perfectly nice weekend enjoying seeing several old familiar friends and hanging out in old familiar places, when I my old familiar doctor has to go and tell me......
that I need to run twice as much.
Twice as much!
What, are you kidding? I hate running! So the blood pressure's up a LITTLE bit, along with cholesterol, triglycerides, weight, blah, blah, blah. What's that got to do with running?
A lot, she says. Do you want to go back on all the meds we just took you off of a year ago?
No, I says. No, I don't.
Run, then, she says.
Okay, I says.
You have 6 months, she says.
Okay, I says.
I'm serious, she says. Or it's back on the meds you go.
OKAY, ALREADY! I says.
(actually it was much more civil than that, but I felt like yelling on the inside. Easy for you to recommend, Doc, you who avow that you love running and are also built like a pencil. I am not built like a pencil (more like a fridge) and I hate running. But I suppose I do hate taking all that medication more. Grrr...)
Doctors. Why do they have to be right about stuff like exercise?
that I need to run twice as much.
Twice as much!
What, are you kidding? I hate running! So the blood pressure's up a LITTLE bit, along with cholesterol, triglycerides, weight, blah, blah, blah. What's that got to do with running?
A lot, she says. Do you want to go back on all the meds we just took you off of a year ago?
No, I says. No, I don't.
Run, then, she says.
Okay, I says.
You have 6 months, she says.
Okay, I says.
I'm serious, she says. Or it's back on the meds you go.
OKAY, ALREADY! I says.
(actually it was much more civil than that, but I felt like yelling on the inside. Easy for you to recommend, Doc, you who avow that you love running and are also built like a pencil. I am not built like a pencil (more like a fridge) and I hate running. But I suppose I do hate taking all that medication more. Grrr...)
Doctors. Why do they have to be right about stuff like exercise?
Saturday, September 05, 2009
And they're off!
After a successful shift as volunteers at the Minnesota Grape Growers Assn's state fair booth,
followed by indulgent adventures in deep-fried consumables on the midway last night
(and some vintage classic brass blues-rock in the Leinie Lodge bandshell by Blood Sweat & Tears),
it's now time to head Southwest for rest of the Labor Day weekend.
En route to SE Wisconsin we'll experience some Shakespeare theatre, and while there visiting old haunts & old friends, take in a couple of pro baseball games to boot.
The ostensible reason for the trip is a semi-annual visit with my endocrinologist (preceded by some blood draws - oh boy, oh boy!),
but I guess if I have to drive all this way to get poked and analyzed... I might as well have fun on the way.
Pictures to follow mid-next-week. Arrivederci!
followed by indulgent adventures in deep-fried consumables on the midway last night
(and some vintage classic brass blues-rock in the Leinie Lodge bandshell by Blood Sweat & Tears),
it's now time to head Southwest for rest of the Labor Day weekend.
En route to SE Wisconsin we'll experience some Shakespeare theatre, and while there visiting old haunts & old friends, take in a couple of pro baseball games to boot.
The ostensible reason for the trip is a semi-annual visit with my endocrinologist (preceded by some blood draws - oh boy, oh boy!),
but I guess if I have to drive all this way to get poked and analyzed... I might as well have fun on the way.
Pictures to follow mid-next-week. Arrivederci!
Thursday, September 03, 2009
twinge
.
conscience intruding
calling this sub-optimal
foretaste of regret
.
I don't know how it works with you, but my conscience seems to take a different approach with me now than it did in my twenties. Back then, everything in life was more black & white just in general, and my categories were clear-cut and firm. And so, when my conscience spoke, it was more like a scream, something along the lines of "Unclean! Unclean! What you are considering is an offense to all that is right and good! Stop now, lest you die!"
Now, my conscience tends to give me a gentle poke in the ribs, or a subtle kick under the table. Or maybe it's like the warning beep on the dog's electronic collar, telling him as he's chasing that rabbit that he's getting a little close to the edge of the yard, and he may not like what happens when he gets there. (!)
Whatever analogy works better, the upshot of it is that my categories aren't as precise as they were when I was younger. There are more shades of grey in life now (including a few on my scalp), and so my conscience tends to speak in terms of what is better or worse:
"um, just a sec, there, buddy... you know, this may not be the best idea. Isn't there a better approach you could take here?"
It's a bit like this specialized area of math & statistics called "fuzzy logic". Instead of sorting red apples and green apples into two distinct categories, and as a result having to determine apple-by-apple whether it's more red than green, instead you answer the question "just how red is this apple?" 30%? 65%? 100%? Then, you analyze your whole population of apples to see just how red your basketful is. Then if Mom asks you to "go pick some apples, Bobby, and be sure they're not too green...", you can fill a bushel and not have to sweat each and every apple's precise coloration balance.
I think my conscience functions more like that now. It used to be: if an apple has any green on it, I simply can't pick it, or I'll get yelled at. Now, it's: how much green is TOO much green, my whole basket of apples considered?
And so, when that twinge of conscience pokes me, I think... ok, I know this action is less than ideal. I get that. So how much less is it? Just how sub-optimal? How green is this apple? Just enough to assure a little crispness and tang? Or enough to give me a full-scale bellyache if I indulge? I might also have a different standard of acceptability for, say, wormy-ness in apples, than I have for green-ness.
Need I go on with this analogy? I suppose you get my drift. :)
conscience intruding
calling this sub-optimal
foretaste of regret
.
I don't know how it works with you, but my conscience seems to take a different approach with me now than it did in my twenties. Back then, everything in life was more black & white just in general, and my categories were clear-cut and firm. And so, when my conscience spoke, it was more like a scream, something along the lines of "Unclean! Unclean! What you are considering is an offense to all that is right and good! Stop now, lest you die!"
Now, my conscience tends to give me a gentle poke in the ribs, or a subtle kick under the table. Or maybe it's like the warning beep on the dog's electronic collar, telling him as he's chasing that rabbit that he's getting a little close to the edge of the yard, and he may not like what happens when he gets there. (!)
Whatever analogy works better, the upshot of it is that my categories aren't as precise as they were when I was younger. There are more shades of grey in life now (including a few on my scalp), and so my conscience tends to speak in terms of what is better or worse:
"um, just a sec, there, buddy... you know, this may not be the best idea. Isn't there a better approach you could take here?"
It's a bit like this specialized area of math & statistics called "fuzzy logic". Instead of sorting red apples and green apples into two distinct categories, and as a result having to determine apple-by-apple whether it's more red than green, instead you answer the question "just how red is this apple?" 30%? 65%? 100%? Then, you analyze your whole population of apples to see just how red your basketful is. Then if Mom asks you to "go pick some apples, Bobby, and be sure they're not too green...", you can fill a bushel and not have to sweat each and every apple's precise coloration balance.
I think my conscience functions more like that now. It used to be: if an apple has any green on it, I simply can't pick it, or I'll get yelled at. Now, it's: how much green is TOO much green, my whole basket of apples considered?
And so, when that twinge of conscience pokes me, I think... ok, I know this action is less than ideal. I get that. So how much less is it? Just how sub-optimal? How green is this apple? Just enough to assure a little crispness and tang? Or enough to give me a full-scale bellyache if I indulge? I might also have a different standard of acceptability for, say, wormy-ness in apples, than I have for green-ness.
Need I go on with this analogy? I suppose you get my drift. :)
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Two year increments
That's about how long my assignments at work have lasted, until I'm put into a new position (or cut loose to go find one...) Some have been a little longer, some shorter, but mostly a couple of years each.
And I think: right about that time you have reached a point where you're fairly effective. The first 6 months is a steep learning curve; the next 6 you figure out what's really important and necessary. In the second year, you start to add value, make the job your own, and -
Bye! Off you go, now. There's a good fellow.
So, right on time... two weeks before my second anniversary at this company... a new position arrives today (and a new learning curve begins). It comes complete with a new boss, a new title, a new focus, a new team. But it also has: a couple of old coworkers, the same old salary and grade, the same old work location (my den - yay!), and the same old office to visit when I need to go there in person. And, I use my same old expertise, but apply it in a wholly new way. It's a nice blend of the familiar and the unfamiliar.
In theory, this is a good thing. Especially since they completely sold off the unit I worked in before, and if they had sold me with it... I'd be on my way to Cleveland. Argh.
Now if this position also lasts a couple more years, then I might actually be able to harvest some wine grapes from my vines (and finish grad school!) before moving again! That would be sweet (...even if the wine is dry.)
And I think: right about that time you have reached a point where you're fairly effective. The first 6 months is a steep learning curve; the next 6 you figure out what's really important and necessary. In the second year, you start to add value, make the job your own, and -
Bye! Off you go, now. There's a good fellow.
So, right on time... two weeks before my second anniversary at this company... a new position arrives today (and a new learning curve begins). It comes complete with a new boss, a new title, a new focus, a new team. But it also has: a couple of old coworkers, the same old salary and grade, the same old work location (my den - yay!), and the same old office to visit when I need to go there in person. And, I use my same old expertise, but apply it in a wholly new way. It's a nice blend of the familiar and the unfamiliar.
In theory, this is a good thing. Especially since they completely sold off the unit I worked in before, and if they had sold me with it... I'd be on my way to Cleveland. Argh.
Now if this position also lasts a couple more years, then I might actually be able to harvest some wine grapes from my vines (and finish grad school!) before moving again! That would be sweet (...even if the wine is dry.)
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Mixing & Mingling
The fountains mingle with the river,
And the rivers with the ocean;
The winds of heaven mix forever,
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one another's being mingle: -
Why not I with thine?
----- Percy Bysshe Shelley
"All our reasoning ends in surrender to feeling."
----- Blaise Pascal
Friday, August 28, 2009
Yet Another Take on Love
With my last TS670 paper written and sent to the prof, I've gleefully embarked on my month of recreational reading. September is the entr'acte between Summer and Fall terms, and I plan to fill it with a lilting intermezzo of emotional and non-scholarly books. Fa la la.
The first of which is "Why We Love" by Helen Fisher, an anthropologist who teaches at Rutgers. She dug into the brain chemistry of people in madly in love, or recently rejected by a lover. MRI technology allowed her to see the areas of the brain stimulated by those feelings and analyze what produces the highs and lows, the obsessive behavior, the passionate craving, the calm attachment, the crushing depression.
(okay, maybe it's a little scholarly. pop science.)
The cocktail of chemicals at work include dopamine, norepenephrine, serotonin, oxytocin, vasopressin and testosterone, in varying levels. Yikes! I kind of picture the chemical combinations like a graphic equalizer applied to music... you change the feel of the sound by boosting this range, lowering that one... except when you're in love, someone ELSE is messing with your levels - someone you're crazy about, and whom you hope feels the same!
More on all that later, maybe. For now, I want to summarize a section from the book where the author categorizes types of love according to which of these three main groupings of feelings it contains: passion, intimacy, commitment.
infatuation - passion only, no intimacy or committment
convenience - intimacy only, no committment or passion
dutiful love - committment only, no passion or intimacy
fatuous love - committment plus passion, lacking intimacy
companionate love - committment plus intimacy, lacking passion
romantic love - intimacy plus passion, lacking committment
complete love - intimacy, committment, passion - all active
Interesting take. And hey, who's to argue? After all, in the words of Sir Henry Finck (Queen Victoria's behavioral scientist): "Love is such a tissue of paradoxes, and exists in such a variety of forms and shades, that you may say almost anything about it that you please, and it is likely to be correct."
No kidding. It sure confuses me, that much I know.
Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to go pop some St. John's Wort to raise my serotonin levels; writing about this has me all trippy. Darn that dopamine.
The first of which is "Why We Love" by Helen Fisher, an anthropologist who teaches at Rutgers. She dug into the brain chemistry of people in madly in love, or recently rejected by a lover. MRI technology allowed her to see the areas of the brain stimulated by those feelings and analyze what produces the highs and lows, the obsessive behavior, the passionate craving, the calm attachment, the crushing depression.
(okay, maybe it's a little scholarly. pop science.)
The cocktail of chemicals at work include dopamine, norepenephrine, serotonin, oxytocin, vasopressin and testosterone, in varying levels. Yikes! I kind of picture the chemical combinations like a graphic equalizer applied to music... you change the feel of the sound by boosting this range, lowering that one... except when you're in love, someone ELSE is messing with your levels - someone you're crazy about, and whom you hope feels the same!
More on all that later, maybe. For now, I want to summarize a section from the book where the author categorizes types of love according to which of these three main groupings of feelings it contains: passion, intimacy, commitment.
infatuation - passion only, no intimacy or committment
convenience - intimacy only, no committment or passion
dutiful love - committment only, no passion or intimacy
fatuous love - committment plus passion, lacking intimacy
companionate love - committment plus intimacy, lacking passion
romantic love - intimacy plus passion, lacking committment
complete love - intimacy, committment, passion - all active
Interesting take. And hey, who's to argue? After all, in the words of Sir Henry Finck (Queen Victoria's behavioral scientist): "Love is such a tissue of paradoxes, and exists in such a variety of forms and shades, that you may say almost anything about it that you please, and it is likely to be correct."
No kidding. It sure confuses me, that much I know.
Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to go pop some St. John's Wort to raise my serotonin levels; writing about this has me all trippy. Darn that dopamine.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Attraction
I normally don't write limericks, but..
:)
Ah, the students return to campus this week, like so many migrating birds, and I'm sure as I drive around the grassy and shady grounds this next month, I will, as I did last Fall and in late Spring, see pairs of students on blankets, quietly keeping their own counsel in low whispers. Snuggle away, boys & girls, but let wisdom prevail.
On a blanket beneath the full moon,
Zach and Allie delighted to spoon.
Soon what started as dating
Became copulating
And now she's expecting in June.
:)
Ah, the students return to campus this week, like so many migrating birds, and I'm sure as I drive around the grassy and shady grounds this next month, I will, as I did last Fall and in late Spring, see pairs of students on blankets, quietly keeping their own counsel in low whispers. Snuggle away, boys & girls, but let wisdom prevail.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Stages of (Theological) Consciousness
The book I'm currently reading (and the last one left in my summer independent study class, thank The Lord), is in essence a systematic theology textbook for the postmodern era in which we live.
Modernism ran for about 250 years (from roughly 1700), beginning to crumble after the atrocities of two world wars and the advent of the atomic bomb. It was characterized by scientific ideals from the Enlightenment, and put a high value on individual autonomy (both politically and religiously).
The Premodern era was the preceding period of antiquity running all the way back to ancient Greece. It was characterized by philosophic ideas from Aristotle, Augustine & Aquinas, and put a high value on the authority of law, king, and bishop over the individual.
Postmodernism is only recently born, and is still developing its own ideas from various current sources, while reacting to the failure of Modernism with disillusionment. It places a high value on synergy, the search for meaning, and on community among individuals.
The book in question is "God: The World's Future", by Ted Peters, and in it he mentions three stages of consciousness that we as individuals traverse over time. He also suggests that theology is also going through these same stages. I found them interesting on an individual level as well as theologically.
Stage 1: naive world-creation
Stage 2: critical deconstruction
Stage 3: postcritical reconstruction
In the first stage, we are new at life and are developing organizing principles about it as we go along. We are creating a worldview innocently as life unrolls before us. We come easily to conclusions and beliefs about things, lock them in and hold them, even in the face of sometimes harsh realities.
In the second stage, we discover life is more complex than we thought, and find that our worldview is inadequate and our beliefs have failed us. We then begin to critically tear down what we thought was true, finding the weaknesses and strengths to various beliefs, and make decisions about what is valid and what is not.
In the third stage, we stop the criticism and rebuild our worldview, but no longer from a position of naivete', rather from one of experience and deeper understanding of the world around us and where we fit in it. We take the fragments of stage two and holistically assemble parts together to a synergistic whole that we can sustain (and which can sustain us).
The author relates these stages to the premodern, modern, and postmodern eras, and how theology has developed during each. By way of analogy, he also describes his own personal and theological development. This got me thinking about my own.
Peters says that his first stage of naive world-construction lasted until he hit university, where he began a long period of deconstruction. For me, I think my first stage lasted until roughly age 40, then began to come apart until, at age 45, I began a long period of deconstruction, which I believe I'm still in. It may be nearly over, or may run another 3-5 years, but I think that I'm beginning now to assess the good and bad amongst the fragments of my original naive world-construction. Soon I may be able to see how to put a new worldview and belief system together from the pieces.
It would be great to be able to hit that stage of postcritical reconstruction before I endeavor to enter a classroom and teach anyone anything of eternal consequence.
Modernism ran for about 250 years (from roughly 1700), beginning to crumble after the atrocities of two world wars and the advent of the atomic bomb. It was characterized by scientific ideals from the Enlightenment, and put a high value on individual autonomy (both politically and religiously).
The Premodern era was the preceding period of antiquity running all the way back to ancient Greece. It was characterized by philosophic ideas from Aristotle, Augustine & Aquinas, and put a high value on the authority of law, king, and bishop over the individual.
Postmodernism is only recently born, and is still developing its own ideas from various current sources, while reacting to the failure of Modernism with disillusionment. It places a high value on synergy, the search for meaning, and on community among individuals.
The book in question is "God: The World's Future", by Ted Peters, and in it he mentions three stages of consciousness that we as individuals traverse over time. He also suggests that theology is also going through these same stages. I found them interesting on an individual level as well as theologically.
Stage 1: naive world-creation
Stage 2: critical deconstruction
Stage 3: postcritical reconstruction
In the first stage, we are new at life and are developing organizing principles about it as we go along. We are creating a worldview innocently as life unrolls before us. We come easily to conclusions and beliefs about things, lock them in and hold them, even in the face of sometimes harsh realities.
In the second stage, we discover life is more complex than we thought, and find that our worldview is inadequate and our beliefs have failed us. We then begin to critically tear down what we thought was true, finding the weaknesses and strengths to various beliefs, and make decisions about what is valid and what is not.
In the third stage, we stop the criticism and rebuild our worldview, but no longer from a position of naivete', rather from one of experience and deeper understanding of the world around us and where we fit in it. We take the fragments of stage two and holistically assemble parts together to a synergistic whole that we can sustain (and which can sustain us).
The author relates these stages to the premodern, modern, and postmodern eras, and how theology has developed during each. By way of analogy, he also describes his own personal and theological development. This got me thinking about my own.
Peters says that his first stage of naive world-construction lasted until he hit university, where he began a long period of deconstruction. For me, I think my first stage lasted until roughly age 40, then began to come apart until, at age 45, I began a long period of deconstruction, which I believe I'm still in. It may be nearly over, or may run another 3-5 years, but I think that I'm beginning now to assess the good and bad amongst the fragments of my original naive world-construction. Soon I may be able to see how to put a new worldview and belief system together from the pieces.
It would be great to be able to hit that stage of postcritical reconstruction before I endeavor to enter a classroom and teach anyone anything of eternal consequence.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Fruit!
My vines are really not supposed to have any this year: second-year vines don't bear. In the third year I'll get half a crop, and in the fourth, a full yield (from which, God willing, I'll make wine for my Seminary graduation party the following Spring!
But this year I apparently have one vine that's a bit more lusty than the others. (What can I say? Takes after the vinedresser, I guess...)
So anyway, it's a cute little cluster of 4-5 grapes growing right off the main trunk. I've been watching it all year, wondering what it would do when it hit véraison (the time when the grapes turn color, moving from growing to ripening). And yeah! They're turning, all right.
So, late August. Just before State Fair. That means harvest next year will be early October. Just about right. :)
But this year I apparently have one vine that's a bit more lusty than the others. (What can I say? Takes after the vinedresser, I guess...)
So anyway, it's a cute little cluster of 4-5 grapes growing right off the main trunk. I've been watching it all year, wondering what it would do when it hit véraison (the time when the grapes turn color, moving from growing to ripening). And yeah! They're turning, all right.
So, late August. Just before State Fair. That means harvest next year will be early October. Just about right. :)
Friday, August 21, 2009
Here we go again!
Another climactic event hits the metro area, and theological interpretations abound!
And again, they fall along the lines of Classical Theism (represented by John Piper), and Freewill Theism (represented by Greg Boyd), the two internet-savvy, mega-church pastors in the area who also differed on the 35W bridge collapse of two years ago, and on which topic I just preached in my local church.
This time it's the near-miss of a tornado that ripped through the area where the ELCA was meeting to discuss (among other things) whether or not to allow clergy to be in "committed, life-long, monogamous relationships with a person of the same gender". The links on the pastor's names above point to their blog posts on the subject.
No need for me to comment further. They effectively do justice to their respective theological positions. And one can readily see the appeal of those positions... to widely differing audiences.
And again, they fall along the lines of Classical Theism (represented by John Piper), and Freewill Theism (represented by Greg Boyd), the two internet-savvy, mega-church pastors in the area who also differed on the 35W bridge collapse of two years ago, and on which topic I just preached in my local church.
This time it's the near-miss of a tornado that ripped through the area where the ELCA was meeting to discuss (among other things) whether or not to allow clergy to be in "committed, life-long, monogamous relationships with a person of the same gender". The links on the pastor's names above point to their blog posts on the subject.
No need for me to comment further. They effectively do justice to their respective theological positions. And one can readily see the appeal of those positions... to widely differing audiences.
Whose side are you on?
It wasn't long ago that our President (not the current, but the former) used the phrase "if you're not with us, you're agin' us." He was actually quoting Jesus of Nazareth, just... in a different context: the spread of Democracy vs the spread of the Gospel.
I happen to be on the mailing list for Organizers for America, the remnants of the Obama presidential campaign. They routinely send out letters asking "supporters" to rally for one cause or another of the current President's. And the tone of these emails is remarkably similar to that of the former President. If one disagrees with the President on a policy agenda issue, that person is an "opponent", and "stands in the way of progress".
Ideological fervor on BOTH sides of an issue, from both ends of the political spectrum, can take on religious overtones of zeal or duty or rightness. The problem is, we rarely consult God on the matter. We prefer to "baptize" our already closely held positions and make them holy.
It hearkens back to the words of another President, he of Emancipation and Civil War fame, when speaking of the blood shed between our fellow countrymen:
"Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces; but let us judge not that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered; that of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has his own purposes."
-----Abraham Lincoln, second inaugural address
No foolin' there, Abe. God definitely has His own purposes, and most of the time they ain't ours. This is the reason that I NEVER sing along when "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" is played in church. It too easily invokes the name of God to justify the slaying of our neighbors in a cause of our own anointing.
This whole business reminds me of the Bible passage when Joshua was getting ready to make war on Jericho and start taking the Promised Land. He definitely had an "our side / their side" mentality working for him, and a conviction that God was on his side in the upcoming conflict. However, as he was walking about privately and praying, he had a remarkable encounter with an angel of God:
"Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?"
"Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "What message does my Lord have for his servant?"
The commander of the LORD's army replied, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.
-----Joshua 5:13-15
Would that all of us, when we take up a cause with righteous fervor, would remember to fall on our face and ask God for direction before we criticize our neighbors. A little humilty would get us a lot further in public discourse.
I happen to be on the mailing list for Organizers for America, the remnants of the Obama presidential campaign. They routinely send out letters asking "supporters" to rally for one cause or another of the current President's. And the tone of these emails is remarkably similar to that of the former President. If one disagrees with the President on a policy agenda issue, that person is an "opponent", and "stands in the way of progress".
Ideological fervor on BOTH sides of an issue, from both ends of the political spectrum, can take on religious overtones of zeal or duty or rightness. The problem is, we rarely consult God on the matter. We prefer to "baptize" our already closely held positions and make them holy.
It hearkens back to the words of another President, he of Emancipation and Civil War fame, when speaking of the blood shed between our fellow countrymen:
"Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces; but let us judge not that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered; that of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has his own purposes."
-----Abraham Lincoln, second inaugural address
No foolin' there, Abe. God definitely has His own purposes, and most of the time they ain't ours. This is the reason that I NEVER sing along when "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" is played in church. It too easily invokes the name of God to justify the slaying of our neighbors in a cause of our own anointing.
This whole business reminds me of the Bible passage when Joshua was getting ready to make war on Jericho and start taking the Promised Land. He definitely had an "our side / their side" mentality working for him, and a conviction that God was on his side in the upcoming conflict. However, as he was walking about privately and praying, he had a remarkable encounter with an angel of God:
"Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?"
"Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "What message does my Lord have for his servant?"
The commander of the LORD's army replied, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.
-----Joshua 5:13-15
Would that all of us, when we take up a cause with righteous fervor, would remember to fall on our face and ask God for direction before we criticize our neighbors. A little humilty would get us a lot further in public discourse.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Faith in ... the Future?
Or... in the God who holds it?
(or maybe more precisely, in the God who is perfectly prepared for it, and walks into it with us).
Regular readers know that I have thought out loud here often about hope and how it works. It seems to be such a prevalent theme in today's post-modern world (as you might expect, given the inherent tendency in post-modernism toward disillusionment and despair), ranging from Jurgen Moltmann's "Theology of Hope" in 1964, to Barack Obama's "Audacity of Hope" some 40 years later.
Hope is the antidote to despair (as long as it is genuine, and not false hope which crushes the spirit), and hope for the future is what today's desperate world needs most.
On Sunday the guest preacher (a woman from within the congregation, sort of like me two weeks earlier), told her story; it was both tragic and beautiful. She referenced a couple of quotations about hope, which I really liked.
"Hope is the quiet and sometimes incessant call to dream for the future. Biblical hope is substantial faith regarding the future."
----- Dan Alendar, "The Healing Path"
I get this. The first phrase is great. The call to hope is often quiet; sometimes too quiet during times of desperation, when what you want hope to do is shout at you, so you can find it in the dark and grab the lifeline that it is throwing toward you. But even though quiet, it is also often incessant, like a beacon which continues to attract your attention and toward which you can direct yourself when lost; this is a good thing, because we don't often latch to it on the first time. Or the second, or third, or...
I like the second phrase just as much. I have found that there is a difference between hope... and Biblical hope. Hope can be desperate, and placed in something un-faith-ful (in the sense of not being reliable enough for our hope or trust to be well-placed there). But when hope is rooted in God, and in line with what's taught in Scripture, the result can (and should) be a faith regarding the future that is substantive and sure. Not certainty, mind you, but a confident hope founded on a trustworthy God.
The second quote put it more simply:
"She was scared silly, but she kept buying tickets"
----- greeting card (with a picture of a ferris wheel on the front)
:) I like this, too. And it's often how I feel as I face today and tomorrow. If I don't have hope, I don't want to get on the ride. Too scary. Better to step aside. But no matter how scared I am, when hope is strong, I keep right on buying tickets... to the future.
(or maybe more precisely, in the God who is perfectly prepared for it, and walks into it with us).
Regular readers know that I have thought out loud here often about hope and how it works. It seems to be such a prevalent theme in today's post-modern world (as you might expect, given the inherent tendency in post-modernism toward disillusionment and despair), ranging from Jurgen Moltmann's "Theology of Hope" in 1964, to Barack Obama's "Audacity of Hope" some 40 years later.
Hope is the antidote to despair (as long as it is genuine, and not false hope which crushes the spirit), and hope for the future is what today's desperate world needs most.
On Sunday the guest preacher (a woman from within the congregation, sort of like me two weeks earlier), told her story; it was both tragic and beautiful. She referenced a couple of quotations about hope, which I really liked.
"Hope is the quiet and sometimes incessant call to dream for the future. Biblical hope is substantial faith regarding the future."
----- Dan Alendar, "The Healing Path"
I get this. The first phrase is great. The call to hope is often quiet; sometimes too quiet during times of desperation, when what you want hope to do is shout at you, so you can find it in the dark and grab the lifeline that it is throwing toward you. But even though quiet, it is also often incessant, like a beacon which continues to attract your attention and toward which you can direct yourself when lost; this is a good thing, because we don't often latch to it on the first time. Or the second, or third, or...
I like the second phrase just as much. I have found that there is a difference between hope... and Biblical hope. Hope can be desperate, and placed in something un-faith-ful (in the sense of not being reliable enough for our hope or trust to be well-placed there). But when hope is rooted in God, and in line with what's taught in Scripture, the result can (and should) be a faith regarding the future that is substantive and sure. Not certainty, mind you, but a confident hope founded on a trustworthy God.
The second quote put it more simply:
"She was scared silly, but she kept buying tickets"
----- greeting card (with a picture of a ferris wheel on the front)
:) I like this, too. And it's often how I feel as I face today and tomorrow. If I don't have hope, I don't want to get on the ride. Too scary. Better to step aside. But no matter how scared I am, when hope is strong, I keep right on buying tickets... to the future.
Monday, August 17, 2009
And the royalties just keep rolling in
Every 6 months I get a check from CCLI (a church music licensing service, similar to ASCAP or BMI), for the performance rights to a couple of songs I wrote some 10 years back or so.
Originally simply used for worship in the church I attended at the time, I took a flyer on listing them with this copyright service where that church licensed its music. It never really occurred to me than anyone other than my home church would ever use them. But churches could download an audio sample, and.. hm. Whad'dya know?
$15.80, baby. Nothing to sneeze at. Buys me a couple of CD downloads at Amazon, or 3 large Breve drinks at Caribou Coffee.
In this economy... I'll take it. :)
Originally simply used for worship in the church I attended at the time, I took a flyer on listing them with this copyright service where that church licensed its music. It never really occurred to me than anyone other than my home church would ever use them. But churches could download an audio sample, and.. hm. Whad'dya know?
$15.80, baby. Nothing to sneeze at. Buys me a couple of CD downloads at Amazon, or 3 large Breve drinks at Caribou Coffee.
In this economy... I'll take it. :)
Sunday, August 16, 2009
A night out with Priscilla
Such a good boy this weekend. :) Tended my grapevines (nutrients and pruning), sang on worship team, did both draft and final versions of the next-to-last paper for TS670, submitted those, cut up a bunch of small stakes to stick in the garden to stop the dog from sleeping on the ferns, returned due stuff to the library, made my first pan of bars (don't ask!), did dishes, made bed, etc, etc.
So I felt justified in both watching the PGA on TV, and going out to a show Saturday night. A new place (for me) in the warehouse district: Bunkers. Not too bad. Smallish club, but a decent stage and adequate food, tables & stools.
On my way there, it started to rain, and I pulled up alongside a biker & chick combo who were toughing it out. I saw him reach inside his jacket and put this long thing in his mouth. At first I thought it was a cigar and he was going to light up, but... it turned out to be a stick of beef jerky. Unwrapped.. stored in his jacket pocket. Wonder what the jacket smells like just in general. Maybe he rides in the rain now and then just to wash it out.
The opener was a guy named Robert Francis, a fairly typical indie rocker with a couple of decent bandmates. But I guess he's indie no longer, since he was selling $5 advance copies of his new CD which is on Atlantic Records. So he's a major label guy now. He had a sound along the lines of Glen Hansard of The Frames, although maybe not quite so intense and soul-wrenching. Really a pretty decent, though, so I picked up a copy. :)
The one I came to hear, though, was Priscilla Ahn. I'd seen her advertised on Amazon.mp3 and got her CD from the library, really liked it. She looks kind of like Meiko, and sorta sounds like both her & Ingrid Michaelson if they were singing songs by Feist, while playing acoustic guitar like Paul Simon, and blues harmonica to boot.
Talented musician, this girl, and she really captivated the audience - you could hear a pin drop on her quiet songs (of which there were many). She even did a cover of an old Harry Nilsson song, Moonbeam, off of "Nilsson Schmilsson", one of the very first first albums I ever bought way back in high school. Nicely done, too. So despite the rain, all in all it was a pretty pleasant night.
So I felt justified in both watching the PGA on TV, and going out to a show Saturday night. A new place (for me) in the warehouse district: Bunkers. Not too bad. Smallish club, but a decent stage and adequate food, tables & stools.
On my way there, it started to rain, and I pulled up alongside a biker & chick combo who were toughing it out. I saw him reach inside his jacket and put this long thing in his mouth. At first I thought it was a cigar and he was going to light up, but... it turned out to be a stick of beef jerky. Unwrapped.. stored in his jacket pocket. Wonder what the jacket smells like just in general. Maybe he rides in the rain now and then just to wash it out.
The opener was a guy named Robert Francis, a fairly typical indie rocker with a couple of decent bandmates. But I guess he's indie no longer, since he was selling $5 advance copies of his new CD which is on Atlantic Records. So he's a major label guy now. He had a sound along the lines of Glen Hansard of The Frames, although maybe not quite so intense and soul-wrenching. Really a pretty decent, though, so I picked up a copy. :)
The one I came to hear, though, was Priscilla Ahn. I'd seen her advertised on Amazon.mp3 and got her CD from the library, really liked it. She looks kind of like Meiko, and sorta sounds like both her & Ingrid Michaelson if they were singing songs by Feist, while playing acoustic guitar like Paul Simon, and blues harmonica to boot.
Talented musician, this girl, and she really captivated the audience - you could hear a pin drop on her quiet songs (of which there were many). She even did a cover of an old Harry Nilsson song, Moonbeam, off of "Nilsson Schmilsson", one of the very first first albums I ever bought way back in high school. Nicely done, too. So despite the rain, all in all it was a pretty pleasant night.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Responses to "If You Don't Like Obama"
In an earlier post, I quoted verbatim from an email I recently received talking about the ideological rancor and partisan vitriol we see from both sides of the liberal/conservative divide. Quoted here (again verbatim) is a followup to that email, for those of you who want to see how that email was received in the local Christian community (or, at least.. a slice of it).
Dear Heart of the City Friends,
I recently wrote an article entitled “If You Don’t Like Obama” for this Heart of the City email newsletter. In 13 years of this ministry, having written occasional articles throughout this time, I’ve never received so many responses – 98% of which were very positive toward the message of the article. A couple of them did make polarizing statements like, “the title ‘liberal Christian’ is an oxymoron” and “why don’t you just call it ‘carnal Christian’ instead of ‘liberal Christian?’” And a couple of others said things like “I find that conservative Christians rarely or seldom do anything productive but just complain about what the left is doing” and “We must not let the far right , southern, Republican, conservatives define us .” But overall, I found some really humble, interesting and valuable responses that were given. I feel like these blessed and challenged me and I think that there are excerpts from several that are really worth having everyone read. So I’m including them below. I think it will valuable to you if you’ll take a couple of minutes and read these through. I find it refreshing to hear such humble, thoughtful responses from Christians in regards to these issues – that seem refreshingly not like the hostility that we are so often presented. So take a minute and hear these thoughtful responses.
God bless!
Dan Adler
“…I started reading this very apprehensively and wondering if I was going to change my view of you and your ministry. This is a well balanced article and I hope folks on BOTH sides of the aisle will read it - it's good that you took advantage of the opportunity here to speak. I have a million reasons to not care for Obama as president and I get so angry when ANYONE mentions race because that's the one single thing I'd like to embrace about the situation…”
“..You have brought up many significant issues, Dan. Chief among them is the fact that we can be "dead right" about something, right on the substance of an issue but wrong in our attitude towards others while holding it. We can be wrong about the arrogance with which we hold even a valid position. This is what often divides both the American nation and the American church. If we want God's help in a political or spiritual cause we need to remember that "God resists the proud and shows grace to the humble" (1 Pet. 5:5). Our emotions can get the best of us, and disrespect and even hatred against "the other side" of any issue or belief can erupt deep within us. It is possible to "be angry and sin not" (Eph. 4:26) so we know that anger is not always wrong. But we can also grow angry with a sinful kind of anger at our follow human beings on the opposite side of a political or even a doctrinal position. To hold a right position with a right attitude of humility takes Divine empowerment…”
“…thanks for this excellent note. I am in complete agreement with you. And as a Black conservative you can imagine I am doubly conflicted these days. I think my main disappointment is at the vitriolic tone our political discourse has taken. People are to the point where they have real hatred for people they don’t even know, and its based purely based upon their political affiliation. That is crazy. I used to be very involved in politics, but with the last few elections I’ve chosen to back off. I no longer openly share my political persuasion. I don’t put up yard signs or any of that. It creates an unnecessary divide between me and people that I really like at all times except during an election. And it certainly has nothing to do with what God is asking of me. So I applaud your note and hope that people, and especially Christians, can take it to heart…”
“…i thought it might bless you to know that every Sunday Morning in the opening prayer, our (predominantly white suburban church) Pastor prays for President Obama, that he would sense the leadership and Lordship of Jesus Christ and be guided by His wisdom. Praying for our leaders is our responsibility and has great power. Jesus is still now and always will be Lord!”
“Wow Dan, this is brilliantly written and even more importantly, solidly true biblical teaching and consistent with the heart of Christ!! Well done. I commend you!
A great book - if you have not already read it - is "The Myth of a Christian Nation" by our own Twin Cities' Greg Boyd. It will blow your mind on the topic of church and state, religion and politics. In that book, Boyd points out for example that Jesus selected men from polar opposites on the political issues of the day. On Jesus' team He had a zealot ready to overthrow the government and a man who collected taxes for that very government. And there is a lot more. I particularly appreciate the advice you have because my wife comes from a strong Republican family and I from a very strong Democratic family. My father-in-law worked for a large company whose mission was to make money. Taxes were the enemy. My father was born into poverty and spent his career in education. Taxes were a means to serve the poor. My father pumped my head full of compassion for the poor and a zeal for racial justice. He gave me a love for people who were different than me and/or less fortunate than I.
My family and I have lived over a decade abroad in a city of 100,000 where we were often the only white people and just about the only Christians. We know what it is like to live as minority people in a politically and religiously hostile environment where just the color of our skin is a strike against us. We also experienced in that very context the freedom of agape love that breaks down all barriers and prejudices and creates friendships and bridges for truth to cross the cultural-political-religious divide. As you experience in your ministry, it is a taste of heaven and absolutely thrilling to see the barriers break down and love flow back and forth across the divide.
Now for the controversial part: in our extended family, Obama got multiple votes including from me, my wife, and my children-and we are evangelicals. I cried for joy when the clock ticked past 11 p.m and the west coast results came in making his election sure. I jumped up and down yelling: "We have a black president!" over and over. Of course we did not vote for Obama because he was black, but we were thrilled at the historical milestone in our country's struggle against the injustice of racism and we could not help think about all the suffering of blacks through the years in this country, what they have endured just because of the color of their skin. So race was not a factor in my choice to vote for Obama. I voted for him because I believe that he has compassion on the poor. I voted for him because he supports health care reform so that all people can have access to health care. I voted for him because I believe in sharing the wealth of this nation out of compassion and selflessness to help those less fortunate. I believe I am my brother's keeper and that we are all in this together.
I wish and pray that Obama would become pro-life. I believe he is wrong on the abortion issue. I believe gay marriage is wrong. On these issues I am as conservative as any evangelical. I have voted Republican on the basis of the abortion issue and I certainly understand and accept Christians voting Republican because of this issue and the gay marriage issue.
I however have a hard time understanding why I should let the Republican party or any other political group dictate my views on all the other issues facing our country or why I should vote a certain way based on a single issue. I care about the abortion issue, but I also care about education and health care. And I am against the war in Iraq and concerned about the environment. So, if I agree with Obama on certain issues but disagree with him on other issues, what do I do? Does the abortion issue have to trump all others? It has been pointed out that if Roe vs. Wade were overturned by the Supreme Court, the decision on the legality of abortion would simply go to the state level, and there does not exist a single state currently prepared to make abortion illegal. So as much as I am against abortion, a presidential election outcome is not likely to save the lives of any unborn children in the foreseeable future . We would do better to focus our efforts on evangelism and grass roots work to influence the minds of individual people about abortion. This is work that is doable and within our reach and that is what I do to live consistently with my belief that abortion is wrong.
Dan, the theme of your article is treating one another with love and respect in the midst of the political bickering of our day. If I were to let people know that I voted for Obama, a lot of folks in my church would no longer respect me. Some would be appalled concluding that I am one of those hated liberals. I don't think there is much room in a lot of evangelical churches today for people who voted for Obama. I find that sad and it affects me personally. I can freely discuss my political views at work, but I don't dare discuss them at church. And by the way, my kids have been to some extent turned off to church as a result of the anti-liberal hate talk in evangelical churches. They feel it too- all the hatred toward Obama and those liberals. By the grace of God they still follow Christ in spite of what they hear at church out of the mouths of Christians.
This is why I say, I appreciate your call for Christian conduct, in stead of jumping on the hate band wagon. We sorely need your good word on this blind spot in our evangelical vision.”
“This was a blessing to me today. We are staunch conservatives. I can truly say that President Obama's race has not ever caused me to spout off with inappropriate racial slurs, but I can say that I have spouted off inappropriately about what he is doing in direct conflict of what Christ expects from me. This was extremely well written and inspired by the Holy Spirit. I will watch my mouth and pray for our leaders and country based on your article.”
“I can not thank you enough for writing this. I have been disturbed by many emails I have received from conservative friends, family and others - such hatred. I always choose not to pass them on. Your words are like a window has opened and I got a breath of fresh air and the truth. I have sat socially with liberal friends who verbally attacked me for my beliefs/values. I really hate when politics are brought up! Thank you. You have verbalized the reasonableness and love of God that we so often forget and get bogged down under daily propaganda.”
“Thank you so much for writing this. I wish every Christian could read this. So I am forwarding this to everyone I know. Similarly, for years I have been receiving emails that are very prejudicial against Muslims. I respectfully reply and ask if they know someone who is Muslim personally and if they have talked to them about these issues. Most of them say no. I then ask them unless they are stating a fact that they heard from first hand experience not to further the stereotypes. If we treat Muslims this way then why would they want to be a Christian?...”
“…I read your email carefully with a sense of dread, thinking you were "one of them" and then cheered, cried and danced.”
“…I strongly agree with what you have written here, and would add that people like me also need to heed it. I am not in either the liberal or conservative camp on everything. But, because of this very issue, I have backed away from politics and don't pay attention to what is going on. While this keeps me from getting angry at everyone, it does not help this world. It is not loving…”
“… It is not politics or armies or laws, but Jesus Christ who is our hope. I am very passionate about politics, and therefore need to remind myself often that God puts people into power and removes them for HIS purposes and the best thing I can do for America and the world is make disciples…”
“…I wish, in the all of the political zeal, that Christians (including myself) would realize the truth of how you ended it with the quote from Petra! We aren't of this world, and we won't find the solution to our world's problems through any political leader.........only Jesus!..”
“…That was absolutely fantastic! Totally agree!!! If I hear someone complain, I always ask them if they are praying for those in authority over us. Shuts them up then & there!..”
“…The greatest danger facing all who name Christ is acting, speaking or doing anything absent of love. 1Cor 13:1-4, tells us the end result - worth nothing…”
“These are potentially dangerous times and we as Christians seem to have forgotten what circumstances were like at the birthplace of our faith in Roman culture. We might in fact inadvertently create an unnecessary backlash of persecution toward a perception WE create for the unbelieving world…not because of the gospel, but our impulsive and venomous critiques of our opposition...IF we're going to be hounded it should be for the right reasons, not because we're brash and mouthy about political views...it just shuts down the interpersonal dialogue. It squelches any kind of opening to share our faith.”
And here’s a beautiful prayer that one person closed their note with that I’ll close this note with as well:
“Lord, help us all to see that what we really need is You. Lord we are helpless. We cannot possibly win the war that rages for the souls of men without Your complete control. Father, forgive us when we forget that it is not about us. Lord, have mercy on us all. There is no one who is righteous, not one. We rely completely on the power of Christ that lives within us to live…Father, may we continue to worship you, and love our neighbors as ourselves. I pray in Jesus name. Amen”
Dear Heart of the City Friends,
I recently wrote an article entitled “If You Don’t Like Obama” for this Heart of the City email newsletter. In 13 years of this ministry, having written occasional articles throughout this time, I’ve never received so many responses – 98% of which were very positive toward the message of the article. A couple of them did make polarizing statements like, “the title ‘liberal Christian’ is an oxymoron” and “why don’t you just call it ‘carnal Christian’ instead of ‘liberal Christian?’” And a couple of others said things like “I find that conservative Christians rarely or seldom do anything productive but just complain about what the left is doing” and “We must not let the far right , southern, Republican, conservatives define us .” But overall, I found some really humble, interesting and valuable responses that were given. I feel like these blessed and challenged me and I think that there are excerpts from several that are really worth having everyone read. So I’m including them below. I think it will valuable to you if you’ll take a couple of minutes and read these through. I find it refreshing to hear such humble, thoughtful responses from Christians in regards to these issues – that seem refreshingly not like the hostility that we are so often presented. So take a minute and hear these thoughtful responses.
God bless!
Dan Adler
“…I started reading this very apprehensively and wondering if I was going to change my view of you and your ministry. This is a well balanced article and I hope folks on BOTH sides of the aisle will read it - it's good that you took advantage of the opportunity here to speak. I have a million reasons to not care for Obama as president and I get so angry when ANYONE mentions race because that's the one single thing I'd like to embrace about the situation…”
“..You have brought up many significant issues, Dan. Chief among them is the fact that we can be "dead right" about something, right on the substance of an issue but wrong in our attitude towards others while holding it. We can be wrong about the arrogance with which we hold even a valid position. This is what often divides both the American nation and the American church. If we want God's help in a political or spiritual cause we need to remember that "God resists the proud and shows grace to the humble" (1 Pet. 5:5). Our emotions can get the best of us, and disrespect and even hatred against "the other side" of any issue or belief can erupt deep within us. It is possible to "be angry and sin not" (Eph. 4:26) so we know that anger is not always wrong. But we can also grow angry with a sinful kind of anger at our follow human beings on the opposite side of a political or even a doctrinal position. To hold a right position with a right attitude of humility takes Divine empowerment…”
“…thanks for this excellent note. I am in complete agreement with you. And as a Black conservative you can imagine I am doubly conflicted these days. I think my main disappointment is at the vitriolic tone our political discourse has taken. People are to the point where they have real hatred for people they don’t even know, and its based purely based upon their political affiliation. That is crazy. I used to be very involved in politics, but with the last few elections I’ve chosen to back off. I no longer openly share my political persuasion. I don’t put up yard signs or any of that. It creates an unnecessary divide between me and people that I really like at all times except during an election. And it certainly has nothing to do with what God is asking of me. So I applaud your note and hope that people, and especially Christians, can take it to heart…”
“…i thought it might bless you to know that every Sunday Morning in the opening prayer, our (predominantly white suburban church) Pastor prays for President Obama, that he would sense the leadership and Lordship of Jesus Christ and be guided by His wisdom. Praying for our leaders is our responsibility and has great power. Jesus is still now and always will be Lord!”
“Wow Dan, this is brilliantly written and even more importantly, solidly true biblical teaching and consistent with the heart of Christ!! Well done. I commend you!
A great book - if you have not already read it - is "The Myth of a Christian Nation" by our own Twin Cities' Greg Boyd. It will blow your mind on the topic of church and state, religion and politics. In that book, Boyd points out for example that Jesus selected men from polar opposites on the political issues of the day. On Jesus' team He had a zealot ready to overthrow the government and a man who collected taxes for that very government. And there is a lot more. I particularly appreciate the advice you have because my wife comes from a strong Republican family and I from a very strong Democratic family. My father-in-law worked for a large company whose mission was to make money. Taxes were the enemy. My father was born into poverty and spent his career in education. Taxes were a means to serve the poor. My father pumped my head full of compassion for the poor and a zeal for racial justice. He gave me a love for people who were different than me and/or less fortunate than I.
My family and I have lived over a decade abroad in a city of 100,000 where we were often the only white people and just about the only Christians. We know what it is like to live as minority people in a politically and religiously hostile environment where just the color of our skin is a strike against us. We also experienced in that very context the freedom of agape love that breaks down all barriers and prejudices and creates friendships and bridges for truth to cross the cultural-political-religious divide. As you experience in your ministry, it is a taste of heaven and absolutely thrilling to see the barriers break down and love flow back and forth across the divide.
Now for the controversial part: in our extended family, Obama got multiple votes including from me, my wife, and my children-and we are evangelicals. I cried for joy when the clock ticked past 11 p.m and the west coast results came in making his election sure. I jumped up and down yelling: "We have a black president!" over and over. Of course we did not vote for Obama because he was black, but we were thrilled at the historical milestone in our country's struggle against the injustice of racism and we could not help think about all the suffering of blacks through the years in this country, what they have endured just because of the color of their skin. So race was not a factor in my choice to vote for Obama. I voted for him because I believe that he has compassion on the poor. I voted for him because he supports health care reform so that all people can have access to health care. I voted for him because I believe in sharing the wealth of this nation out of compassion and selflessness to help those less fortunate. I believe I am my brother's keeper and that we are all in this together.
I wish and pray that Obama would become pro-life. I believe he is wrong on the abortion issue. I believe gay marriage is wrong. On these issues I am as conservative as any evangelical. I have voted Republican on the basis of the abortion issue and I certainly understand and accept Christians voting Republican because of this issue and the gay marriage issue.
I however have a hard time understanding why I should let the Republican party or any other political group dictate my views on all the other issues facing our country or why I should vote a certain way based on a single issue. I care about the abortion issue, but I also care about education and health care. And I am against the war in Iraq and concerned about the environment. So, if I agree with Obama on certain issues but disagree with him on other issues, what do I do? Does the abortion issue have to trump all others? It has been pointed out that if Roe vs. Wade were overturned by the Supreme Court, the decision on the legality of abortion would simply go to the state level, and there does not exist a single state currently prepared to make abortion illegal. So as much as I am against abortion, a presidential election outcome is not likely to save the lives of any unborn children in the foreseeable future . We would do better to focus our efforts on evangelism and grass roots work to influence the minds of individual people about abortion. This is work that is doable and within our reach and that is what I do to live consistently with my belief that abortion is wrong.
Dan, the theme of your article is treating one another with love and respect in the midst of the political bickering of our day. If I were to let people know that I voted for Obama, a lot of folks in my church would no longer respect me. Some would be appalled concluding that I am one of those hated liberals. I don't think there is much room in a lot of evangelical churches today for people who voted for Obama. I find that sad and it affects me personally. I can freely discuss my political views at work, but I don't dare discuss them at church. And by the way, my kids have been to some extent turned off to church as a result of the anti-liberal hate talk in evangelical churches. They feel it too- all the hatred toward Obama and those liberals. By the grace of God they still follow Christ in spite of what they hear at church out of the mouths of Christians.
This is why I say, I appreciate your call for Christian conduct, in stead of jumping on the hate band wagon. We sorely need your good word on this blind spot in our evangelical vision.”
“This was a blessing to me today. We are staunch conservatives. I can truly say that President Obama's race has not ever caused me to spout off with inappropriate racial slurs, but I can say that I have spouted off inappropriately about what he is doing in direct conflict of what Christ expects from me. This was extremely well written and inspired by the Holy Spirit. I will watch my mouth and pray for our leaders and country based on your article.”
“I can not thank you enough for writing this. I have been disturbed by many emails I have received from conservative friends, family and others - such hatred. I always choose not to pass them on. Your words are like a window has opened and I got a breath of fresh air and the truth. I have sat socially with liberal friends who verbally attacked me for my beliefs/values. I really hate when politics are brought up! Thank you. You have verbalized the reasonableness and love of God that we so often forget and get bogged down under daily propaganda.”
“Thank you so much for writing this. I wish every Christian could read this. So I am forwarding this to everyone I know. Similarly, for years I have been receiving emails that are very prejudicial against Muslims. I respectfully reply and ask if they know someone who is Muslim personally and if they have talked to them about these issues. Most of them say no. I then ask them unless they are stating a fact that they heard from first hand experience not to further the stereotypes. If we treat Muslims this way then why would they want to be a Christian?...”
“…I read your email carefully with a sense of dread, thinking you were "one of them" and then cheered, cried and danced.”
“…I strongly agree with what you have written here, and would add that people like me also need to heed it. I am not in either the liberal or conservative camp on everything. But, because of this very issue, I have backed away from politics and don't pay attention to what is going on. While this keeps me from getting angry at everyone, it does not help this world. It is not loving…”
“… It is not politics or armies or laws, but Jesus Christ who is our hope. I am very passionate about politics, and therefore need to remind myself often that God puts people into power and removes them for HIS purposes and the best thing I can do for America and the world is make disciples…”
“…I wish, in the all of the political zeal, that Christians (including myself) would realize the truth of how you ended it with the quote from Petra! We aren't of this world, and we won't find the solution to our world's problems through any political leader.........only Jesus!..”
“…That was absolutely fantastic! Totally agree!!! If I hear someone complain, I always ask them if they are praying for those in authority over us. Shuts them up then & there!..”
“…The greatest danger facing all who name Christ is acting, speaking or doing anything absent of love. 1Cor 13:1-4, tells us the end result - worth nothing…”
“These are potentially dangerous times and we as Christians seem to have forgotten what circumstances were like at the birthplace of our faith in Roman culture. We might in fact inadvertently create an unnecessary backlash of persecution toward a perception WE create for the unbelieving world…not because of the gospel, but our impulsive and venomous critiques of our opposition...IF we're going to be hounded it should be for the right reasons, not because we're brash and mouthy about political views...it just shuts down the interpersonal dialogue. It squelches any kind of opening to share our faith.”
And here’s a beautiful prayer that one person closed their note with that I’ll close this note with as well:
“Lord, help us all to see that what we really need is You. Lord we are helpless. We cannot possibly win the war that rages for the souls of men without Your complete control. Father, forgive us when we forget that it is not about us. Lord, have mercy on us all. There is no one who is righteous, not one. We rely completely on the power of Christ that lives within us to live…Father, may we continue to worship you, and love our neighbors as ourselves. I pray in Jesus name. Amen”
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Foxes and peppers
Sunday night brought a nice evening out with my buddy SQ to celebrate his new job (and catch up a bit), so after some beer and appetizers at The Loon Cafe', we sauntered over to First Avenue...
to catch the sold-out show of the Fleet Foxes. They were so good!
The opener, Dungen (Swedish psychopop) was kind of dull.
It was another one of those groups that played to themselves (facing inward, not toward the crowd), mostly bent over to face the floor, except for the lead singer who occasionally strightened up for the pupose of snapping his golden locks up and down with the beat. Must be torture on the back...
SQ and I looked at each other and agreed... the songs are too unremarkable to be so long. :(
But then, the Foxes came up, and the whole atmosphere changed.
They were much better about engaging the crowd.
The lead singer (who also did some solo work later), was barefoot most of the night. Funny.
They definitely had the bearded, hillbilly-hip look to them, and ... the sound they could make from 5 guys but only three singing! My goodness, the vocals. Wow. Mix the vocals of the Beach Boys with CSN&Y, and set it into songs that have an Iron & Wine or Bon Iver feel, and you have the Foxes.
A great show and great company make for a great evening.
And, before I forget... it's bell pepper time at the Farmer's Market again! Yay! So after work on Tuesday I cored, cut, chopped and froze a couple of bagsful. :)
The orange/red/yellow ones are not ready yet, but the white and purple ones are! These are colors you don't find at Cub Foods...
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Someone sure knows how to write
As long as we're on a love theme lately, I can't resist one more. The "Missed Connections" section of Craigslist makes for fascinating reading: funny, stupid, heartbreaking, optimistic. People can be so hopeful, and at the same time so forlorn...
Last week, some anonymous person out on Craigslist posted this lament for their lost love. Reading it over, it sounds like the author was the one who chose to leave. Now she is dealing with regret, and a subsequent broken relationship which was spoiled by the fond memories of this boy she pushed away (and who apparently, despite his heartbreak, stayed away.) It's poignant to say the least. And, man, can she ever write.
I am here, still drowning in the confusion that was left
when I was no longer standing in the shadows of your smile.
If ever I found the warmth of your embrace,
then it was the cold emptiness I was left holding
when you left my letters unanswered.
Forever burned into my memories,
remains the impish smile that charmed me
and the velvety voice that I longed to hear.
I have heard many stories of what happened to you,
and how you wept bitterly for me but still I never heard from you.
The long nights turned into weeks and then grew into months
with no idea why you never answered.
The day I left, I too wept bitter tears knowing
that you might just as easily forget me
and your heart would soon belong to another.
It happened. I heard she broke yours too.
How familiar those words were to me.
I remembered the way my fragile
world fell apart because of you too.
He never knew you, only of you.
The ghostly memories that lingered
in our unstable world were more than he cared to deal with.
And now, as I find myself sitting in the dark of my room
and staring out the window at the rain,
I know I've been lying to myself again.
I should be able to let you go,
something that should have happened a long time ago.
I should not have come back to this place
where the memories flood my senses at all the wrong times.
I have no place in your life,
and you couldn't possibly know this was me talking about you now
because you are supposed to be in love again
and you have a family too.
My life wandered into unfamiliar territory
to show me things I didn't really want to know.
Maybe it's just that time of year when I think of you,
and it's been so long. I know where to find you,
but you will not find me at your door.
I know life has not been easy for you,
and though I'm not really allowed to care anymore,
I have to admit to myself and no one else I still do.
All it takes for you to bring me to that place in time
where your life was supposed to be a part of mine,
is the familiar scent of something that is not really there.
But I'm stuck somewhere between trying to let you go,
and the memory that refuses to leave.
If you made the wish for me to never forget you, I guess it came true.
Now all I have is the fading memory
of my brown eyed angel in baby blue,
forever comparing everyone else to you.
Last week, some anonymous person out on Craigslist posted this lament for their lost love. Reading it over, it sounds like the author was the one who chose to leave. Now she is dealing with regret, and a subsequent broken relationship which was spoiled by the fond memories of this boy she pushed away (and who apparently, despite his heartbreak, stayed away.) It's poignant to say the least. And, man, can she ever write.
I am here, still drowning in the confusion that was left
when I was no longer standing in the shadows of your smile.
If ever I found the warmth of your embrace,
then it was the cold emptiness I was left holding
when you left my letters unanswered.
Forever burned into my memories,
remains the impish smile that charmed me
and the velvety voice that I longed to hear.
I have heard many stories of what happened to you,
and how you wept bitterly for me but still I never heard from you.
The long nights turned into weeks and then grew into months
with no idea why you never answered.
The day I left, I too wept bitter tears knowing
that you might just as easily forget me
and your heart would soon belong to another.
It happened. I heard she broke yours too.
How familiar those words were to me.
I remembered the way my fragile
world fell apart because of you too.
He never knew you, only of you.
The ghostly memories that lingered
in our unstable world were more than he cared to deal with.
And now, as I find myself sitting in the dark of my room
and staring out the window at the rain,
I know I've been lying to myself again.
I should be able to let you go,
something that should have happened a long time ago.
I should not have come back to this place
where the memories flood my senses at all the wrong times.
I have no place in your life,
and you couldn't possibly know this was me talking about you now
because you are supposed to be in love again
and you have a family too.
My life wandered into unfamiliar territory
to show me things I didn't really want to know.
Maybe it's just that time of year when I think of you,
and it's been so long. I know where to find you,
but you will not find me at your door.
I know life has not been easy for you,
and though I'm not really allowed to care anymore,
I have to admit to myself and no one else I still do.
All it takes for you to bring me to that place in time
where your life was supposed to be a part of mine,
is the familiar scent of something that is not really there.
But I'm stuck somewhere between trying to let you go,
and the memory that refuses to leave.
If you made the wish for me to never forget you, I guess it came true.
Now all I have is the fading memory
of my brown eyed angel in baby blue,
forever comparing everyone else to you.
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