Postmodern Renaissance Culture Revolutionary

This post will upset some people. Especially my wife. But before you jump to defend me or criticize my point of view, read/ponder/wonder with me. Last week was the Oklahoma Annual Conference. It is our regular business/worship/fellowship event for Oklahoma United Methodists. It is a time to celebrate the ongoing ministry, plan for the future, and carry out the necessary business that binds those two. I have a reputation among friends and colleagues for not caring for the event. I have also earned a reputation for not being there. That has nothing to do with the title. But those opinions hint at the struggle I experienced going into Annual Conference. This year was a difficult session for me emotionally and psychologically. I won't get into details. Let's just say that I was not in a good place mentally or emotionally when I arrived. It didn't get too much better over the course of the few days I was there (yes, I attended all sessions except worship). And when I left on T...

The following is an opinion piece. It is based on observation of the current events of United Methodists. It is not intended as a position piece, arguing a course of action. In other words: my blog, my space to vent. If you care nothing for my opinion, the state of United Methodist affairs, or personal venting, feel free to Google something more to your liking. Monday, a press release was issued. It was released by Good News, an evangelical United Methodist movement. The press release can be found here . It essentially states the opinion of the Good News staff and board regarding the current state of affairs of the United Methodist Church. It uses the word "untenable" to describe what our current UM reality is. According to Merriam-Webster, untenable means, "   not capable of being defended against attack or criticism : not tenable"  The situation they are referring to is the "united" portion of United Methodist.  Response to this statement is clearly...

Day three on the ark. All is dark. It sounds like rain. These critters stink. Spoiler Alert I've been wandering around the internet and found many complaints by Christians leveled against the movie Noah. The chief complaint is that it is not biblical. I can't understand this complaint. Why isn't it biblical? Is it because it includes elements that aren't written into the story? Is ti because it is too fantastic (as in loaded with fantasy images)? Is it because the characters don't do what is wanted or expected? I have already touched on some of these issues in the previous posts. But I want to focus on the biblical nature of this movie in detail. I felt that it is perhaps more biblical than most movies based on biblical narratives. And that is saying a lot considering the number of Bible themed movies that have come out recently. I feel that this movie is more biblical because it not only takes the Noah story seriously, but it also puts the Noah story into t...

The last blog post respected anyone who had not seen the movie. I didn't share anything about the content. ***TO BE WARNED - THERE BE SPOILERS AHEAD*** As much as I loved Noah , I did have a few complaints. My first complaint is that this was way more of an action movie than I expected. There were some dramatic fight scenes included and they were, to some, graphically violent. I know that violence is somewhat necessary. Conflict is a critical tool in story telling. And violence seems to be the most visceral way to express conflict. Given the characterizations of "men" in the movie, violence is possibly a necessary way to portray that conflict between "men" and Noah. Don't get me wrong, I like action movies. Die Hard is one of my all time favorite Christmas movies. And I wasn't complaining about the violence in the movie. I just felt that at times, the action movie genre that was employed was a little over the top. It wasn't used just a part o...

Lisa and I decided on a last minute date Friday night. I wasn't sure if I would get to see Noah this weekend. So when the opportunity opened up, I jumped. I also knew that people would want my opinion. I've already posted a few comments on the movie. If you have seen any of those, you know I have a very positive opinion of Noah. I've gone so far to say that it is more of a Christian movie than other films released by Christian distributors. I'll get into the why of that as I go along. One of the reasons I was very interested in seeing this film was the amount of anti-Christian rhetoric that was being leveled against it before it was released. I started hearing the Ultra-conservative opinions being formed against the movie before the media screenings. That means these opinions were being formed before even seeing any of the content in context. But I have to confess, I also had my pre-conceived ideas about the movie. Months ago I saw some early blurbs on some things...

The Seedbed Blog recently featured a three-part series concerning sin, hell, and the relationship of "sinners" and "going to hell". Timothy Christian, the author, is a pastor from Versailles, Kentucky and graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary. Parts one and two do a fair job of reviewing the definitions and uses of the New Testament references to "hell". These represent a great start for anyone looking to do their own research. I feel that he did a very good job of keeping the information engaging without becoming too academic so to lose some readers. Christian takes the uses of the references to "hell" in it's different Greek forms and weighs them on a scale of judgment toward sinners. Specifically he is providing the basis for an argument of whether or not the Bible (or more pointedly, the New Testament) claims that sinners are condemned to Hell. He takes each body of New Testament literary genre separately. In each category of Script...

Wednesday night's Bible Study ended with a list of Scripture in reference to the theological concept of the Trinity. Here are those passages: Matthew 28:19 Matthew 3:16 2 Corinthians 13:15 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 Ephesians 2:18 Jude 20,21 John 14:26 John 1:1-4 1 John 3:23-4:3 1 John 5:4-10 Revelation 1:4-6 Philippians 2:5-11 BONUS: Colossians 1:13-16 Hebrews 1:1-4

Our family devotion this morning was from E. Stanley Jones' Christian Maturity. It comes on Week 1-Saturday (pg.7 in my edition).  Scripture reference is Philippians 2:5-11: 5  Have this attitude  [ a ] in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,   6  who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be  [ b ] grasped,   7  but  [ c ] emptied Himself, taking the form of abond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.   8  Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death  [ d ] on a cross.   9  For this reason also, Godhighly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,   10  so that at the name of Jesus  every knee will bow,  of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,   11  and that eve...

I try to keep my politics on the inside. I respect persons on all sides of the issues. I try to listen with compassion to the pain and passion with which they speak. But there are times when even I can't remain silent. I do not know the person in this share . I support this brave individual, though. It takes some soul searching and serious consideration to make this choice. While I do not agree with everything that is stated, I do support this family in the hard decision they have made. My comments are not partisan/party based. I don't follow a party platform. I try to examine the issues as they develop. And in my opinion the Affordable Care Act is not a workable solution to the needs of the people. It does not accomplish what was hoped for. It does not bring the need for affordable health care to all people. It will take hard choices like this on the part of many people to bring attention to an unbalanced and ill-conceived, poorly executed program. The political posturin...

The sermon today, When Koinonia Fails, included a reference to passages in the letters of Paul and Peter that emphasize how to maintain koinonia in a community of faith. Here are those passages: Rom 12:6-21 6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: 9 Let  love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be  devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimati...

In the last couple of weeks, our family saw the moving on from Cub Scouting. Andrew was promoted from Webelos to Boy Scouts. We are very proud of him because he was able to complete his requirements for the Arrow of Light. This is the only recognition of Cub Scouting that can be carried into Boy Scouts. It requires learning the basic meaning of the Boy Scouts including knowing the Boy Scout Law, Motto, and Oath. It was a big moment for him. It was also a big moment for our family. We started working with Cub Scouts 8 years ago. It started with Nick as a Tiger Cub. It us required to attend regular meetings and going to see places. It led us to new relationships. It necessitated the purchase of three tents so we could camp in cold and windy places with bathroom facilities that were neither rooms nor allowed bathing. Cub Scouts allowed us to watch boys learn about qualities that good men  possess. They discovered the meaning of citizenship, responsibility, and imagination. Now, 8 ye...