Alright, I’m going to post another video series. The following is a talk with Jacques Ellul who has been becoming very influential on my thinking as of late, especially in regards to Christianity and Anarchism–another topic for another day. In these videos, Ellul talks about how Technology (purposely with a capital “T”) has promised us “freedom,” but it has, in fact, taken away our highest freedom, the ability to experience, reflect and make a moral judgement on something. Continue reading
The Betrayal of Technology
Posted in Politics, The Christian Life, Uncategorized, Worship
Tagged Idolitry, Jacques Ellul, Technology, Video
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Lamenting is Worship
I haven’t posted in a while. Since my last real post we’ve had a baby girl named Heidi and we’ve moved into a new apartment. The dust is finally starting to settle now, however, so I thought I’d post just a little something to get back at this.
I recently watched these videos and they were fantastic. Though, on the whole, I’m pretty critical of Contemporary Christian Music, I have always enjoyed and been uplifted by the work of Michael Card. He was unfortunately born at a time that put his most popular work in the 90′s which means that digital drums and synthesizers can mask the beauty of what he’s written, but his later career shift to a folk style has redeemed it all.
Musical taste aside, these videos are so insightful on what it means to lament before God in worship. I’ve always had a problem with Christian worship that does not recognize the place for Continue reading
Posted in Prayer, The Christian Life, Worship
Tagged Comfort, Lament, Michael Card, Sorrow, Suffering, Video
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Positive Thinking & Prayer
This video was awesome–I actually laughed out loud a number of times. Delusional positive thinking is very much the mindset in corporate/consumer America and as this video points out, it’s a serious problem.
Nevertheless, I can’t help but think about how Christian prayer is completely antithetical to this mindset. Christian prayer admits that there is hunger to be fed, sins to be forgiven and evil to be delivered from, but it is in no way despair. It recognizes the importance of the work of an all powerful Trinity and (in the context of the teaching of Jesus) it recognizes the importance of collectively (ecclesiastically) approaching the hunger, sin and evil ourselves.
Anyway, watch this and enjoy!
Urban Zeitgeist
To say that I am a fan of Tim Keller and others who have been working hard to promote the planting of missional churches in urban settings is an understatement. I LOVE big cities–always have. I’ve been everywhere from L.A. to Budapest and I would love the opportunity to get to one myself eventually.
With that said, however, I’m beginning to question the recent focus on urban church planting, not because I think the city doesn’t need churches, but because few of my friends think the rest of the world does. Oh sure, they believe that the small rural church with mostly elderly people needs to be there for them, but they have no interest in going there themselves–and I’m starting to think it’s not because they are missional but quite the opposite. Continue reading
Vive la Révolution du Pardon!
I recently watched a fantastic documentary on The Weather Underground. The film shows the development of this radical groups thinking as they move from wanting a better society based on justice to violently targeting any and every white middle-class American. The interviews with former WU member Mark Rudd where particularly captivating to me. Towards the end as he was reminiscing with great guilt about what he had done he explained how he was filled with hate and that altered his thinking on every level. I’ve also recently watched a number of films about various groups that found their start in the 1960′s such as the Black Panthers (which later found new life in gangs like the Crips and the Bloods) the students of USC Berkeley and there are some common themes in all of them.
Like all other revolutions (Including the French Revolution and various communist revolutions around the world) there is a phenomenon where the oppressed rise up against the oppressors in some way, looking for a new world with truth, goodness and beauty. There’s a cry for justice from the widows and orphans and they begin to fight back, yet over time they become filled with pride and hate and eventually turn into dictators themselves. The freedom-fighters become the oppressors. Continue reading
Posted in The Christian Life, Theology, Uncategorized, Worship
Tagged Forgiveness, Revolution, The 60's, The Eucharist, The Lord's Prayer
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