There is a lot coming up in my neck of the woods and I am getting excited to attend at least some of these events/lectures. Check these out!
March 1: Dr. Darrell Bock will be giving a free lecture at 7pm at Bellingham's Mt. Baker Theatre, put on by Logos Bible Software.
March 4: Metropolitan Kallistos (aka Kallistos Ware) will be speaking twice in Seattle, once at 9:30 am and again at 7:30 pm. I haven't quite figured out how to attend both, but I will. It is also free, put on by SPU, and hosted by First Free Methodist Church.
March 12-15: Trinity Western University is having a symposium titled Politics and Religion. It is free (yes!) and includes Richard Kearney, Simon Critchley and Paul Gottfried among the lecturers.
April 11-12: Brian McLaren's Everything Must Change Tour hits Seattle's First Free Methodist Church. Boy, that church sure hosts a lot of events. I won't be able to afford this one, though I am not opposed to sneaking in if I am in the area...
April 12-13: Seattle Green Festival. I think this would be awesome to attend. Nuff said.
Alright, those are my tips on what to do if you live in the PNW and want to have your world changed for the better. Hope it helps.
Peace,
Matt
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Flannery O'Connor on Writing
The following comes from a lecture Flannery O'Connor once gave titled The Fiction Writer & His Country. I liked it a lot:
“The writer who emphasizes spiritual values is very likely to take the darkest view of all of what he sees in this country today. For him, the fact that we are the most powerful and the wealthiest nation in the world doesn’t mean a thing in any positive sense. The sharper the light of faith, the more glaring are apt to be the distortions the writer sees in the life around him.”
Peace,
Matt
“The writer who emphasizes spiritual values is very likely to take the darkest view of all of what he sees in this country today. For him, the fact that we are the most powerful and the wealthiest nation in the world doesn’t mean a thing in any positive sense. The sharper the light of faith, the more glaring are apt to be the distortions the writer sees in the life around him.”
Peace,
Matt
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Cornel West in Bellingham
On Tuesday night I had the privilege to listen to a lecture (of sorts) from Dr. Cornel West hosted by Western Washington University. I had no idea what I was getting into. It's not often these days that we are allowed to hear from a prophet. Yet that is what it felt like to me.
West, in my opinion, explained Christianity and invited others into it, without hardly ever mentioning anything that sounded "religious." He stood before a packed house of professors and students, telling them they need to die to themselves or they will never live. He declared that our professions are not always our vocations, but that we need to seek out a vocation that looks out for the poor and marginalized and victimized in our world. He reminded us that violence and revenge never solve anything. He went back to the fear that enveloped us after 9/11 to state that terrorism is not new to our nation, but just new to the white people. He pointed out the sins of arrogance and structural violence and called for repentance. Like most prophets, the religious folks were just not there to listen, as they continue to bless the status quo, but I believe the folks who were there were changed and challenged in profound ways. In other words, it was freakin awesome. Thank-you Dr West, and WWU.
Peace,
Matt
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Lent
I guess since Ron and Brad both mentioned their Lenten decisions, I will follow their lead and say a word or two.
First of all, I decided to give up following politics for Lent. I know most people would gladly do so anyways, but I actually enjoy following what's going on and offering my two cents as they continually put their feet in their mouths. But for the next month and a half I will not seek out speeches or try to find out who is ahead, etc. I am taking a break. This should also help me become more positive for a while.
Second, I am picking something up during Lent. Specifically, I have begun fixed-hour prayers again, with the help of Phyllis Tickle's wonderful The Divine Hours. I plan to at least follow the prayers through Easter.
Third, I am teaching about Lent with my youth ministry, which I have never done before. I am using the Desert Fathers to guide us through it, which I at least will find enjoyable.
Peace,
Matt
First of all, I decided to give up following politics for Lent. I know most people would gladly do so anyways, but I actually enjoy following what's going on and offering my two cents as they continually put their feet in their mouths. But for the next month and a half I will not seek out speeches or try to find out who is ahead, etc. I am taking a break. This should also help me become more positive for a while.
Second, I am picking something up during Lent. Specifically, I have begun fixed-hour prayers again, with the help of Phyllis Tickle's wonderful The Divine Hours. I plan to at least follow the prayers through Easter.
Third, I am teaching about Lent with my youth ministry, which I have never done before. I am using the Desert Fathers to guide us through it, which I at least will find enjoyable.
Peace,
Matt
Popalyptic VI: Choose Your Own Apocalyptic Adventure
"To be human we need to experience the end of the world. We need to lose the world, to lose a world, and to discover that there is more than one world and that the world isn't what we think it is. Without that, we know nothing about the mortality and immortality we carry. We don't know we're alive as long as we haven't encountered death: these are banalities that have been erased. And it is an act of grace...loss brings as it takes away."
-Helen Cixous, Three Steps on the Ladder of Writing, p. 10
Adding to the last post, with the helpful thoughts coming from Helen Cixous above, I add a fifth thesis, which is that every person and culture needs some sort of belief concerning how it will all end. This will help lead us into today's post.
Part of the current issue in America is that there are competing eschatologies, with a lot of crossover between different camps. Nobody really knows what or how they believe, and there are a plurality of religious and secular options, many of which are mixed and mingled in a similar fashion as our creation narratives are mashed together.
One apocalyptic message I have been noticing tells us that things are coming to a cataclysmic end. This story is full of fascinating characters, strange events that are both natural and seemingly too fantastic for nature as we know it. There are truly ancient apocalyptic touches to these modern apocalypses, but with one large difference: human beings are in control of how things will end, or even if they will end. This takes us into some fictional worlds.
One of the worst movies I ever had the misfortune of seeing ends up being a good example of this: Armageddon. The name alone is meant to conjure images from Revelation. But it is a modern-day Americanized version. Yes there is the cosmic rock cruising towards earth, which seems very apocalyptic. But then things turn in a different way. With the help of technology and a lot of determination, a group of Americans (of course) are able to stop Armageddon and save the earth. Armageddon, in other words, is avoidable. And all it takes is us and our own strength and ingenuity.
The story lines of movies/books such as Cormac McCarthy's The Road, Mad Max (all of them), and I am Legend are similar (though some are much better than others). We determine how or if things will end. For these storylines, though, the end comes. But not completely. There is a remnant left (we will wait for a later post to discuss the rapture and Mr. Lahaye) who have to survive in conditions that cause some to resort to animal-like behavior and others, like the father in The Road, to choose to be the "good guys."
Of course, we cannot end without also noting Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth, as well as Ken Kesey's Sailor Song, which Kesey literally described as "post-apocalyptic" in an interview. This apocalyptic story-line, which I assume you are familiar with, tells us that the world is ending and we are causing it to do so. If we clean-up our act, perhaps we can still be saved. If not, many will die, and the world could revert in a Mad Max, The Road sort of way. Again, this is a story in which we are in control.
I bring up this variety hoping, beyond anything else, that they will bring out themes and ideas as to what sort of eschatology America is moving into and to decide if any of these stories can be referred to as modern-day apocalyptic literature. If so, our new version really does have very little to do with God and a lot more to do with ourselves. Although they differ as to how and when and if things will end, in all of these it is always about our strength, understanding, and technological powers. Seems very Modern, now that I think about it. I suppose all of this is leading us to the next post where we'll have to see what Tim Lahaye has to say about all of this. Oh boy.
Thoughts? Other titles? Disagreements? Is anybody reading these?
Peace,
Matt
-Helen Cixous, Three Steps on the Ladder of Writing, p. 10
Adding to the last post, with the helpful thoughts coming from Helen Cixous above, I add a fifth thesis, which is that every person and culture needs some sort of belief concerning how it will all end. This will help lead us into today's post.
Part of the current issue in America is that there are competing eschatologies, with a lot of crossover between different camps. Nobody really knows what or how they believe, and there are a plurality of religious and secular options, many of which are mixed and mingled in a similar fashion as our creation narratives are mashed together.
One apocalyptic message I have been noticing tells us that things are coming to a cataclysmic end. This story is full of fascinating characters, strange events that are both natural and seemingly too fantastic for nature as we know it. There are truly ancient apocalyptic touches to these modern apocalypses, but with one large difference: human beings are in control of how things will end, or even if they will end. This takes us into some fictional worlds.
One of the worst movies I ever had the misfortune of seeing ends up being a good example of this: Armageddon. The name alone is meant to conjure images from Revelation. But it is a modern-day Americanized version. Yes there is the cosmic rock cruising towards earth, which seems very apocalyptic. But then things turn in a different way. With the help of technology and a lot of determination, a group of Americans (of course) are able to stop Armageddon and save the earth. Armageddon, in other words, is avoidable. And all it takes is us and our own strength and ingenuity.
The story lines of movies/books such as Cormac McCarthy's The Road, Mad Max (all of them), and I am Legend are similar (though some are much better than others). We determine how or if things will end. For these storylines, though, the end comes. But not completely. There is a remnant left (we will wait for a later post to discuss the rapture and Mr. Lahaye) who have to survive in conditions that cause some to resort to animal-like behavior and others, like the father in The Road, to choose to be the "good guys."
Of course, we cannot end without also noting Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth, as well as Ken Kesey's Sailor Song, which Kesey literally described as "post-apocalyptic" in an interview. This apocalyptic story-line, which I assume you are familiar with, tells us that the world is ending and we are causing it to do so. If we clean-up our act, perhaps we can still be saved. If not, many will die, and the world could revert in a Mad Max, The Road sort of way. Again, this is a story in which we are in control.
I bring up this variety hoping, beyond anything else, that they will bring out themes and ideas as to what sort of eschatology America is moving into and to decide if any of these stories can be referred to as modern-day apocalyptic literature. If so, our new version really does have very little to do with God and a lot more to do with ourselves. Although they differ as to how and when and if things will end, in all of these it is always about our strength, understanding, and technological powers. Seems very Modern, now that I think about it. I suppose all of this is leading us to the next post where we'll have to see what Tim Lahaye has to say about all of this. Oh boy.
Thoughts? Other titles? Disagreements? Is anybody reading these?
Peace,
Matt
Monday, February 04, 2008
Popalyptic V: Apocalypse Now
Microsoft Word on my computer uses the Encarta dictionary. When asked to define apocalypse, it gives two definitions:
1. the destruction or devastation of something, or an instance of this
2. a revelation made concerning the future
The thesaurus goes on to list words such as disaster, catastrophe, day of reckoning, Judgment Day, end of the world, and destruction. Living in America at this time, I do not find this definition very surprising, though it is more than a little strange when compared to the historic usage of the word that we talked about two posts ago.
I believe a fundamental shift has occurred in how apocalypse is understood and defined in modern-day America. Consequently all apocalyptic literature is often read in a very different way than originally intended, depending upon the reader. The reader’s socio-economic standing, religion, era, and location all make a drastic difference as to how they will read and understand (or not understand) apocalyptic literature. Gadamer said “A person who is trying to understand a text is always projecting.” What is projected onto an apocalypse depends upon the reader. Or, to borrow from post II; when the soup is unveiled, each of us will try to add his or her own seasoning upon it. Some of us will change the taste a lot, while others will change the entire meal. Reading ancient apocalyptic literature across time, continents, and cultures causes us to read it entirely differently than how it was intended. Meanwhile, we begin to change it or even to create our own new stories.
One thesis I would throw out with these posts is that we are beginning to create our own modern American apocalyptic literature, and it is far different from what the ancients wrote, as are the reasons behind the writing. Past apocalypses were by oppressed peoples, with the intention of bringing hope and reminding the powerless that those who find comfort in thier oppresive ways now will find pain, suffering and judgement in the future. This is hard to deal with in a nation that is more often than not the cause of suffering and oppression. So we have simply redefined the word and begun coming up with our own versions.
I suppose a second thesis for these posts, then, is that we have redefined apocalypse in a way, to borrow from liberation theologians, that comforts the comfortable and forgets the afflicted. That means it forgets all about oppression and focuses on destruction and future-telling. Like the Israelites when they began following false prophets, we want to know the future, specifically the future that tells us how blessed we will be because God loves us so. The fact that we ignore what he asks us to do is inconsequential. How does this work? Like this: my third thesis is that we do this by eliminating God and the bible from our eschatology. Sometimes we do this literally, sometimes both make an appearance, but I believe they are more often than not forgotten. I think, for instance, of the man at church who told me how he looks forward to Heaven, where he will ride a Harley around all day, every day. Hmm. So (thesis four), instead of listening to the Bible or believing in God's power within our world, we are the ones who are in control of the future in modern American apocalyptic literature.
I will give some examples and add some meat to this in the next post(s). For now, I ask if there are any questions, clarifying thoughts, or contradictory opinions? Or even better, is there another thesis you would add to these? Please let me know!
Peace,
Matt
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Popalyptic IV: Wind in the Fists
Today, before we get to my next post, Apocalypse Now and Later, I want to visit a song I absolutely love from Neko Case. Case, if you don't know, is from The New Pornographers, a band I avoided for years because of its name. But it turns out I like them, love her, and really enjoy her song John Saw that Number (as a sidenote, I just found out she's from Tacoma, near where I grew up, and went to school in Vancouver, near where I went to school...maybe we can be friends). Anyways, here's the lyrics:
Old John the baptist, old John divine
Leather harness round his line
His meat was locust and honey
Wild honey lord, wild honey
John saw that number
Way in the middle of the air
Cryin' holy, holy to the Lord
Old John the baptist, old John divine
Frogs and snakes are gonna get John this time
God told the angel "go see about John"
So he flew from the pit with the moon round his waist
Gathered wind in his fists so the stars round his wrists
Cryin' holy, holy to the lord
Read the revelations, you'll find him there
Third chapter, fourth verse where he said unto me
"There's a beast that rose out of the sea"
Ten crowns, ten crowns
On his horns write "blasphemy"
John couldn't read it (John couldn't read it)
Get on repeat it
John couldn't read it
Holy, holy to the Lord
There was a man, a pharisee
Who came by night to meet him
Said "I know thy teacher came from God cause no man can do such miracles
Without the lord to entreat him
"God told the angel "go see about John"
So he flew from the pit with the moon round his waist
Gathered wind in his fists and the stars round his wrists
Cryin' holy, holy to the Lord
Holy, holy to the Lord
Holy, holy to the Lord...
Aside from her naming John the Baptist as the John of Revelation fame, I do think these lyrics have grasped onto another important part of apocalyptic literature. Case has worked herself into the style of apocalyptic! Listen to these amazing lyrics about "moon round his waist" and "stars round his wrists" and you are suddenly beginning to picture those images that we have let grow stale in books like Revelation and Daniel after too much literalist reading. This is imaginative, even psychadelic, imagery folks!
My desire with today's post was to share that the imagery of past apocalyptic literature can still be celebrated today. I hope lyrics like these brings helps to bring those ancient books back to life for you in the same way they have for me.
In his book In God's Time, Craig Hill brings up what is missing from a Neko Case apocalypse. He says that "Where there is an emperor with divine pretensions, there is need of an apocalypse." Case's apocalypse seems more historical than for the here and now but I'm getting way too far ahead of myself...
Have you seen apocalyptic imagery used or expanded upon anywhere?
Peace,
Matt
Old John the baptist, old John divine
Leather harness round his line
His meat was locust and honey
Wild honey lord, wild honey
John saw that number
Way in the middle of the air
Cryin' holy, holy to the Lord
Old John the baptist, old John divine
Frogs and snakes are gonna get John this time
God told the angel "go see about John"
So he flew from the pit with the moon round his waist
Gathered wind in his fists so the stars round his wrists
Cryin' holy, holy to the lord
Read the revelations, you'll find him there
Third chapter, fourth verse where he said unto me
"There's a beast that rose out of the sea"
Ten crowns, ten crowns
On his horns write "blasphemy"
John couldn't read it (John couldn't read it)
Get on repeat it
John couldn't read it
Holy, holy to the Lord
There was a man, a pharisee
Who came by night to meet him
Said "I know thy teacher came from God cause no man can do such miracles
Without the lord to entreat him
"God told the angel "go see about John"
So he flew from the pit with the moon round his waist
Gathered wind in his fists and the stars round his wrists
Cryin' holy, holy to the Lord
Holy, holy to the Lord
Holy, holy to the Lord...
Aside from her naming John the Baptist as the John of Revelation fame, I do think these lyrics have grasped onto another important part of apocalyptic literature. Case has worked herself into the style of apocalyptic! Listen to these amazing lyrics about "moon round his waist" and "stars round his wrists" and you are suddenly beginning to picture those images that we have let grow stale in books like Revelation and Daniel after too much literalist reading. This is imaginative, even psychadelic, imagery folks!
My desire with today's post was to share that the imagery of past apocalyptic literature can still be celebrated today. I hope lyrics like these brings helps to bring those ancient books back to life for you in the same way they have for me.
In his book In God's Time, Craig Hill brings up what is missing from a Neko Case apocalypse. He says that "Where there is an emperor with divine pretensions, there is need of an apocalypse." Case's apocalypse seems more historical than for the here and now but I'm getting way too far ahead of myself...
Have you seen apocalyptic imagery used or expanded upon anywhere?
Peace,
Matt
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Popalyptic III: Dolorean
I can't really contain myself any longer. I want to get into the "pop" part of these blog posts. There may not be a lot of order to them, but I'm going to start unloading some of these, and I don't know where we'll stop. For the moment I do not want to actually try to define pop culture because, honestly, I don't really know where to say it stops anymore. I do know that books, movies, music, and television fit into this category. This of course is what makes it so difficult; where doesn't TV go nowadays? Regardless, we're going to dive in and see where this takes us.
Dolorean
Last Spring I went on a long road trip with my parents and my little brother. He kept telling me to listen to this band on his iPod and I finally consented, and fell in love immediately with Dolorean. Maybe you don't know who they are, or maybe you just aren't into their music, but I really enjoy it. It's pretty mellow with somewhat strong lyrics. I was immediately struck by the obvious faith elements in the songs, though lyricist Al James does not claim to be a Christian. Today's song in particular shows obvious Christian roots, and provides an easy point to jump in to the mixture of pop culture and apocalyptic literature. It is called Violence in the Snowy Fields, and although you can't hear the song, hopefully you can still enjoy these lyrics:
"I’m quittin and givin' up on bein' good enough
My body is bones and blood, my heart is pure
And when the rider comes and tells what I have done
I’ll gladly sing along, won’t change my tune
And in the end St. John says all things shall be revealed
Like violence, like violence
Like violence in the snowy fields
And on a night like this when nothing stirs about
If I hear the hoof beat pounds I will not turn
I will not be afraid of how I spent my days
I may go down in flames but I shall not burn
And in the end St. John says all things shall be revealed
Like violence, like violence
Like violence in the snowy fields
And in the end St. Johns says all things shall be revealed
Like violence, like violence
Like violence in the snowy fields"
What I enjoy about this song, and why I chose to start with it, is that at least in a basic way, they get it! The first four lines are ambiguous, and can be taken a number of ways. Which I enjoy, considering final judgment is not as easily predicted as many in the evangelical world believe it to be. Beyond that, though, is the fact that Dolorean appears to realize that the end is a revealing, as is the book of Revelation in general. It is an unveiling, a show of reality as it really is.
The following comes from an interview done with frontman Al James. You can read the entire interview here. This is an entry point for understanding where he is coming from:
I think that a point of particular interest is your lyrics. You often refer to Biblical themes, and in general I feel a kind of spiritual mood in your words. What about it? How do you consider Christian religion in your life and in our present society?
I am a spiritual person and I was raised in the Christian faith. I don’t really know what I believe right now. I don’t attend church, but I still cling to the teachings of Christ – humility, kindness, love, patience, sacrifice, honesty and generosity. I fear that in general the essence of Christianity that I find in Christ’s teachings has been massively perverted by social-political organizations that claim to be churches. It makes me very, very sad, but I know that this has been happening throughout history. Since I am a spiritually complex person, it seems natural that those themes would appear in my music. I work to avoid alienating anyone by lyrics, but they may hit closer to home for some people. Ultimately I want to make music that connects with people, not divides folks.
What are your ideas about this presumed fight between Muslim culture and Catholic culture that also is generating the war in Iraq? Personally, I think that the only God that the West of the World is trying to safeguard is the Money...
I basically agree with you. I am disappointed by the West’s plans to “democratize” and “Christianize” other cultures. It’s utterly repulsive and makes me sad beyond belief. We’re living in dark times right now and I hope that change comes soon. I agree that money and power continues to be “God” in most cases. Self-righteous western leaders who occupy other countries and promote massive genocide will be accountable for their actions. If not in this lifetime, there will be some sort of spiritual accountability I am convinced of this.
Revealing, future accountability for the powers that be; I would say that Dolorean puts out some lyrics that mix pop and apocalypse, and fortunately, do so in a way that is true to the text.
Your thoughts?
Peace,
Matt
Dolorean
Last Spring I went on a long road trip with my parents and my little brother. He kept telling me to listen to this band on his iPod and I finally consented, and fell in love immediately with Dolorean. Maybe you don't know who they are, or maybe you just aren't into their music, but I really enjoy it. It's pretty mellow with somewhat strong lyrics. I was immediately struck by the obvious faith elements in the songs, though lyricist Al James does not claim to be a Christian. Today's song in particular shows obvious Christian roots, and provides an easy point to jump in to the mixture of pop culture and apocalyptic literature. It is called Violence in the Snowy Fields, and although you can't hear the song, hopefully you can still enjoy these lyrics:
"I’m quittin and givin' up on bein' good enough
My body is bones and blood, my heart is pure
And when the rider comes and tells what I have done
I’ll gladly sing along, won’t change my tune
And in the end St. John says all things shall be revealed
Like violence, like violence
Like violence in the snowy fields
And on a night like this when nothing stirs about
If I hear the hoof beat pounds I will not turn
I will not be afraid of how I spent my days
I may go down in flames but I shall not burn
And in the end St. John says all things shall be revealed
Like violence, like violence
Like violence in the snowy fields
And in the end St. Johns says all things shall be revealed
Like violence, like violence
Like violence in the snowy fields"
What I enjoy about this song, and why I chose to start with it, is that at least in a basic way, they get it! The first four lines are ambiguous, and can be taken a number of ways. Which I enjoy, considering final judgment is not as easily predicted as many in the evangelical world believe it to be. Beyond that, though, is the fact that Dolorean appears to realize that the end is a revealing, as is the book of Revelation in general. It is an unveiling, a show of reality as it really is.
The following comes from an interview done with frontman Al James. You can read the entire interview here. This is an entry point for understanding where he is coming from:
I think that a point of particular interest is your lyrics. You often refer to Biblical themes, and in general I feel a kind of spiritual mood in your words. What about it? How do you consider Christian religion in your life and in our present society?
I am a spiritual person and I was raised in the Christian faith. I don’t really know what I believe right now. I don’t attend church, but I still cling to the teachings of Christ – humility, kindness, love, patience, sacrifice, honesty and generosity. I fear that in general the essence of Christianity that I find in Christ’s teachings has been massively perverted by social-political organizations that claim to be churches. It makes me very, very sad, but I know that this has been happening throughout history. Since I am a spiritually complex person, it seems natural that those themes would appear in my music. I work to avoid alienating anyone by lyrics, but they may hit closer to home for some people. Ultimately I want to make music that connects with people, not divides folks.
What are your ideas about this presumed fight between Muslim culture and Catholic culture that also is generating the war in Iraq? Personally, I think that the only God that the West of the World is trying to safeguard is the Money...
I basically agree with you. I am disappointed by the West’s plans to “democratize” and “Christianize” other cultures. It’s utterly repulsive and makes me sad beyond belief. We’re living in dark times right now and I hope that change comes soon. I agree that money and power continues to be “God” in most cases. Self-righteous western leaders who occupy other countries and promote massive genocide will be accountable for their actions. If not in this lifetime, there will be some sort of spiritual accountability I am convinced of this.
Revealing, future accountability for the powers that be; I would say that Dolorean puts out some lyrics that mix pop and apocalypse, and fortunately, do so in a way that is true to the text.
Your thoughts?
Peace,
Matt
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