Monthly Archives: February 2011

Nuclear Power as Theodicy

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As I mentioned in a previous post, I am taking a Philosophy class this semester on “Suffering, Tragedy and the Christian Faith.” A student responded to one of my posts on the Logical Problem of Evil in a way that suggested part of that problem is that God created both good and evil.  Now, the logical set of the POE goes something like this: 1- God is omnipotent, 2- God is wholly Good, 3- And yet evil exists. Ancillary questions like why did God create good and evil (which assumes God did), what is omnipotence, how do we know God is good, and what is evil soon arise out of the LPOE. For a more robust handling of some of these questions check out an old paper I wrote on The Perversion of Good – A Practical Theodicy. In this post, I want to plant some ”seed thoughts” for later developments… so that said, please grant me some grace in your critique (for I will need to think this over more myself before it is defensible).

I like to talk  in terms of “potential” and “actualization” when it comes to the origin of what we call evil. Humans had the potential to not fall into rebellion and thus continue in the original goodness of creation and enjoy unbroken fellowship with the triune God forever without actualizing evil (choosing contrary to God’s will). One of my favorite books of all times is Perelandra. In this second installment of C.S. Lewis’ space trilogy, Lewis’ character explores a world in which the original inhabitants have not fallen into rebellion/original sin.

In responding to some another set of questions from another student, I thought up the following example for the “perversion of good” motif:

Nuclear energy. A scientist altruistically discovers the equations to make atomic energy possible for all people. He understood if he shared his mathematical equations they had the potential for good, but also for evil. He decides to share the equation with others and allow them to decide how they will use this knowledge.

The scientist’s initial good discovery (which would have provided cheap energy to the nations for a very long time) was entrusted to others with the intention of it only being used for clean energy and not for weapons; however, it was instead perverted into weapons of mass destruction by those he entrusted it with. So there exists today what appears to be a bifurcated view of nuclear power: the good (energy), and the bad (nuclear weapons). The scientist did not create the nuclear weapons, but allowed others the  choice. The potential existed to choose according to the will of the scientist, but also the potential to choose against that will and thus in that decision actualized/created evil.

If you push this example too far it will break-up since  it is an anthropomorphic example to describe something that epistemologically is beyond our comprehension (in fullness not part).

Thoughts?

Epiphany In Worship

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The season of Epiphany, when the Church explicitly remembers how Jesus is revealed as God in the Gospels is now coming to a end.  In this season we have followed the Magi, remembered Christ’s baptism, and  witnessed the Kingdom of God. Yet before we look too far down the path of Epiphany, to the palms of Sunday and the ashes of Wednesday, let us consider Jesus’ revelation as God in Worship.

The synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) all mention the account of Jesus teaching at the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. In the Luke account we find that  during this Sabbath worship service it was Jesus’ turn to read the scroll, which happened to have been from  the Prophet Isaiah. SO as was the custom, Jesus takes the scroll of Isaiah, stands up and gives the reading:

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

This verse is drawn from Isaiah 61:1-2 and 58:6. What was Jesus’ interpretation of these verses from the Prophet for those in attendance?  ”Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Lk4:21). There was amazement at the grace of his words and then the questions and challenges came, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” Jesus then begins to unpack his amplified interpretation of these verses from Isaiah in Luke 4:24-30 as the hearers with rage try to lay hands on him. To think that God would extend his grace and blessing outside of “clean & chosen” Israel to lepers, widows, the poor, and Gentiles!

The people of Nazareth missed Jesus as God in the reading and failed to glorify God, acknowledging him for who he is. Today I sometimes wonder if the church fails in this respect to acknowledge God for who he is in worship. Three benchmarks for worship as a response to God’s glory (that I have adapted from Simon Chan’s Liturgical Theology) are:

  1. Worship is not something we do for God - “Praise” does not bring down the glory of God. “Waiting” does not bring down the glory of God. “Playing Louder Music” does not bring down the glory of God. The glory of God is a self-giving gift and thus, everything we are and have to offer is a gift from God.
  2. Worship is its own end. In the pragmatic context in which we find ourselves in history, everything including worship has to have and end or purpose (mostly for us). What do you mean Jesus this reading is fulfilled in our hearing? Aren’t you Joseph’s boy? What’s in it for us? As William Willimon writes, “Worship loses is integrity when it is regarded instrumentally as a means of something else-even as a means of achieving the most noble of human purposes”
  3. Worship is a response to God’s total character. True worship must reflect the reality of who the triune God is. I agree with John Wesley’s observation of the verse that Jesus reads above, “The Spirit of Lord is upon me” as a reference to the Holy Trinity. Do we worship a triune God today in American Christianity?

10 Symbols To Look For in The Adjustment Bureau

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As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, Thursday night I was invited to an early showing of The Adjustment Bureau. In this morning’s post, I would like to suggest a few symbols and themes that I noticed in the movie (please share any you may have in the comments section below).

1. Water – Water played a significant role in the movie. It disrupted the “adjusters” powers and abilities to track the plans of humans. What does this symbol suggest? Baptism? The Holy Spirit? Some Primal Force that all life arose from?

2. Race and Gender. An interesting theme and possible social critique arose with the selection of characters. All the members of the Adjustment Bureau are all men and most of the antagonists are White old men, except one who is Black that turns out to be a “good guy.” Likewise, the only main character who is a female is the love interest of Matt Damon’s character and is an up-and-coming dancer in modern ballet. There are also hints of men (damon) deciding what is the best for women (ie- a dance career or a life together and teaching 6th grade dance).

3. Doors. The agents in the movie (imagine angels who work for the FBI) move throughout our world, adjusting decisions and ensuring people stay on their “life plans” by crossing through doors. They must wear hats (see #5) and turn the door knob to the right to cross space and time to locations. They can  travel across the city by walking through an ordinary door. Also, they can travel to another realm of reality by entering these doors (think Narnia). What do the doors represent? Opportunity? Sacraments/Spiritual Practices? Prayer?

4. Books and Maps. The “plans” for humans that the agents ensure we stay on are disclosed on what appears to be books that have a moving map on them much like a GPS. This is another limitation of the angels/agents in the movie. To see the plans of humans they must look on these books/maps, so they rely on technology to succeed in their mission. What do these books represent? Knowledge? Power of information? Accessible Wisdom? Limited Foresight? The Bible? The Quran?

5. Hats. Another revelation of the “angels”/agents lack of power in the movie is the presence of hats. To travel through the doors and utilize their powers, they must be wearing a hat. What does this represent? Head coverings? Power coming only from God (or the”chairman”)? Privilege? Election?

6. Colors. The colors in the movie are always contrasting with one another. The final agent called in to deal with Matt Damon’s case views things clearly as “Black and White.” This is evidenced in the attire, architecture, and grit that is present with the agents. Contrasting this are the Blue of Damon’s character and Red of his romantic interest played by Emily Blunt. Liturgically speaking colors matter, and in this movie they are repeatedly brought up.

7. The Chairman. You never explicitly “see” the Chairman (who the agents/angels suggest could be “god”); however, in the end of the movie it is suggested that Matt Damon has seen The Chairman  at some point in the movie… since the Chairman appears in various forms to different people (I  missed this, so keep your eyes peeled). But who is the Chairman? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? The Father of Jesus Christ? A distant impersonal God? Is it Satan? Is it the collective consciousness of all creation? Or is the chairman a really powerful agent? Is the chairmen just “the man” of society?

8. Fundamentalism. As JD Walt (www.jdwalt.com) mentioned during the talk-back session after the screening, The Adjustment Bureau takes a swing at forms of religious fundamentalism. The agents (except one) view the world according to a certain black/white plan for all people and are ruthless in their pursuit of keeping people on their paths.

9. Chance. What is chance according to the Adjustment Bureau? At one point an unanticipated meeting occurs that the agents/angels chalk up as “according to chance”; however, you later will find out that there is no chance, but only “ripples” (remnants) of previously adjusted plans (this opens an interesting sidebar, that I may explore on middle knowledge). So is there such a thing as chance? How do chance, choice, and determinism exist together?

10 Who are we in the story? This brings me to this final question. Who are we (humans) in the story? Are we the “adjusters/angels” or are we the humans?  Can we be both? Instantly we would be compelled to say the humans, right? But could it be that we also are meant to identify with the agents? Could the agents represent the Church or a particular religion (power from God, head coverings, books of wisdom, plans for people’s lives, ability to go near God through portals in the ordinary)?

Are we Matt Damon’s character filled with emptiness that only a vocation can fulfill until we find that love can better satisfy that longing? Are we the minority who embraces love in a world controlled by rules? Is this movie not about God/Angels as much as it is about society/culture?

There are definitely other symbols/motifs/images that are being conveyed in the movie, but these are a few to consider.

Preview of The Adjustment Bureau

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Last night I got to attend a special screening of The Adjustment Bureau that will be released to the general audience on March 4th. The event was hosted by Asbury University and was followed by a talk-back session with faculty and staff from the University (and JD Walt from the Seminary).

The story is yet another brilliant adaptation from Phillip K. Dick’s writings and seeks to play with some important human themes such as: levels of reality; fate/destiny and free-will/choice; love and career/vocation; gender & race and society; and of course how “God” is sovereign and is he “Good”. The Adjustment Bureau is an entertaining synthesis between Minority Report and a Romantic Drama. I would recommend you go see it in theaters and take some time afterwards to unpack some of the strong themes and symbols used in the movie with your friends. The movie is much like a Christian icon – the more you look the more you will see…. I will be unpacking some of these symbols in a later post.

Hospitality, Old Friends, and Remembering

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Monday I received a text message from an old friend, Larry, who is a Navigator at Wright Patterson Air Force base near Dayton, OH (He’s the one on the far left in the photo). He said he was going to stop by and see my young daughter Anna and maybe grab dinner on his way back from Atlanta. Well… what would have taken him  45 minutes, turned into 2.5 hours Odyssey throughout the backwoods of Kentucky in a thunderstorm. Larry survived and ended up spending the night.

There is something about returning to old friendships that awakes the sleeping parts of souls to the our present memories. Hospitality allows us to invite old friends not only into our houses, but into our lives again . Like the Old Testament Prophets calling ancient Israel to remember the Exodus, old friends have a way of prophetically calling us back to remember our past accomplishments, desires, spiritual growth and gifts, and zeal to serve the Lord.

The Epiphany of Suffering

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During this past week suffering and death have been ever before me: From a philosophy class I am taking on Suffering, Tragedy and the Christian Faith, to a Time article written by Rob Bell concerning him getting his call to be a pastor in the midst of severe headaches, to a guest lecturer in Chapel talking about growing up in the persecuted Church of Columbia, to filling out ACPE (Association of Clinical Pastoral Education) applications about my views of spiritual care and suffering, and last night hearing a friend’s testimony about God’s presence with him in the midst of his young wife’s death. These events bring me to today:  the Lord’s Day, Sunday, the First day, and the eschatological eighth day… and then I’m reminded of the “reason for the season”, Epiphany – Christ being revealed as God in the Gospels… in the midst of suffering.

Before the Passion of Lent and the Resurrection of Easter comes the Epiphany of the B.C. proclamation in Isaiah 53, “Surely he has borne our infirmities   and carried our diseases;  yet we accounted him stricken,  struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions,  crushed for our iniquities;  upon him was the punishment that made us whole,  and by his bruises we are healed.”

The picture  and the Isaiah 53 passage above are an attempt to articulate the reality of suffering, tragedy, sin and death in light of the reality of Jesus as LORD. It attempts to show that the cross is not only a historical event, but it is also a reality of God’s cruciform love for the world. I remember Robert Mulholland saying in class, “The Cross is not just something Jesus DID, it is a revelation of  WHO God is.” During the season of Epiphany we see Jesus transfigured before us as God: Healing diseases, exorcising demons, and raising the dead. We follow the reality of Jesus as God in Epiphany into the reality of Christ’s cruciform love revealed in the Passion of Lent.

Are You a F.A.T. Disciple?

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I was a year into living the Christian witness when I transferred to Wright Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. After 10 months of intense mentoring and training by a Navigator in Florida, I was now faced with a base that at the time did not have a Navigator missionary on staff. It was during this time I was sharing a meal with a new friend who was discipled by my former mentor in Florida.

In one of our first meetings he called me a FAT disciple… I never heard that before. When I heard it I thought, “Phat”? What’s this guy playing at? Is he trying to spit slang ?” He obviously noticed my glazed over eyes at his comment, and with a smile said, “You know… F-A-T. – Faithful. Available. Teachable. The qualities in a disciple of Christ.”

Looking back at this story now, I can honestly tell you  that at the end of a tour as an M.Div. student at Asbury Theological Seminary, I am still very F.A.T.! I am called to be faithful both the “head and heart” knowledge and experiences that I have been PRIVILEGED to learn. I am still very much available to be mentored and to mentor. Finally, I humbly report that I have failed to live up to the standards of the name of my degree, Master of Divinity. I have not mastered the divine and am still very teachable by God’s Spirit, Word, and Church.

So… Ph.D.s, senior Pastors, priests, missionaries, Seminarians, social activists and writers .. have you managed to keep your weight on? Have you remained F.A.T.?

The Language of “T.G.I.F.”

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When you read the title of this Blog and you came across the acronym, “T.G.I.F.” what came to your  mind? If you were born in the 80s like me, perhaps a picture of Steve Erkel  comes to mind? If you are a little older than me (or a little younger) perhaps the restaurant T.G.I.F. Fridays comes to mind?

Recently I read an article written in my weekly Anglican Mission News feed from their Winter Conference (click here for entire article). At one point in the article Dr. Len Sweet called Christ followers to,  ”Learn the language of today’s “TGIF” generation (Twitter, Google, iPhone and Facebook).” Social media like the Internet is not going away any time soon. In fact, both will evolve and change with advancements in technology and education.

Christians neither should consider T.G.I.F. to be the only form of language nor forsake meeting together physically for the convenience (and dangers) that a Web-streamed service can bring. Consider T.G.I.F. not to be a language, but a dialect or medium to convey the Gospel. Think of T.G.I.F. as the 21st century translation of letter writing (which also could be complex rhetorically).

What are some of your thoughts, concerns, or ideas about T.G.I.F.?

Bob Dylan and Exodus

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What does Bob Dylan have to do with Exodus? The chorus of one of Dylan’s songs, “Gotta Serve Somebody” goes like this:

You’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

If I could rewrite this chorus to fit one of  motifs in the book of Exodus then it would  go something like this:

You’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Well, it may be the Pharaoh or it may be the LORD
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

Everyone has to serve someone, right? You may be a midwife, a princess, a slave, or 40-year-old exile shepherd, but you gotta serve someone in Egypt: “Pharaoh or the LORD.” Well there’s my eisegesis.

There is an inherent contrast that takes place in Exodus between the LORD and Pharaoh. Consider the encounter in Exodus 5 between Moses/Aaron and Pharaoh. It begins in 5:1 with a decree from the LORD’s servants (Moses and Aaron) that is introduced like this, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel.” After a cynical response from Pharaoh the response of his servants is, “Thus says Pharaoh” (accompanied with a severe punishment).

Who is the servant of God who is giving the message of God to the persecutors of God’s people? “Thus says ____?” Are we living under the fears of “Thus says Pharaoh” or abiding in the holy love of “Thus says the LORD.”? Does it take the utter collapse of our Pharaoh’s power before we are left with no other option but to repent and listen to the LORD?

It is a revealing response in Exodus 5:21 that the Hebrews give to Moses and Aaron after their punishment decree from Pharaoh’s servants,

“May the LORD look upon you and judge you! You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

Do you catch what they’re saying here? They’re choosing Pharaoh over the LORD. Who is the Pharaoh(s) of today? We are not only CALLED OUT OF Egypt, but we are “CALLED INTO the fellowship of Jesus Christ our LORD” (1Cor1:9).

You’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

My Birthday And Epiphany – Part II

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It’s always exciting when my physical birth date falls on the Lord’s Day (Sunday) as it did this year. In Sunday’s post I looked at the birth narratives in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew and how they revealed Jesus as God. In this morning’s post I will look at this “birth” motif from the perspective of the Gospels of John and Mark.

The Gospel of John begins immediately with the Word (logos gk.). The closest hint to the physical birth of Christ comes in John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us.” The opening setting of John is in Bethany across the Jordan. John the Baptist is preparing the way of the Lord with his baptism of repentance. John explained his reason for baptism, “I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And Jesus came and was revealed as God in Baptism. This revelation of Jesus as God, theophany is celebrated during the season of Epiphany (I wrote a post about theophany a few weeks ago).

The narrative of Mark also starts with, “The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ.” Like John it goes right into the ministry of John the Baptist as the path by which Jesus’ earthly ministry enters.  John proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.  I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” And just like that, “Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.” Just like the baptism account in Mark, Jesus is revealed as God in his baptism.

Both John and Mark as opposed to Luke and Matthew stress the adult ministry of Jesus that begins with his baptism. They include no genealogies, birth narratives, or childhood accounts of Jesus. The emphasis of the beginning of Mark and John appear to be on John the Baptist’s ministry, Jesus’ baptism, and subsequent ministry. John Stott says, “Baptism with water is the sign and seal of baptism with the Spirit, as much as it is of the forgiveness of sins. Water-baptism is the initiatory Christian rite, because Spirit-baptism is the initiatory Christian experience.” If the labor of our physical birth is the human rite by which we all must become part of a human community, then water baptism is the Christian rite by which Christians are imparted with the Holy Spirit that cries out in our hearts as adopted Children to God,  ”ABBA FATHER.”