Fantasy as a Human Right
I found this 1974 article written by John Timmerman on Tolkien while I was checking the link to the Ellul article in my last post. The opening of this paragraph is especially ironic:

"Fantasy is immensely difficult to achieve, but narrative is the best means of
access to it. Drama, argues Tolkien, is hostile to fantasy, since it sets before
us a physical reality that limits the mental reality we construct around it. (No
doubt we shall soon see hobbits on a cinematic screen, and one can only
guess at the pain this would have caused Tolkien.)"

Timmerman continues his analysis of Tolkien's view on fantasy:

But the "Elvish craft" of fantasy, properly practiced, produces enchantment,
and enchantment ‘produces a Secondary World into which both designer and
spectator can enter, to the satisfaction of their senses while they are inside;
but in’ its purity it is artistic in desire and purpose". Through enchantment,
the product of fantasy, we adults begin to retrieve the childlike wonder we had
deposited in the litter basket of our mental past. Fantasy, argues Tolkien,
"remains a human right: we make in our measure and in our derivative mode,
because we are made: and not only made, but made in the image and
likeness of a Maker". Through enchantment we regain, as Tolkien says, "a
clear view" -- we recover the optics of insight into the human spirit and
rediscover childlike wonder at the glory of being."

Doesn't this sound like Aristotle in Poetics? Just replace "catharsis" with "enchantment" and you're ready to roll.
posted by Dave at Monday, December 30, 2002 -

Can We Be Too Word Centered?
If so, how? J.I. Packer argues that we can - and that we have - in the midst of a thoughtful essay on the church published by Touchstone Magazine.

"Factor two is evangelical word-centeredness. No one should fault evangelicals for valuing Scripture and doctrine and preaching in the way that they do—or, at least, used to do, for catechism, adult Bible schools, and serious learning of the historic faith are currently in eclipse among us, to our own great loss. But our stress on text and talking has marginalized and dumbed down the sacraments, so that their message about the crucified and living Lord as the life of the church is muffled, and the Eucharist becomes an extra, tacked on to a preaching service, rather than the congregation’s chief act of worship, as Calvin and Luther and Cranmer thought it should be. The word-sacrament antithesis, most certainly, is also false, but evangelicals’ disproportionate word-centeredness is a fact, and is a further facet of a stunted churchliness." (emphasis in the original)

One the other side of the debate is Jacques Ellul, who argues that word centeredness is vital. You can read his entire book The Humiliation of the Word online here. Neil Postman makes a similar arguement is Amusing Ourselves to Death.

I tend to favor the approach taken by Postman and Ellul. But we must not abandon the image entirely. Jesus is both "the word become flesh" and "the express image of the Father." Both are vitally important.
posted by Dave at Thursday, December 26, 2002 -

The Reason for the Season
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
nor thorns infest the ground;
he comes to make his blessings flow
far as the curse is found.

Jesus came to make True culture possible again.
posted by Dave at Tuesday, December 24, 2002 -

Architecture and Ideology
An arresting essay byconservative critic Roger Kimball on the architectural worldviews of Peter Eisenman and Leon Krier. Yale U is having an exhibition on these two architects. Could any two architects be more different? But as Kimball demonstrates, they have more in common than what you might think.
posted by Dave at Monday, December 23, 2002 -

WTC Dreams
The concensus on the recently published designs for the WTC replacement is that it shouldn't be taken all that seriously, since the ideas will never be built. Let's see, there's articles from the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Toronto Globe & Mail and Slate.
posted by Dave at Monday, December 23, 2002 -

Mirslav Volf on "Church" and "Sect"
This is from a paper Volf delivered at North Park College, where he interacts with Troeltsch, Niebuhr and Weber. Here is an excerpt:

"Weber's distinction between church and sect was supposed to be a strictly sociological distinction that provided models of how religious groups relate to the larger world. Going beyond Weber, Troeltsch made the simple but astute observation that one cannot separate theology from sociology. The church, which wishes to embrace all its sons and daughters, will invariably proclaim "grace"; the sect, to which only an elite number belong, will stress "law." The church will affirm the "world"; the sect will deny the "world" by retreating from it or occasionally attacking it. The church will seek power in the world, and to achieve it, make the necessary compromises; the sect will insist on undiluted purity and remain on the margins. The church will stress sacraments and education; the sect will value conversion and commitment."

I must say that Volf (who I have heard interviewed on Mars Hill) approaches the question of culture in a very different way than I do. I Have his book on on work, which I still do not understand. It seemed hyper-theoretical to me.
posted by Dave at Friday, December 20, 2002 -

Look and Vote
For your favorite version of World Trade Center replacement over at CNN. Then let us know what you think. (Sorry Gideon, no Krier.)
posted by Dave at Wednesday, December 18, 2002 -

Steve Camp Gets Cranky
There's some really good stuff over at musician Steve Camp's site. He out-does Luther with 107 Theses railing against CCM, which is truly a fine, well thought out document. And you can read his open letter to the CCM Industry railing against Mr. Goodwrench's sponsorship of "Worship".
posted by Dave at Wednesday, December 18, 2002 -

Some Musings on Christmas and Culture
1. Saturday I visited the Portland Art Museum again. I went primarily to see the PaineWebber contemporary art collection show (a terrific survey of recent developments, amazingly devoid of pornography or elephant dung) although I also got to run through the dreary Keinholtz exhibit as well (more on this another day). As I walked into the main entry space I was met with the sound of of singing. Just like at a shopping mall, there was a quartet dressed in tails, top hats, mufflers, etc. singing holiday songs including carols. (They actually were very good singers.) The juxtoposition of the beautiful Christian carols with the large, inert art works filling the entry gallery space was pretty hard to take. Maybe the music was provided for the small crowd of people scurrying to see the quaint Grandma Moses stuff. Talk about a variety of art on display.

2. Christmas is open season on the Second Commandment. Pictures of cute baby Jesus and creches pop up everywhere. We even have a live nativity at one of the church's in our home town of Dallas, Oregon. Even some reformed people are into it. But not John Murray.

3. The sad state of cultural affairs in the contemporary Evangelical church in the US is brutally revealed by the Christmas cards on display at our local Christian bookstore/coffee place. Besides the poor production and craftmanship, the messages (most) and schmaltzy/cutesy images tell a sad tale about where the church is at at the beginning of the 21th century. Ironically (but not surprisingly), the cards at the art museum giftshop were tasteful and truly beautiful, even if they were secular in tone (which isn't such a bad thing, imho). To paraphrase Larry Norman, "Why should the devil get all the good Christmas cards?"

posted by Dave at Monday, December 16, 2002 -

What Kind of Cultural Christian Are You?
Take this little quiz to find out.
posted by Dave at Thursday, December 12, 2002 -

A Return to Stable Thinking
The Bible doesn't exactly say that there were animals present at Christ's birth, but given that in God's perfect plan Jesus was born is stable, it seems likely that that would have been the case. And if so, this would have been highly significant, since Our Savior came to reconcile all of creation - not just a people - for Himself.

This brings me a book that just came to my attention by conservative author Matthew Scully, Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy. It should be interesting to see what Scully's arguments are like. So much of the discussion of "animal rights" is of the bleeding heart variety - even from Christians. And there have been scathing critiques of Christianity as the primary cause of most animal suffering and evironmental degredation, such at the seminal article by Lynn White. Yet we must not shrink away from what the Bible unamibigously asserts: that the human race is rule over creation including the animals (Genesis 1:27ff; Psalm 8). But the Bible also teaches that rule implies the protection of those ruled. Mercy to animals in ecapsulated in the Fourth Commandment and is assumed other places in scripture.
posted by Dave at Wednesday, December 11, 2002 -

Looks Like No Happy Returns this Holiday Season



More on ancient statues. There has been a great deal of contoversy over art works like the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon which were removed from location hundreds of years ago and placed in museums in Western Europe and America. The countries from where these artifacts were taken want them back, and have been pressuring the host governments for their return for years. The BBC reports that a group of museum directors have struck back with a declaration, claiming that, as "universal museums", they know best how to preserve these priceless artifacts. Is this really necessary for the preservation of our cultural heritage, or is it just another case of international paternalism?
posted by Dave at Tuesday, December 10, 2002 -

Who Really Carved the Elgin Marbles?
You know, those sculptures allegedly from Parthenon now displayed in the British Museum. According to the Belgian newspaper De Morgen, it was really the work of an Englishman! The Guardian is on it as well.
posted by Dave at Monday, December 09, 2002 -

Newberg Redoux
My wife and I went on a culture date in beautiful downtown Newberg last Friday evening. We began our evening at the Coffee Cottage listening to a brass sextet. Then off to an opening at the Blue Trout Gallery I talked about a couple of blogs ago. I saw Gary Buhler's up close for the first time. He is a powerful technician and was willing to talk pretty freely about his working methods and what he is trying to accomplish visually. I sure hope I get to talk to him some more. Then we went back to the Cottage and heard a folk/jazz group. A pretty wonderful evening.
posted by Dave at Monday, December 09, 2002 -

Tabletalk
My 11-year-old son Cornelius had the following observation/question about the latest Highlights magazine over dinner. (We have a gift subscription.) "How come they have articles on Chanukah and Muslims and other religions, but not on Christianity?" This led to a discussion on bias and alleged tolerance and the hatred many have toward the God of the Bible. Highlights has a definite agenda to promote. Maybe someone should try to send them an article on Martin Luther for next years Halloween issue.
posted by Dave at Friday, December 06, 2002 -

TKV Pipe Dreams (Two Kingdom Critique - Part V)
The Center for Cultural Leadership site curiously posted an article by Chloe Diekema on art which argues that "There is no such thing as a Christian plumber." This sounds like Two-Kindgom-View-of-culture speak to me. (What was Andrew Sandlin, a leading proponant of Christian culture, thinking when he posted this article?) Cloe, an eighth grader, is not alone in this kind of thinking. TKV proponants talk this way repeatedly. (Cloe appears to have gotten this idea from Steve Turners book Imagine.)

So is there really a Christian way to do plumbing? I would argue that there is! When a plumber is installing or repairing pipes and fixtures correctly, he is performing his task in a Christian (i.e. faithful) manner, even if he is not a believer. In order to do the job effectively (and this applies to any endeavor, not just plumbing) a plumber must work with Christian presuppositions, such as the uniformity and predictability of God's created order, the actual existence of pipes, solder, faucets, etc., standards of what constitutes a task well-done and a correct view of ethics which governs how the job is to be done. Plumbers who don't operate by these presuppositions won't be effective plumbers. Thus, a consistent Hindu or philosophical skeptic will be a lousy plumber. But God in his common grace makes many non-Christians inconsistent in the way they approach fixing pipes, so that they submit to the norms of creation even though in their hearts they rebel against them and the God who established them. Conversly, many Christians are also sadly inconsistent in this regard; they are unfaithful to the Christian worldview as it governs plumbing even though they might otherwise embrace the Gospel.

For some reason, the same is not true of art. Non-Christian artists violently rebel against the aesthetic norms for art making all the time, and, for some strange reason, people jump at the opportunity to pay big bucks for these bogus artworks. They won't tolerate leaky pipes, but they will celebrate objects devoid of craftsmanship, beauty, and nobility. The Bible has a term for this sort of thing: futility of mind.
posted by Dave at Thursday, December 05, 2002 -

The Place to Be
Newberg, Oregon is becoming the place to be for Christian culture. (Or, as we say, if you can't be in Moscow, Idaho, you might as well be in . . .)

Our church, Trinity Presbyterian (OPC), is becoming more cultural all the time. Last weekend, Paul Otto and his family joined our church. He came to Oregon from Iowa and is a history professor at George Fox University. What is a neo-calvinist doing at an evangelical Quaker college, you might ask? We are wondering that ourselves! We now have four historians who are members of Trinity (two with PhDs), not counting me (I am an art historian!) We also have two professional musicians and a poet. Not bad for a church with 70 or so members. (See Paul's paper he delivered at Covenant College on history and culture - strangely similar to the ideas I talk about in Plowing in Hope. Hmmm.)

Besides the Coffee Cottage, there is the new Blue Trout art gallery in town which holds great promise. It is owned by Gary Buhler, who is a wonderfull landscape painter and prof at George Fox. (You can see pictures of Roughly Hewn playing at the opening.)
posted by Dave at Monday, December 02, 2002 -

Close Encounters of the Fowl Kind
Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving (in US), I feel compelled to share some of my personal turkey experiences with you.

Two years ago on my way to work, just a few blocks from home, as the morning glare was oscuring my view ahead of me, I saw some faint, odd-shaped shadows in the middle of the street. As I came to a stop, I noticed that the shadows were moving. They were unmistakably . . . turkeys! I had seen small flocks (or whatever their groups are called) of turkeys many times in the area - but right in the middle of Dallas? Since then they have wandered through our yard a couple of times, interrupting homeschool, and they regularly make appearances in the city park and on our other neighbor's lawns. Many folks leave bread crumbs for them. In case you're wondering, turkeys are not native to Oregon; they were introduced here for hunting. Same is true for possums, who have also graced our yard.
posted by Dave at Wednesday, November 27, 2002 -

Short Story to Read
You might also want to read Flannery O'Connor's story "The Turkey". It is a poinant tale of the inner workings of reprobation.
posted by Dave at Wednesday, November 27, 2002 -

Thorny Matters
Over at Yahoo they have link to story about scientists trying to make blue roses. Ever stop to think how many different kinds of roses there are? They come in remarkable array of different colors, sizes, shapes, textures, and scents. Then think about all the other kinds of flowers there are (my Dad breeds daylilies). God invested His creation with the potential for variety and gave us the ability and inclination to explore and develop it for His glory. I was expecially excited about articles mention of the development of thornless backberries. Anyone who lives in the Pacific Northwest knows what I am talking about. I think about this every time I read Genesis 3. Thorns and thistles indeed. But by grace we are able to accomplish much positive development.
posted by Dave at Tuesday, November 26, 2002 -

Happy Holidays?
They put up the holiday decorations in our hometown yesterday. Seems like it gets earlier and earlier every year, etc. Christmas has become a bizarre manifestation of what passes for in the minds of many as Christian culture. It misses the mark (like much of CCM, pop Christian novels and the like) because it is horribly sub-biblical, and as such is not Christian at all. The crass materialism of the holiday is utterly opposed to everything Christ lived here on earth. Xmas (leave Jesus' exalted title out of it) reminds me of Bruce Cockburn's line in "Laughter"- "They tried to build a new Jerusalem, and ended up with New York." I don't think anyone is laughing Bruce.
posted by Dave at Monday, November 25, 2002 -

Under the Influence
There have been a number of books over the years which have shaped my thinking, especially those I read when I was "coming of age" in my Christian faith. Some of these include Francis Schaeffer's Escape from Reason (I saw Dr. Schaeffer in Pittsburgh on his How then Shall We Live tour), James Sire's Universe Next Door, and Barr and Macaulay's Being Human. All of these books helped me to see (much to my relief!) that I didn't have to throw away my brain to be Christian.

The book that really brought me over to the study of art history was Rookmaaker's Art Needs No Justication, which sadly has been out of print for years, and is, in my opinion, the best book on Christianity and arts ever written. Thankfully, the book can be found online here. While you're at it, you can read Schaeffer's wonderful "little" book Art and Bible online as well.

Happy reading.
posted by Dave at Friday, November 22, 2002 -

Back to the Garden
On my drive to work today I saw a white van painted with the inscription "Eden Pest Control Services." I had to chuckle to myself when I read it. Something tells me that they didn't need pest control in the Garden. (Is this why you never see rats or termites in Thomas Kinkaid paintings?) Of course, their selling point might be that they are trying to undo the effect of the curse in the area of those nasty pests. Could it be that Terminix and Raid are agents of grace?
posted by Dave at Thursday, November 21, 2002 -

The Latest from the Preposterous Question Department



Somehow I think that Jesus would drive an old, beat up Volvo. What do you think? (For an exhaustive look at this question, look here.)
posted by Dave at Tuesday, November 19, 2002 -

Eric Gill Quote I Stumbled Across
"Culture is a sham if it is only a sort of Gothic front put on an iron building - like the Tower Bridge - or a classical front put on a steel frame - like the Daily Telegraph building on Fleet Street. Culture, if it is to be a real thing and a holy thing, must be the product of what we actually do for a living - not something added, like sugar on a pill."

(Sounds a lot like Ruskin in the Seven Lamps of Architecture.)
posted by Dave at Monday, November 18, 2002 -

My Little Talk Today
This has been a busy week for me. I was invited to give an assembly presentation on Christianity and Culture for the Classical Christian school my oldest daughter attends. It went pretty well, I think, with the exception that I had about 50 minutes of material and about 30 minutes to actually present it.

I left the students with a challenge to truly see themselves for who they are: that they are kings and queens called by God to rule over the earth and take domintion over it by responsible cultural development. I reminded them that they are called to participate in the global project to make culture and see their place in this, no matter how small or "insignificant". And I reminded them that all that they do in this world should be offered up to God as an act of worship. I hope they got a glimpse of this glorious calling to which they are called.
posted by Dave at Friday, November 15, 2002 -

Two-Kingdom Critique - IV
(My most recent entry in this series is here.)
The antithesis.com site just published an excerpt from Michael Horton's recently re-released Where in the World Is the Church. This book is largely an apology for the Two Kingom View (TKV) of culture, although he leaves the door open at points to a tranformationist view. I find much of what Prof. Horton says in this book confusing and/or muddled. For example, about Kuyper's tranformationist appoach, Horton states:

"Nevertheless, Kuyper did make "Christian" versions of many things in the world: Christian schools, newspapers, and political parties tended to obscure the earlier Protestant confidence in the realm of nature as possessing sufficient light and justification for its existence without having to be organized as specifically Christian. This Kuyperian spirit has been especially attractive in some circles in North America, because it is world-embracing and eschews the pietistic retreat from society, and yet it should not be too hastily concluded that one can find a distinctively "Christian" philosophy, political theory, or aesthetic. If these are indeed realms of common grace and natural revelation, they do not require a specifically Christian explanation. Looking for one will only tend to polarize Christians from non-Christians until believers are at last exiled again from the public square, forced to pursue their "Christian" philosophy in their own spiritual ghetto."

Two things need to be said in response. First, Kuyper never said that the cultural enterprise need to be "justified" by being "specifically Christian" in order to be worthwhile or valid. (Citation Dr. Horton?) Kuyper wrote a hefty three volume treatise entitled "Common Grace" discussing how God works both inside and outside the Covenant People to develop the earth through culture. While it is true that one cannot learn how to mix colors for a painting by reading the Bible, it is equally true that unless one's mind is transformed by tthe Word of God (Rom 12:2), one will - if consistent with their non-biblical world-view - use this "natural" knowledge in twisted, ugly way.

Second, it would seem that Dr. Horton was too hasty to conclude that Kuyper "too hastily concluded that one can find a distinctively "Christian" philosophy, political theory, or aesthetic." Earlier in the same excerpt published by Antithesis, Horton explains how the respective worldviews of Medieval Catholic artists and 17th century Dutch reformed painters resulted in a markedly different approach to making art. Worldview does make a difference. Christians will do culture differently than non-Christians (and other Christians with a different theological outlook) because of a difference in worldview outlook. (Non-Christian's do often outwardly mimic faithful approaches to culture-making, accouting for a superficial similarity.) Why Horton fails to be consistent on this point baffles me.
posted by Dave at Wednesday, November 13, 2002 -

"Oh Bother!" - Where Art Thou?
Came across a reference to what looks like a wonderful spoof on Postmodern Lit Crit called the Postmodern Pooh by Frederick Crews. You can read a review of it here. I have found Derrida, Liotard, et al to be more like Eeyore. Could this account for Pooh's odd approach to spelling?
posted by Dave at Tuesday, November 12, 2002 -

Not Necessarily Wild About Harry
Here are few takes on Harry Potter from a Christian perspective: Alan Jacobs says that HP is really about technology. Gerry Wisz says that he knew Merlin and that HP was no Merlin. Krista Faries (her real name) analyzes HP by the light of Aristotle. And Doug Jones and Ben Merkle give HP the Credenda Agenda treatment.
posted by Dave at Friday, November 08, 2002 -

Tolkien Sweeps
We just finished watching Fellowship of the Ring last night on video. I didn't notice it in the theater, but I think there was a little too much use of those wildly sweeping/flying camera shots. Once or twice os okay, but twenty or thirty times? It got tiring after a while.
posted by Dave at Friday, November 08, 2002 -

About My Most Recent Post
This was intended as a little joke of sorts - poking a little fun at Kinkade, who (of course) calls himself the "Painter of Light(tm)" (Cuyp never claimed this honor for himself). The absolute master of this type of idealistic, luminescent landscape was Claude Lorraine, who pretty much invented it. A whole string of artists have followed in Claude's footsteps. Kinkade's style is just a poor imitation of this tradition.
posted by Dave at Thursday, November 07, 2002 -

Idealism Revisited


The latest from the "painter of light".
posted by Dave at Tuesday, November 05, 2002 -

Nomination
I just saw that Catholic poet Dana Gioia was nominated by President Bush to be head of the National Endowment for the Arts. Gioia is a wonderful poet who is famous for his essay "Can Poetry Matter" which appeared in The Atlantic Monthly in the early nineties (read his poem "Litany"). He has been a frequent guest on Ken Myer's Mars Hill Audio magazine, celebrating the pleasures and nobility of poetry.

This raises the question: should the government be involved as a patron of the arts? This has caused a firestorm of controversy in past. I know that I would not want to accept money from the government to support my artistic habit as a matter of priniciple. Thus, I don't think I would take the position if offered to me (not that they would ever would in a million years). But if we going to have to have someone to be the Director of the NEA, it might as well be someone as wise, sane and erudite as Mr. Gioia.
posted by Dave at Monday, November 04, 2002 -

Puritan Priorities
Gerry Wisz hits the nail on the head with this essay from Razor Mouth:

"One thing you have to say about the Puritans, though, is that they did it. They did become that city on a hill, if only for a generation. Yet if you look at the best of them (not the alarmists or smarmy introspectionists), you will find hardly anything on eschatology (though most were partial-preterists), on Roman Catholicism (though most disdained the city on seven hills), or on politics (though many sat in Parliament and instituted an entirely new government).

"You'll find quite a bit on the Church, plenty on the Christian life, but lots on Christ—his person, character, atonement, abiding, faithfulness, obedience to the Father, and his glory. They stretched to make these things clear to people, and those people took those things and built—however tentatively—a new civilization. Maybe there's something we can take from that."

As Sinclair Ferguson explains in the intoduction to Christian Life: a Doctrinal Introduction , a deep understanding of basic biblical doctrines, combined with real faith leads to a changed life.

And changed lives in turn result in a Christian culture. Its really is that simple.
posted by Dave at Friday, November 01, 2002 -

What Christian Culture Looks Like - Part VI



Practical. Beautifully crafted. A celebration of God's good creation. These cement garden tiles are the work of Richard Abbott of Winsor, Maine. You can more examples of his work at his site: Home & Garden Ornament.
posted by Dave at Wednesday, October 30, 2002 -

Are Gargoyles Christian?
This is a follow-up to my recent blog on Halloween. I have now seen several folks (including a respondant to my own post) refer to this article by James Jordan defending Halloween as a misunderstood Christian holiday. Jordan argues that Halloween as "All Hallows Day Eve" was a day celebrated by Christians as day for dissing demons. Believers dressed up as ghosts and goblins in order to mock the "principlaties and powers" which had been defeated by the victorious Christ. Jordan also likened the celebration of Halloween to the function of Gargoyles on Gothic churches -- "They stick out their tongues and make faces at those who would assault the Church. Gargoyles are not demonic; they are believers ridiculing the defeated demonic army."

I beg to differ. I would argue that Gargoyles are in fact demonic. They are the leftovers of pagan deities worshipped by the various tribes who roamed around Europe before they were subdued by the gospel. As such they are part of the dark underbelly of medieval Christendom which -- like the Israelites of Joshua's day -- had failed to completely put away its "family" idols. Robert Rosenblum in Modern Painting And The Northern Romantic Tradition argues that much of modern Europe's preoccupation with monsters, violence, and death follows a longstanding tradition which is nothing less than latent paganism which from time to time slips out from under the carpet, erupting into Grim's Fairytales, for example. The lesson in all of this is that our break with "former" ways must be radical and thorough. Any form of syncretism (which has often been tolerated in the Roman tradition) is decidedly not the way to do Christian culture.

Holloween is cut from the same piece of cloth. It (allegedly) mascarades as a rebuke to Satan and his minions. But along the way the celebrants have a bit too much fun mimicing those they wish to ridicule. And there is evidence that Halloween most likely was tied to existing pagan holidays by the church (as are many other alleged "Christian" holidays in the traditional church calendar). Halloween may have been a holiday celebrated by Christians, but it hardly follows that it is a Christian holiday.
posted by Dave at Tuesday, October 29, 2002 -

Of Show-Dog Architecture and Titanium Artichokes
If you think the Gateshead Bridge is radical (and it certainly is in many respects), Frank O. Gehry's Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain is, well, . . . (fill in your favorite superlative expression of surprise and/or distain). Gehry certainly succeeded in making one giant splash in Bay of Biscay, his wild piece of architectural sculpture becoming a tourism mega-success. This has in turn, spawned, what Witold Rybczynski has termed the "Bilbao Effect", in which other museums are trying to cash in on the lust for flamboyant edifaces. (Maybe the folks at Willow Creek should try this approach?)

Rybczynski is one of my favorite architectural critics. His early (first?) book, Home: a Short History of an Idea, is a classic investigation into how world views effect our cultural output and is a delightful read. I also want to read his book on the landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead, who is arguably one of the most important influences on the shaping of our contemporary American landscape.
posted by Dave at Monday, October 28, 2002 -

To Trick or Treat or Not To Trick or Treat, That is the Question
I'm starting to see some takes on this question. Is it okay to let our covenant kiddies go trick-or-treating? The Poet Warrior seems to give a qualified yes. John Fischer (CCM author and musician) argues for a definite yes.

It seems to me that this is an antithesis issue (2 Cor. 6:14-18). Even though it is possible to pretend that all the demonic baggage associated with this day doesn't matter or effect me (I do not worship demons as I gobble up my candy corn . . .), the historical association still stands. Evil and death are still a focal point of Halloween "celebration." The parallel, it seems to me, is Mardi Gras. Should biblical Christians celebrate this holyday? One could argue that Mardi Gras serves a foil to make us more mindful of our piety during the lenten season. I don't buy it.

I see Halloween as an opportunity -- an opportunity to take a stand against the predominant values and practices of our unbelieving culture.

Just like an obscure German monk did nearly 500 years ago.
posted by Dave at Thursday, October 24, 2002 -

The Sin of Woodenness (Or Being a Poetic Blockhead)
Are you caught in a rut of rationalistic literalism? You might want to repent. At least that's what Doug Jones proposed at the conference my wife and I attended last weekend. Ever notice that Jesus rebukes Nichodemus (John 3, esp vv 7, 10) and the disciples (Mt 16:8ff) for not getting his poetic language? We are responsible to understand images (as they are revealed in nature and poetry) as well as words (as they are used to reveal propositional truth in the scriptures). Jesus is revealed to us as both logos and ikon of God. Christian maturity demands we understand and live in terms of both word and image.

posted by Dave at Tuesday, October 22, 2002 -

Elegant Engineering



Even though it is fun to poke fun at the foibles of modernist architecture (most of it well deserved), modern civil engineering (its close cousin) is one of the bright spots of contemporaty culture. This was just brought to mind with the winner of this year's Stirling Prize for the best British building is the Gateshead Millenium Bridge in Newcastle. The award selection has the architectural community all up in arms - but I suspect that they are just embarassed that they haven't created anything as beautiful.

Its hard to appreciate from pictures, but the gracefully curved roadway and supension arch of the bridge swing up in one piece to allow river traffic to pass underneath. This bridge was inspired by the work Spanish engineer Santiago Calatrava, who is one of the greatest designers alive today -- and maybe of all time.
posted by Dave at Monday, October 21, 2002 -

Bunch of Trav'lin Songs for the Weekend
"Moth" by Over the Rhine. A bunch of tracks from a band called Late Tuesday, who are from Bellingham, WA (give "Ordinary" a spin). And on the common grace side of the ledger, howsabout a classic tune from Tacoma's Ricky Lee Jones (utterly sublime!). We'll yell howdy to Ricky as we zoom past her hometown on the way to see the Dougs.
posted by Dave at Friday, October 18, 2002 -

Doin' The Dougs in Seattle
My wife and I are going to the Seattle area this Saturday (DV) to hear Doug Wilson and Doug Jones talk about the practical implications of the incarnation to our everyday lives. "Word Made Flesh" conf page is here.
posted by Dave at Thursday, October 17, 2002 -

For Nature, Against Environmentalism
I finally got around to reading the article from re|generation Quarterly on conservatives and environmentalism. Jeremy Beer builds his article around a recent book by John Bliese, The Greening of Conservative America. Beer and Bliese examine the shift in conservative thought from the 50s and early 60s which was generally pro-conservation of natural resources, to the view held today in which conservatives are radically opposed to environmentalism. This shift is due to what they call "fusionism", which is more or less a bringing together of libertarian and traditionalist ideologies into a single fused conservative ideology. The result was an ideology which favored capitalism and growth, and saw any governmental intervention as in impediment to these goals.

This is an intreguing thesis. I would be inclined to explain it a bit differently. I would place the shift in conservative thinking to a secularization of the movement. As the conservative mainstream became disengaged significantly form its Judeo-Christian roots (even though it paid lip service to these roots), it abandoned the source of our traditional value system (which has historically assigned real value to nature/creation), and replaced long-term productivity as a core economic objective with a profit motive which is usually short term. There are other factors as well. One is the current obsession with building suburban/exurban mini-estates and farmettes which reduce the density of developed areas and end up using more land than alternative, higher density development.

I find Beer to be claiming to be a conservative while clearly operating within the environmentalist camp. He fails to acknowledge the errant, radical views of of many environmentalists, while at the same time he is critical of most conservative critiques of the environmentalist movement. Are many conservatives "enemies of environmental health"? Is there an "institutionalized disregard for the care of creation"? It is surely true that there is a lot of bad development going on, but the root cause is greed and an over-obsession with the bottom line, not conservative ideology; and certainly not Christian conservative ideology. Who are those "people" who hate nature? Most conservatives I know are farmers who love the land they farm and want to pass what they have on to their sons and grandsons; or they are town and city dwellers who love to garden, hike, fish and hunt. It is true that they are also violently opposed to governmental regulations to their land; they consider themselves capable of making responsible decisions without the help of government. Beer argues that the civil government is necessary to curb the effects of human sin on the environment. But I would argue that a sinful civil government is no better than sinful individuals in making environmental and developmental decisions. (It is interesting to note that the environment suffered much more under totalitarian regimes in eastern Europe than it did under capitalistic democratic governments in rest of Europe.)

Beer begins his article with the question "Why Aren't Conservatives Conservationists?" Well I know why I am hesitant to call myself an environmentalist. Even though I love nature (I paint landscapes after all!), I also recognize that we are called to develop the earth, albeit responsably, as stewards, with future generations in mind. Any view which is dead set against development, no matter how well intentioned, is against the commandment of God. I often find myself looking for an alternative terminology for the biblical approach. One that captures the balance between our call to develop creation and preserve it. And which balances the notion of agriculture and cities (both of which are key biblical motifs). Many agrarian proposals are close, but fail to place a value urban development. Any suggestions?
posted by Dave at Wednesday, October 16, 2002 -

Four Christian Approaches to Creation
The first two chapters of Genesis map out our role to rule, fill, work and keep God's "very good" creation. But how do we balance these directives? Uko Zylstra maps four basic views as follows:

"The Wise Use position is one in which humans are considered to be rulers whom God has put in charge of His creation. The creation itself has no intrinsic value. The creation is largely there as a resource for human needs and activities in the role of dominant ruler. Humans cannot really abuse the creation; they can only misuse it. The criterion for wise use is whether the use is of benefit to human beings. The Anthropocentric Stewardship position acknowledges that humans are responsible to God for how they use the creation. Though the creation is the Lord's, it was created for the welfare of humans; humans come first. Stewardship entails that we conserve the creation for future generations of human beings; humans are the center and focus of creation. The Caring Management position maintains that humans are both lords and servants of the creation. But the creation is also the object of God's love; God delights in His creation. The creation thus has intrinsic value even though its value is less than that of humans. Our care should not be abusive or destructive. Rather, our care and management should serve to enhance and increase God's glory in the creation. The Servant Stewardship position de-emphasizes the hierarchical view that humans are above creation. Rather, it stresses the responsibility that humans have in caring for the creation as servants rather than lords. The goal of our caring is to seek shalom for all of creation."

So which of these four positions do you think is most true to the scriptures?
posted by Dave at Monday, October 14, 2002 -

What Christian Culture Looks Like - Part V
This post is a follow up my last post on the need for good music for our covenant little ones. All too often I find that Christian artisans focus on making works for a non-Christian audience or for society at large. This is not always a bad thing, but I think that our cultural efforts should be primarily directed toward edifying the saints (Eph. 4:12, 29; 1 Thes. 5:11). Christian artists need to ask themselves, how is what I am doing going to really help the guy sitting next to me in church. One example of culture-making which fulfills a real need in the church is the music of Judy Rogers. She has put together a series of tapes and CDs of sing-along songs for children based on the Children's Catechism and book of Proverbs. As kids learn her catchy, delightful songs their mind's are filled with solid doctrine and scriptural truths. And the songs serve as an aid for learning the catechism as well. You might even find yourself humming some of the tunes!


posted by Dave at Friday, October 11, 2002 -

Sweating the Small Stuff
I was thinking on my way to work this morning that what matters most in the shaping of a culture are not the symphonies, quartets and operas, or even popular music for all its aggregate air play. The music which most profoundly effects us are lullibies and children's songs: What we sing to comfort our littles ones when they are in their most vulnerable moments. The songs our kids humm to themselves which ends up shaping their worldview and their sense of aesthetic fitness. "Serious" music (Classical and jazz) and the various forms of popular music may go a long way to setting the tone of our culture, but it is the music of early childhood which forms our culture's soul. Sure some parents play Bach in their baby's cribs (do they end up humming these pieces during their play?). And others let their infants listen to a steady diet of Britney Spears and the like (child abuse?). But its seems to me that we should be teaching our kids to sing the Psalms and other scriptural truths from an early age. "From the lips of children and infants/ you have ordained praise/ because of your enemies, / to silence the foe and the avenger" (Psalm 8:2-3).

The last couple of weeks I have reading Doug Jones' Scottish Seas to my youngest three. (My oldest has been busy reading the Illiad.) One of the underlying themes of Doug's little novel is the central place the Psalms and poetry have in the Ayton family and how these shape the faith and practice of their covenant children. This book has made me think twice about what things I am allowing my children (and my wife and myself) to be exposed to and to what shapes the inner core of their (and my) souls.


posted by Dave at Wednesday, October 09, 2002 -

Some Helpful Terminology

Cultural Obedience - making/using culture and transforming the earth in joyful obedience to the mandate and laws of God

Cultural Accommodation - going along with the cultural flow; failing to appreciate the antithesis (the way evil is embedded in cultural forms)

Cultural Resistance - actively working against the evil embedded in faithless culture; avoiding mimicing disobedient cultural forms and processes in our culture-making

Cultural Abdication - letting someone else bother with the work of making of culture
posted by Dave at Monday, October 07, 2002 -

The Best Reformed Artist You Probably Never Heard of
I leave you this weekend with the work of Bernard Palissy (1509-1590), a Huguenot Renaissance man of the first order. Besides splendid artworks, he lectured in the natural sciences and was a philosopher. A man of courage as well as aesthetic sensibilities, he was imprisoned and eventually died for his faith. You can read about him and see examples of his art works here and here.
posted by Dave at Friday, October 04, 2002 -

Finding the Balance
One of the true challenges facing biblical Christians who are convinced that the cultural development of the earth is a divine imperative (Genesis 2:15), is how to balance the call to transform/develop (work) the earth with the call to preserve (keep) it. The tack I took in Plowing in Hope was to say that true/proper cultural development must always enhace rather than destroy the earth's fruitfulness. Overdevelopment is an all too real possibility. But development as such -- as a generic human activity -- is never evil in and of itself; in fact I think it is a necessary part of human life (like worship).

Against what at times have been horrible abuses of the urge to develop the earth's resources comes the extreme response of environmentalism. Which brings me to the lead article in the latest re|generation Quarterly which asks, Why Aren't Conservatives Environmentalists? When I am finished reading this I will let know all know the answer. And attempt to find a way to discuss this issue without ranting. While I'm reading this, you might also want to look at this lyrical essay by Wendell Berry on the topic.
posted by Dave at Thursday, October 03, 2002 -

True Confessions
I just got finished paging through the latest issue of Christianity Today. They had a couple of articles referring to a new feature-length Veggie Tales movie which is due out soon. I can remember years ago seeing the little toys and doo-dads in Christian bookstores and thinking "how stupid." Then I actually saw one of the videos and quickly realized that there was really something to these little videos. I found I liked them (at least in small doses). Technically and visually, they are excellent and the writing is witty with sly references to various icons of popular culture. If you want to try one, see Larry Boy and the Rumor Weed. Very funny. Will they be able to pull off a full blown movie that can compete with Pixar and Disney? We'll see.
posted by Dave at Tuesday, October 01, 2002 -

Two-Kingdom Critique - III
Earlier I reponded to Gene Veith's rejection of "Christian culture" the idea of which is antithetical to the Two-Kingom View (TKV) of culture. A second criticism of Christian culture I have often encountered (on the White Horse Inn, for example) is that Christian culture is a catagorical impossibility. This argument has two parts. First, TKV propanants argue that the Bible never talks in terms of "Christian art", "Christian music", "Christian jurespudence", etc.; and thus we are not justified in using such terminology. In response, I note that the term "Christian" is used only twice in the scriptures (Acts 11:26 and Acts 26:28) and in both instances the term describes individual believers. While it certainly true that we do not read about "Christian art" in the pages of scripture, we do not read about "Christian theology" or "Christian faith" or the "Christian church" either. It is most arbitrary to insist that one usage of the adjective "Christian" is appropriate and another is wrong. Either we apply the term to individuals exclusively, or we assume that it is correct to use the term being in other contexts.

Presumably, TKV advocates want the use the word Christian is some contexts other than to refer to believers. Why not use the term to describe cultural catagories as well? Here TKV-ers reply that these cultural catagories are in the realm of "common grace" and are not exclusively Christian. God gives grace to Christian and non-Christian alike to make art, marry, educate their children, govern, etc. While it is true that non-Christians are involved (and to some degree even excell) in these activities, is it also true that there is no difference in how Christian and non-Christians love their spouses or see the landscape they are painting pictures of, or exercise authority over those whom they are in charge? To this question, I repeatedly hear TKV proponants repond that art is art, marriage is marriage, government is government, etc.; this is just what human beings made in the image of God do. Implicit in this understanding of culture is the belief that one's faith has little to do with how one performs culture-making activities. Presumably there is absolutely no difference in the way Christian write poems and Hindus or Nihilists compose their poetry.

But I would insist that the Christian faith makes all the difference in how we act and think. Our minds are being transformed (Romans 12:2) by the transforming power of the gospel and the Holy Spirit And as we mature in the Christian faith, we will more and more make culture which is consanant with the beauty, truth and goodness which flows out the character of God and is celebrated infallably in pages of His Word. What we believe really ought to make a difference. This difference is what is called Christian culture.

posted by Dave at Monday, September 30, 2002 -

What Christian Culture Looks Like - Part IV



We bought our son one of these Mountain Ocarinas for Christmas last year. They are beautifully made, have a wonderful tone and are relatively easy to play. I am also drawn to their portability, allowing one to make music on those hikes in the woods! They are made by a Christian homeschooler in central Connecticut and to me demonstrate the surprising cultural blessings that we can bring to society.
posted by Dave at Friday, September 27, 2002 -

John Adams on the Relationship Between Education, Politics and Culture
"I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain."

The upshot of this quote from Adams is that a vibrant culture depends on a free, lawful, peaceful society. This is illustrated biblically with the progression from David (a man war/politics) to Solomon (a man of peace/culture).

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
"May those who love you be secure.
May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels." (Psalm 122: 6-7)


posted by Dave at Thursday, September 26, 2002 -

The Creator as Culture-Maker
"for He [Jesus] was in the habit of working as a carpenter when among men, making ploughs and yokes"
-- Justin Martyr, Dialog with Trypho, circa A.D. 150 (cf Mark 6:3)
posted by Dave at Wednesday, September 25, 2002 -

Theology You Can Sink Your Teeth Into?
"Hatred, vengeance, and witchcraft turned Willow evil, but Xander's unconditional love showed that no sinner is beyond grace. Moments like this explain why Christians such as myself watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
-- from an article by Todd Hertz in ChristianityToday.com

Well CT isn't all Bad!
I also found this article on Wendell Berry and agrarianism. (See my earlier post on this topic.)
posted by Dave at Tuesday, September 24, 2002 -

My Time in the Woods
I did get out into nature myself for a brief time this weekend. Between services on Sunday I went for a walk with friends in a delightful small woodland near McMinnville. Although I did get an opportunity to take in the beauty of the place and enjoy some of plants growing along the forest floor, I realized that the kind of experience I talked about in the previous post takes solitude and time -- a couple of hours at least. One thing I continually enjoy about living in Oregon is the seeing the landscape of the Willamette valley during my drive to work and church. Especially the changes to the farmland which occur throughout the seasons. The textures at times overwhelm me.
posted by Dave at Monday, September 23, 2002 -

Go Take a Hike!
This weekend -- if you're not already in the habit of doing so -- make a special effort to get out into nature for while. I'm convinced that this is the cultural thing to do. Human beings have a special relationship with the earth, which is captured biblically in words adam (man) and adamah (ground/earth -- Genesis 2:7). The more we get in touch with nature -- to gradually drink in its beauty, intricacy, variety, majesty and structure -- the more we appreciate the wisdom of our Maker, and (somewhat ironically) our calling to make, write, compose and craft as a worshipful response to His magnificent creation.
posted by Dave at Friday, September 20, 2002 -

Christendom - Part I: An Inescapable Concept
The word Christendom is a contraction of the words Christ and kingdom. A kingdom is the territory, realm and/or subjects over which a king rules. Christendom is therefore the territory, realm and/or subjects over which Jesus Christ rules. All orthodox Christians believe in some sort of idea of Christendom. We all profess that Jesus is Lord and that he is Lord now. We may differ greatly on our understanding of the extent of Christ's rule -- whether it be over believers hearts only, the church, or culture as a whole. We may even expect the scope or character of Christ's rule to change over time. But that fact that Jesus is ruling now is a truth which all Christians must face. The question of course is what does the Bible teach about Christendom. This we will explore (DV) in coming posts.
posted by Dave at Thursday, September 19, 2002 -

Another Look at Eliot
One of my favorite Christian analyses of culture is T.S. Eliot's Christianity and Culture, which is really two books merged into one. Eliot demonstrates brilliantly how a cultural elite is necessary for the advanced development of culture. I think that this makes good biblical sense. But it drives egalitarian-minded Americans crazy. A case in point is Philip Yancy. Needless to say, Eliot's ideas do not jive with current post-modernist dogma.
posted by Dave at Wednesday, September 18, 2002 -

What Christian Culture Looks Like - Part III
Many of us who are biased, like to call this little oasis the "cultural center of downtown Newberg." I am referring to the Coffee Cottage, a small converted house on the main drag of Newberg, Oregon owned by Dave and Sally Mehler. Besides what you might expect -- lattes, scones, soups and sandwiches -- the Cottage as a plethora of cultural amenities There is a wide array of intelligent books to buy and browse through on theology, culture, and literature as well a poetry, children's classics and literary classics. There are rotating art exhibits on the walls. And on Friday and Saturday nights you can delight in live folk, bluegrass and jazz music. The Mehler's are practicing Christian artists (Dave is a published poet and Sally plays and sings with the Celtic musical ensemble Roughly Hewn) and their love of beauty and goodness shapes the whole atmosphere of the place. After an evening of coffee, fellowship and music at the Coffee Cottage it is not too hard to think that Christian culture may not be so far away after all.

posted by Dave at Tuesday, September 17, 2002 -

One of my Favorite Quotes
From Gordon Clark, Christian Philosophy of Education: "Artists may inconsistently be humanists, but a humanistic, atheistic, purposeless universe provides no basis for art." (Or anythings else for that matter!)
posted by Dave at Monday, September 16, 2002 -

What Christian Culture Looks Like - Part II
My wife is so insightful, in ways that at times takes my breath away. Last year, when I was writing an article, I tested my notion on her that all parts of culture -- even the most mundane -- can be genuinely Christian. "Do you suppose that kitchen implements could be Christian?" Marjorie thought for a few seconds, then she said, "A Christian mixing spoon wouldn't break after only six months use."

posted by Dave at Friday, September 13, 2002 -

The Adverbial Approach to Culture
A couple of days ago I listened to the latest Mars Hill tape. It was chock full of provocative ideas (as these tapes usually are). One idea that Ken Myers floated was how Christians tend to approach making culture in adverbial terms. All too often we see the catagories -- painting, political activism, engineering design, scientific research, etc. -- as fixed; as a given; perhaps even inescapable. Thus what matters is not WHAT we do so much but HOW we do it. Thus a Christian who is an artist paints _____-ly (fill in the appropriate adverb). Surely how we do things is immensely important (the means and ends both matter in biblical ethics), but we must not be so naive to think that the cultural catagories that are handed down to us by the prevailing culture (the what) are necessarily good or appropriate. All of these modes of doing culture are informed by values and presuppositions which are or are not in consonance with thruths and principles of the Bible. Christians who desire to build a faithful Christian culture need to carefully examine both the what and the how.
posted by Dave at Friday, September 13, 2002 -

That Intoxicating Stuff Called Paper . . .
Here are some brief excerpts from a Wired article on a community college in Iowa that has allegedly gone "paperless":

"Despite everything we think about the e-generation,
students are still pretty dependent on paper," DeAngelo said.

In fact, the school's printing costs have increased
significantly, so this fall the number of free printouts will be
limited to 20 pages per user per session.

"Once they have surpassed that amount (of allotted
printouts), they have to go back and add more copies to their
account. . . . Otherwise, they'll print off reams of
paper."
posted by Dave at Thursday, September 12, 2002 -

Where I Was When I Heard
I was driving to work as usual on Route 22 west of Salem, just before 7AM. NPR cut into the usual broadcast (Morning Edition is played on tape delay on the west coast) to announce that two airplanes had collided into the two World Trade Center towers. In a split second I made the decision to pull off the road and find a pay phone to call my wife. We had lived in Manhattan and Brooklyn for many years. We had many friends who worked in the financial district, including many members of our former church in Brooklyn (Messiah's Congregation) and my wife's matron of honor at our wedding. By the grace of God, not one of our friends was killed or (physically) injured.

The attack was all the more sobering for us because we had just completed a family trip to the east coast. Just eight days before (Labor Day) we had taken the Staten Island Ferry and had seen the towers standing majestically above the lower Manhattan skyline. My kids were astonished to think that someone could have tight-rope walked between those two buildings. Just four days before we had driven on the insterstate past the Pentagon on our way back from Williamsburg. We were that close.

Six months later I was going through some old photographs I had taken for a college photography class. These included a contact sheet of shots I had taken of the World Trade Center. I had completely forgotten about them over the years.

I remember someone joking that they looked like gigantic cigarette lighters (they did). They could be turned a glistening orange-red by the setting sun. You could see them ten miles away on the New Jersey Turnpike and the Belt Parkway in southern Brooklyn. And now they are gone.
posted by Dave at Wednesday, September 11, 2002 -

Soups Up!
A culinary-theological quiz: What do you get when you simmer together the following ingredients: Start with a bunch of Gen X-ers, add some half-baked post-modern philosophy, a cup of Willow Creek extract, some reconstituted Christianity, at least one or two marketing studies, with a healthy dash of aesthetic awareness? No, its not crawling up your back. Its here.
posted by Dave at Monday, September 09, 2002 -

Two-Kingdom Critique - II
In my inaugural post in this series, I mapped out the basic contours of the Two-Kindgom View (TKV) of culture; how it flows out of the ideas of Luther and his followers, and splits all of life into two distinct categories: Christian/Ecclesiastical and Secular/Cultural. At its core the TKV is dualistic and paradoxical (indeed many of the TKV's proponants embrace the idea of paradox). For the TKV adherant, "Christian culture" is a theological impossibility. For example, Gene Veith argues:

"There can be no such thing as a Christian culture as such, because Christianity comes from faith in the Gospel, not the works of the Law, and God saves individuals, not nations. Not every member of a culture is going to be a Christian. Since conversion is the work of the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to coerce or require anyone to become a Christian. The unregenerate cannot obey biblical principles so as to be part of a Christian culture. Neither, while they are in their fallen flesh, can Christians."

For Veith, Christian culture is impossible (this side of heaven) because true obedience to God's commands is impossible -- even for born-again Christians. This leads us into the whole law/gospel controversy which I do not have time to go into here. I will simply point out that the Bible states in numerous places that real obedience is possible for the believer (Gen 26:5; Job 1:1; Matt. 1:19; Rom. 7:25; 1 John 3:10-12; see also Heidelberg Cat. Q&A 114). (If obedience was uniformly impossible, how could the inerrant scriptures be written?) Real obedience is possible for Christians who mortify their sinful natures (Rom 8:13) and have their minds renewed by transforming power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 12:2). Thus, Christian culture is possible because obedience to God's law is possible. This does not answer the question of how this works on a (mixed) societal level. More on this another time.
posted by Dave at Friday, September 06, 2002 -

What Christian Culture Looks Like - Part I
Long before Martha Stewart and Shabby Chic a remarkably insightful book by Edith Schaeffer was written: Hidden Art. When I was a pretentious undergraduate art student I used to get together with other Christian artists and trash this book. Back then I thought this book was silly. Now I can see its wisdom. The small cultural things in life matter. Maybe even more in their aggregate effect on us than the weightier things (fine art, the classics, etc.). Schaeffer's book encompassed a philosophy of life -- that the aesthetics of everything that touches our life matters. Human life is meant to be rich -- full of beauty, goodness and truth. It is a small tragedy that when this book was recently re-released Tyndale Press gave it a new title: The Hidden Art of Homemaking: Creative Ideas for Enriching Everyday Life. This makes the book sound like a Good Housekeeping guide for Christian housewives. The Book is far more than that. Go find a used copy without the foppish title and savour it.
posted by Dave at Thursday, September 05, 2002 -

Marsden Critiques Niebuhr
Reformed historian George Marsden sees lots of limitations in H. Richard Niebuhr's classic Christ and Culture. I agree with Marsden that using the heading "Christ" is awkward and nebulous. He finds many other things amiss as well. Makes one wonder why anyone still quotes the book . . .
posted by Dave at Wednesday, September 04, 2002 -

The Origins of Kitsch?
Took the family to the Portland Art Museum to see the "Splendors of Imperial Japan" exhibit which focuses on decorative art from the Meiji Period (1868-1912). My wife and I really like Japanese art and we were looking forward to the show. We were not dissapointed. There were a LOT of objects on display. The craft was impeccable. I spent almost two hours taking it all in and, alas, did not have time to take a look at the Grandma Moses exhibit . I especially liked the ceramic and metalwork. The Meiji period coincided with the opening up of Japanese society to the west. Many of the pieces were created for Western consumption, even taking on western scenes and motifs. This really took away from the integrity of the art. I couldn't help thinking about how these objects anticipated the mass manufactured Japanese cheapware that was to come later. Its amazing how the neglect of craft can lead so quickly to the complete degradation of the cultural output of a society. Or was it really the fault of the consumer?

posted by Dave at Tuesday, September 03, 2002 -

And the answer is . . .
Rather than take seven paragraphs to spell this out in detail, I will simply say that I am what I like to call an "Earthy Amillenialist" (as opposed to the various forms of "gnostic amillenialism", as the Credenda/Agenda crowd chooses to call them). I believe that the earth will continue to exist in a sanctified, renewed state after the consumation, and that the glorified, redeemed human race will continue to develop and enhance the earth in this new estate -- in other words, we will spend eternity making culture! Culture on the new earth will be far more glorious than anything one could imagine in the most optimistic post-millenial scenario. I am not post-mil because (1) I am an imminentist -- I believe that Christ can return at any moment -- that nothing more must be fulfilled before His return; and (2) I see the global reign passages (e.g. Ps 72:8; Is. 11:9) as being a discription of the status of affairs on the new earth. I do not think it is impossible that the a massive gobal revival could take place sometime in the future, I simply do not see scripture passages that make such an expectation necessary. I do pray for and expect to see localized revivals which result in Christian societies and Christian culture. This is worth working for! My position is very close to Anthony Hoekema's.
posted by Dave at Tuesday, September 03, 2002 -

Am I a Post-Millenialist?
Seems that inquiring minds want to know! Please indulge me and let me have a little fun with this. Before I tell you all my eschatological position (and I promise I will tell you on Tuesday), why don't those of you who have read my book and/or the posts on The Native Tourist weigh in on what you suspect that I am. Am I amil or post-mil or something completely different? Lets see what good readers you are.
posted by Dave at Friday, August 30, 2002 -

Thomas the Hammer
I just discovered this quote from T.S.Eliot from this site. Pound it Prof. Prufrock!

"[A person] may not believe that the Christian Faith is true, and yet what he says, and makes, and does, will all spring out of his heritage of Christian culture and depend upon that culture for its meaning. Only a Christian culture could have produced a Voltaire or a Nietzsche…If Christianity goes, the whole of our culture goes. Then you must start painfully again, and you cannot put on a new culture ready made…You must pass through many centuries of barbarism."

Is Mr. Eliot's analysis too bleak or height of profundity?
posted by Dave at Friday, August 30, 2002 -

Putting Our Hands to the Plow
One of the more ingriguing ideas I have come across in the past six months is Agrarianism. This is a key movement in the history of America, especially in the South and I think it is fair to say that the movement has Christian roots. Wendell Berry is influenced by this movement. Many Reformed folk are adopting this philosophy and integrating it more deeply with scripture. One such essay is The Prima Facie Credibility of Covenantal Agrarianism by David Rocket. It is interesting how this article interfaces with many of the themes in Plowing in Hope. I wonder, though, if this movement is sufficiently balanced. The Bible celebrates the virtues of agriculture and cities. This is why I develop the idea of the garden-city in my book.
posted by Dave at Thursday, August 29, 2002 -

Wars and Rumors of Wars
The lastest Breakpoint email was on Peter Kreeft's new book How to Win the Culture War. This is an especially interesting title given that it is from a Roman Catholic author. (An RC post-millenialist?) Yet another addition to the phalanx of books on the topic, which include John Davison Hunter's Culture Wars: the Struggle to Define America, Michael Horton's Beyond Culture Wars, William Romanowski's Pop Culture Wars, Tom Sine's Cease Fire: Searching for Sanity in America's Culture Wars, etc. Takes me back to memories of Sunday school marching around the tables singing "Onward Christian Soldiers"...
posted by Dave at Wednesday, August 28, 2002 -

Quote from Sinclair Ferguson
This morning I came across this apropos quote from Know Your Christian Life, p 131:

"The world moulds us, as well as chokes us, says Paul [in 1 Cor 7:29ff]. We have to make every effort to avoid the danger of its grip pressuring us into conformity with its way of thinking. Worldiness, in this sense, is not to be reduced to fast cars and bright lights. It is a much deeper and more sinister thing altogether -- the invation of our whole perception of reality by a set of standards which are sub-biblical and sub-Christian. A man can be outwardly conformed to the Christian way of life while he is inwardly conformed to the spirit of this world. That is the great fault of some of the Pharisees. They were 'other-worldly' in the most 'this-worldly' way imaginable. This is an exceedingly subtle danger, an almost invincible taskmaster, and a highly elusive characteristic when we try to detect it in ourselves. But it is one of the curses which besets evangelical Christianity. It is seen every time we observe the traditions of the fathers but do so in a lifeless spirit which has been created by love of the present age."
posted by Dave at Monday, August 26, 2002 -

A Key Distinction: Politics & Culture
I alluded to this in my Two Kingdom Critique of August 20, but think it needs to stated clearly: Politics is not Culture. Politics may have cultural aspects and culture definitely has a political/ideological slant, but we should not confuse the two. The Civil magistrate exists to promote social order. As such it is part of the infrastructure (as is the family) that makes culture possible. Many conservative Christians, especially reformed reconstructionists, have gotten this all wrong. They think that political involvement (which is a worthwhile activity) equals cultural involvement. Having put all their eggs in the political basket, they have left the covenant community bereft of a vibrant Christian cultural milieu. The laws in some cases might be improved, but the church's cultural life is stale. Things are starting to look up in a number Christian communities. But we are on a long road to recovery.
posted by Dave at Friday, August 23, 2002 -

Another pro-Two Kingdom Article
This one comes from Angus J. L. Menuge who teaches at Concordia U in Wisconsin.
posted by Dave at Friday, August 23, 2002 -

Are We a Claynation?
Last night we set up our everyotherayear garage sale. This is tiring work (think: Ecclesiastes). It seems that every sale we have my hopes go up for the collection of goods we hope to sell and, then, when it is actually set up, it looks like the junk I see at every other garage sale. Bricabrac is surely the dark side of culture. Here is staggering thought to ponder as you drift off to sleep tonight: There are more mugs than people!
posted by Dave at Thursday, August 22, 2002 -

Two-Kingdom Critique - I
I believe very strongly in the existence and idea of Christian culture, as my post on Aug. 13, indicates. The leading view within evangelical, protestant circles which casts doubt on the possibility of Christian culture is the so called "Two-Kingdom" view (TKV)of church and culture. The TKV posits that there are two distinct kingdoms under God on the earth at present: the church which is religious and is governed by special revelation (the Bible) and culture which is secular and is under general revelation (natural law). This view was originally set forth by Martin Luther and has historically been the position of Lutherans and a minority of Reformed Christians (including Calvin, if Michael Horton is correct in his analysis). The TKV is been recently popularized by Modern Reformation magazine and White Horse Inn radio program.

It should be noted that the TKV as orginally formulated by Luther and his followers was not a view of Christianity and culture, but of the interrelationship of the instututional church with the civil magistrate. Luther did not have much to say about culture as such. But he did argue forcefully that civil magistrate could and should operate separate from ecclesiastical authorities and that the civil magistrate was bound by a different ethical standard than the church. During the era preceding the Reformation, the church and the civil magistrate where horribly mixed up together into the amalgam often referred to as "Christendom." I (and I suspect most other non-TKV Reformed) would agree that the church authorities and the civil authories should operate independantly from one another. But I would hold that, though separate, the chruch and civil government should both be (ideally) self-consciously Christian and governed by Word of God. Note that none of this has much to do with culture-making which operates more or less independantly of the institutional church and civil magistrate (although it at times interacts with both).

For a good overview of the TKV, see Gene Veith's article from Modern Reformation and this debate between Michael Horton and Doug Wilson which appeared in Credenda Agenda.

posted by Dave at Tuesday, August 20, 2002 -

Now with comments!
I was away most of last week at the NW OPC family camp in beautiful Wamic, Oregon. (The speaker was Jim Dennison, who gave us his redemptive-historical insights into the gospel of John.) While I was away I received a few nice comments on this fledgling blog, several of which begged me to add commenting functionality. Now this is installed. So comment away!
posted by Dave at Monday, August 19, 2002 -

A Basic Argument for Christian Culture
It frankly baffles me how many reformed (and evangelical) thinkers completely disavow the possibility of a Christian culture. This a complicated issue and cannot be addressed in one blog entry. But let me lay out a fairly simple argument for the existence of Christian culture -- at least in some form:

1. All people are (to varying degrees) inescapably culture-makers
2. Culture-making is a human activity flowing out of human thinking
3. All people's thoughts and actions are governed by their world-and-life view
4. All people's world-and-life views are founded and informed by their religious belief systems
5. Christianity is a religious belief system (which claims to comprehensively shape one's thoughts and actions)
therefore:
6. All (true, consistent) Christians will have their culture-making affected by their faith (religious belief system)
and additionally:
7. All Christians are called to live in community
8. As Christians live in community the collective/shared cultural output of the community will be, in effect a "Christian culture" (at least on a small scale)

I suspect that the crux of the issue is whether or not #2-3 are true; specifically whether or not culture-making is a a religiously neutral activity. Do Christians and Buddhists write novels differently from one another? How does their worldview affect their writing? In Style? Subject matter only? These are questions for another day.
posted by Dave at Tuesday, August 13, 2002 -

Thinking about Calling
Calling or "vocation" is closely related to a biblical understanding of culture-making. I was blessed by a lecture I heard 17 years ago by Os Guinness where he made the important differentiation between one's "vocation" and one's "avocation". Very often we have a job (the latter) which puts food on the table, but our real passion -- our calling -- is something different. (Think of the actor who works as a taxi driver or waiter.) One is truly blessed when one's avocation and vocation are the same. Recently I read a provocative piece by David Bahnsen suggested that the ineffectiveness of the church in cultural matters is largely due to too many men not working at what they are passionate about. Maybe its time for Christian writers and artists to move to dirt cheap rustbelt cities where we can afford work at our callings and raise families. I'd move to North Dakota, but my watercolors would freeze in the winter!
posted by Dave at Monday, August 12, 2002 -

Boffo Interview with Phillip Johnson
I know its a bit off topic, but I came across this excellent interview on the Touchstone magazine site from the author of "Darwin on Trial." Johnson discusses how he became a Christian, his apologetic strategy and has some very insighful comments on theistic evolutionists. Check out Peter Leithart's essay while you're there.
posted by Dave at Thursday, August 08, 2002 -

Learning from the Amish
So what can a nice reformed boy like me learn from a bunch of (gasp!) anabaptists? Well plenty, actually. This article from Wired magazine (of all places) made me appreciate how thoughtful the Amish actually are about cultural matters. While I don't exactly agree with my Amish brothers about what constitutes "worldly" stuff, they are wise enough to recognize that the technology with which we regularly interact has an impact that we often don't see. The rest of us are all too quick to swallow whole whatever "cool" and/or "useful" thing that comes along, without giving it much thought. What an amazing and liberating idea: we can actually choose not go along with prevailing drift of culture!
posted by Dave at Wednesday, August 07, 2002 -

Sites I Like and Visit Regularly
Since everyone else provides a list of "necessary" reading, I feel compelled to provide my own list. Oddly enough, this list focuses on cultural stuff:

Razor Mouth | Credenda Agenda | New Christendom
The Highlands Study Center | The Center for Cultural Leadership
Re:Generation Quarterly | First Things
posted by Dave at Wednesday, August 07, 2002 -

Some sites related to my book Plowing in Hope
First of all there are book reviews by Byron Snapp posted on the PCANews site,
Business Reform magazine by Mindy Withrow (on page 48) (this issue of BR also includes an article by yours truly) and a brief review of my book by the staff of Amazon. Plowing was also a selected as a "Faculty's Choice" by Warren Roby at John Brown University. You might also want to check out a discussion I had with poet Aaron Belz on culture

Hey, if you know of any other sites reviewing or interacting with by book, please let me know!

posted by Dave at Tuesday, August 06, 2002 -

What is in a name?
Okay, so why the name "The Native Tourist"? What is a "native tourist"? The title of my blog marries together two distinct ideas:

tourist = a traveller, a sojourner, one who is "just looking"

native = a local, a citizen, one who "feels at home"

I coined this term to get at a key paradox of Christian Existence: how we are on the one hand described as "aliens and sojourners" in this present world (1 Peter 1:2, 2:11; Hebrews 11:13), yet at the same time were called to be culturally involved with God's good ( Genesis 1:31; 1 Tim. 4:4) creation (Genesis 2:15 -- a seminal command which was never rescinded). For many serious Christians, being aliens in this world (and citizens in heaven -- Philippians 3:20) means that we should invest very little (if anything at all) in cultural, earth transformative works. We shouldn't get too attached to the things of this world. Were "just a passin' through." All that we see is going to pass away (burn actually). And after all, "You don't shine brass on a sinking ship." Augustine coined the term "resident aliens" to describe this idea. (See Andrew Sandlin's critique of this approach that has entered reformed circles of late.)

This view has it all backwards. We are aliens to be sure: not because we don't belong here; on the contrary the earth has been and always will be our home (Revelation 21-22). We are aliens because of sin. Our new natures in Christ (Romans 6) clash with the reality and effects of evil, and we long for the redemption of all creation (Romans 8:17ff) so that we might delight in this world without hesitation or reservation. Peter addresses the recipients of his epistle as aliens (pilgrims) particularly because they faced a culture (Hellenism) which was hostile to the truths and values of God. In a less hostile cultural situation (such as those historical epochs where the transformative power of the gospel has shaped a society -- 17th century Holland comes to mind) the term would have been less appropriate. Thus it is better to say, not that we are resident aliens, but that we are alienated residents!

This is my Father's world, my home now and for all eternity, and -- though it is a struggle -- I plan to work and fight for its positive development, healing and transformation. Do you want to join me in this endeavor?
posted by Dave at Monday, August 05, 2002 -

Welcome world! This is my first official post. A test of sorts.

I wanted to post my first entry on the first of the month, but alas, I tarried. Hopefully Monday I will get on into longer and better things like explaining the name of my Blog.
posted by Dave at Friday, August 02, 2002 -