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The Native Tourist reformed/biblical observations on Christianity and culture |
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blog by Dave Hegeman author of Plowing in Hope
Dave is:
email: house1870 -at- hotmail 
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Monday, December 29, 2003
Before There Was the Internet ...
Way before the internet -- that is -- there was the Coffee House (cool article from the Economist.) Speaking of coffee houses, at our local Coffee Cottage in beautiful downtown Newberg, we were treated to the delightful sounds of the Japanese Koto on Saturday. The musician , a native of Japan, resides in Cresswell, Oregon of all places. (Alas, I forget her name.) She was amazing on the instrument. Really beautiful. The range of sounds that can come out of this instrument is impressive. Wednesday, December 24, 2003
A Picture and a Poem for the Season
First, the picture: Bruegel's The Numbering of at Bethlehem (click here for a larger version and here and here for two other companion works in the Birth narrative. 
I have always been delighted by the irony of these paintings which is part of their profound theological message: The King of the universe is about to be born, and no one cares; everyone is going about their everyday tasks oblivious to What is taking place. Bruegel relishes in depicting in exacting detail these varied actions and elements of peasant life: toiling, playing, animals, architecture, things. And all of that Bruegel lovingly paints: people and culture and creation are to be redeemed by the Savior. It is both a genre painting and a liturgical-religious painting. It is subtle and charming and devastating. Bruegel was the consumate master of the winter landscape (his Hunters in the Snow is one of the greatest landscapes ever painted). Why would he ever even think of depicting Christ's birth in a 16th century Netherlandish village? (Note: nearly every European artist was doing this sort of thing at this time.) Second: a poem by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge (1861-1907). I Saw A Stable I saw a stable, low and very bare, A little child in a manger. The oxen knew Him, had Him in their care, To men He was a stranger. The safety of the world was lying there, And the world’s danger. Tuesday, December 23, 2003
Laughter
We get to share in God's Last Laugh! -- A meditation on the birth Jesus and Isaac by Patrick Henry Reardon in Touchstone magazine. Friday, December 19, 2003
More Ideas Have Consequences
"Thy Kingdom Come: to pray this means seeing the world in binocular vision. See it with the love of the creator for his spectacularly beautiful creation; and see it with the deep grief of the creator for the battered and battle-scarred state in which the world now finds itself. Put those two together, and bring the binocular picture into focus: the love and the grief join into the Jesus-shape, the kingdom-shape, the shape of the cross — never was Love, dear King, never was Grief like thine! And with this Jesus before your eyes, pray again, Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven! We are praying, as Jesus was praying and acting, for the redemption of the world; for the radical defeat and uprooting of evil; and for heaven and earth to be married at last, for God to be all in all. And if we pray this way, we must of course be prepared to live this way." -- taken from NT Wright's The Lord and His Prayer (thanks to Kata John for this quote) Thursday, December 18, 2003
On Progress
"You cannot determine whether an innovation is good until you know what the good life is. " "Nostalgia is nothing more than remembering the good you never noticed before." -- these aphorisms are brought to you by RC Sproul, Jr. Wednesday, December 17, 2003
Ideas Have Consequences
"For another thing, the NP champions the Lordship of Christ as a (perhaps the) central message of the Faith. In correctly identifying the Gospel as the message of the Lordship of Christ , Tom Wright and others open the way to a full-orbed Gospel whose goal is the subordination of all things — not merely “spiritual� things — to the reign of Jesus Christ. Art, music, education, politics, technology, entertainment — these and all other facets of life must fall within the purview of the Gospel, that is, the rule of Jesus in the world." -- Andrew Sandlin in a recent brief essay on the New Perspecive on Paul Monday, December 15, 2003
Box Office Theology
An article from the Star Tribune explores where the "relevancy approach" is taking us. A look at the "cutting" edge. Or why "spirituality" is not Christianity.
Positive Criticism
From a really perceptive blog entry by Terry Teachout on music criticism (applies to other types of criticism as well): about its objective and subjective componants, and about humility and willingness to change one's (expand) mind: "At the same time, I believe devoutly that criticism is not merely a matter of taste, that it is rooted in objective perceptions of fact; I also think that some critics are more perceptive than others, just as some pieces of music are better than others. I suppose it would be more stylish to put the word "better" in quotes, but the awful truth is that I unhesitatingly accept the existence of a meaningful standard of excellence in the arts." I absolutely love his comment on Schoenberg! Thursday, December 11, 2003
Some "Native Tourist" Talk
"Entrance into paradise is available not only to the thief but to all who put their trust in Christ. Origen comments that Christ "gave to all those who believe and confess access to the entrance that Adam had previously closed by sinning. Who else could remove 'the flaming turning sword which was placed to guard the tree of life' and the gates of paradise?" To enter paradise is to return, in Prudentius' poignant phrase, to "our native country." --from an article in Christianity Today, "Christ's Kingdom and Paradise" Wednesday, December 10, 2003
Artificial Oxford
Parts of New Haven, Conn. are delightful, especially area around the campus of Yale University. It is full of stone, gothic quadrangles reminiscent of Oxford. It also has two superb art museums designed by Louis Kahn (especially fine is the Center for British Art). New Haven is also famous for its urban blight, which I have not really experienced. The parts of New Haven I saw during my visits there were like many other old northeastern cities: tired, somewhat plain and unkempt. A promising new book on New Haven: City: Urbanism and Its End, examines the history of the urban texture of the city, points out its immigrant roots, urban flight, new suburbs, and the failure of urban "renewal". It is also Book & Cultures book of the week. Sounds like a powerful case study. Monday, December 08, 2003
Friday, December 05, 2003
Big Box Churches
"From Saddleback Church in Orange County, Calif., to Bellevue Baptist Church outside Memphis, evangelical megachurches dot the American landscape like the Wal-Marts, Home Depots, and other big-box stores that so many of them resemble." -- from an recent article on contemporary evangelicalism through the lens of Jonathan Edwards in US News & World Report Thursday, December 04, 2003
Cool Tool
The "Ism Book". (Thanks to Gregory Baus' for this link). Now if someone will only do the same for theological isms. Makes me think of the new virtual reality philosophy seminar computer game: SIM ism. Tuesday, December 02, 2003
'Ol Saint Nick
Last week I traversed over to Hallie Ford Art Museum (one block away from where I work!) to see a wonderful, tiny exhibit of Saint Nicholas icons. I am not big into icons or hagiography, but I know a beautiful object when I see one. Here's an interesting bit of trivia: one does not "paint" an icon; rather an icon is "written".
Should Christians Strive to Get a Seat at the Table?
R.C. Sproul Jr. wonders if this is such a good idea. Is the price too high? Monday, December 01, 2003
On Design
Too brief article on what inspires good design from the New York Times. Reflects on Raymond Loewy and Isamu Noguchi, among others. Good design can turn to so many places for inspiration. Most great designers have their work inspired (directly or indirectly) from nature. Or, as we say, creation. Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Movie Thoughts
It the time of year again when (amongst other things) I think about how the life of Squanto would make a terrific movie. I know that a movie was made several years ago on him which I have not seen. (Sounds pretty mediocre.) The details of Squanto's life are a bit sketchy and some of it may be apocryphal. But considering that it involved kidnapping, life in a Portugese monestery, life in England, the loss of his family and village, and, eventually, helping the Pilgrims, such a movie could be pretty rich in its various emotions and textures. It is also an amazing story of providence, healing and Christian charity. I also think that life of John Knox whould make a great movie. Monday, November 24, 2003
More on the Commercialization of Literature
From an interview with Dubravka Ugresic in the Boston Globe: "So why do I grumble? Because the book has become a product like any other -- that is the price of the marketization of culture. Unwilling or unable to put time and effort into educating ourselves about the options, we end up buying what everybody else buys. Worse, we start enjoying the books we are manipulated into buying -- even defending them against pretentious jerks who dare criticize them. In exactly the same way that we slowly become Ikea-people, we also become Booker Prize-people, Harry Potter-people, Stephen King-people." So what kind of person are you? Thursday, November 20, 2003
Literary Egalitarianism
From a New York Times piece on Stephen King's speech at the Nation Book Award ceremony: He [King] also spoke in defense of other popular writers and of connections that should be made between them and the rest of the literary world. "Bridges can be built between the so-called popular fiction and the so-called literary fiction,'' he said. King said he had no patience ``for those who make a point of pride in saying they have never read anything by John Grisham, Tom Clancy, Mary Higgins Clark or any other popular writer.'' ``What do you think?'' King asked. ``You get social academic brownie points for deliberately staying out of touch with your own culture?'' Wednesday, November 19, 2003
Looking for a Few Good Places
Found at theooze.com "These are the sorts of public spaces that The Great Good Place is about. Sociologist Ray Oldenburg refers to them as “third places”, the first two being home and the workplace. Third places are the core settings for informal public life, they are places where people can meet old friends, make new acquaintances, discuss the important issues of the day, and temporarily throw off the weight of the world that can drag them down." In Newberg, thankfully, we have the Coffee Cottage (and even a few other options). But I sometimes wish it were more of an English pub. Monday, November 17, 2003
Is Popularity Dangerous?
Here is an article from the Boston Globe which addresses the possibility of Tolkien's LOTR being cheapened by emense popularity of the films. Will JRR masterful work be sucked up by engines of popular culture? Perhaps the real measure of art is its ability to make it through pop-culture gauntlet and have its lasting literary power win the day. This is what happened to Dickens, who was dreadfully popular in his day. Lets hope, though, that we don't see any Beowulf, Dante or Rodya Raskolnikov action dolls anytime soon.  Thursday, November 13, 2003
Christian Culture = Born-Again Culture
Matt in a response to my "Trick Culture" post from Oct. 22, responds: "Is there such thing as "Christian" music? Can music be Christian? Can music have a conversion experience? Be "saved"?" Maybe music (and other cultural products) can't have a conversion experience or be "saved", but is can be reborn. See Doug Wilson's recent sermons (1, 2) which develop the idea that all of creation is being born-again (renewed/ressurected). This includes more than just individuals. It means the entire cosmos including culture. Monday, November 10, 2003
Piper's Pessimism
The most recent New Horizons (the OPC rag) has a reprint of an article by John Piper, "Taking the Swagger Out of Christian Cultural Influence". The entire article is predicated on the notion that we are aliens here on earth (based on 1 Peter 2:11). For Piper this is what typifies the Christian. Such a view is typical of dispensationalism (which Piper I suspect holds to) and to many "pessimistic" amillenialist reformed folk. Here is a taste of Piper's article: "And our joy is a brokenhearted joy because human culture –- in every society –- dishonors Christ, glories in its shame, and is bent on self-destruction. This includes America. American culture does not belong to Christians, neither in reality nor in Biblical theology. It never has. The present tailspin toward Sodom is not a fall from Christian ownership. “The whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). It has since the fall, and it will till Christ comes in open triumph." Has every culture in the history of the world dishonored Christ? Seventeenth Century Holland? The English Puritans? Byzantium before the takeover of the Ottomans? Charlemagne's Aachen? Someone needs to tell Dr. Piper that there is a whole crowd of people in "the world" who are not under "the power of Satan" -- the Church! The innuaguration of the redemption of culture began with ressurection of Christi and continues now. This doesn't mean there isn't plenty to weep about. But there is reason for hope - hope that we can lay hold of now. What on earth was the editor of the New Horizons thinking when he published this article? Thursday, November 06, 2003
Is 'Sensualism' the Way to Go?
I just came across this provocative article from an e-zine called Next-Wave by a fellow from New Zeeland via theOoze blog. He seems to be asking some key questions, but I'm not too sure of his answers: "So, where does your church position itself on the “sensuality” scale? How multi-sensory, multi-layered and ‘multi-connectional’ is your church experience? What does your church (in both the sense of church as “building” and church as “people”) look like? What does it feel like? What does it sound like? What kind of ‘taste’ does it leave in your mouth? What does it ‘smell’ like? Are beauty, life, and vitality present? " Worship should certainly not be drab or even a negative aesthetic experience. But do we (ought we?) need to go in the direction of 'high' liturgy in order to really take into account our bodily existence (i.e. be i'incarnational')? Appealing to the senses has lead the church in some interesting directions: Church as shopping mall Church as Oscar Awards Night Church as rock concert (or mosh pit) Church as town meeting Church as Gesamtkunstwerk (a night at the opera!) I find myself rejecting such an approach and going in the direction of Abraham Kuyper (in the Stone Lectures) who argued that sensualism is immature and pagan, and that New Covenant worship will be centered on the word (an approach to worship that had reached maturity): "The objection that such a symbolic service had a place in Israel does not weaken my argument, it rather supports it. For does not the New Testament teach us that the ministry of shadows, naturally flourishing under the old dispensation, under the dispensation of fulfilled prophecy is “old and waxeth aged and is nigh unto vanishing away? ”In Israel we find a state-religion, which is one and the same for the entire people. That religion is under sacerdotal leadership. And finally it makes its appearance in symbols, and is consequently embodied in the splendid temple of Solomon. But when this ministry of shadows has served the purposes of the Lord, Christ comes to prophesy the hour when God shall no longer be worshipped in the monumental temple at Jerusalem, but shall rather be worshipped in spirit and in truth. And in keeping with this prophecy you find no trace or shadow of art for worship in all the apostolic literature. Aaron's visible priesthood on earth gives place to the invisible High-priesthood after the order of Melchizedek in Heaven. The purely spiritual breaks through the nebula of the symbolical." What are we left with in Reformed Worship? Some (many?) would want to argue that we are left with a liturgy which has all the excitement of a bowl of cold oatmeal (without the milk and brown sugar). But is this really the case? It certainly can be, especially when faith is not present. But take a second look. There is really is a richness to reformed liturgical tradition which takes some effort to understand and savour. It has what poet Donald Davie calls the aesthetics of "simplicity, sobriety and measure." it is a liturgical approach for the long haul; not caught up in present -- whatever the culture-at-large is dishing up at the moment. Check the opening pages of this delightful essay by Nicholas Wolterstorff. He understands the quiet beauty and sober richness of traditional reformed worship. Such a worship was powerful enough to engergize a whole society. It still is. Monday, November 03, 2003
Assorted Links
Here are few links I have found rummaging on the 'net: An interview with Ken Myers on culture found at the Reformed Seminary site. An article on how the Bible's civilizing influence on culture by Peter Moore, president of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry. A brief essay on Paul's impact on Rembrandt. A short talk by Al Wolters on how ideas shape our cultural actions. Friday, October 31, 2003
Another Amazing Providence
I just learned that Mike Yaconelli died yesterday. He was one of the co-founders of the Wittenburg Door, surely one of the finer parts of Christendom of the past fifty years. To think he died one day before we mark the anniversary of the real Wittenberg door.  Thursday, October 30, 2003
What our Houses Say about Us
I found this quote on The Ooze blog. It is from the book Affluenza: "Take houses for example. The average size of a new home is now more than double what it was in the 1950s, while families are smaller. LaNita Wacker, who owns Dream House Reality in Seattle, has been selling homes for more than a quarter century. She takes us on a drive through the neighborhoods near her office to explain whats happened. She shows us houses built during every decade since World War II and describes how they've gotten bigger and bigger. Right after World War II, Wacker points out, 750 square feet was the norm (in Levittown, for example). "Then in the '50s," she says, "they added 200 square feet, so 950 was the norm." By the 60s, 1,100 square feet was typical, and by the '70s, 1350. Now it's 2,300. LaNita Wacker started selling homes in 1972, "right about the time we moved from a single bath to the demand for a double bath." Two-car garages came in then too, and by the late '80s many homes were being built with three-car garages. That's 600-900 square feet of garage space alone, "as much square footage as an entire family used in the early '50s." Wacker says. "It would house an entire family. But we have aquired a lot of stuff to store." To drive the point home, Wacker takes us by a huge home with a four car garage. Expensive cars and a boat are parked outside. The owner comes out wondering why LaNita is so interested in his place. "I own Dream House Realty," she says "And yours is a dream house." "It was built to the specifications of charming wife," the man replies with a laugh. "So why four garages?" asks LaNita. "It's probably because of storage," the man replies, explaining that the garages are filled with family possessions. "You never have enough storage so you can never have enough garages," he adds cheerfully. LaNita asks if he has children. "They're gone now," he replies. "It's just me and the wife." The four-car garage is an exception, no doubt. But everyone expects larger homes now." A master bedroom in the 1950s would be about 130 square feet." explains Wacker, "Now, in even moderately priced homes, you're talking about maybe 300 square feet devoted to the master bedroom." In recent years more than ever, homes have become a symbol of conspicuous consumption, as beneficiaries of the recent stock market boom and unparalleled economic expansion have begun, in many communities, to buy real estate, bulldoze existing (and perfectly functional) homes and replace them with the megahouses of 10,000 square feet and more. "Starter castles," some have named them. Others call them "Monster Homes." Wednesday, October 29, 2003
More on Charles Murry's Human Accomplishment book
from the Wall Street Journal "There is something to this view of the arts, even if Mr. Murray's indictment is too crude and categorical. But more is at work, I suspect, than a loss of metaphysical certitude. When Mr. Murray invokes the "Aristotelian principle" as the measure of artistic greatness--the notion that the highest human pleasures derive from appreciating complexity and refinement--he stands in the tradition of aristocracy and aristocratic connoisseurship. Modern democracy can accommodate such tastes, but it saves its laurels for creations that are energetic, accessible, even vulgar. Surveying today's pop culture, Mr. Murray recognizes that "The Simpsons is wickedly smart." It's more than that, though--it's art for our age." Tuesday, October 28, 2003
Artist's "Monastic" Community in Portland, Oregon
I am in the habit of reading the early "Saturday edition" of the Sunday Oregonian every Saturday evening. (I started this habit reading the early edition of the Sunday New York Times when I lived back east). I especially relish reading the Arts/Books section of the newspapers and the extended articles on local issues. Well my eyes nearly popped out of my head when I read this article. It was on the front page of the Living section. Its about a quasi-"monastic" community of guys who agree to spend a year living together for community and deliberately working on developing as artists. What a great idea. And its happening right here in Portland. I have to look these guys up. Monday, October 27, 2003
Just One Little Way that Christianity Makes a Difference
From an article in the New York Times about Charle's Murray's newest book which has the gall to assert that Western Civilization is the most fully developed/advanced, and that it is now on the verge of decline. What is unique in Murray's approach is that he attempts to use statistical methods to bolster his conclusions. Here's a quote from the NYT article: "For Mr. Murray, an agnostic libertarian, Christianity's appeal is largely pragmatic. In his view it provided all the incentives people need to achieve: not only a sense of autonomy and purpose but a coherent vision of what he calls "the transcendental goods" — truth, beauty and the good — as well. A culture lacking such vision tends to produce art that is shallow, vulgar and sterile, he said, describing it as the difference between "Macbeth" and "Kill Bill." "It's only by being infused with that moral vision that `Macbeth' is `Macbeth,' " he said. "Otherwise it's just people killing each other." Title of Murray's book is Human Accomplishment: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Arts and Sciences, 800 B.C. to 1950. Wednesday, October 22, 2003
Trick Culture
There is a funny line (among many) in Ghostbusters that still makes me chuckle. A little. The Sigourney Weaver character, who is posessed by a nasty evil spirit, while floating in the air, turns to Bill Murray, and purrs, "Do you waaaant my body." The Bill Murray character, not skipping a beat, replies, "Is that a trick question?" I think the interchange captures nicely what we are dealing with when we encounter (hopefully not engage) the non-Christian culture that is all around us. At times non-Christian culture is downright beautiful (as was pointed out by R C Sproul Jr in a recent Razorpoint article). But underneath the real beauty (which is surely due to God's common grace), there often lies a profound, nasty evil core. Sometimes the core is inyourface, sometimes it is very subtle, or mixed with enough truth to be really dangerous. I certainly listen to non-Christian music, watch non-Christian movies and view non_Christian art. And I even enjoy much of it. But I also find that what used to be funny or beautiful to me, as I have matured in Christ, is no longer so.(Ghostbusters is a case in point; as is the Far Side.) I guess what I am trying to say is that we (at the very least), need to think twice before we bite, and take the time to thoroughly taste what's in our mouth before we swallow. Monday, October 20, 2003
Homage
Here is a nice homage to Christopher Dawson at Christianculture.com site by Ben House. Dawson was a staunch apologist for the idea of Christendom. His Roman Catholicism made his notion of Christendom a bit ecclessiocentric for my reformed taste, but he is nevertheless very important and he is seminal reading on the topic along with Henry Van Til and Richard Niebuhr. Friday, October 17, 2003
Can You Drink Orange Juice to the Glory of God?
Yes you can! In fact you (and I) must. (Meditation from John Piper provided by ChristianCounterCulture.com). I start almost every day with a nice tall glass of orange juice. I need to take this to heart. Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Silence
I just learned that Neil Postman died last Saturday. Maybe we should honor his eloquent life by turning off our television sets for a week. Unless you read his books and have done that already.
The Original Post-Modernist?
I suppose by now you have heard about Terry Teachout's recent post on the loss of "middle brow culture" (via Gideon Strauss). For Teachout the opitome of middle brow culture was the "really big" Ed Sullivan Show, which not only featured hottest pop singers and vaudeville acts, but opera singers and classical musicians. This got me thinking. With all its different acts juxtoposed together and placed on a more or less even platform, Sullivan's variety format was original Postmodern medium. Ed was way ahead of his time. Could this be the reason why the David Letterman Show is in the Ed Sullivan Theatre? (A Native Tourist factoid: when we were first married we lived two blocks west of the Ed Sullivan Theatre on the corner of 53rd Streen and Ninth Avenue.) Friday, October 10, 2003
Kitchens, not Kitsch
This article about some art installations caught my eye. The artist is a Mennonite as far as I can tell. Wednesday, October 08, 2003
The Problem with 'Relevancy'
"I do not think for a moment that the church should aspire to become irrelevant. There is always a need for Christians to speak the gospel into their own context. Rather, my concern is with the ever‑present danger of over contextualizing. Consider what happens to a church that is always trying to appeal to an increasingly post‑Christian culture. Almost inevitably, the church itself becomes post‑Christian. This is what happened to the liberal church during the twentieth century, and it is what is happening to the evangelical church right now. As James Montgomery Boice has argued, evangelicals are accepting the world's wisdom, embracing the world's theology, adopting the world's agenda, and employing the world's methods. In theology a revision of evangelical doctrine is now underway that seeks to bring Christianity more in line with postmodern thought.' The obvious difficulty is that in a post‑Christian culture, a church that tries too hard to be "relevant" may in the process lose its very identity as the church. Rather than confronting the world, the church gets co‑opted by it. It no longer stands a city on a hill, but sinks to the level of the surrounding culture." --from an excerpt of Philip Ryken's City on a Hill Tuesday, October 07, 2003
A Painting for October
-- Season of October: The potato gatherers, 1878 by Jules Bastien-Lepage I saw this painting in Portland as part of an exhibit of works from the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. It is about six feet square and is marvelously painted. See large image of the painting. Monday, October 06, 2003
A Poem for October
These are the days when Birds come back-- A very few--a Bird or two-- To take a backward look. These are the days when skies resume The old--old sophistries of June-- A blue and gold mistake. Oh fraud that cannot cheat the Bee-- Almost thy plausibility Induces my belief. Till ranks of seeds their witness bear-- And softly thro' the altered air Hurries a timid leaf. Oh Sacrament of summer days, Oh Last Communion in the Haze-- Permit a child to join. Thy sacred emblems to partake-- Thy consecrated bread to take And thine immortal wine! -- Emily Dickinson (first published as "October" in 1864) Friday, October 03, 2003
Extreme Culture
"But there is a wholeness to this living out of Christian conviction, a humanity, even a beauty capable of surprising even the most hardened unbeliever. And it is to this godly extremism that I wish to summon you graduates today. The challenge for you, I believe, will not be that you are too extreme, but that you are not extreme enough. And your failure will likely be that you are extreme at only certain points and not at all of them. What I summon you to today is a life of comprehensive extremism." --excerpt from a commencement address by Rob Rayburn, Pastor of Faith PCA in Tacoma Wednesday, October 01, 2003
Now Here's a Concept
"Psalm Drummers is a world wide network of drummers and percussionists who use drumming to create unity and influence change. Our core values are rooted in Christian Faith, and biblical teaching and our activities include, organising teams to serve at events, hosting prayer and worship gatherings, performance, training, drum circles and work in the community. For thousands of years people have used drums to announce the coming of man. Psalm Drummers use the drum to announce God’s coming." See their site. Hear them in action. Monday, September 29, 2003
Reading Suggestions for Thomas Kinkade
Needless to say, I didn't go to hear the Painter of Light (tm) do his spiel in Newberg on Saturday. I am way to busy with our addition (the drywall is now finished and I was beginning priming the interior!). But his is an article on his visit to Salem. Kindade seems to really see his art as a Christian ministry. Many who buy his paintings speak of their healing, soothing qualities. As many have said before, the escapism he offers in his art is very disturbing, but it is no different from what we see in other mainstream dispensationist-inspired media. But if Kinkade is a sincere Christian (and I have no reason to believe that he isn't), we should pray that his personal theology and worldview will become more fully biblical and robust (dare I say reformed?). If this were to occur, his art-making would be bound to become more mature as well. So what do you suggest that TK read? Thursday, September 25, 2003
Monday, September 22, 2003
Ugly, Really Ugly
Multi-part series in Forbes on "Christian Capitalism", which is not on a Christian defense of market economics a la Thomas Sowell (as one might hope), but an expose on the "big business" of the church growth industry. I believe in working toward Christendom, but its not supposed to be like this.
On the Home Front 7
Sheet rock goes in today. Roof is mostly done (just need some flashing on the part of the roof near the original house). Wednesday, September 17, 2003
Shaggy Dog Story
A nice parable with cultural implications: “There is an old comedy,” James Packer writes, “in which an escaped lion takes the place of the shaggy dog beside the armchair and the comic affectionately runs his fingers through its mane several times before realizing that, as we say, he has a problem. We act like that with regard to our sinful habits. We treat them as friends rather than killers, and never suspect how indwelling sin when indulged enervates and deadens. This, one fears, is because we are already its victims, never having known what it is to be really alive in our relationship with God, just as children born with crippled legs never know what it is to run around, as distinct from hobbling.” (This quote is stolen from the article, "Finding the True, Noble, and Pure in Babylon" by Dennis Haack.) Monday, September 15, 2003
Home is Where the Heart Is
One of the most important worldview matters is where we see our destiny. Where is our home? Where do we belong. Such questions have major cultural implications.  Friday, September 12, 2003
Two Christian Takes on Environmentalism
The Cornwall Declaration On the Care of Creation: An Evangelical Declaration on the Care of Creation
The Limits of Environmentalism: Animal "Rights"
Adam (and by implication the rest of mankind who he covenantally represented) was call to be a steward of creation. Besides working the earth (which inevitably involved bringing changes to it), he was also called to keep the earth (Gen 2:15). Keeping (=guarding or preserving) at its heart was Adam's duty to maintain the beauty and fruitfulness of the earth. Any development which destroyed the fruitfulness was to be avoided. Being a steward of the earth has many affinities with the modern (secular) environmentalist movement. But the similarities, where they are found, are, I believe, only superficial. What lies under the surface of each are radically different worldviews. It seems to me that many Christians are too quick to embrace the policies and solutions of environmentalists. They see a real need: repairing the effects of sin and curse on creation, but choose the wrong solutions to the problem. Which brings me to this insightful quote from Stuart Buck's blog critiquing a wrongheaded view of animal rights (which is a key componant of the enviromentalist worldview): "But if one believes that animals have intrinsic rights (even if they're not equal to ours) and it is the duty of society to protect these rights, then society is duty-bound to protect seals not only from hunters, but from polar bears and orcas! Because human beings have intrinsic rights, the police are obligated to come to my aid whether I'm being attacked by an assailant or an alligator. It doesn't matter who or what is interfering with my right to preservation, the police will help me because they protect my basic rights. If animals had similarly intrinsic rights, it wouldn't matter what was hurting them, man or animal, either. But while the police will stop a man from beating a chicken, they won't stop the fox with a chicken in its jaws (except to protect the property rights of a rancher that owns the chicken)." Wednesday, September 10, 2003
Paleo-Urbanism
is one of the cool terms found in the essay by Eric Jacobsen that I mentioned in yesterday's entry. Refers to real urban fabric ("folk" urbanism?) which New Urbanists try to recreate. Many urban connoisseurs consider paleo-urban environments (i.e. old neighborhoods) to be the best urban environments. They are genuinely organic. And the many of the people who inhabit these spaces have lived there for a long time and in effect are part of the fabric of the place. One of the problems with New Urbanism is that it is all so new and, well, planned. Call it the Disney Land effect. It seems so fake and contrived - even if it is comfortable and appealing the the eye. Sadly the people of today don't know what to do with it. Our new house (for us) is right in downtown Newberg. It is somewhat small and on a tiny lot. But we can walk to everything. We have seven families who are members of our church and/or send their kids to Veritas School within six blocks of us. And we can walk to the campus of George Fox University (with its library!) which is only three blocks away. Call us Paleo-Urban homesteaders. Tuesday, September 09, 2003
Blessed Are the Poor, For They Shall Have Nice Cities
"I live in a neighborhood that meets many of the conditions of the Traditional Neighborhood Design (TND) extolled by the New Urbanists. The buildings are laid out at a relatively high density, there is a good network of sidewalks for walking, and there are some lovely, public spaces and charming coffee shops within easy walking distance from my front door. I do love to walk to the park and the coffee shops and go there when I have time or money to spare. Where I really take advantage of the good sidewalks and the proximity of our houses is when I pop over to a neighbor’s to borrow a tool or an ingredient or to ask for help with picking up and moving some furniture. As much as I enjoy these little exchanges with my neighbors, if I had more disposable income, I would probably keep a better stock of food on hand, purchase all the tools that I need, and not worry about the twenty-five dollar delivery fee for furniture. I have come to realize that one of the things that makes Missoula a hospitable urban environment is that it is made up of people who have to get along because they need each other." -- Eric Jacobsen, Author of Sidewalks in the Kingdom: New Urbanism and the Christian Faith (I found out about his essay in Markets and Moralisty on Seaside and new urbanism on Gideon Strauss' blog) Seaside, Florida, which nearly all card-carrying new urbanists celebrate as the exemplar of what cities can and should be, turns out to be nothing more than a very aesthetic, finely crafted stageset for the super rich (ironically, Seaside was the utopian real-life set for the movie Truman Show.) As a mostly vacant vacation resort with house prices looming at a million dollars or more, Jacobsen found out that there no thriving community there - despite the sidewalks, front porches, village greens and quaint shops and galleries. Although formal/organizational and aesthetic factors contribute to the life of a city, it is the people who really matter. Do the the citizans care about community at large and really want to take the time and effort to shape their lives so that they regularly interact with others, or do they want to hang out alone on their back decks and be numbed by television in their family rooms? Give me a group of people who really value community, and they will find a way to make it work, even in the most banal suburban sub-division. Monday, September 08, 2003
This Is the Dawning of the Age of . . . Aesthetics
So says the author Virginia Postrel (read an interview in the Atlantic and and a brief piece in Wired magazine). Sure the cofee makers, laptops, gel pens and even trowels are cool. But I wonder if Ms. Postell has seen some of the houses I've seen build in past six months. Actually, in some of the new developments (row houses) I have seen going up near our new home, they appear to be trying - at least on the outside - to make the buildings have a traditional, crafted look, but I suspect the inside is the same old beige story. Maybe I am wrong. I hope so. Wednesday, September 03, 2003
The Family and Culture (a Reply to R.C. Sproul, Jr.)
An insightful comment from R.C. Sproul Jr.: "That is, we will never make manifest the reign of Christ on earth until we, ironically as the Lutherans have been telling us, pick up the theology of the cross. The kingdom of God doesn’t belong to muckety-mucks in suits. It belongs to children and babies in diapers. And our call is to change those diapers, to raise those children, not to seize control, but likewise to pick up the cross. The way to seizing cultural leadership, Jesus told us, is to sit in the back of the bus." R.C. you are half right. Raising our children to love the Lord and to joyfully think the Lord's thoughs after Him is crucial for Christian culture. But we (and our children) must do more. The family is infrastructural to Christian culture. It raises Christian culture-makers who do the actual work of transforming the earth and building a culture glorifying to God. If we are not out there painting artworks, writing books, crafting chairs, building houses, plowing fields, etc. in Christian manner, there is no godly culture, just a self-perpetuating social instution becoming more and more alienated and insulated from society at large. Just like it happened to the church. Tuesday, September 02, 2003
Labor Day Musings
As just about everybody has noted, yesterday was labor day. I did my best to honor the day keeping busy on our new Newberg house: I painted two rooms, put shelves in a closet and was going to put a new deadbot on one of doors. But alas, I couldn't find the philips head screwdriver. So my son (who had his first "real" day of school today) and I played frisbee golf instead. Isn't it interesting that labor and work, which used to be fairly close synonymns, now have such different connotations now? One of the hallmarks of the Reformation was how it rescued work from the ancient Notion of a necessary evil and (re)discovered it to be the profound blessing that it is (or at least can be). One of the modern tragedies is how industrialism and the labor movement has killed most of the (potential) joy in work. Thursday, August 28, 2003
Moving Experience
Today we move the bulk of our stuff up to our new home in Newberg and begin living in ernest there (we have already spent several nights there). The addition is still 2-3 weeks away, so things will be cramped. But we won't have the huge commute to school and church, which is a relief.
Who builds the City of God?
Joel Garver pointed out this link to abstracts of papers delivered at the Radical Orthodoxy and the Reformed Tradition conference. Lambert Zuidervaart's entry caught my eye: Good Cities, or Cities of the Good? Radical Augustinians, Societal Structures, and Normative Critique "This paper examines the nexus of societal structures and normative critique in Radical Orthodoxy and the reformational tradition. To get at this nexus, the paper thematizes the appropriation of Augustine's City of God in the concluding chapters of two books: John Milbank's Theology and Social Theory, and Graham Ward's Cities of God. Both chapters make evident the awkward position that Radical Orthodoxy takes up with respect to both contemporary society and contemporary social sciences. On the one hand, contemporary society can participate in the "city of God," and social sciences offer insights into what hinders such participation. On the other hand, what blocks full participation is precisely the modern/postmodern "world-view" or "ontology" that drives contemporary social sciences." How should (can?) the members of "contemporary society" (presumably those outside the Covenant Community) "participate" in the City of God? Why would they want to do so? Should we sit back and let them contribute to Christendom project without resistance? Won't their open participation undermine the result? Don't get me wrong. As I argue in Plowing, the cultural accomplishements of unbelievers can and and are appropriated by Christians and used (with discernment) to build City of God (i.e. Christian Culture). In this Christians serve as priests mediating between the Christian and non-Christian worlds. But that is a far cry from allowing direct participation. Tuesday, August 26, 2003
While I'm at it
R.C. Sproul is doing a series on Art on this week's Renewing Your Mind radio broadcasts. Monday, August 25, 2003
Culture or Ministries of Mercy?
Quote from a recent Breakpoint: "'The Church, then, is a counterculture that has a different vision of the world than that of people who are not in the Church,' writes [Robert] Webber. He goes on to say that younger evangelicals can change their world through a worldview that works, "not by power politics, but by a presence of humble servanthood." They want to transform culture by rebuilding communities and meeting the needs of the least of us: the poor, homeless, prisoners, and their children—those who have no advocate. " I've said this before: culture is not politics. Politics is a necessary infrastructure to the making of culture (as is the family). Culture shapes politics (and the familiy) and vice versa. But lets not get the two mixed up. The same is true of ministries of mercy/healing. These are shaped to some extent by culture, but they are not culture.
Back
Had a short, but delightful break at the OPC family camp in the foothills of the Cascades in central Oregon. Met fellow Canon Press author Richard Hannula who has a new book on Northwest history. He's an elder at Faith PCA in Tacoma, which we really must visit some day. My projects in our new (existing) house are almost completed. We hope to move in Thursday even though the new addition is still about 2-3 weeks away. Thank God for my new next-door neighbor Ralph Allen (who also teaches at Veritas School) who graciously let me use his tools including his chop saw (a great tool). Tuesday, August 19, 2003
Back on Monday
I will be spending the next couple of days working on our New/berg house and then going to Eastern Oregon for OPC family camp. Maybe you can read Schilder's Christ and Culture while I'm away and explain to me what it means when I get back. Monday, August 18, 2003
Essay: "Toward a Christian Culture"
From the Center for Cultural Leadership, by Rod Martin: "When we speak of a Christian culture, we envision a society suffused with the truth God has shown us in His Word. This cannot be imposed: it is spiritual to begin with, and requires the broad acceptance of ideas which the heart cannot hear without a grace and repentance only God can give. This sort of culture cannot be built in a day, or even a generation; and yet, as more and more see His wisdom, both in principles and results, they will act upon it, and transform everything they touch. As salt they will preserve what remains, and as light they will dispel the darkness, until their light shines so brightly that all can see, and the nations marvel at the wealth and the wisdom of their land."
Technology and Progress
Another link gem from the Highlands Study Center (R.C. Sproul Jr.'s site) on positive nature of technology from Reason magazine. Technology is inevitable. Technology must me embraced. But technology must NEVER be in the driver's seat. We must rule over technology, not let it rule over us. This was the warning from Jaques Ellul nearly forty years ago. And it is why we need to pay attention to the Amish (see my old post on this here) and surprisingly wise stance adopting technology.
On the Home Front 6
Spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday on house projects. Thus I was away from the internet and blogging. Finished installing the pocket door and the closet partitions. Upstairs wall is framed and partially insulated. And downstairs bedroom is no longer pink, but a very cool Miami Vice light teal. And there are now four walls on the addition. Wednesday, August 13, 2003
New Movie on Luther
I saw on R.C. Sproul Jr.'s site that there is new movie on the life of Luther coming out this fall. One thing is certain: if it is true to Luther's vision, it won't be a Christian movie!
Leisure Roots
"Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage." (Ecclesiastes 5:18) First, by God's grace, we make culture. Then, by God's grace, we get to enjoy it. This in large measure is what leisure is about. Just a God "took time" to enjoy His creation (Gen 2:1-3), we do the same, following the divine example. Jerram Barrs wonders if Christians are afraid of leisure here. It seems to me that if they're not afraid, they are at least embarassed.
On the Home Front 5
I spent all day yesterday (8:30-6) transforming trees into walls with pocket doors and closet partitions. While the contractors work on the addition, we are busy making adjustments to the rest of the (existing) house for us to move in - hopefully by the end of the month. The foundation is in on the addition, as are the floor joists and the subfloor. Framing should begin tomorrow. My contractor has some pictures. Hopefuller I will be able to post them soon. Thursday, August 07, 2003
Libertarianism vs. New Urbanism
While I'm on the topic, I came across this debate on New Urbanism featured on the Acton Institute's Markets & Morality. (html version begins here) Here are some quotes that caught my eye: (from planner Frank Duany) "The difference between the New Urbanism and Smart Growth is that while both desire the same outcome, the New Urbanism is conceived as private-sector and market-driven while Smart Growth is based on government policy and proscriptions.” "Are New Urbanists conspiring to change land-use regulations? You bet they are, because the land-use regulations codified during the great era of suburbanization and that currently represent the law of the land effectively outlaw TND [traditional neighborhood design] . . . [TND elements] are outlawed and subjected to arduous variance and review procedures that cost TND developers far more time and money than does conventional development." "There are already signs in the United States that the property rights alternatives of which Hayek speaks are evolving to internalize land-use externalities in spite of regulatory impediments. The growth of private contractual communities in particular, arguably as a response to the failures of conventional models of urban planning, illustrates the potential of market processes to develop solutions to a variety of land-use problems. Market innovations such as homeowners associations, condominium developments, and private communities have developed rapidly in recent years." This I think is the key: voluntary involvement; not restrictions placed on free citizens from the civil authorities. Wednesday, August 06, 2003
What Do Baseball, New Urbanism, and Christianity Have in Common?
Find out the answer here and here. And for a bonus, check out this very intriguing article from First Things. Tuesday, August 05, 2003
Little Things
The Lord graced me with a glowing rainbow this morning on my way to work. Rainbows are not that unusual here in the Willamette Valley, but an early morning rainbow is very unusual. As is rain in August. My lawn is shocked. Monday, August 04, 2003
New & Notable Books on Culture
Here what I want to get my hands on soon! Steve Schlissel was our pastor before we moved to Oregon. You can read an excerpt from Moore's book here. 
Wow! A Christian interaction with New Urbanism. Read more here. Friday, August 01, 2003
Going Ape over Worship?
"Dr. Godfrey acknowledged himself haunted by the words of Robert Dabney who, speaking to what he saw as dangerous musical trends of the nineteenth century said, "Millions of souls are in hell because they were unable to distinguish the elevation of animal feelings from genuine religious affections." It is easy to manipulate emotions, Dr. Godfrey said, so that people think they have had a profound experience, and if it takes place in the context of religious language, they'll think it's a profound religious experience. But is it, or is it only emotional manipulation? " --From an article on a speech given by Bob Godfrey on CCM's place in worship services Thursday, July 31, 2003
What's in a Name?
I was snooping around the Relevant Magazine site, I found a reference to this "alternative" Christian music festival called Porticofest based in Beaverton, OR, which is not too far away. It was really interesting (telling?) what the bands who are participating call themselves. For example there are: "angry mob", "brutal fight", "fighting jacks", "revenge of the day", and "war by the day". There's also "four foot hero", "six foot midget", and "inch high". Full list of bands is here (with links). Tuesday, July 29, 2003
One the Home Front 4
Here is the text of the ad for our house we put up for sale in Dallas: DALLAS: Historic 1870 Cottage, 848 SW Levens. 2 bdrm, 1 ba, 1612 total sq ft on a 65x100 lot. Parlor used as 3 bdrm, orig wood work, doors, fixtures, asking $121,000-shown by appt. 503-623-7027 FSBO, OPEN HOUSE Sat Aug 2, 10-3 Monday, July 28, 2003
The Check's in the Mail
I know this is a bit off topic, but what are you all planning on doing with your Federal "rebate" check? I our case, since we are already not paying Federal income tax (we zero out after deductions and child credits), this would be additional money coming out of someone else's pockets. So what do I (or you) do with our check (We already have ours in hand: $1200!): a) take the money and run b) donate the questionable money to a Christian charity c) give the money to a bonafide widow or orphan d) rip up the check and refuse to take illegitate welfare from the government Here's an additional question: is the redistribution of wealth by the civil magistrate ever sanctioned by the scriptures? Friday, July 25, 2003
On the Home Front 3
We finally put our Dallas home on the market on Wednesday. There a still a few extra things to fix here and there, but the house is thoroughly decluttered and cleaned. I just put a couple of coats of polyurethane on the kitchen floor and touched up the interior trim in the house where we had accumulated nine years of dings. Now we just need the right seller. We are using the FSBO route right now. You can see our listing here. We are scheduled to break ground on the addition on our Newberg house on Monday. Wednesday, July 23, 2003
Even more on Heaven/New Jerusalem
Christianity Today also has this delightful article from Edith Schaeffer. Contra gnostic amillenialists, who see the New Jerusalem strictly in allegorical, spiritual terms, Mrs. Schaeffer argues that the heavenly city will be as real and tangible as San Francisco -- but even more beautiful and without the tragic effects of sin. The New Jerusalem will be culture! Monday, July 21, 2003
More on a Cultural View of Heaven
Here a 1985 article from Christianity Today site from one of my favorite authors, the late Anthony Hoekema. "The possibilities that now rise before us boggle the mind. Will there be "better Beethoven" on the new earth, as one author has suggested? Shall we then see better Rembrandts, better Raphaels, better Constables? Shall we read better poetry, better drama, and better prose?" Thursday, July 17, 2003
Cultural Tactics: Playing it Safe?
Andrew Sandlin has a provocative new piece at his site, "Backwater Cultures", in which he dually rips on protectionist/separatist types and well as ecclesiocentric types (Rich Lusk, are you "listening"?). He says in part: "The myth of the virility of backwater cultures has serious spiritual consequences. We cannot for long maintain unpolluted backwater cultures. If we refuse to overtake the evil in our culture, it will soon overtake us. There can be no detente with depraved culture. Depraved culture must be redeemed, not avoided. The hungry jaws of Satan will not be satisfied after he has devoured the evil culture — he will then seek out the Christian Church and family." This at first sounds pretty good. But how does Pastor Sandlin propose that we redeem the godless culture we find our selves in? Do we take the Bob Briner Roaring Lambs approach and storm the cultural centers and try to take them over? Just try to go to Hollywood and make the movie you want to make and see how far you get. It will be you who will be coopted. Contemporary secular society - especially popular culture - is a cooption machine. I still maintain that Christians have to get active culturally in their local community. Begin on a small scale. Focus on the brothers and sisters in the local church(es). Get grounded in the word and doctrine. Get focused on Christ through worship and prayer. And GET BUSY. Make high quality wares (books, songs, chairs, food - whatever) which first and foremost will edify the saints (and in the process you will make stuff very likely they will help non-Christians as well). Sandlin seems to want to approach culture from the "popular culture" model - an approach to culture which is (to use neo-Calvinist terminology) structurally doomed. Better to take the "folk culture" approach. Folk cultures nearly always have great integrity and richness. Taking the popular culture approach just makes us another ingredient in the cultural minestrone. Check out what they are doing in Moscow, Idaho. If this is "backwater Christian culture", bring it on, baby.
Harleys in Heaven
An engaging article on the earthiness of heaven by John Stackhouse from Christianity Today. Talks extensively about the garden city idea which I develop in Plowing. One thing is certain: if there are Harleys in heaven, they will have better mufflers so they don't wake me up in the middle of night rattling our windows! (Of course there won't be night on the New Earth - never mind.) Wednesday, July 16, 2003
On the Home Front 2
Took yesterday off, so I was away from computerdom. We have been busy, busy, busy getting our old house in Dallas (1870 - hence my email address)ready for the market. Decluttering and spiffing up. Arduous toilsome work. But we're almost there. The birch tree came down Monday. I haven't seen them yet, but the tree man did end up milling boards out of the lower part of the tree that he said came out just beautiful. A pristine piece of wood is a sight to behold. Like a fresh piece of paper, it shouts potential! Friday, July 11, 2003
Quote for a Friday
Who wrote this?: "Jesus Christ is the Master who can comfort and strengthen a man, a laborer and working man whose life is hard—because he is the Great Man of Sorrows who knows our ills, who was called a carpenter’s son, though he was the Son of God, who worked for thirty years, in a carpenter’s shop to fulfill God’s will. And God wills that in imitation of Christ man should live humbly and go through life not reaching for the sky, but adapting himself to the earth below, learning from the Gospel to be meek and simple of heart." Thursday, July 10, 2003
"Cultural-Engagement" Project
I have decided to undertake a project of exploring the term "cultural engagement" as it is used by evangelicals (especially reformed folk). The way this term is used leads to a lot of muddled thinking about culture by Christians. To begin my project, I decided to plug "cultural engagement" in Google. The first item I came up with that was specifically theological was http://www.church-reform.com/culture.htm. The author of the page urges Christians to immerse themselves in their culture in order to better communicate the gospel. He offers the following aphorism: The Church must be MORALLY separated from, yet CULTURALLY connected to the World He then argues that: So what is the world? Let's continue in I John: "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world" (I John 2:16 NAS). In a word, the world is sin. We are not to be conformed to or love the sinful ways of the world, a world which is ruled by Satan, which only spawns evil values, ideas and philosophies. So it is the sinful ways that we are to stay away from - not the cultural ways! Cultural characteristics such as food, language, music style and dress style are morally neutral - they are neither good nor evil (expect for a few cases when they veer outside of biblical standards). Assuming that "cultural characterists" are "morally neutral" is a fatal error. Cultural form/style is as moral/ethical in character as the intellectual content that is communicated. The antithesis applies to style (medium) as well as content (message). This kind of uncritical approach to culture is rampant in the evangelical world. It is very prevalent in missiology. Indigenous cultural forms are uncritically brought into church liturgies, congregational songs, etc. The result is liturgical dissonance, even liturgical synchretism. Don't get me wrong. We can (and may) "plunder" the surrounding culture for useful forms. But we must do so with great care and discernment. We need to take the time to determine what these forms actually express and see if they are truly consonant with the values of scripture, before we adopt them. Tuesday, July 08, 2003
Landmarks, Churches and Codes
In his most recent Breakpoint commentary, Chuck Colson lauds the recent decision of the White House to make grants available for restoring historical landmarks owned by Religious organizations in the same way that grants are offered to other landmarks. Since church buildings with landmark status can have their development limited by historic preservation laws, Colson argues, they should be eligible for preservation grants as well. But this cuts both ways. For churches to except money from the civil government for building restoration, they further cements the civil governments authority over them in preservation matters, as well as in matters of city planning, building codes, etc. This is an interesting interaction of the different social spheres. Should the civil authorities have the right to tell church congregations what to do with their assets? Should churches have to follow building codes? Bow to planning laws? Thursday, July 03, 2003
On the Home Front
Our plans for the addition were approved by the city earlier this week. I still haven't seen their "editing" of the plans to see what changes they want us to make (if any). The first order of business is to take down a 60+ ft. birch tree in the back yard. This has broken the heart of one of our good friends. Its regrettable but there is really no other workable alternative. At least the arborist who will be taking the tree down will be able to mill the tree into boards if it turns out to be in good shape. Some white birch boards would make some nice book shelves: culture = transformation. Wednesday, July 02, 2003
Machen's Mountaintop Musings
"What will be the end of that European civilization, of which I had a survey from my mountain vantage ground—of that European civilization and its daughter in America? What does the future hold in store? Will Luther prove to have lived in vain? Will all the dreams of liberty issue into some vast industrial machine? Will even nature be reduced to standard, as in our country the sweetness of the woods and hills is being destroyed, as I have seen them destroyed in Maine, by the uniformities and artificialities and officialdom of our national parks? . . . "I can see no escape from that conclusion in the signs of the times; too inexorable seems to me to be the march of events. No, I can see only one alternative. The alternative is that there is a God—a God who in His own good time will bring forward great men again to do His will, great men to resist the tyranny of experts and lead humanity out again into the realms of light and freedom, great men, above all, who will be messengers of His grace. There is, far above any earthly mountain peak of vision, a God high and lifted up who, though He is infinitely exalted, yet cares for His children among men." -- from J. Gresham Machen's "Mountains and Why We Love Them" Monday, June 30, 2003
Tongue in Sheik Proposal?
Somebody wants Frank Lloyd Wright to redo Baghdad. (From the Washington Post) Friday, June 27, 2003
Pseudo-Culture
In my most recent post, I called contemporary non-Christian culture "Anti-culture" or "Pseudo-Culture. I do this not because I do not think it is real (it surely and tragically is), but because is tries to ape or copy "true" culture, the kind of culture God intended the human race to establish on the earth. True culture is pictured in scripture by Jerusalem/New Jerusalem, while anti-culture is pictured by Babyon (its very name meaning 'confusion'). By common grace fallen man is still able to make art works which contain beauty, novels with the ring of truth, etc. But apart from the redeeming work of the Holy Spirit working in culturemakers, these works will always be hollow at the core. Calling non-Christian culture "true" culture, is like trying pass off Tang as real orange juice. Its a cheap imatation even though some people are fooled into thinking its the real thing. Tuesday, June 24, 2003
Do We Really Need to Engage Contemporary Culture?
From a recent Breakpoint commentary on using discernment at the movies: "The best response to the insidious quality of many contemporary films is, as Godawa pointed out, discernment. Discernment enables the Christian to avoid two undesirable extremes: what Godawa describes as cultural anorexia and cultural gluttony. Anorexia is avoiding the culture altogether, but that leaves the Christian incapable of "interacting redemptively" and causes him to miss good things in our popular culture. Cultural gluttony, on the other hand, ignores how popular culture affects us, for good and evil, and takes it all in indiscriminately, consuming everything in front of us." Some comments: Do we really become "culturally anorexic" (I prefer "culturally impoverished") if we avoid "engagement" with the culture around us? This notion is so short sited. Am I not culturally rich if I "dine" on Chaucer, Milton or Pascal, while listening to corpus Bach, Gegorian chants and Mahalia Jackson, while on my walls I have reproductions of Durer prints and posters of Vermeer and the other Dutch masters? Do I really need contemporary popular culture to be culturally satified? I can't see anyone culturally wasting away on the past riches of Christendom. As if anyone can be made culturally nourished by what passes as contemporary "culture". (It is really anti-culture or pseudo-culture). (Also, what on earth is "interacting redemptively" with culture?) Friday, June 20, 2003
Dorothy Sayers Quote
"The only Christian work is good work done well." Saw this in today's Breakpoint. Sadly Colson used this quote to laud the generosity of Harold Bloom (a self-proclaimed gnostic Jew), who recently gave his library to St. Michael's College in Vermont. A strange invocation of the notion of Christian culture, if ever there was one. Thursday, June 19, 2003
Consumation
"Our dollars, our buying power, and our mountain of stuff do not make us special or unique. As soon as we find our significance or our satisfaction in them, they begin to corrupt and rot our souls. The message of Jesus’ sacrifice and its embodied rehearsal in the Eucharist powerfully subverts our consumerist sense of entitlement and our acquisitive narcissism." -- From Michael Pahl's article on Consumerism and culture in Meshereth.com. We are not merely culture-makers, but culture-consumers as well. Perhaps it is equally true to say that "Religion is Culture Internalized" as well as to say that "Culture is Religion Externalized." Here's an interesting thought experiment: What do we ever consume that isn't culture or in some way effected by culture? Tuesday, June 17, 2003
Hey, Who's that Dude in the Knickers?
Ken Myers has a really good article "Modernity, Morality, and Common Grace" that is primarily an homage to Francis Schaeffer and his Calvinistic insights into understanding culture. I can still remember reading Escape from Reason as a college freshman (circa 1976!) and the light going on in my head... Monday, June 16, 2003
Tabletalk Article
I was informed yesterday by one of our elders after church, that my article just came out in Tabletalk (they hadn't told me that it was out already). Its a reworking of the Postscript in Plowing - talking about what the Sabbath teaches us about work.
Time Off
I was "away" from my Blog for a few extra days in order to get the final plans drawn for our house addition. I delivered the plans to the City of Newberg on Friday afternoon. The folks from the planning division were very helpful (very different from the NYC area horror stories I have heard), but alas, they told me they have a four week backlog in reviewing/approving plans. Thankfully because our property is zoned commercial, there are very few planning limitations which effect our property. We are praying that it will happen sooner. I will post the "final" plans at my site in the next couple of days. Wednesday, June 11, 2003
What Christian Culture Looks Like - Part VIII
Like the virtuous wife in Proverbs 31, American puritan Ann Bradstreet (1612-1672) was fully submissive to her God-given role as wife and mother, yet she did not "sit on her hands". One the contrary, she used her God-given talents to write elegant poetry which celebrated the different events and circumstances of her life in terms of her faith. For example, see this page which has three of Anne's poems written on the occation of the death of three of her grandchildren. They are full of sorrow, hope and faith in her totally sovereign Lord. Monday, June 09, 2003
Culture Crowned with Glory
From Andrew Sandlin's brother Richard - an article posted at Center for Cultural Leadership: "Just think: the hour Christianity was birthed, common work by humble laborers was elevated by Heaven itself. The grocer, the shoe clerk, the construction worker, the college student, the at-home mom, the policeman — all these everyday employments have now been consecrated by the Holy One Himself. When the angels went to the shepherds, common chores would henceforth be crowned with glory forever." Thursday, June 05, 2003
Excerpt
Here's a book that's been around a while, but I had never heard of before: Greg Johnson's The World According to God: A Biblical View of Culture, Work, Science, Sex & Everything Else published by IVP. You can read the his entire chapter on culture here, or the "Readers Digest" version of it here. His ideas sound like what I talk about in Plowing. I wonder if he read my book? Wednesday, June 04, 2003
More on the Term 'Secular'
I typed "origin of the word secular" (with the quotes) in Google, and found this hit, which says in part: Webster defines secular as "pertaining to worldly things or to things not regarded as sacred; temporal." Perhaps the last word is most descriptive, temporal. If we explore the origin of the word "secular," we find that it comes from the Latin "saeculum," which is a word dealing with time or an age. The root concept behind secularism is one that relates to the issue of time. It is more specific than just being worldly or non-religious. It is the view that only now counts. The past and future are of little or no concern now. Relating the temporal to "earthly" or "secular" or "cultural" things is one common way Christians draw a false sacred/secular distinction (This is the Heart of the errant Two Kindom view). In fact this idea came up in our most recent adult Sunday School discussion, where we were discussing Jesus' role as High Priest and King (we were looking at Hebrews 5). In the discussion, someone talked about how the king dealt with "temporal" affairs, while the priest dealt with "spiritual" affairs. But was the ministry of the priest (and the prophet, and by extention the role of eclesiastical officers today) any less temporal than that of the king? Is the role of the king any less spiritual? Moreover, when we realize that the New Jerusalem will be temporal (Rev. 22 talks about months), even as it will be everlasting, we can see its commonality with our present mode existence. Culture and culture-making will continue in our heavenly/New Creational existence. Culture has a future - a glorious everlasting future- as well as a rich past. For this reason alone, culture is should be vitally important to Christians. Seeing cultural stuff as merely temporal (and by extension temporary) is grave error we must constantly battle against. Monday, June 02, 2003
Is There a Secular?
Joel Garver has posted a continuation of his paper on political theology. Here is an excerpt: "Such assumptions include: the conception of the “secular” as a particular social space as opposed to the religious; a limiting of the “political” to that secular space and conceiving it primarily in terms struggle for power . . ." As I read this, I thought to myself, is there really a secular anything? The more I think about it, the more I see the term "secular" as a word which has no concrete reality. Within a universe created and governed by an omnipotent, omnipresent God, secularity is impossible. Everything - absolutely everything - is religious. The "secular" is a dream - desparate wish - of atheists, and strangely enough, of some Christians who for some reason want to limit God's influence and rule over all of reality. "Secular" as a word functions like the word "chance": it may be a helpful term to describe certain potential ways of seeing things, but ultimately, the word is absurd and utterly contradicted by the sovereignty of God. Friday, May 30, 2003
An Ordinary Day.
Today is our sixteenth wedding anniversary. We are signing the papers on our new house this morning. Later my wife Marjorie (and Dana) will be singing at Cornerstone Coffee in McMinnville. And my oldest daughter will be attending the graduation ball of one of her Veritas schoolmates, also in McMinnville, at the Hotel Oregon. That's all. Thursday, May 29, 2003
Porridge Architecture (Some Random Thoughts on House Design)
1. Thinking about the design of a new addition on the house we'll be buying (closining date is next Monday, DV), has had me thinking a lot about house design. I check out a huge number of books on various aspects of the topic - esp. books on small houses and using space efficiently. I really liked the Sarah Susanka's Creating the Not So Big House, which shortly after was mentioned by Gideon Strauss on his blog. I've said it before, that detailing is what really makes architecture work. It takes extra affort to make a smaller house work better. The big bloated houses popping up all around Oregon are really the result of lazy design. 2. Then I came across this interview with Martha Stewart in Wired. This quote stood out to me: "How do you cope with the modern way of living in an 1800 house, a 1925 house, a 1960 house, and a 2001 house? Bill Gates' house, for example, is totally out of date now. He built it right before wireless happened. The big tunnels for all his wires - he doesn't need any of that stuff anymore." So it's aging faster than homes that are more traditional? "Right." Are all the houses we are building today going to be out of date a couple of years? Why is it that many older houses seem so adaptable to changes in lifestyle? Is it something inherent in the design or does it say more about the flexibility of the owner? My own theory is that older houses are more flexible when they were cheaper and the rooms were less taylored to specific functions. Also older houses have actual rooms (as apposed to an open plan) which allows for greater privacy even if it chokes the space off (older houses don't work well for throwing a big party). In the old house we live in now, the parlor could be easily converted to our master bedroom. I doubt that many contemporary "traditional" designs could support that. 3. It amazes me how intoxicating the newer bloated designs are for some people, even those who I consider to be fairly aesthetically sensitive. One family we know is buying a new 2400 sq ft house and leaving behind their 1500 sq ft craftsman style home. Why not alter/add to the existing home to make it work better? 4. Some additional observations on (most) new bland bloated houses: a. they must have a good space for watching television b. every child must have their own room c. there must be a master suite with a wirlpool bath and a shower, a walk-in closet as big as a small bedroom and a sitting area d. there must be a family room attached to the kitchen (see 'a' above) e. at least one room must have a double hight ceiling with a huge bank of windows to make up for low ceilings in the rest of the house. f. all walls and ceilings must be off white and be anything but smooth g. all floors are to be covered with wall to wall carpeting except in the foyer, bathrooms, and mudroom Tuesday, May 27, 2003
Thinking about Windows
Real windows - not the bloated operating system. We are hoping to able to afford wooden awning style windows, square, mounted in groups side by side in the addition of our new house. It interesting to see the Christian roots in the windows business. There are the Dutch Calvinist windows (Pella) and Mennonite windows (Loewen). Are Andersen windows Lutheran? Some windows wisdom from an old Andersen brochure: "Only the rich can afford poor windows." Thursday, May 22, 2003
Is this goodbye?
I heard on NPR last night that there won't be any more Texaco opera on the radio. I can remember my Dad listening to the live broadcasts every Saturday afternoon, especially during long car rides, and my sister and I begging him to change the station. I still do not have a great deal of patience for opera, but I could listen to chamber music for ever. Wednesday, May 21, 2003
Wow! - (The Two Kingdom View Dumped on its Head.)
I really like the introduction to an essay Joel Garver is putting together. "In the following essay, I will argue that the way things now stand is deficient and that the Gospel does not merely lead Christians to enter into and engage themselves within secular political space. Rather the Gospel is politics, a politics moreover that questions the very constitution of any social space as “secular” or the relegation of politics to that space. The Gospel, thereby, begins to redefine what we mean by “politics.” Just one question: Is government and politics the same thing? I think it is helpful to make a distinction between the two. Government is the excercise of just rule (over self, the civil realm, the church, the family, etc.); politics is the interaction/struggle between different/opposed ideologies for the control of government. Garver seems to lump the two together. But his basic approach is very cool (unless you hang with the Westminster West crowd, that is). Tuesday, May 20, 2003
Compartmentalization
Another thought provoking essay by Andrew Sandlin with above title. He is on a role. My question is how do we avoid compartmentalization and yet still take into account the real distinctions embedded in creation? I know that the Trinitarian thinking can account for the equal ultimacy of the one and the many, but how do we make this all hang together in our minds - on some practical level? Monday, May 19, 2003
More on the Most Cultural State in the Union
How do we help welfare moms in Oregon? Make them read Thucydides!
The Internet Imitates Life?
A poignant quote from the New York Times: "Seen from a Google's eye view, in fact, the Web is less like a piazza than a souk — a jumble of separate spaces, each with its own isolated chatter. The search engines cruise the alleyways to listen in on all of these conversations, locate the people who are talking about the subject we're interested in, and tell us which of them has earned the most nods from the other confabulators in the room. But just because someone is regarded as a savant in the barbershop doesn't mean he'll pass for wise with the people in the other stalls." Friday, May 16, 2003
Sad News From Old New England
I just went over the Regeneration Quarterly site to see if anything was up (it had been quiet for a long time). Sure enough they had posted a new issue that I found pretty distressing. RQ has always been provocative - trying to see theological issues from a new angle. The lead article in this issue is arguing for the legitimacy of pre-marital sex. This would not be so surprising if it was coming from a post-modern, gen-x oozekirk. But it came from a pastor of Park Street Church in Boston, an historic congregation which was once a conservative, reformed voice in that region, with roots going all the back to the puritans. How the mighty have fallen. (Not that this is the first time.) Without a distinct, biblical ethics, Christian culture is impossible. Right ethics doesn't by itself produce a godly culture, but it is a necessary ingredient. We must take our stand and not fade into the grey pallid soup of our godless society. Thursday, May 15, 2003
House Plans
I have uploaded my latest ideas/rough plans for the house addition. Right now we are weighing whether to use an architect (which would add approx. 10% to the overall cost of the project), or drawing it myself and doing the legwork of getting it approved by the city inspectors as well. (Right now there is three week wait for approval.) I have a supportive contractor lined up. If you have any thoughts or suggestions on improvements, let me know. Wednesday, May 14, 2003
Even More on "Culture is Religion Externalized"
I have spent the last two posts defending Henry Van Til's oft quoted aphorism. An additional irony of all this is the actual phrase "culture is religion externalized" does not appear in his book: at least I was not able to find it when I read the book at the time that I wrote Plowing in Hope. There is a sentence or two in the opening chapters which say the gist of this, but the phrase never appears. (I wonder if it really came from Tillich? Peter Leithart attributes the quote to him in his article.) One more comment on the phrase "culture is religion externalized". I think that Van Til was primarily making an observation about the nature of culture - that it is inescapably religious in character and never neutral (as the Two Kingdom advocates propose); not a particular observation on the nature of religion. Van Til's (and I think Kuyper's) view is very different from "private" approach of 19th and 20th century evangelicalism (pietism) that Rich Lusk (rightly) criticizes. The problem with evangelical privitization it that it sees religion as an internal matter and then keeps it internal. There is no expectation of embodyment of religious beliefs and values in culture because religion is only "spiritual" in nature. Van Til and others in the Kuyperian tradition see religion as having both spiritual and physical aspects which must be both emphasized. I will have to go back and read the opening chapters of the Calvinistic Concept of Culture. Its been a while. Monday, May 12, 2003
More Thoughts on Embodyment and Externalization
Could it be that embodyment and externalization are really two different ways of saying the same thing? For example: I am planning on adding a bedroom, bathroom maybe a small sitting room/library to the house we are buying. I think about this addition quite alot. (I have even made some drawings.) Right now (with the exception of the drawings), this house addition is just an idea in my head. It is internal. Until it gets built, it will remain just an idea (or just "paper" architecture in the case of my drawings). When it gets built, my (or my architect's, if I hire one) ideas will be externalized and made concrete (acually wood, sheetrock, etc.). By God's grace I hope my ideas for my addition reflect my Christian beliefs and values; that the addition will be truly beautiful, good and true. My Christian wordview will find embodyment in this new structure.It will thereby be a small example of Christian architecture and will be glorifying to God. Is this not analogous to how God first planned (decreed) and then created the universe? Thus we have: Culture is religion externalized (Henry Van Til) is a small analogy of Creation is God's character externalized (The Native Tourist) Friday, May 09, 2003
Embodyment and Externalization
Over at the new ezine start-up Meshereth, there is an article by Rich Lusk on the rise of secularization and the privitization of the Christian faith beginning in the 19th century. I agree with Mr. Lusk's observation that for Christianity to have a real effect on culture/society, Christians must operate as a believing, worshipping community and avoid the individualism which is so pervasive in baptistic evangelicalism. But I have to vigorously disagree with this analysis of Henry Van Til's "culture is religion externalized" aphorism: "Henry Van Til’s otherwise fine book, The Calvinistic Concept of Culture, illustrates the depth of the problem. Van Til defines religion as “culture externalized.” But this assumes religion is something essentially private and inward in its essential nature. Schleirmacher and Harnack couldn’t have said it any better! Nor could Marcion or Cerinthus! Van Til assumes religion is fundamentally an interior phenomenon that only moves out of the heart into the public realm as some secondary step. His principle is basically Gnostic: Externalization follows inwardness. While Van Til is right that all of life is religious, he is wrong that religion is initially discarnate. In reality, religion is always already embodied." Lusk's analysis is very similar to a critique raised by Peter Leithart. I think they both horribly misread Henry Van Til. When Van Til writes about culture being something "externalized", he is not saying that Christianity is something initially private and hidden which needs to be incarnated or embodied, rather he is postulating culture is the necessary and unavoidable outflow of one's religious/philosophical worldview. Having religious/philosophical beliefs and values are inescapable. Culture-making is inescapable. The effect that our worldview thinking will have our culture-making is also inescapable. Thus, culture is inescapably religious - NOT neutral. That is Van Til's point. To put it another way: Christianity will necessarily be embodied by the church - the covenant community. The members of the church are a community who are having their minds transformed (Romans 12:2; Romans 7; 2 Cor. 10:5). Transformed minds will in turn lead to another form of embodyment - culture. So Christianity is embodied by the church and Christianity is embodied in culture. One form of embodyment brings forth another, different form of embodyment. |
