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Miniblog #83: Just War vs. Pacifism in Childhood

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Doesn’t it always seem that discussions of christian ethics are premised upon these epic, relatively cut and dry examples? For example, when talking about the use of force in conflict we almost instinctively resort to WWII. It has long been my opinion that this represents the human tendency to take the easy way out. Rather than building our views on these extreme and pretty much simple circumstances, shouldn’t our theories reflect the messy, complicated reality in which we all live? In my life I’ve probably heard more than a hundred conversations/debates about whether one should/would be part of an assassination plot against Hitler. OK, but who among us will ever actually decide whether or not to kill one of the most evil men in history? Doesn’t it seem like we spend an inordinate amount of time building our ethics upon these obscure hypothetical dilemmas that none of us will ever face, then reasoning backward? Wouldn’t it make more sense for our principles to derive from real ethical situations we face and apply those to the extreme circumstances rather than vice versa? I’m heavily critical of the whole KISS approach (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Let’s deal with this beautiful yet corrupted world in its most messy, convoluted expressions. In my opinion, to really understand sin’s insidious nature and deal with how we should respond, we should examine it in its most primitive, immature expressions. I specifically have in mind childhood conflict. (Isn’t this the reason Lord of the Flies is so powerful?) A college friend of mine recently put up a facebook status about how his kindergarten daughter defended herself by slugging a bully right in the eye on the playground. As a loving father, his gut response was to be delighted that she stood up for himself. “That’s my girl!” But he later got to thinking about whether or not it’s right to encourage that. He didn’t say it publicly, but I suspect he got to thinking about the incongruity of his response with this professed theological beliefs. Thus are the sorts of seemingly mundane but infinitely important situations I think we should be spending our time wrestling with.

Miniblog #82: Three Thoughts on Roger Olson’s ‘Against Calvinism’

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Three thoughts about Roger Olson’s forthcoming book, Against Calvinism:

1. The defensive/hostile posture is off-putting. Yes, I realize that the book is a companion to Michael Horton’s For Calvinism. Yes, I realize authors often don’t have as much creative control as they’d like, especially over titles. Yes, I realize publishers, in this case Zondervan, like controversial titles that are easy to market. Nevertheless, that doesn’t change the fact that the title and cover cast the work in such a way that little helpful discussion can take place. It’ll simply further calcify unhelpful bifurcations. To quote Scar 3D, “Ohhhh, goodie.”

Miniblog #81: Petrified By God

It bothers me that I’ve pretty much sounded like a perpetual downer over the past year, but, honestly, I’m barely treading water.

Miniblog #80: The Problem with “Building Community” in Most Churches

Have you ever checked out larknews.com? It’s a website that satirizes the peculiar American evangelical culture, like The Onion but for Christianity. As with all good satire, what makes it hilarious is that all-important thread of truth that everyone thinks but no one says. One of my all-time favorite Larknews articles is “Small group members decide to stop feigning interest in each other.” Ever find yourself daydreaming at a small group, considering how much money you’d be willing to pay to never see this person again? Ever notice how awkward designated “fellowship” is at most churches? Here’s what I think the problem is:

9/11

I’ve thought a great deal about what to write on the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Nothing seemed adequate and/or appropriate, so I’m simply sharing six verses that were the furthest thing from my mind that tragic day and those immediately after.

Miniblog #79: Responding to Saucy’s “Canon as Tradition” on The Gospel Coalition

*This is a brief response to Dr. Mark Saucy’s essay, “Canon as Tradition: The New Covenant and the Hermeneutical Question,” which is presently featured on The Gospel Coalition.

First and foremost I would say that Dr. Saucy has offered a well-thought, well-articulated criticism with a corresponding helpful proposal. It seems to me that this article is deserving of heavy readership. That having been said, I would also note that I find the effort to extract the joint doctrines and worship practices of the patristic era from the ecclesiastical structures of the day to be scholastically irresponsible.