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Suppose you think that deep surprises are impossible.

But what if, in the future, you are deeply surprised by the existence of a deep surprise?

It is logically impossible to know ahead of time (in any non-risky way) about a deep surprise.  So it is logically impossible to know (in any non-risky way) that deep surprises are impossible.

Maybe there are no (and will be no) deep surprises.  But you won’t be able to know this (in any non-risky way) ahead of time.

Even if there are no (and will be no) deep surprises, all knowing will still be rooted in faith.  For it will be logically impossible to know this (in any non-risky way).  

I’m taking faith to be a matter of  stepping out and committing yourself in the face of risk.  That’s what it is, right?  Faith is utterly mundane, and it lies at the root of all knowing.  There is nothing religious about it.  

That’s why talk of ‘faith communities’ is non-sense.  The idea that, if you don’t belong to a religious community, then you don’t live by faith, is laughable.  It is obviously wrong, if you stop and think about it, isn’t it?

To call Lewis and Luther ‘brothers in Christ’ is something I treasure dearly. It’s hard to describe how profoundly I relate to each of these quotes.

For my own part, I tend to find the doctrinal books often more helpful in devotion than the devotional books, and I rather suspect that the same experience may await many others. I believe that many who find that ‘nothing happens’ when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand.
C.S. Lewis

I sit here at ease, hardened and unfeeling – alas! Praying little, grieving little for the Church of God, burning rather in the fierce fires of my untamed flesh. It comes to this: I should be afire in the spirit; in reality I am afire in the flesh, with lust, laziness, idleness, sleepiness. It is perhaps because you have all ceased praying for me that God has turned away from me… For the last eight days I have written nothing, nor prayed nor studied, partly from self-indulgence, party from another vexatious handicap… I really cannot stand it any longer;… Pray for me, I beg you, for in my seclusion here I am submerged in sins.
Martin Luther

The red light is lit—which, strangely, means that it is off.  But that’s a sign it’s at least getting power.  Unfortunately, it won’t turn on in the full sense and it won’t spit out my Darjeeling Limited DVD.  

It’s done this before and the problem was solved by a simple unplugging and replugging.  I’ve tried that half-a-dozen times, and it’s not working this time.

You’ve never seen dancing like this.  Amazing.  Wait for it half way through.  You won’t believe your eyes.

Here’s a really great, and surprisingly devout, Christmas song by The Band.  Its called ‘Christmas Must Be Tonight’.

“When I was in seminary, I got the impression that my job as a pastor was to help lessen the gap between the Bible and the “modern world.” Here was the Bible, mired in the First Century. Here was the skeptical, critical modern world. The pastor, through preaching and various acts of pastoral ministry, labored to lessen the gap, to bring the gospel close to where modern Americans lived. Since then I have come to the conclusion that today’s faithful pastor ought to clarify, accentuate the gap between the Bible and the modern world rather than lessen the gap. Evangelism calls people, not to agreement, but to conversion, detoxification, the adoption of practices meant to save them from the deceits of the “modern world.” In churches which have for so long called people to adjustment, we are calling for pastors willing to call people to alienation, to be, in the title of a book by Hauerwas and me, “Resident Aliens.”

http://willimon.blogspot.com/2005/11/evangelism-as-invitation-to-be.html

Simon and Garfunkel – I Am Rock

This song is actually incredibly sad.  It’s been ringing through my head for days.

Prediction: Obama becomes the Democratic version of Ronald Reagan.  Sunny disposition.  Calm and cool.  Makes people feel good about America.  Like Ronald Reagan.

I had a chat with someone yesterday in my department about the American election.  This person was nearly shaking with anger about Obama.  In his view, Obama’s obviously a pathological liar and very corrupt.  I expressed my disbelief.  (I do believe Obama is somewhat corrupt and dishonest, but I told him I didn’t think of Obama as notably so, at least as compared to John McCain or other politicians.)  He was quite sure of it.  

You should know that this person is originally from Chicago.  That’s where Obama’s from.  From what I gather, Chicago is among the most corrupt cities in America.  I suppose he assumes that anyone who rises to the top in that town must have got his hands dirty.

I told him that I thought the Republicans need to be punished with a strong Obama win.  He basically agreed, and pointed out that if Obama loses they’ll be riots.

So I was listening to a documentary on evolution and its critics.  One fellow recounted Michael Behe’s comments concerning how we easily and effortlessly recognize design when we see something like Mount Rushmore.

This fellow thought he had Behe trapped.  He pointed out that this is merely an example of humans recognizing human design.  If the mountain was designed in the shape of a tiny multicellular ameba type creature, we wouldn’t recognize it. (Wouldn’t we?  Maybe we would, I say.)

But this criticism would only touch Behe if he had claimed we’re always able to easily recognize any design whatsoever.  That is obviously and non-controversially wrong.  Behe didn’t mean this and didn’t say this.

That critic was an idiot.

Dualism is totally passe.  If you confess dualism or engage in practices that seem to presuppose dualism, that’s a major clue that you don’t ‘get it’.  There are many rationales for this.  Pick your favourite.

So why then all this talk of embodiment?  You can be as pro-body and pro-embodiment as you like.  Good for you.  But to do so is to continue to live in the realm of dualism, right?

This seems so obvious to me.  How is it that everyone is missing this?  Am I missing something?

BTW – I’m in favour of all that pro-body and pro-embodiment talk.  But I’m also a dualist of sorts.  Though I’m not sure precisely what sort of dualist I am.

I’ve come across a bunch of youtube videos of news reports on racism in small town America.  This got me thinking.  Maybe I have lived a sheltered life.  I grew up around the kind of Christians who would find overt racism completely ridiculous and incomprehensible.  The first song I learned was probably “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight…”  

I’m a grad student at a university.  Here too overt racism simply isn’t a live option.  It has been so thoroughly shamed as to be laughable.  We all have an instinctual distain for overt racism.  We can’t help but feel shocked and shaken when we encounter even a whiff of racism. The only thing left to worry about is ’systemic racism’.  BTW – I learned about systemic racism way back in grade 7.  Grade 7!!!  I can hardly remember a time in my life when I wasn’t trained and ready to be on guard for hints of racism.  This, even though you could probably count the number of visible minorities in my hometown on a couple of sets of hands.

Anyway, for years now I’ve thought overt racism was nothing but a sad but distant memory.  Sure, I’ve heard people tell me rude race based jokes (although to be honest right now I can’t think of any specific memories of this).  But never for a moment did I suspect that the people who told these jokes harbored serious racist beliefs.  They just liked telling rude jokes.  

Maybe I’ve been hanging around too many Canadians, too many Christians and too many of the university set.  I’m out of touch?  Apparently small town America still harbors a bunch of overt racists.  I’m talking about the kind of folks who go right out and say that they’d never vote for Obama simply because he’s black.  They said as much directly into a TV camera with little to no shame.

Weird.  I don’t get it.

Saw a poster at my university advertizing a Christian event. An event in which, a somewhat well known paster from the Toronto area will give a talk on the “radical spirituality of Jesus” and on how “Jesus hates religion” or something of the like. As far as I know the pastor is kind hearted guy who geniuinely loves Jesus, and wants to love people like Jesus loves people. Some of my friends think he’s great. So in a way I guess I do to.

Nevertheless… he’s one of those guys who still thinks its crazy crazy crazy for a pastor to have long hair!!! And he has long hair!!! WWoooo. Dangerous. He doesn’t wear a suit!!! AAAhhh!!! This could only be exciting for young people who’ve been Christians their whole lives and are now completely bored with church. Newsflash!!! Long hair aint that crazy! Neither are jeans and t-shirts!

My mocking imaginary quote of long hair pastor guy:

Well guess what kids… I’m crazy… you’re crazy… Jesus is crazy… and he’s crazy about you!!! Ain’t that crazy!!! Now lets eat pizza and play videa games… did you know that Christians can be crazy… well we can!!! 

Anyway. Needless to say its a little embaressing. I’m sure that those who envited him meant well. I’m sure he means well. But is this the kind thing that I think turns off (so called) “smart” people from the Gospel. Well it can… and I’m sure it does.

Also… doesn’t this guy know that spirituality is the new religion!?!

What’s the difference anyway? Religion = external, institutional, cold, ritualistic. Spirituality = warm, fuzzy, heart-felt, relationship based. I doubt it. You can define things that way if you want, but it won’t help either way. Jesus didn’t come to kill the big nasty institutions and get rid of external rules so we could finally just love each other and have a relationship (not a reltigion) with God. Jesus did NOT come so we could get really internal… to get our interior lives warm.

Christian “life in the Spirit”, is life in the capital “S” Spirit. Life in God Himself.

Relationship and religion (according to their normal usage) are not oposites.

If anything I’d rather be religious, because “religion” makes it clear that I’m a part of a community with leaders and teachings and practices and prayers and songs etc.. Spirituality can be done off in a corner by yourself, just getting buzy with your “heart”. Christianity is NOT like that. Christianity is completely strange to the heart. It comes from the outside and scares the crap out your little heart. You could never cook it up in your heart. Its about God acting powerfully to rescue the world from sin and death and form a people in Christ who will live in communion with Him for eternity

Of course I don’t think relgions exists. There is no such think as religion. Well maybe some people think there are religions. But Christians could never believe that religion even exists or that Christianity could EVER be categorized as a religion. That would place God as one specific example out of general set of gods. This is the BIG no no for any Biblical faith. There is one God, the true God, the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, who en-fleshed himself and walked around Palastine 2000 years ago.

So God hates spirituality. Though he is happy to welcome you into the body of Christ; into life in the Spirit, that is, in God Himself.

“In the U.S., AT&T’s combined iPhone service and data plans start at just $59.99 for 450 anytime minutes, 5000 additional night and weekend minutes, and unlimited data. But in Canada, as Geist notes, a comparable plan for Rogers Wireless — the only carrier with an iPhone-compatible GSM network — would currently run about $295 per month.”

It is often said that Calvin’s God is the God of Greek speculative philosophy. It is even suggested that Calvin’s conception of God begins with abstract principles and has little to do with the Bible and Biblical descriptions of God.

Whatever else we know, we know this: Calvin didn’t think he was doing this. And he constantly issued warnings against this.

“What is God? Men who pose this question are merely toying with idle speculations. It is more important for us to know of what sort he is and what is consistent with his nature.” (Bk 1, Ch 2, Sec 2)

“And here again we ought to observe that we are called to a knowledge of God: not that knowledge which, content with empty speculation, merely flits in the brain, but that which will be sound and fruitful if we duly perceive it, and if it takes root in the heart.” (Bk 1, Ch 5, Sec 9)

“…the most perfect way of seeking God and the most suitable order, is not for us to attempt with bold curiosity to penetrate to the investigation of his essence, which we ought more to adore than meticulously to search out, but for us to contemplate him in his works whereby he renders himself near and familiar to us, and in some manner communicates himself.” (Bk 1, Ch 5, Sec 9)

“For, to begin with, the pious mind does not dream up for itself any god it pleases, but contemplates the one and only true God. And it does not attach to him whatever it pleases, but is content to hold him to be as he manifests himself; furthermore, the mind always exercises the utmost diligence and care not to wander astray, or rashly and boldly to go beyond his will.” (Bk 1, Ch 2, Sec 2)

“Nevertheless, all things will tend to this end, that God, the Artificer of the universe, is made manifest to us in Scripture, and that what we ought to think of him is set forth there, lest we seek some uncertain diety by devious paths.” (Bk 1, Ch 6, Sec 1)