Contradictions

This quote was on the Burner blog, and there was no context given:

“You have to live in the middle of this contradiction… You have to live in this zone where both [situations] can be true, and it’s very, very, very difficult. But part of becoming a thinker is to sit with two contradictory thoughts in your head and see them both as being true. And not go crazy. And not immediately try to resolve them. And so we’re offering that to you. Sit with that. Because this is big. That’s big.”

When I read that quote from an anonymous professor, I immediately assumed it was taken from a theological context. Of course, currently being in seminary means I am biased and viewing almost everything through some sort of theological lens, but that statement also applies to 89.93% of the things they teach us here at Fuller.

Jesus Christ was fully human. He got hungry, tired, angry, and even cried. Jesus was also fully God. He performed supernatural miracles, was resurrected, and ascended into heaven. But how can one be truly human and not sin, even a little bit? And how something divine and immortal be killed? Jesus was fully human AND fully God? If you think about this too much your mind will melt. We are forced to live in and wrestle with this contradiction.

Most Christians believe in something called “Inaugurated Eschatology”, which has to do with the kingdom of God on earth. God started, or inaugurated, a new covenant with humanity through the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He was signaling a new way of doing things. Clearly, though, we can look around and see we are not living in a heavenly paradise of shalom. So clearly God has more work to do to us and through us. The new way of doing things has not yet been consummated. So the kingdom of God is already here, but not yet fulfilled. Already, but not yet? What does that even mean? We are forced to live in and wrestle with this contradiction.

We also believe that God is a Trinity. Three unique entities united in one essence. It’s not quite like the old ice-water-steam metaphor-that implies God can only be one thing at a time. It’s not quite like the son-father-brother metaphor either. In fact, we have no perfect metaphor for understanding how God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit can each be equally and eternally the one true God. If the Holy Spirit is eternal, what was “he” doing before Jesus sent him out in Acts? Sitting on the bench? If the Godhead is one, does that mean when Jesus was crucified God the Father and Holy Spirit were in pain too? How can three be one and still be three?? I…I think I need to go lie down. Once again, we are forced to live in and wrestle with this contradiction.

Christian doctrine is fully of contradictions like these that we will, if we are honest, probably never resolve- at least not on this side of glory. However, in the context of theology the quote, although originally relating to the Penn State scandal, is quite appropriate: “You have to live in the middle of this contradiction… You have to live in this zone where both [situations] can be true, and it’s very, very, very difficult. But part of becoming a thinker is to sit with two contradictory thoughts in your head and see them both as being true. And not go crazy.”

Honestly, I wouldn’t want to worship a God that I could fully understand or rationalize. If he were comprehensible, he would not be God. Fortunately God has revealed enough of himself (throughout scripture, history, revelation, etc.) for us to worship him. And I think God will understand if we do go a little crazy sometimes.

A Good Time

At first I was skeptical about another Muppet movie, but since my parents were in town for Thanksgiving, and a cynical friend recommended it (not to mention The Muppets killing it on Rotten Tomatoes), we went and saw it last night.

I can't remember the last time I had such a sustained grin on my face. The kind of smile that even feels good on the inside. And not the kind of smile where you feel guilty for laughing (ala Hangover), but the kind of general warmth where you can be sitting in between your wife and parents and everyone is equally delighted. Most importantly, it met my 3 criteria for enjoyable comedic art-it was creative yet familiar, it was surprising, and it didn't take itself too seriously.

"Christian" Creativity

This is a reeeeally early version of the Gospel of Mark. It is an interesting coincidence that two of the classes I'm taking right now are Greek and Medieval/Reformation Church History, and today at the Getty  there happened to be an exhibit on medieval Gospel preservation which included old manuscripts in Greek. I couldn't read squat.

Anyway, walking around looking at beautiful artifacts made to honor Christ struck me as odd-what would it have been like to live in a time where Christianity was at the forefront of creativity and the arts? Will we ever see a time like that again? Most likely not, since the seat of power and influence Christianity held for ages in Western society has all but evaporated and now it is marginal at best. But what would it look like? Have Christians totally lost the power to promote the Gospel in an original and artistic way?

Legacy

CJ Hobgood is a professional surfer from Florida who has spent over a decade competing on the world tour. He recently fell off the tour, and after surfing what could be his last professional event, he had this to say:
"It's definitely not a sad day," he said. "People are like, 'sorry,'-- but what do you have to be sorry about? I don't know what I have in surfing or what surfing holds for me. At the end of it, I don't want to be known as the 2001 World Champion. I want to be known as a guy that loved Jesus and loved everyone and had fun and that's it. It's not a sad day for me. The waves are pumping and Owen went mad in that heat. Everything happens for a reason and I'm enjoying the beautiful day here today. It's just awesome to be a part of."


I just find it refreshing when someone who has found fame and success still has there priorities straight. Maybe its because he's from the east coast... 

What ISN'T for sale?

We just watched "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold" by Morgan Spurlock. It's his typical docu-drama fare where he records a process, in this case, how product help finance a film. It was quite funny and interesting. Many questions are raised-Where does the product placement cross over into blatant advertising? What does it mean to sell out? How much harder would it be to be successful as an artist if you never accepted any corporate financing?

Personally, this movie "worked" on me in that a) I am slightly more knowledgeable about how brands finance films and b) I want to support the companies that took a chance and sponsored his movie. How can you not like a film that is brought to you by Mane & Tale, a horse/human shampoo?

Fine Tuned Instruments

My dad Charlie (a.k.a. Chuck D.) is a wise man and this post is from him. He randomly sends me brilliant emails like this one.
He has been working on making his own mandolin and it stirred up some good ideas in his brain.
This picture is the back of said mandolin.


" I've learned so much about instrument building.  The true skill part on this mandolin was done before I got the pieces: i.e., selecting some decent wood for the project, carving out the F holes, and making the fretboard and neck.     But after that point, it is amazing how much an instrument is just held together by glue!    WE need an inner glue.  It almost never looks like the substance that will save us and integrate us and keep us from falling apart.   It is just squeezed out of a tube.   But if applied correctly and allowed to cure with pressure, it creates a bond that is stronger than the wood around it!   If you were to use excessive force to rend the bond, you would actually tear the wood apart!  The glued edges would stay bonded.

Besides just incredible skill in carving, the biggest investment of the master instrument maker is in the right tools and the time required.   A set of excellent "C clamps" with soft covers so they don't dent the wood is important.   Some might see these tools as being like the hounds of heaven.   They pin down the wood and stop it from squirming or running until the bond can make it strong and integrated.   It is the pressure of Godly, brotherly C Clamps in our lives that make our blind spots go away and allow are dark musty closets to air out.    In addition to pressure, the countless hours of sanding are what makes the bridemando one without spot or blemish or wrinkle.    The loving instrument maker uses very little coarse sand paper.   I used my belt sander for 5 minutes and left a few divots that will never go away and will always be a part of the final product and limit its aesthetic appeal.    Unlike having a huge area of forgetfulness,  Impatience is fortunately not one of God's shortcomings.   Not only does He limit his work on us to fine grit sand paper, but he "goes with the grain".    That makes for a smoothest possible final product as well as just being less traumatic and "painful" to the wood."

Meaning of Life

Finally got around to seeing The Tree of Life at the Pasadena 3$ theater. What an ambitious movie... it seems deliberately written to facilitate endless discussion. Is humanity just a blip on the radar of eternity? Do we each have Nature and Grace wrestling within us? Is love the only thing that makes life worth living? I love that it raises questions that cannot be answered. But it certainly does get you thinking... What a beautiful movie.

everything will be OK

This just blew my mind a little bit.

excerpt from Hope Against Hope, by Richard Bauckham and Trevor Hart

"Since the cross cannot be edited out of the Christian metanarrataive, it forbids those who tell the Christian story any whitewashing of history, any progressivist tale of success which neglects the victims, any of the glossy simulacra with which the image-makers of modernity mask the horrors of history. The Christian metanarrative does not offer a speculative theodicy. It tells a story of God's dealings with evil which offers hope without minimizing or justifying evil. Above all, it finds in the cross God's loving solidarity with all who suffer and proffers hope for the end of history, when God will wipe away the tears from every eye and take his creation beyond the reach of evil."

Dang.
Where did we get the idea that life with Jesus would make everything OK all of a sudden?
Why do we think that telling people "God has a reason for everything" is a good consolation when they just lose someone to cancer, suicide, accident, etc.?
God is not ignoring the cries for help, and someday the story WILL have a conclusion, all the loose ends will be tied up... but it will be by God. The story does not necessarily make sense until then.

They end with this:
"Therefore it is in the highest degree important not to tell the story as though it were an already completed whole...We can neither master the future nor wait passively for it (though this is sometimes required). Christian hope is thus neither promethean nor quietest. It neither attempts what can only come from God no neglects what is humanly possible."

We are participating in a story, God's cosmic story, and our little contribution will make sense only in light of the completed whole.

Ruminations on the metaphysical nature of copulation and its heretofore statistical facsimiles ergo inherent psychological manifestations (or how I learned to stop worrying and love sex).

Whether we are conscious of it or not, the media shapes us over time, and nowhere is this more true than in the realm of sexuality. A teenager has approximately 54,249 sexual thoughts per day. That number goes up slightly if the adolescent attends a school with a religious affiliation, but drops drastically if they are friends with their mom on Facebook. We are bombarded by images and ideas of how we should look, conduct ourselves, attract others, and behave in relationships. This leads to a distorted view of sex. Some people with healthy families/environments might not be affected quite as much, but the lies our culture whispers to us still creep in. We have all heard them, whether from another person or our own fallen natures: "You're not skinny/pretty/sexy enough." "C’mon, I’m sure your roommate is asleep." "If you really loved me, you would make out with me on the library's third floor." Over time, if we are lucky, we might discover the truth behind some of those lies. In my twenty-seven years on this earth before I got married, I believed a lot of false notions about sex, even sex within the confines of a Christian marriage. Having been married for over two years, I am clearly in a position of vast experience to make sweeping generalizations about the institution of marriage, and will share with you the truth behind those false notions of sex. Away we go!

1. When I was single I thought....

Sex was initiated by the guy all the time. Well, almost all of the time. Every commercial on T.V. for cars, beer, toothpaste, etc., portrays guys as dumb buffoons pursuing elusive women. Women are the ultimate object of sexual desire that dudes will do anything to “catch.” And guys talked about sex with far greater frequency than any girls I knew (maybe I just needed more promiscuous friends). And even in the Christian dating world, whatever that is, guys are usually expected to be the ones who initiate, pursue, and eventually pop the question. I just assumed this “man-as-aggressor” vibe would carry over into the bedroom.

Now that I am married I know....

...Women enjoy sex too. I know, the room is spinning, take a minute to catch your breath. At the risk of embarrassing my wife, let me simply say that she initiates sex as least as often as I do. I am no Don Juan; I think God just knew what he was doing when he made sex for a man and woman inside of marriage. There are a number of reasons for fantastic intercourse once you get married, and for our artsy friends who are not very comfortable with words, I have provided a handy pie chart illustrating this concept-see Fig. 1A and 1B.(I'm still searching my computer for these)

2. When I was single I thought...

Sex would feel really good. And then after you had done the deed, you would smoke a cigarette and get back to saving the world. I should mention I watched a lot of Bond movies as a kid.

Now that I am married I know...

...Sex does feel really good. But it is about wayyyy more than the physical. The emotional and spiritual connection married couples reach through sex is paramount in maintaining a healthy relationship. If my wife and I go a few days without getting busy we start getting irritable towards each other and angry at the world. God really knew what He was doing when he invented sex.

3. When I was single I thought...

Once you could have sex, you always would have it. Why wouldn’t you?? If you spend twenty-seven years thinking about a slot machine, lusting over it, seeing advertisements for gambling, and then you finally go to Vegas, guess what? You're gonna play the hell out of that slot machine. Right?

Now that I am married I know...

...Sort of. Most of the time. But the honeymoon eventually ends, and as I previously mentioned, a little rift opens up between spouses without regular business time. I'm sure every couple has a different "abstinence tolerance" level; some couples, probably younger ones, will copulate daily, whereas older ones might only tango a few times a month. Except your parents. They are probably going at it right now now since you aren't home. But the bottom line is that sex is like frozen yogurt or pizza: the more you have it, the more you want it. Also, even when its bad, its good. And toppings can be involved.

4. When I was single I thought...

A healthy sex life meant just having sex-and lots of it. If I was getting what I wanted, as often as I wanted it, then I had the perfect sex life. Quantity = awesome. You don’t high five the dudes in the locker room while bragging about cuddling with your woman a lot last night, right? “Bro, she is the BEST at spooning!”

Now that I am married I know...

...a healthy sex life is about more than just me getting mine as much as possible. Like in that Spice Girls song, when two become one flesh in marriage, their sexuality is now a singular one shared between them. That’s why couples say “Our sex life”. And when God brings two broken, tainted people together in marriage, their sexuality can be a tool for mending, encouraging, and loving one another in celebration of his gift of sex… or it can be a cause of stress and grief as both parties stumble around not knowing what they want, what their spouse needs, or how to satisfy either. Married couples need to have sex; it is a privilege of marriage. Otherwise they are just roommates that don’t pay rent.  While it will look different for every couple, some traits of a healthy sexuality between couples can be identified. I would say a healthy sexuality is one that encourages the man and woman. Both parties are satisfied overall and feel confident and comfortable with their spouse. Each person is having their needs met, not just in the bedroom but in all aspects of their marriage, since sex is fundamentally connected with our emotions and intellect. The best sex my wife and I have begins not in the bedroom, or even at dinner, but earlier in the day with a heartfelt compliment, holding hands, a knowing glance, or any other seemingly insignificant gesture that warms a person’s heart. When people feel thoroughly, truly loved by their spouse, they can give of themselves freely and intimately without fear. Sex can be a good litmus test in a marriage-if it is good, everything else can’t be all that bad. A counselor friend told me the first question he asks troubled couples that come into his office is “Are you having sex?” So gentlemen, now you have an extra reason to be sweet to your wife all the time. And ladies, you didn’t need to read any of that because for you, it’s innate. Even if your man is super pissed off and not in the mood, I have two words for you: shower party.

Well kids, I think we all learned something today. I don’t know that something might be, but at least now if your married friends are grumpy you’ll know why.

Conformity/Identity

7 Strange Things About Conformity/Identities

How much time do we spend worrying about our image? Some more than other others, but even the most laid back guy at least throws himself a glance when heading out the door. We are all cultivating identities, constantly shaping and modifying the image we want others to see. As good Christians we all know 1 Samuel 16:7 but still communicate things to others with the way we present ourselves. For example, workout clothes say "I'm going to the gym", a suit says "I respect myself and my work", and a Maroon 5 t-shirt says "I have bad taste". Whether we admit it or not, everyone wants to think of themselves as cool, ahead of the curve, and generally more aware than the other "sheep" who blindly follow trends. That's great you were listening to Sufjan and wearing plaid shirts long before he/they were mainstream; so was everyone else at Fuller. But sometimes there are aspects of conformity that we don't want to think about, like the fact that...

1) Cool is an illusion.
 A cultural construct of what is desirable. We are all cultivating an image based on what we see in the media and in others. Whether it is hipster, outdoorsy, preppy, trendy, etc., we are subconsciously aiming for something we have already seen. And the truth is we are all just dorks. Whether its video games, clothes, harry potter, Dane Cook, shopping, reality t.v., star wars, a snort in our laugh, etc., we have some guilty pleasure that is hidden most of the time. You have, at some point, farted at an inopportune moment, tripped while walking up stairs, gotten caught in a nose pick, been laughed at by someone you dislike, and worn something you were later ashamed of, but its ok because so has EVERYONE ELSE. On a side note, my sister started something fun in high school-whenever we tripped in public, we figured the Lord was trying to humble us, so we would just put our hands in the air and scream "humility!"

2) Anti-conformity is still controlled by trends.
 Once a trend becomes mainstream, most of us kiss it goodbye. But why? Just because more people are enjoying it? I used to like the clothing brand RVCA, and my friend worked at a surf shop so the gear I got was not available to the public which meant I felt double awesome. Then one day the wifey and I were babysitting kids and watching the Disney channel and some little 13 year old kid in the show is wearing my RVCA shirt. The exact one was wearing at that moment. I felt dirty. Like a cheap whore. I promptly went home and fed my RVCA clothes to some goats. How many of us have enjoyed a band when they were indie and become disinterested when they make it big time?  In an attempt to NOT be trendy we still let trends dictate our taste. Plus, you end up looking just like the other non-conformists you hang out with. Ever see two guys with cutoff pants, v-neck tees, and toms standing next to each other? Hilarious.

3) Newsie caps need to stop.
     This has nothing to do with conformity, it just annoys me. Unless you are herding sheep in Scotland or delivering papers in the 1920’s, there is no reason to wear these things. If you must wear them at least wear clothes that match, like a collared shirt or blazer. Newsie cap + hooded sweatshirt = foolish. The exception here is if you’re black, in which case you can pull off any hat. Now that I think about it, perhaps this rule could be abbreviated to white dudes should avoid hats.

4) Conformity affects language.
    I understand that humans have a need to belong to a group and common language is a way of bonding, but if I hear one more person use the word “literally” incorrectly I will probably start crying. When did this start? How can it end? There are many phrases or words that currently get overused (“I’m not gonna lie…”, “I feel like…”,”fail”, “creeper”, ”legit”) but “literally” is so abused someone needs to notify police. Why can’t we let our yes be yes and our no be no? Last week I was out with my wife and her friends for a few drinks, and I noticed they were saying “literally” about two or three times per sentence. Eventually I said “Hey let’s play a game: every time you use the word “literally” incorrectly, you have to buy me another piece of sushi.” Everyone just looked at me. My wife whispered “Matt, no, don’t be mean…” Blank stares. Conversation resumed and within two minutes I was once again hearing things like “I was literally like so hungry today” and “That test was like, literally, like, such a hard test.”  I wasn’t even drinking that night but I blacked out from anger.

5) People are self-obsessed and probably won’t notice that you are wearing your nice jeans today.
    Sorry.

6) Even grooming habits change over time.
    Take facial hair for example. Sideburns were sweet in the 70’s, the ‘stache was supreme in the 80’s, and anything that accented your mullet was acceptable in the 90’s. But what about now? Ladies, say you are interested in a guy but don’t know if he’s single. What to do?? Fortunately I have compiled a chart to save you time and heartache:

7) Wow that MS Paint chart I made is bad.   
    Really you should disregard everything I have said in this article. Wear whatever makes you happy and if it is stupid then (hopefully) your friends will call you out.

Let's get it on

Focused and waiting. Focused. And waiting.

Had a nice solo surf today in Huntington. Got to spend some quality time with the Holy Spirit out there and it was great to calm my mind. Usually we roll down with a handful of dudes but I had to pick up the race packet for my first marathon tomorrow. For the past few months while surfing there, I have occasionally turned around to look up and down the coast and just thought... "...soon." It is fun/challenging/scary/exhilarating to attempt something that you have never done before. The furthest I ran in training was 20 miles. I also have 2 midterms this week- teachers I am unfamiliar with so I have no idea how they will grade, other than many students' warnings that they are very strict. The day after the race it is my 2 year anniversary. So it has been quite a week of pressure on my heart and head. Two years of wedded bliss! And it is only getting better! Marathon and marriage. One is a grueling test of the pure limits of the human will and fortitude, sure to push the boundaries of endurance and stress until a soul is at its breaking point. The other is a foot race. Bam!

back to life

Man, Christmas was wonderful and fast and already gone. Over break (specifically after Christmas but before New Year's, I wonder if that is symbolic of me being too late and already sinful yet there is still hope?) I found some podcast by Village Church (I iTunes podcast searched "theology" and "culture") on consumerism. It is incredible, and free. Do yourself a favor, download it here (the one on consumerism and materialism) and take an hour to listen to it. Maybe on a drive home, or as a quiet time one morning, or while winding down one night instead of watching T.V. Everyone I know, I repeat, EVERY PERSON I KNOW will benefit from the concepts discussed in that sermon.



By now everyone is back into the swing of the new year and I hope God is blessing you like he is blessing me. Here's to a 2011 that is better than 2010!