One of my favorite writers...

Carl Trueman, a VP and Historical Theology prof at Westminster Seminary in Philly, has got to be one of my favorite living thinkers. He borders on cynicism (and maybe that's why I'm attracted to him) as he turns words in to punching cultural critique. Dr. Trueman just came out with this post on his reflections on a visit to Rome. Being a former Catholic (who is being wooed "home" by his grandmother and the media), I appreciate his perspective on the general state of Evangelical Protestantism and yet the woeful gaps in Catholic tradition, i.e., mind and tongue.

He concludes 3 things:

• First, my trip to Rome reminded me once again of how inadequate evangelical Protestant literature on contemporary Catholicism is.
• Second, I was challenged by a Catholic friend, when I raised the issues of Padre Pio and St Anthony's tongue, to consider whether my own reaction was conditioned in part by my being more a son of David Hume and the Enlightenment than I care to admit.
  
• Finally, it seems that it is very easy for American Catholic intellectuals, and those evangelicals who are attracted by Rome, to ignore the tongues, the jaws, the bits of the real cross, the stigmatics, the folk religion. But American pick-n-mix consumerism applied to Catholicism is just one more manifestation of, dare I say it?, the modern Western aesthetic of choice; it is emphatically not the same as Catholicism as it works itself out in the very backyard of the Roman See; and it will not do simply to say that the practices of such are not significant; they are significant, at least for anyone who takes seriously their Catholicism.
  

America's Favorite Unopened Text

I came across this stimulating article on Christian illiteracy among youths. Author, David Nienhuis, argues cogently for the need to get past mere "sword drill" or trivial type of Bible knowledge and encounter the Scriptures in a more holistic, multi-perspectival fashion.
He particularly draws upon his context-- the Christian college.
"It is not enough for a Christian university to function as an outpost of the academy; it must also take up the task of serving the church by becoming an abbey for spiritual growth and an apostolate for cultural change."

While my experience in university lectureship was short, I think I would have a class which had a semester project that would be pass/fail. The students would have to write about one ideology, philosophy or theology that they would die for.

The Burj Birdmen

Most of you know that the tallest building in the world no longer is the Sears (not Willis) Tower. I guess it hasn't been for a few years now b/c of Malaysia and Taiwan . Leave it to sheiks, shahs, oil, drive and innovation and you've got the Burj Khalifa; better known as the Burj Dubai.
For the Chicagoans out there (or those who know the Chitown landscape), the Burj is taller than the Sears Tower and John Hancock buildings stacked on top of each other.

Well, this well-made little documentary of two really daring birdmen (is that redundant?) is a favorite on Vimeo. Watch it, and you'll know why... Crazy.

The Burj Birdmen from Jan-Paul Bednarz on Vimeo.

Praying through Scripture: An Idea...

I'd like to share an idea with you. It regards my inability and sometimes my sinful propensity to not prioritize my time to spend with Jesus in his Word and in prayer. Sometimes, lack of time to commune w/ our Savior isn't about inability or sinfulness. Maybe it's just providential circumstances that purposefully have squeezed out your regularly scheduled time. This, too, we must accept from the Lord with willing hearts not being super-pious thinking we have somehow let God down or those who "expect" us to be with Jesus regularly.

Today, I basically had about 5 minutes of undistracted time before I woke my son up to go to school. In that time, I read four verses from Colossians on my knees (again, not that it indicates anything of my personal piety). Then, I prayed through each phrase of this portion. That's it.

I might add that the "daily" things I pray for, I was able to pray through the grid of those four verses. This is just creative ideation and not at all meant to propose one method toward holiness. If anything, it's more like another way toward fighting for joy in Christ.

Suggested Reading about praying Scripture: A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers (by D.A. Carson)

Hey nightclubs, got an idea...

Just about every Sunday driving home on Ontario St. from church, I cast a glance at one of downtown Chicago's "premier" night club's marquis. I purposefully won't link to it, but only regular visitors of downtown Chicago or Chicago residents will know which one I'm referring to (not that it's a unique idea to them). Now that I've got you curious...

(by the way, [to my Christian friends and interlocutors] a place like this cannot be redeemed. Plainly, the clearest path to redemption would be if the owners and managers repented and bowed the knee to the King, sold the place and turned it into a place of virtuous profit or sold it to a church or agency for a great price)

Aside from some of the vulgarity implied on some of their ads is an ad promoting the fact that among all the kinds of parties they host, they invite you to have your "divorce party" with them. How about that? Let's celebrate infidelity, irresponsibility and freedom of choice.

As a guy who's in business and particularly marketing, I know how we are constantly on the prowl for a great idea or campaign.

Well, here's one:
At the end of the world, when all "hell" seems to be breaking loose on earth in an unprecedented way and your establishment is still left standing, I can think of no better idea than the following. However, I must preface the idea with some background from that antiquated piece of sage literature, the Bible.
From the book of Revelation, chapter 11, there are going to be 2 powerful dudes called witnesses running around for over 3 years preaching and supposedly incinerating any opponents. Well, their mighty preaching circuit will end with their assasination. Let John the Apostle fill in some details here:

"and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. For 3.5 days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because the these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth."

So, the idea, nightclub managers, is to have a "YAY, the 2 prophets are dead!" party (buy the URLs now!). That kind of party may reach a niche no one else is thinking of (even though it is predicted here in the Biblical text). Retailers could even run a last minute Black Friday gig to aid in the festivities. However, it would be fair for planning purposes to clue you in to read verse 11.

Dear Black Friday Fans

Dear Black Friday Fans:
I would like to remind you that last year some really eager counterparts of yours (read: greedy) took the life of someone's son. What a shame that a reduced-priced gadget is worth more to you than a living, breathing person. What a travesty that the flat screen you want so badly on which you will witness thousands of unreal deaths will be the cause for you to participate in a real mob killing (actually, it's not the TV's fault. You're just greedy). In trying to save a buck this Friday, please stop. Save a life. Use your mouth to build up your fellow Black Friday fans. Keep your middle finger to yourself. Let someone else have that parking spot. Dudes, let the ladies ahead of you (yeah, even if they seem obnoxiously pushy). Finally, what will it matter if you gain the Friday discount but lose your own soul?

Dear Corporate America in a Depressed Economic America:
Shame on you for feeding our appetites for more. While you have your logos emblazoned all over charities and sponsorships, you sit in your boardrooms lusting for more and groping to keep your investors happy. While you throw money distantly to society's disenfranchised, your commercials are positioned to exploit the passions of the same ones. You'll get back your charity money eventually. Sad.
(By the way, Sears, I appreciate your approach this year. It saves on the madness.)
Shame on you for opening your doors even earlier? When will 3am be too late? How about this for a change: open your doors at 7 and keep the same deals all day long or save the best deals till later? How counterintuitive would that be to your marketing strategy? Try it.
Finally, what will it matter if Friday's spending results in increased 4th quarter revenue and you die?

Dear Jesus:
Forgive me for my own greed and for any hypocrisy in the above charges. I long for your redemption. Thank you for pouring out your riches, becoming poor and dying for my greedy self so that I might be rich toward God. Have mercy on me, a sinner.

They being dead still sing God's grace... Wow!

My friend, Bill Provenzano, recently wrote me:

"Almost 2,000 years ago, Christians were massacred in the Roman Colosseum. It gives me pause when I consider that so many years later, Amazing Grace shakes the very walls wherein our brothers and sisters were slain for the sake of His everlasting name, even by a group called Il Divo."

Singing this hymn at games, concerts and other venues seems trite and almost predictibale. At the Roman Colosseum, however--ironic. Check it out.