Flotsam and jetsam (8/1)

August 1, 2012 in Flotsam and jetsam with 2 Comments

How to get your kids to do their chores.

Good Reads

  • Writing a Thesis Is Like Weaving on a Loom: Writing a thesis is like weaving on a loom. The balls of wool and other material available are the data gathered from the literature, the research and thinking about the topic. The finished material is the thesis. The mechanics of weaving the material are like the processes of putting the thesis together.
  • 5 Myths about Reformed Theology: Calvinists can be pains in the neck. I should know—I’ve been one myself on occasion. Yet, it is a terrific irony that a theology that so exalts God and lays human beings low before his majesty and grace should be championed sometimes with a spirit that contradicts it.
  • Jesus Existed: Contrary to some circles on the Internet, very few scholars doubt that Jesus existed, preached and led a movement. Scholars’ confidence has nothing to do with theology but much to do with historiographic common sense. What movement would make up a recent leader, executed by a Roman governor for treason, and then declare, “We’re his followers”? If they wanted to commit suicide, there were simpler ways to do it.

Continue Reading…

July’s Top Posts

August 1, 2012 in Misc with 0 Comments

Since I started a new series on the image of God this month, it’s not terribly surprising to see several posts on that topic in this month’s list. But the top spot goes to an interesting graph that I found on the history of philosophy. And I’m glad to see at one post on my trip to Slovakia.

Last Month’s Top 5:

The “Image of God” Is a Verb

July 31, 2012 in Theology with 5 Comments

What is a hammer? That may sound like an odd question, but think about it for a second. How would you explain a hammer to someone who’d never seen one? You could try to describe what a hammer looks like, probably saying something about its handle and the shape of its head. But, of course, you’ll immediately run into a couple of problems. First, not every hammer has the same shape. And second, something with the proper shape but made out of shaving cream would hardly qualify as a hammer in any meaningful sense (though it would be fun to watch you try and use it).

Your other option is to focus on what a hammer does, its function. Thus, a hammer is anything that can drive a nail (or similarly pointed object) into something (e.g. your own finger). Granted, this means that a book, a screwdriver, and even a shoe might qualify as “hammers” at various times. Not very effective hammers maybe, but hammers nonetheless.

hammer and nail, image of god

As we work our way through our series on the image of God, the “structural” approach tries to explain the image like the first hammer definition. It locates the essence of the imago in the shape/structure of the human person. And it runs into a similar problem: what do you do with people who don’t have that same shape/structure?

So others have argued for a different approach. Don’t view the image as something that humans have, but look at it as something humans do. This is the “functional” approach to the imago Dei.

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24 Things I Learned at Seminary

July 30, 2012 in Misc with 0 Comments

Here is your “must read” of the day. Over at Transformed, Sol Rexius reflects on 24 things he learned at seminary. And it’s a great list. Here are a few of my favorites:

I learned that there are a lot of people in this world doing a lot more courageous things than I am.  I know this because I had class with them.

I learned that a pastor who doesn’t pray is like a chocolate Easter bunny…he might be sweet and pretty, but really he’s hollow, seasonal, and sooner or later, he’s gonna get eaten up.

I learned that you can’t be a bad husband and a good pastor at the same time.

I learned that motivational-speaking can help, encourage, and even transform people, but only gospel-preaching can bring dead people to life.

Read the rest here.

Flotsam and Jetsam (7/30)

July 30, 2012 in Flotsam and jetsam with 0 Comments

Flotsam and jetsam is back!

via Facebook

Good Reads

  • Chick-fil-A Deserves to Be Punished: Move over, chicken sandwich — Chick-fil-A has invented a new meal. It’s the hate burger, and it comes with an extra side of hate sauce. (This one should provide you with enough sarcasm to last all day.)
  • Syria’s Christians, Caught in the Middle of Worsening Chaos: Members of Syria’s diverse Christian communities are finding themselves engulfed in the fog of war and increasingly targeted, both as pawns of the regime and armed rebels as well as by the rising (if still limited) presence of al Qaeda-linked and other foreign militants in the conflict.
  • Preaching “One-Time” Sermons: I should end with my bias. I don’t like single messages. I prefer series because I find I can present a clearer picture of scriptural teaching on an issue. But, do not despise the single message–nobody ever preaches a series in the Bible, and we don’t see it much until John Chrysostom in the 4th/5th century. Be faithful with the small things… even the small sermons.
  • Could ‘Awe Therapy’ Make Us Nicer? Moments that make us feel small — like gazing out over the Grand Canyon or glimpsing the northern lights — can do a world of good for our mental health

Continue Reading…

Forced Choice: Favorite European Cities

July 26, 2012 in Misc with 7 Comments

It’s been a while since we’ve had a new forced choice around here. Our last one focused on whether Adam and Eve were historic individuals. That one stirred some interesting discussion and quite a few votes. But the end result is that almost two-thirds of us (64.5%) saw Adam and Eve as real, historic individuals. That vote was split between whether they were created less than 10,000 years ago (38.5%) or more (26%). Less than a third said that they were not historic individuals (27.5%). And only 8% were interested in the option that they were historic individuals, but that they were not literal ancestors of all humans.

With our newest forced choice, we’re going in a complete different direction. Since I’m at the tail end of our trip to Eastern Europe, I’d love to hear what you all think about European cities. So this week’s forced choice is: What is your favorite European city? Obviously I can’t list them all. So I’m going to focus on major cities here. If you have a favorite smaller city, feel free to leave that in the comments. And, as usual, I’m not going to give any more information than that. So you’re on your own to determine what “favorite” means and what criteria you’ll use to make your decision.

Without further ado, use the poll in the sidebar to let us know what you think!

Humans Aren’t Hamsters, But the “Image of God” Is More Than That

July 24, 2012 in Theology with 8 Comments

On the fifth day, God created the fish and the birds. Early on the sixth day, he created all the land animals. But it was only when he got to the end of the sixth day that he made creatures who would be in the image of God: humans. No other creature gets that distinction. Just us. We must be pretty cool. Special.

We’re exploring what it means to be made in the image of God. (See the whole series here.) And, like many difficult questions, your starting point makes all the difference. If you start with the fact that only humans are said to be in the image of God, then it seems like you have a relatively simple procedure for figuring out what the image is: just find whatever it is that makes us distinct from all the other creatures, and you should be all set.

made in the image of god

This is what people commonly refer to as the “structural” approach to the image of God. When God created humans, he embedded some capacity (or set of capacities) in our very nature that makes us image bearers. And, whatever this capacity is, other animals don’t have it. Sucks to be them.

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5 Highlights from a Slovokian Summer Camp

July 22, 2012 in Ministry with 1 Comment

Summer camps exhaust me. I love teens, and I love spending quality time with them. But by the last day of a full week at summer camp I just want to take my sore muscles, raspy voice, and weary eyes home from some much needed rest.

This last week has been different. By the end, I was still sore, raspy, and tired. But I could easily have stayed longer.

And I can’t quite figure out why. The language barrier made it difficult to capitalize on those spontaneous conversations that usually provide the best opportunities for meaningful interaction. So I’ve been at camps where I felt like I’ve had more of an impact. The camp facilities were smaller than I’m used to, which means there was also less to do. So I’ve been at camps that were more fun. And trust me, it wasn’t not the food! So why did I feel like I could have stayed longer?

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This Isn’t Kansas Anymore: Life at a Slovakian Summer Camp

July 19, 2012 in Culture, Ministry with 3 Comments

My wife and I lived in Scotland for a couple of years. And, in many ways, making the transition to Scotland was much easier than moving to a place like Papua New Guinea. The language and culture of Scotland are similar enough to America that we could navigate through society fairly easily.

One thing we noticed, though, is that when two cultures are rather similar, it really makes the differences stand out. You have a nice breakfast with bacon, eggs, and toast, all things that any American would be quick comfortable eating, and then they hit you with some smoked haddock, which will stay with you all day long…and then some. You get the hang of driving on the other side of the road, and then you run across a road sign you’ve never seen before. (It took me a long time to figure out what the “no parking” sign was trying to tell me.)

When something seems mostly familiar, the differences really stand out.

That’s been my experience this week. In many ways, the summer camp that we’re helping with in Slovakia is just like the many camps I’ve attended in America. And that’s not surprising given that my church in America has a long-standing partnership with this one. We’ve been helping with camps here for years, and many of the Slovak leaders have interned at my church for as long as a year. So the games, the format of the evening program, the small groups, the free time, these all feel like home.

And, as I discussed in my last post, the students here face the same challenges as early adolescents everywhere. So even new students are old friends.

But the similarities just make the differences stand out that much more.

What do I mean? Here are six differences between a Slovakian summer camp and one in America. Or, to be more accurate, here are six differences between this Slovakian summer camp and the ones I’ve attended in America.

Continue Reading…

Something Broken….Must Fix

July 18, 2012 in Theology with 0 Comments

I have been asked to write a monthly post for Christianity.com. And I thought I’d start things off with a new excerpt from my book Good News for the Living Dead. Please head over there to read the rest. And, if you wouldn’t mind hitting the “like” button while you’re there, that would be great.

I love it when one of my daughters runs up to me with a broken toy clenched in one tight fist, lips quivering like a nervous jellyfish, eyes bright with tears soon to roll down flushed cheeks. That makes my day.

Now, of course I don’t like seeing the distress that accompanies the tragic breaking of a beloved toy. That I could do without. But I do love the innocent optimism that drives a small child to bring her troubles to me, her dad, confident that I’ll take care of it. Dad can fix it. Dad can fix anything. When it works, and I succeed in repairing the damage, I love the sense of accomplishment, the hugs of gratitude, and the feeling that for one brief moment, I’ve made everything right in the world again. There’s something incredibly satisfying about fixing stuff, something that makes you feel like you’re in control, like what you do matters, like you’ve restored a little harmony to a chaotic and often frustrating world.

Fixing stuff feels good.

Read the rest here.

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