Relaunch, Wisdom, & a few other things

People who have been reading my various blogs over the past few years are probably used to the fact that about every other post is a re-launch. ; )

What can I say?

I did block this site temporarily while I was on the job hunt, drafting and redrafting resumes. (My, has the calling process changed - or so I'm told.) This calling process is a finicky business. The analogy that's always made is that it's a dating relationship. The bad part about that analogy is the joke that's always made about the 1st date in a romance usually being an exercise in deception. I'm not being devious myself here, I was only hoping to spare myself from being misunderstood. I'm thinking most of all of a recent post (personal finance / marital shalom) where I wandered into another area that I am passionate about - holy headship.

My wife and I are out on summer assignment, which might give me the opportunity to add some content to this neglected place. Somethings I might like to talk about is a review of Synod, my own experience at a heartland church this past Sunday (two services, two plus hours away), and where simplicity and frugality (both subsets of the virtue, wisdom) intersect regarding consumption. I also read a fascinating article which featured some sorry statistics about the division of labor in the typical American home. That might just be where I'll start.

Anyways, wherever you are today, God bless you in all that you do.

Apologetics Paper in Progress

Here's an intro to a paper I'm writing for my apologetics class. In it, I'm going to be responding to a difficult conundrum: If Christians claim that in heaven we will have free will, yet not be able to sin, why didn't God create us that way in the first place? This question is an attempt to dismantle the free will defense.

Here's the intro:

The practice of apologetics is not purely academic or abstract. I have become convinced that the core virtue at the center of an excellent Christian apologist is nothing other than genuine, christlike love for those who are lost.[1] Christ came for these very people, and we ought too to remember that we were no better before we came to faith. As Peter says, since in our hearts Jesus is Lord, “always be prepared to give an answer [apologia] to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”[2]

Though Peter here speaks to a specific time and place, he also gives a basic outline, useful for all apologists, for how this apologia should be done. He writes, “Do this with gentleness and respect.”[3] The goal of the apologist is not self-vindication or the intellectual domination of the other; the goal of the apologist is in dismantling the thing that keeps this other person from God—not in dismantling the other person themselves! The other person has value to God and bears the image of God, so no violence ought to be done.

Peter goes on, “Keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”[4] How does an apologist keep a clear conscience? By demonstrating integrity and virtue in each encounter. Concede the points of the opponent, and always reconstruct their arguments to their own satisfaction—perhaps even strengthening their arguments, giving them ammunition to use against you. In this way the apologist imitates Christ. What is at stake is not only the debate, but also proving the winsome faith and hope that comes from the Gospel.

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[1] cf. Luke 15

[2] 1 Peter 3:15 NIV

[3] Ibid.

[4] 1 Peter 3:16 NIV

Personal Finance and Marital Shalom

Here's a quick way to illustrate how personal finance and practical theology connect. I'm going to get at the issue by explaining why my wife and I are moving the bulk of our savings from one bank to another, even though the interest rate will be slightly lower. (We are students and only keep our emergency, tuition, and living-expenses funds here.) The short of the story is this: we decided to move our money because this other bank offers a better online interface with more accessibility.

There are some other, more serious reasons for the switch. My wife and I are striving to start our marriage off in the right direction, and I am trying to be the best husband possible. The switch between banks illustrates for us that we are moving in the right direction. We are trying to avoid some common pitfalls. There are some nasty evils in the realm of finance and marriage.

One thing that you hear over and over is that the #1 reason cited for divorce has to do with ongoing disputes over money. Both people feel restricted in an unfair way, or burdened by responsibility for the other.

I've also heard from Save Haven Ministries that one of the things that keeps abused women (physically, verbally, or otherwise) in a dangerous relationship is that they don't have access to the monetary resources they would need to flee. They don't know how they would survive outside of the abusive relationship! So they stay. This is not a situation I would want anyone I love to suffer. (Safe Haven statistics tell me that 1 out of 4 women will be abused in their lifetimes. It's a sure thing that every church has at least one suffering woman.)

There's also the slight evil that the person in marriage who handles the books is just plain inept, spoiling hopes for security, let alone godly charity, by running up credit unnecessarily or getting hooked into get-rich-quick schemes.

I don't want a hint of any of these things anywhere close to my marriage! There are tons and tons of reasons why it is essential to keep lines of communication and access to funds wide open.

Mutual access to funds promotes ongoing communication, a refining the skills of compromise. The couple's values are honed more and more into a singular set of goals. This freedom promotes increasing competency by both members: the person handling the books knows they have someone looking encouragingly over their shoulders, and that other person can learn from the bookkeeper's learned expertise and take a shot themselves.

Perhaps the most valuable fruit of such open communication is ownership. When both partners share and talk about a general financial strategy and outline shared goals, both partners can receive satisfaction when these goals are achieved - or when times get hard, both partners can buckle down since they understand what's at stake. Moving towards communication and openness will not only bring more peace to a relationship, but will increase the likelihood of success. How's that for motivation?

Right now I tend to do a good amount of the money crunching in my family. Our banks' passwords (which I will not publish here, silly you) originate from my confounded mind. Our current bank's login procedure is complicated, and once you get inside things are no less complex. Although my wife is as sharp as a tack, I want to remove any obstacle to mutual accessibility to our finances. We also tend aesthetically towards simplicity.

In this very small way I see myself as exercising headship. Though I could press for maximizing interest and ask my wife to "butt out," Scripture reminds me that I am her servant. There is a common understanding of headship that is simply evil: the man gets to divide the household labor, and the man gets the last say in every disagreement. What a better recipe for disaster. "In this way husbands have pierced themselves with many griefs." This is contrary to the analogy that Scripture draws between Christ and his church (cf. Phil 2, Mark 10:41-45). In the only place in Scripture where husbands and wives are advised on conflict resolution, Paul encourages nothing other than mutual consent (1 Cor. 7).

Understanding the teachings in Ephesians 5 and elsewhere on headship properly, I learn that I am called to exercise the resources I have as a man on behalf of my wife, in submission and service to my wife - not using or usurping power for my own. In this way, I do my part in working for the marital shalom that the Lord desires.

I meant to write all this as a brief way to illustrate how personal finance and practical theology often intersect, and I managed to probe into a fantastically relevant issue! Our wallets have tremendous spiritual significance. Those of us who have been saved by Jesus Christ can certainly demonstrate our gratitude by aspiring to manage our personal finances in a wise and loving way.

***
Update: Awhile back, I took out the actual names of the banks involved. I didn't think it was prudent to list the places where we do business for the world to see. But if you are interested, please drop me a line.

Interest: Personal Finance

One subject that I may start to write about here is personal finance. My interest in this area blossomed during a recent season in my life when I was preparing to become a married man. Hey, I'm an adult! I better know what I'm doing here!

This is an important area of competence for me not only as a Christian adult, but also as a minister. I don't need to be a whiz, but I should at least be able to demonstrate some sort of responsibility. Too many church leaders shirk away from responsibility because they feel some guilt in association with finances.

Anyways, I frequent a few places in the personal finance blogosphere. A blog that I read regularly is called The Simple Dollar; it's the story of one family man's journey out of crushing debt and into frugal simplicity. Here's a good introduction to the writer's perspective. There are a great deal of Christian, personal-finance bloggers out there doing a good ministry by giving tips and encouragement. I am excited to be building my own literacy in this area. And I am not alone! Some good friends of mine lead a book study on Dave Ramsey's financial plan for getting out of debt.

Even this year, my wife and I have switched banks so we can get a better interest rate on the money sitting in our emergency account and have outlined a rock-solid policy with credit cards. We also have set a trajectory that will help us live cheerfully generous and simple lives, or at least this is our hope!

Anyways, I just wanted to introduce you to this interest of mine. I do think that the Christian is called to some radical things in regards to personal finance, but I think some basic wisdom and literacy are also required. I'm sure if you stick with me here you'll witness some of my confusion and cultural critique in this area.

Thanks for reading!

Preaching Grammar

Preachers have nightmares about having certain types of people in their congregation. Seminary professors are at the top of the list. With every changing expression the preacher notices on that professor's face during the sermon, the poor preacher wonders which heresy was just committed or which verb was mis-parsed.

Not far behind on this nightmare list are elementary school teachers, specifically those who teach English.

Because a lot of preachers aren't too good at English, especially while on the fly ; )

For this reason it seems right to me to compose a disclaimer here to which I might refer if one such future grammarian comes breathing down my neck. Here's my reasoning:

During my educational career I have studied (not effortlessly, I might add) a few different languages as they have appeared in history, sometimes different forms of the same language. For instance, I've studied Attic Greek of the 6th century B.C. as well as the Koine Greek prominent while Jesus walked the earth. I have also studied Biblical Hebrew, and within the Bible itself the language changes and morphs.

It doesn't take a linguist (which I am not) to make the observation that the law with language is efficiency. If something is inefficient, it falls away. No unnecessary vowels stick around very long. The extra words you needed to make a conditional sentence will be replaced a century later by a prefix. That sort of thing.

What I mean to say is that "grammar" (the discipline of propping up inefficient language) is generally fruitless and only postpones the inevitable. Therefore, as a preacher with bad grammar, using as few words and syllables as possible, I am only following the cultural mandate by accelerating the advancement of language.

The best example of unnecessary wordiness in "correct" grammar is in refusing to allow "they, them, their" to refer to a single, gendered antecedent. For instance:

If a preacher has bad grammar, they should grow up and read a book.

Here's the "grammatically correct" version:

If a preacher has bad grammar, he or she should...

That's three words (three!) where you could have used one. As I observed above, this change is inevitable. There's nothing grammarians can do about it! Not to mention that the "he or she" draws unnecessary attention to the gender of this hypothetical person. Using the word "they" is, although grammatically incorrect, more polite and less likely to distract the hearer. Using bad grammar in this way is an imperative of the hospitality-conscious person. The TNIV (Today's New International Version) is way ahead of the ballgame in this regard.

Anyways, the above should do for a preemptive, defensive maneuver in the case of a grammatically tenacious parishioner. I hope all of you will consider how you can best use bad grammar in these ways.

About Dumbledore

Recently author J.K. Rowling created quite a stir by announcing that the headmaster of Hogwarts and wizard mentor of Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore, is gay.

I am going to take what might be an unpopular position on the issue and say this: it is a good thing that our friend Albus is gay.

I should say at some point that I speak here as a member and representative of a community of Christian people from the Reformed tradition; and for all you CRC folk, let me also say that nowhere here will I deviate from long held decisions and beliefs of our denomination.

Here's the CRC's stance on homosexuality. First of all, the denomination believes that homosexual people really do exist, some of whom are born homosexual and have sexual attractions that will remain locked-on to people of the same gender as long as they live. The study that the CRC pays most attention to says that between 2 and 3% of all people are born homosexual, with another 3% being biologically/hormonally bisexual.

The CRC says that while homosexual sexual activity is sinful, the church ought to minister to gays and lesbians by providing community and fulfillment for those who wish to abstain from this activity. Being gay does not prohibit people from joining and participating fully in the church, and "homosexual acts" can be repented from, similar to all other sexual sins. Very importantly, the CRC condemns homophobia.

While being gay is not sinful, being homophobic is.

The important things for the purposes of the present discussion about our wizard are these: being gay is not sinful, there are already gay folks in our communities, and we ought to do what we can to encourage these brothers and sisters and attract others into the body of Christ.

Getting back to Dumbledore, the main reason why I say it's great Albus is a gay wizard is that he provides an excellent role model for these, our brothers and sisters in Christ. Dumbledore displays tremendous virtue to which both hetero and homosexual Christians can aspire. Ablus shows that gay people can be heroic and are invaluable in the struggle against the kingdom of darkness, that they can feel remorse over sin and past failure, they can be highly competent to an excellent degree, and are worthy of respect and honor.

Dumbledore displays the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control (against such things there is no law). Dumbledore is an excellent character and also has excellent character. He has great power, but not without a good dose of humility. He knows not only his sin but also bitter remorse. He can remain free from anxiety in the most confrontational, extreme situations. He also has a great sense of humor.

Dumbledore is not obsessed with his sexuality (a feat according to Henri Nouwen), nor does he sexualize his relationships in an inappropriate way. Just as heterosexual Christian men ought to be able to relate in a brotherly way to women they would find attractive, gay and lesbian Christians can, with the power of the same Holy Spirit, overcome this temptation that is shared by all of us, even Jesus.

As much as you can for a fictional character, I respect Albus Dumbledore for all of this virtue. I am very glad that my gay brothers and sisters can look to this wizard as an example of maturity and excellence. I am also glad that in Dumbledore we who are heterosexual can gain a gay friend if we don't have one already. In our reactions to Dumbledore, we can analyze the extent of our homophobia. And just like our brothers and sisters, we can take him on as a role model.

To be very blunt, some of the comments I have heard about Dumbledore's "coming out" are insensitive and ridiculous to a high degree (not to mention inconsistent with the CRC's position and interpretation of the Bible). We are plainly still struggling with homophobia. Besides, if Dumbledore's sexuality changes the way we read the books, what will happen to us if a friend or coworker or child of ours turns out to differ from sexual norms, something they cannot help or change?

My professor of pastoral care says the crowning achievement of empathy is for a heterosexual person to really walk a mile or two in a gay person's shoes. Not many of us have tried very hard. With Dumbledore, we may be able to at least entertain the idea. The goal of the Christian life is to look upon no one with prejudice, since we are all born into an evil world, but to together pursue the goal for which Christ Jesus first pursued us.

What's the big deal about Dumbledore being gay? I think it's great.

Gizmos and Gagetry

I am one of the ridiculously fortunate people in the world who have a few people clamoring to see my Xmas list. They want to buy me stuff--which is great, of course. It would be foolish (and downright rude) to complain.

Some of the things that many of my gift-givers routinely suggest are newfangled gadgets and gizmos. I have a few things already that I've put to good use: a camera and an ipod shuffle. But some end up sitting in my electronics drawer in the bottom of my desk. Open it up and wires and adapters spill onto the carpet.

One of these things is a PDA I got a few years ago. I never really got the hang of it. And perhaps more to the point, I didn't get the hang of it because I didn't like whipping the shiny object out in public, showing my membership in the cult of productivity.

I may be overly sensitive here, but I'm resistant to pocket technology for the sake of my chosen (called?) vocation. I wonder if I should draw the line in the sand and do my part to keep the church from mirroring the "efficiency" of the business world. Plus, I think that carrying around such gizmos would suggest I'm more a member of one societal class as opposed to another, and am that much less likely to be able to relate and minister across those lines. Or, I fear that the more I'm looking down at a backlit screen, the less likely I am to appreciate God's good Creation and less able to hear him speak.

Or maybe I'm just being persnickety.

There's a few things that I need to keep in mind:
1) God's good Creation includes electronics, even productivity devices.
2) Efficiency is a virtue; it allows more work to be done in a shorter amount of time, and allows you to keep from worrying about work when you're at play.
3) The reality of a working pastor is that there are plenty of appointments and projects to keep straight. I could use a little help.
4) My membership in the cult of efficiency depends more on my own disposition and language than on the things that I own. (Is this an appointment, or a pastoral visit?)

On the other hand, the Israelites of the OT just couldn't keep themselves from bowing down to the local fertility gods, Baal & Asherah. Israel wanted produce, that is, productivity.

In any case, I have that old PDA synced up with my task list and calendar, charged, and ready to go. And tomorrow will start an experiment. We will see if I lose my soul. ; )

Look forward to a series of posts as I prepare for my oral comprehensive exam and perhaps another as I survey devotional literature from some famous figureheads in the Reformed tradition.