To Change The World: Essay I – Chapters 1 & 2

Up front, let me say that this series of posts is not going to be a traditional critique or summary of the book. Rather, I will be processing my response to the material as I work through the book and answering three questions as I go:

• Do I agree with what the author says?
• Should his ideas be applied?

and if so,

• How can they be applied in the context of the churches of Christ?

The book is broken into three essays: “Christianity and World-Changing,” “Rethinking Power,” and “Toward a New City Commons: Reflections on a Theology of Faithful Presence.” Each essay has about six or seven chapters and I will likely devote two or three posts to each essay depending on the complexity of the material.

Now with all of that said, let’s jump right in.

Filed under: Books, Faith and Religion, Politics, To Change the World, culture, evangelism, social reform

So did I miss anything?

Okay, as usual things did not turn as I had planned, so allow me to explain and  recap.

When I started blogging in 2007 I was working nights to get through grad school.  A large part of my job was being there in case anything happened. If nothing happened (which was the case way more often than not) then my primary responsibility was to stay awake. How I did it was up to me. My school work and Netflix subscription were not enough to fill my shifts, so I took to blogging. I had ample time to research, think, and carefully craft my blog. However, I finished school in May of last year and got a new job two months later that I anticipated would be fairly demanding. Being somewhat vain about my writing and expecting to not have the time that I wanted to put into it, I decided to retire the blog and gleefully announced my intention of doing so in July.

It turns out that I was right about the new job. In fact, it went beyond demanding into the realm of the vicious. The only way I could have handled everything that was thrown at me was to be in two places at once. I never knew when I was going to get to go home and I had energy for nothing beyond work. What’s more, I did very little truly therapeutic work; most of it was putting out fires (figuratively speaking, of course) and cleaning up messes caused by my more personality-disordered clients. In March I learned of an opportunity in the same agency, different division, where not only the hours were more consistent but the focus was on therapy and intensive treatment rather than case management. I put my hat in the ring and managed to score the job. I am now a therapist at a residential facility for people dually-diagnosed with chronic mental illness and substance addiction. It is a far better fit, I am getting the supervision I need for licensure, and my commute never takes more than 30 minutes (it used to be over an hour).

The new job has a weird schedule (no nights though) which leaves some “me time” during the work week. I could think of a lot to do with this time, but I found that I missed blogging. What’s more, to my surprise, more than a few people told me that they missed my blog. Never one to let an ego-stroke go unappreciated, I began to consider getting back into the blogosphere.

Filed under: Faith and Religion, Society, blogging, James Davison Hunter, Jay Guin, jobs, sociology, To Change The World

Not Like Riding A Bike At All

This summer the church that I attend is having devotionals on Wednesday nights in lieu of classes since, like most churches, our summer attendance is spotty at best and we have a hard time rallying teachers for this season. Because of our preacher’s absence this week I have been asked to speak this coming Wednesday night. It has been about nine years since I have had to prepare a sermon (not counting weddings) and I have one thing to say: It’s not like riding a bike. Not even close. The past two weeks of preparation have been a serious struggle for me.

That said; I am still looking forward to it. One of the few things that I miss about full-time ministry is preaching, even if all that I ever did was fill-in or pinch hit. Any believers who are reading this: I sure would appreciate a prayer for my message sometime before 7:30 PM Wednesday night, Eastern Time. Many thanks.

Filed under: Faith and Religion, church, fill-in preaching, prayer request, preparation, struggle

Two Announcements

Announcement One

Yesterday I was offered, and accepted, a new job – same employer (the county community services board), different location, and a raise by three pay grades. The job certainly looks interesting and challenging: I will be the primary therapist and case manager for adults with chronic mental illnesses, providing treatment to them and their families in their homes and in the community. I will be part of a multidisciplinary team consisting of doctors, day support/vocational rehabilitation, and advocates providing services.

Filed under: Uncategorized, blogging, controversy, employment, new opportunities, opinion, posting

The Stupidest Thing I’ve Heard This Week

A couple of parents in Sweden have decided to fight the “social construct” of gender by keeping the biological sex of their two and a half year-old offspring a secret.

Filed under: Uncategorized, biology, gender, parenting, social constructs, stupidity, Sweden

Things I Don’t Think We Should Care About: The President’s Church

Christianity Today and Time both rushed to report that the President and his family have selected a church at which they plan to identify themselves as members. However, it appears that they may have spoken too soon.

And I submit to you: how important is this to anyone’s faith, or lack thereof?

So why am I even writing about it? Because people evidently think that this constitutes news. What’s more, some atheists are chortling over this as though it lends further credence to their meme (which apparently some of them really need to hold on to) that Obama is a closet atheist. If you don’t believe me, check out the Obama tag over at Friendly Atheist. I defy you to find at least one comment thread where some idiot doesn’t suggest that Obama pandered to all the slope-browed, mouth-breathing believers in order to be elected.  (FA is also the same site which gleefully informs us that a member of ABBA is an outspoken atheist. I guess if a member of a mediocre 70s vocal band doesn’t believe in God, well, the faith is sunk).

Until proven otherwise, I will maintain my default position that the god of all politicians, regardless of party allegiance, is power. Their only sacrament is approval ratings and their only holy day is the first one of their next term. I don’t need a pastor-in-chief to believe, and you don’t either.

Filed under: Faith and Religion, Politics, Rants, ABBA, Barack Obama, Christianity Today, church attendance, Friendly Atheist, memes, news, politicians, power, TIME magazine

Summer movies, so far

Star Trek  A whole lot better than it should have been. I was right in hoping that they would keep the cool stuff (space travel, aliens, starship battles, phaser fights, fisticuffs, and camaraderie) and jettison the draggy stuff (wooden acting, cheap sets and special effects, self importance). The casting is rock solid (especially Karl Urban as Bones and Zachary Quinto as Spock) and the story moves like gangbusters with plenty of humor. Granted, like all movies featuring time travel there are some plot holes, but otherwise its great fun. Just one question: does anyone else wonder why alien species look and behave just like us in the Star Trek universe?

The Hangover  Absolutely appalling, but funny as all get-out. Caught this one on a guy’s night while my wife and some of her girlfriends went to see The Proposal. I think the guys got the better portion.

UP  As far as I am concerned, a new classic. Not a false note in this deeply moving, riveting, laugh-out-loud, heartfelt adventure, and I feel no shame in admitting that I choked up a couple of times. How does Pixar make movies with animated characters that seem so real while Michael Bay makes movies with flesh and blood actors who come off like cartoons?

Seen anything good? Seen anything that made you want to sue to get the time back that you spent on it? Sound off in the comments.

Filed under: Movies, Karl Urban, Michael Bay, Pixar, Star Trek, The Hangover, The Proposal, Up, Zachary Quinto

The Stupidest Thing I’ve Heard This Week

The federal government has spent nearly half a million dollars to fund a study to find out why some men would prefer not to wear condoms during sex.

Next up, a study on why people don’t like paying taxes.

Filed under: Uncategorized, condoms, NIH, stupidity, wastes of money

Kinkade found guilty of defrauding distributors of his crap

Thomas Kinkade, purveyor of kitschy paintings and self-professed born again, has been found guilty of committing fraud against two distributors of his “paintings of light.”

From the article:

Filed under: Faith and Religion, credibility, ethics, fraud, Thomas Kinkade

The Nighthawks at Jammin Java

Christine and I celebrated my brother’s birthday with him and his girl on Sunday night by catching local blues legends The Nighthawks at Jammin Java. Not much I can say about this except, well, what a show. They lit the place up and boogied like the masters that they are. For your listening pleasure, I have included a clip of them playing the old chestnut “I Wish You Would.” Enjoy!!

Filed under: Uncategorized, Jammin Java, The Nighthawks