C.S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

So this is one of the 50 books I want to read and blog on this year. It is a super easy read, probably one of the easiest for me this year. Given my son's addiciton to all things Narnia and his desire to change his name to Peter and become a SpiderMan Knight...I read this book.

The first part of my reflection is this: "People who have not been in Narnia sometimes think that a thing cannot be good and terrible at the same time." This is Lewis' version of paraorthodoxy. A lot of what Lewis describes in this book has to do with understandings of the kingdom of God. Obvious parallel's abound. Which brings me to today's rant:

I am so sick hearing of people criticizing emerging churches and theologies by saying that they are not new - that they have been doing them since _______(fill in appropriately irrelevant period of time). This whole thing about Emergent is about recovering a gospel which is not so affected by modernism; it's not about just being NEW! So, it's a cultural process and just because you finger painted Jesus when you were in middle school, you are not somehow culturally hip and Emergent. In fact, culturally hip and Emergent are mutually exclusive - they are not the same. I think this is the basis for a lot of this criticism - people who are scared and feeling like if they are not emerging then they aren't cool and will become irrelevant. All that to say - you don't need to announce that you are emergent or that emergent is a fad or say anything abstract about postmodernism to try to undermine it. For me, I am a postmodern person who grew up in a postmodern environment - it's not a bunch of intellectual abstractions to me; it's family, it's relationships, it's Jesus. Just because I (or Emergent) am (is) intellectually wired that doesn't mean that my (Emergent's) relationship with God is intellectual. (breathe!)

The second part of my reflections is how easily the culture industry is having their way with the church. We will sell our souls to any loser who makes a movie that has anything to do with religion. It's as if we don't even notice that if you want to make an extra $100,000,000 for your movie you should market it through chruches. Give pastors free sermons that interact with it and the people will go out in unthinking droves. I am so scared of the implications of this that I can't even imagine how badly we need to think this through. I'm not against Narnia, or DaVinci Code or Passion of the Christ - I just think that we need to be a little more aware of how Hollywood is whoring out the body of Christ.

I'm in...

Ok - so I know that I will have to do pennance for my past sins - more to Sarah Uhden than to Jesus. But I have long been an opponent to the hype that is Pirates of the Gayribean...er...Caribean. And yes I know that's not spelt rite - in the future spelling will be an art not a science.

Anyways - I have decided that I will become a Pirates of the Caribean fan. I won't dress up or anything silly like that, but I will pay my 9 bucks to go see the movie. And pay for my wife also, I'm good that way. Anywyas - I've always loved J.Depp and now I will be a part of his massive clan of followers.

And know the answer to the question you are asking your computer screen...why? What has swayed you? Here's the answer in the form of a quotation of dialogue from the upcoming sequel:

elizabeth: there will come a moment when you have a chance to do the right thing.

cap’n jack sparrow: i love those moments.

(pause)

cap’n jack: i like to wave at them as they pass by.

This post has been edited...

Mike King

Mike King runs a ministry in the middle of the country that I would take my kids to if I was in the middle of the country.

And his blog is killer. Talking about the DaVinci Code and sermon ideas, he recommends, "I'm Sorry that I have not taught the basics of orthodoxy and church history because I have been too busy teaching politics so it is no wonder you are bothered by something silly like the DaVinci Code."

Killer.

TidBits

Some random stuff that is affecting my reality...

>> The Canadian dollar has passed 90 cents which impacts the Candian economy in a negative way and has lined up the international oil trade with the Canadian dollar. The two have nothing to do with each other, but the international trade community seems to think so.

>> LJ is terrified of going numero duex - this morning he went and told Heather that his sides hurt - Heather told him that is his body telling him that he has to go to the bathroom - LJ said that it was his body telling him that mommy needed to hold him.

>> Chelsea is getting aggressive. Her career in mixed martial arts fighting is looking promising.

>> President bush finally called the Darfur crises a genocide. Finally...hopefully...

Sale of YS

Every youth pastor in the nation with nothing better to do watched a little video yesterday letting us know that Youth Specialties has been sold. YS is a big supporter of my ministry - they supply me and resource me and everything in between to help me be me.

I love that they are selling and gaining more resources through Zondervan. Zondervan, of course, belongs to News Corp, so now maybe YS will become more supportive of W., like FoxNews is (please note I am as serious about this as I am about the Christian butt-jeans).

Anyways - the biggest reason that I love YS is for the way that they make me feel "normal" for having a calling to youth ministry. Through their conventions, books, emails, and encouragment that makes them more than a company, they have become a friend/organization that isn't shocked for the love that I have for teens in Albany.

I am a friend of Emergent, yes, but I am a really good friend of YS!