I would like to take this opportunity to recommend a book to you. It's called Utopian Dreams and it's by Tobias Jones.
Jones is an Oxford-educated journalist who lives in Parma, and his book is about his experience spending a year travelling and visiting five different communities. It's a book about community, and whether or not anything founded on Idealism can be of value.
What makes this book of interest to me is the direction that Jones takes it. Firstly, he admits that his interest in communities and idealism is driven by his dissatisfaction with the bankrupt existence of postmodernity. As he puts it '[t]he promise of happiness has created an epidemic of depression. It's us who are being consumed, not the objects".
Secondly, despite not being religious himself, Jones comes to the conclusion that the communities that are most successful at challenging the malaise of postmodernity are those which have religion as a foundation. Yet, not just any religion, for Jones is also unimpressed with expressions of New Age religion which are focussed almost exclusively on the self and mirror many of postmodernity's worst traits.
It's a good read, and well worth it for those of you who are interested in culture, community and what the Gospel might have to offer to our society of well-fed and free-time rich drones.
Also, the book taught me that the word 'idiocy' has its roots in the Greek word 'idiotes' which originally meant 'a private person'. The logical conclusion here is that wisdom is found not with the individual but within a community.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Reflecting on Anger
I've been thinking a bit about anger over the past few days. Mainly, when is anger a legitimate reaction, or as I have been asked several times over the past few years, "When does anger become 'righteous' anger"?
I agree very much with what Neil Anderson says in the Freedom in Christ course that anger is generally a response that we have to a blocked goal. For example, when our goal is to get to a meeting on time, if we find ourselves in a traffic jam then anger is the typical reaction. Anderson follows up, rightly I believe, by suggesting that we should only have goals that are within our control. Getting to a meeting on time is not always in our control (such as with the traffic jam example), so we are asking for trouble if we make that our goal. Anderson suggests that if our goals are things that are within our power to make happen then anger will be a decreasing influence in our life, because we'll find ourselves facing fewer blocked goals. This makes good sense and I've found it very helpful.
However, what I've then been forced to consider is whether anger is always a result of a blocked goal. If it is, then surely anger is always wrong, and doesn't it therefore become 'sin'? In Ephesians 4:26 Paul draws a distinction between anger and sin by quoting Psalm 4 and writing "In your anger do not sin". Following this, sin is not anger, but something that might be born our of anger. This distinction makes me unable to accept the suggestion that anger is always wrong.
But if anger isn't always wrong, then under what circumstances is it right? I'm not happy with the manufactured distinction between 'regular anger' and 'righteous anger', but it does acknowledge this tricky question.
Some people point at the cleansing of the Temple as a time when Jesus exercised anger, but I've been reading the Gospels on this matter and I'm not convinced this was something that Jesus did in anger. John's account makes specific reference to an Old Testament verse - "Zeal for my father's house will consume me" - and zeal is a different thing to anger. Jesus's passion for the honour of God's name does not necessarily equate to anger. A bouncer can throw someone out of a nightclub without having to be angry. Instead I wonder if our attribution of anger to Jesus here is because he's acting in an 'angry' way and so we make the necessary assumption, perhaps because we're used to flamboyant actions being an expression of emotion rather than being a considered choice. But equally, it's hard to read Matthew 23 and not imagine Jesus being at least a tiny bit annoyed.
Perhaps it's as simple as asking what is causing our anger? Anger over a missed meeting is a different thing, surely, to anger over an injustice done to a friend. Perhaps it comes down to whether or not we're angry in our own defence, or whether or not we're angry in defence of others or God? Or perhaps anger is just the emotional response to a situation, and then we have a choice to make about how to respond: "Self-control" or "Lack of Self-Control"? The latter leads to sin, and the former may lead to the cleansing of a Temple and the restoration of God's honour.
Just some thoughts, which I'm still processing.
I agree very much with what Neil Anderson says in the Freedom in Christ course that anger is generally a response that we have to a blocked goal. For example, when our goal is to get to a meeting on time, if we find ourselves in a traffic jam then anger is the typical reaction. Anderson follows up, rightly I believe, by suggesting that we should only have goals that are within our control. Getting to a meeting on time is not always in our control (such as with the traffic jam example), so we are asking for trouble if we make that our goal. Anderson suggests that if our goals are things that are within our power to make happen then anger will be a decreasing influence in our life, because we'll find ourselves facing fewer blocked goals. This makes good sense and I've found it very helpful.
However, what I've then been forced to consider is whether anger is always a result of a blocked goal. If it is, then surely anger is always wrong, and doesn't it therefore become 'sin'? In Ephesians 4:26 Paul draws a distinction between anger and sin by quoting Psalm 4 and writing "In your anger do not sin". Following this, sin is not anger, but something that might be born our of anger. This distinction makes me unable to accept the suggestion that anger is always wrong.
But if anger isn't always wrong, then under what circumstances is it right? I'm not happy with the manufactured distinction between 'regular anger' and 'righteous anger', but it does acknowledge this tricky question.
Some people point at the cleansing of the Temple as a time when Jesus exercised anger, but I've been reading the Gospels on this matter and I'm not convinced this was something that Jesus did in anger. John's account makes specific reference to an Old Testament verse - "Zeal for my father's house will consume me" - and zeal is a different thing to anger. Jesus's passion for the honour of God's name does not necessarily equate to anger. A bouncer can throw someone out of a nightclub without having to be angry. Instead I wonder if our attribution of anger to Jesus here is because he's acting in an 'angry' way and so we make the necessary assumption, perhaps because we're used to flamboyant actions being an expression of emotion rather than being a considered choice. But equally, it's hard to read Matthew 23 and not imagine Jesus being at least a tiny bit annoyed.
Perhaps it's as simple as asking what is causing our anger? Anger over a missed meeting is a different thing, surely, to anger over an injustice done to a friend. Perhaps it comes down to whether or not we're angry in our own defence, or whether or not we're angry in defence of others or God? Or perhaps anger is just the emotional response to a situation, and then we have a choice to make about how to respond: "Self-control" or "Lack of Self-Control"? The latter leads to sin, and the former may lead to the cleansing of a Temple and the restoration of God's honour.
Just some thoughts, which I'm still processing.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Journaling the Journey
When I was a young and impressionable Christian (as opposed to being the old and impressionable Christian that I am now) I was encouraged to keep a 'prayer journal'. Even now I am still unsure what a 'prayer journal' is, but I've been writing stuff down for a while now. Actually, I've been writing stuff down since 28th February 1996. At least, that's the date on the first page of my first journal.
It's gone up and down. Sometimes there have been periods of months where I wrote nothing (I'm sure there's a silent period of at least a year somewhere in my history) and then others times it's been a daily habit. Generally, I've recorded my feelings and thoughts about how I am on a given day, and what God might be up to. Other things make an appearance every now and then, such as lists of people to pray for and quotes that I thought were so good that I should record them somewhere, but on the whole it's a collection of where my soul has been over the past fifteen years.
And I'm thankful for it. It's been immensely helpful for me to have documented evidence that I have grown in my faith over the past fifteen years. It's encouraging to have records of what God has done, both in my life and the lives of others. It's amazing to see how the things that I feared the most never actually came to pass, and that God has kept His promises. It's great to see how my theology has developed and my thinking has changed. It's humbling to see the context of my journey, to see the patterns and plans come together leading me not necessarily to a certain role or location, but rather towards Christ-likeness.
I am very glad that I made the decision to keep a journal and very glad that I still have them to look back on. It's easy to forget things. It's the natural state actually. It's remembering things that takes work, and every footstep on my journey with God is worth remembering.
It's gone up and down. Sometimes there have been periods of months where I wrote nothing (I'm sure there's a silent period of at least a year somewhere in my history) and then others times it's been a daily habit. Generally, I've recorded my feelings and thoughts about how I am on a given day, and what God might be up to. Other things make an appearance every now and then, such as lists of people to pray for and quotes that I thought were so good that I should record them somewhere, but on the whole it's a collection of where my soul has been over the past fifteen years.
And I'm thankful for it. It's been immensely helpful for me to have documented evidence that I have grown in my faith over the past fifteen years. It's encouraging to have records of what God has done, both in my life and the lives of others. It's amazing to see how the things that I feared the most never actually came to pass, and that God has kept His promises. It's great to see how my theology has developed and my thinking has changed. It's humbling to see the context of my journey, to see the patterns and plans come together leading me not necessarily to a certain role or location, but rather towards Christ-likeness.
I am very glad that I made the decision to keep a journal and very glad that I still have them to look back on. It's easy to forget things. It's the natural state actually. It's remembering things that takes work, and every footstep on my journey with God is worth remembering.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
I've thought a lot over the past couple of years about the role that fear plays in my life, and the lives of others. I think of it as the most powerful motivator that human beings have. Back in the day I used to play a lot of video games, and there's a quote from a game called Max Payne: "I don't know about angels, but it's fear that gives men wings". I learnt a lot from video games.
What I think about is how different my life seems to Jesus' life. I think about how many things I do or don't do out of fear, and try and get a sense from the Gospels about what role fear played in Jesus' life and ministry. I find it impossible to read the Gospels and come to the conclusion that Jesus was ever motivated by fear. I don't mean that he was never afraid, I'm sure that's not the case, but rather that when he was afraid he never allowed it to be the fear that made his choice for him. I think of Gethsemene where the Biblical witness gives the impression that he was most certainly afraid, yet what motivated him; what did he choose? "Not my will, but Yours".
I have no doubt that Jesus was never once motivated by fear. Think about your own life. Think about the things you do or don't do because you are afraid. Think about what you say or don't say because you are afraid. Think about the prison you find yourself in because you are afraid of what people are thinking, or rather, afraid of what you think people are thinking.
Now imagine living in freedom. Not free from fear, but free from the power of fear. Free from having your choices dictated to you by that gnawing rat in your soul. Think about that kind of freedom. That's how Christ lived.
Did you know that the first emotion expressed by Adam in the Bible is fear? "I heard you coming and I hid because I was afraid". Letting fear control your decisions is a Fruit of the Fall, certainly not a Fruit of the Spirit. Rather, Galatians 5 tells us that walking in the Spirit leads to self-control. In other words, you chooose. You are not dictated to by your fear, loathing or envy. You choose. Sure, you can still choose to let those Fruits of the Fall have the final say - or you can choose something different. You can choose the path that Christ walked.
How would your life look if it was the Holy Spirit rather than fear that gave you wings?
What I think about is how different my life seems to Jesus' life. I think about how many things I do or don't do out of fear, and try and get a sense from the Gospels about what role fear played in Jesus' life and ministry. I find it impossible to read the Gospels and come to the conclusion that Jesus was ever motivated by fear. I don't mean that he was never afraid, I'm sure that's not the case, but rather that when he was afraid he never allowed it to be the fear that made his choice for him. I think of Gethsemene where the Biblical witness gives the impression that he was most certainly afraid, yet what motivated him; what did he choose? "Not my will, but Yours".
I have no doubt that Jesus was never once motivated by fear. Think about your own life. Think about the things you do or don't do because you are afraid. Think about what you say or don't say because you are afraid. Think about the prison you find yourself in because you are afraid of what people are thinking, or rather, afraid of what you think people are thinking.
Now imagine living in freedom. Not free from fear, but free from the power of fear. Free from having your choices dictated to you by that gnawing rat in your soul. Think about that kind of freedom. That's how Christ lived.
Did you know that the first emotion expressed by Adam in the Bible is fear? "I heard you coming and I hid because I was afraid". Letting fear control your decisions is a Fruit of the Fall, certainly not a Fruit of the Spirit. Rather, Galatians 5 tells us that walking in the Spirit leads to self-control. In other words, you chooose. You are not dictated to by your fear, loathing or envy. You choose. Sure, you can still choose to let those Fruits of the Fall have the final say - or you can choose something different. You can choose the path that Christ walked.
How would your life look if it was the Holy Spirit rather than fear that gave you wings?
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Home Again
Well, I'm home again. Back in Australia, suffering from jet lag. It's five o'clock in the morning here and I've been awake for a few hours. I'm hoping to push through the tiredness and force myself to follow normal hours. I was very tired yesterday, my first day back.
My journey home wasn't too thrilling. By the end I was willing it to be over.
So, how was my trip to the UK? Great. I had a really good time and it was very special to catch up with family and friends. It was also an excellent time of reflection. Having the opportunity to revisit places that have been signficant for me on my journey with God was hugely beneficial. I simply spent a bit of time at each place reminding myself what I learnt while I was there. It gave me a profound sense of perspective and awareness of the fact that I have been moving in a good direction over the past fifteen years. It was helpful to see how the things that I experienced ten or more years ago have shaped me in such a way that I am able to do well what I do today. There is great power in pilgrimage.
I have no regrets about the past, and no conviction other than that Australia is our home now. We are in the right place doing the right thing. For this I am extremely thankful to God.
My journey home wasn't too thrilling. By the end I was willing it to be over.
So, how was my trip to the UK? Great. I had a really good time and it was very special to catch up with family and friends. It was also an excellent time of reflection. Having the opportunity to revisit places that have been signficant for me on my journey with God was hugely beneficial. I simply spent a bit of time at each place reminding myself what I learnt while I was there. It gave me a profound sense of perspective and awareness of the fact that I have been moving in a good direction over the past fifteen years. It was helpful to see how the things that I experienced ten or more years ago have shaped me in such a way that I am able to do well what I do today. There is great power in pilgrimage.
I have no regrets about the past, and no conviction other than that Australia is our home now. We are in the right place doing the right thing. For this I am extremely thankful to God.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Back in the UKKR
My time in the UK is coming to an end. Just this weekend to go and then I'll be bundled onto a metal bird and face a potentially unthrilling twenty hour flight (plus five hours by surface once I land) before I get home.
I say 'potentially' because it might turn out to be thrilling. I'm not talking about hijackings or anything like that, though if movies have taught us anything it's that there's always a retired Marine somewhere on the flight and he just needs to be coaxed gently back into action so that he can come to terms with the death of his buddy on that disastrous black ops mission from five years back. I'm not even talking about the opportunity I'll have to watch seven six-month-old films in a row (plus an episode of The Simpsons). No, rather the potential thrills come from the fact that there will be people there, and wherever people are there is the potential for thrillage. It's a big thing for a misanthropic introvert like me to say that, but I mean it. I wouldn't have really thought like that once, but this is one of the ways that Cornerstone has changed me. God is always at work, and He works in people, so consequently wherever there are people, there are potential thrills.
I've had a really good time while over here, and I've fulfilled my objective of reflection and pilgrimage. I feel like I've found some solid footing again, but uncertain ground is not really going to stop me from moving forward anyway. It's written into my contract with God.
It's hard to be here and see the flooding in Brisbane on the news. I don't know anyone who lives in Brisbane, at least not directly, but Australia is my home now and I feel sensitive to her struggles and hardships. After so many years of drought, I wonder how much more her spirit can take. I tell you something, Australians are a wonderful and resilient people.
Thank you to all the wonderful UKites who have accommodated me (literally and otherwise) while I've been here. It's been great to see you all again. The next time I blog I'll be back Down Under, and will probably offer a review of my time here.
I say 'potentially' because it might turn out to be thrilling. I'm not talking about hijackings or anything like that, though if movies have taught us anything it's that there's always a retired Marine somewhere on the flight and he just needs to be coaxed gently back into action so that he can come to terms with the death of his buddy on that disastrous black ops mission from five years back. I'm not even talking about the opportunity I'll have to watch seven six-month-old films in a row (plus an episode of The Simpsons). No, rather the potential thrills come from the fact that there will be people there, and wherever people are there is the potential for thrillage. It's a big thing for a misanthropic introvert like me to say that, but I mean it. I wouldn't have really thought like that once, but this is one of the ways that Cornerstone has changed me. God is always at work, and He works in people, so consequently wherever there are people, there are potential thrills.
I've had a really good time while over here, and I've fulfilled my objective of reflection and pilgrimage. I feel like I've found some solid footing again, but uncertain ground is not really going to stop me from moving forward anyway. It's written into my contract with God.
It's hard to be here and see the flooding in Brisbane on the news. I don't know anyone who lives in Brisbane, at least not directly, but Australia is my home now and I feel sensitive to her struggles and hardships. After so many years of drought, I wonder how much more her spirit can take. I tell you something, Australians are a wonderful and resilient people.
Thank you to all the wonderful UKites who have accommodated me (literally and otherwise) while I've been here. It's been great to see you all again. The next time I blog I'll be back Down Under, and will probably offer a review of my time here.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Christmas and UK Trip
It's been a crazy few days. We've had absolutely terrible weather here. Officially it's summer, but we've had days and days of torrential rain. It looks like the drought (which has been going on for 10+ years) is finally broken. The manner of its breaking is not good news for farmers. It was going to be a bumper harvest, but the rain will have destroyed a lot of crops.
One of our students, Janet, was in a bad car crash on Wednesday. Thankfully, she's OK but she's broken her elbow and her leg and it will take her a while to recover.
Weeks like this remind me of how vulnerable we really are. There are so many things that are outside our control. If you think about it too much, it might make you a little crazy - or terrified. Thankfully, needing to be in control is not compatible with a Christian worldview.
Christmas is on its way, but the lack of Christmasy weather coupled with the intensity of the past week has meant that it's going to sneak up on me again. In two weeks I'll be getting on a plane and coming over to the UK for a few weeks. That will probably consume my thoughts for the next fourteen days, meaning that I won't be in a Chritsmasy mood until I arrive in the UK on the 27th.
I'm looking forward to being back home for a while, and reminding myself why we came over here. To me, it's a pilgrimage.
One of our students, Janet, was in a bad car crash on Wednesday. Thankfully, she's OK but she's broken her elbow and her leg and it will take her a while to recover.
Weeks like this remind me of how vulnerable we really are. There are so many things that are outside our control. If you think about it too much, it might make you a little crazy - or terrified. Thankfully, needing to be in control is not compatible with a Christian worldview.
Christmas is on its way, but the lack of Christmasy weather coupled with the intensity of the past week has meant that it's going to sneak up on me again. In two weeks I'll be getting on a plane and coming over to the UK for a few weeks. That will probably consume my thoughts for the next fourteen days, meaning that I won't be in a Chritsmasy mood until I arrive in the UK on the 27th.
I'm looking forward to being back home for a while, and reminding myself why we came over here. To me, it's a pilgrimage.
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