I like westerns. It used to be that my wife would find me in front of the TV and my pat response to the question, "What are you watching?" was "Whatever's on Scyfy" (used to be Sci. Fi.) But our cable package has Encore Westerns station so I am more often respond "Some Western".
Did you know that there are as many bad Westerns as there are bad Science Fiction movies?
In the church history of our nation, there are echoes of 'frontier preachers' and 'circuit riders' serving multiple towns and churches in their territories, moving by horseback to provide faith, hope, comfort, to marry and bury people. But not too many preachers show up in the middle of Westerns. Oh, they are guest stars often enough in the old TV Westerns (usually a crisis of faith or redemption needed or some such), but I'm talking about the movie Westerns.
Let me focus the discussion today. I am talking about Westerns focused in the American West. Spaghetti Westerns and Westerns that go down to Mexico have a flavor all their own, to be dealt with at another time.
There are two that come to my mind.
The one I was watching last night was "Blazing Saddles", the Mel Brooks satire on race in America. Liam Dunn plays Rev. Johnson from Rock Ridge and shows up regularly to do the invocations, prayers, benedictions, intercessions, stuff a pastor might do. It pains me to say that he is the only example I can think of where a pastor is integrated into the movie life of the Western town. Classic moment, he tries to intervene to save Sheriff Bart, the "black" sheriff about to be killed by the "white" townsfolk. He raises his bible as he intones his protest, somebody blows a hole in the Good Book, and he saunters off with the throw away line, "You're on your own..."
The rest of the time, he intersperses his 'pastoral' duties with filthy language unworthy of even a gathering of sailors.
The other movie that jumps to my mind with a preacher in the center is Clint Eastwood's "Pale Rider", where he plays a Preacher in the title role (we never catch his name). This time, he is a 'reformed' gunslinger helping out miners being oppressed by the local Mining Baron (they NEVER come off well). And the faith is fine until it is time to beat somebody up (nothing like hickory for a good axe handle), or, in the climax, when he has to go 'redeem' his gun from his safety deposit box and kill everything that moves wearing the 'bad guy' logo.
Beyond those two examples, the most I usually see of the faith in a Western is a fancy clapboard church at the end of the main drag (like in "Silverado").
"Taming the west", at least in Hollywood lore means killing off the bad guys before they can oppress or dominate the good guys. I suppose that by the time the movie gets made, when the bad guys need to be taken out, the preacher was probably already dead or driven out of town. I suppose.
The point I am trying to make is to use the genre of the Western as a reflection of much of Hollywood. Christians are the majority of this nation. Churches are the most pervasive social organizations across the country. Pastors and preachers and priests are, as a vocational class, the largest group of community leaders in the nation. But that isn't reflected in the "America" presented in the movies, or on TV, unless the religious leader falls into one of two categories.
The first is the religious 'poser'. The pedophile, murderer, drug user, drunkard, whatever is using the pastorate as cover for their 'dark side'. The second is the serious whacko, usually killing people in the name of Jesus.
And "Seventh Heaven" may just be the exception that proves the rule.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
From Faith to Culture, Flipping the System
"Paul, a servant* of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit* of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, 6including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. "
This is the first SENTENCE in Paul's letter to the church in Rome. That is the first SEVEN verses of the chapter. On a read through, I count 21 sentences over 32 verses in that first chapter (please don't let me know if I messed up). The longest is this one. The shortest, the last part of verse 25, is an imperative "Amen!" (anybody remember their grammar lessons? {Anyone remember being taught grammar as part of their 'English' lessons?})
And people wonder why the Bible is going extinct in the hearts and minds of church goers...although it remains the Best bestseller in history.
As a blog writer, I spend much of my time as the 'opiner', taking things of the culture and filtering them through my faith, expressing my opinions on what I see of significance. The 'theologue', the theologian, derives from the opiner.
I am an avid observer of how the popular culture reflects on my Christian faith. But how about my faith reflecting on the popular culture? I know it is kind of built in, but what about a more explicit view? I am thinking it is time to alternate in this blog between 'Cultural Opiner" and "Faith-Based Theologue".
And this one sentence gives me enough to work with all summer.
First, a little background: The book of Romans is the longest of Paul's "letters". It is written to a church that he is going to visit. This is different from his other letters which were written to churches or to individuals that he had ALREADY worked with, to found and uplift in their faithfulness. These were either as communities or individuals.
The book of Romans can be looked at as an introduction of the most prolific Christian writer of his era (based on writings that still exist to this day) to the church where Paul is going to conclude his ministry. BACKGROUND: At the end of Acts, Paul was under arrest, exercised his rights as a Roman citizen to appeal his case to the Emperor, and was sent to Rome. Historic tradition passes along the story that Paul was eventually executed in Rome.
You might title it: "What I Believe And Why I Think It Will Be Good For Your Church To Hear It From Me". I know, that sounds pretentious, but the letter is a combination of personal introduction, systematized theology, faith story, cultural analysis, and theological reflection on history.
But it starts clearly enough: "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ". Before he goes any further with his job description or credentials, he starts right here. It is a starting point that we can all have in common with him. We start with our service to Jesus Christ. That's the reason I write this blog (and it is good to be reminded of that from time to time). That is the reason I pastor a church. That is the basis of my own personal vision statement, the vision for our church, and the vision I hope our entire denomination will be led by.
I don't do 'personal devotions' very well. This blog is going to be an attempt to find a spiritual discipline that helps me do it better. You don't have to agree with me. Please don't give me the pressure of daring to be 'inspired' by what scribblings are put down here. Walk with me, pray for me, and lets change the world.
Peace and Long Life.
Friday, June 28, 2013
"Rear Window": A Reflection
Been wondering what the purpose of this blog is really supposed to be. Reviewing the stuff I see or read? I have some strong feelings about being a critic. I guess what is of more importance is taking the road from the world back to my faith.
Here's the thing. There is a disconnect between the Christian faith and the world it is supposed to be changing, at least as far as I can see. I know my bible (not as well as I should) and I know what I am supposed to believe, but that seems very abstract, very 'out there', not something livable. And I am just trying to live my life like everybody else, maybe make a difference, Lord willing.
So, "Rear Window", 1954, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly. Made 60 years ago, caught it on cable, recorded it, watched it all the way through. Last time I watched it, I was younger and more foolish. Took too much advantage of the FF button. Messed it up for myself.
What on earth can a movie made sixty years ago have to say to us today? Aside from presenting one of the ten most beautiful women in the world so far as I am concerned?
Anybody remember the name Arne Svenson from the news recently? Had an art show for his photographs in NYC in May, pictures he took of his neighbors. One he was seeking to sell for $7500 according to the website I found to refresh my recollections. Jimmy Stewart was a photographer in the movie, home from overseas assignments with a broken leg. He had nothing to do but look out the rear window of his apartment, and discovered a murder taking place.
Putting two diverse facts next to one another like that doesn't prove more than a coincidence, but it makes me reflective.
In "Rear Window", Hitchcock weaves together various stories from various apartments facing into the courtyard around the central story of the murder. Those details enhance the 'peeping tom' quality of the movie. How far do you do to meddle into the affairs of other people? Strangers in particular? When is it your business and when is it not your business?
I have a rule, meddling in the troubles of other people when it is not your concern is like pulling the ears on a Doberman.
Svenson is making money off of photographing his neighbors. "Why don't they just draw the curtains?" I have curtains open in my own home right now. What if I was the subject of the next art show? I would be royally ticked off.
So I need to work toward some profound Christian truth to wrap this up. Because there has to be a wrap up, right? I am not so sure. There may just be a coincidence of vocabulary.
Or there may be more. The central concept of our church work is 'neighborhood'. Our Anchor statements, as a church, are all written around what it is we will do in service to our neighbors. But is it busting into the lives of strangers for our own purposes, for good or for ill? Is there something morally questionable about doing something like that? Not illegal necessarily, but morally questionable?
Sharing our faith, if we can even begin to define what that really looks like, runs up against the rule of sharing it with neighbor. And there are a lot of neighbors who have been turned off by neighbors forcing a gospel message at them that they did not ask for, did not want, did not fit, and may actually have caused damage. And the people of faith hide behind the power of the Holy Spirit as an excuse.
"Jesus said go forth and make disciples of all nations" is the battle cry of the Great Commission. And there is case after case after case of people whose lives were made better by the introduction of the truth and power of the gospel into their lives.
Is it just about flipping the coin, rolling the dice, getting into the affairs of others with the good news of the gospel? Or is there something more profound that we need to be looking at. The characters in "Rear Window" did not need to involve themselves in the murder they thought they witnessed. But they pushed because they thought they were doing the right thing.
In the case of murder, right and wrong are quite clear. Not always in the rest of life.
Here's the thing. There is a disconnect between the Christian faith and the world it is supposed to be changing, at least as far as I can see. I know my bible (not as well as I should) and I know what I am supposed to believe, but that seems very abstract, very 'out there', not something livable. And I am just trying to live my life like everybody else, maybe make a difference, Lord willing.
So, "Rear Window", 1954, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly. Made 60 years ago, caught it on cable, recorded it, watched it all the way through. Last time I watched it, I was younger and more foolish. Took too much advantage of the FF button. Messed it up for myself.
What on earth can a movie made sixty years ago have to say to us today? Aside from presenting one of the ten most beautiful women in the world so far as I am concerned?
Anybody remember the name Arne Svenson from the news recently? Had an art show for his photographs in NYC in May, pictures he took of his neighbors. One he was seeking to sell for $7500 according to the website I found to refresh my recollections. Jimmy Stewart was a photographer in the movie, home from overseas assignments with a broken leg. He had nothing to do but look out the rear window of his apartment, and discovered a murder taking place.
Putting two diverse facts next to one another like that doesn't prove more than a coincidence, but it makes me reflective.
In "Rear Window", Hitchcock weaves together various stories from various apartments facing into the courtyard around the central story of the murder. Those details enhance the 'peeping tom' quality of the movie. How far do you do to meddle into the affairs of other people? Strangers in particular? When is it your business and when is it not your business?
I have a rule, meddling in the troubles of other people when it is not your concern is like pulling the ears on a Doberman.
Svenson is making money off of photographing his neighbors. "Why don't they just draw the curtains?" I have curtains open in my own home right now. What if I was the subject of the next art show? I would be royally ticked off.
So I need to work toward some profound Christian truth to wrap this up. Because there has to be a wrap up, right? I am not so sure. There may just be a coincidence of vocabulary.
Or there may be more. The central concept of our church work is 'neighborhood'. Our Anchor statements, as a church, are all written around what it is we will do in service to our neighbors. But is it busting into the lives of strangers for our own purposes, for good or for ill? Is there something morally questionable about doing something like that? Not illegal necessarily, but morally questionable?
Sharing our faith, if we can even begin to define what that really looks like, runs up against the rule of sharing it with neighbor. And there are a lot of neighbors who have been turned off by neighbors forcing a gospel message at them that they did not ask for, did not want, did not fit, and may actually have caused damage. And the people of faith hide behind the power of the Holy Spirit as an excuse.
"Jesus said go forth and make disciples of all nations" is the battle cry of the Great Commission. And there is case after case after case of people whose lives were made better by the introduction of the truth and power of the gospel into their lives.
Is it just about flipping the coin, rolling the dice, getting into the affairs of others with the good news of the gospel? Or is there something more profound that we need to be looking at. The characters in "Rear Window" did not need to involve themselves in the murder they thought they witnessed. But they pushed because they thought they were doing the right thing.
In the case of murder, right and wrong are quite clear. Not always in the rest of life.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Review: "Under the Dome"
"Under the Dome"
CBS TV, Monday nights
It's a lab experiment. It's "Blue Velvet" under glass. It does not promise to be a pleasant ride. Then again, it is Stephen King...
There is a big old church in the middle of town, but no sign yet of the preacher. Wonder how badly he is going to come off (or she) if and when they write around the preacher. You know preachers, highly knowledgeable in the things of the devil, have to be in order to truly present the grace of the Lord.
The sci-fi geek in me is crying out the question "Why don't you dig underneath it?"
Starting with the murder by the 'heroic stranger' in town, coupled with the wacked out rejected boyfriend, mixed with the corrupt town councilman (he is a real estate dealer after all, if I got that right), the rather rickety old sheriff (I liked him a lot in 'Silverado'), and a whole lot of propane.
This is going to be a Neighborhood with the ethics ripped out of its collective chest. They effectively cut out the fire department, much of the police department, the city leadership, the boy and girl scouts, and anyone else on the side of 'good' with a parade over in the neighboring town. Only then did the alien species (gotta be, right?) drop the lid on their petrie dish to see the worst in humanity.
And the violence was pretty gratuitous, I am talking about the cow in the line of the descending dome, really? Did you have to go there? Even in "Starship Troopers", a movie that is about as gratuitous as it gets, they had the decency to CENSOR the cow vs. giant bug scene.
But here is the pastor thinking now. This is going to be a closed group of highly flawed individuals who are probably (Stephen King...) going to do the worst to each other. I am intrigued at the possibilities. Makes me wonder just how much redemption could be brought to bear, if the storyline allows for it. Because if they can't find hope, if they can't find redemption, it is going to turn very ugly.
That is the antithesis of the Neighborhood that is the vision of our church. It is a mirror held up of what happens without faith, hope, and love. If you are going to watch it, I recommend middle school and up, at least, and with you present. Gotta talk about it. Stephen King is not for the faint of heart. And he has a way of getting at the darkness of humanity's soul that will make this disturbing television but without the "R" rating that movies would bring with them.
If it doesn't get silly. (Anybody watch "Haven"?)
CBS TV, Monday nights
It's a lab experiment. It's "Blue Velvet" under glass. It does not promise to be a pleasant ride. Then again, it is Stephen King...
There is a big old church in the middle of town, but no sign yet of the preacher. Wonder how badly he is going to come off (or she) if and when they write around the preacher. You know preachers, highly knowledgeable in the things of the devil, have to be in order to truly present the grace of the Lord.
The sci-fi geek in me is crying out the question "Why don't you dig underneath it?"
Starting with the murder by the 'heroic stranger' in town, coupled with the wacked out rejected boyfriend, mixed with the corrupt town councilman (he is a real estate dealer after all, if I got that right), the rather rickety old sheriff (I liked him a lot in 'Silverado'), and a whole lot of propane.
This is going to be a Neighborhood with the ethics ripped out of its collective chest. They effectively cut out the fire department, much of the police department, the city leadership, the boy and girl scouts, and anyone else on the side of 'good' with a parade over in the neighboring town. Only then did the alien species (gotta be, right?) drop the lid on their petrie dish to see the worst in humanity.
And the violence was pretty gratuitous, I am talking about the cow in the line of the descending dome, really? Did you have to go there? Even in "Starship Troopers", a movie that is about as gratuitous as it gets, they had the decency to CENSOR the cow vs. giant bug scene.
But here is the pastor thinking now. This is going to be a closed group of highly flawed individuals who are probably (Stephen King...) going to do the worst to each other. I am intrigued at the possibilities. Makes me wonder just how much redemption could be brought to bear, if the storyline allows for it. Because if they can't find hope, if they can't find redemption, it is going to turn very ugly.
That is the antithesis of the Neighborhood that is the vision of our church. It is a mirror held up of what happens without faith, hope, and love. If you are going to watch it, I recommend middle school and up, at least, and with you present. Gotta talk about it. Stephen King is not for the faint of heart. And he has a way of getting at the darkness of humanity's soul that will make this disturbing television but without the "R" rating that movies would bring with them.
If it doesn't get silly. (Anybody watch "Haven"?)
Friday, June 21, 2013
Review: "Inside the Mind of a Teenage Killer"
"Inside the Mind of a Teenage Killer"
By Phil Chalmers
Nashville, Thomas Nelson, 2009
Completed June 21, 2013
I am not generally a reader or fan of "True Crime". It tends to be very sensational or voyeuristic. This book was on the resource table at a conference where Lt. Col. Dave Grossman was the speaker. Lt. Col. Grossman's words are prophetic to my mind and I picked up this book on his recommendation.
This book once again reinforces the need my church has for a youth group. As painful as it was, as disturbing as it was, I plowed through this book because there are two things that I need this knowledge for. First, on behalf of my youth, I need to know what I am looking at when there might be a killer in front of me. I don't want the youth in my care and in my flock to be at risk because I didn't do everything that I could to learn about what makes a killer kid.
The second thing I am taking from this book is the structure on how to build the antithesis of what it contains. What? This goes to the root of what good church does in our society. The very things that Phil Chalmers has taken the time and the energy to document are the very things that the church and people of faith HAVE TO UNDERSTAND IN ORDER TO DECONSTRUCT THEM. In other words, from this book can be taken the lessons of what a church needs to do to build a culture that undercuts those things that go into raising teen killers in today's society.
I found his conclusions compelling because they are not simple. And they resonate with my own experiences as a minister and as a father. And he has taken a compassionate view with these kids that I bless him for. But this book is not for the faint of heart.
Is the book without failings? I could do without the reference at the end of every chapter to the resources Mr. Chalmers has documenting the cases in this volume in greater detail. And I am a lot more of a liberal when it comes to my views and opinions on gun control so I am not as convinced by some of Mr. Chalmers suggestions (although it is fun to shoot).
The final question I took away from this book was how Phil Chalmers restores his own soul in the face of all evil manifested in all the kids he's interviewed and worked with. He will be in my prayers.
SPOILER ALERT: Chapter 12; "Raising a Killer in Ten Easy Steps", really got me. Mr. Chalmers summarizes, step by step, the data he's presented through the book in a list written as a perverse primer on what parents should and ought to be doing to raise teenage killers. He's very clear at the beginning and the end of the chapter that he is intentionally doing this but his aim is to make us "see reality through absurdity". "Raising a Killer in Ten Easy Steps" could be a satirical self-help parenting guide, or, in my business, a twisted sermon series. For me, it is going to become the framework on which to build the youth program for next year.
By Phil Chalmers
Nashville, Thomas Nelson, 2009
Completed June 21, 2013
I am not generally a reader or fan of "True Crime". It tends to be very sensational or voyeuristic. This book was on the resource table at a conference where Lt. Col. Dave Grossman was the speaker. Lt. Col. Grossman's words are prophetic to my mind and I picked up this book on his recommendation.
This book once again reinforces the need my church has for a youth group. As painful as it was, as disturbing as it was, I plowed through this book because there are two things that I need this knowledge for. First, on behalf of my youth, I need to know what I am looking at when there might be a killer in front of me. I don't want the youth in my care and in my flock to be at risk because I didn't do everything that I could to learn about what makes a killer kid.
The second thing I am taking from this book is the structure on how to build the antithesis of what it contains. What? This goes to the root of what good church does in our society. The very things that Phil Chalmers has taken the time and the energy to document are the very things that the church and people of faith HAVE TO UNDERSTAND IN ORDER TO DECONSTRUCT THEM. In other words, from this book can be taken the lessons of what a church needs to do to build a culture that undercuts those things that go into raising teen killers in today's society.
I found his conclusions compelling because they are not simple. And they resonate with my own experiences as a minister and as a father. And he has taken a compassionate view with these kids that I bless him for. But this book is not for the faint of heart.
Is the book without failings? I could do without the reference at the end of every chapter to the resources Mr. Chalmers has documenting the cases in this volume in greater detail. And I am a lot more of a liberal when it comes to my views and opinions on gun control so I am not as convinced by some of Mr. Chalmers suggestions (although it is fun to shoot).
The final question I took away from this book was how Phil Chalmers restores his own soul in the face of all evil manifested in all the kids he's interviewed and worked with. He will be in my prayers.
SPOILER ALERT: Chapter 12; "Raising a Killer in Ten Easy Steps", really got me. Mr. Chalmers summarizes, step by step, the data he's presented through the book in a list written as a perverse primer on what parents should and ought to be doing to raise teenage killers. He's very clear at the beginning and the end of the chapter that he is intentionally doing this but his aim is to make us "see reality through absurdity". "Raising a Killer in Ten Easy Steps" could be a satirical self-help parenting guide, or, in my business, a twisted sermon series. For me, it is going to become the framework on which to build the youth program for next year.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Review: World War Z
World War Z
by Max Brooks
New York: Crown Publishers, 2006.
Completed June 19, 2013
I like zombie-stuff. "Night of the Living Dead", "The Walking Dead", "Marvel Zombies"... "Zombieland" is a movie my daughter and I share an affection for. World War Z takes it to a new level. First person narrative accounts in the aftermath of the war was the ideal way to tell the story. It provided a level of realism that took my breath away. I don't know how the movie will begin to touch the book. I hope, for Brad Pitt's sake, that he doesn't even try.
The best zombie 'stuff' is never about the zombies. It is about the human drama that is taken to an existential extreme because of the threat to our very existence. World War Z, in that vein, is not about zombies. Rather, it documents the human condition after the worst possible circumstances. And we come out hopeful.
I think Max Brooks did an amazing job drawing out the different perspectives of our global village, portraying national identities, defining individual stories, all tied together yet individual in their tellings.
SPOILER ALERT: There was one point that really cut me to the quick. It was the role of the chaplain, the minister of God, in the war. It had to be Russian. Novels, and in particular science fiction novels, let you think about things in ways that nothing else does.
I've run into this idea before, in the movie DOOM, in the second of the "Starship Troopers" movie, the idea of what happens to the human being when something takes over their mental faculties, what is their responsibility-and, by extension, what is God's love for them? Goes to an extreme in considering God's love for all of us, no matter who we are.
The answer in the above examples was the person taking their own life before being taken over. World War Z goes to another place with it. Typical zombie thing, they bite you, infect you, you become one of them. In the World War, there are soldier who get bitten, then infected. Brooks sets the scenario that the usual response, killing them outright, is not an option.
So who kills the infected? They haven't turned, but they are going to, it is inevitable. They will become the instruments of the destruction of their friends and comrades if something isn't done. At first, it is the responsibility of the officers and NCO's, who are quickly overwhelmed by the task. There is enough in leading these men and women to their possible deaths, much less pulling the trigger if they, in the combat against the undead, become infected by them. So the task then passes to the victims themselves, to end their own lives before they become the very thing their army fights.
So enters the chaplain, the presence of God in the lives of these people. How do you give pastoral care to those who are so doomed? Tie to that the sinfulness implicit in suicide in Christian thought and what is the natural progression? Should it not be the chaplain, the presence of God, who takes on the role of he or she that releases the souls of the doomed to God?
The passage describing the chaplain taking out his sidearm is chilling.
by Max Brooks
New York: Crown Publishers, 2006.
Completed June 19, 2013
I like zombie-stuff. "Night of the Living Dead", "The Walking Dead", "Marvel Zombies"... "Zombieland" is a movie my daughter and I share an affection for. World War Z takes it to a new level. First person narrative accounts in the aftermath of the war was the ideal way to tell the story. It provided a level of realism that took my breath away. I don't know how the movie will begin to touch the book. I hope, for Brad Pitt's sake, that he doesn't even try.
The best zombie 'stuff' is never about the zombies. It is about the human drama that is taken to an existential extreme because of the threat to our very existence. World War Z, in that vein, is not about zombies. Rather, it documents the human condition after the worst possible circumstances. And we come out hopeful.
I think Max Brooks did an amazing job drawing out the different perspectives of our global village, portraying national identities, defining individual stories, all tied together yet individual in their tellings.
SPOILER ALERT: There was one point that really cut me to the quick. It was the role of the chaplain, the minister of God, in the war. It had to be Russian. Novels, and in particular science fiction novels, let you think about things in ways that nothing else does.
I've run into this idea before, in the movie DOOM, in the second of the "Starship Troopers" movie, the idea of what happens to the human being when something takes over their mental faculties, what is their responsibility-and, by extension, what is God's love for them? Goes to an extreme in considering God's love for all of us, no matter who we are.
The answer in the above examples was the person taking their own life before being taken over. World War Z goes to another place with it. Typical zombie thing, they bite you, infect you, you become one of them. In the World War, there are soldier who get bitten, then infected. Brooks sets the scenario that the usual response, killing them outright, is not an option.
So who kills the infected? They haven't turned, but they are going to, it is inevitable. They will become the instruments of the destruction of their friends and comrades if something isn't done. At first, it is the responsibility of the officers and NCO's, who are quickly overwhelmed by the task. There is enough in leading these men and women to their possible deaths, much less pulling the trigger if they, in the combat against the undead, become infected by them. So the task then passes to the victims themselves, to end their own lives before they become the very thing their army fights.
So enters the chaplain, the presence of God in the lives of these people. How do you give pastoral care to those who are so doomed? Tie to that the sinfulness implicit in suicide in Christian thought and what is the natural progression? Should it not be the chaplain, the presence of God, who takes on the role of he or she that releases the souls of the doomed to God?
The passage describing the chaplain taking out his sidearm is chilling.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
The Morning After...
It is the day after Christmas. The day after we celebrated the birth of Jesus. More than a week after the shooting in Newtown, Ct. And the news has faded, falling in behind news of the Fiscal Cliff and end-of-year sales figures. After all, that is about the economy. Are you tired of hearing about it yet?
I struggled. I struggled with faith questions, trying to put together an answer for myself, something that might fly with other people as we questioned what happened. I don't have an answer, but I have come to realize again that I don't need one. I don't expect we'll ever have an answer. But I found out something of much deeper importance did happen, at least for me. Are you tired of hearing about it yet?
I know this in my head, but I received a heart lesson on the faithfulness of God. I struggled, but God was steadfast. I questioned, but Jesus held firm. I had doubts, but the Spirit did not vacate the soul of this doubter. And, a week later, when the Christmas pageant was presented in worship at our church, I believed even more of the power of Christmas.
I worry. Everyone who came in the doors of the church that morning, I scrutinized. Are they church members? Are they guests? Are they armed? That worry is still very much part of the attitude I bring into the church, but the power of the Living God is greater still.
What is different? I am. I am more sensitive to things, at least for now. I am more aware of just how precious life is, of how it can't be taken for granted. I was aware this Christmas for the first time in a long time just how incredible a thing it is that the power of the Living God was harnessed and pulled back and invested into the form of a baby.
The New Year is coming. All the hope and wonder of the New Year depends on the promises delivered at Christmas. May the New Year be one of great blessings to us all.
I struggled. I struggled with faith questions, trying to put together an answer for myself, something that might fly with other people as we questioned what happened. I don't have an answer, but I have come to realize again that I don't need one. I don't expect we'll ever have an answer. But I found out something of much deeper importance did happen, at least for me. Are you tired of hearing about it yet?
I know this in my head, but I received a heart lesson on the faithfulness of God. I struggled, but God was steadfast. I questioned, but Jesus held firm. I had doubts, but the Spirit did not vacate the soul of this doubter. And, a week later, when the Christmas pageant was presented in worship at our church, I believed even more of the power of Christmas.
I worry. Everyone who came in the doors of the church that morning, I scrutinized. Are they church members? Are they guests? Are they armed? That worry is still very much part of the attitude I bring into the church, but the power of the Living God is greater still.
What is different? I am. I am more sensitive to things, at least for now. I am more aware of just how precious life is, of how it can't be taken for granted. I was aware this Christmas for the first time in a long time just how incredible a thing it is that the power of the Living God was harnessed and pulled back and invested into the form of a baby.
The New Year is coming. All the hope and wonder of the New Year depends on the promises delivered at Christmas. May the New Year be one of great blessings to us all.
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