Posts (page 2)
So my MLK reading got me thinking about the whole non-violence and why I struggle with it.
I've always struggled with pacifism. My struggle doesn't come from myself...I'm convinced that following Christ demands that I give up all rights to defend my possessions and even my life. I struggle with the holocaust. People were dying overseas. Watching cannot be the right answer. If you have the power (or if you don't) to stop something horrible how can you not? Does Christan pacifism mean we don't rise to the defense of other people? I'm not down with that. Holding a sign in downtown Atlanta that says "Hitler, please stop killing Jews" is NOT sufficient. Signing a petition is not enough. Praying is not enough. Action MUST be taken.
I thought i'ld found my answer in this quote from Ghandi "Rivers of blood may have to flow before we gain our freedom, but it must be our blood." (18) This of course is talking about Ghandi's own people...applied to the holocaust (just the example of the day) this tells me that we fly to germany not to kill germans but to get in the way of them killing Jews? We essentially go to Germany to die with the Jews? I hate to sound like a traditional anti-pacifist kid because I desperately want to be against every single act of violence but that seems idealistic at best. I don't see Hitler stopping his actions because some Americans decided to get shot too. When someone is truly, homicidally mad and they have an army at their fingertips non-violence seems like a great way to usher in the Hitler world order.
I'm down with non-violence when it comes to people attacking me personally...it is the only biblical answer. If an army rose up thats goal was to break into houses and kill babies...I would have to do more than just ask them politely to stop. I have trouble accepting that "please don't" is the right answer in that situation. When the people being oppressed can't defend themselves or even choose not to resist how can standing by be the right thing to do? How is THAT love?
Thoughts?
At a time when race relations were incredibly heated I can't imagine what would have happened if there was a weaker man at the helm of the civil rights movement. King's passion for love, his love for the people oppressing him changed the course of American history in a major way. King had a multitude of opportunities to say "Justice at all costs" and pass out some rifles. The black people probably even had the right to take up arms against their oppressors in lots of towns. There were obviously violent times but King's constant message of peace, love and reconciliation shaped America into what she is today. We would not have recovered from a racial war by now. (We aren't over our prejudice yet...but this is largely demonstrated by indifference now instead of the bitter hatred that would have stemmed from a race war.) That God saw fit to raise King to prominence with these crazy (Christian) ideas about not fighting back and about loving our attackers is amazing in and of itself.
Praise God for Martin Luther King, Jr and his valiant Christian leadership in the face of the worst kind of trials...our world would not be the same without his actions.
So I'm reading this commentary on Galatians...and I'm just blown away by how much there is to study on this one 6 chapter book. I could devote my life's work to studying this one short book and not run out of stuff to learn. This goes with the the constantly reoccurring theme of "Chris can't learn everything." That statement makes me angry.
I'm gonna go back to reading. I've only got 60 years or so left (if I start eating healthier/exercising
)...I've got a lot to learn.
I read a sad article today about the death of reading. I've read a few articles about the death of the book in the traditional sense and I'm down with the eBook thing...I understand that the book in the traditional sense will probably not be the predominant way to read in the future. I like my books with paper but don't really care if the generation after me uses cool futuristic looking reading device. I want one...a cool sony ebook reader would be great for all those old, free, out of print/copyright volumes.
This article isn't about futuristic reading devices. It's about the end of reading literature in general. People are reading less books than they have since literacy became a societal norm and books became. The article predicts (it has already started) the formation of an archaic 'reading class' made up of the slim few who read for leisure. In (the first) age when we literally have access to just about any work we want to read. Amazon and google books has made it possible to read what you want...old, new (even before its published sometimes), or otherwise we are at the pinnacle of book availability and we are heading toward abandoning works of literature all together.
Its so odd to me that whenever humans get something good we abandon it. We created devices that worked so quickly that we got time off. This new "leisure time" created the crazy huge entertainment industry (By that I mean people who produce leisure activities, devices, and contraptions). So then we needed TV's and radio's and board games and soccer balls and more places to keep all that. We now had time to sit and relax and we needed toys to fill up our free time. Eventually this led to the replacement of our leisure time with work to finance our leisure devices. Pretty great, huh?
The busyness of life today (created by the need of lots of money so that we can attain the maximum amount of leisurely pleasure) is probably a major factor in the cessation of reading in America. It is not the only factor...as a matter of fact I don't buy that it affects most people's actual ability to read as much as we think it does. Yes, people are busy but we are not too busy to make it to our couches for American Idol or 24. We make time for TV as entertainment but not for reading. TV has a profound effect on us.There are a couple of problems with it... 1. It is designed to make us want to watch it more (because it is a marketing tool). 2. It is designed to make us discontent with what we have (same reason). Books as entertainment are not generally designed to leave us discontent (a book IS the product not marketing FOR a product) and while books in a series will often leave you craving the next one and a good book will make you want to read it more this is not a never ending, string you along to a conclusion that will come only IF the show ends (and knows ahead of time) kind of wanting to read more but a mark of good literature.
I'm not against TV (although most of it is a miserable waste of time) it has value and some shows are really good (Season 2 of buffy is one of my very favorite works of fiction...with season 6/7 close behind. Tough decision between the two.) but there are benefits to reading your fiction instead of consuming it that are lost when TV becomes our sole form of entertainment. Reading books expands our vocabulary, requires us to use our imagination, and makes us better at reading books. Since most academic work is in a form that must be read, when a 6th grader reads Harry Potter instead of watching High School Musical for the sixth time or watching a rerun of the The Suite Life of Zach and Cody (i donno if they're that punny in the title or not) they are preparing for their academic career and building skills that will be useful for a long time. There is no such benefit with television. They are mildly entertained for 30 minutes and left with 100 images of products to ask their parents for.
This is getting too long so I'm just going to stop. So should you. Pick up a book. It's better than Facebook and Deal or No Deal put together, I promise.
I like to learn. I like it a lot. There is not much at all I enjoy better than to learn about something new. I don't know if its pride or just severe curiosity but whenever I start something I have a desire to know everything about it. I'm not happy with being ignorant. I get frustrated when I can't figure something out...electricity as it applies to guitar pedals comes to mind (of course I was just working from what I can find for free on the internet...I really need a pedal making mentor). I'm excited about mdiv work because its gonna give me a chance to actually take a decent class on Greek. (and hebrew...gross).
The point is...both of my professors in this class are masters of their respective fields. Strong with the NT and Gibson with the sermon. I crave that knowledge. I'm willing to work for it. The problem is that I'm at a point where I'm supposed to start picking a field. I look at Greek and the New Testament, Hebrew and the Old Testament, theology, homiletics, history, counseling, sociology, education or even human development as it applies to teaching/ministering to people of different ages and I want to learn it all.
An Mdiv will give me a decent blend of all of that. (With the possible exception of sociology...what I'll get probably won't be decent) I guess I have a while to make up my mind (after the MDIV is when it"ll really start to matter) but I just can't see myself being content with knowing lots about Greek but not rhetoric...or lots about christian history but only a cursory understanding of Greek.
I guess thats a good thing...but its gonna take me quite a few years to learn everything I wanna learn. I just don't know exactly what I want to focus on first. I guess it'll be biblical languages for my MDIV focus...if I can work that at NOBTS' NGA campus. (Its half the price of the next cheapest school sooo its basically my only option.) I want to keep learning though...I guess I'll figure out exactly what I'll learn when the time comes.
sooo part of going to school at an extension center is fun week-long workshops at the main campus. In my case this means New Orleans. You only have to take 12 out of 126 hours in these workshops. I have 12 hours left to go and 6 of them have to be on the main campus...stupid.
So I'm headed down tomorrow for a fun class Preaching from 1 John. I've got 2 cool professors, both of whom not only know the information but have the ability teach it well (how rare is that?) and for the most part their classes aren't difficult to pass. It should be a good time. I'm just gonna find somewhere to sleep in a dorm where some of my friends live so I'm just gonna have to find food+gas. This is my vacation for the year...8 hours of class during the day and some beignets @ cafe du monde by night.
I'm sort of excited about the weather though. Thursday and Friday it was like 19 here...miserable. The lowest its supposed to get in NO is 52 while I'm there. With highs in the 70's. I'm packing shorts and sandals..my toes miss the sun. Yes, its icky there with like 194% humidity and constant showers all year long but I don't care. Anytime I get the chance to whip out my Chaco's and let my toes breathe I'm gonna take it.
I'm typing here...I still have to finish up my pre-class work and pack and clean out my car tonight. I'm leaving after church tomorrow; I better get to work.
Our enormously productive economy… demands that we make consumption
our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into
rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction,
in consumption… We need things consumed, burned up, worn out, replaced,
and discarded at an ever increasing rate.
- Victor Lebow, 1955
That pretty much sums it up doesn't it. Consumerism is so ingrained in who we are as people in America its really difficult to let go of. I can sit down and lament the rampant consumerism and vow never to be consumed again...until i see a new Ipod or an Iphone or whatever the gadget [lust] of the day is. Then I'm back to rationalizing my obsession.
This guy in 1955 figured out the way to have a booming economy. This was not really a statement of the situation of his day as much as it was a statement of the kind of society needed to have an "enormously productive economy." Congratulations...we've done it. At the cost of the planet, people's lives and our very own souls we've managed to produce an enormously productive economy. We've made our bed (with Egyptian cotton no less)...now lets take our drugs so we can sleep in it.
check out the story of stuff. The lady sounds like shes patronizing you the whole time but its still worthwhile.
I hope you have wonderful day full of family, fellowship, and peace. A day focused on the advent. I even hope you get some stuff you've been wanting. I hope you sing songs and eat good food and have a generally joyful day. Our Savior is here!
In other words...
Merry Christmas.
