something that the little mermaid taught me.

maybe it's because i have a
two year old daughter at home-
or maybe i'm just using that as an excuse
for my own personal thrill of it-
but the past year has reintroduced me
to the wonderful world of all things disney.
it's an odd feeling to watch these movies again-
movies that i grew up with,
now sharing with my own child.

it's a satisfying experience,
and yet eerie in the sense
that it only feels like just yesterday,
that i was 6 years old, watching
beauty and the beast for the first time.
apparently time does fly.

it's also strange to watch these movies again,
as an adult, having lived a bit of life,
and i'm amazed at the themes and undertones
of these movies, that i could only
extract as an adult.

here's a line from the little mermaid,
which has always struck me,
but i've been a bit more occupied with lately:

"i just don't see how a world
that makes such wonderful things
could be bad"

when i was growing up, my bible picture book
(and nearly anything i can think of that i can
associate the word christian with)
outlined that this world that god created,
is filled with sin.

now, they say that this sin is mankind's own doing,
but there is so much emphasis on that sin part,
that i think we miss out on a very important truth:
that god did create the world, and it is beautiful.

think of how being cultured with the knowledge
of sin being present and active in the world
like a rampant virus, just waiting to exploit us all,
taints our worldview.

maybe it makes us more skeptical of each other.
maybe it causes barriers between races.
maybe it causes us to dwell on being fallen,
and truly does separate us from
any chance of redemption.

to be told that you're a fallen creation,
for some, that's a truth that could quite
literally destroy your self worth and true potential.
it's a dangerous thing really, and yet,
we hurl it at each other like we're all
on the playing field of spiritual dodge ball.

what if we looked at it from a different angle-
and started from the actual beginning itself,
that god created something beautiful,
and we- people quite literally created in his image-
also hold the amazing potential to do beautiful things.
how would that change who we are?
how would that empower us to be life-givers,
rather than destroyers.

and don't even get me started on the implications
this has for how we should treat the planet in general
(that'll be a different rant for a different day).

i look at how we're expecting a second child
in a few months, and do i really want to think
that we're giving birth to a person who's entering
a fallen world- of sin, destruction, despair.
if i start from that vantage point,
how can i be an effective father at all?-
let alone, a father who seeks to exemplify
the positive characteristics of god?

maybe we need to change our vantage point.
if we start from love, creation, and beautiful things,
how can we help from living a life to the full?

refreshing

"second fig"
by edna st. vincent millay

safe upon the solid rock
the ugly houses stand:

come see my shining palace
built upon the sand!

H - E - double hockey sticks

may 2009

"ok, i'm having an issue," i casually remarked.

"hmm?" he inquisitively grunted.
he was reading some news article.
his eyes never left the page.


"well, i'm trying to prep for
this week's sunday school class,
and my topic sort of touches
on the issue of hell."

"and...what's your issue?"

"well... i just don't get it.
to subscribe to the belief of an
all-loving god that sends
people to hell... it seems like
a massive contradiction.

and, how can i possible prepare
a lesson on a subject that i'm
not even sure that i believe in.
how can i push a theory onto
young minds, that
i'm personally struggling with?"

"just do it anyway," he muttered.
"it's biblical, so don't question it."

"but, what if we're wrong?
what if we're interpreting the whole
message wrong and are missing the point?"

"just do it!"
his fist slammed on the desk
and made his stapler jump
a couple of inches.

"good god, stephen- you have to let
go of all of these foolish questions!
the bible is black and white-
there's no gray areas-
and there's no room for your despicable doubt.
jesus spoke it, and we follow his teachings.
end of discussion.
there especially isn't any room in our religion
for people like you who doubt our lord.

you're either in, or you're out.
you can either teach the lesson on hell,
from a traditional biblical standpoint,
or leave now, and don't ever
bother showing your face in this church again."

-----------------------------------------

this is a true story of a real encounter
that i had with a pastor
approximately four years ago.

and this conversation caused me to do
some serious soul searching about the topic.
i haven't really come up with an answer.
but, what if hell is just a metaphor,
and we're missing the point,
and are missing out on something great?

what if hell weren't an issue?
we'd probably love each other so much more.
what if we're horribly wrong about hell,
and god will judge us based on
our grotesque misinterpretation?

transitioning young adults

as someone who has previously been
employed by the church,
one of the most common questions/ issues
that arises within leadership groups is:
"how can we transition and keep
young adults in the church after they
graduate from high school?"

and after much thought and speculation,
i've arrived at a grand conclusion:
you can't.
at least, not the majority of them, anyway.

i believe that north american culture
truly lacks any sort of formal ritual
that passes a young man or woman
on from child to adult.
whereas other civilizations will host transitional
feasts, ceremonies,- even a time of self discovery
through a forested area in the wilderness-
something in which the young wo/man can emerge
and pronounce themselves to be an adult.

north american culture has to cling tightly
onto the few transitional periods it has-
namely, the one in which a young person
can leave the homestead, pursue
post-secondary education, or some backpacking
excursion on a different continent,
just to break away from the family culture
and learned traditions,
and to return as an adult.

i can see how the church itself is quite
concerned over the issue.
there is a profound generation gap
in most churches.
i see it whenever i, myself, attend.
i can count the twenty-somethings on one hand
(and most of them have already made their
personal transitions, and have gotten married,
or something).

but with that generation lacking attendance,
there is a possibility that the church itself
could implode from lack of funding, or
even from a lack of diversity in age and culture.
which wouldn't be the worst thing,
i'm just saying.

maybe the original question
("how can we transition and keep
young adults in the church after they
graduate from high school?"),
itself is faulty, and the wrong question to ask.
perhaps we shouldn't be so concerned with
what sort of infrastructures and programs
are in place to keep young adults connected.

instead, the church in general, needs to
literally become preoccupied with
the individual, their life, and spiritual walk,
and the question needs to shift to:
"what can i do for you?"

one + one + one = one?

in the bible,
a supposed trinity is hinted at,
but in no verse-
and please correct me if i'm mistaken-
is an actual trinity presented
or mentioned.
and at the very least,
the word trinity just doesn't
seem to show up.

it certainly has complicated things,
especially for those new to the faith.
and in truth, i'd wager that there are
many folks that have been believers
for their entire lives, who don't
grasp the concept themselves,
but would never admit it.

i'll be honest- this has been a major
stumbling point for me with
christianity. it's freaking confusing
to think of god as one, but with three
characters that comprise one god-
all co-dependent on one another,
but all collectively resembling one god.
huh?

so, let me get this straight:
god= father + jesus + holy spirit.
but the three are not separate from one
another, they are all one god.

...........

in the midst of the confusion, there's
always a handful of well-meaning
people in the church who assure that
"it's okay if i don't understand it now-
but that i will someday, when i get to heaven."
but, that's not good enough for me.
if this is, in fact, the way that god is
and has presented himself to humanity,
shouldn't this be a basic and simple
principle to grasp- and one that would
follow some sort of easy to follow logic?

i wonder, how many of us out there
actually believe this principle,
or are afraid of questioning it, because to
question would be seen as doubting-
and doubting would mean your faith is lacking-
and that simply is unacceptable.

trinity. the "godhead, three in one".
in the midst of transcribing the great
theology that is the bible, one of the
apostles really missed out on an
opportunity to make this one a
little more clear.

on being a christian atheist

christian atheism.
it's a term that i've come in
contact with twice this week.

first off, there's this guy-
craig groeschel- who defends the
principle that there are many people
in his life- including himself-
that legitimately believe in god-
but then live their lives
like he doesn't exist.

it's a pretty powerful viewpoint.
especially when you are surrounded
by an entire world that has been deeply
scarred by the term "christian", and
are watching so-called christians
set up these gigantic expectations on
how to live, and seldom pursue
these expectations and rules themselves.

secondly, good ole' wikipedia tells me
that christian atheism is a belief structure,
in which "the god of christianity is
rejected or absent, but the moral
teachings of jesus are followed".
essentially, the god that christians
have set up is dead and non-existent,
but jesus' radical teachings can
and should change our lives.

by this definition, a christian atheist
would be one to remove the "fairy tale"
elements of the christian faith, and to seek
out the raw and authentic teachings that
can affect our own livelihood.
this does away with religion itself,
and places significant ownership
on humans alone to be the dictators
of their own destiny.

upon speculation on both variations
of the term, i'm immediately struck by
the comfort of some to put the word
"christian" so close to the word "atheist".
the two seem so opposed, and yet,
maybe that's missing the point all together.
both the traditional christian and the atheist
are individuals with viewpoints, experiences,
and challenges.

and maybe we need the considered
"opposition" to be close, so that we may
gain a better understanding of each other,
of ourselves, and ultimately- of god.

a god by any other name

i find it interesting that so many other faith structures
quite literally name or label their deities
with a clear, defined name.
the greeks have their zeus.
the muslims have their allah.
the jews have their yahweh.
and the god of the christian faith is just that:
god.
one simple term and name.
vague. and preloaded with meaning.

and yet, that simple term- god-
has so many other names or terms that are
used synonymously in the bible.
firstly, there's the whole father term-
a complex in itself.
and then there's adonai,
which loosely translates to mean majesty.
in the old testament, there's elohim,
which quite literally means "strong one".
el olam is essentially the "everlasting god".
not one of these names holds more
weight or significance than the other-
they're merely different views and
experiences of god's nature.

i wonder if,
lacking a clear, single, and defined name,
opens god up to be,
whoever we most need him to be
in that particular moment.