Rational arguments for the truth of theism are no longer supposed to work. Some Christians therefore advise that we should simply share our narrative and invite people to participate in it.
This sort of thinking is guilty of a disastrous misdiagnosis of contemporary culture. The idea that we live in a postmodern culture is a myth. In fact, a postmodern culture is an impossibility; it would be utterly unlivable. People are not relativistic when it comes to matters of science, engineering, and technology; rather, they are relativistic and pluralistic in matters of religion and ethics. But, of course, that's not postmodernism; that's modernism! That's just old-line verificationism, which held that anything you can't prove with your five senses is a matter of personal taste. We live in a culture that remains deeply modernist.

---William Lane Craig, from "God Is Not Dead Yet", published online at Christianity Today

According to Craig, we do not live in a post-modern world, but a deeply modernist one. In this type of world, where things are suppose to be rational unless creativity is involved (religion and ethics are creative, or in need of non-analytical thinking, so to speak). If creativity or art is needed it means we are dealing with something there is no data or computer code to replicate, meaning irrationality ensues.

The fact is, the Christian community participates in art, creativity and irrationality, day in and day out. Our community is a narrative we invite people to participate in and learn from, as a person gazing at a painting finds more and more meaning. A person may not believe in a painting's value until he or she reads an essay that explains the artist's approach and the meaning behind the work. So to, a person in church may need to be persuaded by a good sermon or a caring, loving, and sharing friend, but those actions are the minority of the Christian community's life. The majority of the community's time is spent in the irrational, the creative, the order of service, the liturgy, prayer, song, dance---all things that are part of a narrative and not in the analytical or scientific.

Every time we go to church we participate in something that is irrational. ... more

While on vacation in Vermont last week my wife Sarah and I (along with our webmaster/developer/designer Josh Benner and his wife) toured the First Congregational Church of Bennington, VT.

From their history:

"The Old First Church was gathered in 1762, the first Protestant church in Vermont. Much of the early history of Bennington and of Vermont took place in and around the original Meeting House, built in 1763, and the present church, built in 1805 and dedicated January 1, 1806. As a result, the Vermont Legislature, in 1935, designated the church as "Vermont's Colonial Shrine".

Over 200 years now since the dedication of the present building, we continue to be an active church community."

On our honeymoon three years ago Sarah and I stopped by this old church because Robert Frost is buried there.  We visited after hours last time, so we did not have the opportunity to tour the inside of the church. This time we fortunately did.

The inside is fashioned in the Puritan style with the pulpit high above the congregation and the lectern housed below it (see the below picture).

A member of the church was guiding visitors through the church with trivia and good nature, and there was an information table with some souvenirs to purchase (a book of Robert Frost's poems, some prayer aides, etc.). ... more

A good look at the character of God is in the knitting of the most exalted of His creation, mankind. Today I had the priviledge and great joy of viewing my wife's ultra-sound. It is magnificent how intricate this tiny creation inside of my her is. I was awestricken by the beautiful child developing, only the size of my hand, about a pound, wiggling and moving. Truly a moment when overwhelming joy and awe for the Father came upon me. So often we take for granted the simple gift and mystery of everyday life. ... more

Since moving to Montana the idea of the Christian aesthetic has pressed on my mind. Maybe it was the fact that the landscape surrounding is an obvious indicator that our Lord is concerned with beauty. The Creator's craftsmanship is to such a grand scale that forces one to dwell on creation, creating, and creativity. Being inundated in a beautiful scape causes a desire to create beauty. The other possibility is that joining a church that meets in an old stonework building with quartersawn oak pews and fabulous stained glass has revealed the once prevalent value of Christian aesthetic. In fact, it might be that I myself have endeavored in building furniture and am making a livelyhood building pleasing things. Whatever it is, my yearning for a Christian aesthetic has been hightened. ... more

On June 13, 2008 newsman Tim Russert died.  A month later, this is old news.  Yet, this is the news I have been meditating on for the last several weeks.  I did not have any close connection with this man, and only rarely did I see his face on the television screen.  When I first read the news, it seemed surprising, due to his age.  He was, after all, basically a household name and I was familiar with it.  But it wasn’t something that struck ... more

You voice the world into being,
You voice the church into obedience,
You voice us now, and then into newness,
You speak and call into existence that which does not exist.
- Walter Bruggemann, from "Reading Psalm 1"

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I am going on vacation all of next week.  There will be different contributors holding down the fort and posting each day next week, so you can still get your Everyday Liturgy fix.

Here are some links for the weekend and beyond:

 The Christian Century, New N.T. Wright Article

 Sr. Magnificat Macé explains the art of icon writing

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So I finally watched Into Great Silence, the acclaimed documentary about French monks who take vows of silence. I fell asleep during it. But not because it wasn't beautiful, it was just, well, silent. The images were amazing, and they were that: just images, no music, narration, or accompaniment, just images and the sounds of shoes on the ancient stone of the monastery.

Their prayer was silent.

Their reading was silent.

Only their common worship, their chanting, was spoken.

Until Sunday came, when they spoke together and rejoiced in one another's company as a "family."

At one point toward the end of the movie, I woke up from one of my intermittent cat naps (the movie is 160 mins and I slept through about 30 mins. of it, just a guess) to a sound---the wonderous sound!---of monks young and old sledding on a mountainside.

I was most touched by what the father of the abbey said to a novice just entering the monastery. He asked him, (I paraphrase) "are you ready to serve God in this way, through vows of silence and joyful penance?" He did not say, "this is the best way to serve God," or "this is the most spiritual way to know God," but instead "in this way." Though we idolize them as spiritual demi-gods, monks do not see themselves as superior to those outside the abbey walls. They desire that we serve God as best we can as they serve God as best they can.

May we all find ways to serve God with all our being! ... more

The overarching theme of art is that it is the continuation of the human story.  Specific to Christianity, the liturgy is how our story continues from the past, to the Scriptures, to the present day.  Liturgy, as any well done Christian service should show, is the sharing of the Christian story over again: the water (Creation/Baptism), the communion elements (the Death of Christ), the presence of the Word (the Bible), and the celebration of new life (the Resurrection and Reign of Christ).  To this end, our faith should be realized in the continuing story of Christ and his Kingdom on earth (as it is in the heavenlies).

The point of the liturgical narrative is to draw individuals out of the personal, individualized religious framework of legalism and dogmatic fundamentals and into a communal story. Communities in and of themselves are detrimental to a proper understanding of the sociological aspects of faith, thus Grenz and Franke rightly define a new unit of sociological focus called the individual-in-community. The individual and community must be equally balanced in order to maintain a proper understanding of discipleship, worship, and justification (N.T. Wright’s commentary on justification of individuals within faith communities, particularly in What Saint Paul Really Said is helpful).

Often, the Christian story is divided between individuals and community in terms of obedience and sacrifice.  We are to be obedient Christians during the week and make our sacrifice on Sundays.  This dualism, the separation of obedience from sacrifice is symptomatic of an Enlightenment understanding of the separation of exegesis, theology, and orthodoxy (what you describe as fundamentals) from lectio divina, theo-praxis/spiritual theology, and ortho-praxis. It is not enough to live in obedience of faith, as James writes faith without works is dead. The point must be conceded that works without faith are dead as well. Therefore, the dualism of obedience (textualization of faith) and sacrifice (the liturgical and communal aspects of religious life) must be deconstructed as an Enlightenment determination of facts that undermines emotional, local knowledge, and mosaic of knowledge. ... more

Yesterday on Lifehacker there was a post on developing a life plan with a link to, low and behold!, the blog of Thomas Nelson's CEO, Michael Hyatt, on Creating A Life Plan. I am not much for self-help stuff, but this kind of steers clear of the "empowering" or "self-improvement" fluff and attempts to get you to live your life so that it will be remembered the way you want it to be, along with a place to write down where you are in life and plan how you will get to the other places. The focus of this has nothing to do with money, objects, or tools, but focuses around family, colleagues, and yourself.

My priorities were this:

What is most important to you?

1. Living a liturgical, practical life of simplicity.

2. Earning enough money to not be poor, and not enough to forget what it is like to want something and not be able to afford it.

3. To not spend time unwisely.

4. To be missional.

5. To stay healthy in a holistic way.

I have a long way to go with all these things. I have always looked up to Scot McKnight, both his book writing and blog writing, and what he wrote about Our Daily Rhythm was inspiring to me. Hopefully, when I am his age, I will be closer to meeting my priorities on a daily basis than I am now.

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