my inner heretic

i have been thinking a lot lately about people and things i am interested in. the books i am reading, music i listen to, people i am interested in, etc.
so, i have added a couple of boxes to the side of this site to show what i am currently listening to and reading.

some of these might be shocking to some. for instance, "blue like jazz" has a huge following in two ways.

one group has read it and has taken miller's self-deprecating thoughts on his own spiritual pilgrimage to be the new orthodoxy, and they want to do a way with anything "fundamental", "conservative", or "doctrinal".

the other group may or may not have read the book, but they are convinced that it is venom from satan himself.

rather than being lumped into the second group, i bought it (on sale, half price) and read it.

my conclusion? for the genre of the book , personal narrative, its not bad. in fact, i actually enjoyed it.

miller does have some ideas and thoughts that i disagree with, but as a whole, his book is refreshing. i am not going to throw out the proverbial baby with the bath water, but hopefully i will seek to love people more after having read his book.

another book i have read recently is mark driscoll's "confessions of a reformission rev.".

driscoll is somewhat of a polarizing personality, and the pastor of a 4,000 member plus church in seattle. some of his methods are less than popular with the conservative resurgence crowd, and so he is villified bu them. other of his methods are seen as too archaic by the emergent church groups, so they dismiss him.
again, as i read his book, i disagreed with parts, laughed when he spoke plainly about certain ideas and attitudes, and was encouraged by a man who knows he has made and will continue to make mistakes. i probably wont change my overall ministry philosophy after reading this book, but i did gain insights and clarity that i would not have if i had not read his book.


on the music front, some people may be surprised that i often listen to "secular" music more than "christian".
by 'christian music" i mean the music that is only played on christian owned radio stations, produced and distributed by labels that only record artists that play in churches and christian festivals. you know, the stuff that if played on a "regular" radio station, people would change the station because compared to even some of the most mediocre music on those stations, "christian" music sounds oddly inadequate, like a high school drama department doing "macbeth" on broadway.

in my opinion, and on a sheerly technical level (production, originality, creativity, lyrically) "christian music" as a whole is awful.

so there.

because a person may or not be a professing christian does not dictate whether or not their music is good. i would venture to guess that most people dont buy all of their clothes at christian clothing stores, buy gas at only christian owned gas stations, or buy groceries at christian supermarkets. when you go to the dentist, ill bet your dentist does not engrave you fillings with a cross, and your plumber does have "john 3:16" written on his crescent wrench. so why do we demand that anything "worth hearing/viewing/etc." be christian?

i have no idea.

obviously this has its limits. we should never endorse that which is contrary to the teachings of scripture, especially if it is conceived and received in order to replace the truth of the gospel, or even to compromise it.
we should not be conformed to the image of the world, but by scripture.
but when a lost person sings about having a bad day, or being in love, it does not make jesus like me any less because it speaks to me more than a song by a christian artist who has never written a song about having ever had a day when he felt like he wasnt already in heaven.

but we can learn from and think through ideas and thoughts in light of what we know to be truth. when patty griffin sings her song about the suicide of a homsexual classmate, i think through the people in my life that i never asked " how are you".
we cannot be salt and light to world we have removed ourselves from. and god forbid that we become so arrogant as to think we cannot learn anything from people who are not christians. we may not get our theology from them, but we certainly can learn more about the human experience, and how it is lived without christ. and this should produce a reaction of love and empathy for them, and result in prayer for them. not exclusion.

now i am rambling, but i do have a point. we should not be so quick to judge by our predetermined categories.

back in february, i was present to hear a lecture given by a professor at my own seminary about miller's book, "blue like jazz". i hadnt yet read the book, but i had heard a lot of talk about it, some loving it and others hating it. so i went to hear what i thought would be a fare and balanced review and critique.
overall the seminar was negative, but seemed to be fair as far as i could tell.

then i read the book, and i question whether or not the one speaking ever actually read the book himself.

i do not doubt that he opened the book and flipped pages, but i seriously wonder if he read the book. if he did, i wonder if his mind was made up to hate it before he read it.

when i read the book, i was prepared to disagree with it. and while i did on many points, i was shocked at how it had been so greatly misrepresented in that lecture i had gone to.
i was embarrassed by how willing i was to accept someone else's negative reaction(even to the point of telling others not to read it) without having read it for myself.
and i lost some respect for that professor.

by most accounts and standards, i am as conservative as they come. my heros are mostly dead theologians. i believe that the bible is god's word handed down to us and provides us with what he wanted us to know.

some people would call me a fundamentalist (though i would ask for clarification o f the term)

yet i find it odd that many people i know who are also conservatives would label me as liberal for saying miller's book is "pretty good".

what are we so afriad of? that someone who doesn't vote for the same party that we do might actually have insight into something we could learn from?

let us not be the kind of christian who speaks loudly and often about things because we perceive they are not "christian" enough. before we speak against anything, we should at least have studied it, or examined it. we are not winning anyone to jesus because we condemn that which we do not know.

"behold the lamb of god"

three posts in less than a week. unheard of here.

anyway, here is the link to a site that will allow you to hear (and read) the entire album of andrew peterson's masterpiece, "behold the lamb of god" (performers include peterson, derek webb, jill phillips, and others)

i recommend finding 45 minutes of uninterrupted time and listsening while reading this beautiful presentation of the story of redemption. starting in exodus, ending at the manger.

click here.

how to rid your church of youth

i received an email the other day with this excerpt from an article in the november/december 2006 issue of the afa journal, a publication of the american family association...

Young Adults Disengaging From ChurchAgape PressFindings from a new study by The Barna Group reveal a frightening disengagement from Christianity during young adulthood. The study, based on data collected from 2,124 teenagers and 22,103 adults, including 3,583 twenty-somethings, "shows that despite strong levels of spiritual activity during the teen years, most twenty-somethings disengage from active participation in the Christian faith during their young adult years -- and often beyond that," a Barna report said.Specifically, 61 percent of today's young adults, who, as teenagers, were churched at one point, are now spiritually disengaged. Spiritual disengagement is identified as being inactive when it comes to church attendance, Bible reading, or prayer. Only 20 percent of twenty-somethings have maintained spiritual activity consistent with that of their high school experiences, the study revealed."In total, 6 out of 10 twenty somethings were involved in a church during their teen years, but have failed to translate that into active spirituality during their early adulthood," Barna said.And for most adults, this disengagement seems to extend further into the stages of adulthood, specifically parenthood. Despite parental desires to give children spiritual guidance, the new study noted "that just one-third of twenty somethings who are parents regularly take their children to church, compared with two-fifths of parents in their thirties and half of parents who are 40 years old or more."David Kinnaman, director of research for the study, believes these findings lend significant insight into the current state of youth ministry and young adult ministry."There are certainly effective youth ministries across the country, but the levels of disengagement among twentysomethings suggest that youth ministry fails too often at discipleship and faith formation," Kinnaman explained. ________________________________________________________________
should we be surprised?
i have been a part of many student ministries. from serving as youth minister myself, to volunteering for other ministries, i have thankfully seen many ministries who taught their students that they were created for god, and their greatest need is him. but i have also seen many ministries whose only bible teaching comes in the form of quick 20 minutes devotionals after over an hour or two of playing games. why would students continue in the church after they aren't made to go, if what they have learned from our ministries is that we are willing to do whatever it takes to entertain them and make them comfortable?what do we expect them to do when the pizza parties and fifth quarters stop? if there are no churches offering free food and yearly trips to the beach, what is left to convince them the church wants them there?we need more churches who teach their students that there biggest need is salvation. and they need to be taught that they do not deserve that salvation, nor can they earn it. they need to be taught and it needs to be understood by them that holiness is not simply something you do at church, or a way to act to stay on god's good side. holiness is demanded of us from a holy god. they need to be taught to fear the lord, to love him and honor him and respect him. they need to be taught that they are loved by him, that he sent his son to be beaten and brutally and painfully killed so that they might have eternal life. they need to be taught that they were created for god's glory, not to have the best job with the best salary so they can buy the best of everything.if all our students are getting out of our student ministries is "don't have sex" and "don't drink or do drugs", then we are crippling them.there are lots of "moral" people who don't do the "bad things" that we warn our students about. and lots of those "moral" people have no need or time for church.do we want "moral" teenagers who grow to be "moral" young adults and raise "moral" families?or do we want young people who know their creator to be the one true and holy god. people who know their god, and know who they are in light of him? who know that they have nothing if they do not have him?are our student ministries entertaining and coddling our young people? are we sacrificing content to convince them that church is "cool"? if so, how do we expect to compete with a world who can do things bigger, better, and more relevant, exactly like the culture dictates? once they are out of youth group, why would they turn to a place that waters down the culture and christianizes it, when they can have the culture undiluted?we are amusing our young people to death. they do not need ministries that are more "relevant". they need to the word of god. should we constantly assess the effectiveness of our ministries? of course. it is certainly not wrong to speak in a way that your audience understands. but when we begin to compromise the content of our message in order to grow in numbers or "cool" points, then we are harming the ones we think we are protecting. instead of arming them to live in a world that is after them, we are teaching them to look, live, and act just like it.where are they learning to compromise? from the ministries that failed them.

have a "seat", read a book...

stephen newell recently blogged about redeeming the time.. while you are....shall we say, "unavailable to come to the phone right now".
read his blog entry about reading material in the bathroom, and see if you're not convinced!

-stephen (cavness)

to be read aloud.. if you can

i never would have imagined that i would be convicted by a poem with the word "crap" in it.

i have written in the past about what a magnificent songwriter andrew peterson is, but today i stumbled across this poem written on his website. (it is at his site, under the journal entries for july- september 2006 a ways down) it is lengthy, but amazingly humbling, convicting, and beautiful... all at once.

if you are to where you can, read it out loud, and marvel at how a poem written by someone you (perhaps) have never met can speak so piercingly into your life. at least thats how it was with me.


A Poem on a Plane (to be Read Aloud)5-7-06
by andrew peterson

What does it look like, to put on your robes
To walk in the way of the Truth and the Life
Oh what does it look like carry the load
To take up the burden that’s easy and light?

Because here in America, now in these times
The pizza looks good in the junk mail I get
And the latest and greatest is cheap as a dime
And how could I pass up a new TV set?

And how could I possibly not buy the best
When it’s only another few bucks after all
And that discount subscription is hot off the press
It’s the gift that keeps taking my eyes off the ball

And these shoes are worn out, and my kids need new shirts
And the yard needs more work to keep up with next door
And the bills came today and boy, doesn’t that hurt
Honey don’t think about it--let’s go to the store

See, the fast food joint that we love’s on the way
And the video place—bring the coupon we got
We can rent a new movie and pay for the wage
Of the stars with their cars and their mansions and yachts

While we live in obscurity, relative wealth
Or relative poverty, sickness and health
While the beats of our hearts pound a carnival dirge
As they wind down till death do us part from this earth

And they bury our bodies ‘neath copies of credit cart carbons
And cables and lightbulbs and boxes and garbage
That rattles and crunches and smells of old cabbage
And reeks of the rubbish we’ve reaped of old habits

But look, it’s a new day, so fill up the van
Let’s drive to the country and try not to pine
For the vinyl recliner and patio fan
Or the wireless Internet phone or fax line

So what does it look like, and how do I walk
With the Spirit of God in the hole in my soul?
And how do I teach if whenever I talk
I’m ashamed of the fool who pretends like he knows?

But I don’t. I confess, I’m here sipping my Coke
With my green All Star Converse I got as a gift
And it still isn't easy to put on that yoke
Just to pick up that cross and to follow and lift

But there’s nothing I’d rather be sorely confused about
Nothing I’d rather feel dumb and abused about
Here in America, home of the brave
Land of the people who live in their caves

And pretend that the world is a nice little place
And say “Everything’s well,” from our cul de sac graves
When the cries of the dying are rising to space
And are mingling there with the satellite waves

That are laden with 200 channels of crap
Entertaining the few while the many are lost
Who reside in a faraway place on the map--
Or maybe the many will be better off

When the heavens are opened and in comes the Man
With a sword in his mouth and the angels in tow
We’ll be caught with a TV remote in our hand
As the voice of the Word puts an end to the Show

All the filth I have got in the name of good fun
Is a sorry exchange for the joy of the Saints
Who can bend at the knee in the name of the Son
And walk in His footsteps and never grow faint

But still, I don’t know. And still I confess
That I’m chief among sinners along the Old Road
But I’m happy to walk it, with all of the rest
With the cross on my back making light of the load

And God in His mercy will drag me on through
The so slight needle’s eye, to the kingdom of Grace
And I’ll walk the Old Road with a fine pair of shoes
And be finally free of the plastic and waste

Who knows what it looks like to walk in His shoes
In a country and culture that muddies the view?
Only walk, only trust that His promise is true:
Behold, He makes everything, everything new.

a week late, but a long time coming...

congratulations 2006 world champions!!!

-stephen

the land of the free, and the home of the ridiculous

in california, washington, arizona, and other places such as oregon, wyoming, and south carolina, schools are banning games such as "tag" and "dodgeball", because they may be damaging to self esteem, and may be too physically dangerous for their young students. (click links for full stories)

so, the moral? don't let your kids feelings get hurt by being "it", being "tagged", being called out, or being picked last for a team.

this will keep our children "safe".

also, teach them to be "safe" when they have pre-marital sex , and that they can have an abortion if they have an unwanted pregnancy.
this makes our children "open", "free", and "individual", and are all much better alternatives than being closed minded and prudish.

lets recap...dodgeball, tag, etc. may cause hurt feelings, scrapes and bruises.

premarital sex can lead to s.t.d.'s, emotional baggage and scarring, possible decisions to kill an unborn baby, with all of the later guilt and emotional trauma to the mother, and single parent homes.

now go be safe!!!

-stephen

one remedy for terrible christian music

there were more comments than i had expected from my last post on "in christ alone", so i figured i would risk one more post about a song that impacts me each time i hear it.

"rock of ages" was written by sandra mccracken, a singer/songwriter whose talents are so under known and under appreciated, it is indeed a shame. she has been writing for many years, but gained a bit more publicity when she married former caedmon's call singer/songwriter derek webb in january of 2001.
simply stated, her music is intelligent, beautiful, sometimes hauntingly so, and always enjoyable. she has a warm voice that conveys every ounce of emotion that must have come upon initially penning the lyrics. says one secular magazine music critic:

"sandra mccracken's cloud-splitting voice
will be my undoing. and it doesn't hurt that
her writing marries the pop acumen off
lennon/mccartney to the lyrical heft of
julie miller. if i wrote down all the superlatives
i'm tempted to write down, you'd question
my credibility."
-jason killingsworth music editor,
paste magazine

i hesitate to compare her to anyone, for two reasons.

first, she is unique in her own way, and is unlike anyone else i have ever heard, although some comparisons and similarities will inevitably occur. second, i never want to present her as a watered down "christian" version of what is popular.

sandra is a christian, and a very outspoken one at that, but i hesitate to classify her as a "christian artist" because that could possibly imply many negative things. even some of my favorite musicians that are on christian labels, would never live up to the "quality standards" (whatever that means) of popular music. i don't just mean from a standpoint of talent, but also production, arrangement, originality.

the sad reality is, if religious or faith content were not an issue, secular radio would still never play 90% of what we hear on christian radio, because it is sub par when compared with popular music on secular radio. the lyrics are often cheesy and contrived, forced to rhyme, and the music is usually about three years behind whatever the current trend is. its a sad reality, but a true one.
however, that doesn't mean people don't like it and aren't affected by it.
there are hundreds of thousands of people who love christian music, and that is perfectly fine. people listen to what they enjoy. but if the mainstream d.j.'s of america's top secular stations were presented with music from some of today's top christian albums, i would almost guarantee they would never play it.

how did i get here??

the point is, sandra mccracken would not fall into this category. so, saying that, i would say that if you enjoy the music of sarah mclachlan, patty griffin, sheryl crow (the less pop variety), or emmy lou harris, you, by default, will love sandra. even if you aren't fans of the above mentioned artists ( and remember, i said sandra is not really like them, she is unique), give her music a chance.

here are the words to a song she wrote on the album "the builder and the architect" called rock of ages. read them and prepare to be pierced by the stunning honesty in her words. just reading the words is, unfortunately, to be told what colors van gogh used in "sunflowers", but to never see the painting. to fully appreciate this song, you have to hear the haunting melody sung by sandra's strong, yet vulnerable voice as it echoes over the spine tingling piano accompaniment.
even so, read on...

rock of ages, when the day seems long
from this labor and this heartache I have come
the skies will wear out but you remain the same
rock of ages, I praise your name

rock of ages, you have brought me near
you have poured out your life blood, your love, and your tears
to make this stone heart come alive again
rock of ages, forgive my sin

rock of ages, bind your children until the kingdom comes
rock of ages, your will be done

rock of ages, when in want or rest
my desperate need for such a savior I confess
and pry these idols out from my hearts embrace
rock of ages, I need your grace

rock of ages, broken, scorned for me
who am I that you would die to make me free?
to give me glory you took the death and the pain
rock of ages, my offering

rock of ages bind your children until the kingdom comes
rock of ages your will be done

rock of ages, it is done you cried
the curtains torn and I see justice satisfied
now write your mercy here on my heart and hands
rock of ages, in faith I stand

rock of ages, my great hope secure
your promise holds just like an anchor to my soul
bind your children with cords of love and grace
rock of ages, we give you praise

rock of ages bind your children until the kingdom comes
rock of ages, your will be done

for more info on sandra, visit her website here , or her myspace site, where you can listen to her music here

-stephen

where do you stand?

i don't know why, but everytime i am somewhere and the song "in christ alone" is sung, i can't make it through the song with dry eyes. by that, i don't mean i get some kind of feel good warm fuzzies. what i do mean is, never have i known of a song that was so full of truth, and so well written, that to utter those words breaks and ignites my heart *because* they are true!

i won't diminish the power of these words (written by stewart townsend and keith getty) by trying to explain them. they speak for themselves. i encourage you to read through these few simple verses, and to maybe even say them outloud, and see what reaction your heart has.

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, mystrength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heightsof love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who tookon flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save'

Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrathof God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in theground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave Herose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin'scurse has lost it's grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Brought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power ofChrist in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand'
Till Hereturns or calls me home
Here in the power of ChristI'll stand

amen and amen.

-stephen

we have everything when we have nothing

christi and i had a doctor visit yesterday, and in less than 7 months, (around may 25), we are going to be parents. need less to say, we are very excited and are looking forward to the coming months, as well as the coming years.
we had a miscarriage in the spring, and since that time, the lord sustained us and increased our faith in him and his care. now he has blessed us with this great news.

the lord is indeed faithful, but not because he has given us a child. he would be faithful if we were never able to have children of our own. he is faithful in that he promises to bring to himself all of his children, and to never leave them or forsake them. he is gracious in that he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. he has given us the gift of his son.

so may we never dare suggest that he has not given us everything if he doesnt give us our every want. our knowledge is limited, our desires our shortsighted, and often tainted with sin. but our lord is holy, and all knowing, and good. he gives us himself, and in him, we have everything.

we praise him for this pregnancy and pray that he will give christi a safe and trouble free pregnancy and delivery, that our child will be born whole and without complication, and grow up strong and in the lord. but we pray more that we would daily be satisfied in him, so that if all else were to fall away, we would still stand firm and proclaim that we have everything in christ.