Mother’s Appreciation Weekend/Pentecost Sunday

This weekend we (Jason, Sara, Miranda, and myself) enjoyed celebrating the Mother and Grandmother of our family in Napa. We gave gifts, went and got our family picture taken, ate a family dinner, and attended the church my Mom is part of with her on Sunday morning. When all was said and done my Mom declared it to be her best Mother’s Day ever. Mission Accomplished.

I do believe, and I know my brother Jason will agree, that I was given the most amazing mother in the world. While I understand this is a subjective declaration I also firmly believe that no one else could have done as great a job with the situation that my Mom was given as she did. So if that helps bring some sort of objectivity to it, fantastic. If not, oh well. because she will always be the greatest in my book.

As regards another mother, it so happens that this was also the weekend of Pentecost Sunday. My own assembly is celebrating Pentecost next weekend, but I did want to make mention of it. Pentecost is the birth of the mother of all Christians–the Church. And for those of us from the tradition that bears its name–Pentecostalism–it is a celebration of a particular work of God over the last century. We have grown to become the second largest expression of the Christian faith coming short only of our Catholic brothers and sisters. I believe the church has benefited from our movement. And I hope that Pentecostals will see themselves in this light–not as something other than our fellow Christians, but as servants to the church at large and to the unbelieving world that will hear the Gospel through the particularities that make Pentecostalism what it is.

Creation is Groaning: Why Does God Allow Natural Disasters?

The front page of internet news websites, such as CNN.com and MSNBC.com, paint a pretty bleak picture this morning. First we have a death toll in Myanmar that exceed 20,000 with another 41,000 still unaccounted for due to a cyclone that hit there recently. In Chile we have reports of a massive volcano erupting with a whole region being evacuated by the government there. Those of us that live in the United States still have the images of a flooded New Orleans in our minds. And people like myself are often reminded–in my case by the San Francisco Chronicle–that anytime between now and thirty-years from now a major earth quake could bring devastation to the place I call home.

These events known as “natural disasters” are one of two parts to the problem of evil that needs to be explained by Theistic thinkers. The other part would be evil produced by human means. This idea of human evil has often been explained by apologist as being the sad but necessary result of free will. Therefore, when we read in the newspapers about an Austrian man who locked his daughter in a basement and raped her repeatedly for nearly two decades we are filled with disgust, but we have a philosophical solution that for the most part gets God off the dock.

Viva Cinco de Mayo!

I have always understood Cinco de Mayo to be the Mexican equivalent to the Fourth of July here in the United States. I was wrong. Rather, Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican victory over French forces during the Battle of Puebla in 1682. The actual “Independence Day” for Mexico is September 16th.

The funny thing about Cinco de Mayo is as a kid we always celebrated the holiday at my elementary school. I thought it was one of the best days of the year. We all were allowed out of class early and there was always a pinata! Then one year I found out (1) that I have a French heritage and (2) that Cinco de Mayo celebrates the day when General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin handed the French their head on a platter. I went from elation to shame as regards Cinco de Mayo.

It turns out that Cinco de Mayo is not even all that important in Mexico. It is actually more important here in the United States–kind of like St. Patrick’s Day for the Irish. It is another reason to celebrate culture, specifically Mexican culture. And though as a kid I was bitter that my people were defeated, I have since recovered. I now celebrate Cinco de Mayo as a reminder for all the wonderful relationships I have had in my life with people of Mexican decent.

From my childhood best friend, Javier Alonzo, to my girlfriend, Miranda Perez, I have found the Mexican people to make some of the best of friends. There is nothing French about me except my last name. But other than the culture created by Caucasians in California I am most influence by Mexican culture. If all goes as planned I will someday have children who will share in that culture. And as the years pass I hope that someday the nation of Mexico will rise above the current struggles that face the people. Meanwhile, as an American citizen, I confess that I have great sympathy for people of Central/South American decent who try day in and day out, some successful and some unsuccessful, to slip into our country. I know there are laws and I know that illegal immigration may not be the best way to go about participating in all that is the United States. But I also know that if I lived in Mexico and I was that close to a new life in a new land I would do my best to make it as well.

I am not political science major, not am I an economist, but I know that Mexican culture has made the United States a better place to live. I am thankful for the Mexican people. And this year I want them to know that this is one Frenchman who is glad the Battle of Puebla had the results that it did. Viva la Mexico! Viva Cinco de Mayo!

Logos Software has Arrived

I finally scrapped together enough cash to purchase the Original Languages version of the Logos Bible Software. I am beginning to get a feel for the interface and I really, really enjoy being able to do a bunch of research from my computer rather than spreading out six or seven books.

Does anyone else out there have Logos software, especially the Original Languages version? If so, what should I know about that you have found most useful? Also, why did you choose Logos over Bibleworks? I am not sure why I did; I just did.

Also, the little flyer in the box that my program said that if I blog about Logos my blog will get noticed. So here it is, I am blogging about Logos software. I wonder if Logos software already has or has plans to digitalize the works of Karl Barth and/or N.T. Wright. I think both of those would be big sellers.

The Worst President Ever? George W. Bush Sets a New Standard

CNN is reporting that President George W. Bush has set a record for the highest disapproval rating amongst modern presidents at 71%. Harry Truman (22%) and Richard Nixon (24%) had lower approval ratings than Bush who is currently at 28%. Until this recent poll Truman also held the highest disapproval rating at 67%.

A few observations are due to this statistic:

(1) If you are like me you may be totally unconvinced by these polls. During the primaries we have seen this and that poll about this or that candidate being this far ahead or that far behind. Over and over again these polls have been so far off that I consider the polls almost useless. Furthermore, this statistic that “represents” the entire country came from a little over one thousand participants (1,008). This is not to say that President George W. Bush is not the worst President ever or the most despised in modern history. It is to say that I put no weight in these media polls anymore.

(2) Though I am unsure of how CNN is defining “modern” history I am not sure if President George W. Bush will go down in history as the worst President ever. Though I find this Iraq occupation very disturbing it is obvious that of the three individuals trying to replace Bush one candidate wants to stay the course and the other two appear kind of wishy-washy about their plans for withdraw. If Iraq “works out” (according to the imperial standards of the United States) then Bush could be redeemed by historians. Never the less, Truman, Nixon, and individuals like Andrew Jackson– who broke treaty after treaty with Native American tribes before essentially sending these people into a diaspora/genocide–could very well be judged by history as worse than Bush.

(3) Though Barack Obama already has my vote for the presidency of the United States come this November, and though I begrudgingly will vote for Clinton over McCain if I have to, I must confess that my optimism is draining daily. As the Democratic Party bickers toward the convention with people like Edwards, Gore, and Pelosi refusing to endorse anyone I have become more and more discouraged with this Party. This is not to say, at all, that I will shift back to the Republican Party in this lifetime. It is to say that I will probably be an Independent by age thirty. If the so-called “super-delegates” overrule us common folk, I will be an Independent by November.

I say that to say this: as much as I would like to believe one of these three candidates will stand in stark contrast to Bush by bringing home our troops from Iraq, making advances in health care, restoring the economy, closing Guantanamo Bay, and healing our foreign relations problems, I simply do not believe at this point. I think Obama is the best option. But as we all know “best” is relative.

And for those of you who read this blog with any frequency, I am not saying this to say that I now disapprove of Senator Obama. But as the debates have gone on and on I have noticed he is a little more hesitant about withdraw from Iraq (saying we could go back in if we need to). The comments about small town people that he made here in San Francisco and the controversy over Reverend Jeremiah Wright may be a tad overblown by the media, but it serves to remind us that Obama is still a politician.

A government made by human hands that are not the hands of the Messiah will always fail. Until that day we have to work with what we have, bicker with each other about how it should function, and wait in anticipation for our redemption.

Always Sunny in San Francisco, Sometimes.

Before the fog dominates our skyline over the next few months it was nice to have a sunny day at Golden Gate Park here in San Francisco with Mark, Damariz, Scott, and Miranda. Here are some pictures that I hope cause much jealousy in the hearts of those who do not live here:

Does Suffering Negate God? N.T. Wright and Bart D. Ehrman Debate

Beliefnet is hosting a debate between N.T. Wright, the Bishop of Durham and one of the finest New Testament scholars alive, and Bart D. Ehrman, the professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina and a respected authority on textual criticism and alternative Christianities. The topic is suffering framed in the question, “Is Our Pain God’s Problem?”

Here are the postings thus far:
Ehrman, “How the Problem of Pain Ruined My Faith”
Wright, “God’s Plan to Rescue Us”
Ehrman, “What About the Actual Suffering?”
Wright, “What It Looks Like When God Runs the World”
Ehrman, “God’s Kingdom Has Not Come”
Wright, “The Bible Does Answer the Problem–Here’s How”

I am sure there will be further postings so bookmark this site here.

 

 

A Voice So Sweet

I know little to nothing about music and vocals. I can tell you whether or not I like or dislike what I am hearing. I know when a voice cracks or when someone is trying to stretch his/her ability a bit too far and he/she fails to make the noise that he/she intended. But I still cannot explain an octate or an octive or an octapus or whatever that particular method of measuring vocals is called. When someone “rolls” his/her voice I have no idea that it happened. And I only recently was informed that milk, for instance, is not the best thing to drink before singing or speaking.

And yet the irony of life is that I am in love with one of the sweetest voices I have ever heard. Yesterday my girlfriend, Miranda Perez, was recruited to sing for a special Earth Day event at 333 Mission Street which includes the Wells Fargo offices that she works at. I decided to be supportive and hence I made my way downtown to hear her sing. After a couple of others gave it a go Miranda was up next. And though I cannot tell you what she did or how she did, I can tell you that she has a voice so sweet. I know that this is subjective, and there is no way I can be objective about it, but I am convinced she was the best vocalist in the building.

This is the nature of love. Miranda likes to ask me why I love her, or what I love about her, and I try to give answers related to who she is, or something that has to do with her character or personality, or her appearance. BUT I know the truth of the matter is that love is not so quickly defined. For her sweet smile, or beautiful face, or confidence, or intelligence, is never in and of itself a reason for me to love her. Rather, the mixture of elements that when combined become experienced yet not explained is where love rests. I may not know how she sings like she does, or what methods she uses, but I know I enjoy what I hear. And as regards who she is I may not know how to put into words all that she means to me, but I know what she means to me.

Love is a voice so sweet that when heard it is appreciated as the essence of beauty, yet when one seeks to explain why this is so that person fails to find the appropriate words.

Jesus among the gods: sermon series notes: Atheism

Why do people like Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, contributors to the blog de-conversion, or my own biological father, examine the same evidence for God that say William Lane Craig, Vox Day, Alister McGrath, Ravi Zacharias, the contributors to the blog Atheism is Dead, or my own biological mother have viewed and yet reach drastically different conclusions? Why did I–a product of a home where Atheism and Christianity were equally presented as viable worldviews–determine that the story of Jesus of Nazareth made more sense that the story of natural philosophy?

To be honest, I have no answer to this question. I know why I chose Christianity (or was chosen?): a miraculous healing as a child, an experience with glossolalia, questions regarding our existence, our morality, and the purpose of humanity, and the very convincing evidence for the historical reality known as the resurrection.

Though I would never go as far to say that atheism is a stupid or foundationless theory, I do find it wanting. As an adolescent I claimed to be a “deist”–one who believes that the existence of a god is probable, but that this god does not interact with humanity. But I could never make the step to atheism that my father made.

Atheism is a “shock and awe” worldview in my opinion. As I told one friend this week, I see atheism as the Dick Cheney of philosophy: it has plans for take-over and conquest, but it totally unprepared to create a new world after that. It has ideas for take over but it totally unprepared to rebuild what it means to be human if it were to conquer. That is why it is safe to say that though the New Atheist will probably sell many books, make some good money, gather a small following, and create a sort of emotional group hug where they all pat each other on the back and tell each other how much more intelligent they are than the rest of the world (they call themselves “brights” for God’s sake!), but they will never win the war for hearts and minds because once the black hole has been created by atheism it has no way of filling it up

Unlike the last three weekend where we have talked Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam I do not feel like I can approach atheism as objectively since it is part of my own upbringing. In addition, it is not another religious system that can be juxtaposed with Christianity. Rather, Atheism is kind of an anti-system. Never the less, I will give it my best. Here are the notes…

Take Me Out to the Ball Game! San Francisco (2), Arizona (8)

This last Tuesday Miranda and I went to AT&T Park for the fiftieth year celebration of the arrival of the New York San Francisco Giants to the West Coast. On that day the Giants won 8-0 over the Brooklyn Los Angeles Dodgers. This year they lost 8-2 to the Arizona Diamondbacks. And though our team is not all that great this year at least us Giants fans still have the best ballpark in baseball!

Jesus among the gods: sermon series notes: Islam

The last two weeks I have participated in discussion-based sermons with my pastor on Buddhism and Hinduism. This week we will be focusing on Islam. And because of the times it is essential to make some opening points before you read the notes that we will be handing out this weekend.

We want to try to be as fair to Islam as we were to Hinduism and Buddhism. This means that we must accept that not all Muslims believe and act the same way. And like all religions there are different views and different extremes. Therefore, part of making a fair presentation, in some sense, demands acknowledging the answers of Muslim apologist unless we can prove them wrong.

Let us say it this way: what Islamic scholars often say about their hard-to-swallow passages are (1) historically many of the more violent Suras were written during the Muslim exile from Mecca to Medina and (2) even then there are qualifiers similar to Christian just war theory (though if you are willing to throw all your eggs in the pacifism of Jesus against the history of the church you could deal with this). The Qur’an reads: “Defend yourself against your enemies, but do not attack them first: God hates the aggressor” (2:190) It is important to remember that the first Muslim converts where persecuted for preaching Monotheism in a polytheistic context. It disrupted the system much like the Apostle Paul did in similar situations. This upset the Mecca elders who ran him off.

Even when Muhammad and his followers eventually took Medina the whole fight was caused when they were struck first. And contrary to the customs of the day Muhammad did not kill the captured citizens or even force them to convert–but they all did.

We must be careful when viewing modern Islam because it isn’t a fair representation of Islamic history. What we see as religious freedom in the United States now was available long before in Moorish Spain. And when Europe was in the “Dark Ages” because of Catholic corruption, Islamic society was progressing, learning and translating Greek philosophy, making advances in science and medication, and even invented the numeric system we use today (rather than the Latin numerals).

In Islamic thought “infidels” are literally “those who lack thankfulness”. We need to be careful of equating pictures of screaming people saying this word about Americans with the actual teachings of Islam. Muslims do not hate the United States for religious reasons alone. Most Muslims that do hate the United States do so because they disapprove of our own foreign policy. And I have a feeling that if they were camped in our land setting up military bases and waging wars on predominantly Christian nations we would probably act the same way (remember our reaction after 9/11?).

Most Islamic scholars depict their economics as almost socialist and despite the problems with polygamy it is to be noted that Muhammad actually improved the status of women in Muslim society in contrast to his day (much like Paul did). Jihad is primarily what we would note as spiritual warfare and like some within our own ranks can be misunderstood and abused (e.g. bin Laden). We must be careful not to always interpret this terminology through its most extreme renderings.

The current situation is Islam is much like the Christian Reformation (Reza Aslan) which was also very bloody (e.g. “The Peasants Revolt”). Usually caliphs give legal pronunciations (like priest in Catholicism did) but radicals like bin Laden have been making their own, unqualified statements about the Qur’an (much like the Reformers–but less educated). The result is no different that Christian Liberation Theology.

Here is my suggestion: when we compare Christianity with Islam we must focus on the person of Christ. The atonement and work of Christ are foreign to Muslim theology–and this is a dividing point that Muslims and Christians agree actually matters. So where Islam and Christianity agree, we will emphasize that. Where we disagree (about Christ) we will make it known. But in all things we must give our Muslim neighbor the benefit of the doubt and show charity.

Now on with the notes…