Uzziah

Consumer Advocacy: Credit Cards

2009-05-16T14:34:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about the need for regulation in the small-scale marketplace of consumer goods. As Gina and I have become more and more poor to pursue our dreams of higher education, it has become easier to see just how often companies cut ethical corners to make a few more bucks. The Hebrew Bible demands ethical dealings in the marketplace, especially prohibiting those practices that oppress the powerless members of society. I think this provides a great jumping off point for deciding which economic practices are ethical and which are not, as it points to the issues of exploitation, class division, and powerlessness. This column, which I'm calling "Consumer Advocacy," will take a closer look at one type of consumer good and examine ethics of common practices within that market.

Credit cards

Most have felt the sting of high interest rates from their credit cards. Credit cards are in need of reform, and a bill is going through Congress right now attempt to do just that. I am taking a look at not only the practices in need of reform, but the proposed Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act of 2009. For a decent summary, click here or for the full text click here. Is it really the be-all, end-all of reform, or is it just the first step in the right direction?

First, credit card companies automatically apply your payment to the lowest-interest balance first. A credit card company will offer you 0% interest for a limited time. Let's say you have $1000 of 30% balance on a card, and you're trying to pay it down. Then you have a small financial crisis. You just got a 0% interest deal from your credit card company, so you buy $600 worth of goods at 0% interest. Each month, as you pay your payments, they will now be applied to the $600 balance while your $1000 balance continues to skyrocket. The consumer should have the choice to apply their balance as they see fit. The current bill in Congress sets up requirements for how the balances are to be paid off. These requirements are generally in the public's best interest, but the freedom of choice is still not in the consumer's hands, as the rules require the credit card companies to apply the payments.

Another issue with credit cards is the use of double-cycle billing. Double-cycle billing works by charging interest over the average balance of the most recent two billing cycles. So let's say you carried a $1000 balance throughout May, and you paid it off in full on the last day of May. In June, you added no new balance, so you carried a $0 balance for the month. With double-cycle billing, they'd average your last two balances--$1000 for May and $0 for June--in your June bill. Thus, they would charge you interest on $500, even though your principle is zero! The new bill in Congress makes this illegal.

The third--and possibly the most controversial--issue with credit cards is how high the interest rates are. Unfortunately, the new bill in Congress does not address this issue. Many attempts have been made to cap interest rate, but none have succeeded. Part of the problem is that no one can agree on a cap: proposals have ranged from a ridiculous 36% (which is hardly a cap at all) to very low caps that have no shot at passing Congress. The best answer is probably a cap expressed in "percentage over prime" language, but none have been proposed. I'd like to see something under 20%, because that's more than sufficient to keep someone in debt slavery. Something that would hover between 10 and 15%, depending on the market, would be a good compromise. Obviously, credit cards' interest rates can't be as low as a savings account, but they shouldn't be as high as they are.

Finally, too many credit card companies target young people in order to drag them into a lifetime of debt. The current bill in Congress does nothing to correct this. To prevent predatory lending practices, there should be a limit to the amount of credit extended to a first time card user, which is allowed to increase only if they have proven to be responsible (with "responsible" being clearly defined in some way). After five years, this limit could be lifted. This would protect not only young users, but first-time users of all ages.

Unfortunately, these gripes do not begin to describe the excesses of credit card companies. Thankfully, while the CCBOR does not address many of my concerns, they are addressing other ones, such as limiting the amount of rate increases are allowed, and limiting credit card companies to just three over-the-limit fees per instance of going over the limit. It also allows a cardholder to opt into a program where their card is rejected--without fee--when they try to purchase something that would put them over their limit. These are good decisions, and it's good to see Congress doing something to provide some laws to this otherwise rather lawless market. However, they have still only adequately addressed three of the four issues I find most pressing. I invite you to read the bill and/or offer criticism/comments below.

The Prodigal Cat

2008-11-07T00:05:00.000-08:00

I love our cat, Desdemona. I picked her out when she was a tiny kitten and I could hold her in the palm of my hand. She has grown up to be a timid but affectionate cat, and like most pets, she loves us intensely in her simple, unconditional way. She's been an indoor-only cat since we took her from my parents' farm, and she has never once escaped (or even wanted to)... until yesterday.

Apparently, one of our windows didn't have a screen in it. We had forgotten and left it open two days in a row. Desdemona worked up the nerve and hopped out. We found out the next day, after I had closed the window and she had been outside for at least 14 hours.

We read somewhere that cats tend to hide near home when they got lost, so I stuck my head out the window to see if I could see her hiding somewhere nearby. Turns out she was hunched down behind a bush on the side of the house just a few feet from the window. We went and got her and she came back in with little fuss.

We both felt so neglectful. I don't know how we didn't notice that the window didn't have a screen, except that we probably opened it at night. Also, I know I saw Desdemona sitting in the window just like she would if it had a screen. And it's also just something you take for granted.

I also felt pretty stupid that I didn't notice she was gone the whole next morning. I usually get up and try to do schoolwork and I don't even think about her (except to fill her food dish). But then she ends up annoying me until I spend a lot of time with her; usually we take a nap together because I'm too lazy to pet her for like an hour straight. Anyhow, that morning, I didn't even notice that she wasn't around. She doesn't always bother me every morning, but I usually at least see her, so I should have known something was wrong. I also remember I went to school feeling intensely lonely. I thought I was in a funk due to the weather or something. Now I realize how therapeutic Desdemona's morning routine had become. She makes me stop running around and spend some time at peace.

The whole thing seems so surreal in retrospect. We lost Othello, Desdemona's brother, to some mysterious disease a year ago. Gina took it really hard, because Othello was "her cat," just as Desdemona was always "my cat." That whole experience was so quick and so final, so for Desdemona to escape, knowing how unlikely it is to find a lost pet... it seems crazy that she could be lost and then found.

Part of how I deal with the uncertainty of life is to prepare for traumatic experiences, but I'm almost never prepared for the things that end up happening to me. So it was also surreal that this fact I knew--that lost cats tend to hide close to home--ended up being right. It's crazy that it could be that simple. And most likely, we would not have found her if we had not known that; she never would have left that bush, even if we walked by it and called her name. I think I'll always remember the image of her huddled in fear under that bush staring up at me. I still just can't believe she was right there for 14 hours. If something had scared her out of that spot, we might have never found her.

After we brought her back in, she ate and used the litter and groomed herself, since she hadn't been able to take care of those needs overnight. And after that, she went back to her normal self, sleeping on everything and pestering me. It's great to have her back, and I'm glad she's too simple to hold a grudge. Why God would choose to make this tragedy into a miracle, I don't know, but I'm just glad he did.

Jesus of Nazareth Part 5 - Spiritual/Eclectic View

2008-09-01T18:36:00.000-07:00

Now that we've looked at all three of the characterizations of Jesus introduced by Adele Reinhartz, we can make some closing comments. As many of you have mentioned, these three versions all seem to bring out certain elements of Jesus' life and leave others out. I believe that we do the same sorts of things when we attempt to understand Jesus. Thus, I hope that examining these three scholarly viewpoints of Jesus has shaken up our individual notions of Jesus' earthly life a bit. These scholarly visions are just a means of getting the conversation started. By sharing each others' conceptualizations of who Jesus is and was, we can each gain a better glimpse of him.

The Jewish Jesus can remind us that Jesus did not live in a cultural vacuum. He did not live and die only for us. Instead, he lived in a specific time and place. He was Jewish, through and through. He observed the festivals and he prayed to the Jewish God. He was steeped in the knowledge of the Jewish Scriptures (our Old Testament along with other books).

At the same time, Cynic Jesus can remind us that there was a Greek culture into which Jesus was also born. Judaism was not itself a vacuum, separated from the Greek/Roman culture that dominated at the time. Instead, Jesus was exposed to various schools of philosophy. He probably spoke Greek in addition to the Aramaic spoken by Jews. He probably experienced many of the same things that citizens of third-world nations feel, since his home "nation" was ruled by a foreign, European power (Rome).

Social Critic Jesus reminds us that Jesus was able to rise above all of the cultures present in his time in order to offer a better way to live. It also reminds us that he wasn't simply a teacher, droning on about insignificant stuff. He practiced what he preached. When he criticized the way the rich treated of the poor, he also showed them a better way through a practice of open table fellowship.

Even if we take a conglomeration of these three views, though, we will still find our view of Jesus limited. He also healed and restored people--clearly another example of him putting his teaching in action. In the ultimate example of practicing what he preached, he allowed his oppressors to put him to death in order to stay true to his message of peace--he did not resist or start an uprising, as other so-called "messiahs" had done. And maybe that's a big part of why Jesus' teaching caught on--he actually lived it out perfectly.

That's not to mention the spiritual component that we haven't even touched upon. Jesus prophesied the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple forty years before it happened. He raised people from the dead and walked on water--clearly something not seen in other faith healers. He prophesied that the Holy Spirit would appear after he ascended, and it did. Early believers saw his prophecy coming true, and they took this as proof of his message. When the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, and again at every baptism, the early Christian missionary named Paul saw that as proof of God's message. And when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and its temple in 70 AD, the author of the Gospel of Luke (who is actually anonymous) saw that as proof that Jesus was a prophet like those of old (and even more than a prophet). All of these things have contributed to Jesus' success and the popularity of his message. And I'm sure there are more things still--we didn't even get into the crucifixion!

Thanks for reading all this time, and I hope you'll be willing to share any revelations that came to you as a result of this conversation. What have you learned? How do you feel about "Historical Jesus" scholarship? Has your conceptualization of Jesus been altered, and if so, how?

Jesus of Nazareth Part 4 - Prophet and Social Critic

2008-09-01T17:51:00.000-07:00

The third and final version of Jesus outlined by Adele Reinhartz is what I'll call the "Social Critic Jesus." Marcus Borg and N. T. Wright are the main proponents of this view. I'm unfamiliar with Borg but I have a deep respect for Wright. Similarly to my knowledge of these two scholars, the Social Critic Jesus is equal parts peculiar and familiar.

Let's get the peculiar out of the way first. The weirdest trait of this week's characterization of Jesus was that he saw apocalyptic events as mere metaphor. The power in these apocalyptic visions was not expressed by a literal interpretation, hoping for a future age of justice like Jewish Jesus. Instead, they were powerful for what the ways in which they critiqued Jesus' own times. Like the Old Testament prophets, the future was not as important as the present for this version of Jesus. Thus Social Critic Jesus thought of the "Kingdom of God" as a present possibility, not a future reality.

Although it may be weird to think that Jesus may have been thinking metaphorically when he preached his views on apocalypticism, what may be more familiar is the idea of Jesus as a social critic. When we talk of Jesus "challenging the status quo" or something similar, we're talking about social criticism, at least on some level. Social criticism is exactly that: challenging what people take for granted, in the hopes of helping people to develop better or more healthy social practices. Like the Jewish Jesus, this Jesus was a prophet who looked around him and offered critique at the world he saw. Whereas the Pharisees were obsessed with purity, Jesus intentionally combated their philosophy by inviting all kinds of people to eat with him. Scholars refer to Jesus' eating practices as "inclusive table fellowship," and this view of Jesus holds that this practice was one of the primary ways Jesus communicated his message. It makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Jesus taught a message of compassion, and he backed that up in a tangible way by communing with outcasts.

Further, this view holds that Jesus criticized the Judaism he saw in his time. The obsession with the Temple and the purity laws all came under his attack. He felt that God's plan stretched beyond the limitations of the Jewish Torah (law). In this criticism of Jewish practices, Jesus stood in a long history of biblical prophets who criticized the faithlessness of the religion of their days.

What do you think of Social Critic Jesus? Does he resemble your conceptualizations of Jesus? Do you think Jesus' practice of inviting social losers to dinner was a big part of his ministry? Do you think he saw himself as a critic of first-century Judaism? Please leave comments below, and stay tuned to the final wrap-up in part 5!

Jesus of Nazareth Part 3 - Wandering Cynic

2008-09-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

As the series on Jesus of Nazareth continues, we examine the most philosophical version of Jesus. Of the three characterizations outlined by Adele Reinhartz, this one is probably the most controversial. The lead scholar supporting this view is John Dominic Crossan, one of the leaders of the infamous Jesus Seminar.

Jesus' place of origin in Nazareth/Galilee was a bit more exposed to Greek culture due to its location(a quick search reveals this useful, yet small map). As a result of this confluence of cultural activity in Jesus' life, scholars like Crossan decided to investigate whether Jesus' teaching innovations might have been influenced by one of the Greek philosophies of the first century.

In comparing these schools of philosophy against Jesus' teaching, these scholars found that Jesus' teaching lines up very well with the philosophical school called Cynicism. This is not "cynicism" the way we think of it, but a particular type of philosophy that had been around five hundred years before Jesus and stuck around another five hundred after him.

For proof of the similarities between Jesus' teaching and Cynicism, check out Wikipedia's description of the philosophy: "[The Cynics'] philosophy was that the purpose of life was to live a life of Virtue in agreement with Nature. This meant rejecting all conventional desires for wealth, power, health, and fame, and by living a life free from all possessions... They believed that the world belonged equally to everyone, and that suffering was caused by false judgments of what was valuable and by the worthless customs and conventions which surrounded society." Jesus taught people to sell their possessions and to see worldly wealth as inconsequential. He criticized those who put faith in wealth, power, and "worthless customs and conventions." Further, Cynics were known for wandering from town to town teaching their beliefs to anyone who would listen. So it's not hard to see how scholars like Crossan can see a Cynic in Jesus.

Jesus doesn't fit perfectly well into the Cynic school of thought, though, since he called people to communal living, whereas the Cynics preferred isolation (for example, see the above image of the Cynic Diogenes living in a washtub). Further, since Cynicism was a Greek philosophy school, a normal Cynic would have believed in the Greek or Roman gods instead of the Jewish God Jesus spoke about. As a result, the scholars who conceptualize Jesus as a Cynic tend to solve these inconsistencies by noting that he was a Jewish Cynic. As a student of both Cynicism and Judaism, Jesus combined the wisdom he found in both "schools" to create his teaching, which ended up being a more communal version of Cynicism intimately connected with worship of the Jewish God.

What do you think of the Cynic Jesus? Does he resemble the way you understand Jesus? Before you say "no," think of some of the ways Jesus is similar to a Cynic. If you're like me, you probably hadn't heard of Cynicism before. However, maybe you think of Jesus as blending Judaism with other kinds of wisdom (since he does actually critique Jewish practices). If so, the Cynic Jesus could make sense to you. Also, if you think of Jesus as a wandering teacher, teaching others to give up their faith in wealth and empty religion, you have a lot in common with those who conceptualize him as a Cynic. Thanks for reading, and please stay tuned for Part 4 - Prophet Jesus.

Who Was Jesus of Nazareth - Part 2

2008-08-25T20:25:00.000-07:00

This week will be a longer blog, since I want to respond to the prior posts, introduce Adele Reinhartz, make some disclaimers, and actually move into Reinhartz's first characterization of Jesus. With that, let's get right into it.

The responses I received were well thought out and almost exclusively in theological terms. There's nothing wrong with theological descriptions of Jesus (such as "Son of God," "Messiah," etc.) because they are expressions of our faith. However, when thinking about how we characterize Jesus, I think we'll find that, whether we're faithful Christians, atheists, or anywhere in between, we all have a conception of Jesus that informs our reactions to him. These conceptualizations operate beneath faith and doubt, and I hope to penetrate to that level of thought.

This is one of the areas where scholarship really shines as a tool, since scholars of the Gospels come in all faiths and beliefs. On that note, let me introduce Adele Reinhartz. She is a Jewish scholar whose area of study is the Christian New Testament. She has a passion for discussing views of women and Jews, especially in the Gospels. The book that I'm using is actually the rather lighthearted Jesus of Hollywood, which was a textbook in my class on "Jesus in Film." Because it's a lighter book (and not gritty scholarly fare), she is able to make generalizations about scholarly opinions, which she does to great effect. She sees basically three ways that Jesus is characterized in scholarship, which she details based on the "Jewishness" of Jesus in each characterization.

The view of Jesus that I'd like to discuss this week is the most "thoroughly Jewish" one. For simplicity's sake, I'm going to call this characterization the "Jewish Jesus." The main scholars holding the torch for the Jewish Jesus are Ed Sanders, Geza Vermes, Sean Freyne, and Paula Fredriksen (none of which I'm familiar with, unfortunately). These scholars see Jesus as really a product of the Jewish culture of his day. One of the things we know for sure about Jesus is that his teachings most closely resemble those of the Pharisees. Like family members, the quarrels between Jesus and the Pharisees were so passionate because they really had so much in common that their few differences became exaggerated. In addition, Jesus (for the most part) was seen as observing all the Jewish laws, including "Sabbath, purity, sacrifice, and atonement" (he also wouldn't have trimmed his beard, as in the depiction on the right). We can see Jesus' observance of Jewish ceremonial law in things like the Last Supper, which is really the Jewish meal of the Passover. However, Jesus saw himself as a prophet--in the tradition of the Old Testament prophets--whose mission was twofold: 1) to call people to true worship and 2) to prophesy the end of the age and the creation of a new age. Thus, his teaching was primarily what we call in scholarship, "apocalyptic," meaning that it came out of the Jewish stream of thought that looked forward to God's destruction of the current age and creation of a new, just age. We can see evidence of apocalyptic thought in the way Jesus talked about the coming "Kingdom of God/Heaven," as well as the prophetic passages that warn about the terrors of the coming day of destruction. So, to summarize, these scholars characterize Jesus as the Jewish apocalyptic prophet whose teaching emerges from that of the Pharisees, but also critiques them for their inadequate worship.

So, now that I have detailed one of the scholarly images of Jesus, I hope you can see how we can characterize Jesus this way whether or not we are Christians who believe in the Gospel story. If we think of Jesus as primarily a Jewish prophet, then we hold similar views to the Jewish Jesus. In fact, I started with this view because I think it, in a lot of ways, resembles the Jesus we tend to see in the conservative church traditions most of us came from. You can see a lot of truth in this characterization of Jesus, and a lot in common with the Gospel stories. At the same time, though, each characterization is missing gaps. So, what I'd like to see for next week are your thoughts on "Jewish Jesus." And let's move beyond a simple "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" to this characterization; instead, let's break it into component parts and analyze it that way. For instance, here are some questions to think about: Does he resemble the Jesus you think of? How is he different? How is he the same? Did you learn anything from reading about this version of Jesus?

Who Was Jesus of Nazareth? - Part 1

2008-08-16T23:53:00.000-07:00

In biblical scholarship, there has been an ongoing debate, dubbed "The Quest for the Historical Jesus." Essentially, this academic pursuit is an attempt to find out who this person, Jesus of Nazareth, actually was. The "Quest" has raised many interesting topics over the years, and has had a big impact on biblical scholarship. However, it's not just limited to academia! I think it is worthwhile for everyone to try to understand Jesus of Nazareth, as he has had a huge effect on the world we live in today.

So, to start what I hope will be a multi-part discussion, I'm casting the question out there for you to answer: who do you think Jesus of Nazareth was? If that seems too vague, how about this: what--if anything--made him different from other teachers, healers, exorcists, and messiah claimants? How would you characterize his life? Please post an answer in the comments below! Since this is just a discussion for the purpose of provoking thought, there are no wrong answers, so please be courteous of others who may have different beliefs/doubt/disbelief.

Next week, I will discuss your answers and add in some from the scholarly circles. Specifically, I want to discuss Adele Reinhartz's claim that there are three versions of Jesus seen in biblical scholarship. Please look forward to it. It is my sincere hope that we can all learn something as a result of this discussion.

Death and Rejection

2008-08-04T23:41:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure whether (or how) to blog about this, but if the point of a blog is to allow others to keep in touch with what I'm going through, then I need to mention these things.

On Wednesday, July 9th, my grandfather died. On Thursday, July 10th, Mansfield First Friends Church called me to tell me I didn't get the job.

I know a lot of people have been praying for me through the job process, and I've made an effort to let people know that they can stop praying. But if any of you are reading this and you didn't know, thanks for praying for me. There's not really much else to say about this--rejection always sucks, but I would never want to work somewhere where I wasn't a good fit. We all prayed for God to be in control of the situation, and he was.

With that out of the way, I'd rather talk about my grandfather's passing, as it had a lot more significance for me. He had had some sort of weird lung cancer, like in the lining of his lungs or something where it was inoperable. It wasn't too long ago that he was diagnosed. I'm really bad with the passage of time, but it must have been less than nine months before his death. Furthermore, I was preaching my second/final sermon at Mansfield the weekend when he got worse. The weird thing is that they still thought he had "six months or less," so my Mom didn't tell me about it until after I preached. Gina and I were going to come up the next weekend, but he lived only two days after I got that message.

After the absolutely exhausting pastoral candidacy at Mansfield, the last thing I wanted to do was to speak in front of people, but my grandmother asked me to say something at the funeral. I thought she was going to ask others to say something as well, but she just asked me. Like being a pallbearer, it's not something you turn down. But I didn't think I had it in me.

In hindsight, I'm glad she asked me; I think that was God's hand in it all. Having to prepare my thoughts enabled me to try to express myself, which is something I struggle with. I really could never say enough to speak for a man like my grandfather, but I made a try of it. Of course, it was a totally inadequate speech that fails to express the loss I feel. My grandfather was perhaps the single best human being I've ever known, and living life without him is like losing direction.

This is the part where I'm supposed to "sanctify" my discussion of sad things and say something positive and hopeful about the future and God's plans, etc. But, honestly, I never cared for that. I think one of the things that gives us power as Christians is keeping our eyes open to the grittiness of life. What Christians always say at a funeral is, "We'll see him again someday," or "He's with the Lord, so he's happy." But while that's true, it's one half of the coin. It's like telling the ending of a movie without fully appreciating the plot leading up to it. I mean, I'll be happy later when I do see Jesus and all those who died in the Lord (like my grandfather). But, right now, I just want to be upset. People like my grandfather should live forever. The rest of us here in this world need them for direction. At the very least, they shouldn't die of frickin' cancer.

I think we're supposed to be angry about this, and we're supposed to mourn the loss of our loved ones (John 16:16-22). We're supposed to be humans who react like humans without feeling the need to pretend everything's always happy. No one has been spared the effects of death (or rejection)--including Jesus himself. When Lazarus died, Jesus didn't say, "I'll see him again someday." No, he cried--even though he knew God's plan was to raise him.

Because death sucks. That's why Jesus conquered it at the cross. In John's Gospel, the miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead is what spurred Jesus' passion. Jesus' mission on earth was to defeat death. When he symbolized this by raising Lazarus, the forces of evil freaked out, knowing that their power was in jeopardy. (How can you have power over people if they don't fear death?) Further, when Jesus weeps, he knows emotionally the urgency of his mission: death must be destroyed. Jesus had read the scriptures; he knew what the Messiah was called to do. But it isn't until he weeps at death's stranglehold on humankind that he truly knows why death must be destroyed.

Similarly, I think the best way to truly grasp the joy of death's defeat is to first allow ourselves to experience the agony death brings. Only after we weep at death's power can we understand the joy that Jesus' death on the cross provides. Then it's not meaningless words when we say, "We'll see him again someday."

Guatemelon?

2008-01-12T18:04:00.000-08:00

Since the days of Yoshi's Island (that's mid-90's to non-gamers), Mario's dinosaur pal, Yoshi, has been snacking on a variety of canteloupe-size fruit--most of which I am completely unfamiliar with. One, called simply "melon," looks like a canteloupe but always has a branch still attached. Another is the durian, the stinky spiky Thai treat often called the "king of fruits." They even have a watermelon, but in the Mario games, it's totally round and about the size of a cantaloupe. Weird. I filed this information away in the back of my mind along with a series of other video game mysteries I assumed I'd never solve. I mean, have the Japanese never met a watermelon? They're oval-shaped! Was there some design reason that they made the watermelons of the Mario universe round? Or were they even watermelons at all? I thought I'd never know.

But then I went into Wal-Mart today, and lo and behold: a round watermelon! Apparently, they're grown in Guatemala.

For comparison, here's a picture of a giant watermelon in Super Mario Sunshine (they're not normally so huge, but this was the only picture I could find):

And here's the Wal-Mart Guatemelon:

As you can see, it's pretty small, in addition to being round. I tried some Google searches to see what's going on with the Japanese and all their weird fruit. Apparently, smaller watermelons have been popular for years in Japan because the large ones are too big to fit in Japanese refrigerators. But they didn't stop there! Check out the space-saving cube- and pyramid-shaped watermelons!

More Skepticism in 2008

2008-01-05T18:47:00.000-08:00

It dawned on me sometime last year that many of the Christians I know have held superstitious and fanciful beliefs, including myself. Some superstitious beliefs I have come across include: Murphy's Law, various types of luck, traditional wedding superstitions, horoscopes, etc. The most insignificant are the colorful, harmless expressions of a paranoid schizophrenic. The worst directly conflict with biblical teaching, competing seriously for a person's faith.

In addition to superstitious beliefs, I had long held a candle for the existence of UFOs and Bigfoot, and other fanciful things like that. It's fun to believe in those things, even though there is no concrete evidence for them.

But when I realized that we Christians are so indiscriminate about what we choose to believe in, I tried to imagine what we must look like to an outsider. What I realized is that we don't look like rational people who believe in one incredible and ultimately significant thing; we look like irrational people who believe in anything and everything, never considering credibility or significance. "Faith in anything" is the belief system of a feel-good Hollywood film, not the Bible. Ephesians 4:14 says: "We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming" (NRSV).

So I hope you'll join me this year by trimming the fat off of our faith-based beliefs. Let's let our faith be in God, and maintain a skeptical eye to all else.

Consumer Blasphemy

2007-10-31T21:01:00.000-07:00

Just between you and me, I'm beginning to think that our American consumerism has gone too far. Do you ever feel like the marketing just goes too far? Like the companies of America are vying for our worship as well as our dollar? Well, here's a commercial I just saw on TV that illustrates that point perfectly.

Click here, or watch below:

Summer Greek

2007-08-21T16:15:00.000-07:00

Although Dr. Moss would probably categorize Summer Greek class as a special kind of torture--reserved only for sadists, the incredibly stupid, or those bereft of the decision-making skills God gave field mice--I'm going to really miss it when it's over. Sure, "free time" has been a foreign concept these last five weeks, but so has "multitasking." Why aren't all classes given in intensive one-at-a-time segments? Summer Greek covers the 120 hours of two entire quarters in just five weeks. However, Greek is the exception; the average 10-week course can be completed it just one single week during summer session. Given that humankind, in all its collective wisdom, has discovered this clearly superior format, why do ten-week classes still exist, to say nothing of the God-forsaken 15-week semester courses at some schools? When given the option between one week of soul-sucking labor or ten, what fool says, "Ten, please! Oh, and during those ten weeks, can I take three more classes?"

Adding to its unspeakable awe and wonder, Summer Greek takes no prisoners. It claimed its first victims within the first two weeks. As a result, the six of us who were left banded together like a group of trauma survivors, whose lives were drawn together by the shared experience of being lost at sea, forced to eat a sickly companion to stave off the hunger. Now, I'm no great hater of the students who scrape the bottom of the grading scale, but there's something to be said about the potential velocity of a class whose academically-challenged members have ever-so-wisely fled for dear life.

Moreover, the class has been fun. In fact, it's the only fun class I've had at Ashland, and transitioning from Summer Greek to working full time is certain to have all the joys involved in falling out of a seven-story window. Thankfully, time, God, wife, and a man named "Stafford" have afforded me the opportunity to hand in my two weeks notice the day I return--something I plan on doing with no regret. The thought occurs to me that perhaps my hatred of my job and subsequent love for Summer Greek is only an indication of a more deeply-rooted character defect--laziness, depression, or irresponsibility--but frankly, I couldn't be bothered to care.

Othello Gemmel (feline), 2003-2007

2007-07-18T00:59:00.000-07:00

Monday evening I cleaned out our cats' litterbox and noticed that there was almost nothing in it. I let Gina know, and she said she thought Othello might be sick as she hadn't seen him all day. We figured it was something that was passing and went to sleep. Today was the same story, so while I was at work, Gina became worried. She tried to feed him some treats, and he wouldn't eat them. That's when she knew something was wrong. She called a 24-hour vet hotline to find out if it was serious, or if we could wait until tomorrow--when I would be off from work--to take him in to the vet. They said that we could take him in to see the vet tomorrow as long as he didn't start panting.

I got home around midnight and Othello came out from under the bed and laid down with his face next to the water dish. He looked so sick, and his tail was bent in an uncomfortable position that he did not bother to correct. He was breathing very heavily and looked terrible. We decided that we didn't want to wait until tomorrow to take him to the vet, so I had Gina load him in his carrier. He usually fights so hard, but he didn't today. We carried him very carefully into the car and drove to an all-night vet hospital. They charge $100 just to see your pet. We talked about what we could afford and what kind of options we'd have to pursue. He's so young, we didn't assume it would be anything serious, so we were just hoping it would be cheap.

We got right in at the vet's office and they took him with his carrier into a room in the back. Within five minutes of waiting, the vet's assistant came out and told us that there was fluid in Othello's lungs. This means he has a chronic illness of some kind, she explained to us. While he would survive if treated, his quality of life would be very low, and the disease would need to be constantly managed--either with steady medication or frequent visits to the vet's. To pump the fluid out and keep him overnight--which would be a minimum treatment--would cost almost $1000. The girl advised us we'd be looking at a couple of thousand before all was said and done, and then we'd be back in again soon. While we talked and cried over the decision we had to make, they had to pull fluid out of his lungs to keep him from suffering while we were there. They removed a quarter of a liter (about 1 cup) of fluid out, and that wasn't all of it by any means.

We decided that the right thing to do would be to put him to sleep. Not only could we not afford treatment, but we did not want Othello to have to be in pain and always struggling for life. When we thought about it, we realized that Othello's health had probably been declining for some time, although it's hard to notice with cats (as the vet confirmed). He had been throwing up some over the last six months, which Desdemona has never done, and his behavior has changed in some other ways. We paid for an autopsy (they call it a "necropsy") to determine cause of death, because if it's feline leukemia or FIP, Desdemona could have it, too.

Othello, you were a great cat. Thanks for entertaining us with all of your silly antics. We're going to miss you, little buddy.

It's going to take more than that, Apple

2007-07-07T10:29:00.000-07:00

Well, Apple, you've caught my attention with your shiny new iPhone. But your first attempt is weak. If you want to sell me an iPhone, you're going to need to step up. Here are my bare minimum requirements:

-The cost needs to be $300 or less. I will not budge on this. I can get a real iPod (30 GB) for $250 new, and I can get a cell phone for free. Who are you kidding with $600?
-Get off the exclusive contract with AT&T and offer the phone for any carrier. If you expect me to make a long-term replacement of my iPod mini, I need the freedom to shop around for cell phone deals. I can't risk being tied to an already-expensive carrier that may decide to price-gouge in the near future.
-Open up the OS. If you want to be a smart-phone, put your money where your mouth is. I can get the Bible, Word & Excel, NES emulation, and all kinds of games for any Palm or Pocket PC-based device, but with iPhone, you expect me to use web-based software? Bump that.
-Offer more storage. While my small music collection will be fine on an 8GB iPhone, Gina will need 6GB just for music. That doesn't leave much space for all the multimedia stuff you want me to do (and those programs you need to let me run).
-Fix the voice quality issues. Come on, cell phone quality is bad enough; don't make it worse.
-Allow your web browser to view Flash media. It's 2007; what internet were you talking about when you said the iPhone's internet isn't "watered down," but "just the internet"?
-Add in an output to video. The docks for normal iPods now output to video and audio so you can do music/photo slideshows or videos on your TV. Why is the iPhone audio only? And while we're on the subject, why can't the iPhone get calls while it's docked? You can't just make the screen flash when I get a call and give me the option to pick it up?
-Iron out the other kinks, like how you can't have a wide keyboard when writing notes in landscape mode. You should be ashamed. I give you 6 weeks to get this corrected.

There's a whole other host of things Apple could do to improve the iPhone (like video and flash for the camera), but that's not what this is about. Any other improvements will just be distractions from the main weaknesses I listed above. Make it happen, Apple, or you'll be selling your phone to elitists only.

Parafoil = best kite ever

2007-07-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

I've considered myself a kite hobbyist for years now, but I haven't really made many (read: any) purchases of a kite for myself. My video game hobby seems to always take precedent. However, now that I'm locked inside studying all year in urban Columbus, my desire to return to my favorite outdoor activity has resurfaced. Hesitating as usual, I had my eye on an $18 kite called Pocket Parafoil (TM) for a few weeks now. The money I was going to use to buy it was leftover from my birthday in May, and it was otherwise headed toward Wii Points to download classic Nintendo games.

So I finally broke down and bought the thing on Sunday, and what a great decision it was! Gina and I had a blast flying it, along with a $2 mini-kite I also picked up. We went to beautiful Berliner park just south of town. The park was completely deserted, and the wind was relatively steady, so we were easily able to get the kite out to a full 500 feet of line. Nice. At one point, a helicopter landed in the field beside us, then took back off. On its way up, it looked like it was going to cut our kite string before it veered to the right and flew out of the way. I have no idea why it was there, but it just seemed to add to the magic.

What made the event such a pleasant surprise was the parafoil kite. In many ways, it is the antithesis of what I'd want in a kite. Parafoils feature no spars (that's the name for the sticks that make up the frame), and they don't have a great shape or painting on them. I usually prefer box kites or rokkaku kites that are more visual, but I also have crappy luck getting them to fly. I also tend to prefer really expensive kites that have strong pull and require heavy duty line. This kite came with a 30-lb. string--practically sewing thread--but it was thankfully 500' long. Considering that most kites come with no string, and considering that string itself can cost more than $20 for 500 feet, the Pocket Parafoil (TM) was cheap in every sense of the word. Instead of an interesting tail, it has ribbons. So all of these things made me think it wouldn't be that great. But as I started thinking more about flying kites again lately, I realized that one of the biggest hindrances to a good flying experience in Ohio--where the wind may only be good for an hour at a time--is the lengthy set-up and tear-down process of my previous box kite. The parafoil's sparless design makes it ideal for a quick flying experience. Plus, it rolls up very small into a pocket, which is great for someone living in a small apartment like me. Additionally, parafoils are so lightweight without any sticks in them that they can fly in lower winds, which is a must for Ohio. And, perhaps best of all, if you're a lousy flyer like me, there's no way to damage the kite if it crashes. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of my kite in the sky (Gina and I forgot the camera again), but you can look at a similar parafoil kite in the included picture.

So, even though it may seem boring, a parafoil kite can really be your best friend. It's just characteristic of my recent life experiences that the opposite thing from what I want turns out to be the best option.

THE PROTOMEN!!

2007-05-08T20:13:00.000-07:00

I've been listening to this band called The Protomen for about a week now. You can find their website here and their myspace here. You can also listen or buy from iTunes (which is what I did). They basically have taken the tale of Mega Man and Protoman from the Mega Man games and weaved a rock opera from it. The music tells the story in the most universal and accessible ways without losing the integrity of being a real rock band (not wimpy Nickelback rock).

In their dramatic retelling, Dr. Wily is as oppressive as Josef Stalin and Dr. Light takes on an almost allegorical role of God. Protoman, his first creation, succumbs to evil, much like the first man, Adam. On the other hand, Mega Man is unstoppable and does not fall to the temptations of evil. Maybe it's just the culmination of 9 months of seminary, but I was seeing some Christian allegory there. Either way, it's a good listen if you like real rock music.

Men in Missions

2007-05-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

I just went to Men in Missions with the Evangelical Friends Church, and it was a great experience. I had a couple of really great revelations while in discussion with my fellow churchmen, and had the chance to allow God to win a battle for my soul. Friday night, I just realized that I've been really bitter with the church for a long time. Also, I was able to confess with Eric and Tracy my stress and frustrations with trying to control the future of my life. They wisely advised me to give to God my gifts, dreams, hopes, calling, and future. I did that at the altar Saturday night.

On Sunday morning, there was another altar call; this time for forgiveness. I realized when I went up to the altar and just felt overwhelmed with emotion that this was the reason I was at the retreat. All of the stuff on Friday and Saturday was just to prepare me to get to a point of forgiveness. I needed to forgive the church at large, which I still thought of as a total waste, even though I had found so many godly people at Water of Life. I also needed to forgive the Christian & Missionary Alliance guy for hurting me, because he was the reason I had stopped believing in the church. As the Beard (the name we have for the pope of the Friends church) said, forgiveness doesn't come all at once, and it doesn't mean I should be completely trusting again, but it does mean that I will not let this hinder my relationship with God. So it's going to be a long road (and it already has been) on recovery to building trust in God's people again, but this was the beginning of making that committment.

In fact, I can see already how the events leading up to and including this retreat were really a complete undoing of what was done to me that day in the C&MA office. Where I was untrusted, Eric trusted me to help lead a life group. Where I was counted as unworthy, the men of Water of Life counted me one of the unworthy saints. Where I was considered weird, I was re-considered part of the beauty of God's creation. I am beginning to realize that I don't have to beat myself up over my mistakes, because the men of Water of Life love Jesus too much to pay attention to my faults. It's an awesome freedom to know that I can be myself--as weird as that may be--and also be part of a larger movement of God. I'm also so humbled by the encouragement they gave me and their relationships with God.

I began thinking about the pastors that were there, because in many ways, this was a meeting of the Friends church brass. I realized that I used to live like I was a pastor when I thought that was my calling. I used to care about people, and try to encourage them. I don't think I was ever as good at it as the Water of Life guys (and the other men at the retreat), but I definitely used to live like I believed my actions mattered. Considering that the calling of the pastor is really just the calling of every person (to love others), there's no reason I can't walk that path again. So I've decided to live like I am a pastor--not because that's my calling, but because I think the idea of there being some boundary between laity and clergy is a farce. Christ didn't say, "I call some of you to be better than others." We're all given the same commandments, but some may just have a longer way to go to get there (and there's grace for that). In other words, it's okay for someone else to be a Christian and not be capable of acting out of compassion for others; maybe they don't have that gifting, or they're new to the Christian life, or they're in a bad spot spiritually, or a variety of other reasons. But for me, if I don't live my life in the same way as Eric, Scott, or Mark, I am not being true to the gifts and the knowledge God gave me. I think I'm culpable for being the man I know how to be, and I think I'm ready to start trying to live up to that again.

Anyways, just for fun, I wanted to chronicle the things I learned on the Men in Missions trip:

Tennis is more about moving your legs than your arms, and it's actually fun.

Sheetz is ultimate.

Doing "the worm" on a hard carpet can injure your "no-nads."

Where a woman sees navy beans and drinking straws, a man sees deadly weapons.

If God tells you to quit your job, ask for confirmation (in writing if possible).

Cheering for God can be deafeningly loud.

If you don't know a person's last name, you can just write in "Dude."

Yes, you can feed 8 men on $12, but it may take an hour to do it.

Eight men in a small room = stinky.

Mac people like Rob Bell are hipsters.

The filter in sleep apnea machines is not smell-proof.

Job issue resolved--for now

2007-03-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, I called Starbucks back to talk pay, and they offered me even less than I was told to expect. My friends who had worked there started out at $7.50 and told me I could start higher because I have a B.A. The manager offered me $7.25, which is absolutely a cut in pay. That combined with not getting forty hours kind of sealed the deal for me. I told the manager thanks but no thanks and went back to my current job.

Job blues

2007-03-12T14:37:00.000-07:00

I've hated my current job at Teleperformance since I got it in September. But now I have interviewed at Starbucks. I should be hearing back soon whether they will hire me. But strangely, I'm not as excited about getting out of my job as I expected.

Perhaps my whole attitude was wrong. I do enjoy some very nice benefits at my current job. I get to work only two days a week (two 10 hour shifts), and I often have the option of getting sent home early. Plus, that schedule is consistently the same. Also, I could easily move up to full time in the summers of 40 hours without having to find a new job, then move back down to 20 hours in the fall (although I may not be so lucky as to work Thursday and Friday). Plus, most of the time I get to take "get connected" calls, which have no time limit, and therefore are easy, fun, and morally fulfilling since you're actually helping people.

However, the big reason I hate this job is because of the "east" calls, which are on a strict time limit of 12 mins 30 secs, whether you provide any help or not. The time limit is the primary score your job is based on when it comes to these calls, so far and above doing the right thing is getting people off the phone. It's stressful, slow, and morally devastating. Working a 10 hour shift with 10 minute calls makes for a suicidal experience.

However I recently signed up for a huge overtime incentive wherein I just made about $250 in 10 hours by working over the weekend. They run these great incentives every so often, and this time we really needed the money. I prayed about it, and it provided the exact amount of cash we needed, so I decided to sign up. I did so with the forceful courage of doing the right thing for the right reasons. It enabled me to just work and not worry about the scores. Being in the right gave me freedom. In fact, I realized I've been pulling up my numbers in "east" calls and will probably be okay to continue with this job with little or no ill effects. I still don't really like them, but they're not so scary as they used to be. The only thing is, I never know when they might drop "get connected" altogether (things change severely and often there) and I'll be left with only "east" calls.

Those are all my feelings about Teleperformance. I recently thought Starbucks was a dream job, but my interview has left me conflicted.

Starbucks offers a few really great features over my current job. First, it will allow me to work a variety of different hours, many of which could be in the daytime. While I'm not all for flexible shifts, it would give me the benefit of being able to call off whenever someone could cover a shift for me. Most importantly, it's a face-to-face job wherein I can interact with people instead of living in a cave as a telephone robot. I could actually get real capital-B Benefits on 20 hours for a nominal fee (I think $70/month). Considering I can't do that at Teleperformance until I hit 30 hours (and I've been without healthcare for a while now), it's a really good thing. It's also a lot closer to home and would allow me to transfer to other stores.

However, there are some qualms I have with it. It seems like it's corporate brainwashing of the highest order. I'm used to that with Allstate and Hewlett-Packard, but I tire of it the older I get. I long for a job that doesn't ask for my soul. Most importantly, I'll never get close to 40 hours during the summer, which means I won't make as much money. There are options I can pursue to increase income during the summer, such as volunteering to fill in at other area stores and taking over other peoples' shifts. However, that makes getting close to 40 hours a constant pain. Also, while I'm excited about working daytime hours, they require openers to be in at 5 AM, which is a ridiculous adjustment when I'm used to going to bed at 3 AM right now. Not only that, but closers will have to be there until 11:45. That means that I could close and open in the same week, meaning that sleep is going to be tougher to get than ever. Finally, the last thing that bothers me is the idea of having to learn a new job completely over again. This one doesn't bother me as much, because the manager seems really nice and I don't think they'd be unforgiving of the learning process. However, the thought of having to learn a new job still sucks.

But I also waffle back against those criticisms. It's unlikely that I'd ever work a full 40 hour week at Teleperformance, either. First, they send people home early a lot, and secondly, I really don't know if I can handle it. Also, Teleperformance is changing things constantly, so re-learning is going to be a constant part of life either way.

So I've prayed and asked God to just make the decision for me. I asked that if he wanted me to take the Starbucks job, let them offer me the job and I'd take it. I asked that if he didn't want me to take it, let them not offer it to me. However, I'm feeling guilty about that, because I always feel it's a cop-out. God obviously wants us to make our own decisions (if he didn't, nothing in the world makes any sense; think about it). So I prayed and told God that if I'm offered the job, I want to prayerfully consider my direction, but I asked him to give me all the help he can so I can know what will glorify him most.

Pope John XXIII

2007-01-28T16:18:00.000-08:00

9.20.1870Rome falls to revolutionaries

For the first time, Italy is an independent nation.

2.20.1878Pope Leo XIII elected

Leo inspires the young Roncalli; he is the first pope freed from land-ownership.

10.25.1881Angelo Guiseppe Roncalli is born

Attends seminary in Bergamo from age 12

8.4.1903Pope Pius X elected

Pius's papacy would be marked by an anti-Modernist scare, including many excommunications.

8.10.1904Roncalli ordained priest

He is immediated assigned to work under bishop Radini-Tedeschi as his assistant until Radini-Tedeschi dies in 1914.

9.3.1914Pope Benedict XV elected

Papacy marked by peace-loving and humanitarian efforts; removal of the papal spies.

5.1915Roncalli drafted as hospital orderly for Italian Army

Seeing the suffering of the young soldiers steels Roncalli’s heart against war. Benedict’s papacy serves as inspiration for the power of that office to create peace.

2.6.1922Pope Pius XI elected

Papacy followed in the steps of Benedict in relation to Modernism. Pius encouraged new scholarship if it fit within the understanding of the church. Mussolini, Fascist dictator, had secured control over Italy in the year of Pius’s election. Worked with Mussolini in an attempt to secure the Catholic religion as official over Italy; in exchange he gave Mussolini some names of bishops that might be against his rule. Roncalli is on that list.

2.12.1925Roncalli assigned to Bulgaria

Roncalli is on a list of men who might disagree with Mussolini’s rule. Pius sends him as apostolic visitor to Bulgaria so that he won’t interfere.

1929Pius XI signs Lateran Accords

Pius’s negotiations with Mussolini pay off: Vatican becomes an independent state; Catholicism is now official religion of Italy. Italy remains under Fascist control.

1.5.1935Roncalli appointed to Istanbul

Roncalli is appointed “apostolic delegate” to Turkey and Greece. There he befriends the Orthodox and Jewish communities, and rescues many Jews from Holocaust persecution.

3.2.1939Pope Pius XII elected

Pius XII rescues many Jews from the Holocaust but neglects to use his position to speak publicly against it. Catholics in Italy and elsewhere have a great record of hiding Jews.

7.9.1943Allied liberation of Italy begins

Mussolini overthrown, arrested; Fascist rule falls apart.

12.6.1944Roncalli appointed “nuncio” to France

This was a large, unexpected honor. It was bestowed upon Roncalli because Charles de Gualle insisted the pope dispose all bishops who cooperated with Nazis. While the pope didn’t give in to his demands per se, he did put Roncalli in this prime French office because of his innocence.

The archbishop of Paris had devised an experiment of “worker priests” who did not wear the collar. Roncalli watched their work among their people and was impressed.

1.15.1953Roncalli created cardinal by Pius XII

3.15.1953Roncalli assigned patriarch of Venice

Finally Roncalli is home in Italy. He called himself a “brother” to the people, rather than “father,” and worked against unemployment. He had an open door policy, which was unheard of in Venice at that time.

10.28.1958Roncalli elected as Pope John XXIII

1.25.1959John calls council of cardinals to announce his plans

His pontificate would include three things: a synod for priests of Rome, an ecumenical council, and update to Code of Canon Law. The real innovation was the council, but he disguised his speech so as not to upset the conservatives.

1961John issues encyclical: “Mother and Teacher”

He reveals his true nature as a Modernist and a believer in the concept of separation of church and state.

9.13.1962John diagnosed with cancer

He was given a year to live.

10.11.1962Second Vatican Council convened

John made himself scarce during the council and allowed the bishops to talk over the issues amongst themselves. He opened the council by explaining that it would not be a council of condemnation but of reconciliation. Despite the proposed agenda, he explained the point of the council was to find a way to be relevant to the modern society. While not being present, he still worked behind the scenes to ensure that the progressive bishops could lead the debate. The first session ended 12.8.1962.

4.11.1963John issues encyclical “Peace on Earth”

Encyclical published to the public rather than just the bishops. He discusses a list of human rights; this was never done by a pope before. Included within is the right to worship freely, the rights of states to have sovereign rule as long as they are fair to their constituents, various rights of women; he ends with a call for the elimination of racism and nuclear weapons.

6.3.1963Pope John XXIII dies

Last words are, “Lord, you know that I love you! Lord, you know that I love you!”

6.21.1963Pope Paul VI elected

12.8.1965 Results of the Second Vatican Council:

liturgy in vernacular

respect for all people, including Jews, people of other faiths

bishops share responsibility for the Church

the Catholic Church is no longer the one and only Church of Christ

a call to moral responsibility, to make life better for the common man

8.26.1978Pope John Paul I elected

10.16.1978Pope John Paul II elected

5.19.2005Pope Benedict XVI elected

Coming to Terms

2006-11-28T09:40:00.000-08:00

I think I'm finally beginning to be able to deal with my going to Ashland. Every week, as I think about my lousy, lousy job, I realize that the goal of being a Bible Professor will be worth it. Gina and I got a chance to sit down and really map out my schedule at Ashland over the next few years, and we decided I'm going to pursue my Master's in 4 years. It's been a huge relief to me to be able to take two classes at a time. The only thing now is that Gina will be stuck doing her Doctoral work at OSU. Once she gets to the thesis, around the time I'll be getting my Master's, it will be time to move again so I can get a Doctorate at Princeton or somewhere.

And I've been working on my final papers for my classes, and I'm realizing that these classes are as challenging as I make them. If I try to turn in A quality work, it does take some effort.

And as far as the move to Columbus: while I will probably never understand this town's obsession with college football, at least I have friends here. I'm helping teach a life group at my church and I'm realizing how that's really helping me to prepare to teach. I guess I'm finally beginning to see God's plan in all this chaos. And the good news is, I'll get a reprieve soon, as I only have a couple of other assignments before the quarter ends.

Christian History I Presentation

2006-11-08T10:37:00.000-08:00

5.11.330Constantine Founds “Nova Roma”

-Built in 5 years
-Surrounded on West by walls
-Includes a huge imperial palace
-Main church is Hagia Sophia I
-Built in a relatively small town of “Byzantium”
-Name “Nova Roma” didn’t take; began to be called “The City” or “The City of Constantine,” transliterated Constantinople

337-361Reign of Constantius II

-Hagia Sophia I is lost; Constantius II builds ver 2.0

408-450Reign of Theodosius II

-In 413-414, built defensive wall around expanded section of the city
-Founded University of Constantinople
-In 438, Publishes Codex Theodosianus

9.4.476Fall of Rome

-Romulus Augustus deposed by Odacer
-Roman Empire continues on with Constantinople as capital

527-565Reign of Justinian

-Justinian was the nephew of emperor Justin I
-upon his election, Justinian surrounds himself with talent; wife Theodora, finance minister John the Cappadocian, and genius generals Belisarius and Narses
-He stands for Catholic beliefs and a revival of the Roman Empire
-He is almost killed in the Nika Riots, 532
-Hagia Sophia II is burned in the Riots, as well as much of the city
-Justinian commissions the building of the final version of the great church; Anthemius is the architect
-Hagia Sophia III is considered by many the 8th wonder of the world; perhaps one of the largest architectural feats for centuries
-Justinian commissions Corpus Juris Civilis; the Justinian Law Code
-Commander Belisarius conquered the Vandals in Africa
-Then recaptured Rome and all of Italy, Sicily, and some of Spain
-Byzantine Empire at its height

565-1204Nationalistic Age

-Within a few years of Justinian’s death, much of the reconquered land was lost
-Byzantine Empire retained that size and existed more or less as a nation
-Crusades, esp. the Fourth, would cause much damage to the empire; the Fourth included the sacking of Constantinople (even though Alexios I called for help) in 1204

1204-1453Decline of Byzantine Empire

-Byzantine Empire never recovered from the sacking from the Fourth Crusade
-Byzantine Empire was split into three: Nicea, Trebizond, and Epirus

5.29.1453Fall of Constantinople

-Sultan Mehmet II led the Ottoman Empire to conquer Constantinople
-Mehmet II had 85,000 men to the Christians’ 7000
-The siege lasted 53 days

1453-1923Ottoman Empire

-Constantinople served as the capital
-Sultan Mehmet II contributed many great buildings to the city of Constantinople, including the Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palace, countless schools and baths
-Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque
-Sultan Ahmed would attempt to out-do Hagia Sophia III with his “Blue Mosque” built between 1609-1616

1923-presentRepublic of Turkey

-Capital of Turkey was moved to Ankara
-In 1935, Hagia Sophia III was secularized and converted to Aya Sofya Museum
-Constantinople officially re-named Istanbul

Istanbul

Hagia Sophia

Full Shot

Close Up

Floor Plan

Video

Searching for God Knows What

2006-10-15T22:46:00.000-07:00

I found this other Don Miller book in my bookshelf (thanks Stephanie!), and boy has it been great. I haven't finished it yet, but some of the stuff in here was really incredible. There's a chapter about Jesus and how he just loves people for who they are. In one section, he really explains the Woman at the Well in great detail, and it really made me cry. For real this time. Sobbing like a baby. And it felt good. I don't know why people shy away from using emotional language. Aren't we emotional creatures? It's scary, because if you read that passage just intellectually, you miss out on a beautiful display of God's mercy. Sometimes I just can't believe that Jesus knows how dirty I am and yet loves me anyhow. It's like that's what I've searched for my whole life. Even after knowing God, I've still tried to get this feeling from other people. I feel like I could never apologize for all the sin I just exude at every moment, so I just want someone to see all of this and love me anyway.

It's not enough for someone to commit to love me if they really don't know me for who I am. I'm thinking of Gina here. As much as we love each other, we'll never know each others deepest motives and fears and everything. It's just a limit to the human condition. I want someone to actually know all my secrets and then love me anyway. It's impossible, though. Lucky for us, Jesus specializes in the impossible. I just feel so humbled by his mercy.

Blue Like Jazz

2006-10-06T23:50:00.000-07:00

I recently finished Don Miller's Blue Like Jazz, and I have to admit it made me cry. Well, almost. My eyes welled up a little. But that's about the closest I've been to crying in the last 5 years, so that's saying a lot. (I’m convinced that’s some how very emotionally unhealthy, but who’s to say?)

The thing is, Miller's book has one of the most moving elements in it: convincing evidence that our faith still moves people. I feel dumb saying that, because obviously, I profess faith in God because I believe that statement to be true. Still, there’s infinite value in being reminded.

What really floored me was Miller’s account of the "confession booth" at Reed College. On the date of an annual celebration of drugs, drinking, and sin at the secular college, Miller and his small band of Christians decided to do something that points to Jesus. They set up a confession booth on the green; only they didn't ask the hardened agnostic & atheist intellectuals on campus to confess their sins. Instead, they decided to confess their own, as well the sins of others who have done wrong in the name of Christ.

They apologized for the crusades, and for their personal failure to live up to Christ's calling. As a result, they brought tears to the eyes of a lot of wounded students who secretly longed for faith even though their social structure did not allow for it. I've known people who feel that only evil comes from religion. That sounds alien to many Christians, who often have only good associations with it because of a faithful family member or what-have-you. Devoid of these holy examples, many non-religious people have a deep-seeded fear of God, religion, and religious people ingrained in them from a young age.

When I read stories of Christ's power melting these hearts, I know that whatever I'm doing is lacking at best, wrong at worst. I'm reminded of the times when God has reached down from heaven to hold me up, and I realize all over again that it's the power of God that matters. That's one thing that's so frustrating about anti-emotional intellectualism, anti-intellectual emotionalism, and the church's glorification of it in Western culture. Where’s the sprirituality?

I've been smart, and I've had schooling, and I can safely, solidly say that intelligence means jack squat. For the longest time, I thought that when people ask a question, the goal was to have an answer. Jesus would have an answer, I would think. But that's often not the case. Sure, he knew the answers to a lot of questions, but often he answered with other questions, or with convicting remarks. He didn’t just say the right answers; instead he waited for the Father’s leading. An interesting concept, to be sure.

For instance, in another really moving section of Blue Like Jazz, Miller talks about being on a radio talk show that has a distinct atheistic slant. The host asked him to defend Christianity. There are hundreds of ways to defend the faith, but that's not the route that Miller took. Instead, he said he wouldn't defend the term. He said that the word had negative connotations to a lot of people, and he wouldn't reinforce those by making statements about Christianity. Instead, he said that he would rather talk about how he came to believe in Jesus. The host was deeply moved and later confessed that "he didn't like Christianity but always wanted to believe Jesus was the Son of God." I think there are a lot of people like that, just waiting for us to really love them enough to be willing to say the right things.

But it's never about the logical answer. Having the theologically correct answer proves nothing but that there's a way, though faith, to have cohesive beliefs. This is not extraordinary. Everyone uses faith to make their beliefs cohesive. There is a whole faith surrounding UFOs and the conspiracy theories that bear witness to them. It’s completely cohesive, because people have thought of a million ways for it to make perfect sense. But these answers will only hide the deep hurt these people feel inside. Similarly, intellectual answers about the death and resurrection of our Lord will only mask the wonder of his grace.

But the emotional answer will also always get in the way. I’ve been a compassionate person at times, but bleeding-heart sympathy does nothing for people either. My brother cares deeply for a lot of people, but like me, was cursed with foot-in-mouth disease. As such, he has a terrible way of expressing that compassion, and it often comes out as frustration and anger. Love runs deeper than these emotions. Somehow, it lies in the spiritual, and it somehow has been known to allow normal men to say extraordinary, heavenly things.

This spirituality is something that I’m convinced I’m completely ignorant of. If the Lord is willing, I hope I’ll learn what it means someday, because it’s the only thing worth believing in anymore.

Crazed Rants

2006-10-06T23:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, I wasn't expecting a lot from Ashland, but you would think that it might try to compete with undergrad. I'm taking a Hermeneutics class that's about half of what I had to do for Hermeneutics at Malone, and everyone's panicking because the paper is 15 pages. Let's get real, people; we're doing this practically two pages at a time.

Furthermore, what's up with 96 hours to get a Master's in NT? Gina's doing 50 hours for a Master's in English, and she's already learning theory. If there is such a thing as biblical theory, I should be learning it by now. Also, why four classes at a time? It must be on account of the dollars, because it makes no sense (no pun intended) for a Master's degree. You can't take four classes when you're learning frickin' theory! Also, why am I being assigned a mere 30 pages of reading a week? At Malone, I had to read 30 pages per class, and that was twice a week.

Also, why is there like 1500 ways to get credit without actually learning? You can take a "lecture" course, which takes place on like two weekends or something, you can go to Israel or Greece for freebie credits; heck, I've even heard they give "life credits," which is the equivalent of saying, "You're old, you can't possibly learn anything at your age, so I'll just give this crap away." Imagine if the Boy Scouts worked on that principal. No wait. Actually, don't.

Seriously, credits for going on vacation? WHAT!?!

But my biggest gripe is why there is no teaching assistantship that I can apply for. Doesn't Ashland have need for some fresh young fools to teach undergrad-level gen-ed NT and OT courses?

Friends in Columbus

2006-09-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

I'm still having a hard time making friends in Columbus. Attending a small church doesn't help, even though I wouldn't have it any other way. Also, I don't really know my co-workers at work. There are a couple of guys there that I could probably be friends with if I tried, but they don't seem like good candidates for a meaningful friendship.

Sure, judge me if you want. Tell me I've got my standards too high. Maybe that's true. I had some really great friends when I lived in Canton, and any new friend has a lot to live up to. Still, I think I'm willing to compromise and everything. But these guys at work just seem to have their own things going on and everything. Plus, I think I'm out of practice at this whole friend-making thing. I remember it being so easy when I was in school.

I'm thinking about getting onto the Columbus Craig List and maybe getting a DS event started or something, as a way of finding some people to hang out with. Of course, the DS could skew a little young, so I'll have to deal with the kids running around. Maybe there's something else I could get started to meet some new people. Or maybe there's something already running that I could get involved in. And there's always the Columbus extension of Ashland. I'm sure there's a chance of meeting anyone there younger than 40.

Purpose

2006-09-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

My friend Chris and I used to lament the lack of "purpose" in our jobs as we worked a couple of call centers together. I guess that's what you could say I'm really working with right now. Gina and I have been praying for something to come along for me that would allow me to use some of the knowledge that I've gained at Malone. I was personally hoping for a youth ministry position, because that's what most people go into when they get out of college, and it would help me to feel like I haven't wasted the last three years of my life.

Still, we found a great church that we totally want to participate in, so praise God. And the pastor wanted to talk to me about possibly leading a life group. It's not what I was hoping for, but it's something. At least I can participate in the teaching process. But then he was talking about how he wanted to pair me up with someone else who "maybe isn't as confident" like me, and we could teach together. I know this is a big answer to prayer, but at the same time, it really frustrates me. Do I exude incompetence, that no one is willing to trust me, even with a simple job?

But then I got to thinking about it, and maybe this is the best thing. I'll be able to participate, and perhaps one of the youth group kids will also help me lead, and that will save them from my fate of having no experience. Plus, at this church, I have Eric and his brother Scott, both of whom I respect. I can go to them for help if I ever need it, so it really is a great way to learn. I guess it's just sort of embarrassing, considering that I'm 25 and I'm not even trusted to lead a life group. On the other hand, you have to start somewhere, and despite my age, there's no getting around the fact that I have zero experience doing anything in the local church.

Maybe the Lord has put me here at this time because it has taken me this long to be humble enough to do half of a life group. And maybe I really should start out this low, and I shouldn't be trusted just yet. I don't really get it. But I'll just have to trust God that if this isn't right, at least I'll know better where to go from here once I start doing it.

I meet Eric tomorrow at Chipotle to discuss all of this stuff. Here's hoping that something good comes from this, otherwise I'll find myself to be without purpose again.

Jobiness

2006-09-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally got a job here in Columbus. I'll be doing tech support for Verizon DSL 30 hours per week. As all part time jobs go, I'm stuck working at least one weekend day every week (Saturday). Still, three ten-hour shifts is the way to go when you're going to school.

Water of Life Friends Church, Columbus

2006-08-29T11:46:00.000-07:00

I attended the Water of Life Friends Church last Sunday with my wife. We tried it out because we were searching for Friends churches in the area to see what they were like out here. I grew up in the Friends church, so I always have a little bias towards them. This particular one was being pastored by Eric Biddle, a fellow Malone graduate. He was a senior when I was a freshman, and he led a chapel or two because he was Spiritual Life Director that year. I really looked up to him back then, so I figured it was a great opportunity to see what God has done with him.

The service was not what I was used to. What I saw was real people struggling with real problems. The entire church was maybe 30 people, but it was so real compared to the "churchiness" you find in the big rock-concert services. We prayed for everyone who had need, and we laid hands on them. It was pretty moving. It seemed like a lot of people had their struggles there. Eric and his wife were pregnant and were also waiting on an adoption to go through of a Guatamalan girl. They had waited so long for a child and were clearly at the end of their rope. Eric preached off of the "Ask, search, knock" passage and just talked about waiting for God to move. He talked about how his dad died of Lou Gehrig's disease even though they prayed for healing. Still, God gave him a vision of how his dad was healed in Heaven. I really felt like this was a church I could make a meaningful contribution to.

Now, I just have to pray for God to figure something out for me. I was going to try and get a youth ministry job, but obviously this place is too small for that. I could try to get a secular job to pay the bills and see if they'd be interested in letting me lead the ministry on a volunteer basis or something. I'll just have to ask God to move, because I can't just walk into the church and ask to take over the youth ministry. And maybe God has something else entirely for me. I mean, there's a part-time youth pastor position open at a Baptist church in Dublin. It's only 10 hours a week, though, so I'd have to get another job. All that, and I still haven't figured out what I'm doing at Ashland.

First Blog

2006-08-26T21:59:00.000-07:00

This first post is just going to be my life journey up until now. That way, you’ll know more about me right from the start, and my future rants will make more sense.

I am the youngest in my family. My sister is the oldest, and I have an older brother in the middle. My mom is a devout Christian and it is because of her that my brother and I are Christians today. My dad is kind of iffy because he has some strange affiliation with the Freemasons (a secretive cult) and he has suffered from a serious mental illness since I was about 5. My older sister is agnostic, after a few-year stint of being maniacally Christian, and more years of being wildly lost.

At age 5, I accepted Christ in an evangelistic puppet show. Because of this, I always considered myself a Christian. In school, I was a hopeless nerd, and I never felt acceptance by my peers (but I always had friends). This reached its zenith when I was 15, and I began to suffer from depression. At 16, God healed me from depression. There were three catalysts to this healing. First, my mom encouraged me to go to a charismatic worship meeting where I was prayed for and “slain in the spirit.” Second, I began to look at my brother as my paradigm for mental health. He wasn’t a Christian at the time, but he was the only one in my household not on medication for mental illness. Third, my mom, who had always listened to my whininess, actually told me she didn’t want to hear my negativity anymore. Something about her words really helped me to snap out of my depression, which for me, was an intense selfishness; an insistence that I was worth constant affection, even if it was my own.

At the time I stopped being depressed, I recommitted myself to a life of servitude in Christ. I met my future wife, Gina, at school. We were friends for a year, and I thought she was really funny, but I never liked her. Then, later, we saw each other at a football game and had a really good time talking. She invited me to “Quiz Bowl,” my school’s idea of a worthless endeavor. I came, and we hung out afterwards a couple of times. She drove me home because I couldn’t drive. I invited her to Homecoming, and shortly thereafter we began dating.

Dating was miserable for us, especially the first two years. Gina was extremely jealous, and she asked for a report of any girls I had talked to each day and why. After about two years of this crap, I was a senior in high school, and a lot of things began to change. I felt God calling me into ministry. There were three things that led to this belief. First, I took an interest inventory test that told me my job prospects included being a professional DJ (and two other non-jobs). The total lack of help in choosing a career left me hopeless. Second, my cousin Joe, then seeking a job in the ministry, advised me to never let go of the possibility of ministry. I dismissed his words out of hand, but later they came back to haunt me. Thirdly, I was actually admitted to Malone College, the only school around with a Bible program. It was very expensive, and my dad didn’t want to sign the parent loan papers (but reluctantly did after sticking me with the first payment of $900!).

During school, I learned a lot. I started a fellowship group with a bunch of my guy friends so we could keep each other accountable about the kinds of things guys struggle with. I don’t think we kept each other very accountable, but it ended up being some of the best study of the Bible any of us have ever experienced, and it helped make my education real. A good Bible school tears down your preconceptions that you bring to your interpretation of the Bible. Malone definitely did this for me. I realized that to every argument I was raised to hold dear, there was a counterpoint that was just as Biblically supported, except for the main tenets of the faith. So it was there, and through my fellowship group that I realized that God is not a Republican, and faith is more than what you don’t do. It took me years to realize, though, that all of the knowledge I had gained would only ever point back to the simple truths that are already spelled out as clear as day in the Bible. Things like, love your neighbor, love God, and anything done outside of faith is a sin.

Around this time, my relationship with Gina changed. She realized that she was expecting me to be her hope in life; she was holding me to silly expectations because she had been let down by her father. She did decide to follow me to Malone, and we decided to get married. We picked out a ring and everything. Gina, being all liberated like she is, picked an extremely modest ruby as her engagement ring, just to have some color. It was a gorgeous ring, but the timing was all wrong. To the horror of our parents, we announced our engagement. We really didn’t plan on getting married anytime soon; we just assumed we’d have a long engagement. Apparently that’s not done in Northeast Ohio, or something, because everyone was horrified. So we decided we’d put the engagement off until when it was closer to time to actually get married. We weren’t about to quit school or anything, but apparently that’s what a ring means to most people.

After that time, we began to question whether or not to get married. Gina wanted desperately to go to school somewhere really cool (NYU was her favorite pick), and I wanted to stay where we were. She also began to realize that maybe she wanted a more traditional, manly guy for a boyfriend, not a wimpy nerd like myself. We eventually broke up, and this experience affected us to the core. I realized that I would need to start taking responsibility for myself as an adult. Gina realized that I meant more to her than where she went to school. So, after about a month, we got back together, and decided to take things a little more carefully this time.

When Gina graduated (2 years ahead of me), we got re-engaged; this time it was more traditional. I got her a new diamond ring that was slightly less modest, and we had a modest outdoor wedding May 19^th, 2002, one year after she graduated, and one year before I would. She worked for Allstate Insurance because she couldn’t get a job with an English degree.

When I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Bible and Theology, I made the shocking realization that the degree was worthless. Apparently, ministry was one of those jobs where it’s all about experience. I should have expected that since most pastors in NE Ohio have only a Bachelor’s, or even less education. Anyway, it was too late for volunteer work at this point, so I applied a couple of places for Youth Ministry. I didn’t know what type of ministry I even wanted to do, since I hadn’t had time for it while I was in school. I did, however, organize a fellowship group with a bunch of my friends that lasted 2 years.

After having some difficult experiences, I decided to take 3 years off from attempting to work in the ministry. I did this for three reasons. First, I had my entrance and exit interviews into the School of Theology at Malone. They were both extremely discouraging. I thought I wanted to be a missionary, but my professors didn’t think I was the kind of exuberant personality that went into missions. Second, I could not get a single person I had met in my entire life to confirm any kind of calling in my life. Third, I was told by everyone in any type of ministry that I needed to take time off and become a better person. I decided that I’d take 3 years, because that’s how long it would take for Gina and I to pay off our car payments so that I could do volunteer work if I had to.

During this time, I had three bad experiences trying to get a job in ministry. First, I called the missions board at my denomination (Friends) to discuss what they usually expect out of missionaries. They told me I really didn’t want to go into ministry, and I could try all sorts of other opportunities. The one that sticks out in my mind was “missionary flight attendant.” I can handle not being taken seriously, so I went to another denomination that a friend of mine belonged to. They got him started in youth ministry. This particular guy from the Christian & Missionary Alliance, asked me really personal questions about all kinds of things, including stuff I’ll never put on the internet. I trusted him and answered his questions, only to experience what I can only describe as “spiritual rape.” I think this guy is a special brand of evil for whom there is an entire floor of hell devoted. Third, I applied for a youth ministry position, and the pastor spent all of the time in my “interview” talking, and none of the time listening. He was overly concerned that I seemed shy, and when I finally got him to understand that it wouldn’t be a problem, he told me what they paid, and it was somewhere between jack and squat. I just couldn’t afford it with the car payments Gina and I had. In hindsight, maybe I should have tried to take this job.

So I thought to myself, I’ll take some time off alright; I’ll show these people what for. I’ll take three years and become the best dang Christian this planet has ever seen. Not surprisingly, this is not what happened. I didn’t even do any volunteer work. I did, however, start a fellowship group with a bunch of my friends that lasted over a year until they all got too busy to come. We bought a house that consumed most of our time and money for the last two years, only to sell it for a huge loss because we weren’t able to keep it long enough to make any equity. We’ve moved to Columbus now, so Gina can pursue her Master’s at Ohio State University. I’ve learned a ton from owning the home, though, especially about what it means to be a man. I’ve learned that I have to be strong even when I’m not (which sucks). Gina was scared of our scary basement, and so was I. But when I realized that Gina depended on me for security, I stopped being scared and started going down without a flashlight. These are the kinds of things about marriage no one ever tells you about (and it’s the reason that unmarried people will never truly understand what 1 Cor 11:3 means).

In the sale of the house, I was forced to lead my wife in seeking God when nothing else made sense, and it looked like all was lost. It seemed like every day was more bad news, and the situation couldn’t get any worse… until the next day. These were crazy times. I didn’t know what God would have me do during these days while Gina was going to be getting her Master’s, so I prayed about it. I secretly asked God to let the house sell the day after I filled out my application to Ashland if he wanted me to go there to pursue something ministry-related. If he didn’t, I asked him to let us not even get any offers at all the next day, and I would go back to undergrad and get an art degree to make video games (my second love). Considering we had 2 offers in 3 months, the chances were high that without God’s intervention, we’d get no offers at all. However, miraculously, the house sold the day after I filled out the application. Gina and I were praying on a Friday, and the thought came over me about my prayer, and I knew I had to fill out the application that night. The funny thing is, I’m not sure if he caused the house to sell the day after I filled out the application, or if he caused me to fill out the application the day before he was going to let the house sell.

Anyways, I filled out this application, and I was able to get all of my references in and I was accepted. So now I’m going to pursue my Master’s in New Testament. I’ve decided that I’m going to work towards being a Bible professor, focusing on New Testament, and the Johannine works in particular. During the last fellowship group I had been a part of, I began teaching Revelation and found that I have a deep love for the artistic revelation of that book. And I already knew that The Gospel According to John was my favorite book of the Bible, so the Johannine works were a natural fit.

At the moment, I am jobless, so I’m going to try once again to get a youth ministry job, and I’m going to also try to get a job teaching Bible at a private Christian high school. I’m just going to pray for God to lead me to the right place.