Theological Fragments

In this post I intend to discuss the recent controversy surrounding the reality show Duck Dynasty . Before I get there, though, I want to first discuss the season of Advent and its message of penitence. So please, if you're here for the Duck Dynasty bit, bear with me for a few paragraphs.

A few days ago I did something I promised myself I would never do: I watched a sermon by Joel Osteen. The reason I try not to watch Osteen is because it always gets me riled up—he and I never seem to see eye-to-eye (To put it mildly). But one good thing did come out of this particular instance: it gave me the motivation to write this post, which I hope will end up as something more significant than a simple reactionary tirade. In his April 21st sermon, Joel Osteen gave a sermon entitled, “Taking Control of Your Happiness.” During the sermon he talked about those situations in which the people around us expect us to make them happy, to give them all of our time and attention, etc. Dealing with this kind of people can be exhausting, emotionally, mentally and physically. So the question is, how should we respond to such people? What do we owe them?

This last full week of Advent has been very busy for me, as I expect it's been for most people. I haven't really had time to write a blog post for this week (in spite of my best intentions). I do, however, have a poem I've been meaning to put up here. Enjoy! "Christmas" By John Betjeman The bells of waiting Advent ring, The Tortoise stove is lit again And lamp-oil light across the night Has caught the streaks of winter rain In many a stained-glass window sheen From Crimson Lake to Hookers Green.

The shooting in Connecticut today was a tragedy on a scale few of us can even imagine. The loss of so many people in one instant, most of them young children, shocks and saddens us all. In situations like these it can be difficult for us as Christians to know what to say. How do we confront evil on this kind of scale, and how do we begin to comfort those who were affected by the attack? What comfort can we offer to those who suffer in this world? On the one hand, this task is difficult because the typical answers have become cliche, and we know by now that they simply do not work. We could tell those who suffer that it is all part of God's plan; we can quote the scripture which says that God "works all things together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose." But these answers do not comfort, and they do not suffice. It is not enough to tell a person surrounded by evil and pain that everything that has happened to them is secretly good...

The word “advent” means “the arrival of a notable person, thing or event.” In the Christian year, the season of Advent has a double meaning. On the one hand, as the season that precedes Christmas it refers to the first coming of Christ two thousand years ago. Advent is the time in which we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ and God’s gift of himself to his people. In this way Advent helps to emphasize the significance of Christmas—we spend the month of December being reminded that this season is about how God himself came to Earth for us. There is, however, a second meaning to the season of Advent. See, there is a common theological phrase—my favorite theological term, in fact, because it is so simply-put and involves no Greek or Latin. The phrase is “Already and not yet.” This term reminds us that many of the promises of Scripture are fulfilled in two stages. If someone asks when the Kingdom of Heaven is coming, the answer is, “Already, and not yet.” After all, Christ foun...

Writing, I have discovered, is one of my more helpful spiritual disciplines. It helps me to think and to meditate on the Word. I have also discovered that it is one of the most difficult disciplines for me to maintain when my schedule is busy (You can pretty well gauge which periods have been the least busy for me by when I have posted on here the most). Today, however, I was struck by inspiration, on which I hope to follow through: this year I would like to do a series of posts following the church calendar. Now, most of you reading this are Evangelicals, which means you probably don’t know much about the church calendar—it’s a tradition followed mostly by Catholics and Mainline Protestants. You’re probably aware of seasons like Advent and Lent, and you’re probably aware that Christmas has twelve days (If only because of the song). I only know of the church calendar because of my time at seminary. While I was there, however, I discovered that this calendar is a powerful devot...

I was at work this morning, turning on televisions to start the day, when I noticed that one of the TVs was on the wrong channel. Best Buy has their own internal channel that they pipe through their televisions, but someone had changed the channel on this one so that it was showing one of those extra channels that have cropped up since the switch to digital broadcasting. This is not uncommon, but it caught my attention because the TV in question was showing a news story on a movement called “Charlotte 714,” which is apparently a shindig going on in Charlotte, NC in which a group of area churches have gotten together to call for Christians to look at fixing their own churches before worrying about fixing the government (The article, which is a transcript of the TV segment, can be found here ). I have to say, I am very excited by this movement. Finally, a grassroots movement I can get behind! I’m really excited that people are starting to outgrow the Religious Right’s domination of...