Homeschooling Under Fire in DC

The HSLDA (www.hslda.org) sent us an e-mail yesterday letting us know that the District of Columbia is considering new laws that would radically limit the rights of homeschooling families. Similar legislation in CA was "terminated" (yuk-yuk) by Gov. Schwarzenegger (I will NEVER get used to that). Here was my letter to about a dozen DC legislators. If you care to, you can click the above link to do the same.

Rev.
*************************************************************

Dear Honorable Legislators:

The District of Columbia is considering new regulations on homeschooling that would significantly alter the manner in which families practice home education. I am greatly concerned about the effect this may have within your own community, as well as the potential ripple effect throughout our great nation.

I was a truly reluctant convert to home schooling, yet after watching my children grow intellectually in our home I simply cannot see us doing it any other way. Our children have thrived in a homeschooling environment; they brim with confidence and have a deep love of learning. We are regularly complimented on our children's' academic and social skills. Regrettably, it seems that the exceptions rather than norms often garner the most attention. I wish that you could visit our home, or that of many other homeschooling families, to see the process at work.

Please work to preserve the rights of families in America who have chosen to be personally responsible for their families academic development. Homeschoolers can grow into exceptionally responsible and productive citizens just as well as those in the public school system.

Thank you for your time.

Respectfully,

Bro. J P Williams
Appleton City, MO

Rick Warren: The Face of Evil?

While perusing some home school blogs, Vicki ran across a widely disseminated article featuring the 25 or so evils that Rick Warren's Purpose Driven model has foisted upon the unsuspecting American church. An example can be found here.

Here is the response I posted:

*************************

Wow, I must have read a different book! I can't say that I saw any of this in anything of Warren's. Maybe, when I am fully initiated into his evil inner sanctum, then I will become completely enlightened to his subtle scheme of global domination...

When I was a kid we had a name for people who make a name for themselves knocking others down... "bullies".

Warren is a sound, orthodox expositor of the scriptures. He hits the proverbial nail on the head time after time on pertinent issues within the church. I mean seriously, the man tithes 90% of his income, has given his life to the service of Jesus Christ, and led countless thousands to a closer relationship with God. What am I missing here?

Rev.

**********

Granted, not the most level headed, thoughtful response, but I am so, SO tired of the volumes of NONSENSE that manage to get circulated online without even the most cursory evaluation.

If I believed everything I read online I would believe that:

e-mail will soon be taxed
it is illegal to say God on TV
Barak Obama is a closet Muslim extremist
that B arney is the anti-Christ, or maybe its Anderson Cooper or perhaps Brian McLaren!
a supercomputer in Belgium called "The Beast" has a record of every human being on the planet.

I hope you can see my point.

Rev.

Prince Caspian

One reviewer said that Walden Media’s adaptation of Caspian is what would happen if Disney took LOTR and put in the cast of Hannah Montana. While I wouldn’t agree entirely, I have to say I was far less impressed by this offering than with The Lion Witch and the Wardrobe.

I have to ask the same question that I asked after I saw TLWW: “What screen writer really thinks they are a better writer than CS Lewis!?”

Dialogue rarely comes from the book, and Lewis surely turned phrases better than “You’ve got to be kidding me… you’re it?” Also the chronology of the story is changed significantly, and a few important scenes and discussions are omitted completely, but hey, only nerds notice that sort of thing right?

On the up side (once I realized that the screen writers were wrestling with how to adapt a book that is nearly 1/3 omnipotent narration into film) I can say that the overarching Narian themes remain.

This is a decidedly more dark film, reflecting that period of the Narnian canon. I suspect that some who were uncomfortable about the mysticism and violence of TLWW may give up on the upcoming films. Personally, it will be a while before our kids see Caspian (just like they have yet to see Revenge of the Sith).

Thankfully the themes of chivalry and the importance of old stories thankfully were firmly intact. Hard questions are asked (and answered0 such as, “Is it ever right to do wrong to accomplish right?” Honor and tradition are also venerated; we must remember that Lewis speaks to us from the fissure between one society and an emerging one that he detested in many ways.

Overall, Caspian is no substitute for the book, but perhaps it will whet the whistle for a new generation of Lewis fans. Then again, Lewis hasn’t really needed their help before… great stories spread without much help.

Rev.

C is for "Clink"

Whilst ironing my clothes yesterday morning I heard a strange sound emanating from the playroom, it was Cookie Monster singing about vegetables!

Apparently the quest to combat childhood obesity has in itself no sense of decency! That they would draft Cookie monster, surely under great compulsion, to sing not about macaroons and chocolate chips, but about carrots and potatoes. There are even rumblings about retiring the Cookie persona entirely in favor of the "Veggie Monster".

People who expect someone else to take responsibility for their own lack of child rearing skills astound me; consider this case of a family suing McDonald's a few years ago because their child was obese after eating their products every day, imagine that! I suppose that while I am on my soapbox... I recall a time when kids did extremely dangerous things like jumping on trampolines, shooting bb guns, camping, eating potato chips, and playing dodge ball. Today, some people won't even let their kids outside without hovering over their every step. I suppose that if these families ever starting hanging out, they'd probably try to have Cookie put in the clink!

I know that if I'd gone to grandma's and she handed me a plate of tofu turnovers I would blow a fuse. But since I am the scientific type, I wanted to give the project a chance so I asked my son (who had just finished watching the segment) if he wanted a cookie or a potato, to which he readily replied, "cookie!?"

You tell me.

Rev. Spike



******************
For a hilarious related article with similar reflections, see below:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/magazine/18wwln-medium-t.html?ref=magazine

The Word of the Day: Wait (or Farewell to Fillmore for Now)

It appears as though I posted too soon :)

Tuesday we went to Springfield MO to look at a beautiful van (see below) that we were almost certain that we would be buying. Everything seemed to be falling into place. The original price for the van was 19,000, they were running a sale at 16,000 and we were able to talk them down to 14,500. The rule of thumb for car lots is that they try to make 2000 per sale on pre-owned vehicles, so in essence, they were selling this to us darn near close to what they paid for it.

Perfect! um, right?

We called a few friends, you may have been one of them, and asked you to pray for wisdom. I jokingly asked a few of you to pray that if I was not meant to move forward on this purchase that I'd "feel like I was going to throw up". The strangest thing happened...

As we were driving to the lot that day I had butterflies in my stomach. I got about four hours of sleep Tuesday night. I was more stressed and unsettled than I have been since Finals Week 2006 (the year my hard drive bellied up a week before finals). By the time I had the paperwork in my hands at the bank yesterday I had an anvil in my stomach. It took me a bit, but between the general lack of peace and the wise council of a long trusted friend I finally understood that this was not the time to jump into this.

Two scriptures factor in here:

Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations , I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalms 46:10 (NASB)

The Hebrew word for "cease" is "raphah", which means to "sink, relax, or let go". Interesting. Cease is a much better translation than the NIV's "be still". The NLT takes it further with "be silent".

Second of all, a proverb:

For by wise guidance you will wage war,
And in abundance of counselors there is victory.
Prov 24:6 (NASB)

I know that some of my friends think I rely too much on the prayers and counsel of others, but folks, we need one another. I cannot tell you how many times a wise word had saved me from harm. Most often, that counsel simply affirms what you know you are supposed to do anyhow.

This wasn't a total waste. I finally learned the art of "dickering", I'm no longer afraid of appearing greedy or seedy when I talk to a salesperson. I also have less fear of disappointing people. Second, I have been reminded of the powerful hand of God.

For Your arrows have sunk deep into me,
And Your hand has pressed down on me.
Psalms 38:2 (NASB)

I can honestly say that Tuesday night I felt like God's hand was pressed squarely on my chest. The exact opposite of what you should "feel" when you are headed into something. Sure, you might be scared to death following God. A warrior, it is said, is no more brave than another man, he simply overcomes his fear to become a hero. Other times, you have to "follow your gut". I believe that is part of what God hardwired into us.

Musing over this, I am reminded of a Cool Hand Luke tune:

The Foster:

The wisest words I ever heard
Came with a gentle wind
Though it didn’t hit me then
It made no sound
‘Til no one was around
This it blew me to my knees
And handed me the keys

Go, just go where the peace is
You always know if you seek it
Go, just go where the peace is
You always know if you seek it

I know the truth
I can show it to you
Or anybody else
But can’t apply it to myself
I already know which way to go
If I stop and breathe the air
The answer is right there

Go, just go where the peace is
You always know if you seek it
Go, just go where the peace is
You always know if you seek it

You can fight
You can try with all your might
It may be the hardest thing
But it’s the only way to peace

Close your eyes
Count to ten
Take a deep breath and try again

You have access
By one Spirit

Go, just go where the peace is
You always know if you seek it
Go, just go where the peace is
You always know if you seek it

So there you have it. Hope you are helped by my embarrassing story :)

Rev.

For Men Only (and curious wives and mothers)

If you are male, and you've ever spent any time on the internet then you are certainly well aware of the amount of sewage that is readily available. If you are like most males, then you know the drill that most porn viewing begins with a seemingly benign event like a trip to any just about any male oriented site and you are bombarded with alluring images of bikini clad beer ads, singles ads, and the like. One click on bikini clad beach babe and moments later you are in the internet's red light district and inches from falling flat on your face.

No amount of "protection" can circumvent a lack of self-control; however, if you are the sort that needs a little help (which if we are honest with ourselves would likely include every man reading this) please let me offer some.

Below are the urls to two very helpful programs.

x3 Watch available here is accountability software which monitors your internet traffic and periodically sends an e-mail to two buddies who can then come and break your modem in half before your unclean eyes should you find yourself in compromising territory (and don't try to lie, we know it didn't just "pop up", this isn't 1998...) Feel free to put me down as one of your accountability partners, I will gladly break your modem for you if needed.

Naomi is a sweet little program that automatically closes your browser if you find yourself in "no-no" territory. The sweet thing about this application is that it has a heuristic analysis which reads the content of pages and if it recognizes something that you (or your kids, or anyone else using your machine) should not be looking at it goes into action. Youth Pastors and 'evil' parents (like me) who want their kids' to never have any fun will also be glad to know that it can block MySpace and image searches.

Please, from a man who has been down this road many times, know that the Enemy only asks for an inch, then he takes a mile. I will post some more tips in the future.

For the men out there (yes, both of you) who have never faced sexual temptation on the internet, we're happy for you, now shut up and pray for the rest of us.

Gilligan's 'Lost' Island

ESP

Funny how I get mad when people can't read my mind.

But you should have already known that!

Rev.

Reading List Time

Four Views on the Lord's Supper, Ed. John Armstrong
Jesus Among Other Gods, Ravi Zacharias
Galatians: Ben Witherington III
Longenecker (WBC)
J L Martyn (Anchor Bible)
JD Dunn (Black's Comm on the NT)
Timothy George (NAC)
A New Kind of Christian, Brian McLaren
Following Jesus, Tom (NT) Wright

The Church: A Sinking Ship?

A dear missionary friend of mine asked me to read Brian Mc Laren's "New Kind of Christian". Mc Laren brilliantly packages his dissertation as a narrative where two men dialogue about the demise of all aspects of modernity (including modern Christianity). Yet, if the first fourth of a book is like the first five minutes of a movie, I have already figured out the ending.

Regardless of how he packages it, I suggest that his "arguments" thus far could be more appropriately dubbed observations. He seems to fall into the same iconoclastic rut most postmodern authors do: the kind that leaves a vacuum. Perhaps giving us guidance on how to proceed might be misconstrued as linear, modern thinking, yet to be fair I have not finished the book.

I think that I have read most of what Mc Laren is going to say in other texts like Barna's certificate of divorce from the modern church, "Revolution" as well as other texts I have not read like Sweet's "Soul Tsunami".

As much as I bristle against fundamentalism (a violent reaction to a world that appears to be spinning out of control) I find Mc Laren and Rob Bell's view of the world equally unpalatable.

I am beginning to feel like a man without a country.

I have often described myself as something of an "theological and ecclesiastical mutt". At bottom, I am a true Baptist insomuch that I adhere to the truly fundamental precepts of the Baptist views of congregational polity, immersion baptism, the Lord's Supper, authority and perspicuity of scripture, salvation by grace through faith. While I might diverge a bit in soteriology and quite a bit in eschatology I doubt I would ever challenge the rudiments of faith in the same way I see the Emergent Movement doing. Perhaps this makes me an unthinking drone. I tend to think it makes me solid.

What am I getting at?

There is "asking questions", and then there is "questioning". One stems from a genuine quest to re-imagine, and the other from a desire for "image". The EC camp seems to be getting off on the "cool factor" of asking "hard questions" and at times trying to be savvy simply by making nonsensical statements akin to the Medieval models of philosophy: people saying things like "it is impossible, therefore it must be true (Origen)". They seem to live, not on any cogent concepts of how we are to advance in this new age, but essentially on "schlock value".

Bell is creative, but apparently doesn't check his sources very well. For instance, in his film "Dust" he makes several unverifiable claims about the training of rabbis in the Second Temple period, such as that they had to memorize the entire Torah, a claim that I have never encountered in over a decade of study on the inter-testamental period (although I am hardly an expert). The trouble is, this makes him look like a fool; so unfortunately the things he does have to offer are lost in the mixture of fact and fiction. Although in that particular film, I seriously question his conclusion that Peter's problem was self-doubt.

Mc Laren recently came under fire, and I think rightfully so, for comments made at a recent gathering of student ministers where he stated that we should be less focused on eternity and try to direct students more toward social justice as a way to work out there faith. I think this is as inaccurate a position as what we might see from the modern fundamentalist movements.

The EC is in constant transition. Who knows where it will land, and what effect it will ultimately have. Yet, we have to understand a few things about the EC and the Postmodern (PM) worldview before we can even begin talking about them.

First off, there have always been EC and PM movements. Take Luther and Calvin for instance. They were both forward thinking and challenged their contemporary ecclesiologies; both in practice and theology. Mc Laren makes good points in his chapter about world views, citing Lewis (another PM thinker) that any Christian who believed that the Pope was not necessary would have been declared a heretic four hundred years ago. Yet today, half or more of the world's Christians have no sense of allegiance to the Pope what-so-ever. In other words, anyone who looks at a current system and says, "we can do this better" is by definition "post modern". This is partly because post modernism is "psycographic" (thought defined) not "demographic" (age and class defined). For instance, I would argue that my old philosophy professor, Dan Cochran was vastly more effectively postmodern than Rob Bell.

So, the question that I have to ask after this gruelingly long, "scrabble word" laden introduction is this:

Is the modern church a sinking ship?

Can we definitively say that it is time to cast out the last two thousand years of orthopraxy and even elements we have determined necessary to orthodoxy to keep the church alive?

I will not give more away on my view, but I hope you will give yours away. d

$3 Worth of God

The following was gleaned from Ben Witherington's blog:

It has been said that too many Americans have been innoculated with a slight case of Christianity that is preventing them from getting the real thing. Perhaps this has something to do with how much of God people really want. Here is a quote from Wilbur Rees to make you think:

"I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please - not enough to
explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of
warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don't want enough of him to make
me love a foreigner or pick beets with a migrant worker. I want ecstasy,
not transformation; I want the warmth of a womb, not a new birth. I want
a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack. I'd like to buy $3 worth of God,
please."

I especially like the line 'I want the warmth of the womb, not a new birth'. This, I am afraid, is exactly what people want out of their worship and church experiences. Not something that demands them to pick up a cross, make major sacrifices and follow Jesus. Rather, they want something that makes them comfortable with who they already are and how they already are. They want acceptance as they are, not repentance so they can be who they ought to be. Think on these things.