Thursday, April 19, 2012

Complemetarianism in Action

Basically, complimentarianism is the belief that men and women have gender roles in the church.  Egalitarianism is the belief that men and women are completely equal when it comes to gender roles.  The former can be misinterpreted as misogynistic (right word?), but here is a complementarian's view on marriage regarding a question I've wondered about before - what should a man, who believes he's called by God to a ministry, do when his wife is NOT on board with the ministry:

You are called to a self-sacrificial headship in your marriage.  This means you love your wife, and you do what’s best for her, even to the point of crucifying your own ambitions, your own callings, and even your own life (Eph. 5:25-30).  Don’t put your wife in the situation in which she must choose between loyalty to you and fidelity to what she believes.  If that means serving the Lord in some way other than the pastorate, so be it. Your marriage is more important than your ministry.

Russell Moore

Pretty strong.  Agree?

Monday, April 16, 2012

Racist Country?

I have posted a few things questioning racism in America.
It's an interesting topic to me, and I think one worth exploring.
I ran across this statement by conservative talk-show host Dennis Prager today.  I've heard him a few times on the radio and he seems to be an articulate intellectual.
Tell me what you think.

"In light of the tragic killing of black teenager Trayvon Martin -- and the manufactured hysteria surrounding it -- one thing needs to be stated as clearly and as often as possible: The United States is the least racist and least xenophobic country in the world.  Foreigners of every race, ethnicity, and religion know this.  Most Americans suspect this.  Most black Americans and the entire left deny this.  Black Africans know this.  That is why so many seek to live in the United States.  Decades ago, the number of black Africans who had immigrated to the United States had already surpassed the number of black Africans who were forcibly shipped to America as slaves. ... The left-wing drumbeat about America as racist is a combination of politics and black memory.  The political aspect is this: The Democrats and the left recognize that if blacks cease viewing themselves as victims of racism, the Democratic Party can no longer offer itself as black America's savior." --radio talk-show host Dennis Prager

Personally, I agree that there seemed to be mass hysteria generated by this event.  It was a terrible event that occurred.  But prior to all of facts coming out, many people were in a feeding frenzy over it - and demanding a conviction.  A conviction did occur, and I'll trust that it was the correct outcome.  But judging the issue prior to a trial is what the 'lynch mobs' of the past were all about.  I kept wondering, as I heard people interviewed - How can you march in the street about an issue you don't even have all the facts on?  It's also well-known that America has been a melting pot of many colors and cultures since its inception.  I don't think racism will ever be totally dead, just like I don't think hatred will ever be totally dead.  But do we make more of it than we should?  Maybe we should be celebrating our successes more often than complaining about our failures.  Is politics one of the primary supporters and promoters of racism? 

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Illusion?


I found this quote intriguing and wondered what you thought about it:

Relationship is the vehicle for awakening from the illusion of 

separateness.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Stats

I haven't done stats in a while.  Here's what's happenin':
The most viewed post of the past week is Lose With Dignity, Celebrate With Grace with 20 pageviews.
The most viewed of the past month is When Gods Collide with 35 hits.
The most viewed all time is still Generate Good with 135 visits.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Turn The Other Cheek?

We had an interesting discussion last Sunday in class that included a look at some controversial instruction from Jesus, in Luke 6, about loving enemies and 'turning the other cheek' when assaulted.  The teacher didn't gloss over it, but I don't think it was fully explored either.  

Coincidentally (or not) my son, Tyler, had an altercation with 2 high school kids from the neighborhood the same day.  He was jumped and hit several times.  He was outnumbered and walked away with some bumps and cuts.  When he got home, my wife noticed something was wrong (I had already confronted him about being late, not noticing anything was wrong).  He gradually, and grudgingly, told us what happened.  He didn't want my involvement.  He wanted to handle it himself with the guys individually.  His 'street sense' of what needed to happen was:  no adults, one-on-one revenge, maintain image in the neighborhood.  I talked with him about how revenge was a dangerous cycle.  How he needed to stay away from that part of the neighborhood.  Then, even with the passage about turning the other cheek still fresh in my mind, I gave him the best instruction I know on how to subdue an opponent by striking or choking.  Tyler asked, as he has before, about taking boxing lessons.  I had told him in the past to do some research on it and get back with me, which never happened.  This time I did the research.  I found a place called Core Combat Sports that teaches boxing, martial arts and MMA.  We're going to check out all the classes and see what we're interested in doing together. 

I think there are some positives that can develop out of this.  Time with my son.  Physical training and development for both of us.  Confidence that you can handle yourself if the situation arises.  But is this biblical?  What exactly does Jesus mean by turning the other cheek?  Our teacher stated that it didn't mean you were a punching bag, or would put up with physical abuse.  But what does it mean?  

And, the hardest part, how should we instruct our kids to handle themselves when confronted with violent bullies who want to harm them?  I personally don't know any parent who would say:  just turn the other cheek son.  That doesn't mean fighting back is right either though.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Lose with Dignity, Celebrate with Grace

This is for both UK and UofL fans.
http://artofmanliness.com/2011/08/19/lose-with-dignity-celebrate-with-grace-part-i/
There's a link right above this line but it doesn't show up until you put the cursor over it.


I think good-natured joking around about issues like sports teams can be fun, and it's usually fine, but sometimes it isn't good-natured at all.  Why is that?  I'd like to explore it.  Is it our desire to always be on the winning side?  Do we feel 'less than' someone else if our favorite team loses and 'better than' someone else if our team wins?  I'm not joking, I really wonder about this.  How can a sports team from a town you may have never lived in, or from a college you may never have went to, become so important in a person's mind that they experience emotions from rage to euphoria?  Is it the portrayal of struggle?  Is it some kind of warped self-worth that's tied to these teams?  I'm gonna check out some sports psychology on this and try to figure it out on my own if nobody wants to, or is able to, engage with this topic.

There's another interesting topic:  Are there ever things that just CAN'T be talked about?

In the meantime, please read the above article.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Neuroscience

From CT:  Neuroscience sheds light on how fasting and other spiritual disciplines work by training our subconscious mental processes. We think of ourselves as entirely the activity of our conscious thoughts. In reality, our brain has thousands of sub-conscious processes going on all the time. These processes are often pushing and pulling different ideas, concerns, or cravings into our consciousness. What this means is your conscious self is far less in control over who you are and what you do than you realize.  "We are not the ones driving the boat of our behavior," says neuroscientist David Eagleman. "Who we are runs well below the surface of our conscious access."

This may explain a lot of things.