Dear Theophilus

I wrote the below for a friend and have been really chewing on it ever since. I think if I could have any theology balance our/my American evangelicalism, it would be this smattering - with its hints of Christus Victor atonement theory, death as God's enemy, and a reclaiming of the resurrection of the body as the ultimate hope for Christianity. " I believe in the ...resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen" (Apostles' Creed). "We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come" (The Nicene Creed). My understanding has only recently been developed. American Christianity tends to emphasize Jesus as the perfect sacrifice/atonement for the sin and evil in the world. But an overemphasis on this, though right, sometimes leaves out too much. This focuses too much on Jesus as divine and leaves out that Jesus is also human. A divine death and resurrection is sad, yet understandable. But Jesus as human shapes our th...

Much ink has been spilled to talk about the the crowds who, on Palm Sunday, laud Jesus as savior and on the next Friday call for his crucifixion. Suggestions have been put forward: maybe the Greek interpretation of "crowd" will show that the crowds are different on those days, or the people are just fickle, or even that it was God's will and so the people had to do this to fulfill scripture/will. For me, Palm Sunday makes sense. Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. The moment is pregnant with meaning. He simultaneously mocks the current political system, calls into question humanity's reliance on power, politics, and violence, and points to himself as the true king. Anyone can understand this. There are a million stories just like it. It is a powerful archetype. The newest prequel to The Wizard of Oz called Oz: the Great and Powerful is based on this exact premise. A nobody from no-where shows up, seemingly fulfills the long-awaited prophecy, challenges the...

Here are a few things Christians should consider before taking a stance on the gun control issue, in my opinion: Does God care if you have a gun if you are responsible? Probably not. Use it responsibly. Keep it locked up. Go hunting and be respectful in your hunts toward creation. Shoot clay pigeons all day (though Jesus might have something to say about how we spend our money here). You should be fine. Does God really care about your rights, constitutional or otherwise? It just seems to me that Jesus has a much bigger agenda, which expects something of his followers. Our job is to extend the Kingdom of God by being, first and foremost, good citizens of *that* Kingdom. "Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’ Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I w...

Half-Handed Cloud with "Plant a little Fir Tree" Stationed out of Berkeley, CA. http://youtu.be/1e1tBJ-HtWA Lyrics: "If you plant a little fir tree then we'll all be gifts beneath it If you want to know you're special, now there's proof cause you've got the gift of Jesus. ????? came them from the east, those wise guys how did they know that it would snow If you plant a little fir tree then we'll all be gifts beneath it If you want to know you're special, now there's proof cause you've got the gift of Jesus. Wise men were sent from the east from China, Korea, Japan, each sent a wise man. He landed on the earth all wrapped in skin they're the only ones to find him. Shepherds got there first to worship him then later came the wise men ???? for swaddling what we rise from spice that was meant to preserve Gold, Frankincense, Myrrh. If you plant a little fir tree then we'll all be gifts beneath it...

Some thoughts on the DNC tonight as I watched the speeches... John Kerry Kerry gets right to business but in a very accusative and argumentative tone. He seems rushed. Not a good start. “ Despite what you heard in Tampa, an exceptional country does care about the rise of the oceans and the future of the planet. That is a responsibility from the Scriptures—and that too is a responsibility of the leader of the free world.” THANK YOU!!! This is important and Romney got it wrong. “ It took President Obama to restore our moral authority—and to ban torture.” – This is very important. A lot of Christians talk about what Christians should care about… this is definitely one of those issues and unfortunately we don’t. “ Ask Osama bin Laden if he is better off now than he was four years ago .” – Tacky and unnecessary. I don’t like this at all. Something about which I am VERY proud of our country and President - “ President Obama promised to work ...

Just my thoughts on some of the speeches at the DNC today. Sometimes I just listed quotes I found interesting and worthy of more thought. Summary : ~Rep. Cleaver's speech is a must see for Christians, even if you disagree, just to hear some preaching at the DNC. ~Sister Simone Cambell, a nun: it was good to hear a pro-life, person of faith take the stage. She ended her speech with a call to kindness... how Nun-like of her :) It was actually good. ~ Not a fan of Elizabeth Warren's speech. I probably just offended all my Dem. friends, but you probably deserve it :). Too sentimental and way too many cliches. Not polished enough for her time slot and too aggressive and accusative. ~Clinton was simple and really well-done. It is a must see. My Dem. friends watched the RNC, I hope my Rep. friends will at least watch this speech, if only to hear the heart of their neighbors around them who genuinely feel this way. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver The speaker’s opener is le...

My thoughts on the DNC tonight: Julian Castro A public school teacher??? That is awesome… DNC has better music J … but does this matter? Castro’s speech begins a little like a highschool graduation speech. “My family’s story isn’t special. What’s special is the America that makes our story possible. Ours is nation like no other… the chance for your children to do better than you did… ” – As I said with the RNC, I do not like this American exceptionalism and I do not like the promise of “more” for the future generations. The difference between the RNC and Castro’s speech here is that the RNC’s focus was privately directed, talking about people pulling their selves up by their bootstraps and making something out of their selves. Castro’s emphasis seems to be bit broader (but only a bit), about the people as a whole and not just individuals succeeding. Castro emphasized building bridges and fighting for rights. Of the two “this is what makes America great” speeches,...