If I Could Make a Movie

The situation is ripe to make a new movie about Jesus in the style of Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet. If you remember, Luhrmann took the story with its Shakespearean dialogue and simply placed it in a contemporary European setting. The effect was quite beautiful, and many of the details we might have missed if it were placed in the year 1600 were revealed quite powerfully in the film.

If I had the cash and skills and time and know how, I would make a movie in the same style about Jesus with the setting in Iraq. Though I am not very passionate about the war in Iraq, there are some very interesting parallels that would display the socio-political realities of Jesus own day very well.

Iraq is a country with a rich but broken religious tradition. It is occupied by the world's lone empire. The question on the minds of Iraqis seems to be how do we react to this occupying force. There is a zealot element using violence to promote its end. The religious order is torn between differing responses to the problems. There is a complex relationship between the leaders of Iraq and the ambassadors from the US. Most look and just see a disparaging situation. The backdrop in many ways is amazingly similar.

Imagine a film in which a charasmatic personality from the Muslim community began to speak of a new way of being human, a new way of loving God. Imagine that he spoke of a new Kingdom where bombs and tanks and sabers were irrelevant. Where power was illusory for the world is God's. Imagine that he began to draw people to hear him in the market square, but that he had to hide because of the violent nature of those who opposed him. He in fact had to speak in parable so that he would be understood, but vaguely. We might imagine him saving a woman caught in adultry waiting to be stoned (as is still common). We might imagine him healing those who have been wounded by a dysfunctional world and dysfunctional rulers. Imagine that he went about the streets of Baghdad simply doing good and proclaiming a better way. Perhaps he tells a story of the "Good Jew" who stopped to heal a man on the side of the road who had been beaten and left for dead. Perhaps he stands in the mosques of his day to call Muslims back to the God who is real.

Passion week might be difficult to orchestrate because the US doesn't govern the way Rome did. Handing a man over to the US to be executed would be hard to realistically pull off, but there could be some bad guys in the story. Allowing the zealots to cut Jesus' head off may be too easy. Hanging his body from the highway bridges (as some Americans were in Fallujah) would be more in line with the idea of the cross, surrounded by the mobs, on the traveled road of the day for all to see.

Though my movie may never be made, the long and short is that both the US and the Muslim community need a man of peace to step into their midst to reveal a better way. He will have to be a man of courage for he will be immidiately opposed, but just maybe he will gather followers to his side, and over time his reflection of Jesus will bring new insite and a pattern to follow into that broken region.

Worship as a Means

(Originally written for purposedriven.com)

The last few messages I have heard on worship have discussed the similarity between our praise of God and the union of husband and wife in sexual intercourse. In both activities, the lover is giving all of one's self to the other in passionate devotion. The self-giving of both sex and authentic worship result in a unique happiness we experience no where else. Aristotle rightly saw such happiness as an end in itself. Such experiences are valuable for their own sake.

As a pastor, I have responded to this idea by gearing my teachings to culminate with an entrance into worship. Most of my teachings end with a release of our people to praise God through song, confession, or communion. The worship experience is the goal of all we do on Sundays.

Recently, however, I have found a place for worship not just as an end, but as a means. That is worship also has utility. It is valuable in accomplishing other things of high worth.

Perhaps we could bring back the sex metaphor again. Though there is inherent value in a husband and wife coming together in sexual union, in some instances that union produces a child. That is, the act of sex is both an end (an expression of joy between husband and wife) and a means (an activity which births a human soul). Worship too is valuable for its own sake, but I wonder deeply whether it may in fact be useful in overcoming some of the difficulties we experience as Christ followers.

In my opinion, the most troublesome characteristic of the church today, and through history, has been its infighting and division. Some times this has lead to differing church buildings on the same block. Some times it has lead to gunfire.

Because we have such different lives and such different experiences of the God who is real, it is no wonder that what we hold as primary in our theologies are different. God interacts with us where we are, with our specific baggage, predispositions, and struggles. Often this affects what we see as important in our theologies, what we see as problematic, and what we conclude is most worthy of our time and focus. Aside from irrelevant power structures, it seems that these differences, more than anything else, are what separate Christians of good faith. It is not that one side is wrong and the other is right. It is that God is working on us in deeply relevant ways which effect how we think about him and his activity in the world.

As an example, some of my favorite books recently are those published by Zondervan in which scholars from differing denominational backgrounds debate theological topics (Sanctification, Hell, Law and Gospel, Women in Ministry, etc.). The amazing thing is that all the scholars are absolutely committed to the authority of the Bible. All of their arguments proceed from its pages. In the end, however, these scholars come to differing, some times opposite conclusions about what God affirms.

How is this possible? How is it that we can be united to a common savior, a common history, a common text, common creeds and still find such divisions? Certainly such divisions hurt the very God we love, especially when such differences lead to schisms between Christ followers. How can we resolve this problem?

It seems to me that it is in shared worship that we will unite in ways that are beyond words and ideas. We can, despite our difference, encounter the same God together and find ourselves united in ways that mere concepts cannot provide. Through worship, we can experience God together in ways that are fresh, that transcend many of the places we find ourselves at odds.

NT Wright and Marcus Borg begin their wonderful book "The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions" by taking communion with one another. Despite their deep differences in their historic understanding of Jesus, theology, and practice, they still could share the same table in common devotion to the Jesus who is real. Many large church conferences offer similar opportunities when laity and clergy from quite different perspectives and theological commitments can sing the same song and worship the same God, even though their theologies may be for the moment incompatible.

It is because we do not worship an Idea--do not worship a systematic theology--that this is possible. We worship a Person: three in fact. The Trinity is alive and active, shrouded in mystery yet vibrantly present to all. Because God is personal and not ideological it is no offense to him if we worship with those who have different thoughts. In the end, our doctrines are simply maps or pictures by which to guide us toward God, but at the end of the day, we must--along side Thomas Aquinas--see them as "just so much straw." It is the actual living God that is important and our shared participation in his life.

May we take more opportunities to receive Communion with our brothers and sisters from different denominations and backgrounds. May we find places to sing together, serve together, and love a broken world together. They will know we are Christians, not because of our unified thought. They will know we are Christians because we love one another. Through out the New Testament, the shared meal--the Jesus meal--is the symbol of love. It is easy to love those who are like us. The real test of our transformation as Christ followers is whether we love those who are different.

As we move into a post-denominational world, it is through worship that Christ followers will find their shared identity.

Pictures by seminary student Mike G here.

Ranting on Things I Know Nothing About...

So I used to listened to political commentary 24/7, but I have been thankfully nauseated by most of American politics recently and it has allowed me to get on with my life. However, the immigration issue--of which I have little knowledge or experience--has come up in a few conversations recently with my good friends and my family.

The polarity between people who's opinions I normally respect has really challenged me here. I hear good folks on each sides speaking with fervor. On the one hand, there seems to be a lot of fear: both in terms of someone from another country taking my job, or someone from another country blowing up my city. I suppose there is the added fear of people who are different changing our culture, sapping governmental resources, and perhaps adding to the crime burden.

On the other side, there are the obvious compassion issues. Those crossing the border are the face of the poor and desperate in our midst. They are the targets of racist angst. If anyone is needy and oppressed in America, certainly it is these people.

My wife was scouring a website for bumper stickers--a new obsession--and it was unreal the amount of shameless hate (exemplified in the mustached picture on the left) making its way into the propaganda on both sides. The website had at least 300 different reactions to this issue. It is worth going there simply to see the energy and passion of both the thoughtful and the perverse. (The American Indian response was some times humorous and can be boiled down to: Illegal immigration began in 1492.)

Because this is such a difficult issue, it is important to self-consciously decide where we begin when addressing it. Where do we start: with the protection of my culture, with the needs of the citizen, with my own needs, with the protection of the poor, where?

Mark Driscoll--who's stuff I normally find bland--actually gets it right on this issue (here) by simply pointing to some key Old Testament passages about how one ought to treat aliens in your country. As it stands, these are some of the best golden rule style passages in the Bible and they are worth digesting.

*Leviticus 19:33-34 says, "When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself."

*God cares for and defends those immigrating to a new nation because He loves them. In Exodus 22:21, 23-24 God says, "Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him. ... If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused."

*Immigrants should be given economic opportunity including fair wages. Deuteronomy 24:14 says, "Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns."

*Deuteronomy 24:17 says, "Do not deprive the alien ... of justice."

But Driscoll also says that God commands strangers immigrating into a nation from other lands to abide by the customs and laws of their new nation. Romans 13:1-7 says that God works through governments to bring justice and social order.

These issues are much more complicated than this, but these are worthy observations with which to begin our thinking on this matter.

Beyond this particular debate, we ought to be aware that the restoration of our world is best showcased when people of different cultures love one another and worship at the same table (see the entirity of Acts). He has choosen the Church to be the great unifer of humanity, with our common language--not English--but faith in the risen Jesus.

May we be faithful in being the people of God for the good of the world.

McLaren on Da Vinci

This recent interview with Brian McLaren conveyed some sobering and worthwhile insights into how Christ followers might engage the Da Vinci Code.

Church without Walls

Here's a link to an article written by Tim Coons (a worship/ teaching pastor at Atlas) on breaking down barriers that have traditionally stood between churches. Good Stuff.

If you go to UNC

Here is the Department of Philosophy course listing. I will be teaching Phil 110, and would welcome any friends to join us.

I may also teach Phil 260--Ancient Philosophy--but the chances are slim.

Jeff