Saturday Ramblings 11.10.12

Greetings, fellow iMonks. I’m your Synonymous Rambler, filling in for Jeff Dunn today. We thought Jeff could use the day off, so we sent him out for some chocolate milk. While he’s gone, I will do my best to entertain and enlighten you. And yes, I know I am called the “Synonymous Rambler” when it should be the “Anonymous Rambler,” but Jeff gave me this pseudonym after some character on a radio show he used to listen to in Cincinnati, so we’ll just go with it. And without any further ado, shall we ramble?

In case you missed it, there was an election this week. And the winner was … Justin Welby, the new Archbishop of Canterbury. Welby is currently the Bishop of Durham. And while he pledged to seek reconciliation in the gender wars, that may not be his first order of business. Seems there is a developing chocolate war that needs to be dealt with first.

Here in the good ol’ U.S. of A., we had an election this week as well. And the winner was … cannabis. Colorado and Washington State both passed laws legalized the possession of pot. Gives a whole new meaning to Rocky Mountain High. It is the official position of this writer—and, I believe, most all of the iMonk writers—that this is a very bad thing. It certainly is not a virtue.

And because everyone needs a cause, here are some things evangelical conservatives can focus on until the next presidential election.

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Darkness Darkness (The Darkness Of Heaven)

I love fall the best. The World Series. Football. Apples. Falling leaves. Crisp air.

Then there is the darkness.

I hate the darkness.

Last week we turned our clocks back, bringing us nighttime a lot sooner. Where I live in the midwest, we are now in complete darkness by 5:30 p.m. For those of us who suffer from depression, darkness is not welcome. And as I work evenings, it can be even harder. My store is well-lit, but we also have a lot of windows that let in the dark. And there are days that darkness wants to crush me.

There once was a day when, at noon, the skies became black as night, and stayed that way for about three hours. It was on that day three convicted thieves died together. It is said that tombs split open and the dead came to life on that day. Some say the darkness was hell spilling out into our world. I think not. I think hell is filled with light and life and laughter. It is only in heaven that darkness that severe could block out this world’s light.

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iMonk Classic: I Hate Theology

There is a moment in every torrid romance when things go badly, the magic vanishes, and one looks at the former object of desire in an entirely unsympathetic way. It’s the moment all lovers dread, but if you study the pros, you know its coming. That moment when, despite all efforts to soar above the clouds, you come crashing to earth. That moment when she looks at him and thinks to herself, “I hate him.”

Such moments are not exclusive to the romances of the flesh and the spirit. They regularly arrive in our relationships with other romances as well, such as those of the mind or the heart. The lifelong baseball player looks at the game and says, “I hate it.” The successful executive surveys his office and thinks, “I hate this.” Or, to be more pertinent, the theologian looks at his books or listens to the lecture or prepares to debate and is suddenly overcome with revulsion. “I hate theology,” he says to himself.
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Now truthfully, such moments may come and go, or they may persist and increase. If they should persist, one must decide a course of action. Do I live with my hatred? Do I seek help? Should I seek to understand this sudden change? Can my loathing be transformed into something else; something more palatable? Or will my hatred grow to the point that I must remove myself entirely from exposure to the focus of my feelings? What should I do?

Yes, faithful reader, you should have seen it coming by now. I have recently been overcome with hatred toward my formerly beloved lifelong passion of theology. Having given these perplexing emotions more than a month to migrate out of my system, it is safe to say I’m stuck with a generous measure of hatred toward theology. And now I must decide what to do.
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My Karma Ran Over Your Dogma

As we work through the first book in the iMonk Book Club, Tullian Tchividjian’s Glorious Ruin, we are finding that this book really is not so much about suffering as it is about God’s mercy and grace. So where does suffering fit it to the mercy and grace God wants to give us?

We all suffer to one degree or another. A friend of mine lost her job this week. She is a hard worker, a generous and kind person. Yet when cuts had to be made at her workplace, she was considered expendable. She and her husband, a firefighter, have two children in high school. They will need to find a way to replace her income so their needs will be met.

What did she do to deserve this suffering? Is it just karma? Is she now suffering because of something bad or wrong she did in the past?

Or is her suffering because God wants to “teach” her something? Is she to use this suffering to grow into a better and stronger person? (The author refers to this as the “Oprah-Fication” of suffering.)

Or is she suffering because she lacked faith? After all, we are told so often, God does not want us to suffer. Ever. If we would just work up enough faith, we would never have to suffer. Ever.

Tchividjian works through each of these excuses for suffering. What do you make of them? Is there even a hint of truth in any or all of these?

And does God ever want us to suffer? Yes, he allows it. Does he desire it? If so, why?

Good questions, huh? Now I’m waiting for your good answers.

A Time To Pray

Barack Hussein Obama has won reelection as president of the United States of America. No matter what comes our way, Obama is the one the majority of Americans said they want to lead us.

Whether this makes you happy, sad, mad, or simply makes you reach for the TV remote to see what is on Sportscenter, the fact is Barack Obama is going to continue in his role as our nation’s leader.

We, too, (at least those of us who live in the United States) have a role to play. We are free to defend him or criticize him. But one thing we are commanded to do is to pray for him. Let us pray with humility, kindness and love for the leader of our nation that we may continue to experience the freedom we have to worship our God as we do.

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.  Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.  This is good and pleases God our Savior,  who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. (I Timothy 2:1-4, NLT)

Glorious Ruin: Theology Of Glory Vs. Theology Of The Cross

We continue our iMonk book club discussion on Tullian Tchividjian’s Glorious Ruin: How Suffering Sets You Free. Today, let’s discuss chapters one through three and his look at the “theology of glory” vs. the “theology of the cross.”

These are terms coined by Martin Luther in his Heidelberg Disputation of 1518. You can read Luther’s theses in this disputation here. The basics of these two theologies are that “glory” is us trying to please God with our efforts, and “cross” being us letting go of our efforts and trusting the work of Jesus alone for salvation.

Tchividjian writes,

Theologies of glory acknowledge the cross, but view it primarily as a means to an end—an unpleasant but necessary step on the way to personal improvement, the transformation of human potential. As Luther put it, the theologian of glory “does not know God hidden in suffering. There he prefers work to suffering, glory to the cross, strength to weakness, wisdom to folly, and, in general, good to evil.” The theology of glory is the natural default setting for human beings addicted to control and measurement. This perspective puts us squarely in the driver’s seat, after all.

So, how does that play into suffering?

Do you agree with the author’s distinction between Law (big “L”) and law (little “l”)?

Tchividjian says we can do away with accountability partners. Do you agree with his discussion of the harmful effects of this type of “discipleship”?

And just why is it important to be honest in our suffering?

Ok, iMonks. The floor is open for your discussion. Let’s hear from you.

Our Joyful Responsibility

While I realize that the majority of our iMonk readers live in the United States, we do have many who do not reside in the home of the red, white and blue. (The Betsy Ross version, not the Union Jack.) This is for those of you who may not know just how important today is to us in the U.S.

Today is Election Day, a day when those of us who are over 18 years of age and bothered to register to vote can vote. Today we vote for various local issues, like whether or not to increase taxes to pay for sports in schools and what constitutes happily wedded bliss. We will be voting on judges and state senators and congresspeople. We’ll be voting for school board members and mayors. But the Big Thing we will vote for today is the next president of the United States.

For more than a year now we have been told why it is important that we vote for one of two men, the Democrat or the Republican. The Democrat, who is also the incumbent or current office-holder, wants us to vote for him because, as he has told us over and over, he is not the Republican. And the Republican says he deserves our votes because he is not the Democrat. Both men promise they will create more jobs, increase wages, land astronauts on Venus, and basically make life on earth paradise. And both men tell us that if the other is elected, we will revert to the Stone Age (also known as the days before the internet, cell phones, and Starbucks).

We have had many months to decide who we are going to vote for in the presidential election. And today we get to exercise our right to make that selection. In some states, such as where I live (Oklahoma, the land of red dirt, Woody Guthrie and tornadoes), my one vote will mean next to nothing. We are a “Red State,” meaning a state that is made up mostly of Republican voters. The Republican candidate will win my state. Whether I vote for the Republican or Democrat, it will be like breaking wind in a hurricane. But wind breaking aside, I will vote, for it is my joyful responsibility.

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Another Look: Dining In The Valley

Editor’s note: We are reading thru Tullian Tchividjian’s book on suffering this week. I thought it good to revisit an essay written by one who knows pain and suffering. Read this essay by Joe Spann slowly and prayerfully. It was written in the midst of pain for those who are in the midst of pain. 

“Son of Adam,” said Aslan. “Are you ready to undo the wrong that you have done to my sweet country of Narnia on the very first day of its birth?”

“Well, I don’t see what I can do,” said Digory. “You see, the Queen ran away and …”

“I asked, are you ready?” said the Lion.

“Yes,” said Digory.  He had had for a second some wild idea of saying “I’ll try to help you if you’ll promise to help my Mother,” but he realized in time that the Lion was not at all the sort of person one could try to make bargains with.   But when he had said “Yes,” he thought of his Mother and he thought of the great hopes he had had, and how they were all dying away, and a lump came in his throat and tears in his eyes, and he blurted out:

“But please, please, won’t you, can’t you give me something that will cure Mother?” Up till then he had been looking at the Lion’s great feet and the huge claws on them; now, in his despair, he looked up at its face. What he saw surprised him as much as anything in his whole life. For the tawny face was bent down near his own and (wonder of wonders) great shining tears stood in the Lion’s eyes. They were such big, bright tears compared with Digory’s own that for a moment he felt as if the Lion must really be sorrier about his Mother than he was himself.

“My son, my son,” said Aslan. “I know. Grief is great.  Only you and I in this land know that yet. Let us be good to one another.” (From The Magician’s Nephew, C.S. Lewis)

When I read this passage to my two oldest daughters about two years ago I had a hard time not breaking down right in the middle of my reading.  It had only been a few short days since my oldest daughter, who was five at the time, had been diagnosed with type I diabetes.  That is the genetic type where you are immediately insulin dependent, immediately faced with a complete change in life.  At the ripe old age of five she was faced with being chronically ill.  The idea of her own mortality and the mortality of everyone she loved came crashing in on her, at five.  I also own a business.  My business was entering a dry period.  Making payrolls became difficult and paying myself became even harder.  At a time when my family needed me more than ever, my business needed me too.  And both needed more money than they had ever needed before.  This season was the beginning of what has proven to be the hardest two years of my life, and the most magnificent.

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Glorious Ruin—Introduction (iMonk Book Club)

We are kicking off our iMonk Book Club with the latest from Tullian Tchividjian, Glorious Ruin: How Suffering Sets You Free. The book club idea is not meant to be me (or any of our other writers) reviewing the book, but simply beginning and moderating discussion. I have my ideas about this selection, and will be sharing them throughout the week. But I really want to hear what you think. So jump in and let’s have fun.

Tullian Tchividjian (his last name is pronounced “cha-vi-jin”) is the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. His struggles with taking over the church after its longtime pastor, D. James Kennedy, died are just part of the suffering he describes. But this book is unlike most every other book dealing with suffering.

So why write another book on suffering?

Certainly we have enough works on the topic already, books that attempt to explain why God allows suffering, presumably in a way that ultimately lets God off the hook. And while much smarter people than me have constructed elaborate systems in this pursuit—the fancy word for this is theodicy—they are by definition exercises in speculation. To know the Why would be to grasp the mind of God, which is something none of us can do.

He says we have plenty of books that address the How of suffering—how pain can be used for gain in our lives. That is not the purpose of this book either.

The question I would like to emphasize instead—and the only one that will ultimately point us toward the truth—is the Who amid our suffering. Which is fortunate, since it is the only question that God has seen fit to answer, concretely, in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Tchividjian puts all on a level surface when it comes to suffering, discounting the one-upmanship that is often deployed in Christian circles. You may have boils on your butt, but I have them on my butt and both legs. That sort of thing. We all suffer. Yours may be physical today, financial tomorrow, and emotional next week. Another may have suffered the loss of a spouse or close friend. And another may have just lost his job. It doesn’t matter what you circumstances are—everybody hurts. (And yes, the author does credit R.E.M. for that.)

So, what do you think? Has he opened the door for all who are suffering with this intro? Are you intrigued enough to keep going?

What do you hope to find at the end of this read?

Our chairs are in a circle now, and the floor is open for your thoughts.