09.23.05

i wish he’d have asked about bodily fluids–UPDATED

Posted in life at 9:26 am by

In the question asking/answering little game we’re playing, I opened up the floor to take questions from y’all. That last post was a little long, so I decided that I’d start a new one. Plus, this next round of questions is a tad weighty. They come from Benjamin:

1) Can you explain to me exactly what is the purpose of prayer?

2) What do you do when you see someone with a “Please Help, God Bless” sign?

3) What is the thing that keeps you awake at night when everything’s gone quiet and there’s just you and your thoughts?

See? Not a single question about bodily fluids, secretions, or auto-fellation. That’s what happens when you turn thirty and find a grey goddamned hair on your chest and realize it’s time to grow up….

I think I wish that he had asked a question about bodily fluids. Those are hard, and potentially revealing questions. But, I promised honesty and transparency. You’ll get just that.

1. No. I can’t explain what the purpose of prayer is. Frankly, it’s not a forte of mine in my personal life. If you were thinking of asking me to pray for you, you might as well find someone else because I’m pretty bad at meeting my prayer committments. At least in the traditional sense of ‘prayer’ that is an all out time of folded hands, clinched fists, and verbal speaking to God, that is.

As close as I can figure though, prayer must be about a dialogue. And, most often, dialogue is meant to bring two people together. I think it’s that way with prayer. While I’m not a good pray-er in the traditional sense (and I recognize that I could stand to get a lot better), I think that there’s a lot to be said about contemplation. I hold that that’s a big part of prayer, too. Listening.

So, if the prayer is a dialogue, and the purpose of dialogue is to bring two entities together, then I’d reason that the purpose of prayer is to bring human beings and God closer together. How that happens, well, that’s a mystery of epic proportions.

2) You’re a bastard Benjamin, you know that right? What do I do when I see a person with a sign that says ‘Please Help, God Bless’? I avert my eyes and keep walking / driving. And, if you want to know the even more dispicable thing about me, it’s that I don’t regularly see these signs. Why? Because I’ve structured my life so that I don’t have to see poverty day in and day out. I’ve moved away from poverty, I’ve moved away from hurt, I’ve moved away from pain, I’ve checked out of the ole’ heartbreak hotel. (Though, while we don’t live on skid row, we live in the city, we’re not suburb folk, either…and the truth be told, there’s probably a good deal of poverty right under my nose that I just don’t take the time to fully examine.)

It’s not that I don’t do anything for those in need, but I certainly don’t do enough.

All that said, I’m not sure supplying the guy with the ‘Please Help, God Bless’ sign with 20s, patting him on the ass, and saying, “have a good one pardner” is the way to go either. I’m thinking that part of battling poverty and homelessness in America and abroad is living in community with it, rather than moving away to the suburbs.

3) Often the things that keep me up thinking aren’t really ‘mid-life crisis’ sorts of panic attacks. More often I’m kept up speculating about applications of communication theory that no one has thought about. (For example, and if there are any communication scholars out there this would be a great study/thesis/dissertation, I think about applications of Berger’s Uncertainty Reduction Theory on the organizational communication processes of formal and informal routes of performance feedback.) Sometimes, I panic about the SOC 820 paper I should be writing, but am not. Sometimes, I ruminate about God and the Kingdom, and what I’m doing to bring about futher manifestations of the Kingdom.

But, frankly, I’m usually so exhausted by the end of a day of work/school/teaching/blogging/husbandry/feline-fatherhood that I don’t find myself laying awake at night very often. And, when I do, more likely than pondering the nature of God and humans or the finer points of communicative theory, I curse the fact that I had too much caffine earlier in the evening.

Then, Rachel asked:

1. What advice would you give to someone who wants to believe in Christianity but can’t, and who doesn’t believe that one can just make the choice to believe or not?

2. What do you think are the three best movies of all time?

3. How can you hold to a belief in the Bible while also believing the some Biblical authors got things wrong?

1. I would say, “be calm.” I suppose my specific answer would depend on what, exactly, about Christianity the individual ‘can’t’ believe. I mean, honestly, I’d first ask them to tell their story. Then, I’d listen. Then, if they were open to it, I’d tell them my story. I’d tell them that the times in my life that my ‘belief’ was REALLY strengthened were when I allowed myself the latitude to challenge my beliefs.

I don’t really think belief is a choice. However, wanting to believe is more likely going to end up in belief than un-belief (though, I’m not entirely happy with my phrasology there.)

In the end, though, my take away message would be this: “You don’t need to believe for you to be an important part of my life; your value to me is not contingent upon the things that you think.”

That was a really tough question, yo.

2. Well, I’m not really an ‘old movie buff’ so I can’t really speak for quality movies of all time. Also, I tend to think that subjectivity is key when one is discussing movies. Okay, last disclaimer: my rating is limited by the movies that I’ve seen, so I can’t really say these are the best of ‘all time’. (All that to say that I don’t really care to get into an argument about what anyone who reads this might think of my personal preferences…unless you agree with me, then feel free to comment on preferences at length.) All that said, here’s my list:

1. The Big Lebowski - without any question at all, my favorite movie.
2. The Shawshank Redemption
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

3. How can I hold to a belief of the Bible when I think some of the authors got it wrong? Well, I actually stepped back from that statement a little, but I’ll run with it because I did infer this. The answer is simple actually, because I believe that all scripture is inspired by God. This doesn’t mean that I think God physically moved the hand and stylus of Paul while he sat idly sipping some first century beer. But, I do think that God enabled Paul (through the gift of wisdom) to get it right some of the time, even a lot of the time–probably more, even, than Paul could’ve gotten it right all by himself. The Kingdom direction in which scripture points is in no way negated by the cultural values of its authors, it just means we need to read with a critical eye.

Good questions, Rachel!

Next was Pete:

1) What happened to Christian music? (Or rather, what hasn’t happened
yet?)

2) Why should we allow practicing homosexuals to be leaders in
churches built on divine doctrine that is adamantly against
homosexuality and sexual impurity?

3) If you were to become front man for any band, living or disbanded,
who would it be and why?

1. I don’t think Christian music (roundly, there are abundant counterexamples) has ever captured the art of storytelling like “secular” (those are big fucking scare quotes if ever I saw them) music. CCM artists (or producers more likely) seem either unable, or unwilling to do anything that substantially challenges the minds of their listeners. They’re much more happy just to give the public what it wants. (Much like mainstream pop music.) Thus, you get formulaic songs in which when stories and metaphor are applied, they’re tissue-paper thin. Rather its much easier to slap a few praise songs on a disc (because people can feel good about praising God) and sell that for 21.95 a pop.

2. Because practicing homosexuals aren’t impure sexual beings any more than you or I.

3. This is hard, it’s difficult for me to not quickly scream “U2!!!”. But after further review, if I were the frontman for U2, there’d be no Bono and that would never do. Though after further, further review…I suppose that I would have to pick U2 anyway. Honestly, it’s pretty hard for me to answer this question, I’m not a big ‘rock and roll’ guy, so my knowlege of bands with anything resembling a frontman is pretty weak. And, of the bands I do know, part of the reason I like them is because of their front people…thus I’d hate to replace them!

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i wish he’d have asked about bodily fluids–UPDATED

Posted in life at 9:26 am by

In the question asking/answering little game we’re playing, I opened up the floor to take questions from y’all. That last post was a little long, so I decided that I’d start a new one. Plus, this next round of questions is a tad weighty. They come from Benjamin:

1) Can you explain to me exactly what is the purpose of prayer?

2) What do you do when you see someone with a “Please Help, God Bless” sign?

3) What is the thing that keeps you awake at night when everything’s gone quiet and there’s just you and your thoughts?

See? Not a single question about bodily fluids, secretions, or auto-fellation. That’s what happens when you turn thirty and find a grey goddamned hair on your chest and realize it’s time to grow up….

I think I wish that he had asked a question about bodily fluids. Those are hard, and potentially revealing questions. But, I promised honesty and transparency. You’ll get just that.

1. No. I can’t explain what the purpose of prayer is. Frankly, it’s not a forte of mine in my personal life. If you were thinking of asking me to pray for you, you might as well find someone else because I’m pretty bad at meeting my prayer committments. At least in the traditional sense of ‘prayer’ that is an all out time of folded hands, clinched fists, and verbal speaking to God, that is.

As close as I can figure though, prayer must be about a dialogue. And, most often, dialogue is meant to bring two people together. I think it’s that way with prayer. While I’m not a good pray-er in the traditional sense (and I recognize that I could stand to get a lot better), I think that there’s a lot to be said about contemplation. I hold that that’s a big part of prayer, too. Listening.

So, if the prayer is a dialogue, and the purpose of dialogue is to bring two entities together, then I’d reason that the purpose of prayer is to bring human beings and God closer together. How that happens, well, that’s a mystery of epic proportions.

2) You’re a bastard Benjamin, you know that right? What do I do when I see a person with a sign that says ‘Please Help, God Bless’? I avert my eyes and keep walking / driving. And, if you want to know the even more dispicable thing about me, it’s that I don’t regularly see these signs. Why? Because I’ve structured my life so that I don’t have to see poverty day in and day out. I’ve moved away from poverty, I’ve moved away from hurt, I’ve moved away from pain, I’ve checked out of the ole’ heartbreak hotel. (Though, while we don’t live on skid row, we live in the city, we’re not suburb folk, either…and the truth be told, there’s probably a good deal of poverty right under my nose that I just don’t take the time to fully examine.)

It’s not that I don’t do anything for those in need, but I certainly don’t do enough.

All that said, I’m not sure supplying the guy with the ‘Please Help, God Bless’ sign with 20s, patting him on the ass, and saying, “have a good one pardner” is the way to go either. I’m thinking that part of battling poverty and homelessness in America and abroad is living in community with it, rather than moving away to the suburbs.

3) Often the things that keep me up thinking aren’t really ‘mid-life crisis’ sorts of panic attacks. More often I’m kept up speculating about applications of communication theory that no one has thought about. (For example, and if there are any communication scholars out there this would be a great study/thesis/dissertation, I think about applications of Berger’s Uncertainty Reduction Theory on the organizational communication processes of formal and informal routes of performance feedback.) Sometimes, I panic about the SOC 820 paper I should be writing, but am not. Sometimes, I ruminate about God and the Kingdom, and what I’m doing to bring about futher manifestations of the Kingdom.

But, frankly, I’m usually so exhausted by the end of a day of work/school/teaching/blogging/husbandry/feline-fatherhood that I don’t find myself laying awake at night very often. And, when I do, more likely than pondering the nature of God and humans or the finer points of communicative theory, I curse the fact that I had too much caffine earlier in the evening.

Then, Rachel asked:

1. What advice would you give to someone who wants to believe in Christianity but can’t, and who doesn’t believe that one can just make the choice to believe or not?

2. What do you think are the three best movies of all time?

3. How can you hold to a belief in the Bible while also believing the some Biblical authors got things wrong?

1. I would say, “be calm.” I suppose my specific answer would depend on what, exactly, about Christianity the individual ‘can’t’ believe. I mean, honestly, I’d first ask them to tell their story. Then, I’d listen. Then, if they were open to it, I’d tell them my story. I’d tell them that the times in my life that my ‘belief’ was REALLY strengthened were when I allowed myself the latitude to challenge my beliefs.

I don’t really think belief is a choice. However, wanting to believe is more likely going to end up in belief than un-belief (though, I’m not entirely happy with my phrasology there.)

In the end, though, my take away message would be this: “You don’t need to believe for you to be an important part of my life; your value to me is not contingent upon the things that you think.”

That was a really tough question, yo.

2. Well, I’m not really an ‘old movie buff’ so I can’t really speak for quality movies of all time. Also, I tend to think that subjectivity is key when one is discussing movies. Okay, last disclaimer: my rating is limited by the movies that I’ve seen, so I can’t really say these are the best of ‘all time’. (All that to say that I don’t really care to get into an argument about what anyone who reads this might think of my personal preferences…unless you agree with me, then feel free to comment on preferences at length.) All that said, here’s my list:

1. The Big Lebowski - without any question at all, my favorite movie.
2. The Shawshank Redemption
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

3. How can I hold to a belief of the Bible when I think some of the authors got it wrong? Well, I actually stepped back from that statement a little, but I’ll run with it because I did infer this. The answer is simple actually, because I believe that all scripture is inspired by God. This doesn’t mean that I think God physically moved the hand and stylus of Paul while he sat idly sipping some first century beer. But, I do think that God enabled Paul (through the gift of wisdom) to get it right some of the time, even a lot of the time–probably more, even, than Paul could’ve gotten it right all by himself. The Kingdom direction in which scripture points is in no way negated by the cultural values of its authors, it just means we need to read with a critical eye.

Good questions, Rachel!

Next was Pete:

1) What happened to Christian music? (Or rather, what hasn’t happened
yet?)

2) Why should we allow practicing homosexuals to be leaders in
churches built on divine doctrine that is adamantly against
homosexuality and sexual impurity?

3) If you were to become front man for any band, living or disbanded,
who would it be and why?

1. I don’t think Christian music (roundly, there are abundant counterexamples) has ever captured the art of storytelling like “secular” (those are big fucking scare quotes if ever I saw them) music. CCM artists (or producers more likely) seem either unable, or unwilling to do anything that substantially challenges the minds of their listeners. They’re much more happy just to give the public what it wants. (Much like mainstream pop music.) Thus, you get formulaic songs in which when stories and metaphor are applied, they’re tissue-paper thin. Rather its much easier to slap a few praise songs on a disc (because people can feel good about praising God) and sell that for 21.95 a pop.

2. Because practicing homosexuals aren’t impure sexual beings any more than you or I.

3. This is hard, it’s difficult for me to not quickly scream “U2!!!”. But after further review, if I were the frontman for U2, there’d be no Bono and that would never do. Though after further, further review…I suppose that I would have to pick U2 anyway. Honestly, it’s pretty hard for me to answer this question, I’m not a big ‘rock and roll’ guy, so my knowlege of bands with anything resembling a frontman is pretty weak. And, of the bands I do know, part of the reason I like them is because of their front people…thus I’d hate to replace them!

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