Roadside Chuck Out

Every year or so each council in Perth has a roadside chuck out. That's where people throw onto their verge all the junk that has been sitting in their garage that they are no longer going to use. In reality it's a chance for neighbours to swap junk with each other. In previous years I've picked up rugs, wardrobes and a groovy old retro fan. This year I scored big time, with a wooden crate that soon became a coffee table and...

... a fully functioning 2 in 1 DVD and player and video recorder.

C.S Lewis Quote

My belief in god is something that I sometimes struggle with. I recently heard a quote from C.S Lewis that I can really identify with.

I believe in God just as I believe in the sun. Not so much because I see it (it's actually dangerous to look at it directly) but because in it's light I see everything else.

It reminded me of Exodus 33:20-23.

But," he said, "you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live." And the Lord continued, "See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen."

Even Moses only got to see the back of God.

9 of 101 things to do as a churchless Xn - Get a Fat Chewing Buddy

It's been a while since I've done a 101 post so I thought I'd do one.

Name: Fat Chewing Buddy

Category: Connect & Grow

Size: Small Group 

Description: Officially I’m supposed to be the wiser and old mentor in a mentoring relationship. In reality it feels like 2 people getting together to wrestle with our faith. I might be older and have a bit more life excellence but they guy I meet with has such a passion to be Christ like that I find challenging and encouraging all once and certainly stops me sliding in to cynicism.

So, if you can, find yourself a fat chewing buddy (some one to wrestle faith issues with). They don’t have to be a great friend (to start) just someone you respect, respects you and you're comfortable wrestle issues of faith with. The important thing for me is that we’ve been explicit about what you're meeting for and don’t get distracted and just have a general catch up.

The Global Table

If the global Xn community sat at the same table what would Paul say? We live in a world where we can transport foods and goods from one corner to another with almost as much ease as the Corinthians could transfer food from one side of the communion table to the other.

When you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord's supper. For when the time comes to eat, each of you goes ahead with your own supper, and one goes hungry and another becomes drunk.

1 Corinthians 11:20-21

Johnny Cash Discovered

I've discovered Johnny Cash, particularly his live a San Quentin recording. Made after the death of his guitarist and a tour of the holy land Cash manages to beautifully mix jokes about concealed pot and stories and songs about run ins with the law with spirituals and gospel songs.

Cash has this earthy spunk and energy that the prisoners just find infectious, this compared a much more reserved demeanor in his more famous live at Folsom Prison record. I can't imagine any current artists who could combine jokes about pot and attacks againts at the legal system the police with spirituals and gospel songs.

These are clips of  “A Boy Named Sue”

and “Daddy Sang Bass”. They give you a glimpse of these two sides of Cash but buying the album is best (oh and I think it needs to be the reissue as the original release cuts out a lot of the between song banter).

36 Today

To celebrate my birthday and pending mid life crisis I've put a poll on the side of the blog asking if I should become a Pastor / Minister type person. It's something that I've wondered about and felt some call to at times. So give me an answer and feel free to comment.

Questions from a Brand New Atheist

I came across the Brand New Atheist blog via Cameron Rilley's Blog, initially to a great and moving older post about how he became an atheist. More recently he posted a series of questions he wanted his Xn friends to answer since no one he knew was polite enough to answer I thought I’d give it a go. I'm guessing he's hot asking these questions so someone can convince him to become a Xn or so he can bait them but perhaps rather to answer the question "How can someone believe this stuff?"

These are my somewhat condensed answers. I’m happy to expand on any of them if you want.

Here’s a very small list of items that are wrong in the Bible, I would like you to explain how you deal with them.

1. The Bible refers to the Bat as a bird. (science has proven this to be wrong) Leviticus 11:13-19 and .Deuteronomy 14:11-18

2. The Bible refers to the Earth being flat. (science has proven this to be wrong) There’s too many, here’s an article that lists them all. http://www.goatstar.org/the-bibles-flat-earthsolid-sky-dome-universe/

3. The Bible refers to the Earth as being the center of the solar system. (science has proven this to be wrong) 1 Chronicles 16:30, Job 9:7, there are others but these are the easiest to interpret.

4. The Bible refers to the Moon as having it’s own light. (science has proven this to be wrong) Genesis 1:16, Isaiah 13:10

I'll deal with these 4 questions in one hit. You can also add that Pi = 3 and technically that the earth is a dome with waters above and below (kind of like an inverted snow dome). All of these are really the same critique, that is that the Bible is not scientifically correct. I would argue that the Bible is trying to answer why the world has been created rather than how the world is created which is why much of the creation story is a re interpretation of already existing creation myths with an emphasis on the world being ordered rather than a random accidental chaos. I've written a bit about this if you want to read more at http://achurchlessfaith.blogspot.com/2006/06/not-so-intelligent-and-definitely-not.html

5. The Bible condones slavery. (written in the text of the Bible) Too many to list, here’s a link to them all http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/interp/slavery.html

I think how you read these texts depends on how you view the Bible. that is whether you view it like a big law book were you can quote random verses from anywhere or whether you see it as an unfolding story or revelation. if you believe the first option then you have to disagree with Paul that you can be Xn without being Jewish as well. to me arguing that slavery is ok is a bit like arguing that neo is still trapped in the matrix by showing selected clips from the matrix.

6. Adam didn’t die the day he ate from the tree of knowledge. (written in the text of the Bible) Genesis 2:17, Genesis 3:6, Genesis 5:5

Personally I think this is very much intentional rather than an overlooked flaw. it is part of an ongoing pattern of God promising to do one thing but then relenting and not doing it, or doing something less severe. This was exactly Jonah's problem with God and why he goes off to sulk in the last chapter of Jonah (the chapter usually left out by Sunday school teachers)

7. The Book of Judas and Book of Jasher are missing. (written about in the text of the Bible) Book stores already have the Gospels of Judas on the shelves http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5327692, Joshua 10:13

Also the book of Jude quotes Enoch (a non canonical book) as well. quoting texts outside the cannon will disturb you depending on your view of the cannon of scripture. If you view it as divine instructions handed down from God kind of 10 commandments style and the only source of any truth then this is going to be a problem (and you'll still be arguing that the world is flat and 6000yrs old). however if you view it as something that people chewed over for a while before they decided what was in and what was out (which is historically what happened) then it might not be so much of a problem. Also, if you are happy to accept that there is wisdom to be found outside of the cannon then it's not so much of a problem either.

8. The virgin Mary was a mistranslation of the maiden Mary. (written in the text of the Bible http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m8ntlyrXnY

Yep, the passage in the old testament that Luke quotes (Isaiah 7:14) is best translated as a young girl and was interpreted as virgin in Luke (from the slightly off Greek Septuagint rather than original Hebrew). some people might argue that the intent of "young girl" was virgin, it is also possible that Mary was a virgin even if the passage was mistranslated. I know that people make a big thing about the virgin birth but to honest for me it's just one small passage in just one gospel and personally I don't think it makes a big difference to the overall narrative either way.

9. The Bible speaks of the unicorn which has never been proven to have existed. (written about in the text of the Bible) http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v14/i2/unicorn.asp

Hey what about the Leviathan (Job 41)? Or has someone found that ;) . See answers to question 1-4.

10. Atheists can’t get into heaven. Does that also mean Jesus didn’t let Peter into Heaven? (written about in the text of the Bible) Matthew 10:33, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzzORZhnCao

Sure atheists can get into heaven. Any Xn who doesn't believe that hasn't read Matt 25:31-46. in this passage those who didn't describe themselves as Jesus followers (no reason why they couldn't be atheists as well) get into heaven, and those who do don't get in.

I hope these answers explain how at least one person is able to believe even though they know this stuff.

Peace.

An Anglican Hug

On Sunday I got to visit an Anglican church. My visit felt kind of very much like getting a hug from a much loved grandparent (perhaps accentuated by most of the congregation being grandparents). There is a pleasant comfort in the predictability of the Anglican service and the centrality of the gospel reading and communion. However, it's still not something I could be a part of week in week out. But I love coming back every 6 months or so.

Corporate Sin, Initial Thoughts

Do you remember the teacher who used to hold back the entire class for detention because they weren’t able to find the culprit. The idea was that the threat of doing this might cause at least one class member to oust the culprit. Of course it never worked. Everyone sat in the classroom angry at the teacher rather than being angry at the culprit (often someone they didn’t even like).

Why does this happen? I’ve been thinking about the idea of corporate sin and wondering if the same thinking and action is behind classroom corporate detention is behind corporate sin.

Here’s a typical scenario. Many people know that some clothing is made in sweat shops, most of us are appalled by it and most of us (myself included) do very little about it. We don’t so much talk about our own inaction or the inaction of other individuals but prefer to blame “the system” or the government or some other teacher like authority. I realize the analogy isn’t completely parallel but I do think there is something to be learnt, perhaps. I’m just not sure what.

Why I'd like to be an Athiest

A while ago I wrote about why I’m not an atheist today I’d like to balance up the ledger with a short post about why I’d like to be an atheist.

1. It's the default position. As much as some Xns say Atheism is as much a leap of faith as belief in God I beg to differ. I think atheism is the default position and it's me who has had the leap of faith to believe in God rather than an atheist.

2. I wouldn't have to hang out / be associated with Xns. Xns do some stupid and embarrassing things in the name of their faith. There wouldn’t be a Xn anywhere who couldn’t find another Xn who has said, done or believes something contrary to their own beliefs.

3. It's clean. There are bits of Xy that are grey and unknowable. I could ignore or at least pay little anything that isn’t provable.

I’m still a Xn but sometimes I think life would be easier if I wasn’t. Narrow path and all that.