Belligerent, Bullying Believers: Spite, not the Spirit
January 30, 2007
Recently, the polymathic Susan Wise Bauer wrote generously about my book, Finally Feminist: A Pragmatic Christian Understanding of Gender (Baker Academic, 2005) in the fine magazine, Books & Culture. (Full disclosure: I happen to be a contributing editor to said journal.)
She begins, however, by testifying to the oh-so-concerned correspondence she has received by those who stand with her regarding such issues as Christian home schooling, but who are also aghast at her endorsement of Biblical feminism. These folks don’t just disagree with Ms. Wise Bauer and her opinion: They see her and it as dangerous and warn others, as well as her, against the spiritual peril she poses.
Spirituality: Informal, implicit, invisible…
January 26, 2007
Does this sound like you, or someone you know?
A friend recently wrote in answer to a question about her interest in spiritual things:
“I am not entirely sure what path I am on, but I know I am headed somewhere…destination totally unknown. I question my own sanity frequently, yet I feel most of the time that I am one of the sanest people I know.
“I am disgusted by the degradation of society, astounded that morality is found in a sad few and lost in too many. I believe that common sense is my best friend, yet at times I feel totally irrational. I strive for good, yet somehow seem to have difficulty doing what is right all the time.
“I wish I had the strength of my convictions every time I need them. I lose the ability to love myself from time to time.
“Maybe I am on a spiritual journey and just haven’t recognized it. I’m sure I sound like a lunatic!”
Define your terms–such as, say, “Jesus”
January 19, 2007
Last night I enjoyed speaking on the question, “Who Is Jesus?” to a full lecture hall at the University of British Columbia (UBC), with which my school, Regent College, is affiliated.
UBC has some of the highest entrance standards in Canada and is well regarded as a top-grade university. There are no dumb students there. These are among the best and brightest.
Before my talk, however, the sponsoring group (University Campus Ministries) ran a short video comprised of clips of interviews they had conducted recently with students at UBC on the question of the night: “Who is Jesus?”
We got to meet about a dozen students in the video. The students were a diverse bunch: male and female, several nationalities, various majors. And not one of them came within a mile of identifying Jesus with how he is portrayed in the Gospels.
Is the New Testament Reliable?
January 18, 2007
During my recent talk at the University of British Columbia on “Who Is Jesus?” I promised a short bibliography for those interested in questions raised about the reliability of the New Testament by the “Jesus Seminar,” The Da Vinci Code, Prof. Elaine Pagels, and others on the popular religious landscape. There is much confusion among even educated people today–sometimes especially among educated people today–about whether the New Testament, and the gospels in particular, render a trustworthy historical portrait of Jesus (quite apart from the question of whether or not we should regard the Bible as Holy Scripture, of course).
As a professional historian myself, who has studied not only the Bible but also the history of Biblical studies, I understand why people hold various views on these matters. Historical argument is never an open-and-shut case, but is always a matter of weighing evidence and argument for the most likely explanation. But after thirty years of academic historical study, I have come to this simple conclusion: There sure are a lot of good reasons to trust Matthew, Mark, Luke and John–and Paul–when they say that Jesus said this or did that. So I do.
Steve Bell: One of Canada’s Best
January 13, 2007
Steve Bell has won two of Canada’s Grammy Awards, known as the Junos. Yet most Canadians, let alone people from other countries, haven’t heard of him. Industry insiders admire him, however, as an indie phenom who has supported himself for years by touring and releasing CDs on his own label, Signpost Music. He recently performed with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and is now touring East Africa on behalf of the Canada Foodgrains Bank, a major charity.
How do I know him? Well, partly because three or four times, I have actually been “The Steve Bell Band.”
The Blasphemy Challenge
January 11, 2007
NOTE: The following post contains links to material that Christians, and other people who are respectful of religious belief, will find disturbing.
The latest dark fruit of scientist-cum-proselytizer Richard Dawkins’s not-too-bright crusade to convert people from faith in the God of the Bible to faith in the god of scientism is a gambit by some American atheists to get young people to risk damning themselves to hell.
A group called the Rational Response Squad–inspired, they say, by Dawkins–has offered The Blasphemy Challenge: Film yourself blaspheming against the Holy Spirit, post the video on YouTube, and receive a free DVD of their documentary, “The God Who Wasn’t There.” (This video “proves” that not only was Jesus not divine, but he also didn’t exist at all–which latter point will take some proving, given the overwhelming evidence for Jesus’ existence from the ancient world.)
My Favourite Muslim: Irshad Manji
January 7, 2007
If you don’t know about Irshad Manji, author of The Trouble with Islam Today, then you probably should. Her website is here.
Irshad is a rare bird indeed: Islamic, liberal, reformist, feminist, lesbian. The New York Times calls her “Osama bin Laden’s worst nightmare.” She is articulate, passionate, vivacious, sweet, and almost unbelievably courageous. (One of the first photos on her website is a shot of her with Salman Rushdie, not everyone’s favourite Muslim in, say, Iran.) Read the rest of this entry »
Liberal Fascists (Still) on Campus?
January 6, 2007
When I was a student at Queen’s University in the late 1970s, I attended precisely one meeting of the student government there–the Alma Mater Society. I went there to protest the AMS decision to de-fund religious student groups (there was only one non-Christian group, Hillel House) because, well, religion was controversial, like politics, and the AMS didn’t like controversy.
We tried to respond that the AMS somehow had a high enough tolerance for controversy to fund the newspaper of the Engineering Society, a sometimes-amusing publication that trafficked mostly in blasphemy, scatology, and sexual outrage.
Too bad, the AMS president said. Plus, we didn’t have standing at the meeting anyhow, since we weren’t elected representatives, but mere students. And that was that.
No big deal. We didn’t need their funding anyway. But as a 19-year-old leader at the time, I thought: “I don’t think this should happen. We’re university citizens, too, engaged in a socially-acceptable–some would even say socially-helpful–activity. The state provides financial help to churches. Why shouldn’t a state university provide help to student religious groups?”
Fast forward twenty-five years, through all the debates over “political correctness,” and move west to the University of British Columbia. Since I have come to Regent College (1998), I continue to see instances of official intolerance of cultural diversity (read: “views we don’t like”).
Deferred gratification or deferred tithing?
January 3, 2007
A friend writes as follows:
“In a recent discussion I brought up the idea of students being in debt, and wondered what kind of conceptual framework they should be working through regarding tithing: they are privileged in their education, but currently do not have an income on which to made tithing-type decisions.
“I plan this semester on talking with my students a bit about the whiplash effect that students can have when they graduate and suddenly go from having lived for 4-5 years with no income (and not tithing), to suddenly making $60k and trying to make decisions about their giving. How should they begin thinking, acting, and growing generous hearts now, in preparation for graduation and their future, while feeling burdened with their accumulating debts? I expect questions about ‘deferring their generosity,’ such as ‘I could tithe from my summer earnings but then I’d have to take a larger loan … so I’ll be generous in the future.’ Thoughts?”
Fans, Fanatics, and Faith
January 2, 2007
Chicago Bears football fans, among which I number myself, having cheered for them since our seven years’ sojourn in the Windy City in the mid-1980s, are deeply divided about a matter of faith.
Some saw this past Sunday’s disastrous season-ender against the Green Bay Packers as evidence that coach Lovie Smith’s confidence in young quarterback Rex Grossman has been misplaced for an entire season. Fans talk about “the good Rex” and “the bad Rex,” referring respectively to Grossman’s ability to win and to lose–very badly. The bad Rex showed up Sunday, and–having gone 3-for-13 with three interceptions and a fumble, giving him a quarterback rating of precisely zero–he was yanked (”Finally!” many exclaimed) for veteran Brian Griese, who played the second half.
Griese proceeded to stink up Soldier Field himself, missing passes and throwing interceptions until he, too, earned the coveted QB rating of zero. He managed a few fine plays along the way, and led Chicago to its lone touchdown of the afternoon. But as the Bears go into the playoffs, they have got to be the highest-ranked team in recent memory to have such terrible problems at quarterback.
All of this, of course, reminds me of theology, as it doubtless does you, too. In particular, it reminds me of the question of faith.
