Archive for January, 2008:
The State of Worship, Part 1: Linkin Park in… Church?!?!
I am a rocker. I love most music, but some good rock (everything from classic to alternative and hard rock) just hits my soul. I think it is because of my affinity for the versatility and focus of guitars in the genre (I’ve been playing for almost a decade now), as well as its in-your-face percussive nature.
I was doing some reading this morning while listening to Linkin Park’s newest album, Minutes to Midnight. If you are not a Linkin Park fan, they popularized the rap-rock fusion (pioneered by bands like Beastie Boys and Aerosmith with Run DMC) called “nu-metal” and paved the way for a lot of the more rhythmic emphases in alternative rock. I would consider their earlier albums pretty good on their own, but they weren’t necessarily products of mature musicians. In my opinion, Minutes to Midnight moved Linkin Park from a “pretty good band” to bon-a-fide artists.
the allure of separation
It’d be nice to get away and stay away, wouldn’t it?
Definitely. That really sounds sweet right now. Some distance. Getting away. Running away. Why not?
Since the inception of the Christian church, movements within Christianity have advocated, at one time or another, a separation from society as a standing way of life. The corruption is rampant, they’ve basically said, and we must cut ourselves off to save ourselves, our children, our faith.
The Old Testament in Six Minutes
This is a very brief overview of the rest of the Old Testament. My hope is to capture the big picture of the story, showing how the Jewish people were keyed in to the theme of God at work in the world to restore a relationship that is broken by man. Because I moved so quickly through a huge body of work, I am aware that certain ideas may not have been presented as clearly as they could. If there is anything I can clarify, revise, or restate, let me know.
New Additions!
We’d like to welcome two new members to the team!
Jen is joining us as a regular Contributor. She is a native of St. Louis and is pursuing her Master’s in Educational Ministries at Covenant Seminary. She is also a talented writer and will add some fresh style to our pieces.
Jared is a blogosphere veteran, and will primarily act as our (much needed!) Webmaster and developer. He will also periodically post on topics of culture and the Christian worldview. Feel free to check out some of his other work as both businessman and author at Blogger’s Desktop and JaredMLee.com.
Click on over to the Contributors Page for a more detailed bio for both of them.
Expect more content and a significantly improved website in the coming weeks and months!
Church for Men
I wanted to post these two videos as examples and follow up to last week’s post. Enjoy!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML12GOZgejE]
While this example is not technically a church (it seems it would qualify as a “parachurch”), it is a great illustration of how to get chain saw-wielding dudes back into the pews. Admittedly, not ALL men will be attracted by this example, and every effort needs to take community context into consideration. Still, this success is sadly the exception rather than the rule.
Read more »
Babel-On
So this is the long awaited last video on the Jewish prehistory passages in Genesis. The tower of Babel is a story that has received much critique and debate, so hopefully this will help along the discussion. Obviously, all the issues surrounding the text will not be fully addressed in my 5 minute video, so feel free to ask further questions.
Book Review: “Why Men Hate Going To Church,” by David Murrow
This book is incredible. It is a brutally honest look at the Church’s relevancy to men, and it certainly does not pull any punches. Personally, it has put words to thoughts and gut feelings of distaste or discomfort that I have had long before I became a Christian.
As somewhat of a disclaimer and comfort to women who may be reading this, Murrow affirms the feminist movement in the last century as having been immeasurably effective in fighting for the rights of women everywhere. Every one of us deserve equal rights under the law, and courageous women have been fighting for those rights to this day. However, in many ways our culture has overcompensated, and this has had disastrous effects on the church and her relevancy to men. Read more »
