MayFest 2013–Friday Scenes

Images from about town on Friday of MayFest: Main Street, Norwegian fashions, parade, and herring toss.

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Words and ideas between cultures

Huffington Post now has a Japanese feed, and I’ve subscribed to its Twitter feed. As a result I get a daily stream of new articles in Japanese. One headline that caught my eye contained the phrase｢生きづらさ｣ (ikizurasa).

In our Bible studies, on a number of occasions, we’ve discussed the idea that words can be translated directly into another language but lose their meanings across cultures. What I found above is an example.

Ikizurasa is literally translated (by Google) as “Difficulty in living.” That is a literally precise translation and it make sense. The phrase really is about a general sense in which people find it difficult to live their lives.

Now when I first saw that phrase I “knew” what it meant. As I struggled to find the right English word or phrase, what came to my mind was not the literal translation but the thought equivalents of “depression” and “hopelessness.” The fact is that there are other literal Japanese translations for these words.

In the article that I first saw ikizurasa, the causes for this state of being included things such as bullying, corporal punishment, abuse, experiences of significant loss, romantic heartbreak, and “hired” romance. The article described self-injury and suicide as possible results of this state. I searched for the use of this term and additional causes include un- under-employment, the sense that one has no ability to change his/her circumstances, and the inability to find meaning and purpose in life. In the American culture, we would call someone experiencing these thoughts and feelings, depressed.

Yet “depression” fails to adequately account for the entire state of being that is connoted by ikizurasa. Hence the automatic translation does not see the two as equivalent.

I thought of another word that helps translate ikizurasa. This is the French term ennui which has found its way into English and other languages (including Japanese, as a direct phonetic of the French). But that too, describes only a subset of what I conjure up in my mind when I hear ikizurasa.

I think this is a real-life, contemporary reminder of how we misread, misinterpret, misunderstand, and misapply the Bible because we assume that a word we read in English means what is means in English, today, to us. In reality, the word may mean much more or less, and something quite different from what we assume. The translator may have had no better words and found the closest approximation. Or the translator may have precisely and literally translated to English, but the meaning is something altogether different.

For me this is a warning against stating any definitive conclusions based solely upon the biblical text, particularly from a translated text. And even if one uses the “original” text, it is impossible to truly identify and immerse into the culture where and when it was written, thus disallowing any sort of definitive interpretation. All interpretations are approximations with a strong component of opinion. We need to see them in that light.

Book Review: Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes

Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible by E. Randolph Richards
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The best way to get a feel for this book is to look at my individual chapter notes.

This book discusses nine ways in which Western (esp. American) Christians misread the Bible. It is arranged using an iceberg metaphor: the obviously visible tip to the much larger ice beneath the surface, but which more profoundly affects the reading.

I've read a number of works in this field, particularly that of Kenneth E. Bailey. I found that I learned quite a bit that was new in this present book that was immediately useful and practical in my bible studies.

View all my reviews

AMHS 50th Celebration, Part 2: Fireworks

As the M/V Malaspina left dock to sail on her way north, Petersburg celebrated with fireworks. Residents lined up (many inside waterfront houses) along North Nordic to watch the ferry sail under the fireworks.

AMHS 50th Celebration - Fireworks VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Happy 50th, Alaska Marine Highway!

The ferry M/V Malaspina came to port as part of the celebration of the Alaska Marine Highway System’s 50th birthday. This ferry was the one that brought us to Petersburg in September 2006, so it holds special memories for us. Not too long after that the Malaspina was reassigned to a different part of the state, so it’s been quite some time since we’ve seen her in our waters.

On this occasion we got to board the boat and wander around the decks as well as take a tour of the bridge. The ship certainly has new equipment and electronics, but it still has quite a bit of original 1963 equipment that is maintained and used as backup in case primary systems fail.

AMHS 50 Years VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Sermon: Living the Easter Life

I preached this sermon on the subject of what living the grace (gift) of Easter might look like. The sermon was given at the Presbyterian Church.

Links

• Sermon audio (23 minutes)
• Sermon manuscript

Theme

Absorbing and redeeming the evils of the world is the hard work, with joy, to which Christians are called.

Call(s) to Action

1. We are to be spiritual cleaning “routinists” – devoting our lives to confronting, absorbing, and redeeming the evils of this world – and find joy the process, in spite of sufferings
2. We face suffering with joy because all things, including life and death, belong to us in Christ
3. We seek out the dark places of the world with courage, because we are already victorious in Christ

Primary Text

1 Corinthians 4:11-13, 16

11 To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, 12 and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things… 16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me. (ESV)

Secondary Texts

Exodus 19:10; Acts 1:4-5, 13-14; 1 Corinthians 3:21b-23; Romans 8:31b-32, 34b-39; 1 Corinthians 11:1

Review: The Bible, Week 5

One sentence summary: The series redeems itself with a watchable, thoughtful, final hour.

No commercial moment this week – just repeats of stuff airing over the previous four weeks.

Most memorable moment, the moment that redeemed the series for me: Paul describing his new perspective of God as seen through Jesus. Paul describes his encounter with Jesus where Jesus does not come to him in anger, wrath or judgment, but in love. In spite of his false beliefs and priorities, his errors about what he believed to be the only “right way” to think about God, in spite of his actions harming people, Jesus was not angry with him. Paul goes on to recite words from the Hymn of Love (1 Cor. 13) and ends with “faith, hope, and love remain, but the greatest of these is love.”

The remainder of my thoughts are…

This week picks up in the middle of Jesus’ trial. We see several more appearances of the “black Satan” roaming about the various crowd scenes throughout the trial, beatings, and crucifixion. We are shown the actual suicide of Judas (though we are not shown his face) and twitching of his legs and feet as he dies.

Pilate’s wife takes a rather prominent role, having a dream, warning Pilate multiple times, watching Jesus’ flogging, seeing Jesus’ mother in tears, and then accusing Pilate of making the wrong decision.

The writers continue to liberally alter and combine storylines and timelines, although unlike earlier weeks, the alterations did not seem to alter the primary themes nearly as much.

Peter’s denials do not happen during the night, but in the morning after Jesus is brought out of the temple trial. There is no fire where Peter tries to warm himself, and all denials happen right after another. Jesus is right there and speaks to Peter, reminding him of the previous night’s prediction.

The beatings, mockings, the march out of Jerusalem, the crucifixion – they remind of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. Though The Bible does not spend quite as much time on these scenes, it still devotes considerable time. I can only assume it is because in certain branches of Christian theology, there is redemptive value in the act of suffering. If (and that is a big if) the case, why are the gospel accounts so terse in the details of torture and suffering? The gospels present them quite detachedly, careful to avoid any kind of emotional manipulation these scenes could evoke. Rather, the gospels describe the actions and reactions of the characters, the words that are spoken, and it seems that the reader is encouraged to come to intellectual understandings about the meaning of the cross of Jesus.

The entire crucifixion process could be mistaken to begin and end in a matter of minutes. Most of Jesus’ seven last words happen one right after another without break and without cuts in scene.

The resurrection is rather anticlimactic. I get the sense that the focus was on the crucifixion and the suffering. There is nothing about the soldiers guarding the tombs, or the deceit instigated by the Jewish leaders. “Doubting Thomas” scene is combined with the first appearance of Jesus to his disciples.

The writers omit the post-resurrection breakfast on the shore story with its reinstatement of Peter.

Forty days later Jesus meets with his disciples in the wilderness and he is taken up in to heaven. They meet in the Upper Room.

Pentecost arrives and Jews are entering Jerusalem. The disciples are waiting, apparently for Stephen. They return to the Upper Room. As they recite the Lord’s Prayer a strong wind kicks up and they begin speaking foreign languages. At this point the writers combine Peter and John healing a cripple near the temple and Stephen’s stoning. They omit the entire story in Acts that brings Stephen to the fore. There is no hearing before the Sanhedrin. Saul of Tarsus is the one who instigates the stoning.

Some examples of Saul’s brutality and hatred are shown. He pursues believers to Damascus, explaining that this is the right thing to do, to be faithful to God, to protect God, and to do the targets of his persecution a favor by saving them from their false beliefs. Paul has his Damascus Road experience and is changed.

James is executed and the remaining disciples, excepting Peter, flee Jerusalem, spreading the message about Jesus outside of Jewish lands.

Paul appears to a gathering of believers but they doubt his intentions. Paul tells his story (as I wrote at the top of this entry). At the end Paul picks up Luke as his traveling companion. The rest of Paul’s story is very much redacted.

Jesus appears to Peter. This is the Peter and Cornelius story, but again redacted down to almost nothing. There is no vision of a sheet and unclean animals. Jesus tells Peter that “the door is open to everyone” and that he must go with the Roman delegation. The whole of Cornelius’ household believes and is baptized.

Fast forward twenty years. Paul’s first and second imprisonments are combined. Narrator lists a few martyred apostles. John is poisoned. Paul is executed. John revives. John is sent to Patmos. Jesus appears to John, speaks words paraphrased from Revelation. John says, “Amen.”

Camera zooms into Jesus’ right eye, past it to a darkness, then the earth fills the screen, camera zooms out, end of series.

Some thoughts on the series…

The Old Testament segments were terrible. The New Testament segments were a noticeable improvement. The final hour was decent. I give it 6 or 7 out of 10. The first hour knocks it down a point.

I found Paul’s speech to the gathered believers rather telling. From what he said it could be inferred that the creators intend that the “God” that was depicted in the Old Testament portions is not really the true God. Just as Paul discovered the true God in Jesus, the audience is supposed to reject the Old Testament depictions and see the true nature of God in Jesus. I think God finally showed up.

There are only two significant women depicted in the series: Mary Magdalene (primary) and Mary the Mother (secondary). The positive for the series is that it shows Mary Magdalene as a full-fledged disciple of Jesus, following him from beginning to end. She participates with the male disciples, argues with them, and offers her advice. For this the creators are to be commended. Mary the Mother is much more a stock figure of a mother, even though she gets quite a bit of screen time. On the other hand the creators could have brought in any number of other women found in the Bible, some of them leaders of nations and leaders of churches. I believe the creators missed a significant opportunity here.

I think the suffering and crucifixion could have been shortened drastically and replaced with more stories from Acts.

It’s probably a very good thing they didn’t try to do more with Revelation.

No, I won’t purchase the DVD of the series or the series-inspired novel about the Bible.

(My running notes for this week here.)

Good Friday Homily: Jesus Creates the Church

As part of the annual Community Good Friday Service, I spoke on John 19:26-27, expanding the context to include the previous scene beginning John 19:23.

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Jesus Creates the Church

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” So the soldiers did these things.

In the next set of verses the reader is given a contrast.

But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. (John 19:23-27, ESV)

What is John communicating to us through this deliberate contrast between the soldiers vs. the women and Jesus? I believe it is Jesus’ vision for his church.

Let’s begin with six contrasts and comparisons:

1. The soldiers abuse and crucify Jesus / the women stand by the cross of Jesus
2. The soldiers divide Jesus’ garment into four pieces / there are four named women
3. The soldiers see that Jesus’ tunic is in one piece / Jesus sees his united church in his friends
4. The soldiers speak among themselves / Jesus speaks to his mother and the disciple
5. The soldiers want more for themselves / Jesus says each belongs to the other
6. The soldiers kill and divide / The church of Jesus Christ unites women and men into life under one new family

The soldiers represent the methods and the power structures of the world. Its modus operandi is “How can I get more for me?” Wealth, certainly, but also position, power, influence, authority – and these by whatever means necessary.

Jesus shows a different power. It begins at the cross – Jesus’ friends standing by the crucified one. It is the power of loving devotion – weakness to the world, but the only power that will bring together women and men, poor and rich, the uneducated and the educated, the marginalized and the privileged. It is the church.

When we come together to remember the cross, Jesus speaks to us the same words he spoke to his mother and to the disciple, “Behold, your son, your mother, your father, your daughter, your sister, your brother.”

Caring for one another is devotion to Christ. I hear John saying, “Imitate the actions of these women.” In so doing, we imitate Christ.

This fulfills Jesus’ command, “That you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12 ESV)

High School Play 2013

Petersburg High School presented their annual play performance the previous two nights. Our daughter, Amy, performed as Sir Prize. The play was a comedic melodrama involving plenty of audience participation.

Product Information Page: The Clumsy Custard Horror Show and Ice Cream Clone Review

Performance slideshow (updated to not use Flash)

Review: “The Bible”, Week 4

One sentence impression: Still not great or even good, but improves over the first three weeks’ terrible.

This week’s ad moment: Promo for the new GI Joe movie – the movie depicting the kind of power and methods that Jesus condemns and by which he was killed.

I guess now that instead having to deal with hundreds and thousands of years at a time, the show can focus a little more on details. That does improve the continuity and storyline somewhat. It still isn’t particularly great or memorable, but it certainly improves from the disasters of the first three weeks.

The show still continues to be disjointed, however. For people familiar with the gospels, the events are so reordered it only makes sense from a movie script perspective. The grossest example is the nighttime conversation of Jesus with Nicodemus occurring during Holy Week, rather than at the opening of Jesus’ ministry (as recorded in John’s gospel). In doing so I believe the show does severe injustice to the theological messages of each of the gospel writers. For people unfamiliar with the gospels, the problem is that scenes appear without much explanation. The most glaring example I noticed was the scene of Jesus coming to Bethany after Lazarus died. Jesus comes in and Martha exclaims Jesus is too late. Huh? It is explained as the dialogue continues, but it could have been better scripted. The ordering of scenes wouldn’t matter to someone unfamiliar with the stories, but the scenes expect some knowledge about the gospel accounts for them to really make sense – a kind of Catch-22.

The violence level is down from previous weeks, but it still adds scenes of violence that are not directly found in the Bible. Some of it adds some background information to the place of Zealots, the Roman garrison, Pilate, and the ruling priests in the social order of the times, but I don’t think all of it was necessary.

My largest disappointment with this depiction of the life of Jesus is that I didn’t really see or hear the mind-blowing radical nature of his teachings and way of life. In the show, Jesus is depicted as someone who disregards traditions and customs, who has little regard for formal authorities, who works a few miracles here and there, who travels with a ragged band of followers (including a single female – Mary Magdalene), and who offers some wisdom sayings. His main crime was causing large crowds to follow him and that would raise suspicion among the Romans, possibly bringing a crackdown on the Jews.

Why did Jesus attract crowds? Why did he incite such hatred? Much of the background is assumed. Based strictly from what I saw on the show, Jesus may have offended and embarrassed some leaders, he may have said some things that were against accepted religious doctrines, he claimed power to forgive, and he raised Lazarus from the dead, but unless one already knows how to fill in the gaps, the show itself provides little reason why Jesus was so opposed.

The Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, the rest of his teachings and parables that were so radical are mentioned in passing, if at all, or applied to a context that was not intended. I refer to the Feeding of the Five-Thousand depiction where teachings such as “Don’t be anxious,” “Ask and it will be given,” “Give us this day our daily bread” are given as directly applying to miraculous provisions that God will provide, if you just ask.

There is little to no demonstration of what made Jesus so attractive so some, and so repulsive to others. The Jesus of this show comes across mainly as a quirky, itinerant teacher. In the scene where Jesus asks who the disciples think he is, Peter responds that Jesus is “the Son of God.” But again, words have to be congruent with actual actions and I feel the show falls desperately short in this regard. If all I knew about Jesus was what I saw tonight, there would be little inclination or desire to follow him.

There is no doubt the format and length of the miniseries contributes to the overall shallowness. But I think if the creator and writers came from the perspective of “What one aspect of Jesus do I want to show?” I think a better portrait of Jesus could have been shown. Rather what I see is an answer to the question, “How best can we show the conflict developing between Jesus and the leaders that lead to Jesus’ crucifixion?” And for that, I’m sorry and disappointed.

(My notes from tonight’s show.)

Reblog: The Consequences Of Spiritual Abuse

I came across the following post today: The Consequences Of Spiritual Abuse

[Excerpt]
“It was like having the door slammed shut in my face. They wouldn’t listen to me. They wouldn’t try to understand or see things any other way. There was no reasoning with them. There was no compromise possible. They were right, the arbiters and gate-keepers of Truth,and I was wrong.”

If you’ve ever been on the receiving end, even if the details differ, I’m sure you will identify.

For the rest of you, particularly if you are in any kind of position where you have some kind of authority or control over another church member, please read and make sure you don’t fall into abusing someone.

Review: The Bible, Week 3

One sentence summary: It’s so bad it’s entertaining trying to see how many problems can be spotted in a span of each minute.

Notable theme of this week: Giving up any remaining pretense of following the actual biblical text in putting together the scenes and events.

Most memorable commercial moment once again goes to ChristianMingle.com for… Altering one word of a popular praise and worship song to turn it into a romance song.

Granted everyone knows many P&W songs can easily be turned into a generic romance pop song by changing a few words, but I was taken aback that someone would actually do this in an ostensibly “Christian” ad.

There’s really no point in detailing all the problems and issues. The series continues to focus on action, conflict, and violence without actually telling any stories. God continues to be what appears to be an inconvenient sideshow for the most part. It continues to be a historical, cultural, anthropological, literary, and theological farce. And why do the Babylonians and Persians have so much mascara around their eyes that they look like raccoons?

(Notes I took while I watched can be found here. This gives a brief rundown of all the problems and “what the…?!” reactions I had.)

Week 2 had pretty much lowered my expectations to nothing, but I was sadly surprised that week 3 showed things could get worse. I’m not sure what tale it’s trying to tell. On one hand it seems the show is trying to bring in extrabiblical elements that are based on verifiable history. On the other hand it seems that the show is trying to keep an appearance of sticking to the Bible – at least superficially. The result is worse than if the show stuck strictly to secular biblical scholarship, or stuck to the conservative, traditional reading of the Bible. It is a mishmash of haphazard, individual activity that makes no sense from one scene to the next, from one hour to the next, and from one week to the next.

With this week being the halfway point and the transition from the Old Testament to the New, I thought maybe the second hour might start looking up. Alas, it just kept its steady beat of mediocrity and bad storytelling. Oh sure, Jesus is now present, but God still seems to be missing.

Nietzche’s famously oft-misused “God is dead” observation is true, for this show, anyway.

Reblog: Another review of “The Bible”, week 2

Lest you think my two reviews of “The Bible” miniseries have been unnecessarily critical and harsh, I invite you to read the following review posted at Patheos:

Dear Lord, Please Make the ChristianMingle.com Commercials Stop (or, my thoughts on week 2 of “The Bible” on The History Channel)

On IMDb I gave week 2 a rating of 2 out of 10. The above reviewer does the same. In my review I asked what kind of picture of God the series is painting to the viewer. The above reviewer asks a similar question. I’m not alone in finding the series off the mark and tedious.

Review: “The Bible” miniseries, week 2

If you want a decent theological portrayal of the Bible, stick to VeggieTales.

If you want a hyperglorification of a violent deity, maybe “The Bible” is for you. Watch it with plenty of wine and booze in hand to overlook all the “creative alterations” that were made.

Most memorable commercial break event: ChristianMingle.com ad followed immediately by a Captain Morgan Rum ad. (Comment on Facebook: “Isn't that supposed to be the other way round? Get loaded on Capt and then cruise christianmingle.com?”)

Seriously, this week didn’t improve from the first.

I won’t dwell much on the deviations of the show from the text.^[1] It’s just embarrassing to see all the inaccuracies. There doesn’t seem to be much reason for it. Deviating doesn’t improve the drama or the narrative. It doesn’t even improve the action. I really can’t figure out why the writers chose to deviate so much from the text, which renders some episodes incomprehensible to me.

The sort of “creative time-compression” I described last week continues and it continues to be disturbing and distracting. I watched partly with the perspective of someone unfamiliar with the bible narrative and from that viewpoint, the story being told by this miniseries is even worse. It is disjointed, scattered, and scenes are introduced that make no sense. Someone who knows these stories can, obviously, fill in the details, but for everyone else it’s a WTH? and then onto the next action scene.

Words are placed into the characters’ mouths that give a perspective of God that is most certainly an interpretation. The Bible leaves many things ambiguous and up to the reader. This show doesn’t like ambiguity. It wants to provide a definite answer. So when Samson asks God to restore his strength so that he can avenge his enemies, in this show he says, “He [God] wants me to destroy you all,” an interpretation and quote that is not in the Bible. When David returns successfully from Saul’s bride-purchase mission by slaughtering two-hundred Philistines, David says (in the show) to Saul, “Two-hundred men. God was with me,” again an interpretation and not in the biblical text.

This points toward the main theological issue I have with this series: God is absent, except when convenient.

For the Hebrews the most important thing about their scripture was the Covenant between God and them. That idea is completely, totally, absolutely missing from the four hours I’ve watched. All of the stories of the Old Testament find their foundation, their center, their basis in the Covenant. Without it the stories have no meaning and are just tales, explaining why (in my opinion) this miniseries feels so scattered, disjointed, and has to rely on creative alterations, action, and violence to hold it together.

The central Hebrew proclamation about God’s character is found in Exodus, where Moses asked to see God:

    The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6-7 ESV)

When I think about the four hours I’ve seen so far (and probably the only four hours) I see only the last part and little to nothing about the mercy, the grace, the patience, the steadfast love that is of higher priority and more significance.

If I were to give a description of God based only upon what I’ve seen in the series so far, I would say that God is violent, vindictive, partisan, and quid pro quo – I’ll bless you if you obey, and destroy you if you don’t. God seems to communicate with humans only when God has something he needs done.

This second week – the second two-hours – confirmed much of the misgivings I had with the first two-hours.

As I see it “The Bible” miniseries is a fictional adaptation loosely (and I use the term generously) based on the Bible.^[2]

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^[1] If you’re one of my friends on Facebook, you can find the post on March 10, 2013 that goes into my live-update details of my observations.

^[2] Yes, I realize some of you will say that the Bible itself is fiction. If you happen to be one, imagine that the Bible is depicting something that is true, if not completely accurate or precise in its telling.

Review: “The Bible” miniseries, week 1

I sat (cringed) through the first of five episodes of the overhyped “The Bible” miniseries airing (anachronism, since I don’t have an aerial antenna with which to receive the signal, but rather a cable, but I digress) on the History Channel.

The first hour covered 1) Noah briefly narrating Creation week while being tossed about during the Flood; 2) the story of Abraham. Skipping the very important stories of Jacob and Joseph altogether, the second hour was primarily about Moses and the Exodus.

The best line (in my opinion) of the entire two hours came at the start of the first commercial break, “The Bible is brought to you in part by Wal-Mart.”

Throughout the two hours it seems like the creators try their best to avoid portrayals of the supernatural, including God speaking. Lot’s wife turning to a pillar of salt was the first instance where the supernatural simply could not be avoided. The burning bush is the first instance that I noticed where they simply could not avoid God actually speaking. The next obvious instance was the first plague where the water of the Nile is shown turning to blood. The fourth instance is the tenth plague where the Angel of Death is shown as an enshrouding mist that works its way through Egypt, being repelled by the bloody door frames of the Israelites but passing through the cracks and windows of the Egyptians. The final depiction of a major supernatural event is the parting of the Red Sea. (Pharaoh survives in this show, btw., unlike in the biblical text.)

This seeming reluctance to show the supernatural and God speaking leads to somewhat comical and confusing moments. For instance Abraham always seems to be talking into thin air, a confused old man who could be interpreted as hearing voices. Where Abraham is about to kill Isaac, it isn’t a voice from heaven, but a voice from a being on top of the next hill – could be a divine being, but it could just as well be a man. When fire comes down on Sodom it looks like lightning comes down and starts a fire among some trash and debris, and as a natural result of fire spreading, the city is destroyed. Because so many of the events that the bible text depicts as supernatural is made to be natural, those things that actually end up as supernatural on the show seem staged and fake.

Another weakness I felt was that the creators invented and injected their own scenes of violence while omitting so much actual violence that is found within the biblical text. At least one of these instances is probably related to the avoidance of the depiction of supernatural events: the angels who go to Sodom pull out swords to fight and kill the residents of Sodom who are blocking the escape route of Lot, et. al.

In order to supposedly increase drama and make for a better story, chronology is altered, sometimes compressed, and sometimes expanded. Aaron, for example, dose not meet Moses in the wilderness but just happens to show up after Moses reaches Egypt and is trying to get an audience with his people, the Israelites. Eight of the plagues are compressed into essentially a rapid slideshow of about a minute real-time. Instead of the Exodus commencing in the middle of the night, the Israelites have an entire day after the tenth plague to gather their belongings and prepare for their journey. (And where were their flocks and herds…?) The entire giving of the Law and the Covenant, the greatest moment of the founding of the Israelite nation at Sinai, is narrated in under a minute. For some odd reason Mt. Sinai and Mt. Nebo are conflated so that the giving of the Law and the passing of leadership to Joshua occur in the same scene resulting in viewer confusion. (There was a commercial break immediately following and when the show returned my first question was, “Where’s Moses?” I went back on the DVR to figure out what actually happened.) The 40 years in the wilderness is just a caption on the screen.

The way the show treats the story, the events, and the dialogue during these first two hours, by skipping so much, unless a person if familiar with the surrounding bible stories, I suspect there will be a degree of confusion.

In some of the preview articles and interviews regarding this miniseries, I read that many biblical scholars had been consulted and approved of how the show was put together. Maybe this is a case of “too many cooks” because the result, at least these first two hours, is a mass of confusion and unnecessary deviations from the text.

As far as production quality it didn’t seem any better than other recent films and TV shows dealing with the Bible. The previews touted the great CGI work. Well, the scenes of clouds moving, or the mist meandering through Egypt might be good, but overall I saw nothing terribly impressive. The musical score seemed forced and overly emotional. The dialogue patterns seems to be too 21st century American.

I think the preview piece in TV Guide summarizes this series best, “The final word on The Bible, more than with most such projects: The Book is better.”

The straitjacket that is “congregation”

Church leaders and pastors admonish Christians to find a congregation, join one, become involved. Congregations provide support, a place to learn and grow, accountability – they say.

I agree that belonging to a Christian fellowship and meeting together regularly is valuable, that it does accomplish at least some of the things that are often touted as beneficial and necessary. At the same time, the cynical part of me thinks, “And it’s a way to make sure leaders get their paychecks and validate their calling and their work…”

As someone who does have a regular church family, but also one who frequents other churches, I’ve noticed a dark side to congregations.

Congregations can become a straitjacket for Christians – both individually and their churches.

What do I mean? A congregation can become narrowly focused. It can come to think that it is self-sufficient. It can become suspicious of other churches and Christians. It can come to believe that it is the most “right” or the only “right” church in the community. It can come to think that they have a special calling for God that no one else has, and that if they don’t follow through the community will be lost.

You might look at the above and think how could anyone, least of all you, think that. Maybe not consciously, but the insidious nature of fellowshipping exclusively is that subconsciously Christians and congregations may take on some of all of the above beliefs about themselves.

When it happens Christian witness is weakened. Those on the outside, instead of seeing a single Christian Church, see a bunch of little churches doing their own thing, trying to grow their own little domains. I’m not accusing churches of intentionally doing such a thing, but it’s what people outside the churches see that matter.

I think that if Christians spent a few days each year worshiping with congregations that aren’t their own, it could vastly improve the strength and unity of the Church within a community. Christians would see (not just in theory, but in practice) that God is working through more than just their home congregation. They would see that differences in theology, differences in orthopraxy, and all the other differences aren’t so important to the mission of caring for the hurts of the world. They would see that “right” is often a matter of tradition and perspective. They would see that there can be great good in working together.

Or, maybe I’m just speaking for myself in this whole essay (or some might say, rant).

These past six months or so I’ve spent most of my Sunday mornings at a single church, offering my musical services. I’ve personally felt less connected to other churches as a result. I feel more isolated.

I need to take some occasional Sundays off from serving to reconnect with other congregations.

From what I’ve seen of the earliest churches and their practice, they met in small groups but their association was more fluid. They would meet together as larger groups, and individuals would go from one group to another. I think we need more “moving around”.

I’d like to encourage individual Christians to make intentional effort to visit other congregations, even ones that differ considerably from your usual tradition, and ones that may believe quite differently from you.

I’d like to encourage pastors and church leaders to encourage their church members to take two or three Sundays away from their home churches and spend time worshiping in another church in the community.

New study series on 1 Corinthians

Since we finished our study through Revelation, our next destination is 1 Corinthians. You’ll find discussion materials here.

Spring, in February?

For some reason, winter hasn’t been around much. The ground is bare, there is very little ice, and daytime temperatures are spring-like, that is to say, in the upper thirties (F). You can see for yourself in these photos. I’m probably jinxing the weather by writing this though. (Waiting for a to-be-announced huge snowstorm to blow through…)

Early Spring 2013 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

‘Tis been a warm winter so far

A bout of a cold struck and shot me down a week ago. That coincided with a couple of dry days in Petersburg; days during which I did not get a chance to get out. There’s been some nasty diseases around here from the flu to strep throat so I didn’t want to take a chance. Fortunately I only had one bad day and have been on the quick road to recover since.

I heard dripping wetness coming down off the roof last night, but when I looked out of the windows this morning I saw that some fog but the clouds were starting to break. Since I was going out for coffee anyway I carried along a camera. By the time I left the coffee shop about an hour later, the skies had cleared but the wind had picked up considerably. I walked out toward Middle Harbor to see what it was like out there.

Here’s how things looked.

This has been an interesting winter so far. We’ve had some snow in the early season, but overall it has been on the warm side since. There is no snow pack at the lower elevations, and in town, the roads are clear of snow and ice.

Responses to Bill Cosby fake e-mail

I’ve seen the fake Bill Cosby e-mail floating around a number of times in recent weeks. First, his official site says it does not express his views. Second, even if you happen to believe any or all of the message, what does it say about you when you spread it against the express wishes of Mr. Cosby?

Here are some counterpoints against the screed.

• At The “Avoiding Housework” Project blog
• At My FDL Reader Diaries

At first I was going to just leave it at that, but oh heck, let’s take a look at it and see what I think.

Bill Cosby "I'm 83 and Tired"

Well, we know that is not true in any way.

I've worked hard since I was 17. Except for when I was doing my National Service, I put in 50-hour weeks, and didn't call in sick in nearly 40 years. I made a reasonable salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, it looks as though retirement was a bad idea, and I'm tired. Very tired.

None of the details are true. So what is the message? “I’m a workaholic”…? “I have no life”…? That you made poor decisions during those 40 years so you can’t have a decent retirement? Ok, maybe that isn’t what you intended, but that’s what I see.

No, I know what you’re trying to say. You’re trying to say that all I have is due to my own efforts and no one else’s. Good for you. Are you sure you didn’t receive any assistance from anyone?

I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy to earn it.

Well, it’s a good thing you’re not retiring, because I assume you would refuse any kind of retirement benefits except for those coming directly from your own investments.

I’m sure there are bad apples who are truly lazy when they really could be working. But there are many more who want to work who aren’t being hired, or those who do work but don’t earn a living wage. There are also those who truly cannot work. There is such a thing as a “common good” that forms a social contract.

If religious institutions, businesses, and other private organizations truly took care of every person unable to work or earn enough, perhaps government wouldn’t need to step in. But from what I’ve seen, religious institutions tend to discriminate against certain groups, businesses aren’t interested in taking care of the needy, and there aren’t enough other charities and people willing to donate to causes to fully fill in the gaps. So I’m sorry, but government has a role to fill.

I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family "honor"; of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers"; Muslims burning schools for girls; Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'an and Shari'a law tells them to.

Let’s not stop at Muslims. For some reason, religious extremism and fundamentalism corrupts all religions: Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, you name it. Have you heard of the proposal to legalize killings of abortion providers? In South Dakota? Yeah. Take the plank out of your own eye before trying to take the speck out of your neighbor’s.

Yes, there are extremist Muslims and these examples given certainly remind us that there are some truly atrocious actions done in the name of religion. But do you personally know average Muslims and have you spent any time with their community? Don’t stereotype and paint a entire people group with a narrow description.

I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries use our oil money to fund mosques and Madrasa Islamic schools to preach hate in Australia , New Zealand , UK, America and Canada , while no one from these countries are allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia or any other Arab country to teach love and tolerance..

Two things. First, when we buy oil, the purchase money is no longer “ours”. They can do whatever they want with it. Second, if we’ve suddenly developed morals and ethics in our energy spending, maybe we can spend them on other forms of energy, or pay more for oil from geographies that aren’t so problematic. But that means higher energy costs for all of us. We can choose between greed and ethics.

Fear leads to repression. What you are saying and suggesting is that we prevent the teachings of ideas that we find offensive. But let me ask, who is “we” and how do “we” determine what is offensive? That’s the problem with freedom of conscience, of religion, of speech. We have to allow those things that offend us. Because we believe in the end, truth can win over error, without having to employ force, coercion, or repression. Because to employ force, coercion, or repression to disallow offensive speech and teachings is to become the very thing we are trying to avoid.

I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate.

First of all, there has been plenty of debate. Second, whenever new technologies are needed, it presents an opportunity, an opportunity for economic growth and better lives.

The scientific evidence is overwhelmingly towards climate change. The fact that there were some problems with research ethics around this issue does not negate the science. They are two different issues.

I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses or stick a needle in their arm while they tried to fight it off?

This is not a simple issue; it is complex. Ignoring it hasn’t helped and the problem will only grow. Treating drug addiction as a crime hasn’t helped either. We need a multifaceted approach that addresses all areas: those getting wealthy from the drug trade, the producers, the distributors, and yes, the addicts. Psychological studies have shown that treating addiction using a disease model has better results than treating it as a crime.

Let’s suppose we stop treating addicts. What happens to them? Do they get locked up? For how long? Who pays for that?

Stop treating everything that happens in the world in simplistic black or white terms.

I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of all parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught. I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor.

Well now, isn’t that being a tad bit judgmental of you. It’s probably true that some are only sorry for getting caught, but all? You’re implying that people in power and influence are never truly sorry and never accept responsibility. That, to me, says more about your narrow-mindedness than about them.

I'm really tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination or big-whatever for their problems.

I almost agree with you here. Almost. There is much that a person can accomplish by taking responsibility and making good choices. But there is also quite a bit of influence that circumstances, environment, and even just plain dumb random chance can have on how things turn out. Many obstacles can be overcome by hard work and effort, but there are other obstacles that simply are. And from some perspectives this may not be considered promoting equality of opportunity, and maybe that is a legitimate case of faulting the government, or religion, or business, or “big-whatever”. Can something be done about such obstacles? Maybe if enough people speak out against it, mobilize, and do something. But to fault complaining or blaming as a problem in itself, is off the mark.

By the way, aren’t you sort of blaming the government for some of the “problems” you raise in this screed?

I'm also tired and fed up with seeing young men and women in their teens and early 20's be-deck themselves in tattoos and face studs, thereby making themselves unemployable and claiming money from the Government.

Uh, really? Have you been to Portland, Oregon or Seattle, Washington? Because I’ve seen plenty of employed young people matching the description you give here.

Maybe you’re just a little prejudiced against people that don’t look like you. That is not their problem; it’s yours.

Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 83.. Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making. I'm just sorry for my granddaughter and their children. Thank God I'm on the way out and not on the way in. There is no way this will be widely publicized, unless each of us sends it on! This is your chance to make a difference.

So that’s it? After all that ranting, you’re giving up? You’re no better than all the people you just criticized.

“I’m 83 and I'm tired. If you don't agree you are part of the problem!

I’m tired, too, not of what you describe, but of seeing bigotry, prejudice, and misrepresentations, and of not having a wide enough vision to see all the good that is taking place, of not having enough faith that good always finds a way. Maybe not in your lifetime or mine, but some day.

Winter Squash Pasta Sauce

I had some kabochas sitting around and I needed to use them in some way. Yesterday afternoon I was informed that our daughter was bringing a couple friends over to try on some dresses for homecoming and would be around for dinner.

Okay… what shall I put together for teenage girls whose culinary tastes I don’t know at all? Pasta is generally a safe choice. But how could I work kabocha into it? And should I even try? I figured that sauce from a jar would be present in case my plan failed, so with that I split open the kabocha and stuck them in the oven.

I imagined a cream based sweet-savory sauce, so I went to my usual go-to aromatics of onions and garlic to form the base. Some red pepper flakes and oregano to provide an accent, and I was on my way. Together with broth, cream, some grated Romano cheese, the baked squash combined into a thick sauce. I boiled some Rotini, and then right before serving stirred in a bit of Extra Virgin olive oil into the sauce.

Now came the verdict: what did the girls think about it? No one turned it down, and all went for multiple helpings – apparently a success. To further prove the point, I was asked to write down the recipe.

The backup Marinara sauce never got touched.

Winter Squash Pasta Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 medium butternut or kabocha squash, split and seeded
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• Pinch, red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 red onion diced small
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
• 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 cup cream
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
• Salt and pepper
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Place squash halves on baking sheet, cut side down. Place in oven (okay to start cold) and bake at 425F for about an hour or until very soft. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle without burning fingers. Meanwhile, prep any remaining ingredients.
2. In a large saucepan heat vegetable oil over medium heat. When hot drop in red pepper flakes and let sizzle for about 30 seconds. Add oregano and onions and cook until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add broth and cream. Bring to simmer and reduce heat to keep at simmer.
3. Peel outer skin off of squash and add flesh to the broth and cream. Stir, breaking down squash into a thick sauce. Stir in cheese. Stir in 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Add more to taste. Add more broth if sauce appears to be too thick.
4. Remove from heat and stir in olive oil.

Saying Nothing Might Have Been Better

The North American Religious Liberty Association (NARLA) issued the following release following the U.S. Post Office’s announcement that later in 2013 it will cease home and business delivery of mail on Saturdays.

Adventists Celebrate The End of Saturday Mail Delivery in the United States In what Seventh-day Adventist Church Associate Counsel Todd McFarland hailed as "great news for Adventists and people who keep Sabbath throughout the United States," the U.S. Postal Service announced today that it would cease Saturday mail delivery beginning August 1. Saturday package delivery will continue, and post offices will remain open on Saturdays, but with reduced hours. The move was motivated by tens of billions of dollars in losses in recent years, and should save the agency about $2 billion a year. However the decision has a positive, albeit unintended, consequence as well. "For decades the USPS has been the single most troublesome employer for those seeking Sabbath workplace accommodation. Halting Saturday delivery will not only prevent many future Sabbath observance conflicts for Adventists employed by the post office, but will help resolve current situations in which mail carrier-church members are experiencing discrimination," said McFarland. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reports that job discrimination complaints continue to grow at an alarming rate in the United States, with charges based on religious discrimination jumping by 9.5 percent in 2011, the largest increase of any category.

While I don’t disagree with the release in that it will become easier for many postal workers who believe in a particular religious practice – that of observing the Sabbath on Saturday by refraining from work – I’m not sure that this release is appropriate.

The problems I see are as follows:

First, the release conflates an implied religious liberty victory (“great news”) with a change in employment practice necessitated by economic and business conditions.

Second, the release implies that a unilateral change that affects all employees for the sake of a few (“Adventists and for people who keep Sabbath”) is more valuable and morally right than the right and freedom for those who don’t believe in Sabbath to be on Saturday to work and obtain income.

Third, in spite of its source from NARLA, the release fails to address religious liberty in any meaningful way. By writing, “For decades the USPS has been the single most troublesome employer for those seeking Sabbath workplace accommodation. Halting Saturday delivery will not only prevent many future Sabbath observance conflicts for Adventists employed by the post office, but will help resolve current situations in which mail carrier-church members are experiencing discrimination”, the release seems to communicate that legal arguments, logic, and ethics don’t matter as long as we (NARLA) get the results we want. The statement makes the implicit assertion that “our view is the only right one and any that conflicts with ours is wrong”. It is essentially the same philosophical position that is held by the USPS.

I think it would have been better if NARLA had just kept silent on this development, or if it had to say something, to temper its statement.

Tater Tot Nachos or “Totchos”

Apparently tater tots are becoming the next “in” ingredient at some restaurants. Bon Appetit writes, “And while they'll always be second to french fries, chefs are starting to show them some respect on menus.” And in an article on alternative nachos the tots are featured in Mole Tots at Bunk Bar in Portland, Ore.

Inspired by the articles, here’s my take on the Mole Tot “Totchos”. There’s not much of a recipe. It’s mostly eyeballing stuff and intuition to get what you think will be good.

I made it for lunch today, and another to take to the KFSK radio annual member meeting potluck.

For the Totchos

• Bag of frozen tater tots
• Mole sauce
• Sour cream or crema
• Avocado
• Pico de Gallo
• Queso Fresca
• Green onions

For the Pico de Gallo

• Red onion
• Tomatoes
• Jalapenos
• Garlic
• Cilantro
• Lime juice
• Cumin
• Salt and pepper

Bake the tater tots (or you could fry them, but that means more fat). Overbake them a bit because they’ll be at the bottom of a bunch of wet layers.

Pour mole sauce over the tots. (I put the tots into another dish.)

Spread some sour cream next, and then lay down some avocado slices.

Continue layering with pico de gallo, queso fresca, and chopped up green onions.

Book Review: A Year of Biblical Womanhood

A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is about a woman trying to figure out what it means to live her life according to biblical precepts. So why would men want to read it? Why should men read it?

Here are three reasons:

Rachel Held Evans provides glimpses into how different religious traditions each sets expectations for women. This is often a matter of historical tradition, something that goes unquestioned, but is frequently a burden to women. Men need to realize that religious traditions may be hurting and in some cases, abusing, women.

The book describes the self-doubt and self-condemnation that women may put themselves under for failing to meet their own expectations of what women are supposed to look like. We men can and ought to be aware of these inner struggles and be more conscious about truly walking alongside women as equals and partners in life.

Finally, many of the insights provided are not only applicable to Christian women, but equally to men. I feel that this book helps all Christians progress along to the ideal Paul described in Galatians 3:28, "There is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Evans writes with humor. I found myself laughing and chuckling throughout the book. She makes the mundane sound exciting. I now feel like I know Rachel better than I do most of my neighbors.

That's not to say the writing is shallow. It is insightful. It is deep. It questions and causes the reader, too, to question long held assumptions, traditions, and interpretations.

One insight I found particularly helpful was in regards to Evans' explanation of Proverbs 31, the passage in the Bible frequently upheld as the image of the ideal woman. Evans provides the reader with an alternate interpretation that is more faithful to the original intent, where the responsibility is actually on the man, rather than the woman.

I also found helpful the chapter where Evans meets with the Mennonites. The message I got was that traditions, even restrictive ones, can be valuable in that they provide meaning, value, and belonging. When traditions become a means of controlling another person is when things turn bad.

The chapter on submission may be the heart of the book. I believe Evans writes commendably on the cultural and historical contexts around the proof-text passages that are so often thrown around to force women to submit in conservative/fundamentalist Christian circles. She writes about the reality of life in the Roman Empire during the 1st century, and then describes the current of subversive idealism that can be found in the biblical text.

One problem I encountered was around page 123 in the discussion of the word "modesty" and the Greek "kosmios". The overall message does not change, but the precise details of the discussion may not match the book depending on the Bible version one uses to verify it. It is a minor quibble but one that I feel should be noted.

Evans approaches the reading and interpretation of scripture in a progressive manner; i.e., the text is not necessarily to be taken literally, that outside sources such as Jewish tradition can inform interpretation, and that the text must be seen through the lens of culture and history.

The endnote references are quite extensive and contain useful references. Nearly every chapter ends with one or more links to Evans' website where blog entries can be read that provides more information and stories.

The book was enjoyable to read and never tedious. I suspect moderate and progressive Christians will find this book quite appealing. I highly recommend it to all open-minded Christians. It ultimately does not dictate what the "right" answer to biblical womanhood is, but rather provides processes and principles that can guide each person in working through the issue for herself and himself.

View all my reviews