Mark Driscoll on Yoga and MMA…WTF?

Over the last few days, I have read two lengthy articles by Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill in Seattle. One article was about yoga and the other about MMA fighting (both accessible on his website).  Essentially, Driscoll is addressing the question of Christian participation (whether actively or as spectator) in these two activities.

And all of it was ridiculous.

Okay, let me set forth my biases right away. I am not a Calvinist. I don’t dig Reformed theology. In fact, I find most of it abhorrent. I am more egalitarian than complementarian. I just am SO theologically opposite of Driscoll.

BUT…

I think he is a brilliant communicator, a theologically consistent preacher, and a remarkable leader. And I’ve subscribed to his podcasts for years.  One of the things I’ve always appreciated about Driscoll is his consistency. His theology is consistent (even when I hate it). His teaching is consistent. His work is consistent. And then he goes and writes two articles that are SO ridiculously inconsistent!  I’m seriously surprised and disappointed.

Basically, his argument goes like this:
Christians should not practice yoga because it is rooted in Eastern religion and the physical practice can’t be separated from its religious roots.
Christians are free to embrace MMA, even though it’s brutally violent and also rooted in Eastern philosophy/religion, because the physical sport can be separated from the religious roots and Jesus is the ultimate fighter.

Am I the only one that sees the problem with this?

Really, it’s just further evidence of Driscoll’s heavy-handed hypermasculinity. Is anyone shocked that he would “receive” MMA but “reject” yoga? I don’t care how about the injury rate compared to other sports, the strict rules, or anything else. At the end of the day, shame on us, as Christians, if we are at all entertained by bloody, brutal violence, whether in the ring, cage, or elsewhere!  Oh wait. My bad. Shame on us, as Christians, if we stretch, exercise, breathe and meditate. (WTF??)

 

Including Me

There will be people in heaven with “bad theology”.  Including me.  We should all go ahead and get over it right now. Including me.

What Do I Owe God?

My theology gets tangled up.

Growing up, I was taught that God graciously saved me, so I owe Him a life of obedience in response.  I’ve been reading Jay Bakker’s book Fall to Grace.  I think his approach is different: God graciously saves…and there’s nothing we can do to pay him back. But if we will accept that we are accepted, then God’s grace transforms us into people who live in a way that reflects the character of God.

I can’t get my mind around a grace that wants nothing from me.

I know that salvation is free. Salvation must be free. I can never be good enough or do enough good works to earn God’s salvation.  But what about after salvation?  Then what?  Is it like probationary admission to college?  You know, they admit you into the college even though your GPA is not up to par or whatever, but then you are expected to perform at a certain level…is that what this is like?  You “get in” for free but then you must make the grade.

I get all religious and knotty when I think about a radical grace.  I’m bewildered by it. And afraid of it.  I don’t know how it works.  I desperately want to comprehend and apprehend this grace in a way I never have before. What would my life look like if I lived as though Jesus had indeed paid it all?

Sh** Happens (A Lesson from Ecclesiastes)

 

There’s so much truth in the book of Ecclesiastes, you would think the apostle Paul wrote it!  *Cymbal*  That was  a joke.
How ’bout this…

“The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all.”

Here in America, we subscribe to a deeply ingrained ethos that says if you work hard, you will be rewarded. That if you do good, good will come to you.  That people will get what they deserve.  And many have Christianized this ethos (Protestant work ethic, anyone?). But the writer of Ecclesiastes says something quite different…
Sometimes the fastest person doesn’t win the race.
Sometimes the strong person doesn’t win the battle.
You can be brilliant, and educated, and talented, and NOT get what you (perhaps) deserve.
Turns out TIME and CHANCE jump into everyone’s equation.
In other words, shit happens!

There is an element of life that is unpredictable, incongruent, and perhaps even unfair.  And as I meditate on this, I want to drop these words into my theology like food coloring into a glass of water and watch the hue change.

One Big Question the Bible Doesn’t Answer

I have a list of things I want to ask God when I meet Him face to face. (For starters, why mosquitoes?!)

There is one big question that the Bible doesn’t seem to answer, and it is this: Why did God create humans in the first place??

Some suggest that God created humans for His glory.
Some suggest that God created humans because He is love, and love needs an object of itself.

I have problems with both of those starting points.
The “glory-seeking God” approach often turns into the “glory-hungry God” approach. As a result, events contrary to the will of God are explained as bringing glory to God. It’s tragic and atrocious, really.
The “God needs give love” approach often boils down to a God who would somehow be incomplete without humans.  May or may not be true…but I’m suspicious about that.

So here’s my take…

I think God created humans simply because He is creative. Stick with me here…

If you have ever known an artist (I mean a real, practicing artist–not just some emo, hipster who carries around a Moleskine to impress people), then you know that artists have this impulse to create something. Out of the overflow of who they are, they write music, paint pictures, design ads, pen poems, sketch the world around them….they create things just because they’re creative!

I remember being in a coffee shop in the college town where I attended grad school on the day the shop was hosting an art exhibit. Some of the work I saw was absolutely stunning. Just magnificent craftsmanship and talent!  And as a result, a sort of respect welled up within me for the artist. Something like glory. On some occasions, I have had the opportunity to talk with artists of various sorts and express my appreciation for their work. Sometimes they say things like, “Thanks. This piece is really special to me because…”  Something like love.

I’m beginning to think the answer to this big question posed at the outset is something like the relationship between artist and art. Let me say it plain.  God created humans because He’s creative.  And as a result of His magnificent work, He receives glory.  And He loves His art because it’s special to Him for whatever reason. Is that so far-fetched?

So, in sum, I think the ideas that God created humans for His glory or for His love have the whole thing reversed. God created humans because He’s creative. And as a result, He loves them and receives glory from them and through them. What do you think?  How would YOU answer the big question?

*SIGH* Here We Go Again

Piper, Bell, and Taylor. Here we go again.

Theology police seriously make me want to cuss and scream and drink!

And the amount of arrogance in the Christian blogosphere makes me want to vomit.  Rob Bell is coming out with a new book. Justin Taylor trashes it (before even reading it) on his blog and rails Bell for his theology. John Piper posts a smug tweet, essentially burning Bell at the metaphorical stake.  Good grief, guys!  Seriously?

Thankfully, Jason Boyett posted a great article in response to the ridiculous uproar. Thank you, Mr. Boyett.

I’ll be so glad when Christian leaders stop running around picking theological fights on the cyberspace playground.  So unbecoming.

Reconsideration: Blessing & Punishment

My questions concerning blessing and punishment arise from out of my own moral failures. My questions are as follows:

• Does God punish me for my sins?
• Does Jesus atone for sins I have not confessed?
• Does God withhold blessings from me because of my sins? (even sins that have been forgiven)

I have wrestled with these questions (and variations of them) for the past few months. I don’t have answers, only questions. But if I had to respond to these questions right now, I would answer as follows, respectively:

• I don’t see why God would punish me. Isn’t that part of what Christ accomplished on the Cross? Punishment deflected?  Sometimes sin has consequences that God may not prevent, and that can certainly seem like punishment.  And sometimes God disciplines me, and that, too, can seem like punishment.
• It seems as if Jesus does indeed atone for sins not confessed. 1 John 1:9 talks about confession and forgiveness. But I’ve been wondering if maybe we haven’t misunderstood what is meant by “confess” in that verse. Maybe it’s not about telling God every single sin you commit every single day. Nothing wrong with that…but maybe that’s not how this all works.  In any case, Jesus died for the sins of the world long before I was born and could confess anything.
• The last question is the hardest for me to answer. In fact, I have no response. I really wish I did.

Here’s the thing…this isn’t about figuring out how much I can sin without forfeiting God’s blessings. Nor is it about doing whatever I want because it’s all covered by the blood. Rather, it is about the possibility of freedom from beating myself up over the things I might have missed out on because of my sins. Maybe I haven’t missed anything. Maybe God is still calling me. Maybe God is still anointing me. Maybe God is still ready and willing to bless me. Maybe. Maybe blessing and punishment  no longer have anything to do with my sins.

My Nagging Theological Question

I don’t really engage in theological debates anymore.  Not because I don’t enjoy them, but because I’m not sure they if ever accomplished anything.  And when “real” life gets busy, the first things I cut out are exercise and theological debates

Plus, I’ve just stopped asking perplexing theological questions (for now).  It was getting in the way of my faith. I would read and study all day and all night until I was totally  inundated with information and paralyzed by my inability to make sense of some idea. I still love that stuff. I just had to dethrone it.  Some day it will find its rightful place in my life.

But one question still nags at me.

Here it goes.  Let’s start with the Fall. Okay, so Eve was tempted in the garden. She sinned, and Adam came tumbling after. And all of creation took a plummet.  Who was responsible for Man’s sin?  Well, Man was responsible for his disobedience to God.  Satan was responsible for the temptation.  The opportunity to sin arose because of temptation…which is of the devil.  Now, here’s where it gets interesting. I would argue that the fall of man was not the original sin. The original sin was the fall of the angel Lucifer, known as Satan. He was prideful and wanted to be like God and even surpass God. God hit the eject button on him!

So here’s the question.  If Satan became the source of temptation for man, who or what tempted Satan?  I mean, in theory, sin did not exist prior to Satan being cast out with his legion of fallen angel homeboys. So how do we explain what caused him to sin against God?  We’ve always been able to point to Satan as the enemy.  But who was the enemy before Satan was bad?

In my next post, I will discuss why this question is so important.

What Makes Mars Hill Bible Church So Appealing?

Rob Bell.  Just his name is enough to evoke strong reactions from people–whether dislike and frustration or delight and respect.  In any case, we must all acknowledge that he leads one of the biggest and most compelling churches in the nation.  I appreciate tremendously his contributions to the Christian conversation. But the point of this post is not to sing his praises. Rather, the point is to interrogate the appeal of his church.

Mars Hill Bible Church is like a prodigy!  It has an amazing, inspiring story. But what is it that draws people in?  I think it is NARRATIVE.

Rhetorical theorist Walter Fisher had plenty to say about narrative:

“Regardless of the form they may assume, recounting and accounting for are stories we tell ourselves and each other to establish a meaningful life-world.  The character of narrator(s), the conflicts, the resolutions, and the style will vary, but each mode of recounting and accounting for is but a way of relating ‘truth’ about the human condition.” *

“Where the rational world paradigm is an ever-present part of our consciousness because we have been educated into it, the narrative impulse is part of our very being because we acquire narrativity in the natural process of socialization.” *

In other words, humans are natural storytellers and possess an innate capacity to create, interpret, and evaluate narratives.  Narratives have tremendous resonance with human beings.

Mars Hill Bible Church subscribes to “narrative theology”, and Rob Bell is masterful storyteller. So if what Fisher theorizes is true, then is it any wonder that Mars Hill Bible Church is so appealing?  For, it taps into the essence of humanness: stories.

Let’s face it. Systematic theology isn’t nearly as captivating as God’s “story”. It’s not that systematic theology isn’t important.  But it won’t inspire people to understand the grand picture of what God has been and is doing in the world.  It won’t inspire people to recognize connections and continuity in the Scriptures. It won’t inspire people to see their own lives as a story within God’s story.  Narratives have the ability to unify people, to elevate people, to guide people, to inspire people…

Maybe there is something we can learn from that.

*Fisher,  W.R. (1984). Narration as a human communication paradigm: The case of pubic moral argument. In C.R. Burgchardt (Ed.), Readings in rhetorical criticism (3^rd ed.), (pp. 240-262). State College, PA: Strata Publishing, Inc.

Ugh! Fall Out of Love Already

I’m kind of tired of Christians who are super in love with their theology.  Could be me.  I might be that Christian.

I love the blogosphere, but if you hang out here long enough, you see a lot of the same thing—people expressing how much they love their ideas about God more than they express how much they love God.  What is this theological  neurosis that’s always got everybody up in arms?  Why is so much time spent debating things that will barely matter when Jesus returns?  Like females being pastors.  If you don’t think women should be pastors, go to a church that doesn’t think women should be pastors, and be done with it.  If you DO think women can be pastors, go to a church that agrees, and be done with it.  

There’s no way to say what I’m saying without sounding like I don’t think beliefs and critically thinking about beliefs are important. (I’d have a lot more free time if I didn’t think it was important.)  It’s just that…how important is it really?

And now I will make dinner and play my iPod on shuffle mode.