Frank and Ernest on American Spirituality and Theologians of Glory

I love this cartoon. I’m sure I’m reading too much into it but I can’t help but think this is a perfect commentary on American flavored theology aka, a theology of glory.

Here’s how I see it: Americans tend to view spirituality like a product. Get religion—any religion will do so long as it works for you and you don’t proselytize anyone—and you're on the road to attaining inner peace and balance. Ultimately, because you're a good person, you’re bound to wind up getting all the things in life you want and deserve (The Secret anyone?)

This Oprah worldview essentially says the world's most pressing problems are rooted in the tragic state of being personally unfulfilled. Lucky for you, there’s a remedy for that: lots and lots of money. So here's what you do. Mix a dash of religion to good old go-getter, All Your Dreams Will Come True Americanism into a blender, press liquify and you’ve got a match made in heaven.

“Ka-ching!” indeed.

On the other hand, a theology of the cross contends that our deepest needs are not met in personal fulfillment but in seeing our self-inflated desires put to death as we’re identified with a guiltless man dying on a cross.

Remember the old saying that those that lose their lives for His sake will find it? As in, you’ve got to die to live? That’s a hard sell. But when the beauty of the cross is seen for what it truly is, you know it’s a miracle.

Leonard Cohen and the Glory Story Bumper Sticker Reflex Part II

Theology Of The Cross In Pastoral Ministry

Time and again, Cohen’s lyrics have become, for me, a kind of soundtrack for sobering life moments. And in light of recent pastoral volunteerism—while I continue to ponder the Olympiad Triumph Of The Human Spirit Festivities—I’m hearing “Hallelujah” lyric snippets afresh again.

The church where I serve as a lay pastor runs a recovery ministry of sorts and I’ve been a part of that work for about a year and a half. Last week I teamed up with other pastors and volunteers to train leaders from around the country in how to better help hurting people in their congregations. It was a spiritually and emotionally taxing week to say the least. On the last day we had an evening celebration to sing hymns together, to share stories, open mic style, of how God shows up to redeem broken lives.

And Yet, And Yet – No Leapfrogging the Cross

[CONTINUE READING]

Leonard Cohen And The Glory Story Bumper Sticker Reflex Part I

Not A Marble Arch Or Victory March

I’m a little slow on the draw on this one but anyone else see the Olympics opening ceremonies? KD Lang sang a rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” (a song popularized by Jeff Buckley). I know I’m over-thinking it, but to me, this moment was a perfect example of our culture’s bumper sticker reflex to re-tool the meaning of something to mean the exact opposite of its original. Anybody remember Reagan’s use of The Boss’ “Born in the USA” lyric? Same idea, really.

To me, one of the most meaningful and chillingly real to life lyrics of Cohen’s song is this:

“I've seen your flag on the marble arch

Love is not a victory march

It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah”

Cohen’s Unwitting Sound-byte Theology Of The Cross

I’ve always loved Cohen’s cryptic-Zen-genius-with-a-splash-of-biblical-imagery lyrics. And as far as I can tell, this tune seems to mostly be about the bitter sweet of loss and failure in love. I’m going out on a limb here but this Hallelujah lyric snippet--to me anyway--has always seemed like a pro-theology of the cross moment. Our world loves to see love like a James Cameron movie (i.e. theology of glory) when in fact, true, biblical love involved a man becoming a bloodied mess on our behalf (theology of the cross). Love is not a victory march, it’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah, indeed.

As Lang sang out the last Hallelujah of that verse, you could hear the enormous crowd begin to cheer. As I listened, I was utterly baffled at how such a sobering refrain could get sports fans whooping and hollering. It’s all context and delivery, I guess. It seemed odd that such a melancholy song in that moment was somehow being translated by the crowd as a “triumph of the human spirit!”

(next post I'll talk about a theology of the cross in pastoral ministry)

Stick Figure Jesus, Psychiatric Evaluations, And The Scandal Of The Cross

In Taunton, Mass, an 8-year-old boy was sent home from school and ordered to take a psychological exam for drawing a stick figure of what seemed to represent Jesus on a cross. Apparently, the boy was asked by his teacher to draw something that reminded him of Christmas. His dad reports that the family had just taken a trip to the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette to see the Christmas lights display and that "when he seen the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross, that's what he drew..."

When I first read this, I was aghast. A school sent a boy home for drawing the likeness of Jesus on a cross?! This is an outrageous affront to religious liberty! Then it set in. The cross has been domesticated in our culture. We wear crosses as jewlery around our necks. But take the contempory equivelent of the cross--say an electric chair--and try using that as a symbol of hope and peace. The cross is a scandal. As Paul said:

"Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength."

I'm sure that little boy's teacher was expecting him to draw a snowman or a Christmas tree. And while I have no idea if that boy understands the significance of the cross, I'm reminded of the glorious good news and glad that that baby didn't just settle for simply bringing tidings of great joy so we could feel warm and fuzzy once a year. Instead, that helpless baby actually grew up, preached the gospel, fed the poor, healed the sick, raised the dead, befriended sinners, and eventually died on a cross in the most brutal way imaginable to save sinners like you and me.

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
And his favor rests on us because of the cross. Amen.

BK Vampire Mormon Burgers Part II
(go here for part I)

The Invitation to Vicarious Participation and the Monster Guilt Theory

Teenage girls—even Mormon ones—could care less about theological allegories (provided Grangers analysis even has merit). What teenage girls care about are mysterious, misunderstood handsome boys. But what they’re really, really enamored with is mysterious, misunderstood girls like themselves. So while I still don’t think Wilson’s Monster Guilt Theory quite connects, he’s right to point out that story telling is about an invitation to vicarious participation. A teenage girl drawn into the world of a dark, misunderstood protagonist is just given license to…remain dark and misunderstood herself. So now she lives under the law of her guilt-ridden identity which affords her a shield from the evils of non-authentic types. And in an effort to shake the guilt of being a bratty teenager, she’ll keep telling herself when problems arise that the problem isn’t her, but them because they just don’t get it. Unfortunately, the guilt is still there, she just slithered out of it by smoke screening everyone with her “I’ve just got to be me” diva-tude. And everybody knows the self-described misfit is kinda cute at 16. Just not so much at 20 and beyond…


Vampire Authenticity VS Gospel: Gospel Wins Every Time

Authenticity is a good thing but this generation’s obsession with “being true to yourself” can get carried away. Militant authenticity boils down to the idea that nothing outside the self is as important as being honest about what you feel in the moment (thanks to Greg Ten Elshof’s analysis). And those with teenagers in their lives know that they’re deeply committed to their authenticity. Now throw a penchant to latch on to vampire themed misfit identity into the mix and the world of parenting now resembles a greased pig rodeo. Now think about the authenticity thing for a moment: if you get a hyper authentic waiter next time you go out, you will get lousy service precisely because they refuse to “act” like a waiter. As Christians, we strive for something true and worthwhile beyond ourselves. The Authenticity Ethic only blesses others when it “feels like it”. But as Galatians 3 says, Christians very much “put on Christ” as He holds our ultimate purpose and is our true identity. Obviously, the Christian life isn’t about faking it. But as we cooperate with The Spirit and imitate Christ, we are transformed.

BK Vampire Mormon Burgers Part I

Deconstructing Burger-Love, Instant Gratification and Black Capes

I love BK bacon burgers and I’m not afraid to admit that a few Saturdays ago I indulged in some greasy afternoon convenience. And what did I notice as I walked through the door at Burger King? An ad for a teen vampire romance. I was instantly fascinated and my overactive deconstructionist tendencies kicked in. “What do burgers and vampires have in common anyway?” I thought. Don’t laugh—these are the kinds of things I mull over during the week—but I think I’ve made a few connections. Teen vampire romance and burgers have exactly two things in common: instant gratification and lingering guilt.

Carnivorous Aristocracy VS Teenaged Vampire Emo Kids: Emo Wins Every Time

Historically, the vampire myth has gotten plenty of mileage. In all of its variations, the vampire represents an alien presence that comes to feast on the innocent and pervert the natural cycles of life and death. The 18^th & 19^th century versions are all about bringing power to the little people. The town vampire = the blood sucking aristocracy. The emerging middle class = victim. Later, post WWI Europe had its hideous Nasferatu symbolic of rampant death and disease. Then came the handsome and suave vampire of the roaring twenties that may have been a way of dealing with sexual guilt. Then came the Anne Rice styled self-aware sad vampire. Maybe a mirror of our own socially-aware self-doubts? And while I’m all for myths shifting meaning over time, there’s something strange when a symbol is tweaked with.

What’s With That 400 Year Old Dude Doing Hanging Around Teenagers?

True to form, Twilight’s vampire is a blood sucking clarivoyant 400-year-old (in a teenage body, of course) but don’t be fooled! He’s actually an ethically aware vampire (the author, Stefanie Meyer, is a professed Mormon) that belongs to a coven that feasts on animal blood rather than human. So, you know, he’s beastly but…he’s divided, complicated and mysterious. Luckily, Twilight’s protagonist, Bella, is a complicated, misunderstood teenager. It’s a match made in heaven!

Wordly Remorse And The Self-Salvation Project

Over the last couple months I’ve been following Doug Wilson’s posts on Twilight and his insistence—a la Michael Jones—that horror fiction revolves around guilt. Here’s the big idea: The Monster is the personification of the guilty conscience that has come to bring judgment on the sinner. But the monster is a vehicle for a sort of unrepentant remorse that affords a self-salvation project in wordly sorrow. The theory is interesting and worth considering in light of the horror genre (and for death metal for that matter but that’s for another time!) but I’m not quite sure it applies to Twilight. It didn’t quite seem like the Mormon Vampirism Lite fit Wilson’s theory. In the end, Twilight seems more young adult drama with fangs and trench coats than vicarious guilt theory. But according to John Granger’s (the author of How Harry Cast His Spell) worthwhile article, there’re more than just a few Mormon theology references.

In part II of Mormon Burger I'll discuss the Militant Authenticity Ethic and The Monster Symbol and Guilt....