A few weeks ago in Faith Development we began to talk about the stages of Faith. We discussed specifically stage 1 faith from age 2-6 and stage 2 faith from age 7-12. In the course of our discussion the topic of conversion and baptism was brought up. There seemed to be a push in our churches to have children make professions of faith when they we in stage 1 or early stage 2. This push could be problematic because in stage 1 faith children cannot separate imagination from reality. In stage 2 faith children have an overwhelming desire to belong in the community of which they are a part. Therefore a profession of faith in stage 2 would more then likely come from that desire to belong. That decision can lead a child to question their salvation later in life when they have reached a new stage in their development and cause them to reject their faith as false or constantly feel the need to rededicate their lives so they can be sure they are saved.
These practical problems bring up some very interesting topics in which we as Christians need to be talking about and reflect on theologically. What do we need to do to be more intentional with the way we teach our children and what does that lead us to theologically?
I think that some of this problem can be solved if we realize that salvation is not the same thing as being a Christian or being baptized or making a profession of faith. When we put all those ideas and concepts into one act we feel the need to rush people and children into them. We rush them because we think that if they die before they become a Christian, be baptized and get “saved” then they will go to hell. When we realize that is not the case then the pressure is relieved and children can make these big decisions in a more developmentally appropriate way.
The idea that being “saved” and being a Christian are separate may be hard for some people to understand. We were brought up with the ideas being identical. In fact they are not. Simply put the world was and is “saved” by the Grace of God through Jesus dieing on the cross and his ensuing resurrection. That is the Gospel. You don’t have to do anything to be saved. That is why it is called grace. We always want to make it some process that we do or some formula that we believe but in reality being “Saved” has nothing to do with anything that we do or say or believe. Thank God for that because our actions, thoughts and beliefs change all the time as we develop in life. Being a Christian is different.
God calls some people on the earth to be God’s agents here and now. God does this because God loves humanity and wants to show us that love. Therefore throughout history God has elected certain people to be blessed in order to bless those around them. The Bible tells us this in the story of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In fact the Bible is the story of God doing this throughout human history. Sometimes the people that God calls do not do what God wants them to do. They become “at ease in Zion”. They stop blessing others and simply say that they are God’s people so everyone else must be bad and are going to hell. They confuse being “God’s people” with being “saved”. When this happens God sends prophets to call the people of God back to the work of God. Sometimes the people listen, most of the time they don’t.
Eventually God called Jesus to this task. God and Jesus had a very special relationship. In fact in some way God became incarnate in Jesus. The leaders of the people did not like the message that Jesus told them. So they killed Jesus. But Jesus did not stay dead. God raised Jesus because in some way all the sins of the world died with Jesus and Jesus was reborn anew. To this day some people are called by God to continue the work that Jesus had started and made possible. Those people are called Christians. Not all Christians do the work that God has called them to do. Some Christians have become “at ease in Zion” and are confused about what it means to be a Christian and what it means to be saved. It is our job to help enlighten them and the world about the difference.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Friday, August 25, 2006
Monday, July 31, 2006
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Sunday, July 02, 2006
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Have you ever been asked the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
I have.
It seems like I have been asked that question my entire life. Consequently I have been searching for the answer for 23 (or has it been 24) years, most intently over the last 6. I have come up with some wild ideas along the way (which I haven’t giving up on entirely) but I have never been able to find something that fit my unique personality. Now at long last I have found the answer for which I have been searching.
What about you?
What do you want to be when you grow up?
I have.
It seems like I have been asked that question my entire life. Consequently I have been searching for the answer for 23 (or has it been 24) years, most intently over the last 6. I have come up with some wild ideas along the way (which I haven’t giving up on entirely) but I have never been able to find something that fit my unique personality. Now at long last I have found the answer for which I have been searching.
What about you?
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Brazil
I am going to Brazil today...
i do not know what i am going to do...
i might not come back...
i have always wanted to get lost in the amazon...
maybe i will write a book about it...
i do not know what i am going to do...
i might not come back...
i have always wanted to get lost in the amazon...
maybe i will write a book about it...
Thursday, April 06, 2006
The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth that Could Change Everything
The Secret Message of Jesus
That is the title of Brian Mclaren’s new book. I have read it and I love it. I am supposed to write a review about it but there are plenty on Amazon already. It would appear that while some people love it others hate it. I think it says more about the reviewer then the reviewed.
Dr. Loyd Allen , my Church History professor, told this story in class about a time when he was visiting a museum. On the tour there was this one guy who had something bad to say about every painting. Finally the tour guide turned around and said, “You are not here to judge the art, the art is here to judge you.”
So with that said here is a quote from Brian about his new book. If it resonates with you then I would highly suggest reading it, if not then spend your time on something else.
“As I worked on the book, I was repeatedly struck by how ‘strategically indirect’ Jesus was – hiding his message in parable, sign, and wonder. I began to realize that this strategy of hiddenness was integral to Jesus’ whole message and ministry. I think people who read the book will be struck by this theme as well.”
- www.anewkindofchristian.com
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Prophets
Blairology Poll:
Do you believe in modern day prophets?
A. Yes- 58.33%
B. No- 16.67%
C. Maybe- 16.67%
D. Undecided- 8.33%
_____________________________________
Do we still have prophets today? Was Jesus not the last of the prophets? Who knows? In a lot of ways I see myself as a prophet, much more then a priest or a pastor. Prophets are always challenging the culture and the people that they are speaking to. I have seen that as my job over the years. I always questioned and challenged the status quo. I am a maverick and a wildcard. I’m a crazy old man with reckless ideas, who speaks to God. I am a liminal figure, in between this world and the next. Never really belonging to either. Not fitting in anywhere. Drifting from place to place. Going wherever the spirit of God leads. Living by no one’s rules but the Lord’s.
Jonah is the prophet that I have identified with for most of my life. Always having a relationship with God but not always doing what God told me to do. And when I did, not caring about the other people in the world. Not realizing that God love’s them just as much as God loves me. I was and am always confident in the ultimate power of my God to do whatever, whenever. Afraid that I would be a false prophet because God had compassion on the evil people of the world and the doom I predicted would not come true. As in the story when the people of Nineveh repented and God spared their lives. But enough about me, lets talk about a true modern day prophet.
Jimmy Carter is from a small town in Georgia. He was the thirty-ninth president of the United States of America. Jimmy Carter is a prophet of the one true God. It is said that Jimmy Carter has been the best ex-president in the history of our nation. Considering the fact that, among other awards, he has won a Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work at the Carter Center I can see why. In his latest book, Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis President Carter prophesizes about the rise of fundamentalism in religion and politics, the marriage of the two and the dangers that they pose to America’s traditional value of freedom.
It is a mystery to me how so many Americans have been misled to believe that it is in the best interest for Christians to vote for and support George W. Bush and his Neo-conservative cabinet, with such a purposeful agenda to protect the wealthiest one percent of our population while oppressing the poorest and most helpless. Not to mention a foreign policy that has continued to alienate America and foster hatred and resentment toward America from the rest of the world.
In his book Jimmy Carter says,
"The revolutionary new political principles involve special favors for the powerful at the expense of others, abandonment of social justice, denigration of those who differ, failure to protect the environment, attempts to exclude those who refuse to conform, a tendency toward unilateral diplomatic action and away from international agreements, an excessive inclination toward conflict, and reliance on fear as a means of persuasion.” (p43)
Like an Old Testament prophet the words of former President Jimmy Carter need to be heard by this generation. Before it is too late and the favor of God is lifted from the people because of their turn from the one true God for the false gods of materialism, judgmentalism and elitism. I fear, though, that there is no one to hear the words of God from the Messenger of God and that the people will fall. The nation will crumble under the weight of its own pride and we will all be left in the dark with no hope.
Do you believe in modern day prophets?
A. Yes- 58.33%
B. No- 16.67%
C. Maybe- 16.67%
D. Undecided- 8.33%
_____________________________________
Do we still have prophets today? Was Jesus not the last of the prophets? Who knows? In a lot of ways I see myself as a prophet, much more then a priest or a pastor. Prophets are always challenging the culture and the people that they are speaking to. I have seen that as my job over the years. I always questioned and challenged the status quo. I am a maverick and a wildcard. I’m a crazy old man with reckless ideas, who speaks to God. I am a liminal figure, in between this world and the next. Never really belonging to either. Not fitting in anywhere. Drifting from place to place. Going wherever the spirit of God leads. Living by no one’s rules but the Lord’s.
Jonah is the prophet that I have identified with for most of my life. Always having a relationship with God but not always doing what God told me to do. And when I did, not caring about the other people in the world. Not realizing that God love’s them just as much as God loves me. I was and am always confident in the ultimate power of my God to do whatever, whenever. Afraid that I would be a false prophet because God had compassion on the evil people of the world and the doom I predicted would not come true. As in the story when the people of Nineveh repented and God spared their lives. But enough about me, lets talk about a true modern day prophet.
Jimmy Carter is from a small town in Georgia. He was the thirty-ninth president of the United States of America. Jimmy Carter is a prophet of the one true God. It is said that Jimmy Carter has been the best ex-president in the history of our nation. Considering the fact that, among other awards, he has won a Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work at the Carter Center I can see why. In his latest book, Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis President Carter prophesizes about the rise of fundamentalism in religion and politics, the marriage of the two and the dangers that they pose to America’s traditional value of freedom.
It is a mystery to me how so many Americans have been misled to believe that it is in the best interest for Christians to vote for and support George W. Bush and his Neo-conservative cabinet, with such a purposeful agenda to protect the wealthiest one percent of our population while oppressing the poorest and most helpless. Not to mention a foreign policy that has continued to alienate America and foster hatred and resentment toward America from the rest of the world.
In his book Jimmy Carter says,
"The revolutionary new political principles involve special favors for the powerful at the expense of others, abandonment of social justice, denigration of those who differ, failure to protect the environment, attempts to exclude those who refuse to conform, a tendency toward unilateral diplomatic action and away from international agreements, an excessive inclination toward conflict, and reliance on fear as a means of persuasion.” (p43)
Like an Old Testament prophet the words of former President Jimmy Carter need to be heard by this generation. Before it is too late and the favor of God is lifted from the people because of their turn from the one true God for the false gods of materialism, judgmentalism and elitism. I fear, though, that there is no one to hear the words of God from the Messenger of God and that the people will fall. The nation will crumble under the weight of its own pride and we will all be left in the dark with no hope.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Sexuality and Marriage: A Biblical View
What is your “Biblical” View of Sexuality?
12.5 %- True love Waits
37.5 %- God’s gift to humanity
00.0 %- Used to oppress and control
50.0 %- Other
If you put other or if you wish to explain further feel free to share in the comment section at the bottom of this post. ______________________________________________________
In The Women's Bible Commentary they talk about the wives of David. I find it interesting that David and Solomon have so many wives and that it seems as if a female’s sexuality is the property of their father or husband. “The marriage of a young woman was a matter of negotiation and financial arrangements between the groom… and the father or leading male of the bride’s family (WBC p 96).” Saul does this with his daughters Merab and Michal. I think that a closer look at this cultural institution of marriage and a comparison to our cultural institution of marriage would be very helpful in our current situation in America.
People talk about the “Biblical view” of marriage and how we need to get back to that view in America. We are even having heated debates about amending the constitution to ban Gay Marriage. The “traditional” Christian view of marriage and sexuality needs to be reconsidered and evaluated in light of the biblical narrative. It seems that the institution of marriage was created as a matter of control to maintain power and continue the oppression of women. Saul used his daughters’ sexuality and the promise of marriage to David in order to take power over David wanting David to get killed while he was fighting the Philistines for the girl.
Sexuality and Marriage is being used in today’s American society to exploit and oppress. Sexuality is exploited in the media to sell products and make money. Sexuality is oppressed in the church in order to control our congregations. Our churches tell our young people that the biblical view is that True Love Waits so no sex before you get married, end of discussion.
This polarization of sexuality, between exploitation and oppression, has caused generations of people to have an unhealthy sexuality. Their sexuality has been taken from them. It is either used by the world or it is oppressed by the church, those are the only two options offered to young people in today’s society.
What we need to do instead of exploiting and oppressing is to start empowering. The message needs to be: God has given you a great and precious gift, which is your own sexuality. It is yours and no one else’s. Not the world’s, not the church’s, not your father’s, not your mother’s. This gift is given to you freely. Don’t let man take away what God has given you.
We see the harm that sexual oppression can cause in the book of Samuel. Women treated like property without a voice, used for the power of their father. Women being bought and sold, and like in the story of Tamar, women being raped and abused. The same is going on in our own society, in our own culture. The Biblical narrative cries out against this oppression and calls for the sexual empowerment of God’s children.
Also posted on: Blairology Relationship Guide
12.5 %- True love Waits
37.5 %- God’s gift to humanity
00.0 %- Used to oppress and control
50.0 %- Other
If you put other or if you wish to explain further feel free to share in the comment section at the bottom of this post. ______________________________________________________
In The Women's Bible Commentary they talk about the wives of David. I find it interesting that David and Solomon have so many wives and that it seems as if a female’s sexuality is the property of their father or husband. “The marriage of a young woman was a matter of negotiation and financial arrangements between the groom… and the father or leading male of the bride’s family (WBC p 96).” Saul does this with his daughters Merab and Michal. I think that a closer look at this cultural institution of marriage and a comparison to our cultural institution of marriage would be very helpful in our current situation in America.
People talk about the “Biblical view” of marriage and how we need to get back to that view in America. We are even having heated debates about amending the constitution to ban Gay Marriage. The “traditional” Christian view of marriage and sexuality needs to be reconsidered and evaluated in light of the biblical narrative. It seems that the institution of marriage was created as a matter of control to maintain power and continue the oppression of women. Saul used his daughters’ sexuality and the promise of marriage to David in order to take power over David wanting David to get killed while he was fighting the Philistines for the girl.
Sexuality and Marriage is being used in today’s American society to exploit and oppress. Sexuality is exploited in the media to sell products and make money. Sexuality is oppressed in the church in order to control our congregations. Our churches tell our young people that the biblical view is that True Love Waits so no sex before you get married, end of discussion.
This polarization of sexuality, between exploitation and oppression, has caused generations of people to have an unhealthy sexuality. Their sexuality has been taken from them. It is either used by the world or it is oppressed by the church, those are the only two options offered to young people in today’s society.
What we need to do instead of exploiting and oppressing is to start empowering. The message needs to be: God has given you a great and precious gift, which is your own sexuality. It is yours and no one else’s. Not the world’s, not the church’s, not your father’s, not your mother’s. This gift is given to you freely. Don’t let man take away what God has given you.
We see the harm that sexual oppression can cause in the book of Samuel. Women treated like property without a voice, used for the power of their father. Women being bought and sold, and like in the story of Tamar, women being raped and abused. The same is going on in our own society, in our own culture. The Biblical narrative cries out against this oppression and calls for the sexual empowerment of God’s children.
Also posted on: Blairology Relationship Guide
Friday, February 03, 2006
God and the Ultimate Warrior
What type of Warrior do you see as God?
100%- A warrior who will die for the world.
0%- A warrior who will kill for the world.
_____________________________________________________
When I was a kid my best friend loved to watch WWF wrestling. So every time I would go to his house to play after school we would play wrestling. My favorite wrestler to be was the Ultimate Warrior. He had long hair and a painted face. He was so cool and mysterious.
As I read the stories of God and Israel in my Old Testament class I am getting an image of God as the Ultimate Warrior, going before Joshua and the Israelites, ensuring a military victory. I have been having a hard time reconciling this image of God with the image of the Triune God that I get from Jesus as the loving creator, redeemer and sustainer of the world, a God who wants the entire Cosmos to be redeemed.
A few nights ago I watched the movie Hero with my roommates. It is a movie about a nameless warrior who has reached the utmost level in his training and enlightenment. In the end the nameless warrior realizes what it means to be a true warrior. He identifies three levels. The first being able move your body so well the sword becomes an extension of your anatomy. The next level is being able to use your mind so well that anything, even a blade of grass becomes a weapon. But the last level of a true warrior is using your mind, body and soul in such unity that you will no longer fight. The unity inside you has caused you to have a love for peace and you will sacrifice yourself in order to keep that precious idea of peace alive.
This is the ultimate warrior, one who lives in such unity with self and nature that they sacrifice their own life to preserve the life of others.
For God so loved the world…
100%- A warrior who will die for the world.
0%- A warrior who will kill for the world.
_____________________________________________________
When I was a kid my best friend loved to watch WWF wrestling. So every time I would go to his house to play after school we would play wrestling. My favorite wrestler to be was the Ultimate Warrior. He had long hair and a painted face. He was so cool and mysterious.
As I read the stories of God and Israel in my Old Testament class I am getting an image of God as the Ultimate Warrior, going before Joshua and the Israelites, ensuring a military victory. I have been having a hard time reconciling this image of God with the image of the Triune God that I get from Jesus as the loving creator, redeemer and sustainer of the world, a God who wants the entire Cosmos to be redeemed.
A few nights ago I watched the movie Hero with my roommates. It is a movie about a nameless warrior who has reached the utmost level in his training and enlightenment. In the end the nameless warrior realizes what it means to be a true warrior. He identifies three levels. The first being able move your body so well the sword becomes an extension of your anatomy. The next level is being able to use your mind so well that anything, even a blade of grass becomes a weapon. But the last level of a true warrior is using your mind, body and soul in such unity that you will no longer fight. The unity inside you has caused you to have a love for peace and you will sacrifice yourself in order to keep that precious idea of peace alive.
This is the ultimate warrior, one who lives in such unity with self and nature that they sacrifice their own life to preserve the life of others.
For God so loved the world…
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Dead Certain Faith
Is yours a certain faith?
15%- Yes, absolutely unchangeable
85%- No, open to development
_______________________________________________________
“Certainty about the next life is simply incompatible with tolerance in this one."
- Sam Harris, author "The End of Faith"
It is slightly scary to think about but if you want to be completely certain about something that you believe in (like who goes to heaven when they die) then you must necessarily be intolerant of anyone else views.
This is in fact what leads to the violence that we see between different religions and ideologies.
The desire to be certain.
I would propose and I have said this before in a Blairism, “In order to know everything you must be willing to be wrong.”
Faith does not and cannot equal certainty. Faith is alive and growing. Faith develops.
In order for faith to be allowed to develop it will change when you encounter new people and new ideas.
In my estimation that is what Christian witnessing should be, one person testifying about how God has encountered them in their life and listening to someone else testifying to how God has encountered them in their life. Thus each person’s faith changes, develops and grows deeper by listening to the other’s story.
There is no certainty in faith.
Therefore there is no need for violence.
Violence comes from a desire for certainty, which excludes faith.
A certain faith is dead…
But more then that it is deadly…
15%- Yes, absolutely unchangeable
85%- No, open to development
_______________________________________________________
“Certainty about the next life is simply incompatible with tolerance in this one."
- Sam Harris, author "The End of Faith"
It is slightly scary to think about but if you want to be completely certain about something that you believe in (like who goes to heaven when they die) then you must necessarily be intolerant of anyone else views.
This is in fact what leads to the violence that we see between different religions and ideologies.
The desire to be certain.
I would propose and I have said this before in a Blairism, “In order to know everything you must be willing to be wrong.”
Faith does not and cannot equal certainty. Faith is alive and growing. Faith develops.
In order for faith to be allowed to develop it will change when you encounter new people and new ideas.
In my estimation that is what Christian witnessing should be, one person testifying about how God has encountered them in their life and listening to someone else testifying to how God has encountered them in their life. Thus each person’s faith changes, develops and grows deeper by listening to the other’s story.
There is no certainty in faith.
Therefore there is no need for violence.
Violence comes from a desire for certainty, which excludes faith.
A certain faith is dead…
But more then that it is deadly…
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Safe for the whole family?
Results of last weeks poll:
Are you ready to be a part of the revolution?
80% Yes, sign me up today!
20% No, I prefer to be safe at home.
---------------------------------------
Is the way of Jesus safe for the whole family?
I think not…
The way of Jesus is difficult…
The road is narrow and few find it…
Christianity is not a safe way to raise your kids…
It is a revolutionary movement that seeks to subvert the powerful and help the helpless…
Are you ready to be a part of the revolution?
80% Yes, sign me up today!
20% No, I prefer to be safe at home.
---------------------------------------
Is the way of Jesus safe for the whole family?
I think not…
The way of Jesus is difficult…
The road is narrow and few find it…
Christianity is not a safe way to raise your kids…
It is a revolutionary movement that seeks to subvert the powerful and help the helpless…
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Social Networking
I am on a Facebook kick lately. I am adding friends from all the stages of my life. It is kind of weird because I have not talked to some of these people in years. Some I have never talked to in my life but I know them from High School.
In High School I was shy and not at all as confident in myself as I am now but I was snobbish too. I had my own clique. But now I am trying some new ideas for 2006 in which I realize the importance of all relationships.
If you are not on Facebook I would encourage you to do so. It is a lot of fun and a good way to say connected with people. All you need is a college email address.
In High School I was shy and not at all as confident in myself as I am now but I was snobbish too. I had my own clique. But now I am trying some new ideas for 2006 in which I realize the importance of all relationships.
If you are not on Facebook I would encourage you to do so. It is a lot of fun and a good way to say connected with people. All you need is a college email address.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Thoughts to guide a new year
You do not have because you do not ask.
Seek and you will find.
Knock and the door will open.
Ask and you will receive.
Do for others what you wish they would do for you.
Be the change you want to see in the world.
Seek and you will find.
Knock and the door will open.
Ask and you will receive.
Do for others what you wish they would do for you.
Be the change you want to see in the world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
About Me
- blairology
- Blair is a graduate of Mercer University in Macon, GA. Where he earned a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Communication and Theatre Arts and a minor in Christianity. Blair earned his M. Div. from the McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta. Blair is currently pursuing the Blairology Global Project. Blair is an Eagle Scout.