Dreams Unlocked

I read 67 books in 2017. 19 of them were related to my doctoral dissertation. Looking over the list is like remembering good friends I got to spend time with. I will probably post a bit more about which books stood out to me and why. The best Christian book I read was "The Imitation of Christ" by Thomas A'Kempis. This is the third time reading this book for me. This book is almost like a sacrament in terms of being able to draw someone in into the presence of God. It is a book to be read slowly and prayerfully. The best novel I read was Home by Marilynne Robinson. She is currently my favorite living writer. Her writing can best be described as poetic soul craft. She is truly unparalleled in terms of skill and gift. Here are the books I read: 1. Ultimate Prizes - Susan Howatch 2. The Imitation of Christ - Thomas A’Kempis (3rd time) 3. Welcoming but not Affirming - Stanley J. Grenz 4. The Bible and Homosexual Practice - Robert Gagnon 5. Bible Gender Se...

Finally got around to taking the family to “The Last Jedi”. I have mixed feeling. At times it get the timing of the story was a bit off. There were a few odd directing decisions as well. There were some compelling story points and some familiar action scenes. It was nice to see the continuation of Luke Skywalkers story and the new progression of Kylo Ren and Rey. I thought this was the weakest of the three most recent Star Wars films, so that was a bit disappointing. My kids liked it, even my 10 year old daughter who wasn’t very thrilled about going. My score : 6 out of 10.

A male and female pair of Jehovah’s Witnesses stopped by. I couldn’t tell if they were married.  They asked me if I thought about the future. I said yes, right along with the present and past.  They asked if I had a Bible in the House.  I said yes.  They said “Great!” In such perfect stereo it was like they practice saying it together.  They asked if they could leave some literature with me.  They handed me a copy of the watchtower. That magazine has not changed since I was a kid. Same cheap paper and same illustrator.  With their mission accomplished, they left.  Jehovahs Witnesses are kind of like polite home invaders - but they leave stuff, instead of taking stuff.  

I still consider myself an evangelical Christian. I wrestled all year with identifying with this term as it has been co-opted and is used more to describe a political voting bloc, instead of a follower of Jesus Christ. But, then I realized every expression of Christianity has its challenges, its blind spots and will be syncretistic. So, I continue to hang on to the title, despite the cultural baggage it forces me to carry. Evangelical Christianity in America needs to realize it is syncretistic in terms on combining a civic national religion largely founded on myths, materialism and a feeling of cultural superiority. The amazing thing is that God continues to use and bless this form of Christianity. Indeed, for all its faults American Christianity has done a great amount of good globally. The funding of overseas mission efforts, schools, hospitals, etc. Does she have blind spots? Of course! But the challenge comes in if we choose to be refined and developed o...

Our two youngest children are attending a new school this year. This change requires that they need to be picked up and dropped off every day. A 10 minute commute each way. Yesterday I got there pretty early. I was parked behind a small grey car. After some time a man got out of the car and opened the trunk. He pulled out an orange safety cone. And then he fixed a neon reflective green vest around himself. He walked to the cross walk and placed the safety cone down in the middle of the road. He walked back to the sidewalk. He is the crossing guard.  As I still had time, I thought about this man whose name I do not know. His job does not pay well. It does not appear to be very significant. You likely do not need specialized education to do it. And yet, he makes sure the kids and their parents cross the street carefully. His very presence, visible from passing cars is an added measure that they keep their speed down. He has a very important job. He is the crossin...

Newbign and a friend in India. I love Leslie Newbign. I read and re-read him over and over. He is one of the top 2-3 leaders and thinkers who have shaped my own thinking. Here's a piece of dynamite: "To work for the reformation of structures, to expose and attack unjust structures, and, when the point is reached at which all other means have failed, to work for the overthrow of an evil political and economic order is as much a part of the mission of the church as to care for the sick and to feed the hungry." - from The Open Secret, pg. 109

For the past 3 months I have been attending monthly meetings with several hundred other Ithacans to discuss and learn about the issue of mass incarceration. This is an issue I had never heard about until I saw the documentary "The House I live in" and then 13. The theory is that the war on drugs started in the 1980's under Ronald Reagan has actually been a tool of social and racial control. By creating lengthy sentences for very minor drug offenses and then targeting African American offenders we now have an extremely unbalanced incarceration rate of blacks vs. whites. I have lived in the United States for 4 years. Every country in the world has racism and prejudice of various kinds. In America, white supremacy has been built into the very fabric of the nation. When America was founded, blacks were defined as 3/4 human. Abolition of slavery came. Jim Crow laws were passed - and then Jim Crow was outlawed. After Jim Crow came mass incarceration. As one acade...