chesterton at long last

I know, I know. I should have read “Orthodoxy” ages ago. Well, I finally did. And I plan to again. My church group has been discussing postmodernism, absolutes, and politically-correct language about truth. Here’s a quote you may have seen before:

“But what we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place. Modesty has moved from the organ of ambition. Modesty has settled upon the organ of conviction; where it was never meant to be. A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has been exactly reversed.”

not-so-new calvinism: so hot right now

An acquaintance from my college newspaper days has also remarked on the recent media attention given to all things Calvinist. His post has more substantial points to consider. If you are a film fan, you may also benefit from his extensive list of reviews and other thoughtful blog offerings.

arugula & jackhammers

There is much rejoicing over the Obama family's plan to plant an vegetable garden on the South Lawn. Yes, it's just a garden. And yes, hundreds of families across America have never stopped gardening. (This is apparent in Iowa.) I'm all for sarcastic "trend" spotting. But I think their garden will actually make a symbolic difference; it will get a younger generation to pay attention to where food comes from.

And for the lighter, Marxist take on the news:

"In mid-February, Tom Vilsack, the new secretary of agriculture, took a jackhammer to a patch of pavement outside his headquarters to create his own organic 'people’s garden.'"

speaking of faith

One of my favorite NPR/APM shows is “Speaking of Faith.” Krista Tippett hosts a lot of interesting guests and approaches the issue of “faith” from unusual and varied angles. As an interviewer, she rarely seems forced, dogmatic, or aggressive to guests with whom she might disagree. Even better, she also avoids the other extreme—common among politically-correct society—of benign approval.

“Speaking of Faith” has a done a couple different episodes/events on Reinhold Niebuhr recently. I’m behind the curve on him and his thought (despite the best intentions of a certain college professor) and I enjoyed this “Niebuhr Rediscovered” compilation episode.

Here’s a great excerpt from Jean Bethke Elshtain, speaking about Neibuhr on reality and the morality of war: “What comes to mind is a person of great seriousness of purpose who ongoingly engaged the struggles of his time, didn't retreat from them, immersed himself fully in them without becoming entirely reconciled to them. So I think that insistence that we confront the harsh realities of our time, that we think seriously about them as Christians, that insistence is really the heart of the matter. And I would add here also the recognition that human beings are finite, incomplete, frail creatures, and that the politics that we create is bound to be marked by our own finitude.”

Another episode, focusing on Niebuhr and Obama, stems from a live interview with E.J. Dionne and David Brooks … I need to listen again!

not-so-new calvinism

A friend from our church fellowship group sent an interesting article from TIME. Apparently “The New Calvinism” is one of the “10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now.” I took a look at the rest of the list, and the other nine things had to do with globalization, environmental challenges, and other broad-based ideas. This Calvinism thing stood alone as the only religion-related item, and seemingly a niche one at that. The New York Times did an edgy, mostly fair portrait of Mark Driscoll a while back. What are we to make of this heightened interest in what certain Christians believe—and not just how they vote? With an increasingly fragmented evangelical political scene, are religion-beat editors and journalists looking for the Next Big Christian Caricature? Or are they genuinely interested in what these Christians believe about God?

“The New Calvinism” gets it mostly right, in terms of quickly sweeping over the evangelical Reformed scene. The last line was really interesting, suggesting “… more Christians searching for security will submit their wills to the austerely demanding God of their country's infancy.” Is the writer recognizing that we’ve abandoned those religio-moral beliefs that made our country great? (Usually J. Edwards and the Founding Fathers get pounded for being so austere!)

how does your garden grow?

Spring is coming (almost) and some recent reading dovetailed nicely with the soon-to-be season. Nate Jones, a friend from college, wrote a book review/reflection on “gardening in the cracks” for the latest issue of Books & Culture. He argues that we need a “theology of gardening.” (My good friend Michelle reminds me we need a theology for everything.) An excerpt:

“Any theology of gardening must be first a project of recovery, exploring the place of the earth in the biblical narrative and the story of God’s people upon the land … we have too often regarded the land as essentially an object of production rather than a creation.”

Barbara Kingsolver makes a similar point about “land as object” in her 2007 book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I could write 1,000 words on my mixed feelings about this memoir, but overall I’m interested. The book helped me ask: How have I lost a connection to what I eat every day? Nate’s article helped me ask: What cultural attitudes about food and land do Christians have that we might have just adopted without thinking about it? I know this discussion ties into the larger evangelical turn toward environmentalism – and I like the moniker “creation care.” In terms of daily life, though, let’s face it: I’m looking for good food. And sharing it is the best part!

ends and means

I check in on Rod Dreher’s blog almost daily for news and thoughts about religion, current events, and where conservatism is heading (or not heading) in this country. He brought this recent William Saletan article (on Slate.com) to my attention, right when I was so discouraged about the truncated media coverage of stem cell research. It’s nice to see that opinion-ators on both sides of the spectrum see the danger in adapting an “ends justify the means” approach to science.

GetReligion.org has some helpful analysis of the media coverage.

culture making

I recently finished "Culture Making" by Andy Crouch, and it left a little of itself behind after I returned it to the library. There's a lot to reflect on in this book.

byFaith magazine (A PCA publication) interviewed Crouch for their latest issue. His responses provided a great distillation of the book's themes, though the interview focused more on his critique of current "Christian culture" and not as much on the positive, biblical vision he set forth for cultivating and creating culture in our communities.

I can't find the interview online, but Crouch discusses a "sense of dissatisfaction, not just with the political strategy [of evangelicals], but with the subculture strategy--the strategy of creating culture by and for Christians rather than out in the public marketplace, for our neighbors whether they're Christians or not."

I think this is what makes so many Christians eschew the label "evangelical." It has so many bad political and cultural connotations. Crouch offers a helpful way forward, centered on examining our posture toward culture. I need to think of more ways to cultivate and create culture, not just critique and consume it. Ideas?

seek the city

Jeremiah 29:5, 7
“Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce … seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”

I’ve been considering this verse as we prepare to live in/around Washington, DC, because it’s a city preoccupied with national policies, international events, and just power in general. The city itself seems secondary, and a lot of its residents are just passing through. What will it mean to “seek the welfare of the city” there? What will it mean in the context of a church community?

This interview offers some good thoughts on the church engaging city leaders, instead of being set 'against' local government.

I also like the part of the verse about planting gardens and eating their produce. Scrappy backyard, please!

the blogging endeavor

A variation of a common saying instructs “Never discuss religion or politics in polite company.” I majored in politics at a distinctly religious institution, and my professional career is decidedly at the intersection of those two spheres. Sometimes it makes for awkward dinner parties (though I have many like-minded friends). I believe it’s important to probe the depths of what we believe and carry our beliefs into the “public square”—whether that means the local park or the presidency. The challenges of my generation—or any generation—cannot be addressed with an insufficient picture of what it means to be human and what it means to serve a sovereign God.

Another saying declares, “I write to know what I think.” Writing is a worthwhile exercise in itself, and I need to do more of it. I may never write an original thought here (and readers may laugh at my naïveté!) but I hope it’s a fruitful synthesis of ideas. There might also be updates from the farmer’s market, because that’s always a more popular topic at dinner parties. :)

why "another lighted city"?

This is a personal blog, and the title is derived from my initials. As I begin writing, I am preparing to leave one city (a small university town) and establish a home in another: our nation’s capital. The title also reminds me that this world ultimately is not my home, and a better place is prepared.

When I was growing up, my mom took me to New York once or twice a year. I remember staying up in the hotel room, sitting up against the window, and peering out at all the lights.