HermanoGordo's Xanga

Spinning round, round, round . . .

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 12:43:16 GMT

After reading through the news verbage this morning, I'm wondering if anyone watched the same debate I did.
While I'm not a huge fan of McCain, he came across as knowledgable, polite, insightful, and presidential. Obama's performance, however, was stuttering (filled with an ample supply of his usual verbal catches), disrespectful (he constantly called McCain "John", while McCain referred to him as "Senator Obama"), vague in his answers (repeating the phrase "that's just not true" in response to McCain's attacks without ever actually answering his criticism), driven by interruptions (he almost makes Al Gore look like a good debater), angry, and perturbed that the other guy ever got to talk.

Despite all that, the media has been roundly praising Obama's brilliance and lambasting McCain as old and bumbling. While Obama can at times show flashes of grandeur and McCain certainly has a reputation for bumbling, their standard roles were reversed last night. McCain soundly whipped Obama in the first debate, and the media will do anything to try to convince those who watched it that what they saw was not the truth.

Lord help us. . .

Thoughts, Comments, Snide Remarks?

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:12:10 GMT

In such a confusingly bad election year, what's a thinking person who takes his Bible seriously to do? Is there any merit to this guy?

From WORLD Magazine, 9/20/08 -

Chuck Baldwin is a presidential candidate with a diverse resumé: The founder and pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fla., Baldwin is also a radio talk-show host, author, and newspaper columnist with political connections stretching back to President Ronald Reagan.

The Constitution candidate identifies a handful of key areas of policy proposals: Baldwin would disband the Department of Education and oppose any federal laws to subsidize or regulate education. He supports gun ownership for law-abiding citizens and opposes laws that require registration of guns or ammunition. The candidate is also pro-life and supports Rep. Ron Paul's Sanctity of Life Act, which he says would end legal abortion immediately by stripping from the Supreme Court jurisdiction over abortion-related cases.

Baldwin says he's disgruntled with both Democrats and Republicans, and he points out that Abraham Lincoln won the presidency when the Republican Party was "a minor third party."

"Sooner or later, an independent party, a third party, is going to break into the national limelight and is going to take that spotlight off the Republican Party and elect a president of the United States," Baldwin told The Herald Journal earlier this summer.

Preachin' to Meddlin'

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:58:09 GMT

Anneli got me started with a post called "A Faith Just Big Enough for the Ballot Box", and it morphed into a whole series, (the other parts of which haven't yet been written). Enjoy part 1 of 10 (hopefully).

Editor’s Note: Colossians 2:8 tells us to “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world rather than according to Christ.” We are quick to remember this verse when our faith is affronted from outside, but what happens when this command comes into conflict with entrenched unbiblical attitudes in the Church?

Over the next several issues, I’ll be addressing 10 particular areas where “the traditions of men” tend to hold sway over the Truth in today’s Church. I’m calling our attention to these with the understanding that I am as guilty as anyone of many of these assumptions and that there are many ideas of the “right way” to interpret Scripture on each subject. Still, it is our calling as a publication and as believers to commit to “rightly dividing the word of Truth” (2 Tim. 2:15) and applying it to our world.

Tradition Number 1 - Politics

It seems as though many who’ve encountered Christ have confused His mission with political solutions to the world’s problems from the very beginning. From Herod’s violent reaction to the perceived threat of the King’s birth (Matt. 2) to the crowd Jesus fed who then sought to make Him king (John 6:15) to the general perception that He had come to establish an earthly kingdom (exemplified by the disciples misunderstanding of His death in John 20:9-10), men have misinterpreted the Kingdom of God according to their own vision.

Through the centuries, we see this pattern repeated—in Constantine, the aggregation of power in the medieval Roman Catholic Church, the Crusades, the alliance between church & state through most of modern European history, etc. While in America the relationship between religion and politics was designed to be more distant than in the nations of our forebears, there is still significant overlap. In this heated election season, both sides are quick to invoke God and reach out to the Christian community. The tendency to assign God to a political party and vote accordingly is pervasive—but that’s not what He calls us to.

While there are certain issues never to be compromised on (i.e.—protecting the sanctity of life) almost all political positions involve man’s ideas and plans and therefore are likely to be fundamentally flawed. When we passionately identify ourselves as a Church with any party, we can cheapen our witness by allying ourselves with unbiblical policies and programs. Such a commitment detracts from our ability to reach the lost by creating additional stumbling blocks for unbelievers. Those uncomfortable with being confronted about their need for a Savior will be that much more resistant to that message delivered by someone who is perceived as a political opponent. “The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,” (1 Cor. 1:18a)—why would we want to make it any more difficult for someone to come to the Truth?

Politics is, fundamentally, about gaining and leveraging power. It revolves around the ability to make others do what you want them to, the desire protect your interests, and a belief that we must solve our own problems rather than allowing God to work in His time. Christ calls us rather to settle offenses personally and quickly (Matt. 5: 21-26), to graciously accept persecution and go the extra mile (Matt. 5:38-42), to love our enemies (Matt. 5:43-48), to trust God to reward righteousness practiced in secret (Matt. 6:1-6), and to treat others as we would like to be treated (Matt. 7:12).

Most of all, He has called us to be fishers of men and to make disciples. Men’s hearts are not changed through political action, but by the work of the Spirit. Accordingly, that should be the focus of our lives and work. If we focus on political solutions to the problems facing the world, we forfeit opportunities to show Christ through service. Governments can provide many services, but without the ability to address the base level need of humanity, they can never make men whole.

As dangerous an animal as politics can be, it is important to distinguish it from governing authority. Though it is difficult to separate the two in our country, there is an important distinction—governments are instituted by God to preserve order, punish evildoers, and protect the weak. As such, we are told to submit to them (Titus 3:1, Rom. 13:1) to pay our taxes (Rom. 13:6-7) and to pray for our leaders (1 Tim. 2:2).

As in all professions, God has placed many of His servants in the realm of government. Working with authorities to achieve godly goals is noble and right (as we see in Daniel and Esther) when it is a part of our primary goal of following Him and spreading His Truth. Through such action, William Wilberforce was able to lead the movement to eradicate slavery in the British Empire and stir a revival of true Christianity in that nation. Christians working within governments have helped save untold thousands of lives around the world through disease prevention, aid programs, and peace negotiations, giving men the opportunity to live to hear the Truth. In our own day, believers fight valiantly for the right of unborn children to live and have achieved a ban on partial-birth abortion.

These two temptations—to believe that politics can solve all our problems or to believe that God does not use political action to advance its plans—are always knocking at our door in this area. Even as we seek to focus on our primary mission, we must be careful to recognize that God’s will and the authorities He set over us are not always in conflict. As we head into the voting booth this month, let us strive to vote according to scriptural principles but remember that no party or candidate has a platform that wholly conforms to God’s commands. No matter the outcome, our responsibility is to trust the Lord’s sovereignty, submit to and intercede for those He places over us, and be about His business in all aspects of life—not just in the ballot box.

"Energetic" Debate

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:09:03 GMT

The polarization of ideas during the political season (by the bye, does this mean we get to shoot politicians?) is perhaps the highest cost of a two-party system. One issue, for example, has been vivisected by both sides until each candidate's solutions seem likely to make its problems exponentially worse: energy.

Obama has made it quite clear that he opposes any short-term solutions to the energy crunch (aside from, wouldn't you know it, taking money from those who made it [the oil companies] and giving it to those who didn't so that they can give it back to those who did). He says no to offshore drilling, no to onshore exploration, and no (wisely in this case) to a gas-tax holiday. His policy plans all stem from a latent belief that global warming is more of a danger than economic collapse. Therefore, he wants to push for only alternative technologies to solve the problems. This, unfortunately will not take effect for decades.

McCain on the other hand, seems to believe that all it would take to set the world right again is pumping every drop of oil we can out of our own soil. This would probably stir the economy back to life, and may, temporarily, bring down the global price of oil. In short order, however, as emerging economies continue to devour oil, our meager contributions to world supply would be overwhelmed and we'd be right back where we started. His policy plans are rooted in an Amero-centric worldview that assumes that we hold the keys to our destiny as a nation, and the rest of the world will simply cow-tow to our needs.

What if, just suppose, there was a middle ground to this issue (as is so often the case and equally often overlooked)? The Republican plan has merit - it says definitively "we're taking the matter seriously and doing something to correct it". It shows the world that American initiative hasn't rolled over and died. The opposition's ideas also hold promise - moving beyond fossil fuels in the long term is a very good move for the country. It would greatly reduce our suceptibility to economic upheavals and our entaglement in Middle Eastern affairs. Cleaner air is also an undeniable benefit (global warming or not, who enjoys breathing exhaust?).

Here's the rub: A comprehensive energy strategy has to include the better features of both parties' platforms. Expanding domestic production while at the same time actively pursuing alternative energy sources is the only sensible way forward. That alleviates some of the pain now and sets us up to become an exporter of crude at some point in the future when we've moved beyond large-scale reliance on oil just as the majority of the world is beginning its dependence. If one of the candidates can put these policies together in such a way, I predict an easy victory for him. If neither does, expect long-term economic problems that make Jimmy Carter seem like a financial wizard. Without some consensus, our only hope for energy independence will be to tap the one truly renewable resource: political hot air.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:43:10 GMT

The longer this campaign goes, the more I get the impression that this guy is so full of it, if you scared the you-know-what out of him, there'd be nothing left but a suit and a grin.

Best Original Screenplay . . .

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:26:35 GMT

. . . that I've seen in a movie in a long time.

Those of you who know me well know that I am very discriminating when it comes to movie choices. This stems from an awareness of the power of film to shape our lives and a desire not to spend more time watching movies than I do processing and applying what I learn from them. All that to say, you need to see WALL-E.

While Pixar has defined the summer family movie since Toy Story, WALL-E is their first film that eschews the need to be a "kids movie". As director Andrew Stanton put it, "Animation is a medium, not a genre." This is not to say that kids won't love the movie (it has plenty of visual excitement and hijinks to keep them entertained), but that for the first time, the story, characters, and themes of the film are designed primarily to appeal to an intelligent adult audience.

I won't go into detail on the plot - essentially it explores the concept of a world abandoned by humanity and inhabited only by one very resourceful robot (who, inexplicably has transcended his programming and developed a "personality") and his pet cockroach. From there it proceeds to treat themes of apathy, isolation, consumerism, automation, stewardship, and love with more seriousness than most "issue movies" can muster, all the while wrapping the audience into the characters with genuine humor and creativity. It's too good at telling the story to be obsessed with its message.

Stylistically, the film is a delight to anyone who loves the art of moviemaking. While dazzlingly innovative, it draws on a variety of influences - science-fiction standards like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, and various dystopian films but also pulls from the insightful slapstic of Chaplin (notably Modern Times) and the bygone ideals of Hello Dolly! (The film relies heavily on the classic musical to humanize an otherwise bleak landscape). WALL-E further solidifies Pixar's well-deserved reputation as the benchmark for poignant, watchable American cinema.

I'm sitting in a public library . . .

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:38:36 GMT

. . . In Newberg, Oregon.

'tis quite a place, with a number of books I wouldn't expect to see in such a "small-town" repository. Not only that, the library seems to be somewhat of a hub for community activities. It leaves me wondering why folks in the south are seemingly less literate than their left coast counterparts. Why is it that a town of 20,000 has so many more library patrons on this weekday morning than a much larger, better stocked library in Chattanooga, a city of nearly 175,000? The per capita comparison is embarrassing.

Why, oh why, don't people read?

I fear that public antipathy toward literacy is tipping the public opinion on library funding in many places (Chattanooga included - our system has already cut hours significantly at neighborhood branches to stave off continuing budget deficits). While it makes me feel very loved indeed to know that Hamilton county spends veritably hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece on me and the faithful few other users of the library, I can't pretend it will last forever. When libraries cease to be a centerpiece of public life (as many already have), I shudder to think at what future pitfalls await us.

Literacy (not just the ability to read, but, as Jaques Ellul says, the wisdom to know what to read) is a key to a civil society that even the most liberal of social tinkerers often fail to grasp in their planning. A willfully illiterate society is an unthinking, foolish society; one that will not care any more for the Word of life than it does for the words of wisdom from men.

Why, oh why, don't people read?

Haiti, Continued

Sat, 03 May 2008 14:44:15 GMT

As promised, here's a fuller update on my trip to Haiti (4/14-23). The pictures tell a lot, but they'll never do justice to the experience. This was simultaneously the hardest and best short-term trip I've been on. Best because of the camaraderie of the team, the passion of the workers on the ground in country, the beautiful people of Haiti, and the immediacy of impact that our work had. Hardest because of the devastating need, starving people, and the sheer amount of what was beyond our scope to accomplish.

It was a tough trip to come back from too - the overwhelming nature of it created something of an "experience" gap between Rachel & I. What my heart was going through was something that I couldn't convey adequately. It's one of those times when you're especially grateful for the unconditional commitment of marriage. The stress of returning to a culture of individualism, selfishness, and immediacy was more of a shock to my system than anything I saw or did in Haiti.

At any rate, I can no more sufficiently describe my experiences on this blog than I can in person, so I'll let the pictures do their best. I'd love to tell you more, just ask!

The vintage 1942 DC-3 we flew from Florida to Cap Haitien on - a first class flight in some ways (legroom, cockpit access, seats that leaned all the way back) and a clunker in others (flying at 150 mph, deafening engine noise, and turbulence that would make a sailor lose his lunch). Quite the memorable experience.

Pastor Rodne Romeus - AMG's country coordinator for Haiti. This is an incredible man. His vision from the Lord for his country is tremendous. He's responsible for developing two schools/childcare centers and the medical clinic we worked at (which previous teams from our church helped to build). In addition, he pastors the church in Grand Bassin (despite the fact that it's 2.5 hours from his home).

A urologist and a landscaper doing general surgery together - gotta love missions! Actually, they took a tumor the size of a baseball off of a woman's hip, in addition to 3 other tumor removals. It changed the quality of life for those patients immediately and visibly. Sorry it's crooked.

The waiting room of the clinic. This is where I spent my week as the receptionist/bouncer. I would start their exam by taking down information to start a chart for them and hand them a Dixie cup and point them to the outhouse for urinalysis - "pi pi, si'l vous plait, e vini le meme" ("please pee and come right back"). Thus is the extent of my Kreyol. The waiting room also contained what was perhaps the only TV in Grand Bassin. They played movies all day long to keep the tension down - everything from the Jesus film to Rambo dubbed into Spanish of all things.

Tim Forsythe with the bubble gun - just in case you ever need to create a crowd of 200 kids in a matter of minutes . . .

The terrific food (those with little give so much more than we do here) - rice & beans, fried plantains, chicken legs, cashew sauce, and the best fresh pineapple and papaya you'll ever eat. Again, sorry it's crooked.

What's a trip without a hike? We walked about two miles out from town to the top of a ridge - quite a view!

The Beautiful People of Haiti.

Haiti

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:02:08 GMT

I've been back for almost a week now, but it's hard to keep images like this out of your head. I'll post in more detail soon, but this is for everyone who sponsors a child through any of the great organizations who offer that service. This is my "kid" Pierre-Dony Marc of Grand Bassin, Nord-Est, Haiti - he's matured into a bit more than a face on the fridge this week.

The Disappearance of Discipline

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:45:03 GMT

To read this post, click HERE.

While you're there, check out my publication website!