God, What on Earth are You Doing?
According to Peter Drucker, the late leadership guru, the four hardest jobs in America (and not necessarily in order, he added) are the president of the United States, a university president, a CEO of a hospital and … a pastor.
HT: DJ Chuang
This is the fourth book I’ve read by Andrew Delbanco. He never disappoints with his keen insights into literature, culture, and American history.
I am very interested in the first half of nineteenth century America. As a Christian, there are many significant movements of thought swirling which make it endlessly fascinating and challenging.
Delbanco’s Melville has the author’s characteristic brilliance: great writing coupled with brilliant insights. For me, one of the most poignant things is seeing how well Delbanco captures the tormented genius of Melville along with showcasing the compassion of his dear friend, Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Christian ministers could learn a lot about compassion and being patient with serial doubters like Melville.
I have two seminary degrees and would love to see books like this as required reading in the curriculum.
At both Dallas Theological Seminary and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School I heard the story of modern-day Evangelicalism. It was a movement which sought to break away from the anti-intellectualism and lack of cultural engagement of the hapless Fundamentalists.
The consistent impression was that the Evangelicals left the Fundamentalists for good. I’m no longer so sure of that narrative.
It seems there remains at least some Fundamentalist tendencies within much of Evangelicalism. I see it regularly in the lack of interest in the church’s history, and confidence, even hubris, over how one understands non primary doctrinal issues like the age of the earth. The pugnacious and polemical spirit which characterized modern-day Fundamentalism seems to still find safe haven in too many so-called Evangelical churches.
Reading through all my sermons and landed on a rather arresting application I gave in one from July 20, 1997:
“Each night as you fall asleep imagine that your bed is your casket.” My point, of course, was not to be unduly morbid. Rather, it was to spend a few moments reminding one’s self of memento mori (“remember you are mortal”) and order your life accordingly. Ps. 90:12!
My latest interview. A bit technical, but for those interested in these conversations, some food for thought:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/2015/10/10/plantinga-and-barth-a-marriage-made-in-heaven/
I am currently reading through all my sermons.
One from 1993 was on The Lord’s Prayer. An early church document for worship (Didache) said we ought to pray The Lords Prayer three times a day. I also had a note that the Lord’s Prayer has become rote for many people when ironically the purpose of the Lord’s Prayer was to protect us from simply going through the motions! See Matt 6:7,8.
I loved doing interviews, commentary, and interacting with the great folks of Austin, but sadly this is what learned: You can’t do Christian radio on Christian radio.
My latest interview on how Tolkien and Lewis processed being in the thick of WWI:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/2015/10/03/tolkien-lewis-loconte/
An excerpt from my forthcoming book, God, What on Earth are You Doing? an Honest Conversation:
I often say that we Americans know how to cry, but not lament. Crying can simply be sadness over circumstances we do not like. Lament is a deeper cry of the soul that brings one’s sorrow to God and wrestles with it there. One wise pastor says, “In this fallen world, sadness is an act of sanity, our tears the testimony of the sane.”[1] Those in this category have internalized the great themes of the Bible, not in the stereotypical Sunday school sort of way, but in a way that has produced lasting fruit over the course of many years.
[1] Zack Eswine, Spurgeon’s Sorrows: Realistic Hope for Those who Suffer from Depression (Geanies House, Fearn, Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, 2014), 30.
An important article on how the Pope acted around Castro.
http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2015/09/when-francis-came-to-cuba
HT: Jesus Creed/Patheos
My brief reflection. By the way, if you don’t know the meaning of realpolitik, please look it up. It is a critical word to understand, especially for us Christians:
I will be curious to see whether Scott Hahn, Robert George, Michael Novak, George Weigel, et al. have much to say about this.
The realpolitik of our world seems so wise, but I don’t see the prophets and Jesus imbibing in that approach.
