August 22, 2008
New Conspirators Podcast is Here
(US Cover Art)
The other week, I posted the below about my interview with Tom Sine of The New Conspirators. Well, the podcast is now available on itunes for anyone looking for it. Hurray to Nicholas for getting it up while on his adventures with Michael Holmes! Yeah, I blogged about him before too;)
I hope you enjoy it.
jc
(UK Cover Art)
Today I did a podcast interview for an upcoming release on the Nick & Josh Podcast. I am continuing my duties with the fellas even as the transition continues. And to be honest, I love the gig as much as anything!
Today I had the privilege of talking to Tom Sine of Mustard Seed Associates and The New Conspirators (US-web). Over the course of about 3 hours, Tom and I got to talk several times while both trying to connect with the other. Just when it seemed as though all hope was lost, hope prevailed and the interview happened. No Barack Obama didn't jump in a save the planet, but it sure felt like it;) Tom really is a great guy.
I just wanted to put out the info that this podcast is coming soon. As much as anything, I urge you like Andrew Jones, 'If you cant make the conference, at least buy the book.'
Kester also has pretty impressive plug on the book. He writes, 'When the great book of life is opened, some would see it that it’ll be the stellar Christians like McLaren, Baker, Rollins and Wallis who should get all the plaudits. I wouldn’t want to take anything away from any of them, but quietly, ‘one mustard seed at a time’ Tom has been actually inspiring people to do the stuff. It’s a quiet, background role, perhaps, but I think if you could trace the significance of his words and actions through all the things that have happened because of them, you’d have quite an amazing list. Vaux certainly owes him its existence in many ways.'
So yeah, it was an honor to speak to Tom. And watch out, there will be another postcast after this one on life in community during major economic recession...with Tom. Yeah, the man has some great ideas for emerging, missional, mosaic, and monastic community in the global era.
Wait for interview...but check out the book!
joshua c
Posted by joshuacase at 02:47 PM | Comments (0)
August 07, 2008
The New Conspirators & Tom Sine
Today I did a podcast interview for an upcoming release on the Nick & Josh Podcast. I am continuing my duties with the fellas even as the transition continues. And to be honest, I love the gig as much as anything!
Today I had the privilege of talking to Tom Sine of Mustard Seed Associates and The New Conspirators (US-web). Over the course of about 3 hours, Tom and I got to talk several times while both trying to connect with the other. Just when it seemed as though all hope was lost, hope prevailed and the interview happened. No Barack Obama didn't jump in a save the planet, but it sure felt like it;) Tom really is a great guy.
I just wanted to put out the info that this podcast is coming soon. As much as anything, I urge you like Andrew Jones, 'If you cant make the conference, at least buy the book.'
Kester also has pretty impressive plug on the book. He writes, 'When the great book of life is opened, some would see it that it’ll be the stellar Christians like McLaren, Baker, Rollins and Wallis who should get all the plaudits. I wouldn’t want to take anything away from any of them, but quietly, ‘one mustard seed at a time’ Tom has been actually inspiring people to do the stuff. It’s a quiet, background role, perhaps, but I think if you could trace the significance of his words and actions through all the things that have happened because of them, you’d have quite an amazing list. Vaux certainly owes him its existence in many ways.'
So yeah, it was an honor to speak to Tom. And watch out, there will be another postcast after this one on life in community during major economic recession...with Tom. Yeah, the man has some great ideas for emerging, missional, mosaic, and monastic community in the global era.
Wait for interview...but check out the book!
joshua c
Posted by joshuacase at 08:49 PM | Comments (0)
July 15, 2008
Staying Alive & The Fidelity of Betrayal
Well, I am still alive after the majority of my time here with Laura's family. It has been a rich time of not merely getting to know family better, but of celebrating the life of our return with Laura. I do love my wife!
In other news, on Wednesday, Pete will hold a book launch for his newest book The Fidelity of Betrayal in Belfast.
If you haven't already ordered your copy, please please please get out there and check out the book. It is another fine piece of work!
Also, in case you didn't catch the taster on the podcast, you can check out our interview with Pete here. Its good fun, and a great interview. Make sure you listen.
I fly tomorrow to Tuscaloosa where I will finish preparations for a golf tournament this weekend with my grand father. We're playing together as a team and, well, I'm excited to get to spend this time with him!
Stay tuned...
jc
Posted by joshuacase at 02:18 PM | Comments (0)
May 19, 2008
My Beautiful Idol: A Review in Brief
Over the last few weeks I've been reading through My Beautiful Idol by Pete Gall. As one of the book-bloggers for The Ooze, I can honestly say that I was delighted to have received this book.
With a coy and fresh sense of personal awareness, Gall writes a delightful book about his journey from the heights of the marketing world, to the church. And while I won't tell you where he ends up, I will tell you that if your faith journey has included bad break-ups, humiliating conversations with yourself, great vulnerability when it comes to family, and a wrestling with the cheekiness of some faith expressions, then you will find your story is deeply connected to Pete's.
I would articulate, however, that while the book is well written and engaging for someone who is able to understand their life in the context of a journey of faith, it is written for people within that sort of a context. I found myself asking if people who would not identify with faith, or God, would actually get what Pete was saying, or if they would at times struggle with what appears to be an over-fascination with what God seems to be inflicting him. No, Pete is not a woe to me kind of guy, but his book is written as a memoir of one who has and continues to wrestle with God. It is a wrestling that many who come from a theistic worldview will feel at home with; however, for those from an other-than-theistic to atheistic worldview, it may just seem like too much "god talk."
On the other hand, I can honestly say that I laughed and cried multiple times in reading this book. In many ways, Pete's story and my story are very very similar. The questions he asks, the whimsical nature of his processing, the raw authenticity of his narrative, and the oh-so-often Meet the Parents kind of drama that occurs is sure to keep all readers waiting for what is next.
Check out Pete's book here. You can also pick it up from Amazon here.
Enjoy the read. And do give it a shot.
Joshua Case
Geneva, Switzerland
May 2008
Posted by joshuacase at 09:43 AM | Comments (0)
April 21, 2008
In the Eye of the Storm: Swept to the Center by God- by Gene Robinson
Recently a friend of mine sent me to a link with this small section from Gene Robinson's newest book entitled, In the Eye of the Storm: Swept to the Center by God. While I have yet to read it in full, this section of the book really beckons me to do so.
As you may remember, as of late I have been doing more and more thinking and processing about the liturgical movement and its role in the church in the age to come. In many ways what I am discovering, and continue to process, is captured in this section; namely, that there is something about the ritual, rites, and icons of the Christian faith that enable it to transcend language and/or doctrinal debate.
For sure there are those who might see these vestiges as the mere-nonverbal continuance of colonization, but that rebuttal feels far too simplistic. Furthermore, in a age where I believe people are beginning to return to trustworthy fractals of faith, it will be by understanding and embracing those ancient narratives, myths, and symbols of her past, that Christianity and Christians of the future will continue to mediate hope in the global marketplace of spiritual pilgrimage.
Here is the section from the book:
"Finding Home: The Miracle of Communion
I'm as far away from home as I've ever been. In the Solomon Islands, in the Anglican Province of Melanesia, staying with a diocesan bishop on this remote Pacific island.
The bishop's residence is hardly a palace; he lives in a sparely furnished, modest house, partly covered with a thatched roof. There is almost no food, but somehow, as if by magic, meals seem to appear—bread bought at a local bakery for breakfast; a handful of meat for supper, cooked into a stew with vegetables and poured over a huge bowl of rice. Each of us has a spoon—the only cutlery in the house.
Cold water is available for about two hours here and there during the day. Electricity is on again, off again. Hard-shelled bugs scamper across the floor. Rats the size of cats appear just outside the doorway. The only sign of twenty-first century life is a small laptop, hooked up to an agonizingly slow dial-up connection.
The bishop is host to a large household. It's not uncommon in this part of the world for young men—too old to remain at home, but not yet ready for marriage—to live in men's households, and nearly a dozen such young men live here. The bishop provides them with a social and moral compass in their formative years. I begin to understand just a bit of their pidgin language, which adds to the universal sign language we all use to communicate when words fail us. I am welcomed as a brother in Christ.
This hard-working missionary bishop has a tough row to hoe. Some of his parishes are nearby, of course, but some are a difficult journey away—perhaps a couple of days in a car, many hours in a canoe, and finally two or three days walk into the bush. I feel very spoiled when I think of my complaints about a four-hour drive on good highways to my remotest parish, near the Canadian border.
It's hot here, near the equator. Most of life is lived outside. We sit around at night, talking. I'm fresh meat for the mosquitoes. It's hard not to think about the fact that everyone here has chronic malaria—and I may be next.
One of the local priests learns of the death of his uncle and asks if I'd like to accompany him back to his village to pay his respects. I am honored to be his companion. We must leave immediately because in this equatorial heat, the body cannot be held from burial for long. A tortuous jeep ride, dodging potholes and passing village after village, brings us to this priest's ancestral home. As we approach, we can hear the women wailing the loss of this important man in the community's life.
First off, we go to pay our respects to the chief, whose dwelling, standing up on stilts, is the only one that looks like a real house to Western eyes. Then we make our way to where the body lies. This is a large village, perhaps a thousand men, women, and children, all of them scantily clad. Clothes don't make much sense here, and I feel terribly overdressed. No one runs for shelter when an afternoon cloudburst opens up. After all, there are no clothes to change into, and besides, you dry off quickly in the equatorial heat.
The young girls are weaving magnificent wreaths for the burial: fragrant mangipany, colorful hibiscus, and exotic orchids, which grow at the edges of the village, all arranged in beautiful, symmetrical designs.
We walk over to the church. This priest's grandfather led his tribe down from the mountains and out of the bush when the Anglican missionaries settled here in the early 1900s. He is buried in the place of honor, just at the bottom of the steps leading into the church. Off to the side, between the church and the bay, lies this priest's father's grave, and beside it, a hole already dug for his brother, who lies in state.
Here by the church there's no electricity, and the water comes from a communal well. No possessions are in evidence besides the clothes people are wearing on their backs. I see no books, no furniture, no "stuff." I can't help but wonder what people do all day, what they talk about, what they hope for. My Western mind, tuned to accomplishing things in the American entrepreneurial tradition, wonders how these people fill the hours of every day, beyond providing for life's basic necessities. Although I surely don't feel that my life is better because of the things I own, I ponder what life would be like with so little. It would be easy to wax romantic about such a simple life on a sun-drenched Pacific island, but I'm not convinced that there's anything romantic about it. Still, a life stripped of things and distractions has a certain appeal.
Perhaps as many as five hundred people are sitting around the thatched hut on stilts that holds the body. Naked children are sitting in the laps of their parents or brothers and sisters. Everyone is quiet—either out of respect for the dead, or because they're curious about the white guy wearing a pectoral cross who's just arrived.
We remove our shoes and climb the little ladder that leads up to the house. There is no furniture inside. It is dark, even though it's the middle of the day. The women continue their wailing as family members sit with the body. The priest I'm with asks to see the body of his uncle. The women begin to uncover the man, beginning with the cloths that shroud his body. The final covering is a layer of banana leaves, which, when peeled back, reveal the man's face. A new wave of wailing possesses the women as the dead man's face appears. We silently attend the dead. And then the priest announces that "the bishop will now pray."
Surprisingly, the wailing stops. Immediately. It's then that I realize that while these women obviously knew the deceased and mourn his passing, they are performing a ritual, liturgical role as wailers. Their cries do not need to wind down gradually in an effort to control their grief because they are here to do a job. All goes silent.
I begin to pray: for the deceased, for the family, for the village. I give thanks for his father and his role in leading this tribe to this place, and ultimately, being responsible for their conversion, and their Anglican expression of that conversion. None of which anyone understands, except for the priest I'm with.
And then it happens. The miracle of communion. I begin to close the prayer and I decide to bless the people. It's what a bishop does. And as I say the words, "in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," everyone in this tiny hut crosses themselves. And in that moment, I am home.
They probably hadn't understood a word I'd said before that, or after. But they did understand that this priest and nephew had brought a brother in Christ to pay respects to the dead. I had traveled seventeen thousand miles to be here. On the surface, these people and I shared almost nothing in common except our humanity. Their lives could not be more different from mine. I could no more imagine what it would be like to live their lives than they could imagine living mine.
And yet, in that mystical moment and at the uttering of those holy words that have blessed and cured and comforted Christians for twenty centuries, all the difference between us is erased into matters of no significance. And in that moment we are One, bound by our love of Jesus Christ and our experience of a loving God. Here is the Anglican Communion, on full display in a small hut perched high on stilts, beside a beautiful bay, in a group of islands somewhere in the vast Pacific. And at the invocation of "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" we remember who we are and are reminded that we are One because of whose we are. And though I am halfway around the globe from where I live, I am home."
Excerpted from In the Eye of the Storm: Swept to the Center by God by Gene Robinson, with permission from Morehouse Publishing, an imprint of Church Publishing. Copyright (c) 2008 by Gene Robinson. All rights reserved.
Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!!
joshua
Posted by joshuacase at 12:42 PM | Comments (0)
February 13, 2008
The No Asshole Rule: A review and some tips
Here is a review and some tips about assholes from world business specialists Guy Kawasaki. Kawasaki writes of Robert Sutton's book:
"You have to like an author who has the testicles (or ovaries) to walk away from Harvard Business School Press because it wouldn’t let him use the word “asshole” in his title. (HBS Press also turned me down once, but I digress...) Robert Sutton is the author who did this; he’s a professor at Stanford in the engineering school. While I am not a big fan of profanity, “asshole” is the only word that delivers the proper connotative meaning in some situations, so forgive me for using it in this posting.
I have an early copy of Sutton’s book, The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t, and it’s the definitive guide to understanding, counteracting, and not becoming an asshole. I am qualified to make this judgment because (a) I’ve been an asshole a few times and (b) been a victim of assholes more than a few times.
The first step is to recognize who is an asshole. Sutton’s blog cites one method. It’s called the Starbucks Test It goes like this: If you hear someone at Starbucks order a “decaf grande half-soy, half-low fat, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one Sweet-n’-Low and one NutraSweet,” you’re in the presence of an asshole. It’s unlikely that this petty combination is necessary—the person ordering is trying to flex her power because she’s an asshole.
A second method is to use Suttons’s dirty-dozen list of everyday asshole actions:
Personal insults
Invading one’s personal territory
Uninvited personal contact
Threats and intimidation, both verbal and non-verbal
Sarcastic jokes and teasing used as insult delivery systems
Withering email flames
Status slaps intended to humiliate their victims
Public shaming or status degradation rituals
Rude interruptions
Two-faced attacks
Dirty looks
Treating people as if they are invisible
A third method—albeit the least reliable, scientific, and fair but the most fun—is to search Google with a person’s name (or a profession) plus “asshole.” This yields some interesting results. For example, I am associated more with the word “asshole” than Terrell Owens.
How To Avoid Being an Asshole
The first $64,000 question is, “How does one avoid being an asshole?” No big surprise, but I’ve compiled a top-ten list to summarize what Sutton says:
1. Face your past. The past is a very good predictor of future behavior. For example, were you a bully in school? If your parents and siblings were assholes, you may have caught the disease. Knowing that you’re an asshole is first step towards change.
2. Do not make people feel oppressed, humiliated, de-energized, or belittled. If you find yourself having these effects, it’s time to change your behavior no matter what you think of yourself.
3. Do not mistreat people who are less powerful than you. One of the sure signs of an asshole is treating people like clerks, flight attendants, and waiters in a degrading manner.
4. Resist assholeholics from the start. The easiest time to avoid becoming an asshole is at the very beginning. Don’t think that you can do “what you have to” to fit in and can change later. It won’t happen.
5. Walk away and stay away. Don’t be afraid to leave a bad situation. It’s unlikely you’ll change the assholes into good people; it’s much more likely that you’ll descend to their level.
6. View acting like an asshole as a communicable disease. If you have any sense of decency, when you’re sick, you avoid contact to prevent spreading the disease. So if you act like an asshole, you’re not just impacting yourself; you’re also teaching other people that it’s okay to be an asshole.
7. Focus on win-win. Children (young and old) think that the world is a zero-sum game. If another kid is playing with the fire truck, you can’t. As people get older they should realize that life doesn’t have to be a win-lose proposition--unless, that is, you’re an asshole.
8. Focus on ways you are no better or even worse than others. Thinking that you’re smarter, faster, better looking, funnier, whatever than others turns people into assholes. Thinking that you’re no better or even worse keeps you humble.
9. Focus on ways you are similar to people, not different. If you concentrate on how you and others have similar goals, desires, and passions, you’re bound to be less of an asshole. How can you treat people that are similar to you with disdain?
10. Tell yourself, “I have enough stuff (money, toys, friends, cars, whatever).” Discontentment and envy is a major factor in becoming an asshole. If you’re happy, there’s no reason to stomp on others.
How to Deal With Assholes
Let’s say that you’re not an asshole, but you have to cope with assholes. What can you do? That’s the second $64,000 question that Sutton answers.
1. Hope for the best, but expect the worst. One of the most frustrating aspects of dealing with assholes is that they disappoint you--making you wonder the very value of humans. Lowering your expectations can help reduce disappointment. Don’t solely lower your expectations, though, or you will slip into cynicism (and possibly turn into an asshole too.) Continue to hope for the best.
2. Develop indifference and emotional detachment. Sutton may be the only author who has the insight and courage to recommend that being indifferent and detached may be a good thing in work environments. If it permits you to survive, then it is. In other words, don’t let the jerks get to you.
3. Look for small wins. Small victories can keep you going. Most assholes pride themselves in total control and absolute domination. Any victory, no matter how small, can keep you going. Rest assured that small victories can lead to winning the war.
4. Limit your exposure. You can do what you can to avoid meetings and interactions with assholes. This involves finding or building pockets of “safety, support, and sanity,” to use Sutton’s words. He cites an example of a nurse’s lounge as a refuge from an asshole doctor.
5. Expose them. In Sutton’s blog he mentions Marge’s Asshole Management Metric. This refers to four-point system from 0 to 3. Marge, the boss, would point to people who were behaving like assholes and hold up one, two, or three fingers according to this code:
1 = You are a normal person who can occasionally assert yourself on an issue you are passionate about, but you handle yourself in a non-confrontational way in nearly all occasions.
2 = You can consistently assert yourself in a non-confrontational way and are occasionally an asshole, but you feel horrible about it afterwards, and you may or may not apologize (but you probably will have to confess your remorse to someone).
3 = You can consistently be an asshole and you either do not recognize this or you simply enjoy it.
By the way, 0 in her system means this: You are a very nice person, and very passive. No one can say a word against you and would never think to call you an asshole. If you are safe in your position, then calling assholes out is a good way to deal with them.
6. De-escalate and re-educate. This strategy requires that the asshole you’re dealing with isn’t a “chronic,” “certified,” and “flagrant” asshole. It means meeting asshole behavior with calmness (instead of either similar behavior or fear) and trying to re-educate the person about how he’s behaving.
7. Stand up to them. Funny thing about assholes: Standing up to them shouldn’t necessarily scare you. While I was an Apple employee, I was in a meeting with a highly placed Apple exec and Apple’s ad agency. The ad agency person showed the new television spots and said he’d give a copy to the Apple exec and me. The Apple exec told the agency person not to give one to me. I spoke up: “Are you saying you don’t trust me?” The Apple exec answered: “Yes.” To which I replied, “That’s okay because I don’t trust you either.” You know what? The sun rose the next day, and my family still loved me.
The book also explains how to implement a no-asshole rule in your company; how being an asshole can be a necessity, if not a virtue; and how to calculate the TCA (Total Cost of Assholes). I want you to buy the book, so I won’t reveal any details. (Another way to avoid being an asshole is to resist the temptation to steal other people’s thunder.)"
Thanks Guy! Moral of the story: deal with assholes, don't become one...
jc
Posted by joshuacase at 05:37 PM
November 22, 2007
Brian McLaren & Domesticated Jesus...WAKE UP!
I've put these two videos together for a reason. What Brian and Bono have to say ought to go together. In this case, the idea, that we just need some help..that things must change, that there is hope is prevelant.
Both revolutionaries. Both passionaries. Both hoping for what is good! Both to be thankful for!
U2's Peace on Earth
God has showed you, oh mankind, what is good. And what does the one true God require of you? That you would act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8
do good...
joshua
Posted by joshuacase at 08:14 AM | Comments (1)
October 19, 2007
Everything Must Change...A conversation...
This is the space for 'Everything Must Change,' the conversation.
NIcholas Fiedler and myself are hosting a conversatio here about Brian McLaren's newest book, 'Everything Must Change.'
This week, post your thoughts on section one.
So, what are your responses to section one?
peace...
jc
Posted by joshuacase at 10:12 PM | Comments (0)
October 16, 2007
A conversation to begin this week...
Everything Must Change, a conversation.
join in this friday...
jc
Posted by joshuacase at 12:12 PM | Comments (0)
October 01, 2007
Brian McLaren's New Book: A (Positive) Review
Tomorrow, Brian McLaren's new book gets released. Over the course of the last few weeks I have been working through it, or rather, devouring it and being challenged by the way it is forming the way i see the world.
Here are my thoughts, my plug, my endorsement:
In Brian McLaren's newest book, Everything Must Change, Brian connects the dots of the days' largest global crisis and shifts in global thinking with the heart of the message of Christianity. Brian's careful weaving of story and reality happens in such a way that it will make everyone from his friends to his greatest critics pause and reflect.
In what maybe his most accessibly comprehensive work yet, Brian tells his story of wrestling with the nature Christianity as we have it today, and why it must not merely change, but learn to confront the 'suicidal framing stories of our day.'
Whether you are new to Brian, read every one of his works, or a staunch critic...READ THIS BOOK!
Theologically, politically, spiritually, and economically this book might just be the straw that breaks the back of the camel of colonial, modern, daulistic thinking in every religion. Many who have left the church will read this book and again experience a revolution of hope welling up inside of them.
The message of Jesus as explored in Everything Must Change is good news for all who have the capacity to read and who choose to understand it. But maybe more importantly, it is GREAT NEWS for those who will experience this compassionate, loving, truth-telling, non-violent shift in their communities, in their families, and in their nations.
In the end, its simple: if what Brian puts forth is true, not only can everything change, but everything must change because of Jesus!
buy it, read it, share it!!
jc
Posted by joshuacase at 05:53 PM | Comments (1)
August 26, 2007
Boyd and Cizik: Jesus' friends
Here is a video of Greg Boyd much like the one i posted the other day with the extention of Richard Cizik. Cizik is a vice-president for the National Association of Evangelicals (USA) and one of belief.net's nominee's for 'Most Inspiring Person of the Year'.
See both video's here:
Greg and Richard
Cizik's nomination
Lammert and I are both reading a book which Cizik wrote the forward for. It's written by Matthew Sleeth and is entitled, 'Serve God Save the Planet'. One word: WOW.
check it out...read it...be changed...be challenged...
jc
Posted by joshuacase at 09:46 PM | Comments (3)
August 03, 2007
Brian's Second reading from 'Everything Must Change'
Here is Nicholas Fiedler's review of Brian McLaren's upcoming book. Can't wait to read it for myself. I've heard it will be the best one yet! Here is Brian doing a second reading from the book.
enjoy...and pre-order here.
jc
Posted by joshuacase at 08:54 PM | Comments (43)
May 19, 2007
Seriously good conversations...
Here are this week's conversations. There is a bit of a variety here, but i am increasingly amazed at the way we can discover threads all across the web that form and give real shape to practice locally. Good stuff here this week. Some hard stuff. But some really really good stuff here!
Gregory Boyd on 'Is the Kingdom Invisible?'
Prodigal Kiwi's 'Spiritual Direction, Being Church, Being Mission-Shaped'
Armand Frasco's at moleskinerie on the 'Anatomy of a System for Getting Things Done'
Nicholas Fiedler's Good new/Gospel/or Links that give Hope
Mike Clawson's 'American Exceptionalism or Imperialism?'
Posted by joshuacase at 10:00 AM
May 07, 2007
'Christian' in all sorts, colors, and practices
I've been thinking lately about what it means to be a christian and maybe even more so what it means to see the world as Christian. And while this blog isn't about to be an exhaustive, i hope it stirs up some conversation about the diversity in what it might look like to be a christian in the world, or maybe even, how we can see people and activity in the world as Christian.
I must admit, I far too often hear people say, 'to be a christian, you need x" and yet, when i look around the sorts and colors and practices of Christ in the world, they seems to be made incarnate in all kinds of people and activities. And isn't it the spirit of God working in and through people for the redemption of all things that defines 'Christian in the world' and/or even the world as Christ's cosmos?
Three (potential) ways of seeing 'Christian' in the world as I've been thinking:
1. Sacremental- Those communities or persons or activities who would say they practice and participate in regular community that is shaped by the distinct practice of ritual and sacrement springing from the tradition of the church throughout history. These kinds of christians or christian activity mayb e 'high' church (catholic, orthodox, anglican, episcopal) or 'low' church (baptist, methodists, vineyard, etc) but the disticntiveness lay in the practice of sacrement at the center of the community.
2. Sociological- These are newer forms and practioners of the church who would by and large say their primary desire is to be christian in the world 'relevantly'. Many of the shapes that these forms of christian in the world might take will be very different. Theologically and philosophically they may be quite varied on the place of sacrements in community or even the place and appearance of worship in community. However, the activites and beliefs of these people and activites still have the proverbial 'christian flag' waving about them. And while they may not say it, these activites still struggle with how God is working to 'redeem all things'? Is it enough to give bread in Christ's name? Or should we not also make sure they get Jesus too? Or is the even a false dichotomy?
3. Ethical- These would be people who for the most part would not want to be affilitated with Christianity, or are not affiliated with it, and yet find themselves living out the Good News of the Kingdom of God in their culture and context. The Spirit of God in the world compels them forward working for issues of justice, goodness, and change. They practice a different-but-similar value set with those things at the heart of christian goodness; however, this message of hope, justice and peace for all mankind is rooted firmly in the heart of their lives.
It was interesting for me to think about this topic and then read one of Ryan Dueck's posts on 'The Ethical Imagination'. Similiar kinds of processing here in some ways; not to mention he was one of my Seriously Good Conversations from two weeks ago.
What do you think? Does this kind of seeing the world as 'Christian' make sense? Or is it rather about seeing who in the world is not 'Christian'?
jc
Posted by joshuacase at 10:13 AM | Comments (100)
April 20, 2007
In Memory of Kurt Vonnegut
While i was away, Kurt Vonnegut passed away. I need to mourn this. He shaped much of my college experience. One of the best professors I ever had was good friends with him, was shaped by him, is mourning today as well.
If you are not familiar with Vonnegut, I highly suggest his works. Although, if you are not into literature that takes you off a beaten path, don't go for Vonnegut. He'll take you places...good, dark, deep, and back again.
For a first read try Cat's Cradle.
Here is also an article written by Ryan Beiler at God's Politics on Vonnegut entitled: Kurt Vonnegut, 'Christ-Worshipping Agnostic'.
I'm not an evangelical who reads only what affirms my theology, or failing that, tries to pretend that the artists I like somehow conform to my beliefs. (I tire of the endless debates in evangelical circles about whether Bono is a "real" Christian or not - as if meeting certain criteria would make his music or his activism any more or less legitimate.) I prefer to engage artists on their own terms, and allow them to challenge, provoke, and encourage me to hone my own beliefs - even if my faith is the target of their criticism or satire.
Kurt Vonnegut, who passed away last Wednesday at age 84, was and is my favorite author. If I'm honest, it's mostly because he's hilarious. Yes, he uses coarse language. Yes, he seemed to have difficulty with women, both as characters in his books and in his real-life relationships. But his ability to engage a suffering world with humor is what has endeared me most to his work. As he wrote:
Laughs are exactly as honorable as tears. Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion, to the futility of thinking and striving anymore. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward - and since I can start thinking and striving again that much sooner.
That quote comes from Vonnegut's book Palm Sunday, from a sermon he delivered on Palm Sunday in 1980. I recently bought this book after some belabored indecision among the decaying stacks in the used book store, really wanting a funny novel for honeymoon reading more than this compilation of essays and biography. But it was the day before my wedding on Palm Sunday Eve, and I couldn't resist the convergence. Perhaps because of these deliberations, the book ended up costing me $256 due to a ticket I received for unwittingly parking in a poorly-marked handicapped zone. In the spirit of Vonnegut, I could only curse and laugh: So it goes.
With his death following only 12 days later, I'm glad now to have the added insight into his life that this book provided, filling in the cracks that before I had only pieced together from the biographical fragments present in his fiction. So, as my new wife and I enjoyed our first Sunday as a married couple at a remote West Virginia cabin, Vonnegut provided our Palm Sunday sermon, which I excerpt for you free of charge:
I am enchanted by the Sermon on the Mount. Being merciful, it seems to me, is the only good idea we have received so far. Perhaps we will get another idea that good by and by - and then we will have two good ideas. What might that second good idea be? I don't know. How could I know? I will make a wild guess that it will come from music somehow. ...
I choose as my text the first eight verses of John 12, which deal not with Palm Sunday but with the night before - with Palm Sunday Eve, with what we might call "Spikenard Saturday." I hope that will be close enough to Palm Sunday to leave you more or less satisfied. ...
Now, as to the verses about Palm Sunday Eve: I choose them because Jesus says something in the eighth verse which many people I have known have taken as proof that Jesus himself occasionally got sick and tired of people who needed mercy all the time. I read from the Revised Standard Bible rather than the King James, because it is easier for me to understand. Also, I will argue afterward that Jesus was only joking, and it is impossible to joke in King James English. The funniest joke in the world, if told in King James English, is doomed to sound like Charlton Heston.
I read: "Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. There they made him supper; Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those at table with him."
"Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment."
"But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him) said, 'Why was this ointment not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?' This, he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and, as he had the money box, he used to take what was put into it. "
"Jesus said, 'Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.'" ...
Whatever it was that Jesus really said to Judas was said in Aramaic, of course - and has come to us through Hebrew and Greek and Latin and archaic English. Maybe he only said something a lot like, "The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me." Perhaps a little something has been lost in translation. And let us remember, too, that in translations jokes are commonly the first things to go.
I would like to recapture what has been lost. Why? Because I, as a Christ-worshipping agnostic, have seen so much un-Christian impatience with the poor encouraged by the quotation "For the poor always ye have with you."
...
This is too much for that envious hypocrite Judas, who says, trying to be more Catholic than the Pope: "Hey-this is very un-Christian. Instead of wasting that stuff on Your feet, we should have sold it and given the money to the poor people." To which Jesus replies in Aramaic: "Judas, don't worry about it. There will still be plenty of poor people left long after I'm gone."
This is about what Mark Twain or Abraham Lincoln would have said under similar circumstances.
If Jesus did in fact say that, it is a divine black joke, well-suited to the occasion. It says everything about hypocrisy and nothing about the poor. It is a Christian joke, which allows Jesus to remain civil to Judas, but to chide him for his hypocrisy all the same.
"Judas, don't worry about it. There will still be plenty of poor people left long after I'm gone." Shall I re-garble it for you? "The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have Me."
My own translation does no violence to the words in the Bible. I have changed their order some, not merely to make them into the joke the situation calls for but to harmonize them, too, with the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount suggests a mercifulness that can never waver or fade.
This has no doubt been a silly sermon. I am sure you do not mind. People don't come to church for preachments, of course, but to daydream about God.
If you doubt our evangelical creds for reading an agnostic to observe Palm Sunday, you may be alternately reassured that we watched The Passion of the Christ on Good Friday, un-reassured that we watched Life of Brian on Holy Saturday, and were once again sanctified by reading N.T. Wright on Easter as we drove the six hours back to D.C. We've now gone an entire week without sacrilege, and we could use a good laugh.
Posted by joshuacase at 02:08 PM | Comments (3)
March 31, 2007
Seriously good conversations...
This week's SGCs (and there are a few) are (in no particular order):
The Evolution of Faith at Danutz
Subversive Syntax by Tony Jones at Church and Postmodern Culture
John Smulo on Capital Punishment and the Bible
Brian T Murphy- March 25
Ryan Bolger on 'Continuing Jesus' Mission Into the World (Part Two)'
How Might Scripture Read Us? by Prodigal Kiwi
Hope you enjoy this week's seriously good conversations! I know i did!
Posted by joshuacase at 08:23 AM | Comments (1)
March 18, 2007
Zen for Christians!?
This is a book I will hopefully get the chance to read soon. With so much going going going in the world today, I hope this book will give a bit of a different insight into Christian spirituality in the world today. And while i recognize that this topic is nothing new for many, I guess I am finally coming to recognize a real need for exploration in this way.
The Nuts / A Progressive Christian Blog has highlighted this book entitled Zen for Christians (by Kim Boykin). It sounds interesting.
My friend Morgan would say to me often in years past that if we could figure out how to allow Zen to truly influence the Way of Jesus, it would be like getting a sports car for our road of faith as opposed to what many settle for in riding the tricycle we're all given as kids. Who knows, maybe he was right afterall ;)
Looking forward to the read. Any thoughts on this out there?
jc
Posted by joshuacase at 09:30 AM
March 14, 2007
Video Blog Wednesdays
Posted by joshuacase at 09:02 PM
March 02, 2007
The Tomb of Jesus' clan..and body?
Soon, there will be a new documentary for people to scream about, laugh at, call into question, and say all kinds of nasty things about. It will be the Da Vinci code on history. The bones and tombs put to film like the Titanic. History brought to life or fictiomentary of epic proportions. It will be, I believe, a further opportunity for people who have often wondered about Christianity to ask, can i follow this Jesus?
There is a pretty good conversation on Jesus Creed going on (or was) and there is also a good article in this week's Newsweek magazine.
There is this article on the BBC, this one on CNN, and this feed from Trailrank to help with finding other articles.
Whether or not these are in fact the bones of Jesus or the tomb of Jesus' 'clan' as is being called is interesting to think about. It doesn't for me effect my choice to try to do life in the Way or community of Jesus. For others it might.
For years and years Christianity has sought to stand by its claims and evidence (that demands a verdict) of not finding the tomb of Jesus (or bones) that he had in fact resurrected (reductionistic, i know). The challenge for Christian community today is as real as ever when it comes to the things that science, archeological findings, and new information can give to us; namely, the challenge is: is the way of Jesus still the Way worth following, still a means to new life, and still worth giving yourself (and family) to no matter what comes to new light. Is that Jesus who communities of faith have followed and that gave shape to what Rodney Stark calls, "The Victory of Reason" still the rabbi worth following?
I pray for those whose fear makes them want to justify their beliefs with facts and exact science of all kinds. Whether these are merely religious or merely scientific beliefs. As Ken Wilber, points out in his book "A Brief History of Everything" (a paraphrase) the real challenge in the world today is to infuse the practice of science with a deep practice of religion, to infuse the practice of religion with a deep practice/appreciation of science.
At some point, we must get beyond the merely literalistic approach to 'word' and allow the Spirit of the Word to be more mysterious and even more worthy of following than we ever imagined. After all, even if..it turns out to be false, is it still worth following?
The comment feature will return this weekend..so plan out your reply, check back this Sunday!
Posted by joshuacase at 11:08 AM | Comments (0)
January 23, 2007
Lammerts, Alans, and Jonnys, OH MY!!
I first heard about Starfish and Spider from Lammert. We've been looking at this text as well as discussing the nature of decentralized leadership in structures that are missional quite a bit recently as we have been forming the core team of Shema. Then, just recently, Jonny came out and started talking about it as well as John Smulo. And now (or maybe even and now i found out), Alan Hirsh seems to be discussing it.
Could this be another example of "birds of a feather flocking together"? Yet it hasn't just been them but several others over the last several months who have in different ways explored it; people like Jase, Paul and Molly. Not to mention Josh Brown and Nicholas Fiedler.
In fact, I have to admit that I've done more follwoing than leading on the blogging front when it comes to these things; however, the struggle has been the same: do we need hierarchies of leadership, or not? That is the question!
Posted by joshuacase at 09:06 PM | Comments (0)
December 30, 2006
The Evangelical Universalist
I've been able to get some good reading time in the last few weeks. I've been getting something of a broad spectrum of theological, political, and practical reflection. Out of the 10-15 books i received for Christmas as gifts (thanks to all) I am currently reading through one called, "The Evangelical Universalist". Written under the pseudonym Gregory MacDonald the book has been a much deeper attempt at forming a "bible-centered theology of evangelical universalism". So far, the book has lived up to its hype and has truly seemed to remain to be a consistent exegete of scripture and especially of the book of Colossians.
I'm only about half way through; however, I'd recommend the book to anyone who is struggling with problem of evil, the traditional doctrine of hell, or the way Church plays a role in living out a realized eschatology that demonstrates that Grace is True.
As with all books i read, I'm not sso sure i reach all the same conclusions as the authors. But it is worth the rea for all learners. Pick it up, let your defenses down, and read to learn not to deconstruct. You might be surprised.
Posted by joshuacase at 06:37 PM | Comments (2)
August 16, 2006
A great read!
I have to confirm the suspicions of my friend Lammert Vrieling about Shane Hipps book. It is a must read!! Shane Hipps' book, "The Hidden Power of Electronic Media" is an amazing read. It does an amazing job at addressing not just how media impacts people with the content it channels, but also how the channels themselves become a subtle, even more dangerous message. The book challenges us to reflect on the words of Marshall McLuhan, one of the ancient voices ever referenced in this work, that "the medium is the message".
I can highly, and will continue to highly recommend this book. Though for many of you, I'm at least a year behind!
Posted by joshuacase at 10:15 PM | Comments (0)
August 10, 2006
The Next Christendom
And to follow on from the last blog entry, I offer the following suggestion.
I've recently been reading a copy of Philip Jenkins' "The Next Christendom". It has been quite an interesting read not only concerning the rise of Christianity in the global south (Latin America and Africa most highly featured). As a person of the global north, and particularly as person who has always been a part of the church in the global north, some of Jenkins' statements I've found quite eye-opening. Particularly, the way Jenkins brings to light the necessity to navigate carefully the Christian and Islam terrain we are now venturing into.
If you haven't read it, I highly suggest it. Thoughts if you have?
Posted by joshuacase at 09:50 PM | Comments (0)
July 21, 2006
Alas, the beach...
Laura and I have arrived at the beach in Florida where we will be spending some good time together. We're really excited about the first four days of the trip as we will get that time alone before some of the family comes South. It'll be great to get this time together, and with family!
In other news, I have undergone my annual facial cleansing. Yep, I've shaved off, or down the majority of the facial hair. Always feels cooler when i do that. And with 100+ F days, it is needed! If you are lucky...photos to come!
As a disclaimer as well, whenever i recommend books and movies on this site, it ought to be understood that it doesn't necesarily mean that I endorse all of the teachings or thoughts therein. Just that I trust people's ability to read, reason, and take the good from those things which they read and watch. Please remember this disclaimer, especially as with many blogs, there are readers from all over the world. The diversity thus articulates that those who read from one part of the world will find relevance in some things that those from other parts will not. Oh the crisis of the in between worldliness of global culture.
I am looking forward to doing some blogging and during this vacation. For me, it's part of vacation...writing that is..
Posted by joshuacase at 06:06 PM | Comments (0)
July 15, 2006
America and more
Well, we continue to adjust to the bits of american life that we had forgetten existed. We have had a good balance of time with family and friends over the course of the last week and have a few meals with friends and supporters coming up. As usual, we're fighting the temptation to eat all the foods we've missed during the past year.
In other news, I have really been enjoying two books: The Emerging Christian Way
and Leading Quietly 
. They've both been very interesting reads and both had some very good insights. You can get them at amazon. To this point, I recommend them both. More to come these with time!
Talk to you again soon i hope! jc
Posted by joshuacase at 10:32 PM
June 16, 2006
What is the emerging Church
My friend Jason Clark has been doing a great series on the emerging church on his blog. I highly suggest all interested to connect to his rss feed. Jason also serves as the Emergent-Uk coordinator. You can also find his doctoral thesis here. Make sure you watch for more to come from him in the coming months and years! He has the unique ability to genuiniely combine a deeply pastoral gifting with a great theological mind!
Posted by joshuacase at 11:06 PM
June 09, 2006
A Tale of Three Kings
I realized the other day that I have read this leadership fable about the lives of a King David and his predecessor, King Saul, every spring for the last three to four years. I am not sure if that says something about me, or the cycle of leadership and life i been in for the last several years; however, I highly recommend the book to anyone who is in leadership or going through leadership challenges. It might quite possibly be one of the most important and recurring books of my life! Please read!
Posted by joshuacase at 07:23 PM
May 19, 2006
Not Speaking of God
I wanted to highly recommend for everyone wanting to push themselves even in the slightest about How (Not) to Speak of Godto keep your eyes on this guy. He has become a good friend and Peter Rollins will blow your socks off! If you are up for it, take on this philosophical man from Northern Ireland!!
Posted by joshuacase at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)
Post-Emergent debate rolls on
Well, this is my first post after the long awaited Geneva Emergent conversation. While the conversation was great, from my perspective, it has brought forth a great amount of various discussions.
A few of the panelists, namely Jamie Smith have been hosting some follow up discussions. You can also find what these people have said as well: Jason Clark,Lammert Vrieling,Andrew Jones, and Matt Glock.
It was a treat to have all these people around. I also really enjoyed getting to spend some time talking and thinking out loud with Brian Mclaren and Andrew Perriman. Hopefully more to come soon on these conversations! Also, be sure to check out this website for the podcasts of the event in the next couple weeks!
Posted by joshuacase at 07:55 AM
March 20, 2006
Important Books
I was just thinking the other day how have yet to really take an inventory of the books that have been critical to the last season of my life. I truly feel like this has been a unique season for me in my understanding not merely of myself, but of the world around me, and of God.
The following is a list of some books that have been pretty critical to my shaping. Some of them i have agreed with in part, others have articulate who I know I am to be in ways i never dreamt could be articulated! If you read them, keep in mind that we are all in different places, learning different things, attempting to be sources of Good for the world!
In no particular order:
The Story We Find Ourselves In- Brian Mc Laren
The Next Reformation- Karl Rasche
If Grace is True- Gulley & Mulholland
Generous Orthodoxy- Brian McLaren
Reading the Bible Again- Marcus Borg
The Coming of the Son of Man- Andrew Perriman
The Heart of Christianity- Marcus Borg
What Saint Paul Really Said- NT Wright
Make no mistake, there are others; however, I can honestly say that this group, is quite an important group for anyone to read! Agree or disagree, they are good value! I hope you'll pick them up if you haven't already! I hope you'll enjoy a reshaping of sorts as I have.
Posted by joshuacase at 08:41 AM | Comments (2)
March 01, 2006
Others places where I am blogging
While one of the disciplines (yes, i feel it is a discipline) i am going to be practicing more of during this lenten season is that of writing. I have hundreds of article titles that I have been listing for years and am hoping to actually begin the process of writing through some of them during this 40-day season. I also hope to be cultivating the discipline of blogging a bit more. A couple of other sites where I will be blogging during lent are: Shema and a Lenten Blog hosted by Jason Clark that is for people who are reading Miroslav Volf's Free of Charge during Lent. Its never to late to join the conversation, so if you get a copy of the book from your local book store or off Amazon, and want to join in, please do!
Posted by joshuacase at 07:48 AM | Comments (0)
February 07, 2006
A few important books!
This year there are a couple of books coming out that are going to be really imprtant. I can say this with some great certainty! One of them is already out and I suggest you get it! It is entitled: Coming of the Son of Man
The other is the Secret Message of Jesus by brian McLaren
Finally, keep watch for a book called, How (not) to Speak of God by my friend Peter Rollins. He is one of the lead catalysts for a community in Belfast called Ikon
watch and read! Its gonna be a good year for all you readers out there!
Posted by joshuacase at 02:35 PM
January 17, 2006
Reading "Storm Front"
Just started reading through a book called "Storm Front". Very interesting take on the state of the church in North America and actually articulates well the meeage that it seems many people are starting to latch onto there. Its a compilation of essay that became a manefesto for the authors!
If you are practicing ministry in the church of North America, could be a good read; however, if you are into Tom Wright, it may not be new news to you! Still worth it though!
Posted by joshuacase at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)