Our earliest sources agree strongly about Jesus’ humility. Christians
then and now have come to glimpse something important about God “made
flesh” or “embodied” in the life of Jesus. And if we don’t realize that
that glimpse of God comes across precisely through and in the midst of
Jesus’ humility, then we are liable to end up with a very different
sense of who Jesus was, and of what God is like. If we think that Jesus
really walked around proclaiming himself as the central focus for
Christians, then it really won’t matter whether you think you’ve
glimpsed God in Jesus because God was active in his life, or because God
in some more literal sense became human, or because you think that Jesus’ life embodies something important about Ultimate Reality. You’ll have missed Jesus’ humility,
and so whether you think primarily in incarnational terms or not, and
if so, whatever you happen to mean by the term, it will be at odds with
the character of Jesus and of Jesus’ God in crucial ways.
In Sarah Moon's review of my e-book In Praise of the Doubting Thomas, she said the only criticism she has was the way I portrayed atheists. And yes, I admit it, I probably shouldn't have lumped all atheists together with the Angry Atheist a la Richard Dawkins stereotype. Not every atheist I've met fit into that stereotype. However, I've met a lot of atheists that do fit into the Angry Atheist stereotype.
And my father is one of them.
My father never liked religion, but never identified himself as an atheist until about two years ago. One day he posted a video of the John Lennon song "God" on his Facebook wall and declared, "I don't believe and I never have!" I don't really care whether or not a person is an atheist, so I just thought, "Okay, that's fine. Whatever works." But soon, our conversations started being directed towards my faith. Dad isn't interested in asking why I believe in God; he was more interested in asking how the hell his intelligent son could possibly believe in an "imaginary friend," as he put it.
Dad knows I'm not a fundamentalist, so I don't have to worry about that. (Being bisexual pretty much ruins any possibility of me being a fundamentalist.) But I worry sometimes that he might think I'm some kind of idiot because I don't agree with him. Our relationship has always been far from perfect, so it's a miracle that we're even still talking! I don't want our beliefs to ruin that relationship.
I keep telling Dad that as long as we can still make fun of the whacked-out fundamentalists, we'll be fine. And maybe we will. But if he can't accept that my beliefs are different from his, then I guess that's it for us.
So my friend EmilyTimbol-Reeves just tagged me for this synchroblog thingie called The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. Apparently I write about my upcoming book and then tag five of my blogging friends so they can do the same thing. I'm actually not working on a book right now. I wrote two back-to-back, so I don't want to focus on any particular projects right now until I find something I can be as passionate about as I was with In Praise of the Doubting Thomas.
So for today I'm going to talk some more about Doubting Thomas. I'm writing about this e-book instead of O Come Emmanuel because I'm much prouder of Doubting Thomas.
What is the working title for your book? The full title is In Praise of the Doubting Thomas: How to Doubt without Losing Your Faith.
Where did the idea come from for the book? I'm glad you asked. First I was going through my usual angst-ridden armchair philosopher crap where all the questions I had about God began to overwhelm me. That's when I first started outlining Doubting Thomas in my head. And then when my friend Julie lost her two-year-old daughter Cora, I realized I just had to tell the story. So I combined the two--my questions and Cora's death--and came up with this e-book.
What genre does your book fall under? It's a combination of memoir, philosophy, and Christian nonfiction.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? I don't think you can film this book. There aren't even a lot of characters in the book; it's mainly my partner Sean and me. But if I had my way, Taylor Lautner would play Sean ('cause they're both gorgeous!) and Michael Cera would play me. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?In Praise of the Doubting Thomas is a story about why I have my doubts about God, and why I still believe. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I self-published this book. Since it's a short e-book, I figured self-publishing would be the best way to do it. If I ever write a longer book--around 150 pages or more--I'll get an agent. But for now, I'm happy with short e-books.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? About two and a half months.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Probably Evolving in Monkey Town by Rachel Held Evans. That and O Me of Little Faith by Jason Boyett.
Who or What inspired you to write this book? My friend Julie. I thought maybe it could help her during the grieving process.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? It's only $2.99.
First, here is the official book trailer for my new eBook O Come Emmanuel:
And here is the official playlist for O Come Emmanuel:
1. Sufjan Stevens - O Come O Come Emmaunel
2. Stevie Wonder - Someday at Christmas
3. Greg Lake - I Believe in Father Christmas
4. The Vince Guaraldi Trio - O Tannenbaum
5. Joni Mitchell - River
6. Sufjan Stevens - Sister Winter
7. George Winston - Carol of the Bells
8. Emmylou Harris - The First Noel
9. Bing Crosby and David Bowie - Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth
10. John Lennon and Yoko Ono - Happy Xmas (War is Over)
11. Mindy Smith - Away in a Manger
12. Sara Groves - O Holy Night
13. Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas?*
14. Mahalia Jackson - Silent Night, Holy Night
15. Vince Guaraldi - Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
You can listen to the playlist here on Spotify. (*Song not available on Spotify)
1. Tanya at Thorns and Gold tries to find a third way on the debate over ordaining women. She is definitely an egalitarian, but doesn't necessarily believe that complementarians are automatically misogynists.
2. I don't follow Donald Miller much these days--I didn't even know he has a new blog!--I love this article he wrote about about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Excerpt:
A small but powerful group of evangelicals still believe when the new testament refers to Israel it’s referring to the newfound country rather than a spiritual nation formed in the collective hearts of all believers. This belief, true or not, is encouraging many to side with Israel and buy into the spin (there is spin on both sides, to be sure.) Any Christian has the right to this belief, of course, but should not be naive about the fact this movement is supporting and passively aiding the deaths of many innocent Palestinians. For many Christians the nation-state of Israel has been reduced to a good luck charm, a rabbits foot they rub in order to be blessed. Blind support for either side will only lead to more bloodshed.
Yes, folks, I am pleased to announce that my new eBook O Come Emmanuel: Advent Meditations is now available on Amazon! It's a collection of four short Advent meditations and one Christmas meditation. In this book I try to explore the more radical aspects of the Christmas story--specifically how Jesus is Lord, and there Herods of this world are not.
Even though Joy Bennett isn't doing Life: Unmasked this week, I still have a confession to make: I've seen all five Twilight movies.
I should point out that it was only for research purposes only (I swear!). With all the hype, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Plus my boyfriend Sean loves Twilight, so Twilight sort of just came with the territory.
The Twilight saga isn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it certainly ain't no Harry Potter!
So for today, I'm going to give you, my dear readers, the lowdown on the good, the bad, and the ugly of Twilight.
THE GOOD
-The cinematography. You can turn the sound off and just look at all the beautiful Washington state scenery and dark colors. It would make it an entirely different saga, though, but maybe that's a good thing.
-The music. Before Twilight, Iron and Wine was mostly known for their cover of "Such Great Heights." But thanks to Twilight, millions of teeny boppers now know the beautiful song known as "Flightless Bird, American Mouth."
-The portrayal of Native Americans. Now you could say that since the Native American characters were all werewolves, the Twilight saga falls into the familiar "non-white people = animals" trope. But other than the whole werewolf thing, Jacob and his family are actually written as three-dimensional characters instead of just wise people who help white characters find enlightenment.
-Michael Sheen as Aro the creepy evil vampire. Sheen and Dakota Fanning are the only real actors in the Twilight saga.
-The twist near the end of Breaking Dawn 2. I don't want to give away too much, but if themes of redemptive violence bother you, this movie will put a unique spin that I think you'll enjoy.
-Taylor Lautner bare chested. 'Nuff said!
THE BAD -The acting. Other than Michael Sheen and Dakota Fanning, nobody can act their way out of a paper bag! Is Kristen Stewart's face permanently stuck like that?
-They wussified vampires. Me, I like my vampires to be blood sucking killers, not wimpy sparkly goth dudes. I don't mean to bash sensitive guys (I am one!), but I do want my vampires to be, you know. scary.
-Jacob "imprints" on Bella's daughter Renesmee. Apparently imprinting is a werewolf thing where the werewolf becomes the imprintee's soul mate. Of course Jacob doesn't do anything with Renesmee in the movie (thank God!), but it's still pretty creepy.
THE UGLY -Bella Swan is the least female empowering character ever! Ultimately I cannot call myself a Twilight fan because of Bella's anti-feminist character development. For starters, SHE MAKES UP HER MIND THAT SHE WANTS TO BE A VAMPIRE WITH EDWARD FOREVER AT THE END OF THE FIRST FUCKING MOVIE! If you were in love with a vampire, wouldn't you take some time to think about it and talk it over with your undead significant other? That's how real relationships work--you talk to your partner about how to achieve your goals.
Second, other than shielding Edward a few times in Breaking Dawn 2, Bella doesn't really do anything except let two hot guys fight over her. Hermione Granger fought Voldemort alongside Harry and Ron. Katniss Everdeen fought the evil government. Bella just sits there. Yeah.
Third, after Bella and Edward have honeymoon sex in Breaking Dawn 1, Bella wakes up to find herself covered in bruises. Edward was ashamed, even though he didn't mean to do it (he is, after all, a supernatural being with 10 times the strength of an ordinary human). But the disturbing part was how Bella didn't really care. I'm not saying Bella should have dumped Edward right there and then, but I would have at least had some second thoughts about whether or not the marriage would work. The book may have gone into this more, but the movie just mentioned it briefly.
So there you have it, my thoughts on the Twilight saga. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll get started reading Catching Fire before the movie comes out next year.
What began as a faux pas became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
During my interview with Brian McLaren for the Something Beautiful podcast last year, I mentioned to him how sometimes I'm afraid to ask questions because I'm afraid what the answer might be. He said he understood, and that questions are good things. Brian said, "I know you lead youth, and you're probably wondering if someone who has questions should teach youth, but I think you can really help kids when they have questions."
Except that at the time, I wasn't a youth leader.
Now, fast forward to a year later, and I now help teach Sunday school to to third and fourth graders.
I'm not exactly sure how I ended up with job. Not long after I joined an ELCA church back in April, some one asked me if I wanted to help perform skits at Vacation Bible School. I said yes on a whim, and then the next thing I know they ask me to help teach Sunday school. I guess I'm better with kids than I thought.
I like teaching Sunday school. The kids always keep me on my toes. And I since it's a small group of kids--five at the most--I don't feel as naked as I would in front of a large group of people. I think the thing I like most about is that it gives me a chance to explain big heady theological issues in simple childlike language. Sometimes I need things explained to me like I'm in third grade before I can understand what's going on.
Especially when I have doubts.
The kids don't seem to mind when I don't have all the answers. I like to think I can answer all their questions, but sometimes I just have to say, "I don't know." It's funny, that's what makes teaching Sunday school fun: I get to ask questions with the kids. I have an opportunity to discover the answers alongside the kids. And on a rare occasion, the kids end up teaching me!
So maybe Brian was right. Maybe teaching youth is where a Doubting Thomas like me should be.
I find walking through the woods to be a good spiritual practice. Being alone with nature is a good way for me to tell God what's on my mind. Occasionally I hear back from God.
This happened last week. I took a walk through the local bike trail in town and decided it was a good time to talk to God about my mental health issues. I don't want to get into the details, but I had a horrible depressive spell last week. Out of that experience, though, I finally decided to get serious about my never-ending cycles of ups and downs. But I was still a little disappointed that God, I felt, wasn't doing enough for my mental health. So during my walk, I told God that I wish God would do more for my mental health.
And, God spoke back.
It wasn't like a burning bush or an audible voice. When I say that God "spoke" to me, what I really mean is that I get a gut feeling out of nowhere that makes sense out of all the crazy questions, thoughts, and doubts in my head.
When God spoke to me last week, God said, "I was waiting for you to take your mental health seriously."
Advent is in a couple of weeks; the time of waiting for the light to pierce through the darkness. During Advent, we hear so much about us waiting upon the Lord, but I like to think that sometimes, just sometimes, God waits for us. God waits for us to finally say, "Enough is enough! I can't do this without You! Please help me!"
And sometimes it takes me a really long time to get to that point.Sometimes I don't want to admit that I'm helpless without God. But God's patient.
My friend Jake Kampe has a new website called Naked Sunday, which bills itself as a "virtual church community." As Jake explains:
There are many elements that make up the Church, but in it's essence, the Church is manifest in both "visible" and "invisible" forms. The visible Church is the most common terminology and is comprised of those who claim to be "Christians" and who join together in a common place for worship, prayer, fellowship, community and the study of the Bible.
The invisible Church is something bigger and more spiritual in nature, and represents people all over the world that believe in Jesus Christ and choose to follow Him by their words, actions and lifestyle. Sometimes called the Body of Christ, the invisible Church is a living breathing organic union of people joined together by God's Spirit. The invisible Church exists anywhere and anytime.
Naked Sunday is divided in five parts. Begin is a mini-liturgy that includes an opening prayer, a message, and a closing prayer. "The main message or story will take about 5-10 minutes, much shorter than a typical church message." Listen includes worship songs on Spotify. "You may even decide to add your own personal music selections and readings, sing songs together and light candles to create a more intimate time of worship." You can read selected Bible passages on the Read page. Reflect offers group discussion questions about the week's message. And with Prayer, you can submit your prayers to Naked Sunday confidentially.
Of course it all goes back to the age-old question, "Is a church still a church if it's not in a church building?" Personally, my answer is, "Yes." Unless I have my history wrong, the early Christians met secretly in homes. However, I would recommend using Naked Sunday with a small group. You can have church without the building, but not without community.
So check out Naked Sunday. It'll be interesting to see where this thing leads.
Before I begin I just want to mention real quick that today's Friday Five almost didn't happen. I had a terrible depression episode this week and was barely able to get myself out of bed. But I feel better now. I'm going to be more aggressive with my mental health problems.
I know, it's only November, but I've already been rocking a few Christmas songs. I figure a few here and there before Thanksgiving isn't really cheating. At least I haven't put up a tree, yet!
One of my favorite Christmas songs is "Sister Winter" by Sufjan Stevens. Most Christmas songs are about simply having a wonderful Christmastime. However, if you struggle with mental illness like I do, you know that the dark and cold winter can make you sad. Instead of thinking about all the good times you're going to have with your loved ones, you can't help but cry from all the pain you've experienced in the past year. December doesn't just mean Christmas and New Year's Eve; it also means having one last good cry before the new year.
And no other song summarizes this as perfectly as "Sister Winter:"
Oh my friends I've
Begun to worry right
Where I should be grateful
I should be satisfied
Oh my heart I
Would clap and dance in place
With my friends I have so
Much pleasure to embrace
But my heart is
Returned to sister winter
But my heart is
As cold as ice
Oh my thoughts I
Return to summertime
When I kissed your ankle
I kissed you through the night
All my gifts I gave everything you
Your strange imagination
You threw it all away
Now my heart is
Returned to sister winter
Now my heart is
As cold as ice
All my friends, I've
Returned to sister winter
All my friends, I
Apologize, apologize
La la la la la . . .
And my friends, I've
Returned to wish you all the best
And my friends, I've
Returned to wish you all the best
And my friends, I've
Returned to wish you all the best
And my friends, I've
Returned to wish you a happy Christmas
To wish you a happy Christmas
To wish you a happy Christmas
To wish you a happy Christmas
Winter doesn't even begin until next month. But I think I'm already returning to Sister Winter.
The following is a letter I wrote to the editor of my local newspaper. Since it's Election Day and everyone else is writing about voting, I will break my "no blogging about politics" rule just this once.
Dear Editor,
It seems to me that there are a few myths about Question 6, which, if passed, will make same-sex marriage legal in Maryland.
Myth #1--"Non-LGBT-affirming churches will be forced to perform gay marriage ceremonies." I'm not sure where this came from, because the bill clearly says it will "protects clergy from having to perform any particular marriage ceremony in violation of their religious beliefs."
Myth #2--"It will change the definition of marriage." Well, may I remind you all that polygamy was a standard practice in the Old Testament? King David, anyone? And may I also remind you all that just
a few decades ago interracial marriage was illegal?
Myth #3--"Gays already have civil unions, so why marriage?" True, except that civil unions can't get federal benefits. According to FactCheck.org, "The Defense of Marriage Act passed in 1996 prohibits
same-sex couples from receiving federal marriage rights and benefits."
So as a Christian and a bisexual man, I urge everyone to vote yes on Question 6.
Years ago when A New Kind of Christianity was THE most talked-about Christian book of 2010, I heard that he was going to speak at an Episcopalian church here in Easton, MD. At that time I was doing my Coffee Chats podcast, so I thought, "Hey, why don't I interview Brian for the podcast during his time here on the Delmarva Peninsula?" I emailed him and we set up the interview for Good Friday, a few weeks before he came to Easton. The interview went well, and we started exchanging emails. I sent him a post I wrote about the future of the Emergent Church, and he really liked it.
On the night of his speaking engagement here in town, I went with open ears, absorbing everything he said. After the program a group of people lined up to say hello to Brian. He must have remembered seeing my picture on my blog, because as soon as it was my turn, Brian said to me, "And you are . . . ?" Ermahgerd, he recognizes my face! His eyes lit up as soon as I introduced myself. We chatted for a minute, and he said how much he liked the blog post I sent him. I said I was nervous that he might have thought I was way too naive. Brian said, "Well, Travis, it's all a process. Keep up the good job!"
I was skeptical at first simply because of how long the title is. But the book actually exceeded my expectations. Being the button-pusher he is, this time Brian asks one of the toughest questions ever: "How can Christian maintain a strong Christian identity in a religiously pluralistic world?" According to Brian, Christians have usually answered this question in one of two ways:
1). Be extremely hostile to people of other religions to the point of making "the other" our enemy.
2). Downplay their Christian identity in order to appease others.
Brian, on the other hand, proposes a third way:
. . . a Christian identity that is both strong and kind. By strong I mean vigorous, vital, durable, motivating, faithful, attractive, and defining--an authentic Christian identity that matters. By kind I mean something far more robust than mere tolerance, political correctness, or coexistence: I mean benevolent, hospitable, accepting, interested, and loving, so that the stronger our Christian faith, the more goodwill we will feel and show toward those of other faiths, seeking to understand and appreciate their religion from their point of view. (page 10)
From there, Brian points out the various ways Christians have failed at being hospitable to not only people of other religions, but people in general throughout history. "[W]hat we call Christianity today has a history, and this history reveals it as a Roman, imperial version of Christianity." (84) The first step, according to Brian, is to acknowledge Christianity's history of violence and marginalization. The second is to take a look at the ways we have (mis)interpreted Christian doctrine.
A common theme in Brian's books is how Christians have misunderstood the Bible and Christian doctrine. We've used doctrines like the Trinity and original sin to create a barrier between us (the Christians) and them (everyone else). In this book, Brian shows how shedding a new light on Christian doctrine and practice can dramatically create both a stronger Christian identity and more hospitality to people of difference beliefs.
If you're a long-time Brian McLaren fan, this book will NOT disappoint you. If you're new to McLaren, this is a good place to start.
According to Dr. Hameroff, in a near-death experience, when the heart
stops beating, the blood stops flowing, and the microtubules lose their
quantum state, the quantum information in the microtubules isn't
destroyed. It's distributed to the universe at large, and if the patient
is revived, the quantum information can go back to the microtubules. In
this event, the patient says they had something like a near-death
experience, i.e. they saw white light or a tunnel or floated out of
their body. In the event that the patient is not revived, "it's possible
that the quantum information can can exist outside the body, perhaps
indefinitely, as a soul," he said.
So after talking to someone on Facebook about bisexuality, and I realized, "Hey, I should do a video series on this!" So this is the first installment of Ask a Bisexual.
If you have a question about bisexuality, email me at travismamone83[at]gmail[dot]com.
