From the Life, Mind, and Web of Joe Burnham

Evolution, Intelligent Design, and Socialism?

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:44:00 PST

Thanks to Paul over at exit 25 for posting this video on Alfred Wallace, the co-founder of the theory of natural selection, the father of Intelligent Design, and a socialist. Now doesn't that just bash all the stereotypes!

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For Those Clueless on Postmodernity

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:02:00 PST

Postmoderns don't believe in truth.

There's no room for God in postmodernity.

A postmodern Christian is an oxymoron.

If you've ever said any of these things, you're clueless about postmodernity ... unless you see the oxymoron as no self-respecting philosophiclly postmodern individual willingly, for their own personal sense of labeling, identifying themselves as a postmodern (sort of like no legit Gen-Xer saying, "I'm Gen-X.").

Now, if you're happy remaining a clueless pumper sticker philosopher, you can (although I'd request that you just stop talking about philosophy). However, if you'd like to get a clue, please set aside 50-minutes (or 90+ if you want to dig into the Q&A) and listen to James A. K. Smith:

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Robbie vs. the Mountain

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:19:00 PST

A few months back, Robbie decided that someday, he wanted to climb Mt. Everest. So for Christmas, I got him some hiking gear including a backpack set up for a Camelpack insert, some nice wool socks, and boots.

Today we decided to put it all to use and we went to North Table Mountain just a few miles from where I live. Our route took us a little over 3 miles, including a trip up and across the western top of the mesa. Robbie hiked the whole way!

See the full gallery on Posterous

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What's the Value of Religion?

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:22:00 PST

A few years ago, I did a wedding for a couple where she was raised Lutheran and his family was a blend of Jewish and Catholic, but he was an athiest (who'd moved from the Hitchens camp to a more accepting stance of religion in general).

For him, religion was similar to what Alain DeBotton describes below. While rejecting the tenets of faith, he saw social and cultural value to the religious community ... and argued that he'd received the same benefits from other sources.

I'm curious, how would you respond both to the gentleman I described (who today I'd also call a friend) and Alain DeBotton?

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Am I Losing My Lutheran?

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:30:00 PST

As I said in my post yesterday, while my new blog, Restorying Life, isn't an abandoning of my Biblical faith, it does flow out of a rethinking of my theology and how I read the Bible. This begins with what I see as the central theme of the Biblical narrative, which has move from strictly justification to a broader theme of the Kingdom (which includes justification).

Now, I'm sure some in the Lutheran would be quick to say that this makes me a non-Lutheran. Perhaps it does, perhaps it doesn't. In the end, I really don't care.

For those who are interested, here's an overview of how I came to this conclusion ... a journey that began with a paper I wrote for my first semester of my DMin work (most of this work was developed in October and November of 2010):

In Matthew 3:2, John the Baptist declares, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." and, a chapter and a half later, Jesus begins his public ministry with the same words. These are just the first of many instances in Matthew and the other Synoptic Gospels where the ministry of Jesus is linked to the βασιλεία, that is the Kingdom, be it of God or, as Matthew prefers, of Heaven. In fact, some derivation of βασιλεία appears fifty-five times in Matthew, twenty in Mark, and fifty-four in Luke, together accounting for almost eighty percent of New Testament Kingdom references. By comparison, σῴζω or "to save", another prominent word in the Synoptic Gospels, appears fifteen times in Matthew, fifteen times in Mark, and seventeen times in Luke, and δικαιόω, the root of the central Lutheran teaching of justification by grace through faith, appears only seven times in the Gospels, less than it does in Paul's letter to the Romans (fifteen times) or the Galatians (eight times).

But the discussion of the Kingdom, at least in concept, isn't limited to the Synoptics. In John's Gospel for instance, while there are only three uses of βασιλεία, the word "king" is important in his account (Kiehl, 1981, 221) and the central idea behind the kingdom in the Synoptics isn't a geographic place, but rather it has a verbal sense that focuses on the rule or reign of the king (Kiehl, 1981, 221 and Scharlemann, 1976, 48). Moreover, while Paul largely limits his use of βασιλεία, Jesus' Kingdom language is highly eschatological (Kiehl, 1981, 221 and Raabe, 2002, 294), and eschatological hope is central to Pauline theology (Ware, 2009, 129-130). Finally, in less explicit terms, the Kingdom is present throughout the Old Testament as well (Voelz, 1997, 245). As a result, the Kingdom of God can be seen as "the organizing and unifying theme of the Scriptures" (Voelz, 1997, 246).

Yet, despite its scriptural emphasis, discussion of the Kingdom is severely limited in the Lutheran Confessions, the Sixteenth Century theological documents that every Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LC-MS) pastor identifies as the basis for his teaching upon ordination and whenever he is installed in a new congregation. For example, only forty-six of the one hundred and fifty-four New Testament verses that use βασιλεία are cited in the Confessions. By contrast, of the thirty-seven verses in the New Testament that use a form of δικαιόω, twenty-one are cited, most of them multiple times.

While the lack of discussion on the Kingdom was troubling, a close examination of the two places (Apology 7-8 and the 3rd Petition of the Lord's Prayer in the Catechisms) it is discussed in depth was revealing:

As in the Apology, in the Small Catechism the coming of the Kingdom is purely God's activity, an activity that Luther attributes to the work of the Spirit through the Word. However, while the Apology focused on justification as the means of transfer into the Kingdom of God, we can see the Catechisms expanding this by focusing on the Kingdom of God as being, not a physical place, but a context where God is actively ruling and reigning, be it "here in time" or "hereafter in eternity." Moreover, life in the Kingdom is fundamentally different in this age than it is in the age to come, in that, in this age, the Kingdom of Satan is still active because Christ has yet to make his enemies his footstool (Psalm 110:1), a reality Luther recognizes not only in his Small Catechism treatment of the Holy Spirit who keeps us in the one true faith (Kolb and Wengert, 2001, 355), but also his "soteriological maxim, the believer as simul justus et peccator, just and sinful simultaneously," which describes both the individual Christian and the Church body in this age (Kärkkäinen, 2002, 41).

In the end, this is the picture I've painted that serves as a basic framework that guides my reading of Scripture today:

When we tie the teachings of the Apology and Catechisms together, the Lutheran Confessions present, in this age, a dichotomy of two kingdoms, one which is ruled by the devil, and one which is ruled by Christ. These kingdoms are engaged in a kind of cosmic courtship for the affections and allegiance of people who are, anthropologically speaking, desiring creatures looking for someone to love (Smith, 2009, 26-27).

And:

In this dynamic, the Church serves as the voice of Christ in the world, calling out to his beloved creation on his behalf, wooing them with grace and then seeking to sustain the affections of those who've heard his call but are continuously counter-courted by Satan (Smith, 2009, 39).

So, when I think about faith and life, my big question these days isn't, "Am I forgiven?" or, "How do I stand before a righteous God?" I know that ... and Luther's justification response hasn't changed. However, I want to push beyond the, "I sin and God forgives." summary that has become much of present day Lutheranism. Scripture, be it Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, or the entirety of the Hebrew Bible, tells me the Kingdom in this age doesn't end with forgiveness (BTW, the Lutheran Confessions argue this too, it's just lacking in those who've labeled themselves as Confessional Lutherans).

So, the questions I'm asking are:

How does Christ courting me reshape my understanding of myself (this was central to my video Together in the Garden)?
If Christ is wooing me into his Kingdom, what response does that generate in my life today (aka, what does the Kingdom look like in the "now but not yet")?
How is Satan trying to counter-court me?
As I respond to Christ's affection, what do I leave behind?
What does it mean to be a part of a community where we're the voice of Christ wooing our neighborhood to our King?

Does this make me not Lutheran? Again, I really I don't care about that specific label, so perhaps any debate is moot. That being said, concerning where I stand today, I'll hold my ground with the words of Luther himself:

Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen.

Bibliography:

Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, An Introduction to Ecclesiology: Ecumenical, Historical & Global Perspectives (IVP Academic, 2002-10-02).

Erich H. Kiehl, “Jesus Taught in Parables,” Concordia Journal 7, no. 6 (1981): 221-228.

Robert Kolb and Timothy J. Wengert, eds., The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2001-01).

Paul R. Raabe, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God,” Concordia Journal 28, no. 3 (2002): 294-296.

Martin H. Scharlemann, “Kingdom and Church,” Concordia Journal 2, no. 2 (1976): 48-52.

James K.A. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation (Cultural Liturgies) (Baker Academic, 2009-08-01).

James W. Voelz, What Does This Mean?: Principles of Biblical Interpretation in the Post-Modern World (Concordia Scholarship Today) (Concordia Publishing House, 1997-03-01).

James Ware, “Paul’s Hope and Ours,” Concordia Journal (Spring 2009): 129.

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Am I Losing My Religion?

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:30:00 PST

Late last month, I quietly launched a new blog called Restorying Life. Last week, I began to share that it was online and one of the posts sparked some interesting questions about where I'm at faith-wise these days (I'm sure some recent Facebook posts have done the same).

As a bit of setup, I've been writing a series of posts that reflect on my personal journey from a year ago at this time.

In the post "Cleaning Up the Ashes" I talk about three questions I had entering 2011:

What does a healthy life look like? How about healthy relationships with others?
How far away was I from health?
Where can I find the resources that will help me move towards health?

Since I'm not the only one who has these questions, I decided to share what I discovered so others could do with it as they will.

Now, in the post that sparked questions about my faith, I share a bit about past solutions that have failed me:

In other words, in the past, I'd experienced what this cartoon from Naked Pastor depicts:

From there I go on to talk about my new plan, which required people to listen to my story first and then connect their solution with my struggle. What does this have to say about my faith? Quite a bit:

Last year, I decided that I'm done with pat answers from people who are quick to speak and slow to listen.
Last year, I decided that I'm tired of ripping verses of Scripture from their original context and using them to beat myself (and others) up.
Last year, I decided that I'm sick of settling for barely surviving and living day in and day out in a hellish emotional and relational apathetic void.
Last year, I decided that I want, to the fullest extent possible on this side of eternity, to experience what the Hebrew Bible describes as shalom and what the New Testament links to the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Now, concerning the quest to get there, well, I've drawn on a number of sources:

Scripture (heavily rooted in its historical context, grammatical interconnectedness, and overarching metanarrative)
systematic theology
psychology
anthropology
sociology
just about any other -ology that will aid in the journey

Of course, all those -ologies fuel the idea that I'm losing my religion, so let me offer a bit of a framework for how I'm using them. First, two words: magisterial and ministerial.

Magisterial: This would be your ultimate authority.

Ministerial: This is anything that serves your ultimate authority.

The Bible is what's magisterial in this journey I've taken, and all the other -ologies are ministerial. They're what Lutheran folk dub as 1st article gifts, that is, they are linked to the created order ... mostly the reason that God has granted us.

Have I been talking about the ministerial stuff a bunch? Sure. Why? Because it's the means to an end and I've been talking about a journey I've taken from where I was (emotional and relational dysfunction) to where I am (something that, more and more, looks like the Biblical idea of shalom).

So, am I losing my religion? Not at all. My religion has just been reshaped around the pursuity of shalom / Kingdom. Now, the real question might be, "Am I losing my Lutheran?" I'll flesh that out a bit more tomorrow.

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connect the dots by @nakedpastor

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 08:30:00 PST

via nakedpastor.com

Enough said.

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Dancing with the Devil is Faithful

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 07:57:00 PST

This morning I was listening to podcasts while cooking breakfast and heard one featuring Ryan Tedder.

Tedder is a musician / producer / songwriter type from Colorado who's worked with artists like Beyonce and Kelly Clarkson, but he's also a Christian.

Make sure you listen to the end of the interview as he talks about living out his faith as an artist.

01_Denver's_#1_Hitmaker.mp3 Listen on Posterous

In Tedder's case, I'd say that his "dancing with the devil" was the most faithful thing he could do.

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Another Manger for the Child

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 16:31:00 PST

via nakedpastor.com

I love this confession / prayer from @nakedpastor.

I too am a manger for the Christ child to be born in.

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where are the important people? by @nakedpastor

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 20:00:00 PST

via nakedpastor.com

Because tonight belongs to those who don't belong.

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Snowday Fun

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:44:00 PST

Winter has not only arrived on the calendar, but also on the ground here in Colorado. While the initial plan was for Robbie and I to spend today at Jumpin Jordy's, with the change in weather, we decided to spend the day another way.

Enjoy the pics ... we sure enjoyed taking them.

See the full gallery on Posterous

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Together in the Garden

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 08:00:00 PST

As I mentioned in my Thanksgiving post, this past year I've been attending a group called Where Grace Abounds here in Denver. It's been a fantastic community where I've not only learned a lot about myself, but also identified a path for my personal journey to health.

On the last Thursday in September, I was asked to give my testimony to the group. I put together a talk called, "Life Together, Together" and shared about my past, present, and where I'm heading, with a strong focus on how community has played a role in my life and how I see it shaping my life moving forward.

What I shared that evening resonated with a number of people, and I've since been encouraged to share the ideas with others. However, my testimony was very personal and it shared, not only pieces of my life, but also pieces from the lives of others. Wanting to either guard or not attack them, I knew I needed to reshape what I had to say.

The video that follows is the reworked testimony. It's less personal and reworked around the central idea of community and the role it plays as we face the challenges of life.

I hope you enjoy it.

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Manly Men!

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:16:00 PST

Over the past few weeks, the toilet in my bathroom has been having more and more issues, but I haven't had time to fix it ... until today.

This afternoon I picked up Robbie at school and we set out on a manly man adventure that included a trip to the hardware store and into the bathroom where we gutted and rebuilt the toilet.

When all was said and done, Robbie gave the revamped toilet the first flush of its new life.

See the full gallery on Posterous

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A Year Ago Today

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 08:00:00 PST

When I woke up a year ago today:

I had no idea it would be the last time I'd wake up in that life.
I was clueless when it came to the love of friends and family.
I knew it would be another day of trying to prop up my life.
I didn't think healthy was possible.
I was hopeless about the present, and desperate for eternity.

As I wake up this morning:

I'm eagerly anticipating today, tomorrow, and the next year.
I sit in awe of my loving, gracious, and amazing friends ... both those from years past and the new ones made this year.
My life rests on grace ... and there's no better foundation.
Healthy is becoming reality.
I'm hopeful ... both for eternity and tomorrow.

What a difference a year can make.

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Robbie's Love Languages

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:44:00 PST

The other day, I ran across this quiz which is aimed to help parents discover their child's love langauges.

For those who aren't familiar with the love language idea, the basic idea is that different people are wired to give and receive love in different ways. They are:

Physical Touch
Quality Time
Words of Affirmation
Acts of Service
Gifts

Now, the natural impulse is for us to love in the langages we tend to best receive love. The problem is, all too often, the people we love don't "hear" in those langauges.

As an example, for me, words of affirmation and physical touch score through the roof, while the other three languages barely register. So, if you tend to love through service or gifts, odds are high that the message you're sending won't be received by me. However, if you offer a kind word, a specific compliment, a touch on the shoulder or arm, or a hug, that will rarely go unnoticed.

So, here's Robbie's results:

It is interesting that he's as bunched as he is on gifts, but it came as no surprise to me that physical touch came in first. The boy loves to hug, cuddle, and high five. Personally, I'm thankful for this, because it's a language I understand, which makes it easier for me to love on him in a way that matters.

However, his second language, gifts, is one I struggle with, and a language that's very natural to me, words of affirmation, barely registers. This means I have to be intentional about giving him gifts, realizing that, in his mind, it's more than just the transferance of stuff, and also not be hurt when my encouraging words fall on deaf ears.

How about you? Where do your kids register? How about the other important people in your life?

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Yoga in the Park

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:30:00 PST

As I mentioned in my Thanksgiving post, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Kiana and I did a bit of yoga in a park near REI (where I was going to be working that evening).

It was a fun setup. The park we used was situated between Mile High and the city, so the views were fantastic. She brought her laptop and we did yoga off a podcast she's downloaded. Our teacher, Chaz, was anything but what you'd expect from a guy named Chaz.

After an hour of yoga and stretching, I was far more relaxed than I have been in a long time.

As a final thought before some pictures, hear the wisdom of Chaz:

Don't do yoga ... do yoga.

See the full gallery on Posterous

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Booze + Babes + Bikes = Denver

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 08:30:00 PST

On Tuesday, I took the afternoon off and spent some time exploring Denver with Kiana. I'd heard about some audio tours of Denver a few years back and decided to check out the Lodo tour, which is largely a tour of Denver's formative years.

We noticed a few key things about Denver's history:

Booze: I don't think there was a single track on the audio file that didn't talk about booze, be it beer or whisky. It played a roll in the naming of the city (Denver was picked over Auraria), almost killed the city when prohibition hit, and is key to it's life today (Denver is the Napa of Beer). In keeping with this tradition, the city today has the freshest Guinness in the nation (because it consumes the most), and often ranks as one of the drunkest cities in America.
Babes: Almost as promenant as the booze were the references to babes, specifically prostitutes. Market Street, which was changed from Holiday Street because the Holiday family didn't want to be associated with the activities that took place on the street named after them, was Denver's historic Red Light District. Breaking away from this tradition and binding itself to the first, Denver's high end brothel from yesteryear is now Lodo's Bar and Grill.
Bikes: From its earliest years, Denver's been known as a city of bike riders. Given all of the parks and trails that still abound, this bit of history, like booze, is carried on proudly by Denverites today.

Here's a few pics. You'll notice in the first few a piece dedicated to William Jackson Palmer. The plaque reads:

William Jackson Palmer (1836-1909) - a Union Cavalry General . pioneer railroad builder . prophet of Colorado's greatness . he mapped the routes of three transcontinental railways . supervised the building of the first road to Denver . organized and constructed the Denver and Rio Grande railroad . stimulated the state's industries . cherished it's beauty . founded Colorado Springs . fostered Colorado College . and served our sister republic of Mexico with sympathy and wisdom in developing it's national railways

Needless to say, he's quite an impressive guy and I look forward to discovering more about a man so key to the history of the city I love.

See the full gallery on Posterous

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boxed in by @nakedpastor

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 08:58:00 PST

via nakedpastor.com

This past year, in whole new ways, I've been experiencing what David Hayward speaks to in this cartoon.

My understanding of grace, what a faithful Christian life, relationships, health, and ministry have all been blown up ... and I thought I had a rather expansive box before.

While change my be expected given my year, what I'm guessing many people wouldn't expect is that, on this journey, I've found myself digging deeper into the Bible, not pulling away from it and conforming it to my desires.

A gracious God ... so simple a child can proclaim him, but so complex an adult feels compelled to simplify him.

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My Thanksgiving 2011 Top Ten

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 08:57:00 PST

#10 - Promark Financial: Promark has the most amazing corporate ethos ever. We're a for-profit company that gives away all our profits, and this is in addition to providing custom insurance plans that not only help with basic security but also college and retirement planning. It's an amazing company and I'm excited to be in the mix! By the way, if you haven't had anyone look at your life insurance in the past couple years, let's talk.

#9 - REI: I swear I was born for this job. When I've got my green vest on, I spend my time talking to people about gear and products I'm passionate about. I get to inspire, educate, and equip people for a lifetime of outdoor adventure and stewardship. I feel extra lucky given that I was one of 15 hires out of over 800 applicants at the Denver Flagship Store.

#8 - Friends: You really don't get who your friends are until life blows up. Friends are those who stick around, they listen, they comfort, they question, and they challenge ... but there's never a doubt that love is their motive and they're seeking to operate from understanding rather than assumption. I truly have the most amazing friends in the world and I love you all dearly.

#7 - My Parents: They've taken me in this past year. They've helped me cover bills. They've deferred payments on loans. They've done it without complaining. Could a son ask for more?

#6 - Mt. Calvary and Pastor Roger: When it comes to ministry, I've always had a heart for smaller and urban. Mt. Calvary fits both of those. Mt. Calvary is currently being served by Pastor Roger, a retired pastor who now helps congregations in transition between pastors. Both have embraced me and invited me to be part of a transformation where the struggling church rediscovers its identity and learns how to be an asset to Denver's Cole and Clayton neighborhoods. Things are happening and it's exciting to be in the middle of it.

#5 - Where Grace Abounds (WGA): I found WGA in January at the recommendation of a couple friends. It's been a fantastic place to learn what healthy relationship looks like, process through my own crap, and figure out how to move forward in life.

#4 - Something New: I have something new I'm working on ... something that should go live on January 1, 2012. It takes lessons from the past year, things I learned at WGA, in counseling, through my reading, and other sources, and pulls them together around the common these of life transitions. You can get a small taste and let me know you're interested in learning more by liking the Facebook page.

#3 - Robbie: While I don't see Robbie every day anymore, we spend more quality time together than ever before. We go to the zoo, the museum, the park, and other places together. And of course, there's tons of cuddle time thrown in for good measure.

#2 - Kiana (Ki-who-uh? Here's a bit of background.): I'll use a story to explain this one. On Tuesday, I had a gap between two of my jobs and Kiana had the day off (she's a paramedic). She decided to take the reins on planning for the afternoon, and originally suggested going for a B-Cycle ride around Denver. However, this was just a ploy to get me into some loose fitting clothing, because the actual plan was yoga in the park.

You see, she'd heard the stress in my voice and seen it in way I've been carrying myself, and decided she wanted to help me relax a bit. So we stretched, we bent, and at one point I laughed hysterically for about 5 minutes over the line, "Don't do yoga, do yoga." Essentially, she became my personal relaxation trainer for the afternoon.

In the end, it's been nothing short of a gift to have somebody so aware, in tune, and wanting to pour blessing into my life where it's needed most.

#1 - Grace: Like friends, you don't really get grace till you hit bottom. In the past year, I've come to understand grace in entirely new ways, and I've already seen God take my new understanding and use it to bless others, both through my writing on People of the Second Chance and sermons like this one. In the next few days, I'll be recording and posting a video that shares a variation of the testimony I gave at WGA last September.

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The Butterfly Pavilion

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 08:30:00 PST

It's been a couple weeks, but here are some pictures I took of Robbie at the Butterfly Pavilion.

It was one of those fun days where I picked him up early from school so we could get some quality time in before the place closed for the evening.

While it was fun to watch him look around in wonder, the thing that impressed me the most was how quick he was to hold Rosie the tarantula.

See the full gallery on Posterous

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