ReformationUnderway

I have purposed with this blog to keep the posts focused primarily on matters theological, with a sprinkling of cultural comment and a deliberate avoidance of political discussion. Lest you conclude this is because I am dispassionate with regard to politics, understand that I do have firmly settled convictions on a great many political issues. That said, I find those convictions to be of little consequence when the world is viewed through the lens of Scripture. God’s purposes will not be thwarted. His will shall be accomplished in every circumstance. No man shall stand on the stump and move or impede the hand of the Creator of all things.

Deliberate avoidance or not, I wanted to point you to this column by Pat Buchanan. The issue he addresses cuts across any perceived divide between presidential politics and religion. I always appreciate the perspective of history that Pat brings to bear in his columns - it is too often lacking in our national discourse.

You may know that I am a fan of golf. I enjoy playing, though I actually do so only about 4-6 times each year, but I also enjoy watching and reading about the game. I am by no means the world’s biggest Tiger Woods fan, but if you’re a fan of the game, you can’t help having some measure of interest in him both as a player and a person, as he exhibits skill in the game that just hasn’t been seen before. I don’t scour the news looking for stories on Tiger, so this may be old news, but an article I read today was the first time I had ever seen it mentioned.

Tiger seemingly guards details of his private life with meticulous care. In fact, one of the more prominent theories as to why he split with his former coach, Butch Harmon, about four years ago was that he had grown weary of Harmon’s penchant for acting as an unofficial spokesman for Tiger in the media. One part of his life I had never seen addressed was his faith. Well, it would appear that the root of his faith is Buddhism, which he learned from his Thai mother. It is not the focus of the interview, but one of the things he talked about in this article.

I would not be surprised if the result of this disclosure were a renewed commitment to privacy, as I suspect Tiger is going to be hearing a lot from the Christians in his life in the months to come.

It should come as no surprise that Google is able to attract many authors and public figures to speak to employees on their campus. The company is among in the US by market cap, and has a very significant cultural reach. (A search in YouTube would find video of many of the 2008 presidential candidates speaking at the Googleplex.)

Justin Buzzard has an account of Tim Keller’s Google appearance on his blog. Google has a huge number of employees with graduate degrees, and would certainly tend to provide a very secular, intellectual audience. If it’s true that the lecture and Q&A will be posted to YouTube, count me among the apologetically-challenged who will be wanting to watch the event.

Tim Challies recently published an interview with one of my fellow church members, Ben Zobrist. Ben is an infielder for the Tampa Bay Rays. Shortstop is his natural position, but he’s also played both second and third base for the Rays. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Ben in a men’s study that began during this past offseason, and he is the genuine article - just a regular young man striving to succeed in his chosen career while conducting himself in a way that honors Christ. Pray for Ben, and his wife Julianna, when you think of him - an MLB clubhouse is not an easy place to walk with integrity as a Christian.

I’m rooting, and praying, for Ben as opening day approaches.

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Ben Zobrist, Tim Challies, Tampa Bay Rays

So this doesn't always work as well as presented - at least it never did for me. Eventually, you're just going to have to actually talk to a girl… But it's funny at any rate, and you can't blame a guy for trying!



(H/T: Gunny)

*Note: Although Gunny is also an Aggie, I don't think I'm the "this guy" he's referring to in his post. It's possible, but I don't think I know Gunny other than from his blog.

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Real Men of Genius

Unless you've been under a rock for the last three weeks, you know about the Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman suggesting, during a PGA tournament broadcast, that if Tiger Woods' young challengers wanted to beat him, they might need to gang up on him and "lynch him in a back alley." Tilghman apologized on-air and in person to Tiger, and was subsequently suspended from her work as lead commentator for the Golf Channel's PGA Tour coverage.

The following week, trade publication GolfWeek put a photo of a noose on their cover to highlight their coverage of the flap, leading to the dismissal of the publication's editor.

I regard Tiger as a class individual. He handles himself with amazing aplomb when I consider the number of demands he must have on him, and the number of people and causes who must be clamoring for his time and support. Woods has been oft-criticized by the NAACP crowd for his reluctance (or perhaps downright unwillingness) to make a public statement on every issue or story that comes up involving race relations. This expectation has to wear on him. The most recent episode saw a number of black leaders criticizing Tiger because his only public reaction was a statement issued by his agent indicating that Tilghman had apologized, they were long-time friends, and it was a "non-issue."

With his return to PGA Tour competition this week, it was inevitable that Tiger would be pressed by the media on his reaction to the controversy. This article was among the many written after Woods' media sesson on Wednesday. One quote from Tiger stood out, and gave me a fresh glimpse of what makes him able to function at a high level (the very highest level) within his sport:

I know there are people who want me to be a champion of all causes, and I just can't do that.

Woods indeed was wired and raised in a way that prepared him to have singular focus for the task at hand, no matter what distractions surround him. This is an admirable quality. Oh, that I had such an ability to remain focused on the glory and purposes of God...

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Golf, Tiger Woods, Tilghman

Men Like Trees Walking gives an account of Ernest Grant's life, and notes his passing in December. Grant was a young airman in WWII, and shot down over German-occupied France. He was the lone survivor among the crew, and was hidden from the Nazis for more than a year by a French family.

The little bit of Grant's life story in the article is worth reading, and left me wishing to learn more about this ordinary hero. There were so many stories of similar trial and triumph borne out of WWII, and relatively few of them will ever be told to future generations. Most in our contemporary culture cannot fathom the depth of the sacrifices made by the American people in order to win the war. Hats off to Grant and all those who left behind their families and all that they knew to battle for this American future.

(HT: Justin Taylor - He says this article was written by his brother)

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WWII

I had seen a much earlier trailer for this movie by Ben Stein. It looks like the film has come a long way in this updated trailer.

If you're old enough to have seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the close of the trailer is genius. In theaters February 2008. I'll be there.

(H/T: Ike Wingate)

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Movies, Science

A church spending $1.3 MILLION on their Christmas pageant? I don't see how you can possibly defend this from Scripture.

How many missionaries are ready and willing to go to the field, but waiting for the financial means to be provided? How many pastors could be trained and equipped for the work of preaching and shepherding with that kind of money?

(H/T: Justin Taylor)

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Church, Christmas

Publishing stalwart Tim O'Reilly is a keen observer of technology and the online world. One of his recent blog posts poses some interesting questions about what the future of Google might look like for content creators.

In what is not a new post, but new to me, Florida pastor Chris Elrod's take on the current state of much of church worship is on target. I can't completely buy his description of the remedy - men leading worship who are of Godly character, leading us in songs that accurately and completely represent the nature of our Holy God are the answer, in my view - but his take is still worth your time to read.

Michael Patton of the Parchment and Pen theology blog recently posted a top-20 list of signs you might be taking the emerging thing too far. Definitely entertaining, and a quick read.