Truth

I am relatively certain that if you were to ask ten different Christians to name the most fundamental belief in their worldview, you'd get ten different answers. Some would probably say the existence of God, others the resurrection of Jesus and so on. No doubt those are core beliefs of orthodox Christianity. I would like to make the case, however, that there is a belief that is logically prior to even a belief in the existence of God. I am referring to the belief in the existence of absolute truth. For most of recorded history, the belief in absolute truth was a given. Few, if any, doubted that beyond our perception there was truth being perceived. In our post-modern (and increasingly post-post-modern) society the belief in absolute truth is far from universally accepted and quite often rejected out of hand.

Before I move on to the main point, I think I'll digress a moment to expound on the current situation and how we arrived there. (Note: This is a simplified explanation of a very complex series of events) Before our culture made the post-modern turn the majority of people in the western world had very limited interaction with people who thought and believed differently than themselves. Much of that social segmentation was explicit and was expressed as bigotry, prejudice and racism. As those who fought against those harmful approaches achieved success, more and more people were exposed to ideas, viewpoints and beliefs that they would not have otherwise. Just to be clear, I believe that to be a very positive development. One fruit of this new, more cosmopolitan society was the notion that since not everyone agrees on one perspective but each of us, to some extent, has a unique way of perceiving the world then to claim that one's perspective is superior to another is arrogant and unjustifiable. Consequently, doubt was cast on the possibility of arriving at any kind of absolute knowledge. Pursuit of such knowledge was at the heart of modernism, hence the rejection of that pursuit became known as post-modernism. So, if absolute knowledge is impossible because each of us is bound by his or her own subjective perspective then we can never be certain that there is actually absolute truth to be known. Instead we are left with our own subjective, non-absolute truths that are true for me but may not be true for you.

So, what does all that have to do with Christianity? Well, if truth is only subjective and not objective and absolute then what does my claim that God exists amount to? Surely nothing more than my own subjective sentiments about how I feel. Some philosophers suggest that saying, "God exists" is less like saying, "the earth is round" and more like saying, "Yay!". Not a statement of fact but of feeling. Make no mistake, you Christians out there, many people you try to talk to about your faith have this mindset. What about us though? Is that sufficient for a Christian worldview? In case you hadn't guessed already, I vote no. I happen to agree with the apostle Paul when he says that if Christ did not rise from the dead then our faith is in vain. I take him to mean that if the person named Jesus, known to many as the Christ, did not really die and really rise from the dead then there is absolutely no point in being a Christian. If that is not a true-for-all-time fact about the universe then all the going to church, singing songs, praying and so on are worthless and we would be better off doing something else. Because if it is just a nice myth, then it has no power to change my life in any way. On the other hand, if it is true, if that did really happen, doesn't that change everything? Isn't anything possible?

Critics of Christianity today have much to teach those of us who call ourselves Christians. They complain about the way Christians live in the world and rightfully so. We don't live as people who truly believe that something as miraculous as the resurrection happened and we most certainly do not live as though the same power that accomplished that is in us (which, the Bible says is true). We are no different, much of the time, than the people around us who don't claim to follow Jesus. We are so caught up in the facts of life that we ignore the absolute Truth of the power of God to change that life.

Movie Review #1: Shutter Island

If a certifiable artistic genius does something "wrong" and makes "mistakes" can one be certain that they are actual mistakes? What if Mozart was playing a concerto and started playing in the wrong key? Would we, who do not share his genius, truly be able to tell, in that moment, if it was a mistake or merely genius beyond our understanding? If you do not believe, as I do, that Martin Scorsese truly is a genius in the art of film then you might be less than patient with some of the "mistakes" you'll find as you begin to watch his latest film, Shutter Island. The music is too loud, almost as if he's trying too hard to make you feel scared. This is a thriller after all. But, that is a rookie mistake. Isn't Scorsese better than that? There are some very awkward cuts, camera angles that don't seem to make sense, continuity errors. One might be tempted to think, as I did, that maybe Scorsese was off his game on this one. I am here to implore you to be patient. When you go see Shutter Island, and I recommend that you do, trust that Scorsese knows what he's doing. In the end you'll be rewarded.

With Shutter Island, Scorsese tells the story of Teddy Daniels, a federal marshal on assignment to investigate the disappearance of a patient from a remote mental institution for the criminally insane. As the title implies, the institution is on an island which lies off the coast of Boston. The story takes place in 1954. Teddy is a war veteran who was present at the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. Very soon after the arrival of Teddy and his new partner, the simple story begins to unravel and we are led down a rabbit hole of ever unfolding intrigue. Nazi experiments, an unregistered patient, even clues to Teddy's own past. All of the events unfold masterfully and we, like Teddy begin to lose our grasp on what is and is not real.

When all is said and done, you will be able to look back and see that, for all its twists and turns, it is actually quite a simple story. The genius is in the telling of it. I recall hearing Scorsese musing about the importance of film once in an interview or an ad for something or other. Among other things he talked about how when we watch movies we might just learn something about ourselves. I get the sense that in this film, as I'm sure he does in all his films, Scorsese is trying to give us something to identify with, an avenue to go down and possibly learn something about ourselves. How do I deal with loss? How might I face the horrors of war, the atrocities of something like the holocaust, even my own evil acts? What if I just couldn't face it? Obviously, Scorsese can't tell me how I would answer those questions but instead shows how others might. Perhaps that is what is so powerful about telling stories, however we do it. Maybe in hearing others' stories we can better understand our own.

Man - Husband - Father

It just occurred to me that I might want to explain the title of this little experiment, uh, I mean blog, "Man - Husband - Father". Many years ago, as I was leaving high school and entering high school: part ii (aka: junior college), like most of my peers I was discovering who I was. At that point I took on these three words as a mantle of the identity I wanted for myself. The order is intentional as I believe one must be a real man in order to be a successful husband. Likewise, I believe it is essential to be a good husband (as far as it depends on you) in order to be a good father.

As a follower of Jesus, the definition of manhood I seek to live out is not the same as what you might see in popular media. It has very little, if anything, to do with material success, physical appearance or sexual prowess. Ultimately, real manhood has to do with character. By character I am mostly referring to the manner in which one lives out his life. (This applies to women to but since I'm talking about manhood here, I'll stick with masculine pronouns, thanks ladies) Things like integrity, honesty, fairness, patience, humility and courage. The bible has a great list (I love lists) of character traits called "The fruit of the spirit": Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. These are the things that I want to be true of me. On any given day I will be more or less successful at these but that is what I strive for. I am convinced that the only way that I will ever even get close to being that kind of man is by the power of God through the work of the Holy Spirit (hence "the fruit of the Spirit).

Moving on...

Ever since I was young I very much looked forward to being married. It is a cliche in our popular culture for men to be afraid of commitment. I was as far from that stereotype as you can get. I got a full 8 hours of sleep on the night before my wedding. I couldn't have been more excited to share my life with this woman! If you haven't had the pleasure of meeting her, let me assure you, she's fabulous. I knew going in that marriage would be difficult and I assumed it would be fun and rewarding. It is so much more than either of those things. I've come to learn that marriage is about way more than my wife and me enjoying each others' company. We have a purpose as a couple. Much like the definition of manhood, the purpose for marriage comes from God (who made both men and marriage). The way the Bible puts it, marriage is one of the ways God shows us how He relates to His people. That is a huge task! My marriage is supposed to be a picture of how Jesus relates to his followers! Wow... Um, nothing more to say about that at this time. So much more to say though.

Last year I had the most amazing experience of my life when my daughter was born. I wish the experience was as pleasant for my wife but, well, lets just say that we're trying to help her forget so we can have another one some day. So, now that I am a father, something I have also been looking forward to since I was a boy, I can see that my work as a father began long before Anne was born. I mean this in two ways. In one way, the day-to-day reality of caring for a baby and nurturing her is something I prepared for mentally and emotionally all along because it was something I wanted very much. The other way in which my work as a father had already been going on was in the lives of friends and younger people I met. I have always had a father's heart and have tried to take care of others. Many times I have had the opportunity to be present for someone whose own father either couldn't be or never really was. Again, I learned how to be a father mostly from my heavenly Father (that's God by the way, in case you haven't been paying attention) but not always directly. He has sent many men into my life who have shown me bits and pieces of what it means to be a father. Youth leaders, pastors, teachers were all great influences. In recent years my father-in-law has been a great encouragement. And last, but certainly not least (though I doubt he knows it), my own father showed me what it means for a man to sacrifice for his family, as well as many other important lessons.

So, these three words represent the heart of who I am and desire to be. First, I want to be a man of Godly character. Then I want to give myself up sacrificially as a husband to Cristen. Finally, I want to raise my daughter(s and sons) well and to be a surrogate father for those in need of one.

Beginning Something New

Let me start this off by being completely honest. There is one reason, and one reason only, that I am writing a blog. Her name is Cristen. About six and a half years ago I had the good sense to marry this amazing young lady and to this day she pushes me to be the best that she believes I can be. For some reason, that means that I need to type out some of the things I think about and publish them online for all the world (or at least the five or so people she'll remember to tell about this) to read. Cristen made me promise to publish a non-movie article at least once in every calendar week so, that's what you can expect. So, because I love her and want to make her happy, here we go.

This blog will have two main topics. First, the state of the Christian church in America from my perspective as well as random musings on my own spiritual journey. Second, because I am something of a film lover, I will be reviewing movies that I watch. Some new, some old, some good, some bad but that's what I'll be posting on here. The views on both topics will be unapologetically my own while at the same time attempting to be sensitive to any who might read them. I am a white, male, Christan with a background in philosophy and Theology. I also dabble in psychology and issues of race and culture.

For those of you brave souls who do chose to subject yourselves to reading my posts I want to say a few things. First, thank you! I know you have many other options of things to read, thank you for choosing mine. Second, I love feedback and welcome all comments, positive or negative and even more than comments I adore questions. Feel free to ask questions of any kind, on topic or off, personal or theoretical. I will do my best to answer. I don't claim to have THE answer but I will endeavor to provide AN answer.

I think that'll about do for an introduction. If I think of anything else I'll add it later. Maybe I'll go ahead and post a real article now. Or, maybe not, I love procrastination... :c)