Here’s what’s on my mind as I sail into sumer vacation:

What constructive and distinctly Christian offering do I/you/we bring to the emerging cultural conversation?

A few weeks ago, after worship, one of our members gave me an article entitled, “Love in the time of hooking up.” The article, descriptive of emerging young adult practice, observes, “for young people, the trend is sex first, dating (maybe) later.” Then it wonders, “is this healthy?”

What do you say beyond “no?”

Seriously, what would you say? What framework of faith would you draw upon to have a conversation – in a pluralistic society – about the destructive consequences associated with this practice? Where would you start? What resources might you draw upon or point to? And here’s a further challenge – changing sexual mores and norms are simply one of many aspects of our changing culture.

For some Christians I know it’s all too overwhelming and the temptation to retreat is too great and so they’ve withdrawn. For some Christians the temptation to become legalistic moralists is too great and so when they engage the engagement tends to be judgmental, detached and somewhere in the “conversation” they lose sight of the fact they’re speaking to someone created in God’s image and for whom Christ died, and they alienate others.

Some Christians, recognizing their own sinful condition and the hope afforded them in the Gospel, wish to share their story of encounter with the One who knows everything about them and yet did not condemn, but lack a language of faith with which to speak.

So what do you do?  What do we, as a community of faith, do? Where do we find wisdom in this age?  How do we attain to maturity?

Discuss.

This made me smile.  From the Internet Monk:

Ok, first off: Bucky is the smart-aleck cat. Satchel is the intelligent but not world-wise dog. And Rob is their loving but frequently frustrated owner. Get Fuzzy–the best writing in comic strips today. Some of you will say, “I don’t get it.” Read it again. Still don’t get it? Sigh…

This week marks the 85th anniversary of the “Scopes Monkey Trial” in Dayton, Tennessee. There are many places to read about this online, but you can also check out the book Chaplain Mike recently reviewed and recommended. You can get the movie Inherit the Wind.  Or you can just try to understand what Bucky is talking about with Rob.

I had the misfortune of spending the past 10 days at Oxford participating in something called the “Christian Leadership Forum”.  Gathered were academic, business and church leaders from around the globe.  I say “misfortune” because despite fascinating people (a professor of Philosophy at the People’s University in Beijing, an MP, and OBE, etc.), stimulating conversations and reflective presentations, and despite the lifting of a few pints, nothing could make up for my missing THE global event of the week, LeBron James’ “Decision.”

In case you, too, missed The Decision the presenters at last night’s ESPYS recapped:

Boos emanated from the crowd at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live every time the name LeBron James was mentioned during the ESPY awards show on Wednesday night.

On stage, Seth Meyers and his buddies were just as critical, with jokes and skits dedicated to the hour-long ESPN show ’The Decision’ in which James announced that he’d take his talents to Miami to join Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.

“Did it really need to be an hour?” Saturday Night Live‘s Seth Meyers, the night’s host, said of James’s ESPN special where he announced he would play for the Miami Heat. “Somebody time me. Miami. How long did that take? A second.” He also offered some comfort to Cavaliers fans, noting, “Literally every team that has ever won an NBA championship has done it without LeBron James.”

Even Paul Rudd and Steve Carrell chimed in, filming a parody of James’ one-hour ESPN special. But this time, the stakes of “the decision” involved ditching Chili’s for Outback Steakhouse.

The Early Church Killed Jesus
The question that we often incorrectly ask after reading this is, “Why do these early Christians have this quality of church?” We see this quality as merely something to be imitated, but miss the roots of their devotion. We tend to see the first church as prescriptive, but it is actuallydescriptive of something deeper.

Who Are Your “Trusted Advisors?”
From Michael Hyatt, Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers: The point is, your advisors can make you or break you. Mine nearly broke me. In the process, I learned several hard but important lessons. . .

What Cautions Do You Have for The New Reformed Movement?
From John Piper: My caution concerns making theology God instead of God God. Loving doing theology rather than loving God.

Suddenly Realizing You’re More Conservative Than You Used to Be
I was surprised by my reaction to Jack Black’s prayer to satan. Not that I expected a certain reaction, I hadn’t planned for that moment, but my response still caught me off guard.  Here’s the transcript of what he said: “Since we’re giving a rock reward tonight, who wants to pray to the devil with me? Who’s in with me. Come on. Let me see those horns. Metal! Metal! Alright, now take the hand of the person next to me. Dear dark lord satan, I hope everything is good with you. I’m doing fine myself. Just want to say hi. And ask you to grant tonight’s nominees continued success in the music industry.”

Better Me Than You
Recently for some odd reason I was blessed to be wearing shoes when I stepped up the stairs and directly on top of a wayward nail which pierced straight through the sole of my shoe and into my poor foot. As I screamed dramatically, the thought ran through my mind which, for almost seven years, has been repeated every time I have been assaulted by my own home: Glad I got to that first. Better me than one of the kids. Today I was cleaning the girls’ room. As I slid my hand under Maggie’s bed, my right thumb made direct contact with the pointy end a piece of glass. A rather large piece of glass, which could have done substantial damage to a small foot. My blood oozed from my body, while, as usual, I expressed gratitude for the opportunity to get to it first. Better me than her. I stared at the blood stained glass when suddenly, I stifled a sob, and doubled over.  For the image of my bloody Savior hanging on a cross had appeared in my mind. “And He said, Better Me than you.”

Heart Religion
Ray Ortlund writes: I have heard some scoff at this account.  “Pietistic” was the word used, as if that settled it.  I’m not big on man-made labels one way or the other.  But what God gave Wesley that evening I revere as biblical, I cherish as personal, I respect as powerful.  I believe in theologically aroused heart-religion.  It is the gospel getting traction inside us where it really counts.

Obama Faces Growing Credibility Problem
From the Financial Times: According to Democracy Corps, a group headed by Stanley Greenberg, a liberal pollster who is a close friend of Rahm Emanuel, Mr Obama’s chief of staff, a majority of US citizens see Mr Obama as “too liberal”.  Astonishingly, 55 per cent of citizens think Mr Obama is a “socialist” against only 39 per cent who do not share that diagnosis. The same poll shows 48 per cent support for Republicans against just 42 per cent for Democrats. The numbers are eerily similar to 2006, except that it was George W. Bush’s Republicans who were on the receiving end four years ago.  “The bottom line here is that Americans don’t believe in President Obama’s leadership,” says Rob Shapiro, another former Clinton official and a supporter of Mr Obama. “He has to find some way between now and November of demonstrating that he is a leader who can command confidence and, short of a 9/11 event or an Oklahoma City bombing, I can’t think of how he could do that.”

A $1,000,000,000 Basketball Player?
Incomprehensible to imagine, and quite disgusting to contemplate, but Forbes Magazine is reporting the possibility of LeBron James, “King James,” becoming a ONE BILLION dollar man: The Knicks just finished pitching LeBron James. Their main selling point: You could make a billion dollars playing in New York. You can’t earn anything close to that anywhere else.

There’s No Escaping Doctrine, But Handle It With Care
From Tim Keller: In both “liberal” and “conservative” churches, there is a resistance to an emphasis on doctrine. Often it is put this way: “We are not saved by assenting to propositions, but by obedient trust in God. What matters is being like Christ.” Lloyd-Jones’ response is, in my view, devastating:

One of The Worst Verses in The Bible
Let me introduce you to one of the worst verses in the Bible: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)  If you’ve been in or around a church for more than two weeks you’re probably tempted to label me a heretic right now. Because that verse is the golden child of the Christian universe. It’s the place we go to in the midst of chaos to reassure ourselves that God has our back. It’s the promise we claim when we’re worried about the future. In fact, it’s probably the most popular promise of God in the entire Bible.

Don’t Shun the Sting
From John Maxwell: English playwright William Shakespeare said, “He is not worthy of the honeycomb that shuns the hive because the bees have stings.”  Is there a “hive” that you’re avoiding because of the pain or difficulty that you believe lurks there?

Livingstone’s Lost Letter Deciphered
The contents of an “indecipherable” letter written by David Livingstone shortly before he met Henry Stanley have been revealed for the first time.  The so-called Letter from Bambarre was scribbled by the Scottish explorer on torn-out book pages in February 1871.

Five Famous Myths About The Birth Of Our Nation
Finally, because I was in the UK for the Fourth, I thought I’d wrap up this Around the Horn with a fun fact entry: Every Fourth of July, Americans celebrate, with parades, concerts, and fireworks, the events that set our nation free from colonial rule. It’s festive and it’s fun, but according to Peter Drummey, a librarian at theMassachusetts Historical Society, much of what we believe is false: 231 years later, our commonly accepted versions of revolutionary events are often more myth than fact.

One of our (St. Andrew’s) young women, Meghan Smith, is a finalist to be the very first “Levi’s girl.”  According to Meghan the Levi’s girl is the “spokeslady for Levi’s women & whatnot.”

The Levi’s girl will be selected by an online vote taking place on Facebook.  You can vote everyday until July 15th. Here’s the link to vote (also a great video intro of Meghan): http://www.facebook.com/Levis?v=app_132639060083319&ref=ts

The Wild Faith of Bear Grylls
For Grylls, there was something about that simplicity—that purity of faith as a child that he longed to return to. “Christianity is not about religion,” Grylls says. “It’s about faith, about being held, about being forgiven. It’s about finding joy and finding home. We all want that, but nobody wants religion. Why do people turn away from faith? They’re not, they’re turning away from religion most of the time. I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t want to be forgiven or held or find peace or joy in their life. We try loads of other stuff—we think booze or foxy women or whatever will fill it—but it doesn’t fill the hole.”

Toy Story 3: What We Can Learn From A Great Story
The reason I’m excited about this series is because the elements of a great story are also the elements of a great life. And when those elements are clearly defined, it’s hard for a story to go wrong.  If you’re leading or managing a team, I’m betting you can learn more from the movie Toy Story 3 than you can from a dozen books on business.

The Jesus Storybook Bible: A First Look
Rob Sturdy writes: On the way home we stopped at Barnes and Noble and were pleased to see that they carried the Jesus Story Book Bible.  Having received many good recommendations about this children’s Bible, I sat down and read a few of the stories and quickly determined to purchase it for David.  Let me just say before we get too far along, I’m very excited about this book, not only for David but also for myself and Stephanie.  As Dr. Tim Keller has said, “I would urge not just families with young children to get this book, but every Christian.”  This may sound like a bit of an exageration, but having read through it I must agree.  This is a great book for kids, but I’m ready to go ahead and go out on a limb, adults should purchase this book.  Seminarians should purchase this book.  Pastors should purchase this book.  And yes, it’s just a children’s Bible.  So what makes it so good?

Manute Bol’s Radical Christianity
From the Wall Street Journal: Manute Bol, who died last week at the age of 47, is one player who never achieved redemption in the eyes of sports journalists. His life embodied an older, Christian conception of redemption that has been badly obscured by its current usage.  Bol, a Christian Sudanese immigrant, believed his life was a gift from God to be used in the service of others. As he put it to Sports Illustrated in 2004: “God guided me to America and gave me a good job. But he also gave me a heart so I would look back.”

Shedding Some Light On Twilight
From Mary Kassian:  The question that I always ask, when I see something so grip the hearts and minds of women, is “Why?”.  And it was this question that was foremost in my mind when I finally sat down a couple weeks ago to watch and analyze the first two movies.  Personally, I could barely stomach the prolonged furtive glances, pained expressions, and shallow, banal dialogue that passed between Edward and Bella. But setting that aside, I think I understand the story’s attraction to young teen girls.  To begin, the saga portrays “traditional” roles for male and female at a time when it is highly counter-cultural to do so. Bella isn’t a male-kicking, karate-chopping, independent, domineering heroine.  She’s gentle, soft, and vulnerable. Her character flies in the face of the tough-girl image that’s portrayed by most contemporary movies.  I think young girls intuitively know that the prevalent portrayal of women as tough doesn’t match who they are. The average teen senses that she’s not wired that way. She longs to be the princess in a traditional fairy tale romance. She wants to be a woman. And she wants a man to be a man.

Rejection By The Silent Majority
The problem with most worship songs written today is NOT simplicity, it’s singability. Writing a good, singable song requires both artistry and servanthood. These qualities are difficult to balance, and unfortunately many of today’s worship writers are not doing a very good job of it.  Unique melodies and song structures are fun to listen to but when a congregation is subjected to it, more often than not the song is rejected by silent majority.

The Desacralization of Work
Susan and I started out on the New Jersey turnpike quoting Simon and Garfunkel: “I’m empty and aching and I don’t know why.”  I know one reason—or I think I do. The desacralization of work. The sense that the activity on which we spend the most time in life, next to sleeping, is meaningless. The desacralization of work means that its purpose is gone. It means thinking of work without consideration of calling. Other reasons for aching emptiness are also evident, but if we don’t get work right everything else gets distorted.