You are currently browsing the monthly archive for July 2008.
- You can get married at the church where you first met each other ten years before.
- You can honeymoon in the same town your families visited together when you were a freshman.
- She doesn’t have to tell you what she was like in high school. You already know.
- She knew you when you were a nerd.
- You’ve seen her make foolish choices.
- She’s seen you do the same.
- Your in-laws live twenty minutes away from your parents.
- You’ve seen God purify her faith in the crucible of deep tragedy.
- You’ve gotten on each others nerves way before your first date. That’s a good thing.
- You get to marry a girl who has already had a decade of experience being way out of your league.
Happy anniversary, sweetheart. I’m so glad you’re mine.
Johnathon
From Voice of the Martyrs:
The eyes of the world will soon be on the Olympics. But the eyes of God remain on His children and especially those who suffer for their faith.
Despite what you may hear in the news, Chinese Christians who refuse to register with the government controlled church are being persecuted. Many have undergone horrific suffering.
Recently a prominent representative of a group of house churches in China asked Christians throughout the free world to pray for China during the Olympics. The Voice of the Martyrs, in partnership with China Aid Associates, has accepted that call and has produced the Olympic Prayer Band. We would like to invite you to request one for free to wear during the Olympics. Similar prayer bands will also be distributed to house church Christians in China and they will be praying for you as well.
Use the form below to request your free Olympic Prayer Band. You may also order them in multiple quantities to share with your friends or even your entire church. Please also feel free to share this offer with others who will want to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Communist China.
I originally found this through a pop-up ad at Christianity Today.
There once was a man who owned an apple orchard (which he loved very much). Every morning he would walk through the orchard, pluck the apples that were ready, and place them in a red bucket (which matched his apples nicely). After filling the bucket, he would carry the apples to his barn and dump them in a bin to sell. Then he would set the red pail on a three-legged stool by his workbench and return to the house.
In the evening, the man’s young son would ramble out to the barn, pull the empty red bucket from the three-legged stool, fill it with water from the outdoor pump, and slosh it all the way back to his mother in the kitchen so she could boil it for cooking. When the bucket was drained, the young son would return it to the barn and heave it up onto the three-legged stool where it remained until the next morning.
One bucket. Two very different types of content (apples and water).
Words are a lot like that. They are empty and versatile until someone invests them with meaning.
This is E.D. Hirsch’s point in Validity in Interpretation:
…[M]eaning is an affair of consciousness not of words. Almost any word sequence can, under the conventions of language, legitimately represent more than one complex of meaning. A word sequence means nothing in particular until somebody either means something by it or understands something from it. There is no magic land of meanings outside human consciousness. Whenever meaning is connected to words, a person is making the connection, and the particular meanings he lends to them are never the only legitimate ones under the norms and conventions of his language. (pg. 4)
Spoonbridge and Cherry, 1985-1988. Sculpture by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. Minneapolis Sculpture Garden:
Spoonbridge and Cherry: Ingested, 2008. Interactive installation by Johnathon Bowers. Minneapolis Sculpture Garden:
Before I begin I want to mention two things by way of clarification:
1) I believe the question of whether or not to get a tattoo is largely a matter of personal conviction. There may be strategic and Christ-centered reasons for decorating your appendages, and there may be strategic and Christ-centered reasons for keeping them clean. This is not a cop-out. It is a call for Biblical discernment.
2) Though I will point out some concerns I have with body art, I want to equally stress that there are dangers inherent in abstaining. For example, a person may be tempted to assign greater moral significance to a tattoo than to a besetting sin such as greed, covetousness, or gossip. In other words, the tattoo parlor becomes a greater menace to the souls of men than the Mall of America. This is dangerous.
With that established, here are my reasons for abstaining from artificial pigment:
- We ought to wrestle seriously with the reality that we are not our own (1 Cor. 6:19-20). I realize that the issues are complex and deal as much with body piercing and plastic surgery, but I feel like the culture of tattooing simply assumes that we are free to do with our bodies as we please.
- Tattoos can (not must) breed an infatuation with novelty. One is usually not enough. This is just as true of purses and neckties, but tattoos are so…well…permanent.
- Crash the Christian tattoo artist (from yesterday’s post) said that the primary reason for the popularity of tattoos and body piercings is a desire to express individuality. This seems to distort the purpose for which our bodies are designed, namely, to display the worth of God (1 Cor. 6:20, which is admittedly addressing sexual immorality; however, I think the general principle of glorifying God with our bodies can be applied here).
- Personally speaking, I feel like I run a greater risk of causing offense by having a tattoo than by not having one. Since I don’t have a compelling reason to sport a tat, why needlessly assume a potential liability?
- Practically speaking, tattoos look impressive now, but if all predictions are accurate, my skin will sag and that ink will fade. I really don’t want to be stuck with a fuzzy patch of green tissue at age 70. I have enough freckles and scars to keep me occupied.
As I close, let me express my sincere love for my brothers and sisters who are persuaded that body art is a good thing. My only encouragement would be to view tattoos in relation to the centrality of Jesus and let that govern your motives and decor.
Anything you would add or challenge?
Thank you to those who have commented on yesterday’s post. Keep ‘em coming. I’m eager to see what you think about this issue.
I hope to suggest some thoughts about Christians and tattoos tomorrow. Before I do, I would like to bring another voice into the discussion to press toward a fuller perspective.
In his book “The Radical Reformission: Reaching Out without Selling Out,” Mark Driscoll interviews a man named Crash on the subject of tattoing. I’ll include an excerpt for us to chew on together:
1. What is your name?
Crash
2. Do you consider yourself to be a Christian?
Yes
3. What is your age?
33
4. What is your vocation?
I own several tattoo studios and a new tattoo magazine, and I write for several international tattoo publications.
5. What services does your business provide?
Tattoos and piercings
6. What is your ministry?
Revealing the truth of the gospel to everyone I come in contact with, primarily people between eighteen and thirty-five, and many who are very unlikely to set foot in a traditional church setting.
7. Why is the popularity of tattoos and piercings growing?
Nothing more than a growing and changing culture. The primary purpose is to express individuality. Much less common is the attempt to stand in defiance of conventional belief systems, but over the last ten years, this motivation has diminished drastically as society has become more and more accepting of these expressions.
8. Do you consider yourself a missionary to your culture?
I feel that I was put in this particular profession for the purpose of reaching this postmodern generation with the truth of the gospel in the arena of a desperate, lost, and angry culture. My goal every day is not to target and convert anyone but to look for opportunities when I might be able to show Christ’s love to people who have never once been shown what the real message of the gospel is. What they have been told, and what they’ve seen themselves, are the lies of legalism masquerading as the gospel, and “quick to judge and condemn” Christians pointing their fingers at them. (pp. 112-113)
Here’s a couple more questions for your cogitation:
1) Do you think tattoos could be an effective means of contextualizing the gospel in our culture?
2) If so, what should that look like? Does that mean only “Jesus” tattoos, or could such an approach make room for more obscure symbols?
When I was in high school, a friend of mine (who claimed to be a Christian) told me he was considering getting a tattoo. I was mortified. In a last-ditch attempt to dissuade him from what I thought would be certain catastrophe, I rushed to my exegetical armory and pulled out my trusty saber:
“You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the LORD” (Lev. 19:28).
I couldn’t site chapter and verse at the time, but I knew the Bible condemned tattooery and I wanted my friend to know it.
Never mind the fact that nine verses earlier Moses forbade wearing a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material. I was oblivious to the possibility that Leviticus 19 might require a bit more hermeneutical rigor than proof-texting.
How should we think about tattoos today, particularly in light of Leviticus 19:28? Back in September ‘07 Denny Burk linked to an audio clip from John Piper answering the question, “What do you think of tattoos and body piercing?” Here is part of Piper’s answer:
On the verse itself [Lev. 19:28], there were probably circumstances that made that absolutely warranted there. Whether that should be applied with the same absoluteness today without other factors being taken into consideration, I’m not ready to go there yet. I think there are other questions to ask that are more heart and motive and Christ-exalting questions than simply “Is there a verse?”
What do you think? Is it ever appropriate for a Christian to get a tattoo? What questions should we ask ourselves when contemplating the choice?
More to come…
Terry Virgo pays a tribute to Mark Driscoll today following his deliveries at the recent Together on a Mission conference in Brighton, UK. Here is an excerpt:
Well, he came and he’s gone – but we certainly know he was here!
Mark Driscoll packs a punch.
What did I especially appreciate about him?
His straightforwardness. Nothing hidden and no hiding, so, like the Apostle Paul, his forthrightness commended himself to our consciences. Because of his transparency it’s not difficult to feel that you know him personally, though you may have been lost in the vast crowd and never had the privilege of any one-to-one time.
He loves the truth and he loves Jesus and wants to make him known to 21st century people.
Pettiness and small-mindedness don’t stand a chance when he cuts loose with his burning desire to see Christ glorified in our generation. His radical priorities and decision-making are deeply rooted in a passion to confront our contemporaries with gospel truth.
I had the opportunity to sit in on an ordination council this morning at church. It was very profitable, to cop a term from Monday’s post. One of the topics that surfaced during a discussion on the doctrine of the Church was the possibility that a person could be gifted in a particular area (administration, teaching, etc.) and yet be spiritually immature.
I think we could apply this to the blogosphere.
It is tempting to judge a post’s worth by its rhetorical flair and linguistic acumen. These are great attributes, but they can easily become a substitute for the Spirit’s power if we are not careful.
In light of this, here are nine questions to ask when crafting a post. They are patterned after Galatians 5:22-23. I’m sure others have taken this approach before me. I would like to join their tribe.
Nine Questions to Ask When Blogging
- Is my writing governed by a deep love for my readers and for those I may mention in my posts, or am I simply using my readers to get what I really want (recognition, links, more hits)?
- Is the tone of my blog one of deep (not cheesy) joy in Jesus, or am I biting and negative?
- Is there a settledness to my writing, or am I frantic and using a lot of exclamation points and words in all-caps?
- When I disagree with someone on my blog, do I rant about their bad ideas, or do I bear with that person in the hope that God will grant him repentance?
- When people leave hurtful comments, do I respond with piercing vitriol, or do I extend kindness and give them the benefit of the doubt?
- Do I tend to blog about subjects that are edifying, or do I dwell on material that will corrupt the minds of my readers?
- Do I labor to produce content that is well-done and thoughtful, or am I content with sloppy shortcuts?
- Is my writing style heavy-handed, or am I gentle in the way I express myself (even when I have to say very hard things)?
- Am I disciplined in what I allow myself to post about, or do I have itchy typing fingers that gravitate toward the sensational?
What others would you add?
I think one other list would be appropriate, because there is another common use of “good” that begs for revision.
When we experience an event that is underwhelming in its quality, we will say that it was good when we really mean that it was mediocre. This usage is a subtle beast, because it can only be detected by voice inflection. When we are really impressed with something, we say “good” with a deep, melting voice, like it’s warm butter rolling over corn on the cob. However, when we want to be diplomatic and staid in our commentary, we say “good,” but we elongate it, and the tone sounds more like a roller coaster.
Example #1:
“How was the vacation in the Swiss Alps?”
“It was goooooood.” Warm butter.
Example #2:
“How was the conference on Hungarian tax law?”
“It….was….guuhhhooooouuuhhhd.” Tentative. Furrowed brow. Up, down, up.
To resolve the confusion, here are ten other words to put in your quiver for those times when you want to say a thing was mediocre (or worse) and you are tempted to say it was good:
- Vapid
- Middling
- Adequate
- Tolerable
- Prosaic
- Acceptable
- Pedestrian
- Humdrum
- Insipid
- Passable
Any other suggestions?
