The Rev – Page 18

Fab Five

March 16, 2011 by The RevNo Comments

I just watched the Fab Five. I cannot even begin to express the number of emotions it brought up in me. So weird. I remember where I was when Webber called the timeout. It was the first time I had been to a sports bar, we were in Milford at my Dad’s and it was this little joint out on Milford Road. There was dead silence. With the exception of the one UNC fan. Then we all sang karaoke. Weird. ...

Garden State: Good or Bad?

March 15, 2011 by The RevNo Comments

In our second to last post exploring how to engage with culture we will be evaluating the film Garden State . Remember the four key questions that we use in our evaluation: What does this tell us about God? What does this tell us about man? What does this tell us about man’s greatest problem? What does this propose for the solution to man’s greatest problem? From here we would then compare those answers to the Biblical worldview. Let’s dive in…What does Garden State tell us about God? Not much. God does not make an appearance in the film. It would seem that there is no sense of a divine presence. The characters in the film are apparently on their own to figure out the world.What does Garden State tell us about people? It has much to say here. Zach Braff paints for us a crystal clear image of the fallenness of humanity. All of the characters are deeply flawed. One is a liar, one a...

Do the Lenten Twist

March 10, 2011 by The RevNo Comments

This morning as I watched my Facebook and Twitter feeds fill up with what people were giving up for Lent a thought struck me. It was simple and profoundly un-original. I began thinking about what Jesus did during those last forty days. The Scriptures don’t really give us a blow by blow. However, I think what we see is that Jesus did not give things up. Jesus drew closer to his disciples. He spent more time with them. All this was in preparation for his death. We know now that he lives. Death could not keep him. So, I think for Lent instead of giving up something, we ought to think about picking up something. Why not take the next forty days and draw close to Jesus? What would it look like if we did this? What if, for the next forty days we spent time in prayer, study, and community? Oh, wait…it turns out that is exactly what Lent is supposed to be...

A UM Fan Not Happy About Jim Tressel

March 9, 2011 by The RevNo Comments

I am a pretty big University of Michigan sports fan. I enjoy it when that school down South loses and I hope that they are the first number one seed to lose to a sixteen seed in the NCAA tournament. I like it when they mess up in big games and lose their Bowl games. I really do. Today we learned that Jim Tressel would be suspended for two games and fined a good deal of money for lying to the NCAA (these were OSU’s penalties, more may be coming from the NCAA). In this, I took no pleasure. In this, my heart was saddened. I have made many a crack regarding the man whom I refer to as the “Sweater Vest”. I even sent out the following tweet the moment I heard about Chris Robinson and Dan Wetzel’s article: “This just in the Ohio State University cheats. #shocked” As the story unraveled and more information was brought to light, I became less amused and more saddened. By...

The Lion King: A Wolf

March 7, 2011 by The RevNo Comments

In my previous post I suggested a method for evaluating culture. We are going to begin with an evaluation of the beloved Disney film, The Lion King . EvaluationThe first question is, “What does this communicate about God?” The Lion King communicates very little about God. Actually, there is no sense of the divine. New Age philosophy is rampant where the created order is governed by the “circle of life”. As beings pass from life to death they become disembodied spirits and act as overseers. There is a mystical Ape shaman who provides insight for Simba throughout his adventure. The second question is, “What does this communicate about man?” The Lion King communicates much about man. It presents a picture of humanity as having little meaning or purpose. The main characters go through life seeking to find their actualized potential. This is done through their good deeds or works. But, there is no overarching purpose, for at the end of the day they...

Calvinist, Baptist, Reformed…huh?

March 1, 2011 by The RevNo Comments

If you don’t live under a rock then you know that Rob Bell is coming out with a new book. This book is already causing a great stir among many in the theological realm. John Piper, Justin Taylor, and the like are all commenting on a book they have not yet read. David Fitch and others are using this as an opportunity to slam the “Neo-Reformed” “movement”.I will not write anything about Bell’s new book until I read it.I will write this: Calvinist does not equal Reformed.The “neo-Reformed” “movement” is a label that has been given to people who are Calvinist and young and Baptist. By definition, you cannot then label them Reformed.Why?Because, Reformed theology is Covenantal theology which is not held by Baptists. They do not hold to a unified understanding of the Bible (while some may give lip service to this, their praxis denies it). Covenantal theology necessarily requires one to come to a position of paedo-baptism in...

The Questions Are…

February 28, 2011 by The RevNo Comments

Movies, music, TV, books, are all meant for our entertainment. Or are they? I would argue that while they may be entertaining, their primary purpose is to communicate. These are all means by which we as people communicate the stories of our lives.When you sit down to read a book, listen to an album, watch a TV show, or watch a movie you are peering into the heart and soul of another person. You are hearing from them what they most deeply believe about life and truth. We as followers of Jesus must engage with this cultural activity critically.We are a free people. We are also a called out and holy people.Jesus sent us into the world to be as innocent as doves and as wise as serpents (Matthew 10:16). Sadly most followers of Jesus pick one or the other. We need to be both. To be both means that we must learn to think and engage the world critically....

Give Me a New Law!

February 22, 2011 by The RevNo Comments

Derek Webb sings, don’t teach me about politics and governmentjust tell me who to vote for don’t teach me about truth and beautyjust label my musicdon’t teach me how to live like a free manjust give me a new law (from “A New Law”) This tends to be how the average Christian implicitly lives. Not many of us would say it aloud but we live this way. If it’s a “Christian” band then it’s good. If it’s rated “G” then it’s good. If it’s rated “R” then it’s bad. If it’s “secular” then it’s bad. We have created a new law to replace the one that Jesus freed us from. We have done so because we don’t want to learn “how to live like a free man”. To be sure this is not a recent development. Paul was dealing with it in the first generation of Christians. In Galatians 5 he writes, For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not...

Are you…Radical?

February 19, 2011 by The RevNo Comments

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=danielmroseco-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&asins=1596449381I just finished reading David Platt’s Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream. It’s a good read and really challenging. David successfully puts the ideas and concepts of books like Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat’s Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire into terms that the average 40+ person can understand. His metaphors are great. His passion is obvious. I think for the most part his exegesis is solid too. Nothing really stood out as problematic. I really appreciated the clarion call throughout the text to abandon all and follow Jesus. For this alone the book was worth the price of admission. The place where I think the book really wins is the emphasis on discipleship. I am reminded again that Robert Coleman nearly 50 years ago really did know what he was talking about with The Master Plan of Evangelism . I hope that we who have read this book will take the Biblical command to multiply our lives through discipleship seriously. It is...

Why Dad?

February 18, 2011 by The RevNo Comments

On our way home from school I decided to break the news to Ethan. He had only one question, “Why Dad?”Listening to all the talk about Miguel Cabrera and thinking about my own family’s history with alcohol and drug abuse, I am realizing that all of us are asking the same question. We feel a lot like this:[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQveng3Wxz8?rel=0]You know what though? We don’t want to hear the answer. Why would a man who has a great wife sleep around? Why would a person with a family who loved him turn to drink? Why would a kid with everything in front of her slice up her arms? Why does a kid with a great future waste it away sitting on a couch getting high?We are constantly left with the question, “Why Dad?”The answer, while simple, is profound. The answer, while simple, sounds weak coming off the tongue. The answer, while simple, is not what we want to admit to. The answer...