Ironman, the Modernist

Courtney and I watched Ironman last night. Fun action movie. It also got me thinking about our own sense of identity as Americans and how this is constantly reflected in our comic heros.

Americans have always perceived themselves as that lone vigilante for justice. The myth of the cowboy or Batman or Mr. Smith in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington pervades our psyche. We are suspicious of totalitarian power and the injustice perpetuated on masses of people by the "evil" ones of the world. Interestingly, in the movie Ironman the protagonist realizes that his weapon-making business has been falling into the wrong hands and as he witnesses his own weapons being used against innocent civilians, he undergoes a sort of conversion. He decides to stop producing weapons, much to the dismay of the Powers.

But then the movie takes an interesting (and expected) turn. Our protagonist decides that he can no longer trust justice to be done by anyone... except for himself. So he creates a flying, missile-shooting, invincible metal suit for himself and, in good American fashion, goes out and kicks some arse.

This is the modernist illusion. We are the good guys; they are the bad guys. It's our moral duty to kill the bad guys so that they don't do bad things anymore. We do not trust others with power so we reluctantly take up power upon ourselves so that the "evil" ones won't rule over the "good." Such dualism, says postmodernism, is an illusion and I happen to agree. None of us are the good guys and none of us are the bad guys. And we are certainly not trustworthy with our Iron Suit. Soon we, the powerful ones, become corrupted and before we know it, we're the ones killing the women and children and calling it "collateral damage."

It wouldn't make a very good movie, but if the Ironman had been a postmodernist instead of a modernist and had allowed himself to be suspicious of all controlling metanarratives, including his own, then he wouldn't have made an Iron Suit. He would have, as Jesus said, "Put down his sword."

Ironman, a fun movie I must admit, perpetuates the myth of our own self-righteousness. When will we stop seeing everyone else as infected by power's corrupting influence except ourselves? When will we stop playing the executioner? When will we learn to trust the One who knows everyone's story perfectly and who is able to mete out justice flawlessly? When will we set aside our one-man, iron-suited vigilante ways and instead start bearing the cross?

The Lazy Missionary

I have now been classified as a "missionary" twice in my lifetime. The first was during my year in China as my wife and I taught English to college sophomores in Tianjin. The second is my current appointment in inner city Indianapolis where I am considered by many to be an "urban missionary." Before ever taking either of these positions, I thought of missionaries as those lone, brave souls who are out in uncomfortable places working tirelessly for the spread of the gospel. Now, having been a so-called missionary, I have a different, more complex view.

It is entirely possible for a missionary, like any Christian, to be completely lazy. In fact, I would have to admit that my year in China was in some ways the least stressful year of my life. I think Courtney and I watched more movies that year than we ever had before or since. It was incredibly tempting for us in the midst of all of the culture stress to isolate ourselves in our little apartment, spending time playing games, reading, watching movies, or surfing the web. Meanwhile, our friends back home were just sure that Greg and Courtney were always out hugging and kissing Chinese orphan babies. And although we did in fact hug and kiss Chinese orphan babies, we only did so for two hours every other Friday afternoon.

My point is this... although locating ourselves among the needy is an important piece of the puzzle in mission, it is not the whole picture. I know of one nameless individual who is currently situated in Rwanda and spends huge amounts of his/her time playing a Nintendo Wii. I do not pass judgment on this individual because I know how incredibly tempting it can be for a missionary to medicate his or her pain with entertainment and the comforts of the American lifestyle.

Missionaries, like any other Christian, are vulnerable to laziness and the temptations of comfort. When I pictured myself entering into the inner city, I had in mind walking the streets at night with bullets whizzing over my head as I traveled bravely to visit the drug addict down the street and save him from suicide. But right now I am instead sitting in my bathrobe at my computer in my warm, quiet home. So for those of you out there who might think of missionaries as martyrs, I'll just say this... not all missionaries are equal. Teachers in China are a far cry from Teresa of Calcutta.

Now I'm going to go make myself a cup of coffee.

Top 6 Books from Seminary

I just thought I would share with you the best six books that I read in my years at seminary and why I liked them so much. Hopefully, one of them will intrigue you and you'll decide to pick it up.

6) Colossians Remixed by Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat. This is a brilliant and creative commentary on the book of Colossians. Walsh and Keesmaat argue that Paul intended for Christians to subvert the empires of this world and stand radically apart from governments as a challenge to the "powers" which rule our planet. They furthermore interpret Christianity in light of postmodernity's discomfort with metanarratives and offer a hopeful version of the faith which will be not only palatable, but appealing to our diverse culture.

5) The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis. One of my all time favorites! I have read it four or five times. Fictional account of a journey from hell to heaven offering brilliant insights on the nature of salvation, hell, heaven, and the justice of God. The story articulates for me better than any other why God is love and yet hell exists.

4) Surprised by Hope by N. T. Wright. Read anything and everything by N. T. Wright, but this is him at his best. Wright argues against the hyper-spiritualized 'pie-in-the-sky' picture of heaven which dominates evangelical theology and replaces it with the biblical picture of the resurrection of the body. The implications of belief in resurrection are far-reaching and impact how we go about mission today as the church. Finally we can leave behind the weak, diluted gospel of just "saving souls" and embrace the full, robust gospel of saving people.

3) The Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux. Not nearly as intellectually challenging as the rest of these books, this simple autobiography is filled with profound spirituality. I cried my way through the end as God showed me how to be irrelevant for him. A powerful vision of the Christian life which stands in sharp contrast to all of the self-improvement devotional tripe available in Family Christian Bookstores.

2) The Politics of Jesus by John Howard Yoder. I believe this book literally changed how I will read the Bible forever. Yoder hits the nail on the head when he accuses evangelicals of "hyper-spiritualizing" the message of the Sermon on the Mount. I expected a philosophical work and found a brilliant biblical commentary instead. I believe anyone who reads and fully understands this work will seriously consider becoming a pacifist.

1) Exclusion and Embrace by Miroslav Volf. The best book I read in all of my time in seminary. Born among the conflict in the Balkans, Volf reflects on how to live out Jesus' message of reconciliation in the midst of deep hurt. His message extends beyond the political realm and invades our lives as it challenges us to make peace with our enemies and live in harmony as God has intended. (It also is a far better resource on how to have a happy marriage than anything you could get from Focus on the Family).

Should I Vote for Obama?

I'm really wrestling with my vote this year. Not that I'm even considering casting a vote for McCain. But I am wrestling with if I should vote for Obama or not vote at all. The problem is that Obama is pro-choice and I believe that abortion is perhaps one of the greatest evils in our world today. But I agree with Obama on so many other issues. Below are the issues that concern me most in order of importance and how they are weighing in on my decision to vote:

1. The illegalization of abortion. I am convinced that abortion is murder pure and simple. Obama supports the right for women to kill their children even in the final trimester of pregnancy. I think this is criminal. -10 points for Obama

2. A Peace-making foreign policy. McCain is a war-maker in the tradition of our current administration. Obama would be a breath of fresh air not only to our country, but to the rest of the world since he believes in using war as a last resort rather than war mongering as the Republicans would have us do. + 5 points for Obama

3. The elimination of poverty. McCain represents more government apathy in the war on poverty and, I believe, is a pawn of the rich and powerful. Obama, as a community organizer on the south side of Chicago, certainly has more of a passion for addressing issues of systemic poverty and oppression as I do. + 5 points for Obama

4. A compassionate approach to our immigrants. Actually, McCain and Obama will both be a step in the right direction for our nation as we overcome the xenophobic of the Bush administration. I could support McCain on this issue. +3 points for both candidates.

5. Care for the environment. Again, both candidates are better than Bush. But I find Obama's proposals for investment in alternative energy sources to be the right direction for the country as opposed to McCain's insistence that we find more sources of oil. + 2 points for Obama.

6. Obama is black and we need a black president in this country. + 1 for Obama.

So there you have it. Should I vote for Obama or not vote at all? What would God have me do? I look forward to all of your responses.

Peeking at the Kingdom

One of my favorite preachers, Steve DeNeff, hit the nail on the head in a sermon I recently heard. I am so appreciative of his words that I want to transcribe them and share them with you:

"There is a kingdom. You've never seen it, but let me describe it to you.

There is a kingdom where the most powerful person in the room divests himself of all of his power so that all of his power resides not in himself but, like the Triune God, it rests in the people he has given it to. He is only powerful as they are powerful.

There is a kingdom where man is not measured by the things he possesses, but by the things he gives away.

There is a kingdom where truth is not pursued to accomplish an air of superiority, but where truth is a mere tool to accomplish the things in this world that God has sent us into this world to accomplish.

There is a kingdom where the most powerful person in the room, the all-transcendent God, the Holy One so awesome that if you would look at Him you would die... this person gets down and lets little children walk on his knees.

There is a kingdom where the most holy person in this room is surrounded by those who are precisely unholy."

I confess that I often loose sight of this kingdom. I am thankful to Pastor Steve for reminding me of it. Oh how Christians need to catch a glimpse of this kingdom! We would no longer insist on our rights, we would no longer fight our enemies, we would no longer buy into the upwardly mobile lies of our culture, we would no longer play purity games with one another.

Lord Jesus, I pray that you show us this alternate universe. Come, Lord Jesus, come.