The Burr in the Burgh

Centering Prayer is a method of contemplative prayer that began in some Roman Catholic monasteries and is now becoming more widespread in ecumenical circles. Even some pastors in my own denomination (The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod) are now advocating it.

Essentially, it is just a form of self-hypnosis. It utilizes breathing techniques, mantras and emptying the mind in order to find God within. Oh, various Christians are trying to bring it more in line with their doctrine, but it doesn't take a rocket surgeon to see how thin these attempts really are.

OK, so I read this book called Journey Back to Eden: My Life and Times Among the Desert Fathers by Mark Gruber. The author is a Benedictine monk and professor who spent a year living in Egypt observing Coptic Christianity, particularly in the desert monasteries. Fascinating book, by the way.

At one point, he is attending a meeting of Coptic monks from around the world including some from the U.S. Some of the other monks were very curious to ask the Americans about stuff they'd heard about monasticism in the West. Here is the quote:

"The wondered about the Oriental practices that have been entering into Western Churches, such as meditation, breathing, and stretching exercises, which are designed to "center" a person. The Coptic Orthodox monks didn't like the idea of being centered by techniques, and even if that were possible, they thought it couldn't be as efficacious or important as being centered by faith in the Paschal Mysteries of Christ."

EXACTLY!! That's what I'm saying. Maybe every Lutheran pastor should be required to live in a Coptic monastery for at least one year before being given a parish. Maybe 12 months sleeping on the ground, eating sheep cheese and praying the entire psalter (all of it) every morning would clear out some debris.

All I have to say is, "Where is the discernment?"

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This is not to be confused with the awful James Spader movie of the same name. This movie has some offensive language and situations. But it is the best film I have ever seen that deals with racism from all angles. It's not what you might expect. I highly recommend it.


A WWII drama set in a Japanese prison camp. Inspired by true events. The screenplay was written by Brian Godawa whose book Hollywood Worldviews is an outstanding read. This excellent film starring Kiefer Sutherland is one of the best film presentations of the gospel I have ever seen without being preachy.


I just love this little known film. Ed Harris is great. See if you can discern what the third miracle is.


A bit too scary at parts for the little ones, but an excellent entertainment. Johnny Depp is brilliant. Do I detect him channelling a bit of Keith Richards here? Funny and exciting.

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Here are some CDs I've been listening to recently. I'm particularly obsessing over the Fiona Apple and Mindy Smith CDs right now.

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Anne Rice is best known for her erotic vampire thrillers beginning with Interview with the Vampire which was later made into a successful film. I've read a couple of her vamp novels and seen the film. As a writer, there is no question that Rice is highly skilled. Her stories are filled with lush detail, romantic atmosphere and hypnotic characters. She expertly recreates exotic locales and times past with brilliant clarity. Her stories are also typically filled with sex and gore. And gory sex. You get the idea.

So you can imagine my skepticism when I first heard that she was writing a novel about Jesus Christ. All this world needs is another libidinous occultist opining on the Savior. (Note that I'm also trying to use as many 3-4 syllable words as I can.) But I'm going to reserve final judgment until I've actually read her newest book, Christ the Lord : Out of Egypt.

A few years ago, Rice recommitted herself to the Roman Catholic faith of her upbringing. As far as I could say, she is sincere in her dedication to the dogmas and practices of Rome. Insofar as I am delighted to see anyone becoming serious about Christianity, I commend her.

Though Christian orthodoxy was not exactly prevalent in her earlier writings, even her vampire books were filled with Christian-esque spiritual themes: sacrifice, atonement, immortality and damnation. The Bible says that the life of the flesh is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11) and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews (9:22). Somehow I think those ideas never left her. And perhaps after her soul became tired of exotic experimentation with those themes, the Holy Spirit brought her back to the base of the gory cross of the God-man.

Based on what little I've read (here and here) about Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, it's mostly fictional. History simply tells us next to nothing about the years the Holy Family spent in Egypt. My understanding is that Rice does draw somewhat from apocryphal legends about the childhood of Jesus. This troubles me because the sources of these tales tend to be gnostic pseudapigrapha. Knowing her style, however, I also imagine the book to be filled with thoroughly researched historical accuracy regarding the times depicted. The author states that she wanted to deal with the subject with reverance and authenticity, as a sincere believer. She derides liberal demytholigization characteristic of the charlatans in the Jesus Seminar. And that, in my eyes, earns her a hearing.

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So I read this article about a bunch of anti-Bush protesters in San Francisco. One of them threw a molotov cocktail and lit up a police officer.

Actually, my title is inaccurate. These protesters are definitely not pacifists. In fact, it's kind of appropriate for them to be throwing molotov cocktails since the organization behind the protest, "World Can't Wait," is a revolutionary agency, founded by avowed communists. And by "revolutionary," I don't mean, "they're really innovative and cutting edge." I mean r-e-v-o-l-u-t-i-o-n. Revolt. Read their own FAQ page. If you don't smell the Leninism, you aren't paying attention. They admit that they want to stir upset in society in order to wake the rest of us up. They state that they intend to further polarize the nation because that will be necessary for making progress. Hmmmm... Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel anyone? Where've we heard this type of talk before?

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If you aren't aware, Veggie Tales are popular cartoons that re-tell Bible stories with all the characters represented as talking vegetables. The quality of the animation and humor is pretty good and they have a stong moral emphasis.

Rev. Paul McCain, over at Cyberbrethren brought the product pictured above to our attention recently.

I have two points I'd like to make. The first one having to do with the Veggie Tales Nativity scene here. And the second point regards Veggie Tales in general.

First, this nativity scene is very cute, I admit. I'm sure they'll sell a bunch of them. And sometimes I really get tired of being a curmudgeon. But this is just too goofy folks. We are talking about turning the Almighty Son of God, the eternal Creator of all things, into a carrot. Would you think it disrespectful of God if we made a cartoon of the life of Jesus and represented our Lord as a radish? Or maybe the cartoons would use animals instead. Would you think it appropriate to have a nativity scene with a puppy in the manger? Or maybe Jesus as a frog nailed to the cross. What's next? A Mr. Potatoehead Holy Ghost?

Why is it that we equate cute with harmless? This Veggie Tales scene is cute, but not harmless. I have no doubt that the real baby Jesus was adorable. Aren't all babies? Well, almost, right? But the shepherds came to worship him. The scene of Christ's birth should be more than just sweet and cute. It should inspire awe and reverance and holy fear. Thanks Veggie Tales for undermining the birth of the Savior.

And secondly, on Veggie Tales in general. I have a son who is now 10 years old. When he was little, we bought and played Veggie Tales videos for him. And some of my orthodox confreres might want to poison my beer after I say this, but in a way I kinda like them. I have absolutely nothing against moralizing to children. We should moralize to our children. Only negligent irresponsible parents fail to moralize to their children.

HOWEVER, I'm still not thrilled with portraying the great biblical saints as produce. Please do not honor me (not that I'm in the ranking with the biblical saints) by painting me as a turnip. But my chief concern with Veggie Tales is the moralizing. Now, I know what I just wrote above. I'm not contradicting myself. I am in favor of moralizing, I just don't think that is the chief purpose of the Holy Scriptures. When we tell the story of God, the point is not "be moral" or "be good" and certainly not "be nice." The point of the plot of the bible is Jesus Christ, Savior of sinners. If that is not the point of telling the bible story, then you have not spoken the Word of God, no matter where you got your script.

If you want to moralize your children - and you should - use Aesop's fables. There's a lot of good natural law morality there. Or use the Bible, but if you use the Bible and fail to end with the cross, you may as well stick with Aesop.

And by the way, Veggie Tales, a tomato is a fruit.

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Hey all,
I just noticed that I've been given two very prestigious blogging pats on the back.

First, I was notified that one of my recent posts received the Golden Aardvark Aaward by Aardvark Alley.

And then I saw that I've been named the very first Lutheran Blog of the week.

First of all - and I'll keep this short maestro - I'd like to thank all my fans. It's all for you!!! And I want to thank my wife who puts up with a lot of *&$#@ from me, I'm sad to say. And finally, I'd like to thank myself because I couldn't have done it without me.

You may now all address me as Excellency please.

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My darling niece in Colorado sent us a Halloween e-mail with a pretty creepy vid attachment. I've found it on the net and link to it. I don't believe in ghosts and I'll maybe explain that in a future post. But I do believe in evil spirits who may very well masquerade as spirits of the dead to deceive us.

Well anyway, some car company was making a commercial and caught something really bizarre on their film. Watch closely as the car winds down the road for a faint misty figure. As the car pulls out from behind a grove of trees, an odd mist figure appears to be following the car. Is it only a natural mist or something supernatural? I'll let you decide.

And make sure your sound is turned on because you can faintly hear the cameraman muttering about the phenomena.

Here's the link.

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So a FoxNews story reports that more Americans believe in the existence of heaven than hell. Why does this not surprise me? Here's the question I'd like to hear answered. Of those Americans who believe in the existence of hell, how many of them think the chances are high that they'll go there?

I'm not a bible-thumping, asp-wielding, tent-revivaling, hellfire & brimstone preacher. But I do believe in the existence of hell. And so did Jesus. Read the Gospels. No one in the whole Bible talks more about hell and damnation that Jesus Christ. In fact, most of what we know about hell comes from the lips of the Savior.

I'm on a Christian radio talk show every Sunday night from 9-11 p.m. here in Pittsburgh. And last night, we had a caller who argued the case that Jesus was uber-tolerant and would never hurt a flea. And I told the woman, Gabrielle (ironically), that it was very evident that she had not actually read the recorded accounts of the life of Jesus. Her understanding of Jesus is like the one I described in this earlier post. The hippy peacenik Jesus, a little high on weed. "They call me mellow yellow." The Greenpeace Vegan Jesus. The Precious Moments figurine, a.k.a. the child of god(dess). Gabby, the caller, doesn't want Jesus. She wants Phil Donahue.

I'm not glad there is a hell. But there is. And it is foolish to believe - counter to the very words of Jesus Christ - that no one goes there. The preacher who never talks about hell is incompetent and should be challenged. I don't mention hell often and I don't like mentioning it when I do. Sometimes I do not enjoy preaching God's Word. But it is His Word I am called to deliver. Not my own. Not what my congregation would like to hear.

I'll wager that most people in America think, if there is a heaven, that they'll go there. Sadly, I doubt that very much. Jesus is not vague in Matthew 7 when He says that the gate to heaven is narrow and few will find it while the gate to destruction is wide and many are on their way.

And that's one reason why I have very mixed feelings about Halloween. My son will go begging for candy like all his neighbors tonight. And I will stand at the door giving Butterfingers to the little princesses, and Scream guys, and imps, and the teenager wearing the white t-shirt that simply says "Official Halloween Costume" on the front. But anything that makes light of the devil or hell is dangerous in my opinion. I wouldn't make jokes about cancer to a woman about to die with tumors pillaging her body. And I don't think we should laugh at devildom when the majority of human beings are going to be damned.

In any case, that's why we preach the gospel, right?

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Note the new poll down the right side of the blog.

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Last year, I recall reading about a school district in Washington state which was banning the celebration of Halloween. If you think this was done to appease some Christian fundies, you'd be wrong. The fact is, the decision was made because Halloween depictions of witches were offensive to . . . witches. The Wiccans complained. This year, the same thing is happening in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

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As many of you know, my wife, Julie, has written a number of children's books. She has several more in the works now. But I thought I'd bring these holiday books to your attention since we are entering that time of year. Note especially the Saint Nicholas book. St. Nick day is Dec 6.

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Thanks to Wendy at Tales from the Dorkside for bringing this to our attention. The editors at Time magazine have compiled a list of what they consider the 100 greatest English language novels from 1923 to the present. Here is the whole list.

These are the ones I've read. What about you?

• Animal Farm by George Orwell
• The Assistant by Bernard Malamud
• The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
• Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
• Lord of the Flies by William Golding
• The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Moviegoer by Walker Percy
• 1984 by George Orwell
• The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
• Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
• The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I number 15. Should be more, I suppose, but I can't help thinking of all the great books not on their list too.

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Thanks to Beggars All for bringing this to our attention. There is a new trailer out for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe movie. Go here. The book has long meant a lot to me. So I'm on pins and needles waiting for the movie. If it is well-made and sticks to the text, this could be a very useful tool for the Church.

First, because it is a ripping story. Full of strange creatures, an evil witch, mighty wonders and bloody battles.

Second, because it conveys Christian truth expertly in the narrative:

• Sin. The character of Edward illustrates the hold that sin has on our nature. It is like an addiction. It's a hunger, a desire, a passion, lust, envy, greed, pride, idolatry. It's all the same. Sin is being curved in on oneself. Sin is - at its core - looking for fulfillment in anyone or anything other than God through Christ.
• The Devil. Satan has control over the world, but not complete control. Ultimately, he is still God's devil. And God is supreme. Yet, under the devil's sway, all of creation is cast into a winter-never-Christmas. All color is gone. Life no longer blooms. Warmth is a memory.
• Substitutionary Atonement. The one eternal Son of God submits to the law and is cruelly murdered in place of the sinner. His death releases the sinner from his bondage forever.
• Resurrection. There is nothing at all remarkable about the resurrection of God's Son. What else would "The Life" do but live. The remarkable thing is that He died in the first place.
  
• Christus Victor. The Lord will crush the serpent's head. The witch and her followers will be damned.

Others who've written about C.S. Lewis and Christian theology in The Chronicles of Narnia can expound on this much further and much better. But all of what I've mentioned is clearly portrayed in the narrative of the upcoming film (assuming it remains faithful ot the book).

And that is why I believe this film has the potential for being a much better tool for Christian evangelism than Mel Gibson's movie The Passion of the Christ. Gibson showed. This tells. And I think telling is better than showing alone.

Gibson showed us the crucifixion, but never explained its meaning. Image has value. But without explanation, the image alone can easily mislead. Luther complained that people meditate on the passion of the Christ and either feel sorry for Jesus or get mad at the Jews, neither of which were the intent of his suffering and death.

I admire Lewis's accomplishments. Hopefully this film will help us tell about Christ to a generation who simply don't know anything, though they think they know enough.

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People are complaining that there are no black players on the Houston Astros's lineup. See here. Apparently, this is the first time this has been the case for a World Series team in fifty years. Now I could understand the complaint if someone were alleging that qualified black players were being discriminated against and kept off the team on the basis of their race. That would be terrible.

But, as yet, no one has made that allegation. Even those who are complaining about the situation state that the cause is that the majority of black athletes are going into other sports, such as basketball and football.

The Astros general manager said,"I think it's a huge, huge problem for baseball." I'm just not seeing the point. Why is this a problem if we're not talking about discrimination? Are black athletes bad people for choosing other sports to pursue? There aren't a lot of African Americans playing professional hockey either. So what? How many Asian-Americans play football? What's the problem?

Baseball is a fine sport and an American tradition. And I'd be delighted to see plenty of talented African American players on every team. But are there not enough legitimate reasons for outrage in this world that we have to get stirred up over this?

HT: Bunnie Diehl

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A terrific treat. My wife wrote a brief review here. And a film geek friend wrote this review. Check them out.

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As a Pittsburgher, this article concerned me very much. Particularly the bit about FUMA's incompetence. FUMA = Federal Undead Management Agency.

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This is something I've been meaning to do for a while. There are millions of blogs out there. Many of them quite good. It's just not possible to put every worthwhile blog on one's blogroll. I do try to promote my fellow LCMS (Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod) bloggers. But tonight I added a new category. Simply Blogs of Interest. They are mostly religious in nature, but not necessarily. I don't necessarily endorse or agree with every single thing they write. But I do read them on a regular basis and encourage you to check them out.

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Blog carnivals are great ways to discover new and interesting blogs. Go see this week's Lutheran Blog Carnival hosted by Be Strong in the Grace.

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