Rob Bell, The Oscars and The Springtime of the Middle East

Well what a strange day or so. The controversy around Rob Bell’s theology trends like crazy on twitter all day, the Oscars are in full buzz. Normally considering the parameters of this blog, I would be addressing these topics. But as someone who reads a lot of history, I have a feeling that in 50 years no one will be speaking about Rob Bell or who won the 2011 Oscar for Best Actor/Actress. They will be speaking about what it happening in the Middle East and North Africa at the moment.

Across the Middle East and North Africa revolution is brewing. It is now full blown in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. Protests are breaking out in Iran, Oman, Bahrain, and numerous other countries. Dictatorships which have been in power for decades are now taking unprecedented steps to protect their grips on power. I will not go into detail here ( but if you want some read here) , but the geopolitical implications of what is happening are monumental. Essentially what we are witnessing is a people lead uprising, aided by widespread discontent, that is being aided by social media. But although as historian Simon Schama said of the uprisings, that after twitter, something darker and more military could come.

Things are poised on a knife edge. Will these uprisings lead to moderate, free and democratic societies across the middle east? Or will militant, fundamentalist forces take advantage of the instability that it is to come? That is why I believe that Christians must pray for the Middle East and North Africa. Pray for peace, for God’s shalom to break out across this region.

Pray also for the Christians of the Middle East and North Africa – who we in the West have so often forgotten, who have seen their populations decimated. Already in Iran  the government is using the excuse of the uprisings to persecute Christians. The Coptic Christians in Egypt have taken a battering. Christians in Iraq continued to be attacked. The Middle East was once the centre of global Christianity, but now Christians are fleeing the region, it is possible that no significant Christian population will exist there in our lifetimes. Imagine how the landscape would change if governments came into power that delivered religious freedom, and protection of religious minorities?

Yes I think it is worth examining Rob Bell’s theology, and yes I will take a sneaky peek at who wins the Oscars, but what is happening in the Middle East and North Africa has the potential to change the landscape of the planet irrevocably. Lets pray for its the good.

Peeling Back the Western Comfort Bubble

Thousands of people in Christchurch as well as the rest of the country today paid their respects to those killed in Tuesday’s devastating earthquake.

Many church services in Christchurch were held in the open air because of the large number of churches damaged or destroyed in the 6.3 magnitude quake. Local resident Murray Amtman said his family did not usually attend church but felt the need to be with people this week.

“We just wanted to pay our respects and be with other people as well.”

Members of the congregation told each other stories of survival and there were tears, hugs and smiles of support.

“We wouldn’t go to church normally but we needed to come and share our story today. It is better than sitting alone crying and togetherness is good for the spirit,” Hoon Hay resident Kendra Street said.  Full Article Here

 

Interesting that this Sunday that Churches across New Zealand have been packed after the Christchurch earthquake. Here in Australia, far from the United States, after the attacks of September 11 churches saw a marked increase in attendance. During the Victorian bushfires, I heard a number of people say ‘I am not religious but..’

Its revealing that when our Western Comfort  is exposed for the illusion that it is, and our fragility is brought into perspective, how quickly people get religious.

Of Gods and Men

The story of the martyred  monks of Algeria that I wrote about in The Vertical Self, has been made into a film ‘Of Gods and Men’. It is an incredible story of peace, faith and sacrifice in the name of Christ. Will be worth checking out.

The Vanishing Middle Revisited

One of the problems of a blog is that you can put up really important stuff, which after a week disappears and is often missed by new readers. About a year or so ago, I put up the following presentation. The more I think about it the more I realise how crucial the concepts held within are. I have had  number of discussions in recent times with people about this so I thought it would be good to put it up again for those who did not see it the first time. Check it out.

 

Here is a little talk (11min) complete with power point, on the whole idea of the Vanishing Middle. As you will learn from the presentation, the vanishing middle refers to the fact that it is not just the church which struggles in the West, but any organization or group which occupies the ‘middle’ that is the communal or covenantal space in which volunteerism, duty and service are essential. Hope it stimulates some thought on mission and ministry in a Western context for you. Just press the green play button.

Lady Gaga vs Free Choice

Interesting article about Lady Gaga, determinism, and free choice. Check it out here

Using Social Media With Christian Responsibility

In the last week one of my friends pulled the plug on facebook, and I had another good chat to another friend who pulled the plug sometime ago. A third friend asked me the question ‘Is it right too rebuke a Christian leader who is either spending too much time on facebook or obviously over promoting themselves on the medium.’ A fourth friend asked me ‘Is it wrong for Churches to overly promote their good works in facebook status updates in light of Jesus’ commandment regarding doing good in secret?’

Good questions. It seems like as technologies arise so do the ethical dilemmas that go with them.

I found this article by Doug Groothius quite helpful in giving an understanding of how social media affects us, but also offering tips on how to use the new technology with Christian responsibility.

The Trouble With Paris Rip Off

Current triple RRR favourites The Bell Parade, have clearly ripped off the opening shots of their new video from the lawn mowing ‘reality’ scene of The Trouble with Paris. Check out their crimes here.

Video – The Millennials

 

The Science of Peer Pressure

Brain Imaging tells us something that any good youth pastor already knows, Teens + Peer Pressure = Silly Decisions. (h/t Timothy)

Read Article here

Millennials Interview Podcast

I was on Hank Hannegraaff’s radio show in the US today, discussing the recent article that I wrote for the Christian Research Journal. Hank read out the section of my article where I talk about the relevance of the cross today, his voice, made it sound heaps more impressive than I ever could with my nasal Aussie accent. You can download or listen here.

Why Asian Kids are Happier and More Balanced

When you read a lot of stuff about the rise of narcissism in the West and it’s links to unhappiness, one thing that always comes up is the difference between Asian kids and their self esteem and Western kids. Asian kids tend to have lower self esteem but are happier, more balanced and have much better mental health. A controversial new approach is lauding the Asian way of parenting over the Western approach. Check out more here.