A Faith-Producing Culture?

Those of you new to Faulkner and my rambling diatribes will soon become accustomed to my references to Chronicles magazine and its various contributors. Chronicles is a monthly publication that deals with the American (non-)culture from a "paleoconservative" perspective. There is a pronounced Roman Catholic tinge to much of what appears there, but other voices are also present. It is the one magazine to which I would never dream of canceling my subscription.

The most recent issue has education as its theme, and the article "Educated at Home" by Hugh Barbour contains a stimulating passage I wanted to share with everyone:

"The most serious and dangerous challenge for Christians today is not precisely the loss of faith and religious practice among the fallen away, but a more material, basic human threat--namely, the lack among believers of a human cultural foundation capable of disposing them and their offspring to persevere in the Faith. I mean here not a lack of cultural Hochformen, but a lack of culture in its everyday, domestic, and social sense. This deficit produces among devout Christians a "mere" religiosity, a reduction of Christian life to explicit devotion and moral uprightness, and the sense that things suffice, and that culture is at best an accidental thing, harmful if secular and amoral, helpful to the extent that it is or can be made explicitly religious.
"In this case, religious practice either takes the place of culture or is indifferent to it so long as it is not clearly contrary to faith and good--especially sexual--morals."

Before I comment on the passage, I'd like to know what some other folks think about it. Do you think Barbour is on target, or is he overrating the importance of culture?

I'd especially like to know whether Dr. Woods considers American Idol an "accidental thing."

Clowns in the Pulpit

After we mentioned this at our gathering Saturday evening, I couldn't resist posting it here for the students to see. I wonder how soon we'll see this in Montgomery.

Some of my favorite user comments:

"At least they admit they are led by clowns. I can think of a few churches that are still in denial."

"….can’t sleep…clown will eat me…can’t sleep…clown will eat me "

"Notice how Racism is the chief evil nailed to the cross. I’m sure erosion is on there too (perhaps out of view.)"

"One minute later the congregation was shocked when the secret member of the Clue Clucks Clowns set the cross on fire."

The Hiatus Has Ended . . .

Now that the school year is about to begin, it's time for the posting drought on this site to end. The MLA faculty are ready to begin posting again, and we have a bright new crop of students to keep the conversations invigorating.

So look for a lot more action here in the near future . . .

Recapturing Relevance in the Church

How?

By playing rock music during communion, of course!

Introducing the U2 Eucharist.

What will they think of next?

The Other Shoe Drops

Remember Eugene Robinson, the first openly homosexual bishop in the Episcopal Church-USA? It turns out that he is also an alcoholic.

Not to worry, though. Condemnation of drunkenness is so first-century, just like condemnation of homosexual offenses. God is more enlightened now, apparently. According to Robinson, "We worship a living God, not one locked up in the Scripture of 2,000 years ago."

Translation: The "Scripture of 2,000 years ago" is no longer the Scripture of today. It speaks volumes about the ECUSA that it would make a man with such a view of Holy Writ one of its bishops.

Last weekend I met a member of the University of the South's board of trustees. (The University of the South is affiliated with the ECUSA.) He told me that the ECUSA is set to be ejected from the worldwide Anglican communion within the next year or so over this bishop. That should be interesting to see.

The Forgotten Byzantine Era

Here is a brief but largely accurate article about how most Westerners are ignorant of the Christian civilization that flourished in the East during the European "Middle Ages." The Byzantine Empire had its problems and its heretical ideas (caesaro-papism comes to mind), but we can still learn from it in some areas. I just wish we had time to cover it more in the Western Heritage series.

It Had to Happen . . .

You may have suspected that I wouldn't be able to resist making a post about Brokeback Mountain. No, I have not seen it and have no intention of doing so; one doesn't have to enter the sewer to know that it stinks. However, I did want to pass along some perceptive comments made by Chris Ortiz over at the Chalcedon Foundation's blog:

"Brokeback Mountain

The world is swimming in hogwash over the release of Brokeback Mountain. Critics are falling over themselves to laud compounded praise over this story of two ranch handlers who can't keep their hands off each other. What is disturbing -- beyond the celebration of sodomy -- is the idea that "love" redefines all God-created categories of the Biblical social order. God created man and woman and ordained their consecrated union as the covenantal unit upon which civilization find its fulcrum. Yet, Joe Bob and Jethro can two-step over divine order "cuz they love each other."

It's Romeo and Juliet from the pit of Gomorrah -- forbidden love that leads to self-destruction. And, again, it is the oppressive authority of Christian culture and the Christian family that forbids "lovers" from fulfilling their persecuted desire and drives them to self-destruction. The victim is now the sinner, and God and His order are the tyrannical perpetrators.

Is Brokeback Mountain a great movie? I'll never know. Is it superbly acted? Who cares? It's celebrated for it's "bold statement" more so than it's creative content. Much the same as Scorcese's Last Temptation of Christ was held up as creative genius. Yea, right. What men love is not art, they treasure war against God. Producing such movies is their way of thumbing their noses at the pious ethic of Christianity. Their target is the Church and it's 2,000-year reign of puritanical morality. Perverted man seeks freedom to sin but obtaining a gay marriage license will never quiet his God-given conscience. Removing the Church will never stifle the Spirit that strives with man (Gen. 6:3)."

The entire post can be found at http://www.chalcedon.edu/blog/2006_02_01_archive.php#113968791200630743

Oh . . . my . . . goodness

I'm having trouble believing that it's not some kind of joke. The title of this article makes it clear (unwittingly, no doubt) that this upcoming movie about "Jesus" preaches exactly the opposite of what Jesus himself taught.

The Further Decline of Civilization . . .

as seen in the vanishing of movie manners. (I was prompted to post this article after hearing Dr. Woods complain about this very thing a few days ago.)

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0113/p20s01-almo.html