What’s the Rush?

I have found myself in a slight panic in the last day or so. But it wasn’t the “normal” things over which I might push the “panic” button. It was something weird. Weird enough to blog about anyway…

My panic moments have involved information. Content. And here’s the weird part. I was freaking out about the fact that I had not heard about some particular information. The content actually wasn’t that important or life-changing in the least. But I was behind. Others had received the information before I did and it caused me to freak.

We live in an unusual time. A time where the immediacy of content, not the content itself determines validity. What we know isn’t as important as how quickly we know…or if we are to be honest…who knew it before us. If we don’t know it first, then we can’t capitalize on it first. This used to be the linchpin of gossip. Now, it’s the linchpin of going “viral.” And someone else will beat us to the next great idea. It’s become apparent that the next great idea is also the next great fleeting idea. So there’s little chance that even though we may be first, we will only be first for a short time. It’s not whether you are watching the same video – it’s whether you can download it in 3G or 4G.

This creates two different types of responses in people. The first is mild panic and clamoring to be first. That is what I have felt lately. The second response is the more mature one I think. And that response is “What’s the rush?” Eventually, the immediacy of content thrills us little and the quality of content surfaces again. And we stop clamoring to gain information because we realize that the information is useless anyway. It has no staying power. It’s not quality. It doesn’t speak to anything beyond self-gratification.

Eventually we have to stop clamoring to purchase the new Lady Gaga album from Amazon because it’s only 99¢. The question has nothing to do with Lady Gaga’s availability. It has to do with whether or not her music is worth 99¢ or $99. Does it have staying power? Do any of the items we drool over have staying power? Are we chasing products or merely newer versions of the same products?

I have a theory. If it is quality content, it will still be here once the immediacy of that content is gone. Good things stick around. If that’s true, then what’s the rush?

I Take Back What I Said About Facebook…

A while back, I told you here my reasons for not joining Facebook. I suppose those all still apply to me. I still don’t like surface friendships and I don’t particularly like small talk whether it be cyber-talk or not. But some things have happened recently that have slowly impressed upon me that I need to join this ridiculous social networking site:

1) There are groups of people discussing theology and my academic areas of interest on Facebook. And I am not in those conversations. There are professional/academic societies that I belong to that have Facebook groups. I am not on there. Therefore, it makes more sense to join in…particularly since I won’t be “road triping” to any conferences this coming year.

2) More importantly, I need to keep up with extended family better. I just got back from God’s Country. All my extended family was there. They jumped mid-stream into conversations that had already been started on Facebook. I looked like a nefariously insufferable dolt. I knew absolutely nothing that was going on in their lives. It became clear that if I want to be involved in their lives, I need to join Facebook. Face-friggin’-book!

So, there you go.

I’m on Facebook.

Happy?

Stem Cells and the Soul

I don’t weigh in on contemporary issues too much, for a couple of reasons: 1) my opinion isn’t that important, 2) by the time I come to an opinion, the blogosphere has moved on, and 3) my opinion rarely translates into a “readable” post. I though I might try it with this one since I actually do have something to say I hope you’ll find interesting. Of course, if you’re looking for some sort of definitive answer, you’re probably gonna be disappointed.

Obama lifting the funding restrictions on stem cell research and cell nuclear replacement (CNR) has made headlines in the last day or so. Of course, people don’t understand that Bush had allowed previously discarded stem cells to be used – his ban was not on all stem cells, as many in the media have suggested. Bush allowed those stem cells to be harvested that already had no chance of becoming a child. What Obama is doing is allowing any stem cells, including those randomly harvested by any individual, to be used for scientific purposes. The crude analogy that comes to mind is a sperm bank. That may be incorrect but that’s the impression I get from the news articles I’ve read.

Of course, that type of talk sets of a firestorm of critical reaction from religious/scientific circles. I don’t plan to solve the problem, but I can relay the different ways that theology has dealt with the real issue for Christians: when does the “soul” begin to exist? And when does an embryo become a human being? A person’s view of the intrinsic nature of the human soul determines one’s response Obama’s decision.

Theology generally recognizes several views of the human composition. Some take a tripartite view of the spirit, soul, and body. Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5 mentions these three. Augustine tied the three persons of the Trinity to the makeup of humans, attempting to relay the idea that we are made in the image of God. God is three; we are three in composition. Some call this Augustine’s “psychological” treatment/analogy of the Trinity. However, most Christians today opt for a dualist view of humanity: soul and body. Many see the soul as a once and for all spiritual endowment given by God. I’ve heard the idea that little “baby spirits” are floating around in heaven waiting for conception and then God infuses that spiritual part into the womb.  If that’s true, then stem cell research is death of a spirit-being and stem cell research is morally depraved.

Another theological choice is that the human spirit/soul grows with the human body over time. So, the moral status of a human is enhanced as a fetus develops. This choice for Christians isn’t as marginalized as you may think. Thomas Aquinas believed that “ensoulment” took place within the first 40 to 80 days after conception. This would certainly fall within the Warnock “time limit” of stem cell harvesting: 14 days. Other theologians believe in a something called “non reductive physicalism”: the idea that humanity is composed in a way that is inseparable into specific parts (non reductive). Others believe that the emergence of the soul as the predominant part of humanity takes place only when salvation occurs. Otherwise, they say, what ‘s the point of eternal life if you already were given it through the immortality of the soul? Stem cell research does not negatively affect any of these views.

So which one is correct? I don’t know (I told you that you wouldn’t like this post). All use scriptural and scientific grounds to make their case. So, what do you believe Sam? I can say that I am intuitively unnerved by President Obama’s recent decision. But I’m not exactly sure for what reasons. I do know this: I believe God knows about all of this. I also believe that he is capable of saving us. How that’s done or the role human composition plays in that are things I don’t have concrete answers for. Either way God isn’t daunted by legislation, good speeches, or the “false choice between sound science and moral values,” or whether the CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science thinks scientists are “happy” or not.  I fully trust that he can save anyone at any point – Why? Because he’s God and he doesn’t want anyone to perish. The context of “perishing” changes with each human – no matter when the soul of a person awakens. God is there at every moment.

Why I’m Not on Facebook…

I really don’t know the answer to this question, though I plan to use all my brain power in the next few minutes make up an answer (Wow! I swear the lights above me just dimmed…).

I have a general aversion to all things popular, particularly where Christian culture is concerned. In many ways I am proud of my Christian snobbery. Purpose Driven Life? Your Best Life Now?  Never read them. Max Lucado? Beth Moore? Ignore ‘em. Their popularity ensures that I will not join in. I read The Shack before it became popular, so I actually take pride in the fact that I read it when it was obscure. Same with music. I point out to people that I saw P.O.D. in concert before they became famous…like I had anything to do with their rise in popularity. In fact, one of my co-workers told me I was a theological snob last week (thanks Chris). Of course this was said in a spirit of love…  :)

Truth is, in some warped way, I find identity in resisting things that others do so easily. Like being counter-cultural for identity’s sake. But statistically I’m not counter-cultural at all – I’m the most average guy in America. And that makes being counter-cultural…well, stupid.

So why am I not on Facebook? Blogging is much more time consuming and personal if you do it right. I dunno – I feel like signing up for a social network like Facebook would “expose” me in a way that I’m not comfortable with. There are some people I don’t want to find me, you know. At the same time, social networks make you feel like you’ve sat down and had a conversation over coffee with someone when, in reality you have a surface understanding of them at best. More “small talk.” I can shake somebody’s hand at a party and do that – why carry it over into cyber-space? Weird huh?  Anyone else boycotting Facebook?

New Church Website Back Online

It’s been a long time coming, but First Methodist’s website is back online: www.tfumc.com. I think you’ll like the new look.

On a personal note, I start a new Sunday school class this Sunday that focuses on the “tough” questions in Christianity – things like seeming contradictions in the Bible, the role of the supernatural and miracles in modern society. cultural clues to the gospels, and all those fun “why” questions like “Why does God let bad things happen.” Stuff like that. It’s should be fun and a good way for me to scratch my teaching “itch” since I only get in the pulpit every couple of months.

I stole my name from Robert’s blog: “Inquiring Minds.” Robert, hopefully you think imitation is the best form of flattery…

Sermon Snipets: Debt Free – Putting First Things First, Part 1

Preached January 4, 2009.

Today we are beginning a sermon series that “hits us where we live” in a lot of different ways. We’re going to talk about being “Debt Free.” Now, when I say that phrase, most people think of financial issues. But we incur “debt” in other ways, not just financial – we’re also going to talk about debt in relationships, the debt of sin, as well as finances.  So, as our first installment, this morning we’re going to talk about how to relieve our “debt to society” by putting first things first.

 ”Debt to society.” Strange phrase isn’t it? But it most accurately describes much of our lifestyle today. We make promises and commit to projects that ultimately rob us of our time with God and time with family. We become a slave to calendars, and deadlines, and the tyranny of the urgent. We are always paying the “debt” of time to our commitments, spending our time being busy but rarely being fruitful. There’s a big difference, you know. And being able to tell the difference between fruitfulness and busyness determines whether we live a peaceful or hectic life.

 There’s a humanities professor named Stephen Bertman who published an important book about ten years ago. It’s called Hyperculture: The Cost of Human Speed. Bertman believes that our fast-paced lifestyle is ultimately the cause of much of our stress and illness – it affects our bodies, our relationships, or emotions, and the like. Bertman says we are all “hard wired” to live a slower lifestyle…and our current pace causes more problems that it solves. Not sure if you suffer from “hyperculture?” Try these phrases on for size: “I’m totally lost without my calendar. If I get more productive, I’m gonna scream! Sometimes it seems like there just aren’t enough hours in the day. My life is on fast forward. I don’t spend enough time with family and friends. I don’t feel like I accomplished anything today.” Listen to some of the symptoms of “hyperculture” Bertman describes.

 The technology explosion has changed our lives – over 25 million televisions are purchased a year – so many in fact that in America today, more people have television sets than indoor plumbing. With the rise of the internet and rapid access to information, Psychologists have noticed a trend they have dubbed “information anxiety” – a scenario where our mind literally cannot handle the deluge of information to which we expose it. In the process, the assimilation of knowledge among school age children is becoming thin and is producing an ever widening gap between what we think we know because we “googled it” and what we really know. We are becoming a mile wide and an inch deep. But an even more disturbing trend is occurring as well. Psychologists are beginning to see the emergence of a new type of personality among younger generations called the “saturated self,” where all stimuli are completely self-generated. In other words, a “self-saturated” person does not respond to anyone or anything outside of the world they create. They may be online, but they are personally isolated, remote, and detached. They alone create their own entertainment and they induce their own level of stress. What’s more, our stress levels are beginning to affect the national heart rate average. And it’s affecting our bodies as well. Recent studies estimate and average of 200 billion dollars is lost annually due to stress-related accidents, illnesses, and absenteeism. Over-stimulation and too many choices are making our nation physically sick. Houston, we have a problem! And a growing one at that. We’re so busy managing our time that we’ve forgotten to enjoy the time we’ve been given. The urgent has gotten in the way of the important. And church can be one of the greatest culprits in this struggle.

I remember the first time I really encountered this type of stress. Beth and I had been married for about two years. I worked for Flowers at the time and Beth worked for a health insurance company in Tallahassee. We were both actively involved in church…to the point where it took up most of our nights with meetings. We had also taken on several service projects and agreed to be the FCA leaders at Brookwood school. Though all were considered worthwhile Christian activities, we were totally covered in “busyness.” And something began to happen: whereas once we had a stable, though young, marriage, we became distanced and argumentative. We stopped connecting with each other because our “debts” to society took away our time to connect to each other. And that’s always the case: time spent doing one thing is time spent not doing something else. Robbing Peter to pay Paul, so to speak. So, Beth and I started saying no…to everything. We finished our commitments and declined offers left and right until we had most of our weeknights back. And things got better. But it’s still difficult for us to “just say no.”

 Out text for today, Matthew 6:33, is the first scripture I ever memorized: “Seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness and all these things shall be yours as well.” It’s one of the most important scriptures you can apply to your life. Now, most preachers I’ve heard over the years apply that scripture in the following way. They give you a list of priorities and the list usually goes something like this: 1) God 2) spouse 3) children 4) church 5) job – or something to that effect. And then they’ll tell you that what you spend your time on determines what your priorities really are. And that’s when everyone goes home feeling guilty for golfing or shopping or working long hours and promises to change for the better. They vow to spend more time with their children or their spouse. Or they vow to spend more time in daily devotions with God. But, to me, that’s as stressful a way of living as any. Those expectations are just as demanding. There’s got to be more than just learning to guard your time and say no to unnecessary commitments. And there is. Let me explain.

Part 2 tomorrow…

Are We Losing Relationship to the Advances of Technology?

I was listening to a song a few days ago that talked about how rapidly our world is changing and how technology is moving so fast. That (in conjunction with the fact that I almost went crazy in the last two days while our servers at work were down) got me to thinking about how technology is front and center of our society. It makes me uneasy. And I consider myself a technologically competent individual.

Of course the lack of true interaction with others certainly bothers me – an emoticon and a hug are very different, though they may attempt to convey the same thing. But what really bothers me about the technology craze is that we seemed paralyzed when technology is unavailable to us. As if we are incapable of remembering how we functioned without it. But people have “survived” for centuries without modern advances. How is that possible, when technology seems to be indispensible to us as a society? Truthfully, we value a set of cultural ideologies that would be lost on those who came before us – things like material items, expediency, and personal space. But no matter what anyone tells you, sitting across from someone and looking directly into their eyes while they talk feels more “real” than any chat room or message board ever could.

So what did people value prior to the technological explosion? The same things that are still valuable today. Things like friendship, kindness, honor, truth, family, and practicality. Let’s face it, when it’s easier to send a text to someone who is fifteen feet from us in the next office, then we’ve missed the point. Generations of people have gotten along just fine without our modern technologies – some might say better. And personally, I wonder if we weren’t meant to live life at a slower pace than we do. There seems to be no room for margin, for learning “on the job” or for making mistakes. Our culture has made it difficult to learn life by practicing it. And, to me, that’s sad.

Am I screaming the evils of technology? No. I’m a young guy and I certainly like my PDA, DirecTV, and mp3 player. But there’s a subtle difference between a person that picks up the phone to call a friend or walks down the hall to discuss an issue at work and the person that doesn’t take the time to do either. Which type of person are you becoming? As inconvenient and inefficient as it may seem, I’m trying to be the first person.