Contemporary vs. Traditional Doesn't Make Sense

I would like to say a word about “contemporary” worship.

To use the word “contemporary” in juxtaposition with “traditional” to describe a religious service has no meaning, as these words actually describe two separate axes of worship, style and form, respectively. Thus, all worship must be both contemporary and traditional.

Traditional worship consists of prayer, the reading of scripture, proclamation, praise through song, and Eucharistic celebration—all of these are aspects of worship that are rooted in some way or another to Christianity's Jewish heritage. Any worship employing any of these acts is traditional.

The definition of “contemporary” is that which describes something that is occupying time with something else. Worship always exists in a contemporary setting, as it exists in the same time with the rest of the world. Worship that is not contemporary is that which neglects to bring the deep traditions of the Church into dialog with the current state of the world and the people who live in it.

Therefore, “traditional” refers to the order or form of worship, whereas “contemporary” refers to the stylistic expression of an order or form, which is unique to a people who are living in a specific place and time. I prefer to use the word “indigenous” over “contemporary” to refer to the stylistic expression of worship, as “contemporary” has been co-opted by many to mean a less structured worship order or form which employs a praise band or worship music team. “Indigenous” is a more flexible descriptor as it refers to the most familiar, comfortable, and meaningful expression of worship for a particular worshiping community.

Vacation

1,498 miles in 7 days--that's about 1 day and 3 hours in the car.

Driving Directions
Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=310+lynch+street+Como,+TX&daddr=1626+S+Farm+Rd+%23123+Springfield,+MO+to:Kk-14+to:lemp+mansion+st+louis+to:the+gathering+umc+st.+louis+to:701+N+15th+St,+St+Louis,+MO+63103+(City+Museum)+to:1522+State+Route+3,+Red+Bud,+IL+62278-1095+(Lau-Nae+Winery)+to:Waterloo,+IL+to:Morgan+Rd+to:1028+N+Duchesne+Dr+Saint+Charles,+MO+to:2645+Windmill+Frst+Dr+Imperial,+Mo+to:1767+Primrose+Ln+Barnhart,+MO+to:Cape+Girardeau,+Missouri+to:310+lynch+street+Como,+TX&hl=en&geocode=FbB2-AEd6jtP-ikBEHd3-iNKhjG6QEtwP2m7ag%3BFWJtNwIdH15v-inx1HhyFmHPhzGudxeulGR8SA%3BFRrORQIdGnB5-g%3BFabgTAId3Gqf-iFyPY1JTGFHvyl3CcWcjbPYhzFxmaxSvqZygQ%3BFTFMTQIdZACe-iGZUs2tHXZMVSk3LGNbhcrYhzFvCtTI64ppvg%3BFU6ATQIdJ6Of-iHjaeV4hgTv9ClrIiTHPbPYhzFDc7eGMEVpEQ%3BFXQRRwIdmnei-iFndJu1Tof_OSmtaswk653YhzGQJ9L0m_dsLA%3BFY71SAIdNmyg-in3O0JAAafYhzGh5JEcIvcImw%3BFaynSAIdf4Gc-g%3B%3BFe2lSQIdKnyc-il_v0HMmMPYhzFqBQJNq-u-Wg%3BFd_pSAIdB3ic-ild6xBGYcLYhzHITJiahg8kwQ%3BFRw-OQIdvA-q-in7d8-UNoV3iDGSX406_xyQgA%3BFbB2-AEd6jtP-ikBEHd3-iNKhjG6QEtwP2m7ag&mra=ls&sll=35.929315,-92.66454&sspn=8.430362,19.753418&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=6

Start address: 310 Lynch St Como, TX 75431
End address: 310 Lynch St Como, TX 75431

Start at: 310 Lynch St Como, TX 75431

1. Head south on Lynch St toward Evans St - 0.2 mi
2. Turn right at Farm to Market Rd 69/TX-11 W Continue to follow TX-11 W - 8.3 mi
3. Turn right at S Broadway St/Posey Ln Continue to follow S Broadway St - 0.9 mi
4. Continue onto Gilmer St - 0.6 mi
5. Continue onto Oak Ave - 0.6 mi
6. Turn left at Jefferson St E/State Loop 313/US-67 BUS W - 187 ft
7. Take the 1st right onto Church St/TX-154 W Continue to follow TX-154 W - 16.1 mi
8. Continue onto TX-19 N - 5.9 mi
9. Turn right at TX-19 N/TX-24 N - 15.1 mi
10. Turn left at E Hearne Ave - 0.1 mi
11. Take the 1st right onto S Main St - 3.0 mi
12. Continue onto US-271 N Entering Oklahoma - 22.1 mi
13. Slight right to merge onto US-271 N/US-271 Bypass N/US-70 Bypass W toward Antlers - 3.4 mi
14. Continue onto Indian Nation Turnpike Partial toll road - 63.2 mi
15. Take the exit toward US-69 N - 0.2 mi
16. Keep right at the fork to continue toward US-69 N and merge onto US-69 N - 75.2 mi
17. Turn left to merge onto Muskogee Turnpike W toward Tulsa Partial toll road - 23.9 mi
18. Take the exit onto Creek Turnpike E Partial toll road - 9.4 mi
19. Continue onto I-44 E Partial toll road Entering Missouri - 160 mi
20. Take exit 72 for MO-266/I-44 Loop/Chestnut Expy - 0.2 mi
21. Turn right at W Chestnut Expy - 0.6 mi
22. Take the 3rd right onto N Miller Ave - 1.0 mi
23. Turn left at W Farm Rd 140/W Grand St - 0.5 mi
24. Take the 2nd right onto S Farm Rd 123 - 0.6 mi
25. Continue straight onto W Farm Rd 146 - 0.1 mi
26. Turn right at S Quail Ave - 0.1 mi
27. Turn right at W Linwood St - 331 ft
28. W Linwood St turns left and becomes S Farm Rd 123 Destination will be on the left - 56 ft

Arrive at: 1626 S Farm Road 123 Springfield, MO 65807

29. Head north on S Farm Rd 123 toward W Linwood St - 387 ft
30. Take the 1st left onto S Quail Ave - 0.1 mi
31. Turn left at W Farm Rd 146 - 0.1 mi
32. Continue onto S Farm Rd 123 - 0.6 mi
33. Turn left at W Farm Rd 140/W Grand St - 0.5 mi
34. Take the 1st right onto S Miller Ave - 1.0 mi
35. Turn left at W Chestnut Expy/I-44 Loop W - 0.5 mi
36. Slight right to merge onto I-44 E - 56.4 mi
37. Take exit 129 for MO-32/MO-5/MO-64 - 0.2 mi
38. Turn left at S Jefferson Ave/MO-32 W/MO-5 N/MO-64 W Continue to follow S Jefferson Ave/MO-5 N/MO-64 W - 1.7 mi
39. Turn right at E 7th St/MO-5 N Continue to follow MO-5 N - 24.5 mi
40. Turn right at Court Cir - 141 ft
41. Take the 1st left to stay on Court Cir - 463 ft
42. Take the 2nd right onto US-54 E - 8.5 mi
43. Turn left at State Hwy Kk - 1.6 mi
44. Turn left at K K 14 - 374 ft

Arrive at: Kk-14

45. Head northeast on Kk-14 toward K K 16 - 374 ft
46. Turn right at State Hwy Kk - 1.6 mi
47. Turn right at US-54 W - 4.8 mi
48. Turn left at Missouri A - 0.6 mi
49. Turn right to stay on Missouri A - 10.4 mi
50. Turn left to stay on Missouri A - 15.1 mi
51. Turn left at W Washington Ave - 0.4 mi
52. Turn left at N Pine St - 0.1 mi
53. Slight right at E Jefferson Ave/MO-7 S Continue to follow MO-7 S - 8.8 mi
54. Turn left to merge onto I-44 E toward Rolla - 139 mi
55. Take exit 290A to merge onto I-55 S toward Memphis - 1.0 mi
56. Take exit 206C for Arsenal St - 0.1 mi
57. Turn right at Arsenal St - 180 ft
58. Take the 1st left onto Lemp Ave - 0.2 mi
59. Take the 2nd left onto Utah St - 0.1 mi
60. Take the 2nd right onto Demenil Pl - 436 ft

Arrive at: Lemp Mansion Restaurant & Inn 3322 Demenil Pl St Louis, MO 63118-3211

61. Head north on Demenil Pl toward Utah St - 436 ft
62. Turn right at Utah St - 453 ft
63. Turn left at S 9th St - 0.2 mi
64. Turn left at Arsenal St - 0.1 mi
65. Turn right onto the ramp to I-55 N - 0.1 mi
66. Slight left at I-55 N - 0.8 mi
67. Take exit 207B on the left to merge onto I-44 W - 5.0 mi
68. Take exit 285 to merge onto Southwest Ave - 0.7 mi
69. Turn right at McCausland Ave Destination will be on the left - 0.5 mi

Arrive at: Gathering-United Methodist Church 2105 Mccausland Ave St Louis, MO 63143-2537

70. Head south on McCausland Ave toward Stanley Ave - 0.3 mi
71. Turn left at Historic U.S. 66 E/Manchester Ave Continue to follow Historic U.S. 66 E - 5.8 mi
72. Turn left at S 14th St - 1.0 mi
73. Turn left at Lucas Ave Destination will be on the left - 292 ft

Arrive at: City Museum 701 N 15th St St Louis, MO 63103

74. Head east on Lucas Ave toward N 14th St - 292 ft
75. Take the 2nd right onto N 14th St - 1.0 mi
76. Turn left at Chouteau Ave/Historic U.S. 66 E - 0.5 mi
77. Turn right at 7th Blvd - 0.2 mi
78. Take the ramp onto I-44 W/I-55 S Continue to follow I-55 S - 10.9 mi
79. Take exit 197 to merge onto I-255 E toward Chicago Entering Illinois - 7.0 mi
80. Take exit 6 to merge onto IL-3 S toward Columbia Destination will be on the right - 24.5 mi

Arrive at: Lau-Nae Winery 1522 State Route 3 Red Bud, IL 62278-1095

81. Head west on IL-3 N/W Market St toward Huntfield Rd Continue to follow IL-3 N - 10.9 mi
82. Turn right at S Market St - 1.6 mi
83. Turn left at W Mill St - 240 ft

Arrive at: Waterloo, IL

84. Head east on W Mill St toward S Market St - 240 ft
85. Take the 1st left onto N Market St - 1.4 mi
86. Turn right at IL-3 N - 9.5 mi
87. Take the I-255 S/US-50 W ramp to St Louis Co - 0.8 mi
88. Merge onto I-255 W/US-50 W Continue to follow I-255 W Entering Missouri - 6.1 mi
89. Take exit 1A to merge onto I-55 S toward Memphis - 11.6 mi
90. Take exit 185 for Missouri Hwy M toward Barnhart/Antonia - 0.4 mi
91. Merge onto Liguori Metropolitian Blvd/Metropolitan Blvd/N Srv Rd - 2.3 mi
92. Turn right at Crossroads Rd - 0.1 mi
93. Slight right at Morgan Rd - 0.1 mi

Arrive at: Morgan Rd

94. Head southeast on Morgan Rd toward Trotter Rd - 0.1 mi
95. Slight left at Trotter Rd - 0.1 mi
96. Turn left at Liguori Metropolitian Blvd/Metropolitan Blvd/N Srv Rd - 2.3 mi
97. Turn right at Hwy M/State Hwy M - 0.1 mi
98. Turn left to merge onto I-55 N toward St.Louis - 11.3 mi
99. Take exit 196 toward Kansas City/I-270 W - 0.8 mi
100. Merge onto I-270 N - 19.0 mi
101. Take exit 20A-20B to merge onto I-70 W toward Kansas City - 3.9 mi
102. Take exit 229B for I-70 Loop N/Fifth St - 0.2 mi
103. Merge onto S 5th St/I-70 Loop W Continue to follow S 5th St - 1.7 mi
104. Turn left at Randolph St - 0.7 mi
105. Turn left at N Duchesne Dr Destination will be on the left - 269 ft

Arrive at: 1028 N Duchesne Dr St Charles, MO 63301

106. Head northeast on N Duchesne Dr toward W Randolph St - 269 ft
107. Turn right at W Randolph St - 0.6 mi
108. Turn left at Randolph St - 272 ft
109. Take the 1st right onto N 5th St - 1.9 mi
110. Merge onto I-70 E via the ramp to St Louis - 3.1 mi
111. Take exit 232A-232B to merge onto I-270 S toward Memphis - 19.8 mi
112. Take exit 1A to merge onto I-55 S toward Memphis - 10.3 mi
113. Take exit 186 for Imperial Main St - 0.3 mi
114. Turn right at Imperial Main St/W Main St/Oak - 115 ft
115. Take the 1st right onto W Outer Rd - 0.6 mi
116. Turn left at Seckman Rd - 1.4 mi
117. Turn left at Survey 2021 Rd/Windmill Rd - 0.3 mi
118. Take the 1st right onto Windmill Forest Dr Destination will be on the right - 344 ft

Arrive at: 2645 Windmill Forest Dr Sulphur Springs, MO 63052

119. Head southeast on Windmill Forest Dr toward Survey 2021 Rd/Windmill Rd - 344 ft
120. Take the 1st left onto Survey 2021 Rd/Windmill Rd - 0.3 mi
121. Take the 1st right onto Seckman Rd - 1.4 mi
122. Turn right at Mystic Port/Outer Rd Continue to follow Outer Rd - 0.6 mi
123. Turn left at Imperial Main St/W Main St/Oak - 233 ft
124. Take the ramp onto I-55 S - 1.3 mi
125. Take exit 185 for Missouri Hwy M toward Barnhart/Antonia - 0.4 mi
126. Merge onto Liguori Metropolitian Blvd/Metropolitan Blvd/N Srv Rd - 1.2 mi
127. Turn right at Bayberry Ln - 0.2 mi
128. Take the 1st left onto Hillcress Dr - 453 ft
129. Take the 1st right onto Primrose Ln Destination will be on the right - 0.3 mi

Arrive at: 1767 Primrose Ln Barnhart, MO 63012

130. Head southeast on Primrose Ln toward Hillcress Dr - 0.3 mi
131. Turn left at Hillcress Dr - 453 ft
132. Turn right at Bayberry Ln - 0.2 mi
133. Turn right at Liguori Metropolitian Blvd/Metropolitan Blvd/N Srv Rd Continue to follow Metropolitan Blvd - 3.2 mi
134. Turn left at State Hwy Z/Hwy Z - 0.2 mi
135. Slight right to merge onto I-55 S - 80.8 mi
136. Take exit 99 for I-55/US-61/MO-34 toward Cape Girardeau/Jackson - 0.2 mi
137. Turn left at Interstate 55 Business Loop S - 3.8 mi
138. Turn left at Broadway St - 2.0 mi

Arrive at: Cape Girardeau, MO

139. Head west on Broadway St toward N Main St - 2.0 mi
140. Turn left at Interstate 55 Business Loop S/N Kingshighway St Continue to follow Interstate 55 Business Loop S - 3.5 mi
141. Take the ramp onto I-55 S Entering Arkansas - 159 mi
142. Take exit 8 to merge onto I-40 W toward Little Rock - 124 mi
143. Slight left at US-167 S/US-67 S - 0.6 mi
144. Continue onto I-30 W Entering Texas - 234 mi
145. Take exit 131 for Farm to Market Rd 69 - 0.1 mi
146. Continue straight - 0.3 mi
147. Turn left at Farm to Market Rd 69 - 6.8 mi
148. Turn left at 1st St - 381 ft
149. Take the 1st right onto Lynch St Destination will be on the left - 144 ft

Arrive at: 310 Lynch St Como, TX 75431

Atheist Has No Respect for the Religious Who Don't Proselytize.

I can't help but think about all the times that I have a preserved a friendship by not talking about salvation in Jesus. I can't help but feel a bit ashamed. I'm way too full of lame excuses.

Ireland - Arrival

It's about 4:00 p.m. Central Standard Time time which means its about bedtime (10:00 pm) for me here in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The weather is rainy and around 65 degrees. We haven't done much since arriving, mainly moving into our rooms, fighting jet lag, and a short walking tour of the immediate area around Belfast. there are ten other students other than myself on this trip, and Dr. Billy Abraham is here with us as our professor. We're staying in the Methodist chaplaincy; in other words, its kind of like a Methodist fraternity house where the Methodist chaplain (campus minister) for Queen's University also lives. My room is on the fourth floor (60 steps; no elevator) with a beautiful view facing out toward the north of Belfast.

We took a walking tour this afternoon into the Protestant working-class part of town. We saw several memorials commemorating Protestant/Loyalist (pro-England) para-military groups. I've already seen quite a bit of graffiti that reflects the sectarian and racial hatred that still runs in the undercurrent of Northern Ireland. Tensions are expected to rise just a bit as we approach July 2th; the day in which the Ulster Protestant Loyalists defeated the Irish Roman Catholic Republicans. To get an idea of what it the feeling is like, imagine if the colonies did not defeat the British in the Revolutionary War, and then a British holiday was declared where they celebrated the defeat of the rebel American colonists. Or perhaps if there was a holiday where the United States celebrated the defeat of southern rebels, with Union parades marching down the streets of the most prominent Southern cities and towns.

I've taken some pictures and will be posting them at Picasa here. It's 6 minutes past my bedtime, and I am feeling it. I'll have more for you all tomorrow.

Friday Five - All About the Look

1. Are you a hoarder, or are you good at sorting and clearing? I really don't have any clothes that I don't wear regularly, so I guess I'm good at sorting stuff out.

2. What is the oddest garment you possess and why? I don't really have odd garments. I have three Hawaiian shirts that I've had for a very long time. I bought them back before they were faddish, wore them while it was, and continued wearing them afterward. I like clothing with a repeating pattern of parrots.

If shoes count as a garment in this Friday-Five, then its my Vibram 5-Fingers. That's right; I wear toe-shoes. They've helped me get over my plantar fasciitis pain.

Oh, and my black leather biker jacket with metal spikes on the shoulder boards and down the back vents. Seriously.

3. Do you have a favourite look/ colour? I wear Old Navy ringer tees and Levi cargo pants/shorts. Pretty much the same thing every day. I buy one of every available color every two years.

4. Thrift/ Charity shops, love them or hate them? That would require me to actually shop (my love of food shopping does not extend to clothing shopping). My current wardrobe choices are essentially mindless to acquire.

5. Money is no object, what one item would you buy? I'd switch over to a completely free-trade/organic wardrobe. I know somebody is paying for my $5 Old Navy Tees.

Now I Know...

I remember Transformers having PSAs at the end of each episode, but I didn't know they used the same tagline as G.I. Joe. For some reason, this one made me laugh.

Friday Five: Gettin' the Groceries

I'm finally caught up enough to do a Friday Five. It only took a month after the semester's end.

1. Grocery shopping--love it or hate it? Actually, I kinda enjoy it. I like comparing different products for their nutritional value, and figuring out the best buy. Sometimes bulk is not cheaper, so I keep my phone's calculator handy.

2. Who is the primary food shopper in your household? I am. Not to dig on Beth, but I care a lot more about what I eat (I'm also way more of a picky eater than she). Beth doesn't enjoy shopping as much as I do, so she's kinda of an in-and-out of shopper. That doesn't lend to price and nutrition comparisons. I also do most of the cooking, so I'm more aware of what we need, what we're running low on, and how much room we have in the fridge. Plus my schedule is more flexible.

3. Do you have a beloved store like TJ's which is unique to your location or family? We have a Walmart and a Brookshire's. Walmart is closer, cheaper, and has a better selection of lean cut meat and lower calorie/fat and higher fiber foods. However, as of late, our Walmart has been slowly getting rid of their healthier foods.

4. How about a farmer's market, or CSA share, as we move into summer? Or do you grow your own fruits/veggies/herbs? I wish I had the time to grow my own. I love cucumbers, corn, and potatoes, and they're best when fresh. I'm sure having fresh lettuce on hand would lend to eating more salads. But I barely have the time to mow, let alone learn how to tend a garden and then do it.

5. What's the favorite thing you buy at the grocery store? I like meat.

Wesleyanism and Rethinking Church

Jeff Slater over at life|emergent asked the question, "Why be United Methodist?" I started to respond there, but then realized that I hadn't posted anything of substance here in a while. :-)

I don't have a UMC identity as much as I have a Wesleyan identity. They are not one and the same. The disconnect is, that the UMC has lost much of the subtle, yet vital, nuances of the Wesleyan heritage.

• We have lost Wesley's understanding of prevenient grace (it lets the totally depraved see their deprivation--that's all).
• We've used the word grace to whitewash every dead tomb of sin--grace is not permissiveness, but the means by which God continually calls all sinners to the Gospel Feast where lives can be transformed. It seems to me that the way we use the word 'grace' diminishes the our ability to speak honestly about the impact of sin in our lives and in the world, thus neutering the power of the Gospel and the affect of Christ's attonement of that sin.
• We have completely abandoned the idea that true happiness only comes from living holy lives through intentional obedience and devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ.
• It is rare (in my experience) that one hears a sermon on the rational and experiential assurance of one's salvation from a UM pulpit--which is a shame against John Wesley's lifelong theological endeavors.
• The idea that we can be perfected in Christian love in this life is surrounded with modernistic explanations that diminish the miraculous synergistic power of the Holy Spirit working within the repentant sinner. Of course, that's better than laughing or the subtle wink and nod that I've witnessed on occasion.
• And of course, most of this went by the wayside when class membership ceased to be a requirement of membership. Accountability was the chief tool of Methodism, and that's why it grew so rapidly in the 18th and 19th centuries.
  

We no longer have the practical theology of Susanna Wesley which she passed on to her son. Instead, the UMC has traded it in for a largely superfluous theology of slogans, catchphrases, taglines, and buzzwords.

A few months back Gracepoint UMC in Wichita, Kansas left the connection largely because their evangelistic (and truly Wesleyan) fervor proved to be incompatible with the polity and Episcopal leadership of the the Kansas West Conference. GPUMC clearly did not have a United Methodist identity. However, I'm curious if the newly renamed Gracepoint Community Church had a Wesleyan identity, and if so, does it intend on keeping it.

I had an interesting conversation with an Elder after a break-out session at the North Texas Annual Conference regarding our church structure. As far as connectionalism goes, I wonder what would happen if we started thinking and acting as if the Annual Conference itself was a mega church with hundreds of satellite campuses. Or perhaps we could treat the AC as the one church of a region and individual churches as United Societies organized into classes and bands. It'd look something like this:

• Everyone who wishes to join the church would become members of the Annual Conference and Elders and Deacons in full connection would be members of either the Regional or General Conference.
• The membership requirements and vows to join an Annual Conference would be the same as that of the local church, now.
• Each local church would be a Society Congregation, where the membership vows would be the General Rules of the United Societies.
• Membership in a Society Congregation would be more fluid depending on the level of commitment of the member of the Annual Conference Church. Just like Wesley regularly kicked folks out of societies, Society Congregations could do the same. Likewise, just like in the early days of Methodism, the ejected member would immediately be invited back into community with the Society Congregation with a grace that tolerates not sin, but earnestly calls for repentance and striving for holiness.
• Each church would be made of classes--of which attendance would be expected--and bands--which attendance would be encouraged. Here, the real work of the church would be done, as class and band members would provoke one another in love to conform their minds to Christ's mind and walked as he walked.
  

Ya wanna rethink church? How 'bout we redo church.

Your comments, questions, criticisms, complains and donations are appreciated and desired.

The Truth Behind Many Bad Sermons

Here's a quick vid of Walter Brueggemann addressing some of the issues that prohibit a pastor from being the faith community's scholar and teacher.



HT: Adam Walker at pomomusings

Singin'

Beth and I sang at Diane Sander and Nate Shoemaker's wedding. Beth and I are friends with Diane through the Springfield Wesley Foundation, and Beth and Diane were roommates for a while during undergrad. Beth's folks drove out to Hermann, Missouri and caught the song on the digital camera.

Penny Arcade and Evangelism

I read webcomics. One of my favorites is Penny Arcade. Though I'm not technically a gamer (playing bubblebreaker on my phone in class [it helps me pay attention, honest!], tower defense while I should be studying, and Super Mario anything on the NES/SNES/GameCube does not a gamer make), I do like to keep my finger on the pulse of the gaming world. I know gamers. I'm friends with gamers. I'll probably meet more gamers. And most importantly, I like to be able to talk with folks about the things they like; it's the evangelist in me. Gabe and Tycho help me do this.

Last week, the duo critiqued Microsoft's new method of buying music for the Zune (here's the comic). Now, I haven't really bought any music in several years, be it through online retail or at a store, but their critique of Microsoft's marketing methods stuck me as interesting.

What Microsoft needs badly is a shaman. They need somebody who is situated physically within their culture, but outside it spiritually. This isn't a person who hates Microsoft, but it's a person who can actually see it. I can do this for you. Give me a hut in your parking lot. I will eat mushrooms, roll around in your cafeteria, and tell you the Goddamned truth.

The world need shamans and pastors need to be those shamans. Pastors need to be actively and physically engaged in the culture around their churches, from as intimate as the familial all the way to the breadth of the global. In a way, it's not far from John Wesley, who, "submitted to be more vile, and proclaimed in the highways the glad tidings of salvation…” Granted, Wesley was not reading webcomics or the like, but he did go to where the people were, saw and spoke to the truth that he encountered in the streets of Bristol--something that many of his contemporaries were unwilling to do.

The only way to do this safely is by firstly and constantly seeking spiritual and scriptural holiness. If one is going to be physically within the culture, then one also must be spiritually steeped in the ordinances of God. I'm not promoting dualism of body and spirit, for they both affect each other. It is, however, easy to lose one's center--to slip into idolatry or syncretism--while physically engaged with the world.

So pastors, get out of your offices and get out of your heads, eat your mushrooms (or you know, the Lord's Supper), walk around in your towns, and be able and willing to tell the world--in a language and context they can understand--the God-blessed truth.

Man, I Needed This Stuff Last Week.

I wrote a lot last week and slept very little. This would have helped.