2006 September Archive at Serving Bread

Monthly Archive for September, 2006

Is belief in God, good, bad or irrelevant?

Published

on September 28, 2006

. 4 Comments

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I picked up the book Is belief in God, good, bad or irrelevant? A professor and a punk rocker discuss science, religion, naturalism & Christianity at 2pm and a few hours later finished reading it. Preston Jones, a professor at a Christian college, strikes up a relationship with Greg Graffin, frontman, singer and songwriter for the punk band Bad Religion. This book tracks their email relationship over the course of a couple of years. Graffin is not only a punk rocker, but he has a PhD in zoology. Check out his dissertation at http://www.polypterus.org/.

Graffin, as an atheist, articulates his worldview of naturalism where biology is religion. They cover many topics, including the classic questions such as, “If there is a God, why is there suffering?” “If God knows the future, why does he allow evil?” and “Can morality exist outside of the existence of God?” “Can science and religion really integrate?” (Graffin would argue no, that ‘enlightened’ Christians can try but in reality they cannot “mesh” science and religion). I appreciate the ways that the two men articulate their respective faiths. And it’s fun (as the reader) to be a fly on the wall and see this friendship develop.

Graffin prides himself as a pure naturalist. Naturalism, in its basic (American Heritage Dictionary) definition is the belief that “all phenomena can be explained in terms of natural causes and laws.” And when some of the questions are still unanswered, Graffin argues that naturilists will just wait and in time those questions will be answered (even if it might take hundreds of years).

I think what Christians can learn is the way that Jones answers some of Graffin’s critiques. It’s not only what he writes but how he responds to him. At times I felt he let Graffin a little off the hook too easily with some of the statements Graffin makes about theism and Christianity. But for the most part, Jones was gracious but firm in his replies. Also, We can learn and understand Graffin’s critiques and ask the question, “How would I respond to this criticism?” Now granted, Graffin is a true atheist. This group is a small minority in our society (about 9%). However, his questions are still very relevant. While most people will not identify as atheists in their beliefs, they probably do in some of their actions and lifestyle choices (this includes Christians).

What I most appreciate about Jones is that he first and foremost developed a relationship with Graffin and then second, defended God and Christianity. After all, Jones confesses, God is big enough to defend himself.

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Seven lessons on being a witness from John the Baptist in the Gospel of John

Prayer and God

Leadership Insight 21: Called

Coffee IS good for you

40%

Published

Eddy E

on September 28, 2006

in Just Ranting and Random

. 1 Comment

Can you locate Iraq on a map? If you can’t, don’t worry, you’re in the majority! Only 40% of young Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 can pinpoint Iraq on a map–the country where we are at war. Now that is a marked improvement from the 14% in 2002, so you gotta give kudos to someone for that. It’s no secret that Americans are geographically illiterate, but it’s a bit disturbing to read that figure and to be reminded that we are at war in the Middle East, and yet the majority of people who would be foot soldiers of that war know very little about the country and presumably, its history. I know some people might argue that even our own leaders are in that category, but I won’t go there in this post.

Some of the studies also show that identifying the US on a map is also not something to brag home about, so it’s nothing particular about Iraq. To remedy the problem, my idea is that the next time we wage war on any country (even if it’s justified), the president, rather than delivering his impassioned plea for support, instead gives a geography lesson and maybe even a history lesson. I would make it a 30 minute segment that airs on every network. And then in a couple weeks, every household is sent a simple test to answer a few basic geography questions.

Those households who pass the test are given a badge that allows them to debate the merits of the war, etc… (The badge can also be used to get discounts at the gas station) And those households who don’t pass the test are given a badge where they could be arrested if they complain or raise any opinion on the war (And their badge would add an extra tax on their gas). I know it sounds a little anti-American, and I know that even some of our leaders might be given the second badge, but you gotta start somewhere.

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Turn off your TV

Published

Eddy E

on September 25, 2006

in General

. 4 Comments

The Nielsen Media Research (the company that tracks what people watch and provides the rating numbers) said that the average household has the TV on 8 hours and 14 minutes each day. This is up 3 minutes from last year. That’s a hard working TV. Considering that we sleep something like 7 or 8 hours a night and we should be in school or working for 6 to 8 hours a day, it seems like we fill up every other “free” minute by having the TV on.

This all makes sense to me, considering when you have 8 gazillion channels, you really do need to have the TV on for that long in order to catch all those channels. I don’t know about your household, but the TV is probably on (sometimes it’s just to have noise–afterall, I am an extrovert who likes noise!) a little more than it should be in my household.

I’m just glad Layla is not into TV yet. She doesn’t really care to watch, and there is no show that she is hooked on. But, there is this one commercial she goes crazy over. Enjoy!

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Intercession and Calling, Part II: Intercession

Proposition 2 — NO

Independent Local Convention, Sept. 8-11

How “Christian” is your operating system?

The cost of our addiction just went up in price

Published

Eddy E

on September 24, 2006

in General

. 1 Comment

This should have been a front page lead story, but instead it was buried deep in the newspaper. Starbucks is raising most beverage prices by a nickel starting October 3. Citing the increased costs of fuel (wait, aren’t gas prices starting to come down?) and labor, the company whose stores are like a second home to many good folks will also raise prices on their beans. But I don’t buy their beans, so I don’t really care about that. It’s the increased price of coffee (that by the way is more expensive than gas and water per unit).
I don’t even go to Starbucks for their coffee. I go because it’s like a second home to me. It’s like a safe embassy in a dangerous world. And I for one, am a proponent of paying the rent that is due at using this establishment. I just wish my landlord had given me more time before raising my rent.

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Confessions of my withdrawal

Proposition 7 — NO

Proposition 12 — YES

Thank you California voters for my new credit cards

A take on the 9/11 conspiracies

Published

Eddy E

on September 22, 2006

in General

. 4 Comments

I have recently had a ‘friendly’ exchange with a good friend over a link he had sent me of a 34 minute video that raises scores of questions about 9/11. The essence of the video is to raise doubt about whether what we have heard is really what happened on 9/11. Although these theories may raise important and (perhaps) necessary questions, the danger lies when they create enough confusion and history is re-written in light of these questions.

9/11 has been and will continue to be a highly politicized event. People of all political persuasions will find ways to exploit 9/11 to defend their own agendas. The 9/11 conspiracy theories seem to read backward into history, rather than understand the events in their own context. In other words, some theorists might argue that the Bush administration allowed and was even behind the destruction on 9/11 because it wanted to wage a war on terror, etc… What the theorists are doing is redefining history in light of current events, rather than understanding the implications of history.

Here are some lists of problems I have with the 9/11 and perhaps most conspiracy theories:

Conspiracy theories are difficult to prove or disprove: I will give credit to Tyler W. who mentioned this in one of his posts a few weeks back. Most conspiracy theories make sense on some level. Conspiracy theories are usually born after events that are difficult to understand because there may be either a high level of complexity or a level of irrationality that makes us to want more clarity.
Conspiracy theories prey on our human skepticism: As human beings, we are inclined to question and to doubt. Pursuing curiosity usually gives birth to new discoveries. One reason why conspiracy theories tend to find life is because it is natural for us to pursue skepticsm.
The 9/11 conspiracy theories work with the assumption that our government is bad: Is our government capable of bringing the buildings down? Yes. But capability does not lead to culpability. I’m not saying that the US or governing administrations are not capable of evil. However, there are working assumptions at play here. And those assumptions are rarely identified, but they create the foundation for the theories.
Expertise doesn’t matter: Every scientist, architect, and engineer that has studied why the towers (and especially Tower 7) fell on 9/11 have concluded that it is possible for the towers to have fallen because of the impact of the planes. The conspiracy theorists are smart people who are only telling us what our skepticism wants to hear. Although experts have proven the logic, theorists can ask questions in articulate manners that belittle all the experts.

Conspiracy theories will continue to live on. Smart people (people with PhDs) are writing detailed accounts supporting the conspiracy theories. There is a whole industry at work to define our understanding of 9/11. The clever use of media, the articulation of the questions, the problem of complexity and the (gift) of skepticism have and will continue to fuel all the conspiracy theories.

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Book Giveaway #3: Misquoting Truth

And I thought babies cried…

Published

Eddy E

on September 20, 2006

in Daughter Love

. 1 Comment

Before being a father, I had this impression that babies cry. They cry all the time. They cry for no reason. They cry for reasons that I’m too slow to comprehend. They just cry. But after a few weeks and months with Layla, I was (pleasantly) surprised by how little she cried. Sure, she cries when she’s constipated (don’t we all?!?). She cries at the immunizations. She cried when she was sick. She whines/cries in the mornings when she wakes up. But if we anticipate and adopt a policy of pre-emptive care, we generally can eradicate most of the crying. I was a happy father.

But something has changed recently. Layla is becoming a toddler. Toddlers cry. She seems to be a lot less patient when she wants something (especially something that she shouldn’t have). She’s a lot picker of what foods we give her, and she just bangs herself a lot more. At least once a day she’ll try a maneuver that will result in utter failure on her part, only to bang herself. I know some of those gorwing pains are pretty painful, but basically, I think she also has figured out that she should just cry when she fails, regardless of whether it hurts.

Lesson #1: The Lord loves to teach us humility. I thought I had parenting down–the less she cried, the better I felt about myself. I take that back.
Lesson #2: Risk-taking involves failure. Failure involves pain. Pain can lead to crying. That’s ok!
Lesson #3: As Layla ages, I can control less of her environment and her decisions. She will fall and hurt herself. This is where I learn to trust her to the good Father.
Lesson #4: When Layla’s in pain, it’s good to be right there and hold her and comfort her and encourage her to keep going.
Lesson #5: Toddlers cry ~~way~~ more than babies! At least mine does.

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I announce my candidacy…

My state-wide exposure

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I announce my candidacy…

Published

Eddy E

on September 17, 2006

in Just Ranting

. 2 Comments

I have always been interested in politics. I’m not sure if it’s the righteous anger within me or my Middle Eastern blood (try finding a Middle Eastern who doesn’t care or have a “strong” opinion on politics). So I’ve been thinking that I should run for some office. But for what? I can’t run for the presidency of the US because I wasn’t born here, but maybe with the new “democracy” in Iraq, that might be an option for me. Nah… that doesn’t sound like a fun, fulfilling or a job that is even possible to do.

Another option would be to run for congress. Legislation is not really my thing, and considering I have no idea who my congress-person is, the job doesn’t sound appealing. To be governor of the great state of California doesn’t excite me either. For one, Sacramento gets hot and there is nowhere to go (at least in Northridge, I can drive 30 minutes and get to a cooler part of LA). Also, someone in the family already did that job (Yes I’m related to George Deukmejian who was governor in the 80s and 90s).

If I were to run for office, I think I’d start very local. I’d start with a job that could make a difference. And it would start with a job where I feel the effects of the status quo, and I’m righteously angry for some change. So I’m gonna run (one day, inshallah) for School Board.

Continue reading ‘I announce my candidacy…’

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Just wondering…

Published

Eddy E

on September 15, 2006

in Pop Culture and Random

. 4 Comments

We made quite a few phone-calls yesterday to talk to freshmen who have shown interest in being a part of our ministry. We got through to many people’s voicemails (which was expected). For a handful of folks, their voicemail greeting wasn’t the typical, “Hi, you’ve reached Olaf, please leave your name and number and I’ll call you back.” The greeting was a top-40 hit. And it wasn’t a fifteen second sample, these voicemail greetings would go on for about a minute and a half. I’m practically listening to an entire song before I hear the beep to leave the message. And there is no name in the greeting to let me know whether I’ve called the correct number–it’s just a song. My question is simple (and I really am sincere when I ask this question): Why?

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Oregon’s governor identifies with the poor

Spin or relativism

Proposition 1A

Monday Musings 1, Micah 6.6-8

It was cold and rainy

Published

Eddy E

on September 14, 2006

in General

. 0 Comments

Just a few days ago I had the AC on full blast and complaining about the weather in the Valley. Today, the temperature must have been in the 60s and 70s. I was wearing pants, socks, and shoes, and had Layla in a jacket. For those who live outside of Southern California, it is not always sunny in Southern California, and for those of you who don’t live in the Valley, it’s not always hot as hell in the Valley.

Oh and I’m not exaggerating. It did rain.

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2 Kings 13.18-19: Strike those arrows

Published

Eddy E

on September 12, 2006

in Soul Talk

. 1 Comment

18 And he said, â€œTake the arrows,â€ and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, â€œStrike the ground with them.â€ And he struck three times and stopped. 19 Then the man of God was angry with him and said, â€œYou should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.â€

2 Kings 13.18-19

Elisha, one of the most powerful prophets of the Old Testament, is on his death-bed but has it in him for one more prophetic exercise. Judah’s King Josiah visits him to pay his final respects, when Elisha gives Josiah a picture of what is to come. In this final prophecy, Elisha paints a couple of pictures for Josiah. In this particular picture, he asks the king to beat the ground with arrows. When Josiah only beats it three times, Elisha confronts him for his underwhelming action.

On the one hand, Josiah had no idea what his beating on the ground actually means.Â To his credit, if the king knew what he finds out later, he probably would have beat the ground a thousand times. I don’t want to read what’s not in the text, but one of the ways I read this text is that it is a parable to the reader. The reader sees Josiah missing an opportunity. The reader sees the big picture and is faced with the question: Would you really do more than Josiah if you knew what he doesn’t know? In my observations, the answer is no. We wouldn’t. I wouldn’t.

If I really knew all the resources and the power of God available to me, how would I live my life differently? How would my prayers look? How would my ministry look? In the past several weeks, there have been three instances where God has met my prayers in very specific ways: 1. My colleague, Ruth, surpassed the 80% mark of raising her ministry budget by move-in weekend at CSUN; 2. God gave us 100 names during our orientation tabling; 3. God brought 150 students to our BBQ.

Those were things we prayed for, and God honored those prayers. But for some reason, this passage has come my way in light of the good ways God has honored our prayers. Regardless of whether our prayers reflected faith or security, I have learned a few lessons in the past several weeks. The theme of those lessons can be summed up with: Both God and I are too small in my eyes.

I get surprised too easily when God honors my prayers. Rather than believing that God answers prayers, my default is often that God won’t answer prayers and sometimes he chooses to do so.
My faith stretches as far as my eyes can see. I don’t want to be disappointed by God. I want to ask God what I think God can offer me. I fear that if I ask for too much and believe God for too much, it won’t happen.
I need a defense when God doesn’t deliver. The great taboo topic in Christian circles seems to be: Why didn’t God answer my prayer? We have pre-packaged answers to that question because we don’t want to live in the mystery and in the unknown. I need to convince myself that there is something I did or didn’t do that warranted God not honoring my prayer. I rarely want to wrestle with God over those disappointments.

The parable in this passage is: Would I strike the arrows more than 3 times? Will I lift up passionate, faith-stretching prayers to God? Will I believe God for resources that my eyes can’t see? Will I believe God for victories that seem impossible? Will I strike the arrows more than 3 times?

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