theo|digital

In Champaign almost two weeks ago, I spoke on “In Search of a Subversive Heart” where we spoke about structural evil, power, and King Jesus who rules over them and calls us to subvert them his way. And we reached into the deep story of elderly Mrs. Ntonsheni, the wise victim of South African apartheid.

“Christians are subversive, they think about power upside down,” we said.

More on the talk later (the audio will be available at some point soon). But already I’ve gotten many questions on the related books, some I relied on or recommend for further reading. So for students and friends that were at SNG:

Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals Shane Claiborne is the guy best known for living a “neo-monastic” lifestyle in Philadelphia. But his thoughts on Jesus’ subversiveness in this book are really nicely done. A sweet looking book too – every page is customized! Although this isn’t a resource I read much directly for our talk (I’m still reading it), If I was going to pick just one book for someone “to know more” – this seems to be it.

The Powers That Be by Walter Wink. Wink is the theologian who has done much work on power and structural evil (and one of the guys Shane Claiborne read). He wrote a more detailed trilogy of books before this one, which acts as somewhat of a summary. He’s classified in “liberal” school of theology, which means I’m going to read him cautiously because our assumptions about Jesus and the scriptures may not be the same. But I think he’s got some stuff that’s really worth the thought. I have some previous posts on him.

The Boy Child Is Dying: A South African Experience. by Judy Boppell Peace. I read from this book when telling the story of Mrs. Ntonsheni. It appears to be out of print – I was lucky to find it – but there a few available used online. A very short book, but very powerful pictures of daily apartheid.

Some of the images we saw together were used with permission from the United Nations photo archive.

“Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing… What Orwell feared was those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one…

In 1984, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us.

This book is about the possibility that Huxley, not Orwell, was right.”

~ Neil Postman, writing in his forward to Amusing Ourselves to Death, an old favorite that I finally just bought to put in the permanent shelves (go Amazon impulse buy). This guy wrote in 1985, and still has a lot of power. Love it. So good. Love it. Yep.

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Now playing: Sigur Rós – Ágætis Byrjun
via FoxyTunes

I’m about to dive into a new semester at North Park, and it leaves me suddenly with a lot to write about. I’ll try to report new textbooks as they arrive via Amazon love (though there are a few sitting in boxes that I refuse to open because I haven’t yet made shelf space). I haven’t finished writing thoughts on Christianity and culture. And I’ve committed to attending a gathering through the new Ecclesia network to see my friend JR Woodward and hear thoughts from that crazy Australian pastor Alan Hirsch.

Hirsch’s most recent book is The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church. But I haven’t yet read his previous book in conjunction with Michael Frost: The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21 Century Church. So knowing that he’ll probably talk about his newer thoughts, I’m going to get his foundational ones first. My interest was peaked by my friend Ty, who has read both and probably had told me half of the concepts in conversation anyway.

That said, I plan on noting quotes from the book along the way. Like this, three key parts of their definition of missional church thinking (p12).

1. The missional church is incarnational, not attractional, in its ecclesiology. By incarnational we mean it does not create sanctified spaces into which unbelievers must come to encounter the gospel. Rather, the missional church disassembles itself and seeps into the cracks and crevices of a society in order to be Christ to those who don’t yet know him.

2. The missional church is messianic, not dualistic, in its spirituality. That is, it adopts the worldview of Jesus the Messiah, rather than that of the Greco-Roman empire. Instead of seeing the world as divided between the sacred (religious) and profane (nonreligious), like Christ it sees the world and God’s placein it as more holistic and integrated.

3. The missional church adopts an apostolic, rather than a hierarchical, mode of leadership. By apostolic we mean a mode of leadership that recognized the fivefold model details by Paul in Ephesians 4 a. It abandons the triangular hierarchies of the traditional church and embraces a biblical, flat-leadership community that unleashes the gifts of evangelism, apostleship, and prophecy, as well as the currently popular pastoral and teaching gifts.

a. footnote on Ephesians 4. It actually reads Ephesians *6* in the book. Not sure why, I can only assume I missed something or it’s a genuine misprint.

I didn’t expect the amount of reaction I received a few days ago when I updated my Facebook status to “Chris is poaching eggs in the microwave.” Laying aside the shame I feel for updating my Facebook status in the first place (what? what window? I don’t have Facebook open. “Face-book?” oh, you meant GOOGLE SPREADSHEETS. Right. Look over there.), I’d like to make the serious point that poaching eggs in the microwave is not only a lovely modern possibility, it’s also fun and safe to do at home.

Instructions:

1. Find your personal microwave poacher dish. A coffee mug with rounded bottom works great. Yesterday I used a glass 1-cup liquid-measuring cup.
2. Spray bottom of cup with non-stick spray.
3. Break egg into dish (obviously be careful not to break the yoke!)
4. Gently puncture the egg yolk with a toothpick. (just a small “hole” – no breaky – just quick in and out. Seriously. This is important to prevent unwanted yellow explosion).
5. Cover the top of your cup with saran wrap – pull tightly so it forms a seal. (will trap steam inside).
6. Pop in microwave.



7. Zap it. Technique is very important here. It must be done in small increments, and takes very little overall time to cook the egg through. I recommend something like this:
1. 12 second zap.
2. 10 seconds cool-down.
3. 10 seconds zap.
4. 10 seconds cool down.
5. 8 seconds zap.
6. 10 seconds cool down.



7. Visual egg examination. Does it look done? (remember, overdoing gives you hard yoke. Not as nice.)
8. And you’re done. The rounded bottom of the cup helps you simply tip the cup and slide the egg out onto your already prepared english muffin, with American cheese and canadian bacon. Instant Egg McMuffin!

I will be accepting apologies from those who scoffed.

Jason Harrod
Living in Skin (2000)
Contemporary Folk/Newgrass

In person, the large North Carolinian introvert is awkward, but his shyness belies his songwriter savoir faire: he doesn’t mention his previous sell-out shows as the 90’s Boston duo Harrod and Funck, or his Chris Austin Songwriting award – judged by bluegrass icon Gillian Welch. The acoustic Living in Skin is effortless harmonica hooks, smoked vocals, and unafraid falsetto that would decisively capture the scene if his thoughtful southern poetry didn’t quietly win the day.

I accidentally saw Jason at Aroma in Champaign while he was doing a I’ll-drive-myself tour through Illinois. He newest album is Bright as You (2005) and apparently is now available on iTunes.

Finally got out to see a show this year. Credits to Nick, Ben, my sister, and others who kept bugging me to give Andrew Bird a chance. He wasn’t disappointing. Who knew a monkey-loving violin player could be so entertaining. Did I mention he’s got a knack for whistling and glockenspiel?

I saw the show at the Canopy, which thankfully is now smoke free (although not a ton less grungy than usual). Check out Andrew Bird’s new album entitled Armchair Acrophobia which I bought on iTunes on Monday and listened to non-stop in a rather determined effort to be familiar with the songs before I walked in the door. It paid off.

Imogen Heap
Speak for Yourself (2005)
Electronic Pop

Brit do-it-herself girl is an aural genius, stacking perfect loops and breath-stop vocals in a menagerie that doesn’t forget classical instruments and samples of passing train engines. The 2006 Best-New-Artist nominee started in 1998 but with recent singles Hide and Seek and Headlock is just now getting American attention. It’s deserved, she’s complicated, and I’m mesmerized.

…aren’t as much enemies as it could seem at first glance. Gave a talk last night at I-Life called “Why I Want Sex.” Will post the audio when it becomes available, but wanted to note four books (among others) that I referenced when preparing for my talk.

A friend of mine has asked me for a “Top 10″ list of things to do in the city while visiting. I’m so mired in my own shades-of-gray indecision, that I’ve obliged with a list of ten things, but can’t provide actual “ranks” without emotional damage. So here they are, distinctly un-ordered:

• Enjoy live jazz at the Green Mill. (don’t talk during the music – it’s not allowed).

• Dodge yelling grill cooks at the Billy Goat tavern, home of “Cheezborger! Cheezborger!”

• Study the reflection on wet cobblestones in Caillebotte’s Paris Street; Rainy Day at the Art Institute of Chicago.

• Ride the Brown Line train – the ‘L’ – over the Chicago river and around the “Loop“

• Read this year’s fairytale in the Marshall Field’s (now Macy’s) Christmas-time windows on State St.

• Roll the dice at “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind” to find out how much you pay for the show.

• Dance to the live polka band between the liver soup and brautwurst at the Chicago Brauhaus. German beer helps.

• Chomp a Chicago dog in the bleachers at Chicago Cub’s Wrigley Field on Clark. Don’t worry about missing a half-inning: they’re losing anyway.

• Stroll down North Avenue beach with friends, enjoying the view of the Hancock Building.

• Warm up with lapsang souchong smoked tea (and a book) at the Bourgeois Pig in Lincoln Park.

I’ve added a simple new box on my blog on the left side. It’s a list of posts that I read in my Google Reader and mark to share, because I found them interesting.

If you aren’t using Google Reader, I’d check it out. It’s an RSS reader and they’re referring to it as your “inbox for the web” – a perfect way to keep up with the 45 blogs I try to keep up with.