Dual Impressions, "P.O.D.'s 'Murdered Love'" review

P.O.D.'s new release Murdered Love is both high-powered and controversial. Check out the review that James and myself recorded, and then decide for yourself about the controversy.

Here is a sampling of the lyrics that have gotten such a fierce reaction:

I am the murderer, the pervert, sick to the core, 
I am the unclean dope fiend, I am the whore
I am the forgotten child, ravaged and raped and sex trafficked
Since I’m a little strange Daddy called me a faggot
Are you the one that’s come to set me free?
Cuz if you knew who I am would you really want to die for me?
They say you are the cursed man, the one who hangs from this tree
But I know this is the one and only Son of God, so tell me who the fuck is He?

PS, it is quite good and worthy of discussion.

Murdered Love Review

--Nick

TCM, "Active Inaction"

This is quite interesting.

Modern-day activism is a double edge sword. Thanks to the internet, we are aware of far more than previous generations. We are able to discover more than what the evening news chooses to cover that night. Not only can we hear about massive, life-changing events in other countries, we can see videos made by the people who are living it. We can read their twitter feed. We can chat with them one-on-one and get their story. However, what do we do with that information? 

For most of us, activism shows itself in what we “like” and repost on our Facebook news feed. We tweet and blog about how “up in arms” we are about current issues, but, at the end of the day, who are we really helping?

For the rest, click HERE.


--Nick

Dual Impressions, "Lecrae's 'Church Clothes' review"

In time for Lecrae's new release, James and I recorded this podcast earlier this evening. Check it out. We delve into the album as a standalone piece, Lecrae's evolution as an artist and the controversy surrounding his "assimilation" into the mainstream of hip-hop.

Mild spoiler:

The album doesn't suck.

Dual Impressions/Lecrae's Church Clothes

--Nick

TCM, "Lecrae, Gospel & Culture"

Calvin Moore, Matt Jerles and others go in on this informative podcast about Lecrae's latest potent and mildly controversial mixtape.

TCM Roundtable

--Nick

J.F. Arnold, "Lecrae, Church Clothes, and Mainstream Attention"

My boy James wrote this. 


James:

Over at XXL Mag, a hip-hop oriented magazine, Lecrae was interviewed about his mixtapeChurch Clothes, which is set to release today, May 10th. I’ve watched a couple of debates on the topic already. People tend to land in one of two places: either Lecrae is doing God’s work by making music that will reach more people, or he has lost touch with the Gospel and forsaken the name of Christ.

On one side of the argument, folks say that Lecrae’s recent decisions–performing in the BET Cypher, releasing a mixtape with DJ Don Cannon, and appearing on an album by secular producer Statik Selektah–give Lecrae a unique position to spread the Gospel. His music will reach a broader audience, and while his lyrics may not explicitly present the Gospel itself, his songs will end up pushing people to learn about him, about his ministry, and about his Christian life. This is an approach often talked about it terms of ‘gateway music’: Lecrae’s music will bring people into the sphere of Christian hip-hop, and then they can hear the explicit Gospel. 

The other side suggests quite the opposite: by stepping away from producing tracks that explicitly proclaim the Gospel, many say that Lecrae has forsaken Christ and lost his sight. The moment Lecrae talks about seeking to be authentic hip-hop, grouping himself with the likes of Brand Nubian, Wu-Tang, and Lupe Fiasco, he seems to be placing hip-hop above Christianity, at least in certain respects. The assumption here is that music produced in such a way that it does not convey explicit Christian doctrine is not God-honoring. 

I’ll admit, I tend towards the former position. 

For the rest, click HERE.

--Nick

TCM, "Heresy Hunting"

I had the pleasure of being involved in a podcast on heresy hunting. Ya'll should listen and give me some thoughts. We go from orthodoxy to gospel to heresy back to orthodoxy. Its long but worth it, I think.

The Christian Manifesto/Heresy

--Nick

Dual Impressions; "Thousand Foot Krutch" review

Check it out. It's a solid album. I believe we rated it above average.

TCM/Dual Impressions

--Nick

Blue Like Jazz, a brief review

I may come back and add to this review in the future, if you would like to read the original review, click the link at the bottom. 

I'm good at laying my cards on the table, so I will do so right now. I didn't like the book. I generally don't find Donald Miller's writing very compelling, save for Searching for God Knows What. That said, I loved Blue Like Jazz.

Beginning with a surreal (albeit) poorly paced opening of Donald Miller, played with reserve by Marshall Allman, Blue Like Jazz knows exactly where it needs to go. The film starts in Texas, at a fundamentalist church where Miller is content to simply exist without much rigorous thought. After a familial incident, Miller's perfect life is upended and he runs away into the godless Northwest United States to Reed College, where he experiences drinking, drugs, bi-curious girls and social justice. But, he cannot escape his background, or the Deity that seems to follow him.

Blue Like Jazz does not equate itself to being a Christian film. This does not suggest that Christians are not involved or that there is any lack of Christian themes in Blue Like Jazz, but the nature of the film is not sermonizing. Don's encounters with various students, from a dude dressed in a Pope outfit to a girl involved in Christo-centric social justice, showcase the turmoil of a man caught in the whirlpool of messy, post-conservative Christianity in a staunchly secular and hurting world. *For a discussion on "christian films."

I'll confess, I found this to be quite accurate in relation to my own spiritual journey. Having a personal conversation about God at midnight with an agnostic dressed as a beer can comes to mind. Blue Like Jazz touches on this sort of almost transcendental interaction, but also the failure of the church. Not in that the church, as a whole, has failed; rather, in the lives of some people pursuing truth, the church is very capable of providing invisible walls to run into. Blue Like Jazz is honest enough to not avoid the walls, but to show that they can be overcome. We see this in pastors, scholars and parents, both in reality and in this film. Blue Like Jazz never harshly condemns, but rather shows the linger effects of blind trust. 

The style of the film is reminiscent of Garden State, with abstract shots of astronauts in space and on earth. Director Steve Taylor, through his use of music and tone, manages to create a genuinely idiosyncratic film. However, the biggest fault of the film is the pacing, with the introduction running far too long. Not much in the way of character development, though there are attempts, until Don packs his bags for college. Once that picks up, the pacing picks up, but there are still instances that bring the film to a grinding halt. Like Don and Pope placing a giant condom on the church steeple. Funny. Necessary in regards to a certain character. But it takes far too long to set up and execute. 

Blue Like Jazz is a quirky little film that is filled with honest questions and a genuinely humble ending that is as far from an alter call as one can imagine. However, the ending is far more impactful and quiet than I anticipated, leaving me lost in thought for a long time. For a documentary that more actively engages with the idea, check out Lord, Save Us From Your Followers. Its on Netflix instant. 

In many ways, the silence and subtle shift of perspective is far more powerful than an alter call. This is where Blue Like Jazz excels. The point of it is not atonement theory or proclaiming systematic theology. This is not Wayne Grudem or Thomas Oden. This isn't even really Rob Bell or Tony Jones. In some ways, I saw a little N.T. Wright in there. However, the point overall seems to be more towards simply living as one ought to live in order for the gospel to bloom. People see the good deeds other do, and they want to know why. The point is living gospel. Helping the poor. Listening to our enemies. Empathizing with other people's failures. 

Possible spoiler:

Don's final comments about being "ashamed of Jesus" ruffled some Christian's feathers. However, the context is powerful in that Don is confessing to a person who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a powerful man of God. Being "ashamed" is actually the most telling sign of a truly repentant heart. Shame and guilt often showcase our fears and our reaction in tune with the Spirit. Allowing God to move in most mysterious ways. 

End possible spoiler.

I'm ashamed of Jesus in that I constantly fail to live up to his perfect example. I'm ashamed of my own failure and the failure of those that profess belief in the same God I love. And that is the pinnacle of Blue Like Jazz. It recognizes the failure of humanity in response to the cross, and the example put forth by both king and servant, Jesus. 

The gospel reigns in Blue Like Jazz. 

3.5 out of 5.

TCM/Blue Like Jazz

--Nick

TCM, "Would You Only Marry a Virgin? Living Ubuntu"

As usual, my good friend Calvin has a lot to say. To read this would be enriching and challenging for you. Read it.

Confronting The Elephant in the Bedroom of Christianity

I began this article by talking about my friend who faces the dilemma of a Christian culture that holds virginity as one of its highest ideals. The more stories I hear like hers—the more narratives of brokenness and familial shaming I’m told—the more my heart breaks for the individual and for our community of faith.

Anomaly or not, I feel as if a lot of well-meaning Christian men and women hold to a view of human sexuality and purity that is in no way redemptive. Again, culture shapes this more than Scripture. We carry around these attitudes of what we will and won’t accept in a relationship. Some people advocate dating. Some advocate courtship. Some advocate a near Puritanical approach to sex and dating. Some advocate a mutual and responsible exploration of “the other.” Intimately bound up in most approaches taught in the church, even some of the ones I agree with the most, is a sense of individualism and a “What’s in it for me?” attitude. Many single men and women walk around with lists. Topping the list is generally a desire for someone who is pure. Or at least someone who hasn’t gone “all the way.”[1] Some of them hop oneHarmony so some nebulous algorithm can help them make sense of what it is they want. We pay lip service to the idea that God is involved in the mix. But, he’s not really. Of course, we get appropriately indignant when our sincere relationship with God is questioned at this juncture. Not, too indignant, though. We don’t want to appear too esoteric or worse…Pentecostal.

We worship virginity. We bow to it. We raise it up as our standard. We hold it as the Church’s highest ideal. But, it can only be the Church’s highest ideal when firmly attached to an individualistic view of the faith. However, if we hold to a more communal understanding of the faith and take Scripture into account, we begin to get a view of the connections we miss when we’re too close to the tree to see the forest we’re in.

The “I only want a virgin” mantra is to miss the point of the Cross.

Some may scoff at this. Why can’t someone choose who they want and what they’re looking for in that person? After all, if they are to live with this person “until death do we part,” then doesn’t it make sense to live with someone who makes you comfortable? If marrying a non-virgin makes someone uncomfortable, well, they shouldn’t have to live with that. What is more, if one person keeps themselves pure—with maybe a little base-running in there, but getting thrown out at home plate—why shouldn’t they expect the same from a life partner? God calls us to purity and what’s better than two pure people marrying each other and beautifully displaying Christ’s love for the Church?

Far be it from me to throw a wrench in the works, but what if two people with individualistic ideas about life, faith, and love marrying one another doesn’t reflect God like they think it does? What if virginity isn’tsupposed to sit at the top of one’s list of criteria to look for in a mate?

I’m sure some of you are livid at this point. But, I just don’t see virginity at the center of the Gospel. I like Rebecca St. James just as much as the next person, but maybe a generation of “Wait For Me” men and women are tacitly being taught something that isn’t true.

Hosea and Living Ubuntu

Consider the story of Hosea. For all the claims we make of God “guiding our relationships,” when I look at Scripture I have a hard time thinking I’d want him pulling the strings. The more and more I thumb through its pages; the less our declarations seem authentic. When I see God involved in people’s relationships [in the Bible], I see him doing all sorts of things that most of us would never do. Like telling someone to “take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom…” Not only is Hosea told to marry a non-virgin, but a woman he knows ahead of time is going to cheat on him and who is going to bear to him hellspawn. You never hear that story in churches. When they cart the example couple out in front of the youth group with their story of “We waited and we couldn’t be happier…”, I think that maybe we are being disingenuous about the stories the Word of God gives us and only serves to reinforce a negative view of people who have chosen to do otherwise.

The Cross, however, is about more than staying virgins until marriage. I’d even venture that the Cross of Christ isn’t even about your virginity. The Cross—the old rugged cross—is about redemption. And without redemption we are unable to see the world as God sees the world—broken and desperately in need of hope. Hope that gives us new eyes and abolishes a personal faith in favor of a communal faith.

Might I suggest that to enter any relationship with virginity as the highest ideal is to reveal that one is not ready for a relationship at all? It reveals within the individual a spirit of unforgiveness and an “unknowing” of what it means to be human.

In his treatise on forgiveness, Bishop Desmond Tutu speaks of the African Weltsanschauung known asubuntu:

It is to say, “My humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in yours.” We belong in a bundle of life. We say, “A person is a person through other persons.” It is not, “I think therefore I am.” It says rather: “I am human because I belong. I participate. I share.” A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed, or treated as if they were less than who they are.[2]

What does any of that have to do with virginity? Everything.

The story of Hosea is a story of ubuntu. The story of the Cross is a story of ubuntu. And with a new set of eyes, men and women who remain chaste are able to see men and women who do not remain chaste through redeemed eyes. They are able to adopt a more redemptive posture in regards to the mate they chose—choosing not to see what was, but rather what could be…together. They are now able to walk inubuntu, seeing themselves in the other and not diminishing their worth because their choices were different.

Would YOU only marry a virgin? Take our reader poll. 

Conclusion

If you’re still reading this, let me close with stating what I am not saying and reiterating what I amsaying.[3]

First, I am not advocating that virginity is some hopeless, pie-in-the-sky pipedream. I am not saying, “Well, since the statistics are stacked against you, you might as well go out there and do it and do it often. Wrap it up tight.” God has called us to a particular standard of living. While there is room for disagreement on how that standard is walked out in this life, there is a standard nonetheless.

Second, I am not advocating that young marriage is the ideal for everyone. Just as with anything, if taken to the extreme, a solution that works for some might be detrimental if practiced by all.

Now, let me reiterate my main points, so that there is no confusion. As Obama says, “Let me be clear.”

First, I am advocating young marriage for those who feel called to it and for those who cannot control their passion. The two need not be synonymous nor mutually exclusive. Scripture teaches that this is not a sin. If you feel led to do so, you are free to do so.

Second, I want to stress the fact that statistically, the longer one puts off marriage, the higher one’s chances climb of having sex before marriage. This isn’t an excuse. It is not an attempt to pardon people from any type of moral standard impressed upon us by Scripture. I am simply stating a statistical fact. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Third, Christians are called to a standard not just of physical purity, but also of purity of heart. To anubuntu heart. It is from this wellspring that a redemptive posture is made possible to us and available to others. It is through this purity of heart, available only by the renewing of one’s mind, that we are able to see and worship God correctly and see and love our neighbor as ourselves—even a neighbor we are considering dating.[4]

---

[1] Interestingly, I have talked with people who are in Christian relationships and have myself participated in enough Christian relationships of my own to have discovered that many young men and women rather enjoy “first, second, and third base.” So long as the penis does not penetrate the vagina, many young Christian men and women enjoy as much of each other outside of marriage as they possibly can.

[2] Desmond Tutu, No Future Without Forgiveness (New York: Doubleday, 1999), p. 31.

[3] This is a creative means of saying that if you comment on this article and say something that I am not saying when I have clearly and emphatically stated exactly what I am and am not saying, I will call you out on it. However, if you have read my words and choose to agree or disagree with my point, feel free to dialogue with me on this. I don’t claim to have it all figured out. If you do, please enlighten me.

[4] Is has been pointed out to me that I have taken the long way around in regards to getting to the issue of redemption and I might have treated it as more of an afterthought than as the main point. This was done intentionally as I am currently writing another series on the matter of direct forgiveness and redemption based upon a few films and the worlds of Bishop Desmond Tutu and Christian scholar Miroslav Volf.

TCM/Ubuntu

--Nick

The Raid Redemption, a brief review

The first five minutes of The Raid: Redemption, and I wasn’t certain where this film was going. The hero Rama (played with honorable stoicism by Iko Uwais) is a family man with a quiet intensity, and he is a part of an elite unit of SWAT officers hired to infiltrate a 30 story building in order to capture a vicious crime lord. Of course, things quickly go awry and the fists and bloodshed gets ramped up as Rama must save his men and his own life.

Aside from the first 5 minutes, the rest of the film surpasses the intensity of most action flicks. The beginning echoes Training Day in that it manages to create an instantly appealing hero on top of the biggest (unrealized) mission of his career. In that we care about the protagonist, we also want to see the villain get destroyed. Call it Aristotelian symmetry. Call it bloodlust. Call it a damn good time.

Whatever it is, we came to see evil vanquished and good triumph. The Raid gives us both.

Once the proverbial feces hits the propeller, there is no stopping the film. Rama fights his way through 30 floors of chaos with knives, fists, bullets and very heavy objects. The violence is bone-breaking and the choreography is breathtaking. There are elements of Tony Jaa from Ong Bak, but here the filmmaking is refined and nearly perfect.

Shaky-cam and blistering editing accentuate the ferocity of the fight scenes, with the clipping fast enough to keep the scenes moving, but not enough to add any confusion. The lighting is crisp and sharp, taking heart from Michael Mann and the editing of Michael Bay. Fast, harsh and unending until the climactic fight.

The characters are well developed, particularly the main henchmen. He says very little, but his body language and ability to fight with a twisted sense of honor made him quite memorable. His battle with the protagonist has to be one of the single best fight scenes I’ve yet to see. Better than Eastern Promises and The Bourne Ultimatum. You feel the blows and I’ve never gripped my knees that hard before.

The ending does lack a punch, and a few plot threads are solved a little too easily. The motivations are there, but the film seems to lack a proper climax in that the villains are dispatched and the social implications are not. There is an attempted ambiguity, but it seems unnecessary given the heroic character of Rama and the blistering depravity of Tama. But, the final battle of titans is strong enough to carry everything to it’s (mostly) proper place.

Singularly epic and thrilling, The Raid: Redemption represents the best of action cinema. Alongside Collateral, The French Connection and The Grey, the story is simple enough to follow, yet not predictable enough to remove any threat of shifting alliances. The action sequences are innovative and kinetic, and memorable enough to be worth a repeated viewing. 

4.5 out of 5.

The Christian Manifesto Review

and for the trailer:

--Nick

Conditional Futurism: New Perspective of End-Times Prophecy, a (not so) brief review

Tackling anything remotely theological these days is no small task. From Mark Driscoll’s “Real Marriage” to Rob Bell’s “Love Wins,” there is always something currently charged in the air within Christendom. And the nature of prophecy as it applies to the future is no less controversial. It deals with the creation of a new interpretive lens and collapses in a culmination at the very gates of Revelation.

Simply put, “Conditional Futurism” is the lens of which prophecy is conditional. Or, rather, that while the word and purpose of the Lord never alters, the outcome of the word of the Lord can vary. Prophecy, according to author James Goetz, is often if not always conditional, and based upon cause and effect.

“If this, then this.”

He cites abundant Scriptures, and often it seems his case is simply to let Scripture stand on it’s own. At the very beginning of the book, Goetz simply quotes God’s words in Jeremiah 18:7-8 which state, “If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.” See also the story of Jonah and Ninevah for another example.

James realizes that this theme of conditional prophecy is not limited to a few isolated texts. Rather, James begins with Genesis and the Mosaic Covenant and works through the Davidic Dynasty to the Gospels and finally ends up at the always open gates of Revelation. The work is consistently engaging and offers quite a bit of support, always deferring to Scripture and often allowing Scripture to speak on it’s own.

There are some elements that I do think James could’ve engaged with in a stronger fashion. There are several different types of prophecy used throughout Scripture, and for the layman who knows little of the finer points, it would’ve been helpful to include a chapter or section exploring the various methods. Very easily, this could lead to a flattening of typology in various prophetic methods. I am not certain James does indeed flatten said typology, but I do think this is an area that could’ve used greater explanation.

“If I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just and right — if they give back what they took in pledge for a loan, returns what they have stolen, follows the decrees that give life, and do no evil — that person will surely life; they shall not die.” Ezekiel 33:14-15

The single strongest part of the entire book comes in two chapters near the end. The first chapter is an exegetical study on the letters of 1 and 2 Peter, with specific preference placed on the harrowing of hell, or Christ’s descent into hell. Here. James offers multiple interpretive methods, pulling from Aquinas, Gregory of Nyssa, Origen and Augustine. After showing several interpretations, James delves into his perspective on why these passages support postmortem salvation. Not only was postmortem salvation considered a valid option, it was indeed a dominant option within the early church fathers as the Apostles. Sees the Apostles Creed. James concludes this strong section with his belief that Jesus’s descent included the gospel being proclaimed and salvation being offered to all who dwelt in hell. This is the most controversial part of the entire book, and also the most interesting. Though I already had a fairly strong belief in the possibility of postmortem salvation based on my own research, James’ exegesis has swayed me even closer to embracing the view. For modern theologians who propose the harrowing of hell belief, see Jurgen Moltmann’s “Descent into Hell” and Hans Urs von Balthasar’s “Mysterium Paschale.”

Within this chapter includes several far more speculative elements. James touches on the nephilim in Genesis 6:1-8, and his findings are fascinating. James draws from the Book of Enoch and and Scripture, concluding that indeed some fallen angels who disregarded their charge to guard humans and instead married women. He makes this claim that these spirits within Peter were human angelophanies based on the following evidence:

It is consistent with modern and ancient understandings of mammalians reproduction. It is consistent with Numbers 13:31-33, which says that the sons of Anak descended from the nephilim. Their appearance, according to Numbers, was like grasshoppers. This also includes Genesis 6 and the judgments that befell the human race, which makes sense if these beings are indeed human of some sort. This includes the wickedness of both pure human and the offspring. All of the wickedness could include these “spirits.” You also have Hebrews 13:2 which says that some people showed kindness to angels while thinking those angels were human. This seems to be a possibility for the spirits imprisoned and that Christ’s appearance offers conditional salvation. Simply put, I’m not convinced by this, but I do find it compelling enough to do my own research. In fact, I would argue that I am indeed excited to further explore the idea.

“Therefore, your majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.” Daniel 4:27.

The final chapter deals with judgment and the book of Revelation. This is by far the most complex chapter in the entire book. James begins with his research into the “kings of the earth,” showing the complexity of the phrase throughout. It is used 14 times in the book of Revelation, and it offers multiple perspectives on their meaning. Revelation 1:5 tells use that Christ rules the kings, while Revelation 17:8 tells use that the prostitute instead is their ruler. I’m not of the opinion that Scripture contradicts itself, so we have to be very careful how to interpret everything within this incredibly symbolic book. It is this research that leads James to conclude that the gates of Revelation never close and the kings of the earth are shown entering, and this is consistent with postmortem salvation for those who choose it. I’m not convinced that Revelation teaches the potential postmortem salvation of those outside the gates because of various factors (the second death being one), but it does not strike me as outlandish to believe what James proposes. And his conclusions is gracious enough to allow for future distinction.

Conditional Futurism doesn’t demand postmortem conversion, but it is consistent with it and I believe that James, whether or not he is ultimately successful in his writings, has indeed made it a priority to respect Scripture and maintain a biblically systematic consistency. For a wider case, I recommend Gregory MacDonald’s “The Evangelical Universalist.”

James has kept his personal life uninvolved from the scholarship shown, and for mostly good reason. It is very easy to write off an individual if they proclaim passionately a biblical view one disagrees with. Though this can make for a dry read given how much data is being presented, it does allow the reader to simply wrestle with the data itself and not the passion of the writer. This is entirely subjective, and I believe it worked in a positive manner.

However, in the final chapter after James has worked through objections to postmortem salvation and the kings of the earth, he delves into some brief personal revelations about his past resignation from his ministry due to his belief in postmortem conversions. He gives examples of Carlton Pearson who became an inclusive universalist, which James believes is incapable with conditional futurism as conditional futurism depends solely on Christ for salvation. James also touches on Rob Bell’s “Love Wins,” which he believes is feasible with conditional futurism. James is an exclusivist it seems, and everything from postmortem salvation to universalism must be filtered solely and exclusively through Jesus Christ. Opponents will and should appreciate this exclusive emphasis.

“Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” Ezekiel 18:23.

Overall, this book was refreshing. It lacks emotional manipulation and offers countless Scriptures to wrestle with. It offers a unique perspective on the “spirits” in prison, and makes a compelling case for the nature of angelic beings. James’ case for postmortem salvation is strong and I am now confident in openly expressing my support of his conclusions on that topic. I’m not entirely convinced of “conditional futurism” as the lacking elements above show, but I do believe this is a reasonable approach to Scripture and I believe there is room for further dialogue on this topic.

To the conversation here, and to the conversation in the beyond.

4 stars out of 5.

--Nick

Site of review, The Christian Manifesto

--resource publications an imprint of Wipf and Stock publishing--

"Would you only marry a virgin?" POLL

I voted. You should too.

The Christian Manifesto POLL

--Nick

TCM, "Would You Only Marry a Virgin?"

We live in a secular culture that disdains marriage and worships sex as a functional god. From self-described “sexperts” dispensing advice to magazine covers selling us impossible images of female beauty to soap commercials suggesting that a particular brand is “the man your man could smell like,” we are bombarded with images, ideas, and philosophies suggesting that sex is our god and any other view is tantamount to sexual atheism.

Conversely, the Church has chosen to swing the pendulum to the opposite extreme. If the world is going to worship at the altar of sexual promiscuity, we’re going to worship at the altar of virginity. Sexual purity will be our functional god. Of course, it doesn’t seem like this, though. After all, Christians are called to remain celibate before marriage and faithful within. There are a host of texts in Scripture that bear out this fact. Virginity is the ideal for the Church.

“All the guys who are worth my time aren’t interested in me because I’m not a virgin,” a close friend of mine says to me as we drive quietly through the city of Detroit. And my heart breaks for her and for anyone who shares her story and plight.

This woman is one of the most caring, giving, merciful women you might ever meet. Any guy would be lucky to serve and lead her as her husband. Unfortunately, Christian men and women are taught to “save sex until marriage because it’s God’s best for you and…well…you don’t want to be thinking about your spouse’s other sexual partners on your wedding night.”

It is not hard to surmise that the world is selling us a bill of goods. One need only point at the trail of destruction left in the wake of rampant “sexual freedom.” But, what if the Church is selling us a bill of goods when it comes to sexual purity? I’ve heard every sermon challenging young men and women to save themselves for marriage. Entire series and books have been dedicated to dating, sex, boundaries, and relationships…all in light of the Word of God. That’s if your church is even talking about sex at all. But, is this practical? All spiritual platitudes aside, does it work in the real world? Can I tell my daughter, “Stay a virgin until marriage,” and have any hope of that being a possibility for her without it being the strangest anomaly known to man?

Call me naïve or foolish or liberal, but I am truly convicted that the Church is preaching a message about purity that is both impractical and unforgiving. The culture disdains marriage and puts it off so that people might remain in a state of advanced adolescence for as long as possible, especially men.

Let’s call this kind of male Ban, a hybrid of both boy and man. Ban is juvenile because there has been an entire niche created for him to live in the lusts of youth. The accompanying culture not only tolerates this behavior but encourages it and endorses it. (Consider magazines like Maxim or movies like Wedding Crashers.) This kind of male is everywhere, including the church and even, frighteningly, vocational ministry…As Ban puts off adulthood, he also puts off marriage. Why bother with a wife and a mortgage when you can live in your parents’ basement, play video games all day, participate in adult sports leagues at night, and barhop every weekend?[1]

Sometimes, though, it is not simply Ban being enabled by family and friends to put off adulthood and marriage for as long as possible. Oftentimes, the Church feeds into this mentality. When it comes specifically to marriage, the Church puts it off because, “You want to have your house in order before you take on such a huge responsibility.” The culture from which Scripture springs has very sparse examples of virginity held onto into their mid-20’s or early-30’s. Part of that had to do with the life expectancy of people during that time. But, the main reason was because cultures in the Middle East tended to practice arranged marriages, young marriages, and child marriages. To this day, the practice of young marriage is practiced in Africa and many Middle Eastern countries. For years, even in North America, young marriage was the ideal.

But that has changed.

Percent of population having had first intercourse, by age (2007)

Males	Females
25% by age 15	26% by age 15
37% by age 16	40% by age 16
46% by age 17	49% by age 17
62% by age 18	70% by age 18
69% by age 19	77% by age 19
85% by age 20-21	81% by age 20-21
89% by age 22-24	92% by age 22-24

http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/resources/FAQ.html

Many Christian men say that they want a chaste Christian woman. Many women say they want a man who has “remained pure.” But, given the mixed messages sent to us by culture and the Church, we need to realize that chastity is a statistical improbability the longer one puts off marriage. The choice seems to be either, spend your youth experiencing everything—including sex (because it will likely happen)—or get married young and put off certain other experiences until the future (but experience them with a life partner instead).

More times than once I have heard young Christians look down on their friends who married young or who are planning to do so. “Oh, they just couldn’t wait to have sex,” many claim.

And so what if they couldn’t?

I have a friend Brendan who is getting married to his college sweetheart and he is counting down the days until he can do what he has waited his whole life to do. Talk to him long enough and you realize that sex isn’t the only reason he is marrying young, but all joking aside, it is a major factor in his life at the moment. There is excitement and rightly so.

Paul addresses this excitement in his first letter to the Corinthian church.

“To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am. But, if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion…If anyone thinks he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin.” 1 Corinthians 7:9, 36

Would YOU only marry a virgin? Take our reader poll. 

The difficulty many people have is bound up in the idea of self-control. After all, self-control is one of the spiritual gifts and if you can’t control your sexual urges, even under culturally-contextualized theological duress, then you have somehow failed Jesus. We put off sex for such a great length of time in a sex-saturated culture, provide people with only a prohibitive framework for human sexuality, then vilify them for finally “giving up the goods” and “becoming a statistic.” What is even more problematic is that we think those who choose to marry young within a solidly Biblical framework are somehow doing something wrong. And I know people will claim that far too many young people who get married end up divorcing, myself included. But, could it be that many of these marriages fail not because they married too young, but rather because those who are called to covenant with these young marrieds in order to support them hold to a view that is shaped more by culture than it is by Scripture?

And now the turn…

To be continued…

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[1] Darrin Patrick, Church Planter: The Man, The Message, The Mission (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2010), p. 9, 11

LINK to TCM Article and Comments

ThinkChristian, "The Curious Evangelical Silence over Trayvon Martin"

A very interesting question, and in the comments section C E'Jon Moore (my boss over at The Christian Manifesto) offers a great critique and some questions as well. A wise dude and a decent article over a disturbing situation.

According to ThinkChristian:

What is a young black man’s life worth in the United States of America? In 2012? 

These are the questions that continue to haunt me as I lament the killing of Trayvon Martin. On Feb. 26, the 17-year-old was walking from a convenience store to the Sanford, Fla., home he was visiting when he met up with 28-year-old “neighborhood watch captain” George Zimmerman. According to media accounts and Sanford police officials, Zimmerman, who is Hispanic and white, admitted that he shot and killed Martin, who is black. The Sanford police made no arrests. They allowed Zimmerman to walk away following his claim of self defense. 

For more and to read Moore's comment/questions, ThinkChristian

--Nick

The Hunger Games, Violence, Parents & Children

Who knew this film would spawn such controversy. Listen as C. E'Jon Moore, Adrienne Johnston and myself delve into the controversy of The Hunger Games, Scripture and the nature of violence.

TCM Roundtable podcast:

And here is the Fox News article that inspired the conversation on TCM.

--Nick

Orange Blossom Special, a review

Orange Blossom Special is a special tribute to the power of the Internet, and includes a shot and chaser to the amount of time it takes for a band without a manager to progress up the ranks. They were tapped to open the 1st annual 48 Hours Festival, ”The World’s Biggest Rock n Roll Party Weekend,” in Las Vegas. The festival included Korn, Godsmack, Hollywood Undead and Sick Puppies. Not back for a band with no manager and two cool brothers who work with me at Bevmo. But, with all due respect, a band’s accomplishments, though fanciful and impressive in certain regards, mean next to nothing if the band’s talent is one drink away from ending up in the gutter. 

Justin Bieber has a platinum album and Usher as a mentor. So agent or no agent is irrelevant in regards to talent. Does Orange Blossom Special’s Cocktails & Treasure Maps stand up on it’s own?

In a word? Almost. In a phrase, read below.

Echoing the intensity and party rock of the 80s and 90s, OBS is prepared to party until frizzy hair and Patrick Bateman become relevant again. This is a good thing. Not often have I listened to a pure rock n’ roll album that actually made me want to rock n’ roll.

“Wishful Thinking”: kicking off the jams with a series of head-banging riffs that sound yanked from the better days of Van Halen. In fact, the guitar work reminds me of Joe Satriani. This is a good thing.

“Shooting Daggers”: Lead singer/guitarist Anton reminds me of Johnny Cash mixed with Joe Elliot from Def Leppard. Think of this track as being a snide blend of Bon Jovi’s sarcasm and Leppard’s hyper-extended middle finger coupled with some furious guitar licks.

My fear was that the first half of the album would blend together, but each track stands on it’s own via infectious energy and charisma.

“Bill of Health”: the second half of the album hits a brief break in pacing, with several songs covering the same sort of theme of second chances. I’m all for songs about reflection, but they almost seem out of place on a party rock album filled with good times. The resulting songs “Stuck in a Rut” and “Past Few Years” are adequate for reflective rock, but I would rather see OBS make a killer track that sums up everything they are trying to say instead of stretching it over a series of songs. I had the same critique of Drake’s Thank Me Later in that the entire first 15 minutes of his album could be considered the same track. I’d prefer one dynamic track instead of three decent ones.

More emotional punch in a brief period of time.

“Ashes of Today”: this is the pivotal point of the album; we’ve gone through several decent tracks without hitting the standout yet. Well, listen no further. This track is impressive; excellent backing vocals and bass work from Alan, and Anton delivers his best performance which is whispered through distorted guitars and a swirling cavalcade of intensity.

Simply put, this track is the only one that MUST be listened to. The others are for the most part strong, but nothing exceptional. This track is something I would expect to play on mainstream radio while taking a road trip to the beach. This is a high complement. From me anyway.

For such limited time and resources, Orange Blossom Special has delivered material that is far stronger than most unsigned bands. They are almost there. With refinement, they could go someplace. For a classic rock album, Cocktails & Treasure Maps is not entirely polished, but more than makes up for it by being raw and energetic.

The things I want and look forward to in the future; more prominence from the backing vocals and percussion, and more diversity in Anton’s voice. He’s got the chops, I want to hear him go quiet and reflective.

Keep a drink nearby when listening, and to sum up the band’s mostly consistent ethos: “Any place, anytime, anywhere! Play every show like it’s your last and leave it all on the stage.”

You can find OBS on iTunes, Facebook & Spotify.

For the full review, TCM Full Review

--Nick