Socrates & I: Corrupting the Youth

I’m reposting an oldie but goodie from several years back. -JB

These days, teachers in the news facing charges of “corrupting the youth” are usually repeat sex offenders. But did you know that the great philosopher, Socrates (469-399 B. C.), was also charged, convicted and ultimately executed for “corrupting the youth”? Socrates’ mode of “corruption” however was of an entirely different kind. At his trial, Socrates’ (in Plato’s account) explains the nature of his so-called “crime”:

“I go around doing nothing but persuading both young and old among you not to care for your body or your wealth in preference to or as strongly as for the best possible state of your soul.”

When given the option of acquittal on the basis that he stop teaching this “subversive” philosophy, he responds as follows:

Rob Bell Going to Hollywood

If you haven’t heard the news yet…well…you probably have a life outside the Christian blogosphere.  But Rob Bell is leaving his church to pursue a new venture in Hollywood. Meanie Christians are already drawing their own conclusions, questioning his motives and condemning this fellow brother….

Well, Eugene Cho, fellow Covenant pastor has the right take on this.  So, enjoy his perspective HERE.

PS: Mean people. Be nice.

MUSIC: ‘Burlap to Cashmere’ is Back – 13 years later!!

Boy, did we have fun going to see Burlap to Cashmere live in concert back in 1998 as freshman in college.  They played, believe it or not, at the old New Union (before it moved downtown and became Club 3 Degrees). After their award winning full album release in 1998, which was warmly received and an enthusiastic fan following formed, they disappeared from the music scene indefinitely.

Until now. They’re back, and better than ever!  Check it out – and buy it.

The Screwtape Letters on stage!

We’re going!   Why aren’t you?

Peter Jackson in Hobbiton

Word on the street is that “The Hobbit” movie is indeed coming….

American Idols (Rom 1:22-25)

Here’s the notes from a message I gave to a youth group awhile back. Always a timely and tough topic.

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images… They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator…” (Rom 1:21-25).

Paul defines idolatry as a foolish exchange.  ”They exchanged the glory of God for images” and “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator.”  Coincidentally, ABC Night Line featured a story this week on “American Idolatry” and interview Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. [SEE STORY]

Driscoll defines idolatry as follows:

“An idol is someone or something that occupies the place of God in your life,” [Driscoll said. "[It] gives you identity, meaning, value, purpose, joy, love, significance, security. When the Bible uses the word ‘idol’, that’s what it’s getting at.”

A. SO, WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT IDOLS?

Halloween and the Sexualization of Evil

Keri and I are picking out our Halloween costumes for this year, and I thought I’d repost this annual reflection. Peace, JB

“Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Cor 11:14).

Christians have always had a tough time with Halloween. The danger usually associated with the message of Halloween was its association with the occult — the glorification and celebration of evil, death, Satan, witchcraft, blood-sucking vampires and the like. Clearly the people called to “live in the light as he is in the light” (1 John 1:7) have no business dabbling in this sort of darkness. Christians living in the bright new day of the Resurrected Son are called to “put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Rom 13:12).

I have always appreciated C. S. Lewis’ balanced approach to the topic of Satan and the forces of darkness, warning that: “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.”  So, reasonable and balanced Christians and church leaders have attempted to recognize the real evil standing behind the folk religion of Americanized, materialized, sugar-laden Halloween by offering alternatives to dressing up as goblins, witches and vampires.  The Harvest Party and other family-friendly gatherings that celebrate the true Light’s victory over the powers of darkness have provided alternatives to trick-or-treating.  (Read Ben Witherington on “Should Christians celebrate Halloween?”)

Well, one wonders if even the creative mind of C. S. Lewis who wrote at length from the point of view of the “devils” in The Screwtape Letters could have anticipated the sneaky way our culture (or the Devil) would try to put a new spin and sexy veneer over the dark focus of Halloween’s evil under layer.  Lewis has the senior Devil named Screwtape write to Wormwood, his devil in training, instructing him on how to try to keep humans (called “patients”) from even believing in their existence (since they can do more harm when their “patient” is  unaware of them):

“I don’t think you will have much difficulty in keeping the patient in the dark. The fact that ‘devils’ are predominantly comic figures in the modern imagination will help you. If any faint suspicion of your existence begins to arise in his mind, suggest to him a picture of something in red tights, and persuade that since he cannot believe in that (it is an old textbook method of confusing them) he therefore cannot believe in you.”

Well, take a trip to the nearest Halloween Costume Outlet store today and you will find that old Screwtape and his junior devils have taken it a step further. You would have to be blind or living in a cave somewhere to not have noticed the trend in costumes the past several years. The cultural forces at work (driven by the sexual forces within) have managed to add an entirely new kind of darkness and evil to the traditional favorites.  I speak of the overt sexualization of Halloween costumes.

Driscoll on “Avatar” – What do you think?

Today’s Emerging Adults 1

Scot McKnight at Jesus Creed is exploring Christian Smith’s new book: Souls in Transition: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults. Today the question is: What is the cultural world of the emerging adult?  We’re talking about 46 million emerging adults… so generalizations need careful backing of evidence and all kinds of nuance.

What do you think of this listing of characteristics of emerging adults?

Transitions aplenty

Standing on one’s own

So much to figure out

Not enough money

Optimism for personal future

Smarting from hard lessons learned

No regrets

Are We Done Picking on Potter?

This past summer my wife and I decided it was high time to visit Hogwarts and dabble in the dark arts.  That is, we decided to watch the Harry Potter movies. I’m glad to report 6 months later I’ve finally recovered my faith. Ok, enough with the sarcasm.  Alright Christian: Have you seen the films?  Did you boycott the movies?  Did you let your children see them?  Did your pastor warn you of them?

I wrote previously on the complete 180 turn around some Christians have had in their stance toward these films HERE.

What’s my opinion on the whole matter?  I found myself a kindred spirit with Mark Tesreau’s thoughts on the whole matter in his little piece: Harry Potter: Even Worse Than the Smurfs posted at Steve Brown Etc. Please check it out:

Recently, I listened to the pastor of a well known mega-church sermonize from Revelation 21:8 that we should not see the Harry Potter movies because Harry is a sorcerer and sorcerers are going to Hell. So as not to take him out of context, his comments were as follows.