Blog Culture

Just a simple thought that I had today:  It seems that with blog culture, or at least in my experience with it, you are encouraged to write frequently and provide new, exciting content that readers will want to keep coming back for.  You are also encouraged to speak your mind.  This seems quite opposite from wisdom, which would be quiet, observant, and would only speak when necessary.

Consider these verses:

“A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.” (Proverbs 29:11)

“Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.” ( Proverbs 17:28 )

Wisdom is what seems to be a paradox to humanity.

Christianity and the Movies

I was reading reviews on a movie that I saw around a year ago.  You’ve probably heard of it: There Will Be Blood, which stars Daniel Day Lewis, who plays a greedy oil prospector in the early twentieth century.  I honestly had mixed feelings about viewing this movie before I actually did watch it.  “It’s anti-Christian!” some said.  Others were just opposed to the idea of lots of blood in a movie, although the fact is, there really isn’t that much (at least, compared to some of the torture porn movies…aka Saw series…favorited by many these days…yikes).  What I found after viewing it was a really good, thought provoking movie about greed and evil human nature.  If you want an excellent review from a Christian perspective, check out this one that was posted to the Christianity Today online magazine.  He came to the same conclusion that I did:  I wouldn’t recommend it for those who have impressionable ideas about Christianity, since Christian faith is not overtly represented in a positive way.  The guy that wrote this review is Jeffrey Overstreet, who is a Christian film reviewer and author.  You should most definitely check out this interview that he had with Christianity Today.  They asked some hard questions, and he had some very good answers:  Studying the Silver Screen: An Interview With Jeffrey Overstreet.

This brings up an excellent question though, and I’m sure that it’s one that you have struggled with as well if you are a Christian:  What movies are acceptable to watch as a Christian, and why should a Christian watch movies anyway?

Obviously, I can’t answer that question for everyone.  I have wrestled with this issue before though.  I really like what Overstreet said (in the above interview – bottom of the first page) in reply to a question about offenses to the conscience through the viewing of film:

“I’m learning to proceed with caution, but I’m also learning to reject the approach I learned growing up in the church. I want to quit lamenting culture and start engaging it. We need to approach movies the way we approach people. Jesus and the apostles got involved with messed-up people all the time and walked in to some of the most pagan places. But they did so with discernment, conscience, discipline, and, above all, grace.”

Right on, Jeffrey!  I usually come to the same conclusion that I always do when I think about such things, and that is this:  Perhaps the best way to live life is not in a state of extremity, but rather in a state of continual temperance through God-given wisdom and prudence.

Somewhat of a Break

I am taking a few days to collect my thoughts and try to ponder over some content.  I have lots that I have been thinking about, but I want to read up on subjects before I actually make postings about them.  The better read I am about an issue, the more informative and accurate the post will be.  Otherwise, what would differentiate me from countless others who are posting half-thought-out religious information every day?  Of course, this will take time, so if you want something a bit more immediate (and much less formal), check out my other blog:  http://randomslant.wordpress.com/

Here is a taste of a few upcoming subjects that I hope to post on:

• The series on various Christian approaches to war (probably 4 separate posts).
• The Christian doctrine of Hell, and the implications thereof.
• More postings on Christian testimony, specifically on why Christians do not speak boldly about their faith.
• The search for truth, and how one responds to truth when confronted with it.

Much more will follow in the future, but this is to give you an idea of what I am planning for the immediate future.  I am fairly sure that some posts will encourage debate as well, which is absolutely fine, as long as the debate is simply DEBATE and is not intentionally hurtful toward others.  One (and just one) of my goals here is to answer the questions “What do Christians believe?” and “Why do Christians believe what they believe?” in a precise way.  There will be specific blogs which will work toward answering those questions.  I will label them appropriately.  At other times, this blog will be more geared toward Christians and Christian living and relations.  In those instances, keep in mind the topic on which I post.  There is a time for everything, and not every post is for the debate over whether Christianity is valid or not.  There are many who believe strongly on both sides, but please only post on topics that are open for such discussions.

Thanks for stopping by!

-Daniel

Just a Reminder

Just for the sake of reminding those who might (or might not) be interested, I have TWO separate blogs now.  This blog will continue to be the same material that it has been from the getgo.  No major changes in content will happen, and it will continue to carry the same theme that it always has (for the whole, what, 2 months now?? 

My other blog, http://randomslant.wordpress.com/ will be updated daily if I have the chance.  It will be a much more diverse, silly blog that I have been creating since I started blogging.  You know….I was counting the other day and I have had close to 10 different blogs now, if you count thedpage.com as being one.

I hope all is well with everyone, and I look forward to posting about Biblical Nonresistence in the near future.  I hope you do too. 

-Daniel

Divisions

One:  I have decided to split the upcoming post on war into a series of posts, much like the format of the book itself.  This means, more than likely one post per viewpoint, which will help me to clarify and specify to a much better degree.

Two:  I am launching a new wordpress blog for personal, non-intellectual whateverness.  I don’t know what will end up on there or how often it will be updated.  You might care to know that it will be located at:  http://randomslant.wordpress.com/

Why blog anyway?

Has it really been over a week since my last post?  Time seems to roll right on by, just like a big katamari.

So I was thinking the other day about the motive behind my blogging.  I suppose that if I treated this as an “online journal” that it would be rather….normative, which is something that I am trying to avoid this go-around.  I could probably blog about “interesting things” I found on the internet, how I feel at the moment, movies I went to see, videogames I am playing, baseless comments about news articles, and many other things that are, quite honestly, not of much lasting consequence to me.  I have created blogs in the past of this sort, and I get bored with them quickly.  Not many people want to read about your daily routine when they have their own to deal with, and one opinion in a sea of opinions is not worth much, especially if you do not know a decent amount of information about the subject.  In my opinion though (and it’s only my opinion), the best possible material is material that is of lasting consequence.  If I am blogging for my own benefit, I might as well make a journal offline in the traditional way.  The truth is, though, I don’t want this blog to be solely for my benefit.  I want to blog about something that I think is important (Christianity and different aspects of Christian living) not for my own sake, although it does help me to clarify and organize my thoughts, but I want to blog for the sake of others as well.  I want others to read this, even if it is only in passing, and be challenged to at least think about Christian topics throughout the course of life. 

As you can probably tell, faith is quite important to me.  When I am gone, it’s what I want people to come back and find if they read my blogs posthumously.  Every day I have a choice:  to concern myself primarily with spiritual things that have eternal value or to concern myself with nonspiritual things that have only temporary value.  There is a time for everything.  I know that.  There is a time for the trivial.  Not all of life has to be serious (thankfully).  I want to enjoy life, but I have a compelling urge to study God’s Word and let others know what I have been pondering.  Blogging also provides a great system for edification as well.  Networking and blogrolling is a blast, and I love reading what my peers are writing about.

There is enough triviality in the world; however, I hope that what you will frequently find here are astute and poignant postings about life, religion, worldview, and the pursuit of God.

Upcoming Posts

I have all but finished reading a book on war, specifically four possible ways that Christians can view war.  I want to take my time with the post, however, because I want to get it right the first time without error.  The book was written in the 80’s, yet it still remains relevant.

In the meantime, Katie and I are quite busy trying to get settled in to out new apartment.  We have no internet there at the moment either, so updates will appear infrequently.  Be sure to check back in a few days, as I hope to have the next blog up soon.

Another Article on Neomodernism

Here is an interesting blog article, apparently written in 1998 (and not sourced, unless it was the actual author), which deals with the need for new modern principles in the realm of art.

http://guydenning.blogspot.com/2006/01/neo-modern.html

It’s kind of a dry read, but it reamains at least somewhat thought provoking nonetheless.  You will notice that this author prefers not to use the term “postmodern” but rather sees the postmodern movement as an extension of modernism, as many do.

Don’t expect me to update much over the next few weeks, things are about to get chaotic in my life.  I will probably recover in about a month.  (I’m getting married!!!!! )

Oh, and the #1 page on google search for “neomodernity” is ME!  I still don’t claim “neomodernism” and “neomodern” however.  It’s a word that has been thrown around quite a bit more than I originally thought.

*update* – Turns out that it is an actual article by Guy Denning, who is a major proponent of neomodernism.  Wikipedia has a bit of information on him:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Denning  It’d be kind of neat to try and get an interview with him.