Why a blog?

It is said that, during Martin Luther's first Mass as a young priest, when he opened his mouth to say the words of consecration, the words that invoked the physical presence of Jesus in both body and blood, he froze and was actually unable to continue.

At these words I was utterly stupefied and terror-stricken. I thought to myself, "With what tongue shall I address such Majesty, seeing that all men ought to tremble in the presence of even an earthly prince? Who am I, that I should lift up mine eyes or raise my hands to the divine Majesty? The angels surround him. At his nod the earth trembles. And shall I, a miserable little pygmy, say, 'I want this, I ask for that'? For I am dust and ashes and full of sin and I am speaking to the living, eternal, and the true God."

I must confess to feeling some of that same terror, myself. The internet is absolutely full of words, words that inspire, and critique, and comfort, and condemn, and subdue, and incite. Anywhere you look, there is someone saying something about whatever topic you find interesting -- and doing it well!

So, why would one even bother pouring their little glass of insight or opinion into that already vast and teeming ocean?

For me, the goads, which have incessantly prodded me to set out into this ocean, can be found in a growing frustration with a cultural Christianity that is defined by protest and alarmism, with Christian leaders who act more like watchdogs than shepherds, and with an impulse -- even within the traditions and denominations I have grown to love -- to draw ever deeper and tighter boundaries between "us" and "them."

It does not have to be this way.

St. Augustine of Hippo, the first great doctor (in the old sense of "expert teacher") of the church, wrote the following paragraph (from which the title of this blog is derived) in his four volume work on Christian teaching:

...[W]e ought not to give up music because of the superstition of the heathen, if we can derive anything from it that is of use for the understanding of Holy Scripture; nor does it follow that we must busy ourselves with their theatrical trumpery because we enter upon an investigation about harps and other instruments, that may help us to lay hold upon spiritual things. For we ought not to refuse to learn letters because they say that Mercury discovered them; nor because they have dedicated temples to Justice and Virtue, and prefer to worship in the form of stones things that ought to have their place in the heart, ought we on that account to forsake justice and virtue. Nay, but let every good and true Christian understand that wherever truth may be found, it belongs to his Master; and while he recognizes and acknowledges the truth, even in their religious literature, let him reject the figments of superstition...

De Doctrina Christiana II.18

To put it in simpler and, likely, more recognizable terms: All truth is God's truth -- no matter where it is found! This is the mentality that has driven two millennia of Christian philosophers and scientists and authors and artists: the pursuit and investigation of truth in all its forms wherever it may be found, the truth of our existence, of our world, and of our common humanity; this is the mentality that governs and adds depth and beauty to my life, as husband, father, and teacher; and, it is precisely this mentality that feels so horrifyingly absent from Christian culture and society today.

It is the reason you can find multi-paged screeds against Harry Potter (even though it is steeped in language and ideas that have a rich Christian heritage) or Darren Aronofsky's Noah (even though it overflows with rabbinic sensibility and pushes us to ask some very important questions of ourselves and the ways we have historically glossed over what is - and was meant to be - an thoroughly unsettling episode of our sacred literature).

It does not have to be this way.

 

We do not need to be so afraid of the world. We do not need to be so afraid for ourselves. Yes, we are bound - in both belief and practice - within the natural boundaries of the faith "once delivered." Yes, we "reject the figments of superstition" when we come across them. However, we must also be careful not insulate ourselves against that which is beautiful, true, and good simply because we find it clothed in that which is "other."

As the Dutch Reformed theologian, Abraham Kuyper, once noted:

"There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!"  

So, that is why I'm here. My hope is that, through sharing my own quest for truth, in and through all things, perhaps I can be some small part of a conversation that encourages a more humble, more open, and - if we're lucky - a more beautiful Christianity than we have seen of late.

If it's not too bold, I hope also that you will join me in that conversation.