Today's post is perhaps his best ever.
OS keeps pounding at his contention that we have a much deeper cultural problem than an economic problem--that the economy is the symptom, not the disease.
One big part of the disease is our insistence that we feel good--happy, content, satisfied, untroubled--all the time. That's 24/7/365, ya'll.
It's really taken root in our churches here, which is tragic, because if that lie becomes part of the ecclesiastical culture, who will resist it in the popular culture?
In many respects this is the problem with contemporary worship and evangelistic zeal -- they are raised up to become the high altars of what Christianity is really about and the water of baptism, the bread and wine of the Eucharist, the gift of absolution, the Pastoral Office conferred by ordination, and the unchanging message of Scripture become less important than what we do in worship. We have to have music that appeals to the modern soul with a good dance beat, songs that say more about me than God, counters that keep a record of our witness like conquering armies record their kills on the battlefield, and Pastors who are pastors -- nobody special doing nothing any of us couldn't do if we wanted to... So we end up with a gospel that tells us we should be happy and that the purpose of sex, marriage, kids, and work is to make us happy -- oh, yeah, not to mention church.
Even for those who are more Protestant in orientation (like OS) he hits the nail on the head.
Something to think about when the ol' PrazeBand cranks it up this Sunday morning.
Friday, October 1, 2010
It's Ryder Cup Time!
Kids wait for Santa to show up every December.
OS waits for the Masters every spring, and the Ryder Cup every other fall.
It's an event that requires the winning team to play with more intelligence and selflessness than the losing team. Athletic ability is desirable, but this game is played between the ears.
The American style of golf, e.g. 'Let's just drive the stuffing out of the ball, let someone find it in the trees and then we'll figure out what to do next' won't be rewarded on this course. Ahem--Phil, Tiger, Dustin...(That link above leads to the page with the hole descriptions and flyover views. It's pretty impressive, built for this event.)
OS predicts Europe wins by 4 at least. It won't take them long, and the Sunday afternoon single pairings are always a joy to watch.
And, please! Let's not have rules officials on the course seeking their personal fifteen minutes of fame this time. Golf needs a good, happy event, after a year of public humiliations at the hands of people who really ought to know better.
OS waits for the Masters every spring, and the Ryder Cup every other fall.
It's an event that requires the winning team to play with more intelligence and selflessness than the losing team. Athletic ability is desirable, but this game is played between the ears.
The American style of golf, e.g. 'Let's just drive the stuffing out of the ball, let someone find it in the trees and then we'll figure out what to do next' won't be rewarded on this course. Ahem--Phil, Tiger, Dustin...(That link above leads to the page with the hole descriptions and flyover views. It's pretty impressive, built for this event.)
OS predicts Europe wins by 4 at least. It won't take them long, and the Sunday afternoon single pairings are always a joy to watch.
And, please! Let's not have rules officials on the course seeking their personal fifteen minutes of fame this time. Golf needs a good, happy event, after a year of public humiliations at the hands of people who really ought to know better.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Work As If It Mattered: Jordan Ballor At Acton Institute
These thoughts are not about a burning issue of the hour, but do merit reading.
In the meantime, OS is working against several deadlines this week, deeply grateful for his life, work, and family. But he does look longingly at the perfect golf weather as he plows through the next stack of ThingsThatSimplyCannotBeDelayed.
In the meantime, OS is working against several deadlines this week, deeply grateful for his life, work, and family. But he does look longingly at the perfect golf weather as he plows through the next stack of ThingsThatSimplyCannotBeDelayed.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Slavery: It's Not Just For Southerners
On the way to some other idea, this article from the Boston Globe caught OldSouth's attention.
He's a hopeless history buff, and the causes and events that led to the War Between The States always capture his attention, for more reasons than need be detailed here and now. Moh' latuh on that subject.
Before proceeding, however, OS needs to make one thing unmistakeably certain for his readers: Slavery was, and is, a heinous and inexcusable practice, wherever practiced, in whichever century.
OS hopes everyone gets to visit Charleston, South Carolina, at least once, for two reasons. First, it is breathtakingly beautiful. Second, the old slave market has been preserved. To visit that place, and contemplate that human beings were imported to and auctioned from that location is utterly chilling. For anyone who may privately harbor the idea that 'Well, it really wasn't that terrible', a visit to the Charleston slave market should put that fantasy to rest.
So, back to the Boston Globe:
As the nation prepares to mark the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War in 2011, with commemorations that reinforce the North/South divide, researchers are offering uncomfortable answers to that question, unearthing more and more of the hidden stories of New England slavery — its brutality, its staying power, and its silent presence in the very places that have become synonymous with freedom. With the markers of slavery forgotten even as they lurk beneath our feet — from graveyards to historic homes, from Lexington and Concord to the halls of Harvard University — historians say it is time to radically rewrite America’s slavery story to include its buried history in New England.
The article is worth contemplating, as the research may do much to deflate the historical sense of self-righteousness purveyed by old-school New Englanders about their history.
OS believes humility, from all corners, is a virtue.
He's a hopeless history buff, and the causes and events that led to the War Between The States always capture his attention, for more reasons than need be detailed here and now. Moh' latuh on that subject.
Before proceeding, however, OS needs to make one thing unmistakeably certain for his readers: Slavery was, and is, a heinous and inexcusable practice, wherever practiced, in whichever century.
OS hopes everyone gets to visit Charleston, South Carolina, at least once, for two reasons. First, it is breathtakingly beautiful. Second, the old slave market has been preserved. To visit that place, and contemplate that human beings were imported to and auctioned from that location is utterly chilling. For anyone who may privately harbor the idea that 'Well, it really wasn't that terrible', a visit to the Charleston slave market should put that fantasy to rest.
So, back to the Boston Globe:
As the nation prepares to mark the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War in 2011, with commemorations that reinforce the North/South divide, researchers are offering uncomfortable answers to that question, unearthing more and more of the hidden stories of New England slavery — its brutality, its staying power, and its silent presence in the very places that have become synonymous with freedom. With the markers of slavery forgotten even as they lurk beneath our feet — from graveyards to historic homes, from Lexington and Concord to the halls of Harvard University — historians say it is time to radically rewrite America’s slavery story to include its buried history in New England.
The article is worth contemplating, as the research may do much to deflate the historical sense of self-righteousness purveyed by old-school New Englanders about their history.
OS believes humility, from all corners, is a virtue.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Jeremiah's Economics 101
OS has no particular insights to offer, and stacks of work looming on his desk for the week, all of it on deadline and overdue.
But he got up early for church this morning, made the 8:30 service. Today's readings from the lectionary were striking, and can be found here, courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity School Library.
The story of Jeremiah, blacklisted and under house arrest as the wheels came off his world in his day, was moving. It was his job to deliver the bad news to the Powers That Be that their day was over, stick-a-fork-in-'er-she's-done, that the whole rotten society was about to be overrun and carried off into captivity. That it was too late to save the situation.
Pretty depressing stuff, much like we hear in our day.
Then, he hears another word from On High: Your cousin is selling his real estate. Buy it. No, it doesn't make sense, but buy it anyway. I still have a future planned for this place, and you should invest in it. Make sure you get clear title, and preserve the deed, (implicitly) for the sake of your descendants.
All the readings for the day point to the same truths--if the future belongs to the Almighty, then it's not up for grabs. Societies and people that embrace selfishness and greed fall apart, get conquered and carried off. Greed is poisonous, but wealth honestly gained and shared is a blessing to all.
Invest.
Create.
Work.
Trust--but don't place your trust in your stuff.
Shape a good future for those yet unborn. There will be a payoff.
It ain't over, even if this chapter closes.
But he got up early for church this morning, made the 8:30 service. Today's readings from the lectionary were striking, and can be found here, courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity School Library.
The story of Jeremiah, blacklisted and under house arrest as the wheels came off his world in his day, was moving. It was his job to deliver the bad news to the Powers That Be that their day was over, stick-a-fork-in-'er-she's-done, that the whole rotten society was about to be overrun and carried off into captivity. That it was too late to save the situation.
Pretty depressing stuff, much like we hear in our day.
Then, he hears another word from On High: Your cousin is selling his real estate. Buy it. No, it doesn't make sense, but buy it anyway. I still have a future planned for this place, and you should invest in it. Make sure you get clear title, and preserve the deed, (implicitly) for the sake of your descendants.
All the readings for the day point to the same truths--if the future belongs to the Almighty, then it's not up for grabs. Societies and people that embrace selfishness and greed fall apart, get conquered and carried off. Greed is poisonous, but wealth honestly gained and shared is a blessing to all.
Invest.
Create.
Work.
Trust--but don't place your trust in your stuff.
Shape a good future for those yet unborn. There will be a payoff.
It ain't over, even if this chapter closes.
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