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Introduction To The House of Carr
Introduction To The House of Carr

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Social Justice and Ohio Gambling

This could get personal, but I must preach what is truthful. Why would people getting signatures for the casino petition not tell people it's about gambling?

Because they know it's not popular with the public.

This is deceptive on two counts:

1) No matter what supporters say, this is all about casinos, not about education. Knowing people will vote for education and not gambling, signature getters are purposely trying to dupe people into signing these petitions by selling the education angle. Nobody wants dumb kids.

2) AND EVEN IF this IS about education, the claims made by the Learn and Earn group are generous to say the least. So even the misleading reason they give for signing the petition is exaggerated and irresponsible.

Sorry I'm getting worked up about this but it's a huge issue. As I said before, I'm not going to use Echo as a means to fight this. But I do have some thoughts on the ways Christian individuals are reacting to this.

It seems to me that the only Christians willing to fight the casinos are the ultra-conservative types; these are the believers who seek to legislate against all kinds of immorality, from abortion to pornography. The majority of these folks live in suburbia and vote Republican [true?].

But living in the city, I'm now coming across more "social-justice Christians" who desire to care and reach out to the poor and oppressed. They're all about fair trade and helping the homeless, trying to reach "the least of these." But I have yet to hear someone from this side say anything against the gambling initiative [if you've heard of any, please let me know].

Now I've never been a big social justice guy, but at least I've respected it. If these Christians are really convinced that the way to administer the gospel is through social causes, then it's time for them to step up; they now have a cause on their very doorstep. A casino in downtown Cincinnati will harm our city's impoverished and take advantage of them. If local "S.J. Christians" don't step up here, then I must declare: they are hypocrites and don't buy into what they're selling.

There, I said it.

I Read It In The Enquirer

A little self-promotion never hurt anyone: I made today's Enquirer. On Monday, a guy wrote an editorial trying to say that the Bible and content from The DaVinci Code could both be true and co-exist without controversy. I didn't think so, so I wrote a letter to the editor about it.

It's important for Christians to realize that even though God loves all people and wants to see everyone accept his grace, not everyone will. It's up to each individual to decide what they will do with the message of Jesus. Christ himself admitted that his message would force people to make a decision and would tear up families [Matthew 10:32-36]. So when people try to redefine the Christian faith in order to make everybody happy, they're fooling themselves.

The letter is at the bottom of this webpage, but I'm going to put it up here. But to understand my point you do have to read his article:

"Walt Huber might be well-intentioned in his efforts to synthesize Christian Scripture with the content of "The Da Vinci Code" in his "Your voice" column "'Da Vinci,' Gospels need not be in conflict" (May 22), but his simplistic solution isn't satisfying to either side. As a Christian minister, I believe that Jesus' Crucifixion and Resurrection did complete the work God sent him to Earth to accomplish. So the idea that God "sent Jesus back to Earth" a second time to "spread his word" would have been unnecessary. It also would have undermined the mission of the church, to whom Jesus left the responsibility to tell the good news. The message of Christianity is divisive, forcing individuals to choose whom they will serve. Instead of trying to come up with a solution that makes everybody happy, let's just be content to have differing opinions and agree to disagree."

Plus, I Have Cable.

Tim at Blurred Brain opened the door for me to admit: I don't watch 24 either. I used to, though. I actually watched the very first episode of 24 that aired and proceeded to view the entire first season. It was new. The concept was different. It was awesome.

Then the second season happened and I tailed off. I mean, how many intense 24-hour periods can one person have before they decide to screw this job and sell insurance?

Plus, I realized the reality of 24: it's a soap opera with gratuitous killing.

Not that much different than professional wrestling which is a soap opera with grown men hugging.

Kelly and I were talking this evening about how we no longer invest in hour-long dramas. I can't do it anymore. I think I've seen every imaginable scenario they can come up with. We now watch just two kinds of programs: sports and reality TV.

I know- reality TV is a diet of cotton candy. But the unpredictable things people actually do when they know a camera is rolling keeps me tuning in. A fine example: we were watching The Apprentice last night and the task was to redesign outfits for Embassy Suites employees. I laughed out loud at the designs of some of the women.

And if you want to keep up with the conversation around the water cooler, just subscribe to Entertainment Weekly. I've never watched Lost or The Sopranos, but EW keeps me in the conversation.

I Miss The Smurf Ride

I gotta be honest: Cedar Point is way better than Kings Island. I've only been to Cedar Point once, but it made an impression. Millennium Force is the best roller coaster I've ever been on.

But [p]K.I.'s proximity to Cincy made it the destination of choice. Of course, it's not like I really ever went to Kings Island. During the three years when we lived 5 minutes away from the park, we went three times; and always with free tickets.

But if we lived there now, I might consider it because Cedar Point's parent company is purchasing Kings Island. The benefit to amusement park lovers is that, most likely, there will be a universal season pass, allowing season ticket holders admission to all their parks. If this goes through, it'll make Ohio an even greater amusement park Mecca.

Of course, all this happens when we go from five minutes away to thirty minutes away from Kings Island. And from four hours, ten minutes away to four hours thirty-five minutes away from Cedar Point.

Can't catch a break.

Book Review: Confessions of a Reformission Rev.

I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced copy of Mark Driscoll's Confessions of a Reformission Rev., and wanted to post a book review of it here. Mark Driscoll is pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. Mars Hill is a young church, and Mark was a young Christian when he founded it. Confessions is an opportunity for him to tell his church's story- how they went from a handful of people to 5,000+ weekly attendees in just eight years. The story of Mars Hill is rather encouraging to church planters like me for a few reasons.

First, Mars Hill is an urban church. All over America, our cities are being revived by a younger generation who don't feel suburbia is for them. Church planting is booming, but most pastors are heading to the 'burbs where percentages of success/survival are much greater. Driscoll has embraced the concept of urban church planting and declares the importance of having thriving churches near city centers. It's encouraging to see churches like Mars Hill transforming their cities for Christ.

Also, Mars Hill is a Bible-teaching church. Driscoll didn't talk much about his teaching style in Confessions, but his weekly messages approach an hour in length. Most people couldn't get away with this, but Mark makes it work because of his emphasis on Scripture. Their church wrestles with books of the Bible, verse by verse, in series that can last months. I would guess that it's Mark's Biblical teaching that drives the church. At Echo, we've adopted a similar teaching style, not afraid of "being too deep." The future of the thriving American church is those who teach Scripture unashamedly.

And it should be noted the Driscoll advocates a conservative theological interpretation of Scripture. The trend of many emerging churches is to become more liberal, blurring the meaning of long-held theological doctrines such as the trinity, hell, and the atonement. Driscoll's church shows that you can have a conservative, Biblical theology, not be a cult, and still win people to Christ.

And, finally, Mars Hill is a reproducing church. Driscoll understands that one megachurch isn't going to get the job done; replication is the key. Mars Hill founded the Acts 29 church planting network which helps aspiring planters to start new communities throughout the country [Michael Foster is actually part of this network]. Mark understands the more churches, the better, and we should seriously adopt plans to plant more communities throughout American urban areas.

Even though Mark is more blunt and dogmatic than I am, he's a fresh breath in evangelical Christianity. It's tough for the old guard to dismiss him because of his constant use of Scripture and well-balanced theology. I'd recommend getting a copy of this book. Though I didn't find it as informative as Mark's first book, Radical Reformission, it's still a great read.

And it's especially time that we Cincinnatians get familiar with this way of doing ministry; it's what will be needed here in the next ten years.

They're NOT Ready For Some Football!

And now, as we wonder what the world is coming to, this: Kentucky Christian University To Add Varsity Football.

Bad idea. Now before I tell you why this is a bad idea, I should be upfront about my hatred for KCU [or, as we old schoolers used to know it, KCC]. Now I have a deep respect and appreciation for the school as far as a ministry preparation school; they have produced some great pastors. But, actually, it's their athletic program I can't stand. Whether playing, coaching, or cheering against, I've never despised a program as much as KCU [not even Elder]. They were are rivals, and it always got dirty. It was Ohio State/Michigan, Red Sox/Yankees, Smurfs/Gargamel. One of the greatest moments of my life was captaining CCU [or CBC, whatever] to the 1999 regional championship over Kentucky Christian on their home field.

Despite this bias, I believe I can still objectively say that this is a very bad idea. Just looking at their three-fold reasoning for wanting football, you can see where they're in trouble.

First, they want to add diversity to campus. I assume that's the nice way to say that African American males play football and will come to KCU for the opportunity. This could be true except that 1) it will be a non-scholarship program and 2) they're in GRAYSON, KENTUCKY!!! Ever been to Grayson? Go to the end of the world and go left ten miles. Few black males from the city will want to be in a rural setting.

Second, they say it will increase campus culture. They might be right, but at what cost? The facilities for a football program will cost about $2million. I think students would appreciate campus culture more if you dropped the $2mill into a movie theater. Or maybe save the cash and drop tuition.

And finally, the University is hoping to a football program will raise financial revenue. They estimate it will bring more than 100 additional males to school there. That's a rather generous figure considering a good amount of players-to-be are already on campus waiting for a program. And claims that the cost of the program will be deferred by the tuition of the players- that 1/3 of a player's college costs will fund the program- are optimistic.

The reality is that there is no more expensive sport than football. That's why few smaller schools have it, and even fewer that are non-scholarship. Starting any new athletic program at a collegiate level is difficult. I know first hand from starting CCU's women's soccer program, and the costs where minimalistic. I'm afraid KCU is biting off more than they can chew here. I pray it doesn't hurt their overall mission.

The real problem KCU and other small ministry-prep schools face is lack of contentment with what they are. In this world where success in only measured in numerical growth, Christian colleges struggle to accept the current state of their ministries. Instead of adding academic and athletic programs to attract students, maybe schools could understand that they don't have to be Liberty University. I'm all for getting more males and more diversity in our preacher colleges, but there must be better ways to go about it than the pigskin.

I'm just afraid my alma mater will lose focus and feel the need to "keep up with the Jones'." No need for a Hail Mary here.

A New Day Has Dawned

Yes, the wife is now blogging. Her blog can be found at http://blueinkmediumpoint.blogspot.com. It's a long url, but she explains the origin in her first post.

In case you were wondering, I picked out her template. It's from a new site I found. It took a little work to get everything to fit in, but I'm really satisfied with the way it looks. Her template looks way cooler than mine.

So I hope you enjoy reading the thoughts of the most influencial person in my life.

The DaVinci Code And Jesus

I knew I was going to have to eventually comment about The DaVinci Code. I've been putting it off like a dentist appointment because there's almost too much conversation about it. But I have a little different perspective to offer about it, so I'm offering it up here. Before I get started, though, check out Aaron's brief, but well said, thoughts on the movie here. He's always more concise than I am. And for those of you usually skip my more lengthy posts, I'd encourage you to wade through this. There are some important issues here that everyone should at least think about it.

Unlike most of these insane Christian Chicken Littles, I've actually read Dan Brown's book. I found the story compelling, reading it through in one night. And I never read fiction, so that's saying something about the book. Now just because I enjoyed reading the book doesn't mean that I buy into any of the theological crap he tried to convince people into believing. Brown isn't the first person to propose that Jesus had children, and he won't be the last. Overall, the story is about action and suspense, displayed in a more cerebral setting, which I found interesting. If I'm able, I'll see the movie but will probably rent the DVD.

But that's not the standard Christian response to this subject. I understand that Catholics will be protesting at theaters this weekend. I've heard people like James Dobson say that it's borderline sinful to have anything at all to do with this book/film. And I've seen churches advertise DaVinci Code sermon series, using marketing tools to reassure the general public that they know everything about it.

My response: It's all hogwash. Don't waste your time.

The only effect all this Christian-focused attention will produce is increased revenue for Sony Pictures. Few people, if any, will be swayed either way on the subject. Yet what I find disturbing is the church's fascination with fighting/discussing The DaVinci Code while they gloss over what is truly the most important issue this movie brings up. It's the most important question anyone can grapple with while on this earth. And that question is:

"Who is Jesus?"

While Christians are ready to go medieval on Dan Brown, there are more serious dangers, from within our own ranks, that are being widely ignored. The most important theological threat that will plague the church in the next fifty years will be the person of Jesus. Who was He? What was His purpose here on earth? For what/who did He die? Did He really resurrect from the dead? These seem like the most basic questions, but their answers make up the foundation of Biblical Christianity. And that foundation is being attacked by people who claim to be Christians themselves.

For example, Brian McLaren is a leader of the Emergent Church, a new wave of younger churches that's gaining popularity throughout the country. In a recent Sojourners magazine article, he offered his two cents on Jesus and The DaVinci Code. He offers, "we need to ask ourselves why the vision of Jesus hinted at in Dan Brown's book is more interesting, attractive, and intriguing to these people than the standard vision of Jesus they hear about in church."

Let me help Brian out here and answer his question: BECAUSE IT'S NOT TRUE! Throughout history people have transformed Jesus into an image/God that they find acceptable and then claim Him as Savior. Usually it's an emphasis on grace, a denial of God's justice [hell] and a "God loves you just the way you are." I know that sounds nice, and it really preaches well, but it's just not Biblical. If given the opportunity, people will always manipulate the nature of God in order to excuse their own sinfulness.

I don't think I ever understood how serious this issue was until moving to the city. This debate isn't as evident in midwestern suburbs, but it's all over down here. Many mainline denominations are distorting their Christology to downplay sin and emphasize acceptance. True, Jesus is accepting, but He also calls for us to make life-change after responding to Him; it's a sacrificial faith.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that there's only one official version of Jesus that everyone must nail theologically in order to be saved; we'll never fully understand all that His death on the cross accomplished for us. But we also must not fool ourselves into believing that we can fashion Jesus around our presupposed beliefs. The apostle Paul warns in 2 Corinthians 11:1-4 not to be deceived by Christians presenting an unBiblical view of Jesus. And there are more of them out there- doing more harm to our Christian faith- than Dan Brown could ever do.

The DaVinci Code is the least of my worries.

Need More To Read?

Then I have two more websites to share. The first is Queen City Mission. Local church planter Michael Foster is compiling this site, hoping to get a conversation started about faith in Cincinnati. He already has some interesting stats posted about Christianity in our city. I'll be contributing to this site occasionally, so you might want to check it out.

The second one is not nearly as serious. I was just messing around this everning and came up with an idea: Google pages allows you to create free web pages, so why not make an extention to Beit Carr? And I did. I'm calling it The Outhouse of Carr. It'll be a place where I post little blurbs, just to entertain myself. So if you feel like taking a load off, make a trip to the outhouse.

Promises, Promises . . .

I'm not a big NBA guy. I usually start watching the play-offs in the conference finals. But I'll admit that I was very interested in the outcome of tonight's Eastern Conference Semifinal between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons because I wanted to see if Rasheed Wallace was the second coming of Joe Namath. He more resembled the second coming of Joe Schmoe.

Ever since Babe Ruth, Americans have had a fascination with athletes who have "called their shot." Wallace wants to be that kind of guy. He has guaranteed victories before, but never as passionately as this:

"Like I said (Saturday) night, I know we're gonna bust their (expletive) . . . (tonight) is the last game here, in this building (Quicken Loans Arena) this year. Y'all can quote me, put it back-page, front-page, whatever."

Oh, it'll make front-page tomorrow, Sheed. I guarantee it.

The Hope of Death

We finally ended our study of Genesis at Echo last night. Had some friends from Mason [and Iowa] visiting us, giving us a good crowd despite a few regulars being gone. In wrapping up our months of study, I taught how Genesis, a book best known for its details of creation, begins with life but ends in death. The last chapter discusses the interment of two patriarchs: Jacob and Joseph. Jacob's remains were taken from Egypt and buried in the Promised Land. Joseph, however, knew that his relatives wouldn't be allowed to take his body to the Promised Land, but left specific instructions to make sure that his descendents would make sure to get his bones to Israel. I noted that the body of Joseph became an object of hope for the Israelites, who were enslaved by the Egyptians. Eventually [500 years later] Joseph was buried in his homeland. And, just like Joseph, Jesus' body [or the lack thereof] should represent hope for His followers, that we might someday return to our native land [heaven].

Ironically, my father called this morning to inform me that my step-grandfather passed away. He was ninety-eight years old, but I swear he could've lived another 20 years. I'll be officiating his funeral this week. He really has no other family, and I assume most of his friends passed away years ago, so it should be a small gathering.

John was a very proud man, wanting everyone to know that he had the financial means to take care of himself. I hate to admit it, but he was a bitter old man. He had few kind things to say about other people, but he really cared about my grandmother. He was never much to talk about faith but, in these later years, he started making appearances at church with my grandmother. I'm not sure if it ever registered to him how desperately he needed Jesus. We'll never know.

Death happens. To everyone. I still come back to the most profound statements I ever heard, that was actually uttered in a Bill and Ted's movie. The grim reaper, in the midst of a rap, said, "You might be a king or a little street sweeper, but sooner or later you'll dance with the reaper." Brilliant. No matter who you are, you can't escape death.

I would suppose that death is the most important issue in my ministry. This obviously goes way beyond funerals. A key aspect of my job is get people to come to grips with the reality that they will eventually die and, because their lives will end someday, they should evaluate how they are now living. As a professor in college once said, "our eschatology [view of death/afterlife] determines our life's philosophy."

I guess I'm saying, "just think about it." Don't become so obsessed with death that you can't live. But, please, don't stroll through life without considering where you're heading.

_________________

I hope he doesn't mind, but I want to recommend Chad Doerr's blog again. Chad, who ministers at a church in Falmouth, Kentucky, recently lost his wife Amy. He's been journaling his journey in moving on with life while still remembering hers. It's some fantastic stuff.

Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole . . .

The drought is over: I scored a goal Friday night. I'm playing in two leagues right now: indoor, over 30 on Fridays and outdoor, recreational on Saturday. I had been playing non-stop [spring, summer, fall] since my freshman year of college until this recent two year stretch that I just ended. I'm getting my touch and control back, and I'm starting to look like I know what I'm doing again. And I feel like I'm back in shape.

I never realized how much I missed playing. Putting a well-placed ball in the back of the net will do it to you. And I'm getting to know the strangers on my teams better too. Overall, I'm having a lot of fun. I'd like to keep on playing through the fall.

Mother's Day

I ain't no dummy. Kelly and I have always been lax in our celebration of gift events. We haven't gotten each other Christmas presents in a few years. Birthday presents show up about once every other year. Usually a good card will suffice, and then we'll go out to eat.

But I wasn't fooling myself that the same kind of observance would pass on this, her first Mother's Day. I started planning a week in advance for how I would work it.

Step One: the gift. Fortunately Kelly tipped me off a few weeks ago that she'd love to get a massage session with a person she knows at Standard. This was my break, but I had to create a diversion so that she wouldn't be sure that I had actually listened. I negotiated a secret drop-off-type arrangement, a flawless exchange that she wouldn't at all suspect. I actually got her a few sessions, and she was none-the-wiser.

Step Two: the card. This might seem simple enough; it's not like I haven't picked out a card before. But this was Mother's Day, so the card had to be from both Kaelyn and me. After finding the "from us" card selection unsatisfactory, I opted to go with one card from each of us. Kaelyn selected a Care Bears card [yes, apparently they still have Care Bears and Kaelyn did a great job picking it out] whereas I opted for a more sappy "from daddy" card. This too worked out and impressed the Mommy very much.

Step Three: the meal. The perfect way to get the morning going is the Mother's Day breakfast. I went out Friday and purchased the ingredients I needed for a proper pancake breakfast. I hid them in the back of my Explorer until late Saturday night when I gave Kelly an invitation/menu announcing it. Yesterday morning I was a pancake machine and we were able to sit down and enjoy Kel's very first Mother's Day.

Mission accomplished. But I already told Kelly not to expect that kind of treatment every year. Was I kidding, or am I, again, creating a diversion? Only time will tell . . .

Here's a picture of the ladies on their first Mother's Day together: