Separated By a Common Language

One of the most critical tasks in the discipline of theology is to understand and define terminology. A rookie mistake is to assume that a theological term has a static meaning, or that it has the same meaning today that it had when the theologian used it, even if only a few years ago much less 1500. I often think of theological terminology as little presents packed tightly with multiple objects inside just sitting and waiting for us to open and explore. But to understand the terminology we have to be willing to do the hard work of sorting through how the language is used.

I remember teaching on the Nicene creed a few years ago when a student challenged the phrase "begotten not made." This student assumed that the term 'begotten' simply meant 'was given birth to' thus missing the theological struggle to articulate the eternal nature of the distinction-yet-unity of the Father and the Son and that the Son is 'eternally begotten' of the Father. (As the creed says, Jesus is homoousios to patri - of one being with the Father.) Theology, on the whole, is a struggle to articulate the wondrous mystery of the God who is revealed to us in Jesus Christ. To reduce the language is to miss the mystery.

I think this is why so many people get frustrated with theology. Why can't the language be straight-ahead and easy to comprehend? Why are words often recategorized or reframed by theologians? But as many orthodox and heretical theologians have found, language that attempts to encapsulate that which is uncontainable or to make visible that which is invisible is bound to be difficult to comprehend. In the words of Rogers and Hammerstein, "How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?" If the nuns in the Sound of Music couldn't solve a problem like Maria, then how can we, mere mortals, ever expect to articulate the fullness of the being of God?

The theologian, Colin Gunton, talked about this as the quest to find "the least inadequate language" in which to articulate the being of God. So, no wonder we sometimes feel as if we are separated by a common language. We have to take the time hear how we each use our terminology and then we can enter into a dialogue. And sometimes it seems as if we are simply speaking with a different accent. Do we have the patience to listen and then respond, even when the other person doesn't understand. Hearing then becomes a primary task in the discipline of theology, but we often have trouble understanding one another. And in this process, we sometime ascribe wrong beliefs to the other, simply because they are using their terminology differently. Learning to listen is a spiritual discipline as well as an academic one, and we are all called to this task whether or not we are professional theologians...

So, to poke a bit of fun at this great theological task, here is video to make you think and, I hope, laugh...

Les Paul Doodle Has a Home!

I just read that google's Les Paul doodle has a permanent home. So go play!:

• Les Paul doodle

The Necessity of Play

OK, I know that I am not alone! The googledoodle over the past few days has been a joyous distraction as I have struggled to finish my syllabi for next Fall. I keep trying to write little songs, but the reality is that I have very little control with the mouse pad on my laptop. I can't seem to keep good time (my violin teachers never gave me exercises for finger strumming on my laptop!), and the limitations of the string combinations confound my creative impulse (OK, I listen to way too much 20th century music). However, I find such joy in the play that I keep returning to the googledoodle to, well, doodle about. :-)

Then I was reading in the NY Times and noticed that the man who created Mad Libs died this week. Leonard Stern was a TV writer and producer for most of his life. He wrote for such shows as "The Honeymooners," "The Steve Allen Show" and "Get Smart." According to the NYT article, he came up with the idea while writing for "The Honeymooners" but it wasn't until "The Steve Allen Show" that Mad Libs came to life. Stern convinced Allen to introduce each of his guests with a Mad Lib, inviting the audience to contribute their nouns and adjectives to the mix. Stern once relayed one of his favorite introductions: "And here is the scintillating Bob Hope, whose theme song is 'Thanks for the Communist'!"

• Obituary for Leonard B. Stern

When I think of Mad Libs, I am taken back to my childhood, especially middle school and high school. My friends and I used to sit around for hours thinking of funny adjectives, verbs and nouns, creating silly stories. So many bus trips were spent passing Mad Libs from person to person and then reading the crazy story to the whole bus. We would all break into hysterics as words were used out of context and out of place to create non-sequiturs and the occasionally too true statement about one thing or another. Mad Libs helped my friends and I--throughout our adolescence--to play and relate together. Laughter and bonding are what I remember.

And so I have to say thank you to google, Les Paul and Leonard Stern. You have all helped us to stop and play in the midst of our very busy and serious lives. Thank you for the laughter, friendship and music.

If music be the food of play, strum on!

What is a Movie?

I was reading an interesting article in the NY Times today, "In Defense of the Slow and Boring." In this article, two film critics, Manhola Dargis and A. O. Scott, from the Times talk about what is 'boring' in movies. Along the way, they ponder what the medium of movies really is. Is it pure entertainment? Is it educational? Can movies be high art ('cultural vegetables' as one critic put it)? And do the various aspirations of film directors and producers (for another discussion see, "Uneven Growth for Film Studio with a Message") matter when it comes to what a movie really is?

If the 'medium is the message', can a medium, such as a movie, ever really get past its status as entertainment (or money making venture)? Can movies be high art? Political motivators? Do they need to be anything more than action, speed and romance (e.g., this summer's Thor)? And does money or attention span have the final say about what kinds of movies can be made?

I have no answers, but I am intrigued... What is a movie?

Fujimura's Letter to the Churches

I have been reading about Makoto Fujimura this week and ran across his "Open Letter to the North American Churches." Sometimes people ask me why I talk about the arts and theology or why artists, poets, dancers and musicians feel so sidelined by the church. It is almost a, "What's the big deal?" sort of conversation.

But here is the thing, how do you communicate to someone who does not know or understand the frustration of being welcomed in to the church, but being told that your gifts are not useful or appropriate? "If only you played the guitar or the piano" "If only you sang like 'so-and-so' then you could be on the worship team" "If only your painting was more immediate and less abstract, maybe people would understand your work..." "If only you thought more like the rest of us..." Well, I think this frustration is felt by many different people on different levels, but artists are uniquely sidelined and misnamed by the Evangelical church in particular.

One of my not so helpful inner (sometimes outer) rants used to be (sometimes still is), "Why is the music in the church geared toward those who really don't understand music? My musical education and training have made me irrelevant to the church I attend. Even worse, I hate the music and it makes me sit in the back and weep because it is so theologically and musically poor. I'm starving!" (I now go to a church that features Gregorian Chant, so I have side-stepped the issue altogether. However, I still wonder if this is the best way to deal with my disappointment and frustration with an Evangelical free church style of worship, but for now I am at peace in the midst of a more structured liturgical model.)

All this to say, Fujimura's letter sparked something within me. He articulates something of what I try to communicate and teach to my students, only much better. I'm still sorting this one out for myself, and I am thankful for any help along the way. Thanks, Mako! You give me hope.

• Fujimura's Letter to the Churches

Regent Summer School

I am teaching "Beauty, Brokenness and the Cross" up at Regent Summer School this July. I'm still looking for a few more students. Here is a blog post that describes the class on Evangelical Crossroads.

Tell your friends!

Freedom in the Groove

OK, I cannot help myself. Joshua Redmonds' album, "Freedom in the Groove," just makes want to get up and dance. This album gets inside my soul. From time to time I crave it in strange ways. I just have to hear that opening where he turns the horn into a percussion instrument of sorts, setting up the groove and the melody for the tune, "Hide and Seek." The solid subtly of the groove grabs me in an indescribable way.

And it is the whole album, from start to finish, that inspires me, but maybe I'll talk about the rest of the album another time, it deserves the attention. For now, here is Joshua Redmond and his band live at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1997 playing "Hide and Seek." Maybe it won't be your cup of tea, but I hope it inspires something in you.