And before that, around lunch time, I met Bad Ben. That adds three to the number of people I have met in person, that have read my blog, on occasion at least. I love real life meetings. Actually, Ben and I had met before, back in 2003. He’s a really nice guy, and he’s keen for constructive input. In addition, he is apparently a big fan of Brian McLaren. Yay! He is looking for neutral, unbiased feedback about Shofar. I’m hoping we can build a good relationship, built largely on what we agree on, even if we have big differences elsewhere.

It seems Fred May has actually seen my blog. He has read at least one post. Sias le Roux and Morné Bosch recognise my face, and are highly likely able to put my name to it. I have very good reasons to believe Sias already recognises me as someone that “thinks too much”. He may remember me from the creationism seminar last year. All in all, I’m sure at least some members of Shofar’s leadership are wondering what on earth I’m up to, what my views are, etc. So let me try to give a little more context.

We all know that many people in Stellenbosch have gripes with Shofar. Shofar is highly controversial. But yes, most people do mud flinging, because they feel there’s not much else they can do. And mud flinging is pointless, it gets us nowhere. So… here I am, I’m attending Shofar again every now and then, when I have the opportunity. I’m keen on constructive and open dialogue, and very keen on cooperation.

There are a number of points on which I disagree with Shofar. Let’s get the empirical one out of the way: I love science. We cannot live without it. Or at least, without it, the majority of humanity will die or suffer greatly. We have already over-populated the world many times over, if we were to live science-less. But apart from adverse consequences, I love inquisitiveness, I love exploration, I love looking at this mysterious universe, all of creation, and marvelling at its intricate complexity. In Meh terms, I love it’s beauty. And science is the tool with which we read this great big book of the universe. If you swing that way, the great big book that is (more directly?) written by the creator’s hand. (Or, in poetic Genesis terms, the great big poet in the sky spoke this great piece of poetry into existence.) You will have to forgive me if I have some serious gripes with “anti-science” sentiments. I’m afraid that, right now, young-earth beliefs classify as “anti-science” in my books. I’d like this blog to discuss science eventually, but that would require research time I don’t have right now.

Hand-in-hand with science goes critical thinking. I believe it is an important skill in this day and age, and I’m concerned about any kind of suppression of that skill. I don’t know how much that happens in Shofar itself, I just know that I didn’t see much critical thinking at the creationism seminar last year. I will soon continue my analysis of the seminar, in an attempt to demonstrate what I mean by “informed critical thinking”.

Furthermore, the rumours I hear with regards to the behaviour of Shofarians in science lectures has me appalled. I’d prefer not to hear or see any irrefutable evidence, I prefer to have the opportunity to believe these are only rumours… In fact, please tell me they are only rumours? Self-deception is a wonderful self-preservation mechanism.

Enough with science et al, and onto theology. I naturally also disagree on a significant number of doctrinal positions. Clearly I’m not a “literalist”. In propaganda terms, Shofar would say I’m not a “Bible believer”. Meh. I love the Bible. This blog will hopefully be taking a deeper look at it later. I also disagree with the idea that “Jesus came to raise the bar”. I believe Jesus challenged oppressive regimes and rejected oppressively-legalistic purity codes in favour of a value-driven way of life, based on compassion and love. And more. We will eventually get around to having some discussions around that.

Shofar’s afterlife-centred doctrines also have me worried. I believe this misses Jesus’ message. Sometimes people live in such fear of hell-after-life, that they end up living a hell-in-life. I care much more about the hell and heaven that exists right here, right now, on this earth. I believe Jesus’ primary message was “the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. The Kingdom of Heaven is a place on earth. A place within each of us. I would love to see more emphasis on “Kingdom-centric” living. Maybe if I continue looking, I will see it.

I would love more cooperation across the board. The other churches are getting together and building relationships. From what I hear, it sounds as though Fred May is not interested? Are these just rumours? More cooperation with everyone. This means no more “othering”. My dream has religious people and secular humanists working together to bring God’s Kingdom to Earth (as it is in Heaven, Meh).

Lastly, I do also disagree with Shofar’s stance on homosexuality, that is no secret. I doubt discussion on this topic will bear much fruit though, and there are bigger fish to fry, as long as Shofar doesn’t ruin people’s lives by loading them with guilt towards their own nature. I’ve heard rumours of support groups for homosexuals in other churches. I’d encourage Christian homosexuals to join these support groups. (Rumours. I don’t know how many, maybe only one for all I know. I hope there’s more.) Alternatively, there’s also Lesbigay, with their closet support program “Close-Up” (I think), which incidentally has helped some ex-Shofarians.

So, that’s about that.

Oh, and people like Ben (Bad/Sad Ben) demonstrate to me that there is hope. Honest, inquisitive, eager to learn, eager to improve, eager to follow Jesus, humble… Given the right soil, a mustard seed can move mountains. I pray we can walk a path together. Ben, or whoever, please keep an eye on me, and inform me when I stray onto a path of destruction. I believe in a God of creation, not destruction, as hard as that God’s commands may be to follow. May the soil of my mind be fertile ground for fruit-bearing trees.

Amen.

The typical impression of Christianity that most outsiders seem to have, is that Christianity is obsessed with the afterlife and the supernatural, and rejects science. I suspect this is especially the case in “first world” countries lacking the context in which Christianity is particularly valuable. In such cases, it seems the issue of “supernatural miracles” often becomes the main litmus test to separate “Christian” from “non-Christian”.

I grew up with a love of science, and a knowledge of evolution, despite it not being taught in schools. I didn’t even realise most South Africans didn’t know about evolution. I’m still not sure how common such knowledge is. My circle of friends isn’t representative of the average South African. One group of my friends saw the problems with modern Christianity and have rejected it long ago, another group are literalists. To both groups I’m rather weird, I bet.

Many turn their backs on Christianity when they see how broken it has become. For reasons probably related to my personality, my past, my friends and my family, I did not want to just turn my back. I wanted to build some bridges. I more gradually deconstructed and reconfigured my meme complex. This endeavour took quite a lot of time, but has led me to discover a “good Christianity”. This is what I’d like to share, but it will take time.

I often start believing, very naively, that this “good Christianity” is much more common than I ever thought. Hopefully this is largely true in denominations with well trained ministers/pastors/preachers. The majority of theologians are surely very aware of the good in Christianity? Maybe I was just slow to realise how common such knowledge is. Maybe I had merely blinded myself to the good by focusing more on the problematic elements. This happens really easily in Europe (I lived in The Netherlands since I was 8 until I was 13), where one notices cultural differences much more than cultural similarities. Christians do the same, they focus on the differences, rather than the similarities. They are often unaware of the context in which Christianity originated, so they do not know how to translate it to our contemporary context.

By only really being exposed to the “good guys” (reading and meeting), it becomes too easy to forget what is really out there. If I ever forget what a bad state most of Christianity is in, I need only interview most of the “Christian” societies registered at the University to find out what the emphasis of their ministry is. I need only turn on RSG (an Afrikaans radio station) at particular times of the week to remind me. Every now and then there is a good guy on the air, but usually, all too often, you get to see what a poor excuse for compassion and caring and making a difference Christianity has become. Also, even among the good guys, the bad parts of what Christianity has become has an incredible impact. I’m probably just much better at turning a blind eye to the bad these days. Other people see more clearly? (Don’t worry, I have not forgotten my past. I will eventually write some more about that.)

The very relevant thing is this: the bad parts make a very big impact, especially on members of congregations. Give people stuff that is for the “greater good” as well as stuff that’s “for the individual”, and they latch onto the “individual” stuff. Even if the preacher has solid theological training and knows what it is all about, communicating the good stuff to a congregation with set views, is much harder than you think. The typical individual only wants to hear that they are okay. As long as they get to go to heaven, all is right with the world…

Afterlife obsession.

Our obsession with the afterlife probably stems from institutionalised, money-driven Christianity, where that kind of threat and concern was extremely potent in controlling and milking the masses. This is not the original Christianity. Jesus was not obsessed with the afterlife. Of course, many people know all kinds of Bible passages that supposedly refute this statement. The typical “Bible-knowing” Christian is extremely well trained in quote-mining. (This possibly includes me? ) I bet the Discovery Institute can quote-mine in their sleep. It is not a challenge, it is not a skill, it is a reflex. (See Cectic on quote-mining.)

Anyway, the point is, the perspective and the worldview with which you approach the Bible has a huge impact on what you read there. With a particular institutionalised perspective of what Christianity is supposedly about, you end up seeing what you want to see. (The same probably applies to me?) Take Mark 10:17 (NIV):

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Most people immediately assume he is talking about the afterlife. That is our modern understanding of the concept of “eternal life”. However, this was written nearly two thousand years ago. To understand an old question, you need to understand the culture in which it was asked. Real Live Preacher translated this question to the following:

“Good teacher, what must I do to find favor with God and to receive the joyous, timeless kind of life that comes with that favor?”

Or how about John 3:3 NIV:

In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

With an afterlife-centred perspective, you’d interpret this to mean “enter and see heaven after I die”. With a “your kingdom come, on earth, as it is in heaven” interpretation, this verse becomes about recognising and bringing about the good in this world. Being “born again” becomes about accepting a paradigm shift in your mind, being willing to see things in new ways, being eager to learn new things…

As such, I’m not going to post much info here, that might distract from what I really would like you to do, if you are curious about Christianity and Jesus and The Gospel and why it is good news. (“Gospel” comes from a completely secular word, by the way.) go listen to the mp3 of Ron Martoia’s sermon, click on the image that says “Luister”. (Yes, Ron is English.)

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This blog is nothing other than a church. And you, as you are reading it, are in attendance.

I hope you still feel welcome now that you know, because it’s great to have you here. I hope you enjoy your stay, and can find value here, from me on the pulpit, and from the rest of the congregation around you. I also hope you can be of value to those around you.

I have big plans for this church. Eventually everyone can have a pulpit, should they want one. We will also do church planting at other sites, in other domains. We will have events outside of the church, we will travel and attend other churches for cross-pollination, and to spread the good news.

So now you can tell your mother you’ve started going to church again.

On Friday night, I attended a brilliant set of talks given by the NG Church. This is the church that used to be married to the state during Apartheid era South Africa. My respect for this church is growing tremendously.

At this meeting, I met an old friend of my father’s. They were paratroopers together, in the army, during the conscription years. (Around 1970, I believe.) He told me that the best ideas come in three places: the bath, the bed, and the bus. (He suggested the bus example might have been Edison, who had forgotten what he thought of in bed the previous night, and remembered when he climbed on a bus. Fact checking needed… The bath legend was Archimedes, understanding water displacement, and shouting “Eureka!”)

I was lying awake, every now and then recording some ideas (that is now my preferred method of taking thoughts down, anytime, anywhere), and every now and then reading and sending email… yea… cellphones are evil. I do all this with my Nokia N70. I was pondering Johan Swarts’ encouragement for us to just start another organisation and be done with it.

Some time ago, I created the Facebook group Stellenbosch Humanists, with an invitation extended to all “humanists”. This group could possibly have become the organisation we are considering, however, “humanist” is still a label, and I don’t feel comfortable with it. (If you have not done so already, please read The Problem with Diversity, it is the defining post for the organisation.)

On Friday I created the I label myself as someone that rejects all labels group. (‘Nuff said.) This group just epitomises my feelings on the matter at the moment. The idea then, is to turn this into the organisation we want. I don’t know how good an idea it is, but for now, it will have to do.

We don’t want a virtual community only, this thing has to be real, so we have to meet. As such, I just created the Stellenbosch Branch, for people in the Stellenbosch area. (Feel free to create other branches as necessary. If you do, you can let me know in the comments below.) What is the membership requirements or membership policy? Everyone is welcome!. Yes… everyone. Anyone and everyone that feels they want to join in the conversation, can join. Anything goes. Anything can be discussed, anything can be said, anything can be joked about.

For those not on Facebook, thinktoomuch.net will serve as Mecca for the time being. (Until such time as something better comes along.)

Spread the Word! Spread the Good News! Shout it from the mountain tops!

I hope to see you there.

A specific strain of fundamentalism, focusing on the afterlife and whether one is “Saved!” or not, would probably argue he is not, because he didn’t believe exactly like they did, he did not attend church much, considering the majority of church attenders to be somewhat hypocritical, and he did not tell everyone about all the wonderful things Jesus did in his life.

Or they might say he might be, because he might have accepted Jesus as his personal saviour as the plane was going down. I seriously doubt it: they radioed out “mayday”, as the plane was losing altitude. After dropping off the radar, they turned the plane around, heading back south, where they came from, but unfortunately did not clear the mountain they had recently flown over. So what, do you think, went through his mind? Jesus? “I want to go to heaven!”?

Definitely not. What went through his mind, was figuring out the best way to stay alive, the best route to safety (in very low visibility), calculating how to maximise the odds of surviving, so he could live the rest of his life in a meaningful manner. He thought of us, his family, who he loved very much. Love is God. He was thinking God, even if he did not use that word.

So, I doubt he ever knelt down before Jesus and said “I invite you into my life. I’m a self-centred bastard and the most important thing for an egomaniac like me is to go to heaven after I die”. He lived for the here, for the now, for the humans that surround him. He lived for his family, and man, did he live! He lived not only for the here and the now, he lived to make a positive difference, for the future generations. He lived to make the kingdom come, even if he did not use that language. Christianspeak all too often serves to muddy the truth, rather than shine the light on it. Nevertheless, the language is beautiful and powerful, and can also be used for good.

Which brings me back to the question, is he in heaven? I would like to rephrase this question in the language of Mark 10:17: did he live an eternal life? Even if you do not believe in life after death, you can live an eternal life, and that is the much more important question.

My father lives on, because we remember him. We remember him as one of the most amazing role models anyone could dream of. He lived a life of brutal honesty, setting an example that makes marketing departments cringe. He showed how such brutal honesty breeds success, how people trusted what he told them, because he didn’t hide the flaws and potential weaknesses. He lives on in us, who can look up to the example he set, and continue his legacy. Because of him, I continue striving to “make the kingdom come”, to make a positive difference in this world. He inspires excellence, inquisitiveness, a search for truth, a sense of wonder in this universe, and an incurable hope and optimism for the future of humanity.

He lives forever, in Heaven.

What exactly is the “Good News”? Evangelising Christianity is about sharing the “Good News”. As such, it is important that the news is actually good. What might seem like good news to you, might not seem like good news from another perspective. It is important to understand this. As mentioned last time, it is important to look at it from an atheist’s perspective. This exercise may also help you understand the good news better yourself.

Below is a video titled “Kissing Hank’s Ass”. Be warned, this video tries to offend. Do not let it offend you, otherwise you will be unable to learn anything. Learn to turn the other cheek. Furthermore, I suspect if you are offended, it might be as a result of viewing it with an egocentric perspective. Instead, look at the video with compassion or empathy. Place yourself in the atheist’s shoes, try your best to understand how the atheist thinks. Also avoid the trap of feeling “pity”, that would also suppress a good understanding. Only when you understand how they think, will you have any chance to actually converse with them in a meaningful manner.

The clip is just over seven and a half minutes long. If your bandwidth is limited, you may read the script that inspired the video clip instead. There is also a sanitised version available, which replaces the words “ass” and “shit” with “butt” and “snot”. (The video clip also includes profanities. If such things bother you, read the sanitised version instead.)

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It is now assumed that you have read the script or watched the video clip. If you have not yet done so, go do it! Also, think it over. Maybe come back to this post later, even.

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What I think you should have learned from this (please share what you learned, let’s have a discussion!): “you are going to hell” is not Good News. All too often, however, this is the core of the news that evangelicals give to atheists. “You are going to hell (but I can show you how to avoid it).” There is no way you will get them interested with such news. Amongst other things, they do not fear a literal hell. So, what to do?

If this is a problem you are facing, it may be that you do not fully comprehend what aspects of the gospel would be considered good news by non-believers. I would suggest you read The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren (amazon, kalahari). That should get you started. I believe a lot of it is based on the work of NT Wright, a Bible scholar. I have yet to read NT Wright’s stuff itself, however, to the scholarly minded (or even the atheist), I could recommend reading Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time by Marcus Borg (amazon, kalahari), another Bible scholar. If you are in the Stellenbosch area, you are welcome to borrow my books.

If either of these books do not increase your respect for Jesus or your excitement about or your understanding of his message, let me buy you a meal at a decent restaurant if I know you personally, otherwise a cup of coffee or something similar, or maybe a beer: I’d like to hear your feedback.

Please be friendly in the comments. That doesn’t mean you can’t disagree, I love friendly disagreements. This blog is my home in cyberspace, and you are my guests – ideally, my friends even. (If we have not yet met, maybe we should…) Be sure to give a valid email address.

There are of course a number of things that stand in the way on the path to world peace. A big set of those roadblocks is grouped together under the term “politics”. Politics will always remain. Humans are a diverse species, opinions differ, and our political systems are all about looking for the best compromise.

As is probably obvious, the roadblocks I am most interested in discussing, would be religion. Religion greatly influence politics in many places, I daresay they are even somewhat inseparable. Was the flying of planes into buildings a political matter, or a religious matter?

World peace on the religion front will not be brought about by eradicating religion. The religious will agree on the grounds that God exists, the militant atheists will agree that it will not happen in the foreseeable future, it will take time. Which of the two is true? That is rather irrelevant. What is needed, is for us to break through the communication barriers of this Babel of religions, to develop a “language” with which to understand one another across great cultural differences. Despite different notions of God, many of us are indeed interested in the same thing.

In Christian-speak, this dream of “world peace” would be “making God’s kingdom come… on earth, as it is in heaven”. Bridging chasms in communication requires not judging, but loving your neighbour, living with compassion. At times, it requires turning the other cheek.

I would like some contributions from other religions. How would this ideal, this dream, be worded in Muslim-speak, Jewish-speak, Buddhist-speak, etc? I can go dig through my Jesus and Buddha book to find some interesting tidbits, but my knowledge is pretty much limited to the Christian tradition, unfortunately.

Yes, this is idealistic, but we can dream, can’t we? Let us not stop dreaming.

• A New Abraham and a New Earth – a brilliant Real Live Preacher essay about the tolerance train and the future of humanity. Read it!

Give me a seeking atheist who is passionate, in love with Christ, and willing to give his or her life to being a disciple over the “typical” American evangelical who sits in church, yawning, and is nothing more or less than a standard member of our culture.

Doesn’t this just make you think about what it means to “follow” in the footsteps of the famous mystic from 2000 years ago? He was a person that questioned the status quo, that encouraged people to think (speaking in parables and asking questions much more often than actually giving straight answers), to measure things not according to the rules and regulations of scripture, but to measure them according to values and principles, love and compassion.

It is very much possible that a number of atheists follow those principles much more successfully than many Christians. Your specific notions of what or who “God” is, does not play as big a role in your ability to follow “the way” as many people seem to think. I don’t particularly care what notions you have about “God”, I care more about what you do with those notions.