The Daily Detour

Part 1: An actor for president?

"I'm not a president, but I play one on TV." Or, in this case, he plays the New York City district attorney, Arthur Branch, on the popular television show, "Law & Order". Of course, we're talking about Fred Thompson, an actor and former U.S. Senator from Tennessee, who this week took a couple steps closer to joining an already crowded GOP presidential field. Earlier this week, it was reported that he began soliciting the financial support necessary to successfully launch a solid campaign. In addition, the LA Times reported earlier today that Sen. Thompson sat down with "Law & Order" series creator, Dick Wolf, yesterday and officially announced his pending departure from the show after five seasons.

The "will he or won't he" buzz, which has been churning for weeks in the blogosphere, is now reaching a frenetic pitch as Sen. Thompson toys with the media and the public in a slow and deliberate flirtation with a possible presidential run. It appears to be a very strategic ploy to keep the conservative rank-and-file licking their chops and hoping for a conservative alternative to the current crop of candidates. His solid conservative credentials, combined with his Hollywood star power, present Sen. Thompson as a formidable candidate not to be overlooked in this presidential campaign. The GOP frontrunners--Guiliani, Romney, and McCain--would never admit it publicly, but it is very likely that their respective camps are scrambling to counter his inevitable candidacy.

There are those who might quickly dismiss Fred Thompson as a legitimate contender, arguing (with some legitimacy) that an actor is probably the last person we might want as the leader of the Free World. But let's not be too hasty. After all, those same criticisms were levied at former President Ronald Reagan, who proved his mettle by facing down the other world superpower at the time, communist Russia, and achieving victory in the Cold War. And it is his mantle each current GOP candidate is fervently trying on for size. Who knows? As a fellow actor and conservative stalwart, Fred Thompson may come as close as any of them in proving to be the right fit.

A little post-vacation housekeeping

I've had a bit of computer troubles both at home and the office since getting back from our trip, but I'm finally back online...

I need to do a little housekeeping that got overlooked while I was gone:

1.) Birthday Greetings - First of all, I need to give a belated birthday greeting to younger brother, Ethan. His birthday was on Monday, the 28th. Sorry for the delay, E. And thanks for the ride home from the airport. What a way to celebrate your big day, huh? :)

2.) Our Endless Thanks - Secondly, despite my unintended tardiness, I would be remiss to overlook Memorial Day. For all of those faithful men and women who have given, and continue to give, themselves for our freedom, our thanks will never be sufficient. I just hope we don't limit our commemorations to one day a year. Our military heroes deserve more than that.

In light of our current conflict in Iraq, Chuck Colson's Memorial Day Breakpoint raises an interesting question for our reflection: Where is God in wartime?

3.) Questions from the TDD Community: Finally, one of our regular readers sent along a request for the official TDD scoop on a couple of topics--the Emergant Church movement and Donald Miller's book, Blue Like Jazz. Those will be fruit for future posts. In the meantime, I wanted to extend an invitation to any of our TDD readers that if there is a topic you would like to see addressed, or a question answered, I'd be happy to take a stab at it. I can't guarantee anything of lasting value, but I'm never shy to apply my 2-cents worth of blog fodder to any subject. If you do want to see a topic addressed, just shoot me an email and stay tuned to the blog. Until next time...

This pirate of the Caribbean has returned...

Well, my rogue adventures amongst the islands of the West Indies have tragically come to an end (but fortunately, not due to a short trip off the gangplank--it was about 80 feet from our balcony to the water). It's back to the daily grind of life in suburbia. Jean and I got home yesterday evening after a great time spent relaxing, reading, gorging on succulent evening meals, and spending some much-needed quality time together (sans kids).

We were accompanied by two of our favorite traveling companions, Jean's brother, Dave, and his wife, Courtney. The four of us spent the last week snorkling along the many coral reefs with stingrays, starfish, and sea turtles, river tubing in the jungle, horse-back riding in the ocean, and sailing aboard a catamaran (among other things). I know...it's a rough life, but somebody has to live it. The Rastafarian locals proved to be wonderfully friendly hosts and a good time was had by all. If you haven't been on a cruise, I highly recommend it. This cruise was my first; it most certainly will not be my last.

On a related note, modern technology never ceases to amaze me. That I could be eating breakfast in San Juan, Puerto Rico in the morning and home in Indianapolis mowing my jungle-of-a-yard in the afternoon continues to boggle the mind. But such was my day yesterday.

The conveniences of internet technology also made it possible to keep The Daily Detour going even in my absence. Where I had internet access, I was able to observe from the periphery the activity on the blog. (I would have given you regular reports throughout the week, except that the going rate for internet usage was $.75/minute. A bit too steep for my budget.) I hope you found the posts thought-provoking. Your interesting conversations on the comment boards seem to suggest so. Keep it up!

Being gone for any length of time (particularly with limited media access) provides a sense of disconnect with what's happening in the outside world. On the one hand, it can be a refreshing break from the tyranny of the urgent; on the other hand, it can create a growing restlessness for those of us who have evolved into news/political junkies. Such is my love/hate relationship with the media. :) No worries though. I'm getting back up to speed and will continue cranking out the commentary to keep you all thinking off the beaten path.

Blogging the church into the 21st century

Recently I got an interesting article from one of our TDD readers about the growing number of those who are "blogging for God." Many pastors and churchs are beginning to harness the ministry potential of the web for influencing greater numbers of people through blogs, podcasts, and webcasts (including yours truly). For example, Mark Batterson, lead pastor of the National Community Church in Washington D.C. has begun incorporating unconventional ministry avenues through his podcasts and his personal blog, www.evotional.com. In a recent interview for The Blogging Church, he explained,

My definition of mininstry is totally changing. How do you define influence? Is it by the number of people who come on a Sunday morning, or is it defined by how many people read your blog or tune in to the podcast?

I used to think that my blog supplemented my weekend message, but I'm not so sure anymore. I think my weekend message supplements my blog.

...Our congregation is 25 percent unchurched, but more significantly 50 percent dechurched--people who grew up in the church but quit going because the church ceased to be relevant for them. We're trying to reach people who are suspicious and aren't sure if the church is relevant or not. One of the cool things about blogging and podcasting is that they break down that perceived relevance barrier and help build a little credibility. (pp. 156-157) 

Why should this matter to us Christians? There are number of reasons, but two stand out:

1.) In many respects, the Church continues to have a significant credibility problem in today's culture. While the message of Christ is always relevant and applicable to people's lives, in many people's minds, the Church's relevancy faded from our culture a long time ago. And it has taken that message right along with it.

2.) Blogging matters, because ideas matter. (To be honest, before my brother-in-law, Dave, finally coerced me into blogging, I was a bit skeptical. And even as you readers began to trickle in, I was still not entirely convinced of its merits, especially for someone who continually exists behind the technological curve. To put it in perspective, I actually had a car with a working 8-track player in college, long after 8-tracks had found a permanent place in historical museums. So the technological leap has been a big one. But having surrounded myself with a few key techno-savvy guys who counter-balance my ignorance, combined with my adventurous forays into the jungles of the blogosphere, the unlimited potential of the blogosphere is quickly unfolding before me.) As Richard Weaver's famously wrote, "Ideas have consequences." The question is, what are the ideas that have taken up residency in people's minds? And, more importantly, what is the Church doing to influence those ideas? Amazon's description for Hugh Hewitt's book, Blog, makes this important observation regarding the power of blogging:

People's attentions are up for grabs. If you depend upon the steady trust of others, suddenly you have an audience waiting to hear from you. The race is underway, though, to gain mindspace and to be part of the blogosphere readers' habits….

That should indeed be one of the primary goals of the Church--to engage the current ideas of the day in relevant ways so as to establish a beachhead in a people's minds. Scripture says, "As a man thinketh, so he is." Therefore, to gain mindspace and instill the Christian worldview is the necessary first step to instituting lasting change in a person's life and ultimately, in a given culture. That is, after all, why I started The Daily Detour--to challenge your thinking and hopefully, educate you toward action. Hopefully, we're finding some success as we think through life together.

Mapping the blogosphere

In an article over at Discover magazine, Stephen Ornes correctly contends that "the blogosphere is the most explosive social network you'll never see." He goes on to reference some of the findings conducted by social media expert, Matthew Hurst in his data-mapping of the blogosphere (with visuals that are compelling). I don't usually spend alot of time swimming around in this kind of data. As my good buddy, Chip, and my high school physics teachers, Mr. Lind, can both testify, I never really gelled in the math/science department. But my forays into the blogosphere have increased my awareness of its world-wide scope. And that alone, begs for our attention.

If you are still a bit skeptical as to what the big deal is with "that whole blogging thing," ponder these statistics:

1. Recent studies suggest that nearly 60 million blogs exist online.
2. About 175,000 more blogs crop up daily (that’s about 2 every second).
3. Nearly 500,000 people visit the DailyKos blog every day, making it one of the world’s most popular blogs.

If nothing else, these kinds of statistics illuminate the emerging influence of the blogosphere. For those of us who have long-prided ourselves on being technological fossils, we resist this wave at our own risk...and especially for Christians, it is the risk of furthering our cultural irrelevance. Like Paul did on Mars Hill in Acts 17, we would do well to adapt a cultural medium in order to more effectively convey a the compelling message of Jesus Christ. Though the medium may change, that message always stands the test of time.

Is faith a bad thing?

One of the issues that often comes in conversations with my skeptic friends is that of faith. Frequently, faith is juxtaposed against reason as if the two concepts are mutually-exclusive entities.

I understand the loaded religious meaning associated with the word, "faith." But I do wonder, how often the non-religious skeptics employ faith in daily life. Don't we all utilize a certain faith to varying degrees in life. As I mentioned in my post about the Kirk Cameron versus the atheists debate, I am not talking about faith in the religiously devoted sense, but rather, faith in a more generic sense. The faith quotient which guides our decisions in life, from driving the car to reading/believing a news report.

It's my contention that a certain dose of faith is not necessarily a bad thing. Consider, for example, what your life might look like if you completely eliminated the faith quotient from your life, if you had to have everything in life proved with 100% certainty before you were willing to believe it and act on those beliefs (i.e. having to fully comprehend every feature and function in your car before you drove it to work every morning). The enormity of such a burden is virtually impossible to comprehend. We would be crippled under its weight.

But the truth of the matter is, we intuitively take so many things on faith that we fail to even realize its existence. So why the attempt by the non-religious among us to distance ourselves from the idea of faith? Certainly, faith can be applied in such a way as to create a false reality about life. Conversely, however, faith can also be the necessary ingredient toward understanding life correctly. While how we might act on our faith can change from person to person or situation to situation, the necessary value of faith remains the same. Without faith, it would be nearly impossible to do much of anything. And so, the question is, "In what/Whom have you put your faith?"

Celebrating the 5-year anniversary milestone

Well, it's hard to believe it's been 5 years already since that glorious day when Jean and I got married in Sioux City, IA. Who would have thought that five years later our house would be bustling with three lovable boys? It proves yet again that you can never predict what life will bring. For me, it has been a time I wouldn't trade for the world.

I know from reading some of the comments on the "sacrificed kidney" post, that some of you readers also share a May anniversary date. Congratulations to one and all! May God bless your marriages in the coming years as much as He has blessed mine in these past five. I'll look forward to catching up with you all when we get back from this cruise! :)

Obama the new front runner?

With everything else going on these days, it's been awhile since we've visited the Obama effect (for those who are newer to the blog, this label was introduced when Obama first announced his candidacy back in February.) Since we last touched on the Obama/Hillary duel, the Obama effect is steadily enveloping the Clinton campaign such that a recent Rasmussen Report indicates that Obama is the new front-runner for the Democratic presidential campaign.

Mickey Kaus over at Slate speculates, "Does Hillary want Gore to run?" to offset the Obama effect. An interesting prospect to consider indeed. There are certainly a number of other people who would like to see Gore toss his hat in the ring.

With Obama making such significant gains, the question remains to be answered, "Just how far will Hillary go to secure her presidential nomination?" Watch out... the coming Democratic implosion can't be far behind.

It's never too late to throw out your baby

Last Thursday, I read a most startling article in The Indianapolis Star headlined, "Father puts toddler in baby drop box." According to the article,

TOKYO -- Japan's first anonymous drop box for unwanted babies triggered a wave of anger and soul searching Wednesday after it was discovered that a preschooler -- and not an infant -- was left by his father on the service's first day…The drop-off for infants, known as "Stork's Cradle," was begun on May 10 by the Roman Catholic-run Jikei Hospital in the southern city of Kumamoto to discourage abortions and the abandonment of children in unsafe public places...The revelation of the boy's age Tuesday triggered outrage among political leaders, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saying that "anonymously throwing out a child is unacceptable."

Forgive my ignorance, but would someone please explain to me what the controversy is all about? If there is an approved "child return" policy, why should it matter the age of the child? Is the dignity of a child based on the age of that child? Apparently so. (A 3-month old put in the drop box, no problem; a 3-year old, now that's a different situation altogether.)

In the worldview class I was teaching last week, we had a lengthy conversation about what it takes to uphold the dignity of human beings. As was pointed out, without the creative intentionality that comes from a loving God, it is very difficult to make a case for the inherent dignity of a human being. If we all exist on this earth as the evolutionary result of random chance over billions of years, why not exercise a "survival of the fittest" principle and discard children whenever they become an inconvenient burden to us?

So, why the uproar over finding a 3-year old in the discard box? Because beyond all of the naturalistic gymnastics necessary to reconcile Darwinian evolution with basic human dignity, there is an intuitive part of us (the Christian would say, the moral law of God written on our hearts--Romans 2:15) which recoils at the idea of a little boy being abandoned by his father. Something about that picture just isn't right.

But that's what happens. Truth gets turned on its head when humanity chooses to reject God's divine counsel in favor of our own finite, yet seemingly-superior, understanding of how the world should work. Until we allow God His rightful place in the ordering of our lives, human dignity will always become the collateral damage of human "progress" and efficiency. Without the inherent dignity that only comes through our Creator God, we may as well put our kids in a GLAD trashbag along with last night's pizza and leave them out on the curb for Ray's Trash Service to take them off our hands. Hey, why not?

A Mind for God

One of our regular TDD readers, Ben, recently gave me a little book to read. At first he was going to let me borrow it, but upon giving it a cursory glance, I immediately returned it, because I knew I couldn't just borrow it. I had to get a copy of my own (which has since been covered in blue ink from the overflow of handwritten notes which now saturate the pages). It is a wonderful little gem called, A Mind for God, by James Emery White.

The premise of White's book is that Christians need to be intentional about cultivating their minds in order to be able to "think Christianly" about the world around us. In fact, he puts it this way:

The peril of our day is that when a Christian mind is most needed, Christians express little need for the mind, and as a result, even less resolve to develop it…And even if we do not lose our own minds, we will certainly lose the minds of others. This is the double-edged threat of our day; apart from a Christian mind we will either be taken captive by the myriad of worldviews contending for our attention, or we will fail to make the Christian voice heard and considered above the din. Either way, we either begin to think or lose the fight. (pp. 14, 16)

One of the great observations/complaints from those on the outside looking in at Christianity is the perceived inability to reason. While the truth of this observation may not be as widespread as one might be lead to believe, there are certainly enough examples of unthinking Christians as to warrant White's call for correction. Too many times we embrace a Christian faith to the exclusion of a Christian mind, allowing others (be it, the media, our politicians, the latest books, or television programs...) to do our thinking for us. And, the credibility of the Christian message has suffered for it. White makes a very compelling case that the cultivation of the mind is not an option for the earnest Christian. It is, in fact, a spiritual responsibility. For it flows out of a desire to fulfill the Greatest Commandment in the Bible--loving God with all one's heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:29-30).

The appeal of A Mind for God extends far beyond the content itself. It is a relatively short book (approximately 100 pages in length), and White has included some extremely helpful resource appendices in the back for further reading and study.

I would wholeheartedly encourage every one of our TDD readers to obtain a copy and read through it, and pass it along to other family and friends. If you are a Christian, this little treasure will significantly further your understanding of what it means to think and live as a Christian. For those of your who do not share the Christian faith, this book offers an invaluable look into the heart of the Christian faith that is solidly built on reason.

James Emery White's clarion call should reverberate in the minds of all Christians. There is a pressing need for thoughtful Christian engagement in these times in which we live. Let this book be your first step toward preparing to engage in that effort.

UPDATE: For another excellent review of this book, check out this Kingdom People post.