Spring Clean Your Minds!

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing.  Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” – Philippians 4:8

                You can’t live in our world today without at least being tempted to cynicism, discouragement, and negativity.  Our televisions are full of violence, filthy language, and immorality.  The media seem only to report on tragedies and scandals because they think that’ll get our attention.  Our political leaders seem more interested in telling us how bad life is and blaming their opponents for it, rather than inspiring us to take responsibility and make life better for ourselves, our families, and our communities.

                When St. Paul penned that verse from Philippians, he was living in a very similar cultural environment.  The “good old days” of the virtuous Roman Republic were coming to an end.  Violence, sexual immorality, and petty greed were destroying communities, and corrupt politicians were creating more problems than solutions.

                Yet St. Paul tells his readers not to dwell on the negative.  Instead they should think about what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable.  In Romans he tells his readers that they should “be transformed by the renewing of their minds” (Romans 12:2) and that they should “take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).  God is not just concerned about our behavior.  He is concerned that we are thinking about the right things, that we not allow negativity, violence, impurity, and evil to take control of our minds.

                I think all of us struggle with this in some way.  In my case (and maybe yours too), I sometimes allow too much negative “self-talk” and negative emotions to build up.  For others, it’s a case of being too negative, critical, and judgmental of other people.  Or we might have a specific struggle in our thought-life: lust/pornography, passive-aggression, or self-destructive thoughts.

                As Christians, we need to acknowledge that these kinds of thoughts are simply not what God wants for us.  He wants us to take responsibility for the thoughts and feelings that we allow in our minds, and He wants us to focus on the kinds of things that will build us up and challenge us to obey Christ’s law of love and His gospel of forgiveness. 

                As we enter the month of March, we are in the midst of Lent.  Many of us “give up something” for Lent, and in my case, I am giving up negative thoughts.  It’s a discipline I need, and quite frankly, it’s a discipline that our world needs as well.

                To put it another way: in March we begin the season of Spring cleaning.  I’ve never been much of a “cleaner.”  (For evidence, see my office…)  But this year, I plan on “spring cleaning my mind!”  Will you join me?

Books for Kids

C. S. Lewis begins his book The Abolition of Man by bemoaning the fact that too many intellectuals are unaware of the importance of children's books.  We usually think of children's literature as mere stories without any long-term consequences for the kids who read.  We see their main purpose as merely to entertain kids and inspire in them a general love of reading so they'll be ready to tackle the really important stuff in high school and college.

I agree with Lewis that the kind of reading we do as children will implicitly aid in the formation of our intellectual and moral character.  Every story is about people of certain character (either good or bad) who make choices (either right or wrong) that form the basis for the story's plot.  And quite frankly, there are many children's books out there today that actually celebrate characters with questionable personal qualities, making choices of dubious merit.  They certainly are not the kind of stories to which I want my young son Cyrus exposed. 

Thankfully, my wife is something of an expert in the field of children's literature.  She owns over one thousand children's books, and she shares my concern for exposing our son to good, uplifting stories that can inspire him to be a man of intelligence, integrity, and moral courage.  Here are just a few of the books that I personally evaluate as good literature for children.

[It should be assumed that The Chronicles of Narnia and The Hobbit are not mentioned in this particular list because those books are in a class unto themselves.]

• Anne Holm, I Am David.  An inspiring story of self-discovery, depicting a young boy who escapes from a Communist gulag in Eastern Europe and heroically navigates through dangerous country in an attempt to find his mother. 
• Madeleine L'Engle, A Wrinkle in Time.  An intriguing fantasy/science fiction story about three children who are transported to another galaxy by three mysterious ladies.  Meg, the main character, is on a quest to find her lost father...but in the process she is called upon to fight a great evil that threatens to overtake the entire universe.
• Esther Forbes, Johnny Tremain.  This is historical fiction at its finest, set in Boston during the onset of the Revolutionary War.  Johnny, an independent and daring young man, gets caught up in the conflict between the Bostonians and the British, and he learns how to put his courage in the service of a great cause.
• Marguerite de Angeli, The Door in the Wall.  This story is set in late-medieval England.  The main character is a young boy named Robin who had dreams of being a knight, but during the Black Plague he became permanently handicapped.  With the help of a pious monk named Brother Luke, Robin learned that studying can take you places that your legs can't, and that you don't have to be a knight to display true courage and strength.
• E. L. Konigsburg, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.  A young girl named Claudia feels unappreciated by her parents and decides to run away, joined by her younger brother Jamie.  She ends up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and takes an interesting walk through history, learning that she needs to do some appreciating of her own!
• Any of the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, or Encyclopedia Brown mystery stories.  I'm a huge fan of mysteries, and I grew up loving these stories.  As an adult, I can see why they are such great stories.  The main characters are presented as heroes not because they are cool, popular with their peers, or athletic.  Rather, they are heroes because they use their intelligence and skill to solve problems and help others; they display moral courage and have a real sense of right and wrong; and they earn the respect of their parents and other adult figures by acting mature and responsible. 

These are just a few.  But here are three common themes that I find in all of these novels:

• They are well-written stories.  They use language artfully and tell a story in an exciting, inspiring way.
• They present a view of the world as a benevolent place: while the characters have problems, they learn that they can overcome those problems and that life basically makes sense.  They are not victims of a fate beyond their control.
• The main characters model for the readers the values of honesty, intelligence, compassion, courage, self-discipline, and maturity.

Thanks to my beautiful wife for reminding me of the joy of reading children's books!  Happy reading!

Dueling with Words

"Because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to vomit you out of my mouth." - Revelation 3:16

Because of my last post (see Something More than Life, below), I became involved in a debate on Facebook with a self-described atheist/agnostic. This individual and I have been friends for a decade, and though we haven't really seen each other in a few years, our conversations always avoid the polite chit-chat or typical fluff about the weather, sports, or the past, and we engage in serious conversation about real ideas. In this latest debate, my friend once again displayed his razor-sharp intellect and quick wit. His weighty comments required of me more than the usual "pat answers" that Christians often give to skeptics; it was a genuine meeting of the minds, and I sensed a mutual respect even in the midst of our fervent disagreements.

This reminded me of a novel written nearly 100 years ago by G. K. Chesterton. Entitled The Ball and the Cross and set in Victorian England, it is the story of a fervent Christian Theist who challenges an equally fervent Modern Atheist to an illegal duel. They meet to fight to the death, but keep getting interrupted and end up dueling with words. Word of their saber fight gets out and they begin to be chased by interested commoners as well as the police. Over the course of their interaction, they begin to develop a liking for one another, and they slowly come to realize that they are not enemies. In fact, they are fighting the same battle: a battle against a world in which people no longer believe in anything enough to stand up and defend it no matter what the cost. I won't give away the ending, but let's just say that eventually, their swords do cross!

Not much has changed in the past century. We see few Christian Theists like the one in Chesterton's novel (or like Paul at Mars Hill and Bonhoeffer in Nazi Germany). Most Christians prefer to believe in a bland, moralistic, therapeutic Deism (to steal the phrase originally coined by Christian Smith) in which religion is a matter of personal feelings and individual preferences, rather than a total devotion to a systematic worldview. Likewise, many modern atheists/agnostics hold views that are rooted in rebellious, nihilistic cynicism, rather than ones based on a rational appraisal of the facts of existence. They do not have the intellectual integrity of the atheist in the novel, or some modern unbelievers like Ayn Rand and others.

The majority of people today seem to be motivated by a desire to not say anything offensive, or to avoid being pinned down to any firm truth commitment. Even in churches, and (I'm sorry to say) in far too many pulpits, the motive to be popular and relevant seems to have eclipsed the motive to speak truth with conviction. Many Christians today are seeking after leaders with the look of a GQ model and the rhetorical flourish of a late-night talk show host, regardless of their intellectual seriousness or integrity. And what's worse, many Christians today seem to be getting what little theology they have from Christian rock music (which is annoyingly inferior to its secular counterparts) rather than from a serious wrestling with the truths of the faith. I'm not saying that every Christian ought to have the brain of a philosopher...but I do think that God is asking every Christian to use the brain he or she has to "support his or her faith with knowledge," to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," and to "always be prepared to give an answer for the hope we have within us."

If this comes off a bit judgmental, so be it. But I firmly believe that this is a telling symptom of the state of our culture, which has become so "lukewarm" about truth that it is literally making God hurl. I thank God for the many unbelievers He has led into my life, for whom I continue to pray and with whom I hope to continue to dialogue. They always engage me in honorable duels, sharpen my intellect...and we somehow manage to have fun in the process! En garde!

Something More Than Life

Since we are in the middle of Holy Week, I've been thinking a lot about the concept of resurrection, which is what we Christians celebrate at Easter. It's a bit farfetched these days to believe in anything like a literal resurrection and all that it entails: that death is not the final chapter of our lives; that we were made to live forever; indeed, that all of existence (which seems to show nothing but death and decay) will be remade according to its original glorious design. It's truly irrational and unbelievable.


In spite of this, it seems to be a universal hope.


Three of my favorite writers--G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, and J. R. R. Tolkien (why do they insist on being known by their initials??)--all made the same fascinating observation:


Throughout human history, almost every culture and religion has taught something akin to resurrection. Almost every ancient pagan religion has some myth about a god who is killed and then comes back to life. In Norse mythology, it was the god Balder. For the ancient Egyptians, it was Osiris. For the Celtic peoples of Britain, it was the god Lugh who was killed by being hung on a tree and then comes back in victory.


But then let's look at modern philosophies and worldviews: All of them, even the most atheistic and materialistic, do not merely tell you that life is good exactly the way it is. They all say that life will only be good in some unknown, ideal future when all the injustices and human failures are eradicated and the goodness of life is renewed. This is true of the socialism of Karl Marx, the Objectivism of Ayn Rand, and even the American Progressivism of Barack Obama and his allies. Eastern philosophies and religions do this as well.


Not one philosophy or religion of life has taught us that we must be satisfied with the world as it is. Every single human teaching avers that there is something more than life that is just beyond our grasp, something that gives our lives meaning and hope and renewal, and it exists either in some mythical past of gods and goddesses or in some undefined future that we have yet to see.


There is only one religion that teaches that the something more than life, for which we all hope, actually became a tangible, datable fact of history. That fact is that Jesus Christ lived and was crucified "under Pontius Pilate" (which even Greek, Roman, and Jewish historians attest) and that He rose to new life. The early Christians insisted on the historicity of the resurrection to the point that Saint Paul proclaimed, "If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith" (I Corinthians 15:14). He was willing to stake the entire Christian faith on the fact of Christ's resurrection as a historical event.


Christians do not believe that they are better than anyone else. What they do believe is that they have found a concrete answer to the deep desire that animates every human heart -- or rather, they believe that the concrete Answer has found them. Because of that, they are able to enjoy the something more than life even here on earth, and on their best days, they live their lives in a way that makes that something more than life visible to others.


If you are a Christian, take a moment to recognize that what you celebrate this Sunday is not merely a nice tradition or an orthodox theological dogma: it is the deepest truth that every human being desires, even if they can't admit it to themselves. May that recognition give added meaning to this season for you.


If you are not a Christian, I still challenge you to take a moment and celebrate this Easter. Celebrate the fact that deep down, you know that life as we know it is not enough for you. You want something more. Something that you may not be able to define. But something that you hope is real.


Have a blessed Easter!


(For more insights on this, I highly recommend G. K. Chesterton's The Everlasting Man, J. R. R. Tolkien's essay "On Fairy Stories," and C. S. Lewis' book Miracles or his essay "Myth Become Fact." Great reading!)

An Inkling of Political Wisdom from C. S. Lewis

In recent years, I have become increasingly frustrated with the narratives and rhetoric utilized by politicians in both the Democrat and Republican parties. Neither group appears to offer anything more than simplistic and shallow answers to many deep and far-reaching problems affecting our nation and our world. The permanent bureaucratic mess in Washington, D.C., has turned the American government from the role of the peoples' servant into what Margaret Thatcher termed "the Nanny State." Politicians are less interested in protecting our lives, liberty, and our right to pursue our own happiness. Instead, they are more interested in being self-appointed experts who tell us how to live our lives, tell us what is the limit of our liberty, and then give us whatever they think will make us happy (at least until the next election...).

In the late 1950's, C. S. Lewis wrote a political article entitled "Is Progress Possible?" Originally published in the British periodical The Observer, it has been reprinted in God in the Dock, a collection of over forty of Lewis' essays. In this particular essay, Lewis offers a salutary critique of a great deal of modern political thinking, and it is just as relevant today as it was over fifty years ago.

Especially since the 1970's, the Republicans have displayed their gruesome tendency to placate sincere and pious Christians in order to gain political power. Some of these people may be motivated with the best intentions, but it is difficult to hide the unintended results: the Christian Right has become just one more "special interest group" which narrowly focuses on single issues like abortion, gay marriage, and prayer in schools, and which (like all other special interest groups) is often willing to sell its soul in order to gain treats from government. To this group, Lewis sternly warns against any kind of theocratic approach to politics:

"I believe in God, but I detest theocracy. For every Government consists of mere men and is, strictly viewed, a makeshift; if it adds to its commands 'Thus saith the Lord', it lies, and lies dangerously."

On the other hand, American Democrats have for the past eighty years displayed a shrewd fascination with continually expanding the powers of a bureaucratic Welfare State. Their idea is that every supposed ill of society must immediately be nationalized and bureaucratized if it is to be solved effectively, and anyone who disagrees with this approach is labeled as hateful and uncompassionate. This goes for everything from LBJ's "War on Poverty" to Obamacare. To this crowd, Lewis argues that putting such unquestioned faith in the Federal Government will inevitably lead to tyranny:

"The modern State exists not to protect our rights but to do us good or make us good - anyway, to do something to us or make us something....We are less their subjects than their wards, pupils, or domestic animals. There is nothing left of which we can say to them, 'Mind your ownbusiness.' Our whole lives are their business."

Before casting their votes in this upcoming election, I urge everyone (especially Christians) to read "Is Progress Possible?" Citizens need to go into the voting booths armed with more than rhetoric, attack ads, and emotions. We need to vote based on a coherent philosophy of government, and the role that it ought to play in the lives of individuals. Particularly, Christians ought to examine whether their own political philosophy is truly based on government's legitimate functions, or is it yet another example of our own penchant to put unquestioning trust in the idol of government rather than in the God who created and redeemed us.

Screwtape Remixed

Hey readers (if any of you are left!).
After a two year hiatus, I decided to get back into the blogosphere!
Much has happened in my life since I last posted here:

• God called my incredible father, George J. Kahl, home to heaven. I was so blessed to be there with my whole family, and I had the added privilege of "serenading" my dad into God's presence. As I was playing Amazing Grace on the piano, and as my mom was holding his hand, he left us to join His Savior, Jesus Christ. You will be missed by many, Dad!



• I finished the process for Ordination to Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Covenant Church. A long process, but full of many blessings as I have met many fantastic mentors and colleagues who have encouraged me on this journey.



• On July 31, 2011, my wife Cherith gave birth to our son, Cyrus Shepard Kahl. (Notice the initials...C. S.!) Cyrus has been such a blessing to my life, and I have come to understand the heart of Our Heavenly Father by being privileged to father Cyrus. He has brought us both so much joy. Perhaps in a future blog post, I'll share with you all the many influences behind his name!

So that brings us up to date, at least in the major things.
As for my initial post, I have been thinking quite a bit about the current state of American culture, specifically in light of the upcoming elections and the major confusion over economic, social, and religious issues. I often ask myself the question: What can be done? Involvement in politics at times seems so futile...especially when you consider that most of our problems do not stem from politics but from intellectual and spiritual reality.

Today I was on YouTube and found this incredible lecture by Dr. Peter Kreeft, a philosophy professor at Boston College and a major fan of the Inklings. His lecture is modelled on C. S. Lewis' classic The Screwtape Letters, but its content is updated for a 21st Century audience. Although he is speaking out of his own Roman Catholic background to an audience of like-minded Catholics, I think his basic points have a broad ecumenical relevance. The lecture is over 45 minutes, but well worth the time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm08x8YiuXk

Recommended Reading

Well, as of January 1, I broke my ritual fast of all theology- or church-related books, and I jumped right into the sometimes-inspiring, sometimes-frustrating, always-challenging world of Christian reflection.

I highly recommend that you look at the first two books that I read, both recent releases:

The first is Colin Marshall and Tony Payne's The Trellis and the Vine: The Ministry Mind-Shift That Changes Everything (Kingsford, NSW, Australia: Matthias Media, 2009).

What I love about the book is that the authors take seriously the valid frustrations, raised by the Emergent and the House Church movements, regarding the tendency of both traditional and seeker-sensitive churches to focus too much energy and resources into corporate structures and institutions. They are in total agreement with the Emergents and the House Church people that Christianity ought primarily to be about freely investing in relational ministry, and that traditional and seeker-sensitive church models both have the tendency to create "spiritual consumers" rather than authentic disciples of Jesus.

However, Marshall and Payne avoid the truly unbiblical aspects of the Emergents like Spencer Burke (who shy away from making absolute truth statements concerning Christ and who believe that one can be a Christian apart from any connection to a church) and the House Church people like Frank Viola (who extrapolate their own frustrations about "institutional Christianity" into a rallying call to do away with any institutional framework, even that which is biblically mandated).


The image of a trellis and a vine illustrates the third alternative offered in this book, and I believe it will be helpful to others like myself who see the immense problems with the institutional church as it currently exists, but who are also deeply concerned with where the Emergent Church and House Church movements seem to be headed, both theologically and practically. I give the book my highest recommendation. It is available online at http://www.matthiasmedia.com/index.php/.




My second recommendation is James K. A. Smith's The Devil Reads Derrida: And Other Essays on the University, the Church, Politics, and the Arts (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009). Smith is a professor of theology and philosophy at Calvin College here in Grand Rapids. His goal in this book is to interpret current cultural realities through the lens of a broadly Calvinist perspective.



His reflection on the role of Christians in the universities is very insightful. In a world in which many institutions of higher education view their students as little more than "consumers," Smith proposes that Christians must heed the high, counter-cultural call to be disciple-makers of college students.


His theological interpretations of various recent movies, including The Devil Wears Prada, American Beauty, and Little Miss Sunshine, are incredibly helpful and challenge all Christians to enter into the culture with discerning eyes and elicit the biblical messages that are already there.


And he is ruthlessly critical of the political Right and the political Left, articulating his hope that Christians will stop dividing themselves over political agendas and instead focus on the high call of Christian formation through dynamic worship.


Although I fervently disagree with a great deal of Smith's analysis and conclusions, I am grateful for the challenge that the book afforded me, and I think Christians of all backgrounds will find his work both meaningful and helpful in their own discipleship.