Noah, His Whale, and the Theology of Concert-Going

Tonight I met a young articulate and talented musician by the name of Charlie Fink. Charlie is the lead singer and guitarist for an indie English band called "Noah and the Whale." Noah and the Whale have seen quite a surge in its success with their often televised soundtrack-friendly music as well as the release of their junior album "Last Night on Earth" which hit no. 14 in the UK Singles chart. Besides his propensity towards a dapper attire and an English accent that make women swoon, he also has a knack for writing highly contagious tunes- sometimes haunting yet eerily beautiful, other times unapologetically upbeat, but usually never overbearing. Furthermore with lyrics like this from their song "Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down," it's hard not to be a convert to the rhythm and rhyme of this band:

"Oh, there is no endless devotion,
that is free from the force of erosion.
Oh, and if you don't believe in God,
how can you believe in love?
When we're all just matter that will one day scatter,
when peaceful the world lays us down.
Oh and finding love is a matter of luck,
and unsettled lovers move from f#@& to f#@&.
Oh, and compare their achievements like discussing bereavements
And compare their abrasions with romantic quotations,
Oh, as peaceful, the world watches down."

But with all the talent, lights, and sounds of the night, it has come to my attention that I, just like many in my generation have been inoculated with a culture of concert-going that often times bring glory to the wrong people, place pride in the wrong places, and sing praises where praise is not truly due. I pray that as you read this, that we not be quick to conclusions or but that we be careful to consider what we as makers, shapers, consumers, and breakers of our culture and society all bring to the table especially in light of our maker, breaker, shaper, sustainer, and redeemer.

With this in mind, I wanted to bring attention to a few things I noticed tonight at the concert that I never noticed in concerts past. To begin, consider the bodily position of the concert goer. While some like my friends and I usually just bob heads to the music or sing along to lyrics we know so well, others have their hands raised, voices screaming, and camera phones clicking for a chance at preserving moments of that 2 hours their $21 bought them. Seeing people's hands raised, strobe lights going, eyes closed, and voices in unison reminded me of a Hillsong concert on crack. What I realized people were doing tonight was something I had failed to observe in many concerts before: people were worshiping. The only problem is- who was getting worshiped?

Although the ideal response should always be God, I've come to realize that as social creatures that God has made us to be- we are also creatures of worship. My training in philosophy and my proclivity towards Latin words would have me call it creaturae cultus. Scripture indicates that everything on earth worships something (Psalms 66:4). We are all creaturae cultus. The problem is not a lack of worship or even a lack of worshipers- but an abundance of idols in our hearts that do not deserve worship and even more... a failure to worship the One due all worship.

Scripture would have us guard against such false worship by understanding the character of the One who is due true worship (Psalm 97:7, 86:9). As the Psalmist writes, "Ascribe to the LORD glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness. The voice of the LORD is powerful... [it] breaks the cedars... [it] flashes forth flames of fire" (Psalm 29:3-5). The fact that the Psalmist arranges his worship to God in this manner is no accident. He begins with a call to praise and then backs it up with a rationale behind it. If we were to rephrase Psalm 29, it would go something like,

"Give God glory because He is powerful, He is holy, He is immense..."

So how do we guard our hearts against idolatry in our culture of concert-going? Here are a few suggestions:

1) Pay attention to your heart's motivations behind your hand's decisions

Ask, "Why am I going to see this band in the first place?" If it's because the band you're going to go see plays compelling live shows and their rhyme and rhythm can cultivate a deeper and more profound appreciation for life and it's sustainer in God? Then I think that God can be honored by that decision if your heart is in the right place.

2) Listen to the lyrics and pay attention to the actions of the band and its members and see how they line up with the gospel.

Sad to say, I have often heard more thought-provoking and biblically sound lyrics from artists who don't explicitly claim to be under the "Christian" genre. Folks like Mumford & Sons, William Fitzsimmons, Noah & the Whale, and the like seem to ask much better questions about the Christian doctrine, our existence, the nuanced complexities behind pleasure and pain, and the reality and validity of metaphysical truths such as love and morality. Although these dudes ask great questions, most songs don't provide an answer. And answers at least one of many things that Scripture is useful for (2 Tim 3:16).

3) Take time to blog/journal about it.

Trust me. Recalling being able to go to a show is much more fruitful when you actually consider how blessed you are to spend a night of leisure, pay good money for a show, and maybe even meet the band after. You'll be far more grateful for the experience in the future than just the few hours or days after the lights and the stage go down.

Lastly, I pray that you don't see this as a puritanic rant against having fun at concerts but as a biblically-motivated guideline as to how to guide our emotions and thoughts to the cross- the lovely source of true delight.

Although I thoroughly enjoy a good time out at a concert, our hearts and our heads must always act in light of infinity- a time I know is a mere quarter past a freckle on God's imaginary watch. Only now that I have started straining this part of my life through God's eyes do I realize that He continually asks, "So who's getting the glory?" Although concert-going experiences like these are often emotionally rewarding, I hope we can respond to that question like the Psalmist did in Psalm 95:6, "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand."

Heralding in Haiti: Reflections from Days 1 & 2

Alo! Ki jan ou ye?

Hey! How are you?

Written on May 13, 2011. Friday in Ouanaminthe, Haiti. Setting: Writing beneath a clear moonlit night's sky in a sleeping bag & mosquito net on the open patio of the orphanage beside Misael Galdamez.

Days 1 & 2
Bombagay! "All's well" I can't make up a story this good-- only God can. And, of course, He did. This is a recap of first days I spent in Haiti-- what we did, how I felt, and some personal reflections from a redeemed sinner. Let's start.

In the beginning...
Mornings were early. Well, early is a relative term. From a typical college lifestyle of usually waking up around noon with nothing to do, waking up at 7 AM in a hotel in the Dominican Republic was like waking up in the Twilight Zone. After waking up, a quick shower, and packing to leave for Ouanaminthe, Haiti, I had a delicious carribean-style breakfast of fruits and deli meats that made Whole Foods look like the Dollar Tree. Soon after, I boarded the van that would take us to a bus stop that would bring us to the border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti.


By God's great grace and sovereignty, the team was somehow able to rent a perfectly sized air-conditioned van to fit us and all 700 lbs. of the supplies we were taking to Haiti. I took several pictures during our 3 hour drive to Haiti and you can really see the gradual transition of the socio-economic disparity as you moved further west of the Dominican Republic and closer to Haiti.














Upon reaching the border, we grabbed our supply of salami, spam, PB&J, and bread for the week and walked on foot across the border into what looked like to be Israel during the time of Moses- a sea of Haitian workers looking for opportunity in the form of an odd job or financial and edible handouts from tourists. Unsure quite what to make of the mesmerizing chaos, I took pictures of the sea of Haitians- some atop their motorcycles, others carrying baskets atop their heads all the while surrounded by a swarm of children and curious onlookers.















Eventually, we had one of the coolest experiences of riding into Ouanaminthe on motortaxis. Imagine... 14 Americans on motorcycles driving through the busy streets of Ouanaminthe. It must have been a strange sight for the local Haitians.

When we arrived at the orphanage, we were greeted by a swarm of little children- jumping into our arms, holding our hands, embracing and clinging onto our legs as if for dear life. It blew me away and warmed my heart to the core. This is what Christ must have felt like when children gathered around Him just to touch and be around Him. The hope and joy in their faces are forever etched into my memory. Their love and child like faith would have been the same kind that compelled Christ to say, "let the little children come to me, for such is the kingdom of Heaven."

Amidst their sweet smiles, these kids didn't mess around. When we were tasked to clean the walls of the orphanage and prepare it for a paint job, these kids worked wicked fast and very efficiently- often showing Misael and I up in our work ethic. In the middle of working, I drew water from a well for the first time and somehow, it felt natural and right. During the time we worked, I had a chance to converse with a man named Johnson- a 19 year old Haitian who loved Jesus and spoke Haitian-Creole, Spanish, and English. Homeless, jobless, and engaged to be married this December, his faith and passion for Christ amidst his difficult circumstances and love for the saints was highly admirable. I am confident that he understands what it means for Christ to be his greatest need and desire while allowing Him to provide for every need. His admirable faith points to a still greater God than we could ever imagine.

"Wallah Jesse!"

Praise Jesus!

The Alpha: In The Beginning

Genesis 1:1-4

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.

Theological Implications of Genesis 1:

From Genesis 1 alone, it is hard not to see the intentionality and brilliance of the created order and the complexity that reflects the immensely glorious and infinitely multifaceted master-mind of a Triune God as the Creator. I've talked to a few Orthodox and Progressive Jews about the book of Genesis and how it points to a Triune GOD. While the conversations have proved fruitful and thought-provoking, they have often inspired me to go back and take a microscopic look into the parts of Genesis that might either highlight or dispute the Trinitarian nature of GOD.

Within the first page of the Bible, it's clear to see at least two of the three persons of the Trinity are explicitly mentioned. In all of Genesis, the word for GOD in the Hebrew that is most often used is Elohim. In the Hebrew, when Elohim is when used of the one true living GOD, it is used in the singular, as a composite unity. But when it is used of false gods it is used in the plural. It is a plural noun. I have had this discussion with Jewish friends who care to know about the Christian understanding of the Trinity. Our conversation usually centers around Genesis 1:26 which says,

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness."

The Jewish tradition gives an argument that usually goes something along the lines of, "God was merely speaking to the heavenly hosts as a reference to 'us' and 'our'." Yet, the name of God as Elohim would not permit that. "Let us make man in OUR image" is an appeal to self; not to God and the angels. God is speaking of Himself and with Himself in the plural number. Another article lays out another possible argument:

"Others would say this is a reference to the fullness of the divine power and attributes He possesses. This only part of it as God’s Divine Being is more than His powers and attributes for within contains persons. He would not be speaking to his attributes but to that which can respond." (Let Us Reason, 2009)

Furthermore, several other parts of Genesis refers to the person of God as Spirit. According to Genesis 1:2, "The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." Interestingly enough, Scripture tells us that the Spirit of God precedes the Word of God which spoke matter into existence. Although Genesis doesn't tell us the purpose behind the Spirit "hovering over" the face of the waters, it is clear that the author goes out of the way to highlight the fact that the Spirit of GOD (in Hebrew "Ruah" which in its primary sense means breath, air, wind, is present in this verse) is present and is distinguished from the word Elohim.

Lastly, I spent time highlighting verses with theological significance and I found Genesis 1:27 to be thoroughly fascinating. Let me highlight aspects of this text which I found thoroughly engaging.

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them"

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them"

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them"

In just one verse, the subject of God is repeated three times; the act of "created" is mentioned three times; and the "image of God", which the original blueprint of mankind is based and also reveals the unity amidst diversity of the Godhead as a reflection of mankind as "male and female," are present and mentioned three times.

Personal Implications of Genesis 1:

Welcome. This is the universe of the Triune Godhead of Elohim. It is both created and sustained by His word (Hebrews 1:3). Throughout all of Scripture the plurality of these persons make Himself intelligible simultaneously through the Father, as revealed through the Son, and confirmed by the Holy Spirit-- all in perfect unity within Himself. This is the God to whom all earth worships and sings praises to (Psalms 66:4). This is the God to whom the very stones cry out in worship (Luke 19:40). This is our God to whom absolutely everyone is accountable to and is without excuse-- "for His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world" (Romans 1:20). But this is only the beginning of what was meant to be a perfect world. Praise God for Genesis. Because this is only the beginning...

Genesis: A New Project. A New Beginning

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Not the flying spaghetti monster. Not Vishnu or Krishna. Not Joseph Smith. Not Quetzalcoatl. Not Buddha. Not Confucius. Not Mohammad. But GOD HIMSELF created the heavens and the earth.

The word Hebrew word bara’ (“to create”) appears five times in the 1st chapter of Genesis itself. Most of the time when God bara's, he does it through merely saying something. In fact, the word "said" appears eight times in the first chapter of Genesis alone. What's so interesting about that?

Well, quite a lot. But before I continue, I must digress and let you know why I'm writing about Genesis. By the grace of God, I have fallen deeply in love with gleaning and reading from God in His word that I have decided to take the rest of my life to read Scripture as many times as possible.

After reading the 1st chapter of Genesis, I thought to embark on a project. It's simply called "A New Project." Sounds simple. It may seem so but the word "project" has a wide variety of semantic meanings that I plan on drawing out through this process. "A New Project" seeks to do as much as a wide variety of its meanings do. A "project" is:

(1) A proposed or planned undertaking; a long-term task that requires independent research.
In doing so, I hope to demonstrate how Scripture is just a blueprint of God's great project called "salvific history"-- the idea that all of history is about God's undertaking in bringing about salvation to mankind through Jesus Christ.
(2) Causing (light, shadow, or an image) to fall on a surface
I hope to be able to highlight some parts of Scripture that many of us may easily overlook that highlight God's gorgeous attributes and actions, as well as practical applications and insights each verse gives us.
(3) Imagine (oneself, a situation, etc.) as having moved to a different place or time
Picturing ourselves in the text is part of being able to find our place in the story of God. Because we weren't physically present at creation, we can only imagine what it was like to live and walk with God, experience a world without sin, and look forward to the restoration of all things through Christ when He returns.

Enter "A New Project." Let's start from the start shall we...

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

On a Side Note:
Today, President Obama addressed the nation to inform us that Osama Bin Laden had been killed. To which I respond, "Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the Lord that a man gets justice" Proverbs 29:26. America may have killed Osama Bin Laden's body, but God pours His wrath eternally upon his soul. That's REAL justice.

Dude, That's SO Post-Modern.

This semester, I took a class in Contemporary Political Thought examining the movement of Post-modernist thought and how that affects the way we do politics, economics, and just everyday life. Post-modern thought essentially points us away from an objective Truth to the relativization thereof. At the end of it all, I've come to realize the root of Post-modern relativistic thinking and it's this: PRIDE. From Friedrich Nietzsche, the founder of modern philosophy, to contemporary post-modern thinkers such as Michel Foucault and John Dewey, I can't help but sense a hubris in the guise of humility.

Post-modernist thinking goes something like this, "How come you claim to have a monopoly on Truth!? I don't see how anyone can know what's absolutely true at all. I think everyone can choose to believe in whatever truth they want to believe in." In statements such as these-- which students at a liberal university espouse all the time, there's underlying teaching and assumption in each question and assertion.

First question, "How can you claim to have a monopoly on Truth?"
The answer an honest and humble Christian can give at this point, "I don't claim to have a monopoly on the Truth. But I do claim to have the knowledge of it."
We do so because the question raised by the post-modernist puts the relativist at the offensive and Christian at an automatic defensive mode. Our desire is to show how Truth is not monopolized or manipulated by the Christian, but rather both the Christian and the non-Christian are under the physical and metaphysical laws that govern our everyday lives. First, the word "monopoly" has several meanings to it. It has both economic and political implications. Monopoly is economically defined as an "exclusive control of a commodity or service in a particular market, or a control that makes possible the manipulation of prices" while politically it is in reference to "a company or group that has such control." But Scripture tells the Christian that we are not to monopolize or manipulate people but we are to offer it by "speaking the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15) for the purposes of introducing people to the person, and not the proposition of Truth, in Jesus Christ (John 14:6).

Secondly, a post-modern argument is made, "I don't see how anyone can know what's absolutely true at all. I think that everyone can believe in any truth they want to."
This statement should cause us to grieve for our post-modern friend because it is a symptom of society's relativization of an Absolute and Unchanging God. But a simple, yet profound, way of addressing this is just humbly addressing that their assertion is a logical fallacy. A lyrical theologian who goes by the name LeCrae talks about this in a very accessible way,

"Man, It's just some folks say, "All truth is relative, it just depends on what you believe." You know, "hey man, ain't no way to know for sure who God is or what's really true." But that means you believe your own statement; that there's no way to know what's really true. You're saying that that statement is true. You're killing yourself. If what's true for you is true for you and what's true for me is true for me, what if my truth says your's is a lie? Is it still true?"

I write because it grieves me that as I cling to the God who is infinite, infallible, and unchanging in nature, so many around me turn to a god who is finite, fallible, and changing. I hope and pray that it grieves you as well. But there IS hope. It is in the person of Truth in Jesus Christ. Being in this class has been quite the ride and as a Christian who has just begin seeing our own doctrines as quintessential to the way we live, I fear that many churches have either a thin and prithee doctrine or don't combat the lies so many people espouse about the nature of a false god with the Truth of a One, True, Living God and Savior in Jesus Christ. It is our job as the Church to maintain the Truth of the Lord Jesus Christ in the doctrines we live and preach and the genuine love we have for Christ and His people-- all who are saved, who are being saved, and who will be saved. I pray that this burden our hearts as well especially this black Saturday-- when roughly 2011 years ago, the disciples who knew the Truth remained huddled in the corner of a house fearful from the spurn and scorn of society that brutally murdered their Savior on a cross. But the Good News is this: Sunday is coming and the Truth still lives.

A Song to the Living, A Song from the Dead

Nothingness is an incessant thought
It grows in my head and makes my heart rough
It sleeps with my doubt until I get caught
Thinking I cannot live or die soon enough

Do I trust in the promise of eternal life
Or do I put my hope in the impending death?
My faith now under the maker's knife
Or maybe all this is just all in my head

Awake, O Sleeper! Where am I to be found?
Is it eternal bliss or just left in the ground
Awake, O Dreamer! When I wake from my dream?
Is it rotting of flesh or a heavenly sound

When we die, are we just food for the worm
Or are we bound for heavens' coming return?
When I die, I hope I don't remain dead
Because a king once died and for me he bled

Because a king died and from me he bled
But my dead king rose and to me he said,
"Because I have died and for you I bled,
Now partake of me I the wine and the bread!"

The Christian John Rawls

As I was working on my Theories of Democracy paper currently titled, "The Issue of Origin: Examining Religious and Secular Arguments for the Establishment of Human Rights," I happened to run across an interesting historical tidbit on one of the most influential moral and political philosophers of our time, a man by the name of John Rawls.



Rawls, prior to his passing in 2002, was a professor at Harvard University and is most famous for his work, "A Theory of Justice." In it, Rawls brilliantly lays out a secular argument for the establishment of a universal notion of justice. His work is often referred to as a primary text of political philosophy. But what many people don't know is that when Rawls was pursuing his undergraduate degree in Princeton University, he became deeply interested in questions of theology and doctrine-- even to the point of writing his undergraduate thesis on the issue of human depravity and the Christian faith adequately titled, "A Brief Inquiry into the Meaning of Sin and Faith." Rawls was quite the brilliant theologian and had a great understanding of the issue of sin and the sovereignty of God. Just listen to the robust language he uses to describe man's relationship to God:

The human person, once perceiving that the Revelation of the Word is a condemnation of the self, casts away all thoughts of his own merit. He sees that the givenness of God is everywhere prevenient, and that he possesses nothing that has not been given. He knows that what he has received has been given by some “other,” and that ultimately all good things are gifts of God. Therefore in the face of this givenness of God, in the face of His perfect and righteous mercy, he knows that he has no merit. Never again can he hope to boast of his good deeds, of his skill, of his prowess, for he knows that they are gifts.

The more he examines his life, the more he looks into himself with complete honesty, the more clearly he perceives that what he has is a gift. Suppose he was an upright man in the eyes of society, then he will now say to himself: “So you were an educated man, yes, but who paid for your education; so you were a good man and upright, yes, but who taught you your good maners and so provided you with good fortune that you did not need to steal; so you were a man of a loving disposition and not like the hard-hearted, yes, but who raised you in a good family, who showed you care and affection when you were young so that you would grow up to appreciate kindness — must you not admit that what you have, you have received? Then be thankful and cease your boasting.” Thus there is no man so upright that the Word of God beside his goodness will not condemn. There is no goodness that beside God’s goodness does not become a “filthy rag.” (239-40)

Despite his brilliant elucidation reminiscent of Augustinian theology, Rawls falls away from the faith after witnessing the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust and goes from wanting to pursue a life of Episcopalian priesthood to a life of agnosticism. As I read on the life of Rawls, I often realize that I was not too far off from his quarter-life faith crisis dealing with a perfect and holy God amidst a world wrought with chaos, religious insincerity, persecution originating within the church, and unintelligible expressions of the Christian faith in dealing with difficult questions of sin and suffering. But by the grace of God, He redeemed my thought and gave me hope-- not in any particular philosophy, although He showed me that the pursuit of God is the pursuit of wisdom; nor in the identification with any particular church, although He gave me a renewed love for His bride and the local church; but He restored my faith in the person of Jesus Christ. That is enough to turn the agnostic within me back to Christianity. Even though I may never write a "Theory of Justice," may my life reflect the beauty of my Lord, Jesus Christ.