The infamous Westboro Baptist Church plans to picket Heath Ledger's funeral because of his role in Brokeback mountain

This must be one of the sickest, and saddest, things that this church (and I use that word with all of the grace I can muster) has ever done!

Heath Ledger's death is a tragedy attributable to the ferociousness of fame, uncontrolled hedonism, and unmanageable pressure that is placed upon so many young celebreties... It is truly sad that any person should have to come to the end of their life discovering the emptyness of living for wealth, fame, and pleasure.

Perhaps one of the few things that is sadder than this fate is the hate and bigotary of those who feel no compassion for the loss of others.

Please Lord, guard us from becoming so self righteous that we live in judgement of others who are as broken and needful of grace as we are...

Hit me on my iPhone, if you need me.

This has been a week where I have not touched sides! When I am teaching all day my regular work does not stop... Today I got out of class to find that I had 19 voice mail messages!!!!

What makes it even worse is that I have not been able to use my iPhone for the last couple of days....

No, there is nothing wrong with the phone... The problem is that the phone works TOO well and TOO easily. You see, here's the problem. I have a 500MB a month data package. However, I discovered that by the 16th of the month I had used up ALL 500MB's simply because it sooooo easy to browse the web, check google maps, update my RSS feeds and read and reply to email messages.

So, in order to avoid incurring huge data costs I put my sim card back into my Nokia E90... A nice phone, but nowhere NEAR as nice or easy to use as the iPhone....

So, if you need me, leave a message.... I promise to get back to you (sometime!)

Friday is the last day or Orientation for our students and then we get back to a normal academic schedule, which means that I will have a little more time in the office, and spend less than a full day in class.

Watch the video of you have a few MB's to spare... Think of me, missing my iPhone!

BTW. My data bundle resets on Sunday (27th of each month), and then I shall be back on my iPhone.

PS. I will most likely be heading off to Burundi for a few days next month. I am quite excited about that. It should make for a few interesting thoughts and a few interesting blog posts!

Technorati tags: iPhone, data plan, user error

Christ and empire... It has been a revelation!

Today we had the joy of spending a few hours with Prof Joerg Rieger from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas Texas. His lectures were entitled Christ and empire.

I have read his book by the same title (well about half of it so far). However, it was great to hear him discuss and flesh out the foundational ideas of this book himself.

In short here's what Joerg spoke about. (Joerg, forgive me if I miss any important points in my VERY limited summary).

1. Our theology has been co-opted by 'Empire' (any totalitarian power that seeks to have absolute control) at various stages in history.

2. 'Empire' is always the narrative of the powerful. In other words, those who have power create a narrative to keep their empire intact. One of the primary ways of doing that is by avioding questions about the sources of empowerment, or by making people think that there are no alternatives. A super illustration of this was when Joerg told us that 'for some of his students the end of the world [by nuclear war, or some other catastrophe] seems more realistic and likely than the end of capitalism'. This is a very telling and real thought! Indeed, I too have often thought that Capitalism has such a hold on the contemporary psyche that we struggle to even consider that there are other solutions and possibilities for our economy. Although with the current global market crisis we may just see the collapse of this system at some stage in the not too distant future.

3. Joerg then explained a few seminal points in history where 'Empire' narratives had been adopted by the Church as 'truth'. These include the adoption of the title 'Lord' for Jesus (the title was originally used only for the Emperor), then later the Constantinian control over the Church and the formulation of the early Church creeds. Next are examples of Scholastic theologians (such as Anselm of Canterbury - the 2nd Bishop of Canterbury who was put in power by the Norman raiders who conquered Britain). Another example was the early development of Liberal Theologies during the height of the Colonial period (for example Friedrich Schleiermacher's theology of German superiority). Finally, of course, we have the contemporary North American imperialism.

An incredible quote was one that Joerg gave from Dick Cheney's 2003 Christmas card (a quote from the American President and Philosopher, Benjamin Franklin) who said If a sparrow can fall to the ground without His notice, then is it possible that an empire could rise without His help? Take a look here to see a copy of the original card: here.

Joerg then went on to discuss ways in which each of these periods also showed great promise and theological opportunity. For example, the divinity of Christ could be used by 'empire' theologians to 'spiritualise' the ministry of Jesus (i.e., like very much of contemporary popular Christianity that suggests that Jesus was not political, and that he only came to 'save souls'). However, the alternative was of course that when the divinity of Christ was affirmed the 'political' nature of the Kingdom of God was affirmed (i.e., Jesus' emphasis on justice, peace, equity, wholeness, and peace gains divine authority as well). Perhaps it was for this reason that Constantine returned to the Arian heresy just before his death!?

Well, please check back in the next few days, we recorded the two lectures and will be editing and posting them here.

All I can say, is READ THE BOOK! It is fantastic!

PS. See Wessel's blog for a bit more about today's lecture (and an Amazon link to Joerg's book).
PPS. Joerg rides a BMW GS1150 like my friend Pete Grassow! So, he must be a great theologian!

What to do when the power goes out and the rain starts falling!

Well, at least there is one thing about ESKOM, they can be trusted to 'load shed', and cut the power, at LEAST once a day! This afternoon when I got home the power was out, and the rain was falling! So, Megie (that's my beautiful wife under the blue checkered umbrella on the left) and I got our small gas stove, our camping kettle, and invited our neighbors (thats Bronwyn in the red top) to join us for a cup of tea!

No, EKSOM, we will NOT give up! We choose to live on the side of hope!

You thought your kids were trouble... Think again!

I was a rather, shall we say, 'tenacious' teenager! I had two tattoos and 4 earings (mostly in my ears) by the age of 15.... In fact, I had been taken to the local police station so often that my dad had his own parking spot! Ha ha! Thank God (literally!) Thank God for grace and forgivness.

So, you think you're kids are problematic? Well, take a look at this picture of 'goth kids' take by Cory Doctorow at Disneyland!

I'm sure that Mickey Mouse was scared to death! Can I heard you say EEEEEEMMMMOOOO!?

Some great Covenant service resources - help your members to renew their passion and commitment to God!

In the light of my earlier post about that very important and significant service of commitment and renewal, the Covenant service, I was SO pleased to find these free resources on the 'sacredise' website!

If you're looking for a fresh liturgy, drama's, and some creative music then please go to John's superb site.

Thanks John!

Podcast: Power outages and potholes - choosing to live on the side of God's hope!

This morning I preached at Calvary Methodist Church, as I have mentioned previously it is truly one of the most remarkable Churches! It is wonderfully racially integrated, they have a truly significant justice ministry, caring for many homeless persons, refugees etc.

Today was their covenant service, a special service for Methodists the world over. You can read about it here. Each year Methodists covenant themselves to be obedient to God's will. The prayer that is used is very meaningful.

The Prayer

I am no longer my own, but thine.

Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,

exalted for thee or brought low for thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

thou art mine, and I am thine.

So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

let it be ratified in heaven.

Amen.

(as used in the Book of Offices of the British Methodist Church, 1936).

In the light of the recent struggles we have been having with 'service delivery' in South Africa, I considered that it may be good to speak about hope, hopelessness, and living on the side of God's hope.

You can download an audio version of the service entitled 'potholes and power outages living on the side of hope.mp3' [13.5MB]

Thanks for listening! Dion

PS! Please see the comment that Steve Jones made on yesterday's post about power outages. Steve, you are absolutely correct! I will be mobilizing the college and Bryanston to make a difference, and hope others will do the same!

Technorati tags: eishkom, ESKOM, load shedding, podcast, hope

I hate to harp on it... BUT, does anyone else share my growing despair?

I know that I, and some others, have posted a few concerns about the electrcity crisis that is gripping South Africa )and particularly Gauteng) at present.

It is wreaking havoc, causing frustration, and costing a great deal in lost productivity and revenue. So, please forgive me for another hopeless rant!

I arrived home from visiting my mom this afternoon to hear that the power had been out in our suburb since 2pm. It is now past 9pm and we're still in darkness! I have two sermons for my three services tomorrow, but neither of them are printed... So, I'll either appear in the pulpit with a Laptop (if it has any battery power left), or just 'wing it' from memory.

Now that is not a HUGE problem. I am known to be able to preach without my notes.

However, I wonder how we will cope with these outages when it is mid winter (and the demand for power is higher)? If we truly have to wait for another 5 years, then I forsee a bleak, dark, and embarrassing 2010 world cup soccer tournament here in South Africa!!!

Surely there must be SOMETHING that ESKOM could do? A local engineer has suggested two things 1) Stop selling our electricity to Zimbabwe and Mozambique... AND 2) Use other available, and more quickly constructed, technologies (such as gas turbines, solar and wind generation) to increase our capapcity.

Now, is there anything that WE can do to help THEM do something about this!?

I fear for my poor students who will have no power to complete their assignments by candle light, written by hand...

Wouldn't it be nice if..............?

This encouraging email arrived in my inbox today. It was sent by a friend in Cape Town, Mike Crocket, and tells of the United Methodist Church's drive to revitalise the denomination.

Many of us would be aware that mainline denominations have decreased their membership in recent decades. The Methodist Church of Southern Africa is not yet on a fast decline (we have only lost 0.9% against population growth since 1910), however, it is sure to come if we continue in our rigid, disconnected, manner.

What the world longs for is a Church that brings hope in struggle, light in darkness, and life in the midst of the crises of living!

Mike entitled this mail 'Wouldn't it be nice if...?' I agree, wouldn't it be nice? Wouldn't it be nice if we were less concerned about stipends, the re-election of Bishops, the constitutions of 'uniformed organisations'? Wouldn't it be nice if we worried about the world and created a Church that sought to meet the world and offer it what it needs? Wouldn't it be nice if there was a Church that welcomed everyone, where the Gospel of Christ was not just preached, but seen!

Wouldn't it be nice if......?

[ps. please forgive any formatting errors, this is forwarded via email].

January 18, 2008 Dear Resurrection Family, I just arrived back in town last night from a series of meetings in Houston focused on the revitalization of the United Methodist Church. The first two days were spent with a gathering of pastors of the 20 largest churches in Methodism. Organizing this group was a part of our strategic plan here at the church for 2007. We held our first meeting last year with the 10 largest churches. In the fall we'll gather the pastors of the 100 largest churches. The aim of the group is to look at the ways the largest churches in our denomination can work together for the revitalization of the church.

The second set of meetings began Wednesday night and continued through Thursday afternoon. Those meetings included key leaders in our denomination also concerned with the revitalization of the church and specifically focusing on inviting outstanding young adults to consider God's call to ordained ministry.

Here's why I believe this is important, and why I am investing my time in it: Since 1964 the population of the United States has increased by 54% while the membership of the United Methodist Church has declined by 27%. A more telling statistic in predicting thefuture is that the number of children involved in Sunday School in our churches has declined from 1,500,000 in 1964 to 318,000 in 2005. And, as this would indicate, the average age of our membership as a denomination is now close to 60. We're also seeing this trend in our clergy. In 1985 when I started seminary over 3,000 of our pastors were under 35. In 2005 that number dropped to only 850. Of our 17,000 active clergy, only 5% are under 35.

These two groups are seeking to turn these trends around. This is a part of our vision here at the church, and I think this vision can become a reality. I'll tell you more about the meetings in Houston next Friday evening at our All Church Gathering (see below). There are some exciting things coming up this weekend at church I want to make sure you know about…

1. This Weekend in Worship: How Should We Live? The Ethics of Jesus

2. Don't Miss This: Authors of Same Kind of Different As Me Here Saturday at 2:00 pm

3. Register to Vote in the Narthex This Weekend
4. Opportunity to Change the World: Leaders to Help with Annual Missions Auction

5. Resurrection Night at the Movies Monday Night

6. All Church Gathering - Fellowship, Inspiration, Voting, and Vision Casting

7. New Sunday Night Choir - How cool is this?! And Still Room for You!

8. Martin Luther King workday/FaithWorks

The boys... It's early in the morning, but already a long way into the day!

Liam and dad! We're gadget boys! Oh, and we're also sideways in this photo...

Tomorrow I'll be preaching at 8.00 and 10.00 at Calvary Methodist Church, then 18.30 at Bryanston Methodist Church . But, for now, we're off to visit my mom. My sermons are all done so I can be at ease!

I had one of my last prayer and elders meetings at Bryanston this morning... It means a 4am wake up call for me to get ready and get through to JHB by 6am. These are, however, great times of fellowship, encouragement, and blessing as we pray, share in communion, and listen for God's guidance and direction.

I love my Church. It is a source of great encouragement, blessing, and truly a place in which I experience the joy of God's love through others. This is my 5th year as an associate minister (I calculated that I have preached just short of 200 sermons there!) I am constantly amazed that people have actually stuck around for that long (and a few more have joined)... Let's be honest, my theology is not exactly the norm... But, I have been challenged and sharpened by these faithful friends (many of whom I have never had the pleasure of getting to know personally). Our evening service averages an attendance of around 300 people or so, of course there are a core of people that one gets to know, but then there are many who 'pass through'.

These are the people that I think of when I wake up at 4am to get to a prayer meeting on a Saturday morning... I wake up knowing that what I am doing is worthwhile because of them.

Tom Cruise's CRAZY Scientology Video... It's years old, and now they want to try and ban it...

I saw this video some time ago... In it Tom Cruise, in another of his weird rants, goes on and on about the evils of psychology... All that it proves is that some people actually DO NEED a psychologist more than others (if you get my drift?)

Here's an interesting story about how the Church of Scientology is trying to stop Gawker from hosting the video... Bad publicity I guess?

Gawker is hosting a controversial Tom Cruise Scientology video that other sites were forced to remove after legal threats from the Church of Scientology. In the Cruise video, high-energy music plays while Cruise gives forth a stream of claims about the powers and responsibilities of people who've been turned into mystical beings by the cult's teachings.

The Church has sent a legal threat to Gawker as well, alleging that hosting the video infringes copyright (amid a host of nonsensical allegations about "receiving stolen property"), but Gawker's refused to take the video down. Instead, they've taken the ballsy stance that this video is posted for the purposes of news reporting and analysis, making it fair use. I hope they stick to their guns. Link to video, Link to legal threats from the Church of Scientology (Thanks, Gareth, Ryan, and Siva!)

Update: All (?) of Tom Cruise's Scientology videos here (for now) -- thanks Xeni!

Walt Mossberg's (from the Wall Street Journal) Video review of the TINY Asus Eeepc!

I posted about the Asus Eeepc a few days ago. It is an incredible little subnotebook with a 7" screen, running Linux.

I am still keen to see one 'in the flesh' and try out the keyboard to see if this will make an useful PC for writing, email, and web browsing on the road (it has Skype with video, a fairly good keyboard, and the killer app from my perspective, Openoffice)! As it is I already use OpenOffice almost exclusively on my Mac and PC (well the Mac version is called NeoOffice). If it were not for the automatic referencing capabilities of Zotero in Microsoft Word, I would have given up on it completely!

Oh, and did I mention that you can hack it to install Windows!? But who would want to subject their computer to that kind of punishment?

Technorati tags: Asus, Eeepc, South Africa, Linux, Openoffice