Absolute Truth Video

Check out this video teaser on Absolute Truth! This was filmed as a "Man on the Street" interview documentary. I edited it down to make it more blog friendly. Watch it, think about it. You can see the full version this Sunday, March 28th.

Now, to the discussion. Do you believe in absolute truth? Relative truth? Let me know!

TRUTH!

Truth.

When I started studying Ethics and Theology back in seminary, I didn't realize that truth was such a complicated topic.  I always have a tendency to simplify concepts -- which serves me pretty well as a preacher, but makes me an awful philosopher.

Truth, apparently, has been the subject of much debate over the last millenium or two.

It's pursuit proved fatal to Socrates.  It proved fatal to Kierkegaard's love life.  It has formed the foundation of great scientific thinkers from Einstein to Stephen Hawking.  Physicists and pastors, historians and biologists, cultural anthropologists and organic chemists... What do all of them have in common?  The search for truth, of one kind or another.

And therein lies the problem with truth.  It's pretty easy to imagine that a theoretical physicist and a Hebrew scholar can sit in their offices (granted, offices entrenched within tall ivory towers), study to find eternal/universal truth and end up with completely different outcomes -- at least theoretically.  It's much harder to recognize that both scholars, using dramtically different techniques and sources, are in reality pursuing the same goal and more often than not seem to land in remarkably similar places.

It's nonsensical, but true nonetheless.  Once you dig beyond the language and symantics (isn't that right, Wittgenstein?) that might be what you find.  It should be what you find... if truth is really Truth.

The search for truth is complicated.  It's highly philosophical, dangerously theoretical, and yet absolutely essential for humankind.

Let me say that again.  It's absolutely essential for humankind.

So, the next time you're on your way to Starbucks or dropping the kids off at soccer practice or heading to the gym or doing any number of mundane things, let your mind drift into the great beyond and consider the topic of truth.  I'm not asking you to get all Platonic on the clerk in the check out lane at Schnuck's.  Just give it some thought every now and then.

Where do you think that truth comes from?  How do you define truth?

Does God define truth for you?  Does science?  Does religion?  Does TMZ?  Maybe you define truth for yourself?

Maybe you've never really thought about it before.

We're talking about truth in a few weeks at Cape Naz.  As you can tell (this is my second blog post on the subject), it's on my mind.  I'm not to the point of Socrates or Kierkegaard yet, but it's certainly becoming a current passion.  I'm efforting to simplify a topic that refuses simplification.  Maybe that's a good thing, though.  After all, if the Author of Truth is who we think He is, is who He says He is, and is who we need him to be, I'll be spending all of eternity discovering this Truth.

Truth/Story/Miracle

Dr. Larry Hart is a genius.  Lecturer.  Teacher.  Theologian.  Guitarist.  Singer.  Tall.  Preacher.  Pastor.  Author of Truth Aflame.  He, among other professors, taught me the 'ologies: Theology, Ecclessiology, Pneumatology, and probably several others as well.  I mostly paid attention in his classes and I hope that he'll be glad to know that a lot of what he said has stuck with me over the years. 

Most of the wisdoms that I credit Dr. Hart for relate more to the complicated life of a pastor than the complex depths of theological truth, but one thing he said about Jesus really stuck.  Jesus, he said, came preaching, teaching, and healing.

It wasn't just a statement that Dr. Hart made in passing.  Those three biblical action verbs -- preaching, teaching, and healing -- formed the foundation of an entire required course at Oral Roberts School of Theology and Missions -- The Preaching & Healing Ministry.  They come directly from Matthew's description of Jesus' early ministry -- Matt. 4:23: Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. (The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.)

I've spent the last ten years or so debating the significance and depth of those three terms.  Initially I found the idea of condensing Jesus's ministry into one six word sentence just too simplistic.  This is, after all, the savior of the world here that we're talking about.  Surely there was more to what he did than 6 words... and really only three of those were descriptive.  (We can discuss the significance of "and" in that sentence in another blog...)  Surely I could come up with something better.

So far, I've failed in those attempts.  Jesus came.  Jesus preached.  Jesus taught.  Jesus healed.  That sums it all up pretty nicely.

So, while that basic statement remains, I have decided to change the nature of those terms to make them more acceptable to the way my mind works.  After all action verbs -- which are all the rage in some preaching styles and on resumes -- are only truly worthwhile when they're attached to an object.  Preaching and teaching what?  Healing who and how?  Yes, Jesus did that.  Yes, we as pastors should as well.  Why?  How?  What?  When?  Where?  When you answer those questions as well, then you're really onto something.

I've landed this past year on another simple concept, Dr. Larry Hart inspired if not yet approved, that to me captures how I understand Jesus's ministry (and therein, how I expect to perform ministry).

Truth, Story, and Miracle.

Jesus preached Truth.  Jesus taught in Story.  Jesus healed through Miracles.

This Easter at CapeNaz we're going to explore those topics.  What is the truth?  What is the story?  What is the miracle?  We'll preach it.  We'll teach it.  We'll miracle it up all over the place!

We'll explore those questions.  It might get a bit philosophical at times.  It might have a decided lack of those ever popular action verbs.  It will, though, give us a profound and complete view of who Jesus really is, what Jesus really did, and why that really matters for us.


P.S. -- In addition to giving credit in this blog to Dr. Larry Hart, I would be remiss not to mention a few of the other seminary professors who contributed greatly to my spiritual and pastoral formation.  Dr. James Tollett.  Dr. James Barber.  Dr. Charles Snow.  Dr. James Breckenridge.  Dr. Mark Appold, who was rivaled as a scholar only by the late Dr. Howard Ervin.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?

You remember Scooby-Doo? What a great cartoon! I always thought I was being so rebellious when I watched it. It wasn't because my mom or dad disapproved of it or banned me from watching it. It just had all the elements of things that my parents normally tried to protect me from.

Ghosts! Goblins! Witches! Warlocks! Werewolves! Red heads! Teenagers in conversion vans!

Dangerous influences, all.

Hanna-Barbera were geniuses. They very neatly packaged all those things -- normally not age-appropriate for early elementary kids -- into a cute little cartoon. They mixed in a silly hound dog (not unlike our Lucy, Scooby-Doo might just be an over sized beagle, correct?) and a lesson in problem solving, and suddenly you had an after school gold mine.

They're still making Scooby-Doo videos today. Jacob, age 5 going on 6, absolutely loves them. Ironically, the Mystery Machine is still plugging away with it's airbrushed flowers, Shaggy's hairstyle is back in style, and the Velma vs. Daphne debate rages on!

Life for those med'lin' kids is still just one mystery after another.

How much mystery is in your life? Mystery is excitement. Mystery is drama. Mystery draws out emotion, which can be and should be a vital part of your life.

I'm not suggesting that you should go get your own conversion van and head out to investigate those Sasquatch rumors on your papa's old farm. I am suggesting that you start becoming more conscious of the mystery that surrounds you day by day!

God is a creature of mystery. The depths of His character, the fullness of His love, the breadth and width of his essence would all stretch beyond the investigative limits of our fearful, snack-loving quadruped and his sleuthing sorties.

Look into that mystery. Examine it. Pursuit it. I think I can promise something if you do. The rewards when you pull back the mask and reveal the truth will far outclass the pleasure of a Scooby snack!

We're talking about PEACE at Cape Naz. We're close to wrapping up the series. Just two more weeks left. The more I dig into the subject and the more I examine life (through the context of Paul's experience), the more mystery I discover. What a grand conspiracy God has laid for us to pursuit!

With each turn I take, each cavern I explore, each mask I remove, the bigger God and His involvement becomes. Our lives are the crime scene. Emotion is the smoking gun. Faith the evidence that forms the grand puzzle. PEACE the motive. God is hidden behind it all as one grand conspiracist, pushing us deeper into a mystery that Hanna-Barbera could never hope to condense to 30 technicolor minutes.

Lucy "the Beagle" (aka Unexpected Surprise!)

This month the Hill family is celebrating our first year as dog owners.

A birthday present for our little boy, Lucy joined our family about a year ago, rounding out what has to be the most Rockwellian family unit in greater Southeast Missouri. The Hill family now consists of Jason and Jessica, son Jacob, daughter Caitlin, cat Gideon, dog Lucy, and one white picket fence under construction.

As you can see from the image (taken the day we got Lucy), Lucy's got us all licked in the cuteness department. Look into her big brown eyes. If your heart doesn't immediately become a pile of sticky red goo pooling at your feet I would definitely plan a visit to a local health care provider. And hurry up with it, because it might already be too late for you.

Did you know that puppies don't stay puppies for very long? Seemingly overnight, Lucy "the Puppy" (aka Lucy "the Beagle") has become Lucy "the-no-longer-a-puppy" or perhaps Lucy "the not-so-beaglish". Vets and wikipedia assure me that Lucy won't be an adult dog for another year or so, but she has exhibited a decided lack of puppiness lately. She's obeying well. She's "going" outdoors and outdoors only. She's sleeping in later than I usually get to. She's getting picky about her food (if it's in her bowl and it ain't got "meaty loaf" in it she ain't eating it... unless it's on the floor, under the couch, or buried under the rug).

This past weekend we had our refrigerator delivered to our new house here in Cape Girardeau. Asked by one of the delivery men "what kind of dog is she", I responded as I always had: "She's a beagle".

The delivery man promptly started to laugh. I've gotten this response too many times of late (mostly from delivery men.. who seem to know a lot about dogs). At least that's what the adoption agency led us to believe, I explain. Beagles, you see, fall in two general categories: 13" and 15". Recently measured for the purposes of this blog, Lucy "the Puppy", aka Lucy "the Beagle", comes in at a robust 23" from toenail to the top of her shoulders.

So, she's not a beagle. The nice lady at the rescue center was a big ol' liar. More than likely, Lucy's very beaglish mommy or daddy got preoccupied one evening by a lab or a pointer or a grizzly bear and the freakish result was our sweet Lucy... beagle in spirit and bark (bay) and Rottweiler in size.

Unexpected surprise? Absolutely. But, I wouldn't trade her for some rinky-dink 13" don't-step-on-me-or-you-might-crush-me real beagle.

In two weeks at Cape Naz we're going to be talking about dogs and some of their best attributes. They're loyal. They're fun-loving. They're fixated either on you or on your food or on your smells. It's going to be great fun. Bring your own meaty loaf!

Paul, who's love of dogs I'm going to seriously question, admonishes us to "fix our eyes" on the truth of Christ. Don't be like those "mongrels", he proclaims, that would try to distract you from the simplicity of our faith and life with God.

Dog analogies will abound. Truth will be our scent and we'll sniff it out of whatever foxhole it might be hiding in. More to come on the subject... both on Paul and on Lucy. Stay tuned (or should I say, stay... stay... good girl!)