Switching to Wordpress

Hello All,

I have decided to move this blog over to Wordpress. The platform is just, well... better. The new URL for the blog is http://truthaparadox.wordpress.com/ - I personally invite all of you to join me there from now on.

~Jackson

The Do No Harm Movement

Have you heard of 'Do No Harm'? I heard about the movement on the Buddhist Geeks podcast about a year ago. I heard that they were giving out free wrist bands and bumper stickers, so I went to the website to see what they were about (and to order the free stuff!). What they have to say is very wise, and I would encourage anyone who reads this to at least stop by their website to see what they are all about.

The wrist band that I wore everyday for most of a year snapped not too long ago. So, I wrote them a letter to request another wrist band and also to tell them how much a appreciate what they are doing. Their response reached me about a week later. Enclosed in the envelope was two wrist bands, extra stickers, and an invitation to write a reflection to be posted on their site. I just submitted my reflection yesterday, and was informed soon after that it would be posted on their site in 4 to 6 weeks. I'll post an update with a link when I see that it is visible on their site.

I'm always interested in movements like this, so please share if you know of any others.

Book Club

My wife Sarah and I decided yesterday that we are going to start a book club. So far the club consists of three members: Sarah, TJ (aka P-chez) and myself. We haven't come up with an official name for the club yet, but we're thinking of calling it the 'Seymour Glass Memorial Book Club.' We're pretty excited about our first book, which is Stephen Hawking's 'A Brief History of Time.' I think it's going to be great fun to wax philosophical over a cup of hot coffee with my two favorite people. We are still considering who else we should invite to join our club, as well as which books we should have in our line up. I'm sure I'll chronicle our developments as they happen.

Moving in the Right Direction

I'm sure that nearly everyone in the ol' blogosphere is tired of hearing about pastor Rob Bell of Mars Hill Bible Church. I must admit that I have not been keeping up with the whole emerging church movement and its key figures. I somehow stumbled upon the Mars Hill podcast sometime last month and was pleasantly surprised with what I encountered.

For starters, it is obvious that Bell does his homework. He is not the type of pastor that reads the Bible and than simply prays for a sermon. From what I can tell, Bell uses solid historical-critical exegesis when interpreting Biblical passages. Whether or not I agree with his interpretations (though, I usually do), I think his approach is one that should be adopted by more congregation leaders.

In 'Velvet Elvis', which I believe is Bell's first major publication, Bell claims that since Jesus is the Way, Truth and Life, then whatever truth is 'out there' belongs to God. We shouldn't be afraid of science, or even the ideas proposed by other faiths. If it is true, it is of God. As an academic, this idea greatly appeals to me. Much of what constitutes the doctrine and dogma of Christianity is a marriage between the philosophy of the day with the 'religion' of the NT writers. Accepting the truth as it comes to us has been a part of the formation of Christianity since its inception. Who's to say that we should stop now? Who's Christianity should be considered true? This is what I believe Bell was trying to address by incorporating this idea in to his book.

Overall I feel that his influence on Christianity and the Church is helpful. If you haven't looked him up, you should.

I'd love to hear what anyone else would have to say about Bell. He is by no means perfect in my eyes, so any criticism is welcome.

Graduation

It has been a long time since I last attempted to write any posts for this blog. Life just gets so busy.

It's been a long hard road, but it looks like I will actually be graduating from Marylhurst University this Spring with a BA in Religious Studies. I can't even begin to describe how excited I am to be finishing this chapter of my life. Walking with my graduating class is going to be an important milestone for me. Because I finished my high school diploma via correspondence, I have never been a part of a graduation ceremony. So, for me this is a big deal.

I'm trying to come up with some ideas for my senior paper/project. My initial idea was to put together a guide reflecting differing approaches to (and expressions of) faith. I've also considered writing a scholarly essay using ideas about The Kingdom of God to suggest a realized Soteriology. I'll be sure to post my topic (and perhaps an outline and thesis) when one is chosen.

M. Scott Peck on Being Human

"No act is more unnatural, and hence more human, than the act of entering psychotherapy. For by this act we deliberately lay ourselves open to the deepest challenge from another human being, and even pay the other for the service of scrutiny and discernment. This laying open to challenge is one of the things that lying on the couch in the psychoanalyst's office may symbolize." - M. Scott Peck

Fundamental to the human experience is the sort of deep questioning of ones self spoken of by Scott Peck in his best selling book, "The Road Less Traveled". Philosophical inquiry - looking in to the nature of things - is what separates man from beast. To brush off the challenge of Philosophy (or Theology, or even Psychology) is to stride boisterously away from the realization of human potential.

I'm Thankful For...

This Thanksgiving, I couldn't be more thankful for my amazing wife, Sarah. Life has thrown us a couple of curve-balls this week, and she has been so supportive and understanding. The Apostle Paul was wrong. It's better to be married than single.

Thank you, Sarah, for being such a great wife!