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14 Favorite Ways to Twist the Gospel. This swift little article highlights a variety of ways evangelicalism tends to twist (a better word, I think, would be "dilute") the gospel. Common "twistings" that I've experienced in my own life as well as in my experiences in church and ministry include making heaven the goal, deprioritizing community, neglecting intercession, understanding the kingdom of God to be synonymous with heaven, and putting the emphasis of faith on belief rather than discipleship. 

Myths "Against" Postmillennialism. "There used to be a group called 'postmillennialists.' They believed that the Christians would root out the evil in the world, abolish godless rulers, and convert the world through ever increasing evangelism until they brought about the Kingdom of God on earth through their own efforts. Then after 1000 years of the institutional church reigning on earth with peace, equality, and righteousness, Christ would return and time would end. These people rejected much of the Scripture as being literal and believed in the inherent goodness of man. World War I greatly disheartened this group and World War II virtually wiped out this viewpoint. No self-respecting scholar who looks at the world conditions and the accelerating decline of Christian influence today is a 'postmillennialist.'" Thus the article quotes Hal Lindsey and then goes point-by-point examining the accusations made against postmillennialism and how those accusations simply don't make sense. Lindsey is adamant that no self-respecting scholar observant of world events can be a postmillennialist, but some of the most brilliant men I've known have been professing postmillennialists. I'm not sure where my beliefs lie on the spectrum of "End Times" talk, but I do find postmillennialism to be a persuasive way to look at cosmic history and the work of God in our world.

Why Switchfoot Won't Sing Christian Songs. I don't know anything about Switchfoot to be honest, but these quotes are pretty solid: "There is a schism between the sacred and the secular in all of our modern minds. The view that a pastor is more 'Christian' than a girl's volleyball coach is flawed and heretical. The stance that a worship leader is more spiritual than a janitor is condescending and flawed. These different callings and purposes further demonstrate God's sovereignty... We have a call to take up our cross and follow. We can be sure that these roads will be different for all of us. Just as you have one body and every part has a different function, so in Christ we who are many form one body and each of us belongs to all the others. Please be slow to judge 'brothers' who have a different calling."

Sex After Christianity. This is an old article and a stinging indictment on western Christianity. One of the main points made is that Christianity has been known for its own rejection of pagan sexuality, but the western church has all but embraced such pagan sexuality, so that it has become "paganized." Such paganization has been done under the demise of being "progressive," but it's simply the apathy of the western church in general and the seductiveness of the modern conviction that one's own desires "are the locus of authority and self-definition." Here's a cool quote: "Paul's teachings on sexual purity and marriage were adopted as liberating in the pornographic, sexually exploitive Greco-Roman culture of the time--exploitive especially of slaves and women, whose value to pagan males lay chiefly in their ability to produce children and provide sexual pleasure. Christianity, as articulated by Paul, worked a cultural revolution, restraining and channeling male eros, elevating the status of both women and of the human body, and infusing marriage--and martial sexuality--with love. Christian marriage... was 'as different from anything before or since as the command to turn the other cheek.' The point is not that Christianity was only, or primarily, about redefining and revaluing sexuality, but that within a Christian anthropology sex takes on a new and different meaning, one that mandated a radical change of behavior and cultural norms. In Christianity, what people do with their sexuality cannot be separated from what the human person is."

[sunday meditations]

me and my weekend buddies

The wind's tearing at the windows here in Blue Ash and snow's dizzyingly falling. It's 10:30 and I've got a midnight drive on roads caked in black ice and freezing rain, and I'm definitely not looking forward to it. I am looking forward to crawling into bed with my space heater blasting and enjoying tomorrow's day off work: cleaning, running errands, and hanging out with my little sister (while doing laundry at her place).

This week has been surprisingly hectic, in so many ways, and now that it's coming to a close, my mind feels numb and dumb. I've done way too much thinking, and I'm eager to just shut my brain down and enjoy the peace and quiet of a blank slate as I teeter on the edge of sleep. Usually I have a "Sunday Meditation" already hammered out and ready to post, but that's not the case this week, and I've been trying to piece together some "Barnhart Words of Wisdom" (ha! as if), but nothing seems to be coming. Perhaps the blank slate is dawning a little earlier this evening?

Okay, here's something.

I've been considering taking a passage of scripture and making it a "passage of the year" or something of that nature, a passage to memorize, consistently come back to, meditate on and pray over, and really let it just sink into my life. I've been thinking about this for a while now, and Colossians 3.1-17 is the passage I've been thinking of running with. Paul paints a portrait of what the Christian life, both as individuals and as a community, should look like: putting to death all that belongs to the "old life," embracing all aspects of the "new life," and living in community.

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. But now you must get rid of all such things--anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!

As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

It's a beautiful passage, and so far as meditation goes, you'd do well to ignore anything in regular type and just focus on that which is italicized in this post.

The wind's howling and the snow's raging.

Fingers crossed for a safe drive home tonight.

I've got my Neuro Sleep to "take me away" once I reach my front door.

from Blue Ash

In December I read no less than seven books. I'm hoping 2014 will be trendsetting when it comes to reading. I've got quite the queue, but I've been chiseling through it book-by-book in a literary whirlwind. If I can read three books a month, that's 36 books in 2014. That's a fairly impressive number. I don't read every book fast; I've been reading Celebration of Discipline slowly, pondering each chapter, taking notes in the margins, praying over what Foster writes. I've been working on Foster's book for several weeks now; at the same time, I've spent the past week starting (and finishing) the 600-page Eagle Against the Sun: The American War Against Japan. Here's an interesting little "factoid" I found on the interwebs (or "meme-base", if you will); I'm not sure if it's true, but if it is, I'll be an international expert in no time!

Bored here in Blue Ash the other night, I did some research on "being short" and discovered some interesting little statistics:

(1) Short men are at a disadvantage when it comes to dating. Women--be they short, average, or tall--generally prefer taller men.

(2) Nevertheless, shorter men are better lovers and life-partners. Women who marry short guys tend to be happier and feel more secure than women who marry tall guys. There's lots of speculation why this is the trend, and one good theory is that because shorter men have been at a disadvantage in the "dating world," they've developed more compassion, kindness, and patience, and they tend to be more loyal and affectionate towards their spouses or partners. 

(3) The stereotype of short guys being "less manly" is downright wrong. In fact, shorter guys tend to be stronger pound-for-pound, have better endurance, better agility, and a quicker reaction speed than tall guys. We're less prone to broken bones and have stronger hearts. We also tend to live longer than taller guys, all things considered. Short guys excel in combat; the "underdogs" whom no one expects to be standout in combat turn out to be excellent fighters. This isn't too surprising: there are physiological perks to being short which can be helpful in combat. Let's not forget that one of the greatest war machines the world has ever seen belonged to the ancient Romans, and the average Roman soldier stood around 5 feet 4 inches! Thus I'm as tall as the average Roman soldier, and that's not a bad thing at all.

this would be me if I were a Roman soldier. Being short and kicking ass.

"Vulnerable"

2014 has been interesting so far, to say the least. A good friend pointed this song out to me the other night, and I can think of at least only one person to whom I would dare sing this to in my off-kilter voice. I wonder if this song can be played on Mandolin? My uncle's letting me borrow his mandolin so I can play around on it for a little bit. My voice and my attempts to play this song on Mandolin would be memorable indeed, albeit not in the good way like you want!

Share with me the blankets that you're wrapped in,
because it's cold outside, cold outside, it's cold outside.
Share with me the secrets that you kept in,
because it's cold inside, cold inside, it's cold inside.

And you're slowly shaking fingertips,
show that you're scared like me,
so let's pretend we're alone.
And i know you may be scared,
and I know we're unprepared, but I don't care.

Tell me, tell me, what makes you think that you are invincible?
Please don't tell me that I'm the only one that's vulnerable.

I was born to tell you I love you.
Isn't that a song already?
I get a B in originality, and it's true:
I can't go on without you.
Your smile makes me see clearer.
If you could only see in the mirror what I see.

Slow down girl--you're not going anywhere.
Just wait around and see.
Maybe I am much more, you never know what lies ahead.
I promise I can be anyone, I can be anything.
Just because you were hurt doesn't mean you shouldn't bleed.
I can be anyone, anything,

I promise I can be what you need.

a strange, unexpected day

Your eyes, they tie me down so hard.
I'll never learn to put up a guard.
So keep my love, my candle bright.
Learn me hard, oh learn me right.

This ain't no sham.
I am what I am.

Though I may speak some tongue of old,
Or even spit out some holy word,
I have no strength from which to speak.
When you sit me down, you see I'm weak.

We will run and scream.
You will dance with me.
They'll fulfill our dreams, and we'll be free.

And we will be who we are.
And they'll heal our scars.
Sadness will be far away.

So as we walked through fields of green,
was the fairest sun I'd ever seen.
And I was broke, I was on my knees.
And you said "Yes" as I said "Please."

This ain't no sham.
I am what I am.
I leave no time for a cynic mind.

We will run and scream.
You will dance with me.
They'll fulfill our dreams, and we'll be free.

Do not let my fickle flesh go to waste,
as it keeps my heart and soul in its place.
And I will love with urgency but not with haste.

"Let Her Go"

Well you only need the light when it's burning low,

Only miss the sun when it starts to snow,

Only know you love her when you let her go.

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low,

Only hate the road when you're missing home,

Only know you love her when you let her go.

And you let her go.

Staring at the bottom of your glass,

hoping one day you'll make a dream last,

but dreams come slow and they go so fast.

You see her when you close your eyes.

Maybe one day you'll understand why

everything you touch surely dies.

Staring at the ceiling in the dark,

same old empty feeling in your heart,

'cause love comes slow and it goes so fast.

Well you see her when you fall asleep,

but never to touch and never to keep,

'cause you loved her too much,

and you dived too deep.

And you let her go,

and you let her go.

Will you let her go?

2014: the first post

The first post of the new year should be filled with resolutions.

I’m not one for making resolutions, but I do have some desires for 2014.

Also, these are in no particular order.

“Resolution #1”: keep living healthier and healthier: don’t let smoking retake the prominence its had in my life, continue not eating fast food and eating fruits, vegetables, and lean meats; and keep exercising on a daily basis. I’ve decided not to try and “bulk up” (turns out it looks weird on short guys; good thing I researched it!).

“Resolution #2”: keep writing. Hot Sauce Waugh and I were talking a few days ago as we walked the quiet windswept streets of Mainstrausse, and he asked my plans for the zombie book. “Nothing,” I told him. “It was the first in a six-book series, and I’ve decided not to keep writing them.” The reasoning: believe it or not (you may want to take a deep breath), I’m just kind of bored with zombies (but still anticipating the second half of Season 5 of The Walking Dead). As far as writing goes, I want to keep plowing through my bible study/devotional of 1 Peter (it’s taking longer than I anticipated) and maybe write some historical fiction. Try my hand at it, at least.

“Resolution #3”: keep focusing on my life in Christ and making that priority over everything else. Call it what you want, but the fact is that following everything with the Wisconsinite, my spiritual life did take a certain turn. I’m still wrestling with what it all means, if it means anything at all, but I’m confident that no matter God’s hand in everything, he’s used this to sharpen me and reorient me in many ways, and for that I’m thankful. The past couple months have been marked by a progressive desire and eagerness to be conformed to the image of Christ, to experience the life of the Spirit, to knowing Christ more. The rewards of this renewed communion with God have been astounding, and I simply cannot imagine living life absent it: I’ve tasted the goodness and mercy of God, and life absent him is dark, dreary, gray and void of hope.

“Resolution #4”: READ, READ, READ. In December I read seven books, and I hope to keep up the pace. I’ve got a laundry list of books to read, and Grandma didn’t help: she got me one of the best series of narrative history out there, a series of books covering the conflicts between Native Americans and European settlers from the 15^th century to the mid-1800s:

And, finally:

“Resolution #4”: keep being awesome.

This one should take care of itself.