Winter Olympics 2010

Today, my Hebrew Prof (a known proponent against the 2010 games) ended the class by inviting us to view the Olympics through the lens of Daniel 3.  The story of Nebuchadnezzar and his statue was compared to the Olympics and how they expect us to bow down.  At this point, it seems like a stretch, however, it is not hard to see the connections if you want to.  Connections between Nebuchadnezzar and his quest for loyalty to power and authority.  These themes seem quite obvious in games like the Olympics in which you see a heavy military presence, corporate sponsorship and the winner being glorified above all.  If you aren’t convinced, just remember that it is the medal count that matters to a country and not much else (think China).

Now in light of Royce’s previous post, it is true that there is much to be celebrated in the games.  There is the underdog story of athletes, sportsmanship and a sense of a global humanity but I believe those stories are only shared by the elite.  I am convinced that in two weeks time, the elites (be they athletes or politicians) will leave with precious metals in one form or another but those on the street or marginalized will only receive a cut in the little help they receive.

And I know that it is easy to bash North America.  It’s a fad and there’s a big target on there but I feel that I need to bash it because I need to bash myself.  If I don’t remind myself of my trajectory in life, I will end up being the very people that Christ stood against (the militant oppressive Romans, the rich Sadducees, or the lofty Pharisees) and thinking back to William Slack’s post, he’s right.  I am deathly afraid of losing what I have.  To play the fool as it were.  But I’m afraid that turning the blind eye will make me more of a fool in the end.

What are your thoughts on the games?

-Daniel Wong

The Street Walking Canuck

Today a number of controversial topics surfaced throughout my day: Homosexuality (the sinfulness of it), women in ministry, the scandal of the modern American preacher, and of course the place of the Holy Spirit. But during my much anticipated American Idol personal retreat I saw something that brought me back to earth and reminded me of the freeing truth of Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, God incarnate, the revelation of the one true Trinitarian God nailed to the cross who conquered the curse of sin and offers life to ALL who wish to accept it.

During a commercial break I found some channel I had never previously watched and was attracted to it because of how cheap it appeared and I settled in to my seat, giddy for a good laugh. I also saw that the two people were going to be talking about human trafficking in Vancouver during the upcoming Winter Olympics. I soon found myself actually paying attention to the words coming out of these two folks mouths.

And then I was hit by the story of this woman on this program. She was a former prostitute herself. The shows host asked her about how she finally got out of the never ending cycle of prostitution. Her response almost brought a tear to my eye (if I had more of a heart I probably would have cried); she broke her cycle of perpetual self-abandonment and degradation of her humanity because someone talked to her and made her feel like a real person. And THANK GOD for this because in the midst of all my pessimism and blogs on the poor state of the Church and western Christianity, here I witness the greatness of the church I criticize. This lady found her freedom in a free cup of hot chocolate given to her by none other than a Trinity Western student. This student was real authentic love to a woman who so deeply craved it since she was a child. The conversation and smile which flowed out of their interaction changed this former prostitutes life forever. The power of Jesus Christ… the power of THE Triune God is undeniable and AWEsome…

Hot chocolate, the gift of time, and a smile can change the world!!!

-Royce Pavelka

P.S. for all the times we harp on the church we must not forget stories like this. We must not forget that while we bitch and moan to one another and hold meetings to argue over the style of worship we have in our services, God is at work, often in spite of us. Yes there are problems in the church, yes we should be obedient and try to repair them, but let us not look over the great deeds being done by the church, let us not forsake our call to be Christians to be the present body of Christ. Let us stand up and applaud the church for all the good it has done, is doing, and will do.

This Uncomfortable Feeling

It’s a new day in American Christianity. Our culture is naturally separating itself from “Christianity” like any other self-proclaimed Christian nation has in history. The days when the suburban majorities were at church on Sundays and Wednesdays are coming to an end. As families carry on with everyday life, “church” is losing its slice in our time and priority pies. You all (my assumed readers) know this, and I’m not trying to inform anyone of these things as if I am a prophet proclaiming a new truth. I just wanted to take time to say that this “new day” scares me.
It doesn’t scare me because I think America should continue to cultivate easy and consumerist discipleship, or foster the self-help patriotic gospel. It scares me because my faith is going to have to rely on a lot more than just the cultural norm to sustain itself. I may actually need to turn to and rely on Jesus! I may need to start learning how to live a radically different life and not just chase the “blessed” American dream.
My convictions to become more self-sacrificial with my money, time, and energy are too strong to ignore. But these convictions run right into the face of everything I’ve grown up on and know as a “normal life”. I am now forced to start making daily choices. There is the daily choice to have my “church pie piece” shrink and “carry on with everyday life” to flow with my culture. And then there is the daily choice to give my whole pie to God, and be a pieless fool living on earth.
All of this is not to say that I’m not excited for some of the beautiful things to come in the light of these changes, such as; The movement and enthusiasm in social justice, The fight against poverty, The concern over our stewardship of this planet, and many other movements that seem more relevant to the american church now then ever.
The bottom line is that I don’t want to be a fool. But I guess that’s what I’m being convicted to be. And that is what scares me in all of this cultural change.

Now this may sound like foolishness to some, but I hope it can bring comfort and hope to you if you feel the same way that I do.
“For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord” Romans 14:7-8

Authored by William Slack

Budding Rob Bells and Greg Boyds

This community driven blog will aim to bring a collaboration of writers to a common arena.  Not every contributor will be a member of Regent College, but essentially this project is driven by various feeble minded Regent students.  Although each contributor will have different life aspirations, the desire to share and talk about God is held by all.

That being said, any and all topics will be allowed.  God created this world which we live in and looks down on the whole of it.  Theology, Church structure, social justice, football, wall street, etc. (I think you get the point) may all come up at various times, and by covering all topics (in true Regent tradition) we hope to show how the Christian life is impacted or can impact all facets of life in the world.

Now, let us see if this takes off…