Scott Freeman

I am a stream of consciousness writer. I always have been. I rarely, if ever, edit my writings. What you see, 99.9% of the time, is my first draft of whatever I have written.

Even in school I would typically turn in a lightly edited final paper that was largely unchanged from its original incarnation. It would drive my wife crazy that I could turn in papers at the Master’s level and score an “A” without tremendous editing.

But I find myself starting a large number of posts and never finishing them because I’m not sure what to say.

Needless to say, I’m struggling a lot with where I’m at and where I feel that God is calling me to go.

I don’t want to come off as being too critical. I don’t want to be caustic, callous or insensitive.

Yet there is so much that needs to be said. So much that we need to aright in this world we call evangelicalism.

What is my voice? What is my role in the blogosphere? How do I navigate what I want to say with what should be said.

Who am I and why am I here? Do I rail against the things that really rankle me or do I strive not to rock the boat?
Do I be honest and proclaim that there is a lot that is really bugging me right now or do I simply let things be?

This isn’t depression talking. But it is uncertainty. As if I’m at a crossroads and the path I take right now has a tremendous bearing on the future.

Which way do I go? Insights?

I’ve added two new reviews over at the Christian Readers Site.

Again, let me try to recruit more people who would give us overviews of books that they have read. It doesn’t have to be anything in depth. Just an overview to help those of us who get easily overwhelmed with the glut of resources out there to sift through the chaff.

I believe that site could be a tremendous source of information for us if more people would invest themselves in it.

Coming up, I will be giving the run-down on the following Titles:

American Fascists–60% of the way through it I have to give it an unreserved thumbs down.

Grace (Eventually)

Leaving Church

The Culturally Savvy Christian

If you want to be a contributor to that site, please let me know.

I got an email this morning stating that my host for this blog is pulling the plug at the end of the month. That means I have to find a new host, pronto.

I’ve elected to move it over to a new host but I am not sure when that will occur. It will take 24-72 hours to transfer the blog over to the new host but I do not know if that will affect the access to this site when that happens.

If so, and you can’t access my blog, I haven’t pulled the plug and stopped blogging. I’m way too needy for affirmation to do that.

On another note, let me re-iterate that I do not moderate comments. However, I have set up one piece of moderation: first-time commenters. If you have never commented before, it will be hung up until I give the OK. From that point you should be able to comment freely.

I’ve done a lot of work to help curtail the influx of spam and have reduced the amount I receive from about 2000 per day to 1-2. At least for now.

Wednesday’s are generally meant for political reflections on the ole blog. I didn’t last week so let’s get back into it with a few (completely insignificant) nuggets.

–Does anybody besides me find it interesting that Mitt Romney’s favorite book is Battlefield Earth? Now, I love Scientology as much as the next guy (see, I wrote that. Please don’t sue me. In the name of Xenu, please don’t sue me.) but doesn’t it seem odd that it would be the book of choice of a practicing Latter-Day Saint?

–I like the completely insignificant questions that the AP often asks like the one above. The most recent one was on what they would take to a Desert Island. Here were there responses:

DEMOCRATS:

Delaware Sen. Joe Biden: “Jill, my wife.” (Jill was not available for comment.)

New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton: “A good book.” (Apparently, this is her book of choice.)

Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd: “Coffee with cream and sugar.” (Dodd doesn’t really think big thoughts, now does he?)

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards: “A book.” (This one)

Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich: His wife, Elizabeth. (Kucinich would not elaborate if he was talking about his own personal wife, Elizabeth, or if the *his* that he is referring to is John Edwards.)

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama: “Other than my wife and my kids, an inanimate object I would have to have would probably be a good book.”

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson: “Blackberry and a Davidoff cigar.” (Elitist!)

REPUBLICANS:

Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback: “Tarp.” (He’s staying and starting his own dominion, isn’t he?)

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani: “Books and music.” (A versatile man. He’s not satisfied with just one item. He needs two. Apparently he gets bored easily. Take that as you will.)

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee: “Laptop with satellite reception.” (Obviously the laptop with satellite reception was a gift.)

California Rep. Duncan Hunter: “Mrs. Hunter.” (Again, he would not clarify which Mrs. Hunter.)

Arizona Sen. John McCain: “Books.” (McCain thinks outside the box here with multiple books. Actually his first answer was sunblock.)

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney: “My wife, Ann.” (And a copy of Battlefield Earth)

Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo: “Boat.”

–I propose that we each select our next president based upon who has the coolest people donating to them. The Hill listed celebrity donations in the first quarter and they are interesting to say the least. Now, I’m no mathmetician but it seems someone could construct some algorithm or formula to quantify and rank the cool factor of the celebrity donations.
Now, it’s obvious that the GOP is eliminated right out of the gates unless the fear of being Republican and living is Hollywood is somehow eliminated.
Sure, Sam Brownback has Pat Boone and the Papa John’s guy but that’s not cool. Guiliani can boast Adam Sandler, A-Rod and Kelsey Grammer so he warrants a +3 (or whatever rating system is devised). McCain has Michael Jordan. But it’s in the Democratic field that the celebrities come out of the woodwork.
So, under my proposal, we eliminate those who don’t have enough “cool people” throwing in the cash. Here’s a sample rundown from The Hill of Democratic donations:

Clinton
Candice Bergen
Christie Brinkley
Chevy Chase
Hugh Hefner
Christine Lahti
Barry Manilow
Marla Maples
Rosie O’Donnell
Jerry Springer
Barbra Streisand
Analysis–Those last three names will likely rob her of all the cool points she gets for the Manilow contribution. Cause let’s face it, Barry rocks.

Obama
Jennifer Aniston
Jackson Browne
Morgan Freeman
Tom Hanks
Dennis Haysbert
Tobey Maguire
Barry Manilow
Branford Marsalis
Eddie Murphy
Ed Norton
Ben Stiller
Gene Wilder
Analysis: Pure coolness here. Jackson Browne? I have all his albums. Ed Norton? One of the best actors of my generation. Eddie Murphy? Robbed for the Oscar. Jennifer Aniston is hot. Tom Hanks is one of the most loved actors in history. Dennis Haysbert has already been president. Ben Stiller. See, Obama is already at like +45.

Dodd
Edie Brickell
Michael Douglas
Steve Martin
Lorne Michaels
Paul Newman
Elisabeth Shue
Paul Simon
Joanne Woodward
Analysis: This group of donors was really cool about 20+ years ago. Too bad he’s not running against Bush I.

Edwards
Larry David
Seth Green
Don Henley
Barry Manilow
Analysis: Edwards comes up way short here. I hate to say that but Henley hasn’t recorded anything great since 1989. And I think Barry Manilow just sent me 1000 bucks to run.

OK, who is going to develop the formula to determine donor coolness?

(Subtitled: Where I Get Myself in a Good Amount of Trouble)

One good thing about job security is that I don’t have to go through the rigmarole of interviewing for a ministry job. I’ve done way too many of those and would prefer to never have to do it again.

For those of you who haven’t been through the laborious, excruciating and mind-numbing torture of interviewing at a church, let me tell you now: don’t ever try it. It’s horrifying and rarely, if ever, deals with matters of importance. I’ll have more to say about that later.

But in that vein there is a culture, or protocols, around the Church of Christ ministry search that is antiquated and formulaic. In our broader culture there are a series of phrases that I would prefer to never hear again. They are:

10. Any phrase that incorporates the word “Brotherhood.” Aside from it’s immediate exclusion of half of those who affiliate themselves with the COC, it eliminates 99% of the broader world of Christianity. You can toss in with that the use of the phrase “the Church” in sole reference to our tine on the fork of the American Restoration Movement.

9. Guide, Guard and Direct Besides the redundancy, it is the older equivalent of the prominent use of the word “just” in many prayers.

8. Ready Recollection. I appreciate the gesture, but it’s really not necessary. For one, maybe I need to forget something I prepared. Just cause I write it down on Tuesday, doesn’t mean I need to say it out loud on Sunday (This blog post is quickly becoming a good example of that.) Secondly, I haven’t memorized my sermon. It’s all written down in front of me. 14 point, Times New Roman font. Oh, and the important points are on overhead and I control the clicker.
And we probably need to move away from such a dependency on what I say and more of a focus on what God needs to tell us. But the consumerist mentality of modernist worship services is another post altogether.

7. Decent and in Order. In all my years of interacting within the “brotherhood” I have never heard anybody advocate for the inclusion of anything that is indecent. And I even lived in Tennessee. And what order? We all know that if you do communion after the sermon then your entire service is invalidated. I mean, who does that?

6. Rightly Divide the Word of Truth. Yeah, I know it’s from 2 Timothy. But I still don’t know what it means other than I have a hyper-literal interpretation of the passages that agree with the power-brokers.

5. Doctrinally Sound A large number of churches looking for ministers are interested in only “grounded” preachers who are “sound in the Word.” Again, do you think an “unsound” minister is going to see that qualification and think “oh, I guess that leaves me out.” However, it’s typically a sign to stay away.

4. Mechanical Instruments. What is that? How long will we continue to mire ourselves in this pointless debate? And do “mechanical” instruments include all instruments of a mechanical nature including rolling mills and specimen peeling tools? What about barrel organs?

3. Change Agent. Seriously, I’m so fed up with this (Important note: my wife took our middle daughter to a birthday party last week where she was handed the latest Spiritual Dagger blasting Richland Hills, after she was confirmed as a member of a “sound brotherhood” church).
It’s not change agents that bring division in the church. It is the unwillingness to lovingly walk alongside one another as we “work out our salvation.” It is the refusal to bear with one another, giving love and understanding to those who might reach a different conclusion than we do. It is the propensity we have in the church to draw rigid lines in the sand that demands uniformity of belief.
In a setting where I could lose my job by having the “wrong” position on instruments or the role of women in worship but remain relatively secure in my position at the same time I subjugate, dominate, abuse and mistreat my wife it is obvious that something is wrong. And it’s not the “change agents.” It’s the atmosphere where the belief that God elevated something other than love of Him and love of neighbor as the two greatest commandments.

2. “Evangelist.” Another sign that we have things seriously wrong is the idea that the role of evangelist becomes a singular paid position and not the role of a broad cross-section of the Church.

1. “Add to or take away.” First off, I have never added anything to the book of Revelation. That’s Lahaye’s and Jenkin’s job. Secondly, we all add our interpretations and conclusions. Interpreting scripture is not adding to. Imposing a rigid test of inclusion and fellowship is.

Uhh, didn’t mean to say all that. Oh well. Any thoughts or additions?