Scott Freeman

The New Classics: Music

My musical tastes have evolved and, admittedly, narrowed quite a bit over the past 25 years. When EW began this list my tastes ran almost completely mainstream. In 1983 I was listening to Styx, REO, Stevie Nicks, etc. That progressed to a metal phase followed by a liberal singer-songwriter phase by the end of the 80s. (That is one reason why my political shift in recent years is not a movement to another extreme but more of a coming full-circle. I did vote for Dukakis, after all.)
I went through a CCM phase for a while and I was glad to see that pass. Over the last 10 years I have settled down into that singer-songwriter, lyric driven, folksy music that I love so much.
Those that are bolded are ones that I have owned at one point or another over the last 25 years. Those that are italicized are ones that I have either streamed repeatedly or would like to get at some point.

For the record, I think the list is horrendous. Where is Operation: Mindcrime? ‘Til Tuesday’s Everything’s Different Now? The amazing Son Volt debut? Josh Ritter? 10,000 Maniacs?, Blue Rodeo’s Five Days in May? The Once Soundtrack? Neutral Milk Hotel?
They do realize that Dire Straits released Brothers in Arms in 1985, right? Anyway, I digress.

1. Purple Rain Prince and the Revolution (1984)
2. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Lauryn Hill (1998)
3. Achtung Baby U2 (1991)
4. The College Dropout Kanye West (2004)
5. Madonna Madonna (1983)
6. American Idiot Green Day (2004)
7. The Blueprint Jay-Z (2001)
8. Graceland Paul Simon (1986)
9. Back to Black Amy Winehouse (2007)
10. In Rainbows Radiohead (2007)
11. MTV Unplugged in New York Nirvana (1994)
12. Stankonia OutKast (2000)
13. You Are Free Cat Power (2003)
14. Disintegration The Cure (1989)
15. The Marshall Mathers LP Eminem (2000)
16. Rain Dogs Tom Waits (1985)
17. Odelay Beck (1996)
18. People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm A Tribe Called Quest (1990)
19. Dangerously in Love Beyoncé (2003)
20. Tidal Fiona Apple (1996)
21. The Emancipation of Mimi Mariah Carey (2005)
22. 3 Feet High and Rising De La Soul (1989)
23. The Soft Bulletin The Flaming Lips (1999)
24. Come On Over Shania Twain (1997)
25. Turn On the Bright Lights Interpol (2002)
26. Time Out of Mind Bob Dylan (1997)
27. Funeral Arcade Fire (2004)
28. Illmatic Nas (1994)
29. Breakaway Kelly Clarkson (2004)
30. Appetite for Destruction Guns N’ Roses (1987)
31. FutureSex/LoveSounds Justin Timberlake (2006)
32. Lifes Rich Pageant R.E.M. (1985)
33. As I Am Alicia Keys (2007)
34. Is This It The Strokes (2001)
35. Jagged Little Pill Alanis Morissette (1995)
36. CrazySexyCool TLC (1994)
37. The Moon & Antarctica Modest Mouse (2000)
38. Raising Hell Run-DMC (1986)
39. Sheryl Crow Sheryl Crow (1996)
40. Ready to Die The Notorious B.I.G. (1994)
41. Legend Bob Marley and the Wailers (1984)
42. Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) Wu-Tang Clan (1993)
43. Paul’s Boutique Beastie Boys (1989)
44. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road Lucinda Williams (1998)
45. If You’re Feeling Sinister Belle and Sebastian (1996)
46. Homogenic Björk (1997)
47. Exile in Guyville Liz Phair (1993)
48. American IV: The Man Comes Around Johnny Cash (2002)
49. A Rush of Blood to the Head Coldplay (2002)
50. Sounds of Silver LCD Soundsystem (2007)
51. The Score Fugees (1996)
52. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Spoon (2007)
53. King of America Elvis Costello (1986)
54. Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 Janet Jackson (1989)
55. It Takes a Nation of Millions… Public Enemy (1988)
56. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Wilco (2002)
57. Harvest Moon Neil Young (1992)
58. Surfer Rosa The Pixies (1988)
59. Ray of Light Madonna (1998)
60. Crooked Rain Crooked Rain Pavement (1994)
61. Paid in Full Eric B. & Rakim (1987)
62. OK Computer Radiohead (1997)
63. The Joshua Tree U2 (1987)
64. Mama’s Gun Erykah Badu (2000)
65. Elephant The White Stripes (2003)
66. The Chronic Dr. Dre (1992)
67. Metallica Metallica (1991)
68. Wrecking Ball Emmylou Harris (1995)
69. Give Up The Postal Service (2003)
70. My Life Mary J. Blige (1994)
71. Rock Steady No Doubt (2001)
72. 1984 Van Halen (1984)
73. The Queen is Dead Smiths (1986)
74. Play Moby (1999)
75. Born in the U.S.A. Bruce Springsteen (1984)
76. Heartbreaker Ryan Adams (2000)
77. Dummy Portishead (1994)
78. Vs. Pearl Jam (1991)
79. Let It Be The Replacements (1984)
80. Back to Basics Christina Aguilera (2006)
81. The Downward Spiral Nine Inch Nails (1994)
82. Grace Jeff Buckley (1994)
83. Learning to Crawl The Pretenders (1984)
84. Low-Life New Order (1985)
85. Home Dixie Chicks (2002)
86. Loveless My Bloody Valentine (1991)
87. All Eyez on Me 2Pac (1996)
88. So Peter Gabriel (1986)
89. Bachelor No. 2 Aimee Mann (2000)
90. Toxicity System of a Down (2001)
91. Siamese Dream Smashing Pumpkins (1993)
92. The Writing’s on the Wall Destiny’s Child (1999)
93. Either/Or Elliott Smith (1997)
94. Synchronicity The Police (1983)
95. Trap Muzik T.I. (2003)
96. Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea PJ Harvey (2000)
97. Britney Britney Spears (2001)
98. Transatlanticism Death Cab for Cutie (2003)
99. Live Through This Hole (1994)
100. Faith George Michael (1987)

Posted in Entertainment | 6 Comments »

The New Classics: Movies

I almost skipped this list because it has one of the most glaring, inexplicable and inexcusable omissions in the history of list-making. I mean there wasn’t room for The Shawshank Redemption in the list of the 100 best movies of the last 25 years? It was pitch-perfect and doesn’t warrant a nod? The only thing I can think of is that it was accidentally left off the list.
However, I have seen so many of them that I thought I would use it as a springboard to look at ones that I might have missed.
I have seen 85 of the top 100 and that prompts me to think how differently my list would look from this one. Some omissions that I would include that jump out at me are: Run Lola Run, Amelie, St. Elmo’s Fire, The Insider, Magnolia and O Brother, Where Art Thou.
I do have to applaud their omissions of Beautiful Mind and the insipidly awful Forrest Gump.
How many have you seen? Do I need to make it a point to catch any of the 15 that I have missed?

1. Pulp Fiction (1994)
2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03)
3. Titanic (1997)
4. Blue Velvet (1986)
5. Toy Story (1995)
6. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
7. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
8. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
9. Die Hard (1988)
10. Moulin Rouge (2001)
11. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
12. The Matrix (1999)
13. GoodFellas (1990)
14. Crumb (1995)
15. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
16. Boogie Nights (1997)
17. Jerry Maguire (1996)
18. Do the Right Thing (1989)
19. Casino Royale (2006)
20. The Lion King (1994)
21. Schindler’s List (1993)
22. Rushmore (1998)
23. Memento (2001)
24. A Room With a View (1986)
25. Shrek (2001)
26. Hoop Dreams (1994)
27. Aliens (1986)
28. Wings of Desire (1988)
29. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
30. When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
31. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
32. Fight Club (1999)
33. The Breakfast Club (1985)
34. Fargo (1996)
35. The Incredibles (2004)
36. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
37. Pretty Woman (1990)
38. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
39. The Sixth Sense (1999)
40. Speed (1994)
41. Dazed and Confused (1993)
42. Clueless (1995)
43. Gladiator (2000)
44. The Player (1992)
45. Rain Man (1988)
46. Children of Men (2006)
47. Men in Black (1997)
48. Scarface (1983)
49. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
50. The Piano (1993)
51. There Will Be Blood (2007)
52. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988)
53. The Truman Show (1998)
54. Fatal Attraction (1987)
55. Risky Business (1983)
56. The Lives of Others (2006)
57. There’s Something About Mary (1998)
58. Ghostbusters (1984)
59. L.A. Confidential (1997)
60. Scream (1996)
61. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
62. sex, lies and videotape (1989)
63. Big (1988)
64. No Country For Old Men (2007)
65. Dirty Dancing (1987)
66. Natural Born Killers (1994)
67. Donnie Brasco (1997)
68. Witness (1985)
69. All About My Mother (1999)
70. Broadcast News (1987)
71. Unforgiven (1992)
72. Thelma & Louise (1991)
73. Office Space (1999)
74. Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
75. Out of Africa (1985)
76. The Departed (2006)
77. Sid and Nancy (1986)
78. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
79. Waiting for Guffman (1996)
80. Michael Clayton (2007)
81. Moonstruck (1987)
82. Lost in Translation (2003)
83. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)
84. Sideways (2004)
85. The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)
86. Y Tu Mamá También (2002)
87. Swingers (1996)
88. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
89. Breaking the Waves (1996)
90. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
91. Back to the Future (1985)
92. Menace II Society (1993)
93. Ed Wood (1994)
94. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
95. In the Mood for Love (2001)
96. Far From Heaven (2002)
97. Glory (1989)
98. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
99. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
100. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999)

Posted in Entertainment | 17 Comments »

The New Classics: Books

I have a slight affinity for reading and dig a decent list. Recently, Entertainment Weekly listed the top 100 books of the last 25 years. They dubbed them the new classics.
As much as I read I’m a little surprised that I have only read 22 of them. I’ve placed in bold the ones that I have finished. (Note: I’m 95% sure I read Presumed Innocent several years ago, so I counted it.)

I can’t argue with The Road at number one but thought Parting the Waters should have been much higher.
I absolutely hated both The Corrections and A Prayer For Owen Meany but I know that puts me in a small minority. I’m pleased with the addition of Egger’s book simply for having one of my all-time favorite titles.
Reading Lonesome Dove made me very loath to ever use the “poke” feature on Facebook.
Some glaring omissions to me include: Middlesex, Oryx and Crake, The Time Traveler’s Wife and the Life of Pi.
Look over my list and give me your thoughts. How many have you read? What have I not perused that I need to pick up?

1. The Road , Cormac McCarthy (2006)
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000)
3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)
4. The Liars’ Club, Mary Karr (1995)
5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)
6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)
7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)
8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)
9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)
10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)
11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)
12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)
13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)
14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)
15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)
16. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)
17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)
18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)
19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)
20. Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)
21. On Writing, Stephen King (2000)
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)
23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (1996)
24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985)
25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989)
26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)
27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)
28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)
29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)
30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)
31. The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien (1990)
32. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch (1988)
33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)
34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)
35. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (2004)
36. Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996)
37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)
38. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore (1998)
39. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)
40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000)
41. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)
42. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard (1983)
43. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette (1988)
44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)
45. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (1988)
46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996)
47. World’s Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)
48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998)
49. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)
50. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)
51. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom (1990)
52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (1992)
53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)
54. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware (2000)
55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)
56. The Night Manager, John le Carré (1993)
57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)
58. Drop City, TC Boyle (2003)
59. Krik? Krak! Edwidge Danticat (1995)
60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)
61. Money, Martin Amis (1985)
62. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick (1994)
63. Pastoralia, George Saunders (2000)
64. Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997)
65. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)
66. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (1997)
67. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003)
68. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (2006)
69. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)
70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)
71. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman (1997)
72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)
73. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (1989)
74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)
75. Cathedral, Raymond Carver (1983)
76. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell (1998)
77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)
78. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)
79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
80. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984)
81. Backlash, Susan Faludi (1991)
82. Atonement, Ian McEwan (2002)
83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)
84. Holes, Louis Sachar (1998)
85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)
86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)
87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)
88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)
89. Close Range, Annie Proulx (1999)
90. Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl (2001)
91. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)
92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)
93. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley (1991)
94. Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (2001)
95. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman (1998)
96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)
97. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson (1992)
98. The Predators’ Ball, Connie Bruck (1988)
99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)
100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show (2004)

Posted in Books | 16 Comments »

Dr. Horrible

This is pure greatness. Joss Whedon has hit a home run with this musical tale of the super villian Dr. Horrible.
Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion are fantastic. Pure Greatness. I can’t wait for the next part.

Posted in Entertainment | 4 Comments »

A Special Plea

I recently sent out an email to everyone in my address book. It was a plea to cease and desist on email forwards. So far the response has been overwhelmingly positive including requests to place it in church bulletins. Hopefully it will work and I won’t get any more.

Here it is in its entirety:

Friends and Family,
If you are receiving this email from me that means simply that you are in my address book. I decided to make as widespread an appeal as possible making no judgments about who should or should not receive this.
It is the time in the election cycle where the rhetoric of both sides of the political spectrum become increasingly shrill and polarizing . That intensifying nature of politics will become more and more noticeable the closer we get to November.
I have loved ones who could be plotted all along the political landscape. I am happy to be friends with those who consider themselves to be extremely liberal and I have many loved ones who fall along the extreme right. In between those two polar opposites are many people who I care about deeply. All of them believe strongly in their positions and beliefs and I vigorously defend their rights to those beliefs. Even when I disagree with them.
One of the things that I notice is that no matter where you might fall on the political spectrum there are voices that operate without love, compassion or willingness to be involved in productive conversation. Some voices are so strident that they will resort to any tactics whatsoever to win political points regardless of whether or not those tactics are constructive or even true.
So, I have one request of each of you this election campaign and that is this:

Please don’t send me any politically themed email forwards.

We all get them. Liberals send them out blasting the conservatives. Conservatives denouncing the liberals. Over the next four months everything possible under the sun will be said about both Senators McCain and Obama.
And I really don’t need to read them.
So, I ask you. Remove me from those forward lists. I’m willing to dialogue with people but I really don’t want to participate in the internet culture of character assassination and vicious rumor-mongering.
If you receive an email forward and you are convinced that the world needs to hear it then I urge you to do at least three things first:

1. Determine whether or not it is true. If the information is being spread via email and not news organizations there is probably a reason for that. The overwhelming majority of email forwards are not based in truth and can easily be discredited by a quick search at snopes.com

2. Determine whether or not it is constructive. If the forward is designed to savage, lampoon or otherwise discredit the opposing side then it deserves a place in your spam folder and not worthy of mass forwarding. Phrases such as “stupid liberals” or “clueless conservatives” do not convince people but further the political divide.

3. Determine whether or not it is Christ-like. I know that some in my address book are not Christians, but most are. I encourage those of you that are Christ-followers to ask yourselves whether or not the email forward contains the spirit of Christ. Does it approach the issues from a spirit of loving your enemy with a prayerful and respectful spirit? Does it take into account the sacred and blessed nature of the ones whom you are targeting? Does it acknowledge others as children of God?

Politics tend to bring out the worst in us. I am no exception to that rule. I have strongly held political beliefs and I can be unbending and arrogant. I am susceptible to ad hominem and evasiveness.
That is a spirit that I want to resist. You can help me this year by resisting the urge to hit “forward” whenever you receive a politically charged email. And you can rest assured you will not be receiving any from me.

Blessings,
Scott Freeman

Posted in Politics | 4 Comments »

I’m Back

And I know you missed me.

I’ve been away for 4 weeks now and I really enjoyed the time stepping away and clearing my head. It was also nice to take a break from controversy.

As I ease back in I’m going to talk a little bit more about entertainment and light stuff before I begin to readdress religion and politics.

There have been several times over the past month where I thought that I needed to blog something but I resisted until I met this self-imposed hiatus.

I’ll be back later today with a regular entry. Now we can see if anybody still reads this thing.

Posted in Housekeeping | 5 Comments »

A Break

I think it has come time for me to take an extended break from this blog. I’m not sure yet what that will consist of but I do realize I need to step back for a while.
I may post periodically if something really pulls at me put otherwise I will be gone for a while. I don’t know if that will be days, weeks or months.
Blogging was, at one time, a joy for me. It is not any longer.
Maybe a break will do me good.

Posted in Housekeeping | 7 Comments »

Top 10 Tuesday: Top Issues in 2008

Less than five months away from the general election we are now beginning to see the ramp-up to the issues that will be trumpeted ad nauseam in the near future.
Without going into detail on the substance of these issues here are the ones that I think will be hammered into us the most:

10. Abortion/Reproductive Rights–I thought about just retiring this from the list and placing it as the Hall of Fame issue but I left it in because this will be, once again, a major player.

9. Age Vs. Experience–There is no denying that Obama is a new face on the scene and there is no doubt that McCain is old.

8. Immigration–How to treat the “alien” in our midst is a crucial issue.

7. Poverty–With the absence of John Edwards this issue does not get the play that it otherwise will have. However, it must be forever before us that so many have so little.

6. Faith–One of the more interesting wrinkles in this particular campaign is the sheer reversal of 4 years ago. Obama, the Democrat, is much more comfortable speaking about faith than McCain, the Republican. Regardless of what you think of either of their religious views or associations, it is a different game than just 4 years ago.

5. Gay Marriage–I’m actually surprised that this hasn’t been more resonant in light of California. But I suspect that it is simmering below the surface.

4. The Environment–Both acknowledge the reality of climate change. However, they differ greatly on what that means and how to best respond.

3. Health Care–Making sure that all Americans have access to quality and affordable health care is one of the most important issues in this campaign.

2. The Economy/Gas Prices/Housing/Etc–This will, as always, be a major player.

1. War on Terror/Iraq–The War Hero vs. the Neophyte. Who will protect us? Who will get us out of Iraq the quickest?

Regardless of where you stand on each of these issues the overriding question that emerges to me is whether we can have legitimate discussion on any/all of these topics in order to really move forward as a people. We shall see.

—————-
Now playing: Michael McDermott - The Silent Will Soon Be Singing
via FoxyTunes

Posted in 2008, Politics | 5 Comments »

The Rationale of Movie Trailers

So, we took our girls to see Kung Fu Panda (yawn) this evening. Kung Fu Panda is a PG rated movie geared toward children and families. Therefore, we went in with a certain expectation of family oriented affair.

Now, I’m not one that is overly uptight about things but there were two trailers preceding the movie that left us cringing and hoping that our girls wouldn’t pick up one.

The first trailer was for “Hancock” and was completely inappropriate for a children’s movie:

The other was for “The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants 2.” We knew we were in for it when the green bar said the film was rated PG-13 for “mature material and sensuality.”

Is it just me or are both of these trailers completely out of place before an animated feature film? I don’t have a problem with either movie or its subject matter, but not before a movie about a Panda. It really left a bad taste in our mouths.

Posted in Entertainment | 6 Comments »

Envision Postmortem, Part One

Let me start out by saying that Envision was not a perfect conference. At times it seemed to be in a state of disorganization. The evening sessions never began on time and, at times, we had to squelch panel discussions due to time constraints.
My learning track was disappointing because Miroslav Volf was only there for one session, more as a guest than as the main lecturer. It would have been nice to have known that.
The pre-registration was horrendous. I emailed the coordinator prior to the conference three times with a question and never got a response.
And it was hot. Once a century hot. That, of course, was not the fault of the people behind the conference but it did tend to exacerbate the negatives.

With that said, when Envision was hitting on all cylinders it was, without a doubt, the most rewarding conference I have ever been to. It was encouraging to know that there were a host of evangelical/mainline Christians with whom I share a great amount of common ground. I am frequently given to frustration at where the contemporary church has been and where a large segment of our populous wants to stay. Therefore, I felt at home with those who are willing to wrestle with the greater implications of the gospel in our post-religious society.

In a later post I will try to engage specifically with some of the insights brought forth in the many presentations, lectures and sermons that were given.

Some Highlights:

–Getting picked up at the Philly airport by the one and only Citizen Mom. She was kind enough to pick me up and take me to Princeton. Thanks to the luck of timing we were able to spend that ride listening to Hillary’s concession speech. Citizen Mom was an ardent Clinton supporter. Great discussion and commentary ensued as we listened.

–Hanging out with Brent, Jennifer and Clare Bates. Hospitality reigned supreme as I was able to crash with them on Saturday night. Brent was ordained in the Episcopal church on Saturday morning so he was in full collar when I rendezvoused with them in Princeton. I then spent the remainder of Saturday and part of Sunday with them in NYC. They helped me navigate traveling with great aplomb. The best part was great conversation and getting to bond with Clare.

–Getting to attend CCfB on Sunday. I had become friends with Joe Hays over the internet over the last year or so but this past weekend was the first time I had the honor of meeting him face to face. Joe and his wife Laura are doing great work in Brooklyn and I was blessed to be a part of their community for just a short time.

–Getting to attend the kick-off of the Matthew 25 network. Although not affiliated with the Envision conference I was able to attend the first public event of this newly organized PAC as they announced their endorsement of Barack Obama for president. Brian McLaren was the keynote at a restaurant near the Princeton campus.

–True Diversity. This was, by far, the most multi-ethnic and diverse rostrum of speakers and practitioners I have ever been a part of of. 5 people spoke during the Monday night preach-off and none of them were Caucasian. It was encouraging to me that there was such a natural acknowledgment of the blending together of all people into humanity than the persistent segregation that is still so much a hallmark of our churches and conferences. Tuesday night they gave the first visionary award that each Envision conference will bestow. They named the award after the first recipient: John Perkins. Perfect.

–Shane Claiborne, Randall Balmer, Obery Hendricks, Rita Brock, Bart Campolo, Andrea Smith, Richard Twiss, Miroslav Volf, and Jim Wallis. Such a stellar line-up of thinkers, practitioners, theologians and activists. I was truly blessed.

It is obvious, to me, at the conclusion of a conference like this that there is a groundswell of realization in the church that we are at a major juncture in our history. A realization that the locus is not on doctrine as starting point but in the manifestation of our love for God through our love for people. This is no one prevailing theology at work but the realization that there is much to glean from many streams of thought (liberation, feminist, etc) as we strive to be the church. There was critique of the current marriage between conservative politics and the religious right, for sure. However, there was no call to vacillate to the other extreme and embrace a purely “religious left” approach. Instead there was a call to live in greater tension as we seek out to be the presence of God, the inbreaking of the Kingdom through love, compassion and awareness of our common humanity.

I can’t wait for Envision ‘09

Posted in Theology | 30 Comments »