Life Update

So I have resigned myself to the fact that I'm not going to properly blog the events of our Mexico trip, now that it has been over two weeks since our return, and decided to resort to an update as to what's going on in our lives.

This semester, I'm taking three extremely crucial classes in understanding philosophy over the last century: Husserl's Ideas, Heidegger's Being and Time, and the works of Emmanuel Levinas. They are what can be considered representative of the three stages of Phenomenology which makes up a large portion of Continental thought. I admit that I am not well versed in these prominent figures (aside from my reading of Otherwise than Being by Levinas last summer and my introduction to him through various works of Derrida), so it is going to be quite a difficult semester of studying. Perhaps, Husserl can be seen as the last great philosopher of the modern era (still believing in objective, universal truth), while Heidegger is the one who began the critique of Western/Greek philosophy (Heidegger had great influence on many thinkers including Sartre and Derrida). Levinas continues this critique of Western Philosophy, although with a Jewish flair (he was an Orthodox Jew), reveals ways in which Heidegger does not fully get away from Western philosophy's commitment to metaphysics, and ushers in a shift in philosophical thinking of nonfoundationalism (aka... the rumblings of postmodern thought). But enough of that...

In other news, Amber and I bought a new computer last week - should arrive tomorrow. It was what requested from both sets of parents for Christmas so we're pretty excited to get something that's actually current for once (the desktop we presently use is from 2001!!!!).

At the Open Door, the subject of becoming "Covenant Partners" (a better term for "church member") is being talked about during our Sunday evening services. We are definitely interested in coming on board even if we are in Pittsburgh for only another year and a half. We have enjoyed those in the church we have gotten to know, the community and participation in God that it fosters, and its appreciation for a variety of Christian heritages in its worship. We have been able to get more involved recently by co-leading a small group on Tuesday nights on the book of Malachi (a very interesting, though often ignored prophet of the OT) and are helping to serve/make coffee drinks on Sunday evenings before the service.

Over Christmas break, I had the opportunity to read a plethora of books all of which I highly recommend:
- Soren Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling - A great intro to Christian existentialism and a work that continues to influence philosophers and theologians. Kierkegaard raises a swarm of ethical issues surrounding the biblical story of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac and calls into question the immense focus of universality over the individual/singularity in ethics.
- John Caputo's What would Jesus Deconstruct? - If you need a basic introduction to deconstruction, this is it. Perhaps one of the top scholars of Derria, Caputo (who might be labeled a liberal catholic) explains the positive attributes of deconstruction and what benefits it can offer to the church (particularly to the audience he is shooting for, the religious right).
- Jacques Derrida's The Gift of Death - One of Derrida's most explicit works on religion, Derrida takes up many of the themes mentioned in Fear and Trembling (and workds by Levinas) but with his own twist. Anyone who has been told that deconstruction is nihilistic, relativistic, or atheistic needs to read this book and see some of the many contributions Derrida offers to the philosophy of religion and postmodern ethics.
- G.K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday - One of Chesterton's most famous novels, this "nightmare" (as he calls it) is more topsy-turvy than Alice in Wonderland and the Catholic king of paradox will leave you rethinking your notions of God and reality.

Currently, aside from my school studies, I'm reading Most Moved Mover by Clark Pinnock. Not that I necessarily ascribe to the Open Theist viewpoint (as of yet), I am finding the read quite enjoyable, very scriptural, and having many parallels with the critique of Western Philosophy made by Levinas and Heidegger. Pinnock points out the many ways our view of God are derived not from the Bible but from Greek Philosophy (Plato, Plotinus, Aristotle, etc) - such as immutability, impassibility, unconditionality, and aseity. None of these terms can be found in the Bible and yet they take great prominence in the works of theologians Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, and even Luther. Much more could be said here but perhaps you should just go research it yourself.

Aside from these things, work is going well. I spend about 16 hours a week working at Duquesne as an assistant in the graduate office and am working one day every other week at a local coffee shop. Amber continues to interpret Sign Language throughout the Pittsburgh area at local businesses and schools.

Mexico Trip Revisited

Well after a long trip and a long first week of grad courses, I'm finally beginning to feel up to speed and back into the swing of things, and thus, finally finding time to blog. So, with no further ado, I'll include some highlights of our Mexico Trip...

On Day two (Dec 28th), we around just one tiny portion of Mexico City where we visited the Diego Rivera Museum where we saw his most famous mural "Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park" which includes dozens of famous individuals representing virtually every aspect of Mexican history since Cortes set foot on the continent (the boy next to death is a young Diego Rivera). Here is just one of the many amazing Rivera murals we saw throughout the trip (if you want to see more check out my photobook on facebook). One could stand in front of his murals for hours studying the intricate painting and contemplating the vast historical and sociologica points being addressed.

After lunch, we visited the Zocolo (Mexico City's main square) where a huge church is located that was built by the Spanish upon their conquest of the indigenous people. In fact, it is built right on top of a ancient site of pagan worship where people dressed in traditional ceremonial garb still come to perform REAL worship ceremonies including dances, offerings, and music to ancient deities. Interestingly enough, since Mexico City is built on a lake, the original steps of the church are 6-10 feet underground and can only be seen from above through a thick layer of plexiglass.

On the 29th, we visited the Government Building which housed many more Diego Rivera murals and visted the ruins of the Great Temple in Mexico City (which isn't really much to talk about now). Afterward, we made out way to the city of Puebla, the location of the battle of Cinqo de Mayo. This involved a long metro ride along with a really long, bumpy, foul-smelling bus ride (there was a poopy baby sitting next to me and a really stinky bathroom at the back of the bus). Needless to say, I was quite sick by the time we made it to the hotel... which involved another bus ride upon reaching Puebla. In Puebla, we stayed in an amazing hotel - especially in comparison to the hostel we had in Mexico City - for a mere $30/person for the one night we were there. That night, we also sampled mole (Puebla is the home of this interesting Mexican dish) which didn't settle too well with my stomach... However, the dinner included after dinner mints that were like fortune cookies. On the outside of the wrapper, each mint had a quote. Mine said, "Time is gold." Amber's said, "The bush keeps on growing fruit." (lol).

Mexico Trip Day 1

Today, Amber and I, along with our friends Adam, Beth, and Kandice set foot in Mexico City for the first time. For the most part, everything went well and good, the exception being that Orbitz changed our tickets so that Amber and I ended up taking a flight to Mexico from Houston two hours later than the rest of the group. So, we sat around and ate airport food while our friends flew, and well, then they did the same thing while we flew. But if that is the worst thing that happens to us during the trip we ought to be pretty thankful!!

We are staying at a Quaker hostel that is quite interesting to say the least. The building used to be the home of a famous mural artist, and needless to say, it has seen its better days. But it is close to the city center and we are looking forward to all that we are going to see in the next couple days.

Tonight, we walked around a bit to get our bearings and just a couple blocks from our hostel there was a Christmas fair that was, no doubt, influenced by the many fair games that one can find at Six Flags or state fairs in America but with Mexican food instead of elephant ears and fried bananas instead of fried mozzarella sticks.

After walking, we made our way to a Mexican restaurant that we could trust called VIPS (right next to a KFC and Burger King!), which crazily enough is chain in Mexico that is owned by Walmart... yeah, not your typical authentic Mexican... but it WAS good!

Needless to say, we are all very tired and the majority of our group has deserted me and headed off to their rooms. Hopefully I will write more later on in the week!

Getting Old... Well At Least Feeling Old

So, on Monday my brother Brogan, Matt Baldauff, and I went downhill skiing in celebration of his birthday (his girlfriend Coty surprised him with a drive all the way out to Pittsburgh). Now don't get me wrong, I love downhill skiing. My family used to go to Michigan in the winter every year when we were kids and even went out to Utah on a couple occasions where my uncle lives. But this was the first time I had gone skiing for nearly two years, and well, graduate school is not conducive to staying in optimum physical shape. Not only that, the ski resort decided to leave their snow makers on the entire time we were there. After every run, my body was covered in a thin layer of ice. Fake snow is more wet (and often quickly turns into ice), and thus, is not the most enjoyable to ski through. So, needless to say, I STILL ache all over. My thighs hurt, my lower back hurts, my knees hurt from getting my legs turned in directions they weren't meant to be turned, the side of my right leg hurts where I skidded down the mountain a couple times, and lots of other things hurt... But it was still fun to be out there!

In fact, we've had quite the slew of visitors of late. Last weekend, my parents were here and we showed them the town and took them to Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous work, Fallingwater - a house he built for a wealthy Pittsurgh family right over a stream. We also went to the 17th St. Cafe on the Southside of Pittsburgh and all agreed that we ate the best meal we had had in years. Below are some pictures from that trip.

Then, this last weekend, my brother Bryce and his friend Diana came out to visit. We took them up to one of our favorite spots, Mount Washington, which offers the best view of the Pittsburgh skyline - one of the best in America. Take a look and see why we like it so much:

A Sigh of Relief

So today I turned in my papers as my last work for my first semester of grad school. Now its 'wait and see' to find out what kind of grades I will receive. Grad school has been a a great experience thus far. I much rather write papers than take tests, and getting back into the work of researching and articulating ideas has been a lot of fun. Not that I understand everything - far from it. Aristotle's Metaphysics has kicked my butt all semester long, but as a result, I've learned a TON regarding its influence on Christian theology (taking Aquinas this semester at the same time helped, no doubt) and even how we think today. Having to read Aristotle in Greek has was not too exciting, but I've experienced the pay off as it has greatly increased my ability to read the New Testament in Greek.

In other news, I've been offered a graduate assistantship at Duquesne. This is not a teaching assistantship - actually its more of an office job doing paperwork. Nonetheless, it comes with a nice stipend and payment of my tuition along with some good experience. On the other hand, I had just started a job at a nearby coffee shop and was beginning to enjoy the change of pace, learning new skills, and meeting all kinds of people. I've just been amazed at all the spiritual conversations I've already had with coworkers, which has made me lament that sacred/secular dichotomy in so many churches where "ministry" is relegated to only what goes on in the church walls.

So now... a couple weeks "off" - which means Christmas shopping, entertaining family that is coming to visit, working here and there, etc - and then home for Christmas. Then, Amber and I along with a few friends from Indy are off to Mexico City for a bit of a vacation! I'll have to post some pictures when we get back.

Tom Brokaw and Younger Evangelicals

If you missed it, check out the special on the Emerging Church that aired November 30th on the NBC Nightly News. Unfortunately, most of the special came down to the question of homosexuality and a commentary by Al Mohler. At least they rightly described younger evangelicals as a group far less myopic and one-sided as the previous generation as far as political views go.

The Experiment

So in the past few weeks, I have been steadily convicted by the fact that I often encounter hundreds of people each day without every saying a word to them. Whether its on the bus, on the sidewalk, at work, in class, at the grocery store, or wherever, it seems like our entire culture has been "B.F. Skinnerized" into this individualisitic-I-don't-talk-to-strangers kind of mindset. This programmatic behavior, I think, is quite ironic given that everyone these days is talking about community, third place, the search to belong, and the need to connect. Even Starbucks, the epitome of third place today, is a perfect case in point as people hike into the store, not just for great coffee, but to experience a place where they can relax and find a connection between work and home -- and yet, most people there are there alone, reading a book, on their laptop, or hurriedly getting through the line and out the door.

Noting this phenomenon, Nietzsche coined the term "herd mentality" which basically means that people are afraid to break rank so they act however the crowd around them is behaving. Thus, when a person boards a bus of silent people keeping to themselves, they too will keep to themselves as if they have blinders on and can't see the sea of humanity all around them. But in the case of the public transit, there is more to it, I think, in the fact that it is an unnatural environment and people already feel uncomfortable being on there in the first place.

Nonetheless, I have been convicted to attempt an experiment. Prefaced by Ephesians 5:1-2 which calls us to "walk in love", I devised a challenge to look for opportunities to show interest and care in the people I encounter as I walk through my day. How could the world be different if we actually showed an interest in the lives of strangers? In fact, the Greek word for hospitality is exactly that - "love of strangers." And community starts with hospitality, so as long as all of us uphold the herd mentality and our own fears of confronting a person we do not know, we will never know community.

So, this past week, as I traveled public transit, or walked streets, I made a cognizant effort to speak to people. It turned out to be harder than I thought - not just because of overcoming my fears, but also because the timing was often not right. It would be odd to try to start up a deep conversation with someone merely passing by me for a fleeting second, and sometimes caring for someone is done best by leaving alone to whatever they are doing at the time. But I needed to be ready. On the subway, I avoided reading or listening to my Mp3 player and made sure that the seat next to me was open. Sometimes the conversation was a mere "Hello" or "thank you" or "here, you can sit here." Sometimes it progressed to a bit more than that to more superficial talk about sports or the weather (which usually just makes me more uncomfortable!). But even amidst these seeming failures, I had become all the more aware of the people surrounding me, all the more aware of truly living in and appreciating the moment I had been given. The people on this subway are part of the sea of humanity God loves and this moment - no matter how mundane it may seem - is spiritual.

Then, this weekend I was in Chicago for a philosophy conference (more on that in another post) in which my friend Justin and I spent a lot of time catching up while riding Chi-town's "L". As we conversed and caught up with each other while standing on the subway, apparently a young man next to us seemed compelled to join our conversation. So we met Brian and found out he was a math student at Loyola. We spoke for a while about various things, interspersed with conversations between Justin and myself. Brian was the perfect example for why I think I have been so convicted about this idea of talking to strangers. Here he was among a throng of people, probably having lived in Chicago for a couple years now, and it was very obvious that he didn't have any friends and was dying for connection with someone. So, I was happy to talk to him, but the situation took an extreme turn when he asked how he could find us on Facebook. I thought, "whoa, this just went from friendly conversation to stalker language"). This question made Justin and I feel extremely awkward and conflicted. It was like he had crossed a line into personal space too fast. But it was more than that - his motives were very clear that it wasn't that we had found a long lost mutual soulmate or that he was really interested in us but that he was grabbing out for someone or anyone who would respond. I think this is what made it feel all the more awkward. But the entire situation helped to form my understanding of my experiment and how I should continue to go about it.

So, on Saturday afternoon, I was heading back to Midway on the L to catch my return flight. After a couple stops, an elderly man sat down next to me. He couldn't have been much more different than I as I soon found out. Tony was in his sixties with three adult children and some grandkids who moved from Mexico to Chicago when he was 22 and is still working at a warehouse to get by. I found out about his family, the kind of work he does, and we talked about a number of different things related to Chicago and the importance of getting an education and learning skills. Then, I asked him if he was going to church tomorrow, and he wavered and waffled with his answer. Several minutes later, on his own prodding, he brought it back up: "Maybe I'll go to church tomorrow or maybe I'll take my grandkids to a movie. Or maybe I'll just watch some football. I love football." We chuckled about this and talked about the Bears and Colts and Steelers for a bit. We talked about the cost of living in Chicago as compared to Indiana where I grew up. He said, "Yes, I have always had expenses to pay for and have had to work overtime many times, but somehow we have always gotten by." I said, "You're right. It's amazing how God always gives us what we really need. We have so much to be thankful for." We talked about the many things we often take for granted - our health, family, ability to make a living, and so forth.

Then, Tony looked at me and said, "Are you Catholic?" I replied: "No, I grew up Protestant." He responded, "Well, I guess it doesn't really matter where you go as long as you do go and you don't sin or do anything bad." There was a pause for a moment, and then Tony spoke again, "You know, I grew up Catholic, but now I'm just confused. [I thought, you're telling me!] I mean, with all that has come out about the priests being corrupt and molesting children and so on, why should I believe what they say? Why should I give money to people who do things like that? Why should I go to church. I mean, I want my grandkids to learn, but why would I want to take them there?" I just listened intently and empathized as he concluded his thought: "So, I guess it doesn't really matter if you go to church as long as you do what is right. What do you think about that?" I replied with whatever just came to my mind: "I think all of that reminds me of how imperfect I am and that whenever we put faith in people - church leaders, politicians, or whoever - that they're going to fail us and the only person that we can really have faith in is Jesus Christ because he really was perfect. It reminds me that the church will always be imperfect because its full of imperfect people like me. But even that doesn't really minimize the difficulty you're dealing with. I agree with you, it's so hard to know what to do and so difficult to make a decsion during these times." He said, "But shouldn't the priests be held to a higher standard? They're even trained to do the right thing." I responded: "Of course, they should be held to a higher standard, but don't give up on church just because of them. I think we need church so we can learn how to live in community and learn how to love one another. But again, that doesn't mean it's easy. This is all still very hard."

We talked for a little while longer until we reached out stop. I was mesmerized. This man had poured out his heart to me - a stranger - and it all happened on the L because I was brave enough to ask him a few questions about himself (and because we had a 25 minute ride ahead of us!). It's extremely unlikely that I'll ever meet Tony again, but can the affect of that brief conversation - on each of us - be measured? Could it be that the world would be different if we merely purposed in our hearts to walk in love, to view the strangers around us as our neighbor, to understand missional living as - at the very least - emanating the love of God to those we encounter in our day to day lives?