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Think Christian

Welcome to ThinkChristian.net, where we talk about Christ, culture and the ways that faith plays out in everyday life. We want to exercise our faith in every aspect of our lives: heart, soul and mind.

There are Much Worse Things to Believe InJanuary 1

I’m a fan of Stephen Colbert.  I’ve watched The Colbert Report since its launch in October of 2005.  I find it both smart and funny (and a little crass at times—a word to the wise), but one of the real draws to the show for a person like me is that Stephen Colbert is a man of faith.  He was reared Catholic, and up until he had his own show he taught Sunday School at his parish.  When he was a correspondent on The Daily Show he had a regular feature called “This Week in God,” where he would review recent religious news with a humorous and impious slant.  (It needs to be noted that Stephen Colbert the man is different from “Stephen Colbert” the character he plays on the show, but his faith comes in from time to time, including this episode where he recites the Nicene Creed.)

Colbert teamed up with some others to produce a funny Christmas special for 2008.  Guests included Willie Nelson, Toby Keith, John Legend, Elvis Costello, and Feist, along with Jon Stewart, Colbert’s former boss at The Daily Show.  The Christmas special was—true to form—smart and funny and, yes, impious at times.  But what Colbert and his staff do better than anyone is offer a weighty message along with the playfulness.  Seeing Nelson, Keith,

What was the music of your Christmas this year?December 29 2008

Christmas may be over, but I’m not quite ready to shelve the holiday music just yet. From mid-December to early January in our household, something Christmas-y is almost always playing in the background—growing up, it was a Perry Como Christmas album on my parents’ record player; these days it’s Sufjan Stevens jingling merrily from the speakers of my wife’s computer.

And every year after Christmas, I quiz my friends: what holiday music did you listen to this year? What interesting or inspiring Christmas albums should I add to my list of music to acquire between now and next December? Here are a few of the records that have been looping almost constantly through my headphones this Christmas:

• Andrea Bocelli’s Sacred Arias—this might just be the ultimate Christmas album, as far as I’m concerned. His rendition of Ave Maria is heartbreakingly beautiful.
• Sufjan Stevens’ Songs for Christmas has become a family favorite over the last few years. Lots of familiar Christmas classics, but some interesting new songs as well… and Stevens doesn’t forget that beyond all the holiday craziness, Christmas is ultimately about Jesus.
• The Welcome Wagon’s Welcome to the

Does God speak through . . . ?December 26 2008

In a holiday speech, a leader proclaimed . . .

“If Christ was on Earth today undoubtedly he would stand with the people in opposition to bullying, ill-tempered and expansionist powers.

“If Christ was on Earth today undoubtedly he would hoist the banner of justice and love for humanity to oppose warmongers, occupiers, terrorists and bullies the world over. If Christ was on Earth today undoubtedly he would fight against the tyrannical policies of prevailing global economic and political systems, as He did in His lifetime.”

Was it a) Pope Benedict XVI, b) Rick Warren or c) Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?

The correct answer is C! We know that God can speak through donkeys (Numbers 22), but can He speeak through dictators? Discuss.

Advent is for LongingDecember 23 2008

Is it Christmas time? Or Advent? How should we feel and think about this time of year?

Try this scenario: Right after Halloween, we start planning and stockpiling for the Holiday, with maybe some bonus early shopping.  By late November, just as Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, we burst into full Christmas mode. The decorations go up, the lights get strung, the carols are 24/7, and Santa encamps at the mall for pictures and maximum retailage. And by December 26, it’s all over except the bills. That’s how we celebrate Christmas!

Now contrast this: Advent is a season of emptiness, of longing. The decorations are sparse, the readings are about promises not yet fulfilled. It’s the season of John the Baptizer proclaiming in the desert. The songs are not yet “Joy to the World,” but “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” and “O Lord, how shall I meet you? How welcome you aright?” Rather like Lent, Advent is about waiting and self-reflection. It’s remembering Israel’s exile and our own longing:

The season of Advent, a season of waiting, is designed to cultivate our awareness of God’s actions—past, present, and future. In Advent we hear the prophecies of the Messiah’s coming as addressed to us—people who wait for the second coming. In Advent we heighten our anticipation for the ultimate fulfillment of all Old Testament promises, when the wolf will lie down with the lamb, death will be swallowed up, and every tear will be w

Church and State on Jan. 20: An Advent ReflectionDecember 22 2008

I get a kick out of complaints about President-elect Barack Obama inviting Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inaugural. Critics say Mr. Purpose-Driven is too Conservative-Driven on gay marriage and abortion—in other words: He’s not inclusive enough, let’s exclude him! It’s a variation of the old joke: “If there’s one thing I won’t tolerate, it’s intolerance!”

But there’s something more serious that bothers me about Warren giving an invocation at the inaugural—or, for that matter, Rev. Joseph Lowery giving the benediction, or any pastor doing anything liturgical at any civic event. To me it’s a worrisome flirtation—if only that—between church and state. I wince whenever the church gets too cozy with political power, and whenever American political power seems to be implicitly recognizing a national religion (which the U.S. Constitution explicitly forbids, since that would violate religious freedom.)

I know the whole thing will just be a ceremonial exercise, with most distinctively Christian content necessarily extracted in favor of vague pluralistic platitudes, and so it all won’t really mean anything. That only makes it worse. Watered-down ceremonial religion not only takes the teeth out of the disruptive Christian message but also allows the government to exp