Creating for Community

In the spirit of all the discussions on the Senate and House bills concerning internet censorship right now (SOPa and PIPA) I thought I'd share an idea I've been kicking around for some time now.

I've stated before that all artistic work, including literature, is grounded in edification. I believe everyone who creates does so not merely for self but for the entire surrounding community. Even if one creates with a motivation of creating anything for the self it inevitable affects the community and thus, in some sense, belongs to the community. Even if this is a cosmic truth it is not an inward motivation [to edify] for all producers. Hopefully, all of us create in order to make life more abundant, be it our own life, the lives of others, or our shared life. For Christians who think of others first and are greatly commanded by God to love the neighbor it is essential that we be able to give all we produce to one another for the sake of edification, even if it is a small thing that we produce.

From bakers and business women to pastors and artists, we are all using what God has provided us with to improve our lives. When it comes to Christians and their production I firmly believe we ought to adopt the perspective which sees all production as shared. I believe that we should pay wages to one another and give credit where it is due but I also believe that it is good to relinquish our intellectual properties and the desire to have greater power over our work than others for the sake of edification.

For example: Music artists can write a song and they are right to sell it on their album for an income. However, I believe they should also be willing to not require others to jump through copyright hoops to use it in worship services. Such activities of worship ought to be free for all people to use as far as permission goes. When I write I do so with the readiness to let others use my words verbatim without payment or citing because the message is more important than my monetary or reputable gain. However, if you'd like to pay me or give me credit I'll happily accept with thanksgiving. I would not like to be thieved but if I am then there is little I can do about it except hope the thief is confused by their actions and how it mixes with my words (a tip I gained from Wendell Berry). Though, it is hard to be stolen from when you count little to nothing as your own.

This, of course, is a broad look at a perspective that requires situational ethics to some degree. As I write this I am predominantly concerned with what has been created for the sake of liturgy, praise, and edification of the saints. Praise songs, Bible studies, artwork, sermons, and more ought to be considered the property of the congregation or community above the artist. Why? Because though it was the producer who manipulated the good creation around them and compiled the resources provided by Creator God it is a product made for the sake of the community. Thus, is belongs to the community. Medicine belongs to the sick more than the doctor. It comes from the doctor but it belongs to the sick for they are the ones in need of it, who will consume it and be blessed through it.

This leads to the notion that a community has the freedom to alter, add to, and take away from the product (an unwise move when concerning medicine of course). I believe this is to be embraced but only in love, honor, respect, and careful discernment. This, of course, can be very difficult and must be a very delicate endeavor if it is ever to happen. If possible, the producer ought to be involved in changes so that the true message and original intention can be communicated (just as a doctor should be able to help someone alter their medicines). A good example of this is David Crowder Band covering John Mark McMillan's song How He Loves Us.This is the most difficult aspect to nail done on this position I've adopted because the difficulty to alter good creations in a loving and beneficial way is so great. If we could learn to share our work first then that would be a good-sized first step.

If we want to sing a song of praise but change a few words for the reason of edification and it is a wise decision then we should be freed by the songwriter to do so. If we desire to share sermons we should be freed to do so. If we desire to display art we did not ourselves create but know it's value or if we desire to make it an element of a collage piece then we ought to be freed by the artist to do so. Again, this should not be something done at will but by discernment and permission. That can be a difficult balance to find but we can always find it together if we are willing.

I'm not trying to communicate that all ownership be given up by producers but rather that a humble ownership be embraced for it is only a humble creation that serves best and it is only in humbleness that the best creations are brought forth. We must acknowledge that it was God who made us able to produce and supplied all we needed to produce. We must admit that what we produce belongs first to God and second to the neighbor (otherwise we accept we use God's gifts to give to ourselves more than any other). This knowledge leads us to being able to humbly own what we create, giving license to our communities to join in the production and alteration of a good and tangible elementof worship. This humble ownership is an invitation to share worship, to commune, to unify. It is also an opportunity to see destruction as well should community members act out of selfishness but that's a risk we take when we are vulnerable with one another.

I firmly believe this type of humble ownership is a way that we might more deeply share all things with one another. The less conditions we put on our work the more trust we can put into those who receive and use it. I admire Derek Webb and his campaign with his Mockingbird album and how it has led to the NoiseTrade.com phenomenon. I am thankful to authors who let me post portions of their books without jumping through hoops. Because of the generosity shown to me through producers I am more grateful in my consumption and use. I am also more generous in my sharing. As a result, these producers are given more attention, appreciation, and often profit. They do not practice humble ownership for the sake of monetary or reputable gain but both find them as blessed reward. It is my prayer that we may all learn to do the same well. I also pray that I may find that balance and not be too liberal or too tight-gripped on anything I receive or produce.

Let us give gifts to one another whenever we produce, knowing that edification is more important than getting "what is ours" so that we may be with those who are ours. Let us create in a way that focuses on glorifying God and being united with one another in love. Let us embrace humbleness and worship as we engage in our creativity. Let us be generous with what we produce, valuing others over ourselves, trusting God to use our work well and to provide for us our daily bread.

May we create sacrificially so as to create works which become mosaics in time, blessing many with a diverse and ever-changing fingerprint which looks more like a people than a person. May we love one another in all we do, whether we are giving, receiving, changing, or sharing. May we honor God and neighbor in how we build the future and contribute to shared worship.

Christians & Politics

Many folks live by the philosophy that it's not proper or wise to discuss politics in public (my friend above does not actually prescribe to this idea). I have a few problems with the notion that Christians in particular ought to keep their political views to themselves or hidden from the public sphere (and let's face it, Facebook is the public sphere in a big way).

1. We are not meant to live compartmentalized lives. God never intended for us to be hidden from one another. When we give ourselves to others we give them our whole self. This doesn't mean we always have to expose everything we can to the person standing before us or write an exhaustive essay of our views online but it does mean that we don't need to hide certain aspects of what forms our worldview from one another, especially among fellow Christians. If we're not discussing elements of our worldviews together we aren't fellowshipping as strongly as we can. If we're not investing in difficult dialogue which forces us to examine what we think and how we live in this world then we're not being as edifying as we need to be. That's being relationally irresponsible. Our political views play a big role in how we see the world and live in the world. Our political views have a lot to do with our faithfulness to God according to the New Testament witness.

2. Offending people with our political views is okay. We're not commanded to keep our views hidden so as to not offend others. Offending people isn't wrong and it isn't bad so long as we aren't offensive to God. Sometimes when we honor God we offend others and when we speak of God and his Way we offend others and that's perfectly acceptable. Actually, it's to be expected. When I pressed my friend further as to why we shouldn't express such views she mentioned the danger in doing such a thing when in the vocational ministry. She said it can lead to attacks.

It's true that being vocal about one's politics can lead to being attacked. When we take a strong stance in the public sphere attacks are bound to occur. However, Christians don't fear attack. If our politics are grounded in the scriptures then we are hopefully being more scripture focused than politically issued focused. If we are more God focused than government focused then we have nothing to worry about. Sure, we may get attacked, persecuted, abused, even killed, but if we're preaching the gospel of Christ rather than the gospel of the latest political candidate or if we are being faithful to the love God has called us to then we have no reason to be afraid. Avoiding attack is not a good reason to be silence. Possible attack is a great reason to be loud and loud about the right things!

3. To be Christian is to be political. To avoid discussing politics as a Christian is impossible. The Gospel is itself political! The word Gospel is a political term. The gospels are filled with political language and imagery. Jesus is our King. There is a throne upon which God sits. We're citizens of the kingdom of heaven. There is a heavenly military of which we are a part. We're ambassadors. Jesus is called Prince of Peace. The political motifs in the New Testament (not to mention the Old Testament!) are outrageously repetitive and consistent. When we claim "Christ is Lord" we're making a political statement. When we partake of the Eucharist and Baptism we take political action. We also play a role in politics when we pray for our authorities or the world around us. When we obey the law we're being political. Being Christian is being political and that's something we must all come to terms with. This means that if we want to keep our political views to ourselves we've got to keep our faith and discipleship hidden within ourselves as well. That's not what we are called to.

Whether or not you like his views, Shane Claiborne gives a large portion of time to the political aspects of the gospels in his book Jesus for President. He provides some worthwhile study on what in the gospels is political language and imagery. Much of it may be new information and change the way you see the gospel books of the New Testament. Another great book which examines the political nature of the gospels and how the good news of Jesus Christ affects our politics is The Politics of Jesus by John Howard Yoder.

Work As Worship

Some Christians may think of their seemingly mundane jobs as nothing but trudging through swamps between times of church liturgy. Liturgy means "the work of the people." Knowing this, it can be too easy to think that work is worship but only when that work is what we typically call worship (congregation activities such as Bible study and Sunday morning services). This is not true! Our actual jobs and various forms of work ought to be considered worship as well.

Work has always been a part of life for humanity. Even before the Fall there was work to be done. Genesis 2:15 sates, "The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." Since the beginning, man has worked and it has been the will of God for him to do so. Plus he got to name all those animals (possibly the coolest job ever). For this reason we know that work is in itself good since God gave it to man. Work is a gift of love from God to humanity. God knew man should work and he provided opportunity (before he even made man). A critical part of existing is working! That doesn't mean we devalue or condemn the unemployed but that we begin to look at work in a new way that helps us desire to lead those who aren't working into a type of work so that they may live in worship more fully. Don't be fooled into thinking all work is accompanied by a paycheck either!

Not only did work exist before man fell and had to toil with the ground but it will exist for eternity. When Christ returns and judges all creation he will usher in a new heavens and a new earth. A new earth doesn't merely mean a revamped physical planet but a redeemed world. We will continue to live as we do now. Scripture portrays this coming time as the most glorious of Jerusalem city life. We will use the earth as it was originally meant to be used when all is redeemed. At this time God will be our All in All and we will not cease to worship as we live forever. This means that as we play, love, eat, and work for eternity we shall also be worshipping. So if work will be worship and work was originally worship then we can conclude that work is meant to be worship right now. But what does that even mean and what does worshipful work look like?

While some may think the answer is to simply sing songs of praise, recite creeds, or pray during work (which are all extremely wonderful and productive activities) I suggest there is way to actually see work itself as worship by it's nature. We don't have to evangelize or preach the gospel with our words to make work worship. Work is already worship because working is living into the will of God. It's truly that simple. However, as I will discuss at the end of this article, abuse of work can prove that we worship not God but someone or something other than God. Brother Lawrence once said, "Let us think often that our only business in this life is to please God." This is a good approach to work.

I believe we can see work as worship at various times. We see work as worship...

1. When we take delight in working because we know we are fulfilling a purpose God has for humanity we worship in our work. As stated previously, we were meant to work and to delight in such activity shows a trueness of worship. Working out to fulfill us because it meets a need within us and when that need is met we ought to be delighted. Work is worship when we delight but it remains worship when we work in despair. Work is often hard and painful. Work is often dreaded but when we continue in it we worship for we continue to live our God's will. When we delight though we are better able to see work as worship for we are better in tune to the fact that our effort is meeting a need of our own and a desire of God.

2. When we obey our superiors as though they were God. Though they are different situations, I have always approached work with the instructions for slaves in the New Testament planted within my mind. "Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free" (Ephesians 6:5-8). See also Colossians 3:22-25 and 1 Peter 2:18-19. When we work we work under human authority just as Adam worked under God's authority. When we obey superiors we honor and worship God for it is his will that we honor authorities. The direct correlation makes it easy for us to see that work is worship.

3a. When we reveal Christ through being servants to fellow workers. Thérèse (who is often called "The Little Flower") once proclaimed with great joy "My vocation is love!" I had a professor who once told me that no matter what my vocational tasks were my truest work was love and reconciliation. Whether I make pizza, sell shoes, pastor, enter data into computers, write books, babysit, heal animals, file papers, or sling coffee my job is to love people. Just as Christ served others so should we love others in humble service, considering them better than ourselves. When we seek to do all in things in love for God and neighbor we prove our work to be good worship. Work is meant to be service. When Adam was alone with God he worked as love for God alone but when Eve showed up he worked for love of God and Eve. As humanity grew work became love of God and community. Work is meant to contribute to life. Wherever we are and whatever work we may participate in we are to love and serve. This is work as worship. This servanthood is what cultivates life. This servanthood reveals Christ because it is us being Jesus in this world. When Christ is revealed in our work we can more easily see work as worship.

3b. When we reveal Creator God through working well and resting from work. When we work we imitate God who worked for 6 days creating the cosmos and all that is within it. Through working we prove ourselves to be in obedience to God, under his glorious shadow, for in working we do what he has done. It is in us to work. We can't help but give ourselves to something, to others. In this we reveal the character of God. How we do it reveals our own character which can resemble God or Satan but simply doing good work reveals God. Working well means working hard and with integrity (when we scrubs toilets we do it on our knees and not our butts). When God created the earth he was able to call all he had done "good" and as we do the work that can be called "good" we reveal our Creator. When we rest from good work we also reveal God and his wisdom which knows rest is a part of work. When we honor the Sabbath and take rest we reveal God by imitating him, especially when we do so in societies than are obsessed with overworking. Work is seen as worship because it is direct imitation of God and the beginning of humanity's story.

Work is worship. While it's good to ask how we live into that worship or where it is we see that worship most clearly it's also good to ask ourselves who we worship in our work. The way we worship and the work that we do reveals who or what we worship with that work. Are we destroying life, damning neighbors, devaluing ourselves, or defaming God in what we do at our jobs and in our various hobbies? Is our energy put into cultivation or famine? Are we taking care of the world around us or not? If not then we aren't worshiping God. Therefore, let us work hard and well, respecting those we work with, delighting in our tasks, remembering the servant Christ as we obey those in authority above as well as those working below us. Let us reveal the goodness of God through our efforts and take care of the world just as our ancestor Adam was commanded before he chose to rebel against our Creator who worked before we did so that we may one day imitate him as sub-creators and sub-cultivators. May we see work as worship and worship well.

How Do We Partake in the Death of Christ?

Recently someone asked me an impressive theological question. He asked me how people actually partake in the death of Christ. At the heart of the question is the wondering if we need to simply accept some nuanced teaching as allow it to renew our minds and inspire us or if there are actual things we can do in our daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, life that helps us to partake in the death of Jesus Christ. In other words, does this notion actually play out in our lives? To me that's basically asking if the teaching even matters, which is a great question.

Off the bat I need to say that any theology which is merely intellectual and doesn't play itself out in our daily lives is a useless theology. If our theology does not have noticeable fruit in our person, neighbors, and neighborhoods then it is a theology we are wise to dismiss and replace with something that makes a difference in the world. Impractical theology is no servant of God but rather of Satan for it keeps men and women busy in arguments and isolation from the needs of sinful humanity and hurting creation. For this reason I feel compelled to answer this question and explain how we practically partake in the death of Jesus Christ.

Romans 6:1-10,

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

1. Baptism and Eucharist. As St. Paul teaches in this passage, we partake in the death of Christ most clearly in being baptised. In baptism we are put under the water as though being put in the grave and then we are raised back up. Baptism is full of symbolism but it is a great reality that in baptism we are truly buried and raised with Christ. It is a distinct marker in the Christian life (it marks the beginning). Baptism unites us with Christ in his death. To be baptised is to truly die with Christ. Along with baptism is the sacrament of the Eucharist in which we consume the bread and wine which are the body and blood of Christ. In this ceremony we remember Christ and unite ourselves with him and one another, entering into his sacrificial death and redemption. This is a continual marker of being united with Christ in his death. It is important that we gather together and share the Eucharist and practice baptism.

2. Dying to self and sin while living righteous and pure lives in freedom. Paul informs us in verses 2 and 3 that dying to sin and being buried with Christ go hand in hand. To be buried with Christ is also to die to sin. Dying to sin means abandoning sin and living in faithfulness to God, using the freedom of salvation for his glory and not for self. Dying to self means we live not for ourselves as rebellious people but for God in selflessness (vv. 6-7). As Christ gave up himself in his death so we die with him when we give up ourselves for others. When we allow the selfish part of ourselves, the sin within us, to be crucified then we share in the death and life of Christ, becoming new people. Humble service which exists in sacrificial love leads us to partaking in the death of Christ. Whenever we choose others over self we die with Christ.

3. Actual temporal death which is defeated by a resurrection that leads to eternal life with God. We partake in the death of Christ through the actual physical earthly death we shall face. Like Christ, we shall partake of death's sting only to be raised again. Christ was the first to be raised for eternity and many shall follow. In our earthly deaths we share in the Christ's death for it is also temporary and shall be victorious over death itself.

As a side note, we also share in the sufferings of Christ (Romans 8:17, 2 Corinthians 5:1, ). This means that we will be hated and persecuted as Christ Jesus was while he walked on earth. This is not at all hidden from the reader of scripture or early church writings. As we partake in the death of Christ and move closer to partaking of it more we shall walk through these sufferings and we should count it as a blessing for it unites us with Christ.

Mark Driscoll Missteps on Men & Conflict

A while back I critiqued Mark Driscoll, Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA when he wrote a blog entitled A Christian Evaluation of Mixed Martial Arts. I'm not anti-MMA but I differ with Driscoll on his view of MMA and the goodness of it. He believes it is a sport that can be redeemed (though he never really explained how when he proposed this notion and I'm still hoping to hear the view). Today I came across a video of Driscoll in an interview about MMA which focused on the nature of men and conflict resolution.

I'm not interested in discussing MMA here but in the issues brought up in Driscoll's points for why MMA is good (from the perspective of a Bible teacher).

Driscoll states, "I don't think there is anything purer than two guys in a cage... and just see which man is better."

It's bothersome to think that the most pure sport or (as will later be discussed) conflict resolution method is men fighting each other inside a cage. Another bothersome aspect of this statement is that men are being deemed better than one another based on how good of fighters they are. Pay no mind to character, integrity, faithfulness to God, ability to entertain (for sports), or ability to resolve a conflict peacefully (a goal for all Christians it would seem if we value Romans 12:18 and Hebrews 12:14). If this is what Driscoll is saying then he's way off base. However, maybe all he is saying is that cage fighting is the most primitive form of sport/conflict resolution and that one man is simply a better fighter than the other. That I'll agree with. It's my hope that all he meant was the second interpretation because if we're talking about Christian purity then this is not the most pure sport or method of conflict resolution. To be clear, I'm not condemning MMA as a sport.

He then states, "God made men masculine and he made humanity male and female and men and women are different... men are created for combat, men are made for conflict, men are made for dominion..."

Driscoll implies that women are not made for conflict, dominion, or combat. This is a difference between the two. I won't discuss dominion here but suffice it to say Driscoll and I disagree that men alone have dominion (in marriages, church, or over creation). Conflict is a good thing since there are differences and since there is the presence of both good and evil in the world. Since there is brokenness due to sin and things must be fixed there is thus a need for and inevitability of conflict. Too often we see conflict as a negative when it's very often a positive. I believe both men and women are too engage in conflict. However, I don't believe we were created for conflict but rather to live in the love of God. Conflict is a result of sin.

I also don't believe men are made for combat. Nothing in scripture leads me to believe that one of God's purposes for creating males was that they would fight one another. Humanity was not meant to be a cosmic episode of Battle Bots. Men combat but that doesn't mean they were created for that purpose and it doesn't mean God wants them to combat in any way they see fit. The way God's people combat in this broken world is through the Word of God and prayer according to 2 Corinthians 10:3-4. The Apostle Paul teaches that "...our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12). We weren't made for combat but we engage in combat while in this world. However, according to Paul we don't combat humans made of flesh and blood and we don't do it with weapons of man or in the way that those of the world do it (and if you've ever seen a Bruce Lee movie you know fists are weapons). For more on this see my article How and Who Christians Fight. Like conflict, combat is a result of rebellion against God and not a result of God's will and work.

The Mars Hill Pastor goes on to say, "...you can put them [males] in the worst public high school and tell them that they need to just be into their feelings and talk about their feelings and cry a lot and finger-paint their inner life, at the end of the day they're still gonna want to throw down and when they go to recess two guys are going to go at it and see which one is the dude. And that's just the way men are made."

It's interesting that Driscoll stages his hypothetical men in the worst public high school. Odds are it's in a bad part of town where violence, poverty, racism, poor education, and other evils thrive. Of course boys in those places want to fight! It's all they know (and I know that because I live and work with them). Regardless, that doesn't mean that fighting is the best or even a good form of conflict resolution. If it is then we need to support it more often and on bigger scales. That means we invest more in wars and teach all our children how to fight as warriors. If we carry Driscoll's logic which says that men are created for the sake of combat to it's end we end up with a barbaric being. Sadly, this could result in the earth being filled with violence as in the days of Noah (Genesis 6:11-13). That's a lot of progress lost.

At this point in the interview we have to enter the realm of conflict resolution because Driscoll is no longer talking about mere sport, according to his illustration, but about conflict and the nature of men (but not women because they weren't created for conflict or combat). With Driscoll's way of conflict resolution counselors can trade in their degrees for black belts. At this point we also have to determine that Driscoll isn't merely saying, as optioned before, that one man is simply a better fighter but that one man is simply a better man. "To see which one is the dude" is to imply that one is a man (because he can fight and win and thus is superior in combat for which he was created) while the other is more like a woman (who does not combat due to not being created for it). This, in my opinion, can easily lead to putting women below men in value.

Recognizing and talking about our feelings (especially to the point of emotional breakthrough which causes crying at times) and being able to communicate our inner-workings is healthy! Ask a counselor! It's horrifying to know that Driscoll is a pastor of thousands and he doesn't value these skills. Instead of embracing simple and healthy ways of life he jabs at them in jest. In his own evaluation of MMA, Driscoll mocked the picture of a Jesus who is in touch with his feelings in order to demean pacifists. Not only does Driscoll prefer violence (be it controlled) over proven methods of counseling that help individuals recognize their issues and communicate well in order for reconciliation to happen but he dislikes these methods so much that he mocks a Saviour who would employ them. For Driscoll, being in touch with one's feelings is a negative thing. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt but I don't know how else we are to understand his statements.

I don't want a Saviour who is out of touch with his feelings. Nobody should. That's an unhealthy and out of tune person. Jesus isn't unhealthy or out of tune. He knows this creation and he knows himself. He has to be in touch with his feelings. We know Christ is a compassionate person who doesn't mask, avoid, repress, or have ignorance of his feelings because the gospels repeatedly show him crying for others, being sensitive to children, even sweating blood like sweat over difficult situations. Not only that but he speaks boldly, is angered, and overthrows tables in righteousness. This is a man not acting out of unjustifiable or unexplainable rage but a man who understands and is in touch with his inner workings, his feelings. Driscoll can have a saviour who is disconnected from his feelings all he wants but he won't have the Jesus of the Bible if he does.

To finish his above statement Driscoll says, "So either allow that in a way that is violent and inappropriate, which is what a lot of guys do through criminal activity, or we put it together as a viable legitimate sport and let men be men and do what men do and let the other fat lazy men sit around and criticize them while watching."

Here's the problem with this philosophy: For the sport to be legitimate it must have regulations and those regulations, according to what I've seen, won't be ones that most of the boys in the worst public school will be able or willing to submit to. In that case, we still have the same problem on our hands of people having conflict and no means to resolve it, except violent and illegal activities. What's more, because of this world Driscoll has created, MMA is much larger and thus fighting is promoted heavily all around them and with the bad education they receive at their school all they know is that fighting is the answer to their problems both on the streets and on television. The celebrities are fighting as much as their friends, enemies, and families. The people in society such as pastors who are to be helping to pull these young men out of their cycles and subcultures of darkness aren't doing that. Instead, those people are teaching them that a great way to resolve conflict and live into manhood is to beat other men in a controlled environment to (hopefully) the point of knockout or a begging of release. Without healthy introspective skills and the attempt to reconcile and find peace over finding dominance through violence there won't be any progress.

I work with counselors and at risk homeless youth. I see the fellas who invest in combat for conflict resolution and who don't know how to be in touch with their feelings. They are dangerous, unhealthy, and often hopeless. Part of our work is to help them become self-aware so that they can recognize their feelings and communicate those feelings well. We work hard to establish healthy practices of conflict resolution which don't employ violence (since it obviously hasn't helped them thus far) but allow them to confront their enemy lovingly and respectfully in peace. When we do this and when the guys we work with adopt the teachings and practices we provide for them they begin to thrive. They begin living healthier lives and having healthier relationships. They get in less trouble and begin to build a future for themselves and those around them.

It's true that physical exertion can help in times of frustration but we don't need to beat each other up for that result. We can run, lift weight, use punching bags, and invest in other activities that don't harm our neighbors. Even wrestling and certain forms of martial arts can provide this help without demanding we cause damage to the flesh of those who are flesh and blood.

All of this leads me to believe that Driscoll's favored form of conflict resolution is counterintuitive to the reconciliation ministry of Jesus Christ. Fighting is typically devisive. It pits people against one another with the goal of one person defeating the other, often through knocking the opponent unconscious or forcing him to beg for a release from the pain being inflicted upon him. Jesus is not concerned with defeating those who are against him but with reconciling them to him. This is why he forgives and suffers. This is why he dies. This is why he picks up a cross instead of a sword and why he tells us to do the same. We need to be reconciled to God and to one another! When we have conflict with one another or have been sinned against we have models for resolution provided by Jesus in Matthew 5:23-26 and 18:15-19. Granted, these are mostly models for believers who have conflict with believers but it would hardly make sense to conclude that we should set aside our peaceful means of reconciliation for those outside our fellowship or to suggest they use other means to reconcile with one another.

I may be fat, lazy, or a woman according to Driscoll's interview* but I can live with that if it means I'm investing in the ministry of reconciliation in a way that doesn't harm my neighbor or demean the qualities of healthy people. "Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you" (2 Corinthians 13:11). Let's be in touch with our feelings and tell or youth that self awareness and communication create a better future than beating each other up inside cages.

*This was pointed out to me by a tweet from Greg Boyd.