Coldplay - "Viva la Vida"

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing:
"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"

One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
Once you go, there was never, never an honest word
That was when I ruled the world

It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in.
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become

Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

listen to the song here


IS THIS ABOUT THE DOWNFALL OF THE CHURCH?

paper, paper, everywhere

If you have any interest in the direction the church is going, check out this article that I had to read for my sociology class. It's fascinating. The Soul of the New Exurb - New York Times Magazine. I'm using it for my large paper that is due today at 5pm on campus ministries at Mizzou and cultural consumerism. It's been super-helpful.

Something to look up later: e-paper by Siemens

Life, it is.

As I am working towards to goal of defining what my life passions are, different words, phrases, and ideas seem to fit together to create the larger vision. One of them comes from an email that wasn't written to me by a professor at Covenant Seminary. It is a broad question that shapes a lot of who Covenant Seminary is and their mission. This question makes me want to go to seminary there. "What do you see in terms of spiritual yearnings within contemporary (popular) culture (in the U.S.A. and globally)?"

I was sitting in my 'Cultural and Intellectual History of the US' class this morning and another image came to me. In contemporary church culture, so much is made of Acts 17, when Paul is preaching on Mars Hill. I think Christians enjoy the image of Paul citing the contemporary secular poets and thinkers to make his own case for the existence of one God and for salvation in Christ. It makes the case that the church shouldn't be a fortress on a hill, separated from society by huge walls of distrust and misunderstanding. It should be a city, with streets leading out, inviting trade and dialogue.

It just occurred to me that that is what inspires me too. My favorite part of being at Mizzou as a Christian is being in a sociology class and being able to see the image of God in the writers and other students as we all discuss culture and the nature of man in society. It's fantastic seeing that what the Bible says isn't all crap and that what it says about human nature and the way God created us in His image can be seen in everything we do. Even the ways we set up power elites and have class warfare speaks to our desire to have the God-like power that got us in this whole mess in the first place (Garden of Eden).

In my history class, my professor acts kind of like an Old Testament prophet, highlighting trends of thought that shifted the American culture. I want to learn how to do that. I want to look at a culture and say, "Here is the foundational issue. Here is where we do not believe God." That would be so cool.

Corporate Art, pt. 2

Takasi Murakami for Louis Vuitton

This is kind of related to what I was writing about earlier with corporate art. In the Cartoon Issue of the New Yorker, there's a Talk of the Town (those are my favorite - so short and interesting) about the artist Paul McCarthy's installation in New York City. (find the whole article here)

"Business art is the step that comes after Art,” saith Warhol the Prophet, and, thirty years later, we know whereof he spake. The mergers of art and commerce accumulate on every side, as brand-name artists such as Damien Hirst, Richard Prince, and Takashi Murakami endorse and/or provide luxury items for Louis Vuitton, Fendi, and other purveyors. One such venture kicked off last week in the West Village, where Paul McCarthy, a California-based artist known for his reliably disturbing installations, has converted the Maccarone gallery into a chocolate factory. Peter Paul Chocolates LLC, as he calls the enterprise, will operate through the end of 2007, turning out Santa Claus figurines for the Christmas trade."

Art and commerce seem like they would be strange bedfellows. In my intense ridiculously long paper I had to write before break, most of it centered on how the Church has become more commercially focused (megachurches, emphasis on numbers and turn-out, etc.). It seems like capitalism has seeped into the parts of life that are not supposed to be utilitarian and is working at forcing them into a business model. I hate it. It seems perverted.

Jerram Barrs and Fan Art

Jerram Barrs came and spoke at my church tonight! It was really cool. He spoke on 'Harry Potter and the Power of Sacrificial Love' or something and it was wonderful. I forgot how very exact L'Abri speakers are, no matter what their topic is. Jerram treated Harry Potter like he was Sartre or something by the way he analyzed the text and brought up key points, etc. It was amazing and extremely impressive.

He also addressed the Dumbledore coming out as gay thing, which is something that I was wondering about. Barrs' perspective on it is that Dumbledore had the gay crush on his friend during a time in his teenage years which Dumbledore looked back upon with shame. Interesting that JK Rowling came out with it at all. I wonder what her thoughts were on the whole thing.

Well, anyway, I was sitting next to my friend Shaun, who's a big fan of Harry Potter and is slowly introducing me to the world of Anime and all the glories that come along with it. Well, one thing that I had no idea existed is Fan Art. Apparently people fill in the gaps left by their favorite authors/video game creators/movie directors, etc. and create their own art about the characters. She sent me a video that her friend made about the would-be relationship between Severus Snape and Lily Potter. This will only be sweet to you if you have read book 7 and like Dashboard Confessional. Just a warning.