grad school essay

This is a rought draft of an essay for my application to UNO's MA of Sociology program. I had no idea what to write when I wrote it, and still don't have much of a clue. Any criticism/comments/editing you have to offer would be gladly accepted. email me or leave a comment

My desire to pursue an MA in Sociology is a culmination of a life-long interest in history. This interest first took an anthropological turn early in my undergraduate studies, as I investigated and grew to love the panorama of human cultures. Since then, a growing interest in the social structures that mold the human experience has taken primacy in my academic pursuits. More specifically, I am deeply intrigued by the formation of individual and group identity.
In this MA program, I see an avenue to pursue my academic interests in such fields as philosophy, linguistics, history and politics, religion and culture, while directing these pursuits toward practical application. I have a strong interest in, and a passion for action regarding such issues as interpersonal understanding, racial reconciliation, and justice for the underprivileged/oppressed.
I believe I would add value to the Sociology department, as well. I have a unique perspective to share due to my undergratuate education in a small evangelical Bible university, and my vocational experiences as a clergyman working in the university setting. Also, I have an ardent desire for learning, as is demonstrated in my academic record, and my personal reading during schooling and since graduation. This desire for learning has helped me avoid bigotry and narrow-mindedness while developing strong and well-informed convictions.
I look forward to the opportunity of furthering my formal education in sociology at UNO. New Orleans is my new home, and is a great place to investigate the workings of society with its distinct cultural heritage, obvious social conflicts, and real need for justice on the social level. This program will be a formative experience in my personal and educational development, and I hope that I will be a real asset to UNO's Sociology department.

tongues

What is the gift of tongues? Why did God give it? Why does God give it? What do we then do with it?

These are questions of utmost importance to a minister licensed with a Pentecostal fellowship; a minister that believes in the Holy Spirit empowerment the Pentecostals treasure. Being that minister, I have made some notes in answer to these questions.

This gift, first reported on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), acts as a sign of the Spirit’s presence. This is seen especially in the account of Cornelius and his household (Acts 10), and the subsequent discussions over what to do with Gentile converts (Acts 11 and 15). The Jewish followers of Jesus come to the conclusion that God truly has chosen to save the Gentiles because of the sign of the Spirit’s presence, namely, the gift of tongues.
This is very similar to the account of pre-king Saul in the Old Testament (1 Sam 10). Saul was anointed to be king, and he then “prophesied” as evidence of the Spirit coming upon him for this role. Another instance of this ecstatic sign of the Spirit’s presence can be seen is the narrative of the 70 Elders (Num 11).
God uses the expectation of a sign to teach the original disciples a lesson: “I am with you to empower you,” and the Jerusalem Council a lesson: “I am saving the Gentiles.” Through the rest of Acts, God continues to use physical signs to show that the Spirit has come upon a group of people (Acts 8, 10, 19).
It seems that God continues to use the Gift in much the same way today. The Pentecostals have developed a distinctive doctrine over this experience: The Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the Initial Physical Evidence of Speaking in Other Tongues (IPE). It seems to me that this may be a bit of an overstated case in light of Paul’s teachings on speaking in tongues, but I cannot say from Biblical insight that this experience is invalid or untrue. God certainly does initiate His servants into empowered ministry, and many experience the Gift of Tongues as a sign that this initiation has taken place. In this light, it is always important to recognize that the IPE is an initial experience, not a culmination of all that the Spirit has to give.
Looking at the doctrinal statements about tongues in the New Testament, an interesting dichotomy takes shape. There seems to be two or even three different kinds of Spirit-enabled tongues. The first is the most obvious, the initiation we just spoke of. Paul also talks about a speaking in tongues that is followed by interpretation within the worshipping community as a form of prophecy. Actually, the experience of the 120 in Acts 2 functions in this way to some extent, as well, as the nations present heard the greatness of God praised in their own languages by Galileans. Finally, there is the “personal prayer language” idea that seems to be present in 1 Corinthians 14, and possibly Romans 8.
It is difficult to be dogmatic about the existence and practice of the personal prayer language. The statement that most supports its existence, and promotes its practice is Paul’s thanksgiving that he speaks in tongues more than all of the Corinthian Christians (1 Cor 14:18).
However, it is important to look at this statement in its context; Paul is speaking about the corporate worship of Christians, and the proper usage of gifts like tongues and prophecy. In this context, some very helpful instructions are given that clear up much of the controversy about this gift. Let me try to summarize these insights as bullet points.

o Love is greater than all spiritual gifts, and every Christian is an important part of the Body of Christ, regardless of giftedness, or the lack thereof (1 Cor 12:12-27; and 13).
o Every Christian ought to desire spiritual gifts, including prophesy and tongues (1 Cor 12:31; 14:5, and 26-28).
o Those who speak in tongues edify themselves (1 Cor14).
o No one should pray only in tongues (1 Cor 14:15-16).
o When gathered together as a worshipping community tongues should only be used in decent order with the goal of interpreting, as tongues alone can become distracting, even hurtful (1 Cor 14:1, 13, 23, 32-33, and 40).

In conclusion, the Gift of Tongues is a valuable gift to the Body of Christ when properly understood and administered with love. This gift is of great encouragement to those who receive and practice it. It is a gift that may be for all believers in one form or another, and should not be under or de-valued, nor should it be overvalued. This gift can be used to edify the whole Body if used decently, out of respect for all others present, and accompanied by an interpretation.
I see that for most circumstances, those of us who experience tongues should use this gift in the privacy of our personal worship of God. If we sense that we are being empowered to deliver a message to the gathered Body through the vehicle of tongues and interpretation, we should also feel empowered by our community to do so, and pray for the interpretation. Those who do not speak in tongues ought to desire this gift, along with the greater gifts, and encourage the proper usage of this gift by others in the community.
There are two common usages of this gift that I see as out of spirit with the Spirit of Jesus’ teachings and the cannon of the NT. The first is when tongues is used as a litmus test, dividing the truly Spirit-empowered from the lesser. This is a travesty, no matter how “Biblical” the doctrinal support is. Second, the classic Pentecostal prayer meeting, where everyone tries to shout in tongues louder than the person next to her or him. Corporate prayer and worship requires the “Amen” of 1 Corinthians 14:17. The community must speak together to God in words that all understand. As mentioned above, the only apparent use for tongues in corporate prayer and worship is the message in tongues followed by an interpretation.

it's impossible - a poetic contemplation

It's impossible that You could be,
yet here You are
with me.

It is impossible,
and yet, You create possibility,
and I'm alive
despite the numbers of probability.

It is impossible that You would come,
the chances zero,
that an impossible God
would become a man
for the sake of me,
to die in humility.

Who stacked the odds?
You don't add up.
I can't find room for you in the smallness of my logic,
And Yet,
You are
breaking all my best bets
standing alone where nothing ever was.

defining my identity

In my recent reading (Exlusion & Embrace, Race Matters) I have come across an interesting theme: the evil of seeking to define identity, either as an individual or as a group.

First, seeking to define identity is based on a false premise; there is no absolute identity for us, as we form our identity in relationship with the people around us and the situations we find ourselves in. Groups are the same as individuals for this; as West says "there is no essential blackness", there also is no "essential whiteness" or "essential Americanness", etc., etc., ad inifitum. Identity is something always in flux between the give and take of relationships, and the constant action and reaction of life.

Second, seeking to define an essential identity is an act of violence. Usually, this violence is done to the other, as we scorn committing violence against ourselves. When we seek to define our own identity, we do so by excluding the other. For our identity to be pure and absolute, we must exclude the other from ourselves. Hence, selfish people push others out of their lives, and communities seeking absolute identity (like Arians), push others into concentration camps.

This is a very brief and simplistic outline of the argument. I hope to come back and give it a more thorough treatment soon.

professional athelete

I had my first ever real conversation with pro athelete last week. I met my mother-in-law's cousin, Jay Bell (of Pittsburg Pirates, and Arizona D-backs fame). He's actually retired now, but I think he's currently working with the Diamondbacks organization as some kind of coach, in his second year of retirement.

Anyway, I only report on it, because the guy was genuinely nice to talk to. Actually, I did something I've never done in a conversation before; I asked about his kids. Weird, eh? It flowed in the conversation, though. It was in no way random or prying.

I'm a bit of an anti-celebrity guy, so I don't make much of meeting people in the public eye. I found it somewhat refreshing to talk to this guy, and see how humble and real he is. There's more to what I'm trying to say, but it's totally eluding me.

To summarize: I enjoyed meeting Jay Bell.

The Day of Judgment

I was reflecting on John the Baptist's statement, "Look the Lamb of God!"

The Day of Judgment is a promise of hope for the upright. David and the Psalmists, the Prophets, too, longed for their deliverance and vindication by the hand of God before the Judgment seat. But, there is a problem…
Not one of us is righteous, not even one. David wrote that one, himself. None of us can even claim to understand what uprightness, in an objective sense, is. We are locked in our social constructs, blinded by our ego and Maslow’s Pyramid of Needs. Our hearts are crafty, and invent ways of doing evil. We certainly shall not be vindicated at the Day of Judgment, but declared guilty of small-mindedness, petty jealousies, and world wars.
But, God knows us in our context, which the Church Fathers have called “original sin”. God is merciful in the midst of our individual egos, seeking not to annihilate us into His being, but to recreate us in His own perfect state—an objectively upright existence. This is the other longing of the Bible’s poets and preachers, redemption, the coming of the Upright One who would suffer on behalf of all.
I do not claim to understand God’s justice. I do not grasp the Atonement. But, I recognize it as true. There is reconciliation through the Messiah, as each evil act and thought and word is put to rest with Jesus’ body. “It is finished,” and we need not learn war anymore!