truth

The Haymaker’s Top Five Humbug Hymns

By Bob Hiller –

Here’s a little piece I wrote a few years back hoping to start some fun Christmas conversation. I hope you enjoy it! I know my mom wasn’t a huge fan…

This is the most wonderful time of the year for my ears. I am becoming quite a Christmas-music snob in my age. I liked Christmas music before it was cool (Can a hipster listen to Christmas music?). This is especially true when it comes to Christmas hymns. Advent and Christmas hymns are some of the most beautiful, haunting, and theologically rigorous hymns we sing all year. But the opposite seems to be the case as well: this is the time of year when some of our weakest, most heterodox, and downright strange hymns get loads of undeserved attention. It is rather frustrating that these hymns tend to be quite popular! But as with that abysmal “Do They Know Its Christmas?” by Band Aid (ugh…), no matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to get away from these hymns. Like the Grinch, I want to descend into WhoVille, bag these songs up, and remove them from the musical catalogue.  But you will very likely sing them in your church this season, despite their dangerous teachings. After all, orthodoxy is no match for nostalgia. 

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Rejecting the Intellect

By Caleb Keith –

The Christian faith is blessed with the ability to be informed and educated. The Lutheran Reformation highlighted and used this gift to its full advantage. Theologians were trained in Greek, Latin, Hebrew, History, Rhetoric, and Logic to better understand the Scriptures and clearly read what God revealed to the authors of the New and Old Testaments. Informed preachers and teachers were then called to proclaim the Gospel message to common people and train them not only to believe but to understand their faith.

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Answering the Basic Questions

By Scott Keith –

Not so long ago, right here on The Jagged Word, I made an offer to show up at any church within a reasonable distance of my house and participate in a Q & A session with any group of unbelievers a congregation could gather. So far, I have been invited to one congregation in Los Angeles and one Skype interview with a college from the University of Alabama. Needless to say, I am grateful for the opportunity to speak to real people who have real questions about life, faith, and salvation.

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How the Cigar Can Save America

By Graham Glover –

There is only one solution remaining. All others have failed. Democratic liberalism? No thank-you. Republican conservatism? Not a chance. Green Party environmentalism? Uh, no. Libertarianism of any kind? Never. Never. Never. My fellow Americans, we are down to our final hope. To save America, our country must embrace the cigar. I implore you to heed my call. The cigar’s time is now.

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Your Life Might Suck, and That’s Okay

By Joel A. Hess –

This past week, Mark Zuckerberg boldly put down three billion dollars with the brash goal of eradicating all illness by 2100. Why not, right? I admire his ambition. It is probably what got him to where he is today. Actually, his goal and dream has been pursued for some time now. It is quite a modernist pursuit for such a postmodern age; we can and will make everything better.

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Here’s to Hoping!

By Bob Hiller –

Football is back! Hallelujah! The dog days of summer are over! Joy has returned! Saturdays have purpose again! My Sunday post-church ritual is lined up. Though I am sure to see less of my Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos as I am now living in San Diego Charger territory, they will certainly be getting plenty of time in the national spotlight. In fact, you will be reading this blog the morning after Thursday’s season opener between the Carolina Panthers and the champs. Have I mentioned Denver beat up on Carolina in the Super Bowl? Anyhow, I hope that this blog finds you celebrating another Bronco victory.

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Should’ve, Could’ve, Would’ve

By Ross Engel –

In death, we often find ourselves playing the, “if only I had done ____” game. We plague ourselves thinking of all the things we should have done, or could have done, or would have done. “If only we had left earlier.” “If only I had recognized that this was taking place.” “I should’ve known better.” “I could’ve done something.” “If only I would’ve done this instead.” As we focus on these should’ves, could’ves, and would’ves,

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I Don’t Care How You Feel

By Caleb Keith –

Before everybody thinks I am a jerk, let me just say that I care about how you feel in the proper sense of the word that describes your emotional status. If you are happy, I am glad you feel that way. If you are sad, I sympathize with your distraught. I don’t care about how you feel in what I will call the “weak” sense of the word, that is the sense of the word which attempts to replace knowledge and indicative reality with uncertainty and personal probability.

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Gnostic Football and Virtual Church

By Bob Hiller –

Have you seen Super Bowl MVP Von Miller’s commercial for Madden NFL 17? It’s hilarious! Miller dances around with a few moves he no doubt gained from his stint on Dancing with the Stars to sell one of the world’s most popular video games. Perhaps what is most amazing in the commercial is not Miller’s dancing nor the heart-warming reminder that our Denver Broncos won Super Bowl 50 but the graphics for the new Madden. Since the days of Mario and the original Street Fighter II, I haven’t played many video games. But I am amazed at how realistic they have become. It is getting harder and harder to tell the differences between a game and the real thing.

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Behold, the Storm of the Lord

By Paul Koch –

People often ask me if I miss living in Georgia. When they do, my usual response is to say that I miss the people. You see, I don’t miss the bugs or the humidity or the lack of mountains but I miss the wonderful people I grew to know and love in Southeast Georgia. However, there is one thing that recently I’ve found myself longing for. I don’t know if it’s just our absolute lack of rain here in Southern California but I’ve begun to really miss storms. In Georgia we had storms that were unlike anything I had ever experienced. It was the type of weather that would grind a freeway to a halt in minutes. They were violent and powerful and beautiful all at the same time.

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The Eternal Subordination of the Son

By Scott Keith –

There is a theological disagreement stewing in the evangelical world with which I think the Jagged Mafia should be made aware. The controversy is over something called the Eternal Subordination of the Son (ESS). This week on the Thinking Fellows podcast, we talked with Elyse and Joel Fitzpatrick about the controversy, and the show has stirred up some lively conversation. What I’d like to do today is simply introduce our readers to what is going on, define some terms, and provide a very slight commentary.

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Unapologetically Apologetic: The Postmodern Need For Apologetics

By Joel A. Hess –

A couple of weeks ago, I had a fantastic conversation with one my faithful members at Emmanuel. He had something to say to me. As St. Paul makes clear to Timothy, I needed to listen and respect my elder. Quite frankly, my stubborn pastor heart has been #blessed frequently by the words of my mothers and fathers in Christ. I love it.

For some time, he had perceived that I taught that one had to have evidence of God’s claims in Scripture in order to believe. As he said quite eloquently, “God says it, I believe it!” How happy I am to hear God’s children speak like that! 

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Anti-Christian

by Ross Engel –

“You had a hogwash of a Baptism. You need to get yourself saved!”

I clenched my fists in anger and my heart broke as I heard a youth recount how he was told by the “pastor” of his Christian school that his Baptism was “absolute hogwash.” This administrator of his school had recently told him that he was “bound for hell” because he was a member of “that Lutheran cult church.”

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Guys – Stop ordaining our women!

By Cindy Koch –

I know you think it’s a helpful and progressive thing. I’m guessing you know some pretty amazing gals. I’m sure you’re concerned about sounding like a jerk. But stop it, for the sake of our women.

A leader of the church is someone amazing, but not because there is something amazing about the person. One is amazing because God puts gifts in his hands and words in his mouth. God chooses and uses things and people to deliver his gifts.

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Losing our Identity

By Cindy Koch –

Any self-reflective person questions herself at some point in life. Am I making the right decision? Have I walked the good path? Who am I, and what am I doing here? Surely, some people don’t care to examine the motivation that drives them. Some people don’t give the time to consider the outcome of their choices. But I suspect you are someone who ponders your identity.

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The External Word of Love

By Paul Koch –

Most of my colleagues agree that one of the least favorite things to do as a pastor is a wedding ceremony. Many times (usually over a few beers at a conference) I have heard the refrain, “I would happily do a funeral rather than a wedding, any day.” The reasons are sound; at a wedding you’re dealing with a whole lot of unknown factors and outside influences. You have bridesmaids and groomsmen who are usually unassociated with your fellowship. Photographers have no idea about the meaning of sacred space. Not to mention, the sometimes erratic mother of the bride will be there. You find that childhood wish-dreams and romantic ideals have as much bearing on things as church tradition and practice.

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Christian Education and The State

By Caleb Keith –

If you are in any way associated with Christian higher education, you are probably aware of California Senate Bill 1146 (SB1146). The bill threatens the way religious colleges operate in the state of California. To understand what the bill proposes, I read and re-read it several times last night. The essential function or purpose of SB1146 is to trap and punish religious higher education institutions who currently operate under a title IX discrimination exception. Under the current exemption, religious organizations can “discriminate” in their hiring and admissions practices so long as they are in line with their religious beliefs. For example, a Christian college may require all of its professors to be Christian and reserves the right not to employ non-Christians. Currently, schools which fall under title IX and certain California state exemptions can and often do receive federal and state aid.

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