by Dr. Will — published on March 14th, 2009
Lafayette, Indiana
This past week’s American Idol featured Kanye West and Kelly Clarkson as their featured artists. Clarkson’s dynamic performance (she really is an outstanding artist) featured bonehead lyrics celebrating the relationship between two dysfunctional individuals who stay together to try and heal each other. Brilliant. Watch Oprah or Dr. Phil and rethink that message.
Then there was Kanye West’s hip hop performance featuring a denim outfit with a large bath towel inexplicably hanging out of his back pocket down to his ankle - evidently in case he perspired. His background singers included a guitarist wearing the kind of mask you wear to operate a chain saw and a singer with shoulder pads that looked like large boulders.
I used to think that the gap in age explains that I don’t understand or appreciate the artistic choices of young, popular artists. But then I remember that when I was young, older people thought that our outfits and forms of expression were immature and embarrassing. Of course I dismissed them. But in fact, they were right. Disco glam was inane and counter culture outfits were mostly a visual abomination. This is not to say that we should deny everyone their fun and stupidity. But it does mean that if you see a musician who opts for the face shield with no real reason then…yes…you are correct to note that they look like a moron. It’s okay to laugh.
by Dr. Will — published on March 5th, 2009
It’s been a terrible drop off - nothing yet in 2009. But I am going to try again and see what happens. I have experienced a big change since last year. In fact, two big changes. I am now enrolled in another doctoral program and am loving it. It is occupying a lot of my time but it is exhilerating. In addition, I have taken a position as the Pastor of University Church at Purdue. I am leading the service on Sunday and it has been an exciting experience. This once strong Presbyterian congregation had dwindled down to little or noting. My first Sunday there were 17 people. We are now averaging about 125 each week. People are enthusiastic for what we are doing. We are trying to do church differently. We are focusing on teaching the Bible, not preaching about the Bible. We are trying to elevate the intellectual rigor of the teaching out of respect for the University community. And we are reaching out to a multi-generational demographic including faculty, staff and members of the community. In particular we are trying to offer people who have had bad experiences with a Christian church - either hurt or bored - a new feeling about expressing their Christian spiritual yearnings. The focus of the experience is life application. It’s not about living as a religious person. It’s about living like a Christian…you know…love God and love other people. Yeah, that thing.
