Reflections of a Jazz Theologian

What's a Jazz Theologian?

A jazz theologian is someone who balances classical faith with a jazz-shaped faith.  

As we take the stage our ensemble can know that:

-We are practicing Christians.  Having spent sufficient time in the woodshed learning the standards we now syncopate, improvise and respond to the call of a love supreme.

-We creatively embrace unresolved tension as we walk with Christ and invite others to join the mystery.

-We have time rather than time having us.  This allows us to develop our ear so that we might serve others like Jesus.

-We seek a composed life that is guided by the eternal melody of the Word of God as we add our own voice.

-We sing the blues so as  not to waste any pain that may come our way.

-We follow in the footsteps of our "kind of blue" Christ offering our lives as statements to the renaissance that only he can bring.  

Are you in?

A Prayer from St. Augustines Prayer Book

I praise my God this day:

I give myself to God this day:

I ask God to help me this day.

Feel free to join in and pray improvisationally...what are your requests to God this day?

The Word in Jazz: Finding Your Voice (p1)

What is the Bible?  All too often we treat it like a science project:  Study it...develop propositions about it...defend it.

Now I'm all for serious Bible study.  We can only benefit from understanding the original languages and context.  However, we can't stop at this.

Approaching the Bible as a science project...dissecting it verse-by-verse, word-for-word...has great benefit, though we need to be very careful. If we are not, then we will be like the high school student who disects a frog and sees all of the inner parts but in the process the frog looses its' life.  What if that is what we are doing to the living word?

That's why I ask...

What if we experienced the word of God as a song that sets us free to compose, a melody that has room for our voice to join in with the ancients?

Hermeneutics--the art and science of Biblical interpretation.

We need this approach to scripture but it needs to be balanced with a "jazzaneutic."

That is...

• ...the art of knowing the scriptures by living them and experiencing them in community.
• ...the willingness to let the Bible interpret us no vice versa.
• ...seeing meaning not only in what is said but what is being done by the Biblical authors.

Some "jazzaneutic" guidlines:  When reading the scriptures ask...

• What isthe author saying?  (this will take care of the study part)
• What is the author doing? (this will open our eyes to the off beats--syncopation)
• Can I do that with and for others? (this will lead to improvisation and call & response. 

Did anyone take a shot at writing their own 23rd Psalm? 

Jazz & Soul Nights: Finding The Groove Live!

Tonight is our next installment of Finding the Groove Live! @ The Soiled Dove Underground.  We'll be looking at Finding Your Voice:  

What if there is another way to know the Scriptures?  What if we experienced the word of God as a song that sets us free to compose, a melody that has room for our voices to join in with the ancients?

Until we gather, stay in the groove,

robert

P.S. There are still a few tickets left online at www.soileddove.com

MJ

Here are two thoughtful articles in light of Michael Jackson's passing...

The Pop Reconciler by Ed Gilbreath

and

Michael Jackson:  Soloman Sans Wisdom--The king of pop had it all, yet the most important things seemed to ellude him by Chanel Graham

Following the one-handed man in San Antonio (p1)

We were looking for a Starbucks as the one-handed man passed by and over heard our conversation.  "The closest one is a quarter mile away in the hotel,"  he said.  

He offered to take us there and added, "I play the piano.  I could give you a concert while we are there."

With God, no moment is just a moment.  Rather, each is pregnant with the possibility of heaven shining through.  However, as I wrote in my book, the question is, "Do you have time, or does time have you?"  Often this is a defining factor as to whether or not we experience God's little winks and surprises.

To be continued...

Finding The Groove--What other's are saying...

The Discerning Reader posted a nice review about Finding the Groove...

Hey, I'm in the running for the 2009 Black Weblog Awards! Click on the icon and vote for me...Please!

RENOVARE' International Conference on Spiritual Formation

I'm here in San Antonio for the RENOVARE' International Conference.  It's hot and humid...but oh so worth it to hear from Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, John Ortberg, Max Lucado and Eugene Peterson.  

Today I had the privilege of speaking about the subject of my book, Finding the Groove, and tomorrow I will share with the conference during the general session.

Stay in the groove,

robert

Questions for Adam

What would you ask Adam?  Here are my questions.

Why didn't you say anything?

Too often we blame your wife for partaking of the forbidden fruit.  But you were there...RIGHT THERE! The scriptures say that, "she took some and ate it.  She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it."  (Gen. 3.6)  So the whole time Eve was being deceived you stood by in hushed silence watching her.  Why didn't you say anything?

How long did you wait?

John Eldredge was astute in pointing out that, "there was a moment in Eden when Eve was fallen and Adam was not:  she had eaten, but he yet had a choice...Adam chose Eve over God."  Wow...you sat there with the fruit in hand and pondered life with Eve in a fallen state verses life with God untarnished.  How long did it take before life apart from God seemed more desirable?

What was it like to walk with God?

You spent leisure time with the Creator.  Did he explain the platypus and mosquitoes?  It must have left a lasting impression on you for it seems that you told your great great great great great grandson about it.  Is that why Enoch decided to give it a try? (Gen. 5.21-24)

Do you know who Barry Black is?

Barry C. Black is the current chaplain to the U.S. Senate.  Appointed in 2003 he is the 62nd person to hold this position and the first African-American.  He spent thirty-nine years as a Navy chaplain earning the rank of Admiral and three doctorates along the way (ministry, philosophy & psychology). Now he walks the corridors of power serving as spiritual advisor to the nations most powerful elected officials.

His book, From the Hood to the Hill:  A Story of Overcoming, chronicles how unlikely his story is.  A child  of poverty and familiar with visiting social workers he credits a sovereign God who answered the prayer the prayer of his single mother...

"During her baptism, she asked God to do something special for her unborn child.  Later, she frequently reminded me that, because of her prayer, God had set me apart for holy use.  'You are different, God's child,' she would say.  'Never forget this.'  And I never did."

Now that you know who he is, pray for him! Chaplain Black spends his days providing spiritual direction to those we have entrusted with the direction of our country.  He provides non-partisan guidance for a flock of almost six-thousand Senators, their families and staffers. Daily leading them in multiple Bible studies and opening the Senate in prayer.  

As he intercedes for them, let us intercede for him.

Are you a Cosmo-Christian?

Skye Jethani (author of The Divine Commodity, which is a must read) has a post on his blog about what he calls Cosmo-Christians.  What about you...are you a Cosmo-Christian?  

Find out at his blog Skyebox.

Jesus on Death Row by Mark Osler

I just read Mark Osler's Jesus on Death Row:  The Trial of Jesus and American Capital Punishment.  It's worth your time for two reasons.  One, anything that reminds us of what our Savior did for our salvation will only serve to draw us nearer to our most merciful God.  Two, seeing Jesus as a death row inmate forces us to ask whether or not we are loving the least of these in our midst.  It is on this latter point that this book provides much fodder for debate.  As Osler writes, "The more we focus on that story of Jesus, the more the idea of capital punishment becomes troubling." (p4)

Osler says that the, "example of Christ is but one of a number of reasons that the death penalty is not compatible with the Christian faith."  He then reminds us of what Jesus did when he was asked about the death penalty in regards to the woman caught in adultery.

In John 8, Jesus was asked to opine on a lawful execution that was about to occur.  There was no suggestion that the defendant was innocent, or that the crime was minor by the standards of the day.  Jesus did not shrug his shoulders, summarily conclude that the death penalty was necessary or approved in the Old Testament, and walk away.

Rather, he challenged the gathered crowd:  A person without sin should cast the first stone of the stoning.  Famously no one did.  They did not have the moral authority to execute another person even when human law called for it.  Could his teaching be anymore clearer?  Jesus came upon the death penalty, about to be conducted and stopped it.  Imagine if he had come upon an abortion about to be committed and condemned it--I don't doubt that many would take that as an unambiguous moral statement.  (pp4-5)

Whether we support the death penalty or not, I believe we have to wrestle with concepts presented in this book if we are going to seek justice AND mercy in our world.  On the one had we have to take into account the rights of victims while living in a nation that now has a track record of sentencing innocent people to death row.

You can interact with Professor Osler at his blog Osler's Razor.

Obama's Pro-Life Appointment

When President Obama announced the White House Office of Faith-Based Initiatives and Neighborhood Partnerships many wondered if he was serious when he made abortion reduction one of the main goals.  

Today's news seems to indicate that he meant it...just read this 

President Obama Appoints Anti-Abortion Catholic

or

Obama's Pro-Life Appointment on Beliefnet

It's a bird...It's a plane...

Jesus on Death Row: The Trial of Jesus and American Capital Punishment

I just started a new book called Jesus on Death Row: The Trial of Jesus and American Capital Punishment. The author, Mark Osler, is a former prosecutor and current Professor of Law at Baylor University of School of Law.  I'm intrigued by his approach because he is looking at the trial of Jesus through the eyes of the US court system.  As one who is predisposed to a non-violent, consistent life ethic, I'm intrigued by the argument.

Finding the Groove--Now available on Kindle

My book, Finding the Groove:  Composing a Jazz-Shaped faith, is now available for all of you Kindle users as well...

Relationships in Jazz: Life in Concert

What a night we just had at the Soiled Dove Underground for another session of Finding the Groove Live!  We talked about how jazz offers an alternative to the models of the melting pot and the salad bowl when it comes to relationships, namely...

"Ensemble:  A unit of complementary parts that contribute to a sing effect.  From the French meaning, "together."  From the Latin, meaning "at the same time."

There are many characteristics to Ensemble Community, one of them is practice.  Life in Concert is made possible through practice...practice...practice!  In jazz practice takes many forms...

• Casual Apprenticships
• Jam Sessions
• Time in the "Wood Shed"

I think we are at the point in American Christianity where we need to distinguish between "cultural" Christians and "practicing" Christians.

So here are the questions:  What is a practicing Christian?  What should we expect from each other as followers of Christ?  If someone were to follow Christ and be in church for a number of years, are there certain things we should be able to count on each other for when it comes to life in concert?

To sum it up, how would you finish the following sentence:  A practicing Christian...

Finding The Groove--What other's are saying...

Thanks to the Englewood Review of Books for their review of Finding the Groove: Composing a Jazz-Shaped Faith.

Finding The Groove Live!--Jazz and Soul Nights

The next Jazz and Soul Night is this Tuesday. Tickets are available after services this weekend at CCC or at www.soileddove.com.

This month's show is going to blow your mind!

Can't wait to see you there,

robert