Socialization

Over the course of this semester, I have been in a number of debates in which I find myself arguing against "community" as it is commonly stressed in some circles.

To clarify what I mean by the "community" that I argue against...I have discovered a term that better fits this sense of "community". That term...socialization. To be defined, socialization is something done to somebody by somebody else. This is the mentality of "community" at times. People within this "community" aim at pressing the way they do things (whether it is fellowship, discuss, work, etc...) into the lives of others. This can be beneficial. It can introduce individuals and groups to the rich resources of the Christian faith and specific religious traditions. It can add support and encouragement to someone's life.

However, there are also many bad aspects of this socialization. For starters, it can lead to pathological dependency. It can become something that you have to have and your ability to hear the voice of God (or perform other acts of faith) will become totally dependent upon this "community" that performed socialization on you. Another major problem is that it tends to encourage a group superiority complex and exclusiveness.

Any time that you are approached by a member of a socialization community and asked to change your behavior because it does not match what the "community" desires, you are suddenly slapped in the face with the fact that the norms and standards of the "community" are necassary to become fully a part of the "community". This sounds an awful lot like group superiority to me and an excluusion of anyone who does not meet the norms. Before you reply and tell me how important it is to follow a groups norms because of morality, ethics, etc..., please note that I am speaking of non-essentials here. I totally agree in the following statement:

In essentials unity
In non-essentials liberty
In all things charity

(I think I have that right)

It is often humurous to me that many times, within the "community" debate, I find myself being accused of having views that are dead wrong. I am often told that it would benefit me greatly if I changed my thoughts (this is often because people don't listen and take the time to discover what I am saying...they simply hear something that seems contrary to their beliefs, and I think that frightens them). The interesting thing to me is that it is rare for someone I am speaking to to acknowledge that there is a small chance...an astronomically small chance...that they are wrong. I will be first to admit...I MAY BE WRONG. Obviously, I do not think so...but it is a possibility.

I believe that community is something far greater than socialization. Community involves an acceptance of how each of us has been made differently by the same God. There is a reason that I am the way I am (please keep all jokes to a minimum in regards to that phrase). If I am forced into participating in a community that practices socialization, who I am will be snuffed out and I will cease to be who I am. And...as I have said a million times...one cannot know who he/she is in community, if he/she does not know who they are as an individual.

True community molds people into the likeness of Christ...not the likeness of themselves. The problem is that the majority of the time, we do not know that we are trying to form people into the likeness of ourselves. The ratiolnale is, "This is how God made me, so this is how God wants everyone to be." This is the breeding ground for socialization.

Just because I don't fit into the paradigm of what you believe community is, does not mean that we cannot have great Christian community. In fact, I challenge that we could have fantastic Christian community. The problem is that we must first understand that what community is may not look like what we are picturing.

I shall conclude my rant............now!

The Whipping Boy

As days pass to become weeks and weeks pass to become months, I become all the more aware that the time to graduate is rapidly approaching. Granted, I am not graduating until December of next year, but I have been here for one year thus far and it has flown by. So, I have no reason to think that the next year will be any different.

As I think of the coming years, I try to imagine what my life will look like and I see only a void. It is not something that I can predict. It is the first time, that I can remember, that my future has not been fairly clear. In fact, in trying to look past December of 2007, other than being able to tell you the "general" area that we will be in, I have no idea what to expect. I am terrified.

My wife is entertaining me by allowing me to read her a chapter every night of my favorite childhood book. I love this book! Reading it simply makes me feel good. Tonight we will complete this amazing text when we read the final chapter. The book is called The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman. It is a story about Prince Brat and Jemmy-From-The-Streets, who is the Prince's whipping boy. You see, you cannot whip the Prince, so each time he gets in trouble the Whipping Boy gets whipped.

Last night we read the chapter in which Jemmy and Prince Brat were in the sewers, running from Hold-Your-Nose Billy and Cutwater. They are the bad-guys of the story...the highway men...the scoundrels...the ruffians...you get the drift.

While they are in the sewer Prince Brat is scarred. So scarred that he grabs hold of Jemmy's hand (a little background...shaking hands with the Prince was forbidden...no one shakes the Prince's hand). Instead of letting go, Jemmy allowed Prince Brat to hold on and he led Prince Brat through the sewers because Jemmy knew which tunnel to take.

As I read this portion of the book, I find myself relating to Prince Brat. As I stand in a place that consists of looking for direction and some sort of plan, I find myself scarred. Prince Brat knew exactly what he was doing. Jemmy-From-The-Streets used to make a living as a ratcatcher. He did this in the sewers. Jemmy was in his element and Prince Brat was not. The Prince knew this and grab ahold of the one who is in his element.

As I stand in the dark, searching for the right path (or tunnel), I find that the only thing that I can do is reach for the One who is in His element. I think that this is part of ministry. Having things planned and organized is not the objective. Sure, we can plan things and organize things in our ministries, but we can only do it if we are connected with Jesus. When we lose that grasp on Jesus, we may stray down the wrong path. In the book, the wrong path would cause you to be attacked by thousands of rats and be eaten alive. If we lose our grasp on Jesus and head down the wrong path........our consequences may be far worse.

Tony's Mid-season Awards

On a few occasions I will deviate from the normal content of this blog. This is one of those times. Prepare yourselves for my very own NFL mid-season awards!
10 - NFL's biggest embarrassment goes to: Terrel Owens (This guy has no concept of what it means to be on a team. He is an amazing reciever. Imagine how good he would be if he would shut-up and play football. On a side note, if he is going to claim to be the best in the NFL, he hasgot to stop dropping balls. He has dropped way too many passes to be the best reciever in the league, or ever as he would lead you to believe.)

9 - NFL's worst rule goes to: Illegal contact (This rule, or the over-enforcing of this rule, is the number one reason that Manning broke Marino's TD record. It remains one of the main reasons that he continues to throw TDs. Watch the Colts a couple of times and see how often the defense is called for this violation. It is a lot...and usually it is the sort of contact that should be allowed. The enforcing of this rule came about because the Colts did not like how physical the Patriots were with them in the AFC Championship game...so they complained and whined. The rule is now enforced which may explain why the Colts get all the calls. This just proves that if you want to get your way...just whine and complain...maybe even cry about it...Peyton fits will here. With this rule in place, defensive backs should be called defenseless backs. But, I digress.)

8 - NFL's biggest disapointment goes to: Cincinnati Bengals (I thought at the beginning of the season that the Bengals were going to win the Super Bowl. I rarely switch teams in mid-season but they have me on the edge getting ready to jump ship.)

7 - NFL's most errogant team goes to: Pittsburgh Steelers (Come on guys. You were beat by the Oakland Raiders and your season has been flushed down the toilet, yet you continue to think that you are someone special. One Super Bowl and even Hines Ward struts like he is Terrell Owens. Any time they get a first down, they celebrate and jump around as if they just scored a 30 point touchdown. I guess with a QB like Roethlisberger, a first down is a big deal. Hate to break it to you guys...but you have already lost your crown as the NFL champs. Party is over. I think someone forgot to tell them that defending Super Bowl champions were supposed to defend their title.)

6 - NFL's worst pregame analyst goes to: Jerome Bettis (He wins this one hands down! Sterling Sharpe and Chris Collinsworth simply laugh at him every single Sunday night because he has no idea what he is talking about. Maybe he should just stick to the "Man Law" commercials. But, hey, I guess every show could use some comic relief.)

5 - NFL's worst Color Commentator goes to: John Madden (I am shocked that this man ever coached football. He never says anything of substance and always sounds as though he is explaining football to fourth grade girls. Secondly, he is one of the reasons that people like Ben and Peyton are overrated...because he never stops worshipping them. I think he has a shrine of Peyton Manning in his bedroom that he bows to every night...facing East of course.)

4 - NFL's most underrated team goes to: Miami Dolphins (I know, I know. You are probably saying, "He only says the Dolphins because he is a Dolphins fan!" Well, that is the benefit of it being MY list! We are going to see, however, that the Miami Dolphins will play havic with their opponents along the line in their chase for the playoff spots. Keep in mind also that Miami has the third toughest schedule throughout the rest of the season.)

3- NFL's most overrated team goes to: Indianapolis Colts (With a run defense that opens like the Panama Canal...they have no shot at winning the SuperBowl. Plus Manning will choke anyway...hence one reason he is one of the most overrated player category.)

2 - NFL's most underrated player goes to: Mark Bulger (Is this a surprise to you? If it is...it is probably because you have not heard that he has thrown for 2300 yards, 13 TDs, only 1 INT, and has a QB rating of 102.1. Pretty impressive for a guy you never hear about or talk about. By the way...he plays for the Rams.)

1- NFL's most overrated player goes to: Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger (There is a tie! Ben Roethlisberger is horrible. He has managed to lose games all by himself, which, I guess, is impressive that he does not need the rest of the team to help him. Ben has 7 TDs and 14 INTs!! He is better than Charlie Frye though...but not by much. And what about Peyton "The Cry-Baby" Manning, or Captain Choke as I like to call him. The analysts and announcers, especially Madden, treat him like he is just a small step from being Christ. Any time that a QB can throw four incomplete passes, that should have been completed, in a row and follow it with a five yard screen pass, and you hear someone say, "That is why Peyton Manning is the greatest quarterback in the NFL," you know that they are overrated. I wonder if his middle name is Midas. It seems, by listening to people like Madden and all the fans that are influenced by someone like Madden, that everything he does turns to gold. However, he can't seem to put a gold ring on his finger.)


So, there you have it! Tony's mid-season awards for the NFL. The winners of these awards will be notified in the coming days of their honors. I believe that the Steelers were notified of their award yesterday when they lost to the Broncos.