One of my favorite movie scenes comes from 2012's Argo. Ben Affleck's protagonist is a CIA officer who specializes in clandestine operations. He's in the CIA Director's office trying to get the agency's approval to use the fake Hollywood production of a Star Wars-esque science fiction film for an Iranian hostage extraction. His character contends, "There are only bad options. … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Experiments with Finding the Best Bad Idea
Christian culture
Beatnik Christianity Leaves Room for Introversion and Solitude
John Wesley once preached, "Christianity is essentially a social religion; and that to turn it into a solitary religion, is indeed to destroy it." We can't go it alone. We need community. Got it. The trouble is, people have stripped Wesley's perspective of its nuance. In the following paragraphs he explicitly acknowledges that no time alone is bad for the soul and says faithful … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Leaves Room for Introversion and Solitude
Beatnik Christianity Extends the Trajectory from the Golden Rule to the Platinum Rule
Just about every great religious and philosophical tradition has some version of the Golden Rule. It's an ethical framework dating back some 4,000 years to ancient Egypt. 2,000 years ago, at a time when common Jewish thinking was "an eye for an eye" retributive justice, the Sermon on the Mount upped the standard. In the context of explaining our heavenly Father giving good … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Extends the Trajectory from the Golden Rule to the Platinum Rule
Beatnik Christianity Discerns Technology’s Value through the Lens of Community
It’s commonly thought the Amish are anti-technology. This is false. What the Amish believe is new technology should be discerningly considered by the entire community over time before it is adopted. It's a slow and community-wide cost-benefit analysis. So, for example, because they value being self-sustaining, most Amish communities have chosen not to be on the electrical grid … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Discerns Technology’s Value through the Lens of Community
Beatnik Christianity Reprioritizes Friendship As One of the Most Important Things in Life
My appreciation for the atheist contrarian Christopher Hitchens was cemented by a Vanity Fair article entitled "Unspoken Truths" that was written shortly before his death. The piece chronicled his experience losing the ability to speak as the cancer attacked his vocal chords. In it Hitchens expressed a core value that had been subconscious all my life: "For me, to remember … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Reprioritizes Friendship As One of the Most Important Things in Life
