steve-o
Introduction To The House of Carr
Introduction To The House of Carr
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Where We Came From

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This evening Kel, the kid, and I participated in a pastor's perk tonight as we got a sneak peak at the new Creation Museum of Answers In Genesis [AIG] in Northern Kentucky. There's been a lot of hub-bub recently, even talks of protest on their opening day, so I thought I'd give you my impressions on our experience. First, even though the facility isn't 100% finished, it appears that the finished product will be amazing. There were a couple annoying design features [a oddly located stairwell ends one part of the museum] but overall the construction was attractive. Adjacent to the museum is a garden area that, when fully matured, will be a place where couples will want to be wed. Kelly and I were saying that the quality of the displays and the overall ambiance was more impressive than the disappointing Freedom Center. I really can't believe they were able to do it all with private funds. AIG has definitely got the skills to pay the bills.

That being said, there was plenty there that left me scratching my head. Some of it was rather innocuous, such as a display of Moses holding the Ten Commandments written with the Masoretic vowel marks which were added thousands of years after Moses died [I'm a geek]. Some of it was just confusing, such as the bookstore being called Dragon Hall [OK, dinosaurs = real, dragon = not real, and the Dragon in the Bible is symbolic of Satan?]. Some of it was semantics, as they continued to pit "Biblical Wisdom" against "Human Reason" [so belief in the Scriptures is unreasonable?].

But, even after observing the museum, I found one thing disturbing more than any other: AIG speaks beyond the reach of Scripture. There are quite a few examples I could give here, but let me offer just one.

There is the concept known as Pangaea, which was the super-continent that was supposed to exist before plate-tectonics took over and spread them out to where they are today. This process, as evolutionary scientists propose, would have taken thousands, if not millions, of years. The AIG people suggest that it all happened during the Noadic flood, in a time period lasting little more than a year.

So they take a theory of Pangaea [which is not yet 100 years old] and try to fit it into the Biblical narrative; they attempt to explain certain natural topography by using Scripture. Now they could be right, or they could be wrong, but the truth is that they have no idea. So why even attempt to make a definitive statement? Because they accept the premise that the Bible has all the answers we have about everything [i.e., Answers In Genesis]. But Genesis 1 isn't meant to be a scientific reading. It's a way to let God's people know one inescapable concept that His people need to know: God created everything. Beyond that, we need to be careful how authoritatively we state what we know about creation.

But that lack of 100-percentness does not diminish our faith. For instance, I personally believe in the six-literal-day creation that AIG purports; throughout the museum was the Hebrew word "Yom" which means "day". But AIG states that if you don't believe in the six-literal-day creation that you aren't a true Christian. Friends, that's bunk. I would say it's imperative that you believe that God created the universe [isn't He the center of the universe, the only one who could offer grace?] but (dis)belief in one aspect of the creation story does not a(n) (un)believer make.

I have good Christian friends who don't agree with "six-literal days," not because God couldn't do it, but because it doesn't fit into an "old earth" point of view. "AH-HA!" AIG people cry. "They're letting popular science determine the way we view God!" But isn't trying to fit Pangaea into the Noadic Flood the same thing, accepting a theory as fact in implementing it in your Biblical interpretation? Why can't we accept that some things are unknown, and teach that faith is a stretch? Why do we feel a need to try to manipulate the Bible into something it isn't?

I really believe that the AIG folk are well-intentioned people but parts of this museum and their view of Scripture bother me.

So here's my final take on the Creation Museum:

1) Would I recommend that Christian parents take their children there? Yes. They did a very good job of trying to make parts of the Bible come to life. The rooms about Noah's ark did a great job trying to show the size and scope of the boat. Some of it was extremely graphic for younger kids [some rather "nekkid" Adam and Eve figures and skinned sheep sacrifices], but there is a benefit there. I think kids would find it fascinating.

2) Would I recommend that Christians take non-Christian friends there? Not really. There is too much in the museum that defies popular science with insufficient explanation. I think it would cause more harm than good, even though I think AIG sees at as a possible evangelistic tool. It's just me, but I'd say there are better ways to explain the message of Jesus than in this form.

3) Would I recommend that you go? Sure, why not? It's always useful to come to grips with the way you view the world and this museum is a good opportunity to do so. I'm not quite sure it's worth the $20 fee, but they gotsta make ends meet somehow. Judging from the license plates in the parking lot, I think people are going to come from all over to see this anyway.

On Friday we're going to the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History at Union Terminal. It's another opportunity to attend for free one of these museums. I'll be on the look-out to see how the pagan effort compares to the Creation Museum.

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First Class

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Went rather well. The course I'm taking is The Historical Jesus. Really enjoy the professor, Dr Dewey, who graduated from Havard Theological and was a member of the Jesus Seminar. For those unfamiliar with it, it's a literary critique of the Biblical narrative [specifically the gospels] to try to ascertain who He was and/or wasn't. A lot of Christians would absolutely struggle to sit through some of the discussion tonight; they'd see it as an affront to God. Unlike certain sit-com stars I realize that I'm not going to be able to lob a theological hand grenade that will instantaneously destroy this critique. And I'm cool with that so I'm approaching this class differently, not feeling like I need to defend God. God has some rather broad shoulders so I'm not sure he needs me to defend Him. So I'm going to be selective about my comments, taking it all in stride, seeing how the experience shapes my faith.

One of our "assignments" is to write down our image of Jesus and then revisit it at the end of the course. Interesting question to ponder. I'll post my thoughts here soon.

Otherwise, it'll be an interesting journey. Here I go . . .

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Breaking [Inaccurate] News

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I feel the need . . . the need for a mini-rant.I was a little angry early today when I heard that Chris Henry, maligned wide-receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, was in trouble again. This time a Kenton County Kentucky prosecutor claimed Henry tested positive for opiates, which would net him an automatic three months in jail. This would have to be the last straw, forcing the Bengals to cut him.

But then the source of my anger shifted as, apparently, the prosecutor now admits that he might be wrong. One test might be negative but the other test is still pending. So what motivated this attorney to come out and make such a strong statement? I'd say this guy wanted some media face-time. Already ESPN has picked up the story and who, lawyer or not, wouldn't want a sound-bite on SportsCenter?

Now if Chris actually failed a test, then this is all a moo point, as Joey from Friends would claim. But if he didn't fail a test then I would hope Kenton County would profusely apologize. And, who knows, maybe Chris could sue them.

I hate this situation because it forces me to defend a guy in Henry who can't seem to stay out of trouble. But his misdeeds don't ignore the fact that Kenton County was irresponsible in the way the disseminated information. What if Chris has finally decided to turn his life around? What if he he's figured out that a lucrative NFL career is more important than hanging with strippers? But because certain civil servants are more interested in feeling important by distributing inside information instead of the truth, then his road to restoration gets steeper.

In addition to this lawyer, where is the responsibility from the media here? Rather than trying to be first, maybe they might want to try getting their facts straight. Even if Henry is clean, the damage has already been done. He's again viewed as a deviant, now for things he hasn't done. In this age of instant news, the media needs to be even more responsible in the way they handle their jobs. An arrest/indictment is front page worthy but an acquittal is relegated to page 13? Where's their accountability? I had a friend go through a local media frenzy this year because of an indictment and I was disgusted by the lack of integrity the reporters brought to the table. False truths were aired and nothing can be done about it.

Then again, maybe we're all culpable because we want the latest news. We give in to our 24-hour news channels and websites not realizing that we're contributing to the system. I believe that the media can attain a balance between their speed and their accuracy.

Additionally, I'm feeling sorry for head coach Marvin Lewis. I still think he's the best thing the Bengals have done since Super Bowl 23. Sure, he's had some guys get into trouble, but he's coming into his own as an NFL coach. This, along with the AJ Nicholson arrest this last week [who, by the way, was released today and, interesting enough, his girlfriend is already admitting she made the story up], is another black-eye for a coach who's trying to get it right. The national media will continue to run with the over-used "the Bengals are thugs" storyline regardless of what happens in these cases.

Just one last comment: It seems like all of these Bengals keep getting into trouble in northern Kentucky. Maybe they'd be best served to hang out on this side of the river.

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Email I Just Sent

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. . . to my buddy Dale who is traveling in China for business this week. He asked if I wanted him to get me anything while there. My response:

Dear Dale,

Please get me a chicken from China. I have no other reasoning beyond the ability to sing the line from the Barenaked Ladies song, "Chickity china the chinese chicken You have a drumstick and your brain stops tickin'." If it is illegal for you to get me a chicken, then I will be disappointed.

My second choice would be something labeled "Made In China." I don't think I've ever owned anything from there before.

I trust you will do your best.

School's In For Summer

I didn't have much to say last week as I was trying to live it up. I feel I'm losing a portion of my life: I go back to school tonight.

It's been five years since I finished my Masters degree and I now find myself going back for more. But at that point I was wrapping up 21 consecutive years of schooling. I have to admit that, in those last few months of academics, I was mailing it in. I was still excited about learning, but not about school.

I think this time off has done me rather well. I've been free to read what I want to read and explore in-depth the topics of my choosing. Now I'll again submit to course plans and assigned readings, forcing me to be more disciplined again. It could be just what I need. I'll take two courses this summer [one until Independence Day, the second through Labor Day] and a couple more in the fall. Hopefully I'll wrap this up by Christmas of next year.

But with the twinges of anxiety I feel, I'm rather stoked. I'm looking forward to this new challenge. I even bought a Xavier shirt a couple of weeks ago to get some new school spirit.

It'll be good.

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Getting Organized

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I've been loving the Canon S3 IS that I got for Christmas. I'm getting more comfortable with the settings and how to get the best pictures out of it. I have a ton of pictures I had yet to show off so I carved out some multi-tasking time while watching The Office finale tonight and uploaded them to my Flickr page. So if you get incredibly bored, check them out. Additional motivation: plenty of Kaelyn pictures to peruse.

Mr Mom

I've had a lot I've wanted to write about the past few days but haven't found the time. I've been busy. I've been playing the role of single parent.

Kelly had the opportunity to travel to Missouri the past couple of days for work, so it's been just me and Kaelyn the past two days. Fortunately we spend enough time alone together that I didn't think it would be a big deal. But the longest we've ever been alone is like 10 hours. So this length of time, sun-up to sundown, has been more involved than I thought. Kelly's on her way home now, and will be here when Kaelyn wakes up in the morning. The past couple of days has got me thinking.

First,  I absolutely love spending time with my daughter. She's only fifteen months old, but she has a great sense of humor. No matter how many times she insists on playing with the television [the most consistent cause of corporal punishment] she always comes back with something that cracks me up. Also, she's quite the people person. We ran some errands the past few days and everywhere we went she would interact with people. I went to Bursar office [apparently the place where they take  your money] at Xavier today and Kaelyn immediately reached out to the woman helping me with my account. As I paid my bill a group of five people in the office we surrounding Kaelyn amazed at how friendly she was.

In a related note, I'm continually amazed at how people react to a little child. Wherever we go, people smile more at us; whereas I usually start conversations, people will talk to me uninitiated. The premise of the movie Children of Men [still a must rent, if you haven't seen it] was that the world was a darker place without children in it. I guess I never really noticed until it became my child that everyone focused on.

The last inescapable lesson is how incredible my wife is. She does a phenomenal job caring for our little girl. I really didn't drop a Mother's Day post, but I'm always letting my wife know how awesome a mother she is. Before Kaelyn was born, Kelly always wondered if she'd be a good mommy. I knew she'd rock at it. And she does. Thanks, Kel, for being the best mother Kaelyn could ever ask for.

I can't imagine how single parents do it. I guess they just rise up to the call. Those are some incredible people who balance work and family all by themselves.

As for me, I'm looking forward to having Kelly home.

Come On, DJ, Play My Song

I would say that Susan Cagle is one smart cookie. The aspiring musical artist was searching for a schtick that would get her some publicity so she pens the song Dear Oprah. Of course, Mrs Stedman has her own her show to perform her song. Needless to say, people now know who Susan Cagle is. One of the lyrics goes like this:

"Dear Oprah, Have you ever felt like breakin’ down/ when there ain't no one who cares around/did ever you feel this way back in the day so blue/ what did you do?"

I'm thinking I should do something similar in an effort to get some free publicity for Echo. Since Oprah's already taken, I'll have to set my sights on another target.

Be on the lookout for my single, Dear Jerry, to be released this fall. One of the lyrics will probably be:

"Dear Jerry, have you ever felt so strung out/hosting a show featuring little people being tossed about/ Steve's bald head creating a glare/obscuring the view of a tranny's bare derriere."

That's all I have so far.

Speaking The Truth

The Reds suck this season: true. We're looking for scapegoats: true.

The easiest target is always Ken Griffey Junior: true.

But he isn't an acceptable scapegoat because he's playing well this season: true.

Even better, Junior's having fun this season: true.

At least Junior tossing his jock-strap to a heckler gives us something fun to talk about this season: true.

Nothing but blue skies for the Redlegs for the rest of the season: false.

Did I Miss Something?

Watching television yesterday and there was a commercial for the 20th anniversary of Dirty Dancing. I wasn't paying attention until I heard Patrick Swayze make the follow statement:

 "It was a film about the rediscovery of innocence."

Really, Patrick? Because besides the whole "nobody puts Baby in the corner" thing, I'm not sure the flick rediscovers anyone's innocence. You sure you're thinking about Dirty Dancing and not To Wong Foo: Thanks For Everything?

Not Easy Being Green

I guess one of the reasons I have distrust of the environmental lobby is their elevation of the importance of the earth above we who inhabit it. Case in point, this new study that recommends that saving the world is as easy as not having kids. Crazy. I thought the point of "going green" was to preserve the world for the next generation. But in order to preserve the world we need to eliminate the next generation?

I'm confused.

HT: Tyana

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Yikes [Apologetically Speaking]

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If you haven't already, set the DVR to Wednesday's edition of ABC 's Nightline for the great atheist debate . There is already some leaked footage out on the interwebs [here and here] and it does not look good at all for our side. I'm not sure how ABC will edit it, but it from what I've seen, it looks brutal. Pray for a video malfunction that destroys the footage. Or if you have a time machine, now would be the time to go back a few days and stop this thing from taking place. You know the adage, "never take a knife to a gun fight"? Ray and Kirk were certainly not packing. And they had butter knives. Plastic butter knives. With butter still on them.

If anything, maybe this will be a good thing for evangelical Christianity in the western world. It could be a watershed moment when we finally realize that the rest of the world won't let us get away with surface scientific knowledge and hollow metaphors.

I know I'm coming off as extremely critical, but it was rather arrogant of Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron to think they could walk into this debate with pretty little arguments that work on inebriated folk enamored by a television camera and convince  them that God is real. It's just not that easy.

Welcome to the revolution, guys. These people don't play nice. Either you have to go into these things with double-barrels-a-blazin', with a solid philosophical/epistemological background, or don't bother showing up to the O.K. Corral.

I'll be watching tomorrow night. But I'll probably be embarrassed.

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Get Your Geek On

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Now for something cool that you might not care about: they've discovered the tomb of Herod the Great. This is the Herod who ruled when Jesus was born, the same lunatic who ordered the massacre of the innocents in Bethlehem in about 4BC [wrap your mind around the wonderful dating: Jesus was actually born four years before he was thought to be born]. As we've been studying the book of Matthew at Echo, I actually taught an entire message about Herod [audio here].

As bad as Herod comes off in the Biblical narrative, he looks even worse in other sources. Herod was paranoid, to the extent that he had both his favorite wife and son killed, prompting the Roman Emperor to remark, "better to be Herod's pig than his son." He also wanted all of his officials to commit suicide upon his death; nobody followed through. Herod was buried in the Herodian, a massive mountain-like structure a few miles away from Bethlehem. It was here that archaeologists finally found his resting place. But, since Herod was so hated, it appears that the grave was desecrated shortly after his death.

Of course, this discovery doesn't prove that the Christian faith is true, but it does continue to reaffirm the historical validity of Scripture. I take certain delight in the way people unfamiliar with the Bible quickly dismiss it as fake or unimpressive. The Bible continually goes out on a limb by citing historical events and locations; and these facts are continually proven to be legitimate. When deciphering the meaning of life, it's difficult to ignore the Bible.

Oh, and Herod's still dead. But Jesus is alive.

Between Two Worlds

Here's what I'm thinking tonight: I've found myself engaged in quite a lot of dialogue lately concerning theology. While I always welcome lively conversation, I find it can be especially frustrating.

I feel like I live between two worlds.

One one side, I'm a fundamentalist. Because I hold certain doctrines such as the divinity of Christ and the authority of Scripture to be non-negotiable, I'm seen as an old school Bible thumper.  Because I believe that Jesus is the only way for salvation I'm called "intolerant" or "bigoted."

On the other side, I'm a liberal. The church tradition from which I come, the independent Christian Churches, is known for being anti-intellectual, and rightly so. In the early twentieth century the intellectual movement among Western Christianity was driven by Biblical liberalism. People questioned essential doctrines and our churches responded by rejecting any intellectual approach to the Scriptures. It was a "God said it, I believe it, that settles it" response. So now, among some people in my fellowship, I can be perceived as a liberal; since I refuse to endorse certain extra-Biblical teachings, I'm just as wrong as the agnostic or the atheist.

So on one side I face people who believe nothing is concrete, a laissez faire approach to spirituality where everything goes. And on the other side, I'm confronted by those who believe that we know everything about God and there is no room for disagreement.

And there I am, the middle child, trying to play peacemaker. It's a good life.

I'll admit, it's an easier existence to live in one of those two worlds. When you live in the liberal world where everyone's right, you think it means everyone will be happy. But inevitably, someone's "rightness" infringes on your "rightness."

When you live in the fundamentalist world where everyone's wrong, it makes identifying the wrong people easy [anyone who disagrees with you is wrong]. And that's all well and good until you realize that everyone else in the entire world, in addition to 99.9% of all the people who ever lived, are wrong.

So, in which world do you live?

I'm naive enough to believe that there is room enough to live between the two worlds. There is truth from God that needs to be recognized, but there is also much that is mysterious about Him. There is voluminous information that can be discerned from examining creation and the Scriptures, but there is a limit to what we can pronounce undeniably. Unless we're prepared to dwell in a faith that's black and white with shades of grey, we'll beat our heads against brick walls trying to grasp the complexity that is God.

So even though it's a pain, I choose to live between these two worlds with the hope that dwelling here will somehow make a difference.

And that's what I'm thinking about tonight.

Obscure Sports

I like a wide variety of sports. And since I'm ticked off at the Reds bullpen [again] for blowing the game tonight, I thought I'd give a little coverage to some of those sports I don't discuss much. Soccer: I love the sport but I don't get to see a lot of games of my favorite team, Manchester United. They're having a pretty good year in the Premier League [English Soccer League] and the FA Cup [tournament of all the teams in England, like the Florence Freedom getting a chance to play the Yankees], but the big deal has been their performance in the UEFA Champion's League. This is a tournament of all the best club teams in Europe, which Manchester United won in 1999. Man Utd was in this year's semifinal and all they had to do to advance was win or tie against Italian team AC Milan. I watched the game Wednesday and they got thrashed. Seriously, it was like watching the Buckeyes lose to Florida in the BCS Championship game all over again. Not a good showing, at all.

Hockey: I've probably watched 24 minutes of hockey all year. Doesn't help that almost all the games are televised by a network that nobody has. But I've had to take note because my favorite team is doing pretty well. In the mid-1980's, my neighbor took his son and me to watch a exhibition hockey game down at Riverfront Coliseum. It was then that I became a New York Rangers fan. I watched their entire Stanley Cup run in 1994. It's been a rough few years but they've had a pretty good playoff run this year. They swept their first series and, after a slow start, evened up their current series with the Buffalo Sabres. They got a gimme non-goal call this last game that helped them out. Me and The Dale [fellow Rangers fan who grew up a little closer to New York than me] might have to wear our Rangers jerseys to church on Sunday.

Horse Racing: Ever since I married a Kentucky girl, and inherited a father-in-law who is fascinated with race horses, I've enjoyed watching the Triple Crown. And since touring Churchill Downs a couple of months ago, I'm pretty excited for the Kentucky Derby this Saturday. Street Sense is the easy pick, a 4-1 favorite, but I'm really liking Any Given Saturday right now. I'm not going to lock in my pick just yet, but that's where I'm looking.

Curling: Currently, no news to report.

Thought 'O' The Day

Today is the National Day of Prayer here in America. Nice for Christians, annoying for atheist. An atheist blogger I regularly check out made this observation about today:

Today's the day to take action instead of idly praying. Worthy actions include: Giving blood, signing up to be an organ donor, helping a stranger, or donating money to your favorite secular non-profit so they can continue the good work that they do!

So his take [obviously a result of his atheism]: prayer is a futile, so be productive and do something that will make a difference.  But I think if you remove one or two words from that statement, it could've been made by today's social-justice-inclined church-- that worshipping the Living God on Sunday is not as effective as getting out and performing good deeds. Just this past week during the evening news, I heard a minister state that "unless the church gets out and does something, then we're useless." Staple that to a phrase a read from another minister this week: "if your church shut its doors, would your community protest?"

Sounds Biblical, right? But is it?

I recognize that for years the church was inwardly focuses, too much so, that we began to support random acts of kindness. It was all well and good until people begin to adopt it as their driving theology; that eradicating hunger and poverty ought to be the church's top priority. While that can be a positive byproduct of the gospel, it isn't its focus. We Christians are called to be more than good-deed doers.

There's much more that I need to write about this, because some of you might be offended that I hold this stance. I'll try to get some more thoughts up about it soon. But I will say now that if we, as the church of Christ, exists only to perform good deeds and make our communities like us then we seriously need to check our priorities. Christians don't own the market on trying to make the world a better place.

Even the atheists do that.