Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again.
Oh, if only I believed that were true. The reality is that if what I believe is determined by how I live, then you might rightly conclude that I quite often believe something else entirely.
Help my unbelief.
This blog is an attempt to articulate what it might mean to live as someone who wants to believe that the only way the world is changed is by death and resurrection. But between you and me, sometimes the thought of death and resurrection scares me. Nevertheless, I, like you, am a work in progress, a mess of skin and bone, a someone always being transformed.
My Confession
I inherited my practice of Christian confession though the unapologetic biases of the following individuals and movements:
- The humility and authenticity of musician and missionary Rich Mullins
- The cultural sensitivity, and music, of the Vineyard Network of Churches
- The intellectual honesty and faithful commitment of a handful of professors
at Colorado Christian Universityin exile. - The nonviolent Christian political engagement of John Howard Yoder
- The primary role of virtue ethics as Christian formation as articulated by Stanley Hauerwas
- The enthusiasm, provocation, creativity, and hospitality of my fellow cohorts in (e/E)mergence
- The faithful Christian commitment of my parents
I presently do my best to embody this confession in Denver, Colorado Durham, North Carolina Northeast New Jersey.
What I’m Doing Now
I’m currently working with the web department at Duke Law School. My interest in the web began back in 1999 when I helped create a small website for a band I was in (the site is still available, but I’m not going to tell you where it is!). I was fortunate to be in a number of different bands, and create a number of different websites, to the point that now I can build websites for a living. I still love music and performing, it’s just not as easy when you don’t share a house with 5 similarly minded guys. Fortunately, I’ve been able to apply a creative approach to developing websites, in the same way that I previously approached writing music.
Biblical Studies AND Web Development
From my perspective, Biblical Studies and Web Development require some of the same disciplines.
Exegesis requires the careful reading of documents with attention paid to the passages structure, literary form, and language, dialogue with other voices in Biblical scholarship, and application appropriate to the audiences cultural and geographical norms.
Web Development likewise requires careful analysis of documents (code) with attention paid to structure (form validation anyone?), literary form (strict or transitional?), and language (xml, html, php), dialogue with other voices in web space (API’s, RSS, Trackbacks), and an understanding of the needs of the audience (usability, accessibility).
While they seem noticeably dissimilar in practice, I think the examples above explain why I’m intrigued and challenged by both of these areas.
What Else Is Going On?
I’m also interested in music, computers (like my new Mythdora HTPC project), light automotive repair, and I can take some pretty decent pictures if the lightings right. Recreationally I enjoy non-competitive games of disc golf, pounding my Gary Fisher hard tail through the woods, and making a once a year pilgrimage for a weekend playing in the steep and deep.
Finally…yet most importantly, I have the privilege of being married to an extraordinary woman. Her name is Jenny and she’s currently working on her Theology Masters at Duke Divinity School.
