Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl

If you haven’t heard the buzz regarding N. D. Wilson’s Notes From the Tilt-A-Whirl, you need to check out the following videos, and then go buy the book and the film.

The Trailer

A Snippet

An Interview

The Website

Jesus is the Lord of Culture and of Politics

When I decided to name my blog “Reforming Politics & Culture,” I did so for a few reasons.

1) Culture involves almost everything … everywhere

1. Your Home – family, books, music, entertainment, etc…
2. Your Church – worship, theology, friends
3. Your Community – workplace, entertainment, friends, organizations, etc…
4. Regional trends – Bible Belt, small town communities
5. National trends – pop culture, pop music, entertainment, sports, and anything that catches the eye of Mammon

2) Culture is your life and everything that affects that life.  If we’re not reforming our lives and our surroundings, we’re failing to live as Christians.  Reforming culture is crucial to the Kingdom – it’s all about the Great Commission.  Discipling the nations means impacting culture.  Living the Word to your friends and family.  Spreading the Gospel.  That’s what Reforming Culture is all about.

3) Politics is an aspect of our culture, and I’d like to think about it more generally than most.  I’m not just talking about Representatives and Senators and Presidents.  Politics includes:

1. Community involvement, particularly in volunteer organizations.
2. Negotiations between various groups of people.
3. Navigating possible disagreements in a way that preserves peace and achieves the end goal.
4. Community building and local change.

There’s a lot that goes into making a community what it is, and making it better, and most of it is political.  People have agendas, and they like to be represented well and see the fruits of their labors.   Helping these groups along takes some measure of political involvement.

4) What I’m interested in accomplishing with the “Reforming Politics” portion of this blog is providing commentary (both from experience and observation) on various political realms, and thinking through ways to accomplish the necessary steps that encourage smaller and better local government, more community involvement and problem-solving on issues that affect the local level, and proper political representation at the state and national levels.

5) What’s the goal?  Conversation that builds up and helps us think about what we can do to be more involved in our communities in ways that will build stronger relationships, fiscal responsibility, social responsibility and Christian charity.  The future of our country and ultimately the world depends upon local communities having those strong ties that enable them to carry their own burdens in faith that Christ is King and Lord over all.  It is not the state or the Fed’s duty to babysit us, but our duty to keep our local citizens from relying on the Nanny State for help that isn’t theirs to give.

6) Last, but not least, politics and culture are closely connected, whether we know it or not.  If we want to change the political atmosphere, we have to change culture.  Jesus is the Lord of Culture and of Politics.