Response to Tiffany Orr - On Calvinism and Holy Hip Hop

Today, I plugged the keywords "Calvinism" and "Holy Hip Hop" into Google's search engine. To my surprise, in the very first hit I read my name. Who could be writing about me? Tiffany Orr is the answer. Tiffany Orr, who I know nothing about, took it upon herself to critique my Facebook notes on Calvinism and Holy Hip Hop.

Click HERE to read her piece

And here is my response:

Orr,

I stumbled across your critique of my Facebook notes about Calvinism and Holy Hip Hop and let's just say, I'm not impressed.

First, it's important when critiquing someone's writing to *ACTUALLY* read what they've written. Since you have set yourself up as an "examiner," I expected to read a half-way thorough examination. What I read instead was a poorly thought-out and executed internet flame with more mistakes and staw man arguments than I would expect to find in a fifth-grade book report.

Your title, for example, with a question mark following "Ministers of the Gospel" implies someone has made the assertion that Calvinist HHH artists are not ministers of the gospel. Who made such an argument? Did you read a different set of Facebook notes about Calvinism and Holy Hip Hop written by a different T. C. Moore? Because no such argument was ever made. In fact, the *EXACT OPPOSITE* statement was made emphatically!

"Artists like The Ambassador are incredibly gifted by God and I am confident they are having a powerful impact on people through their music and ministries. I do not want anything I am about to write to be misconstrued as an attack on these men and women of God. I have nothing but the utmost respect for Deuce and any of the other artists I will reference in this note or part II."

Did you miss that part? Or did you even read the notes at all? Obviously, if you did in fact read the notes, your comprehension skills need improvement.

Not to mention, you never actually argue that Calvinist HHH artists are in fact ministers of the Gospel. So, I am forced to conclude it is still a open question in your mind.

Second, you say, "Moore said he began to be alarmed by all the Calvinist theology Holy Hip Hoppers were espousing. And gee, even some Holy Hip Hop artists, such as the Ambassador, even have degrees in theology."

Did you read an argument against getting theology degrees in these notes? Can you imagine a reason why a seminary student like myself would be arguing *AGAINST* ministers getting theology degrees? Your lack of coherence here is astounding.

Third, you say, "... those who preach Calvinism are preaching the theology of the oppressed."

I'm not even sure how you got this point so very wrong. I'm genuinely stumped. The note does not say Calvinists are preaching the theology of the oppressed. The note says Calvinism is *NOT* the theology of the oppressed. That is why the heading of that section is: "Calvinism is Not the Theology of the Oppressed." And the point of the section is that Calvinism supports oppression, reinforcing systems of oppression. Again, actually reading the piece you are attempting to critique would prevent most of these amateur errors.

(Another tidbit of advice for a budding "examiner" ...examine the headings of a piece carefully, they are usually important.)

Fourth: "I don’t know why Moore wants to beat down Holy Hip Hop artists for expanding on the scriptures in an informed way."

The word you were looking for is "expounding." Biblical scholars "expound" on the Scriptures, they don't "expand" them. Unless of course you meant to imply that they are adding to the word their own biased opinions. In which case, they should indeed be rebuked. In the future, if, as it appears, you have no concept of what goes into biblical exegesis, it would be more wise to say nothing.

"...the Bible clearly illustrates the idea of Election. Ephesians 1 is just one of the chapters in the Bible that deals with the issue."

Yes, Eph. 1 discusses election, and it is so clear that theologians have only been debating this doctrine for hundreds of years. I'm sure they are all so grateful that you've finally put the entire misunderstanding to rest. Where was *YOUR* theology degree from again?

And finally, the kicker...

"What is so wrong with God electing people to pain, misery, exploitation, and despair?"

Hmmmm, let's see. How about, for starters, God is not evil. Remember that whole thing about the God of the Bible being pure, holy, and righteous? ...thats it.

You might be confusing the God of the Bible with another biblical figure called Satan. You cited Jesus' healing ministry as evidence of God's election of people to pain. Are you sure? Peter disagrees with you. He proclaimed Jesus "healed all that were oppressed of the devil," not God. (Acts 10.38)

"I think Moore has a problem with God’s justice."

Orr, what do you know about God's justice? You claim God want's people to be in poverty. Perhaps you have never experienced true poverty and that is why it is a matter you can treat so callously while ignoring the biblical truth about justice. What follows is a mere sampling of the dozens of passages that teach oppression of the poor is injustice that God abhors!

"I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy." - Ps. 140.12

"The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern." - Prov. 29.7

"If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still." - Ecc. 5.8

"Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless." - Is. 10.1-2

"This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not turn back. They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name." - Amos 2.6-7

"For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts." - Amos 5.12

Orr, I am deeply saddened that you have so blindly accepted Calvinism and defend it so very ignorantly. I strongly recommend that in the future, you not weigh in on matters of which you clearly demonstrate you have no grasp.

~T. C.

"Taken" by His love - Guest post by Osheta Moore

So, TC and I are big movie people. Well, more him than me. I use movies as a sleep aid. I'm asleep by the middle and instantly wake up at the credits. It drives TC crazy. So I make it a habit to put on my PJs, drink a glass of milk and cuddle on the couch with a blanket whenever he pops a DVD in. Not really, it's not intentional, it's just we have two very different tastes in movies. He loves a script driven movie with either lots of action or thought provoking plot lines. Combine the two and it will leave an impression on him. The Matrix I would say is one of his favorite movies and our daughter is named Trinity partly because of it. I on the other hand, love a good romance. I love seeing the journey a man and woman take together as they explore their love for one another and how that loves leave an indelible mark on their lives. I love seeing the workaholic wall street tycoon get a second chance at love through an angel's intervention. I love seeing the immature shopaholic find her purpose while learning to discern between love that is reciprocal and nourishing and love that is conditional on receiving the minimum payment due on the line of credit. For me, a movie is a sort of escape. I see so much of the ugliness in the world, that I really want to be reminded that there is beauty, that there is laughter, that there is joy, that there is love. But, two nights ago I chose to watch a movie that wasn't a romance or even a comedy. Two nights ago, I got a 90 minute look at the sex trafficking industry. I saw women objectified. I saw men with callous, evil hearts. I saw families grieve. I saw a father's relentless mission. And I saw my Heavenly Father's passion for his daughters.

To preface this, TC has been gone for 5 days generating support at his home church in IL and spending time with family. So, when he said "Babe, you've got to watch this movie with me!" I was all over it. Anything to sit next to him for a while after being apart for several days! When I saw the trailer for "Taken" I immediately knew that I wanted to see it. But in the trailer it shows a woman alone in her house getting taken by scary black-clad men. So I, knowing my low tolerance for anything too violent or haunting decided to put the movie out of my mind. The movie is about a CIA agent who retires to spend more time with his 16 year old daughter named Kim, whom he had spent little time with as a little girl because of his profession. She talks him into signing a consent form for her to go to Paris under the guise of an educational summer trip. Really the girl was planning on following U2 across Europe! So her dad finds out, make extra rules for her to follow while there (call when she gets there, give him the phone number to where she will be staying etc. )because he knows the underbelly of Paris and wants to protect his daughter. Well, her and her friend meet a charming and sexy-accented hottie at the airport, divulge too much information about their situation they tell him they are alone in an apartment and gives him the apartment number. All the while, the charming hottie is actually bait for beautiful American women. The girls get taken (hence the movie title) by a Ukrainian sex trafficking organization and Kim's father goes on a rampage through Paris to rescue his daughter.

As I was watching the movie it really hit a nerve with me. Not so much because of the despicable sex trade industry. That's horrible and it angers me just thinking about it. I have a friend who is passionate about bringing awareness and being the light of Christ in this dark corner of humanity and I am blown away by her. So I went into this movie with a little bit of preparation for that aspect of the movie. I was not prepared to see the gospel in that movie. I saw a woman's fear of her Heavenly Father, a woman's rejection of her Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Father's plan to redeem his daughter.

Kim, has a general distrust of her dad. He wasn't around very much when she was a child and when he was around she carried a significant fear with her. She says in the beginning of the movie, she always wanted to ask him what he really does that takes him away from her so often. When her dad drew her out on that, she tells him it's because she is afraid she wouldn't like the answer. So there's an element of wanting to know him, but feeling as if he is unknowable that he's maybe too dangerous to know, or that she'll be disappointed with what she finds. She also has a mother and step father that feed her distrust, by making sly comments and by treating him with disdain in her presence. And I immediately thought of all the women in the world that are believing lies about God. That as a young girl looked up at the beauty of the stars and knew there was Someone who made them and she knew that Someone made those stars for her. A love offering from a Daddy to his daughter. And her heart was glad. But as the enemy worked out his plan, the stars were shrouded by the fog of deception. One by one she lost sight of the stars and all she saw was nothingness. Black, empty void and hope was lost. Maybe she still believes the stars are there, but not the Creator. And so, fear and distrust become her new companions. She begins to believe that God doesn't love her because this bad thing happened or this good thing didn't happen. She begins to believe God is angry with her because she once believed but now struggles, and she's too afraid to ask him the truth. She begins to believe that her worth is in her body because that's real, that's tangible, the sensations are physical and really what does a deity that you can't see have to offer in comparison? In Kim I saw a woman completely ignorant to the powerhouse of a father sitting next to her in the car and I wonder how often I forget the ardent love of my Father and the resourcefulness that rests in His hands.

Because of her deep distrust of her dad she pays no attention to his cautions. She doesn't call her dad and she's not truly apologetic when he asks her why she's not following the rules. She pulls the standard, "you're ruining my life and you don't want me to have fun" teen bit. She's self-centered and unaware of how fragile her comfortable reality is. Until she is taken. She is taken into a world where sex sells, where it's not personal it's business, and where her only hope in staying alive is up to the man pumping her body with heroin who hopefully doesn't accidentally give her an overdose. She's turned into an addict and plans are made to violate her innocence and it's all because of her rejection of her father's care. And I think back in my life where I pulled the, " you want ruin my fun God" card and I had fun. Short-lived but costly fun. Fun that sometimes cost me relationships and fun that cost me my innocence. Fun that as I look back was an infection masquerading as a cure. Watching Kim, my mind filled with images of women armed with anger and accusations for the Lord turning away from the Lamb to cuddle with the wolf.

But because of who he is her dad goes to rescue her. Bryan Mills-the father, is a CIA agent with an arsenal of skills, experience, and instinct. He goes through the blackest pit of Paris to find and rescue his daughter. There is a French official who is Bryan's friend, and we later find out that he's working with the Ukrainians. He urges him to be quiet and to better yet leave the country. He asks Bryan to not make a mess. Oh, but make a mess he does. And I thought of Jesus. Jesus who John says was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Jesus, God in the flesh who came to earth to in effect make a mess and get messy. He came to shake up preconceived notions of the Messiah. He came to reveal the Father to a people who had come to view him as only their Judge or their distant Creator. He came to mess up the destructive construct of the world that sin introduced. And he got messy. He comforted the unloved and unlovable. He accepted the pariah. He championed the oppressed. Jesus being fully God. Fully divine and without sin, he made touching the unclean both physically and spiritually the bedrock of his ministry.

Jesus came and He took no heed to social or religious mores. What... talk to a Samaritan woman who is shacking up to show her she has worth to me? I'm there. What... there's a woman caught in the act of adultery and some self righteous dudes want to use her to trap me when all I see when I look at her is the most beautiful work of my hand? I got this. What...a woman wants to spend time with me to learn and let me love on her and you're trying to get her go bake some bread? Let her enjoy the better portion. What...in order to restore mankind to me I must empty myself and subject myself to death- even death on a Roman cross? Not my will by Thine.

Redemption is messy. Bryan Mills ignored his friends plea and made a mess and hugely crippled the sex trade industry in Paris. Jesus ignored the Pharisees, Sadducees, and even his family's' plea to not make a mess and he through his death he overcame sin and through his resurrection he overcame death and his relentless pursuit to reveal the Father to us is crippling the plans of the enemy. Because of Who he is and because of who we are to him he made a mess.

There's a scene at the end where the father gets through the last obstacle to his daughter and she's standing there in her prostitution garb and she says, "daddy? you came for me". And of course Bryan takes Kim into his arms and comforts her. I was a mess inside when I saw that. I was a mess because I know there were times when my Daddy came for me. There were times when he sent someone to remind me of His love or His Holy Spirit reminds me of a scripture or when I get a small glimpse of His passion for me when I interact with my kids and i think, "wow...you came for me? I haven't picked up my Bible in days and... you came for me? I have sinned in my anger and... you came for me? I have carried bitterness in my heart like a talisman and... you came for me? I'm struggling with trusting you when everything in my life tells me you just don't care anymore and today...you came for me"

So, in watching a very action packed 90 minutes I couldn't help but look pass the explosions and the gun fights and see the story of redemption. The driving force behind the movie is a father's love for his daughter which was a very dim reflection of the Heavenly Father's love for us. So where are you? Are you disillusioned because the stars no longer shine bright? Ask God to remove the lies and his Truth will shine forth and light up your sky. Are you rejecting His will for your life that comes from a place of deep, true, pure love? Stop. Ask God for a bigger perspective. Repent and let Him teach you how to live a fulfilling life. Are you standing in the middle of the room and the sin from your past is hanging from you like cheap lace? Run into His arms, cry into His chest and let Him love you back to wholeness. Allow yourself to be taken by His love.

Push, Knowing, and the Future: Determinism and Openness in Two Recent Sci-Fi Films [Warning: Spoilers!]

This summer, Summit Entertainment released two sci-fi thrillers that are similar in many ways, but different in one major respect. Both films are action-packed and laced with impressive CGI. Both films are set in present day among seemingly ordinary people who turn out to either possess remarkable abilities or to have been chosen for a unique purpose. But these two films deal with the nature of the future in diametrically opposing ways. In this brief Note, I'd like to explore the fundamental difference between the way in which the future is depicted in each film and provide commentary on why I believe one film represents the classical view of future determinism and the other represents the biblical view of future openness.

Knowing and Future Determinism

Starring Nick Cage, Knowing is about a professor of astrophysics at MIT who does not believe the future is predetermined. The professor's conviction of the randomness of the universe, and the pain that can often result, stems from the sudden and tragic loss of his wife shortly before we enter the story. Nick Cage's character also has a son, a sister, and religious background he has long-since shunned due to some ambiguous conflict with this preacher father.

The prof's presupposition of randomness is put to the test when a 50 year-old time capsule is unearthed at his son's school housing a cryptic code penned by a gifted and misunderstood schoolgirl. When his son suggests the sequence might be a mathematical puzzle of some kind, Cage's inebriated character cannot resist the temptation to analyze them in search of meaning and purpose. With a few short keystrokes in Google's search field, the prof finds that most of the numbers are the exact dates of major world disasters along with the precise number of casualties. In classic thriller fashion, he reaches out to a close friend who of course thinks he's crazy. (Who saw that coming?) When the prof realizes that three of the dates has not happened yet, he watches the 24-hour cable news cycle for breaking reports of catastrophe on the day when the present disaster is predicted. However, the disaster does not immediately present itself.

Running late picking up his son, the prof finds himself stuck in traffic at the exact coordinates of the disaster predicted for that day. Wondering how a simple traffic accident can produce 81 fatalities, he exits his vehicle just as a plane crash lands in the field next to the highway. Cage's character runs to the wreckage throwing blankets on survivors still in flames and performing CPR on some who are injured.

This brings me to why Knowing represents the motif of future determinism. No matter what the professor does, in the Knowing universe his actions can have no effect on the predetermined dates, coordinates, or number of causalities these disaster will produce. Though he takes desperate measures placing his own life in danger, he is ultimately impotent to prevent even a single person from dying. In the Knowing universe, there is a higher, transcendent power that knows precisely how these events will play out without contingency of any kind. Even though he receives "warning," he is still left to conclude he is powerless. All power of determination is left in the hands of the otherworldly transcendent power(s).

[Sidenote: Knowing goes to great lengths to present biblical faith as phenomenological mythology. Without giving too much away, I will say that biblical imagery/concepts are replaced by science fiction imagery/concepts. Whether or not the writers and/or producers intend to demean biblical faith is unclear, but skeptics and unbelievers will certainly have any preconception that 'Christians are simple' reinforced.]

In summary, the universe of Knowing is a closed one. What will be, will be. There is nothing human beings can do to effect the outcomes of the future. Ultimately, we are powerless and at the mercy of the transcendent power(s) that is/are controlling our lives. This, I submit, is also the conclusion of one prominent branch of Christian theology. Namely, it is that branch of Christian theology that has sought, since Augustine, to synthesize the biblical narrative with Greek (particularly Platonic) metaphysics. Calvin belongs to this tradition as well as the Reformed churches. This theological tradition accepts no future contingencies viewing the future instead as entirely certain, set, determined. Some within this tradition differ on precisely how and by whom the future is determined, but all agree that the future is not alterable nor populated by any real possibilities.

Push and Future Openness

Push stars Chris Evans, who is perhaps most famous for playing Johnny Storm in the 2005 live-action version of Fantastic Four, and Dakota Fanning, who is famous for starring in everything from Man on Fire opposite Denzel to the Charlotte's Web opposite a CGI-enhanced piglet. In the Push universe, there are people hidden among the general population endowed with extraordinary abilities a la X-men, Heroes, etc. etc. And just as in all other "special abilities" sci-fi franchises, there is of course the now obligatory, clandestine agency bent on either eliminating these 'supers' or exploiting their power.

The plot of Push isn't nearly as attention-keeping as Knowing's so I won't bore you with it's details. Suffice to say, while eluding capture by the sinister captain of the shadowy bureau (who is himself a super), the unlikely pair (Evans and Fanning) must find a syringe filled with a double-whammy drug concoction that either magnifies it's recipient's powers or kills them.

What I want to highlight instead of the this film's lackluster plot, is the way in which it depicts the nature of the future. Those supers with the ability to see the future, if only in glimpses, understand the future in a fundamentally different way from Knowing. For example, at the very beginning of the movie, Fanning's character says,

"Right now the future I see is not so great. The good news is, the future is always changing."

The sentiment that the future is composed at least in part of possibilities or contingencies, as opposed to unchangeable certainties, is an on-going theme in the film. As the characters track down the syringe, the choices they make effect the future outcomes "Watchers" see in their predictive visions. Each choice changes the future that could or could not happen.

I submit that the way in which Push depicts the future is more in line with the portrait of the future the bible paints. Scripture teaches that our choices have significance for future outcomes. What we choose today and tomorrow we grow to become. If we pray or not changes the future. If we share our witness with others changes the future. If we exercise faith or not changes the future. Scripture shows us that God has imparted significant responsibility to human beings to co-create the future with him. As his agents and co-laborers in the world, we shape the future for his kingdom purposes with our choices. A person doomed to destruction can be redeemed. There is hope when the future is not set in stone.

Google Found My Father But Can't Make Him My Dad

I grew up without a father. Apparently, I was the love child of a fling my mom had with her married doctor nearly 30 years ago. She told him and he wanted her to abort the pregnancy. She tells me she went to the clinic not knowing what she would do, but could not go through with it. Whether there is any truth to her claim that "Jesus told her not to do it," I don't know. But as hard as life gets sometimes, I am grateful I exist.

When I was young I asked my mom who my father was. She told me his name and that he was married and was her doctor. She also gave me his long-obsolete business card which was of no value to me. In fact, I think i threw it away.

Since becoming a father myself, I have thought again about meeting/talking to guy whose DNA I share. But I have not been able to identify precisely why I want this. I know that meeting him or talking with him will not undue any of the pain his absence caused me as a child. I cannot even tell if I fully expect him to be interested in my life at all. All I know is that I'm curious. What I expect to find out, I don't know.

A few years back, I started Googling the name my mother gave me along with his profession and where I was born. (Google is pretty amazing, isn't it?) With a few choice keywords I had a picture and factoids about what he's been up to all these years. It turns out that he stayed right there in San Diego, in the same neighborhood where I was born. I also found out he has sons only a little older than me.

One disturbing factoid I encountered on my keyword quests was the criminal history of one of my half brothers. A San Francisco newspaper reports that this young man is alleged to have repeatedly coaxed young boys into removing their clothes for him and/or sending him nude photos. Someone in my position has to ask themselves, "Do I even want to know these people?"

Nevertheless, I have continued to research the whereabouts of this "father" sporadically over the years without making any decision on whether I would attempt to contact him. This week, I discovered he is no longer a primary care physician, but has taken a more corporate position which likely has him closer to a desk with a phone. I also obtained a number that could very well connect me to him directly. That is where the journey has led me to now.

Father vs. Dad

Scripture is clear about the fatherhood of God. In the Hebrew Bible, the fatherless are shown to be dear to God, and he himself is described as their father. One of my favorite passages that mentions this role is Psalm 68 verses 5 and 6. It says God is a father to the fatherless and that he "sets the lonely in families." I have indeed experienced this since I began following Christ 10 years ago. Yes, it is true, I have never met the the male who donated his seed to my conception, but I have not been fatherless for 10 years because the Lord has been faithful to his word and has provided me with godly mentors through whom he has demonstrated his father's heart and sacrificial love.

The New Testament adds a great deal to God's self-revelation as Father. Jesus calls God "Abba," an affectionate household term like Papa or Dad (Mk. 14.36). Jesus shows that our relationship to God is intimate and tender. In fact, Paul expounds on this truth teaching us that because believers are indwelled by the Spirit, we are adopted sons and cry out with Jesus, "Abba, Father" (Rom. 8.15, Gal. 4.6).

I count myself incredibly blessed to have had wonderful men in my life these last 10 years and to have known God as my loving Abba. Google may have found my father, but my dad will always be the Lord.

May the Lord reveal himself to you in a deeper way as your Abba, and my you experience his sacrificial love in demonstrable ways through godly mentors!