Settle in. This post is my longest yet...

So I had been composing a post on the topic of Hell in my head for the last few days. Imagine my delight, when I discovered that the Boar's Head Tavern had gone and got into the conversation while I was away for the weekend.

The following was written as the first page in an attempt at a new paper journal a few months ago. The journal ended up with only 4 or 5 more entires before degrading into nothing more than seminar notes and daily to-do lists. Please let me be clear: These comments represent the feelings of a particular moment, not the established beliefs resulting from a thorough inquiry.

It's been a long time since I've seen a movie worth recommending, so I'm thrilled to be able to encourage you to find a way to see The Nines. (Rated "R" for language, some drug content and sexuality. I'm pretty sure there was no nudity, which may be a key point for getting some of my readers to see an "R" film.)

If you're in LA, New York, or Austin, you'll be able to see it sooner than most. Take advantage of that. This is a movie that can provoke some great conversations about life, theology, and creativity.

Need some help processing? Read this rest of this post for some hints based on my take on the movie. They aren't necesssarily spoilers, but I'd recommend watching the movie without bias first anyway.

"Myths do for Catholics what clever theological explanations do for Protestants. They put that 'necessary' hedge around the Cross so that it’s not too offensive."

Once while traveling in Greece, I had a conversation with a fellow student which ended up boiling down to the old debate between Calvinism and Arminianism. Luckily, it remained a polite & enjoyable discussion, nobody got labled heretic or worse. My conversation partner may have been wrong, stupid, and committed to the most absurd doctrine ever conceived, but at least he was civil. Nice guy. I'd have him over for coffee and roast heretic any day. My memory isn't perfect, but he may actually be the first one who spurred me on to read some NT Wright.

Rarely do these kinds of interactions truly 'end,' they usually just stop, when one party is worn down by mental exhaustion. This particular conversation, however, had a very definite conclusion which was acknowledged when we together made this realization:

Guess where the quote that titles this post came from?

The mission statement of an Anglican Church in London. And they seem to mean it.