We are Smarter than Me

Just a few random thoughts to get of my desk on this beautiful Saturday morning:

First, ran across this book which I have not read except for the back cover: WE ARE SMARTER THAN ME. It continues the discussion of Wikinomics and The Wisdom of Crowds. I am waiting for some big name Christian writer on the speaking circuit to write a book: WikiChurch, but hasn't happened yet, although Homiletics did a piece called "Wiki-Christianity" in 2006 (November 12). Lots of stuff going on in business and education with wikis--it's really phenomenal.

Anyway, for pastors who work in covenant with a community, and who often--let's face it--think that ME IS SMARTER THAN WE, I thought this might be a good read, but I can't guarantee it. I think it's focus is to take what The Wisdom of the Crowds has done, and to show how the business community can actually make crowd-wisdom affect the profit margin.

Second item: I just learned that my friend, Tim Cargal, who has a Ph.D. in New Testament from Vanderbilt and writes NT exegesis for Homiletics, and who is also pastor of Northwood Presbyterian Church in Silver Spring, Maryland, has written another book, and it sounds very interesting: Hearing a Film, Seeing a Sermon: Preaching and Popular Movies (Westminster John Knox Press, 2007). Haven't read this book either, but I would love to, and will.

Third item: Remember the post I wrote a while back about Barack Obama's comment that a person's relationship with his pastor can be a tricky thing? Or something like that? Well, it's gotten even trickier. It's too bad. And it's too bad for the United Church of Christ which is not populated by pastors who think like Jeremiah Wright. And, while we're at it, I don't know what Geraldine was thinking when she spouted off about Obama. She's a politician. She knows the power of her words. She knows the media isn't going to provide context for her comments. What was she thinking? I am not a Clinton or Obama or McCain supporter yet. But it would be nice if Clinton and Obama could please have a discussion without having to deal with all the fools and buffoons in their entourage.

Speaking of entourages--and the problems CLinton and Obama are having with theirs, Homiletics did a piece called "Entourage Energy" coming up in June, 2008. The idea came up after reading a piece in Mental_Floss by Harry, Lou and Todd Tobias. “7 entourages that changed the world.” Mental_Floss (September-October 2007, 35-39). Fascinating piece. Homiletics looks at some of the problems Jesus had with his own entourage (The Mental_Floss article includes "Jesus & Co." as one of the seven entourages that changed the world.)

Fourth item: Eliot Spitzer scandal. Unbelievable. Ted Haggard. Or consider the case of David Vitter, a father of four and a Senator from Louisiana, who gets himself involved with a sleazy escort service. Or Michael Vick, a talented quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, arrested for running a dog-fighting operation in rural Virginia. Or Lisa Nowak, the married NASA astronaut who makes a marathon drive from Houston to Orlando to confront her romantic rival. Or Bill Clinton — Rhodes scholar, six-time governor of Arkansas, and President of the United States — who has an affair with an intern in the Oval Office. These are all highly intelligent, rational, people. What's going on? Homiletics did a piece about this. It's coming up April 20. Called "Hot Faith, Cool Faith," and it looks into the psychology of this. These people get themselves worked up into a hot emotional state and do things that in their cool emotional state--the state we're in when we're reading about this and wondering how people so smart can be so stupid--they would never do.

Final item: Louis de Cazenave, France's oldest man, a First World War veteran who refused a medal and spoke powerfully about the horrors of war, has died at 110, leaving--in France--just one veteran alive from the conflict. de Cazenave died at his home in the Auvergne region in central France on Sunday, the government said. His death was a reminder of the 1.4 million French who had lost their lives in the 1914-18 war. According to REUTERS, Cazenave survived both the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and the Second Battle of the Aisne a year later, two of the bloodiest episodes of the "war to end all wars".

I found this sad, for some reason. I guess because almost 100 years after the "war to end all wars," there's more warring than ever. Perhaps someday, someday, the world will observe the passing of a man who is the last survivor of something called "war." A poppy for you, Louis. Repos dans la paix.

Guess that's it.

Wishing you a meaningful Palm Sunday. I assume you're going to pick up the palm branches from the florist today--don't forget--for the children's procession tomorrow.

Trying to be helpful.