GreatRidge Station

While I am neither Dutch, nor particularly Calvinist (nor Arminian, either for those of you keeping score), I have benefited much from the Dutch-Calvinist tradition that suggests that our Christian faith ought to be integrated into all of life. It seems odd to me that so many religious groups are busy building walls, when they ought to be out changing the world. What are the lines from that old song? “Rescue the perishing, care for the dying…”

Now, I don’t believe that if we do our jobs well, we will achieve heaven on earth. No, that’s heresy. But I do believe that we are called to do all we can to bring about as much of the rule and reign of Jesus Christ as we possibly can until he returns.

A few months ago, James Skillen stepped down as head of the Center for Public Justice in Washington, DC. This is an organization that approaches public policy and social justice issues from a Christian (i.e. redemptive) point of view. When Skillen left, I thought the party was over–there was simply no one in the United States who could adequately fill his shoes.

It turns out, I was half right. I’m delighted to report that my friend Gideon Strauss will be transitioning into the role of President of CPJ between now and fall of 2009. Gideon’s current work includes Cardus, Redeemer University College, and, until recently, with CLAC (the Christian Labour Association of Canada). He and his colleagues were a great help to me during my research for my PhD dissertation–and Gideon steered me toward resources that gave my work a level of depth that would otherwise have been impossible. While we occasionally communicate directly, I count him among my friends simply because I owe him a great debt of gratitude.

There are others, of course: Bethel alum David Koyzis, who helped me think through my ideas and discover some helpful ways to apply them; Theo Plantinga, who challenged me pretty agressively, and wanted to be sure that I was thinking deeply about the concepts–he told me he approved of my work (Would that I had known him better: He passed away just a few months after we met); and others too numerous to mention. All of these connections, by the way, began with a series of conversations with my good friend Trace James, of Studies in Grace.

Gideon’s pending arrival in the U.S is a delight to me, personally, and a great opportunity for those of us who believe that public policy can make a real, positive, and lasting difference. There is no doubt that Gideon Strauss is one of the foremost thinkers and doers in the world today. I’m looking forward to the years ahead, and I’m grateful that CPJ will remain in good hands. Jim Skillen is a tough act to follow.

So, Gideon, if you happen to stumble across this: Congratulations. You are one of the few who is equal to this task, and I wish you well. Godspeed.

I admit it openly: I am a nerd. Not a geek, but a nerd. Geeks have a level of social acceptability–a culturally sanctioned level of coolness. Not me. I was born without the coolness gene.

You might be interested to know that I come by my tech-mindedness honestly. No Kidding: My mom wanted a wireless mouse for Mothers’ Day.

I’ve always been thankful that I grew up in a tee-totaling home. My grandparents (on my mom’s side) and my parents raised me with the idea that “if you never have the first drink, you’ll never become an alcoholic.” I can’t prove it, but I suspect that might be true.

A couple of weeks ago, my mom sent me an e-mail about the “King Gamberinus” statue that stands in front of the La Crosse City Brewery. When I was a kid, we always referred to this particular statue as “The Devil and his Cup,” and it turns out that this marks the 60th year that he has been holding forth in front of the brewery.

My non-drinking caused some interesting situations. For a while when I was in college, the rumor developed that I had once been a “really bad drunk,” but somehow got sober. That, so the rumor went, was why I never drank. Great theory, but dead wrong. The friends who knew me well straightened that out, and I never had to defend myself: “I’ve know him since high-school, and he never drank.” Considering that I grew up in a drinkin’ town, most people found it amazing that I could  grow up where I did and not drink. When I went out with friends, I was always the built-in designated driver. I must have had 40 job offers to be a bartender, since owners knew that I wouild not drink up the profits.

While I’m still not a drinker by any stretch of the imagination, I do enjoy an occasional Stout. And when I say occasional, I mean one or two a year. My favorites: A seasonal from Great Waters Brewing Company, their Oatmeal Stout, and Schells Stout. I’ll never understand why anyone would bother with a mass-market brew. Here’s Sam’s quotable quote on that: “Life’s too short to drink lawn-mower beer.”

While I’ll never be a six-pack and a pizza kind of guy, I might be the “pint of stout twice a year” sort. A few years back, I heard Os Guinness speak, and yes, he has roots in the Guinness brewing family; he explained that beer was the drinkable alternative to hard liquor, and most European breweries were founded by Christian families to provide an option in times when drinking water was more like a “pitcher of plague.” So despite the fact that I generally avoid alcohol, there is something joyful in a glass of well-brewed stuff.  It turns out, I’m not the only committed, Bible-believing Christian to take such an approach. A good friend of mine, a mentor to many and now a minister, used to hold a weekly men’s Bible study that he called “Brews and Bro’s,” and it consisted of serious Bible study, followed up with a discussion over one glass of beer. I think that his one beer approach saved a lot of young men from the excesses of alcohol that are all over our culture–he taught them how to enjoy a beer, and no doubt saved some from a life of alcohol abuse.

All that as a lead-in to this. I just read an article from Comment Magazine, from Cardus in Canada, about the connection between good beer and good Christian fellowship. In my experience, I’m inclined to agree: Yes, a Christian can drink, but never to excess. You’ll find the article here.

And King Gamberinus, aka “The Devil and his Cup,” is presented for you below: