In seminary, it is common for students to slip almost imperceptibly into a pattern where they dissect the Scriptures rather than be nourished by them. Systematic theology, hermeneutics, an almost endless stream of textbooks, and memorization of Koine Greek noun declinations can lead someone, if left unchecked, to a place in which their faith is void of the wonder of Jesus Christ. After several years of turmoil as a local church pastor, I thought that academia would be a place of rest and revival for me, but it was only the trading of one diversion for another. This is not to say that there is no value of either turmoil or academia, but when either turmoil or learning come without the love for Christ, wilderness becomes just wilderness and not a place where ones faith is tried, tested and grown. As I read Christ is Lord, it reveals both what I have become and what I should be as a Christian.

I was surprised when I first saw Anne Rice’s Christ is Lord on the syllabus for Introduction to New Testament. I was at Chaplain School at the time and none of the chaplains around me had read the book, but I was eager for a first take from somebody. I had read the entire Vampire Chronicles after finding Interview with the Vampire in the liner notes of the 1985 album, Dream of the Blue Turtles, by Sting. The song Moon over Bourbon Street is written about the protagonist of Interview with the Vampire, Louis. For an unknown reason, I began by reading the second book in the series, The Vampire Lestat, also released in 1985.

I was drawn into the world that Anne Rice had created and read the books in just a few sittings. Being only 14 at the time, I had more uninterrupted time for this kind of reading. Rice’s Vampire series dramatically and skillfully dealt with issues of Good and Evil in sincere and compelling manner. However, Rice’s supernatural world was devoid of God, at least from the perspective of Lestat, and left many readers with more of a romantic fascination with the undead, than with hearts that earnestly sought the answers to larger questions about God.

I enjoyed the Vampire Chronicle series and count the books among the most memorable of my pre-Christian days, but after my conversion at age 22 and 15 years studying the scriptures I brought some negative preconceptions of what Christ the Lord would be like. Would this book have the same homoerotic undertones of the Vampire Chronicles? Jesus depicted as a homosexual is a perspective that several scholars have taken in recent years. Would Jesus be like the child vampire Claudia from Interview? It would not be a stretch to write a depiction of Christ as a child who is not really a child. Or would Rice depict Jesus as a type of Lestat; relishing in his supernatural power? I knew that Anne Rice had a talent for crafting a story, but what preconceptions about Christ did she bring to her writing? These are the circumstances that I found myself as I began to read this book.

The opening chapters of Christ the Lord were awkward. It’s as if Rice had the same struggles that many of us do: balancing raw historical data with what that data truly means to the narrative. From my background of reading and using academic commentaries and biblical resources, I recognized a laundry list of these historical/contextual facts that one might see in a “history and context” heading preceding an expositional commentary. It was as if the bare facts were being included and checked off as she went. Jesus and his family spoke Aramaic: CHECK. There was a large Jewish community at Alexandria at the turn of the millennium: CHECK. There are apocryphal accounts of Jesus performing miracles as a small child: CHECK. It is also clear that Rice desires to protect distinctly Roman Catholic doctrines such as the perpetual virginity of Mary. This is displayed by Rice’s depiction of James, the bother of Jesus and future leader of the church at Jerusalem, as the older brother apparently not born of Mary and another plot line used to explain the other brothers and sisters of Jesus.

At this point in the book I had to make a decision. Would I approach the rest of this book as I would a systematic theology tome and perform a point by point critique of the theological statements made by Rice as she told this narrative of the young Jesus? I decided that I would allow the narrative to play itself out and reserve judgment as to what Rice was trying to say about Jesus in her historical fiction. As in our reading of scripture, it is poor scholarship to stretch a literary genre past its intended purpose. We cannot treat the Bible in the same way we would treat a science text book and I would not push this fictional book to be something along the lines of Calvin’s institutes. I have more to say concerning Rice’s Roman Catholic perspective, but I will save that for my conclusions.

When I let go of these stringent theological requirements for Christ the Lord , I found myself being caught up in the story and could recognize one of the most enduring and important questions that has been asked since the first century: What does it mean for God Himself to become flesh and dwell with men? I wrote a paper last semester concerning the two natures of Jesus, divine and human, and how the Chalcedonian Creed states that both natures exist in Jesus without mingling. This may seem like an academic question along the lines of “how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?”, but the idea is central to the Christian faith. If Jesus is not fully God then his sacrifice would not be sufficient for our salvation and if He is not fully man then He cannot die a substitutionary death for our sins. If one accepts this doctrine, then a further question would be: “What would this God/man be like?” I suppose that one could leave the discussion on the doorstep of Chalcedon’s precise, if hard to imagine, construction; but what Christian has not wondered in his or her heart what kind of child Jesus was if he had a fully divine nature or were puzzled as they read in the scriptures that Jesus wept at the death of his friend Lazarus when Jesus had the power, and obviously the inclination, to raise Lazarus from the dead. How could Jesus, who has the attributes of God, not know the “day or hour” in which He would return?

Working backwards from the end of the book I will provide one example of how Anne Rice imagines this God/man as a small child. In the last chapter it is stated that God gave Jesus to Mary and Joseph to be raised, not to the priest of the Temple or to the Pharisees. God being the sovereign and intentional kind of God that he is can be said to have had a specific purpose for this. I believe that one can safely assume that Jesus was intended to grow up with, be influenced by, and experience life as a part of a family. Rice correctly depicts the family of Jesus not being the modern version of the nuclear family with Joseph, Mary, and the kids, but rather an extended clan that lives, works, sleeps, eats and even dies together as a large group. This would answer the question that many people have about Mary and Joseph “losing” Jesus in Luke 2:41-52 when they started for home after visiting Jerusalem. Rice discretely portrays Jesus’ personality being shaped and influenced by those around him. When Jesus clears the Temple of the moneychangers in John 2:13-17, His words and attitudes were foreshadowed by his Uncle Cleopas, a postulated brother of Mary. Joseph is portrayed as a quiet and patient man who is always concerned about the timing of what he tells Jesus about the circumstances of His own birth, a trait seen in Jesus throughout the Gospels with His own disciples. Jesus’ attitude toward women is seen in His relationship with little Salome, a cousin. Jesus is not portrayed, as I feared, as a strange man-child, but rather as a young boy who does not know exactly who he is. The larger arc of this story is Jesus discovering the circumstances of his birth from those around him.

Another striking feature about Rice’s book is the balanced portrayal of the various groups of people who interacted during this period in History. The Romans are not portrayed as evil conquerors, but rather as a stern police force that is concerned mostly with peace and order. There is a powerful scene in which the extended clan encounters a force of Roman soldiers who are searching for insurgents. Pharisees, for Rice, are more sympathetic characters than depicted in most Baptist sermons that I have heard and are shown to have a variety of motivations among their ranks. Rice handles these groups and their interaction with accurate detail and avoids the stereotyping that detracts from a true understanding of the Gospels and the times in which they were written. It is clear that Rice has thoroughly researched this era and attempted to thoughtfully recreate it in a way that communicates the essence of the times.

One of the most moving sections of the book is a postscript that Rice includes at the end of this novel. Rice gives a detailed and unflinching account of her movement away from and then back to the church. Rice also writes a scathing and well reasoned indictment of those who call themselves New Testament scholars, yet despise Christ. Rice not only attacks their attitude, but questions their scholarship as well. Rice correctly states that much of what passes for scholarship in the field of New Testament studies is a collection of unfounded assumptions built upon unfounded assumptions with a predetermined position that the four Canonical Gospels are somehow not credible witnesses while depending on questionable and/or obscure resources for their own theories. What I hear from Anne Rice in both the text of her narrative and in the postscript is that she is a woman who has a genuine love for Jesus Christ, believes that He is the Son of God and desires know Him more.

I am reminded of an encounter that I had at Army Chaplain School after a long day of learning the origins and basic tenants of Islam. The more I heard about Mohammed and Islam, the greater love and appreciation I had for Jesus Christ. It was not the religion of Christianity that I grew in love for, but rather the person of Jesus Christ Himself. I looked to my right and a young Catholic priest was sitting next to me during the presentation. Despite the gulf between our respective doctrinal positions, this priest did not seem like the “separated brother” ( a Roman Catholic term for Protestants) that I once viewed him as. There are isolated points within Christ the Lord that I disagree with, but like that day in Chaplain School, I see past the doctrinal differences and see Anne Rice as women after God’s heart and her story as a devotional to that love.

On a personal note, this book reminds me of why I study the scriptures and why it is important to discuss the difference, for example, between Jesus as homoousis (of the same essence of the Father) and homoiousis (of like essence with the Father). The Christian faith is all about discovering who Jesus is, what he did for us and what he continues to do for us. Systematic theologies are one way to approach the big questions and narratives such as this fine “sanctified” fiction are an important second way. This book rekindles the wonder that I should feel when I consider Jesus Christ. This book is not perfect in its portrayal of the Lord but no less so than any systematic theology that I have read!

This morning,  Kaiser (my third grade son), asked if he could walk to school.  My initial reaction was, "No!" As I thought about the request, I wondered, "Why not?"   the school is just six blocks down the road, we are in one of the safest areas of Louisville and most importantly, I was a "free range" kid at a much younger age than Kaiser.  I was walking to school by myself from the very first day of Kindergarten (although my mother followed me at a stealthy distance).  I went to the nearby Lytle Park, went to my two best friends' houses (Kevin Boske and Randy Aubin), and generally rode my little yellow Schwinn Swinger with banana seat wherever I wanted to go.  Are there really more dangerous psychopaths roaming our streets in 2008 than in 1978?  Are the cars and traffic more deadly? 

I have also watched many parents at my children's functions be particularly smothering of their sons.  Sometimes it sounds like a twisted chorus of "Sit down,  be quiet, stop playing so rough, and stop running."  There are times when little boys need to be reigned in, but when do they get to go be boys?  I took a walk with Kaiser the other day and he showed me all the places that the fence around our apartment complex can be breached easily,  he and his friend's "weapons" cache, and other various landmarks where great adventures have taken place (either real or imagined).   It reminded me that I spent a great deal of time playing along the railroad tracks that run through Lytle park.  There was thick brush that separated the tracks from the rest of the park which made for fantastic forts, trails and hiding places.  The brush has been cleared away now  and I cannot help to think that we are concerned about maintaining the natural habitat of frogs, but not the natural habit of 8 year old boys. 

I want my son to go and do what sons ought to do: explore, create, destroy, conquer, build, and generally bring order to his little world.  I was afforded a great amount of freedom by my parents and I appreciate that now that I am an adult.  When it was time for me to go off on a hiking trip to New Mexico with Boy Scouts, or to basic training, or off to college, I was comfortable heading out into the world on my own.  Sometimes, I got hurt (like the two deep scars on my thumb and for finger from pocket knives and the one on my cheek from a picket fence that broke when I fell climbed it, and even a broken wrist when I crashed a bike I was using to escape from a bully in Jr. High) and sometimes there were conflicts with other boys, but in the end my flesh was sewn up and I learned a few lessons about getting along with other people.  I would not have learned these lessons if my mommy stepped in every time there was trouble.  She did drive me to the emergency room on several occasions; Thanks Mom.

When Kaiser was about three, Tracy made the statement, "I don't want my son playing with guns or playing violently."   I responded by explaining to her that this was a losing battle. Soon after she said this, Kaiser bit his morning toast into the shape of a gun and started to fire it.  It is not about squelching the aggressiveness of boys,  it is about giving them a foundation of values to guide and focus that aggression.   The next time Kaiser and I take a walk,  maybe I will breach the fence with him and give him some hints on fort building.  We never really grow out of it...

I really enjoy putting duct tape on things (100mph tape as it is known in the Army) and you can make run of the mill civilian objects into high-speed/low-drag military gear that would feel at home in any foot locker or duffle bag in the COE (contemporary operating environment).  The first item shown here is a standard ESV leather bound bible that has been ruggedized with some duct tape and an exact-o knife.  I was tired of my bible falling open and getting squished in my ruck sack,  so I fashioned this cover that has embedded rare earth magnets in the back flap and keeps the bible closed under most conditions.  I also have a duct tape cross on the front made of successive layers of ever-widening pieces of tape.  The duct tape also protects it from the elements and, a more likely scenario, coffee spills.   In the future, I will make duct tape pockets on the inside to house ready-to-go sermon printed on water-proof 3x5 cards, invocations and benedictions, and other Chaplain items ready to preach on the fly.

In the next picture is my ruggedized thumb drive.   I bought a "sport" thumb drive that I kept on my dog tags, but after a week in the field, it was filled to the brim with sweat.  I know many are saying "ewwwwww' right now, but you go out into the South Carolina heat with all of your body armor and TA-50 without sweating a bit!  My answer to the problem was a new duct tape cover,  a 550 cord lanyard to make it easier to find in my pocket, and a data encryption program that protects the contents.   On the subject of OPSEC,  I cannot believe how many troops walk around with their entire life on unencrypted  thumb drives in combat zones!  Anyway....  I am always in search of things to duct tape.   I recently duct taped the really nice box that my Ipod classic came boxed in and now use it to store all of my loose name tapes and unit patches for my ACUs.