bonar crump

bonar crump
husband - father - reader - runner - picker - grinner - lover - sinner

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Must Truth Be Tempered? / George Barna

November 11th, 2010 // posted in Cultural Trends

"We argue that we believe in God, then push Him aside and assume His throne. On occasion, we’ll engage in true worship, but mostly of celebrities. We say we are Christians, but aren’t sure if Jesus is relevant for today; claim to believe what the Bible teaches, but deny the existence of Satan; and settle for going to church rather than being the church. We adopt the label “Christian” at the same time we admit that God is our safety net rather than our first love, and that our church relationships are an addendum to our real social networks. Church leaders are frustrated by the lack of transformed lives produced under their guidance, but they do little to significantly change their routines, and even seek to block new ways of doing ministry and advancing the kingdom of God."


Saturday, October 2, 2010

How secularism led to religious illiteracy

[The Washington Post]


Thought-provoking take on the importance of understanding other religious belief systems as well as your own.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Atheist author urges believers: Grow up

Must "anti-religion" ALWAYS equal "atheism"? Does it ALWAYS have to be a question of either black or white? What about the grey? Aren't both sides scared of the grey?

[article]
British author Richard Dawkins

Why religious people can be more tolerant than secularists

["the myth of detached objectivity"]

Friday, September 10, 2010

Clarity

LIFE—
  • condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms, being manifested by growth through metabolism, reproduction, and the power of adaptation to environment through changes originating internally.
  • The sum of the distinguishing phenomena of organisms, esp. metabolism, growth, reproduction, and adaptation to environment.
  • The animate existence or period of animate existence of an individual: to risk one's life; a short life and a merry one.
  • A corresponding state, existence, or principle of existence conceived of as belonging to the soul: eternal life.
  • The general or universal condition of human existence: Too bad, but life is like that.
  • Any specified period of animate existence: a man in middle life.
  • The period of existence, activity, or effectiveness of something inanimate, as a machine, lease, or play: The life of the car may be ten years.
  • A living being: Several lives were lost.
  • Living things collectively: the hope of discovering life on other planets; insect life.
  • A particular aspect of existence: He enjoys an active physical life. 
  • The course of existence or sum of experiences and actions that constitute a person's existence: His business has been his entire life. 
  • A biography: a newly published life of Willa Cather.
  • Animation; liveliness; spirit: a speech full of life.
  • Resilience; elasticity.
  • The force that makes or keeps something alive; the vivifying or quickening principle: The life of the treaty has been an increase of mutual understanding and respect.
  • A mode or manner of existence, as in the world of affairs or society: So far her business life has not overlapped her social life.
  • The period or extent of authority, popularity, approval, etc.: the life of the committee; the life of a bestseller.
  • A prison sentence covering the remaining portion of the offender's animate existence: The judge gave him life.
  • Anything or anyone considered to be as precious as life: She was his life.
  • A person or thing that enlivens: the life of the party.
  • Effervescence or sparkle, as of wines.
  • Pungency or strong, sharp flavor, as of substances when fresh or in good condition.
  • Nature or any of the forms of nature as the model or subject of a work of art: drawn from life.
  • Baseball. Another opportunity given to a batter to bat because of a misplay by a fielder.
  • (In English pool) one of a limited number
 Life is confusing. Life is hard. Life is full of choices. Life will beat you down. Life isn’t fair. While these statements are indisputably accurate, they are only true

Monday, September 6, 2010

Has Religion Run Its Course?

By Martha Woodroof

Have organized religions simply run their course?

We're not stuck with them, you know, just because they've been around for thousands of years, employ masses of people, convene community, exercise formidable political clout, declare dominion over science, control valuable real estate, and claim their sacred texts to be direct from God.

As a person of faith who is not religious, I do honor religions for offering us ways to come together in recognition that God is, and I fully acknowledge the good work these institutions do. But organized religions also generate a sense of arrogant entitlement and false righteousness in followers that, in God's name, excuses discord and violence - as well as making followers vulnerable to political, social and sexual exploitation by the diverse likes of Glenn Beck, Pope Benedict XVI, and Osama bin Laden.

Isn't it time we ask ourselves if organized religions, as they are currently at work in the world, are still the best ways for us to come together in God's presence--or are they are simply the way we're most used to? [...]

Monday, August 30, 2010

Jesus Is Not a "Christian"

So it appears that what I'm reading alot about lately is the spiritual categorization of people into two primary groups.
  1. Believers maintaining their traditional understanding of what it means to honor, serve, and worship a true and living God via the institutional organized system of religion known at "church" / Christianity.
  2. Non-believers rejecting a system of organized religion which is in the throws of a massive systemic shutdown of vital organs.
The church-going believers are dealing with real life issues involving faith, family, and financial survival. These are real people that pray for help, struggle with their faith, and wrestle with the purpose of it all. They are not delusional or stupid or ignorant of how the world operates. They're trying to do the best they can with managing their marriages, raising their kiddos, and dealing with all the struggles and challenges which come with life in general. Life isn't easy for these folks. They don't always win. They don't always experience joy or peace or even contentment. They seek help. They seek friendships. They seek love. What defines this group from the other is their hope and belief that there is a greater reality and one who has created that reality that they refer to as God.

The non-believer is dealing with life the same as the believer. The difference between these folks and the believer crowd is the absence of a belief in a greater reality. What you see is what you get. Seems pretty

Sunday, August 29, 2010

American Christianity is NOT Well

The Anne Rice defection: It's the tip of the religious iceberg - LA Times - August 08, 2010
By William Lobdell

"American Christianity is not well, and there's evidence to indicate that its condition is more critical than most realize — or at least want to admit." 
###
Barna isn't the only worried evangelical. Christian activist Ronald J. Sider writes in his book, "The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience": "By their daily activity, most 'Christians' regularly commit treason. With their mouths they claim that Jesus is their Lord, but with their actions they demonstrate their allegiance to money, sex, and personal self-fulfillment."

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Faulty Logic at the Core of Religious Authority

Separation of Church (organized religion) and God...maybe that should be the subtitle to this book. Having programmed into our spiritual DNA the concept that God and the organized institution of church cannot be separated, we've done ourselves a huge injustice. There are scores and scores of people out there who resent and abhor Christianity while mocking the thought of an omniscient being who created the heavens and the earth. Why? Are they stupid? Are they in denial? Are they perverts trying to escape the moral and ethical values which constrain their thoughts and desires? Or, are they pragmatic realists who have tired of the process of watching Christian communities implode through the fostering of intolerance? Haven't we, Christians, proven time and time again that we can be very manipulative, self-serving, self righteous, condescending, arrogant, apathetic, and irrelevant? Now, I'm not suggesting that this is an accurate description of all of our communities or individuals, but to the scores of "anti-Christians" it doesn't matter. Whine as we might about the "unfairness" of their conclusions, we cannot explain away the despicable behavior of some of our wayward brethren.

See, as long as we insist on promoting the idea that a relationship with God, the Father, is in some way contingent upon and facilitated by our involvement within an organized system of religion (be that a church, or denomination, or any type of extraneous organization) we are promoting the idea that God and that organization are one and the same. The reason it is so important for someone like Anne Rice to come out in defiance of the continuation of this system-godhead consortium in her own life is that those of us Christians uncomfortable with the traditional system-godhead can begin to speak out in defiance as well.

Furthermore, as long as God is consistently presented as a conjoined twin with the religious institution of church, if a single Christian community calling itself a "church" behaves despicably then the "anti-Christians" have every right to reject God as a ridiculous combination of mysticism and frivolity.

The sidenote to this topic is that a great deal of the "churchy" advice given to a Christian who staves off involvement in organized religion is that one shouldn't let the behavior or demeanor of offending "church" members be used as an excuse to flee from the congregation. More often than not, a congregational member critical of other members or cliques within the "church" is told to focus on their own relationship with God and not use other's misgivings as an excuse to "turn from God". This is inherently flawed reasoning at a very basic level.

First, one is told that the well-being of their faith is dependant upon their involvement with the "church." Next, one is told that their involvement within the "church" should not be contingent upon other members' bad behavior. Finally, one is told that if said bad behavior is a deterrent to their continued committment to the "church" then they should focus on the core value of ensuring the well-being of their faith---which, as we established before, is supposedly dependant upon their involvement with the "church". I'm not making this up! This circular reasoning is one of the fundamental reasons for the current crisis of confidence in Christianity and Christian religious institutions.

Circular Reasoning – supporting a premise with the premise rather than a conclusion.

Major Outlets Running "Throwing Hammers" Press Release

CNBC - Reuters - Yahoo! - USA Today - Forbes

Christianity Today Magazine

Q & A: Anne Rice on Following Christ Without Christianity

in omnibus caritas (In Everything Compassion)

in omnibus caritas

"Imagine a woman, destined for greatness. Let's call her Charity. She's beautiful, she's talented, she's kind, sweet, likeable--potential oozing out her pores. Like I said--destined for greatness. She's engaged to this incredible guy, and everything seems to be perfect, going her way. She has bluebirds circling overhead, a bounce in her step, a whistle on her lips, a twinkle in her eye.


And then somehow, she takes a very wrong turn. What started out as small chinks in her perfection led to bigger missteps--a white lie turned into shoplifting, turned into heavy drinking, turned into casual drug use, turned into selling herself to keep her habit. The bluebirds became vultures. The bounce became dreary shuffling. The whistle died, the twinkle dulled.

No longer virginal or a glistening pristine beauty, Charity turned her back on her fiance, knowing deep in her wounded, broken heart that he could never love someone like her anymore. What did she have to offer?" [For the Full Story]

Controversial Book Topic Is Making Headline News

Controversial Book Topic Is Making Headline News

Throwing Hammers goes public...

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Teachings of Jesus Lead to Rejecting Institutional Church

"Rock stars and politicians often announce dramatic religious conversions to save their careers more than to save their souls but a decade ago, when the novelist, Anne Rice, made headlines for becoming a Christian she was still at the top of her popularity. This was an especially notable conversion because Rice was famous, not only for writing Vampire novels but for writing erotic novels under a hardly secret pseudonym.


What has not been much noted in the news is that last month she renounced the Christian religion though she resolutely refused to renounce Jesus. She said, 'I quit being a Christian. I'm out. In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian.'" [For the full story]

Contact Information

Bonar Crump
email: bonar@bonarcrump.com

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Sample Chapter

3—INTONATION – Musical Interlude to the Infinite


My brother is 15 years younger than me and a fantastic guitarist. He’s been a fantastic guitarist ever since he picked up a six-string at the age of 13. I remember teaching him a couple of chords early on. Six weeks later he was trying to get me to understand the concept of using a capo and how I could drop the tuning on a string to bring in more depth to a chord. Needless to say, as the proud older brother, I developed all kinds of excuses which kept me busy enough that I wouldn’t have to sit down with my little bro and be humbled by his understanding and execution of music. Everyone touted his “gift” and how easily he was able to learn things on that guitar. And, yes, he certainly did exhibit an enormous amount of talent early on, but what no one gave him credit for was that he worked tirelessly developing each and every technique.

Day after day J-man would come home from school, dump his books on the couch, and go to his room to get his hands on that fret board. Long evenings led to long nights of tirelessly repeating sequences, runs, and riffs. There was always the emergence from the room for food and bathroom breaks, but right back into that room he would go. There were times of frustration, times of epiphany, and times of sorrow that he experienced trying to learn to master that instrument.

And, yet, he wasn’t performing at the time. He wasn’t earning a living on stage. He wasn’t even allowing

Press Release

Contact:

Bonar Crump
Phone: 918.510.0371
Email: pr@throwinghammers.net

For Immediate Release

Controversial Book Topic is Making Headline News

Bonar Crump’s THROWING HAMMERS: SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND SELF

Tulsa, OK, August 25, 2010 – New author, Bonar Crump is finding his book THROWING HAMMERS: SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND SELF is creating quite a stir. Ranked #9 on Amazon.com’s Hot New Releases list in June, Crump’s book covers a controversial topic that is making headline news everywhere. World-renowned author and researcher, George Barna, is asking about THE CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE IN THE CHURCH and major news outlets are interviewing prominent author, Anne Rice, about her recent declaration to, “Quit Christianity in the Name of Christ”.

“Those of us that have been paying attention the last 10 years have noticed significant rumblings in the distance concerning Christianity, relevance of the Christian church, and the overwhelming sense that change is coming. The recent denouncements of Christian religion in favor of a direct relationship with Christ by authors like Anne Rice and Carol Harper signal that the birth pains of this provocative message are at hand,” Crump said.

Crump has been receiving support across the nation. One Atlanta-based motivational speaker, Joann Corley, posted a quote from the book on her Twitter page, “We challenge the ‘big dog’ or we accept the leash.” Bonar Crump.

Crump challenges his readers to ask themselves, “How have we reached a point in which 30 million dollar

Amazon Reviews


Don't Let the Title "Throw" You!, June 17, 2010
By S Moore
This review is from: Throwing Hammers: Separation of Church and Self (Paperback)

I think when you see the title of this book, you're not sure what you're going to get. I'm telling you, you're going to get your money's worth. I've been an on again, off again "Christian" my whole life but always a believer. This author has a relationship and understanding of God that I envy, is obviously well-educated in religion, well-spoken and has some great metaphors. This isn't a boring book about Christianity, this author
 challenges you to think outside the box, doesn't mind if he offends you, all-the-while making for an entertaining, thought provoking read. Would love to see more books like this! 5 stars from me.
______________________________________________________

A Whole New Perspective, June 17, 2010
By B Carter
This review is from: Throwing Hammers: Separation of Church and Self (Paperback)

Get ready for a whole new perspective on church, faith and religion. From the first page of the book, the author challenges you to cast off old ideas and open yourself to new possibilities for your faith. I am a Christian who tired of a church experience that left me feeling flat and unfulfilled. Reading this book helped me to realize that I am not alone! There are others out there searching for a way to live out their faith outside of the trappings of a one-size-fits-all religious institution. There are others out there longing to explore the unique gifts that God gave them and to use these gifts to live out their faith in a vibrant and meaningful way. If you are among these searchers, pick up this book and brace yourself for a whole new perspective.
______________________________________________________

A MUST HAVE!!!, June 19, 2010
By T.S. Walters
This review is from: Throwing Hammers: Separation of Church and Self (Paperback)

This is an exceptional book that helps people truly discover the true meaning of what is going on inside the Church. An enlightening and open suggestion that causes the reader to truly look inside their beliefs of their faith and explore what people believe they should interpret the Church to be. This book opens the eyes of what has be questioned for so many years, but has never been brought to the forefront. A must read!
______________________________________________________

What the..., June 23, 2010
By D Breedlove
This review is from: Throwing Hammers: Separation of Church and Self (Kindle Edition)

I liked the book - but it's not for everyone (as the author has acknowledged). It will either get your head nodding in agreement or piss you off - there's not alot of wiggle room for anything in-between. Crump has no hesitation in calling a spade a spade, and he makes no apologies for it.

"We challenge the 'big dog' or we accept the leash."
______________________________________________________

Shocking!!!!, August 25, 2010
By Stephen D. Crump
This review is from: Throwing Hammers: Separation of Church and Self (Paperback)

Crump's message is like a spiritual AED (Automated External Defibrillator). An AED can diagnose a number of potentially life-threatening cardiac problems and treat them with an appropriate amount of electrical therapy. Like an AED, this book can apply its own "shock" to your spiritual heartbeat.

The delivery may offend some, but the message is straight-forward with little wiggle room. The author doesn't apologize for his display of intestinal fortitude in such a flammable topic. You will either love it or you will hate it. With numerous, to-the-core topics of internal struggles, this is definitely a book you will read through more than once.

About The Author

I really never had any idea who I was until after I left Lubbock, TX. I was working full-time for an exterminator in Frederick, OK, for three years when it dawned on me—”I can’t stay in a rural town of 4,000 working with poison for the rest of my life.” God’s voice spoke to my heart very clearly one day sitting on the swings at the park near my house. I became acutely aware of the fact that what I did from that point (20 years old) until I was 25 was going to shape the entire direction of the rest of my life. This is where the journey begins—on a swing.

I enrolled in Cameron University (Lawton, OK) the following week, transferred to Oklahoma Baptist University after finishing my freshman year, met my wife, graduated with a Bachelors in English in ’94, was married in ’95, moved to Dallas for five years, North to Tulsa in ’99 and we had our daughter in ’05.

The English/History degree was something I fell into based on interests more so than a drive toward a specific goal. I intended to go on to Law School at OU, but I never developed the interest for law that I knew would be important to my success. I still struggle with investing in things I’m not interested in or passionate about—I mean, come on, what’s the fun in that!

My wife, Margaret, is so much of a perfectionist and over-achiever that she mocks me for considering myself one. The metaphor I use often to describe our relationship is