Kevin’s a great guy, a good friend, and an excellent manager — a true joy to work with. When his 20th anniversary at CTI came due, we wanted to do something to poke a little fun at him while still honoring him for his 20 years of service.

CTI took a huge risk asking me to put anytng together, knowing my style of humor (many waited with bated breath and crossed fingers, dreading the final result, and eagerly looking forward to the entertaining train-wreck it was sure to be). Who’s great idea was this? I’ll never know. According to my logs, I started working on this around June 5. Fifteen days later, and probably 20-40 hours of editing and fiddling later, this video is what came out of it.

I share it here for those of you know know Kevin and want to relive the memory of my forcing him to do the Chicken Dance through the magic of video editing. For those of you who don’t know Kevin, maybe it will spark an idea or two for the next time you need to roast somebody via manipulated video?

I pulled together countless still photos, audio clips, a couple video clips, and combed through it all to find the best way to make Kevin look good and bad all at the same time. A friend, Jennifer Oxford went to Red Apple and shot some footage of the manager giving Kevin a hard time. I shot some footage of Kevin’s son pretending to be a slacker. And Cory Whitehead and I stole Kevin’s PDA for a few moments to get some footage of “Kevin” frantically checking email on his Palm V. The hand model is, of course, Cory.

For any who are curious, yes, Kevin actually was temporarily mistaken for a terrorist due to a silly attempt at irony when boarding a plane. Let this be a lesson to you: avoid being sarcastic, ironic or flippant in any way about terrorism when Homeland Security is nearby. You can read the lessons Kevin learned here: Eleven Stray Words.”

You can download the Windows Media version of the video here, watch it at YouTube here, or just enjoy it, above.

If you want to host the video on your own site, you can use this code here:

Read Kevin’s Book:

Surviving Information Overload: The Clear, Practical Guide to Help You Stay on Top of What You Need to Know

Fake websites

Lovingly and hilariously designed by Clay Anderson and Valerie Broucek. Click to see the full-meal deal.

More pics:

We are very proud.

[Blah, blah, blah — skip Rich's philosophizing,
and go straight to the podcast!]

Never having parented before, and having no memories of Kindergarten myself (I never went, scofflaw that I am), I didn’t realize there was actually liturgy for Kindergarten graduation. Maybe this is something we only do here in the Midwest. Or maybe it happens all over the world and I’ve been clueless for 39 years. Probably the latter.

I think milestones are important to celebrate — even if there’s no real par-tay and spiked beverages involved. I mean, we really don’t do these things well in America and, growing up, my family did even worse. But despite not having enjoyed a bar-mitzvah myself, or First Communion, or even Prom, I sense that making a Big Deal out of seemingly little events can be an important marker for children growing up. After all, aside from getting the keys to Dad’s car, getting a license that says you’re eligible to get legally sauced, or graduating college, there really aren’t many things in American society that really tell a child, “Hey, you’re growing up. Time to start acting like it.”

I used to think High-School graduation served that kind of function, but having worked with college students for a few years as a Chi Alpha campus pastor, I now realize that college kids are really just High School kids with more expensive text books and a lot more license to misbehave. Why? I think one reason is that upon graduating high school, society places no expectations on graduates to actually grow up. That crisis really seems to occur only on the day a boy or girl receives their BA.

But, as usual, I digress

AJ’s graduation ceremony was short, sweet, and to-the-point. The only real delaying element was a performance by the kindergartners in a typically off-key rendition of a few songs I can’t even recall the tunes to any more. I’m not sure I could identify the melody even during the performance, actually. But that’s beside the point. It was a chance for AJ and his peers to do something in front of an assembled audience that he learned in school. He’d never done that before. It was a first.

Unfortunately, AJ didn’t even notice. Wherever I went with my camera, his eyes followed me, much like my grandmother’s eyes followed me in that creepy portrait that used to hang up on the wall of the mobile home I grew up in. You know the kind. You could press yourself flat against the very wall that painting hangs on and, still, you could feel those flat gray eyes boring into your skull. And if you dared look … yep. Still staring.

I went stage-left. There’s AJ giving me a thumb’s up. I go stage right. There’s AJ looking over his shoulder to mug for the camera. I go to the far back wall. AJ’s still making faces for me. It cracked me up. Everybody’s all into the performance and watching the teacher, but AJ could care less. He wants to be in pictures, and he wants his Dad to give him a thumbs up to let him know the picture came out great. For every shot.

Afterward, we went to Cracker Barrel to celebrate (one of AJ’s favorite haunts — because of the checkerboards and toys in the lobby), and I announced I’d interview him again later that day. He got excited. And before bed-time, he was sure to remind me, “Dad, after you put Ellie to bed, how about I stay down here and you can interview me again with your little computer?”

So, for your listening pleasure, I present to you my interview with Alexander James Tatum, Kindergarten graduate extraordinaire. And, as a special one-time only bonus, I’m also throwing in a short little interview with Elisabeth Rose as well. And just in case you missed the first interview, upon AJ’s first day in class, be sure to check it out.

Interview with AJ: (18:37) [download]

[See post to listen to audio]

Interview with Ellie: (5:07) [download]

[See post to listen to audio]

Man, they grow up fast.

Music Credits:

Excellent music samples by James Hersch. Check out his site, listen to his excellent music, book him for engagements, and buy his music. Really, he’s that good!

• Macaroni & Cheese
• Twenty Two Little Minds
• When You Were Born

Not long before this interview took place, I had also been interviewed by MSNBC for its program, “The Most.” (If you’re interested, see “Jesus Camp and BlogRodent on MSNBC.”). It was interesting experiencing these two interview formats back-to-back. I enjoyed being on “The Most” as a floating-head talker, but I really enjoyed chatting with John and Stephanie for their afternoon show.

Like many talk-show hosts and afternoon drive entertainers, John and Stephanie have an energetic rapport that they effortlessly extend to their guests. It was clear from my time on the phone with them that both John and Stephanie had actually read-up on their subject matter before speaking with me, and they’d even gone so far as to actually wade through my lengthy treatise on the matter. Their questions and asides were intelligent, on target, and designed to let me shine.

• Trailer reaction…
• Brainwashed in the Blood? (for CT Movies)
• Brainwashed … (full length)
• One edit away from propaganda?
• Min.Today guest post
• Guest on MSNBC
• Guest on WORD-FM

Friends at work who heard me give the interview were nicely complimentary afterward. Of course, none of them could hear the program live, so, they had no idea what was being said between my pauses, but I am now here to rectify that for one, and all. And that includes you.

John Hall has gone the extra mile to graciously send me a CD copy of the bulk of my interview. I’m including it here as a downloadable podcast and playable audio file so that you can enjoy my ums and ahs in all their monaural splendor. At the very least, I can say that I only stuck my foot in my mouth two or three times.

As usual, there are things I wish I’d said and things I wish I hadn’t — or at least wish I’d clarified better. For example, I make it sound like all Methodists are liberals and not “born again.” Not true. So, not true. So, before I get hate mail, please understand: that is not what I meant to imply.

Enjoy. And if you have any comments, please leave them. I’d like to know what you thought of the interview and its subject matter.

AG News wants to know if podcasts of sermons/messages by the local church is widespread.

Take the short AG News poll and let us know! Click here to begin…

I took the poll.

I listen to a lot of sermons and other spoken word content on my PocketPC. I load it up each week with chocolaty goodness and fill my mind while commuting the two hours I spend driving each day.

Here’s to hoping the A/G decides to promote podcasting by the local church. Though, not every church needs to (or should) podcast, it would be good to get some of our better preachers more exposure.

Meanwhile, check out my good friend John Abela’s online audio initiative for A/G preachers at:

AGSermons.com
Dedicated to providing a central location for all Assemblies of God pastors and their online audio sermons for their church members and the mass public to access them!

John is a former A/G pastor, crack coder (he co-wrote one of the most popular online community fora available today: phBB), and accumulator/creator of a vast horde of A/G related websites including AGJobs, AGSingles, and AGPrayer … among others.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the A/G HQ got into the podcasting game … in the next couple of years, especially with their new A/G web-hosting initiative for local churches (free: AGChurches.org). But I’d also be surprised if the local pastors got on board with them — what with the typical pastor’s distrust of initiatives out of Springfield, Missouri.

If I hear more, I’ll be sure to track and post it.

Today we sent our little boy to school for the first time. Nobody wept. There was no gnashing of teeth, wailing, or sack-cloth and ashes. On our part, anyhow. Instead, we were excited to see AJ off to a new adventure in his life, one that promises whole new rafts of friends, future sleepovers, new books to read, realms of knowledge to acquire, and numerous — I repeat … numerous — parent-teacher conferences down the road.

He’s not angry, just surprised and squinting into the Sun. Or maybe he’s just part Ferengi.

Every parent believes their child to be the brightest bulb in the firmament — with the possible exception of overachieving, insecure parents who vicariously live through their childen, ever suspecting and fearing that their child will prove to be as colossal a failure as they imagine themselves to be.

Not us. AJ is not only bright, he is certifiably bright, even if nobody believes us the first time we warn them — err — inform them. My Bride and are enomously proud of our son (when we’re not enormously vexed by his impulse-control), and I’ve already been justifiably corrected by my son on many observations I’ve made. The days are few until he truly knows more about things than I do and I become the student. Nevertheless, I hope to remain in service as his father, mentor, and guide — even through High School.

More sun. Less Ferengi

Last night we all went to AJ’s new school to meet with the principal and the teachers, to visit his classroom, and to enjoy a bit of ice-cream while dozens of other kids worked out their sugar-frenzy in the cafeteria. After listening to AJ’s teacher’s first presentation to her incoming class of kindergarteners and the milling parents, Jennifer and I hung around till we were the last ones in the class (we didn’t want to seem to brag in front of the other parents — we tend to keep that kind of outrageousness on my weblog). We introduced AJ, introduced ourselves, and got to work on sounding her out — and setting expectations.

“I know every parent says this, but AJ is very bright,” I said. “He already meets or exceeds almost every one of the goals in your curriculum except for maybe social skills and social studies.” She nodded and looked to AJ. Of course, he was tight-lipped. No showing off on cue — too bad we didn’t rehearse this. We let her know that AJ is currently on medication for ADHD and that he’s reading at the 2nd or 3rd grade level at least, and that his hyperactivity, curiosity, and intellectual development might wreak havoc in her class due to boredom. She assured us that this was no problem, and she told us her strategy for teaching exceptional students. We liked it. We liked her. We were assured. After a couple minutes small-talk, we wandered down to the cafeteria for our ice-cream, then beat a hasty retreat to put the kids in bed.

The long walk to academia.

Now, today. We take AJ to school and escort him to the cafeteria. We do the hugs and kisses thing, I remind him to be good for the teacher, and to obey everything she says to do, and we send him off.

Within seconds, we became mere background. There were kids! Kids everywhere! Soon enough, AJ is edging his way to the front of the line as Mrs. Russell marches her new brood off to the classroom, where the government does its parenting best.

Our role has now officially diminished. Or, at least, changed. It’s final. We have the paperwork (and a quieter house) to prove it.

Three hours later, we’re back to pick him up. And what do you know? First thing out of the gate: “Oh, you’re AJ’s mom! We … uh … need to talk.”

Getting a head start, already.

So it seems AJ’s first day in class was a raging success. He even got the Special Ed teacher involved. What with his interrogating the teacher (”What happens if the filament breaks?”), correcting her use of language (”It’s a ‘backpack,’ not a ‘book-bag!’”), instructing other students (”Hey, that ‘Z’ is backward!”), spilling the puzzle-pieces (”We all had to help clean it up.”), and a minor territorial skimish (”Some kid stole my seat!”), the teacher and support staff are guaranteed to already know his name. I’m not even sure we need to send him off with his name-tag tomorrow. “Oh, you have somebody bouncing off the padded walls in the gymnasium? That would be AJ Tatum.”

:: sigh ::

But, don’t take my word for it. I have a 24-minute (16-megabyte) podcast interview with AJ that I recorded just this afternoon, while the events were still fresh in his memory. Sure, it’s no theological treatise, and it won’t win any Grammy awards for best audio interview, and it’s not up to NPR-snuff. But I found myself giggling like a silly dad when listening to it all over again this evening. This is totally unscripted and only lightly edited from the original.

If you’re up for that sort of thing download it here. Or you can listen online.

If you have any encouragement or words of wisdom for AJ, post ‘em here. I’ll be sure to pass it along.

Notes on the music used in this podcast:

• Intro: James Hersch, “On the Bus,” from Cow, Bugs & Aardvarks
• Outro: Gunnar Madsen, “Ants in my Pants!” from Ants in my Pants!

Not having screened the film, everybody is guessing as to how much of the book’s more controversial elements made it into the screenplay, but we’re pretty sure it will involve the major highlights of this course since the plot largely depends on it:

• Emperor Constantine was a lifelong pagan who fabricated Christ’s divinity at the Council of Nicaea in order to further his political ambition.
• Virtually everybody knew Christ was a mere mortal until Constantine cooked up this divinity myth at Nicaea.
• Christ was married to Mary Magdalene, and had children by her, who survived him to found the Merovingian dynasty.
• Somehow, this mere mortal understood he was creating a worldwide church, and therefore intended his wife, Mary Magdalene, to be its founder.
• That the Priory of Sion is an ancient secret order devoted to protecting the evidence for the truth behind the myth at any cost.
• That the Opus Dei Catholic order is a bunch of crazed zealots.

The course addresses each of these issues briefly, but with enough depth that anyone taking the course would have enough fodder to manage a conversation about the issues with after-film dinner guests. Plus there are the additional materials provided with the course, including a recommended resources list, that will help the viewer delve even deeper, if one cares to.

If you’re interested in knowing more, I’m linking to our newsletter podcast, the homepage promotional video, and the high– and low-bandwidth sample videos to give you a taste of what I’ve been slaving over, and what you might find interesting over at my day-job website:

You can download the “Da Vinci Code Conversations” podcast here, or listen online:

Here’s the “Da Vinci Code Conversations” homepage promotion.

Here are the sample videos, at high bandwidth (311kbps) and low bandwidth (56kbps).

As usual, enjoy! Regular posting will resume again, shortly.

Rich

I’m a white guy (well, not really, I’m Hispanic—maybe [long story]—but I think I’m white) so, naturally, I don’t move much when I sing. And when I catch myself moving, I nervously stop, shove my hands in my pockets, and look around with a sheepish grin. The Bride of Rat, though, she loves to move when she sings. She spent a year in Brazil as an exchange student and learned to enjoy dancing over there; consequently, she gets a little rhythm goin’ on during worship now and then.

Nothing wrong with that. Just don’t ask me to do it. Please. You’ll appreciate it. I promise.

But what happens when you put someone with a little rhythm, a little soul, a little energy, up on the platform to help lead worship? What happens when someone who likes to move with the music gets caught up in it, actually starts to worship and dances before the Lord like David did? What happens when that person forgets that there are hundreds or thousands of eyes watching every move (What? Those people aren’t worshiping too?)

You get voicemail. That’s what happens.

Then the minister of music gets ahold of the voicemail and you get the ultimate postmodern rebuttal: the complainants message becomes a dance mix.

Priceless.

When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets. (2 Samuel 6:13-15, NIV)

I will build you up again
and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel.
Again you will take up your tambourines
and go out to dance with the joyful. (Jeremiah 31:4)

Then maidens will dance and be glad,
young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into gladness;
I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. (Jeremiah 31:13)

Related posts:
“When sermons go awry..”
“When sermons go awry, revisited.”
“F-bombs, poets, and church. Or, “When church goes intentionally awry!.”
“When worship goes awry..”

Update: GospelGal, a co-worker of mine, just blogged on this topic, with a whole host of really excellent questions. Head on over and interact, she said some of the stuff I was thinking about–and more–but I didn’t really have the brains to say it. That’s right, “GospelGal: thinking so you don’t have to.”

Now we have an F-bomb. On purpose. Yeah. You know the word. You’re thinking it right now. Are you sinning?

Over at CTI’s new Out of Ur blog, Leadership associate editor Sky Jethani (assistant teaching pastor at Blanchard Road Alliance Church in Wheaton, Illinois) writes the story of what happens when the F-bomb is dropped at the ecclesiastical ground zero: at church on the eve of baby Jesus’ birthday, no less.

Sares pastors an unconventional church—made clear by the name: Scum of the Earth Church in Denver, Colorado. Out of Ur relates:

Scum calls itself “a church for the right brained and the left out.” They embrace authenticity, creativity, and those who are on the margins of society.

That’s nice. But for a clearer picture of this church’s intentional iconoclastic culture, see the church’s site:

We really want to connect with people who have no interest in “church” by society’s definition. There are plenty of churches for “normal people” and we think we have a unique calling to reach out to our otherwise unreached friends. Our name is integral to that process. Whether outcast by society (e.g., punks, skaters, ravers, homeless people…) or by the church itself, many who come can identify with the name “Scum of the Earth” since they have been previously treated as such.

So, let’s dispense with the background now, and get to the story. (“What about the F-word, Rich? Tell us about the F-word!”)

Find the whole, well-written, suspenseful, enchilada over at the Out of Ur blog—which I’ll link to shortly—patience, gentle Readers!—but here’s the short version. A few days before Christmas, an associate pastor called on Sares. Poet Mary Kate Makkai, coming out of a long, prodigal-daughter struggle with her faith, wanted to read her poem during the Christmas Eve service.

One problem—well—sixteen: the poem had at least that many F-words in it.

The poem recounted Makkai’s spiritual journey back to God, and the incendiary language came from other’s mouths, describing encounters in her faith struggle. It’s a non-fictional account of what drove Makkai back to God. The emotions are raw, authentic, and powerful (allegedly—I’ve not seen the piece).

After internal debate, advice from ministry supporters, calls to two other pastors—even a consultation with Denver Seminary professor Dr. Craig Blomberg—Sares green-lighted the thermonuclear worship experience.

Predictably, the fallout went both ways. Some were deeply moved and encouraged in their faith. Some were offended and deeply hurt. Some withheld money—the most terrible cut of all. (To many pastors, anyhow.)

Read the two-part story here:

• Expletive Undeleted: Dropping the F-bomb in Church
• Expletive Undeleted 2: The F-bomb Fallout

The comments are worth the read–especially Craig Blomberg’s comment on the first post.

Update: But wait, there’s more! Part Three: The F-Bomb Poet Responds, and Part Four: The F-Bomb Pastor Responds.

With that out of the way—if you’ve returned—I now get to play blow-hard commentator.

I don’t believe in taboo words.

Yes, I’m a Christian. I’m Evangelical. I’m Pentecostal, even. But maybe I’m a little scummy and unconventional, too. There are no, in my mind, inherently evil or taboo words, in and of themselves.

But words can be rude, insensitive, aggressive, harmful, offensive, blasphemous, trivial, humorous, thoughtful, edifying, and on, and on, and on. It all depends on context, intent, effect, and culture.

I’m deeply indebted to James, the brother of Jesus, who clued-me-in that it’s not the words you use that set your life on fire with the flames of Hell, but content of your language (James 3:1-12). I’m indebted to Christ to learn what comes out of your mouth doesn’t defile you, but the content of your speech (Matthew 15:10-12). Christ also taught me that speech reveals internal affairs (Luke 6:43-45). Paul warns me to keep my conversations gracious and salty—but not in the salty-fisherman kind of way—in the seasoned, purified kind of way (Colossians 4:6). Paul warns me through Timothy, a young minister, that I must set an example for believers in his speech (1 Timothy 4:12).

But in all these passages (and there are more) we don’t have examples of specific banned language (except to not take the Lord’s name in vain—but then we have not a taboo word, but a taboo usage with trivializing effect). We have instruction about how speech reveals the heart, how speech changes our attitudes, how speech effects others.

I conclude there’s nothing wrong with Makkai’s poem in itself (with the caveat that I haven’t read it, and I don’t know her). I would have stayed to listen—but I would’ve checked to see that my four-year old son wasn’t in the sanctuary sitting with the kids contingent.

But if I were the pastor? At the church I attend, I couldn’t allow it (note: I’m not a pastor). Our church culture is not intentionally iconoclastic, like Scum’s is. We have too many seniors, too many adolescents, too many newly saved, too many spiritually unformed in our services, too many modern Midwesterners. (And maybe not enough unsaved—who wouldn’t bat an eye at this poem.) They didn’t sign up for this, and their culture and expectations are much different. The shock-and-awe fallout would so far outweigh any positive benefits of the reading that it would prove too detrimental. And I think this is true for most non-Emergent churches in America.

Romans 14:1-23 bears heavily here, and it guides my thought.

In most church gatherings, in our American church culture, the F-Bomb would not edify—no matter the literary context. Most people are far too sensitive for this, and it would simply not edify. Plus, for some new believers who are learning to sanctify their speech, a large part of their growing process is just cleaning up the expletives—which serve no good purpose and only detract from positive, moral, edifying talk. To introduce a so-called “acceptable” use of the F-word to them—in a church setting, no less—might contribute to cognitive dissonance and moral confusion over appropriate conversation. Also, children simply need to have models of speech unencumbered by culturally taboo terms. They get enough bad language at school, at home, and on TV—why confuse them with the F-word from church leaders and from the pulpit. Finally, the senior members of the congregation are quite simply not as culturally flexible in their views on what constitutes a taboo and what does not. Circuits wold be blown, and you’d have paramedics called in. The whole point of the poem would be lost.

It would, at least, be exciting. But excitement does not equal edification. That’s why most churches don’t have mosh pits and bungee jumps in the sanctuary.

I’m all for using raw, powerful language in appropriate circumstances with the correct people for the right purposes. Paul did it. When debating circumcision, he wished that the Judaizers “would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!” (Galatians 5:12). (The word here, apokopsontai, literally means “would amputate themselves,” which has a double meaning. The act Paul wishes would not only deprive these men of a precious organ, but would also excommunicate them—cut themselves off—from fellowship in accordance with their legalistic views (Deuteronomy 23:1).

In Philippians 3:8, Paul considers his accomplishments to be equivalent to dung compared to what he gained in Christ. Yes, dung. You know—the S-word. (The Greek here is skubala, but it could also be simply rendered as “refuse.” Some commentators like the word “crap.”)

But in all these usages (and they are admittedly rare in scripture), the point of the language is godly, the intent is instructive, and the usage is appropriate to the culture.

So, in the end. Hurray for Scum of the Earth. But not in my church, please. Not yet. And not on my blog.

But I’d love to read the poem. Anyone have a copy?

Related posts:

• “When sermons go awry..”
• “When sermons go awry, revisited.”
• “F-bombs, poets, and church. Or, When church goes intentionally awry!.”
• “When worship goes awry..”

I had the pleasure of spending over an hour on Skype with Garrick of the “First Crack Podcast,” talking about his show, podcasting, the Internet, and more. It was a great conversation, and I’m looking forward to listening to his half-hour condensation our our hour-plus conversation.

I just had to say that now, before listening to the show, because I really enjoyed the conversation, and didn’t want to sully my good feelings with that sense of “Aargh! He left out the best part!” <grin> Garrick’s a good guy, and he has an interesting show, in my opinion. I frequently enjoy the quirky guests he interviews, and the perspective on Minnesota “big city” culture that I never really knew existed.

Catch Garrick’s show notes here: First Crack #65 — First Crack Turns One Through Rich Tatum’s Ears. You can listen from Garrick’s mp3 file, or listen here:

UPDATE: After listening to the show I’m impressed with Garrick’s masterful editing of the program, and I come off sounding okay, if a bit over-enthusiastic about my own ideas. Garrick was a good man to take a chance interviewing a crackpot Pentecostal for his show’s anniversary, I hope I don’t do him any damage! — Rich.

Without futher ado, here’s the audio file, it’s about an hour and twenty minutes long, and it includes some after-class discussion for a few die-hards who hung around to grill the unfortunate teacher. The audio is kinda poor, but it comes with the use-what-you-got technology category. If you can’t listen via the player below, here’s a link to the file.

The main topic today was whether or not Christ spent any time in Hell. I argue against that proposition, even though Augustin, Calvin, and the Early Church’s Apostle’s Creed vote for Christ’s descent. Below are the passages I referenced in class.

Matthew 27:50-53
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

Before diving into our main topic, I addressed the question from last week about the meaning and nature of the saints who were resurrected at Christ’s death, in the passage shown above. I didn’t really have much to say about this, other than that we believe it happened, but there is no other biblical data providing any mention or commentary about this event. What I conclude is that Christ’s death on the Cross, completed the work of salvation, and that the immediate resurrection of many saints in Jerusalem is primarily a demonstration of his power over life and death. This plays into my argument that Christ’s work on the Christ was complete. He cried out “it is finished!” (John 19:30) And upon his death, proof that it was finished came in the appearance of many who were previously dead. The events that Matthew describes here all point to the significance and the impact of Christ’s death. They are markers for the eternal and universal impact his sacrifice had on all of creation. Creation responded, the dead responded, and even the spiritual world was changed, signified by the tearing of the veil from top to bottom.

Next, we look at an Old Testament Psalm by Kind David:

Psalm 16:10-11
“because you will not abandon me to the grave, [a] nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

[a] Hebrew: Sheol (See definition below)

This Psalm was referenced by Peter as being a prophecy of Christ, which we’ll see in a moment. But first, notice that the Psalmist uses “Sheol” as the location of the Holy One. In Old Testament theology, the destination for everyone at death was Sheol. Both the righteous and the unrighteous went there. In many ways, Sheol is identified with “The Pit” and “the grave,” but it’s a mistake to make it a synonym for the physical resting place. It is basically “the underworld.”

However, the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, invariably used the word “hades” to translate “Sheol.” Now, Hades is the New Testament equivalent of the underworld, as a destination for unbelievers and believers, alike, but it has more hellish connotations that heavenly ones. Unfortunately, early English translations always translated the Greek “Hades” as “Hell”, and so the confusion begins.

Now, when Peter quotes this passage, keep in mind that the current Greek versions of the OT, which Peter was probably familiar with, translated “Sheol” as “Hades,” and to the NT believer, Hades was a common destination for everybody who died. So, Peter, quoting the Psalm, uses “Hades” when saying “you will not abandon me to the grave.” Again, many early English Bibles translated this as “Hell,” so, we get the beginning of a theology that says Christ went to Hell, where he was not abandoned.

As you can see, below, the modern NIV simply, and correctly, translates Hades as “the grave” here.

Acts 2:25-35
David said about him:

   ” ‘I saw the Lord always before me.
      Because he is at my right hand,
      I will not be shaken.
    Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
      my body also will live in hope,
    because you will not abandon me to the grave,
      nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
    You have made known to me the paths of life;
      you will fill me with joy in your presence.’

“Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,

   ” ‘The Lord said to my Lord:
      “Sit at my right hand
    until I make your enemies
      a footstool for your feet.” ‘

Note, also, that Peter’s extended commentary on this passage and on Christ, drives the point home that Christ was in the grave, and he was not abandoned there. Notice, he says nothing in this passage about Christ going to Hell as we know it.

Luke 23:39-46
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”

    But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

    Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. “

    Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

    It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

Greek word used here: paradisos/paradeis

Notice in this passage that Christ tells the criminal that today you will be with me in paradise. This is a statement of immediate impact. There’s no delay allowing for Jesus to take a quick Hellish detour to tussle with Satan over the keys of death.

Ephesians 4:7-13
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says:

   “When he ascended on high,
      he led captives in his train
      and gave gifts to men.”

(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

The Ephesians passage is also used to bolster the Hell trip because the text says Christ descended to the “lower, earthly regions.” The assumption is that from the point of view of Paul, Christ descended even lower than the Earth into Hell. But a clear reading of the text denies this. The descent referred to here is a parallel to the ascent Christ ultimately made: to Heaven. Where did Christ descend to? To earth, of course! He came down from Heaven to Earth to die for our sins. Elsewhere, in Philippians 2, Paul talks about how Christ made himself of no repute so that he could become like a man. This is the main meaning of descent here: Christ condescended and made himself as low as any man.

Of course, he did descend even deeper, and that was into the grave. This passage is not a legitimate foundation for “Road Trip to Hell” theology.

1 Peter 1:10-12
Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

1 Peter 3:18-22
For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also-not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand-with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

I chose these two passages from Peter to show together because the first passage supplies a phrase that helps makes Peter’s meaning even clearer. This is the primary passage (from chapter 3) used to prove that Christ descended to Hell, because it says he preached to the captives in prison (to either the unrighteous in Hell, or possibly the righteous in the “waiting room” area of Hades.)

But Peter is not saying that Christ actively preached to people actually in Hell. He’s saying that Christ preached through Noah to the people who—even now—are languishing imprisoned in Hell. Notice how in chapter one Peter says that it was actually Christ, speaking through the prophets, that predicted his sufferings and glory. In the same way that Peter says Jesus spoke through the prophets he also spoke through Noah to his generation.

John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Note: Jesus is the eternal Word (John 1:1), and Noah was a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5), therefore Jesus was ultimately preaching through Noah.

Revelation 1:18
I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

This is the primary passage that has been added to the general misunderstanding, implying that he keys Christ holds are the same keys he took from Satan. Unfortunately, there’s simply no evidence anywhere that Christ had to wrestle anybody for anything.

Keys represent glory, honor, power, and control. Whoever holds the key to your house, has free access to it. Possession of the key is tantamount to owning the right to access and make use of a thing. It’s true with your car, your house, your apartment, your place of work, and even to the city of Chicago, assuming mayor Daley has given you the “keys to the city.” Considering that Christ said this:

John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

The we can assume (safely, I think) that Christ, being the way the truth and the life always held the power to life and death. A fellow class member reminded me of Christ’s saying that “I am the resurrection.” Again, evidence that Christ never lost the power over life and death at all.

John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; ²⁶and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Going on to buttress my claim that the work of Christ on the cross was complete and finished upon his death, I present the following passages.

The blood of Christ saves us from sin, his death on the cross as payment, not some trip to Hell:

1 John 1:7-9
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

1 Peter 1:18-19:
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

Romans 3:21-25:
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.

Christ’s substitutionary death for us on the cross effected our salvation, not a trip to Hell:

2 Corinthians 5:21:
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The work was finished on the cross, not elsewhere:

John 23:43,46:
I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise. … Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.

1 Corinthians 1:17:
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel-not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

I had a little fun at Creflo Dollar’s expense by quoting extensively from what is allegedly one of his sermons. I’ve not heard this sermon, so I cannot verify he actually said this, but I’ve seen so many corroborations to this effect that I have no reason to believe that Dollar, a Word of Faith style preacher, would’ve said these things. This illustrates what you get when you take the doctrine that Christ went to Hell to it’s full, logical conclusion:

This is quoted from http://www.letusreason.org/Wf42.htm

“Somehow, Jesus has got to get to hell in order to get the keys that they stole from Adam in the garden of Eden. Now Lucifer was in that garden illegally. Now somehow, Jesus is going to have to end up in hell, illegally. But in order to get to hell. He’s got to look like a sinner. Or they’re not going to receive Him into hell, you’ve got to be a sinner. He’s got to somehow look like that serpent on that stick in Moses’ day. He’s got to look like a serpent in order to be taken in.”

“And Jesus who had never sinned, made an exchange with His covenant partner. He says, “Let Me wear your coat of sin. It’ll make Me look like a sinner. I’ve never sinned, but if I can put your coat of sin on, when I get back I’m going to give you my coat of righteousness.” So the Bible says that He who had not sinned was made sin. And hell looked up there and they couldn’t figure out how but they snatched Him. Get Him! So now Jesus entered in legally into hell. But He was there illegally. Because once you get to hell there’s got to be some record of your sin.”

“Now He had to stay there 3 days and 3 nights because that’s what His word said. Jesus said “tear this temple down and in 3 days I’ll raise it up again”. Some of you all said what? Jesus went to hell, that’s what the whole book of Acts chapter 2 says that He suffered the pains of hell. You better hope He went to hell because if He didn’t go you and I would have to. You better hope He became every sickness, disease and depression and every piece of mess in the world because whatever He didn’t become you and I would have to become. “

Creflo explains “When I began to read how his blood has cleansed me I loved him more. When I began to read how he went to hell for I began to love him more.”

He describes the scene like this, “And there’s Jesus right in the pit of hell. Grabbin the devil by his collar, and say you remember when you came into My garden illegally? Well I’m in hell illegally and I come to take the keys of authority that I gave to Adam and I want every key but He said I not only want the key you took from Adam I want the key that you took for all of My children. That had to take on this sin, I’m here to set them all free. …Then on the 3rd day Jesus, oh lord, [tongues] listen to this, was the first born again man. He was born hallelujah, hallelujah, He was born from death to life. … He was born from life to death, then in hell was born from death to life and was raised up from the dead as the first fruit of many brethren” (Our Equality with God Through Righteousness 1/21/2001)

Creflo Dollar goes on to explain Jesus, “Suffered everything He suffered when He was here on this planet. Whipped with the cat of nine tails. Crucified on the cross at calvary. Somebody says ‘Oh that’s suffering’ But He not only suffered when He was in a physical body, His spirit stepped off the cross, went to HELL. The Bible says in the book of acts the pains of hell. Suffered everything that a man could ever suffer. Somebody say ‘What?’ Yep. You better hope He went through everything that you could ever go through, because whatever Jesus did not take on, you and I would have to take on.” (Changing your World magazine, Creflo Dollar 1/17/2003)

Also for your enjoyment, I give you the creed I read in class:

The Apostle’s Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
    the Creator of heaven and earth,
    and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
    born of the Virgin Mary,
    suffered under Pontius Pilate,
    was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into hell. [See Calvin]

The third day He arose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven
    and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
    whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy *catholic church,
    the communion of saints,
    the forgiveness of sins,
    the resurrection of the body,
    and life everlasting.

Amen.

And finally, here are some word studies I copied-and-pasted out of a Word Study application I have on my computer:

Paradise Defined
paradeis (parádeisos; gen. paradeísou, masc. noun.)

Paradise. This is an oriental word which the Greeks borrowed from the Persians, among whom it meant a garden, park, or enclosure full of all the vegetable products of the earth. In Xenophon’s economics, Socrates said that the king of Persia took particular care, wherever he was, to have gardens or enclosures full of every beautiful and good thing the earth could produce. These were called paradises. The original Eastern word pardes occurs in Neh 2:8; Ecc 2:5; Son 4:13. In Sanskrit, paradésha and paradisha meant a land elevated and cultivated. In Armenian, pardes means a garden around the house planted with grass, herbs, and trees for food and ornament. The Sept. uses it to refer to the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:8). In later Jewish usage and in the NT, parádeisos is used for the abode of the blessed after death. Paradise, before Christ’s resurrection, has been thought to be the region of the blessed in Hades although it was not specifically called by that name (Luk 16:23). Jesus said He would take the repentant thief with Him to paradise (Luke 23:43).

Hades in the NT was the world or abode of the dead in general. According to the notions of the Jews, Hades was a vast subterranean area where the souls or the spirits of the dead existed in separate states until the resurrection of their bodies. The region of the blessed during this interval, or the inferior paradise, was thought to be in the upper part of this receptacle. Beneath this was the abyss, Gehenna or Tartarus, in which the souls of the wicked were subjected to punishment.

The expression “the paradise of God” means the celestial paradise where the spirits of the just dwell with God. By comparing 2Co 12:4 to 2Co 12:2, we see that it is also called the third heaven. This is an allusion to the three heavens: the lower heaven or hemisphere; the middle heaven or firmament; and the superior heaven, i.e., the highest heaven, the abode of God, the angels, and glorified spirits, the spiritual paradise (cf. Eph 4:10; Heb 4:14; Heb 7:26; Sept.: Deu 10:14; 1Ki 8:27; see Rev 2:7 in relation to Gen 2:8).
Syn.: ouranós (G3772), heaven.
Ant.: hades (G86), abode of the dead; géenna (G1067), the place of eternal punishment; or Tartarus (G5020).

Heaven Defined
(ouranós; gen. ouranoú, masc. noun. Heaven, sky, air. The sing. and pl. are used similarly and interchangeably. There is no difference in meaning between them.)

(I) In the NT, in a physical sense, it means the over-arching, all-embracing heaven beneath which is the earth and all that is therein. In this not only do the fowl of the air fly (Mat 6:26; Mat 8:20; Mat 13:32), but the clouds are suspended (Mat 24:30; Mat 26:64; Luk 12:56) and the rain is formed (Jam 5:18); also the sun, moon and stars are placed in the same celestial expanse (Mar 13:25; Heb 11:12).

(II) It is also used for that heaven where the residence of God is, called by the Psalmist “the holy heavens” (a.t.), or “heavens of holiness” (a.t.), of separation (Sept.: Psa 20:6). It is God’s dwelling or resting place (Mat 5:34, Mat 5:45, Mat 5:48); where the blessed angels are (Mar 13:27); from whence Christ descended (Joh 3:13, Joh 3:31; Joh 6:32-33, Joh 6:38); where after His resurrection and ascension “He sitteth at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (a.t. [Heb 8:1]) and appears in the presence of God on our behalf (Heb 9:24); and where a reward is reserved for the righteous (Mat 5:12; 1Pe 1:4).

(III) The heavens are used metonymically of God in the OT (2Ch 32:20 [cf. 2Ki 19:25; Isa 37:15-16; Dan 4:23, Dan 4:28]). Ouranós, heaven, is used with the same sense in the NT (Mat 21:25; Mar 11:30-31; Luk 15:18, Luk 15:21; Luk 20:4-5; Joh 3:27). Thus, the kingdom of the heavens, or heaven, is syn. with the kingdom of God (Mat 19:23-24).\

(IV) In 2Co 12:2, Paul was raptured to the third heaven and returned. This is called Paradise (2Co 12:4) which is applied to the state of the faithful souls between death and the resurrection where they are admitted to immediate communion with God in Christ, and to a partaking of the true Tree of Life which is in the midst of the paradise of God (Luk 22:43; Rev 2:7).

(V) There is a final heaven which in Heb 11:16 is referred to as a better or a heavenly country; in Heb 13:14 as a continuing city; and in Rev 21:2 the holy city, new Jerusalem. It is the place where the believers are going to receive their inheritance which is incorruptible (1Pe 1:3-5). See also Mat 6:19-20; 1Co 2:9; Col 3:2; Rev 21:1-5. Consult a Gr. concordance for the rest of the references.
Deriv.: epouránios (G2032), heavenly, what pertains to or is in heaven; ouránios (G3770), heavenly; ouranóthen (G3771), from heaven; messouráne¯ma (G3321), mid-heaven, the midst of the heavens.
Syn.: parádeisos (G3857), paradise.
Ant.: ge¯´ (G1093), earth; geénna (G1067), hell, everlasting punishment; háde¯s (G86), the state or place of departed spirits.

Hades Defined
(háde¯s; gen. hádou, masc. noun from the priv. a (G1), not, and ideín, the inf. of the 2d aor. eído¯ (G1492), to see. In Homer and Hesiod the word is spelled Haïde¯´s meaning obscure, dark, invisible. Hades, the region of departed spirits of the lost (Luk 16:23).)

It corresponds to Sheol in the OT which occurs 59 times. In the NT, Háde¯s occurs only 10 times. It is found nowhere in John’s gospel, the epistles of Paul, the Epistle to the Hebrews, or the General Epistles. Three of the occurrences are on Christ’s lips (Mat 11:23 [with Luk 10:15]; Luk 16:18; Luk 16:23). In two of these, the words are obviously used in a figurative sense: in the case of Capernaum to express an absolute overthrow, a humiliation as deep as the former loftiness and pride had been great; in the case of the Church, to express a security which shall be proof against death and destruction. The third occurrence, in the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luk 16:19-31), is of a different kind and has even been taken to put our Lord’s confirmation on the Jewish idea of two compartments in Hades, distinct from and yet near one another. In Act 2:27, Act 2:31, the word Háde¯s occurs in a quotation from Psa 16:10 in an application of OT faith in the advent of Christ, His death, and His resurrection. Therefore, it has again the meaning of the world of the departed into which Christ passed like other men, but only to transform its nature from a place accommodating both believers and unbelievers to one for unbelievers only (Mat 11:23; Mat 16:18; Luk 10:15; 1Co 15:55; Rev 1:18; Rev 6:8; Rev 20:13-14).

In all the NT passages except Mat 11:23; Luk 10:15, Hades is associated with death. It expresses the general concept of the invisible world or abode into which the spirits of men are ushered immediately after death. The prevalent idea connected with it in its association with death are those of privation, detention, and just recompense. The thought of the relative reward of good is subordinate, if expressed at all, to the retribution of evil and to the penal character pertaining to Hades as the minister of death. In none of the passages in which the word itself occurs have we any disclosures or even hints of purgatorial fires, purifying processes, or extended operations of grace.

The state of human beings in Hades is immediate and irreversible after death, although it does not constitute the eternal state, for Hades itself later becomes the exclusive place for unbelievers. It is cast into the lake of fire (Rev 20:14), while the reign of the just becomes paradise (Luk 23:43; 2Co 12:4; Rev 2:7) which is ultimately absorbed into the final heaven (Rev 21:1). Our Lord conclusively teaches in the story of the rich man and Lazarus that there is no possibility of repentance after death. It is in this light that 1Pe 3:18-20 should be viewed (cf. phulake¯´ [G5438], prison).
Unfortunately, both the OT and NT words have been translated in the KJV as “hell” (Psa 16:10) or the “grave” (Gen 37:35) or the “pit” (Num 16:30, Num 16:33). Hades never denotes the physical grave nor is it the permanent region of the lost. It is the intermediate state between death and the ultimate hell, Gehenna (Géenna [G1067]). Christ declares that He has the keys of Hades (Rev 1:18). In Rev 6:8 it is personified with the meaning of the temporary destiny of the doomed; it is to give up those who are in it (Rev 20:13), and is to be cast into the lake of fire (Rev 20:14).

Syn.: Géenna (G1067), the final destiny of the wicked, hell; tartaróo¯ (G5020), the prison of the fallen angels or evil spirits; ábussos (G12), abyss, the place where the dragon (dráko¯n [G1404]), i.e., Satan, is bound during the millennial reign (cf. Luk 8:31; Rev 9:11); límne¯ (G3041) and toú purós (G4442), lake of fire, the place into which the beast and the false prophet are cast after their defeat by Christ. An additional statement in Rev`21:8 describes those who have their part in the lake of fire, compare the description of those who are outside the city (Rev 22:15).
Ant.: parádeisos (G3857), paradise; kólpos Abraám (kólpos [G2859], bosom; Abraám [G11], Abraham), Abraham’s bosom; ouranós (G3772), heaven.

Tartarus Defined
(tartaróo¯; contracted tartaro¯´, fut. tartaro¯´so¯, from Tártaros (n.f.), the subterranean abyss of Greek mythology where demigods were punished.)

It is mentioned in the pseudepigraphal book of Enoch as the place where fallen angels are confined. It is found only in its verbal form in 2Pe 2:4 meaning to cast into or consign to Tartarus. It is part of the realm of death designated in Scripture as She’o¯l (H7585) in the OT and Háde¯s (G86) in the NT. These angels are being held in this netherworld dungeon until the day of final judgment. Peter’s usage of this term is not evidence either that Christianity was a syncretistic religion or that Peter himself believed in the pagan myths about Tartarus. Peter has adpated a word and not adopted a theology.