Antioch Road

This is the seventh in a series of interviews with bloggers who are part of The Blogdom of God. The Blogdom of God is a loose group of Blogs that identify themselves as 'God blogs'.

Today's interview is with Jason of Antioch Road.

Q: First, the most obvious question, what's it like to be a new dad?

A: Amazing. I absolutely love it. I'm not sure how else to describe it in words. God used my wife and I to make this person, that I am now responsible for teaching and protecting. I've never had a greater responsibility. And it's a responsibility that, now that I have her, I
would hate living without.

Q: How is it different than what you thought it would be?

A: It's actually not all that different, except in the sense of the normal difference between imagination and reality. That is, I imagined the joy and I imagined the work, but you never *really* know the joy and know the work absent the reality.

Q: Is it hard to be a Chicago Cubs fan out in Iowa? How about being a Bears fan?

A: It's not hard at all to be a Cubs fan in Iowa. There are many of us. I'd say you're much more likely to find a Cubs fan here than a Cardinals fan (though there are many of those) or a Twins fan. The Cubs are on TV pretty much all the time here on some channel, are on the radio all the time, and Wrigley Field is only about a 4 hour drive away from eastern Iowa. It's a little "harder" being a Bears fan, because there are so many Vikings and Packers fans around here. But really, if you're talking football, the Iowa Hawkeyes are the big thing around here.

Q: In your pictures, you look like you're about 12. (I know I'm getting old because everyone looks like they're about 12) Yet you're a lawyer. How long has it been since you finished law school?

A: It sounds like I need to do some photo editing to make myself look older ;) Or perhaps grow a beard.

I finished law school in May 2003, studied for and took the bar exam that summer, and started practicing in September.

Q: What kind of law do you practice and why?

A: Our firm is a full-service firm. I work in with the litigation section, and primarily do personal injury defense and some commercial litigation. Being a young associate, I also do a variety of research projects on other topics. As for why, well, it's probably because I like (perhaps a little too much) to debate (i.e., argue). There's plenty of opportunity to do that as a litigator.

Q: How did you decide to become a lawyer?

A: By default really. I entered college not really knowing what I wanted to do, but knowing I liked history. So I decided to become a high school history teacher. I student taught the 1st semester of my senior, and generally had a really good experience. I was teaching mostly college bound students, so discipline problems were minor. But I also discovered that I liked learning about history a lot more than I liked teaching what I already knew. I was bored. That's not a good thing for a teacher to be.

Well, there's not much you can do with a history degree besides teach or . . . go to law school. So I made the quick design to take the LSAT (the law school admissions test), did well on it, and applied to the same schools that my wife was applying to physical therapy graduate programs for. And we ended up at the University of Iowa.

Q: What's your favorite U2 Album? (Mine is Achtung Baby, followed by Zooropa)

A: Excellent question, and I'm impressed that you named Zooropa, which I think doesn't get enough credit as being a great album (The Unforgettable Fire is also underrated). But Achtung Baby is my favorite as well.

Q: Watching professional baseball on TV is perhaps one of the most boring things I can imagine. Do you have any suggestions for how the game should be changed?

A: Boring? I can only say that you're missing out. No, no suggestsions for how the game itself can be changed, except perhaps having a uniform rule across both leagues regarding the DH. But, really, it's a wonderful game. The best, in fact. There are, of course, things MLB can do a
better job of in terms of marketing the game. And it needs to do a better job of enforcing prohibitions on steriod use.

Q: Many people refuse to believe the Bible is infallible or that it should be interpreted literally, yet you do. Have you ever had problems with what you read in the bible?

A: Before I was saved, and *thought* I was a Christian, I questioned portions of the Bible all the time. Now, I know the Bible to be perfect and true. If I were to discount some of it, I would have no principled basis on which to count the rest of it as absolutely true. There are
many reasons for considering it authoritative. One could write a book on the reasons (and many have).

I can't really think of a specific example of having a problem with anything I read in the Bible now. In any event, if I did, the problem could only be mine, and not the Bible's.

Q: Do you think there are some parts of the bible that should be interpreted as cultural norms of the time when it was written and aren't necessarily to be applied today?

A: It depends on the context of the passage. Some passages are clearly prescriptions applicable without regard to time or place. Some passages are merely descriptions of historical events. I can't think of a moral prescription stated in the Bible not intended to be applicable today.
There were certain ceremonial and judicial prescriptions applicable only to the Hebrew nation, but those are different from moral prescriptions. God does not change (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8).

Q: Do you believe that women should be ordained as Pastors? Why or Why Not?

A: No. 1 Tim 2:11-12 is clear on this point. That does not make men "better" than women. It means that God has given men and women different roles (see also Titus 2:3-5). We do a great disservice to women and to society when we discount the roles women have traditionally played by implying (and sometimes expressly saying) those roles are somehow "lesser" roles.

Q: Are there a lot of cultural differences that you notice between the Baptist Church and the Lutheran Church?

A: Yes, though I can really only speak from my own experiences, and thus only on the churches I have attended. I largely grew up in ELCA churches. In high school, I attended a Lutheran-Missouri Synod church. For the past several years, I've attended a couple of different fundamental independent Baptist churches. So I've become more conservative doctrinally. As for cultural differences -- independent Baptists dress more conservatively and are stricter about male-female relationships before marriage (no dating, kissing, etc.). Lutherans are generally more willing to be a part of the prevailing culture -- they will drink alcohol, go to bars, wear clothing more in line with secular society (short shorts and skirts and tight clothing), listen to the music and watch the movies everyone else watches, etc. (This also has the effect of Baptists being more critical of others' behavior, and the effect of Baptists appearing more hypocritical, as we often fail to live up the standard we set for ourselves. Thankfully, we are saved by grace through faith). Most fundamental Baptists even think contemporary Christian music isn't worth listening to at all. (That's one thing I
haven't exactly conformed to.) The Baptist church I now attend also does a lot more reaching out to the poor and to prisoners than any other church I've attended.

There are also many worship style differences, but I suppose that's a different question.

Q: Do you think the pro-life movement is making progress against abortion?

A: Yes, though not enough. But there is polling showing a majority of Americans are pro-life, and younger Americans tend to be more pro-life than their parents, which is a good sign. But there hasn't been enough progress in convincing people to translate their pro-life beliefs into
legislation (or, even better, a constitutional amendment protecting unborn children). There's long been some confusion about when life actually begins. But biologically speaking (and Biblically speaking), that confusion is unfounded. Biologically speaking, life begins at
conception. I became a human being at conception (and "human being" and "person" are synonymous terms), just like any animal became a member of their species at their conception. The product of human conception cannot be anything other than human. With more advanced technology and
greater use of ultrasounds, more people are beginning to realize that human life *does* begin at conception. But there are still many who don't realize that, so more progress needs to be made on that front as well.

Q: Is there anything else you'd like to say?

A: Thanks for interviewing me. These interviews are really interesting, and I hope mine can at least come close to continuing that. Praise God. Jesus Saves. I love my wife and my daughter. Coke is better than Pepsi. Go Cubs.

If you haven't read previous Blogdom of God interviews, check them out here:
Josh Claybourn
Adrian Warnock
Fr. Jim Tucker (Dappled Things)
SecretAgentMan
Totem to Temple
LaShawn Barber

If you are a member of the Blogdom of God and would like to be interviewed, please contact me. -jdm