listen here

Good blogging requires frequent–even daily–posts, according to The Experts, and by this standard I’m dropping the ball. Problem is, frequent posts require 1) lots of time and 2) a life worth writing about. These two magical states don’t usually occur simultaneously, and certainly didn’t in August. Instead, I fell victim to a curious freelancing phenomenon in which six projects for six employers are all due the same week, which is also the week you’re required to start project #7 in another state. All work and no play is good for the wallet, not so good for the blog.

Or the relationships, or the health, so tonight I ventured forth with a couple of friends to the third installment of “Tokens” at Lipscomb University. Tokens is ostensibly a radio show, recorded for broadcast and aired online via Noisetrade. But it’s also an engaging live experience, full of excellent music, thoughtful commentary, and short but insightful interviews.

Tonight’s show on “The Politics of Jesus” was planned long before McCain and Obama received their nominations, and focused on issues instead of candidates–issues like, do the professions of piety by presidential candidates make any difference after their election? (With the exception of Jimmy Carter, author Randall Balmer says no.) If not, why the intense interest in their faith? Our country’s separation of church and state actually makes our citizens statistically some of the most religious in the world–why keep pressing for the 10 Commandments in a courthouse? And, my favorite quote of the evening, “The question is not whether Jesus was political–but if we want his kind of politics.”

Lest this all sound unbearably heavy, the evening also featured music by Derek Webb (of Caedmon’s Call fame), Buddy Greene, and an assortment of very talented others. Lee Camp, a Lipscomb professor and author, started Tokens in February and it’s already outgrowing its space (tonight they did two shows instead of the usual one, and charged an entry fee for the first time). With musicians of Webb’s caliber and interviews of A.J. Jacobs (you know, the “Year of Living Biblically” guy), Brian McLaren, and Shane Claiborne, it’s easy to see why.

If, like me, you already enjoy NPR (yes, I’m old), This American Life, and Mars Hill Audio Journals, swing by Nashville for the Christmas installment of Tokens. We’ll carpool together and stop for creamed corn and fried okra at The Copper Kettle across the street.

In the meantime, I promise to do something else worth blogging about before December.