One thing I learned about myself during my seminary spiritual formation classes was that I needed to take time to unplug. Between online classes, being a teleworker, personal entertainment, and communication, I was jacked into the internet most of my waking hours. When an assignment called for a fast, it was more beneficial and more difficult for me to refrain from media than food. Recently, my wife and I reviewed our budget, and decided to cut some costs. The two cuts relevant to this discussion were the cell phone data plan and cable television. Continue reading Simplicity with Media
Category Archives: culture
Love Wins, but the next guy looses
I am cross posting with David Drury today.
The pulpit at Mars Hill Church is once again open. This got me thinking about the advantages and disadvantages of replacing an effective and popular leader.
How I would have fixed the mortgage crisis
As I was sending off information to the Department of Justice to be included as part of a settlement, where Countrywide (who’s loans are now owned by Bank of America) has to make some reparations because of discriminatory practices against African-Americans and Hispanics, I began to think of how I would have dealt with the mortgage crisis. My simple solution is to let bad businesses go out of business. Continue reading How I would have fixed the mortgage crisis
20-year-old Issues
I grew up in the 1980s. One of the biggest moral-political issues was the pro-choice pro-life debate. Both sides had their radical fringe. Although Christians were very passionate and active, nothing really changed. More than 20 years later, while this is still a political litmus test for some, abortion is not the number one issue for many Christians, as we are now dealing with state approved homosexual marriages in this country. Continue reading 20-year-old Issues
Evolving, Humans and Theology
Lately, I have come across several news stories regarding evolution and the fossil record (IO9, Yahoo News, Life Science). Normally, this is not a subject that I spend a lot of time on unless I happen to be teaching a class on Genesis, but between the news articles and a fantastic piece from Rachel Held Evans’ summer “Ask a . . .” series (check the whole series out, they are great!) entitled Ask an Evolutionary Creationist, the topic has been on my mind.
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| Picard and Q on primordial earth from the ST:TNG episode “All Goog Things.” Q’s line as they look into the ooze where life is to begin is classic. “Aw, nothing happened.” |
Creation Care
Al Gore recently went into a rant over climate change. Someone’s use of profanity in their argument has never been particularly persuasive for me, but, in my opinion, it does not matter so much if one believes if climate change is human caused, naturally cyclical, or occurring at all, we still have a responsibility for creation care. Even if one believes that the world will go from bad to worse in every way until Christ returns, since we do not know when Christ will return, why not strive to live in a world that is moral, pleasant, and healthy?
Patriotism and Christianity
Scott McKnight at Jesus Creed recently posted an article on Flags in the Church. It got me thinking about how both Christianity and patriotism have changed since I was a child.
I have vivid memories of second grade elementary school. It is the year I got glasses, my mother starting taking us to church, and when I became a Christian. At school, we started the day by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, and singing one verse of a patriotic song (The Star Spangled Banner, Yankee Doodle, Hats Off, My Country Tis of Thee . . .). Continue reading Patriotism and Christianity
The Next Trend in Church Communication
I was browsing for apps in the Andriod Market and came across the Mars Hill Church app (available for iPhone, Driod, and WinPhone 7). Audio and video sermons, streaming music, a blog, and online giving. It’s a very clean and professional looking app. I’m not ready to say that traditional websites are passé (Mars Hill’s website design matches the app, and is just like the app only with more information), but for churches that are just now getting a decent website, you are already a late adopter. Continue reading The Next Trend in Church Communication
Current Issues: Rob Bell, Pole Dancing, and Earthquakes in Japan
No, those things do not go together, but the title got your attention. There are a few Christian “happenings” that are of note, but that I do not have time to make in depth comments on. Continue reading Current Issues: Rob Bell, Pole Dancing, and Earthquakes in Japan
Great Expectations
I read an interesting op-ed entitled Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior. It really made me think, as I reflected on my life as a son, parent, student, and pastor of a multi-ethnic church. The writer, Amy Chua, admits to making sweeping categories of Chinese parents versus Western parents in terms of parenting style, and pulls a bit away from ethnic stereotypes when she states:
I’m using the term “Chinese mother” loosely. I know some Korean, Indian, Jamaican, Irish and Ghanaian parents who qualify too. Conversely, I know some mothers of Chinese heritage, almost always born in the West, who are not Chinese mothers, by choice or otherwise. I’m also using the term “Western parents” loosely. Western parents come in all varieties.