The small town of Tulia, Texas will unfortunately be back in the spotlights soon in infamy – what with the upcoming 10-yr anniversary and the pending movie directed by John Singleton and starring Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry, scheduled for release this year. It’s a convergence point – where politics, nationalism, and drugs combine to rear the ugly head of racism – in an incident where a community unfairly indicted 46 blacks for alleged cocaine distribution – w/ very little due process and with the very spotty testimony of one unrealiable witness – a corrupt bounty hunter of sorts. It’s upsetting to say the least, all the more so as some of these townsfolk claim to be religious, but it’s not my role to re-tell the story.
Any of my friends from TX got the (real) scoop on Tulia?
Google Latitude’s gotten its share of criticism lately about the potential invasion of privacy it elicits; I don’t see what the problem is, you have the option to “hide your location” (see below). But I’ve found Google latitude uber-cool and uber useful – here’s 3 ways: Read more…
As per a past post I re-raise this issue where angels fear to tread; well, thank goodness no one reads my blog anyway. Professor of New Testament, Rikk Watts, here @ Regent College has given a chapel lecture titled: “Up Zion’s Hill: Imagining a New Jerusalem” – and I walk away feeling like I missed the punchline – kinda half-full / half-empty – but here’s the synopsis: Read more…
Here’s a classic case of job mismatch.
Since I’m on this vocatio thread and will be talking through Ecclesiastes this Sunday, how apt to have this perfect example of vocational mismatch – Joe, I implore you! Proceed no further! You are setting yourself up! We (the public) really care about u dude, and it makes our eyes itch to watch you stepping on your own verbal land mines… please stop here before you hurt yourself! See Joe the Plumber endorses the Israeli occupation. CNN writes a masterpiece of understatement and editorial satire: Read more…
This photo just ruins me.
I just want to hold the father and weep with him. You know what we have today is akin to the story of Esther – in which the day of Jewish extermination turned into the day of Jewish vengeance. Gaza is the modern-day Esther story. And like Esther, there is nothing holy about what Israel did in turning around and massacring her enemies. Isn’t it more clear already by now the injustice that is occurring in the so-called “Holy Land” is not just inhumanitarian, but flagrantly unreligious? How could this be the people of God doing these things? The following photos MUST be seen by the world. Proceed at your own risk – they are gruesome – but they must be seen. Read more…
Apparently he’s in the news again, with rumors of making some kind of comeback via documentaries. While the past few years have been rough on him – some say the homosexual-bashing conservative evangelical deserved it – I don’t see what he’s trying to accomplish with a public statement – perhaps some vindication. You gotta feel bad for the guy – his life, vocation, future, promise, career, possibly family life – all destroyed. As a pastor myself I am sad for him, but at the same time I don’t know why he’s trying to get in the spotlight again – no one ever really recovers from these things. But the real question is – how did this ever even happen in the first place? Did he have any accountability or any confessor at all? Was he alone in his struggles? And how much imbalance did he have in his life to get to the point where he was using crystal meth and seeking out prostitutes? I know first-hand the hardships of pastoral ministry – but someone tell me -
how does somebody get like that?
No better way to get the year started, aye?
Instigated by my recent foray into the theology of the Old Testament under professor Ian Provan, I found myself fascinated by a number of things – his perspective on Ezra / Nehemiah / Esther for one – but also the look into the wisdom lits, particularly Song of Songs. Long been held an allegorical reading of the love of Christ for the Church, I’ve always walked away thinking that was a stretch; it always seemed to me a pretty obvious picture of one thing: eros. Defining songs as allegorical just never really convinced me as I can’t seem to see that as the author’s intent. At any rate this is not so much about splitting hermeneutical hairs as much as it is about the deep redemptive value of a theology on sex; Songs has the potential to address the neurotic dysfunctionalism of our view on sex today; the problem is the allegorical message of Christ and the church keeps getting in the way – it seems to be blinding us to the more obvious – the literal interpretation of songs as a theology on the “healing of sex”. But at any rate:
Is there indeed, such a thing as a “theology of sex”? Is it in there, in the text? Is it an a priori of secularism? Is it relevant, devotional-type material? Can you make heads or tails of it? Does it speak to the church or the individual?
The recent trampling of a Long Island, NY Wal Mart worker on the morning of Black Friday has elicited a lot of commentary about our economic mess, consumerism, and why we ought to Buy Nothing (Day). While I’m deeply saddened, probably the only fresh perspective I can offer would be as a former Long Islander looking in and my misgivings about the whole “Buy Nothing Day” idea. Read more…
I’m not a regular follower of the 700 Club nor Focus on the Family.
But it happened to be on the radio as I was flipping thru on the way back from the gym tonight and it was one of those things where in my mind I’m saying “change the station change the station” but I couldn’t. It was like there was a hypnotic draw to Robertson’s placating voice. He was interviewing a gal who was almost aborted and yet is alive today, alive and kicking to fight the evils of the Democratic platform and evangelize the message of McCain. It was interesting to say the least. Here’s a gal who literally owes her life to the pro-life cause. Certainly very convincing. And yet, I’m not convinced (yet?). Is there more to this story?
How do you respond to the charge that Obama supports infanticide?
[digg=http://digg.com/political_opinion/Infanticide_Obama]
Like
Recent Comments