At midnight tonight, we’ll usher in a new year– 2013 is over, and 2014 will begin. Whether 2013 was a good year for you, or a bad, new beginnings are on the doorstep. One of the things I love about New Years eve, is that it reminds me that God is a God of do-overs. While we only get to start a new calendar year every January 1st, I believe that with God, any day moment can be New Years.... Read more
Pope Francis was recently named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, a choice that I think was spot on. When Pope Benedict vacated the papacy, I don’t think any of us expected what has come to a realization in Pope Francis: a Pope that looks a heck of a lot more like Jesus than any predecessor in collective memory. Never in my life did I imagine that I would connect so deeply with a Pope. I grew up (and still... Read more
In light of the fact that Phil Robertson’s employer has suspended him from the show Duck Dynasty over anti-gay and racist statements in a recent interview, I felt compelled to put together a list of examples of anti-Christian persecution in modern day America. I think it’s important for us as Christians to be aware of the ways we are persecuted for our faith in this country (something I wrote about, here), which is why I have compiled this all-inclusive list... Read more
In April, 2009, President Obama caught holy hell from the Christian right for saying that America was no longer a “Christian Nation”. His statement prompted a backlash from groups including Focus on the Family, who insist that America was, and forever should be, a Christian nation. Truth be told, I wish we were. The word Christian means “Christ-like”. Christ, being a title applied to Jesus, could be removed and substituted simply by the name to whom it refers, leaving us... Read more
For my last post on the “War on Christmas”, did you know that the historical and modern reality is that there actually has been, and still is, a war on Christmas? The crazy truth is that there actually is a war on Christmas– and it’s not being fought by the people you’d expect… the legitimate war on Christmas has been, and still is, waged by Christian fundamentalists. In the past, they had law and culture on their side. Today, they... Read more
If we haven’t lost all reason to avoid Fox News at all cost, this is it… Fox News is on a new mission: keep Santa and Jesus white. As reported by Megyn Kelly today in a story about keeping Santa white, Kelly reminded viewers of an important “fact”– that in addition to Santa being white: “Jesus was a white man too”. Who needs an education when you have Fox News? Read more
Unless I’m your only source to news from within Christian discussions, you’ve probably heard over this last week of the brewing Mark Driscoll scandal where he was caught plagiarizing in a few of his books. This case, is perhaps a slam dunk case of plagiarism as it gets, lifting whole passages nearly world-for-word from works which were not his own, without citing the original author. Pure and simple, it’s plagiarism. Yet for some reason, “Pastor Mark” seems to be getting... Read more
It’s the “most wonderful time of the year”, or so they say. Except, that it’s not for everybody. For some, this is the most painful time of the year. For us, this Christmas is a potent mix of both. We’ve been proactive in trying to get into the Christmas spirit in an effort to make this year a “joyous occasion”, and on some counts have been successful. We put the tree up the day before thanksgiving, have been blaring... Read more
Earlier in the week I wrote a now viral post on the origins of the word “Xmas” and came to the defense of some of our atheist friends who often get incorrectly blamed for trying to take “Christ” out of “Christmas”. While I was correct in my explanation of the history of the term, this morning it seems that the folks over at American Atheists are seriously complicating my hopes at promoting inter-faith harmony and goodwill during the holidays. As... Read more
Well friends, it’s the Christmas season again and time to start thinking about ways we might generously give to others. Not being a fan of American consumerism, I’m all for finding ways we can serve other people instead of wasting our money on needless junk that’s just going to end up sold for 10 cents at a yard sale one day. So, here’s the perfect opportunity for you to give back: register to become a post-rapture pet caretaker. Seriously, have... Read more
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