Metaxas and male heroes only please

May 14, 2013 By 15 Comments
entry men women cartoon by nakedpastor david hayward

Eric Metaxas has written a new book, Seven Men and the Secret of Their Greatness. I can't talk about the book since I haven't read it. But he has been interviewed about it by Kathryn Jean Lopez of the National Review in her article, "Raising Good Men". I love her opening question: "Why a book about men? Does this prove that there is a Christian disdain for women?" She also asked why he wanted to return to "Father Knows Best". I think it betrays her suspicion of Metaxas' theory. I'm suspicious … [Read more...]

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female pastors and porn

May 13, 2013 By 34 Comments
female pastors and porn cartoon by nakedpastor david hayward

I read an interesting story about a magazine's report of women in ministry. The January/ February issue of Gospel Today was a contentious one. Its lead story is "Female Pastors". The five female pastors who are featured on the cover are Pastor Sheryl Brady of The River in Durham, N.C.; Pastor Tamara Bennett of This Is Pentecost Ministries in Sacramento, Calif.; Bishop Millicent Hunter of The Baptist Worship Center in Philadelphia, Pa.; Pastor Claudette Copeland of New Creation Christian … [Read more...]

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not only love covers a multitude of sins

May 11, 2013 By 11 Comments
love covers a multitude of sins cartoon by nakedpastor david hayward

An annual review this last week gave Catholic bishops high marks on their sex abuse prevention policies. That's good news. However, there are still serious concerns about some pretty high-profile failings in many dioceses. You can read this report in more detail, with links, in the Religion News post Church Child Safety Officials Voice Concern Over Lapses By Bishops. In essence, these are the problems: Some bishops still fail to report incidents of abuse. Some bishops still shield … [Read more...]

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who Jesus wants to lead the church

May 10, 2013 By 20 Comments
straight white men cartoon by nakedpastor david hayward

Jesus didn't say this but by the way the church behaves you'd think he did. Actually, what inspired this cartoon is a BBC article I read this morning titled Cleveland abductions: Do white victims get more attention?. The writer, Tara McKelvey, claims that nearly half of those abducted in the USA are not white, but the news coverage certainly does not reflect it. She quotes McIlwain, a researcher, who says: "Our national ideal of who is vulnerable - and who holds victim status - are those who … [Read more...]

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Cartoon Tribute to Dallas Willard

May 8, 2013 By 6 Comments
dallas willard dies cartoon tribute by nakedpastor david hayward

Dallas Willard passed away with cancer today at the age of 77. I've always liked Willard. Especially his book, Divine Conspiracy. But when I was reading some biographical material on him today, I now like him a lot more. Many of his peers were disturbed by his openness to ambiguity and he was often labeled a universalist and a man who slipped into open theology or process theology. It began as a child with his insatiable "why" questions and continued into his teens when he gave his teachers a … [Read more...]

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garbage for brains

May 8, 2013 By 4 Comments
garbage for brains cartoon by nakedpastor david hayward

I watched a fascinating video the other day called "Killing Us Softly: Advertising's Image of Women". Take a few minutes to watch this powerful presentation on how we are told what to believe is beautiful and the incredible havoc it brings on our culture, but especially on women. We are conditioned to believe what is beautiful. The advertising industry and who it works for all benefit from our dollars. The disgusting but honest admission of Mike Jeffries, CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch… … [Read more...]

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vows of silence aren’t always holy

May 7, 2013 By 19 Comments
don't tell cartoon by nakedpastor david hayward

I was very moved by the story about Elizabeth Smart ("like" her page), the young woman who was kidnapped as a 14 year old girl and held in captivity for 9 months. "She was forced into a polygamous marriage, tethered to a metal cable, and raped daily until she was rescued from her captors nine months later. Smart was recovered while she and her kidnappers were walking down a suburban street, leading many Americans who followed her story on the national news to wonder: Why didn't she just run … [Read more...]

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please take love for granted

May 6, 2013 By 6 Comments
taking love for granted cartoon by nakedpastor david hayward

Why are we told to not take God's love for granted? Negatively, it's usually used to control us. It's used to make us afraid of not being able to get it or keep it. It's used to dictate to us how to live our lives, how to feel, think and behave. Positively, it's used to make us continually mindful of God's love, always thinking about it, always thankful for it, always living up to it. I want to suggest that neither of these are perfect. Obviously, the first is fear based. Less … [Read more...]

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a girl, a calculator and life choices

May 4, 2013 By 8 Comments
life calculations cartoon by nakedpastor david hayward

I'm so very proud of people who make this sometimes difficult decision in their favor. For the lucky some, they have been given an environment that supports them. For most, their environment is hostile toward change and independence. Everyone has a role to fill, and if you break that expectation you break relationship. For many that's the deal. I'm also very sensitive toward those who feel trapped, not only in their hostile environment, but also within their own fears to take the risk and … [Read more...]

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our 33rd wedding anniversary

May 3, 2013 By 11 Comments
david and lisa hayward

Lisa and I are celebrating our 33rd wedding anniversary this weekend. We are very proud of our achievement. It has been years of delight and hard work. One does not exist without the other. I have learned a great lesson, a spiritual one, from our relationship. Each of us has gone through incredible individual journeys. We have taken our turns being believers, agnostics and atheists. Rarely at the same time. Through it all we have loved each other. But it does take hard work. The hard work is … [Read more...]

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