What Good Does It Do When Christians Are Offended? (Dale Best)

July 1, 2011 By Kurt Willems 17 Comments

The talk in some circles of American Christianity this week is what NBC did, or rather didn’t do, this past Sunday afternoon during their US Open broadcast. Because the golf tournament was held in Washington, DC, the network put together a short montage of patriotic clips with an audio byte that included a reading of the Pledge of Allegiance.

Only one thing: they forgot to include three little words … under God, indivisible. Two of which are words that throw all most some Christians into a tizzy if someone messes with them.

NBC has since apologized.

I’m one of those Jesus followers who happened to not be offended. Because I don’t think it does any good.

You see, I’ve never met someone who was offended by something and they haven’t told at least one person about it. When we’re offended, the emotion that’s displayed is very outward and vocal. And in this age of social media, it’s easy for our anger over a  mistake or mishap to spread quickly. (In fact, FB and Twitter talk had spread so quickly, one of the commentators apologized before the end of Sunday’s broadcast.)

When we’re offended by things, it’s obvious that we take our time and influence and energy and devote those things to tell others about how horribly we’ve been wronged. The flipside is bottling that offense inside and letting it stew and simmer into resentment. And let’s be honest … how healthy is bitterness to someone’s emotional and spiritual well-being? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Culture, Evangelism, Fundamentalism, Guest Contributors Tagged With: , , 17 Comments

Third Way Allegiance: Christian Witness in the Shadow of Religious Empire (Justin Bronson Barringer)

June 30, 2011 By Kurt Willems 7 Comments

The early Christians had a funny notion that their lives were to be the primary argument for the truth of Jesus’ resurrection. They lived peculiar lives, radically different from the surrounding society. What happens though, when society co-opts the language, symbols and rituals of the church? The society may be quite religious, but that religion will be anemic and often antithetical to Christian discipleship. How then must Christians live as disciples of Christ in such a society? This is the question that Tripp York addresses in his new book Third Way Allegiance: Christian Witness in the Shadow of Religious Empire.

York writes, “I have found that such religiosity… often renders faithful Christian discernment difficult, as being a Christian becomes almost synonymous with being an ‘American.’”(13-14) To help Christians in the U.S. discern how to move from merely being religious to being a radically different community exemplifying the way of Jesus, York considers no topic too “sacred” to critique. Mother’s Day to militarism, Thanksgiving to Christmas, and even the most hallowed of all American rituals, voting, are all targets for York’s insightful theological prodding and dissection. Each essay is a gadfly buzzing about, persistently provoking readers to ask better questions and devote themselves more fully to Christ.
The Crocodile Hunter and Star Trek find themselves in pages beside tales of saints and martyrs, and this combination of pop culture and history along with probing questions and keen theo-political insight engages readers and presents York’s vision of faithful discipleship. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Guest Contributors, Nationalism Tagged With: , , , , 7 Comments

Hitler, Prayer, and the Sovereignty of God (Greg Boyd)

June 29, 2011 By Kurt Willems 22 Comments


What are your thoughts on Greg Boyd’s view of God, the future, evil, and sovereignty?

Filed Under: (Series) Video to Ponder, Foreknowledge, Greg Boyd, Missional, Social Justice, Theology 22 Comments

Just Jesus and Unjust July 4th – Why I Don't Celebrate Independence Day (Annual Unpopular Post)

June 27, 2011 By Guest Contributor 42 Comments

That's for sure...photo © 2009 Alessandro Valli | more info (via: Wylio)

Guys can be stupid.  Add explosives to the equation and the idiocy quotient increases exponentially.  Such was the case every 4th of July during High school.  A group of about 20 guys would get together to BBQ and play with illegal fireworks.  At any unsuspected moment while taking a bite out of a burger, an M-80 could be lit under your seat, a sparkler thrown at your bare chest like a dart, or a mortar could be shot like a bazooka, catching bushes on fire.

Then, there was the “bottle rocket game.”  Us guys would stand in a circle with our arms locked in a tight circle.  Following this precise formation, the bottle rocket was lit and dropped in the middle of the circle.  Adrenaline pumping and terrified adolescents jumping, we’d pray like heck that the flying explosive wouldn’t impact and explode on our legs… and yes, some jeans did catch on fire.  These chaotically stupid memories simultaneously serve as some of the most fun I can recall experiencing.  So, for me, Independence Day equals fun.

However, there’s a deeper reality to which this holiday points.  Only about three years ago did I realize that in celebrating Independence Day I’m also glorifying the pagan roots on which this nation was founded: an unjust war. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Culture, Kingdom of God, Nationalism, Nonviolence, Politics, Theology Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , 42 Comments
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