Bathroom ads indication of slipping grip By CHRISTIAN PIATT THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN I know I’ve been on a bit of a James Dobson-bashing spree lately, but I promise this is the last one for a while. That is, unless he and his crew do something absurd again, which is entirely within the realm of possibility. I opened The Pueblo Chieftain earlier this week to see a large ad depicting a little girl coming out of a bathroom stall by herself,... Read more

Here’s a cool word cloud I created by compiling all of my spoken word pieces into an application that generates word clouds. Pretty cool. Read more

‘Jesus for President’: Book puts old-school evangelicals on notice By CHRISTIAN PIATT THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN The evangelical movement is trading in its cleanshaven look for dreadlocks, and starched collars and ties for hair shirts and sandals. A new book, “Jesus for President,” by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw, is yet another defining landmark in the ever-changing journey of Christian evangelicals. Dreadlocked, easygoing and outfitted with a hippie bus that runs on used vegetable oil, Claiborne and his crew are touring... Read more

Dobson’s rhetoric is damaging to democracy Christian Piatt – The Pueblo Chieftain James Dobson has done it again. It’s no real surprise that Barack Obama, the presumed democratic nominee for president, is in Dobson’s sights. There are so many things about Obama, his past and his policies that fly in the face of what Dobson and his cohorts espouse. In a recent CNN website article, however, he took a moment to pick out some issues in particular. The head of... Read more

Young adults, that group of Americans under the age of forty, have become an increasingly difficult target for churches to reach. The cultural, social, and generational differences of this cohort are striking when compared with the cohorts that have come before them. Christian and Amy Piatt write from within this generational matrix about issues of faith and culture, offering words of warning and of hope. Christian is a writer and consultant, while his wife, Amy, is founding pastor of a... Read more

Not saying goodbye: Just so long, and thanks By CHRISTIAN PIATT Back in 1998, when I first came to Pueblo to work as an educational consultant for the school district, I sent a handful of writing samples to the Lifestyle editor, with the hope of picking up some arts reviews, and maybe a feature or two. Unlike many editors with whom I have worked in the years following, this particular man responded quickly, positively and encouraged me to jump right... Read more

Make a Smilebox scrapbook Read more

Talking trash and faith’s call to action By CHRISTIAN PIATT THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN More often than not these days, faith communities recognize that environmental issues must be taken on by them, and not relegated to the government to solve. Commercials such as the one featuring the Revs. Al Sharpton and Pat Robertson speaking together about global warming indicate that care for our world is a growing concern across the social spectrum. There are a number of issues with which faith... Read more

Revolution   Be a new voice of the revolution, Not just a pawn of the institution, Standing up strong against persecution, Making more meaningful contributions. Let’s unravel this convolution Of justice that leads to more confusion About what’s real and what’s illusion, Come, be a part of the revolution.   Who am I to stand up against the face of power? Who are you to tell me I’ve got to sit back down? Who am I to question figures of... Read more

Resist Resist the urge to splurge Instead of purge, Hold back the surge Of materialism, Fueled by rabid capitalism That builds for you a prison Of desire, barbed wire Touched with the fire of lust for “more.” Simplify, ask “Why should I have A tenth pair of shoes When others have none? Or a gas-guzzling monster, just for fun While others bleed oil at the point of a gun?   Resist the urge to stay silent, When the world’s violent... Read more