Usually when I hear people talk about finding the good in the midst of a difficult situation, my cynical radar goes up. I picture the scene in Monty Python’s “Life of Brian” where Brian and the two thieves are being crucified while whistling and singing “Always look on the bright side of life.” Yeah, right. I reminds me a girl named Cathy that I knew in high school who already lived on her own before she had even graduated. At... Read more
Before anything else, I have to give serious props to Jennifer Hudson for doing her acapella tribute to Whitney Houston, whose death at age 48 cast a noticeable pall over the otherwise celebratory evening. With a photo of the recently deceased pop legend hanging over her and millions watching, Hudson pushed back her emotions to deliver a rendition of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” that few could pull off in any situation, let alone one with that kind... Read more
What can I say? I LOVE these Bad Lip Reading videos. Today I thought I’d post a two-fer and see which one folks like best. Today’s match is between Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. Read more
Barack Obama made a public effort this week to reach a compromise with religious employers on the government’s new health care plan. At issue was a requirement that all employers offer birth control to women through their insurance plans, however some religious organizations take specific moral issue with birth control. The compromise, to me, seemed to make good sense. Basically, employers could opt out of offering birth control as part of their insurance coverage. Insurers, however, would be required to... Read more
More than a dozen high school girls and one adult at LeRoy High School in upstate New York all are exhibiting bizarre symptoms similar to that of Tourette’s syndrome. Each person manifests behavior in varying degrees of severity, but all are struggling with some form of uncontrollable facial tics, body twitches and even vocal outbursts. Following numerous environmental tests of water, air, soil and the like around the school, there is still no clear explanation about why this phenomenon seems... Read more
The news of the Susan G. Komen Foundation pulling their funding for Planned Parenthood facilities is no breaking news. Neither is it that Karen Handel, Vice President for Public Affairs, stepped down after the firestorm of publicity and subsequent reversal of position by her organization. Usually I like to respond to issues sooner than this, but I had to sit with my feelings for a while before commenting. I’ll admit up front a bit of jealousy toward the Komen Foundation... Read more
I really want to give people like John Piper the benefit of the doubt. Given that he’s a minister in the Baptist tradition, it doesn’t surprise me when he only refers to God as “he” or when he talks about the man’s role as spiritual head of the household. I grew up Baptist, so I’ve heard it all before. But he goes too far with it. Way too far. And given the breadth of his influence, his message serves to... Read more
I wrote a piece recently about Mark Driscoll, his Mars Hill Church in Seattle, and their practice of disciplining members. A number of bloggers have responded with our concerns about how the situation was handled, and recently Mars Hill issued a brief response to criticism of their handling of the matter (thanks to Ian Ebright for bringing this to my attention): In recent days, there has been some discussion surrounding Mars Hill Church and our process of church discipline. We... Read more
I’ll admit I’m a sucker for stories about the malleability of human morality. From the mob movies, where a guy can whack his cousin but better not show his Patron any “disrespect,” to justice-seeking serial killers like “Dexter,” there’s plenty of justified violence to be found. Where do such seemingly contradictory value systems come from? And do they actually happen in the real world today? How about the politician who claims a platform that values a respect for “all life,”... Read more
Believe it or not, some folks watch the Super Bowl for the football. For the rest of us, it’s the one time of the year we actually enjoy watching commercials. In honor of the game, I thought I’d post some of my favorite Super Bowl ads of all time. Terry Tate: Office Linebacker (Reebok) Fair warning – this one has some PG-13 language. But for those who have always dreamed of having a way to put office trolls in their... Read more
Christian Piatt
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