The 11 Most Annoying Catchphrases

Last updated on: November 29, 2012 at 6:28 am By Joe Carter

A couple of years ago, researchers at Oxford University compiled a list of the top ten most irritating expressions. Their list included overused office lingo, (24/7, synergy), grammatically incorrect constructions (“shouldn’t of”), and adverbs used out of context (literally, ironically). While everything on their list is certainly irritating, few of the items rise to the level of truly annoying. Perhaps Americans have a particular facility with our shared language because we seem to have a special affinity for creating trite catchphrases.... Read more

On the Oddity of Giving Children a Moral Imagination

Last updated on: November 26, 2012 at 8:35 am By Joe Carter

Mark Mitchell has a superb essay on developing in children a logocentric view of reality: Are we raising kids who won’t fit in? I have asked this of myself regularly over the past few years. My wife and I are educating our three boys at home. We don’t watch television (only an occasional video). We emphasize books. We read to the kids and make them memorize poetry. We pray together on our knees. In many ways, our kids are culturally ignorant.... Read more

Thirty Three Things (Video Edition)

Last updated on: November 21, 2012 at 11:34 am By Joe Carter

1. The Trunk Monkey Combing two things all men love: cars and monkeys. °°°°°° 2. M. Ward – Chinese Translation The greatest Johnny Cash song that Johnny Cash never sang. Charming and beautiful. °°°°°° 3. The Best of ESPN’s “This is Sportscenter” Ads °°°°°° 4. Economics Explained If you’ve ever been bored sitting in Econ 101 you’ll enjoy this refreshing explanation by Yoram Bauman, “the world’s first and only stand-up economist.” I love how he differentiates between macro and micro:... Read more

Shallow Small Group Bible Study

Last updated on: November 21, 2012 at 10:45 am By Joe Carter

Dissatisfied with your current small-group? You might want to check out this one. “We hate bad theology as much as the next guy. And we know the surest way to prevent bad theology is to avoid theology altogether.” Read more

Television’s 11 Most Creative Opening Credits

Last updated on: November 20, 2012 at 8:28 am By Joe Carter

One of the most undervalued formats in television is the opening credit sequences. Within just a few minutes that set the tone for a series that last for years—even decades. They can reveal a backstory in a song (Gilligan’s Island, Green Acres), create a aural hook (Peter Gunn’s theme for Mission Impossible, Quincy Jone’s music for Sanford and Son), or simply create a comfortable familiarity for the viewer (Friday Night Lights is one of the best examples). But sometimes—on very... Read more

Why Did Jesus Come in 5 B.C.?

Last updated on: November 20, 2012 at 6:54 am By Joe Carter

Consider two facts: God does not make arbitrary decisions and Christianity is a religion whose truths are rooted in and revealed through history. Assuming those claims are both true—and I have no doubts about either—it follows that the Father had a particular reason for sending the Son to earth circa 5 b.c. But if so, what was the reason for choosing that particular historical period? Could Jesus have come any sooner? While reading the introduction to God and Governing—written by... Read more

The Temptation of Secular Conservatism

Last updated on: November 19, 2012 at 6:15 am By Joe Carter

At First Things, William Doino Jr. has written the most commendable “the problem with conservatism” article of the year. I agree with every word: American conservatism, of course, has never been perfectly Christian—and sometimes, far from it—but its imperfect efforts to uphold the country’s moral and religious heritage is still welcome. But now that these attacks are emerging from within, traditional conservatives have to fight on two fronts—against anti-religious liberals, and secular conservatives. This two-front assault on traditional conservatism has... Read more

How to Spot a Bad Preacher

Last updated on: November 19, 2012 at 2:43 am By Joe Carter

As a lifelong student of rhetoric, I’ve always had a fascination and fondness for preachers. I’ve spent many years studying their manners and methods in order to learn how they are able to communicate to large groups in a way that feels intimate and familiar. For instance, one of my favorite pastors spent an entire year preaching about sin. Each week he’d rail against backbiters, slanderers, hypocrites, perverts. And each week I went home feeling the message had been meant... Read more

How God Makes a Pencil

Last updated on: November 16, 2012 at 10:19 pm By Joe Carter

In 1958, Leonard Read published his brilliant essay, “I, Pencil.” The Competitive Enterprise Institute recently released a wonderful video that illustrates Read’s point that the creation of a pencil requires an unfathomable level of complexity and undirected cooperation. Read’s original essay was written from the point of view of the pencil and the humble writing implement explains why it is as much a creation of God as a tree. Since only God can make a tree, I insist that only... Read more

The Built-In Human Expiration Date

Last updated on: November 16, 2012 at 3:17 pm By Joe Carter

In the book of Genesis it notes that the human lifespan is limited to a maximum of 120 years. And since God is a mathematician, it shouldn’t be surprising that this rate of mortality is an exponential function: What do you think are the odds that you will die during the next year? Try to put a number to it — 1 in 100? 1 in 10,000? Whatever it is, it will be twice as large 8 years from now. This... Read more