The Pew Forum has a 15 question quiz on general religious knowledge. Click here and take the test (it’ll only take a few minutes). How did you do? Post your scores in the comments section below if you want to share how you did. I got all of them right (remember I went to school for this stuff), but I have to admit that I was sorta guessing on Vishnu and Shiva – I was pretty sure it was Hindu, but... Read more
In an effort to become a better writer, I’m trying to think critically about the way I construct my arguments. Ultimately the stronger argument will not always win; sophistry often wins out over logic. Still I want to write and speak with integrity and let the chips fall where they may in terms of the outcome. I’m trying to catch myself in the act as I write an article, a sermon, or a blog post, and force myself to always... Read more
“So you have no frame of reference here, Donny. You’re like a child who wanders into the middle of a movie and wants to know…” – Walter Sobchak (The Big Lebowski) It’s a cliche right? The thirty-something hipster wakes up one day and realizes that there are actually other people on the planet. So they set out to make sense of it all, feeling as though they are the first ones to the party, the first ones to have these... Read more
I confess that I have regressed a bit in my attempts to practice Sabbath keeping, and weekly rhythms of rest and stillness. I think that perhaps the most radical thing Christians can do to subvert a culture of consumerism and rampant consumption – not to mention the crushing weight of the “I am what I do” mentality – is to take a Sabbath and refuse to think about work 24-7. I confess that I know that this regression begins in... Read more
I’m not a fan of new country music. It’s kitsch & everything sounds like pro-tools. But old school country? I still dig it. I make my kids listen to Outlaw Country on Sirius… they don’t seem to like it much – yet! My dad always had the radio in the car tuned to country music and we gave him so much crap about it. I must have made fun of George Jones a hundred times when I was young. Then during college... Read more
I know very little about Scientology, and what I do know usually comes by way of entertainment news. I read a little bit at their website and watched a couple of videos this morning. Their marketing material makes it seems like a modern (maybe post-modern?), version of Gnosticism. Everything I’ve ever heard or read about it gives me the shivers. However, if this story true, the most damning evidence on Scientology would be that they don’t want Russell Brand. Who wouldn’t... Read more
George W. Bush has taken up painting in his retirement. ABC news reported: Bush has said he was inspired to paint by reading Winston Churchill’s “Painting as a Pastime.” He told Sawyer that his new activity has helped him continue to learn, following the example of his father, former President George H.W. Bush. “You know what the interesting lesson is though, that you can keep learning in life. I mean, some guy one time said to me, ‘Man, you deserve... Read more
In an effort to become a better writer, I’m trying to think critically about the way I construct my arguments. Ultimately the stronger argument will not always win; sophistry often wins out over logic. Still I want to write and speak with integrity and let the chips fall in terms of wins and losses. I’m trying to catch myself in the act as I write an article, a sermon, or a blog post, and force myself to always play fair.... Read more
“If there was a class war… my class won.” – Warren Buffett Bill Moyers’ video essay, “The United States of Inequality” is a pretty interesting take. I am becoming increasingly convinced that the biggest threat our society faces is not the debt, climate change, North Korea, Islamic fundamentalism, or global terrorism. It is the growing gap between the rich and the poor. It’s growing dramatically and is fast reaching the point at which it will destabilize American society. 100%... Read more
Evangelicals can be somewhat prone to conspiracy theories. In the late 80s we were all reading Frank Peretti books. He had us scared about demon armies, Eastern Mysticism, meditation, and spirit guides. It was just a short step from there to fearing the New World Order folks, The Tri-lateral Commission, and the Council on Foreign Relations… and you did not want to get us started on the U.N. We still have a fair number of folks in our tribe who deny the... Read more
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