Spent way too much time last week piling up rocks and too little time posting about all the stuff I’d bookmarked.
There are three words in the name of Grace Fellowship Church, but it seems that the pastor and deacons of the Tennessee congregation don’t understand what any of those words mean: “Assault Complaints Filed After Incident at Church.”
A gay Gibson County couple said they were assaulted when they tried to attend church services at the Grace Fellowship Church in Fruitland last Wednesday.
… Jerry Pittman Jr. said the attack was prompted by the pastor of the church, Jerry Pittman, his father.
“My uncle and two other deacons came over to the car per my dad’s request. My uncle smashed me in the door as the other deacon knocked my boyfriend back so he couldn’t help me, punching him in his face and his chest. The other deacon came and hit me through my car window in my back,” said Pittman. He said bystanders did not offer assistance. He said the deacon yelled derogatory homosexual slurs, even after officers arrived. He said the officers never intervened to stop the deacons from yelling the slurs.
Tony Jones points us to a story of pacifist-on-pacifist violence:
A group of religious castoffs has been attacking fellow Amish, cutting off their hair and beards in an apparent feud over spiritual differences in the deeply traditional community, a sheriff said Thursday.
Members of a group of families disavowed by mainstream Amish have cut the beards off men and the hair off a half-dozen or more men and women, Jefferson County [Ohio] Sheriff Fred Abdalla said. He said the cutting apparently was meant to be degrading.
The real, true Christian hegemons of Sussex County, Delaware, still don’t understand why Jews and atheists can’t just agree to pray in Jesus name like good Americans: “Debating The Lord’s Prayer: Sussex council’s public prayer heads for its first court test.”
The county has argued that the Lord’s Prayer is not an exclusively Christian prayer, and its themes are universal; thus, its public recitation by a government body is legal.
In a recent court filing, an attorney defending the county wrote: “It is as generic and universal a prayer as can be crafted, inoffensive in its non-denominational textual statements of supplication and belief, and as all-inclusive as a prayer may reasonably be.”
Good catch from Ed Brayton: It seems that Alan Keyes’ favorite song to perform turns out to be “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” — “a gay anthem written by a suspected communist and an atheist.” Here’s Tom Waits doing another great Yip Harburg song, “Brother Can You Spare a Dime?”
“Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.”
A church sign asks, “Will I have a mustache in Heaven?” Yes, ma’am. Yes, you will.
Also from Jesus Needs New PR “How Dare You — A Mark (Drizzy) Driscoll Remix.” Critics of the desperately butch preacher Mark Driscoll will enjoy this remix of one of his many videos, highlighting his arrogant, belligerent style. But Driscoll’s admirers — including his biggest admirer, Driscoll himself — will probably enjoy this remix just as much.
“Dave Strenski, resident of Detroit exurb Ypsilanti, got it into his head that he would help the local food co-op reduce its bills by installing solar panels on its roof. And he didn’t let his complete lack of experience with solar stand in the way. …”
Here’s his website: Ypsilanti, Michigan Solar Project.
The National Religious Broadcasters organization is worried that the Internet is interfering with conservative Christians’ freedom to spread nasty lies about homosexuals.
The House for All Sinners and Saints blesses a new name.
A pair of useful visual aids:
1. How different Christian denominations see each other
2. A Brief History of Corporate Whining
Kristin Rawls discusses St. Francis, scary veiny Willow and what “might be the most explicitly Christian moment in the show.” She notes that the Christian imagery of this scene — in which the world is saved through sacrificial love — is surprising given the well-known religious skepticism of Buffy creator Joss Whedon. But to me that’s not nearly as surprising or strange as the utter absence of such imagery or such redeeming love in so much of what is marketed as “Christian entertainment.”
Rachel Held Evans — who is now sporting a daringly “unbiblical” haircut — points us to this lovely story from Dana Reinhart:
She said to him, to my humiliation: “My granddaughter tells me you’re a famous actor but I’ve never heard of you.”
He stayed with her until the ambulance came and then he walked alongside the stretcher holding her hand and telling her she was breaking his heart by leaving the party so early, just as they were getting to know each other.
Phil Plait encourages his readers to listen to Marian Call. I did and I’m very glad I did so.
“Jesus Christ is no reason to leave a band.” — Kendall Jones
Now celebrating 24 days without a prominent homophobe getting caught in a gay sex scandal.
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