1. “Circle of Hope does a lot of good things. That’s not the issue. The issue is that the ends don’t justify the means when you exclude or ignore whole communities of people.”
2. Yesterday I posted links to two stories highlighting the parallels between the Christianist patriarchy of the Vision Forum with the practice of child marriage. Libby Anne looks at a horrifying example showing that the connection is closer than I thought: “When Stan gave Matthew the go ahead to propose to his daughter, Maranatha was 15 and Matthew was 27.”
3. “Pope Francis or Karl Marx?”
4. Michael Bayly would like us to remember that Hans Matheson, like all actors, has to work for a living, and thus he should not be blamed for Rick Santorum’s The Christmas Candle. Noted.
5. Marg Herder has a smart, insightful post on “Equality as a Multiple Choice Test.”
Thirty years ago a lot of people refused to circle any of [those answers]. Now, I think almost everyone circles at least one or two.
And that’s not nothing.
Read the whole thing for a hearty shot of hope. I’m not sure if that’s because Herder is hopeful herself, or if it’s because she’s just so determined that it makes me hopeful.
6. Douglas Hagler asks, “How Can Christians Get Poverty Wrong?”
I’m not talking about the socio-economic causes and effects of poverty, or the demographic definition of poverty, or the psychology of poverty, or liberal or conservative approaches to alleviating poverty.
I’m talking about contempt. Unapologetic, deep-seated contempt.
The contempt that says people are poor because they are lazy, or lack virtue, or are unintelligent, or uninformed, nor not using their money “Biblically.” (Which seems to essentially mean “White and middle-class and male.” A deep irony.) It is the contempt that says we don’t need to worry about the poor when there are GAYS out there trying to get MARRIED! People could be using condoms! Health insurance could be covering pap tests! The wealthy are the real victims! If we pay people a living wage, the economy will collapse!
On then other hand, though, there’s also “Tips for Jesus” (via Jay Lake).
7. “What Is Sea Level?” Turns out to be a lot more complicated than I thought. Sea level is lower above trenches in the ocean floor? What? (via Joe Hanson)
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