Black-and-white photographs clipped from newspapers call to mind the distant past. That’s particularly true when the content of the photo seems to show something from a bygone, shameful era in American history. For those of us born after the Civil Rights movement, the idea of something like White Citizens Councils seems like an ugly relic from the middle part of the last century. But this photograph is from 2001: That’s the Liar Tony Perkins there, smiling at the podium during... Read more
I’m not sure this is a book. It’s in book form, mostly — type is set on pages in a binding, words on paper — but it reads more like the transcription of a one-man show. In Gay Conversations With God, James Langteaux gives us a spoken-word performance, with the rhythm and rhyme of speech. The cadence and wordplay and oddly laid-out parenthetical comments all make me want to see and hear that one-man show. I suspect, then, that this... Read more
Jason Pitzl-Waters is a wise man. In his regular music round-up, he captures just why so-called contemporary Christian music is not something to be emulated: The yearning to develop something akin to “Contemporary Christian” music within our own communities is, I believe, counter-productive to the impulses that actually move us into sacred territory. When I construct A Darker Shade of Pagan each week I don’t think about the Pagan pedigrees, I think about what inspires and envelops me. When I... Read more
danah boyd: “What Anti-Trafficking Advocates Can Learn from Sex Workers: The Dynamics of Choice, Circumstance, and Coercion” What sex workers see can be of great value to combating sexual exploitation, but leveraging this knowledge requires collaborations between unlikely parties. My hope is that anti-trafficking advocates and sex workers can find ways to work together to combat commercial sexual exploitation. They have a lot to learn from one another about the complexities of the issue. When it comes to sexual exploitation,... Read more
2 Kings 18:4 He broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it; it was called Nehushtan. Read more
Dammit. “Neil Armstrong, 1930-2012: Made ‘Giant Leap’ as First Man to Step on Moon“ Read more
Here’s an interesting back-and-forth between Jason Rosenhouse and Scot McKnight on the label “theistic evolutionist.” I am a theist — a Christian. I also recognize and affirm the truth of evolution. But I don’t like or use the label “theistic evolutionist” for the same reasons I do not like or use the label “theistic germ theorist.” And let’s be clear, if we were to employ the same hermeneutic employed by young-earth creationists, we could make an even stronger case claiming... Read more
“‘Actually, you know what you can do?’ said Jesus. ‘You can reimburse me for my roof. Or I’ll sue.'” “This may seem like an odd question, but the other day I found myself wondering what had become of George W. Bush.” “Junket Drunk Dunks His Junk” “Israel goes out of its way to encourage this sort of junket on the part of conservative Christian lawmakers, many of whom believe that support for Israel will hasten the day when Jesus comes... Read more
Nicolae: The Rise of Antichrist, Chapter 3 Chapter 3 of Nicolae is terribly exciting, at least by the standards of these books. It’s quite eventful and almost even suspenseful in the authors’ trademark, solipsistic way of utterly disregarding the fate of everyone except for our heroes. Rayford overhears Nicolae’s plan to obliterate dozens of cities with nuclear weapons, including Chicago — where his daughter and new son-in-law are. He races to warn Buck and Chloe to flee the city before... Read more
Following after the theme of last week’s “driving” songs, here’s the word on the street. I know this is where the sidewalk ends … “59th Street Bridge Song (Feeling Groovy),” Simon and Garfunkel “Accidently Kelly Street,” Frente “Across 110th Street,” Bobby Womack “Alphabet Street,” Prince “Fannin Street,” Tom Waits “In the Streets of Boston,” Dropkick Murphys “Joey’s on the Street Again,” Boomtown Rats “Killermont Street,” Aztec Camera “Moon Over Bourbon Street,” Sting “On Hyndford Street,” Van Morrison “On My Street,”... Read more
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