In a poignant post, Brian McLaren responds to an Asian pastor who writes him, “I have regarded Brian as my mentor in coping with expressing my Christian faith in the postmodern world but now I have to break ranks with him – it leaves me devastated…” The issue, for this pastor, is homosexuality. Brian has been honest about his stance on issues of human sexuality, but he hasn’t shouted it with a bullhorn either. As background, however, you should know... Read more
Joy has: But here’s the problem. I thought that in order to respect authority and understand right and wrong, my children needed to experience the smart of a spank. And on days when I was worn down or short-fused, I defaulted to spanking to keep control. I used negative motivation and the threat of physical pain to bolster a position of power. I was trying to impose external conformity from above and from fear, the very thing I hate about... Read more
There’s been a lot of talk about Alvin Plantinga’s latest book. Plantinga is the most prominent philosopher/theologian who is dealing, regularly and at length, with the issues of theodicy and the existence of God, issues that we often confront on this blog. I haven’t read enough Plantinga to have much of an opinion other than 1) he’s smart, and 2) I think he’s too analytic for my tastes. However, Scott Paeth, whom I trust very much, has weighed in with... Read more
Daystar and TBN, the two biggest “Christian” TV networks, own adjoining buildings in Jerusalem. They’re being round-the-clock coverage of Jesus’ impending return to Mt. Zion: By Edmund Sanders, Los Angeles Times October 1, 2012 JERUSALEM — If the Messiah descends from the Mount of Olives as foretold in the Bible, America’s two biggest Christian broadcasters are well-positioned to cover it live thanks to recent acquisitions of adjacent Jerusalem studios on a hill overlooking the Old City. Texas-based Daystar Television Network... Read more
On Tuesday, I posted Hugh’s entry in the Questions That Haunt Christianity. It’s a doozy. Honestly, it may be the toughest question yet. Hugh wrote in about how theologians talk about God. Basically, he leveled the charge that theologians pick adjectives out of the air, then say that God completely fulfills those adjectives. “It seems to me,” Hugh writes, “these assertions are incoherent and/or vacuous. Ransacking the dictionary for adjectives to throw at God is no way to come up with... Read more
Around Minnesota, punter Chris Kluwe is something of a legend. Sure, he’s a good punter. But he’s more known for his awesome Twitter feed, his love of online gaming, and his quick wit. A couple weeks ago, he unleashed that wit in an outrageously funny and over-the-top online screed in favor of same sex marriage: I can assure you that gay people getting married will have zero effect on your life. They won’t come into your house and steal your... Read more
Interesting story in this morning’s StarTribune. Matt Rustad, a school board member in St. Francis, Minnesota, submitted a column about paperless classrooms to the school district’s monthly newsletter, The Courier. Problem was, the column wasn’t written by him. Instead, he found it in the comment section of a 2010 blog post, copied it, changed a couple phrases, and submitted it. That act in itself isn’t so surprising. People are busted all the time for copying stuff from websites, paying for... Read more
In your latest update to Apple’s free program, iTunes, Ping is gone. It’s disappeared. What is Ping?, you ask. (Well, you should be asking, What was Ping?) Ping was an attempt by Apple to get into the social media game by allowing people to easily share what songs they were listening to, liking, etc. You know how people are always using Spotify or Pandora to share with you on Facebook the song that they’re listening to at the moment? Well,... Read more
This week, a challenging entry for Questions That Haunt Christianity. This one is deeply theological, but also honest. I think it will give you and me a run for our money. It comes from Hugh: (more…) Read more
Today, the feminist-punk-collective Pussy Riot was supposed to have a hearing. It was delayed because one of the members dismissed her attorney. However, on the eve of the court date, the Russian Orthodox Church urged government officials to grant the women clemency. Well, they didn’t just encourage clemency — they said that the women should be forgiven and release from prison if they repent: (more…) Read more
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