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| Matthew 3:9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. -John the Baptizer |
Now THIS is the reason I hang out in disreputable bars with shady characters.
“Thinklings” – what a woosie name. I’ll bet they got their mothers to embroider it on the back of their jackets.
I’ve been in dire need of a good rumble for a long time. Somebody hand me a chair leg and a broken bottle. We’re gonna have some fun tonight…
The fact that I cannot read Hebrew will keep me from knowing if this interpretation of Genesis 9 is reasonable or ridiculous.
Remember Trinity Church from the last part of National Treasure? Well…they are having a Clown Eucharist. Which somehow got Amy Welborn to post this on clowns in general, and prompted some absolutely hilarious comments in the comment thread. And before you ask…yes, there is.
I’ll buy a commentary on the Song of Songs if it has full color illustrations…
That must be the cool thing about having one’s confession in the form of a book. Much more effective to use when discussions break down. ;)
C’mon Josh, give me a break. It’s not like I announced “I’m not like you” or something. I’m just a regular Calvinist in submission to the proper theological authorities.
I dunno Josh, I went and read the response to your bit on Doug Wilson, and it didn’t seem like a pissed off screed to me. More like a gentle rebuttal. The only bit that sounded somewhat annoyed was the part about the postmil position, which seems like it’s something of an old debate.
Those of you cheering for a runaway bride prosecution got what you wanted, but here are some things (via Stones Cry Out) to think about. Be sure and get to the end.
BHT rule 36 is updated. I’m way behind. If you like anti-monk invective, you need to book-mark this. I’ve added the mother of all anti-monk rants. Worthy of Lurker Scott on a cranky day.
Are we, like, gonna get in even more trouble for harboring Josh? (jn)
Rich Lusk (one of the original Federal Vision guys) responds to Bryan Chapell’s paper on the New Perspective on Paul.
I’ve enjoyed the fun with Thinklings. Now that a major reformed blogger has called the match, we’ll be through on our side. Frankly, when the Major Playas start paying attention to anything said at the BHT, I get nervous. I will say that I’ve had to lock up Van Til, and that’s not a good thing.
I’ve updated IM twice this week. One post has been awarded the “Fozzy Bear” Award, or something like that.
Joel: After you get Josh drunk, start a video recorder.
Travis:
Try copying the link URL and pasting it into a new window.
Yes, all the hate is nothing but fuel. So hate away!
After long, difficult deliberation for the last hour after the moderator’s suggestion (actually, I’ve been working in the lab since that post), I have concluded against both suicide (which would be a dumb thing to do for simply being a fan of a specific team) and resignation (of course, you could fire me if you’d like). Since I was like 2 years old, my three teams have been the Bills, the Sabres, and the Yankees. See that list? I’m not planning on dropping the one team that actually succeeds once in a while. My sports life has been one of almost incessant disappointment. I was AT the Stanely Cup playoffs game 6 where Brett Hull scored the illegal goal that beat, at least in the record books, the Sabres for the cup.
Kurt: I couldn’t get that link to work. Edit: ok, now I see it. It just wouldn’t let me go there from this site for some reason. I had to type the address in from another page.
Oh, you Yankee-haters…don’t you realize that Yankees feed on hate? It is like Emperor Palpatine drinking in Luke’s angst. “Yes, I feel your anger…” It makes them stronger.
Warning. Do not click the following link if you are offended by profanity. Seriously. Baptists should not click and then get on my case.
How much you wanna bet that this guy (on the left) is a Red Sox fan?
Josh linked to this wonderful sermon from his old church. Great stuff for Trinity Sunday.
For you, Travis YH
uh oh…Evil Empire, huh? Um…I’m still kinda new here, so I don’t know…are there any other Yankees fans in the bar?
[Moderator Note: Dude…...consider resigning or suicide. Don’t bring that Baal worship into my bar.]
Travis ducks under bar, realizing he’s just outed himself as a fan of the Evil Empire
By the way, I am another Baptist (although barely) who will be visiting the local microbrewery here in town tonight…can I be exempted from being a weenie?
Bill: Did you notice who, just last night, slipped from 2nd best to 2nd least in the AL East and who went from 2nd least to to 2nd best? The Evil Empire is back. Are we caring too much? Aaaaarrrrrgggghhhhhh!!!!!
You may now finish your coconut daquiri (virgin) or whatever it is you baptist weenies drink ;-)
Club soda with lime is my new favorite.
I was a teetotaler before I became Baptist (or Christian for that matter). Does that excuse me from weeniehood?
BTW: Our piano is on the right and the organ is on the left, so we’re not good SBCers. Oh yeah, we have plural eldership and deaconesses too.
If you missed “Red vs Blue Guide to the Internet,” you gotta watch it. Darned funny.
It is Friday and I am bored. And we have several token Lutherans. In fact, about everyone here is a token something.
I could have added that we have a vicious lurker in the parking lot who’s been making vile threats against me for years. That should make ‘em jealous.
I could also mention- sorry Rachel, don’t take this personal- that almost every woman who ever joined the BHT left really angry. Which is mostly Phillip’s fault. :-)
I could also post this, to demonstrate where you can wind up if you’re not careful.
Douglas,
The Thinklings are just good buddies of ours and we’re talkin’ trash between friends because its Friday and we’re bored.
Now, if they were really annoyed at us, it would doubtless be because we’re better than them, but we try not to flaunt that.
The Thinklings (mostly Jared) are just some of our friends on the blogosphere, Douglas. All in good natured fun. We generally tease each other over which is the better group blog. No hostility in the real world.
Now…DIE THINKLING SCUM!....DIE!!! (jn)
Humor the newbie here –
Who are these Thinklings, and why are they so horked at BHT?
Can’t we all just get along?
Hmmm. My church sends out the coming Sunday’s order of service, as well as announcements plus tidbits of PCA-related news and trivia. Sometimes it is worthy stuff (like current course offerings at WTS Dallas), other times, well…
Sovereign Grace Singles (warning, site has animated gifs and background music) was one of the links this time around. Sort of like e-harmony, I guess, but for the reformed.
God forbid your date should not know who Calvin was, right? And if she can’t enumerate and defend the 5 points (7 if you’re a Piperite), you surely won’t happy a happy future together.
Michael, you left off one from your list:
“1b. At least one of our members is entirely sanctified.”
:-)
Josh, I promise that the next time I make it to KY (assuming you’re still there) we will go drink some beers at High on Rose. Could be before 2006; we’ll see.
In the comments over at the Thinklings, “Bill” says, “Friends don’t let friends blog drunk.” Only n00bs, chicks, and metrosexuals drink as much as I do and get drunk. I’ve never posted inebriated because I don’t get inebriated, my friend.
You may now finish your coconut daquiri (virgin) or whatever it is you baptist weenies drink ;-)
[name deleted] is now posting as a Thinkling.
You just can’t figure out the secret handshake, and it pisses you off. (jn)(sw)
Hey Josh,
Out of complete ignorance I ask this: What system of eschatology do Lutherans subscribe to?
Now there are two things that will make you go blind.
I’ve been told I have a fuzzy brain. Are there tests? Is there a treatment?
Jars of Clay: Really, my lack of enthusiasim for this group is waning. This cd has some fine interpretations of unusual songs, and I am amazed at how eclectic their sound is. Thumbs up.
Miley took the chairs of Dunn and Griffey. Apparently thought it had some negative effects in the clubhouse. I have supported Miley, but he’s starting to bug me. Of course, when the team sucks, moving chairs around is to be expected.
Thinklings: Stop now. Save yourselves. You can’t run with these horses. We be baaaad mammajammas ovah heah.
The Top Ten Reasons The BHT Rulz, and The Thinklings Drool
10. We don’t use big words like “Nexus” in our banner.
9. We closed down our comments because our brains are too big to talk with ordinary mortals.
8. We don’t even pretend to actually like each other.
7. Van Til, the BHT’s Magic Tail-Chasing Dog, would kick the axx of The Thinkling Chihuahua, Gomer.
6. BHT menu is freakin’ awesome.
5. Where’s YOUR troll blog, girlie-boys?
4. BHT serves 36 kinds of beer. Thinklings have lots of books. Pwn3d!!!
3. Our site layout doesn’t have a personality disorder.
2. Killer t-shirts in our own store.
1. Nuked, pillaged and burned by the armies of [name deleted]....and we’re still open for business.
Hilarious story about Adam Dunn’s massage chair being removed by the manager.
I gave up on Christian bookstores when I got to the checkout and saw the advertisements for those Christian candy bars. “Touch the soul. Tickle the palate.” Blah.
So when is Ender’s Game coming out as a movie? It’s getting to be about time for another reading of that book.
Mark, your point about Emergent conversation is an important one. I think McLaren and others would agree that even their critics are part of the conversation, even if they don’t play by Emergent’s way of looking at conversation. Anything I’ve read by McLaren where he’s responding to criticism has been very graciously written. He seems to welcome and appreciate it.
Did anybody catch Doug Wilson’s Protestant Vision for Unity? Interesting read.
Michael: I am using your posts today as a springboard for some things I have been thinking, but this isn’t a rebuttal or response to your posts. For all I know you may agree with me. Also, I haven’t read Carson, and anything I say about him or anyone else is in principle.
From what I have seen, most in the Emergent (whatever it is) prefer the term “conversation” to “movement.” That may be OK as far as it goes, but I think the term needs more clarification. For example, the BHT is a conversation, a group of people posting back and forth on things profound and silly. Emergent has gone way past this. New churches are being started, existing ones are changing, people are being baptized and taught. If this is a conversation, it’s a conversation like those which brought about the historic creeds and confessions. Maybe we’ll see a new orthodox confession come out of this in time. I’m sure the process that created the creeds was quite messy. To make another point, here on the BHT I have said things in error, or perhaps out of turn, and have been called on it. When people are promoting the far-reaching changes that we see in much of Emergent, it’s even more appropriate to critique them rigorously. Of course, Christian criticism should be fair and gracious, but I would argue that Carson is as much a part of the Emergent Conversation as is McLaren. I think many, even most, of those in Emergent would agree with that. So is it a movement or a conversation? I can live with “conversation,” but not like we’d speak of the BHT. It’s a conversation much closer in nature, if perhaps not scope, to the great debates from which emerged our confessions.Since everybody is blogging about this, I thought I’d share. Today we were out and about at the shopping center, and we went into the Christian bookstore. The kids like to play with the Veggie Tales toys. Apparently, they have a big shoplifting problem. They even keep the restrooms locked and require a clerk to open them. I don’t know what to make of this.
What was my favorite product? Lets see…. I think I’d have to go with the “Jesus Hugs Me” doll, a plush Jesus that looks like the singer from P.O.D. Just perfect for your toddler to drag about the floor by the hair, or perhaps be chewed up by the dog. Argh.
On a happier note, we saw the coolest rainbow I ever saw. Unbelievable bright and vivid, and stretching across the entire sky. Plus there was a second, slightly fainter one outside this one. It made the evening go down better.
I haven’t actually sat through a whole episode of StarWars since the first (fourth episode) film. I saw the previews for Empire Strikes Back, and frankly, Yoda was over the top for me. I see Yoda as a sort of bizarre genetic muppet experiment gone horribly wrong; you have this guy who looks like Kermit, sounds like Grover, and moves like Fozie Bear. Yoda was the big signal (that most fans seem to have missed somehow) that the “StarWars” juggernaut wasn’t even going to even nod toward Kubrick’s “proverbial good science fiction film,” and was instead going to be entirely about merchandising.
BTW, Orson Scott Card’s dissection of the Jedi rings extremely true, BTW. For those who might know, can I ask if what I call Card’s “exceedingly evangelical-protestant-sounding Mormonism” that shows up in his essays is (a) a fluke of his personal beliefs, (b) representative of how the thinking Mormon laity understand their faith, or© part of the vast Mormon conspiracy to sound like Baptists until they get enough political power to legislate funny underwear in public schools?
Guys, I need some advice, or just a sympathetic ear.
I’m stuck in the unenviable position of watching several once-close friends go Billy Blanks on each other over some personal conflicts (I won’t divulge details publically to preserve confidentiality). All I will say is I’ve tried to speak reasonably to all sides, probably not perfectly, but right now there may be only one person left who’s still talking to me. I’m stuck 3000 miles away from the fighting with only intermittent phone calls as to what is up, and the information I’m getting is contradictory and highly emotionally charged.
We were all once very close. I’m now stuck on the other side of the continent as things fall apart. It’s heartbreaking.
I have a good friend that wears the workman’s kilt regularly. He recently said to me when moving in to a new house, “I’m man enough to be comfortable wearing a kilt but I have to draw the line at a pink living room.”
If you ask me, I think that is an awesome line.
Of course I was introduced to the song at Discovery Weekend where 250 college students were preparing for summer mission trips. Most of who were burning with desire to serve the Lord. But maybe some were there out of duty? Or for a cheap way to see the world. As an adult watching the selection process of the right students for the right place the song had great meaning to me. Watching the facilitators checking out the motives and abilities or each student and asking the question “Why do you want to go on this mission?” and “What is your motivation?” and singing that song in the worship services in between small group activities gave continuity to the whole project.
It meant a lot to the young people I was with also since most went home and found it on itunes and bought it.
A Piper opera would be cool.
Der Pipermaus
Cosi fan Piper
Le Pipero
Der Ring des Piperungen
OK, that’s probably enough :-)
I agree with the first, but remember this line from anywhere?
“Missions exists because worship doesn’t.”
I think Redman was influenced by that as he wrote that song.
“There has never ever been anyone like You” is a silly line.
“Let worship be the fuel for mission’s flame, etc.” Argh.
Michael, which tracks on that Passion CD were a little wishy washy in your opinion. I’m listening to it now on my iPod and have to say I love the David Crowder Band, but they tend to be a bit repetitive.
Major JN on the last post. But I didn’t need to tell you that, did I?
BTW It happens from time-to-time that I’m e-mailing someone and I slip in a JN reflexively – then I re-read before clicking send (a good practice) and remember that my correspondent has no idea what that means.
C’mon, Josh. That line works with everybody. That’s what Chick tracts are all about man!
That link I posted below was supposed to take you to the 10 CD “Romans in a Week” page. That’s what I was buying – not the whole Regents bookstore.
Jared at Thinklings has a good post on the Christian Bookstore mess. He has inside info!
Utilikilts. Check out all the photos.
Timothy Keller writes on “Post-Everythings.” Keller sees the situation extremely clearly. While some quarters of the Reformed are yelling about apostasy, Keller is encouraging about the diversity that is unfolding in front of us.
America still has enough places dominated by this latter “nation” that the PCA can continue to grow among already-conservative and people. However, our usual methods of ministry do not work effectively in the parts of the country and the sectors of society that have the greatest power in our culture. Our ineffectiveness as a denomination in working with post-everything America is a failure across party lines. Whether we identify ourselves as “Evangelically Reformed,” “Confessionally Reformed” or “Old-school” we face similar failures. All our parties tend to limit their evangelism and discipleship to people who are basically traditional in their mindset.A very wise person. Will he be shouted down, or listened to?For instance, our typical evangelistic presentations are effective with persons who assume they should be good. Then the gospel-presenter tries to show them than they are not good enough – they fall short of God’s perfect standards – and therefore they need Jesus to forgive sin and help them do the right thing. This presentation was quite appropriate for almost everyone in my parents’ generation. My parents, who are evangelical Christians, and my in-laws, who are not at all, had basically the same social and moral values. If you asked them the questions such as, “What do you think about pre-marital sex, or homosexuality, or pornography?” both sets of parents would have answered the same. They were part of a world in which Christianity was the folk-religion even if it was not the heart-religion of most people. They believed that the purpose of life was to be a good person. This world no longer exists everywhere.
On the other hand, if you say to those in my kids’ generation, “You know you have to be good,” they will say, “Who’s to say what good is?” So what are we to do with these post-everything persons who are increasingly dominating our society? The traditional gospel presentations will not make much sense to many of them.
Ryan Bolger (Big HT to the Kiwi) gets it right: The current “postmodern/emergent threat” is actually a conversation too diverse to map out easily. That’s why folks like Carson et al are focusing on McLaren and Chalke, i.e. easy targets.
“If the goal of Becoming Conversant was simply to survey those authors who influence the Emerging Church, or those who influence the movement epistemologically, the right books were not selected. The attention on Brian McClaren plus a small number of other authors such as Spencer Burke, Steve Chalke, Dan Kimball, Dave Tomlinson distorts the discussion because these authors are not working to create an epistemology for the emerging church. My research among more than one hundred emerging church leaders indicates that other authors have had significant impact on emerging church thinking, authors such as Jack Caputo, Stanley Hauerwas, Alasdair MacIntyre, Nancey Murphy, Henry Nouwen, Miroslav Volf, Dallas Willard, N.T. Wright, and John Howard Yoder to start. Indeed, the books Becoming Conversant lists are significant, but just as with the lack of empirical research, it represents an anecdotal perspective on the emerging church.”
The single most influential professor I ever had was Dr. Timothy George. I count him as a friend and mentor. He gives his optimistic evangelical view on Benedict XVI at CT. (Please gallery, forward this to the inquisition asap.) Bold type is mine.
Benedict has indicated that one of the major concerns of his pontificate will be the unity of all Christians. While evangelicals and Roman Catholics share much, there are also major flashpoints of conflict, especially in Africa and Latin America, where both communities of faith are thriving—and often competing for the same souls. As a professor at Tübingen during the turbulent ‘60s, Ratzinger forged an alliance with Peter Beyerhaus and other evangelical leaders to stand together against the forces of unchecked secularism and unbelief.“We saw,” Benedict said, “that the confessional controversies we had previously engaged in were small indeed in the face of the challenge we now confronted, which put us in a position of having, together, to bear witness to our common faith in the living God and in Christ, the incarnate Word.” Though the battlefronts have shifted, the same kind of cooperation between faithful evangelicals and believing Roman Catholics is no less urgent today.
Roman Catholicism is not a cult, and the pope is not the Antichrist. Just so, evangelicals are not a sect, and the gospel call for all people to repent and turn to Jesus is not proselytism. When we come closer to Christ, we come closer to one another, and such stereotypes are overcome. Though he does not often quote John Calvin, I believe Benedict would agree with these words from the great Protestant pastor about the way we express our common Christian convictions: “That we acknowledge no unity except in Christ; no charity of which he is not the bond, and that, therefore, the chief point in preserving charity is to maintain faith, sacred and entire.”
Some of the little comedy clips on Steve Brown’s site are amusing. Check out “Man Church” and “Bob Jones University.”
I am ordering this as we speak. It’s on sale and I’m sure worth every penny. This whole NPP fight has lead me to pruchase quite a bit on Romans lately, including Wright’s NIB commentary and Ernst Kasemann’s commentary as well. Can’t wait to listen to this.
Challies blows the whistle on how we’re all being treated like chimps by the Christian publishers. Pass this post on…..it’s the truth needed to counter all these idiots saying Warren, Meyer etc are “anointed.” Anoint this.
Whoa. Steve Brown Radio. This is cool.
I got a nice plug at Amy Welborn, but I won’t link it because she’s Catholic and, well, we all know what that means. (jn)
The IM comments continue to produce amazing statements every day. Good grief- what are people thinking?
New CDs: Passion, “How Great is Our God.” I have always felt this was the best of the Contemporary Worship series. Lyrically, this has a couple of inferior offerings, but it still has the “Piper-esque” qualities that I appreciate.
Ronan Tynan: Anyone who sings at Yankee Stadium every night can sing at my house.
Steve Green, Somewhere Between: I’ve always liked Steve Green, even though some of you loathe him. Yes, some of his tacky overproduced pieces disappointed me. Sometimes his voice sounded all wrong. Now it appears that Steve has been listening to the new classical sound of Josh Groban et al and figured out a few things. Gone are the “big endings” that were so often over the top. Insert amazing new orchestrations and a whole new vocal sound. Put all this with some of the most mature, poignant lyrics on the brokenness of life that I’ve heard in a long time. This is a standout recording. (Steve talks about some new directions in this interview.)
Jars of Clay, Redemption Songs. Jury is still way out. I’ll check back in.
Antithesis changed its tagline from “progressively conservative” to “progressively evangelical”. Hopefully, by October, the self-identification will have been distilled to perfection. Looking forward to some good content and challenging ideas from new authors.
Piper sermons not available at the usual site. (Posted by request)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.”
I used to understand this as: don’t try to reason things out; trust God and He will show you His plan. I now understand it as: trust God, and He will direct you, even if you have no clue what is happening. We’ve been having a lot of setbacks in our move. I am glad God is faithful.
On an obliquely related point, and one that’s probably moot to you cessationists, but I really think the phrase “God told me” needs to be banned or limited to when one actually hears the audible voice of God. Instead, charismatically inclined people should describe what actually happened.
For example, don’t say “God told me to give you $100.” Say, “I was praying for you and remembered that you needed money. So I asked God what should I give you, and the figure $100 came into my head. Then I asked God if this is what I should give, and I felt all tingly.” Sure it’s more wordy, but this by itself could probably reduce charismatic nuttiness by at least 30%.
I was talking with a good friend who is a mildly charismatic Reformed type pastoring at a church where the previous pastor, and much of the current congregation, is very Pentecostal and word-faithy. He told me he wants to ban “catchers.” He wants to tell the congregation if they fall down they’re on their own, but he figures he’ll fight some other battles first.
Judson: Yeah, that pretty much sums up the reaction to Tolkien’s work in general – you either love it or hate it. One of the first serious critical essays on LOTR, by R. J. Reilly, sums it up accurately – ”(LOTR) remained an anomaly heartily liked or disliked not so much on literary grounds as on fundamental religious or philosophical ones. It demanded extraliterary value judgments, and it got them.” (Tolkien and the Critics, pg. 128) People like your atheist critic don’t get Tolkien because he won’t accept the basic premises that are the woof and warp of Tolkien’s world. (Also, it seems any communication beyond bare propositional statements about reality makes fundamentalists of any stripe (atheist or religious) wrinkle their noses in contempt. I suspect that’s one reason why so little good Christian literature has come out of modern Protestantism…)
I also think it’s a safe bet that there would be no Star Wars, no Orson Scott Card, no modern sci-fantasy in general, if that quiet Oxford don had not blazed the trail 50 years ago.
Michael: And I thought I was the last man on earth who had some appreciation for the first Highlander film. :-) OTOH, Highlander II is the only movie I ever walked out of and demanded my money back for…
Carrie Underwood from small-town Checotah, OK wins American Idol! I may be the only person on this board addicted to that show, but so be it—to have her beat out over 100,000 competitors is quite a feat. I really thought Bo was going to win it, but last night put Carrie over the top, I think. Congrats Carrie!!
Just returned from Episode III. I have to say I agree with Jonathan V. Last: The small story works. The larger story gets increasingly annoying. (And Josh is quite right that the anti-Bush/parallels to Hitler stuff is irritating to the point of distraction.) This is yet another trilogy that could have succeeded as two films, and too much that didn’t matter had to be referenced or resolved. I am so tired of these CGI dominated sci-fi films that I am bored to tears looking at them. That the human story isn’t entirely lost is a tribute to the strength of the original characters.
I’ve been reminding Clay of how derivative Star Wars is of so many other genres, but that was the strength of the originals. Now the whole story- and all those echoes of Samurais and Westerns- is almost lost under the ponderous CGIs and stilted effects of modern action films. Even the fight scenes were just overdone. Give me the original Highlander, or an old Robin Hood or Zorro.
Cinderella Man looks quite promising, and War of the Worlds is going to be fun, I’ll wager. The Island may be good, but the trailer just leaves me confused.
Douglas: Respect? Plenty. Fawning? Uh, okay.
I do love LOTR though. I have to relate a comment recently overheard on another guy’s blog. The particular fellow is incredibly intelligent, worldly (in the respectable sense), and an atheist. He roundly criticized LOTR for being bad fiction, though giving Tolkien a prop for being meticulous. He described it as “nothing more than a tarted-up Perils of Pauline”. As if that were not enough, he blithely waved it off as being the kind of book that doesn’t stand up to multiple readings.
Complete amazement. Here is probably the single most RE-read book ever written, and that, quite often by irreligious people. It was a stunning demonstration of just how stupid some smart people can be.
Of course, this same fellow dismissed fantasy and sci-fi as being fiction which is too simply “saved by a plot device”. One wonders—what is ANY fiction, other than plots and plot devices?
Judson said, “Star Wars, LOTR, U2. A few good insights here or there, but a lot of wasted ink and electrons from the Christian camp, frankly. The over-application of ‘worldview analysis’.”
I’ll grant the point on SW and U2. But OTOH, how many academic journals are dedicated to SW – as compared to Tolkien? And how many fan conventions are there for U2, as compared to Tolkien?
So give LOTR some r-e-s-p-e-c-t, or I shall smite thee with my wizard’s staff and blow smoke rings of the finest pipeweed into thy face. (JN)
I have been reading through Strunk & White’s Elements of Style today and came across this tid bit under “misused words and expressions” –
Gratuitous. Means “unearned” or “unwarrented”.
Does this mean gratuities (tips) are “unearned” or “unwarrented”? Maybe only at Sonic :-)
hmm, I thought so. thanks for verifying my geekiness with your own. (Frank Oz was Yoda and Fozzie. I accidentally deleted my first post).
Reminds me of an episode of “Night Court” where Harry is talking about his hero, Mel. Somebody says “Mel Torme?” Harry says “No, I was talking about Mel Blanc!”
Christian infatuation with pop culture is amusing to some extent, then at some point it just becomes banal. There is plenty of pop culture I enjoy, and I suppose it is somewhat profitable to discuss the themes in it. However, dissecting “Star Wars” and criticizing Lucas seems pointless. Seems rather like Paul over-analyzing the ancient Greek playwrights.
Star Wars, LOTR, U2. A few good insights here or there, but a lot of wasted ink and electrons from the Christian camp, frankly. The over-application of “worldview analysis”.
Actually, I came up with this one a few years ago, just after I joined the BHT.
Experiencing what Jabez would Leave Behind.
We could tweak it to:
Finding your Best Life Purpose by Experiencing What Jabez would Leave Behind.
How about “Your Best Purpose-Seeking God-Chasing Life Now for Teens Workbook.”
Josh: Granted the dialogue isn’t Shakespeare (what is, besides Shakespeare?), but I still think the fatal problem in I-III was the acting. IMHO the (de)gression of Anakin to Vader in one episode could have worked, if they had given the part to someone who had some semblance of acting skill. But H.C. just could NOT carry that load. So if you want to lay final blame, I guess you could put it on Lucas’ egomania for sticking with bad casting decisions…
Michael: That was a great article from Orson Card.
This came out a little while ago (back when ‘Attack of the Clones’ hit the scene) and was required reading when I was taking a history class on the British Empire and Commonwealth. It is a brisk and interesting read and guaranteed to piss Jack off.
There will be talk of the Force and the Dark Side and the epic morality of George Lucas’s series. But the truth is that from the beginning, Lucas confused the good guys with the bad. The deep lesson of Star Wars is that the Empire is good.The Case for the Empire
On February 7th, 2002, a diverse group of Christians started a wide-ranging weblog conversation. Today, that conversation continues and you're invited to pull up a chair. Welcome to the Boar's Head Tavern.
“It is better to think of church in the ale-house than to think of the ale-house in church.” - Martin Luther
