Merry Christmas to everyone. Even to the annoying know it alls.

I am aggrieved and need to get this off my chest:
I am offended with Angus for not breaking any furniture lately, with Josh for getting himself kicked out, with Joel for making me think, and most of all with Kent, Michael and Jim for not living next door to me.
Happy Decemberween.

Well…I don’t hold things – and I can’t keep track of who did what enough to annoy me…

but it’s getting along toward closing time

Wishing all a wonderful Christmas.

Kurt:  sorry.  This is the best.  Oh yes…surely.

Raja: For not posting Indian recipes

Michael: For never being on instant messenger anymore

Joel: For being incomprehensible

Jim: For being comprehensible

Ken and Mike: For never being around

Kent: You’re too sensitive to be a Yankee

Scott: Where are the Chicky Translations?

Angus: For slaughtering the MacDonalds

Travis: For joining the apostate baby wetters

Kurt: For reminding me of my poor hunting success of late

Josh: For not hacking his way back into the BHT

Instead of airing my grievences specifically, I will now make non-specific noises of grief, aimed at no one in particular:

Aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggghh!!!!

Tssssssssssssss . . .

Pheh.

Meh.

Goll!

Chuh.

Pppppbbbbb!

Michael:  Go have an eggnog – with Southern Comfort – on me.

Premise:[Movie] is a good story, where a person does something good.

Calvinistic movie reviewer: The Gospel makes it clear that no one does good, so [Movie] is a misleading and spiritually corrupt story. We need to replace such stories with the Gospel, where God does everything for worthless human beings. And if anything good is ever going to be done, the church ought to be doing it.

Yes, yes. the “J”

I’ll just claim that I’ve had too much already, and since I left out the character code that lets me put an umlaut over the “a,” it’d still be wrong.

This time, I’m getting off the Internet for real. Until Tuesday. I’m serious. (or something – right)

Now then, to the “J“ägermeister, and leave the Red Bull out of it. (If you don’t know what I mean, look for the Jag Bomb on the Wiki.

< taunt >Jason, it’s spelled with a “J” < / taunt>

Now bring it!

I heartily recommend that you tune in to CBC Radio on these days leading up to Christmas, particularly Radio 2. Superb seasonal programming.

Festivus is just a bare pole and deplorable table manners… Happy Christmas to you all

Gripes

Matthew: “Ok, on to feats of strength. As long as Angus doesn’t show up, I think I can take all of you people. Festivus isn’t over until Michael is pinned (GO FOR IT, CLAY!!!!)”

Jason kicks all tables and chars from the middle of the bar (I’ll clean it up later, Michael), stand menacingly in the center and gladly accepts all challengers – after downing three or four shots of ice cold Yagermeister, of course.

For other general gripes, I can’t repeat that on a family blog. 8-)

Non-Gripes

To all, have a happy and blessed Christmas. God bless you all. See you on the other side.

Speaking of Festivus, I’m planning my first annual Decemberween Celebration for next Saturday. Anyone interested in applying for the position of “sacrificial virgin” should email me. Transportation will not be provided, and the event is BYOB.

Doug Wilson has a good post on how to understand the Reformed world in light of recent controversies. I found this to be particularly helpful. (I think one sentence is incomplete.)

In our breakfast discussion, it was around this point that Roy Atwood offered a helpful breakdown of the Reformed world, as recalled from a article by Wolterstorff in the mid-seventies. Wolterstorff, talking about the CRC, broke that tradition down into three main streams—the doctrinalists, the pietists, and the Kuyperians. What he said there applies to the whole Reformed world, in spades. The doctrinalists are rationalistic, and are concerned about getting the doctrines right on paper. The faith once delivered is a giant math problem, and they want to get a gold star on the top of their assignment when they turn it in. The pietists are concerned about whether they pray enough, whether they are going to heaven when they die, and whether or not they have witnessed to Uncle George in the right way. The Kuyperians hold that the lordship of Jesus Christ must be affirmed, and the cultural mandate fulfilled by extending the crown rights of Jesus over every last aspect of life. Now, it has to be emphasized here that for the first two options here, these choices present some kind of either/or choice. Either doctrinal purity or an upright life. Either an upright life or political engagement. Either doctrinal purity or But to accept this kind of dichotomy is to reject the Kuyperian option. The third option (of necessity) includes the need for personal piety and the need for doctrinal integrity. The Kuyperian option includes the other two in a way that is not reciprocated.

You are going to laugh when you’re not crying.

Someone has suggested that Leif has “swearing” as his ability. It makes me think that someone needs to write the BHT vs TR version of this game.

Please go read the comment thread at IM on my review of “The Pursuit of Happyness,” then let’s all get Kurt to quit his job until a real solution to black poverty is found. Really, Kurt, it’s darned annoying that you haven’t succumbed to the racism of our culture and taken some government handout.

I’m griped at the entire BHT that we don’t have cool get togethers like the Thinklings (seriously). And I should get gifts from everyone, not just Brian.

I’m disgruntled at several BHTers for not ever posting, and at several others for continuing to post.

Pinning me will be relatively simple. Hand me a gallon of egg nog, and pretty soon I’ll be asleep on my back with my legs in the air like a dead roach.

Sir Paul Hewson.

If Chili Dogs themselves are southern then add them to the list, but up here we call them Michigans so I doubt it.

Oh yeah, almost all the best pro-Bass fishermen are Southern.

Jim Rice.

I’ve got a lot of problems with you people. Especially you, Cougar.

For the record, Kurt, I’ve lavished my wife with cash money—exactly what she wanted - during the last couple of weeks for her Christmas present. All she has left is to “Three. Make her open the box.”

Joel, for linking and writing about stuff I couldn’t hope to understand. Or care about. When you post, I join Peter Boyle as Frank Barone saying, “Ah, crap!”

Ken B, for not coming to Russellville to buy me a Double Double.

Travis, for not making J.K. Rowling work harder to get that last book in my hands right now!

Michael, there are oh so many things, but most recently your post on IM about Rushdooney and how, when I read it, I have to explain to people around me that I’m laughing at the name “Pusey”.

PWinn, generally for not posting enough. I cleaned out my Bloglines the other day and found an old feed to w6daily. It’s been a year. You’re deleted!

Greg, for making it difficult for me to defend a Wesleyan version of sanctification ;)

Leif, for taking my old man hat idea.

Bill, for mocking cornbread. And for being a dirty yankee.

Finally Richard, for not giving me any good Canadian stereotypes to make fun of, eh?

Ok, on to feats of strength. As long as Angus doesn’t show up, I think I can take all of you people. Festivus isn’t over until Michael is pinned (GO FOR IT, CLAY!!!!)

In the spirit of reconciliation I offer this tribute to my brothers and sisters living below the Mason-Dixon line. (you know, I don’t even know where that is)

Female southern accents are kinda cute.

The idea of putting cole slaw on a chili dog is intriguing.

Kurt:  You may have been born in NY and recently undergone your dark-ninja training, but I’m afraid your long years in the South render you a spent force.  You could probably take Phillip though.

Truk: ”...Cause it’s so empty without me…” Don’t you know I’m just taking fire to save all the little people?

Bill: Your dislike of Southern culture, music, accents and egg nog constitute a year’s worth of grievances.

Van Til: Five years is enough to be housebroken.

JS: Could you please convert to Orthodoxy asap?

Joel: You owe me $246 for bandwidth.

Sharon: I wanted controversy when I let you in, but sheeesh….

Ellen: I wanted controversy when I let you in, but sheeesh….

Travis: Could you provide a properly accented version of your podcast for the sophisticated?

Matthew: You should be drinking egg nog with one hand, and pouring it on your wife with the other, you mouse.

PWinn: You haven’t updated your blog in almost 2 years. This confirms all my suspicions about homeschoolers and their anti-social ways.

Bill wrote:

You’ve all disappointed me in one way or another in the past year but I don’t feel like going into specifics.

On to the feats of strength…

Bah, are you in such a hurry to get pinned, old man? We’ve got plenty of grievances to air…

Bill: I’m disappointed with the amount of deer you’ve taken this year. As in, none. Where is my annual tithe of jerky?

iMonk: I’m disappointed in the way you keep linking TR watchblogs. Shame on you.

Van Til: Bad doggie. No biscuit.

Sonia: Your work ethic is making my behind-the-scenes contributions look bad. Cut it out.

Ellen: Stop talking about beer when I haven’t got any.

Matthew: Get to the mall. Heather’s not gonna go for that gift idea.

Joel: Some of your posts have been readable lately. You’re slipping.

You’ve all disappointed me in one way or another in the past year but I don’t feel like going into specifics.

On to the feats of strength…

One blogger’s journey: We’ve Quit Going To Church. (Here’s the precursor.)

The BHT will be closed from midnight December 23rd through midnight December 25th.

Every so often, Hollywood surprises you.

Imagine that a major studio is making a movie starring a marquee quality African-American actor. The story is set in the Reagan-era 80’s, with an African-American protagonist who, despite being the top of his class and the class of his navy unit, is still on the verge of economic ruin, living one paycheck away from disaster. He’s surrounded by wealthy, corporate white people while, without a car and abandoned by his wife, he tries to make a living as a salesman. Eventually, forced to live on the streets with his son, he pursues the dream of being a stock broker, but is so hassled by creditors and the IRS that he can barely compete alongside other potential brokers – all white and Asian- and is always the one called upon to fetch coffee and donuts.

Given what you know about Hollywood- and frankly, about America, these days- what should this picture be about? What would be its tone? How would it deal with the portrayal of black Americans, corporate America, the disadvantages of being a minority and poor? What would be its point of view on homelessness? Who would be the villains? How would redemption come to its hero? More »« Less

BW3, who reviews more movies than he has written NT commentaries, reviews Rocky Balboa on his blog.

Matthew,

Thanks for finding that. I thought I had posted it here previously, but when I did a Google search for it this morning it didn’t come up for me.

I have posted that Niebuhr post elsewhere on the Internet in the past. And I’ve used it as a teaching aid in various church settings as well.

When I first read Niebuhr over 20 years ago, it had a great effect on my understanding of the relationship of Christianity to Culture and how that has been handled since the early church.

Santa came to my mailbox, last evening.
He left a petit paquet that came via Golden British Columbia. 

Thanks to Richard for the CD, “A Festival of Lessons & Carols from King’s”.  King’s College Choir, Cambridge directed by Philip Ledger.

I listened to most of the CD during my morning commute, and will finish it this evening.

Richard, this indeed will be a blessing to me.  Many thanks. 

So, Dale, do you have that Niebuhr presentation in a document that you can copy and paste whenever you need to?

Almost 11 months ago…

Fire up some popcorn and kick back for Larry King tonight: an hour of Osteen.

Afterwards, CNN begins a three-night special: After Jesus. We don’t get the Ted, so someone blog this please.