I made a simple comment comparing the desensitizing effect of depictions of violence with the similar effect of pornography, and all sorts of mischief sprang up erect to demand attention. With my schedule, it’s hard to keep abreast of the intercourse of ideas and viewpoints here on the Tavern, but it’s fascinating to see how we can beat around the bush on this. It seems to me that in our impotence, we’ve failed to penetrate to the heart of the issue.

Sex is a part of the created order. Violence is a result of man’s sinfulness. The Fall corrupts sex, but it gives birth to violence. Even the most twisted, perverse examples of human sexual behavior have a basis (however remote) in God’s original design for mankind; that simply cannot be said for violent behavior, no matter how much the specific circumstances justify them.

Shea, not to pick particularly on you, but I’m curious: if we shoot the model first, can we take her clothes off and paint her?

Just to be clear, I agree with you all on the Buford Pusser point.  So I’m not one of those thinking all is well at the movies if I just avoid nudity.  But just to keep the conversation going, let me ask this.  What about the violence and vengeance in a movie like Mississippi Burning?  Is the rage you feel watching that any more defensible because it is directed at real evil?

On nudity, I agree that there can be artistic representations of nudity that are not lascivious.  I do think everything changes when you get real people involved.  So I do think it would be wrong to paint using a live nude model.  And nudity in film always involves real people getting naked in front of a camera.  How would you counsel your daughter if she were considering being the model for this art class?  Or playing the lead in Eyes Wide Shut?

It’s Friday, sermon day for me, so I won’t be able to defend myself anymore today from charges of prudery. 

[name deleted] has an interesting post today about a Catholic apologist who has left the fold….for the fields of Anti-Vatican II/No legitimate pope Catholicism. You can find it at aomin.org. Here’s to all that “Come Home” rhetoric.

School till 11, which consists of finals, nachos and Rear Window. Then we go pick up Clay 3 hours down the road at Newport, Tenn and deliver him back here for two days. Then he’s off to the Appalachian Writer’s Workshop for a week. I’m off and available for free lunches. If you are around Lexington, I’m preaching at Victory Baptist Church Sunday at 9 and 10:20. Van Til is singing.

There’s nothing wrong with nudity or sexuality. There’s something wrong with us. The sexual appetite is fallen, but the glory of the human body is good. That means that all people can lust whether they are looking at a nude or a burka, and it also means there’s nothing inherently wrong with nudity in the right context. There’s nudity in the Bible, and I assume the author of Song wanted me to think of certain body parts when he mentioned them in certain ways. If human beings understand themselves, they won’t be afraid of what they are, but they will account for what they’ve become.

Looks like Desiring God will begin having a podcast soon. It will be Q&A with John Piper from his radio program. A sample is available here.

Piper may get his share of criticism and maybe he makes up a few too many hyphenated words :) but when he talks like this about Jesus, he’s one of the best preachers I’ve heard.

Well, Kent just had to mention Buford Pusser. So it is time to confess that I saw all three of the old Walking Tall movies (more than once) and have visited the Buford Pusser museum in Tennessee. There are probably some others of you out there but you won’t admit it :)
But Kent’s posts about vengeance in movies raise a very good point. This is something that is rarely targeted as Christian/culture war types as being bad in film. The Bible spends a lot of time making it clear that vengeance is God’s business. But it is interesting that you take a guy in a story who is overall “good” and gets some really bad breaks. Because he really didn’t deserve what happened he is entitled to his revenge and it is easy to be on his side. The less violent of these kind of movies are often even considered family movies and so on. Anyway, it is an interesting thing, in my opinion that vengeance doesn’t normally raise any criticism from the culture warriors. I think this is tougher issue to take on. Sex or nudity can be identified and marked as bad. It is easy to say “I don’t watch movies with nudity” and check that off the list. But when it gets down to something like revenge, it hits a little closer to home. Every ounce of our human flesh screams “But this isn’t fair! The bad guys deserve what they get.” This one can’t go on a checklist. It is a condition of the heart.

Shea: Is all nudity bad nudity? Can a Christian sign up for a figure drawing class with a nude model? What about nudity in art? The classical masters? Sculpture? Is it immoral if the painter used a real live naked lady as a model? I’m just curious where we draw the line between art and sin. Is there a universal metric you can apply?

Ok, snarky subtexted ones ;-), you’re going to have to spell it out for me.  I don’t understand what you think you’re seeing in my shift from viewing to filiming nudity.  I have a problem with both.  The filming issue just usually brings the problem more clearly to light.

Phillip, your restraint is at once impressive and eloquent.

I’m going to write a longish post at some point (on my blog) about my experience with Accordance but I’d briefly like to share a couple of things. One, the Training DVD is INCREDIBLE! I know, I know: $30 is a lot of coin to drop on a training DVD. However, it has been worth every cent I spent on it. Two, after watching the DVD I’ve discovered just how powerful the User Tools really is. A User Tool is a .txt, html, or .tlg (whatever that is) file that can be imported and then searched. For example, in the last two days I’ve imported pretty much all the scholarly articles on the N.T. Wright Page and The Paul Page I could get my hands on. So, if I want to search the word “covenant”, I can track every place that word is used in all those articles without having to reread the whole thing.

These are things that make the true geek in me truly excited.

Interesting. What started as a statement about watching films has now become a statement about filming them. I’m not saying anything, just noticing that, is all. :-)

God destroyed the world because of violence, not sex. (as far as we know)

I’m not trying to rank sins.  I’m saying that I can imagine circumstances in which I could choose to film a portrayal of violence and it would not be sin at all.  I can’t imagine ever filming another man’s wife (or daughter) in the buff and contriving a convincing justification.

I started to get offended, Michael, but then I realized that I would ban someone for calling me a Baptist so I guess it all evens out :-)

Phillip, I would agree that sexual sin and violent sin are indeed different categories of sin…but I’ll never agree with ranking sin.  Which is, at least part of the point.  Revelling in violence, finding vicarious gratification for rage and/or anger in cinematic portrayals of violent acts toward humans - and I’m speaking of myself here - feeds something that this Christian has learned is sinful to feed.  Much as it would be sinful for me to revel in portrayals or the actual acting out of sexual acts.

This is not an attempt on my part to rank one sin as being better (as if there could be better sins to commit) or worse than another; it is an attempt to make the point that there are many means (or categories) of sinful gratification, and that as believers we are repulsed and accepting in ways that are sometimes more congruent with popular culture than scripture.

I have read Harry Potter as much as an exercise in cultural awareness as because I enjoyed it. The previous books were strong on plot and short on character development; oh, and horribly formulaic to boot. Not to say I haven’t enjoyed them – I have, but great literature it ain’t.

Book 7 seemed like more of the same – strong plot, but the same characters doing the same things. Then Rowling surprised me in the last several chapters – she broke the formula and upped the intensity and interest. Most pleasing.

Throughout the series, I thought that Snape was by far the most interesting character, (and the least two-dimensional). He still is. Best book in the series by far, although you will enjoy the last one more if you have read the others.

Now, to respond to Ken B’s question about the rapture: tell her the rapture is the invention of a 19th century English nut-case and to forget about it. Concentrate on loving God and loving her neighbor as herself. The rest will pretty much take care of itself.

Finally, I’ve always found violence on film to be far more objectionable than sex. It is my hope that all my children will enjoy a sexual relationship some day. I have no desire for any of them to ever be involved in violence.

I’ve been trying to decide whether I should challenge the idea that seeing sexual nudity in a film is a different category of sin that seeing explicit violence in a film. I think I’ve decided that even if I’m right, I don’t think I can win that point, even here. So sure, whatever. ;-)

Kent: I agree with that.  I guess I’m not making a contrary point, just a different one.  Subjectively the human heart can find a way to make anything sinful.  But filming people having sex seems objectively wrong to me in a way that filming people pretending to be violent does not. 

My eyes, Macht, my eyes! Now I have to go bury them.

If I’m going to read a book on Pauline theology, I’d rather drop the duckets for Fee’s recent book on Paul’s christology. Chris Tilling is beginning a series of posts reviewing it.

I just banned the first IM commenter in ?? years…..for calling me a Methodist.

TSK has some posters of his own.

I posted the What would JE say about HP? link without comment. I have not read the books (...yet! My kids are threatening terrible things if I don’t get started soon) but I too was disappointed by the all too superficial “Pagan” comment. On the other hand I thought that the article made a good point that the popularity of the books show that the public is interested in dealing with issues surrounding death and that Christians should speak to those issues with the Good News about Jesus.

Our family watched Bridge to Terabithia last night and I was deeply moved by it. See it if you can or read the book. Bring tissues.

Shea, my post expresses that response/addiction to vicarious violence is at times like the response/addiction to vicarious sexuality.  I believe that the definition of pornography specifies sexual gratification, but I’d assert that humans sinfully pursue gratification by other means as well.

First blurb for Piper’s book on NTW.

In general, I agree with these statements against violence and gore in film.  I’m especially troubled by movies that put violence and children in the same room together.  This seems increasingly common.  I have to walk away at that point.  I watch movies be entertained and/or edified.  Neither are happening in this scenario.  There’s no need to suffer through this.  

But I can’t quite see the violence = pornography point.  There is a significant difference in my mind.  An actor can pretend to commit murder, but you can’t pretend to be naked.  If I watch a film with nudity I am really looking on another’s nakedness and this seems to be less questionably wrong.

Bob, I actually agreed with you about Gibson’s work – until you retracted your prior statement.  Though frankly of the three you mentioned I’d only seen The Patriot.  I thought it was an extremely well-executed version of what I like to call the Buford Pusser genre of entertainment wherein the plot line is; a peaceful kind person is through the heinous act of another pushed past their ability to withhold their inner, murderous rage so they go on a spree of revenge allowing the audience to vicariously partake of that rage.

I find watching this genre to be personally damaging to my psyche; as with pornography my response is addictive, self-centered, exploitive of others and that over time I start to rationalize dehumanizing behaviors.  The images stick with me; I’ve worked in ERs and have not seen the stuff I’ve come to regret seeing in films.  I’ve decided that for me the screen is not a place for gore, even if it is thematically congruent.

And I’ve also been exploring the role of revenge and murder in the life of a Christian; sometimes I wonder why dismemberment is ok to watch but sexual intercourse is not.  (jn)

If you don’t have the time, make the time.  Get your priorities straight, mister. (jn)

I don’t have time to make up a bunch of sarcastic posters designed to expose the faults and flaws of the fightin’ fundies, aka reformed baptists, but if I did, this picture would probably find its way in to one of them: More »« Less

Travis, Got it.  That’s what I thought you meant.  I don’t use the word pagan anymore because of those nuances.  But if pagans are reading your blog then you are guilty by association since they are not reading your blog for the glory of God…  I hope you don’t allow them to post! (jn)

Bob, my disagreement is with the claim that the Harry Potter series is pagan, not that, for the most part, pagans are writing better literature than Christians these days (they probably are).

Pagan, by the way, is a title claimed by folks with much more specific meaning than “non-Christian.”  I have several “Pagan” readers at SoG.

Michael:  Argh.  Yes, character assassination for the glory of God is a good way of putting it.  Unbelievable.

Travis, what do you disagree with in the statement that the best work is being done by pagans? (By pagan, I assume it means individuals who are not Christian believers and therefore do not buy Christian truth).
By the way, looking forward to going to your website, but I have to avoid “spoilers” until I can get my hands on our family’s copy of the book….

When I read it, my heart sank. I’ve read some of the most inane HP comments ever since book seven. Here’s one of my faves:

Let’s just be honest about this kids, JK Rowlings does not spin her tales for the glory of God. Her books, contrary to some people’s desperate attempt to claim otherwise & therefore justify their reading of them, simply are not written to glorify the Lord.

These know it all Pharisees have no limit to their claims to be right. B16 probably calls them up for advice.

Meanwhile, back to applause for character assassination to the glory of God.

The most engrossing imaginative world created at the start of the 21st century is essentially pagan.

If the article were correct on that point, I’d be happier with the article.  If nothing else, it contains a really helpful understanding of how Christians should approach non-Christian literature. 

That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t read it. Nor does it mean that Edwards would disapprove of us learning from it (light from wherever it comes), but (borrowing from more recent intellectual heroes like Lewis or Tolkien) it does mean that if the world’s imagination is captured by Potter-esque versions of the afterlife and the transcendent—a less-than-Christian way of looking at the world—we have work to do. The imagination is a hairbreadth away from the soul.

John Piper goes right after this in “God is the Gospel.”

I’d say there is no rapture. After that, I’d say that it’s good to be human and to want the good gifts of being human. Then I’d say that we aren’t to live as if heaven matters more than earth, but that God is glorified on earth as he is in heaven. So it’s ok to feel that way. Just don’t get neurotic. Heaven will have hours of fishing and baseball, so she’ll like it.

Our youth pastor was talking about fear last week.  He asked the youth what they were afraid of as a child.  He then asked them what they were now afraid of.

One of the young ladies, who recently graduated from high school, said that she was afraid that Jesus was going to rapture her away before she had the opportunity to marry and start a family.

What would you say to this young woman?

BTW, a hearty welcome to the new guys. Who really aren’t all that new anymore.   

Solzhenitsyn.

Shea: Just don’t mention a particular church or a particular pastor. That’s officially off limits by proclamation. Sheesh. See, it’s good and even “gracious” for me to ridicule the emerging church, but you can’t mention my church. Fair enough? Now don’t complain or I’ll call you emergent again.

Shea: Thanks for that. I guess it’s time to come out and say that I’ve converted.

I’m fully aware that the Great Global Climate Change Debate is pretty much a non-starter within these hallowed walls, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to link to this study from The Media Research Center. It’s an 18-page pdf, so be warned before clicking.

In brief, it documents how the mainstream media has warned the world of the threat of global cooling, then changed their minds and warned us about global warming, then changed their minds again and got all lathered up about global cooling before finally flip-flopping one more time to get themselves and us all in a tizzy about global warming yet again – all since 1895. Great stuff.

Star stuff

What would Jonathan Edwards say about Harry Potter?

The “anti-human” comment was insightful. The murder of Jesus was anti-human, but it was also anti-God. Portraying brutal physical violence does not capture that. And it seemed to lessen the artistic quality of trying to capture the violence.

In many ways it is a moving film. But I don’t think it is a good one.

Jim and Michael, re Mel Gibson’s movies…. Michael, I agree his work is artistically well done.  It’s just the specialization is over the top gore.  Maybe none of it is gratuitous.  Maybe the Centurions, the Savages in Apocalyptco, and Braveheart, and maybe those nasty British redcoats  were as vile and violent as he portrays.   And it did make my wife say it gives new respect for what Jim Elliot and the martyrs from Wheaton College did when they set their love upon the savages to save them.  Same for Don Richardson and his “Peace Child” book.  This movie made me realize how unlike them I am, for I am a coward…

Jim, I love your “not anti semitic but anti human” comment about the Passion.   I don’t find scripture dwelling on the violence of this.  That’s not the important thing according to four gospel witnesses,

Anyway, next movie rental will have to be a chick flick to make up for inflicting this on my wife….

Phillip, here’s a fun game to play when talking to a Lutheran pastor, ask him if he’s quia. That is, does he make a quia or quatenus subscription to the Lutheran confessions (the Book of Concord). If he says quia, which he pretty much has to in the LCMS, ask him how that fits with all that other jazz he’s talking (“prayers of decision” – my kidneys!). Listen for the word “but” and then remind him of the definition of quia. Repeat as necessary. Enjoy.

Michael: I quoted him, precisely because I don’t agree. Actually, many Anglo-Catholic churches do teach consubstantiation, but they’re more likely to believe in continual sacrifice as well, so the difference between those churches and the LCMS is different than the difference between my church and the LCMS. :-)

I suspect you and I share similar views of spontaneous public prayers, so we limit public prayers to a select group of people, and we take turns. Some of us pre-write everything, some of us pre-write nothing, and some of us pre-write some, but leave room for responding specifically to the sermon, which precedes the prayer.

I have a “thing” about starting a series of books before it is finished. Once burned. So I just started the first Harry Potter book on Sunday. Read the second one yesterday. Need to head back to Half-Price Books and see how many more I can get for 99 cents each. :-)

Anglicans don’t teach the LCMS view of the supper.

The word “prayers” forbids all spontaneous prayers. Outlaw them at your church asap.

Oh….last night, I cruised past the 700 Club and they were taking questions. Someone asked how Harry Potter differs from Narnia. Robertson said that Rowling was a White witch deeply involved with the occult.

crickets

Just for fun, J.K., sue him out of existence. For the children. And for the rest of us.

Michael: Hee! I first read your note as “a Lutheran pastor,” and I thought to myself, “that fits.” Oops!

Actually, I had a really odd experience with a Lutheran pastor recently. I was sitting down talking to the guy, and he didn’t sound like any Lutheran I’d ever spoken to before. He’s retired, but pastoring a church plant in his retirement for free. Their liturgy is even more minimal than what we use at our evening service, his focus seemed to be on “prayers of decision,” (I think that was the phrase he used repeatedly), he dismissed robes and other such fun things, he expressed profound appreciation for Baptists and others, and the church is actively involved in outreach to poor children (along with my church, which is how I met him). The only thing even remotely Lutheran about him was when he mentioned “our view of the Lord’s Supper is basically the same as the Episcopalian view, you know, the real presence,” but when he heard that my church takes a rather more Anglican position that allows for views ranging from Zwingli to Luther to enjoy table fellowship, he shrugged and moved on.

I asked three times to be sure, but he insisted he is LCMS. I was gobsmacked. Nice guy, too. My view of Lutherans keeps changing. :-)

Shea: Yes, as Jesse says, the Acts references are definitely seen by many, including me, as pointing to liturgical prayer. In fact, while the disciples skipped the sacrifices, obviously, they apparently continued to go to the temple for 3pm prayers (which were liturgical, and Jewish!).

I’m still wrapping my head around that fantastic Willimon post from a couple of days ago, but it does seem to me that there is plenty of biblical support for both pre-written and spontaneous prayer, both of which should be heart-felt.

It’s like I say too often, probably: reject the tyranny of the OR and embrace the genius of the AND! :-)

Bob:  Is pornography really worse than this kind of violence?

For what it’s worth, I had a similar reaction to The Passion. The violence reaches the the point where the audience is desensitized to it. Which, to hear Gibson tell it, is his point; he may well have been as accurate with respect to Mayan culture as he was with respect to 1st century Palestine under Roman rule.

Passion wasn’t anti-semetic; it was anti-human. It was all the more effective as such in that it depects things that are entirely within the realm of “human” behavior.

In Acts 2:42 it says that they devoted themselves not to prayer, but to “the prayers”. Hmm. I wonder if any of you liturgical smells and bells types (jn) make hay out of that?

Indeed we do. I’ve seen several liturgical apologetics that referred to that verse as an indication that the church’s worship and prayer was liturgical from the very beginning.

Yeah, I got that email too.  Apparently the humor was lost on him, or maybe his humor was lost on us.  Anyway, I really did mean The Passion of the Jew, but I forgot the (sw).  In South Park’s send up of Mel Gibson (which ends with a repulsive but refreshingly clear statement of their Quest for the Historical Jesus liberalism) they portray him as a masochist, which I thought dovetailed with Bob’s point.

In other news, my wife pointed out something while reading the Bible this morning that I hadn’t seen before.  In Acts 2:42 it says that they devoted themselves not to prayer, but to “the prayers”.   Hmm.  I wonder if any of you liturgical smells and bells types (jn) make hay out of that?  My only thought is to connect it with the recurring mention in Acts of “the hour of prayer”.  Perhaps one of you will pick up this ball and run with it.

Shea: A Lutheran poster just emailed me and called you a “dumbass,” then said he understood why Pirate “left.”

San Antonio Pastor struck by lightning. I don’t know why any of you guys are in Texas.

Joel: John is on holiday….or underwater.

I thought Apocalypto was movie making at its finest. The Mayans were depicted accurately and the viewer was taken to another world with a window into the real world. A long way from the idealization of the noble savage that Hollywood and academia have given us over the years.

Best movie of 2006 in my opinion.

I recommend seeing Mel Gibson in The Passion of the Jew.  All your questions will be answered.

EDIT: (sw)

Last night watched Apocalyptco.  I can only conclude that Mel Gibson is one sick puppy.  Braveheart, The Patriot, the Passion, all glory in depicting extreme violence as a major thematic element. Of course, it is done masterfully, so I grant that Gibson is a sick genius.  Is pornography really worse than this kind of violence?

John, are you still with us, or have you been…taken?

Ken Myers of Mars Hill Audio reflects on Dana Gioia’s commencement address at Stanford University this year (Gioia is the chairman of the NEA). Myers asks—

One of the reasons I do the work I do is because I believe that American society is in a state of cultural deterioration, and that the Church is often making things worse rather than better. Specifically, serious art, literature, and music no longer have the position of importance in the lives of educated Americans they once had, and I believe that our lives (and the shared life we call our “culture”) are worse off for that. Celebrities (people famous for being famous rather than for creative achievement) have replaced artists in the minds and hearts of people who should know better. (...)

What would happen if theologically conservative Christians were noted for their commitment to improving arts education in public schools more than for their opposition to the teaching of evolution?

Thanks to Gideon Strauss for pointing this out.

To be a little playful consider Capon’s The Third Peacock (pp.13-14)

What happens is not that the Trinity manufactures the first duck and then the ducks take over the duck business as a kind of cottage industry. It is that every duck, down at the roots of its being, at the level where what is needed is not the ability to fertilize duck eggs, but the moxie to stand outside of nothing—to be when there is no necessity of being—every duck, at that level, is a response to the creative act of God. In terms of the analogy, it means that God the Father thinks up duck #47307 for the month of May, A.D. 1970, that God the Spirit rushes over to the edge of the formless void and, with unutterable groanings, broods duck #47307, and that over his brooding God the So, the eternal Word, triumphantly shouts, “Duck#47307!” And presto! you have a duck. Not one, you will note, tossed off in response to some mindless decree that there may as well be ducks as alligators, but one neatly fielded up in a game of delight by the eternal archetypes of Tinker, Evers, and Chance.The world is not God’s surplus inventory of artifacts; it is a whole barrelful of the apples of his eye, constantly juggled, relished and exchanged by the persons of the Trinity. No wonder we love circuses, games, and magic; they prove we are in the image of God.  

Vino, what were you thinking? This kind of thing makes it hard to be a cycling fan.

Thinkling Jared just hit a home run. The New Legalism: Dissatisfied with Christ takes a look at the way much teaching is handled these days (he doesn’t say this, but I assume he means in evangelicalism) and shows it to be a legalistic argument wrapped up in a nice package:

”...most churches today still deal in legalism. We just don’t think of it that way because it is happy, it speaks of grace, and it is not explicitly condemning. But in my mind, every time churches focus primarily on How To ________ or Six Steps to a Successful _________, they are dealing in legalism, because what is legalism but a gospel of works?

This new focus on our works distorts the pure joy to be found in the true Gospel. What it does, in message format for instance, is spend the majority of its time giving us stuff to do to achieve whatever, and then tacks on at the end a brief message about choosing Christ’s free gift of salvation. In my estimation, this is bass ackwards. A Gospel-driven message focuses on Christ’s work, on God’s work on our behalf, and then moves to an exhortation or application. In most sermons in evangelical churches, the focus breaks down to 90% Helpful Tips and 10% Jesus Did it For You (if that much). But I think the reverse should be the standard.”

Someone was asking for a theology of play.  Well, here’s a quote from David Livingstone’s journal:

“I often ponder my missionary career and in the  consideration of  my   many imperfections not a single pang of regret arises in view of my conduct except I did not devote a special portion of time to play with my children.  Generally, I was so exhausted by evening there was no energy for fun left.  My children soon sprang up and left me conscious I had none to play with.”  

Hey Jim, how does your daughter like Opera on the DS? I’ve been considering picking that up next time I get a little expendable cash (ha ha), but I’ve had a hard time finding any decent info on it.

Every Day Cheapskate columnist, Mary Hunt pays tribute to Tammy Faye Bakker, writing a column on her blog that  Tammy Faye  was the real thing.  I don’t doubt that a bit.

One piece of financial advice that I am taking,....Evaluate your credit card, and compare what deals are available, cash back etc. 

Reading Grace in Practice: A Theology of Everyday Life (Paperback) by Paul Zahl.  Book is curiously enough endorsed by Peter Gnomes (liberal ECUSA guy, and Ligon Duncan, solid PCA Reformed pastor, so I’m not being a bad Presbyterian to like this guy….).  Excellent book on application of law and gospel.  Also, a fun read that is full of preaching fodder.  I found a couple of Paul Zahl’s sermons online and listened and thought they were excellent.  When I rediscover the link I used I’ll post it.   

Jim: If people actually care, I can supply a picture of the BHT on iPhone when I get home tonight, where I’ve left my camera.

The short version: it’s beautiful.

More »« Less

One step at a time, Matthew. We must walk before we can run.

Rodney Clapp says what we need to say much more often: we don’t believe in the kind of God Chris Hitchens portrays either.

Wow, that Willimon piece is wonderful. From now on, when someone looks at me like I’m the spawn of Satan for suggesting that there’s anything redeemable about christians laboring in mainline, “liberal” communions, I’ll simply hand them a copy of that.

Wow, that Willimon piece is wonderful. From now on, when someone looks at me like I’m the spawn of Satan for suggesting that there’s anything redeemable about christians laboring in mainline, “liberal” communions, I’ll simply hand them a copy of that.

A New Kind of Terrorist would be a good read.

William Willimon may be vying for Eugene Peterson/Thomas Merton level status in my list of helpful Christians who preach to me. What great stuff in this meditation from Christian Centrury’s Theoblog. I quote the whole thing.

Hosea 1:2-10, Luke 11:1-13
Sunday, July 29

Jesus was praying one day when his disciples interrupted him, begging, “Teach us to pray like John taught his disciples.” Jesus graciously obliged them, giving them a succinct prayer. “When you pray, do it like this….”

Prayer, at least prayer in “Jesus’ name,” as Jesus practiced it, does not come naturally. Most people I know think that our prayers ought to be “heartfelt” or “sincere.” Jesus apparently could care less about such sentimental mush. He has a definite, peculiar notion of what constitutes prayer. Prayer is not whenever I spill my guts to God: prayer is when I obey Jesus and pray for the things that he teaches me to pray for and when I pray the way he prays. Prayer is bending my feelings, my desires, my thoughts and yearnings toward Jesus and what he wants me to feel, desire and think. More »« Less

Well, everybody knows that Brian McLaren’s been taking indiscernable amounts of plutonium with him on all of those trips to the Galapagos Islands…he’s been connecting with an Al-Queda cell from Indonesia.  He’s also been working on A New Kind of Terrorist and The Internment Camp We Find Ourselves In between trips.

Donald Miller it turns out was really an Islamic Fundamentalist the whole time and only drove a VW Bus to throw the FBI off his trail by making them think he was an environmental terrorist; in reality he was driving around the desert southwest with a geiger counter picking up all of the stray plutonium left over from our nuke testing back in the 50’s & 60’s.

Miller and McLaren got together at a Starbucks in Portland and made the exchange over Mocha Lattes.

Why do people read Townhall?

People are writing me and saying the BHT RSS feed has been down for a while. Can someone look into this?

The emerging church is just what Al-Queda wants. Yes, some idiot said it. Tom Ascol blogs about it.

Someone straighten me out on this: It appears to me that conservative Protestants, most notably the reformed and fundamentalists, are almost obsessed with telling each other what to do all the time. There’s a group of reformed bloggers who simply can’t stop telling us all what to do about everything. Am I the only one? Is there a reason?

Someone hit my wish list on Amazon for two new books. Thanks very much. I’m stupefied with gratitude. There are some really nice people in the IM/BHT audience.

Baseball has few on-field tragedies. This is one. Be careful out there people.

I’m starting to get the itch for a BHT chat room again. Could someone set one up with a date and time? We usually call it the BHT Wine Cellar.” I have a new room thing I’ll be telling you all about in a few days.

Someone change the banner quote. To something wholesome.

So I’ve only got 6 of the 40 people I need to pull off this 40 day collaborative fast to raise awareness of and support for Christian ministries to the poor.  Click here to read how this works and sign up for a day.