weekend worship: reflections on the west memphis 3 rally
Tue, Aug 31 2010 07:51 AM
| personal, emergent, eikon, little rock, christian subculture, theology, favorites, arkansas, church, jesus, music, popular culture, current events, politics
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sunday night, we had one of my favorite worship gatherings to date at eikon church. there was a good energy, the music was unquestionably the best it's ever been and i think we really tapped into the heart of what it means to be a community of people connected by jesus. it was truly a beautiful night of worship.
and then there was that other worship gathering.
no, not the one i attended on sunday morning. and no, not some other church event i participated in some other time during the weekend.
i'm talking about the one saturday. at robinson center music hall.
yeah, that one.
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the tweet heard 'round the world: a few words about segregation and educational options
Mon, Aug 23 2010 09:04 AM
| christen, general life, personal, little rock, olive, christian subculture, theology, arkansas, lucy, family, popular culture, children, current events, max, politics
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By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled;
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard 'round the world.
so begin's ralph waldo's emerson 1837 masterpiece, concord hymn. the line that closes the stanza, of course, has become a cultural idiom. the shot heard 'round the world is in reference to the american revolutionary war, specifically the battles of lexington and concord. indeed, those shots reverberated around the globe and set our nation on a new course.
and then—on august 21, 2010—there was this:
worth not just a read, but extended reflection for LR people / RT @GOOD: Are students pre-segregated before high school? http://su.pr/9msbx1
ryanByrd
ryanbyrd
which was immediately followed by this:
in addition to what the @GOOD article says, it's also worth reflecting on "self-segregation" (parents who put their kids in private school).ryanByrd
ryanbyrd
ah yes, the tweet heard 'round the world.
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why we should stop letting black people live in the quapaw quarter
Mon, Aug 16 2010 07:56 AM
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our family moved, in early 2009, into the quapaw quarter (in little rock). we really enjoy being so close to downtown and our neighborhood is relatively quiet and friendly. there's a diversity of people here that you simply don't get in other parts of town.
but i'll get to that whole diversity thing briefly.
several months after moving in, we attended a 4th of july breakfast at the empress (our immediate neighbor) and had an opportunity to meet the large majority of our neighbors. i had a lengthy conversation with a man who, along with his wife of 30-something years, has lived in the quarter for well over 20 years. he offered a bit of history of the neighborhood and one particular story stood out among the others. he said that a little over 20 years ago, a gang of about 6 or 7 black guys jumped a white man (who lived in our neighborhood) while he was walking his dog. apparently the guy was pretty messed up and after a few days of intensive care, he died from internal bleeding. whereas several of the black guys were subsequently arrested, the two main leaders of the group got away and were never arrested.
he said, for obvious reasons, many people in the neighborhood were shaken up pretty badly and even after having some candlelight vigils and racial reconciliation-type conversations with some of the predominantly black churches in the area, tensions ran high.
he and i talked about some of the backlash and anger that, to this day, still exists in this neighborhood and we came up with only one logical conclusion.
ban black people from living in the quapaw quarter.
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more sheepishness: a few thoughts about our culture of fear
Wed, Jul 14 2010 08:02 AM
| christen, general life, personal, olive, christian subculture, theology, church, jesus, lucy, family, popular culture, current events, max, politics
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the bible's a funny thing. and so is following that guy jesus.
at best, they're frustrating. at worst, they're maddening. even illogical. counterintuitive.
you see, in scripture, we're referred to as sheep. basically, mindless followers that roam without proper self defense or the ability to find the way on our own. we just sorta hang out with the flock and go where the shepherd leads.
we're sitting ducks. but, you know, in the sheepish kind of way. (a shmuck?)
quite frankly, sheep should be frightened.
but the bible's a funny thing.
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feeling sheepish: a few thoughts about concealed weapons in church
Mon, Jul 12 2010 07:54 AM
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If you're like most Americans, there's probably been a time in your life when you've been sitting in church, listening to a particularly ennui-inducing homily or enduring another warbly version of "Holy Holy Holy" and thought, "Man! I could really reach for some steel right now, squeeze off a few rounds, and let these fools know what the score is!" Well, in Louisiana, Governor Bobby Jindal has recently signed into law a measure that would allow you to at least feel comforted by the presence of your gun in the house of the Lord.
so begins a huffington post piece (sometimes you just gotta grab a great quote and use it…) about the newly-adopted law in louisiana that allows people to pack heat into houses of worship. yes, the good, god-fearing
god bless america.
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is barack obama a moderate republican?
during the 2008 presidential election, the national journal just coincidentally timed the release of their annual reports of most liberal and most conservative senators right before the primaries, revealing that barack obama ranked #1. < sarcasm > pure coincidence, of course… < /sarcasm >
naturally, that headline got a lot of traction, particularly in the midst of the lying and fear-mongering related to rampant reports of him being a muslim, his relationship with jeremiah wright and oh yeah, the fact that he's a black dude. once the headline hit, it became fuel for the fire of those who wished to paint obama as a radical left-winger.
naturally, that headline got a lot of traction, particularly in the midst of the lying and fear-mongering related to rampant reports of him being a muslim, his relationship with jeremiah wright and oh yeah, the fact that he's a black dude. once the headline hit, it became fuel for the fire of those who wished to paint obama as a radical left-winger.
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agreeing to disagree, pt. 2: principles of civil discourse from don miller
Wed, May 5 2010 08:02 AM
| general life, personal, church, emergent, jesus, christian subculture, theology, popular culture, politics, current events, lists
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yesterday, i posted some thoughts on the phrase, we'll just have to agree to disagree, referencing the following tweet by @midrash_lr:
my basic premise, of course, was that while i agree with the fundamental value inherent in his statement, it's a bit utopian. there are simply times when the conversation devolves into something other than a healthy exchange when one or both people cease to work within the spirit of mutual respect and learning.
Let's end, "We'll have to agree to disagree." This ends the convo. Instead let's try "good men can disagree" & ctn the convo.
midrash_lr
midrash_lr
my basic premise, of course, was that while i agree with the fundamental value inherent in his statement, it's a bit utopian. there are simply times when the conversation devolves into something other than a healthy exchange when one or both people cease to work within the spirit of mutual respect and learning.
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agreeing to disagree: exploring the limits of social engagement
Tue, May 4 2010 08:04 AM
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we all know the common saying, we'll just have to agree to disagree, at least in some iteration. of course, the phrase is used when two people feel like they've reached a point in the conversation where the wheels are spinning, but it's really going nowhere. no doubt, i've uttered this saying numerous times, particularly as of late.
of protest and privilege: tim wise talks tea party and racial divide
Tue, Apr 27 2010 12:59 PM
| rant, church, news, jesus, quotes, christian subculture, popular culture, politics, current events
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whether it's a primary motivator or a smaller piece of the puzzle, most objective, analytical observers of the tea party can see that racial undertones are, well, more than just undertones. they're relatively major players within this "movement". nearly 90% of those involved are white and generally upper middle class. i'm not sure if you've heard or not, but the dude they hate and rally against is a black guy named barack obama. you know, "that one".
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praise the lord!: in pursuit of the american dream
Tue, Apr 20 2010 07:57 AM
| personal, church, emergent, jesus, confessions, christian subculture, theology, popular culture, politics
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a couple days, i had a twitter conversation (or as much as you can possibly have on twitter) with a good friend about the concept of amassing wealth and living "comfortably". specifically, the following values (in the context of "personal responsibility") were offered by him: "saving for retirement, living comfortably w/in means, & taking care of the poor." my response was twofold. the first:
sounds good in theory. problem, though, is 2 of those are american values & only 1 is a jesus value.
his response:
so you're going to give away ALL your $ & not pay bills or for food or shelter? Our difference of opinion is bible interpretation.
to which i replied:
poor interpretation is what has led hordes of really well-intentioned people to chase the american dream instead of jesus.
ding! ding! ding! fighters return to your corners! ;)
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when heritage is hate: virginia governor declares "confederate history month"
Wed, Apr 7 2010 02:42 PM
| rant, personal, arkansas, little rock, jesus, christian subculture, popular culture, politics, current events
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i grew up here in arkansas. in the south. in one of the so-called confederate states of america. growing up, these things were quite self-evident. from confederate flags waving proudly on bubba's chevy stepside truck to the idolization of the dukes of hazard's general lee to—on the very serious end of things—seeing nooses hung at church camp one year when a black student attended. yes, indeed, i grew up in arkansas.
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apple to fox news: you keep your glenn, we keep our money
Thu, Apr 1 2010 08:02 AM
| personal, t.v., emergent, theology, popular culture, politics
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it isn't rare to find me applauding the efforts of apple. simply put, they have a superior line of products. in terms of everything from hardware to the operating system to overall innovation, it isn't difficult to understand why, year in and year out, apple is voted by peers as the most admired company.
but in this case, my applause and admiration is for something, ultimately, more important than just computers or phones or product beauty. in a bold statement, apple has decided to boycott fox news by withholding millions of advertising dollars.
why? look no further than our pal glenn beck.
faith without politics is dead
Tue, Mar 30 2010 04:24 PM
| personal, church, technology, emergent, jesus, eikon, christian subculture, theology, politics, current events
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that's what the scriptures say, right? faith without politics is dead? like 2 peas in a pod. like peanut butter and jelly. like ren and stimpy.
ok, so maybe the bible says something about works… but come on, my phrase is much catchier and scintillating, right? you know, despite its surface-layer inaccuracies, i actually want to dive into that concept a little and show that i think the two are far from mutually exclusive.
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brian mclaren talks a new kind of christianity
Mon, Feb 8 2010 08:54 AM
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only a minute or two into the story of my theological journey over the last 5 or 6 years, a little book called a new kind of christian enters the story and serves as the genesis for my ongoing narrative. that, of course, was written by brian mclaren nearly 10 years ago and it continues to resonate with a whole new generation of people investigating this whole jesus idea.
on tuesday, the conversation deepens with the release of his new book, a new kind of christianity.
relief roundup: how to help haiti
Thu, Jan 14 2010 05:46 PM
| church, news, emergent, jesus, eikon, politics, current events
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here's another post from the eikon blog. in this case, john wrote a bit of a roundup of ways to help with the haiti relief efforts. it's often difficult to know what to do, in spite of the fact that we want to do something. so hopefully this serves a guide to giving and responding.
dissolution of marriage: a case for a church-state separation
Tue, Jan 5 2010 07:49 AM
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yesterday on his blog, tony jones made a case for clergy stepping back in their roles as state-sanctioned marriage officiants. you can certainly read his thoughts about it here (and he goes in many other thoughtful directions that i'm not necessarily pursuing in this post), but i thought i would add a few thoughts to the subject. whereas i don't want to simply retread his points, i do want to underscore the thought and offer a bit more perspective.
in essence, clergy are the legal binding signature required for the state to recognize a marriage, thus granting special tax status and other distinctive legal considerations. ultimately, that means that clergy work as an agent of the state. they are explicitly partner to a state-sanctioned role and office. the problem as jones argues—and i would concur—is that throughout christian tradition, those in the role of priest or clergy were generally regarded as the ones who were oppositional (or at least suspicious) of the government powers that be. to further the argument, many argue (and make a strong, reasonable argument) that one of jesus' primary missions was to offer/model a way of living that freed people from the oppression of government systems (particularly, at that time, the roman government).
in essence, clergy are the legal binding signature required for the state to recognize a marriage, thus granting special tax status and other distinctive legal considerations. ultimately, that means that clergy work as an agent of the state. they are explicitly partner to a state-sanctioned role and office. the problem as jones argues—and i would concur—is that throughout christian tradition, those in the role of priest or clergy were generally regarded as the ones who were oppositional (or at least suspicious) of the government powers that be. to further the argument, many argue (and make a strong, reasonable argument) that one of jesus' primary missions was to offer/model a way of living that freed people from the oppression of government systems (particularly, at that time, the roman government).
the coolest thing i didn't blog about in 2009 -OR- how i got published by spike lee
Fri, Jan 1 2010 07:49 PM
| art, personal, awesome, graphic design, books, popular culture, politics
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to say that 2009 was a busy year for me would be a incredibly gross understatement. looking back, there are still several big things that i just simply couldn't find the time to blog about (some are still coming, hopefully). one of those things i found out way back in april, came to fruition in november and yet, i still couldn't steal away a few minutes to post the news.
a diagram of the same sex marriage debate
Thu, Dec 31 2009 10:53 AM
| personal, church, emergent, jesus, graphic design, christian subculture, popular culture, diagrams, politics, current events
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i came across this on clinical sexologist becky knight's twitter (@livingsexuality) and found it intriguing. at first glance, i thought it was a little one-sided, but i then noticed the credit at the bottom which reads, compiled from various facebook polls. that, in and of itself, doesn't mean a lot, but it is to say that these words and phrases and quotes come from the mouths (um, fingers, i guess…) of real, live actual people. these aren't just a bunch of assumptions, but actual things taken from facebook users.
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25 in the 2000s: things that shaped the aughts
Sun, Dec 27 2009 04:24 PM
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this is final post in an ongoing series called 25 in the 2000s. if you want a bit of information about the series, you can find the introduction here.
in another blogger's recent appraisal of the past decade, it was described as "the decade that snuck up on us." his main thesis was that the decade started off very well, with relative peace and tranquility. and then…9/11. from there, we've seen war, political scandal and various disease outbreaks. but the blogger concludes that, all in all, the decade has seen more light than dark. i share that point-of-view and look back rather fondly. both personally and in terms of news-worthy moments, i think it's been a decade worth remembering. in remembering, i decided to compile a list of anything that in any way shaped the decade. so, these aren't just news stories or technological advances or any specific "category" of list item. these are simply things that shaped the aughts.
25 in the 2000s: religious stories
Sun, Nov 29 2009 01:29 PM
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this is part of an ongoing series called 25 in the 2000s. if you want a bit of information about the series, you can find the introduction here.
it seem as if the last 10 years have been a particularly explosive and salient time in the world of religion. from a new pope to the brazen use of religion in political campaigns to the culture of islamic suspicion since 9/11, religion has been at the forefront of conversation and headlines. in the following list, i'll talk about the good, the bad and the ugly of the decade in religion.
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25 in the 2000s: an introduction
Sat, Nov 28 2009 10:00 AM
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the year: 1999. your shopping list: several flash lights, 4 or 5 large packs of batteries, a few cases of bottled water, nonperishable food items, a swiss army knife and several boxes of zombie repellant.
why? y2k, of course.
yes, in 1999, the world prepared itself for the certain meltdown of all that we had previously known as organized civilization. now, we find ourselves in 2009—a decade later—still waiting for the world to come to a screeching halt. while we're waiting, though, i thought it would be a good time to bask in what has been a great decade: the aughts.
pro-abortion, anti-communion: when religion becomes a weapon
Wed, Nov 25 2009 08:47 AM
| personal, church, emergent, jesus, eikon, christian subculture, theology, worship, politics
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religion can be used as a lot of things. it can be used as a way to bring seemingly disparate people together. it can be used as a mode of transcendent conversation. it can be used as a way to connect thousands of years of generations of people and to bring hope to people who might otherwise feel hopeless. certainly, it can be used for many, many great and noble things.
but it can also be used in very dangerous and divisive ways.
sadly, those who choose to use religion as a weapon of politics has become more and more frequent and severe.
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a solution to the little rock homeless problem: let them die
on any given day, there are thousands of people living in the streets of little rock. we have to walk by them. we have to hear them ask for money. we have to cross to the other side of the street when we see them ahead. we have to feel guilty when we drive by in our hard-earned suv.
it's a real problem.
so, i'm offering a solution: let them die.
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designing obama: scott thomas talks about obama design campaign
Mon, Oct 26 2009 04:10 PM
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i don't write a lot about design, but i have certainly written my fair share about politics. this is a post where those two things meet.
if you've kept up with my blog since at least this time last year, you know that i'm, um, to say the least, a supporter of president obama. one of the many layers of his campaign and subsequent victory that i focused on was the design campaign that was particularly pivotal. never in the history of presidential (or any other kind) elections has design played such a prominent role than it did with obama's campaign. everyone knows obama's logo. everyone knows the "obama blue" and everyone knows gotham font (even if they don't know it's called gotham...which i still regularly find myself obsessed with...).
if you've kept up with my blog since at least this time last year, you know that i'm, um, to say the least, a supporter of president obama. one of the many layers of his campaign and subsequent victory that i focused on was the design campaign that was particularly pivotal. never in the history of presidential (or any other kind) elections has design played such a prominent role than it did with obama's campaign. everyone knows obama's logo. everyone knows the "obama blue" and everyone knows gotham font (even if they don't know it's called gotham...which i still regularly find myself obsessed with...).
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a graphic debate: liberals vs conservatives
Fri, Oct 23 2009 04:46 PM
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every day and night, there's a political war that takes place on network and cable television, pitting republicans and democrats, conservatives and liberals and certainly other oppositional euphemisms against each other. generally, it can be as mild as a unhelpful caricatures or as aggressive as an uninformed shouting match.
join me in saying 'no!' to public libraries!
as i've stated several times here on the blog and to anyone that was willing to let me co-opt their ears, i'm a HUGE proponent of not only health care reform, but specifically, a public option (actually, i'm in favor of a single-payer system, but i'll leave it at that). sadly, it appears that the tide of crazies have won the debate and a public option looks like a distant memory.
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the theology of killing: jesus and our brother romell broom
right now, at the southern ohio correctional facility in lucasville, ohio, 53-year old romell broom is awaiting his execution.for the second time.yesterday afternoon, an "execution team" (wow...there's a team we can all rally behind...) spent over 2 hours trying to find a usable vein that would accept the IVs that carry the 3 lethal chemicals that induce death. each time the executioners attempted
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brian mclaren: an open letter on healthcare to conservative christians
i would have titled this rant 3, but this isn't a rant at all (unlike rant 1 and rant 2...). this is a thoughtful, seemingly prayerful olive branch extended by brian mclaren. many people won't be able to get past the first two words of my title—brian mclaren (which he basically acknowledges)—but for those who choose to read it, i think it's exactly what i'd like to say if i would pause in my moments
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rant two: bill maher talks healthcare (insert ominous music here)
Sun, Aug 9 2009 08:36 PM
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as i've discussed before (where you can read rant 1), i'm a HUGE proponent for massive healthcare reform. truth be told, as opposed to my generally centrist political viewpoints, i'm actually on the far left side of things in that i'm an avid supporter of full-on universal healthcare. for various reasons, i wish more than even the current bill is trying to do was being done to overhaul the system.i'm
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derek webb's stockholm syndrome: the spirit vs. the kick drum
Mon, Aug 3 2009 04:07 PM
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this is the third post in an ongoing blog series in which i go, track-by-track, through derek webb's new album, stockholm syndrome. here's a list of past posts:1. black eye2. cobra con-------------------------------------------throughout stockholm syndrome, webb weaves a series of poetic lyrics that dig beneath the surface of the obvious. it's not so much that the meaning is veiled as much as it doesn't
derek webb's stockholm syndrome: cobra con
Sun, Jul 26 2009 11:34 AM
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this is the second post in an ongoing blog series in which i go, track-by-track, through derek webb's new album, stockholm syndrome. here's a list of past posts:1. black eye-------------------------------------------after positing his theological presupposition for the entire album (that the church has become a willing and endeared participant in its captivity), webb begins to lay out a defense of
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new series: derek webb's stockholm syndrome track-by-track
Fri, Jul 24 2009 01:43 PM
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i suck at blog series.i mean, i really do. i've tried and while some work, most don't. they usually fizzle out or i get distracted by something else.BUT, i'm going to right this ship and start a new blog series because it's something i'm really passionate about and i think could be of interest to my legions thousands hundreds tens of blog readers.starting with this post, i'm going to be blogging through
my feeble attempt to avoid a rant: healthcare reform.
here's your mission: spend 5 minutes talking to me about politics or general social justice issues and see if i can make it without a passionate/frustrated rant about the status of our healthcare system.unfortunately for you, this is sort of like a casino: the house is designed to always win. maybe you hit the jackpot once in a million tries, but the odds are stacked against you.i just can't talk about
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simply put, today i got censored.
yeah, i got censored.seriously, i got censored today. what's best is that i didn't even know they were going to do it until it actually happened.when it happened, i was actually very angry. angry not only because it was a complete blind-side, but because the reason it was done, ironically and fittingly, was something, more or less, that i was talking about in my sermon.here's the story:this morning,
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shepard fairey and the icon process
while i don't wholly subscribe to the idea that art is just as much about the process as the finished piece, there are certainly some nuggets of wisdom there.[please, let us all pause and soak in the fact that i just dropped the phrase 'nuggets of wisdom' on you...]you may or may not know the name shepard fairey, but i'm certain you know his work.how 'bout them apples?as you can see, it's certainly
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twitter me this: iran, protests and social media
Wed, Jun 17 2009 09:34 PM
| technology, emergent, popular culture, websites, politics
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for those of you who decided to disconnect from absolutely any media outlet, social media site or the entire communicative human race over the last several days, let me catch you up to speed with what's going on in iran right now.last friday (june 12), iran held presidential elections. incumbent mahmoud ahmadinejad is a real piece of work (famous for denying the holocaust, calling for the dissolution
dick, sotomayor and gay marriage
Tue, Jun 2 2009 10:40 PM
| theology, popular culture, politics, current events
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just a couple days ago, i blogged about obama's supreme court nomination of judge sonia sotomayor. if you read that or have paid even an ounce of attention over the last several days, you'll know that there's been quite a bit of controversy and strong reaction over comments she made 8 years ago about her the judicial benefit of her experience as a self-described "newyorkrican."in essence, what has
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supreme court nominee sotomayor: facts vs. experience vs. truth
Sun, May 31 2009 04:41 PM
| emergent, theology, popular culture, politics
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let me be very clear: i know very little about supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor. here's what i do know, though:1. her name sounds like a character from some kind of international spy movie. i'm thinking like some kind of unassuming hispanic housewife turned international spy. there would be plenty of shooting poisoning russians and maybe even some kind of battle with polish hackers...2. white
two futures: a call for nuclear disarmament
Wed, Apr 29 2009 09:54 PM
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it's no mystery to my regular blog readers: i'm anti-war.under any circumstances.let me offer a singular reason for this proclamation, from which many other reasons flow.i follow jesus and i believe the things he said.that could be the end.but, there's more.even in the event that the world is at peace in regards to physically fighting a war (which i don't foresee for a very long time), it still doesn't
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world map according to americans
you know that guy who when someone tells a joke, he just kills it because he over-analyzes it or wants to dissect it into unnecessarily serious parts? you know that guy?ok, this post is going to be me being that guy...so, a few days ago, i received—in an email—the image that you see here.alright, let's get this out of the way. on a surface level, yes, i think this is funny. i laughed when i looked
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will ferrell prays to diet slice-drinking jesus
Sat, Apr 11 2009 12:16 PM
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a few weeks ago, will ferrell's broadway act, you're welcome america: a final night with george w. bush aired on hbo. i just now got a chance to watch it yesterday. and it. was. hysterical.now, let me just pause and make a big disclaimer. while it was amazingly hysterical, there are certainly things in it that would be deeply offensive to some of my readers (including language and very graphic images...graphic
quote of the day
"You’re only as young as the last time you changed your mind." -timothy leary (truth is, indeed, everywhere...)
not so happy anniversary
what were you doing 6 years ago?for me, life looked very different. i was yet to be married. i was still in college. i had little vision beyond the small church in which i was the youth pastor and i was far, far away from having a child, much less multiple children.in the relative grand scheme of things, 6 years isn't a tremendous amount of time, but certainly, it's a long time in terms of how my life
the recession and the affluent church
it only takes about 2 seconds of watching any news channel to receive a panicky reminder of the reality of the recession. likewise, it takes maybe half that time to be reminded about it at church. whether it's a sermon reference or a bulletin announcement or just a couple people having a conversation before the service, the economy is on the mind and lips of people everywhere.to me, the interesting
is america a christian nation?
Mon, Feb 23 2009 07:27 PM
| church, christian subculture, theology, politics
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over the last year or so, religion has been at the forefront of american political discourse. whether it was rev. jeremiah wright, mitt romney's bid to become the first mormon president, sarah palin's prophetic utterances at her wasilla place of worship or the bridge that barack obama erected between frank religious conversation and the democratic party, religion was a central figure in the story of
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tired, worn |||amp; haggard: our brother ted
Tue, Feb 3 2009 09:46 PM
| church, emergent, confessions, christian subculture, theology, politics
| permalink
before the current 15 minutes of media attention of ted haggard disappears, i might as well jump on the blog bandwagon...no, actually, while the blogosphere (and media, in general) have been abuzz about ted haggard and last week's premiere of alexandra's pelosi's hbo documentary, the trials of ted haggard (which, unfortunately, i haven't seen), i've wanted to spend a little time in some serious reflection
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beware the sound of one hand clapping: intelligent design
Fri, Jan 30 2009 10:43 PM
| reviews, emergent, christian subculture, theology, science, politics
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this will be the first of a 3 part series of posts titled, beware the sound of one hand clapping. the title comes from a line in the 2007 documentary, expelled: no intelligence allowed. what i'd like to do is offer a very quick intro to the series, present a brief review of the movie and then get into the brunt of the topic.this series spawns from a quote by stephen c. meyer, director and senior fellow
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religion roundup
Tue, Jan 27 2009 11:04 PM
| arkansas, church, humor, christian subculture, theology, websites, politics
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today there seemed to be several interesting religious stories that caught my attention, so i thought i would do a bit of a roundup here.1. obama's interview on muslim tv: i'm sure you've probably seen this in the news by now, but if not, obama's first formal tv interview as president wasn't with katie couric or brian williams or one of the usual suspects. instead, it was with al-arabiya, a dubai-based
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stockholm syndrome
just a quick note to offer a recommendation to hop over to the eikon blog. a new post just went up called "stockholm syndrome." it's an interesting read about this psychological phenomenon and how it offers an insightful analogy for the current state of the church (and how eikon hopes to be an alternative or reversal of this phenomenon).so, go check it out by clicking here or by clicking on the link/banner
where there's smoke, there's fire
before getting into the matter at hand, let me first state that i enjoy like love cigars. they are one of my great carnal pleasures in life. seriously, one of my favorite activities is sitting down with a good cigar and getting into a good, long theological conversation with friends (yeah, this is what you get when you mix theology nerds with hand-rolled leaves of honduran goodness...). the reason
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inaugural jesus
Wed, Jan 21 2009 08:07 PM
| videos, church, emergent, christian subculture, theology, politics
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unfortunately, i wasn't able to steal any time away yesterday to offer some thoughts on the historic magnitude of the day. if you've followed my blog for long, you will know that yesterday was an emotional and proud day for me, having been an obama supporter from literally day one of his candidacy. far beyond people's political affiliations and preferences and loyalties, yesterday was a moment that
evangelicalism smackdown: the battle for the bible belt
Sun, Jan 11 2009 12:20 PM
| personal, arkansas, church, emergent, little rock, humor, christian subculture, theology, politics
| permalink
there's always those cliché types of comments that people make that lay claim to various assertions. for instance, you'll hear something to the effect of, "oh my gosh, i saw the most hilarious thing last night!" really? it was the most hilarious thing that exists in the pantheon of hilarious things? or, you'll hear people lay claim to such things as, "things have never been this bad, so we must be
why obama won: reasons #437 |||amp; 438...
(obviously i mean the post title tongue-in-cheek, for all you beingryanbyrd semantic dissectors out there...you know who you are...) :)
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rick warren, lesbian rock stars and generative friendship
Wed, Dec 24 2008 09:17 PM
| personal, church, emergent, christian subculture, theology, websites, politics
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for the last week or so, i have watched/read with increasing amazement at the intensity of the rick warren/obama inauguration story. for those who may be hiding under a rock, here's the basic gist of things:rick warren, pastor of saddleback church in southern california, has been invited by barack obama to deliver the prayer of invocation at obama's upcoming inauguration. media/blogosphere/gay community/conservative
did anybody hear we're gonna have a black president??
so, i'm sitting here watching 60 minutes and it's completely devoted to president-elect obama's first media interview since his victory a couple weeks ago (and michelle obama). all i can think is, 'we have a black president. a black president. this guy is black. and he's the president. of the united states. you know, that united states that wouldn't let black people drink out of the same water fountains
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the real atlas: sad analogous observations
i came across this on telegraph, a news site out of the uk. it's a really fascinating map software that depicts the nations of the world, not by their physical size, but by their demographic importance on a range of subjects. there are some interesting analogous observations that really aren't that difficult to make.as a standard, here's just the standard map that is produced by this software.
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changeling by clint eastwood
yesterday, christen and finally had a chance to see clint eastwood's new movie, changeling, starring angelina jolie and john malkovich. from the first time i saw this trailer and knew that eastwood was directing, i was looking forward to seeing it. in the past several years, a clint eastwood directed movie probably meant that i would enjoy. particularly in the case of 2003's mystic river and 2004's
great quote
Sun, Nov 9 2008 04:05 PM
| general life, church, emergent, quotes, christian subculture, theology, politics
| permalink
i've heard this many times before, but a pastor at church today used this and it really jumped out to me.politics. religion. relationships. true in any context.when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. —bernard baruch
the times they are a-changin
a minute ago, as my itunes library was shuffling through various songs, it landed on bob dylan's venerable classic, the times they are a-changin'. i couldn't help but to think that this song, in the wake of the election of president obama, is once again very appropriate and timely. dylan released this song in 1964, which was just after kennedy's assasination and near the height of the vietnam war.
president barack obama. finally.
YES!avoiding all over-dramatization, this is truly a moment that i will never forget.at a loss for words. relieved. amazed. thankful. moved.
24 karat bull.
Tue, Nov 4 2008 09:24 PM
| church, emergent, humor, christian subculture, theology, politics
| permalink
it's story time with uncle ryan. gather round kids.once upon a time there were a group of people of god who were living in very dire times. the political climate was uncertain. economically, things were tight and religion was a very divisive issue. in the midst of all these crises, instead of putting their faith in god to see them through, the people turned to a golden cow. they gathered round this
nerd alert! nerd alert!
watching cnn election coverage.holograms.freakin' holograms.wow...not sure what to make of this...holograms......UPDATE: 9:45 p.m. we've got another hologram sighting... this time, it's the u.s. capitol building. political and historic architectural nerds everywhere are wetting their pants...(ooh....sidenote: campbell brown just got straight fact-checked by john king. indeed, john king is the king
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one final thought...
we're less than 24 hours away from finding out what kind of change is coming to our nation. go vote. make an informed choice. i don't care who you vote for as long as it's for conscionable reasons (however you might define that).my honest prayer for tomorrow is that we, as a nation, won't embarrass ourselves and let non-issues determine the race. so, i'll leave you with this very clever and poignant
speaking of hulu...
...they have the entire barack obama prime time special that aired tuesday night. it was incredibly produced and it was very endearing to barack obama, the person, and not just barack obama, the politician.you can go check it out at hulu's site or you can watch it right here.
why i can't not vote for obama: a manifesto of hope
Fri, Oct 31 2008 12:24 AM
| personal, church, emergent, christian subculture, theology, family, politics
| permalink
in 5 days, i will go to my local polling station and cast a vote for barack obama for president of the united states of america. a dirty and heated presidential race will finally come to an end.i'm most glad that the hateful and deceptive emails and divisive political climate will somewhat recede. after receiving yet another email full of lies and hate toward barack obama, i felt compelled to sit down
dance or die
in the midst of a heated presidential race, here's a little break.here's the next season of dancing with the stars...sarah palin will need something to do....
the church, politics and lies
Mon, Oct 20 2008 08:46 PM
| church, emergent, christian subculture, theology, worship, politics
| permalink
it's truly amazing what people will do when they think you're headed straight down the path to hell. in our case, some are under the impression that voting for obama is said path. we've had a couple people in our life, specifically, who have tried various things to make us "see the light" and realize that voting for obama is sinful or, at best, a crime against humanity.yesterday, we were given a small
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incredible video
Sun, Oct 19 2008 12:40 PM
| recommendations, politics
| permalink
ATTENTION: THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL POST.well...maybe a little... :)while watching the democratic national convention a couple months ago, i was really blown away and inspired by the intro video that preceded obama's acceptance speech. beyond politcs, it was a really amazing video. it was well shot and produced and just looked amazing. in terms of politics, i think what it really achieved was seeing
exciting design news
greetings all.i'm not sure if you heard or not, but i'm voting for barack hussein obama (you know, that arab muslim black guy...). anywho, as you may have also noted a couple weeks ago, i blogged about all the cool obama art that's been floating around and specifically about a site called designforobama.org. well....i am now on that site with some of my own artwork.i've been working on a poster and,
attention liberal elite media...
...i laughed out loud at saturday night live last night. just days after i blogged about how worthless saturday night live is, palin rode in on her white horse and made things funny. now, don't get me wrong, EVERY other sketch was absolutely pathetically bad. but, at least these two were funny. here they are:
respect for mccain
it's been alarming what has gone on the last week with the mccain campaign. they haven't tried to hide the fact that, because of their lagging poll numbers, they are resorting to personal attacks on obama. they are bringing up bill ayers, jeremiah wright and exploiting other myths about his voting record. by and large, the strategy is for mccain himself to avoid the attacks. primarily, palin has become
the art of inspiration
Sat, Oct 11 2008 11:19 PM
| art, graphic design, politics
| permalink
speaking of posters...for a very long time, i've been meaning to blog about this. as a graphic designer and a person who has been very strongly advocating a barack obama presidency for quite some time, it's been interesting to see the media forms that have been prevalent during this election season. from his website (which is really amazing and inspiring from a design perspective) to some of the posters
the "m" word
have you ever had one of those moments when somebody else says something and you go, "yes! someone else feels this way! finally!!"? well, i had one of those moments today.on my lunch break today, i was watching cnn (where, because we're nerds, the t.v. stays with great regularity...) and they had a hilarious and interesting piece called, the "m" word.. basically, it was about how the word maverick
thanks but no thanks, constantine
Sun, Oct 5 2008 09:20 PM
| church, christian subculture, theology, politics
| permalink
warning: the contents of this post will be very nerdy and church history-related. continuing to read this post may result in your perception of me as a really cool, hip, suave, in-the-know guy being severely tarnished... proceed at your own risk.many people in the u.s. see this country as the epicenter for christianity. many of those people would also claim to be living in a "christian nation" and
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healthy, wealthy...and wise?
hey, i don't know if you guys heard or not, but somebody told me something about you and me—you know, taxpayers—giving a bunch of rich white guys at some place called wall street 700 billion dollars... no, no, that's right: 700 billion dollars. oh, you think we should use our taxpayer dollars for ridiculous stuff like healthcare and education and global aids relief. clearly you're retarded. that's
i can't make this crap up.
last year, while i was still peacefully residing in the far-away land of kentucky, apparently i missed how efficient the arkansas legislature is. while people are going without healthcare and gas is $4 a gallon, arkansas house majority leader rep. steve harrelson was filing a resolution to require the state of arkansas to alter its apostrophe usage.arkansas'=wrongarkansas's=correctaccording to steve
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pro life, pro obama
Wed, Oct 1 2008 09:55 PM
| recommendations, personal, emergent, theology, websites, politics
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a few weeks ago, i blogged about my feelings concerning abortion and my general ethic of life in which i'm pretty sure i just ticked off both sides. some people, in reading that blog and already knowing my feelings about these issues, have questioned my choice to support obama—or any democrat, for that matter. "how could you vote for somebody who wants to kill babies?" (sigh...)well...thanks to my
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god hates blogs: the scurvy dogs
Tue, Sep 23 2008 06:42 PM
| church, emergent, work, humor, christian subculture, theology, politics
| permalink
ah, the pirates. we can't forget the pirates.the pirates' hilarity was the yin to the westboro crazies' sad yang. oh wait, the westboro people hate china...so forget the chinese philosophy reference...anyway, the pirates completed the circle of absurdity friday and made for a good time. as stated in the first post of this series, the pirates weren't just your average run-of-the-mill wackies who just
god hates blogs: the demigods
Sun, Sep 21 2008 09:08 PM
| church, emergent, work, humor, christian subculture, theology, politics
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truly, this is sad.it's sad. and it's anti-god.as eager as i was to go see the commotion behind our office, when my coworker told me who was out there, i was almost dreading seeing the reality of the situation. sure, we had a good laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation and at how absurd the westboro baptist people were, but it was still sad and heartbreaking and deflating and embarassing.these
god hates blogs: demigods and scurvy dogs
Sun, Sep 21 2008 02:07 PM
| church, emergent, work, humor, christian subculture, theology, politics
| permalink
as my last blog teased, it was quite the day friday at the office. wow...i honestly don't even know where to begin. to avoid making this a ridiculously long blog, i think i'm going to revert back to the 3-post experiment that i tried last week. most likely, i'll write them all today, but it will at least break them up into digestible chunks. this first post will basically set the scene and be more
god hates upcoming blog teasers.
Fri, Sep 19 2008 11:26 PM
| church, emergent, work, humor, christian subculture, theology, politics, blog stuff
| permalink
ok, quite the day in the neighborhood today... hopefully tomorrow i'll get a chance to write all about it on the ol' blog, but in the meantime, here's a couple pics to serve as a teaser...check back tomorrow!
emobama
everybody's voting for obama...even near-suicidal, angst-ridden teenagers wearing skinny jeans and a studded belt...
a generous paradoxy: an inconsistent truth
Sat, Sep 13 2008 04:12 PM
| church, christian subculture, theology, politics
| permalink
this is the third of a series of 3 blogs titled, a generous paradoxy. if you missed the first 2 posts, you can catch up here and here.****************************let me begin by unequivocally stating something: i am passionately opposed to abortion.i value life—born and unborn. i believe that life begins at conception (i could actually argue that it begins long before that, but that's another conversation
a generous paradoxy: i pledge allegiance?
Tue, Sep 9 2008 07:57 PM
| church, christian subculture, theology, politics
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a couple days ago, i began a 3-part series called a generous paradoxy with peace through weakness. in continuing with that theme, i wanted to share about something i saw here in little rock last week.while driving down i-430, one cannot miss a particularly imposing church. it's unnecessary and helpful to say who it is, but let's just say it's a very prominent church in little rock with several thousand
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would it be wrong to pray for irony?
Sun, Aug 31 2008 04:57 PM
| humor, christian subculture, theology, politics
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maybe you've seen this video:a couple weeks ago, this was put out by our prayerful friends at focus on the family. (because of the backlash, they quickly took it down from their website). wow...yeah... you know, i'm not even going to go into how fundamentally wrong this is and how, arguably, sinful this is (using god and misusing prayer for our selfish and malicious desires), but i wanted to point
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mccain/palin???
for those who are completely closed off to the world around you, let me announce to you that yesterday, john mccain announced that alaska governor sarah palin would be his vice presidential running mate. no, you aren't the only one...i don't know who that is either...let me establish a few things before i go any further. first, as you all well know, i am a big supporter of barack obama. that said,
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don miller prayer at the dnc
tonight, the democratic national convention kicked off in denver. this morning, on the relevant podcast, relevant publisher cameron strang talked about turning down the invitation to give the benediction at the dnc tonight (monday) immediately after michelle's obama's keynote (in other words, on prime-time national television). i won't explain the whole series of events here, but you can read about
obama/biden '08, part deux
Sat, Aug 23 2008 08:05 PM
| recommendations, favorites, politics
| permalink
i haven't really been too shy about stating the fact that i am eagerly anticipating 8 years of a barack obama presidency. i won't go into all the reasons now (although i've been meaning to write a blog stating my reasons), but i thought i would give a little commentary (as promised) about obama's vice presidential announcement.quite frankly, i've not been too thrilled by the names swirling around in
obama/biden '08
it seems as if this is official... much to jesse's dismay, my commentary will follow shortly (and I'll give you a preview: I'm very pleased with the selection...)
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the power of graphic design
Mon, Aug 11 2008 02:30 PM
| art, graphic design, websites, politics
| permalink
first of all, i don't post this image to say, "this is how i feel about hillary clinton." i do, as a side note, think that in this stark caricature of sorts, that there's some powerful truth, but again, that's not my motivation here.the reason i post this is that i just randomly came across it on ffffound.com (which is a really cool site that i've been meaning to blog about) and i was struck by it
simple, yet profound
at this point, this is old news, but i've been debating whether not to post this. this felt a little too personal and it seemed like a violation to obama, but i think it delivers a simple, yet profound statement that is worth reading. some cynical people will view this as just a marketing ploy by obama, but either way, it's difficult to not be moved by this prayer.basically, last week, during a middle
springfield and me, the giddy obama stalker
ok, so remember when i said that i was going to try to blog every day of my trip here in springfield... yeah, not so much. oh well. alas, i find myself here in the university plaza in springfield about 7 hours away from the conclusion to our little excursion.which brings me to the most important update of the week. the university plaza that i am referencing is the same one that a certain democratic
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barack obama and my ironic timing
lately, there's been a couple things i've done that have had sort of ironic timing (like the ad i designed a few days ago that featured matt jones as a spokesperson of sorts...). a couple weeks ago, i began writing a draft of a blog that i just didn't have time to finish. the idea—which you will see—is to show several magazine covers that barack obama has graced in recent months. naturally,
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i'm just saying...
i once heard a comedian say that you can pretty much say anything about anybody—no matter how awful it is—by just following it up by saying, i'm just saying... so, i'm gonna go ahead and throw that out there now.honestly, i have a tremendous amount of respect for john mccain. as passionate about obama as i feel, i was just telling a friend awhile ago that it wouldn't be the end of the world
president obama
for the people who have known me for any time, it is no secret that i have been for barack obama from the time he announced his candidacy. it's really the first time in my life that i have been passionate about a political candidate. i am often very put off by politics as usual, so obama has been an extremely refreshing person and candidate to watch through this long election process.so, with that
