Summer is over as far as Hollywood is concerned. No more big potential blockbusters await us. Looking back at the season’s hits – mostly morality plays writ large – I wonder: What do this summer’s movie heroes say about us? Psychologically, watching a star on the screen can be like looking in a mirror. Sometimes we [...]
Self-Delusion and Church-Work in an Age of Mistrust Anne Rice is of course not the only professed Christ follower bailing on the church or “organized religion”, some argue an entire generation is doing so. Could there be something “in the water”? 1. We live in a context of mistrust. C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity trying to exegete Jesus’ admonition to “love your neighbor as [...]
How Do You Define a Church? A professor/blogger alerted me to a recent court decision denying tax-exempt status to a group called The Foundation for Human Understanding who did not meet the IRS definition of a church. The judge’s decision makes an argument that FHU members listening to a radio program together does not mean they associate together and gather for communal [...]
As a Chicago Bears fan, it pains me to admit that one rival Green Bay Packer has inspired me to think. Recently, ESPN the Magazine ran a fascinating profile of Aaron Rodgers that focused on the quarterback’s “scars of disappointment.” Though now one of the NFL’s most widely respected starters, Rodgers did not have a smooth, [...]
Quick Thought: Should Churches Get BP Payouts Matthew Paul Turner pointed us to a MSNBC story about a Louisiana church who applied for a cash payout from BP over of the loss of tithing because of the Gulf Coast oil spill. Pastor Dan Crown or Anchor Assembly of God is asking for $50,000. The article said: Shrimpers and oystermen left jobless by the oil [...]
How do I know that “Mad Men” has reached a new level of artistic maturity in its fourth season? I no longer want to have a drink while watching it. From the start, this AMC cable series about an advertising agency in 1960s Manhattan has been lubricated by alcohol. Swanky drinking has been omnipresent, from the [...]
What is Your Second Book? For most Christians our “first” book is the Bible. That’s an easy call. The Bible, however, is a not so much a book as a library written by a variety of authors in a diversity of cultures over a long period of time. It’s a large and difficult library and most of us self-select a [...]
What Can Lay People Do About Clergy Burnout? The New York Times recently published a piece about a rise in clergy burnout. Health researchers are finding evidence of stress such as depression and hypertension. The story point to some of the wisdom of tradition—that everyone needs time off. The catholic church even requires their priests to take time off, something protestants seem to be [...]
Are Video Games Art (and Should Christians Even Care)? Considering I haven’t played a video game since college, it’s odd how engrossed I’ve become by the current debate over whether or not such games can be considered art, on par with painting, literature, music and film. Roger Ebert ignited a mini-controversy earlier this year with his blog post, “Video games can never be art,” while [...]
Mosque Near Ground Zero? Why Not? Some Christians (most notably Sarah Palin) oppose plans to build an Islamic community center and mosque in New York City, two blocks away from Ground Zero. Some Christians support it. I support it, after initial worries that I’ll explain. As an American, I love the symbolism: a building devoted to a religion that many Americans and [...]
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