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Previous Posts
Dancing... or drinking through life
I am not even sure that I know how to do a link anymore. I'm giving it a shot though so, three readers, please forgive me if I mess this up.
So Rod Dreher's sister is battling cancer. It is nasty. Their faith is extraordinary. Here's his latest post (I think)
There are 8 comments on it.
As I scrolle
posted 3:05:22pm Mar. 02, 2010 |
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Back...
I'm back here at JWalking after a bit of time because I just want someplace to record thoughts from time to time. I doubt that many of the thoughts will be political - there are plenty upon plenty of people offering their opinions on everything political and I doubt that I have much to add that will
posted 10:44:56pm Mar. 01, 2010 |
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Learning to tell a story
For the last ten months or so I've been engaged in a completely different world - the world of screenwriting. It began as a writing project - probably the 21st Century version of a yen to write the great American novel - a shot at a screenplay. I knew that I knew nothing about the art but was inspir
posted 8:01:41pm Feb. 28, 2010 |
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And just one more
I have, I think, just one more round of chemo left.
When I go through my pill popping regimen tomorrow morning it will be the last time for this particular round of drugs. Twenty-three rounds, it seems, is enough.
What comes next? We'll go back to what we did after the surgery. We'll watch and measu
posted 11:38:45pm Nov. 18, 2008 |
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A Newfie for Obama
NPR asked me to do a short memo to the president-elect. I chose to do it on the dog he should choose... and why. Check it out.
posted 12:25:10am Nov. 15, 2008 |
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posted October 6, 2007 at 9:05 pm
The lesson is, we need every witness. It’s not a new lesson. It’s in the bible.
Lesson 2: A portion of the Church will make claims on the lives of their neighbors and claim God put them up to it. To be a believer is to be in communion with thieves, predators and bullies. If we won’t fight with our fellowship, the failure of the Church is as much on our hands as it is on those of the holy rollers and the theocrats.
Lesson 3: Being Christian is about dealing with sin as much as denouncing it. The immoral, the atheist and the really irritating, loud-mouthed and bigoted apostle are all people we are called to minister.
Whiney Christians still annoy me, though.
posted October 7, 2007 at 3:05 am
Doug: I basically agree. I see two major problems with how Christians are perceived, neither one of them difficult to understand, and neither one of them will be solved by reading this book.
The first is as you say, we need to be a good witness to others.
The second is a little more complicated, but more important, and the first relies on it: we need proper theology. I’m not talking eschatology, either. I am talking about issues like homosexuality, as an example. What Bible are Christians reading that makes it think it is good and right and just to say that “homosexuals” are ruining society, that they are terrible people, that they need to be stopped or shunned or attacked in any way whatsoever?
And where does it even say in the Bible that we should push for laws against homosexuality?
Yes, the Bible says homosexuality is wrong. I believe homosexuality is wrong. But I also believe God gave us liberty to choose for ourselves (there I go again about ‘liberty!’): all things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. If God gives me the liberty to be gay (which I have, thankfully, not exercised), then why would any Christian think God wants him to use the force of government to restrict that liberty?
I’m not even talking about gay marriage here. That’s a separate subject. I am just talking about the regular persecution of homosexuals by Christians. Yes, it’s immoral. Fine. But how is it your job to enforce that on someone else?
And of course, things like this drastically affect our ability to witness.
And unfortunately, I don’t think this (or any?) book can really help us in this area.
posted October 7, 2007 at 11:33 pm
David: thought you might like to check out this interview I conducted last week with UnChristian co-author Gabe Lyons.
http://www.goodwillhinton.com/good_will_hinton_weekly_podcast_gabe_lyons
posted October 9, 2007 at 2:27 pm
pudge,
“why would any Christian think God wants him to use the force of government to restrict that liberty?”
Why indeed?
Whatever happened to EVERY American’s right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, anyway? And why would self-described “Christians” oppose it?
posted October 9, 2007 at 3:18 pm
recovering:
Yes, why? You … you didn’t say. You appear to be implying that using the force of government to RESTRICT liberty somehow upholds our RIGHT to liberty. I do not accept that reasoning.
Either you don’t understand me, or I don’t understand you. And that’s fine, that is why I am here, to help increase understanding. So perhaps you can expound? Or read more where I have exounded, such as in the “Bush’s unintentional SCHIP sermon” discussion here.