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Following up on Christianity21, we at JoPa Productions are developing a series of boot camps for pastors who want to learn about and utilize social media tools like blogging, Twitter, and Facebook.  These are one-day, hands-on learning experiences, currently offered in the Twin Cities and soon to be offered around the country.  We'll also be offering social media boot camps for authors soon.

More info HERE.

And find out more about Christianity21 HERE.

In our attempt to exterminate Christian euphemisms from our vocabulary, Nathan nominated thusly:

"Unbiblical" when what the situation really is is "I really, really DON'T like that" OR "I disagree" OR "Your words challenge my deepest held idolatries posing as genuine Christian faith."

This euphemism seems to be more prevalent today than I remember it -- or maybe I just ran into it less in the past. Of course, what it implies is that there is a consistent, reliable, and mutually agreed upon hermeneutic for a particular passage, or for the entire narrative arc of the Bible.

I ran into this at the Cornerstone Festival this summer, while on a panel discussing gays in the church. The two anti-gay members of the panel, both "ex-gays" who were affiliated with Exodus International, repeatedly stated that theirs was the "biblical" position, and that opposing views were "unbiblical." They said this with no anger, and really no passion. It was said matter-of-factly, and simply, as though no counter-argument could possibly be summoned.

I received loads of great comments about what Christian euphemisms we should drag, kicking and screaming, into the light of day in an attempt to euthanize them. I won't be able to tackle them all, but I'll highlight some of my favorites this week.

Chris Enstad nominated this beauty:

"The Lord laid it on my heart..."

Which is a euphemism for: This is something I want to do.

I grew up in a home in which, while faithful and Christian, we didn't talk a ton about faith. In fact, most Christian euphemisms were new to me when I went to college and got involved in an evangelical ministry. It seems to me that liberal Protestants have far fewer insider euphemisms -- that's probably because we're more "worldly" and "secular" (read, not residing in a Christian ghetto).

"I Took It as a Sign"

Someone sent a band to my house,
And it started playing
At five in the morning.

I took this as a sign
God wanted me to sing!

Then the moon joined in
And a few of the tenor-voiced stars,

And the earth offered its lovely belly
As a drum.

Before I knew it,
I realized
All human beings could be happy.

If only they had a
maestro like Hafez.

A setting of Hafez by Daniel Ladinsky

Apparently, Paul Gauguin, in a dispute over a prostitute.

It's National Poetry Month, so here's my favorite poem, first introduced to me by my Brit Lit teacher, Bud Jensen, during my senior year in high school.  Good words for all of us -- emergent, evangelical, Reformed, Democrats, Americans --...

The Washlet.  Does it creep you out?  And seriously, how many euphemisms can you use to avoid saying, "This thing shoots hot water up your ass, then dries you."?...

Here it is, in about 11 minutes: The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.(HT: Presentation Zen)...

As a co-alumnus of Dartmouth College, I feel a special connection to the good Doctor.  In fact, he started signing his works "Seuss" while at Dartmouth.In honor of his birthday, here's a link to a free PDF compiled by Dartmouth...

So, I'm on a panel with one of the authors of an anti-emergent book at the Christian Book Expo next month, and I emailed his publisher, Moody Publishing, to get a review copy of the book (no, I haven't read...

Separated at birth?You decide....

Charles Darwin's wife, Emma, famously disliked her husband's theories, and he actually wrote On the Origin of Species in a way that he hoped wouldn't be offensive to her.  Well, it seems that a sesquicentury later, the two are still...

These Christians don't....um...you know......

Many thanks to all of my well-wishers.  My semi-laminectomy/microdiscectomy was a success.  The surgeon said that he removed 3 cm of herniated disc, one of the largest discectomies that he's ever performed.  I am narced up, but I can tell...

That's what awaits me next Wednesday, on the L4-L5 disc....

I had the best of intentions to post a "Mondays with Mark" and a reflection on Original Sin and Romans 5.  But, instead, I spent most of the day in doctors' offices, at the pharmacy, getting another MRI, and being...

God Spam has some suggestions for inauguration apparel....

One of my favorite dogs in the world, MOL's Jack, just completed his final duck hunt.  I'm missing Beaumont these days, so I'll share a Jack video to assuage the grief: In Search of Jack's Last Duck Part 3 from...

Then do yourself a favor and read the Zen Habits post about Twitter.  Even if you never join, you won't look like such a fool at dinner parties.(BTW, you can see my latest tweet on the right sidebar -----> )...

The first time I saw the little green version of the Gideon's Bible was in college.  (Not a Bible really.  More like 1/3 of a Bible.  It's got the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs.)  I was driving my car along...

I was emailed this beautiful YouTube last week, and I only just watched it today:A note about the creator of this short music video: Filmmaker Mark Johnson traveled around the globe getting street musicians and others to record part of...

I'm calling in sick this morning to the blogosphere.  I'll try to rally by this afternoon......

As someone who travels to speak 2-3 times per month, I have a simple memorandum-of-understanding that I ask my hosts to sign.  It covers things like travel and reimbursements.When I was a youth pastor, I also booked a couple Christian...

According to Men's Health Magazine, men from Minnesota rank highly in the 25 Meanest Things Ever Said by Men and the 11 Smartest Things Ever Said about Fatherhood.  Included in the lists, Minnesotans Prince, Hubert Humphrey, Harmon Killebrew, and Garrison...

Last summer, Marcus Goodyear interviewed me for The High Calling, an online magazine of Laity Lodge in Texas.  (In fact, I can remember exactly where I was: sitting next to Michael Toy's pool during a day off from the Church...

Thanks to David Crumm for the heads-up that most PBS stations will this weekend show Soul Searching: The Journey of Thomas Merton.  Today, Crumm interviews the filmmaker, Morgan Atkinson at Read the Spirit.  Money Q&A:DAVID: People talk about The Seven...

Christine Sine, medical doctor, futurist, new monastic, mustard seeder, has produced a little Advent meditation that's worth three minutes of your time: HT: Bob Robinson...

I have become a huge fan of Pandora, and, I must say, I believe it has changed my music-listening habits for good.  For those of you who don't know, Pandora is part of the Music Genome Project -- basically, it's...

I am sorry to report that Stephen Baldwin is staying in the United States.  Baldwin, a B-list celebrity and convert to conservative evangelicalism, had declared to Fox News that if Barack Obama won the presidency, he would move out of...

Yesterday and today, I'm at the Minnesota Horse and Hunt Club on an annual outing hosted by my uncle. My dad had knee surgery last week, so he's absent, as is my brother, Andrew. But my brother, Ted, is here,...