Yes, it's been a while. Here are a few items of interest that have come through my news reader in recent weeks...
-Rachel Held Evans puts the phrase "The Bible clearly teaches" into some much-needed perspective.
-David Brin offers a perspective on our current political situation that I find compelling. Granted, everyone thinks their political viewpoint is the best one, but he makes some good points.
-John Shore points out the hypocrisy that biblical literalists commonly display when they voice their condemnations of homosexuality.
-And in this pair of posts, we see how evangelism conducted by those (theists and non-theists alike) with a tribalistic 'us vs. them' mentality fails to be persuasive or winsome.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Friday, January 03, 2014
Happy 2014
And in the spirit of things, here's a New Year's message from author David Brin, who articulates some things that have been rattling around in my head for a while. Among them, this:
Indeed, the lesson must be that a benign Creator -- if one exists -- clearly chose ambiguity and distance for some reason. Not as a cruel and infantile “test of faith,” but as a very clear sermon that we are supposed to stand up and look around, and figure things out for ourselves.Anathema to those who demand nothing less than absolute certainty, perhaps - but something that the rest of us can embrace, and strive to live up to.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Thursday, December 12, 2013
More Links
Some more interesting stuff for your week...
1. This Denver Post editorial clarifies why private businesses can't be allowed the right to turn away customers solely on the basis of personal prejudice. It also points out the distinction between that and freedom of speech exceptions, which answers my own concerns about cases like this.
2. Although I was never homeschooled myself, I knew a fair amount about the homeschool movement back in the 90s when evangelical groups were pushing hard for it. Thus, it's very interesting to get this update on the results of that grand experiment. Granted, there are many homeschooled children whose experiences are far more positive than these, and there are cases in which home schooling genuinely is the best option for a kid, but we now have a generation of young adults that can attest that separatism and indoctrination are never good reasons...
3. ThinkProgress points out five ways in which the world is becoming a better place. In the midst of all the reasons we have to worry for the future (destruction of the environment, terrorism, the decline of the American middle class, etc.), it's helpful to be reminded that all is not bleak.
4. From the "this is cool" department, a collection of maps that will help to clarify the way you see the world.
5. Finally, a plug for an upcoming project that I'm personally excited about: a live-action version of the long-running comic Knights of the Dinner Table...
1. This Denver Post editorial clarifies why private businesses can't be allowed the right to turn away customers solely on the basis of personal prejudice. It also points out the distinction between that and freedom of speech exceptions, which answers my own concerns about cases like this.
2. Although I was never homeschooled myself, I knew a fair amount about the homeschool movement back in the 90s when evangelical groups were pushing hard for it. Thus, it's very interesting to get this update on the results of that grand experiment. Granted, there are many homeschooled children whose experiences are far more positive than these, and there are cases in which home schooling genuinely is the best option for a kid, but we now have a generation of young adults that can attest that separatism and indoctrination are never good reasons...
3. ThinkProgress points out five ways in which the world is becoming a better place. In the midst of all the reasons we have to worry for the future (destruction of the environment, terrorism, the decline of the American middle class, etc.), it's helpful to be reminded that all is not bleak.
4. From the "this is cool" department, a collection of maps that will help to clarify the way you see the world.
5. Finally, a plug for an upcoming project that I'm personally excited about: a live-action version of the long-running comic Knights of the Dinner Table...
Friday, December 06, 2013
Links
A few interesting articles to round out your week with:
1. First, this article on a side of C.S. Lewis that most people have never been aware of. Some people want to keep their spiritual heroes on pedestals; personally, I like him more now that I know a little more about his human side.
2. Rob Bell on how to read the Bible. It comes to life in a myriad of ways as soon as we stop trying to read it like an instruction manual.
3. Building on this piece from John Shore, perhaps the billboard Times Square really needs this Christmas is one that says Don't Feed the Fundies (of any stripe).
1. First, this article on a side of C.S. Lewis that most people have never been aware of. Some people want to keep their spiritual heroes on pedestals; personally, I like him more now that I know a little more about his human side.
2. Rob Bell on how to read the Bible. It comes to life in a myriad of ways as soon as we stop trying to read it like an instruction manual.
3. Building on this piece from John Shore, perhaps the billboard Times Square really needs this Christmas is one that says Don't Feed the Fundies (of any stripe).
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Introversion
I've blogged before on the challenges of being an introvert, which even today often comes with a stigma (good luck with job interviews when you're hopelessly terrible at making good first impressions). I was inspired to bring up the topic again by Glennon from Momastery's recent post on the subject. I can relate to a lot of what she says (I'm not a big fan of telephone calls either).
Fortunately people (at least in the Western world) are generally more accepting these days of introverts (and geeks, and gay folk, and people of mixed race, to name the other major ways in which I fail to conform to the majority). At my current age I can embrace being different, but it wasn't until I hit my 30s that I really began to feel comfortable in my own skin. And even now sometimes it can be a struggle.
So, for those extroverts who have never quite known what to make of me (and other introverts), here's a helpful primer that's been making its way around the internet. (It should be possible to enlarge the picture to readable size in your browser.)
(Source: http://romanjones.deviantart.com/art/How-to-Live-with-Introverts-Guide-Printable-320818879)
Fortunately people (at least in the Western world) are generally more accepting these days of introverts (and geeks, and gay folk, and people of mixed race, to name the other major ways in which I fail to conform to the majority). At my current age I can embrace being different, but it wasn't until I hit my 30s that I really began to feel comfortable in my own skin. And even now sometimes it can be a struggle.
So, for those extroverts who have never quite known what to make of me (and other introverts), here's a helpful primer that's been making its way around the internet. (It should be possible to enlarge the picture to readable size in your browser.)
(Source: http://romanjones.deviantart.com/art/How-to-Live-with-Introverts-Guide-Printable-320818879)
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Quote of the Week
"I'm still struggling to break free of the notion that faith is an argument to be won. Lord have mercy."
-Rachel Held Evans
God knows it's a tough habit to break...
-Rachel Held Evans
God knows it's a tough habit to break...
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Inerrantists vs. Inerrantists
Boy, get a little busy and suddenly that post I've left sitting unfinished is several weeks old. Anyway, I thought this essay was worth pointing out:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2013/10/22/strange-fire-fight-exposes-charade-of-biblical-inerrancy/
It highlights a very problematic point for biblical inerrantists: if the Bible is indeed free of error and intended by God to be usable as a clearly stated instruction manual for all people in all places and times, why is there such vast and irreconcilable disagreement between different groups of believers who consider themselves inerrantists?
The short answer, of course, is "Satan," by which the speaker always means that everyone but the speaker's group has been led astray by the enemy. Being an inerrantist also means never admitting to the possibility that one's own interpretation of the Bible might be in error (at least not in any significant way), since ultimately there is no clear dividing line between biblical inerrancy and personal inerrancy.
Note that this applies primarily to fundamentalists like McArthur and not to all inerrantists equally, since more moderate evangelicals have a far more nuanced take on biblical inerrancy, but the problem never completely goes away. At least, not until we stop treating the Bible like a divinely perfect rulebook and allow it to speak to us on its own terms.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2013/10/22/strange-fire-fight-exposes-charade-of-biblical-inerrancy/
It highlights a very problematic point for biblical inerrantists: if the Bible is indeed free of error and intended by God to be usable as a clearly stated instruction manual for all people in all places and times, why is there such vast and irreconcilable disagreement between different groups of believers who consider themselves inerrantists?
The short answer, of course, is "Satan," by which the speaker always means that everyone but the speaker's group has been led astray by the enemy. Being an inerrantist also means never admitting to the possibility that one's own interpretation of the Bible might be in error (at least not in any significant way), since ultimately there is no clear dividing line between biblical inerrancy and personal inerrancy.
Note that this applies primarily to fundamentalists like McArthur and not to all inerrantists equally, since more moderate evangelicals have a far more nuanced take on biblical inerrancy, but the problem never completely goes away. At least, not until we stop treating the Bible like a divinely perfect rulebook and allow it to speak to us on its own terms.
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