Asides Copyright Trolls
(2010/8/31)
Laura at Pursuing Holiness notes one and presents a course of action. I think bloggers often move past fair use, but news outlets and going way too far the other way. ()
New Meaning to Language Police
(2010/8/31)
This story gives new meaning to the idea of language or grammar police. (HT: The Agitator) ()
Christianity by Force or Manipulation
(2010/8/23)
There is very little that offends me more than the idea of manipulating people into Christian events or trying to convert them by force. ()
What Makes a Plumber Real
(2010/7/20)
Michele Bachmann says she hopes that the newly formed Tea Party Caucus will provide a voice in congress for “real housewives, real farmers, real businessmen, real plumbers.” (Source.) I’m wondering how “real” farmers, businessmen, and plumbers differ from the rest … ()
Somebody Needed a Dictionary
(2010/5/6)
… to look up “suffrage.” ()
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By Henry Neufeld
These are five significant sites I read because of the things on which I disagree with the writer(s). That doesn’t mean I disagree with everything, but rather that I was attracted to the site and continue to read primarily because of my disagreement.
I read a number of news sources and some individual blogs on major sites (Huffington Post, Townhall.com, etc), but I’ve avoided those in this list.
- Why Evolution is True
No, I haven’t changed my mind about evolution. Jerry Coyne is strongly anti-accommodationist, and I believe that acceptance of the theory of evolution is compatible with faith. I don’t believe it’s always easy, but I do believe it’s necessary and right. In spite of disagreements on other issues, this post on past-life regressions is definitely worth a read.
- Adrian Warnock
I haven’t responded to Adrian as frequently as I used to, but I still read and I still disagree. Adrian is charismatic and Calvinist. I disagree on Calvinism, his view of women in ministry, and generally on the way he defines the essentials of the atonement. I find it worthwhile to be challenged by all those things.
- Pursuing Holiness
I agree with Laura on most matters of faith, but often disagree on politics. She has the ability to annoy me but still keep me reading. People who annoy me are a valuable resource!
- Pseudopolymath
This is much more a mixed case of agreements an disagreements. Mark is Eastern Orthodox, and I have a sneaking admiration for the eastern church. He’s conservative politically, on which I very often differ, and on theology and biblical studies things are a bit more mixed. But it’s the disagreements that are the most fun.
- EvolutionBlog
Again, my disagreement here isn’t regarding evolution as such, but rather with the combination of atheism and anti-accommodationism. I enjoy the style, and am often set to thinking along new lines by reading it.
There are a stack of “also-rans” in my Google reader, and if I wrote this list tomorrow I would probably choose some different blogs, but these will do for now! I’m so disagreeable, there are plenty to choose from.
By Henry Neufeld
For many, cemeteryseminary is a difficult spiritual experience. That’s why many refer to it as cemetery. Danny at Boston Bible Geeks is on his second post of a three parter (I think) regarding improving seminary.
I want to underline one of his points, which is his #1 in the second post of the series. It’s a student’s responsibility to keep up spiritual activities.
That was my own problem in seminary. I attended church, as I remember, about three times in seminary and then left seminary and the church very close to the same time. I can’t blame my seminary professors for the deterioration of my spirituality. At some point one has to take responsibility!
Seminary can be daunting, as can any educational or work experience, but if we give up the activities that keep our spiritual life going, then it can, indeed, be a cemetery.
By Henry Neufeld
From the New York Times editorial today:
But many of Mr. DeLay’s actions remain legal only because lawmakers have chosen not to criminalize them.
Such wisdom! This is obviously why we need the mainstream media to keep us all straight.
(HT: Volokh and Pursuing Holiness)
By Henry Neufeld
No, I’m not choosing a new church. In fact, I really like my home church, First United Methodist Church in Pensacola. But today I received an e-mail from someone who asked me to share a blog post with my readers. I get few enough such e-mails that I normally at least read them, though I’m not going to link unless I feel there’s something worthwhile.
In this case, while I think the post makes some interesting points, I have a major problem with the entire approach. The post is 10 Tips for Finding a New Church Home.
The points are generally valid. I have some objection to the fact that “mission” is #9. But that is only the minor point.
My major point is that the primary thing we should consider when choosing a church congregation is how we will be able to serve through our membership in that congregation. Now all of the other points in the article may well contribute to our ability to minister. For example, if your church does not have adequate ministries for children, or if you are not challenged and convicted by the sermons, you may find it more difficult to use that congregation as a base for your own ministry.
Christianity is about serving others. When my wife and I have changed congregations, we generally ask first about the mission of the church. In fact, I have quite a “thing” about church mission statements. Most churches have one. What I’ve found in visiting churches is that if the members in general can tell you what the focus of their church is in ministry, you’ll find you have a vibrant church. If the members in general aren’t sure what they are there for, you’ll find the church is dead.
So while this list of tips for finding a new congregation includes many things that should characterize a good church, it looks much too much like the way I’d choose a grocery store.
This leads to point #10: Keep trying until it feels right. I’d suggest instead a prayerful process of selection that ends when you know you will be able to carry out your personal part of the overall mission of the body of Christ as part of that congregation.
By Henry Neufeld
I’ve been thinking of writing something about this for some time. The problem is that I think it’s fairly clear. First, there’s no legitimate legal reason to prevent the building of this mosque. Second, I don’t think it is appropriate, nor does it send a good message, for Christians to oppose those of another faith having their place of worship where they would like, provided they fulfill other requirements of the law, such as property ownership and zoning requirements.
But today Dave Black went a step further, and I think he has a good point about how Christians should behave in such situations. We should always bear in mind that our kingdom is not here, and that our primary call is to be witnesses of our true kingdom.
…What is a kingdom mindset? It’s an attitude of gentleness that affirms the values and dignity of others, even those who are different from us. It’s an attitude of humility that considers others as better than one’s self. …
Read the rest at The Jesus Paradigm.
By Henry Neufeld
There’s an article in the Touchstone archives by Bishop Wright which I find very interesting, largely because it expresses some of my own feelings regarding Lewis.
C. S. Lewis is, of course, a brilliant writer. I enjoy reading even those things with which I disagree, and not just because I like to be challenged. He simply uses the language brilliantly. I would also say that the book Mere Christianity played a role in my Christian life both when I was a student, and then when I was returning to church. At the same time, I don’t use a great deal of the apologetics that Lewis used in supporting my own faith in discussions with others. The trilemna, for example, doesn’t work for me as an argument for the divinity of Jesus. It does help clarify things, I believe, at a certain point, but it is not, in itself, convincing.
I have also observed what Wright notes as well, that C. S. Lewis, though often embraced by conservative evangelicals, was not one himself. I would note that even from my more liberal perspective, I find Lewis’s view of inspiration to be a bit beyond where I want to go. Nonetheless, I think I can understand the value of Lewis to evangelicals in that he makes some fairly viable statements on some of the essentials, and he provides us with expressions of many other ideas that are valuable in themselves.
All in all, thanks to Bishop Wright for helping clarify some of my own thinking about one of my favorite authors. (Wright himself is another, though he tends to be a little less delightful in style!)
By Henry Neufeld
Our local excuse for the press, the Pensacola News Journal, is in endorsements season, and like many papers, they pick one in each of the primaries. Thus they have endorsed one Republican and one Democrat for governor.
I should note first that I have a problem with newspapers or media organizations endorsing politicians. I don’t mind individual journalists expressing their opinion. But newspaper endorsements have always seemed questionable to me. Of course, if it is a journal with an expressed political position, there may be some justification.
But to pick one in each primary implies, in my view, that there is somehow a “best” candidate without consideration of ideas, the sort of good general public servant. But I would not want to vote for an extremely efficient administrator, for example, who would promote (efficiently, of course) ideas of which I disapproved.
I think the news media should inform us about the candidates. They could list all the elements they use in their endorsements and then compare the candidates–without actually endorsing someone.
I must confess that I only read the PNJ when someone forwards me an article, or when it turns up in one of my topic-based news searches. So perhaps I’m not entirely objective about them either. But this isn’t really just about the PNJ. This is a frequent practice by newspapers, and I don’t think it’s a positive contribution to the political system.
By Henry Neufeld
I live on the Gulf Coast, but I’ve continued to go to BP gas stations. Yes, I deplore what has happened, and the negligence involved, though I think our national push for more and cheaper oil is an underlying cause of the problem.
But I hadn’t blogged about it. Allan Bevere did so on his blog. I agree with him completely.
By Henry Neufeld
From Language Log:
If passives were UFOs, the country would be frantic over all the sightings, but the Air Force wouldn’t be scrambling any jets.
I have two pet peeves with regard to passives. First, there are those who find passives where there are none, as in the post cited by Language Log. Second, there are those who refuse to use any passives at all. It’s quite possible to overuse passives, but sometimes a passive is appropriate, and sometimes it provides variety.
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