Posts Tagged ‘Christianity’
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 by PJM
For those who have lost track of time and haven’t seen Joe Biden’s forehead, today is Ash Wednesday–a day that marks the beginning of Lent. For many, this is a time of fasting and penance leading up to Easter. This year, bishops from the Church of England are calling for a cut in personal carbon use. Some of the ways they suggest doing so are to:
- ditch electricity-sucking technology (like iPods),
- eat more vegetables (that don’t require as much cooking as meat),
- and don’t flush the toilet so often.
Overall, the gist of their suggestion is to go green for lent. I particularly like this because the result will benefit everyone and not just the individual making the sacrifice.
Tags: Ash Wednesday, Christianity, climate change, Easter, Lent
Posted in Easter, In The News | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 by JEL
Tossing aside lessons like “love your enemies” and “turn the other cheek” a number of evangelical churches are using mixed martial arts to recruit young people and spread the word that “Jesus was a fighter.”
This article in the New York Times contains the following:
The outreach is part of a larger and more longstanding effort on the part of some ministers who fear that their churches have become too feminized, promoting kindness and compassion at the expense of strength and responsibility.
“The man should be the overall leader of the household,” said Ryan Dobson, 39, a pastor and fan of mixed martial arts who is the son of James C. Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, a prominent evangelical group. “We’ve raised a generation of little boys.”
And then there’s this quote during a fight from John Renken, pastor at Xtreme Ministries:
“Finish the fight! To the head! To the head!”
I can’t remember if he got that line from Matthew or Luke.
Tags: Christianity, compassion, mixed martial arts, xtreme fighting
Posted in Four Gospels, In The News, Words of Christ | 3 Comments »
Thursday, January 21st, 2010 by JEL
Some critics are calling “The Book of Eli” a “Christian blockbuster.” In the movie, set in the aftermath of a nuclear apocalypse, Denzel Washington’s Eli has the last remaining copy of the King James Bible. The bad guy (Gary Oldman) wants the book as a means of controlling his ruthless band of marauders. Eli defends The Book (supposedly because he knows its power to bring good back to the world) by hacking, stabbing, and beheading—without remorse—anyone who gets in his way.
In this article, writer S.E. Cupp makes the excellent point that if Eli were portrayed as a Muslim defending the Koran with the same methods, Muslim-Americans would be outraged that the hero “acted more like a murderous jihadist than a humble servant of God.” And rightly so.
So why aren’t Christians similarly outraged? And why does Popmatters.com say, “Christians should be lining up to embrace the Hughes brothers’ brave vision.”? Seems like just another example of the message of Christianity being completely inverted by those trying to deliver it—and completely misunderstood by the recipients.
Tags: Christianity, Denzel Washington, Hollywood, King James Bible, The Book of Eli
Posted in In The News, The Bible | No Comments »
Thursday, January 14th, 2010 by PJM
Quick. Take a look at the following magazine covers and figure out what they have in common.
Could you figure it out without reading the text? The answer is that they are all Bibles. They are, in fact, called Biblezines, and they each contain the complete text of the NCV New Testament. As the cover teasers suggest, there is also additional material interspersed with the biblical content that addresses burning issues like “How to Attract Godly Girls” and asks relevant questions like “Do U Rush To Crush?”
The first cover clearly tries to mimic a girl’s TeenBeat-like magazine, the next is similar in style to a boy’s extreme sports mag, the next looks like Redbook, and the last version which targets men is supposed to look like…I have no idea what that is supposed to look like. If you click on the covers, you can see that they receive mostly favorable praise along with the occasional one-star review from those who are offended by the entire concept.
Tags: Bible, Bible sales, christian book, Christianity, popular culture
Posted in The Bible | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 by JEL
The Texas State Board of Education is meeting in Austin this week to discuss and debate proposed changes to the state’s history curriculum. The central issue is whether to put more emphasis on Christianity in students’ history books. Conservatives David Barton and the Rev. Peter Marshall support the move, while others turn to the separation-of-church-and state position:
“People who have a particular axe to grind, a particular view point to promote are trying to hijack school curriculum to promote their point of view about one specific religion.” — Dotty Griffith, ACLU of Texas
Tags: Christianity, school curriculum
Posted in In The News | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 by JEL
I’ve never been one to engage in the Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays debate. It all just seems a bit silly, especially when there are so many other topics to get worked up about. But search the Internet and you’ll see all sorts of examples of people claiming that a simple “Happy Holidays” greeting is an attack on Christianity, itself, while the other side finds “Merry Christmas” an inexcusable intolerance.
Here at What He Said, we just like to say “Merry Christmas.” It’s cheery, jolly, and when else do you get to use the word “merry” throughout the year? Just looking at the word puts me in a better mood. So, Merry Christmas, everyone and you can take that to mean whatever the spirit of the season holds for you.
Tags: Christianity, Christmas
Posted in Christmas | No Comments »
Monday, December 14th, 2009 by JEL
There’s your home (that’s #1). Then there’s work (#2). What’s your #3? For some people, it’s their gym or the local Starbucks. It’s where they go to go to temporarily escape the stresses of #s 1 and 2 and simply unwind, refresh, and recharge.
Increasingly, churches are striving to become the new “third place.” And they’re finding new ways to roll out the hospitality carpet to new visitors and long-time members alike. Video games, coffee bars, cafés, and free WI-FI are attracting people outside the normal weekly services and fostering more connections within their communities. Learn more here.
Tags: Christian hospitality, Christianity, Third Place
Posted in In The News | No Comments »
Friday, December 4th, 2009 by JEL
The title of this post is taken from the title of Hanna Rosin’s fascinating article in this month’s issue of The Atlantic. It covers the ever-growing “prosperity gospel”: the belief that God will provide material wealth for those of great faith. Rosin describes the movement and documents cases of believers (like many non-believers) buying houses they could never afford in the first place because they felt God would provide for them.
The prosperity gospel is much larger than you might think:
- 50 of the largest 260 churches in the US preach the prosperity gospel.
- A Pew Research study found that 66% of Pentecostals and 43% of “other Christians” (half of the total respondents) believe that “wealth will be granted to the faithful.”
- The same survey shows that 73% of religious Latinos agreed with the statement, “God will grant financial success to all believers who have enough faith.”
It’s weird. When I read what Jesus said (made much easier by What He Said), all I see are commands to give until it hurts. And then give some more.
Tags: Christianity, financial crisis, Jesus, prosperity gospel
Posted in In The News, Words of Christ | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 by JEL
The most recent American Religious Identification Survey (March 2009) showed 15% of adults in America do not belong to any religion—and that percentage is on the rise.
Rather than wring his hands in woe and grief, however, House church leader Ken Eastburn thinks the decline is good news. Here’s his insightful perspective:
“American Christianity has long been characterized by all the wrong things: partisan politics, tips for better living, the so-called ‘prosperity gospel,’ hypocrisy, and condemnation—to name a few. When that kind of Christianity begins to decline, we have much to be thankful for. It means true Christianity—the kind characterized by loving one’s enemies, radical giving, integrity and compassion—has room to grow.”
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Tags: ARI survey, Christianity, Jesus, Words of Christ
Posted in In The News, Words of Christ | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 by JEL
Editor and Christian writer Phyllis Tickle talks about 5 “hinge times” in Christianity:
- Great Transformation (dominance of the Roman empire)
- Great Fall (the Roman Senate dissolves; beginning of the Dark Ages)
- Great Schism (the Catholic Church splits between Rome and Constantinople)
- Great Reformation (14th and 15th century)
- Great Emergence (present day)
At each major phase, over-regulation of religion robbed faith of much of its meaning. The resulting reaction was a search for a new direction. This interesting article contains this quote:
“You’re here to serve the kingdom of God, not to save the church.”
Tags: Christianity, hinge times, Phyllis Tickle
Posted in In The News | No Comments »
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