Fire, Brimstone, and the Republican Party November 4, 2008
Posted by Tim in Politics, Religion.Tags: Conservativism, FUD, Negative Campaigns, Theology
3 comments
At the time of this writing, most voters in the United States who are going to cast a ballot have probably made up their minds who they’re going to vote for in the Presidential race. In my case, my work was going to take me out of town for Election Day (today), so I cast an absentee ballot last week. (No, I’m not going to reveal who I voted for. You’re free to make assumptions and guesses, but one of my favorite aspects of the voting process is its anonymity and privacy.)
As the title suggests, this post concerns the campaign of Arizona Senator John McCain, the Republican candidate for President. Being the representative of the Republican Party, the expectation in the US is that he will be supported by social and theological conservatives, generally known here as “the Right.”
In recent days, I’ve started to notice that Senator McCain’s campaign is starting to take on some of the attributes of lesser-known elements of those on the theological Right, both in tone and substance. As a registered Republican, I’m not particularly happy or comfortable with this development. (more…)
Has Your Preacher Jumped the Shark? September 26, 2008
Posted by Tim in Religion.Tags: politics in the pulpit instead of where it belongs, preachers talking about subjects they know nothing abou, room temperature IQs, things that make you wonder if evolution really happens
1 comment so far
First, Fonzie jumped over a shark in that fateful episode of Happy Days, and the show lost it’s following and whatever credibility it might have had with its audience as something worth watching. Since then, the digerati have begun referring to the phenomenon of fading into irrelevance as “Jumping the Shark.” Here’s a way to tell if this has happened to your preacher. From today’s New York Times:
“I would say endorsement is a strong word,” he said. “I’m planning to make a recommendation. I’m going to evaluate each candidate’s positions in light of Scripture and make a recommendation to my congregation as to which candidate aligns more so.”
Let me be clear. I have no problem with anyone publicly endorsing a candidate for any office, and doing everything in their power to influence others to support that candidate.
Jumping the Shark from the Pulpit
My first problem is someone wanting all the benefits that come with being a 501(3)(c), but also wanting to be a political entity. The purpose of the existing law was to ensure that political influence didn’t make its way through the financial channels of a charitable organization. Granted, you can argue that even with the existing law, a huge number of organizations, both on the left and the right, have successfully circumvented this law. That hardly suggests that preachers should take advantage of that fact. (more…)
Arrr… That be YOU Talkin’ Like a Pirate? September 19, 2007
Posted by Tim in Family, Humor, Religion, Talk Like a Pirate Day, Theology, pirate day.5 comments
When is it really you talking?
Drive Time 2 September 9, 2007
Posted by Tim in Christianity, Driving, Religion, Theology, Vacation.6 comments
Who shows us the “hidden secrets” of life?
Building Church Upside-Down April 6, 2007
Posted by Tim in Christianity, Church, Education, Family, Love, Morality, Religion, Theology.13 comments
One of the most common slams I see against “The Church” (capitalization intended) is our willingness to throw lots of dollars into facilities that could be “better spent elsewhere.” To be frank (and you be Harold), this is not necessarily an unfair characterization.
What if, instead, we turned the process upside-down, and built a church in reverse? What would that look like? (more…)
“NFL” Means “Not For Large” Screens (in Church) February 4, 2007
Posted by Tim in Church, Football, Fun, Humor, NFL, News, Religion, Sports, Stupidity, super bowl.2 comments
In what appears to be the second major PR faux pas of the 2006-2007 season, the National Football League has (for all intents and purposes) said that viewing their games in a bar is acceptable, but watching in a church is not. Now, to be fair, Fall Creek Church in Indianapolis was being pretty stupid. They were charging admission to come to the church to watch the Super Bowl at their “Super Bowl Bash.”
vs 
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Gospel DRM? January 16, 2007
Posted by Tim in Church, Communication, DRM, Religion, Religion, Philosophy, and Science, Security, Theology.1 comment so far
Monday night, several friends from church were talking about church growth, technology, and other issues, and one of them mentioned Napster and people stealing content. One of the industry responses to this is Digital Rights Management, or “DRM.” Lots of tech people hate DRM, for various reasons, but a common mantra is “information wants to be free.”
Moral Relativism, Absolute Truth, and Pi December 11, 2006
Posted by Tim in Morality, Parenting/Children, Pi, Religion, Religion, Philosophy, and Science, Science & Technology, absolute truth, moral relativism.10 comments
It’s been a long time coming, and I suppose I should have stated this clearly earlier. I have a confession to make. I don’t know the exact value of Pi.
Oh, sure. I know an “approximate” value: 3.1415926535. I know that from memory. But I have to confess that I don’t know the exact value. (more…)
How Big is Your God? December 6, 2006
Posted by Tim in Astronomy, Morality, Religion, Religion, Philosophy, and Science.1 comment so far
This morning, I was re-reading a friend’s blog, and her perspective on God. Her post was interesting, as were the comments that followed. It made me ask the question above.
Reading the comments reminded me that when I bump across people who feel they have it all figured out, that they’ve definitively answered every possible question about a creator or no creator (and I’m not suggesting that this applies to Tiffany, or any of the commentors on her blog entry), regardless of their educational background or religious affiliation (or non-affiliation), I smile. My smile is not the smug smile of someone who knows more, smiling at the cuteness of those less wise than me. It’s a smile that says “maybe someday I’ll have it figured out like you apparently do, but I’m not there yet.”
Recently, another friend of mine recently said to me, “Tim, if you don’t have questions… if you’ve got it all figured out, your god isn’t big enough.” It seems to me that we all have gods, whether we use a big “G” or a little “g,” and whether we have one, or many. We just choose different things, and sometimes ascribe to them different powers, authority, and ability, but ultimately, they all sound like gods to me.
Oddly enough, the “other friend” I mentioned above is also the senior pastor of my church. Weird thing for a Southern Baptist minister to say, huh?
Soundbite Theology December 4, 2006
Posted by Tim in Language, Learning, Morality, Religion, Religion, Philosophy, and Science.6 comments
Tonight, a good friend of mine was complimenting me on my speaking voice after I did some narration for my church’s Living Christmas Tree. (Note: The link is to a tree similar to what my church does. That’s not my church, or our tree.) In accepting his compliment, I acknowleged that I felt that God had blessed me with a voice for public speaking, and felt compelled to put forth my best effort.
He responded by saying “Collossians 3:23… Whatever you do, do it as you would do it unto the Lord and not for men.”
In spite of the fact that I have been active in the Baptist church all of my life (including my time “in utero”), there are times that someone quoting scripture rubs me the wrong way. “Why?” you might ask, since what my friend said seemed completely valid, and perfectly in-context.
The best way for me to describe my negative reaction, is to introduce you to the term that comes to mind, which is the title of this blog: Soundbite theology. It drives me absolutely nutty. (more…)
