theological rant

Bible as Ammunition, or Mirror?

October 8, 2010

It’s really funny for me when people who have never read the Bible expect it to be a book of philosophy. After all, multiple religions use it as their founding document. You’d expect it to be like those religions: systematic, sterile, high-brow philosophy. That’s what I expected. Don’t get me wrong, there are some philosophical [...]

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The Power of Listening. Lessons from #ConvergeSouth

October 5, 2010

I sat this past weekend and watched a panel of politicians not listen to each other. They were talking about internet-flavored political hot button issues like municipal broadband and net neutrality. And one question (and it’s terrible answer) rang in my ears. Regarding the current moratorium on municipal broadband in the state of NC, a [...]

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Scandalous Church Scandals: Breaking News.

September 28, 2010

Jim Gaffigan, a really funny guy, said this on Twitter recently: I couldn’t agree any more. Like a group of kids chasing around a ball with almost no ability to do something useful with it, the news outlets have started circling again around a church scandal. If you haven’t heard about Bishop Eddie Long and [...]

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My Son the Theologian.

September 20, 2010

Perhaps the most profoundly true declaration in the world. Sung by a 2-year old. Sort of.

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Why Emergents and Evangelicals are Not Hearing Each Other.

September 14, 2010

I don’t know if it’s cool to quote yourself on your own blog. But I’m gonna. Buried in all the great comments on my last post is this answer to Travis (who made some great points with which I mostly agree). I am reposting it here because it is the real essence of my disagreement [...]

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Why “Big Tent Christianity’s” Tent Wasn’t Big Enough.

September 10, 2010

We are going to talk about stuff that we think is more important than the stuff you think is most important. And we’d love your input, as long as you don’t talk about that other stuff. That’s why no theological conservatives accepted the invitation to come and speak at “Big Tent Christianity” here in Raleigh [...]

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What is the Bible Primarily About?

September 10, 2010

Saw this video over at Zack’s place. Like him, I have been floored by reading the Bible through this lens. The Old Testament is an Easter egg hunt that has been so loaded with eggs it’s unfair. Once you start to see the Bible in this way, it’s pretty awesome. Please take a few minutes [...]

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Whats so wrong with self-esteem?

September 7, 2010

I have a toddler. That means I am inundated with products aimed at kids, and I’ve noticed a troubling trend. Everybody wants my kid to feel good about himself, sometimes in spite of the facts. Self-esteem is only good if it’s true. No matter how good he feels about himself, it only really matters how [...]

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God is not a Carny on a Smoke Break.

August 10, 2010

Here’s the thing about roller coasters: how well you do on them only affects you. The same coaster that makes some people scream with excitement makes others shriek with horror. One person laughs. Another pukes. (fair enough, in that case how well you do also affects the people directly behind you…) There’s that neat story [...]

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Have You Ever Agreed With an Atheist?

August 2, 2010

Last night, my favorite atheist, Nick Wood (seriously, apart from the whole Jesus thing and the fact that I can get a suntan–redhead low-blow–we are pretty much the same person separated by ten years and a landmass called “the bulk of North America”) liveblogged his trip to a “Christian MegaChurch” in WA. Here’s my favorite [...]

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