Junk Drawer Spirituality

Glenn Beck, Social Justice, and Fear

Evangelical pastors and church leaders have been lighting up the blogosphere the last few of days over some comments FOX News' Glenn Beck made on his March 8th show.  Here's the quote: 

"I'm begging you, your right to religion and freedom to exercise religion and read all of the passages of the Bible as you want to read them and as your church wants to preach them...are going to come under the ropes in the next year. If it lasts that long it will be the next year. I beg you, look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words."

If you didn't catch it, Beck (it seems) just instructed his listeners to leave any church that starts talking about social justice.

Now, I could talk all about how theologically ridiculus and irresponsible this statement is.  I could talk about how concerned Jesus was for the poor (i.e., Lk. 4), and how the consistant witness in the New Testament expects the church and Christians to keep social justice a priority.

Bad News

I am definintely not a doomsday prophet, "the world's going to hell in a handbasket," kind of guy.  I'm usually the guy looking for the silver lining.  I'm usualy the one saying, "things might SEEM bad, but it's really probably not all that different than how it usually is, or how it was back then, or we're only hearing about the bad stuff . . ."

But my gosh . . . is it just me or is the amount and intensity of the violence and evil we're seeing in the news reaching crazy levels?  My web-browser home page is CNN.com, and on the front page of CNN's homepage are these news headlines:

The Changing Face of Religion In America

I just read a Washington Post article written in response to recent research in the field of religion (the largest survey of it's kind).  Here are some of the interesting (and some scary) trends this article found. . .

• Far fewer people are willing to call themselves "Christian" than they were when the same survey was conducted 20 years ago.  Today, only 76 percent of the population identify themselves as Christian, down from 86 percent in 1990.
• The number of people who identify themselves with the term "Non-Denominational" has jumped through the roof . . . 194,000 in 1990 and today, more than 8 million.
• The only group that grew in every U.S. state since the 2001 survey was people saying they had "no" religion; the survey says this group is now 15 percent of the population.
• Northern New England has surpassed the Pacific Northwest as the least religious section of the country.

The Ted Haggard Documentary Remixed

I just read an interesting Christianity Today article from a guy named Patton Dodd.  He served on staff with Ted Haggard at New Life Fellowship for 8 years.  I thought he had a very interesting take on the documentary I referenced in a post earlier this week, "The Trials of Ted Haggard."  Of course he's approaching the issue as one who was hurt by the scandal, and ultimately he interprets Haggard's intentions as one of self-aggrandizement (he asks some very good questions.  Why is Haggard allowing cameras to follow he and his family around only a few months after the scandal?), but here is the side to the story we don't get in the documentary.  Thought it was interesting.

The Trials of Ted Haggard

I remember the first news story that appeared on the Denver local news when I was still living in Colorado.  Ted Haggard, the president of the National Association of Evangelicals, Senior Pastor of New Life Fellowship in Colorado Springs, a church of 15,000 members, advisor to President Bush, and spokesperson for conservative Evangelical Christians all over America, was accused of having sex with a male prostitute.  I watched him deny it.  Then, over the next few days I watched him backpedal.  It was like watching a car accident.  He gradually admitted to more and more, and by that Sunday, Haggard resigned from his church, and had been removed from every position of influence that he held.  It had become clear that Haggard had in fact engaged in extra-marital homosexual encounters with another man as well as drug use and other offenses.

I watched in amazement as the whole thing unraveled.  I remember feeling angry.  Funny story . . .

Government Bailout Blues

This absolutely frustrates the ever-livin daylights out of me!  First, the government bailed out the investment banks, then they bailed out the auto industry, and now everybodies lining up to the trough from local governments to the agriculture industry.  The latest looking for a handout?  The porn industry.  Yep, that's right.  Larry Flynt and the maker of "Girls Gone Wild" have asked the 111th congress to "to rejuvenate the sexual appetite of America."  Here's a quote: ". . . as long as the government is handing out money, we want to be there to take it."  Makes me proud to be an American.  I think Flynt and company are just trying to rile people up, but it's still alittle diconcerting.  Here's the article   

So, Do You Believe Him?

By the way, if you missed it, Saturday Night Live had a pretty funny rant on Blagojevich on their "Weekend Udate" news parody skit.  The funniest part is about half-way through when they start making fun of his hair.  Quote: "The first time I saw you, I thought you were walking away."  THAT's funny.

The Congo's Children

This article made me sad.  It's talking about Congolese children and the dangerous conditions in which they live because of the violence over the last few weeks.  The article says "North Kivu is quite possibly the worst place [in the world] to be a child." 

We Have A New President

CNN has just projected that Senator Barak Obama will be the next president of the United States.  There are a couple of things I'm thinking and feeling right now as a result of this announcement, which I think are completely non-partisan:

1. I'm SOOOOOOO happy that the election is over.  I passionately despise campaign mud-slinging and all of the silly stuff that happens when right or left wing sub-groups over-zealously attack the candidate they oppose with blatant misrepresentations and speculations.  All that negativity makes me tired and I don't think it's good for people's souls.
2. Regardless of how you feel about Barak Obama's views, ideas, policies, voting record, etc., it is an historic day with the election of our first African American president.  No matter your political views, this is a feat in American politics that should make all of us proud, and I'm happy that I had the opportunity to see it in my life-time.

3. I sincerely hope that the polarization that has plagued political discourse for the past 20+ years will begin to fade, and that Obama will help bring a spirit of cooperation to Washington.  Again, political philosophy aside, he's a guy who certainly has the charismatic potential to garner support on both sides of the aisle, but I think Obama's ability to do so will require cooperative humility and initiative from both Republicans and Democrats.  

Bar Stool Economics

I found this post on Michael Patton's blog, and I thought I'd share it here.  It seems like it's basically a fiscally conservative parable rebutting the Obama tax plan.  So take it for what it's worth.  Of course all such analogies fall short of reality to some degree, but I found it interesting, and if you disagree with the logic, I'd love to hear why.

Our Tax System Explained: Bar Stool Economics

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that’s what they decided to do.

Why I Think Political Debates Are Silly

I just watched the second McCain/Obama debate tonight.  I heard the issues.  I think Obama did well on some points and McCain did well on a few other points.  McCain introduced an economic plan to deal with the crisis, which he hadn't done yet, and which has yet to be more closely examined.  Obama seemed to have won the health care issue in my opinion, but I'm not so sure about his economic plans.

But nobody seems to care about that stuff.  What seems funny to me is the fact that after every debate I've watched thus far, the political analysts and reporters insist on talking about everything in the debate that DOESN'T matter.  Tonight, in a senior moment, McCain seemingly forgot Obama's name and referred to him as "That One."  All of the sudden, "That one" is the top headline on CNN.com, the number one story coming from the whole debate. . . not the new economic plan McCain introduced which needs to be scrutinized and addressed, not the health care plan of Obama.  The most important issue of the night is apparantly the speculation that McCain might, at best, not respect Obama as a worthy opponent, or at worst, be a full blown hood-wearin', cross burnin', racist.

Who Won The Debate?

I'm currently watching the first presidential debate between McCain and Obama.  It's getting pretty heated on a couple of points, but it's interesting.  If you watched it, who do you think won?  On which issues?

The 21st Century Abolition Movement

Apparently there is a new documentary coming out in the next few months.  It is a collaborative project that includes a film and I think a concert including number of musical artists, some actors and actresses, academics such as Cornell West, etc.  But it's a documentary shining a spotlight on the current problem of worldwide human trafficing and slavery.  I just watched the trailer and it's gripping.  Don't know if it's another "We are the world . . . we are the children" project or something more substantial yet, but I like the fact people are talking about this. 

Love the last line of the trailer from Cornell West: "NEVER FORGET, JUSTICE IS WHAT LOVE LOOKS LIKE IN PUBLIC."  Here's the trailer. 

Narrowly Avoiding Disaster, Fed Buys A.I.G.

Apparently, today we narrowly avoided the largest global economic collapse since the Great Depression (here's a Time article).  How'd that happen?  All of us tax payers pooled our collective resources in the form of the Federal Government and bought American International Group (AIG) for 85 billion dollars, preventing them from filing chapter 11 bankruptcy.  It's the same thing we did with Bear Stearns in March and Freddie Mac and Fannie May a few weeks ago.  Why all this buying of companies and investment banks?

I don't pretend to fully comprehend how it happened or why it happened, or how a collapse of AIG would have been so devastating.  But this is the best I can figure out, and if you happen to get this better than I do, PLEASE help me out.

Sarah Palin and Complimentarian America

There is an interesting discussion currently going on in some Christian blogging circles concerning the candidacy of Sarah Palin for Vice President of the United States.  Of course, Palin is Republican, and she holds opinions that represent the more conservative, traditional platform of the Republicans . . . a platform to which conservative evangelicals have flocked in droves over the past 30 years.  But, she is also a woman.

Why might that be a problem for some evangelicals Christians?  Well, here's the theological breakdown. 

I Wanna Talk Like Barak

As a guy who really enjoys delivering public messages in the form of sermons or lessons, I was riveted Thursday night as I watched Barak Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention.  Leaving all politics, policies, and partisanships aside, the dude knows how to speak!  He creates amazingly crafted words spoken through a voice that would make all envious public speakers swoon.  I came across this Time articlethat talks about the process Obama uses to write his speeches, and I realized how much time he devotes to them.  Most politicians have speech writers . . . Obama does too, but most of his speeches come from his own head and heart.  I think what's amazing about his speaking style is that whether you agree with him, believe him, or not, the way he talks make you want to agree with him and believe him.  Soooo . . . I'm jealous.  I wanna talk like Barak.      

Evangelicals and Politics

Are Republicans still the political darlings of the evangelical church?  Here's an interesting Washington Post article describing how things might be changing this election year among Evangelicals and their political loyalties. 

The Dead Sea Stone

Apparently a few days ago, the media made public a discovery that people are calling the Dead Sea Stone.  It's a stone with some inscriptions on it, some of which appear to predate Christianity, but refer very closely to Christian themes, including a possible resurrection after three days.  From a skeptic's perspective, this may support the thesis that early Christians were simply borrowing ideas and themes from other extant Jewish people who were circulating around Palestine in the first century instead of recounting actual historical events in the life of Jesus as the New Testament assumes.

Craig Blomberg, a former professor of mine at Denver Seminary and a renowned Biblical Scholar had a clear, but short response to this controversy that you should check out on his blog. It looks like the Dead Seas Stones are much ado about nothing. . .

Prayers for China

This afternoon a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit an area of China called Wenchuan.  It's the second major world disaster in a week.  Wenchuan is the most populated area of the country and the death toll has already exceeded 10,000.  Many more people are still trapped beneath rubble.

Take the time to stop and pray today for the people of this region, the families who have lost their loved ones, and the many people who are trapped, injured and awaiting aid.

Lord, be with those who so desperately need you today.  Make your grace and mercy known.  And we pray that you will heal these people and heal this region.

Oil Prices at $200 a Barrel?!

Driving home today, I saw gas prices at $3.88 at my corner gas station, up from $3.65 earlier today.  So tonight I found out crude prices just reached another record high of $123 a barrel again today.  So, here's a scary thought-- a guy named Argun Murti, a Goldman Sachs energy strategist, said crude prices could hit $200 in the next 6  months!  This was in a BBC article, that went into explaining all of the factors going into the soaring energy prices.  It's pretty scary.  I Just read a book called The Coming Economic Collapse, which is not a great book, but it's a worthwhile read if you're unfamiliar with the "peak oil crisis."  It's basically about rising energy prices and how the rising cost of oil is going to fundamentally change the way of life for a whole lot of people.  Just consider. . . In 1998, oil reached a low of $10 per barrel.  In 2003, oil cost $30 per barrel.  This time last year, it was around $60.  Today it hit $123, and we could hit $200 a barrel for crude by the end of the year.  That's gonna hit everyone's wallets pretty hard.  I think we're in for a major shocker, and not just at the pumps!      

Israel's 60th birthday

Today is Israel's 60th birthday as a nation-state.  I just read a really good article on the BBC about the  history of Israel and Palestine in 1948 and how it has impacted the area since, even relating it to the current peace talks.  I thought the article was very well written and very balanced.  Check it out.   

Prayers for Burma

Most of you are probably aware by now of the massive cyclone that hit the country of Burma Saturday.  Today, it's being reported that 10,000 people died as a result of that storm. . . It's hard to know how to handle something like that except just to pray

Lord, we know you hold all things in your hands.  There's so much that we don't understand about the world you've created and the world you sustain.  There are times when things seem meaningless and harsh.  We hate to see people suffer.  We hate to see death.  So father we pray for your comfort for the victims of this disaster in this country. We pray for those who are suffering.  We pray for those who've lost much.  And Lord we pray for your church in Burma and around the world.  May she rise to the challenge to help those who need to know your love.