Kitsch and Christ -- Jason Janz returns from the recent Christian Bookseller’s Association (CBA) convention in Denver with an excellent post on "Jesus Junk":
Picture this. A man, dead in trespasses and sins, sits on Waikiki Beach as he gazes across the mostly naked bodies baking in the sun. He decides to take a stroll/strut down the water’s edge to “see what he can see.” Luckily, he glances down and sees an impression in the sand—right there in bold letters on the sand “Follow” and a little further “Jesus.” His eyes follow the footsteps and sure enough. About 15 feet further down the beach is a beautiful babe wearing just enough clothes to keep a squirrel warm on a windy day. Conviction overwhelms him as he gazes at her. He runs to her and grabs her hand and says, “Please, give me a reason for the hope that lies within you.” She says, “I’d love to. I’ve been waiting for this divine appointment.” He takes in her breath, recently made fresh by her Scripture Mint. And right there, she flips her hair over her shoulder, takes out her EvangeCube, kneels with him on the beach, and leads him in the sinner’s prayer. As they part, she encourages him to take her sandals and continue to spread the Word wherever he goes. After all, how beautiful are the feet of them . . .
If you give people Scripture mints or wear Virtuous Woman perfume and think your are fulfilling the Great Commission, then you must read this post -- and repent of your misguided ways.
(Re)Set your calendars -- GodBlogCon II dates are set now for October 26-28.
Stuck with virtue -- After a lengthy hiatus, John Coleman, one of my favorite bloggers, is back with a series on virtue:
...[I]t recently occurred to me that I can’t really live life without a clearer conception of those basic things that I consider virtuous (True? Good? Beautiful?); and I most certainly can’t live it without a set of rules that give me drive, focus, and inspiration. As the same professor who taught my virtue class recently wrote, it seems that I am “stuck with virtue”. And I am ok with that. In fact, I think I’ll write about it.
So far he has two interesting posts in the series, one on the virtue of community and an entry on Blindness, "the overlooked virtue."
Polygamy in Prime Time -- The Emmy-nominated HBO series Big Love has made its way down to New Zealand and kiwi blogger Catez Stevens has produced an extensive review. If you haven't watched an episode I recommend you read Catez's post and rent the series when it comes out on DVD. The series is by far one of the most watchable and intriguing new dramas to come along in years. And I expect it will have an impact on normalizing polygamy in the same way that Sex and the City helped destigamatize female promiscuity.
Obligatory libertarian bashing –Part II - From Mark Shea:
...I come away more persuaded than ever that Libertarianism is basically a philosophy for people with no children whose thought is one generation deep. Works great until you have to remember that you are part of a family and the human community. A sovereign cure for Nanny Statism, much as quinine takes care of malaria (and I applaud it for doing so). But an all-quinine diet is not something normal people want. It's why Libertarianism will always be a minority philosophy for relatively well-off young Americans and their wannabes.
(HT: Southern Appeal)
What Your Freshmen Don’t Know -- Beloit College has released its latest “Mindset List,” to help academics understand what freshmen know — and what they don’t have a clue about. The list for the Class of 2010 includes these interesting items:
2. They have known only two presidents.
14. The Moral Majority has never needed an organization.
16. DNA fingerprinting has always been admissible evidence in court.
19. “Google” has always been a verb.
24. Madden has always been a game, not a Super Bowl-winning coach.
30. Non-denominational mega-churches have always been the fastest growing religious organizations in the U.S.
32. Reality shows have always been on television.
(HT: Poliblog)
2
I went to CBA exactly once, several years ago. I emerged feeling as if I'd spent three days swimming through an oil slick.
posted on 08.25.2006 11:58 AM3
Thankyou for linking my post Joe, I appreciate your generosity.
posted on 08.26.2006 2:29 AM4
I agree that all people who make this stuff do not have the purest of motives, but it seems to me that if it is perfectly acceptable to show my support for the local NFL team or University by my clothing why then is it not OK to be just as excited about Jesus?
posted on 08.30.2006 10:04 PM5
Joe,
Ah, but it's not called the "CBA" anymore. It goes by a far more sickening title that does a better job of summing it all up: the International Christian Retail Show.
posted on 08.31.2006 7:59 PM