No, really, it's ok to lie . . .

Sick.

Twisted.

Your tax dollars at work, as reported by Michell Malkin & CNSNews

Statement of Faith

Ok, i didn't write it, and those who did didn't consult me, but looking it over, it's pretty good.

This is pretty cool

Used to be i'd think that if it went faster than the other guy's, or if it was more technologically advanced, or made me look/feel better about myself to myself/others, it was cool.

But not anymore.

See, God did something really cool, and it's not deniable in any plausible sense. And since i found out about it and since God invited me, hey, stuff that used be cool to me, just is irrelevant.

How's that going with you?

Train up a child in the way he should go . . .

Recently discovered this blog, and want to share a post from it. Be warned that if you watch the video, there is some errrr . . . not-good language.

But the post? Well that's a different thing; here you go:

A teenager sits down in front of his mother, and announces to her that he is an Atheist. Her reaction is to announce that, henceforth, the family will start attending church every week.

The boy reiterates his disbelief, to which his mother counters that he was "confirmed" in the presence of "the Bishop" as some sort of irrefutable claim. As a Protestant, I cannot help but find a small theological amusement in this.

"A lot can happen," the boy responds and seems to start to explain something of what led him to this view - when his mother angrily interrupts with a rather clumsy attempt to belittle her son's stance. "All of a sudden you can just quit believing in God?" she asks.

Yes. Yes you can. Especially if the depth of your faith consists of a brief catechistic rite that took place when you are barely old enough to think and reason.


I do not wish to make light of this episode, and I do not feel any of the raucous mirth that accompanied the sending of this video to me by a familiar of mine.

Foolish, irresponsible, and painful - yes, but hardly the stuff of playful jest. I can only wonder at what would follow such an exchange between a mother and a son...

...and what of the man who sits so idly by while all this is taking place? Surely he is not the father, to have so little control over his own household. 'Tis curious.


Despite the exaggerated tone of this display, which would incline one into thinking it a clever parody, I find it all too true to form - consonant with my own experiences as well as those with whom I have known.

We would think that we can barter with the Almighty, that we would negotiate Grace and force His acquiescence to a covenant of our own devisings... but it is now as it has always been: the Just shall live by Faith.

What do you think?

Nothing to see here, folks

Want to see something fun? Read this article by Jim Wallis and then read this article by Frank Turk.

See what i mean?

One has depth of feeling and thought, and an admonition ("Don't waste your life."), while the other . . . has pretty much none of those things.

Remember those tests in elementary school, "...One of these is not like the other . . ."


Heh.

A Thought to Think

While at one of my now more-frequented blogs, i saw that Centurion had posted about Jerry Falwell, and the amazing thing is that he (Centurion) can express so eloquently thoughts on living as a Christian (or on others who live well the Christian life), not just wearing the t-shirt. Thanks for using the gift God has given you, Cent; certainly it has spurred me to think about issues more deeply, and from the perspective of a Christian - something I am convinced we should all be doing more of.

As I said yesterday, I wasn't a fan of Jerry Falwell, but in reviewing the responses toward him through the media, I am struck by two really amazing things:

[1] The shear volume of people who despised him -- so much so that even at his death they cannot say anything about him but nastiness.

[2] The response of Larry Flint toward the death of Rev. Falwell, which I site here:

The Reverend Jerry Falwell and I were arch enemies for fifteen years. We became involved in a lawsuit concerning First Amendment rights and Hustler magazine. Without question, this was my most important battle – the l988 Hustler Magazine, Inc., v. Jerry Falwell case, where after millions of dollars and much deliberation, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in my favor.

My mother always told me that no matter how much you dislike a person, when you meet them face to face you will find characteristics about them that you like. Jerry Falwell was a perfect example of that. I hated everything he stood for, but after meeting him in person, years after the trial, Jerry Falwell and I became good friends. He would visit me in California and we would debate together on college campuses. I always appreciated his sincerity even though I knew what he was selling and he knew what I was selling.

The most important result of our relationship was the landmark decision from the Supreme Court that made parody protected speech, and the fact that much of what we see on television and hear on the radio today is a direct result of my having won that now famous case which Falwell played such an important role in.

It's probably not so remarkable that Flynt took this opportunity to exemplify himself as a maker of history, but there is something extraordinary about this statement: somehow, Jerry Falwell was able to reach across the moral divide to the pornographer Larry Flynt.

There is a lesson there for those who are heaping hatred on Rev. Falwell: they are clearly wrong about who he was and what he was intending to do in this world. Megalomaniacs and demagogues don't make friends with people who hate everything they stand for. They don't imagine that there's a redemption for the "other side". But there is a lesson for the rest of us as well.

Listen: the viciousness with which some circles are saying "so long" to Rev. Falwell ought to be considered against the fact that Jerry Falwell spoke the truth -- insofar as he spoke it -- and also extended himself as an ambassador even to someone as diametrically-opposed to God's law as Larry Flynt.

This is a lesson in apologetics and evangelism, folks. Jerry Falwell was a flawed human person -- but guess what? So am I. And for the record: so are you. If, upon our deaths, there are none of the unsaved in the number who will say, "this one was my friend," perhaps we have wasted our time here.

Don't waste your life.

[emphasis added]