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Nov 24
The Gospel Old and New – Kevin DeYoung
Who in the world mocks the New Gospel? There is nothing not to like. There is no scandal in a message about lame Christians, a loving God, changing the world, and how most of us are most likely not going to hell. This message will never be mocked, but Paul’s Mars Hill sermon was. And keep in mind, this teaching in Athens was only an entre into the Christian message. This was just the beginning, after which some wanted to hear him again (32). Paul said more in his opening salvo than some Christians ever dare to say. We may not be able to say everything Paul said at Athens all at once, but we certainly must not give the impression in our “pre-evangelism” that repentance, judgment, the necessity of faith, the importance of right belief, the centrality of the cross and the resurrection, the sinfulness of sin and the fallenness of man–the stuff that some suggest will be our actual evangelism–are outdated relics of a mean-spirited, hurtful Christianity.
Excellent points on the willingness of some to make Christianity so palatable it becomes benign.
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Nov 18
Please, oh, please let this be a hoax
via masswepray.com
If it is, it's funny. If not .....
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Nov 14
Book Notes: N.D. Wilson's Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl
Notes from the Tilt-Whirl counts as one of the more unique discussions on the problem of evil. Wilson's basic point is fairly close to a Reformed theodicy. But instead of creating a theology textbook, Wilson writes in an almost stream-of-consciousness style, switching from discussions of existentialism to tales of exploring the backyard with his children without any segue.
The interweaving of personal and philosophical discussions makes for an enjoyable and oddly encouraging read. His style fits (I think) with his point: God's creation is a remarkable, complex one that doesn't always make immediate sense. My only complaint is that at times his treatment of evil and suffering comes off as slightly flippant, although I doubt this was intentional. Comparing our perspective to that of an ant's is helpful in showing how small we are, for example. At the same time, even when counting for the distance between God and us, our suffering is qualitatively different than that of an ant, if for no other reason than we are made in the image of God and an ant is not. That said, I'd still recommend this book as a challenging and thought-provoking read. I'd particularly recommend it to anyone who's reading diet has consistently solely of heady and dry theological books.Comments [0]
Nov 5
One reason why Sudan continues to be a mess
Gration has touted his success in convincing Sudan to readmit some of the aid groups it ousted from Darfur earlier this year; but many groups were never re-admitted. (As Rebecca Hamilton recently documented for TNR Online in an on-the-ground report, the exit of these aid groups has had a particularly terrible effect on rape survivors.) Meanwhile, the government is reportedly ramping up attacks again in Darfur. Some also believe that the government is, through its militia proxies, behind a recent wave of violence in the South. In other words, Gration's soft approach to dealing with Khartoum is doing little to help the people of Sudan. And it may actually be making the situation worse.
Is Gration a cynic? A lightweight? We suspect worse: He is a man with an almost utopian theory about international relations. Before Gration was President Obama's envoy, he was candidate Obama's adviser. In that role, he spoke to The New Yorker's Nicholas Lemann last fall. Lemann called Gration the "most mystical believer in Obamaism whom I met" and wrote that he was "more open than the other top Obama advisers in expressing a soaring optimism about the possibility of a less arrogant, more cooperative, more empathetic America leading the world." Gration told Lemann that "what doesn't work ... is forcing a solution. Create an environment, give people the opportunity to air their differences, and see if they can come together." What an odd thing for a future diplomat to say; isn't "forcing a solution" one of the essential tasks of diplomacy? Moreover, the Sudanese government is not interested in airing differences with its opponents; it is interested in crushing them by violent means, so as to preserve its autocratic rule.
via tnr.com
Do people like Scott Gration ever read history (or do they even care)? When has genocide ever been averted by people "com[ing] together" to "air their differences."?
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Nov 4
Racism and Rednecks
Apparently, poor whites/rednecks/white trash constitute the last people-group society (Christian or not) deems acceptable to look down upon. Poor minorities must be treated with compassion and understanding, while poor whites can be treated with mockery and disdain. Why the difference? What if the reason is that more wealthy whites don't expect much of poor minorities, but do expect more of poor whites? Underclass minorities then receive a paternalistic, condescending hand with no expectations, while poor whites are resented for not living as they "should." And so a more subtle version of white supremacy lives on, only now disguised as enlightened compassion. Just wondering.Comments [0]
Nov 3
Numbers Don't Support Migration Exodus to "Cool Cities"
An even greater shock to the sensibilities of the insular, Manhattan-centric media, the report found that most of the movement from the Empire State was not from the much-dissed suburbia, but from that hip and cool paragon, New York City. This can not be ascribed as a loss of the unwanted: According to the report, those leaving the city had 13% higher incomes than those coming in.
How can this be, when everyone who's smart and hip is headed to the Big Apple? This question was addressed in a report by the center-left, New York-based Center for an Urban Future. True, considerable numbers of young, educated people come to New York, but it turns out that many of them leave for the suburbs or other states as they reach their peak earning years.
Indeed, it's astonishing given the many clear improvements in New York that more residents left the five boroughs for other locales in 2006, the peak of the last boom, than in 1993, when the city was in demonstrably worse shape. In 2006, the city had a net loss of 153,828 residents through domestic out-migration, compared to a decline of 141,047 in 1993, with every borough except Brooklyn experiencing a higher number of out-migrants in 2006.
via newgeography.com
So there's hope for Canton.
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