The Tolerance Car

I was driving behind on of those "tolerance cars" this afternoon. You know, the kind with all the cutesy bumper-stickers about peace, love, and relativism, war, puppies and abortion. It actually had a interesting bumper sticker that had "Coexist," but each letter was a religious symbol. Something like this.

But then, I noticed the car also had one of those Icthus-mocking "Darwin" symbols. And I thought, how very tolerant. How very Left and tolerant to bastardize a benign religious symbol. I am sure that if one took a Muslim symbol and perverted it to make a silly point, Ms. Tolerance would be in an uproar. I guess I never realized how offensive I think those symbols are. It is not that I have problem with someone having faith in Darwin, I just do not like them being so intolerant and mocking of my symbol. Oh, hypocrisy. Got to love it.

Chicks with Bibles

The good-ole-boys over at SBC Outpost are a dithers and aghast that Paige Patterson would fire a female seminary professor simply because of biology. One constantly wonders where these guys have been the last 30 years. Maybe they do not realize the relationship between confession and praxis.

There are no Words

Are we so hard up for relevance we have to resort to this?

MLK Day

Today, we celebrate the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. While King certainly had his warts and ethical failings, he will be remembered as one of the great leaders of our nation. His "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and his "I Have a Dream Speech" are among their respective medium's paragons. Without King's leadership, the 20th Century would have suffered a grave ending, I fear.

Today was King's actual birthday - he would have been 78. I am fascinated by the contemplation of what would history been like had famous or influential people who died young lived instead. I think it is the case with King, the Kennedy's, etc., that nothing cements a legacy like an early grave. Not that King would not have remained a great leader, but he would not be the untouchable, semi-divine figure of today's mythology. Certainly that applies even more so to John F. Kennedy, whose legacy would have been as a poor president had he not been killed in Dallas.

In light of the Duke rape case, I also take this time to ponder the poor state of the Black Rights movement since King's passing. The so-called "black leadership" is often left in the hands of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, two opportunistic, greedy, racist, reverends-without-churches who are in it for the cameras and the money. I suspect King would roll over in his grave if he knew Jackson used black people's plights to secure lucrative contracts for his friends and family or if he knew about Sharpton being a pitch-man for red-lining banks. The good news is that other influential black pundits are starting to realize the conservative criticism of the last 15 years was spot on. From Bill Cosby to Juan Williams, people are starting to see the emperor has no clothes.

Despite the ugly realities of today, we should use this holiday to reflect on our faith. A faith of peace, love, hope, joy and equality.

Arctic Blast

Today, we're getting another "Arctic Blast," which means it is freezing. One must love Texas in the winter.

Church Review

We visited a new church Sunday - Preston Ridge. I was pleasantly surprised. It is one of those contemporary, P&W churches, but I enjoyed it (I prefer a more liturgical worship). One thing nice was the church architecture. So many of these P&W churches built large, impersonal, dank auditoriums designed for musical performance. I often feel like I am locked in a really large closet with no lights forced to listen to a really loud band. Preston Ridge - only the second church I have attended to be this way - has large windows (not stained glass) running along the full lengths of two side walls and on the second story. It may for an open, light worship, which was nice. It was refreshing that the pastor actually read from and referenced Scripture. While he did not do much hard-core exegesis, he actually read and used the text.

One thing I have noted that is an interesting cultural/theological phenomenon. Conventional wisdom holds that Baptists are "people of the book" and take the Bible very seriously. Yet, in most SBC churches I have attended, the pastors seem to rush through Scripture reading seemingly more out of obligation than contemplation. Yet at an Episcopal church - those folks who do not even believe the Bible according to CW - Scripture reading is taken very seriously. People stand, and one cannot enter or leave the sanctuary when the Bible is open.

God's Work in Texas

I got this note from another blog ... you can view some of God's work in Texas:
Christmas Ministry
There is nothing like material excess to remember the humble birth of our Lord and Savior. I think Jesus might vomit if he watched this video. At least tithes and offering are going to good causes.

Not to worry, being good stewards of God's money, the home has been expanded and renovated.

In both cases, you will have to wait until the end of the video or the article to understand the full biblical ramifications.