Christ The Saviour Is Born

Joyeaux Noel to all . . .

Mary

I love Mary. When I say that among some of my Protestant friends I get odd looks. We have tried so hard to not be Catholic that we flee from anything that even looks like Catholicism. Sure, the Catholics go a little too far in their veneration of Mary, but the answer is not to swing the pendulum so far the other way that we relegate her to a status somewhere below Bartholomew and Thaddeus. She is a hero of the faith, an example to be followed, and a woman worthy of the same respoect we give the other major figures of both Testaments. She appears prominently throughout the Gospels. I am not ashamed to say it. I love Mary.

LaHaye vs. Jenkins

So is the Left Behind series finally over? Did it end up at 14 books? 15? I lost count, but I have read them all, that I know.

What interests me is the end-of-the-world series that LaHaye and Jenkins are working on apart from each other. To me, it is a no-brainer that Jenkins' are so much better than LaHaye's.

Jenkins' Underground Zealot series -- Soon, Silenced, and Shadowed -- was well-written, with characters that seemed realisitc and whom I cared a little bit about. I thought the "Bad Guy" was beleivable, as well, which is not as easy as it sounds in this type of fiction.

I find LaHaye's Babylon Rising so be less realisitc, the characters and situations over-the-top, and the shadow conspiracy to be less than compelling.

Born Again Llamas

Yes, that what the sign on the side of the truck said -- Born-Again Llamas. I'm guessing that this is an animal act that tours VBS's and related kids events, but that name . . . I just don't know what to make of it.

Aw, Hell

This is an evergreen topic for me ---- every October, churches across the country organize Hell Houses" or similarly titled events, and every October I hate them. These events are supposed to demonstrate God's final judgment on all the bad folk (expect scenes of Hitler, chainsaw murders, abortions, 2 guys marrying) as will happen at the end of time. This may very well be mostly true, but I don't get a good feeling about that whole method of evangelizing -- it falls into every negative stereotype the World has about us. I'd prefer a little more love, and a lot less brimstone.

I just want my Harvest Bash back. Please.

Strong Words

One of my pet peeves is words -- words that have strong meanings that are used in ways that weaken the words. I have tons of these, but today I'll talk about the word "miracle."

A miracle is something that occurs outside the natural order only with the direct intervention of God, such as instant healing, walking on water, etc . . . I may even give you salvation as a miracle, but I just think that "miracle" is a pretty high standard and should only be reserved for truly miraculous events.

I love sunsets, but sunsets are not miracles; they happen every day at specifically predictable times; they are by definition part of the natural order.

Babies, too. They are born every day all over the world; again, they define the natural order as oppose to violate it. It doesn't get much more predictable than that.

These events are awesome, cool, wonderful, breathtaking, amazing, etc . . . they just aren't miracles.

Repent!

Say you're surfing. You've seen the pose, knees bent, one foot in front of the other, blond tresses blowing in the sea breeze. The waves are changing, or you're at the end of a run, and you need to change the direction of the board, what do you do? You do the switchfoot, moving the position of the feet on the board to change the direction you're going.

To turn around. To completely change direction. To Switchfoot.

BTW, go buy their new album.

Katrina thoughts

The pictures coming out of the South are still gripping, but nonetheless I am starting to move from emotional response to theological response to this natural disaster. In no particular order, here are some of my thoughts:

* It is a fallen world, one in bondage to decay. Whether this signifies the end times or anything calamitous of that nature I don't know, but it certainly is reflective of a wild world. Singer Tonio K once noted, "it's a jungle out there; it used to be a garden."

* Man is not by nature good. Quite to the contrary, when the strictures of authority and civilized society are gone, we snap quickly (QUICKLY) into our true looting, raping, pillaging, selfish selves.

* There is light in the darkness. The storm is not evidence of God's absence, but help and heroism are evidences of His presence.

"Christian" is not an adjective!

One of my pet peeves is the use of the word "Christian" as an adjective; i.e., Christian business, Christian radio, Christian movie, etc . . . . used to describe a person or a group of people is a little closer to acceptable, such as Christian author or Christian band, because Jesus did not die to redeem your business or your radio station, he came to redeem you and me. "Christian" is a noun, a person, not a descriptor for an inanimate object.

I understand the need for shorthand at times, and certainly fall into it myself, but I think it's something we should be cognizant of and make sure we're using the word properly.

Pat Roberston said what???

Yeah, I guess I decided to re-activate this blog just in time. Formerly relevant televangelist Pat Roberston has called for the assassination of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.

{shakes head in shame and disappointment}

I was in Virginia in 1988, and I remember clearly when he was at his peak. This latest pronouncement is actually quite surprising, considering Robertson has been involved in politics all of his life; his father was a US Senator, after all. He should know better -- I just don't get this one.

Boy have I missed you!

It has been right at 13 months since I last posted here, but I am ready to pick up the habit again. Check out the archives for what I usually write about: pop Christianity, music, movies, and books, musings on my faith, and any other place where God intersects with the real world.