Boredom & contemplation: A Boredom Revolution
“[James] Alison is making the argument that the world tends to function as a Nuremberg rally where everything around us–from political discourse to advertising to social media–is trying to whip us up into a frenzy. A frenzy that, more often than not, is directed against others. Cable news, talk radio and political blogging are basically a Nuremberg rally, an attempt to anger us and excite us with propaganda. In the face of all this excitement and frenzy Christian worship, according to Alison, should function as a sort of counter-propaganda, a place where we can become unexcited. Where others are whipped into an anxious or angry frenzy Christians should be bored.”
Church hopping: Church Hopping
“What’s driving this? For some, it’s simply the consumer mindset of our culture at work. .. For some, it’s insecurity. … For some, it’s spiritual gluttony. … For some, it’s refusing accountability. … For some, it’s avoiding stewardship. … For some, it’s emotional immaturity. … In truth, there can be times to not simply hop, but leap. … But for the typical hopper, it’s not time for self-justification, but loving admonishment.”
Gun control: The Waiting is Over
“What we need is a balance between the right to bear arms and the right to live in safety.”
Hatred & violence: Violence, the Bible, and the Sikh Temple
“We instinctually know violent murder is wrong, but besides our instincts, there is a real reason: if we violate the image of God we are violating God. Human identity comes from being made in the image of God. Human dignity is an unalterable truth because we are made in the image of God. Reverence for God compels us to respect our fellow human beings. Reverence and respect. Those two principles keep us on track in life. And respect for people because they are made in the image of God not only makes murder wrong, but hatred of every kind.”
Passion: The Untapped Secret of Creating Passion
“Just imagine possibilities.”
Productivity: Stop Beating Yourself Up; You Can Be Productive Without Feeling Guilty
” … no productivity system should be set in stone. Don’t feel so bad about not getting enough stuff done. Eat well, sleep well, say NO more often and try your best. Remember you can always make a small change in your system and try again tomorrow.”
Space exploration: * Should Christians Care About Space Exploration?; * Thank You, Space! How NASA Tech Makes Life Better on Earth; *Why Mars Matters
“… if our purpose is to love and serve the Lord, what need do we have of space exploration? Why bother sending rovers to Mars when there are children to be fed, diseases to be fought, and souls to be saved right here on Earth?”
“What do US citizens get from our space agency, NASA? The short answer is: quite a lot. Let’s take a look at where NASA funding–at present, less than 0.5% of the US federal budget–shows up in our daily lives, and beyond.”
Words: * Passive-Aggressive Postures & the American Middle Class by Tim Gombis [required reading]; * Do Evangelicals Pray Passive-Aggressively? * Words: No Shirt, No Shoes, No Signature … No Way [required reading]; * How To Speak The Truth in Love
* ” … the dominant mode of communication for middle class people is indirect speech. We cannot bring ourselves to speak plainly and directly about relationships, what we would like, what we want, or how we’re feeling. … Speaking this way is subtly manipulative and often leads to disappointment and anger when things don’t work out the way we’d like. Further, indirect speech frustrates other people who are in the position of never quite knowing whether they’ve done what is expected. … American evangelicalism, which is largely made up of white middle-class suburbanites, is part of this middle-class culture, and in evangelical churches, this seemingly polite mode of discourse predominates.”
* “Do evangelical Christians pray passive-aggressively? It certainly seems that we sometimes pray manipulatively, use hedging speech, and say things we don’t really mean, but do passive-aggressive relational strategies ever manifest themselves when we pray? If so, how?”
* “Anonymous comments have almost no value and almost no place in a free society. … we are responsible for our words. We are challenged to take responsibility for the powerful words that fall from our lips and keyboards.”
* “… if our motivations are truly loving, shouldn’t it seem like love? Shouldn’t an impartial observer be able to look at our actions, hear our words, and easily discern that what we’ve done is loving?”
