The Super Bowl Half-time Show and All the Wonderful Things Taking Place Under Trump

Lately I've heard repeated references to how things are looking up and how we as Christians are obviously thankful for all the wonderful things that have taken place with Trump in office.

Flag and Cross

Does no one understand that you can't stand for the flag and kneel for the cross at the same time?

If we assume (for the sake of argument this dumb pairing that adorns hats, t-shirts, car bumpers etc.) - then I suggest we put it to them and turn their boast into a dilemma. You cannot have it both ways. The two kingdoms are antithetical with different goals and values.

A Mega-Church Mess

https://www.christianpost.com/news/lawsuit-against-david-platts-megachurch-revived-by-appeals-court.html

This sort of article leaves one exasperated. Where to begin?

Charging Admission for Worship

It's one thing for Christian musicians to compose works that are informed or influenced by the faith and the ideas associated with it. But when such music is labeled 'Christian' then several important lines are blurred. It becomes a form of 'sacred' music in the minds of many and as such its performance can be associated with worship.

A Couple of Quick Reflections on the Death of a Rock Singer

In the grand scheme of things the death of rock singer Meat Loaf (Marvin Aday) is hardly important. The news brought back some memories of school years and learning he was an anti-vax proponent I immediately thought of the joke that is certain to circulate – that he would do anything for love but he wouldn't do that (get a vaccine).

On a more serious note, a couple of quick reflections...

The Den of Iniquity

Recently I encountered an episode of The Wonder Years, a television show that was on in the late 1980's and early 1990's. To be honest I didn't watch it much at the time and in subsequent years my feelings about it are mixed. On the one hand it is both a humorous and reflective period piece that has some occasional value. On the other hand its humour is often out of bounds and reveling in Middle Class Americana is not exactly my cup of tea.

That said what struck me the other night was a shift in culture and a profound one at that. In the episode the Arnold family's daughter Karen has (while away at college) moved in with a boyfriend and the episode is about how this comes to light and the reaction on the part of the family.

False and Dangerous Coverage Surrounding the INF

I have listened to several reports dealing with the US withdrawal from the INF, or Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty which was signed by Reagan and Gorbachev in 1987.

Almost all the reports I've heard give only the US side of the story and buttress Washington's claims that Russia is in violation of the treaty and thus since it has been rendered practically obsolete, the US withdrawal only reflects the on-the-ground reality and will afford Washington the legal cover for further production of intermediate range weapons. Russia is clearly made out to be the villain.

But this hardly the whole story.

The Smartphone Generation

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/

Some of you will have already read this article from The Atlantic. Written by an unbeliever and full of worldly and thus flawed wisdom it is nevertheless worthwhile.

Musings on the Nobel Prize and Selling Out

It was a big news story and something of a shocker. Bob Dylan receives the Nobel Prize for Literature? While at first the Nobel committee was surprised and insulted by Bob Dylan's silence he came around... sort of.

The World Celebrates Sin: When Celebrities Die

They think it strange that you do not run with them in the same in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. (1 Peter 4.4)

Bloodsport, Profits and Social Ethics

Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao, a professing Christian made disparaging comments about homosexuals. While correct, I find these public declarations are sometimes less than helpful.

A Tool for Twits

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitter-results-idUSKCN0VJ2K1

It will be a wonderful thing to see Twitter collapse. It has been a disaster for society, for communication and for people's attention spans. Communication is no longer effective when reduced to little blurbs. While I'm not a prig when it comes to spelling, there's no doubt Twitter has in general contributed to its decline.

Imagine No Hypocrisy in Times Square

It's always striking to me when watching the Times Square revelry on New Year's Eve... we usually tune in with the kids about 10 minutes before the ball drops... as the chosen singer of the year croons 'Imagine' that the whole display is little more than an exercise in schizophrenia.

'Imagine', the hymn of a lost world trying to extract meaning from despair, represents some kind of Materialist ideal that no one in the crowd really believes, let alone the person singing it.