This Tuesday, David Kinnaman, president of The Barna Group and co-author of unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity and Why It Matters, will speak on the subjects in his book at First Presbyterian in Chattanooga. Admission is free, but call ahead to aid seating.
All posts by Phil
The Pseudo-Manga Bible
Dogberry Patch points out a new comic book version of the bible–I almost wrote “Holy Scripture” but that would be sacreligious, if not blasphemous, to characterize this book as an actual Bible–which attempts to present the stories in Manga illustrations. Not only does the artwork fail to get very Manga-like, “The narrative reads like the scriptwriter is strip-mining scripture. He bulldozes over details and nuances in the Biblical text to move the plot along.”
I guess I’m not really surprised that the Archbishop of Canterbury approves of it.
Online TV Habits
I don’t watch any TV shows online, though I did catch a Food Network special a few months ago. That was fun and a little difficult; the stream stopped every minutes or so. Usually, I just watch trailers for movies.
Apparently, the research argues, “Women ages 18 to 34 are almost twice as likely to tune into online TV shows as men, and men are more than twice as likely to watch consumer-generated online videos on sites like YouTube.” I wonder what most men are watching on YouTube. I doubt it’s thoughtful independent spots like Tree in the Forest, but perhaps I shouldn’t assume.
Not Always the Point
Sure, you found the body of your employer lodged uncomfortably in the copier and a threat to your co-workers smeared on the wall in toner power. It’d make a powerful story, but sometimes a crime novel isn’t just about the crime.
Writing to See
Anecdotal Evidence has some good writing quotes from John McGahern. “Writing is an instinct. I’d say that I write to see. I suspect that unless there’s a sense of excitement and discovery for the writer, the reader will not have much sense of excitement or discovery either.”
Jesus Would Have Had a Small Church
Today’s Thinklings Quote of the Day lines up with this video post from yesterday. The quote is from A. W. Tozer: “The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are not worthy of Him.” In the post, a pastor reveals his struggle with the challenge Jesus lays before us. He said that a year or two ago he was struggling with his role as a pastor and his intimacy with the Lord. He turned to his wife and said, “If Jesus had a church in Simi Valley, I betcha mine would be bigger.” Because he didn’t challenge his congregation like the Lord challenges us.
What Would You Do?
“Britain’s defense chief decided Friday to immediately pull Prince Harry out of Afghanistan after news of his deployment was leaked on the U.S. Web site the Drudge Report,” according to this morning’s AP report.
The ministry asked the media not to speculate on Harry’s location — or how and when he would return — until he was back in Britain. . . . The ministry deplored the leak by “elements of the foreign media.”
The ministry knew this was a problem, so they had plans for keeping Harry safe. But if you were a newsman with a strong website or paper like The Drudge Report, would you report the prince’s secret location? Do the people have a right to know something like this?
I laughed, I cried
Jared points to the painfully hilarious concept of Jon Arbuckle’s life without Garfield. Help us.
Mark Steyn Threatened by Liberals
Liberalism undermines the freedoms which enable it by opposing those truths which should be self-evident. Case in point: Mark Steyn is being challenged before The Canadian Human Rights Commission for an excerpt from his book, America Alone, printed in the Canadian magazine Maclean’s. The Canadian Islamic Congress didn’t like Steyn’s arguments against Islam and have charged him with hate speech.
Here’s the excerpt. Steyn points out that many other publications have reprinted portions of his book, labeling them “alarmist.” In response, Steyn asks, “So what would it take to alarm you?” If what Steyn has written is over the top, cultural changes or specific acts should rational people be alarmed by?
It’s hard to deliver a wake-up call for a civilization so determined to smother the alarm clock in the soft fluffy pillow of multiculturalism and sleep in for another 10 years. The folks who call my book “alarmist” accept that the Western world is growing more Muslim (Canada’s Muslim population has doubled in the last 10 years), but they deny that this population trend has any significant societal consequences. Sharia mortgages? Sure. Polygamy? Whatever. Honour killings? Well, okay, but only a few.
(via Cranach)
Handel’s Messiah Adapted for Ballet
The Pennsylvania Ballet will be performing The Messiah in dance March 5-9. The ballet has been well-received for several years. “Weiss says Carolina’s performances were sold out for five years running, and a 2003 concert in Hungary played to overwhelmingly enthusiastic crowds,” reports Susan Lewis.