The Table is the Microcosm of a Practical Faith
by Jeremy John Sunday, May 20th, 2012
My generation is a practical generation, and I am challenged by my faith to be a practical person. Don’t get me wrong: I love all verbal and theological things: story, theology, politics, and history, perhaps even inordinately.
But I believe in places. I believe that relationships, rooted in love, transform us. And it just so happens that most lasting human relationships are formed around the table.
In the Eucharist, the ordinary is made sacred. The original Eucharist tradition as recorded in the book of Acts and later Paul was a feast that united people of all incomes and races in a common purpose.
Dear Class of 2012
by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove Saturday, May 19th, 2012
The weather was kind this year as SUV’s with license plates from New York and Massachusetts started showing up around town, driving slowly with their turn signals on, trying desperately not to look lost. The sun shone bright and the humidity staid low and the local restaurants were packed with mothers in sun dresses, hugging their children, saying that they couldn’t think of a better gift than seeing their child graduate from college. Such is Mother’s Day in this college town where we have not one university, but two. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to try to get a room.
But if advice is what you’re looking for, this is the place to be. Our local newspaper was full both Saturday and Sunday of words of wisdom from politicians and civil rights leaders, TV personalities and even the First Lady, all weighing in with one last word for these young folks who’re wrapping up their education to head out into the great wide world of work and family, avocations and citizenship.
The Not-So-Strange Case of Obama’s Jekyll and Hyde Presidency
by Ian Ebright Friday, May 18th, 2012
- Photo credit: 2008 Wally Gobetz/flickr. Use does not represent endorsement by the photographer.
Barack Obama’s presidency suffers from something of a split personality. It is a confounding cocktail of genuine progress and draconian policy. So what does that mean for concerned citizens, thoughtful activists, and people of faith?
Since I’ve got 1,000 words or so per post, I’m going to focus on the more significant achievements and problems. You can disagree with me in the comment section about the things that should have made my list or those I should have omitted, but please don’t miss the point.
The Obama Administration as Dr. Jekyll:
10 Skills Required for Intercultural Transformation
by Marty Troyer Thursday, May 17th, 2012
Last week I wrote about Undoing Houston’s Racism, including my own silence when violence was jokingly threatened against people of color. There I said that, “Racism, antipathy and alienation between different cultural groups stand in the way of Christ’s kingdom of love, justice and peace.”
But I also promised to move beyond undoing racism to advance a Jesus-centered response: Intercultural Transformation. I believe God’s mission in Houston includes pursuing racial justice, and that we’re invited to participate in creating a city of holistic shalom and peace in all ways.
So today I want you to meet a pioneer in racial competency: Saint Peter, whose story of intercultural conversion is told in Acts 10-11. Typical of Christians in his day, Peter misunderstood racism and his role in it, until he had a powerful vision from God. His story reveals 10 Skills Required for Intercultural Transformation:
“So, you speak in tongues?” What one Comedian doesn’t get about Pentecostalism
by Jacqueline Grey Wednesday, May 16th, 2012
“So, you speak in tongues?” This was the first question John Safran, one of Australia’s leading comedian-provocateurs, asked a young Christian peace-activist and preacher. Why?
The conception of Pentecostalism embedded in the imagination of Australian media is that of a weird, fringe movement within Christianity. Moreover, Pentecostals have long been stigmatized as a “tongues-speaking” group (whatever that means) that occasionally produces spectacularly immoral tele-evangelists.
I’m Done Dating Jesus Online
by Kurt Willems Tuesday, May 15th, 2012
- © 2010 Sammis Reachers , Flickr | creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
Maybe you’ve seen the commercials for the various online dating sites. The latest claim is that 1 in 5 relationships begin on an online hook-up hub. Those stats seem exaggerated at best, but that doesn’t negate the fact that I can think of at least 2 different friends who are now married because of a dating relationship that began online.
If a relationship begins on the web, for it to authentically lead to a “real” romance, incarnated flames must eventually test disembodied sparks of interest. You can’t get married on the internet.
Over the past few years, I’ve become a social media guy. I’m on Facebook, Twitter, and websites almost every day. At times, I spend hours interacting with others and producing web-content about Jesus. This sort of engagement stimulates my mind and pushes me to explore the intricacies of Christianity within Western culture. The internet is a gift to my faith.
