called to stand here

I'm reading through Job again in my regular devotions, and have been struck with a new concept of the overall meaning of the structure of the book--who Job's friends are, and  what their arguments symbolize. Job's three friends in the first half off the book are like the Hebrews/Israelites/Jews: they respond to Job's plight with a  narrow interpretation that doesn't appear to have room for the complexities of a just, sovereign and merciful God who does things that we in our limited perspective can't rationalize: how can God be in control and allow Satan to cause the pain he inflicts on Job's fortune and family first, and then on Job's flesh? But he does. And without relinquishing his justice, sovereignty and lovingkindness, God does this terrible thing to Job, just as he does it to Jesus later. The mysterious fourth friend, Elihu (who God ignores at the end of the book, unlike the other three), has a slightly different perspective than his elders. I'...

comments on the article from previous post The term pro-abortion doesn't seem to me that big an offense, but some people get very upset when they encounter it. In my opinion, the term pro-choice is a euphemism that tries to avoid the meaning of the position it defines: one who advocates for the legality and availability of abortions. I would reasonably rephrase this to say that an abortion advocate is pro-abortion. Why is the use of this term tantamount to slander? How can that be? Isn't that just the simple meaning of the words? I know they come to have other meanings imposed and implied, but the normative meaning is unambiguous. Unfortunately, in a politically correct environment, this tension establishes the tone of political discourse. But for me, that isn't the real point of the article. The author's goal is to shatter the notion that a pro-life adherent can support Obama's candidacy and be consistent. So then, if a person supports Obama's candidacy, he...

I just got a forward that I'm not going to pass along. But through it I did stumble across an interesting article that I would like to submit for your consideration. It defines Barack Obama's position on abortion in a very compelling way. It's written by a fellow of the Witherspoon Institute at Princeton, and I'm interested in your thoughts if you want to reply. I know that this issue isn't the only one. And I'm not telling anyone they should vote for McCain; that's their choice, based on their research, based on their values/priorities. (And I have issues with him, I must admit; we don't just have two alternatives, do we?!?) But this issue is one that will always be critical for me.

posted yesterday: http://mediatedcultures.net/ ksudigg/?p=179 it's news. is it good?

The church my family attends numbers 600. In our small city, it's one of the larger, although not the largest, in the area. I've been to some of the big churches in the Twin Cities, and I'm not drawn to leave our smaller fellowship. The whole concept of a megachurch makes me leery. Now I've learned about some new evidence that the forces that come together in a megachurch make it susceptible for new versions of old errors. A recent article in a Wharton School of Management publication explores the new phenomenon of product partnerships with megachurches . I'm still thinking about it, but my first impression is that the church's role is to comment on society and provide standards for it's members, helping guide them in moral and practical choices to better reflect the love, justice, and righteousness of our God. Anything else smacks of profiteering. If advice from the pulpit begins to include recommendations on which brand of car to drive, which style of sho...

Two young men were sitting outside on the ground 20+ feet away from their residence hall exit on this beautiful autumn afternoon. They casually passed each other the business end of the hookah they were sharing, looking for all the world like their indulgence was the most mundane, average, typical event taking place at this quiet little university that is looking forward to announcing a homecoming king and queen tomorrow. I'm feeling like the foreigner here. These two defied my reaction that they were doing something odd or unusual. I've heard that this is becoming a trend , and now I've seen it with my own eyes. After a dozen or a hundred sightings, I'm sure I won't give it a second thought. The United States has a long history of adopting diverse cultural phenomena and making them its own. It's a good thing the guys were sitting more than 15 feet from their door--the new smoking policy went into effect last month.

Last week I got a phone call from someone who identified herself as a Republican seeking my donation to her party. I told her I hate political parties and choose to vote for individuals rather than party tickets. She asked, "What if the Democrats win?" Evil can come from either side of the fence. Our Republican brethren are self righteous in some categories, and our Democratic brethren self righteous in others. Each is wrong on several planks of their platform, in my opinion. The Republicans are, however, the only major political party that gets my "yes" on the their stand on abortion . They're also right on the marriage and family issues, for the most part. And the Democrats are unfortunately the advocates of a social reengineering effort that I think is misguided and destructive. These efforts aren't mentioned on their website , for some reason. Alexis de Tocqueville said "There are many men of principle in both parties in America, but there is no pa...