Blogaround

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1. “What Atheists Wish Christians Knew” (posted May 12) "You don't know us better than we know ourselves."

2. Psalm 55- Betrayed (posted May 14) "Instead he starts off the service with a word on the same-sex marriage bill that passed the house last week. ...I hear him start with the disclaimer- that I matter to God... but then it is like I don’t matter to God."

3. Is God's presence limited to Scripture? (posted May 14) "Furthermore, to limit the presence of Jesus to the words of Scripture, as if Christ’s presence is restricted to paper and ink, is to deny the resurrection of all its power. Christ is not merely an historical figure that we read about, a person from the past to whom we make intellectual assent. Christ is alive! Christ is present! Christ is directly accessible to all who believe!"

4. The Afterlife of Cheap Clothes (posted June 2012) "In the rag-cut room, two men were silently pushing T-shirts, dresses, and every other manner of apparel into a compressor that works like the back of a garbage truck, squeezing out neat cubes of rejected clothing that weigh a half ton each." What happens when you donate used clothing.

5. Check Your Privilege Alert: #FitchTheHomeless (posted May 15) "I don’t think that’s particularly empowering to a group of people to know that they’ve been designated at the bottom of the totem pole and even the people that are presumably trying to help them agree with that designation."

6. The Incredible Power of Concentration (posted May 16) Step 1: Watch this video. Step 2: Pick your jaw up off the floor.

7. help or harm? power, intent, & objectification #FitchTheHomeless (posted May 16) "This kind of drive-by 'charity' looks a lot like degradation to me, and I can think of a few things homeless people need more than an Abercrombie tee shirt shoved at them by a stranger with a video camera."

8. Christian denominations and marriage equality: A simple quiz (posted May 16) "1. Does your denomination regard marriage as a sacrament? If 'yes,' see Answer A below."

9. Ask a Recovering Alcoholic...(Response) (posted May 16) "I wish more pastors didn’t still view addiction in primarily moral terms. Yes, addictive behaviors often begin with a moral failing like selfishness or overindulgence. But full-blown addiction involves physiological and psychological components that go beyond sin or even choice. Trying harder, reading the Bible more, or praying more are rarely the solution."