Blogaround

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1. A Reasonable Violence: Why Third Way is the Worst Way (posted July 26) Some good points here, but I'm not sure I can agree with it because of the unchallenged assumption that it's totally not okay for people to hold beliefs that oppose gay marriage. Of course I argue against those who oppose gay marriage, but I get why they believe that and how they really believe they are being loving. I'd like to see more grace for them, though they are epically wrong. But on the other hand, people will argue "screw them- LGBT people are the ones actually being oppressed, we have no patience for taking bigots by the hand and helping them see the truth." So... I'm not sure.

2. A scientist sets an example for the church (posted July 28) "Then I made one fateful decision — I decided to look up who had spoken at the lecture series previously. And, well, it was not what I wanted to see."

3. You guys! I have found THE perfect list to use for all our "how far is too far" questions! Simply indicate whether each item is acceptable for people who are dating, engaged, or married. (Of course, your youth group leaders will tell you that this is totally the WRONG way to go about it- you shouldn't ask "how far is too far", you should focus on honoring Jesus instead.)

Also, I used to think the slippery slope went like this: hand-holding, side-hugging, hugging, kissing, kissing with tongue, sex. You know, you kiss a guy and then next thing you know, you're having sex with him. But geez, check out all the other sexual and non-sexual things on this list. And the fact that the average person would be interested in a bunch of them and also not interested in a bunch of them. Sex isn't something that "just happens" because we all have massive out-of-control animal instincts that overpower us if we happen to make physical contact with a member of the opposite sex.

4. Stories of Demons on the Missions Field (posted July 24) "The kids were always seeing demons in the bathroom, the house, the classroom, the yard, and even the missionary kids who came over, confirmed that there was a demon living in the upstairs bathroom."

5. What’s the Deal with Matthew’s Genealogy? (posted July 19) "After Zerubbabel, Matthew starts improvising with a genealogy of his own invention, apparently drawn from a variety of sources. As we shall see, many of these names are Levite names associated with important priests in the Jewish scriptures, and their use by Matthew establishes Jesus as not only a king of David’s line, but a priest of Aaron’s."

6. On justice vs. ‘righteousness’ (posted July 29) "...it comes as a surprise to discover that though some of those occurrences are translated with grammatical variants on our word 'just,' the great bulk of dik-stem words are translated with grammatical variants on our word 'right.'" Oh my. That's a completely different thing.

7. How Being an Atheist Made Me a Better Christian (posted July 30) "With no savior, atheists must work to address suffering with their own hands. With no heaven or hell, atheists have to savor and enjoy every moment as a gift. I haven't lost that perspective."

8. Ebola Patient Dr. Kent Brantly on Flight From Liberia to Atlanta (posted August 2)

9. The Abortion Ministry of Dr. Willie Parker (posted July 30) "'You are going to slip and break your leg just for a day,' he says. 'And we'll give you a note that won't say abortion clinic on it.'"