Category Archives: faith
The Not-So-Strange Case of Obama’s Jekyll and Hyde Presidency
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?
[TELEGRAM] When Temptation Taps You On The Shoulder
“We nurture the intensities of joy not by seeking new pleasures, but by practicing an old obedience.” -Eugene Peterson
The Conclusion of the Heartbreak Series: Saying Goodbye
Photo Credit: 2008 christopherleonard/flickr. Use does not represent endorsement by the photographer.
They say grief is a journey, and I’m ready to agree with that. It has been a long one for me. They say every journey has a destination. That’s true as well. The time has come for this journey to end. I have to say goodbye to the baby I lost to a miscarriage, and let go of this heartbreak once and for all.
Dare to be Multifaceted. Love Will Surely Lead You Into Rough Terrain
Photo credit: 2010 Kyknoord/flickr. Use does not represent endorsement by the photographer.
Loudmouth pastors and politicians land in the headlines for spewing bigoted drivel. This is nothing new. Having spent three decades so far in the church and a few years now in the Christian blogging community, I have observed a response to this which looks something like a pressure Christians feel to over-correct by being stoic, neutral, and balanced above all. It is a virtue that makes partial sense. Many Christians are dedicated to becoming slower to speak, more patient, and to moving with discernment, distinguishing one kingdom from another. God bless them for doing so. But this too can become a crutch.
In this conundrum, only those who strike first get away with it, while the charge of slander and that dreaded label of divisiveness is so often falsely assigned by some Christians to others who only point out the ignorance. Turning to attack checks and balances while tolerating the hate of a public few is a cultish maneuver, and an unfair disadvantage for the compassionate and concerned among us. Perhaps these are reasons why Christians at times choose to moderate the national debate rather than taking a stand. But public ignorance and bigotry matter, because they are the primary drivers of the broken status quo.
No Separation of Church and State, Say Conservatives (Except on Health Care, Food, and Other Jesusy Things Like Peace)
Photo credit: 2007 Marc Nozell/flickr. Use does not represent endorsement by the photographer.
In my experience, conservatives are the ones who insist there should be no separation of church and state. While on the campaign trail, Rick Santorum told America that the idea of such a separation makes him want to vomit. So I guess he’s against it. Conservatives respond to the culture war by asserting that we’re a Christian nation with the can’t-miss implication that our government (when not highjacked by liberals) is godly, founded by Christian men, with laws and freedoms based on Judeo-Christian principle. I know these positions well, having grown up in conservative circles.
But when it comes time for the government to act in ways congruent with Christianity, like feeding the hungry (food stamps) or caring for the sick (health care), conservatives grimace, play the small government and personal responsibility card, and argue that we can’t have government in the role of the church. So which is it?
The Death Penalty is My Biggest Spiritual Struggle
A lethal injection chamber. Photo credit: 2009 T Woodard/flickr. Usage does not represent endorsement by the photographer.
“An eye for an eye.” It is one of the earliest forms of justice we know of. You hurt someone? You, in turn, get hurt back. A kill for a kill. It seems fair, right? But then Jesus makes his entrance into this world. We no longer have to pay for our sins with our own lives. Now the “He who is without sin, cast the first stone” line of thinking comes into play. Forgiveness enters our world and with that I find myself engulfed in the biggest intellectual struggle.
As Christians, are we to be for or against the death penalty? Here is where my battle begins.
Interview with Author Donald Miller and Director Steve Taylor: On the ‘Blue Like Jazz’ Production Process, On-Set Surprises, and Misunderstanding God
Donald Miller (left) and Steve Taylor. Photo credit: 2012 Ian Ebright | The Broken Telegraph
My conversation continues and concludes with screenwriter Donald Miller and director Steve Taylor about their new film adaptation of Miller’s New York Times bestselling book ’Blue Like Jazz.’ The film opens in theaters April 13th. If you missed it, click here for the first part of this interview.
The Resurrection of the Heart by Way of the Cross
Photo credit: 2008 fa73/flickr. Usage does not represent endorsement by the photographer.
It can almost feel like there’s nothing left to say about the cross and resurrection of Christ, but that in itself is saying something. In being so captivated, humankind has pondered this story, exploring the events with great detail for 2,000 years. Even those who deny the resurrection happened or doubt it mattered are interested and often invested in the debate. The power of the cross does not rely on the pageantry of an Easter service (or a blog post). I wonder if this points to our universal need to be truly known, rescued, loved, changed, and accepted. We all long to discover the deepest meaning, and try to capture that elusive sense of completion.
Interview with Author Donald Miller and Director Steve Taylor: On ‘Blue Like Jazz,’ Christian Movies, and This Film’s Controversy
Donald Miller (left) and Steve Taylor. Photo credit: 2012 Ian Ebright | The Broken Telegraph
I get a call from Donald Miller’s tour manager Jim Chaffee as I’m turning into the parking lot at the Southcenter Mall, a complex located about 10 minutes south of Seattle if you take the interstate, hence the name Southcenter. The theater won’t let us in ahead of the screening so we’ll have to do the interview somewhere else. Chaffee thinks Starbucks, maybe. “I’ll go get Don, he’s in the car,” Chaffee says as I close my outdated flip phone. Why is Miller, a New York Times Bestselling author on tour to begin with, and at a theater of all places?
His second book ‘Blue Like Jazz,’ a collection of essays on faith and doubt published in 2003, went on to sell over a million copies, propelling the author into the national spotlight. Miller’s ’A Million Miles in a Thousand Years’ arrived in 2009 and documented the unlikely journey of adapting ‘Jazz’ into a film, with musician-turned-director Steve Taylor and Ben Pearson pursuing the author to write the screenplay as a threesome. As for ‘Blue Like Jazz,’ it’s one of those works so often mentioned by young evangelicals as the spark that re-ignited their faith after years of dismay and an upbringing in religious fundamentalism. Miller and Taylor have been on a tour bus for weeks, taking the film around the country to screen ‘Blue Like Jazz’ before it opens April 13, and tonight their stop is Seattle.
The Thing That Is Higher Than the Evolution vs. Creationism Debate
Photo credit: 2009 Christoph Rupprecht/flickr. Usage does not represent endorsement by the photographer.
In the red corner we have the creationists: Ken Ham with his Creation Museum, Ray Comfort and his nightmarish banana (complete with unavoidable innuendos), and Kent Hovind. In the blue corner are the evolutionists: Francis Collins and his trusty genome mapping, John Medina with those delightful oratory skills, and the always articulate Alister McGrath. Kirk Cameron is cheering those in the red corner while Richard Dawkins hollers in support of the blue corner. No wait, it looks like Dawkins is getting up and walking out. He looks confused. Apparently he’s in the wrong arena.
It’s a fight to the finish between the faithful. Now why are we fighting?
Ian Ebright on When Christian Blogging is a Popularity Contest (and Other Snares to...
Ken Hagerman on When Christian Blogging is a Popularity Contest (and Other Snares to...
Jim Fisher on The Conclusion of the Heartbreak Series: Saying Goodbye
Yoga Rani on Why, as a Christian, I’m Not Joining the Fight Against Gay...
Beth on [TELEGRAM] When Temptation Taps You On The Shoulder
Tiffany Lucus on The Conclusion of the Heartbreak Series: Saying Goodbye