Multi-Media Monday

Melissa Etheridge: Rick Warren doesn't "sound like a gay-hater, much less a preacher." (The Huffington Post)

That's because Rick Warren is not a gay-hater. Nor are most Christians, if you want to know the truth. Most people, however, don't want to know the truth about Christians. It's too easy to simply buy into every stereotype about us that you can find. And, trust me, you can find plenty.


See, mass media will tell you we hate gays, African-Americans, unwed mothers, illegal aliens, etc. And you thought Christians are hypocrites (we are, of course...just no more than anyone else.) The irony would be hilarious if it weren't so pathetically sad. Christians are accused of using stereotypes to push an agenda of hatred and fear. Yet, many times, the opposite is true. Our society has become so blatant in its perpetuation of stereotypes against Evangelicals that we don't even realize it's happening. We are the only socio-cultural group of whom it is socially acceptable to hate. Christians are seen as bigoted, intolerant and quick to judge. Sadly, many high-profile Evangelical leaders have said hurtful things (I'm looking at you, Pat Robertson), and those incidents have painted all of us with a very broad brush. The irony is that it's the same brush used to portray all homosexuals as pedophiles, predators and perverts. Are some homosexuals pedophiles, predators and perverts? You bet they are...just as you can bet there are Christians who are bigoted, intolerant and quick to judge. 


Christianity vs. Universalism (YouTube)

I get so stinkin' tired of universalist philosophy. It's so disingenuous...at best. At worst, it's a coward's way out. It's essentially saying "I don't have the stones to stand behind my own convictions, so I'll just hold hands with everyone, tap my red shoes together three times while singing 'Kumbaya, My Lord' and hope for the best. That's not hope.


"For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."




Dante's Inferno (YouTube)

Disclaimer: I don't believe in purgatory, nor do I think Mr. Alighieri had the whole "hell thing" figured out. His Divine Comedy was just that: a work of poetic fiction. It's just that this animated movie version of "Inferno" looks really, really cool.


(It's sad, isn't it, that I have to put a disclaimer before posting this. Trust me. If I don't, some uber-legalist Christian will get all pissy with me for promoting something that's not in the King James Version of the Bible. So, just chill...)




Calvinism vs. Arminianism (YouTube)


And, finally, here's one for all of you armchair theologians out there.

Link day Wednesday

Theologica
I've tried a few Christian-based SOCNETs, and haven't been all that thrilled with them. GodTube is OK, HisHolySpace is terrible...you get the point. Theologica? It's still early--there are just 700+ members--but signs are very, very promising. How effective could Christians be with Internet evangelism if they pool their collective resources in one central place? What would such a place look like? Will the collection of different denominations and theological positions that are unavoidable in such a space prevent any real unified evangelistic effort?

Make Your Own Bush Speech
As the modern philosopher Larry the Cable Guy says, "I don't care who you are. That's funny right there." Indeed it is, Larry. Indeed it is.

Smells Like Holy Spirit
Louisville, Kentucky-based Sojourn Church (part of the Mars Hill Church-founded Acts 29 network) came under fire recently for what was seen as intolerant views toward homosexuals. Take a look at this story...was the church unfairly portrayed? Why or why not? Then, read the church's response. Do you like the way they handled the criticism? Did they sound like they were capitulating? How did you take their response?

To the Skater Kid Who Asked to Borrow my Cell Phone
Ran across this blog post from Twitter. It's just a great little story about faith, sharing it and how that can sometimes get messy. Do you have a similar story? What is your greatest witnessing success? What is your biggest failure?

One of Earth's Final Undiscovered People
Is it really possible that there is an undiscovered culture? Apparently so. Anthropologists have reported aerial photographs of one of the last unknown tribes in the world. These people live in the rainforest along the border region between Peru and Brazil. It begs the question: without contact with the outside world, how will these people be judged by God? From where will they find--or reject--redemption? Scripture is not silent on these matters, of course. But what is your doctrinal position on such a complex issue?
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

Two great links for a Thursday...

As always, Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest is fantastic today. But today's spoke to me in a very special way.

(By the way...if you are reading this on a day other than Thursday, June 5, know that RBC Ministries updates the URL each day to reflect that day's devo. So, if you want to read the specific devo I mentioned, you'll have to go through archives to find the right one. But, really, you can't go wrong with Oswald Chambers. Any day is a good one. IN fact, you should just buy a copy for your personal use if you haven't already.)

Also, I came across this blog, which is promoting a summer New Testament reading plan. Not a bad idea. Print the PDF, stick it in your favorite reading Bible and go for it.

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

Twitter Links for a Wednesday

The theme of this week's links? I discovered these through networking on Twitter.

We The Church
Super, super cool new web portal. It's very Web 2.0, very Twitter-esque. And, best of all, it's one of the first social media portals specifically designed for the Body of Christ. Chad Wright's the guy behind it, and if you're hip to Twitter you can catch up with him at Twitter.com/chadwright. He's a pastor at Legacy Fellowship in Cedar Park, Texas.

The Path of Redemption
The blog of someone I follow on Twitter. OK, so I haven't read it much (I should if I'm recommending it), but his posts on Twitter are solid.

Gods Atheists Don't Believe In
I think this was meant as a pro-atheism link, but when I read it I found that it strengthened me at that moment to know I share a faith with so many others while there are many more who aren't aware of my God and only lump Him in with the thousands of others. (Note: Make sure you click on the picture to the far right, or you won't understand the site. You'll see what I mean.)

Avoid Any Hint...
And yet another guy I follow on Twitter. This is phenomenal stuff from a pure heart and many of us in this post-modern, anything goes culture would do well to heed its old-school advice.

Strangers Bring Us Closer to God
Just a great, small story that shows how service to others can inform our interaction with The Father. I'm interested to read her book now.

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

Manic Monday

CandidChristian.com ... helping people put off work since 2006. Yes, that's right--time for some links.

Major Religions Ranked by Number of Adherents
Did you know there are more followers of Rastafarianism in the United States than there are Scientologists? Me neither.

Early Christian Writings
Apocrypha, Gnostic gospels, writings from Ptolemy and Marcus Aurelius. We're not talking about the Word of God, but it's interesting enough.

Metaphysics
I loved philosophy class in college ... I just wish my mind worked that way and I could pontificate on humanity's great questions. Glad there are people to do it for me.

I Am a Zombie Filled with Love
Bizarre story. Why did I think it was great? (Spoiler: this is much, much more than a story about a zombie falling in love...if you think that's all it is, you're missing something.)

The Brick Testament
God's Word ... told in Legos.

Fun with Legos
Two Lego links in one post?

Have a great week. Talk to you soon.

I welcome all comments. E-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

Links, links and more links

If you're not on StumbleUpon, either A) you've never heard of it, or B) there's something seriously, seriously wrong with you.

So, I will neither explain the site nor argue its merits but will simply offer you a sampling of some of the fantastic Web sites I've "stumbled upon" while using Stumble Upon.

Confused yet? Don't worry about it...just check out these cool sites, just in time for Friday. Sorry if I just ruined your productivity. After all, Friday+cool Web sites=an utter and complete loss of productivity. Good thing "sloth" was Thomas Aquinas' hangup, not God's.

On to the links!

One Sentence
Really good writers can tell a story in one sentence. These are really good writers. (Now I'm depressed because it takes me 1,200 words to tell a good story. I'll just move on now before I start crying.)

George Bush's Inbox
This is pretty funny, unless you have Hotmail. Then it's it's very funny.

Religion and Sexual Ethics
I found this somewhat interesting.

Their Circular Life
I don't know what else to call this site but cool. It's just very, very cool.

Mr. Picasso Head
Ever wondered what it would feel like to create priceless works of art? Sorry, this won't do that. But it's the next best thing.

Cannot Find...
Before you chalk this up as a broken link, look very, very carefully. (Much more carefully, it turns out, than whoever said there were WMD in Iraq)

Maps of War
History buff, are you? I'd like to introduce you to heaven...

Well, that should keep you occupied...for a little while anyway.

Grace and Peace...

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Notable Posts

Thanks for visiting CandidChristian.com. I started the ministry in 2006 for one reason: to tell people about Jesus Christ. I do this the only way I know how: by sharing my own experiences with Him. Here, you'll find personal stories, political commentary, news items, links, videos, pictures. The common denominator is the same: it's all about Jesus.

Since joining the vast blogosphere in 2006, I've posted items that have generated a certain level of interest among the people who visit the site from time to time. What you'll find here, then, is a list of those posts that are either ones I personally enjoy or that others have either liked--or took exception with. I hope you'll take a look, and it's my prayer that through what you read you'll learn just a little bit more about my Jesus.

• The Calm in the Storm (posted May 1, 2006)
• Learning to Walk (posted May 16, 2006)
• Knowing the Truth (posted June 23, 2006)
• The Fear of Nothing (posted July 26, 2006)
• A Sad Reminder (posted July 13, 2006)
• Christ in the Clutch (posted August 25, 2006)
• Intercession (posted November 9, 2006)
• Why Some Atheists Make Good Sense (November 17, 2006)
• Under the Fig Tree (December 22, 2006)
• The Greatest Underdog Story of All Time (Decmber 22, 2006)
• The Digital Church (January 20, 2007)
• Heaven? Uh, no Thanks (April 21, 2007)
• At Home in a House Church (May 8, 2007)
• Simple Moments (May 14, 2007)
• I Hate People (May 17, 2007)
• Postcards from the Wilderness (May 29, 2007)
• Bring the Rain...and the Pain (August 23, 2007)
• Prodigal (October 2, 2007)
• Victory...Over Everything? (October 15, 2007)
• Was Jesus a Feminist? (October 18, 2007)
• I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (October 24, 2007)
• The Scary Thing About Halloween (October 31, 2007)
• Happy Holidays? (November 29, 2007)
• WWJT, or What Would Jesus Twitter? (February 5, 2008)
• The Trans-Gender Movement: The Debate (February 25, 2008)
• The Emerging Church (March 3, 2008)
• The Passion of the Christ: A Running Diary (March 23, 2008)
• The Nature of Human Rights Violations (March 31, 2008)
• I Am Not a Good Person (April 19, 2008)
• Earth Day and Baptists (April 22, 2008)
• A New Stereotype of West Virginia Christians (June 20, 2008)