The 23rd Digest: A Bicolonation of David
I need Him, I am content
I drink up, I sleep deep
I am mended, I am upright
I see shadows, I fear not
I grip firm, I walk easy
I have food, I have foes
I am soaked, I am sated
I know mercy, I came home
Category Archives: Faith
Badly Broken: Walter White and the Corrosive Effects of Sin
Badly Broken: Walter White and the Corrosive Effects of Sin
Badly Broken: Walter White and the Corrosive Effects of Sin
by Chris McCirney and Daniel Lee
A great article about a televised story of how sin starts small and eats away at us. Also, spoilers alert.
“With each calcified deposit, what starts off as an instinct to provide for his family mutates into a monstrous obsession to preserve the empire that Walt has established with his own two hands. Walt has been so engulfed by the darkness that he is no longer fully human. And that’s because sin is a force that refuses to let up; like gravity, it relentlessly pulls us inward into itself. As Walt himself says, ‘If you believe that there’s a hell . . . we’re already pretty much going there. But I’m not gonna lie down until I get there” (from episode 5.07, “Say My Name”).'”
My Baby Says “ByeBye” After We Go
My son learned to say “byebye” a few months ago. Learned how to wave before he learned to say “byebye”, actually. It wasn’t long before we noticed that he would wait to say “byebye” to people.
Why We Like Duck Dynasty, and Why We Need More TV Like It
It’s a family reality show that should not have happened, according to probability. It would be hard sell, you see: A show about a duck call warehouse—no. A show about a family that wears camo and beards all the time—no. A show about a family that celebrates their faith and eats good food—no. Producers might give such a family a 20-minute spot on some show about America’s unique families. They look like Tolkien characters given rifles and Southern accents. And yet someone saw the potential in giving the Robertson clan their own show.
Donald Miller Tries Out Book Titles
Donald Miller tries to come up with the perfect title for his new book.
Christian Peacemaking Teams: An alternative to joining the military
Christian Peacemaking Teams: An alternative to joining the military
Are you a Christian who has been offered a deal to join the military in your country?
One of the alternatives that exists is Christian Peacemaking Teams (CPT), an organization that calls for active, non-violent peacemaking action.
Among the work done by CPT are peaceful demonstrations, inter-army dialogues, supporting communities whose existence is in danger, and training for people in violent zones in alternatives to warfare as a way of solving problems.
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Abstaining from the “Appearance” of Evil
Christians may hear from time to time the admonishment to “abstain from all appearances of evil“.
What you hear is a quotation of a passage from Paul’s first letter to Thessalonica (1 Thess. 5:22). Only, we usually hear a misquote of sorts, or rather a misuse of a quote.
“Abstain from all appearances of evil” is the most commonly used quotation of the passage, from the King James Bible. Many people shoot off this quote as if it were some sort of proof to Christians that they should not do something because it “looks bad” to others.
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Twitter and Little Birdies
“A little birdie told me…”
Heard that colloquialism before?
Nobody knows exactly where this phrase comes from but I heard it through the grapevine that the oldest and most likely source is Ecclesiastes 10:20.
“Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird in the sky may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say.”
Or it could just be a reference to carrier pigeons. Perhaps Solomon (or whoever wrote the wisdom he collected) was also thinking of carrier pigeons. Or parrots. Solomon acquired a lot of exotic things. Maybe parrots also.
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J Marshall on Elder Qualifications: Checklist? Or Portrait?
Jeremy Marshall asks us how we treat the “elder qualifications” passage in Titus and what kind of leaders we appoint as a result.
via Re-thinking the “qualifications” of elders: Thoughts on Titus 1.6-9 and elsewhere.
- The husband of one wife. This means that he has to be a dude, first. Beyond that, we tend to quibble over the meaning of “the husband of one wife.” Does this mean not divorced? Not divorced and remarried? Not polygamous? If his wife dies, he has to quit being an elder? If he was widowed and then remarried, does this “disqualify” him? But assuming that it is a dude and the particular church has a working definition of “husband of one wife,” they move on to the next checkmark.
- Having children that believe, who are not accused of riot or unruly. In practice this typically means that all his young ‘uns are baptized and aren’t as bad heathens as the preacher’s kids. Unless of course you’re “installing” your preacher as an elder.
- Not self-willed. This one seems to conflict too much with American boot-strapsism, so we sort of nod and chuckle and check this one off with our fingers crossed behind our backs, which is typically a source of grief and strife later on.
- No brawler, no striker … a lover of good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled. We tend to lump these all together into one category. Assuming Joe Bob meets qualifications 1 and 2 and hasn’t been in a fistfight since at least the early 1980s, and he’s a pretty good old boy, we’ll go ahead and give him a pass here, too.
- Not greedy of filthy lucre. But it helps if he is a successful businessman.
- Given to hospitality. Is he apt to throw a good barbecue? Does his wife serve a mean casserole? Hospitality so defined is generally treated as a plus rather than a necessity. Check.
- Holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that he may be able to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict the gainsayers. In practice this often means that he is capable of conducting a Bible class with Gospel Advocate Quarterlies.
I Still Have the Same Advice as I Did Graduating FHU
When I graduated college for the first time I made a list of advice for people attending or graduating from Freedom Hardly Man. This advice could also apply to other Christian schools, and even any other university to a degree. After 5 years away, I dispense with this advice once again.
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CALEB COY 