What is a Christian T-Shirt?
It’s a question the answer to which helps us see how notions of how to show Christ to the world has changed and is still changing. How do I represent Christ, and how to I behave like him? Clothing, gear, things purchased—this is as much of the conversation as it was in the first century. Can the answers people give tell us a lot about how they prioritize the morality of Christian behavior?
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Blacksburgia webisode 22: Pandapas Excursion
Pandapas Excursion
A WASP family adopts a child from Africa in order to impress their fellow affluent neighbors, who they believe are not convinced that they are charitable and kindhearted. They take their children to Pandapas pond, only to embarrass themselves.
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I hate the title of my post. I think we’ve outworn all references to Hamlet’s speech. But I couldn’t come up with any better.
We sometimes run into what seems like a hard decision: I have a gift someone gave me. Should I re-gift it? Or is that tacky? Lazy? Untactful? Unappreciative? Selfish? Stingy? Inconsiderate?
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As this Huffington Post article details, this video was created to draw attention to the non-profit organization DDB NY’s goal of bringing clean drinking water to countries in need.
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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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“I have heard all this before.
What miserable comforters you are!
Won’t you ever stop blowing hot air?
What makes you keep on talking?
I could say the same things if you were in my place.
I could spout off criticism and shake my head at you.
But if it were me, I would encourage you.
I would try to take away your grief.” (Job 16:2-5 | NLT)
I don’t have much to say that others have not said. What I would like to do is to direct you to some articles and blogs that I hope will help you, as they helped me, make sense of the tragedies at Sandy Hook and Chengpeng and remember what I should direct my mind and heart toward after it has passed.
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” To this day, especially in times of “disaster,” I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.” – Fred Rogers
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“Christmas is a holiday that persecutes the lonely, the frayed, and the rejected” -Jimmy Cannon
Ebenezer Scrooge and the Grinch who stole Christmas have since reformed their ways and now attend a former Christmas villain support group. They both arrive a little early. This is their conversation:
Grinch: So, ‘Nezer, how’s the credit union management goin’ for ya?
Scrooge: Great. I’m glad I left before Marley and Farley was acquired by Goldman Sachs. Now there’s a name right out of a Dickens novel if I ever heard one. How does it feel to be the first Green Santa?
G: Inspirational. I really felt like I’ve opened up a lot of doors for minorities. Or should I say, opened a lotta chimneys.
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“When the war ended, I don’t know if I was more relieved that we’d won or that I didn’t have to go back. Passchendaele was a disastrous battle – thousands and thousands of young lives were lost. It makes me angry. Earlier this year, I went back to Ypres to shake the hand of Herr Kuentz, Germany’s only surviving veteran from the war. It was emotional. He is 107. We’ve had 87 years to think what war is. To me, it’s a licence to go out and murder. Why should the British government call me up and take me out to a battlefield to shoot a man I never knew, whose language I couldn’t speak? All those lives lost for a war finished over a table. Now what is the sense in that?”
-Harry Patch, the last surviving veteran of WWI, who passed away in 2009
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[back to part 9: Education]
“And other issues to consider”
or
“Issues I may not care less about, but am squeezing together for time’s sake”
or
“Ok, Caleb Coy, let’s hurry up and wrap this thing up—I gotta vote in like 3 days.”
So, remember how I’ve been going on about Ron Paul because I’m writing his name in even though he’s not running? In this post I will get into things I disagree with him on, or am unsure about. This post will also cover other issues I have yet to mention. After this, I plan on having a final post to reflect on the whole experience before we all go and jump in those booths. It may be that I have a post after that to reflect on the results, and I already know that no matter what I will be reminding us all not to panic, because Christ will still be King when it’s all over.
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[back to part 6: Abortion]
“Consult Your Doctor”
or
“Big Bandaids and What To Do with Them”
or
“Man, do we have to talk about healthcare again?”
When the new Health Care bill was passed this past summer, I offered thoughts on that that you can view at the post: Big Bandaid. Rather than revisit the entire post, I’ll recap some of the major points:
The teachings of the Christ are for us to take care of the poor and needy, and this combined with his miraculous healings stresses the importance of looking after the medical wellness of others (among the other things the miracles did, of course). The examples of giving and caring shown by Christ and his followers in the New Testament demonstrate that the optimum way to do this is by individuals and communities actively caring for the “orphans and widows,” those society neglects.
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CALEB COY 