Category Archives: Culture
Economic Counter-Protesting
I came across this yesterday and it’s been running through my mind ever since. It seems that the idea of “economic counter-protests” has been catching on as a good way to fight against Westboro Baptist Church.
The way it works is this: If Westboro decides to picket an event or place with their inflammatory signs, [...]
Reality, pt. 2: The Extent of Human Suffering
Amanda and I don’t own a television. This is hardly a culture crusade; we just don’t watch many shows, and thought it was better to be deliberate about the ones we did watch. It also forces us to be more creative when we have an evening with nothing to do. But not having a television [...]
Reality, pt. 1: The Pigness of the Pig
Without a doubt, my favorite fast-food hamburger is the Whopper Junior from Burger King. It has no equal among dollar-menu sandwiches. The lettuce, onion and pickles are joined with the mayonnaise in perfect balance. The Whopper Junior also noticeably lacks mustard, and though I enjoy mustard, the choice to only use ketchup on this sandwich [...]
Volunteering at Hope Ministries
This past Saturday I had the opportunity to volunteer at Hope Ministries here in Des Moines. Hope is a parachurch organization that brings the gospel to the homeless and poverty-stricken in practical ways. They have a number of different ministries, including a homeless shelter for men, a year-long recovery program for alcoholics and drug addicts, [...]
The Sanctity of Marriage, pt. 2: Christian Marriage
A few months ago, Iowa conducted its first same-sex marriage in accordance with the recent court decision passed. When seeing people’s mixed reactions, the thought occurred to me that Christians are often quick to point out what marriage is not. But what is it? What does the Bible say about it?
Many people have written entire [...]
Kurt Vonnegut: Chaos to Order
I had no respect whatsoever for the creative works of either the painter or the novelist. I thought Karabekian with his meaningless pictures had entered into a conspiracy with millionaires to make poor people feel stupid. I thought Beatrice Keedsler had joined hands with other old-fashioned storytellers to make people believe that life had leading [...]
Green Theology
We must be careful not to let our convictions or our opinions affect our theology. By this I mean crossing the line between “Because I feel like it’s a good thing to do” and “Because God wants me to.”
Some have incorporated “greenness” and environmental consciousness into their beliefs about God. But these people invariably live [...]
George Sodini
Last Tuesday evening, a 48-year-old man named George Sodini walked into a fitness club in Pittsburgh and opened fire on an aerobics class, killing three women and injuring nine more before turning the gun on himself. He didn’t have any connection to any of the victims, but his motives were clear: Since November, he had [...]
One Man to Die for the People
Racism is alive and well in America. We know this because a high-profile black man was recently arrested in New England for breaking into his own home. He accused the police officer of racial profiling, and said he wouldn’t have been stopped if he was white. A college newspaper picked up the story the next [...]
Husband First, Father Second
When I was growing up, my dad told us repeatedly that he loved my brother and me very much, but that he loved my mom more. I appreciated this. It made me feel very secure: I knew he loved me, so how much more did he love my mom? I never once felt any concerns [...]
