Scott County- We’re On Your Side

And adamantly opposed to the hate mongers who call themselves the ‘Westboro Baptist Church’.  The persons from that ‘church’ who would demonstrate in the aftermath of the deaths of 4 cheerleaders there in your County are neither Baptist nor Christian. Furthermore, we believe you have acted properly in canceling classes tomorrow for the reasons stated:

“We have been notified that we have a group coming in from Kansas to picket our high school in the wake of our losing four students last week,” Superintendent Sharon Wilson said. “We recognize that these people have the right to demonstrate. But the public reaction to their coming is such that I just feel that it’s a potentially volatile situation we don’t want our students involved in.”

We stand with you in solidarity and we continue to pray for you as you recover from this tragedy.

The Creation Museum Takes A Whooping

In a funny, clever, and all around enjoyable review in the NewStatesman.  Yes, it’s fun to put fun in fundamentalism.

The museum’s raison d’etre is to reconcile everything we know about prehistory – cave men, dinosaurs, fossil fuels et al – with the idea that God created the heavens and the Earth and the world is 6,000 years old.  To that end, the first thing you see on entering the museum is a tableau of animatronic cave kids playing happily with some dinosaurs.  The whole thing does a brilliant job of making fundamentalist religious dogma fun. No hellfire and brimstone here. Instead it’s all tactile exhibits, bright and chatty films (“Ever wonder where canyons came from…?”) and, outside, a petting zoo. I was happy to skip this part, if only because there’s something distinctly sinister about two grown men wandering around a zoo on their own, but my photographer insisted, and promptly got spat on by a camel.

I think we should all pitch in and get James McGrath, Duane Smith, and Drew Tatusko a season pass (unless they already have one).  Via Bible and Interpretation.

Reed Hits the Road

Jonathan Reed will be speaking at the Bethania Lutheran Church on ‘Archaeology and the Origins of Christianity‘ on Nov. 7 (that’s tomorrow so this is short notice) out in Santa Ynez California.  If you’re in the area, you might want to stop by.  Reed’s book on the subject, by the way, is fantastic.

David Ker is (Gasp!) Right

When he notes

Every time someone comes on the TV or radio and starts talking about end times prophecy, say to yourself and anyone in the room or car with you, “This guy is an idiot. Don’t believe him.” Then the more difficult task is you have to actually open up your Bible (not while driving!) and explain to anyone within the sound of your voice why what he is claiming about Daniel or Matthew 23 or Revelation 13 doesn’t have anything to do with the US of A in 2008. If you don’t know how to do that you need to turn off TBN and start studying the art of Biblical interpretation.

Yes, dear friends, turn off TBN, toss down that translation of the Bible you believe to be perfect, pick up a Hebrew Old Testament and a Greek New Testament, and read the BIBLE and not a mere version of it- which version is nothing else than someone else’s idea of what it says.

Read Dave’s whole post.  Because he’s right.  Danggit.

Jocks…

Ryan Leaf has to be the poster boy for college and professional athletes.  At least so far as the negative image such athletes have is concerned.  Amidst all the steroid use and domestic violence and general bad behavior, Leaf stands alone as the saddest of the lot.

After leaving the NFL for being a worse quarterback than our local high school team has produced (with its record of 1 win in 5 years (!)), Leaf turned up as a coach- to quarterbacks!  Heavens, the head coach of West Texas A&M wasn’t thinking that day was he.

Ryan Leaf, the legendary NFL quarterback bust, was placed on leave today from his position as quarterbacks coach at West Texas A&M. ESPN’s Joe Schad reports that the suspension came after Leaf asked one of his players for a painkiller. Presumably Leaf was asking for something a little stronger than Tylenol or Advil. What isn’t known is how the incident came to light. Did somebody overhear the question? Did Leaf get a guilty conscience? Did the player narc on his coach? The latter seems to be the most likely. I’d imagine it has to be a little strange to play for Ryan Leaf. Anytime the coach critiques a player, the kid must be thinking, “Dude, you’re Ryan Leaf. What can you tell me about quarterbacking? I was at that game when you went 11-26 with two picks and threw a pass that hit your center in the thigh. And you’re telling me to ‘keep my wits under pressure.’ Just like you did when you flipped out on that reporter, right?”

The problem with jocks is that they are pandered to and petted and made to feel godlike so that they really don’t comprehend how pointless and useless what they do is. So, feeling superior, they act stupidly and think there aren’t consequences. However, oh jocks of the world, there are.

It’s High Time To Do Something About Congo

In case you haven’t heard, there’s a humanitarian disaster in Congo that Baptists are addressing and making appeal for financial assistance concerning.

The head of an international Baptist relief agency has sent out an urgent fundraising appeal to ease the suffering of victims of civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. … Montacute said the catastrophe in Congo is not a new one, although it is just now garnering worldwide media attention. The struggle dates back to the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide of 1994, as many Congolese find themselves squeezed between the Congolese army and ethnic Tutsi rebels led by Gen. Laurent Nkunda.

If you want to help, please do.  And you can here.  Please.

NT Wright Reviews James Crossley’s Latest Book

As they say, one picture is worth 1000 words:

(this photo was shamelessly taken from a comment on Tilling’s blog)