The Dark Side to the Wolf of Wallstreet

Posted on December 31, 2013 by PaulVK

Rod Dreher. How crime impacts those who love and depend upon the criminal.

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John Stott on the Church’s Biggest Problem

Posted on December 31, 2013 by PaulVK

Working with each other

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Icarus Excel 9.7″ E-Ink Reader Review

Posted on December 29, 2013 by PaulVK

http://youtu.be/-ewpnHR321M

http://goodereader.com/blog/reviews/review-of-the-icarus-excel-9-7-inch-e-reader

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The righteous mind

Posted on December 28, 2013 by PaulVK

“Phil Robertson & The Righteous Mind” http://feedly.com/k/1jUeSfQ

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The decline of evangelicalism

Posted on December 27, 2013 by PaulVK

The American Scholar

The piece revolves around the purchase of the Crystal Cathedral by the Roman Catholic church.

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When Moses, Jethro, Phil Robertson and the Pope go into a Tent Together

Posted on December 27, 2013 by PaulVK
Northside Chapel Memorial Day Campout 1977

Northside Chapel Memorial Day Campout 1977

Tribes

We are all born into tribes. We are born into families, into countries, into ethnic groups, into religions (or non-religions), and into allegiances. Some of these tribes we pick up as we go, some were passed on by our parents. Some of these tribes are light-hearted and fun, like sports tribes or gadget tribes (Android vs. Iphone, Mac vs. PC).

Many of our tribes are social constructs, even the ones we don’t see as such. There is really no such thing as “red and yellow, black and white” even though the song was right that “all are precious in His sight”. The truth people don’t really come in these colors, these are tags that have developed in history and have governed the lives of billions of people through time.

Many Americans know little of the history behind race based slavery in America. The process was gradual where laws began to separate treatment of “white” indentured servants from “black” indentured servants. Skin color began to determine the future status not only of the individual but of their descendants. The first colony to legally recognize slavery was… Massachusetts, 1641. Americans (and others) have been trying to unravel “white” and “black” ever since.

Tribes are about who’s “in” and who’s “out” in all sorts of ways, good and bad. Tribes are about identity and belonging. Belonging is very important. We all want to “belong” in a good and healthy way.

God’s Tribe Continue reading →

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The Homeless Challenged his Atheism the Most

Posted on December 27, 2013 by PaulVK

The Guardian

I eventually left my Wall Street job and started working with and photographing homeless addicts in the South Bronx. When I first walked into the Bronx I assumed I would find the same cynicism I had towards faith. If anyone seemed the perfect candidate for atheism it was the addicts who see daily how unfair, unjust, and evil the world can be.

None of them are. Rather they are some of the strongest believers I have met, steeped in a combination of Bible, superstition, and folklore.

Soon I saw my atheism for what it is: an intellectual belief most accessible to those who have done well.

I want to go back to that 16-year-old self and tell him to shut up with the “see how clever I am attitude”. I want to tell him to appreciate how easy he had it, with a path out. A path to riches.

I also see Richard Dawkins differently. I see him as a grown up version of that 16-year-old kid, proud of being smart, unable to understand why anyone would believe or think differently from himself. I see a person so removed from humanity and so removed from the ambiguity of life that he finds himself judging those who think differently.

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7 Habits of Highly Over-rated People

Posted on December 27, 2013 by PaulVK

DaedTech

  1. Overcommunicate
  2. Be Bossy and Critical
  3. Shamelessly Self-Promote
  4. Distract with Arguments about Minutiae
  5. Time it so you look good (and everyone else looks bad)
  6. Plan Excuses ahead of time
  7. Take credit in non-disprovable ways
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Phil Vischer Podcast on Duck Dynasty and the Pope

Posted on December 27, 2013 by PaulVK

At minute 44 Skye reads from James Carroll’s piece  and adds his own comments:

Rather than saying like is predecessors ‘here’s what we’re for, here’s what we’re against…’ his posture is one of ‘come and see, come and engage God and we’ll deal with those other issues down the road’ and I think that shift in posture from a defensive, ‘who’s in and who’s out’ to a welcoming ‘come and see’ posture has been incredibly well received by the world.

Phil adds that simply copying him won’t be effective.

Skye adds that evangelical leaders tend to get media attention when they’re outrageous. The pope gets attention because he’s the pope.

Phil adds that communities of believers living that that might get more attention.

Phil Vischer also notes that Phil Robertson could learn something from the Pope.

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Those who leave and those who don’t

Posted on December 26, 2013 by PaulVK

Via CRC Network from James Schaap’s blog on children of faith leaving the fold. 

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