Despising the Ordinary

Posted on August 1, 2012 by PaulVK

Nice post on Her-meneutics on how our quest for meaning disparages the beauty of the ordinary.

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Can your REALLY Know Yourself?

Posted on August 1, 2012 by PaulVK

http://ac-art-and-soul.blogspot.com/2012/08/can-your-really-know-yourself.html

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Lehrer, writing & the whiff of something rotten in success

Posted on August 1, 2012 by PaulVK

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HalfwayToNormal/~3/GDah5r7fqPE/

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My Little Monster

Posted on August 1, 2012 by PaulVK

http://evangelicaloutpost.com/archives/2012/07/my-little-monster.html

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On being objectified and learning to speak across a divide

Posted on July 29, 2012 by PaulVK

Really nice post on Evangelical Outpost on how this woman felt objectified as an evangelical and how the person speaking did it well.

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Academic vs. Vocational Training

Posted on July 29, 2012 by PaulVK

I never thought of this distinction. Obviously there are some positions where vocational training is more practical, but this blog post taught me something.

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Wrestling with Moralism in Judging Katy Perry

Posted on July 29, 2012 by PaulVK

This is a response to a blog post on Christian responses to Katy Perry.

Every moral system has shibboleths they use as boundary markers. We use a person’s words or behavior to locate them in our conceptual grid. How do they treat women? How do they treat the minorities (racial, sexual)? How do they treat the weak (disabled, old, children)? How do they treat the poor? What do they believe about ____________? It is very hard indeed to find a system where we don’t categorize people according to their behavior or their beliefs and treat them accordingly. The American cultural communities do no different. Continue reading →

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The Speed of the Internet vs. the Speed of Wisdom

Posted on July 27, 2012 by PaulVK

Last week the blog buzz was over Jared and Doug Wilson’s statements about sex and women.  This week things are churning over Chick-fil-a. There are of course dozens of other “trending topics” on Twitter and all other media channels. The news cycle is now so fast everyone wants to post, has to post, to catch the wave or be left behind. If you want to talk about gun control or mental health issues as related to the Colorado shooting you are SO yesterday!

What this tempts us to in our speech is folly.  Continue reading →

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How Love, not Crowd Sourced Bullying, Saves the World

Posted on July 27, 2012 by PaulVK

The quest to save the world is a competitive sport. There are hundreds of visions, factions and groups that vie for power. What they have in common are not their envisioned ends, but their means. They are all using power to try to triumph over their enemies.

What Jesus did not to not only challenge every competing world-saving vision, but overthrew and mocked the common method they employ: crowd-sourced-bullying.

The bit of this story I will work through can be seen in the life of the Apostle Paul and the story of his work in Ephesus.  Continue reading →

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How Christians Subverted the Roman Empire

Posted on July 27, 2012 by PaulVK

Nice little summary blog on the role care for the poor played in influencing the Roman Empire.

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