Good read on Driscoll’s Obama bashing

Some of the most faithful, loving, and sacrificing Christians I know would likely not meet Mark Driscoll’s definition of a “real Christian”. He might tell them, the way he told Obama, that they don’t really know God. That makes me frustrated for them, but it makes me sad for Mark Driscoll. How sad must it be to proclaim the love of God with one breath and to feel the need doubt the sincerity of another’s love for God with the next?

More here 

Whoa, Glenn Beck.

Regardless of outcome Tuesday, I am anxious for Glenn’s reaction. This dude is going off the rails either way.

President Obama on Christmas and Baby Jesus

THE PRESIDENT:  I think one thing that’s important to remember is that, even though there’s a lot of fun at Christmas, you know, you got — especially when it’s snowy like this, so it’s pretty outside, you got the Christmas tree, you got the Christmas cookies, you’ve got presents.  You know, I think that the most important thing is just to remember why we celebrate Christmas.

CHILD:  I know!

THE PRESIDENT:  Do you know?

CHILD:  The birth of baby Jesus.

THE PRESIDENT:  The birth of baby Jesus, and what he symbolizes for people all around the world is the possibility of peace and people treating each other with respect.  And so I just hope that spirit of giving that’s so important at Christmas, I hope all of you guys remember that as well.  You know, it’s not just about getting gifts but it’s also doing something for other people.  So being nice to your mom and dad and grandma and aunties and showing respect to people — that’s really important too, that’s part of the Christmas spirit, don’t you think?  Do you agree with me?

CHILDREN:  Yes.

THE PRESIDENT:  You do?  Do you have an interesting observation?

CHILD:  I know why we give gifts to other people.

THE PRESIDENT:  Why is that?

CHILD:  Because the three wise men gave gifts to baby Jesus.

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s exactly right.  But the three wise men — the reason — (sign falls off wall) — uh-oh, I thought that was the cookies going down.  We couldn’t have that.   You know, the three wise men, if you think about it, here are these guys, they have all this money, they’ve got all this wealth and power, and yet they took a long trip to a manger just to see a little baby.  And it just shows you that just because you’re powerful or you’re wealthy, that’s not what’s important.  What’s important is what’s — the kind of spirit you have.

So I hope everybody has a spirit of kindness and thoughtfulness, and everybody is really thinking about how can they do for other people — treating them well, because that’s really the spirit of Christmas. Does everybody agree with that?

CHILDREN:  Yes!

THE PRESIDENT:  I agree with that.  Well, you guys all seem like really sharp, sharp young people.  And I’m very proud of you.  And let me just ask you one last question.  Is everybody here working pretty hard in school?

CHILDREN:  Yes!

THE PRESIDENT:  Okay, because the thing that I want everybody to remember, the most important message I can leave is, is that you guys have so much potential — one of you could end up being President some day.  But it’s only going to happen if you stay focused and you work hard in school.  And you guys — there’s nothing wrong with having fun and fooling around and playing sports and listening to rap music and all that stuff.  But I want you guys to read and hit the books and do your math, because that’s really what’s going to determine how you do in the future.  All right?  That’s the most important thing you can do.

(via)

Week Links

Sam Harris’ recent opinion piece in the New York Times has renewed my interest in the reason-faith dialogue that is currently happening in American public discourse. Obviously, I’m interested for theological reasons, but I’m interested for political reasons as well. One could make a strong case that religious belief (or a lack thereof) and public policy are intersecting as much right now as they ever have in our country’s history, and we would do well to understand the concerns on both sides. To that end, I offer (a relatively old) exchange between James F. McGrath and Andrew Krause (whose blog has either moved or been deleted). It’s lengthy, but very interesting if you have some extra time to kill this weekend.

Lottery winner Callie Rogers’ personal story offers a sobering reminder that it’s all too easy to make an idol out of money (and the ‘pleasure’ it can buy).  

Have you heard the internet meme that Barack Obama is the antichrist? On the contrary! Barack Obama is actually the rightful Pope! Hopefully the sarcasm is obvious to you. On a serious note, I’ve located two very sound exegetical debunks of the idea; you can find them here and here. 

Said internet meme generated an open letter to lay people everywhere entitled, No. That’s not what it means at all. It’s intentionally sarcastic, as if not to take itself too seriously, but there is a helpful reminder in the midst of it all:

People who know what they are doing with the Bible will seldom appeal to “the original Greek” or “the original Hebrew” because they know that reading the Bible in those languages is important, but that it doesn’t represent some cryptic key that unlocks the meaning of the Bible.

And finally, Shane Claiborne of The Simple Way offers an alternative framework as we Americans remember 9-11, that of the prophetic lament. This is a prayer I will be praying, and I hope that you will join your voice and heart with mine.

As we remember the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, we join our voices with the psalmist in a cry of lament: “How long, O Lord, until Abel’s blood stops crying, until justice rolls down like waters, until the lion can lay down with the lamb in a restored creation?” We lament the violence suffered by 9/11 victims and their families. And we lament the violence that people in Afghanistan and Iraq have suffered these past eight years. We cry out against the violence, and we want to act now for peace.

Discovering Common Ground

The other day, I wrote about Disagreeing Generously, a topic that I think’s incredibly important.

In a recent speech, President Obama tackled some similar issues, albeit in a much more eloquent way than I did.

Here are some excerpts from the speech and some comments from  Jim Wallis and the God’s Politics blog that I find to be very inspiring.

The media coverage and analysis of President Obama’s speech at Notre Dame on Sunday largely focused on the issue of abortion. And he did speak on that issue, clearly and strongly reiterating his own approach of finding the common ground of abortion reduction between the polarized options of “pro-choice” and “pro-life,” and naming practical solutions that many on both sides of the divide can support.

Maybe we won’t agree on abortion, but we can still agree that this heart-wrenching decision for any woman is not made casually; it has both moral and spiritual dimensions. So let us work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions; let’s reduce unintended pregnancies. Let’s make adoption more available. Let’s provide care and support for women who do carry their children to term. Let’s honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause …

But the speech was much more than a culmination of another abortion controversy in the media. After re-reading it, I think it was likely the most significant speech Obama has made in his presidency so far in regard to many of the concerns and work of the faith community. As columnist E.J. Dionne wrote:

There were many messages sent from South Bend. Obama’s opponents seek to reignite the culture wars. He doesn’t. They would reduce religious faith to a narrow set of issues. He refused to join them. They often see theological arguments as leading to certainty. He opted for humility.

President Obama began by recognizing that our difficulty in finding common ground too often lies in our imperfections – our sin – dominating us rather than calling us to work together.

We too often seek advantage over others. We cling to outworn prejudice and fear those who are unfamiliar. Too many of us view life only through the lens of immediate self-interest and crass materialism; in which the world is necessarily a zero-sum game. The strong too often dominate the weak, and too many of those with wealth and with power find all manner of justification for their own privilege in the face of poverty and injustice. And so, for all our technology and scientific advances, we see here in this country and around the globe violence and want and strife that would seem sadly familiar to those in ancient times.

But, at the same time, he emphasized the importance of civility and how we should engage in public dialogue on issues where strong, conflicting opinions can lead us to discover that common ground.

The question, then, is how do we work through these conflicts? Is it possible for us to join hands in common effort? As citizens of a vibrant and varied democracy, how do we engage in vigorous debate? How does each of us remain firm in our principles, and fight for what we consider right, without, as Father John said, demonizing those with just as strongly held convictions on the other side? … When we open up our hearts and our minds to those who may not think precisely like we do or believe precisely what we believe — that’s when we discover at least the possibility of common ground. … Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction. But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature.

And the new president reminded us all that the strength of faith should produce genuine humility, rather than easy certainty, in our views, and can help lead us to a commitment to social justice.

Remember, too, that the ultimate irony of faith is that it necessarily admits doubt. It’s the belief in things not seen. It’s beyond our capacity as human beings to know with certainty what God has planned for us or what [God] asks of us. And those of us who believe must trust that [God's] wisdom is greater than our own.

And this doubt should not push us away our faith. But it should humble us. It should temper our passions, cause us to be wary of too much self-righteousness. It should compel us to remain open and curious and eager to continue the spiritual and moral debate that began for so many of you within the walls of Notre Dame. And within our vast democracy, this doubt should remind us even as we cling to our faith to persuade through reason, through an appeal whenever we can to universal rather than parochial principles, and most of all through an abiding example of good works and charity and kindness and service that moves hearts and minds.

As I wrote on Monday, this president’s willingness to confront controversy with an appeal to common values could help to change the way we address a number of divisive and controversial issues. We live in a country where we certainly know everyone will not agree on everything. In fact, it is quite an accomplishment to even get half of the country to agree on anything. Our differences, and our ability to maintain this union in spite of them, are some of our country’s greatest strengths.

President Obama laid out a strong and positive vision for how people of faith, and the nation as a whole, can work together to face the most difficult moral questions of our time in both disagreement and unity. If you have not yet read the speech, I urge that you do.

Thoughts?