God in the Machine

Last chance! Last post!

2004-07-11T16:27:00.000-05:00

The new site is up and running! This one is now down and puttering.

Here's where you want to be. That's: http://www.danielchampion.com/.

Have you updated your links yet?

2004-07-10T17:15:00.000-05:00

Well, why not?

Update your links, one and all!

2004-07-10T03:16:00.000-05:00

The new site is up and running! This one is now down and puttering.

Here's where you want to be. That's: http://www.danielchampion.com/.

Politics sucks

2004-07-10T01:34:00.000-05:00

THIS is why I hate the politics game. This kind of thing is inexcusable on any level.

A quote! A quote! My kingdom for a quote!

2004-07-09T18:27:00.000-05:00

Our revels now are ended: these our actors
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision
The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yes, and all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a wrack behind: We are such stuff
As dreams are made of, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep. –William Shakespeare, The Tempest

This is NOT how I want to die

2004-07-09T09:52:00.000-05:00

Eeesh.

The voice has spoken!

2004-07-08T21:30:00.000-05:00

Dean sends word that Saturday is moving day!

I'll be blogging my way up Broadway, past Hollywood and Vine and straight into the Louvre!

More details as information, and links, become available.

New Format Announced!

2004-07-08T06:40:00.000-05:00

The format of the new blog location will be: critical comments on popular culture. This includes film, theater, books, art, you name it.

Much closer to my areas of expertise and much nicer than yet another political rant blog, yes?

Stay tuned for an announcement of location, later today!

Oh, the suspense is killing me... I hope it lasts.

Big Announcement!

2004-07-07T07:28:00.000-05:00

We're moving!

That's right - God in the Machine is undergoing a physical and format relocation!

Dean is helping me set up a new domain and I'll start from scratch with a better format than the "random muttering" concept we've existed under until now. Finally, time permits and with Dean's help, now is the time to act.

More information in a day or two! Promise!

Until then, more foolishness!

This story will take the air right out of you.

2004-07-05T21:24:00.000-05:00

The silicone, too.

How do YOU please your God?

2004-07-05T21:21:00.000-05:00

Well, there's Sunday church, giving to charity, voting conservative.. oh, yes, and also there's the naked plowing.

Daily Quote

2004-07-03T20:13:00.000-05:00

"What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well." — Antoine Saint-Exupery

Whew!

2004-07-03T20:12:00.000-05:00

I officially feel better about the unhealthy love I have for Star Trek.

For the last time: Please DO NOT feed the animals

2004-07-03T20:06:00.000-05:00

Critical quote:

"Darnell says he denied missing any fingers."

Dumbstruck

2004-07-02T12:36:00.000-05:00

I'm still speechless on the passing of Marlon Brando. The greats seem to be dropping like flies.

I'm waiting for the final word on Brando, and like all such times, when the last word on a great life appears, it will appear here.

Quote on, quoter

2004-07-01T15:54:00.000-05:00

Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be. — Thomas a Kempis

Don't worry.

2004-07-01T07:29:00.000-05:00

I don't think this story has legs.

This headline just in from the "News we already knew" department.

2004-07-01T07:21:00.000-05:00

See for yourself.

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's....

2004-07-01T07:18:00.000-05:00

... oh, dear sweet Lord.

From the Troubling Headline Desk here at God in the Machine

2004-07-01T07:14:00.000-05:00

This just in.

I remember being called "four eyes"

2004-06-29T21:36:00.000-05:00

But "four ears" is much worse.

I said it over and over.. maybe NOW you'll listen.

2004-06-29T13:15:00.000-05:00

The squirrels are in cahoots with the terrorists.

What's a mom for...

2004-06-29T13:12:00.000-05:00

... if not assaulting teens in rodent costumes on your birthday?

Oh, THAT media bias

2004-06-29T09:45:00.000-05:00

Headline: Bush, Kerry Even Despite Iraq Woes.

Not Bush, Kerry even. When Republicans do well, it has to be IN SPITE of something, doesn't it. I think the point of the headline is how dumb we civilians are.. imagine it: IN SPITE of Iraq woes, we're still dumb enough to vote for Bush.

Why didn't the headline read Kerry not a good enough candidate to beat Bush in his worst hour in Iraq?

No, there's no liberal bias in the media.

3/4 of 100

2004-06-29T07:24:00.000-05:00

Yes, yes.. it's 75.

Why is this important? Well, it's the number of pounds I've lost since this time last year. Go me.

Fulfilling your recommended daily allowance of Quotation

2004-06-29T07:22:00.000-05:00

Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence. — Napoleon Bonaparte

Take me out to the ball game....

2004-06-28T07:34:00.000-05:00

... so I can support my boys!

I don't know what it is...

2004-06-28T06:42:00.000-05:00

... but everyone keeps coming back for more of that lasagna.

I'll be the judge of that!

2004-06-27T20:27:00.000-05:00

Just one week after my successful victory in Battle Death Penalty, wherein your hero successfully argued that the death penalty is unjust, unfair, biased, vengeance-based and otherwise naughty, I served as a judge at Iron Blog.

This week's topic was school vouchers. Still dunno until tomorrow what the next debate'll be about.

This Iron Blog thing is catching on!

I don't believe it...

2004-06-27T20:25:00.000-05:00

Even if you prove it to me, I won't believe it.

Holy flaming spiders, Batman!

2004-06-27T20:24:00.000-05:00

Sheesh... men.

So what?

2004-06-27T16:10:00.000-05:00

I'm naming MY kid "Fox News"!

Quote of the Day

2004-06-27T07:04:00.000-05:00

Not all who wander are lost. – John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

I found it!

2004-06-24T16:13:00.000-05:00

This is quite possibly the best news story ever written,and they share my last name.

CAUTION!

2004-06-24T16:03:00.000-05:00

Do NOT click here if you want to keep breathing freely. I laughed at the very concept until my eyes watered.

Forget the 900-HOT-BABE...

2004-06-24T15:57:00.000-05:00

... we're going to the zoo!

France: home of the easily startled

2004-06-24T15:53:00.000-05:00

Ever since the Berlin Wall came down, they're just plain paranoid.

Today's quote

2004-06-24T15:30:00.000-05:00

"The world is poor because her fortune is buried in the sky and all her treasure maps are of the earth."
--Calvin Miller

New Link!!

2004-06-23T08:06:00.000-05:00

Well, I've added a new link to my sidebar. I don't do this often, so enjoy Dean's World.

Revisiting gay marriage from a Christian Pastor's perspective

2004-06-23T07:55:00.000-05:00

I have heard an interesting argument surrounding the gay marriage debate twice in the recent past, both times from humans I admire and respect. The argument, though stated in different forms, centers on the concept of blessing.

There is a telling scene in the movie "The Mission," wherein Robert DeNiro's character, a priest about to return to his warring ways, asks the Jeremy Irons character for his blessing on the coming violence. Irons chooses, interestingly, to remove himself from the issue. He says something to the effect that "I can neither bless nor curse your choice. If God is on your side, you don't need MY blessing, and if God is against you, my blessing won't help."

This type of moral avoidance applies to Christian pastors (or in my case, Baptist pastors) in this way: (a) there is nothing in my tradition that has blessed gay marriage in the past, (b) there is no clear word from God on the issue, (c) there is no directive in the Bible telling pastors to do this sort of thing, therefore (d) I choose to neither bless nor curse gay marriage.

PLEASE NOTE that this is NOT my opinion, just a re-stating of the arguments I've heard. My own opinion is still up for grabs here, and I raise the topic, in part, to help me clarify my own thoughts. I would appreciate feedback that includes more reasoned thought than the typical "Gays are an abomination" responses.

Oh, THAT liberal bias...

2004-06-23T07:49:00.000-05:00

Well, lots of places are reporting that Abu Ghraib coverage has long-since dwarfed ALL combined coverage of the Iraqi war, including the BEHEADING and dragged-through-the-streets deaths of Americans.

Yes, cover the war. Yes, the American atrocities are newsworthy, but let's try to at least go back to the days newspapers and tv news shows PRETENDED to be objective.

There are plenty of sites that point out the disparity of coverage in this election year. I happened to like THIS one as a fair discussion of the challenges of what information to release.

Daily quote

2004-06-22T21:24:00.000-05:00

Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb protesting the vote.

Criminal watch

2004-06-22T12:20:00.000-05:00

Bunch of pansies...

Couldn't I just have detention instead?

2004-06-21T15:49:00.000-05:00

Remind me not to send my kids here.

Justice FINALLY served!!

2004-06-20T20:19:00.000-05:00

No, not on Iron Blog, but here.

Tick tick tick

2004-06-20T18:15:00.000-05:00

If they don't put the results up at Iron Blog soon, I'm taking a hostage.

Chicken news!

2004-06-20T15:31:00.000-05:00

Well, this puts the long-running debate to rest...

What's the matter, girlfriend got your tongue?

2004-06-20T15:27:00.000-05:00

As if men didn't have enough to worry about.

Why I should lose Battle Death Penalty

2004-06-19T18:10:00.000-05:00

Inspired by Rose.

(1) I forgot about halfway through that we were even arguing the death penalty. I launched, for some inexplicable reason, into a defense of non-dairy creamers.

(2) I'm dumb as a bag of hammers.

(3) I'm not remotely cute. I look like my face caught on fire and someone tried to put it out with an ax.

This just in!

2004-06-18T23:38:00.000-05:00

The 9/11 Commission COULD have been avoided.

I know.

Shocking.

Quote of the day

2004-06-18T23:15:00.000-05:00

You believe an eye for an eye until you're put in that situation. If they kill those guys, it really doesn't mean much to me. My father is gone.
--Michael Jordan on the murderers of his father James

I wasn't able to use this one in the debate, but I'm a fan of the greatest Tarheel, so here it is.

Closing arguments tomorrow!

2004-06-18T20:15:00.000-05:00

I'm all tingly!

Then again, it might be that I mistook my Head and Shoulders for the wife's Nair.

If loving self-cleaning undies is wrong, I don't wanna be right.

2004-06-17T14:32:00.000-05:00

This could be the greatest day in single college guy history.

Police news!

2004-06-17T14:29:00.000-05:00

Half of the force just went home to the wives and kids.

News from the war on squirrels.

2004-06-17T14:23:00.000-05:00

I warn you, it isn't pretty.

I forget...

2004-06-17T11:37:00.000-05:00

... was I supposed to be in FAVOR of the death penalty or AGAINST it?

I could have sworn we were arguing about abortion.

Today's quote

2004-06-17T07:22:00.000-05:00

“It’s over already? It seemed so short.”
“You got what everyone gets. You got a lifetime.” – Death (in The Sandman by Neil Gaiman)

Best Media line of the day

2004-06-16T09:56:00.000-05:00

"The highway was closed for about 14-hours as state road crews and a group of beekeepers cleared away the mess."

Ah, to be drunk and blind again....

2004-06-16T08:16:00.000-05:00

Fun!

Fear and Trembling

2004-06-16T08:11:00.000-05:00

So far, my Iron Blog experience has been a good one. This is mostly because Rose hasn't had a chance to tear into anything I've said yet.

That all changes sometime today when my exceedingly talented opponent posts her first rebuttal.

Yes, I think the term "fear and trembling" fits.

WHAT???

2004-06-15T16:38:00.000-05:00

I thought it was Al Gore...

A warm day, a glass of lemonade...

2004-06-15T12:48:00.000-05:00

... and a few rounds of clay kitten shooting. Can life get any better?

Blast from the Past post...

2004-06-14T23:31:00.000-05:00

I am, and I admit this with no small reluctance, the pastor of a Baptist church. Having done a year or three of formal Biblical training, I have a medium to fair grasp on some of the content of the Bible (interpreting it correctly is another matter).

Whenever someone in my church makes some kind of wacky claim and tries to prove it using Scripture (as Baptists are wont to do), I repeat the same line. By now, the church usually repeats it with me: "Anybody with a handful of Bible knowledge can make it say whatever they want."

Meaning, of course, that if you take verses out of context and out of the spirit of the text, you can find support for virtually any craziness you want to promote.

Welcome to the Internet, home of the suddenly hyper-popular political blogging system. I finally get it.

This very day I have seen "scientific" websites predicting a Kerry win over Bush by 10 points and another that gave Bush a 9 point win. I have seen vitriolic, raging, name-calling hatred on sites from both sides of the political spectrum.

I have even seen thoughtful, caring, reasoned insights on both sides.

THIS is the draw of the Internet. You can pick and choose, like a political buffet. You can jump into the pool, pick out what suits your taste/argument/desire/greed, and leave again.

The true Christian uses the Bible for support AND self-criticism. When the Bible disagrees with my particular selfish view of faith, I hope that I am strong enough to recognize its spirit and change me.

Maybe the true political student on the web visits with an open mind those places that make him/her intentionally uncomfortable. After all, aren't growing pains the only way to really know that we're doing just that: growing?

DEATH in my church!!!

2004-06-14T23:25:00.000-05:00

*sigh*

I hope they like sermons about the death penalty in my church, because it looks like that's all I'm gonna have time to research, given the toughness of Rosemary's opening arguements.

Attention, Stoners!

2004-06-14T14:38:00.000-05:00

This headline is, unfortunately for you, a little misleading.

My doctor gives me 46 more years, tops...

2004-06-14T08:57:00.000-05:00

I will make it to age 83 at my current pace, according to this clever life expectancy calculator. Buy me a card when I go.

Quote of the Day

2004-06-14T08:39:00.000-05:00

OLD SPANISH PROVERB
‘How beautiful it is to do nothing and then rest afterwards’

It's go time!!

2004-06-14T07:04:00.000-05:00

Over at Iron Blog, the Chairman has chosen yours truly to argue against the horrors of the Death Penalty system.

Rosemary, the Iron Blogger Republican, will be my opponent. She made short work of the opposition in her last debate, and pulled off what will be remembered as a top ten Iron Blogger moment of all times with her inspired "underpants gnomes" rebuttal.

Typically, the debates are forced to play into the IB's wheelhouse, since their political views are already known. Rose and I are both fairly conservative. I read her site at least twice a day. However, I am anything but on this issue. If she supports the death penalty, we disagree profusely there, if not anywhere else.

I look forward to the challenge. Even if I don't win (who am I kidding? It's in the bag, kids), at least some positive ideas will change brains. Allez debate!

Nyah Nyah

2004-06-13T20:58:00.000-05:00

My lava lamp is bigger than yours.

Today's quote

2004-06-13T20:49:00.000-05:00

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. Mark Twain

Closing arguments in; verdict pending...

2004-06-13T07:48:00.000-05:00

... over at Iron Blog.

Sweet Lord, I think this is actually real

2004-06-12T22:01:00.000-05:00

If so, it's the most unfortunate name EVER.

Quote du jour

2004-06-11T22:49:00.000-05:00

Exit, pursued by a bear.
William Shakespeare, Stage direction in "The Winter'sTale"

Read your rights...

2004-06-11T14:10:00.000-05:00

... or at least an argument about them here.

News boredom sets in at "God in the Machine"

2004-06-11T07:43:00.000-05:00

Is it just me, or is it a slow news time?

Reagan died, I grieved, I'm moving on. After that, there's.. er, nothing.

The press is trying to manufacture headlines, of course, and convince us each is the most exciting news ever ("McCain might run for VP! Except he already told Hannity he won't!", "Reagan STILL dead! See 24/7 footage of people in a line!"). But mostly, there's nothing to fret about out there.. no real news from Iraq, the election coverage is already worn out and it's only June, nothing blowing up, no celebs caught in acts of naughtiness... just, nothing.

I guess I could turn on 20/20 and see what's likely to kill me today. ("Oxygen could kill you! Tonight on 20/20!" or "Why this simple q-tip could turn your home into a deathtrap! Tonight on 20/20!")

Even sports is slow. I have one word for you: summer baseball. Ouch.

NBA finals? Lakers in the finals? Seen it. Pistons staging an amazing 2-1 upset so far? Nice... um, why can't I name any of them, then?

Hockey. Is the hockey season over yet?

Somebody wake me in November.

Pray the terrorists don't get flying toilet technology

2004-06-10T12:38:00.000-05:00

On the other hand, it IS nice not to have to pull all the way over to the rest stop.

A quick lesson in what you believe.

2004-06-10T12:14:00.000-05:00

In my college psych class, a buddy of mine and I pulled off a semester-long project with the working theory that "believing a thing is true can often make it true." In other words, our perceptions and stories and opinions shape reality as much as reality itself. For more on this topic in cinema, see the movies Big Fish and Secondhand Lions. Mostly Big Fish.

Anyway, in the project, we told office members to select one of their own for a "target." Then, from the moment they came in that day, folks made "random" observations concerning their health. That is to say, secretary X looks fine, but we all tell her at different times "Are you tired?," "You don't look well," "you should take the rest of the day off; you seem a little sick," etc.

In (you're gonna love this) 100 percent of the 19 office settings we studied, the "victim" reported feeling unwell by day's end.

So, how does that transfer to, say, political or religious beliefs?

Well, Republicans only care about the rich. They kill for oil, at least partly because they love war. Democrats hug trees, hate guns and wish Jesus WOULD come back so they could nail him to the tree again.

With me so far?

Ok, fellow Christians: Jesus is the Son of God. His death and resurrection means you can go to Heaven. Um, HOW?? Even if Jesus was sinless on earth, even if He did rise from the grave, how does that magically mean YOU get to go to Heaven???

The simple truth is that, at the heart of it, under all the doublespeak, we believe things very often because we have heard them very often. Tell a kid growing up in Sunday School that it's true often enough and he confuses repetition with belief.
(NOTE: I believe that the Jesus thing is true, and have my own, personally-earned reasoning)

So tell enough people often enough that the media has a bias, pull a few proof-text quotes from the Times, and voila! A new reality emerges. People react to it as a tangible thing. They write and DON'T write based on this perceived bias, perception equaling reality in the marketplace.

So here's your homework:

-Do you really think anyone on the other side of the political fence "hates America"?
-Do you really think Republicans are just like Nazis?
-Do you really think Clinton lying about an affair with an intern could "erode the morals of America" and "lead us to anarchy"?
-If gays marry, explain again how YOUR life will change.
-A: Jesus died, was resurrected, B: ???, C: You go to Heaven for eternity. Fill in step B with a logical means of connecting A and C.

Now, go sit down for a bit. You look terrible.

Are you sick?

I'm pretty sure this is an obscene headline.. um, I think

2004-06-10T07:08:00.000-05:00

Decide for yourself here.

Daily Quote

2004-06-10T06:45:00.000-05:00

Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors. — African proverb

Next on my summer reading list

2004-06-09T19:05:00.000-05:00

Between worlds

About time

2004-06-09T07:09:00.000-05:00

Angry because there'reo online debates with Libertarians going on RIGHT NOW that include prostitution, drug use and gambling?

Well, then, you haven't looked here.

The tooth shall set you free

2004-06-09T07:02:00.000-05:00

So, I've had this toothache for about three months now. There's a big hole, now encompassing the entire inside of a tooth on the back, bottom row. Ouch.

My dentist said it was infected, but at the time I couldn't afford a root canal (I have one scheduled for July 2), so I've been treating it with copious amounts of Advil. Now my ear hurts and I'm always tired. I expect that's from spreading infection? Anyway, I used a credit card to get the antibiotics, so maybe I'll feel better.

The point? I'm thinking it's no fun for folks who have no job and no insurance in our society. Life is hard enough for them without having to endure daily pain (and there's no pain like tooth pain). Canada has many failings, but they provide some level of care for everyone in their borders. No tooth left behind.

Just how I feel

2004-06-08T07:35:00.000-05:00

Finally, a semi-news article that sums up how I feel about this election, and why my vote is still up for grabs. Check it out.

Me racist long time...

2004-06-08T07:24:00.000-05:00

So, Bill Parcells apologized for a racial slur. Imagine that, an insensitive guy from the world of athletics. Shocking.

Still, while slurs will never be allowable and should, with all diligence, be pointed out and thrown on front pages, the greater crime here is Parcells' criminal stupidity.

Every year, we have three or four incidents like this (usually gay-bashing), where an athlete in an interview situation says something he comes to regret later.

Now, c'mon.

They KNOW the cameras are on, or the microphones, or the tape players. Didn't the John Rocker nonsense sink in at all? They KNOW the person they're talking to is a reporter. They've seen the repercussions in the lives of others who have said what they meant. Even if you're grand dragon of the KKK, you have to know when to keep your mouth shut, yes? And, to make it worse, Parcells is a coach, hailed by most football fans as a "genius."

Camera on.
Mouth open.

Nice work, genius.

Quote of the Day

2004-06-07T10:59:00.000-05:00

Everywhere I have sought rest and not found it, except sitting in a corner by myself with a little book. — from The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis

The final word on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaspellingerror

2004-06-06T07:51:00.000-05:00

Fan-friggin-tastic.

They got it right! The first two movies were slavishly devoted to the books, cramming in as much from the text that 3 hours plus would allow. We got to feel, cinematically, the wonder of Harry’s world, of Hogwarts, of magic itself.

At less than 2 and a half hours, the latest offering got it right as well, in a different way. Harry’s fans are growing up as Harry does, and we don’t need word-for-word translations of the books any more. We have felt the wonder, and trying to instill it a third time would be a task.

Instead, we have a movie that is meant to be a movie, not another translation of a book. Potter purists will scream that this or that was left out, but c’mon, we’re making MOVIES here, not reprinting books in picture form. There's not time to put in all the nonsense with the sub-plots (newspaper, Cho Chang, etc), though I would have liked a better feel for Hogsmeade.

The movie moved quickly and at a great pace. While I’d have liked to see a few things from the book that caught my fancy, I didn’t miss them in the action. The movie let Harry be more mature, to feel the 13-year old angst over family (the Dursleys, Hermione and Sirius Black).

The film also played it smart in assuming our knowledge of Hogwarts. It didn’t need to bog us down with the wonder of quidditch, particularly since there’s a quidditch world cup coming in the next one. We didn’t need lots of classroom stuff unless it pushed the plot. We knew the sorting hat ceremony and so the director wisely left it out. Etc. and Etc.

The director of these movies has a HUGE task, one in which you can’t make everyone happy. He knew that virtually 100 percent of the film’s audience would have read the books, ALL the books, beforehand, so he wisely used that knowledge.

Most directors of movies taken from books can assume that a great deal of their audience didn’t read the original book. This is where the Potter movies are different. Even The Lord of the Rings movie was based on books that only a small population knew from memory scene-for-scene. Even if half of us read those books, it was decades ago for most of us.

The Potter movies have to deal with a high-knowledge audience that wants every single line of the books in the films (which would make them 9 hours long each).

Thank God they decided to make a MOVIE.

Reagan bashing and you

2004-06-06T07:39:00.000-05:00

As I expected, a quick tour of blogs reveals more than a little post-mortem Reagan-bashing.

You don't have to mourn, admire or otherwise care about Ronald Reagan's passing.

It wouldn't hurt, however, to remember a time when people respected each other, even when they disagreed. There was a time when people mourned the passing of a President of the United States, if only out of respect for the office.

Maybe I'm a 35-year old who sounds like a crotchety old man, but I mourn the passing of great men whether liberal or conservative, whether I agreed with them (or even liked them) or not.

Today's political scene is WAY out of whack when we can't even respect the passing of a President from the other side of the fence.

Quote of the Day

2004-06-06T07:30:00.000-05:00

In closing let me thank you, the American people for giving me the great honor of allowing me to serve as your President. When the Lord calls me home, whenever that may be, I will leave with the greatest love for this country of ours and eternal optimism for its future.

I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.

Ronald Reagan

I swear by the God I hold dear....

2004-06-06T07:16:00.000-05:00

.... the first time today I hear a liberal bashing Ronald Reagan, I'm going to go OFF. You'll hear names named and words flying from a pastor's keyboard you never imagined.

This is a time for mourning, regardless of politics.

Buffy, post-graduate

2004-06-04T22:25:00.000-05:00

As promised, let me pause and review a book I just finished, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale. (ed. James B. South)

The subtitle, I presume, is from Paul's classic exhortation in scripture to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling." This book certainly treats BtVS with fear and trembling, approaching it for its commentary on life rather than about a young blond valley girl who fights baddies.

Each of the 22 essays are written by either psychology professors or leaders in the field of study, and all are written for post-graduate level work. This book, it quickly becomes clear, is not just attempting to make a buck off the Buffy label, but actually sees the insights loyal and mature viewers saw years ago. It also, for those of us who care, puts names to the ideas we saw in the episodes but didn't know how to articulate.

I was entranced. Having done several years of post-grad work in ministry and pastoral care issues, the psychology aspects fit right in. I don't suggest this as reading for those who just happened to like the show: you should have some interest in how people work.

The chapter topics are heady, to say the least, and include (among others) "Faith and Plato", "BtVS as Feminist Noir", Feminism and the ethics of violence", "Between Heavens and Hells: The Multidimensional Universe in Kant and BtVS", "A Kantian analysis of moral judgement in BtVS" and "Fascism, Christianity and the Eternal Demon."

No light read this. I loved it, and the variety of authors and writing styles, along with the familiar Buffy situations and quotes, made it worth my time.

What am I reading now?

I just started re-reading On Death and Dying, the Kubler-Ross classic and a biography of Winston Churchill.

Harry Potter and the Buyer of Tickets

2004-06-04T15:59:00.000-05:00

I picked up my tickets to the 7 p.m. showing of Harry Potter tonight.

When did it get to be $7.50 for a ticket to the movies? Yikes. It felt like I was at a gas station or something.

In any case, back later. Chick-Fil-A first, then the movie, which is something like 9 hours long, then home!

Pax, Securitas

Stolen Election 2, the sequel, coming to a country near you

2004-06-04T06:59:00.000-05:00

Joel, who shares my love for Buffy and, apparently, Bill Bryson, makes an interesting and apparantly accurate inference that the Florida election may already have "the fix in" thanks to Jeb Bush.

A bigger issue for me is how Bush or Kerry will have to CRUSH in Florida and across the country to gain any credibility. If Gore had won the election, we'd be hearing the same mindless "stealing the election" talk we hear now, only from the other side of the aisle.

If Florida is close, or if the national vote is as close as it looks to be right now, the winner from either side better get used to 4 more years of more M. Moores pointing out how Bush/Kerry "stole" the election.

And to think we have to hear this kind of talk from both sides for the next 7 months.

The worst joke you ever heard.

2004-06-03T13:38:00.000-05:00

Descartes walks into a bar.

The barkeep says, "Would you care for some wine?"

Descartes says, "I think not", and disappears.

My thoughts exactly!

2004-06-02T21:54:00.000-05:00

Indeed the entire impetus for the Democrats' drive to reclaim the White House has been a palpable Bush-hatred rather than anything positive about their own candidates. - David Limbaugh, in a quote that crystalizes why my vote is still up for grabs.

Bush is horrible, and Kerry isn't good enough to rate with his own people against a horrible candidate.

Question for the playa lovahs...

2004-06-02T21:41:00.000-05:00

Can anybody really say Bush OR Kerry are their ideal choices?

I mean, when Reagan and Clinton ran, I remember people being 100 percent on board with their guy. My own politics aside, Republicans were completely behind Reagan. Dems were completely behind Clinton. This election feels luke-warmy to me.

With the exception of the fringe-types, I can't find anyone with a clear head who can't admit there are flaws with Bush. I can't find anyone with a clear head who really thinks Kerry is the ideal guy to be our next President.

Both guys seem like they were the best their party had to offer and take it or leave it.

Show me a rabid Kerry guy!

Quote of the Day

2004-06-02T06:46:00.000-05:00

You miss 100% of the shots you never take. — Wayne Gretzky

Summer Reading Update

2004-06-01T12:43:00.000-05:00

With one month of summer break almost in the books, I'm just starting books number 17 and 18. This time around it's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale (a collection of essays by philosophy bigwigs, edited by James South) and Treason by Ann Coulter.

I now return you to your regular blogging, already in progress.

Church and State???

2004-06-01T10:41:00.000-05:00

I had a sudden realization at church (gasp, yes! It happens!) Sunday. I'm in favor of separation of state and church, but not church and state.

What do I mean? Well, I want the state to keep its hands off churches. I don't mind if other people search for God in ways that vary from the way I do. That's fine. Let them sprinkle if they want, wear robes, handle snakes, speak in tongues, whatever it takes. I just don't want the government to tell me where and how I can worship. Great, we're there now.

The flip side of this is that we have somehow gotten the idea that churches shouldn't bring up politics, or otherwise be involved in the political life of the community. THIS I don't agree with. While I rarely preach on devisive issues, there are certain political issues that should require the church to speak up.

Jesus wasn't killed for being in the wrong religion, and neither was St. Paul. They were killed for being politically dangerous, for seeing the evils of the government/empire and pointing them out and calling them to accountability. I have no problem doing this in a church setting when the time arises.

While my sermons are rarely political, I have no problem doing day sessions on topics such as, say, the death penalty or housing or racism in the community or whatever hits the community where our church sits. I think the church should speak for what it sees as truth, while respecting that others might see truth differently. The church should call the authorities to accountability where there is injustice, just as its leader did, even at the cost of his life.

Whenever I bring up a political topic in church, my congregation gets nervous. I wouldn't be surprised, this being a Baptist church, if one day I didn't get voted out for making waves. But that is just exactly my point. The church HAS to make waves when injustice is accepted practice. Who else will do it?

Now, I don't do sermons on issues like abortion or gun control. Both sides make valid arguments and ultimately it comes down to a matter of opinion. I don't want to lose the hearts of those in pews by making them pick sides in a political fight to stay a member. However, some things are no-brainers. Policies of local government that discriminate against the poor, against minorities, that fatten the coffers of an elite group at the expense of the working class, etc. NEED to be called on the carpet. I would say even beyond that that walking as Jesus walked REQUIRES the church to be a force for social justice, especially if it is controversial.

Separation of state and church, yes. On the other side, however, the church, in my mind, should be intimately involved with the government. Yes, the danger is that extremist groups like Pat Robertson's will gain power, but I never really saw them as anything to worry about. Robertson's groupies, ultimately, are a distinct minority, and we still live in a democratic nation. For all the drums we pound warning of the "religious right," the hyper-conservatives are ultimately few. I know, as a moderate/liberal pastor who left the Southern Baptist Church after the hyper-conservatives took over in the late 80s.

(Many on the Left use "religious right" to mean anyone who ever voted in favor of guns, or against abortion, or who serves in the military, or who goes to church anywhere at any time. In this case, maybe the religious right is a majority, but more likely it is a group that doesn't exist used to scare folks into voting with the Left)

That's all I have to say about that.

Why, it's almost like being in love...

2004-06-01T10:37:00.000-05:00

I feel giddy, like I can't wait for Friday to get here, but at the same time I relish the suspense. I'm excited but trying to play it cool. I don't want to gush, but at the same time I can't help it.

It's Harry Potter time again, boys and girls!

Let's all pause to remember the TRUE meaning of Memorial Day

2004-05-31T19:17:00.000-05:00

The true meaning, you ask? Well, of course, it's to remember how brave men and women fought and died to give you the right to harrass old men for putting out American flags.

I mean, if you let folks start FLYING AMERICAN FLAGS on Memorial Day, the next thing you know, you have anarchy!