Three RIPs

May 16, 2007 by Mike

Jerry Falwell is dead. He died yesterday after being found in his office at Liberty University. Whether hated or loved ¹There was probably no in-between for those who knew (of) him he made a giant impression on the political and religious attitudes of America. Here are a few links to relevant observations: all valid:

From The Grassy Knoll
Gary Varvel (Link no longer valid)
The Daily Detour

I saved TDD for last as a reminder for Christians that we have two ways to present ourselves to the world: (1) As a judgment or (2) as a grace dispenser. The choice we make will have a serious affect on how the world perceives the God and Savior for which we are ambassadors.

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↑1	There was probably no in-between for those who knew (of) him

Church At A Crossroads Revisited

May 13, 2007 by Mike 3 Comments

In all of the Internet, I could find only one more article on the Pilgrim United Church of Christ decision on whether or not to allow a convicted sex offender membership in their congregation previously featured in MMM.

The article appears in the San Diego Union-Tribune online site SignOnSandDiego and written by Logan Jenkins whose expressed opinion is entirely pragmatic as opposed to spiritual.

Church At A Crossroads

May 4, 2007 by Mike 3 Comments

I was watching ABC News tonight, a rarity for me. They had an article about a tough decision that Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Carlsbad, California, is about to make. A registered sex offender has asked to be accepted for membership in the church.

In keeping with typical ABC viewpoint, in the linked video, except for the minister, Madison Shockley, ABC interviews those who have great reservations about accepting this man into the church. One man was a victim of sexual abuse as a child and a woman was expressing reservaitons about having her child in close proximity to a sex offender. Both viewpoints, from a modern human point of view, seem valid. And we can certainly empathize with these folks.

PETA Asks News Organization to Refer to Animals as He and She

April 28, 2007 by Mike 1 Comment

An article on Fox News reports that PETA is asking AP to quit referring to animals as “it.”

Fido’s a “he,” not an “it.” ¹UPDATE: According to the current Associated Press Stylebook, if an animal’s sex is known or the animal has a name, “it” is to be referred to as “he” or “she” as appropriate.

The organization, known worldwide for championing animal rights, is now taking its campaign to the written word, calling on Norm Goldstein, editor of The Associated Press Stylebook, to revise its guidelines, which currently characterize animals as inanimate objects.

In a letter written to Goldstein, the animal activists ask the AP to “take a progressive step and give animals the respect that they deserve by revising AP style guidelines to reflect the usage of personal pronouns for all animals.”

So, here’s my question: Which dogs and cats read the newspaper and can tell the difference if they’re being called he, she, or it?

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↑1	UPDATE: According to the current Associated Press Stylebook, if an animal’s sex is known or the animal has a name, “it” is to be referred to as “he” or “she” as appropriate.

In God We Trust Bruhaha

April 27, 2007 by Mike 3 Comments

plate In case you missed it, the ACLU is suing the State of Indiana on behalf of Mark Studler because Indiana is not charging a $15.oo fee for the popular “In God We Trust” license plates. Rather than recap the entire “adventure” here, I’ll point you to two blogs that disagree on the reason for the lawsuit.

John at The Daily Detour says it’s about God.

Gary Varvel ¹link no longer valid says it isn’t.

Both think it’s ridiculous; so do I.

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↑1	link no longer valid