In today’s New York Times, David Carr predicts that Twitter will not go the way of MySpace. It’s here to stay. He argues that the smart user will find much that is helpful about this new technology. He writes: “At first, Twitter can be overwhelming, but think of it as a river of data rushing past that I dip a cup into every once in a while. Much of what I need to know is in that cup.” Read the rest here.
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More Scorn for Hume
The media mouths continue to heap scorn (and blasphemy in some cases) on Brit Hume for his comments about Christianity and Buddhism (e.g., Keith Olbermann, Jon Stewart, ad infinitum). Tom Shales also adds some barbs of his own in his regular column for the Washington Post. One sentence in particular from Shales’ article struck me. He writes:
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Offering Redemption and Forgiveness
Brit Hume has been taking some flak for his remarks yesterday about Christianity and Buddhism. My previous post has the video of his full remarks in which he encourages Tiger Woods to become a Christian. In his own words, “Whether he can recover as a person depends on his faith. He’s said to be a Buddhist. I don’t think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So my message to Tiger would be, ‘Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.'”
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Brit Hume to Tiger Woods
“Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.”
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Chad Brand says Avatar is Anti-Custer
Chad Brand says that Avatar is “anti-military, anti-non-green, anti-American (at least Bush and Reagan’s America), and anti-Custer.” This is a clever, short movie review from a theology professor at Boyce College and Southern Seminary. His conclusion: “I liked the film. I will probably watch it again. But I am not going to drink the Koolaid.” Read the rest here.
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Seinfeld, Logic, and Laughs
Now that’s what I call philosophy. Joe Carter’s riff on the relation of logic to comedy is worth a look—especially if you are a connoisseur of one-liners from Seinfeld. Read it here.
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Top 10 YouTubes of 2009
It’s time for my annual posting of the Top 10 YouTube Videos of the Year (see last year’s list here). This ranking is totally unscientific. Only one person was polled to compile this list–yours truly. Except for the John Piper video at the end, the videos are all humorous this time. If you think I’ve left something out, let me know. I’ll think about adding it to the “Honorable Mention” category. Here’s the count down from number 10 to the number 1 video of 2009.
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50 things that changed our lives in the aughts
The Associated Press has an alphabetical list of the 50 things that changed our lives since the beginning of the Millennium. Included on the list are blogs, celebrity culture, cell phones, Facebook,Twitter, and YouTube. Do you agree with this list? Did they leave anything out? I think the author identifies some trends in American culture, but she has missed the big picture. The list is hopelessly techno-centric—as if our lives can be reduced to the accumulation of our gadgets. It reveals more about what American value than about how the human story has really unfolded over the last ten years. Read it for yourself here, and see if you agree…
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The Sissification of Men
Have you ever seen a guy carrying a man-purse or wearing “guy-liner” make-up? They exist, and unfortunately their tribe appears to be increasing. On this topic, Tom Purcell pens an Op-Ed for The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review in which he mourns the loss of manhood in our culture. Purcell has some trenchant critiques about how sissified men have become. He writes, Why are men turning into a bunch of softies?
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Evangelical Church Endorses Homosexuality
The Associated Press reports that an “evangelical” church in Colorado has decided to endorse homosexual monogamy as a valid Christian lifestyle. The pastor of the church reasons this way: “Our position is not one of lenience, but a matter of justice. It’s not that we don’t acknowledge the reality of sin. It’s not a sin to be gay or act in accordance with your nature.” The article also suggests that this particular church has found a middle-way and has transcended the typical conservative-liberal divide on this issue. But as you read on, it becomes clear that the pastor has embraced traditionally liberal interpretations of key biblical texts.