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Fanciful thinking… When Tom Clancy’s fictional character Jack Ryan became President of the US, he learned how little he could change. If Barack Obama pushes for a college football playoff, he’ll learn that talk of changing the BCS is closer to BS. The Bowl Championship Series is a story about the power of culture –…
Streetwise people… Faith communities aiming to change the world ought to pay attention to how streetwise people are doing it. For instance, look at three reasons the Democrats did so well in the recent 2008 elections. Then consider how they apply to us.
Treated Like Tofu “You cut the toikey without me?!?” This scene in Avalon should spark a question: why was turkey being served at all? The first Thanksgiving feast probably didn’t include it. What changed between 1621 and today? The tale of how turkey became a Thanksgiving tradition is a story of how cultures change –…
Sniggering… The oysters in the Chesapeake Bay could once filter the entire Bay (about 19 trillion gallons of water) in a week. Today, it would take the remaining oysters more than a year. Replacing oysters alleviates some of the harm, but it ultimately won’t renew the Bay. The solution is upstream – as it is…
Stay away… If you want your teenage daughter to avoid pregnancy (or your son to not get a girl pregnant), turn off the racy TV shows. If you want your teenager to abstain from sex until marriage, stay away from church. If the first suggestion makes sense and the second doesn’t, read on.
Stay away… If you want your teenage daughter to avoid pregnancy (or your son to not get a girl pregnant), turn off the racy TV shows. If you want your teenager to abstain from sex until marriage, stay away from church. If the first suggestion makes sense and the second doesn’t, read on.
Look in their eyes Be sure to vote this Tuesday. But wait until Sunday morning at church to catch the election results. Whichever candidate wins, look for the look on your friends’ faces. In too many cases, it will tell you the New Deal beat the New Covenant.
The Real Deal From a distance, the curved glass china cabinet in our dining room looks like the Real Deal. Friends admire it, so it surprises them to learn it’s a reproduction. It might surprise you to learn that much of modern Christian faith – our message, method, and mindset – is a reproduction. Yet…
Lost horizon If the worldwide credit crisis has you feeling a bit disoriented, do what good pilots do – keep your eye on the horizon. First of all, the Panic of 2008 is a crisis of trust. In this case, how did some of the smartest people in the world make such bad decisions? Restoring…
BCS & BS
Michael Metzger
December 8, 2008
Fanciful thinking… When Tom Clancy’s fictional character Jack Ryan became President of the US, he learned how little he could change. If Barack Obama pushes for a college football playoff, he’ll learn that talk of changing the BCS is closer to BS. The Bowl Championship Series is a story about the power of culture –…