The Latest
Monday, August 11th, 2008Read it here first: The latest ministry update.
Archive for the 'Culture' Category
Athletes & Money
Thursday, July 10th, 2008This satirical commentary on athletes and their poor use of money grabbed my attention. The most bone-chilling stat - “Filing for bankruptcy is a long-standing tradition for NBA players, 60% of whom… are broke five years after they retire” - really caught my eye.
Click through or read the whole article below (more…)
On today’s reading
Friday, June 27th, 2008A few things from the blog-0-sphere that I read through more than once:
- I work on a commuter campus, so can relate to Eddy Ekmekji’s post “Ministering in the convenience” about a recent Atlantic Monthly article about the state of community colleges or as the article labels them, colleges of convenience.
- “Give us your Black Sheep” - Jeremy Del Rio posts on the creative explosion when space is given to explore the ideas of otherwise malcontents.
- Marriage: The Public Debate - I really appreciate reading Richard Mouw’s (President of Fuller Seminary) as he articulates about the intersection of religious conviction and public policy-making in a pluralistic society, in this case, addressing the recent developments in California on same-sex unions.
- The Institute - Anthony Bradley links to story of 11-year old girl in Romania that was raped by her teenage uncle and who sought permission from the state for an abortion at 21 weeks.
Gay marriage & Faith practice
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008As proverbial wisdom teaches:
The one who states their case first seems right,
until another comes and states theirs.
This is a controversy clash that won’t go away.
“…allowing same-sex couples to force religious individuals or organizations to act out of accord with their faith is not cost-free either. Their dignity is no less affected. Unless claims rooted in equal protection under the law are to sweep away claims rooted in freedom of religion, a more sensitive balancing approach is essential…
If past rulings are any guide, it is religious rights that are likely to be “obliterated” by an emerging popular majority supporting same-sex relationships — and it seems unlikely that the California courts will intervene. That’s a shame.”
From opinions article in LA Times, contributed by Marc D. Stern - general counsel of the American Jewish Congress and a contributor to a forthcoming book, “Same-Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty.”
1000 Words
Monday, May 5th, 2008
Amnesty inconsistency
Sunday, April 13th, 2008While the following opinion may end up betraying my general apathy about America’s supposed pastime, I’ve been confused lately in reflecting on the drastic inconsistency of rationales regarding granting amnesty - one of leniency for steroid users in baseball, and one of strictness towards undocumented immigrants.
- One the one side, there are multi-millionaires being (more…)
Asking for a lot
Wednesday, April 9th, 2008I have mixed reaction to this proposal to change this LAPD practice (Special Order 40) regarding inquiring about the immigration status of known gang members. I’m all for suppressing criminal activity - even though I question the effectiveness of blanketly deporting undocumented criminals - but I am concerned for how undocumented victims and potential witnesses might be impacted by a change in practice.
NOTE: National Geographic did a program that addresses the impact of gangs and immigration practices - World’s Most Dangerous Gang
My 2nd Childhood, Black Jesus & hip-hop as my mentor
Friday, April 4th, 2008Urban. Young Men. Students. Bonding. Incarnational. Relevant.
Based on a conglomeration of these things, I’ve been ushered into a on-the-fly introduction to hip-hop over the last month or two. In my own opinion, I’m about a decade slow (if not more) in this whole arena, but hey, the turtle beat the hare, so I’ve got a chance.
And since I’m serious about learning, I’ve attached (more…)
Quote - Marriage & Sin
Monday, March 10th, 2008“In marriage God puts two people in a relationship that pushes all their unspoken beliefs and longings to the surface. This is the only way these things can be seen and dealt with… It is a very effective crucible. Sadly, half of all married Christians fail to understand this, and they jump ship.”
Russell Willingham - Author of Relational Masks
watching it live
Thursday, January 31st, 2008While Jen, Isa’s respite care provider, creates a ferocious giggle from Isa in tickling her, I’m closely watching the Democratic debate. So far, I’m scoring points to Obama on healthcare and the housing crisis, and to Clinton on immigration.
Obama scored browny points by making seperate references to a child with cerebral palsy and the deplorable educational reality of children in East Los Angeles.
More to come.
Despite what you might think, kids want this from their parents
Saturday, January 26th, 2008That is, more involvement in their lives. From HispanicPundit.com, this post on parent involvement in college for Latino students.
It’s no secret that parental involvement increases academic performance in elementary and secondary schools, but scant research has been conducted to evaluate the effects of parental involvement on the academic achievement of college students…. Today, 49% of Latino college students are first generation college students - which means that their parents need information and support about how to navigate the college system and help their children be successful in higher education.
Quotes - MLK
Monday, January 21st, 2008“If a person hasn’t found something worth dying for, they aren’t fit to live.”
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
“Peace isn’t the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice.”
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
“Life’s most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?”
My unsafe delivery site
Friday, January 18th, 2008I don’t read as much as I used (since becoming a parent). But I subscribe to the weekend LA Times. So I was bummed today when the newspaper was on my front porch, since I usually like to read the paper while I eat breakfast - all before Isa wakes up.
When I called the LA Times to see what had happened, the customer service rep informed me that my subscription had been canceled. When I asked why - since I hadn’t received anything about it being canceled & was current in my payments, she informed me that it was canceled because we are in a dangerous environment. (more…)
Quote - Ethnocentrism
Monday, December 3rd, 2007“The church must face challenges such as the problem of ethnocentrism: The church of Christ surpasses all boundaries, but its members tend to stay within them and avoid the challenge of multi-ethnicity. Very often the church is good in giving abstract explanations of reality, but when it comes to the practical aspects, it tends to be conservative – thus failing to turn theory into practice.”
- Israel Peter Mwakyolile, author
Should churches own businesses?
Tuesday, November 27th, 2007Kathy Hernandez has an provocative post on this. She says:
Unlike a missionary, who may help indigenous people start their own businesses as a way to be self-sufficient, these businesses are designed to make money for the church. Assuming that the church pays appropriate taxes for their for-profit arms, it sounds like a good way for a church to raise money to do other good works besides just hitting up their members. (See the Wall Street Journal article The Backlash Against Tithing for why that’s getting tougher.)
And yet, something about this rubs me the wrong way. Perhaps it’s because it dilutes the mission of the church, or because it makes the church look like an exclusive investment club. Or perhaps it seems like a risky use of funds, but then again many churches by definition are a risky use of funds. It also bugs me that the church would compete against locals whom they seek to serve.
Weigh in with your thoughts.
Steve Harvey introducing Jesus
Monday, November 26th, 2007Quote - “Isn’t it true?”
Tuesday, November 6th, 2007Isn’t it true that we have often taken necessities from the masses to give luxuries to the classes? Isn’t it true that we have often in our democracy trampled over individuals and races with the iron feet of oppression? Isn’t it true that through our Western powers we have perpetuated colonialism and imperialism?
-Martin Luther King Jr.
Burning Bush
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007This is one of the reasons I love being on staff, for being a part of stuff like this.
Poster for the upcoming “Cumbre de Alabanza” (Spanish for “Worship Summit”)
Now (more…)
The education formerly known as “public”
Thursday, October 11th, 2007It used to be that the perception of what distinguished public school education from private school education was the access based on cost. By this think, public school education was accessible to all because the cost was subsidized by the government, whereas private school education was only accessible to those that could subsidize the cost themselves.
This article on the current notion of desegregation, aka (more…)
I don’t think my students know this about Facebook
Thursday, October 11th, 2007According to a recent study, 40% of employers make hiring decisions based on Facebook accounts. I’d better warn my students about this (their not scandalous, but…)
HT: UrbanOnramps
