Homebrewed Theology - Latest Comments

Re: Stay At Home Dads Worse Than Unbelievers? @PastorMark Thinks So

Ken Leonard — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:15:49 -0000

When my wife was expecting our daughter, my wife and I did some math. She made more money than I did. She worked closer to our home than I did. She enjoys her job more than I did. I like to cook more than she does, and am familiar with natural ingredients, where to find farmer's markets year-round, etc..

We could not have lived on my salary alone. We do live on hers.

My belief is that these misogynists belittle stay at home dads because if full-time parenting is seen as worthy work, then it hurts their desire to put down women as just belonging at home. No matter how much people claim that they don't think women are inferior, that's exactly what they mean.

My wife, by the way, teaches high school math to troubled students. I used to supervise bank tellers. Which of us was doing more to make the world a better place?

Re: Stay At Home Dads Worse Than Unbelievers? @PastorMark Thinks So

Derek — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:21:34 -0000

Read an ancient book and you end up with ancient beliefs and perspectives. It's to be expected and somewhat inevitable.

Re: Stay At Home Dads Worse Than Unbelievers? @PastorMark Thinks So

Mark S — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:14:59 -0000

Should men work and provide? Yes. Should they necessarily GO OUT to work like Ward Clever to a job with a briefcase? In present economy, that's usually the case, but that's kind of new as a generally universal model of "work." My ideal would be to teach online, perhaps make a product or provide a service, and be able to do that out of my home, contributing to home education of children. Is the "woman's place" in the home? Most of the time, maybe, but even look at Prov 31 as a model: this idyllic woman is not just dusting all day, taking kids to soccer and piano, and making sure dinner is perfect and ready when Ward gets home with his briefcase. She's engaged in commerce and is very active -- not that Mrs. Cleaver, Mrs. Petrie, and my Mom were idle, watching soaps. No -- there was WORK, lots of work.
If I'm ever married and have children, I hope one parent at least is at home, so children are raised by us, not by a school or day-care, and so that huge portion of one wage isn't going to pay someone else to raise our children. So for me, it's Biblical and practical, not Bible-based legalism. To reference the passage Mrs. Driscoll references out of context in her part of the response...I also hope I can make enough and steward rightly to care for parents/in-laws as needed and provide for wife if in God's good providence I precede here in death and she be a widow.

Re: Stay At Home Dads Worse Than Unbelievers? @PastorMark Thinks So

Bo Eberle — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:40:03 -0000

This is where the ideology really shines through... with this kind of fanaticism, when this this kind of fringe belief that women are subservient is held up even above professed faith in Christ, then we see what Driscoll and his ilk are really driven by. It's the clear indication that the religious dogma is driven by the misogyny, power, etc, and not the other way around.

Re: No, Satan Did Not Kill Whitney Houston

csalafia — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:19:20 -0000

Thanks so much and thanks for the blogroll link. I'll definitely head over and check your blog out.

Re: Santorum Campaign To Women – Keep Your Legs Closed

Ken Leonard — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 23:08:17 -0000

Crude, vulgar, derogatory to women ... looks like a perfect GOP talking point!

Re: No, Satan Did Not Kill Whitney Houston

Yvonne Hinshaw — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 22:59:32 -0000

I gotta say, I love your blog. I've been reading several of your posts and just wanted to comment and say good job. I'm adding you to my blog roll. http://www.midgroundpolitics.c...

Re: On Piper’s Masculine Christianity And Marriage

mkrabill — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 17:54:30 -0000

Thanks for the link! Great post.

Re: No, @AllenWest, Why Don’t You Get Out?

csalafia — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:38:49 -0000

There is no obfuscation of the video. The intent of West's words are very clear, if you don't agree with his ideology or, more accurately, his idea of what is right and good you can leave the country. The obfuscation comes from those who are trying to defend the words of a man who takes pride in the fact that he abused and, in the judgment of military officials, tortured Iraqis.

Comments on older threads close automatically after a certain time period to prevent old posts from being overrun with spam comments.

Please, feel free to come back and visit again. When you do, be sure to show me, and the readers what your version of being an 'adult' is.

.

Re: No, @AllenWest, Why Don’t You Get Out?

Tim — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:28:09 -0000

Calling yourself an adult is a bit of a stretch isn't it?

I mean the amount of effort you put into obfuscating this videos is amazing, the only thing more amazing is that the people that comment on them don't even bother to watch them.

I especially liked you Beck video which you closed comments on.

You leftists really are a bunch of low life liars, I don't really blame you it's the only way to actually get anyone to listen to you.

Re: Marx, Monsters, And Markets

csalafia — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:16:39 -0000

Richard Wolff's Economic Manifesto may not be a bad place to start.

http://www.rdwolff.com/content...

Re: Marx, Monsters, And Markets

Bo Eberle — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:22:30 -0000

This is fantastic, but I have NO IDEA where to go from here! If we could have a revolution before my student loans come due, I'd be all in favor (see, there's that self-interested greed aspect again ; )

Re: Process Theology, Cornhole, And Homebrew

trippfuller — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:45:33 -0000

oh yeah!

Re: Does Science Make Belief In God Obsolete?

Derek — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:38:54 -0000

I follow. I'm having a really hard time with the enormity of the leap that says "I don't know therefore.... tada! One fully formed, completely impossible, entirely outrageous God. And I believe in it".

In other words how do you get from "science doesn't have all the answers" to "here's a god I can believe in"?

Re: Does Science Make Belief In God Obsolete?

csalafia — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 11:20:30 -0000

Science is simply tools. I say this not derisively, but as someone who has spent the last 20 years as a scientist.

Science, in and of itself, doesn't actually "do" anything. Can we use those tools to manipulate the world around us? Sure.

What's beyond our understanding, I'm not sure. Me, I'm more in line with Newton's clockmaker view. I don't think we know, and I don't think we'll ever know, and for either theology or science to claim the opposite is ridiculous.

Re: Does Science Make Belief In God Obsolete?

Derek — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:36:40 -0000

I'm trying to understand this statement: It helps us to explain the world, yet it cannot, and did not, create the world.

So how does God come into this? Do we just take a logical leap of faith from "we don't know how the first nanoseconds of the universe started" to a fully formed god that is more complex than anything we have any experience of? I don't get how that works.

Re: Burger King Bringing Obesity To Your Door

Mickey — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:31:25 -0000

I don't understand your issue with this.

Re: Joel Convinced Me – Don’t “Go Dark”, Go #Misbehavin Over SOPA

csalafia — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:52:07 -0000

Honestly, I can see both sides of the issue, and don't necessarily disagree with either.

Your reasoning is sound, and it's a line that I had considered myself, to go with a plugin that would direct the readers to other resources.

The thing I love about "SOPA day" so far is the variety of protests, from ribbons to blackouts to the Oatmeal's genius animation. It just goes to show the depth of the creativity that can be unleashed via the internet.

In essence, the variety is a protest in itself.

Keep up the faith, fight the good fight!
Christian

Re: Joel Convinced Me – Don’t “Go Dark”, Go #Misbehavin Over SOPA

Caspar Green — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:25:45 -0000

I, too, have been debating with myself for the past couple days whether to "go dark," or to do as you have done, and stay live and write a post about why I agree with the motives for the blackout. In the end, I've blacked out.
I hear your argument about how going blackout is like being silent instead of doing something about it. And, if silence and a blank page is all the blackout were doing, I'd be in complete agreement. People who can't view your site need to know why they're being inconvenienced, and encouraged to do something about the issue.
I agree with you, that blacking out is useless without the other kinds of actions you suggest here. Calling congress and taking direct action against the companies that support SOPA/PIPA is also necessary. Even critical. That's why most of the sites that are blacking out (including mine) are forwarding people to resources where they can do something constructive along those lines.
To take your preachers don't preach metaphor a little further, the gospel message for the morning would be lost if preachers just shut the doors in protest. But if they put a sign on the door telling people, "If this passes, these doors will be closed permenantly. If you ever want to hear the gospel preached again, now's the time to do something about it!" That's a pretty powerful message.
Jesus, before his accusers, stood without a word in protest at his trial. If strategic silence is good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me. St. Francis said, Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.

Re: Farewell @PastorMark

csalafia — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:46:39 -0000

I agree! The sad thing is Driscoll had been challenged by his church's elders after the whole "effeminate worship leader" thing, and he made a public statement saying he'd be more careful about the things he said. Guess it didn't take. He's also responded to criticism about his book without grace and humility, saying that those who have criticisms "have issues of their own", or words to that effect.

I pray that Driscoll learns the one thing from Christ he's, to this point, ignored. Humility.

Re: Farewell @PastorMark

Jeremy Cushman — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:29:44 -0000

I like this post because it puts things in real "context," like Driscoll attempted to do with his own blog, but what he really ended up doing was putting things in his "context." But what I don't like about all this is the fact that guys like Driscoll aren't just allowed to continue preaching, but they're not even challenged by the leaders around them. If my pastor had said the things Driscoll said, either no one would show up to church or someone else would be preaching the next Sunday.
I'm appalled by those who go to great lengths to defend Driscoll and his leadership because it doesn't seem like they take a step back and evaluate whether or not Driscoll is actually promoting Christ - not just with his words, but with his tone and with his overall lifestyle.
I'm sorry, but I think the only person who has any authority to call someone a coward is Jesus Himself... and I highly doubt that He ever would.

Re: @PastorMark Is What’s Wrong With American Christianity

csalafia — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:53:07 -0000

Thanks Peter. I see your point on the homophobia, I was just going by some of his past statements, particularly about the Catholic church and "effeminate worship leaders", and the 'guys in dresses' statement fits right in with his history.

Re: @PastorMark Is What’s Wrong With American Christianity

csalafia — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:38:08 -0000

Peter,

Thanks for shining some light on this from a UK perspective.

I agree that Driscoll tends to not 'do his homework' and his bombastic style tends to overshadow anything useful he may have to say. His statement about "guys in dresses" is, unfortunately, a byproduct of his hypermasculine view of Christianity. It's also disrespectful, at best, and ignorant, at worst, of church history and tradition going back centuries. It also may be symptomatic of his rejection of anything Catholic from his upbringing.

My hope and prayer for him is that he learns a little humility... in speech and action.

Again, thanks for the info!

Christian

Re: @PastorMark Is What’s Wrong With American Christianity

peeebeee — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:25:41 -0000

As quite often happens, I find myself partially agreeing with what Driscoll is getting at - although as always happens, disagreeing with the way he goes about it.

The Anglican church definitely has a man-in-frock-preaching-to-grandmothers problem. It's not quite so much of a problem in real life as it is perceived to be - but actually, that doesn't matter. The prospect of being spoken down to from on high by a man in a frock does, genuinely, stop people going in the church doors. It doesn't mean anything to modern young people; it's miles away from any frame of reference they're accustomed to. Those types of Anglican churches still predominate, especially in rural areas of England. Those are the churches that are dying on their feet; losing their congregations to the graveyard and unable to attract younger believers to replace them.

Having said that, there are parts of the Anglican church which are significantly more progressive. Mostly found in urban areas, churches have re-invented themselves to attract a much younger congregation, whether that's families or young men as Driscoll is referring to. Arguably the two best-known worship leaders in Britain right now - Tim Hughes and Matt Redman - both of international fame - serve in Anglican churches. Holy Trinity Brompton saw the birth of the Alpha Course - which is attracting new believers the world over. All Souls produced 'Christianity Today' which has had similar success. Pete Greig, who formed 24-7Prayer - is an Anglican. He doesn't wear a frock. All of these churches are growing, planting, thriving.

Then there's the blossoming evangelical and charismatic movements - whether independent or aligned with AOG, Vineyard, New Frontiers etc. You won't find any man in frocks there, and some of these have experienced huge growth and been able to expand and plant.

I think Driscoll has a point - and I think the Anglican church would, to some extent, agree. But he needs to do some more research before making sweeping statements about Christianity in the UK. Doing his homework was never his strong suit, though....

Re: @PastorMark Is What’s Wrong With American Christianity

Peter Kirk — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:31:33 -0000

I'm also no fan of Driscoll, as you will see by following the "Related Articles" link to gentlewisdom.org. But I don't think the "guys in dresses" point is showing homophobia. Mark is here making a point about mostly Church of England priests who like to wear cassocks and all kinds of other vestments, which were men's clothing when they were invented 1700 years ago! Some of these priests are gay, but many are not. But their attire is certainly a big turn-off to many especially younger men and women.