|
RantingRocker
|
read my profile
sign my guestbook
Location: United States
Gender: Male
Interests: Music of all kinds, writing, history, politics, religion, hockey, books
Expertise: Musician- classical by training, popular by trade; occasional poet, author, journalist, and actor.
Message: message me
AIM:  strumdoctor
Member Since:
10/31/2004
|
|
| THE MACHINEGUN RANT: Rocker Sounds Off
This is the segment in which I let loose a short rant on whatever strikes my fancy and then quickly move on. Feel free to comment on any.
1) The President is eventually going to have to explain how his policy of eavesdropping is legal; just telling us to trust him over and over again will only work for so long.
2) The movie version of The Phantom of the Opera is somewhat ruined for me by the fact that the man who plays the Phantom really can't sing the role. Not only that, but he's neither famous nor unusually good-looking (for Hollywood, I mean). The Phantom needs to be the best singer and the best actor in the show, but in the movie he is outclassed by both Christine and Raoul. What casting director picked this loser?
3) Nobody believes me when I say that John Mayer has crossed into cool. Watch his Austin City Limits; the dude goes lick for lick with Buddy Guy! Buddy freakin' Guy!
4) I'm tired of listening to Democrats whine about this President and his policies. They had two chances to try and beat this President and make their own policies. Who did they send? Al Gore and John Kerry. Enough said.
5) I just discovered Randy Alcorn's book Lord Foulgrim's Letters. A quick glance through the book confirms the suspicions that instantly pop into the minds of seasoned readers of Christian literature upon reading the title: the book is a blatant ripoff of C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters, bordering on plagiaristic. As far as I can tell, there is no credit given to Lewis in the book. No matter what Alcorn's intended ends, the act of stealing somebody else's idea and selling is never Christian. It is also worth noting that people will be reading C.S. Lewis long after the name Randy Alcorn has been forgotten.
6) Alicia Keys stands head and shoulders musically above every other pop music act to surface in the last five years. She can sing, she can rap, she can lead a band, and she's one hell of a keyboardist. She'd better win every single Grammy for which she is nominated this year.
7) Paul McCartney is now 64. Do we still need him? Will we still feed him?
8) Marriage rocks. Anyone who says otherwise has never experienced marriage done right. And I'm so tired of guys who can't bear the thought of one woman for the rest of their lives. They need to grow up and discover that there are better things in life than the fervent, unrealistic hope that some day they might have women falling over them, offering them sex in their favorite flavor.
That's all for now. | | |
| WEIRD CHRISTIANITY: Some Initial Responses to John Shelby Spong's Why Christianity Must Change or Die
I'll admit it. I don't buy everything Spong is selling here. Maybe that makes me close-minded. But I think he's going too far.
In his book, Spong attempts to tear down a lot of traditional Christianity, apparently hoping to preserve his religion in such a form that will not be rendered obselete by the modern world.
(1) Spong challenges the historical validity of the Gospels, claiming all this talk of miracles, immaculate concpetion, transfiguration, ressurection of the body, etc. is merely figurative "midrashic writing," used by First-Century Christians to rationalize the spirit-filled life of Jesus of Nazareth into a world where a three-tiered universe and a physical theistic God are still considered reality. I will agree to the point that every word in the Bible need not be literal truth in order for it to remain the roadmap to the Ultimate Truth, but for Spong to try and rip apart the Gospels in such a way without accusing anyone of making things up reeks of indecision.
(2) Spong claims that the ideal for the new Christian is the "spirit person," or someone who has achieved a kind of oneness with God (not an external God with a will of his own, but an internal presence he defines as "the Ground of Being"), and that the significance of Jesus of Nazareth is that he was the original and ultimate example of the "spirit person," by whose example we are led toward this ideal. Besides smelling strongly of Bhuddism, this analysis seems to remove all serious meaning from the crucifixtion. Oh, and if we can't be sure what parts of the Gospels are true, what example do we have to follow?
I'll give Spong one thing- he is asking questions that need to be asked. How do we reconcile the age-old ideas of what or who God is with modern science and morality? How can the Church reach people who desperately want to be Christian but find reality getting in the way? These are all things we must ask ourselves, but I think that if your conclusions are Spong's, you might as well be creating a new religion from scratch.
More to come on this. | | |
| BILL O'REILLY: Jackass for Christ
Recently, the Fox News Channel's bulldog, Bill O'Reilly, berated Comedy Central by referring to it as "Secular Central" on the air. Let me get this straight: Bill O'Reilly thinks the word "secular" is an insult? Does this mean that he thinks Comedy Central ought to be a Christian channel? Furthermore, does this mean he thinks every channel ought to be a Christian channel? Another good question is: does this mean he believes Fox News already is a Christian channel? That would certainly be news to me.
One must draw one of two conclusions from this remark: either (1) Bill O'Reilly has turned away from his politics and pushiness to make a profound statement about religion and the direction of modern television, or (2) this was just a thoughtless cheap shot made by someone more interested in insulting someone than making sense. Hmm... | | |
| CREATIONISM/EVOLUTION PREVIEW
I'm looking at a new book at work about the coexistence of Christianity and evolutionary theory. Before I read and respond to it, I thought I'd give a preemptive rant on the subject. My opinions on this issue can be summed up with a few key points:
1) Darwin was a Christian, and never intended his theory as a challenge to Christianity.
2) Evolutionary theory is simply the best scientific theory on the origin of species out there. It is the only scientific theory that explains why so many different species have so many of the same organs and basic shape. Opponents can poke holes in it, but none of them have a better idea. Others can claim scientific evidence of intelligent design (which may well exist), but evidence of a creator does not disprove evolution.
3) The Bible is not a science book. According to a literal reading of the Bible, the Sun moves (not the Earth), the earth has four corners, and there is a sea monster called the Leviathan that frolicks in the seas. Unless you believe in a stationary Earth with four corners and sea monsters, you can't accept a literal reading of the Bible as scientific fact.
4) Belief in evolutionary process does not conflict with belief in a creator.
In short, I believe (as even Pope John Paul II did) that evolution and Christianity are compatible. It seems to me that those who can't reconcile with this are suffering from the same affliction as those who supressed Copernicus and Galileo. | | |
| MAS: Christmas Minus Christ
With the Holidays fast approaching, I want to get this rant out of the
way. I hope I'm not the only one who finds what Christmas has become in
this country utterly disgusting. The monster that is America's
secularized Christmas rears its ugly head every year, and this year
promises to be no different. But I think too many people misplace the
blame for this catastrophe; I don't blame commercialism, atheism, or
materialsm. We Christians are always happy to point out how the evils
of the world are ruining things for us, and never want to look inward
at ourselves. That's right, God-fearing, prayer-saying, Bible-reading
Christians, I'm talking to you (us, that is).
American Christians seem to have forgotten that Christmas is our
holiday. In fear of upsetting or confusing a society we don't think can
handle the caffinated version, we have quietly sat back and watched
over the past century or so as Christmas has become less and less about
Mary and a manger and more and more about Santa and a sleigh. It's to
the point now where entire movies can be made and books written about
the love, hope, and wonder inherent in Christmas without once
mentioning anything even vaguely religious. In short, Christmas is the
season of hope and prosperity, and no one quite remembers why.
And another thing. One of Christianity's greatest crimes against itself
is the creation of "the Holidays," a term for Christmas used only
by those who celebrate Christmas (and a few who celebrate nothing
trying to feel relevant to all those who celebrate anything). You will never
hear anyone who celebrates Chaunukah, Kwanza, or Solstice say "happy
Holidays." The fact is that "the Holidays" don't exist, and the only
ones who feel the need to pretend they do are Christians who are afraid
to say the name of their own holiday out loud .
Now, I'm not suggesting that every store, company, television station,
and public establishment needs to make an openly Christian statement,
but let's put it this way: if a Jewish person comes up to you and
wishes you a happy Yom Kippur, are you offended? Of course not; no one
is offended by a Jewish person celebrating a Jewish holiday, even those
who are not Jewish.
Now before you all go out and shoot down your neighbor's Frosty (or
just get mad thinking I'm advocating such a thing), remember my key to
life: don't set out to change the world; change yourself and then
change the world by being yourself. No one notices anymore when one
more psycho Christian tries to tell everyone else how to run their
lives. But don't let the world tell you how to run yours, either.
Read your kids the Christmas story (or just read it yourself). Go catch an earful of Handel's Messiah rather than watching this year's rerun of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (short of that, there are a couple of great episodes of Veggie Tales that will do nicely for the little ones). Sing
a few Christmas carols that don't say anything about snow, bells,
trees, or presents. Oh, and the "reindeer rule" isn't law in your yard;
you don't need to put a candycane fence around your nativity scene, or
sandwich it between nutcrackers.
Don't be afraid to call Christmas what it is, and don't be afraid to be
open about what it means to you. It's the only way to stand up and say
"Hey! That's my holiday!"
| | |
|
