Well if you ask me...

Why?

Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about the big questions of life – what is the meaning of life? what happens after death? does God exist? things like that.

used with permission

I’ve always said that I have questioned everything I have ever believed except one thing – the existence of God. I have had serious doubts about the God of the Bible, the inspiration of Scripture, the interpretation of many passages, and other details, but never really questioned God’s existence.

Recently that has changed. Several things have contributed to that.

1. I’ve spent many years reading the works of atheists, talking with them, debating the existence of God with them, etc. Many of them are the most thoughtful, intelligent people I have ever met.
2. I have always thought a world without a creator creator was an inspiring idea. I’ve always believed God exists, but I think I’d be willing to accept if there were not.
3. I’ve never been the kind of theist who “needed” to believe in God. Much like C.S. Lewis, I believe because I believe, not because I want to.
4. I’ve grown increasingly concerned about the nature of the church in the U.S. In my opinion, many U.S. churches represent an over-emphasis on conservative politics, a fear of science, the marginalization of women, and discrimination against minorities. I also think far too many Christians accept whatever their church teaches with little regard for searching out the truth for themselves.

I have even begun to question the very existence of God, and even more so the existence of the God described in the Bible – the God of Judaism and Christianity.

A little more than two months ago, I was thinking about why these questions were so heavy on my heart and a thought that really bothered me popped into my head. I had been reading the Bible at an accelerated pace over the last six months. I’ve read the Bible for years, but now I was reading a very large chunk every day. Could all of that reading be the thing that makes me wonder? I’ve read the Bible intentionally like this before, and I’ve read it daily for long periods of time many times before, and I’ve read large chunks in short time frames before. I’ve even studied every book in a formal setting (most books at least twice) and in informal study (not just devotion). Was I seeing things differently now? Why?

Or perhaps something else was going on. I really don’t know.

The very next day we visited another church in the area (we were searching for a new church, but I’m sure that had nothing to do with my questions about God). The sermon was just what I needed to hear. I’ve never, in many years of attending church, felt as though the message was designed just for me. This was, by far, the best sermon I had heard in a long time. It was an appropriate message for me – and, I think, for this period in the history of the Christian church in America. There is too much dogma in our churches and not enough of what I would consider real faith – following without worry ing about if it all makes sense.

Early in the sermon the pastor said “I know I’m not supposed to ask why, but …” and then he went on to explain that it was okay to ask why. It’s okay to wonder about what God is doing. It’s okay to have questions.

I cold not agree more. Keep the questions coming.

The next week we went back to the same church a different pastor preached. I was affected by his prayer in a powerful way. Last week I wrote about how some of the prayers I hear really bug me, but this was a completely different attitude. It was refreshing, to say the least.

May Your Words Be My Words

Perhaps it’s not intentional, but I think a lot of pastors manipulate congregations with their prayers.

used with permission

I remember hearing a pastor ask a question about using prayers to preach. I forget the way he worded it exactly, but the idea was “is it okay to use prayer to preach?” I’ve heard many hypothetical questions like this asked by pastors from the pulpits over the years. In this case, as in most cases, the pastor answered the question differently than I expected. His answer was “yes.”

I guess I can see his point. Perhaps, when it’s done responsibly, there is nothing wrong with using the opportunity to pray as an opportunity to preach, but the idea still smacks of insincerity to me.

In any case, the preaching shouldn’t be manipulative and self serving. I think enough preaching is self serving, so I don’t want to hear it in prayers. Yet, I think it happens all the time.

Think of the last time you heard someone pray something like “let my words not be my words, but Your words Lord” or something similar to that. Doesn’t that strike you as dangerous. Perhaps manipulative is the wrong word. Perhaps many pastors do this without thinking about it, but I don’t think that makes it any better. If my pastor teaches me that prayer works, and then he prays that the Lord use him and make his words the Lord’s words, then how am I to respond when the pastor says something I disagree with. Should I assume I now disagree with the Lord?

It might seem ridiculous when it’s spelled out like that, but many people absorb this kind of lesson without thinking about it.

How does the Lord make my words His words anyway? Does He magically transform my notes into his words as I talk, does He simply cause me to skip over the parts that are not inspired?

And think about inspiration for a second. I think I understand the spirit of most pastors when they say things like this, but I would argue they need think more carefully about how listeners will interpret these kinds of prayers. Most pastors, I assume, are not asking God to make their words equal to the inspired Word of God. Are they?

Creation “Science” is not Science

This post is the eighth in a series. If you’ve just stumbled onto this series, you may want to start here.

Today’s topic is Young Earth Creationism or Creation Science.

I’ve started with this one because it’s the easiest for me to dismiss. I am sure those who hold this view – they are many – will be disappointed to learn that I am not going to spend much time here.

Creation “science” is not science at all. I’ll provide two reasons I say that.

Dogma

By definition, no apparent, perceived or claimed evidence in any field, including history and chronology, can be valid if it contradicts the scriptural record. Of primary importance is the fact that evidence is always subject to interpretation by fallible people who do not possess all information. Answers in Genesis statement of faith

You might believe that, and I take no issue with that – but it’s not science

Quote Mining

In Darwin’s Own Words: Creationist Quote-Mining Exposed from darwinsbulldog

Will Marissa Mayer Save Flickr?

A couple of months ago, I started thinking about ditching Flickr in favor of some other service. I quickly learned that others had searched in vain for a replacement. Like the author of this post, I decided that alternatives were not much better. Certainly not “better enough” for me to switch.

Not long after my son mentioned to me that he was planning to switch. I told him what I had learned and we just left it at that. He continued to use it. We had the same conversation about a week ago.

Then yesterday, he was testing and experimenting with alternative services while we watched Breaking Bad. Once again, I agreed with him that there really should be a better service, but I’ve not found one that motivated me to switch. (I’m not a photographer and I go for months without posting). His next comment was really the problem with Flickr, and with all Yahoo! properties, if you ask me.

He said, “I just don’t want Yahoo! to destroy it.”

A few minutes later when I picked up my iPad to check Twitter, Facebook, and G+, everyone was talking about the same thing – Marissa Mayer, the new CEO at Yahoo!. Almost everyone in my circles was thrilled by the news. It seems there might be hope for Yahoo!

So, maybe there is hope for Flickr!

Hair Metal Mondays: We’re Not Gonna’ Take It

“We’re Not Gonna Take It” is a 1984 hit song by the American glam metal/heavy metal band Twisted Sister from their album Stay Hungry. I was never a huge fan of Twisted Sister, but they’ve recorded some decent work and this song is a classic from the 80s to be sure. I remember the video was a big hit. I don’t particularly care for it, but since a lot of people do I thought I’d use it here.

We're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
We're not gonna take it anymore

We've got the right to choose and
There ain't no way we'll lose it
This is our life, this is our song
We'll fight a 1000 legions
Don't pick our destiny 'cause
You don't know us, you don't belong

We're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
We're not gonna take it anymore

Oh you're so condescending
Your goal is never ending
We don't want nothin', not a thing from you
Your life is trite and jaded
Boring and confiscated
If that's your best, your best won't do

Whoa...
Whoa...
We're right/yeah
We're free/yeah
We'll fight/yeah
You'll see/yeah

Oh we're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
Oh we're not gonna take it anymore

Oh we're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
Oh we're not gonna take it anymore
No way!

Whoa...
Whoa...
We're right/yeah
We're free/yeah
We'll fight/yeah
You'll see/yeah

We're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
We're not gonna take it anymore

We're not gonna take it, no!
No, we ain't gonna take it
We're not gonna take it anymore

Just you try and make us
We're not gonna take it
Come on
No, we ain't gonna take it
You're all worthless and weak
We're not gonna take it anymore
Now drop and give me twenty
We're not gonna take it
A Pledge pin
No, we ain't gonna take it
On your uniform
We're not gonna take it anymore

23 Years of Wedded Bliss

Twenty-three years ago today I married the girl of my dreams. We’ve lived happily ever after since then. The title of this post is a running joke at our house. It’s what my dad would have on his 23rd wedding anniversary. Actually, I’m sure he did say it just like he did every other year.

Terri and I were out for a nice dinner about a week ago. I don’t remember what about our conversation led me to say this, but at one point I told her that “I could have married a hundred other woman and they would have all divorced me by now – with extreme prejudice!”

As I read that now, I realize it might require some explanation. I did not, in fact, have one hundred other women waiting in the wings to marry me. That’s not what I meant at all. What I meant was that if I were to have married one hundred other women, they would have all given up on me.

I believe that. As a matter of fact, I might have very nearly the same failure rate with a thousand others.

I actually think I’m a good husband and a good father, but let’s just say that living with me is a bit of an adventure – the kind of adventure I think a lot of woman are not in the mood for.

Our time together has been wonderful. I look forward to another twenty-three years.

Family Friday: Working Hard or Hardly Working

I think I work fairly hard most of the time, I tend to get a lot done, and I’m happy with the results up to this point (especially in the last five years or so), but I’ve learned something recently. I get this nagging feeling sometimes that I am working too late into the day, that I should be “knocking off” work earlier and spending more time with the family. The problem, however, is that when I do quit for the day I have this urge to get back to it, a feeling that I am not working hard enough, etc. I know I should quit for the day, I know my family is more important than my work. So what is really bothering me? The real truth is – I’m not working all the time I think I’m working.

I discovered this recently when I mapped out my ideal week. I’ve recently trimmed my work down to four major components – a client whose mission I care deeply about, a client that gives me intellectually challenging work that pays the bills, a startup that will transform the way we learn, and an organization I am starting which will help young people learn to detect bullshit.

Since I am committed to those four things and nothing else professionally, I decided to carve out time loosely so they all get the time they deserve. I’ve tried to block out appointments with myself and the like before but I’ve always gravitated back toward the GTD mentality to not schedule anything on my calendar that doesn’t absolutely need to be done at a certain time. This is different. I started with an example spreadsheet and modified it for my needs. After a few days of referring to it, I decided to go ahead and add these blocks of time to my calendar. I know that I can move them around when I need to.

Sticking to it has been liberating and enlightening. I’ve always suspected that I waste a little time but this, and what I learned a couple of weeks ago, shows me that I can get a handle on it. And it gives purpose to my day. If I work the plan, I feel very comfortable quitting at 6:30 and I don’t think about work like I used to.

But it displeased Jonah

I’ve heard the story of Jonah many times. I’ve read and studied it myself and I’ve considered this lesson before, but it really struck me the other day as I listened to those words during my devotional time. The selection for the day was the book of Jonah. This phrase struck me so much that I listened to the book a second time to get a sense for what Jonah must have been thinking.

God told him to go and tell the people of Nineveh that their city would be overthrown. After he fled in fear for his life, God had to persuade him to do as he was told. He repented and God gave him another chance, and he followed through on God’s command.

After hearing the bad news, the people of Nineveh repented and God decided to spare them.

But it displease Jonah exceedingly Jonah 4:1

Isn’t that just like all of us? Other people don’t deserve the kind of treatment we get.

What Is the Meaning of Science?

This post is the seventh in a series. If you’ve just stumbled onto this series, you may want to start here.

I thought I might start today on a series of posts detailing each of the four views I presented last week, but after starting to write the first post I’ve decided I want to address an important question.

What Is Science?

The term science has an interesting history. This has led, in my opinion, to a misunderstanding of what modern science is all about.

Modern science is the pursuit of knowledge characterized by the development of testable, disprovable explanations and predictions about the world around us. These explanations are called theories. A good theory is based on observation and is testable, provable, and will provide the basis for predictions about future observations.

Any field of study or inquiry which does not produce testable, observable, disprovable theories which provide predictions for future observations is not science. Period. A lot of people take issue with this, but I think the confusion is a result of three things.

Scientists Are Wrong All the Time

Not only might scientist be wrong sometimes, they are wrong all the time. That’s the nature of science itself. You observe, you guess, you predict, you observe, and you change your guess. That’s how it works. You are supposed to get things wrong. Dogma, on the other hand, is about picking an idea and sticking with it no matter what your senses tell you. That may or may not be a valid way of thinking about the world, but it is NOT science. It simply is not.

There May Be Other Avenues to Knowledge

It is important to note that science is NOT the only method for learning about the world around us. I believe in God. I can’t prove it and I don’t expect to. I presuppose God’s existence. I don’t claim to believe based on science. It is faith – not science.

Is it possible to be a theist and a scientist. I think it is. Is it possible to be a scientist and be certain you know the truth. Yes, but the point of conflict arises when you discover something that doesn’t fit what you know to be true about the world. What do you do when that happens? Do you insist you are right in spite of all the evidence, or do you change your theory? It is your answer to that question that determines if what you do is science.

Science Requires Naturalism

Good science requires only a naturalistic approach to reality. Many people, myself included, believe that there is more to knowledge than what we can know from science, but science DOES rely on naturalism. The supernatural, by definition, is not always observable. So it is NOT science. Even the Bible says that we can trust our observations.

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Romans 1:20

There is considerable debate about whether this verse teaches that we can know about God via a study of the creation. I don’t think that’s what it is saying, but it does clearly indicate one thing. We can trust our observations. The verse clearly says that we can understand enough from the things that are made that we are without excuse. If our observations could not be trusted, this would certainly not be the case.

So, what about the conflict between science and faith?

I’ve already written a little bit about this. I don’t think conflict is possible. The scenario I mentioned above – what happens when I find evidence that rules out what I believe? – doesn’t scare me, because I don’t think it will ever happen. I can confidently pursue knowledge via the scientific method and learn from the scientific theories of others, because I know our observations can be trusted.

Is it possible that many people don’t want to learn from science because they are afraid of what they might learn. It takes more faith for a theist to learn from science than it does to promote dogma.

If you ask me.

Two Cents Each – 7/10/2012

Since I stopped doing this updates weekly, it bails me out when I don’t know what else to post.

The Medium – Beep! – NYTimes.com

A fun read about a great sound and a great word.

Amazon: You Need To Change Your Idiotic Customer Reviews Policy Right Now

I don’t like that some authors withhold the Kindle version, but this is not the appropriate way to respond.

Shut Up & Bring It | Talking Points Memo

Yeah!

Patent troll stalks travel site Hipmunk — Tech News and Analysis

"firms that don’t make anything collect patents in order to extract licensing settlements from companies that do." Exactly!

Hodges now leery of Jindal reform

You see? This is what is wrong with the merging of state and church. This is exactly it. She doesn’t want government funded radical Islamist schools, and I don’t want government funded radical fundamentalist Christian schools.

New SBC President Supports LifeWay’s ‘The Blind Side’ Removal

There has been a lot of controversy on this one. I understand both sides of the argument. On the one hand, I think dismissing the movie as unfit for viewing by Christians is a ridiculous position. On the other, LifeWay has a right to sell what it wants and refuse to sell certain items. The bigger question is how the church thinks it can reach society with relevant messages when the media they support is not relevant. I’ll probably have a lot more to say about this later.

The Consumerist » Am I Supposed To Tip At An Event With An Open Bar?

I always tip anyone who relies on tips for a living. I think sometimes we think too much about whether the server is being overtipped. I refuse to look at it that way. If I were drinking at an open bar, I would tip what I always tip – because I can afford to, it’s a nice thing to do, and most importantly, because the person serving deserves to be paid for his or her work. If the bartender ends up with twice as much somehow, why should that bother me? A few drinks for a few bucks is a great deal. Enjoy it. If the bartender goes home with a few extra bucks, that’s even better if you ask me.

more

Hair Metal Mondays: The Final Coundown

This week’s selection is another classic that I think of every time I hear the phrase “hair metal.”

“The Final Countdown” is a song by the Swedish band Europe released in 1986, which reached number one in twenty-five countries. Enjoy!

We're leaving together
But still it's farewell
And maybe we'll come back
To earth, who can tell?
I guess there is no one to blame
We're leaving ground
Will things ever be the same again?

It's the final countdown
The final countdown

Ohh
We're heading for Venus and still we stand tall
'Cause maybe they've seen us and welcome us all, yea
With so many light years to go and things to be found
(To be found)
I'm sure that we'll all miss her so

It's the final countdown
The final countdown
The final countdown
(The final countdown)
Ohh ho ohh

The final countdown, oh ho
It's the final countdown
The final countdown
The final countdown
(The final countdown)

Ohh
It's the final countdown
We're leaving together
The final countdown
We'll all miss her so
It's the final countdown
(The final countdown)
Ohh, it's the final countdown
Yea

A New Place to Rejoice

After almost nine years at the same church, we’ve moved to another. I plan to blog about the new church in a couple of weeks, so I thought a little backstory might put things in perspective.

Finding a place to worship has never been my favorite thing to do. I believe in worshipping with my neighbors in a place that is as close to home as possible. I also believe in making a commitment to be part of a community of believers even when we don’t agree on all matters of faith and practice. Doctrine is very important to me, but it’s more important to me that my church not insist on strict agreement on every issue. I want to be able to stick with a church even through hard times, so I like to spend some time figuring out what might constitute a “hard time” in the life of a particular church. I’m not sure that makes any sense to anyone else, but that’s how I see it.

I am reformed in theology, so I tend to prefer Presbyterian churches, but denomination is not the main consideration. Just before we move to Delaware, we attended a small town Southern Baptist church with a young pastor who understood and agreed with my approach to finding a home church. Prior to that, while living in Ocean City, NJ, we attended a PCUSA church just a few blocks from our home. The pastor leaned more to the conservative side theologically ( I think I do too ) and politically ( not my cup of tea ).

When we moved to Delaware, we started looking for a new church. One of the places we visited was Red Clay Creek Presbyterian Church (PCUSA). We liked it very much and decided to visit several weeks in a row. One Sunday the pastor decided to address the issue of homosexuality from the pulpit. After that sermon, I decided I didn’t belong there. The problem I had was that the pastor didn’t really take a stand on the issue. Anyone who knows me or has read more than a few of my blog posts probably knows that I am not really sure what the Bible teaches about homosexuality. I just can’t pretend to understand an issue as complicated as human sexuality, and I certainly don’t know enough to interpret a few passages of Scripture dealing with the topic. I know many Christians think the issue is an easy one. I completely disagree. The problem I had with the sermon that day is that the pastor seemed to be as confused as I am. On the one hand, I want my pastor to admit his/her struggles. On the other, I don’t think a Sunday morning sermon is the place to do that.

So, the search was still on. We decided to attend a non-denominational church that we liked most weeks and continue our search on the other weeks (and occasionally by attending two services on one Sunday). We had attended several PCA churches along the way and a few other non-denominational ones, but we had not visited any other PCUSA churches.

At this point we had settled into our new home and there was another PCUSA church (founded in 1620), right around the corner. We had considered visiting earlier, but had decided against it because someone we knew had told us that it would be the same as Red Clay. Since it was now right around the corner, we decided to give it a shot. We loved it. The pastor was more conservative theologically ( politically too, but it was clear from his sermons that he didn’t associate that too closely with his theology ). Eventually, another pastor joined us and she brought a fresh perspective to the church. Judging by her comments and her prayers, she was clearly more liberal politically and culturally, which we loved, but she also tended to lean a little too heavily on the importance of experience in faith. We didn’t personally appreciate the “touchy feely” stuff, but we understood it might be a needed emphasis in the life of our church, and we were willing to take the bad with the good.

And we were happy there for almost nine years.

That’s when all the fun started. You may have heard that there have been changes in the PCUSA – a change to the ordination standards and a proposal for a new form of government. Well, people are pretty upset about it. Our church started having meetings a while ago and it was clear that the majority opinion was that we as a body did not agree with the changes. I was in the minority, but I was willing to continue working in agreement with the church. It’s a very long and complicated story, but the church was considering leaving the denomination over it. I am opposed to that strategy, but I was willing to be part of the community and work toward a solution.

During all of this our pastor took a position at a new church. That made things incredibly complex for us. The process of calling a new pastor is complicated. We weren’t looking forward to that, and we assumed the process would be delayed even more since the church was considering leaving the denomination.

In addition, we moved to a new home. The distance to our church was now going to be about 8 miles instead of less than two. While I normally believe in attending as close to home as possible, I would not normally have an issue with a six mile drive. We continued to attend for a few weeks after the move, but after praying about the decision for some time we decided it was time to look for a new church.

Or perhaps revisit an old one.

Red Clay was now just over two miles from our home, they have different leadership, and we have a few friends who attend, so we decided to visit.

I’ll have more to say about it in a couple of weeks, but we feel like we have found a place where we can worship honestly with people of like mind and faith. We spoke to both of the pastors about the changes to the denomination, and we feel like their opinion on it is more in line with ours.

And where did they come from?

Prometheus

How far would you go to get your answers?

I am not much for alien films, but I love alternate realities and big philosophical questions. This film is about those questions. Ridley Scott once again tells a story in a series of fantastic images, supported by the perfect cast. Fassbender and Rapace turn in the best performances by far, if you ask me. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The last shot was especially great for me. It reminded me of the scene in The Phantom Menace when R2-D2 and C-3PO meet for the first time. Great stuff!

The Matrix

There is no spoon.

I’ve seen this film several times and I am always left with the same impression. A story with such a brilliant premise should have it’s resolution in something more interesting than standard action movie nonsense. I love the idea of this film, but not the film itself.

Owning Mahowny

I have a… financial problem. A shortfall.

A very good film I had never heard of before. Phillip Seymour Hoffman expertly portrays a banker who has a serious gambling problem in this film based on the true story. Minnie Driver and John Hurt also turn in fantastic performances. This film is not for everyone, but the acting is superb.

Family Friday: It was a fun week

Becky and I finally found some time to play Guitar Hero together on Sunday. We rocked through about a dozen tunes. That was awesome. Becky actually had a pleasant surprise for me on our way to NYC on Tuesday. She told me she finally decided which instrument to learn – the guitar. I’m not sure if our Guitar Hero session had much to do with it, but I was very pleased. I plan to teach her a few things to get her started and then we’ll find her a real teacher.

We ended the day with two viewings of Primer. I’ve seen it many times, but Becky had only seen if four times so she had been asking to see it again sometime. We watched it once, then Becky studied a couple of proposed timelines for the film, and then we watched it again and discussed each scene as we went along. We plan to watch the commentaries next. I’ve seen them, but it’s fun watching again with her.

Tuesday we travelled to JFK to pick up Billy and then went straight to Citi Field to see the Mets beat up on the Sillies. Then we stayed for the fireworks and a celebration of 50 years of Mets.

On Independence Day we decided to stay home and grill and watch the fireworks on TV since we had seen some the night before. We always go somewhere to see them, including DC twice (2009 & 2011), so this was going to be a nice change. We had the grill going all day, watched Cliff Lee get his first win of the season against the Mets, and caught a few eps of Lost. Becky made an excellent holiday strawberry shortcake.

Yesterday I had to get back to work, but Billy and I are starting a new project together so we spent several hours together planning. Then Becky and I put together the stationary bike which arrived via UPS yesterday. Last night Billy and I finally went to see Prometheus. Since he was in Germany when it debuted, this was really our first opportunity to see it together. I’ll write more about the movie tomorrow.

In the middle of it all, I was able to get quite a bit of work done too. It was my kind of week.

Thank God for Freedom From Religion

On a day set aside to celebrate our Independence, I wanted to write about something that has been on my mind for quite some time.

America was founded as a secular nation. Americans should be proud of that heritage, and people of faith should be thrilled ^*.

One of our nation’s founding principles is the freedom of religion. What many people fail to realize, if you ask me, is that freedom “of” religion is, and must be, the same thing as freedom “from” religion. If I am to be truly free to worship as I see fit, I need to be free “from” government influence on that worship.

There is a very vocal minority that has been spreading the notion that America was founded as a Christian nation. I have several problems with spreading this kind of misinformation. First, it’s misinformation. No matter what we wish were the case, we can’t rewrite history. Second, and most importantly, our founding fathers had enough foresight, and experience, to know that a government which is controlled by religion is a very bad idea – very bad indeed!

One needs to look no further than nations like Iran and Afghanistan to see the danger in state sponsored religion, yet many Christians want to promote the same kind of thing in the U.S. I can only assume that this belief stems from the belief that Christianity is the one true religion, and as such will not be subject to the same kind of abuse.

So, let’s take a look at that for a bit. I happen to be a Christian. I believe I know the truth. So, let’s think about the possibility of a Christian nation. What does it mean to have a Christian nation? What flavor of Christianity would prevail?

I know what many might say in response. What people really want is a nation that is founded on the principles of Christianity. Some have even adopted the phrase “Judeo-Christian” to include the Jewish tradition. The problem, however, is that people simply can’t agree on this kind of lowest common denominator religion. Different people have different fundamentals about which they think there should be no disagreement – and we all know that some people are militant about their own brand of Christianity.

It might sound like a great idea to live in a nation where we all believe in God, and we accept basic standards of morality, but who sets the standard? Scripture? Okay, which Scripture? Even Catholics and Protestants disagree on what books are included in Scripture. Martin Luther himself dismissed at least one book of the Bible as not inspired. Oh, and wait a minute, are Catholics Christians? You see where this is headed?

Let’s assume we’ve settled that debate for a moment. We’ve agree on a collection of Scripture. We will now examine all legislation and policy based on a this Scripture. What about the interpretation? I’m not sure if anyone else has noticed, but Christians have widely varying opinions about how to interpret Scripture. I have friends who think all Christians will be raptured into the air to be with Jesus, which will be followed by a period of seven years of tribulation for the Jews (as if they haven’t been through enough already) to be followed by another return of Christ to rule an earthly kingdom for exactly 1000 years. I’m sorry, but I think this is nonsense. Before you dismiss this as not the issue – it is exactly the issue. One, it’s bad theology that leads to more bad theology. Two, this theology is responsible for poor U.S. foreign policy. Three, and most importantly, it might be a non-issue to you – BUT IT IS NOT to some other Christians. What if “they” make the rules?

Or, what if someone like Rick Santorum does? I hate to pick on one man, but he serves as a great example of what might be the problem with a Christian nation. Santorum and I might agree on how one is redeemed, but we disagree on almost everything else. I’m not just talking about the big issues we all talk about – abortion, gay rights, birth control, etc. I’m talking about his emphasis on certain Scriptures over others to support his political ideology. The Bible might say in one place “if a man doesn’t work, he shouldn’t eat” but in other places it says to care for the poor and the less fortunate. It’s time we stop cherry picking verses.

While we are on the topic of misusing Scripture, let’s look at 2 Chronicles 7:14

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

There are many who claim this promise does not apply to Americans anyway because it was a promise to Israel. In my opinion, that’s bad theology (one of the corollaries of the bad theology I mentioned above). True, it’s not a promise to America, but it wasn’t a promise to the nation of Israel either. It was a promise to the people of God – the Church. In any case, I think it’s being thrown around in an attempt to accomplish the wrong thing. Many Christians want to use this to convince everyone to be humble, pray, seek, and turn, but the Scripture is clear – if my people. So, just do it. Stop trying to get everyone to do it and do it.

^* A note for my atheists friends. I think atheists already see value in a secular society. My comments today were written to speak directly to Christians about this issue. I firmly believe that our society should welcome people of all faiths, and that includes people with no faith. That idea is very important to me, but it was not the point of my thoughts today.

Defend Innovation

In 1787, the framers of the U.S. Constitution decided to include protection for what has come to be known as “intellectual property rights.” Philosophers have debated the idea of intellectual property for years, but whether you agree with them or not, they are the law of the land.

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries. Article I, Section 8

Since this was written, things have gone completely mental. It has become very common to see non-practicing entities, or what many call patent trolls, exploiting the system. They sit on a bunch of patents in order to sue those who actually innovate someday.

I remember a post by Mark Cuban years ago ( I’ve looked for it before and couldn’t find it ) where he set out three ideas for the taking. Then he said there were two or three tracks readers could take. The last was the patent troll route. Sit on the idea until someone else invests time and money making it happen, and then sue them. I thought it was brilliantly sarcastic.

All jokes aside, we need to stop the abuse.

To make matters worse, many patents are filed for things that are not patent worthy. The classic example is the steering wheel. One should not be able to patent a steering wheel because anyone would have thought of it. Yet companies do it routinely now.

And it is not just trolls – even large corporations that really do innovate participate in the insanity.

This week a judge finally had enough sense to say it like it is.

The other day I stumbled across a petition to end the madness. The petition calls for a set of standards designed to prevent much of the abuse. I have my doubts about a couple of the petitions, but overall it looks like a step in the right direction. Check it out and add your signature at defendinnovation.org/

We Don’t Need No Stinking Windows

Just before the end of last month, I accepted a project that would require I use Windows quite a bit. Since I was looking for another 12in12 project, I decided I would make it using Windows every day. I’ve already been spending a lot of time using Windows 8 every Friday, so I thought it would be fun to give it a shot. Until recently, I would go weeks without using Windows for any real length of time.

The rules were that I would spend at least one hour a day using some flavor of Windows. Using it just for my work was okay, but I also had a plan in mind to use it a little bit just for fun. I have three VMs on my Mac (Mint Linux, Win7, and Win8), and I have three laptops (same flavors), so I would be able to use in almost any circumstance. There were even a few times when I grabbed one of the Windows laptops instead of the my normal laptop (a Macbook Pro running Mint) for a little writing or something. It took some getting used to in terms of workflow, but I didn’t lose much time adjusting.

In the end, I have a better appreciation for Windows and some of it’s strengths. I’ve also discovered that for some types of work, Windows might actually help me focus more on what I’m doing. Another thing that I’ve noticed is that using multiple Windows computers seems to be a lot easier than it used to be. Years ago, one of the things I liked about the Mac was that .Mac made it painless (mostly) to work on multiple Macs. Back then, using multiple PCs seemed to be impossible (perhaps I just didn’t have the right tools. Now, with almost everything I do “in the cloud” it’s not only easy to work on multiple PCs, but I can share work between my Mac, PCs, and even my phone and iPad.

I plan to continue my mixed use. We’ll see how it goes

Outside Church

used with permission

As you may have gathered if you follow me anywhere online, I am a big fan of nakedpastor’s art.

This particular cartoon reminded me of a Sunday morning years ago. Terri and I were riding with her family to enjoy a meal after the Sunday morning service. As we drove past all the boaters out on the water, Terri’s said something that sparked a disagreement with her brother. I don’t remember exactly what he said, but the gist was this …

I don’t see how anyone could enjoy spending Sunday morning that way.

Terri’s brother, who was a teenager at the time, responded as some of you may have when you read that. He called his dad out on what he interpreted as dishonesty. Again, I don’t remember the words exactly, but the message stuck with me.

What is that supposed to mean? What do you mean, you don’t understand how someone could enjoy that?

I should mention that Terri’s dad owned a boat and took it out occasionally for recreation, fishing, etc. The very kind of activity these other boaters were engaged in that Sunday morning. His point was that he didn’t see how anyone could enjoy skipping church.

I stayed out of the conversation because if I were forced to take a side in that argument, I would have certainly sided with my brother-in-law. I would thoroughly enjoy spending Sunday morning on a boat, or flying a kite, or having a picnic, or going to a ball game, or a boatload of other fun things to do outside the church.

Look, I’ll Pay You For It

I love movies. I appreciate great films and excellent filmmaking, but I also enjoy watching mainstream movies. I love everything about the movies.

I grew up with a TV in the house (I’m not that old), but watching movies at home was very rare until I was much older. New cable channels were arriving that carried movies and sports when I was in middle school, but we didn’t have the money to subscribe until I was in high school. My first trip to a video store was also not until high school when we went to pick out a laserdisc to see at a friend’s house. I don’t think we owned a VCR until I was in college.

Now we live in a completely different world. At our house we watch movies on our iPhones, iPads, and computers. We also fire up movies from a variety of providers on the XBOX, PS3, and AppleTV, not to mention all the choices on the plain old TV. It’s hard to even remember when you couldn’t just re-watch a great film almost anytime, and anywhere, you wanted.

Even more than the films themselves, I think, I’ve always loved “going to” the movies. When I was a young boy, I remember my mom piling us into the car along with some of our friends for a trip to the drive-in movie where we could see three movies for $7 for the whole carfull. Drive-ins were becoming a thing of the past, so they adapted to survive. It was a blast, and on some days it worked out to about forty cents per person per movie.

There is something about that experience I still love, but going to the movies has its disadvantages. The ticket is expensive. The popcorn, which is terrible in most cases, is expensive and you’re told that keeps the ticket prices low (thereby conditioning you to expect higher prices someday), and to compensate theaters for your sloppiness. Meanwhile, many theaters turn a blind eye to loud and disruptive moviegoiers, which can ruin even a very good movie.

So, it’s nice to have the option to see some movies at home.

But it would be better if we had even more choices. The movie industry, like the music industry, tends to fight changes that would be better for viewers, and in the long run better for those who make the movies too.

Things are changing. Independent filmmakers are trying new methods of distribution, and even some of the Hollywood mainstream are starting to experiment with using Torrents or direct to Cable/Satellite distribution models.

I can’t wait for the day when movies are available on a variety of platforms all at once when they are initially released. I am willing to pay fair prices for movies if I can see them when I want, where I want, and how I want. Let’s make it happen.

Self Is Forgotten

Almost anyone who has been a Christian for even a short time knows that there are two daily staples of the devotional life of a Christian – Scripture ( reading, meditation, and study ), and prayer. Over the years, many of my Christian friends have admitted to me that they struggle with one or the other. Most admit that prayer comes more naturally for them, but Bible reading is harder to maintain as a habit. Most of my life, it has been quite the opposite. I have always had an interest in Scripture, but prayer has been harder for me.

Fortunately, I’ve come across a little bit of help. Every once in a while I join in on a feature at challies.com called Reading the Classics Together. Even less frequently, I stick with it through the whole book. This time the book was Hidden Life of Prayer, The: The Life-blood of the Christian by David McIntyre We still have one more week of discussion, but I finished the book this morning, and since I don’t have any other books in the pipeline to comment on today, I thought I’d share my thoughts on this excellent one. I downloaded a free PDF to my iPad and read it in iBooks. It wasn’t the ideal reading experience but since it was less than 50 pages and it was free, it worked out okay.

The book was not necessarily an easy read for me. I’m not sure why. I’ve read lots of older books on similar topics, so I don’t think age was the issue. Perhaps I just didn’t want to learn more about my prayer life, I’m not sure.

In the end, I learned quite a bit.

The book reminded me of the things I’ve always been taught, and it brought new insight to the “ritual” (if I’m allowed to call it that) of prayer. The biggest lesson came in last week’s reading (this weeks’ discussion).

Self Is Forgotten

When prayer rises to its true level, self, with its concerns and needs, is for the time forgotten

While I learned quite a bit from this very short book, this is the one thing that I expect will change my prayer life for good. That’s really what it’s all about. If I can’t stop continually thinking of myself and my needs, I am doing it wrong.