As we continue to think about the things that must be done in the pursuit of cultural reformation, we must make yet another distinction between strategic level thinking, and tactical thinking. There will be times when the strategic application and the tactical application line up perfectly — as when, during an assault by the entire …
On Spiraling into Chaos
The trial of George Zimmerman is now over, and there are perhaps a few things we can learn from the whole sorry mess. Perhaps. In the aftermath of this trial, we clearly have a highly polarized society. On the one hand, we have those who believe that a young and unarmed black man was targeted …
His Brother Was Joktan, If That Helps
In his next chapter, Coyne addresses the subject of biogeography, “the study of the distribution of species on earth” (p. 88). In responding to this chapter, I want to begin by pointing out how much of it was beside the point. Coyne spent a great deal of time and energy showing the various ways that …
No Need for Right Wing Devils
Jesus teaches us to expect slander, to expect misrepresentation. Further, He teaches us to believe that when this happens, it is a sign that we are gaining on it. In Luke 6:22-23, Jesus tells us to rejoice and leap for joy when we reviled, excluded, shunned, and held in contempt. In Lattimore’s translation of that …
Deception and the Culture War
The metaphor of war can be quite helpful in motivating people to action, but it can also cause a lot of problems. There are things that are permitted in an actual war (such as killing), which should not be tolerated in a metaphorical war, as when a school superintendent declares war on poor spelling. So …
Hen-pecked . . . But Still Free Range
One of the ways to tell if an issue has become politicized is by seeing if qualifications, when appropriately made, are actually heard. For example, if a member of faction y says that from time to time members of faction x have been convicted of corruption, the politicized two-step works like this. First, the intentions …
A Fairly Large Beanbag Chair
“And then, as if in response to someone throwing a big breaker somewhere, Robert P. Warner II slumped, shumped, and fell to the floor. He there assumed the demeanor and outlook of a bean bag chair and ceased cooperating with the world” (Evangellyfish, p. 195).
Never Just Right
“For the proud and arrogant, it is either too big to confess or it is too small to confess — nothing is ever just the right size to confess” (For a Glory and a Covering, p. 98).
A Real Stand-Out
“She was competent, hard-driving, and ambitious, which successfully grouped her in with about three million other blonde local news reporters” (Evangellyfish, p. 187).
Covering the Wrong Thing Entirely
“We tend to be very hesitant to ‘cover’ the sins of others, and very quick to ‘cover our own.’ In doing this, we are actually covering our own rear ends and not our sins” (For a Glory and a Covering, p. 96).