Monday Mind Dump
- North Point Community Church in Atlanta’s iBand is pretty, well, disturbingly fantastic.Check out Carol of the Bells and Feliz Navidad. Crazy music, all done on iPads and iPhones. (no word yet on iPeace or iJustice)
- So the Metrodome in Minneapolis collapsed yesterday under the weight of 17 inches of snow. The Vikings’ Sunday game was postponed and moved to Detroit, but I say Fargo would have been even better. The Fargodome sits 25,000 and it surely could
have been at capacity. Also would have been a smart move by the owners to emphasize the importance of the franchise to the entire region. - I’m increasingly disgusted at the inability of the Senate to pass a law banning the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell law in the military. While McCain’s ever-changing position is maddening, what’s even more annoying is that Sen. Lieberman promises the votes are their to repeal it if it gets sufficient floor time.
- While I’m on politics, I would so love to see the DREAM Act passed.
- You know you go to Starbucks a lot when you get a Starbucks handwritten Christmas card from an employee with coupons for free drinks.
- One more use for my HTC Droid Incredible phone: recording the Confirmation students introducing a scripture lesson before reading it, then playing the recording during worship in place of reading the scripture lesson.
- I’m pretty certain that, in heaven, everyone will be wearing SmartWool socks.
image by Alfred Borchard
Following the Eddie Long story
Also posted at the CENTURY Blog
As yet another megachurch pastor grabs national headlines for alleged sexual indiscretions, I’m tempted to skip the story entirely. I’d rather pretend that the civil lawsuits accusing Bishop Eddie Long of sexual misconduct don’t concern me. I’d prefer to believe that Long’s leadership at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church near Atlanta doesn’t have anything to do with my rural church ministry in the Midwest. I wish I could just ignore the hubbub, but I can’t.
When a preacher hits the headlines, pastors everywhere must take note. Like it or not, we should stay up on the story, because many are painting all Christian clerics with one broad stroke—and it’s only a matter of time until we’re asked our opinion. So here are some highlights of the coverage so far:
- Anthea Butler attended Long’s church on Sunday and filed a report with Religion Dispatches. She describes worshiping with the hugely supportive congregation that gathered in the giant sanctuary. She also notes that as Long vowed to fight the charges, he also said no fewer than four times, “I am not a perfect man.”
- Christopher Hitchens, with his usual bluster, posted “God’s Bigmouths” at Slate. Hitchens jumps beyond the allegations and labels Long a classic charlatan. Even worse, Hitchens bemoans, Long tarnishes the legacy of the civil rights movement.
- Craig Washington at the Root writes a “Sermon for Bishop Eddie Long.” Washington sees the recent charges as symptoms of Long’s pandering to cultural anxieties and of a systemic failure of moral leadership. Whether or not the charges prove true, Washington finds Long guilty of a multitude of sins.
The Bishop Long story is dominating the bully pulpit of America’s 24/7 media, and we might as well digest the sermon thoughtfully. So take some pills for indigestion and read on.
Is Grand Forks the next Atlanta?
In the past ten years I’ve lived in a Florida town of 350,000 people, in the Atlanta area of 6 million plus, in a Scottish coastal town of 50,000, become quite familiar with the Twin Cities of 3 million, spent significant time in a Minnesota town of 1100, and now live in Grand Forks with about 50,000. In each place I’ve preferred neighborhoods that promote walking or biking, provide easy access to shopping and restaurants, and encourage relationships with my neighbors.
I enjoyed this video on suburban expansion versus the merits of in-town living. Sure, it’s PR, but it’s well done and points to an important issue, both environmental and social. Though it focused on Atlanta, I wonder now that I’m a Grand Forksian (is that right?), if Grand Forks can’t do more to address southward expansion. When I drive in the neighborhoods south of town I just feel, well, like I’m worshiping closed garages, viewing unsustainable expansion, and am more connected to pretty lawns than kind people. That’s probably not fair, as I haven’t actually lived out there, but my point is that Grand Forks would do better to improve downtown development than southward expansion.
If Grand Forks really wants to tackle North Dakota’s brain drain, leaders should fix downtown parking problems, fix up downtown living, address the loud and long trains, incentivize shops for groceries and every day products, and improve the bus system. This weekend’s arts festival was a great example of what Grand Forks can do and be. I hope leaders build on this success, emphasizing smart, sustainable, friendly community life.
I'm Killing Your Newspaper and I'm Only Partly Remorseful
Looking for a first job/call in the PC(USA) is rather difficult these days (see this post), but I do thank my lucky stars that I’m not job hunting with a masters in journalism. The future does look pretty bleak — and scarily undefined — for print journalism these days.
In part, thanks to bloggers like me, but also thanks to more general changes in technology and availability of screens and instant news, newspapers all over the country are in dire straits. You’ve been under a very big log if you haven’t heard of this by now, which probably means you don’t read any news at all so you don’t care, but I do — both care and read news — and it’s a little tricky what to think about things.
I’m not for propping up businesses with failing business models — as I suggested in the case of Wordsmiths bookstore in Decatur which closed this month, by the way, and anyone who donated funds to them lost the charity creditors. But I am for a hearty healthy press since it does everyone good and keeps us all honest.
That said, a few weeks ago, I received a renewal notice for the print version of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that graces my front step every morning. And I don’t think I’m going to renew. Some of this is just timing: we’re moving at the end of May. But, also, though I read the newspaper every morning I’ve already read much of it in AJC newsfeeds on my feed reader. I’ve already read the national news — and probably of a higher quality — online. And the local story I get from several Decatur blogs.
I do really love the dead paper edition of the news, cause it’s easier to read if nothing else, but I can’t justify the ridiculously high cost of renewing the AJC. I recognize that when I read the print version, I read stories that I wouldn’t read if I was just surfing online. My horizons are further expanded by the print version. But that’s not enough to entice me to write that three-figure check for renewal.
While many bemoan the state of the business, others are making the distinction: print journalism may be dying a quick death, but journalism is still alive and kicking — it’ll be just fine. That makes sense to me. And I’d love to participate in a micropayment scheme to see how that works. Non-profit papers make sense to me as well. After all, I just made my NPR pledge once again.
So what’s a news-buff nice guy supposed to do in this economy? I don’t know. And to complicate matters deliciously there’s always the practice of Marva Dawn, who as a spiritual discipline does not read newspapers. I once heard Dawn say she understands the gospel message to be bigger than the hubbub of newspapers and it’s easier for her to be faithful without the din of the daily headlines.
Until my subscription runs out, I’m happy to read the AJC with my toast and coffee. After that, I just hope I don’t get any peanut butter on my MacBook keys.
image by lusi
Half cool? Half crazy? Hopefully, at least half a good idea.
I just clicked it. My confirmation email has arrived. I’m running in a half marathon, 13.1 miles, ten weeks from today (that’s Thanksgiving Day, by the way).
They say, “The half marathon is a friendly distance.” They say, “The half is an approachable race.” They say, “It’s fun.” But who are they after all? Those crazy runners who actually enjoy it? Those for whom it’s a pleasure to get up early and run before most of the sane world is awake? Those people who just like messing with you?
Actually, I’m pretty excited about the Thanksgiving Day Half. I started running consistently about four months ago and really, well, almost like it (see here). I guess ten weeks from now I’ll be able to qualify that “almost” more fully.
My challenge training, I expect, will be as much the scheduling of runs amidst my busy life as having my body respond well to the training. Who knows what may come about, though. My first task: make a training chart and find some running blogs.
Atlanta's 11 least influential people
Amidst a culture that seems to value more one’s potential influence than one’s person-hood, this video reminds me that God calls us to unexpected places, and even more, that Holy Spirit is blowing even without the church. While CNN Videos spend thousands covering such things as John Edward’s bagel before tonight’s debate, I’m thankful for journalists of other varieties.
I loved:
- the openness of the reporter and photographer
- the artist’s eye for irony
- in a different sort of way, the non-preachy sermoness
- the extension from human figures to animals too
I would have changed:
- added a piece on the poor in Atlanta’s nursing facilities
- perhaps also another on a lower-income failure-to-thrive child
- added a call to action
For the video on which this post is based click here: 11 Least Influential People
Here’s a link to Troy’s blog, the Presbyterian pastor chosen as the 6th least influential.
Finally, the article summary in Creative Loafing.
Connect Online
