From our friends at the Pew Forum On Religion and Public Life, a religious knowledge quiz to test you.
I'll post how I did tomorrow!
http://features.pewforum.org/quiz/us-religious-knowledge/
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Finley Graham--missionary to Arabs and Sheila Graham Smith's father
Here is a link to a Baptist Press piece on Finley Graham: http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=13120
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
burnings and buildings
I had inadequate time on Sunday to address the furor surrounding a proposed mosque in lower Manhattan and a proposed Koran burning by a minister in Florida. I felt the need to address it none the less. Hopefully, this elaboration will clarify my remarks from Sunday.
As a Baptist, I must advocate for freedom of worship. If one wants to build a house of worship, regardless of that religion, on private property and has conformed to all applicable laws and regulations, that house of worship should be built. By the same token, if someone wants to burn some books as a form of worship, then so be it. Freedom of worship is freedom to worship as long as no one else is physically harmed.
Implicit within our many freedoms is the freedom to be dumb. I think book burning is moronic; I don't recall Jesus burning any books in the Gospels. By the same token, there are plenty of sites in and around NYC to build a mosque. Determining that lower Manhattan is the best prospect for a new Muslim house of worship is unwise and myopic. However, the principle of freedom of worship trumps wisdom, good sense and appropriate judgment.
As an aside, I don't have a high opinion of either the Iman or the minister. Both seem more interested in cameras and microphones than in anything substantive. Today's media seems to have no problem giving each a bully pulpit.
In a time in which we have so many more pertinent and complex issues, perhaps we can turn our attention elsewhere.
As a Baptist, I must advocate for freedom of worship. If one wants to build a house of worship, regardless of that religion, on private property and has conformed to all applicable laws and regulations, that house of worship should be built. By the same token, if someone wants to burn some books as a form of worship, then so be it. Freedom of worship is freedom to worship as long as no one else is physically harmed.
Implicit within our many freedoms is the freedom to be dumb. I think book burning is moronic; I don't recall Jesus burning any books in the Gospels. By the same token, there are plenty of sites in and around NYC to build a mosque. Determining that lower Manhattan is the best prospect for a new Muslim house of worship is unwise and myopic. However, the principle of freedom of worship trumps wisdom, good sense and appropriate judgment.
As an aside, I don't have a high opinion of either the Iman or the minister. Both seem more interested in cameras and microphones than in anything substantive. Today's media seems to have no problem giving each a bully pulpit.
In a time in which we have so many more pertinent and complex issues, perhaps we can turn our attention elsewhere.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
hipster
We may not be cool but we are on the cusp of discussion trends within 21st century American Protestant Christianity. I offer the link to this month's cover story in Christianity Today. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/september/9.24.html
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