I’m contemplating heading down to Abilene in a few weeks for Lectureship, since I have some vacation days available (it’d be short notice for my boss, so I don’t know if it’s possible at this point).  I checked the speaker list today to see who would be there, and I found the name of my favorite writer and preacher: Brian McLaren.

Right now I’m not sure what to think.  I’ve resolved (more than once) over the last year to dig a little deeper into McLaren’s beliefs than the blurbs, blog postings, and sound bites I’ve typically seen.  I do remember actually liking More Ready Than You Realize.  So I bought A Generous Orthodoxy, and I’ve tried to listen to some lectures/sermons, with my mind as open as possible. (continue reading…)

For all of you who are annoyed when you come here and I’m talking politics again, I have a great surprise for you.  And for those of you who have come here only for the political commentary, I have a surprise for you, too. Henceforth, nearly all of my political comments will be found at newkindofpolitics.com.

Issues that involve church and theology as well as politics will probably be found in both places, but I need a place to spill my thoughts on politics without the burden of knowing I’m outside of the intended focus of this site.

The name is a tongue-in-cheek reference to Barack Obama’s oft-turned phrase.  He’s said it several times, like this time, June 23rd of last year, in Hartford:

So let’s rededicate ourselves to a new kind of politics - a politics of conscience.

Since then, his politics have been politics as usual, and I’ve got a lot to say about it.

Finally a post that isn’t in the Politics category:

But liberal religion has a dogma and it views the contemporary world through the eyes of this dogma. The dogma is all the more potent in coloring opinion because it is not known as a dogma. The dogma is that the world is gradually growing better and that the inevitability of gradualness guarantees our salvation.

Reinhold Niebuhr, Christian Century, April 22, 1926

I’d say that the same applies to the dogma of “tolerance”.  The ironies of this dogma are that (a) its advocacy typically involves a caustic intolerance for conservative ideas; and (b) it ignores the fact that tolerance requires some disagreement.  It’s not really tolerance if I agree with you.  It’s only tolerance if I disagree with you, but tolerate you (not necessarily your ideas). I hear a great deal about this “tolerance” from friends who identify with Emergent strains (yes, “strains” - like a virus) of the emerging church.

But this idea of tolerance falls right in with the mistaken notion of progress. It moves contrary to the gospel, and the command to contend earnestly for the faith.

The US swept all three medals in the Mens 400m hurdles.  But that’s not the crazy thing.  It’s the 5th time an the Americans have swept the medals in this event at the Olympics.  Do other countries not own hurdles? Or low-backed chairs?

Nuclear power is happy power.

I just read through the energy plans of John McCain (The Lexington Project) and Barack Obama (New Energy for America). I was surprised by both.

Obama’s is deeper than I expected it to be.  That says more about my expectations than the plan, though. McCain’s, however, is thoroughly impressive. If you put the two side by side and were honest with yourself, I don’t think even the strongest O supporter could reasonably disagree. Unreasonable disagreement is always a possibility.

The candidates have a few goals in common: development of alternative energy, regulating speculation, increase fuel economy, develop clean coal, and a few others. But they differ in some profound ways, even where their goals seem the same. (continue reading…)

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