Christian Podder Part 2

Somebody listened!!!

The Christian Podder Sync tool has been replaced with an RSS feed. You can now use any podcasting software to download your Christian Podder content.

NOW I can recommend this unconditionally. I'm glad that Lifeway has decided to do things this way -- the key is to make content available to everyone, not to make people use proprietary software.

Jerry Falwell and the Jerusalem Post

I found this piece in the Jerusalem Post thanks to Tim Ellesworth. As an LU graduate, I was concerned, so I headed over to jerryfalwell.com looking for an explanation. I didn't find one right away, but I did find an email link to send a comment to Dr. Falwell, which I did.

I got an answer:

A GRACIOUS CORRECTION OF THE JERUSALEM POST

By Jerry Falwell
March 1, 2006

Earlier today, reports began circulating across the globe that I have recently stated that Jews can go to heaven without being converted to Jesus Christ. This is categorically untrue.

These false reports originated from a March 1 Jerusalem Post front page column which said: "An evangelical pastor and an Orthodox rabbi, both from Texas, have apparently persuaded leading Baptist preacher Jerry Falwell that Jews can get to heaven without being converted to Christianity. Televangelist John Hagee and Rabbi Aryeh Scheinberg, whose Cornerstone Church and Rodfei Sholom congregations are based in San Antonio, told The Jerusalem Post that Falwell had adopted Hagee's innovative belief in what Christians refer to as 'dual covenant' theology. This creed, which runs counter to mainstream evangelism, maintains that the Jewish people have a special relationship to God through the revelation at Sinai and therefore do not need 'to go through Christ or the Cross' to get to heaven."

While I am a strong supporter of the State of Israel and dearly love the Jewish people and believe them to be the chosen people of God, I continue to stand on the foundational biblical principle that all people - Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals, Jews, Muslims, etc. - must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ in order to enter heaven.

Dr. Hagee called me today and said he never made these statements to the Jerusalem Post or to anyone else. He assured me that he would immediately contact the Jerusalem Post and request a correction. Before today, I had never heard of Rabbi Aryeh Scheinberg or had any communications with him. I therefore am at a total loss as to why he would make such statements about me to the Post, if in fact he did.

ONE WAY TO HEAVEN

In this age of political correctness and diversity, the traditional evangelical belief that salvation is available only through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ is often portrayed as closed-minded and bigoted. But if one is to believe in Jesus Christ, he must believe in His words: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father but by Me" (John 14:6). I simply cannot alter my belief that Jesus is The Way to heaven, as He taught.

Again, I do not follow this teaching of "dual covenant" theology and I believe it runs counter to the Gospel.

I have been on record all 54 years of my ministry as being opposed to "dual covenant" theology. In fact, Dr. John Hagee has indicated to me, as recently as today, that he likewise does not accept "dual covenant" theology.

I want to reaffirm that I am a Zionist in terms of Israel's entitlement to its homeland. I continue to pray daily for the peace of Jerusalem, as the Bible instructs Christians to do. And I have dedicated my life and ministry to working for the peace of Israel. I dearly cherish the highly esteemed Jabotinsky Award which was given me in 1981 by Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. I have led thousands of pilgrims through the Land Of Israel during my 31 tours over 36 years. I seriously believe that few Americans have invested more time and resources in the defense of Israel in this generation.

However, I simply cannot alter my deeply-held belief in the exclusivity of salvation through the Gospel of Christ for the sake of political or theological expediency.

Like the Apostle Paul, I pray daily for the salvation of everyone, including the Jewish people.

So Jerry Falwell hasn't forsaken the exclusivity of the Gospel.

Theological Fencing

My wife reminded me of a piece of history that I'd learned and then promptly forgotten. In the early 1800s, in New Orleans, there were bands of aristocrat's sons who would roam the streets looking for duels. They had been well-trained in fencing, some by the top fencing instructors in France, and looked for opportunities to show their skill, and show off who their teachers were. Of course, the better fencers were trained by the better (read, more expensive) teachers.

These kids would walk around looking for opportunities to take offense with something that someone said or did, and challenge them to a duel. And the duel would begin in earnest -- unless the challenge was refused. If the challenge was refused, the challenge-ee was considered a wimp (or at least the 19th century equivalent of a wimp) and roundly mocked.

I see this happening today, but with less physical violence. I'm talking about theological fencing. Someone is offended by something that someone else has said, and demands a public debate so that the whole world can know how wrong that person is. Sometimes, the debates take place on Internet forums, sometimes in more formal settings. But they seem to be for the same reasons.

To prove how wrong someone is. To show publically how they don't know what they're talking about.

Not long ago, I expressed my disappointment in the fact that the Mohler/Patterson discussion on Calvinism had been downgraded from a debate. I still think, in a perfect world, that debate would be a perfectly acceptable way to show conflicting views on a subject, and to attempt to come to a resolution. But I'm becoming increasingly aware that public debates usually end up getting very personal, with both sides insulting the other's position, credentials, committment to Christ, etc. This isn't a perfect world.

I'm a fencer. Actually, I'm a reforming fencer. 6 years ago, I would travel from forum to forum, waiting for a fight. Then I'd go after the person who disagreed with me, showing everyone in the world just how foolish they really were, and how much more I knew about everything. There was one forum (no longer operating) where I would log in every fifteen minutes when I was at home, just to see if my opponent had responded to me. But I reallized something.

Nobody was changing their mind. The debates were happening, debate skills were being shown off, but nothing was changing. People were sticking with their positions no matter what. If anything, the debates were making people dig their trenches deeper, so that they were not going to be moved no matter what. "My mind is made up -- don't confuse me with the facts!" was the slogan of the day on every side of every debate.

Soli Deo gloria should be our motto. And we need to ask ourselves if God is receiving the glory when we debate, or if we are. Are we exhibiting our love for God, or our debate skills? What are we doing this for?

So I'm a reforming fencer. I actually call myself a sniper now -- I will wait until a really ludicrous arguement is exposed, and then I'll take a shot. I don't get involved in extended battles now -- snipers don't duel. One or two shots, and we're done. It's not perfect, but it's easier than quitting cold turkey.

I'm starting to see that theological discussion -- actually talking about our differences, and how we can work together dispite them -- is preferable to theological fencing. Rhetoric isn't going to change someone's mind -- we need to establish that we can work together in spite of our differences, and let God convict of our doctrinal errors.

Blogging Trustees

I promised in another post that I'd link to other IMB trustees' blogs if they started one. And one of them has done just that.

The Most Excellent Way is a blog by IMB trustee Jerry Corbaley. According to Marty Duren, he was the person who sent the trustees into Executive Session shortly before the motion to remove Wade Burleson was made, so he should bring the other side of the story to the blogosphere at last.

Book Review: Credo by Ray Pritchard

Christianity is a confessional faith. Even those who proudly proclaim "No creed but Christ" are, in fact, living by a creed of sorts. After all, "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." (Romans 10:9-10, ESV) Confession is as important to our belief.

Throughout history, the Church has put together documents that set forth essential Christian beliefs. These creeds are important parts of our history, because we can see how people thought about the Bible, and how important doctrines were formulated and defended based on Scripture.

There is a part of Protestant Christianity that doesn't like creeds -- "too Roman" they say. This is a book that I'd like to get every single person who thinks that, because it will change their minds. In this book, Ray Pritchard goes to great lengths to show that the Apostles' Creed is based solidly on the Bible, and that it is as relevent for us today as it was to the Christians in the 3rd century when it was written.

The book is not a church history text, nor is it a theological treatise. In fact, it reads like a sermon series (which it is most likely based on, as Pritchard mentions in the book that he has preached through the Apostles' Creed before).

He starts off with a great chapter on how the Apostles' Creed came to be, and why it is so important. This is an important starting point, since many evangelicals have abandoned the ancient creeds in favor of something more "relevent" or "modern." Pritchard does a good job in establishing exactly why a look at the Apostles' Creed can be valuable to the church today.

Then he takes us through the creed, phrase by phrase. This is an outstanding way to lay the book out, and I think that as pastors read this, they'll be taking notes and making outlines -- I know I was.

The only weak point in the book was chapter 10, covering "He descended into Hell ...". I've always thought that this part of the creed was a later addition, and that it lacked Biblical support. Pritchard makes a good case for its inclusion, and shows how to teach this part of the creed, but I'm not sure the case is made for it's inclusion in the creed to begin with.

Credo is an outstanding book. At a time when Christians are increasingly ignorant of what they believe, and why they believe it, more people need to read this book. The essentials of Biblical Christianity are in the Apostles' Creed for everyone to read. And believe.

Don't Fall For It!!!

From the "If it sounds too good to be true ..." department.

We've all seen the ads for "mystery shoppers." "Get paid big buck for shopping -- just send us $50 and we'll get you set up!" And it sounds good, but we all know that it's a scam.

I know it's a scam because I have done mystery shops, and never had to pay anyone for the privilege. My wife makes a BUNCH of money each month mystery shopping, and never paid a dime to anyone. We get free movies and free dinners (after reimbursements, of course).

Go to Volition.com. They have a few hundred mystery shopping companies that want people to work for them, and don't charge you a dime. If anyone asks you to pay to mystery shop, tell them to take a hike.

There's money to be made. We live in apretty rural area, and never have a problem getting mystery shops. Hardees, Arbys, McDonalds, gas stations (FREE GAS!!!), more. Texas Road House. Buffalo Wild Wings. We eat places that we otherwise couldn't afford, because we're getting reimbursed.

You're going to eat there anyway -- do it for free.

And no, I don't get anything out of this. No affiliate programs, no finders fees. Just trying to let people know so they don't get ripped off.

Weekly Webcomics Wrapup

Everyone knows I read webcomics. And I hadn't really given a lot of thought to writing about what I read -- partially because there are a TON of blogs devoted to nothing but Webcomics, but mainly because Donald Crankshaw does such a good job of it over at his blog, and I thought it would look like I was ripping him off (well, I kind of am, but ...).

But I decided I'm going to do it anyway. And though I read three comics that Donald reviews on his site, I won't be duplicating him (unless I disagree with him, of course). There are a few comics that I love reading, that I look forward to, and I want to talk about them. So this post is where I introduce you to them, and talk a little about the plot to this point. And don't worry -- I'm only doing three.

UserFriendly. Great comic about a bunch of misunderstood and underappreciated computer geek types. Not really a lot of actual plot -- more like a gag a day (or two) comic. Haven't read the archives of this one yet, so I"m learning as I go along.

Questionable Content. Indie culture gets celebrated and skewered in this one. Marten is a guy with a crummy job (we don't actually know what he does). He takes in Faye when her apartment building is burned down, and begins a strictly platonic relationship with her. She works at a coffee house with Dora (Marten's current love) and Raven. Recently, Marten found out why Faye doesn't seem interested in a relationship with him (troublesome past -- read the archives and find it all out), and has turned to Dora. We're still waiting for the fallout from that one.

Theater Hopper. There's this guy, Tom. He likes movies. A lot. REALLY a lot. So do his friend Jared and his wife Cami -- but not always as much as Tom does. This one tends to follow current movie trends, and lampoons Hollywood culture pretty well.

So those are the three I'm following on the blog. If there are interesting developments in the others I read, I will comment here, but those are going to be what I focus on. And I'll add a link list to the sidebar once I get the motivation to work on the template again.

Dr. Ron Nash

I just received this in my email:

Our friend and colleague, Professor Ronald Nash, is suddenly at the point of
death. I just talked to Betty Jane, his wife, at his bedside. He is expected
to live only another few hours. This comes as shocking news, but he had been
declining in recent days. He is now in a skilled nursing facility in the
Orlando area.

I know you will want to pray for Dr. Nash in these final hours, and for his wife
Betty Jane and the entire family. They are gathered there in Orlando together.
Pastor Bill Haynes, our trustee and the Nash's former pastor, is also there with
them.

Betty Jane expressed her confidence that God has "a better plan" for Ron than
what they would have chosen, and she looked in hope to his relief from
suffering. I assured her of our love, concern, and prayers.

Faithfully,
R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President

I had Dr. Nash for Intro to Philosophy my first full semester at Southern. His class had to be experienced -- listening doesn't do it justice. You can hear him at http://www.biblicaltraining.org/

From the "Did We Really Need This?" File ...

So I've seen the iPod jackets, with the headphones that pull out of the collar and the connection in the inner pocket. And I've seen the MP3 player sunglasses, and even those make sense.

But now I've seen everything.

New from LL International Dada Shoes: the MP3 sneaker.

The Code M System is a proprietary wireless technology application for footwear that delivers both audio and data. The initial application of the System is a shoe that delivers music to a wireless headset. The delivery system consists of two key components built into Dada shoes, offering easy access to music with no wires and no digital music device to carry.

The Code M system is integrated into the shoe’s heel and tongue. Its memory gives the device the ability to hold up to 100 songs with a six-hour battery life. A USB port on the lateral side of the shoe allows downloading of music and re-charging of the battery. Another important element in the system is the wireless headset, which picks up music from the shoes as far away as 30 feet.

I'm just waiting to see the poor guy that tries to board a plane with these shoes.

Dada will sell Code M products primarily through the company’s normal retail outlets, but Willis also intends to market shoes through electronics retailers and catalogs where consumers are comfortable buying technology-based products. Suggested retail for Dada’s basketball line employing the Code M system will be $199.99.

Now, there are some interesting things you can do with this Code M technology. I see kids trying to share iPod earbuds all the time: with this, they could each have a headset, and you could even set it up so that each MP3 player had a matching code for the headphones, and you could change the code on your headphones to match your friend's MP3 player and listen to what they were playing. And with a reported 30 foot range, I could send music from my MP3 player to the stereo when I wanted to share something with the rest of the family.

But shoes?? Do we really need that?

Go Read This!

Dr. Michael Haykin has posted a brief biography of Andrew Fuller as part of his series on Eminent Christians. Go read it.

I've had Dr. Haykin for two classes at Southern -- one on Baptist history and one covering the life and ministry of Andrew Fuller. Any class that Dr. Haykin is teaching is well worth taking. It's all his fault that I've become fascinated with Fuller.

Dr. Ron Nash, 1936-2006

I found out today that Dr. Nash passed away Friday morning. Russell Moore has a great article about him at The Henry Institute.

I had Dr. Nash at Southern my first full-time semester there, in the fall of 2004. I was a little intimidated at first, because of the ammount of reading we were going to be doing -- and all his books. I learned quickly that there was a good reason for that -- the books are valuable resources. I read them all, cover to cover, and still refer back to them frequently.

I was also a bit nervous about the class. I took Philosophy at Liberty my sophomore year, but wasn't a very diligent student. I had to work hard for that C. By the time I reached seminary, I'd forgotten most of what I'd learned.

Dr. Nash made the class not only bearable, but fun. I actually looked forward to 11:20 Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday the weeks we had class. He was able to engage everyone in the class, no matter how much we didn't want to be engaged, no matter how busy we were with everything but philosophy.

Dr. Nash made the classes fun. Dr. Moore mentions his hip-swaying, as he quoted someone he thought was wrong. I think that's one of the things that I'll remember about him -- that and his profound relief at George Bush's victory in the 2004 election. Dr. Nash pulled no punches -- you always knew where he stood. He didn't like liberal theologians, Aristotilian philosophers, or Democratic politicians -- and he would let you know in no uncertain terms.

Whenever I read Augustine, whenever I read Plato, I'll remember Dr. Ron Nash -- the greatest philosopher to ever come out of Cleveland, Ohio. At least, that's what he told us, and how could he have been wrong about something like that?

The Ultimate Goal of Christianity ...

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

The ultimate goal of Christianity is world domination. Our Prime Directive, our Great Commission, is to reach the world. We recognize that not everyone will believe, but our goal is still global evangelization.

So when Pat Robertson says that the goal of Islam is world domination, I say, "So what?" The goal of any belief system that teaches absolute truth must be to have the entire world recognize that absolute truth. Otherwise, your "truth" can't be that important to you.

No More Chef!

So Isaac Hayes has quit South Park because (ready for this one?) the show is insensitive toward religion.

I agree with Daniel Pulliam over at GetReligion -- has he really only just now noticed this??

How about this episode? Or what about this one? I guess they played nicely with religion, huh? (H/T to Andrew Sullivan for those references, btw.)

Even the folks at South Park noted the hypocrisy:

“In ten years and over 150 episodes of ‘South Park,’ Isaac never had a problem with the show making fun of Christians, Muslim[s], Mormons or Jews,” Stone said in a statement issued by the Comedy Central network. “He got a sudden case of religious sensitivity when it was his religion featured on the show.”

(from the Reuters story)
I don't like it when faith is used for comedic value, no matter whose faith it is. Usually when that happens, the religion in question is completely misrepresented, and trying to set the record straight simply shows that you don't get humor at all. I actually had this happen on an email list I subscribe to -- someone told a Baptist joke that I found a bit offensive, and I pointed out the inaccuracies. I was told I didn't have a sense of humor. Anyone who knows me can tell you THAT is untrue -- I just hate to see peoples' faith misrepresented just for cheap laughs.

So I can understand why Hayes left South Park. I just wish he'd have been a bit more consistent with his stand on mocking religion, or at least said he was mad because it was his religion this time.

I Wish I'd Have Said This!

From the Centuri0n his own self:

I want to go on-record today to say that I don't want to merely be a "god blogger", or even a "God blogger".

I want to be a Christ blogger. Who's with me?

Amen.

{edit -- I can't BELIEVE I didn't link to him the first time. Color me embarrassed.}

Podcast Subscriptions

OK, so I'm stealing this idea from Joe Kennedy. Won't be the first time, won't be the last time. And it's a good idea.

I am a big proponent of podcasts -- I'm even writing a book on it, and why churches should be doing it. So it stands to reason that I listen to a bunch of them. So here are some, but not all (I'm subscribed to 39, including both of my own).

First, the music podcasts:

• Breakaway Christian Music Podcast: Not the heavy stuff, or overly indie-sounding stuff, but a good podcast featuring a Christian artist on each show.
  
• Celtic Music News and Irish and Celtic Music Podcasts: CMN plays more contemporary-sounding Celtic music, while the I&CM podcast features more traditional-sounding Celtic music. They're both great podcasts.
  
• The Bored-Again Christian: "Where Christian music gets saved" is the tag on this one. Just Pete plays some great music on this show, including a few artists that I play on the Pewcast.
  
• The Roadhouse: I started listening to this one just because Tony voted for me at Podcast Alley one or two months. I'm still listening because I love the show. The Finest Blues You've Never Heard.
  

Now the churches:

• First Baptist Live Oak: Mike Norton pastors this church. He's the guy behind the GM Podcasting Network, which is where the Pewcast is now.
  
• Truth For Life: Alistair Begg. 'Nuff said about that. I'm glad he's podcasting now, because I don't always get to hear him on the radio, and don't always think about listening on the computer. This one auto-updates on the iPod, so I don't forget.
  
• SBTS Chapel Services: Some awesome preaching. Unfortunately, only the Spring 2006 semester is available via podcast, though past semesters can be downloaded individually.
  

And some other good podcasts:

• Decoder Ring Theatre: Bi-weekly drama podcast. Old-style radio drama -- very fun podcast.
  
• Podcast 411: Anything you ever wanted to know about podcasts and podcasting.
  

There are a LOT of good podcasts out there. Cruise through any podcast directory (Podcast Pickle is a great one) and subscribe to a few of them today!

Oh, and don't forget about mine -- they're over in the right sidebar. They're pretty good, too.

A Wee Bit of Patrick

From "A Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus," translated by John Skinner, included in The Confession of Saint Patrick

I am Patrick, yes a sinner and indeed untaught; yet I am established here in Ireland where I profess myself bishop.
I am certain in my heart that "all that I am," I have received from God.
So I live among barbarous tribes,
a stranger, and exile for the love of God.
He himself testifies that this is so.
I never would have wanted these harsh words to spill from my mouth; I am not in the habit of speaking so sharply.
Yet now I am driven by the zeal of God, Christ's truth has aroused me.
I speak out too for the love of my neighbors who are my only sons;
for them I gave up my home country, my parents and even pushing my own life to the brink of death.
If I have any worth, it is to live my life for God so as to teach these peoples;
even though some of them still look down on me.

The more I read about him, and by him, the more I like this Patrick guy. Of course, my favorite bit of Celtic spirituality claims his name but couldn't have been written by him -- the Lorica.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I Wish

I wish I had never heard about the new policies at the IMB, which effectively closed the door on many missionary candidates for non-essential differences.

I wish I had never heard about the IMB trustees' efforts to silence Wade Burleson, to the point of actually seeking his removal from the board of trustees.

I wish .... but I did hear. And what I found out today grieves me even more.

A proposed new conduct guide for IMB trustees. A proposed manual that would state " ... trustees are to speak in positive and supportive terms as they interpret and report on actions by the Board, regardless of whether they personally support the action."

In other words, the average Southern Baptist shouldn't know that there are people who disagree with "established policy." And the rest of the world shouldn't think that there are Southern Baptists who would actually disagree with said established policy.

Well, guess what? The rest of the world holds a pretty low opinion of Southern Baptists already -- something about us being a bunch of Jesus freaks or something. And the average Southern Baptist needs to know what is going on where their money is being spent. Without Bro. Burleson's dissent, nobody would have known what was going on -- maybe that's the intention. Keep the proles in the dark.

This is a gag order. It's no secret who this is designed to silence, and Wade Burleson is a man of enough integrity that he will abide by the board's decision, to the extent that he won't air his disagreements if the new manual is adopted.

I've seen groups run by 'yes men' before. Growing up in IFB land, I saw men of integrity, but I also saw men who were afraid to condemn the actions of certain "Men of God" when they were wrong. They didn't want to be kicked out of the camp -- one thing you'll find out quickly is that the I in IFB may stand for Independent, but it doesn't always mean independent. There are camps and cliques, and you don't want to be in the wrong one. So you put up a front, and deny that there are any problems -- at least in public.

We need principled dissent. Baptists have historically been the voices of principled dissent. And now we are going to lose that. We are going to stifle that voice so we can shore up a facade of unity that everybody knows isn't there to begin with.

Who are we trying to kid? We are not fooling anybody, not even ourselves. Vacating the Board of Trustees of the IMB now seems like a reasonable solution.

Crazy? Like a Fox!

Yesterday, I expressed my disappointment in the IMB trustees' decision to not allow public dissent by trustees. I am still disappointed, but I now have hope, and that hope has come from Wade Burleson.

His 'Ten Terrific Things'has encouraged me, especially this point:

(3). Bloggers other than trustees are now going to do all they can to be at the important meetings of the IMB.

(4). I met 20 young people for the first time who attended the IMB meeting simply to ATTEND. Not to be appointed, not to see family, but to simply ATTEND. When is the last time that many young adults attended the IMB meeting for no official reason but to participate in missions at the grass roots level.

(5). This participation of young adults in the Southern Baptist Convention is exciting. The SBC has long needed involvement from the generation of evanglical, missional minded young peole from our convention.

A message has been sent to the "power brokers" at the IMB: we're watching you. You cruised along below the radar for a long time, but that time is over. You've muzzled Wade Burleson with this new policy, but it doesn't matter. The things he would have talked about on his blog will be talked about anyway, by folks like Marty Duren and many others. The action by the board has sparked action by people who may otherwise have simply cruised along, paying no attention to the politics in the convention.

The light is on. We're watching.

Weekly Webcomics Update

A few days late, but here it is!

I'm adding a new one this time: Antihero for Hire. Perfect time to start reading this one, as it's the very beginning of a new story arc, involving the King of the Ice, 'The Froster'. The comic is set in a future time where Canada has waged an "Unexpected War" against the United States:

See, what happened was that Canada, tired of the way the US was running their country, sent wave after wave of genetically modified dinosaurs trained to attack only military targets. Not one non-resistant was killed, and all of the states that bordered Canada became provinces. Word is people living there don't really mind, which is one of main reasons it was so successful. The other was, of course, that the US was so busy protecting themselves against Weapons of Mass Destruction that they never made anything to protect against dinosaur attacks.

Superheroes are paid by the job, and are as valid a career choice as any other. This is a great comic -- though the art is at times a bit rough, the stories are well-written. It's also not a very old comic (June 2003), so the archives won't take you a month to read.

Questionable Content: Faye heads home to Savannah for a couple of days. Favorite line this week: "Suave dudes alwys smell like aftershave and Old Spice. It's pretty gross." Today we get to meet Faye's Mom.

Theater Hopper: Guest comics with an unplanned theme -- minor characters with secret crushes on Tom! Tom joins the fun in today's strip.

User Friendly: A.J.'s quest for blog traffic.

Book Review: The Witness by Dee Henderson

Amanda Griffin is a woman on the run. And trouble seems to keep following her, everywhere she goes. But now, the trouble has found her family, and she has to make some hard decisions regarding her own life: does she keep on running, as she has been for the past eight years, or does she come in out of the cold?

I've never read Dee Henderson before, though I know people who read her regularly. The Witness is a great mystery/thriller -- it's a page turner, with a lot more action that I expected. I never thought I'd get as caught up in the book as I did -- there were nights when I literally could not make myself put the book down. It was always "One more chapter. One more chapter."

The character relations are a bit too convenient, though. Police chief and two detectives fall for three sisters who are all involved in this mystery, one of whom is on the run from organized crime in New York. Some of the pieces seem to fit together a little too well, some of the situations a little too contrived. But the book flows very well, and is a really quick read -- fast paced, just like life on the run. This will be a great beach book this summer, and is a good front-porch-reading book (you mean you don't do that??) right now.

There's even a study guide in the back of the book for your Christian fiction readers club. But whatever you do -- don't read it until you finish the book. One plot twist is hinted at, and one fatality is totally mentioned. I made the mistake, and it ruined the shock for me.

What Does Public Criticism Mean, Anyway?

The new code of conduict for IMB trustees, according to trustee Mike Smith, is not intended to stifle honest differences between board members. At least, that's the story today from the SBTC Texan.

“We really got started on this two years ago, way before Wade Burleson or anything like that,” Smith told the Southern Baptist TEXAN in a phone interview March 23, referring to the Oklahoma trustee whose board status was in question until the board’s vote March 22 to rescind an earlier action requesting his removal. “We ourselves said we need something (drafted) in a concise way for being accountable when attending meetings and being faithful (as trustees).”

So this has been sitting for two years, and RIGHT NOW, just after the whole controversy, it's passed and implimented immediately -- even though many trustees expressed concern about voting for or against a document that they had only received the night before.

Why the rush? It's obvious to everyone watching what the rush was -- "we have a problem we need to take care of ASAP, before it gets out of hand."

Later in the article, Smith says that "we just do not want continuous open criticism." I think that a measure that effectively turns the trustee board into a group of yes men will certainly ensure that trustees don't criticise. It also means that nobody will pay any attention to what the trustees say publically about a decision ever again. It means that we're going to have to look at things for ourselves.

An new SBC, full of people who take an interest in what is going on at the national convention level? Who are involved and vocal? Who knows what we might be able to accomplish when we ALL are involved in the process. I'm starting to think that the IMB trustees have done us a favor.

A Blast From My Past

Deliverance. Ah, those were the good old days.