Hacking Christianity

Mission Holiness Rankings of UMC Seminaries

John and Andrew have both noticed that Claremont School of Theology has a new mission statement that they both have difficulties with: there is no mention of Jesus Christ or God or the UMC in it.

That makes me fuming angry! (HULK SMASH)
As a United Methodist Institution, should not our schools reflect the mission of the United Methodist Church: To Make Disciples of Jesus Christ? (THROWS PULPIT)
We have to be explicit with our mission statements, right? (THROWS CHALICE)
No wishy-washy nuanced academic words like Faith, Spirituality, or Religion will cut it! (CATCHES CHALICE..whew!)
Words with nuance are not expressive of the simple tenets of Christian faith! (SITS IN ASHES)

I propose that we determine who is the holiest of all UMC institutions.

Since we applied it to Claremont, let's use this clinically-proven formula of analyzing mission statements and apply it to the variety of mission statements from the 13 United Methodist Seminaries and see how they nuance things.

We are armed with the scientifically lab-tested and proven Mission Holiness Index (MHI), which gives scores to holiness words, and subtracts for wishy-washy words. Let's keep score!

5 points for explicit mentions of Jesus Christ, God, Christian, or the United Methodist Church
Minus 1 point for wishy-washy academic words like faith, spirituality, religion, etc...words that indicate they are about God, but without the maracas to actually say it. Even "church" is here because they aren't paying homage to the UMC...the true faith.

NOTE: I took what was EXPLICITLY their mission statement. Some of them are longer, but only the parts that are explicitly stated as their mission statement are included.

Boston University's Mission: (not on website...pansies...taken from this official paper here)

The purpose of the Boston University School of Theology is to pursue knowledge of God, to cultivate leaders for communities of faith, to enrich the academy, and to seek peace with justice in a diverse and interconnected world.

As the founding school of Boston University and the oldest United Methodist seminary in North America, we are a professional school within a cosmopolitan research university that is itself committed to “learning, virtue, and piety.” Rooted in the Wesleyan traditions and drawing from the Christian traditions of the world, we strive to equip ministries and vocations whose aim is both personal and social transformation, whose orientation is diverse and global, and whose vision expands the prophetic legacy of this historic School of Theology.

5 point Words: God, UMC, Christian
Minus 1 point Words: faith, Wesleyan, ministries, prophetic, Theology,
TOTAL: 10 points

Candler's Mission:

Candler School of Theology is grounded in the Christian faith and shaped by the Wesleyan tradition of evangelical piety, ecumenical openness, and social concern. Its mission is to educate—through scholarship, teaching, and service—faithful and creative leaders for the church’s ministries in the world.

5 point Words: Christian
Minus 1 point Words: Evangelical, ecumenical, faithful, church's, ministries, Wesleyan
TOTAL: -1 points

Claremont's Mission, the school in question...

"An ecumenical and interfaith institution, Claremont School of Theology seeks to instill students with the ethical integrity, religious intelligence, and intercultural understanding necessary to become effective in thought and action as spiritual leaders in the increasingly diverse, multi-faith world of the 21st century."

Scoring Words: None, nada, zip.
1 point Words: ecumenical, interfaith, religious, spiritual, multi-faith
TOTAL: -4 points

Drew's Mission is:

The Mission of Drew Theological School Center for Continuing Education is to:
Equip clergy and lay leaders to effectively address emerging and ongoing issues in ministry by providing relevant leadership education programs, including courses developed in partnership with Annual Conferences and agencies of The United Methodist Church.
Provide advanced theological education beyond the structure of degree programs by opening some graduate courses to non-degree participants, and partnering with Annual Conferences and local churches to provide alternative educational opportunities that embrace multiple learning styles.
Strengthen the spiritual lives of all people through deep Christian study and reflection that is characterized by a commitment to justice, ecumenism, and respect for the integrity of creation, and is supported by theology that is responsible to the complex social realities of our interconnected world.

Scoring Words: Christian, United Methodist Church
Minus 1 point Words: clergy, ministry, annual conferences (x2), churches, spiritual, ecumenism, creation, theology.
TOTAL: 1 points

Duke's Mission is:

Duke Divinity School’s mission is to engage in spiritually disciplined and academically rigorous education in service and witness to the Triune God in the midst of the church, the academy, and the world. We strive to cultivate a vibrant community through theological education on Scripture, engagement with the living Christian tradition, and attention to and reflection on contemporary contexts in order to form leaders for faithful Christian ministries.

5 point Words: Triune God, Christian (x2)
Minus 1 point Words: spiritually, witness, church, Scripture, ministries
TOTAL: 10 points

Gammon's Mission is:

The mission of Gammon Theological Seminary, a historically African American institution, in partnership with The Interdenominational Theological Center, is to recruit, support, and educate pastors and leaders for The United Methodist Church.

5 point Words: UMC
Minus 1 point Words: Interdenominational, pastors
TOTAL: 3 points

Garrett-Evangelical's Mission is:

The core purpose of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary is to know God in Christ and, through preparing spiritual leaders, to help others know God in Christ.
The seminary enacts its mission through:

Preparing women and men for ordained and lay ministries;
Preparing qualified students for seminary, church-related college, and university teaching in the theological disciplines;
Providing theological research and reflection for the church.

5 point Words: God (x2), Christ (x2)
Minus 1 point Words: spiritual, ministries, theological, church
TOTAL: 16 points

Iliff's Mission is:

The Iliff School of Theology is a graduate theological school of the United Methodist Church. Its central mission is the education of persons for effective ministry in Christian churches and other religious communities, for academic leadership, and for the cultivation of justice and peace in local and global contexts.

Iliff affirms its United Methodist identity and its liberal Christian heritage, grounded in scriptures and traditions, critical thinking, and openness to emerging truths, including those derived from science, experience, and other faith traditions. In a world fragmented by religious and ideological conflicts, Iliff promotes theological scholarship and dialogue to foster transformative possibilities for humanity and nature.

5 point Words: UMC (x2), Christian (x2)
Minus 1 point Words:ministry, religious, scriptures, faith, religious,
TOTAL: 15

MTSO's Mission (well, their stated Purpose Statement) is:

Our Purpose
Methodist Theological School in Ohio provides a vibrant learning environment for the preparation of skilled, passionate transformational leaders for churches, religious institutions, emerging faith communities and the wider world. We attend to the theological, spiritual, and vocational formation of a diverse group of students involved in a wide range of pursuits. Expecting active participation in our community of learning, we maintain an atmosphere of mutual respect and openness, teaching how to engage in conversation with the past and with others so that new and faithful perspectives may emerge. Our graduates demonstrate a deep understanding of the heritage disciplines of religious study, are highly competent in areas of practical theology, and show evidence of thoughtful reflection. We take seriously our responsibility for stewardship of the intellectual life of the church and our commitment to a just and sustainable world.

5 point Words: NONE
Minus 1 point Words: churches, religious, faith, spiritual, faithful, religious, theology, church.
TOTAL: -8 points

Perkin's Mission is:

The primary mission of Perkins School of Theology, as a community devoted to theological study and teaching in the service of the church of Jesus Christ, is to prepare women and men for faithful leadership in Christian ministry.

Perkins School of Theology affirms its relationships to the community of learning that is Southern Methodist University, to the universal church (inclusive, ecumenical, and global), the The United Methodist Church specifically, and to its particular geographical and cultural setting in the southwestern United States.

These relationships are sources of strength and avenues of service for the school as it pursues its twin tasks of theological reflection and theological education to the glory of God.

5 point Words: Jesus Christ, Christian, UMC, God
Minus 1 point Words: church, ministry, church, ecumenical, theological (x2)
TOTAL: 14 points

Saint Paul's Mission is:

Rooted in the Wesleyan tradition

and committed to inspiring passion for ministry

in diverse Christian bodies,

Saint Paul School of Theology

educates leaders

to make disciples for Jesus Christ,

renew the church,
and transform the world.

5 point Words: Christian, Jesus Christ
Minus 1 point Words: Wesleyan, ministry, disciples, church
TOTAL: 6 points

United's Mission is:

United Theological Seminary is a Christ-centered graduate school of The United Methodist Church that equips leaders for the church in a pluralistic world through the nurture of piety, the love of learning, and the pursuit of justice.

5 point Words: Christ, UMC
Minus 1 point Words: church, piety
TOTAL: 8 points

Vanderbilt's Mission is: (dude, what's up with no mission statements on websites? This is from their catalog)

The Divinity School seeks to fulfill the following objectives: to engage
men and women in a theological understanding of religious traditions; to
help persons, both lay and ordained, re-envision and prepare for the prac-
tice of Christian ministry in our time; to encourage individuals in their
spiritual and intellectual growth; to prepare leaders who will be agents of
social justice; and to educate future scholars and teachers of religion.

5 point Words: Christian
Minus 1 point Words: theological, religious, ordained, ministry, spiritual, religion
TOTAL: -1 point

Wesley's Mission is:

The mission of Wesley Theological Seminary is to prepare persons for Christian ministry, to foster theological scholarship, and to provide leadership on issues facing the church and the world. Our aim is to nourish a critical understanding of Christian faith, cultivate disciplined spiritual lives, and promote a just and compassionate engagement in the mission of the church to the world.

5 point Words: Christian (x2)
Minus 1 point Words: ministry, theological, church, spiritual, church
TOTAL: 5 points

So, there you have it. Here's the scientifically proven ranking of the UMC Seminaries:

Mission Holiness Index Rankings

Garrett, 16
Iliff, 15
Perkins, 14
Duke, 10
Boston U, 10 (BU tied with Duke, but since they used "orientation" they obviously support the HomoLiberalAgenda, and thus are in 5th place)
United, 8
St. Paul, 6
Wesley, 5
Gammon, 3
Drew, 1
Candler, -1
Vanderbilt, -1 (they tied with Candler, but since their mission is not on their website, they get negative points for making our team of monkeys work)
Claremont, -4
MTSO, -8

Well, we have the results, and they are unquestionable.

As suspected, Claremont had the second lowest Mission Holiness, and are almost least holy.
Surprise loser was MTSO in Ohio, with very low Holiness due to their lack of maracas to mention holy words even once in their Statement and fill it with nuanced academic fluff.
Garrett, Iliff, and Perkins unquestionably take the top tier of Mission Holiness and are most holy.
Perkins does get honorable mention for being the only school to use ALL Four of the MHI's "Holy Words." They get an A for Affort.
Incidentally, but without influencing these results, Andrew goes to Duke, and Jeremy went to BU. Since they are tied in the MHI ranking, then this MHI is fair and balanced. The fact both their schools are in the top 5 means nothing.

Oh, and for fun, let's see where Asbury Theological Seminary (NOT A United Methodist Institution) ranks, just to ensure the MHI is accurate and fair:

Asbury Theological Seminary was founded “to prepare and send forth a well-trained, sanctified, Spirit-filled, evangelistic ministry” to spread scriptural holiness throughout the world. The contemporary form of this mission commits the Seminary to maintain a multidenominational, multicultural community which:

Pursues the union of sound learning and vital piety through excellence in graduate, professional and continuing studies for ordained and lay ministries and provides resources for scholarly leadership in the Wesleyan-Arminian tradition;
Nurtures men and women called of God for parish ministry and other forms of servant leadership in the experience and practice of personal and social holiness as defined by Scripture and Wesleyan theology;
Encourages its members, in their teachings, scholarship and service, to live out the witness of a Spirit-filled life formed by the authority of Scripture; and
Prepares women and men for prophetic ministries of redemption and renewal in an increasingly urbanized and secularized world.
5 point Words: God
Minus 1 point Words: sanctified, Spirit-filled, evangelistic, ministry, scriptural, holiness, ordained, Wesleyan, ministry, holiness, Scripture, Wesleyan, theology, Spirit-filled, Scripture, prophetic, ministries
TOTAL: -12 points

It's official. Asbury has the most negative point words. In fact, it has a 17:1 buzzword to real mission word ratio. So, out of all the schools, Asbury is the least holy and uses the most lukewarm words to real mission words.
(No wonder they aren't United Methodist)

Conclusions

Thus, it is concluded. It follows that if you want to go to a good school, go to one of the top schools of the MHI rankings, not one of the bottom ones. They are lowest of the low in Mission Holiness, and that translates to the Holiness and Salvation Level of their students and faculty.

So, that ends our analysis for today.
Hopefully in the future, we will have more examples of the MHI Index.
Thanks, and come back again someday.

(EDIT Apr.16 @ 5:08pm EST :: edited Wesleyan to Wesley and corrected the math on Asbury's section per comments)
(EDIT Apr 18 @ 7:45am EST :: added Vanderbilt Divinity to the results! How could I forget Vandy? Silly monkeys...)

What I'm Reading 04/15/2008

PastorHacks: Using Jott to track Mileage - Annotated
tags: jott
- I set up a special email account, just for mileage. Put that contact into Jott.
  Now, I get into the car and call Jott, say "Mileage" and read off my current mileage. Jott takes it from there, transcribing and sending to my email account a record of my mileage.
  
  I got this idea from this article on using Jott to keep a medical diary.

Humor for Breakfast : The Shining [humor]

Tuesday's evenings are always meetings for my congregation. While I love committees, sometimes they are death by a thousand paper cuts. So, if you are anticipating a long day, enjoy this light-hearted movie that sounds fun for the whole family!

John 10 - From Gatekeepers to Pasturekeepers [bible.hack]

What better Scripture to inaugurate the bible.hacks label than this past Sunday's Lectionary? Read it here: (Easter 04, Year A) John 10:1-10, Jesus says "I am the Gate." Read on for a bible study on John 10 and a call for Churches to cease being Gatekeepers and instead tend the pasture for whatever sheep come our way.

One of the contemporary understandings of hacking is based around permissions:

Hacker break into a computer system that they do not have permission to access.
Hackers often obtain these permissions by fraudulent means
Hackers spoof their permissions and gain access by impersonating someone else.

Gateways grant entry only to those with permission.To combat hackers, computer architects create gateways: one-stop places where you have to authenticate yourself to gain access. You use gateways everyday to login to your email, to view a website that you have registered for, your PIN on an ATM, your voicemailbox code, etc. Gateways grant entry only to those with permission. All the data or resources are locked behind closed doors until you authenticate yourself.

In the first section of the Scripture, Jesus is the gatekeeper. Jesus keeps out those who are thieves (those who steal others' permissions). Jesus declares "thieves" those who attempt to enter the safety of the gated safe haven by other means other than through himself. One has to have permission to enter the safe haven; permission is given only to those who know Jesus' voice.

That's the contemporary understanding, perhaps you heard it this past Sunday in church. But this is a bible.hack, let's hack that understanding by offering new ways for the bible to be used and understood in our contexts.

Gateways also filter how insiders view outsiders.There is a second understanding of gateways. Just as gateways keep people out, they also are an entrance to the outside world for those who are inside. Gateways filter how the insiders view the outsiders. Think of anti-spam or parental censoring software on your computer or cable: only those with permission can view the content. If a child surfs to a porn website, they will be blocked by the gateway. Nuclear researchers are denied cell phones and must pass all information through controlled gateways. All the information in the outside world is controlled via the gateway for those inside the system.

In the second section of the Scripture, Jesus is the gate for those to come in and out of the safe haven. Jesus opens the gate, and the sheep follow his voice to green pastures. By Jesus' voice, Jesus guides the sheep to where they should go. Jesus is the gateway, then, and by listening to His voice we are confident and secure that Jesus would not steer us wrong.

By all indications, Jesus is against hackers: those "thieves" who would cause mischief in the safe haven by improper means, or those who would spoof and steer you wrong in the outside word. And rightly so: the Christian community needs a safe haven to be vulnerable to one another as they grow in discipleship.

The Way of Jesus Christ is opposed to worldly powersBut hear this: Jesus hacks the system. Jesus knows there is contemporary wisdom, there are codes of conduct written by the powers and principalities of the world, telling us how to live. Jesus is the gateway: Jesus offers His voice in opposition to the outside world and shows His followers how to be in the world. There are worldly ways and Godly ways...and ways that profess to be Godly by spoofing the Christian identity, but are not Christ's ways. By allowing Jesus to be our gateway, we are offered sure guidance in a world of TMI: too Much Information.

Problem: How to Hear Jesus in a world of TMI?However, Jesus is not here in the flesh to guide us. In contemporary culture, there is information overload. We have access to SO MANY ways and paths in the world that we are unable to filter and process all of them. The varieties of worldly ways are immense: Advertising driven by psychology, school curriculum agendas, Hollywood depictions of violence and sex...and the ability for anyone to open a web browser and find out about anything in the world via Google or Wikipedia. The green pastures for spiritual growth and edification are no longer a choice between three or four paths, but three or four hundred.

The Church replaces Jesus as the gatekeeper.Here's where the Church gets it wrong. We in the church censor information. Just as we create our own echo chambers of news and views, the church often will selectively teach or create policies that keep out unwelcome facts or opinions. We have replaced Jesus as the gatekeeper with the Church leaders as the gatekeepers of information. Consider these real-life examples of information-censoring by church leadership:

In sex education classes, churches teach abstinence-only, ignoring birth control methods.
In so-called pregnancy crisis centers (often faith-based!), more resources are given to women who want to continue their pregnancy, while offering little to women who do not.
In pop-culture preaching, churches proof-text Scripture as remedies to society's ills without proper biblical investigation and edification.
In the Lectionary, we preach a bit more than 2/3rds of the Scripture and ignore contextual continuities between scripture passages (especially in John!).

By censoring and protecting our children, women, and parishioners from information the church deems harmful, we have replaced Jesus as the gatekeeper. We justify this by claiming that some information is the worldly way and should not have a place in Christian community. Information can function as a "thief" which offers a seductive path of self-justification to those the church deems "not ready" to discern right from wrong...especially teenagers and children in Christian education.

But Jesus has other sheep we have not considered.But hear these words: Jesus is the gateway. The followers of Jesus hear His voice and will go where Jesus calls them. Following up on the aforementioned frustration with the Lectionary, by reading a few more sentences past the Lectionary we see Jesus say "I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold."

..............Wait, what? Verse 10:16: "I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold." There is more out there, there are more sheep that are not of this fold, there are more followers of Christ who may not graze in the pastures we are comfortable with.

Christ alone judges what should be censored.Christ reminds us that Jesus is the gate: Jesus alone bears judgment of who is righteous to be included in the kingdom of God, and Jesus alone bears judgment of who or what is a thief to our discipleship. While there are reasonable limits to how information is presented or taught in a Christian context, prayerful discernment must be given to each aspect of the Christian life, even those your grandparents don't want you to teach.

Mission: Not Gate-keepers, but Pasture-keepers.To the church, the mission is simple: give the gatekeeping up to Christ and become open to sheep not of your fold. We are called to tend to the pastures, to plant what comes our way, and if it grows and edifies, integrate it, and if it seeds death and discord, root it out! We are to prayerfully discern, not dismiss out-of-hand, what new sheep might be coming to your church doorstep.

These may be sheep that are walking wounded by abusive exclusionary theologies from another faith community that need safe haven and to be shared the Love of God.
These may be sheep that have alternative theologies to your own that will challenge and strengthen your community.
These may be sheep that have radical ideas for evangelism that God may be placing before you.
These may be sheep that seem too young or old to really contribute, but are disciples of Christ nonetheless.
These may be sheep who view Jesus from their cultural perspective, which may seem offensive to Anglo congregations, but will give rich imagery to our faith journeys.

To all these sheep, the gate is wider than we may want. Christ calls us to be hospitable and be open to those ragged-looking sheep, empowers us to remove the sheep who truly do siphon off creative energy in the church, and reminds us to leave judgment up to God. We must allow our gates that we construct to be opened, to allow our eyes to see beyond ourselves, and allow ourselves to be enriched by the entire breadth of communities of faith and cultures.

From Gated Communities of Christ to Open Pastures.In any system, diversity gives strength, but also trepidation as the gateways become wider. We are given the commission to break through the echo-chambers in our own congregations and allow the Spirit, to give the disturbing Spirit the freedom to flow freely through us and upset our rigid codes of conduct and teachings. Maybe God will offer new life today.

May the God who gives us strength and wisdom lead us from gated communities of Christ to life abundant in the green pastures of the Kingdom of God.

Credits:
- the Process and Faith Lectionary for inspiration for this blog post
- the Oremus Bible Browser for Scripture passages (all from the NRSV)

What I'm Reading 04/14/2008

Where's The House Church Technology? | Innovating Tomorrow - Annotated
tags: no_tag
- Grassroots efforts to reshape the gospel need collaboration and education, especially for those house church pastors who do not have seminary educations. Any grassroots help we can offer those who are looking for educational resources? - post by umjeremy
- 'm a little surprised at the lack of house church media. The large criticism of house churches is the lack of expert teaching. It just doesn't work logistically to have a pastor trained in theology, the original languages, and who has the time to prep to teach in each house church. Expert teaching via video is something I assumed I would find, but I didn't.
  
  Am I missing something or is there a gaping hole in technology for house churches?
Do you follow your Googlegangers online? | Technology | Guardian Unlimited - Annotated
tags: no_tag
- Google-gangers are people of your same name on Google. Given the name "Jeremy Smith" really doesn't make my name google-marketable. There's tons of me, even in school. Sigh. Good luck making your name google-unique! - post by umjeremy
- The New York Times has a cute photo (above) of a group of women who are all called Angela Shelton with an article headlined Names That Match Forge a Bond on the Internet.
  
  Everyone goes "name surfing" from time to time, so all the Angela Sheltons bump into what other Angela Sheltons are doing. Sometimes they find each other, and one of them (a superhero Goddess) has written a book about it.
Get More from Your RSS Reader by Oversubscribing - Annotated
tags: rss
- I oversubscribe to EVERYTHING!! Then if I want a topic, I search through google reader for it! - post by umjeremy

Six-Word Motto for the UMC

Freakonomics recently did a six-word motto contest for the United States. It had tons of ideas, responses, and votes. And looking at what they ended up with, I thought it was very relevant for the United Methodist Church.

No surprise there. Our three-branches system reflects the US Government, our denomination grew up as our country was growing up, and our denomination split right before the civil war. Today, the UMC is seen as a bellweather for social issues affecting America. So, a six word motto for the USA...perhaps it can describe the attitude of the UMC (while never, of course, explaining our mission: to make disciples of Jesus Christ...hey, that's six words too!).

So, what were the results? The unofficial six-word motto for America?

Our Worst Critics Prefer to Stay

That's neat, huh? Even those people who rail against America prefer to actually live in it. This is true of people on all sides of the political aisle: we have a freedom to speak freely, and even though we rail against America, we still love it.

It made me think of the United Methodist Church. We are meeting in two weeks in Fort Worth, Texas, to talk about divisive issues again. We talk about them for years, then resolve them all to everyone's satisfaction in one week. Right. There are always lively discussions about polity within the UMC. Why?

Because Our Worst Critics Prefer to Stay

This motto is significant in light of a UMNS commentary written by Steven Webster:

Some have described the church’s long dialogue over these issues as "a thorn in the flesh." Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 that he endured a painful "thorn in the flesh" that would not leave him even though he pleaded with God to remove it. God’s answer to Paul applies to us: "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness."

We feel weary and weakened by this long dialogue over homosexuality, a dialogue in which I have actively participated in many ways these past 36 years. The faith that sustains me is that God intends to perfect us through these trials, and we, the people of The United Methodist Church, look forward to a real peace which is, in King’s words, the presence of justice and not merely the absence of tension.

Some don't want to talk about the issues. The Connectional Table sends out an email to delegates outlining four goals and seven paths, and none of them have to do with some internal divisions within the UMC. It's almost like if we focus outside ourselves, then we will have peace.

My friends, that's a donut mission: focusing outward without healing divisions internally leaves a hole in the middle where our soul should be.

The Six-word motto of Jesus Christ at the Ascension was: "To Make Disciples of All Nations" means to work on our own discipleship and our own willingness to reflect on how our actions and corporate policies reflect our discipleship.
The Six-word motto of Jesus Christ at the beginning of his ministry was: "Repent! God's Kingdom is At Hand!" Repent means to examine where we have failed and heal those wounds so that we CAN bring forth the kingdom of God.
The Six(ish)-word motto of John Wesley could be: "Do No Harm, Do Good, Love God" The "Do No Harm" section certainly means examine how within the church we are doing harm to one another.

My friends, in the UMC, Our Worst Critics Prefer to Stay. Unity in diversity is the best way forward to be forced to examine the issues. Breaking apart and schizm leads us to our own echo chambers where we will not have to deal with diversity again. And for the sake of our own discipleship, keep on these divisive issues, because by ignoring them, our outward appearance is happy, but our souls are rotten.

What I'm Reading 04/12/2008

Live at Shift: Deep Ministry in a Shallow World | Out of Ur | Conversations for Ministry Leaders - Annotated
tags: no_tag
- 1. What gospel are we feeding kids?
  
  She says that a lot of what students are fed is a guilt based gospel—what Dallas Willard calls the “gospel of sin management.” Powell compared it to a diet of Red Bull. It’s fast, energetic, and easy, but not very nourishing. And after the rush is over you deflate. We’ve fed students a gospel of rights and wrongs, but nothing nourishing that they can internalize and grow from. No wonder they fall away shortly after graduation. The buzz is over.
Christian TV: "Bibleman" vs. a New York Jew - Annotated
tags: no_tag
- Uh, even though this is a ridicuolous show, I really don't see this as an attack on the Jews. It's a parallel to Jerry Springer. The crowd chanting "Sammy" the woman rushing the stage and being held back by security. This is a play on talk shows in general, not an anti-jewish segment. Even all that said, still a waste of 3 minutes of my life. - post by umjeremy
- Christian TV: "Bibleman" vs. a New York Jew