Faith

Via Andrew Sullivan, from an article of the same title by Ruth Gledhill in The Times:

The War on Terror has radicalised Muslims around the world to unprecedented levels of anti-American feeling, according to the largest survey of Muslims ever to be conducted. Seven per cent believe that the events of 9/11 were "completely justified". In Saudi Arabia, 79 per cent had an "unfavourable view" of the US. Gallup's Centre for Muslim Studies in New York carried out surveys of 10,000 Muslims in ten predominantly Muslim countries. One finding was that the wealthier and better-educated the Muslim was, the more likely he was to be radicalised.

The Gallup findings indicate that, in terms of spiritual values and the emphasis on the family and the future, Americans have more in common with Muslims than they do with their Western counterparts in Europe.

While there was widespread support for Sharia, or Islamic law, only a minority wanted religious leaders to be making laws. Most women in the predominantly Muslim countries believed that Sharia should be the source of a nation's laws, but they strongly believed in equal rights for women. This finding indicates the complexity of the struggle ahead for Western understanding. Few Western commentators can see how women could embrace the veil, Sharia and equal rights at the same time.

This just in...Anti-muslim feelings soar among Americans.

In a recent post on his blog, Fred Peatross wrote the following before making a specific proposal for an alternative way to spend Sunday school time:

The original purpose of the Sunday School in America was evangelistic. (1800s) Take illiterate people give them a Bible and a formal education on the one day of the week when they didn't work-Sunday (hence the name Sunday school) and teach them. At that time, Sunday school was a brilliant idea to get people into the church while meeting a social need. But how effective is the two hundred year old Sunday school in the third millennium? Does the original purpose of the Sunday school remain relevant today? Can it still be considered an evangelistic tool? If not, what is the purpose of the Sunday School/Bible class today? Is it knowledge? (Frost & Hirsch believe learning is more effective when a faith community is involved in active mission) Is the ten o'clock Sunday school/a.k.a. bible class the most effective use of biblical space in the third millennium? Or would change better accommodate a biblical purpose? I have an idea why not dump the two hundred year old Sunday School for adults for missional training.

I think these are interesting questions that we should consider. Just because we've always done what we now do on Sunday mornings, it doesn't mean that we always have to do the same in the future. Are there different ways that we could spend that would be more beneficial or more effectively mesh with our mission?

I thought this was cute (via Andrew Sullivan). It might be a bit obtuse if you haven't heard Dawkins or read anything from him.

Tonight I finished watching Saved! (2004,PG-13) (ScreenIt! Review). From the ScreenIt! Review:

After becoming pregnant following her attempts to cure her boyfriend of his homosexuality, a teen finds her fundamentalist beliefs tested.

My favorite scene was when Hillary Faye yells "I am filled with Christ's love" while throwing her Bible at Mary and striking her in the back. What a great metaphor for how Christians often throw the Bible at other sinners without love while at the same time implicitly claiming to be filled with Christ's love. Another interesting tidbit from Wikipedia:

During a scene where Cassandra fakes speaking in tongues, the original script called for Hilary Faye and Mary to speak in tongues as well. In the commentary, Moore reveals that the woman who was training her and Eva Amurri to speak tongues gave them phrases to repeat, including "she bought a Hyundai" and "untie my bowtie."

And what Mary said looking at her newborn baby:

Life is too amazing to be this random and meaningless consequence of the universe. There had to be a God out there or something. Something inside. You just had to feel it...and when you think about it, what would Jesus do? I don't know, we'll be trying to figure it out together.

And The Replacements' songs at the prom. I give it 4 out of 5.

Who remembers the message of Obadiah? I've been studying it recently for our Sunday AM class. The message is the impending destruction of Edom (the descendants of Esau). What was Edom's transgression? One of the big ones was pride. In his commentary The Minor Prophets, James Montgomery Boice writes:

According to Obadiah, the pride of Edom deceived the people into trusting in their natural defenses, their numerous allies and their acknowledged wisdom, rather than in God. Obadiah says that their wisdom will fail, their allies will prove treacherous and their defenses will be overcome. This is quite general and may easily be applied to any nation at any time in history.

What was it about which Edom was proud? The first answer is: her defenses. Due to her unique geographical situation, Edom was almost impregnable.

Was God being particularly harsh with Edom? No, this is His way with all nations. God God exalts a nation. Those in power see it as a cause for personal pride. They boast that they are better than others and can even do without God. Then God brings the nation down. This has been the case with all the great kingdoms of the world. Historians tell us that the world has seen twenty-one great civilizations. But each has passed away in time to make room for the next. Once there was Egypt, but ancient was destroyed and that which is now Egypt is no world power. Once there was Babylon, but it too passed away. So with Greece and Rome. So it will be with the great powers of our own day: the Soviet Union and the United States. Is the United States destined for destruction? We cannot say. She may recover her godly heritage. She may last until the Lord returns. But we should be warned by God's judgment on Edom. Do we boast that we are strong? That we have the largest army, the most missiles, the more effective navy? Do we boast that our technology is superior to that of the rest of the world? If so, we must watch out! God says that He can bring even our nation down.

This got me thinking about the pride of our nation, the superiority we often feel relative to the rest of the world. As I mentioned recently, I have a new appreciation based on the minor prophets that there is precedent for God to use disasters (e.g. by an enemy attack or natural disaster) to punish a nation but that I'm also bothered when folks use the occasion disaster to point fingers at another group as the cause of disfavor rather than looking in the mirror. Maybe next time Falwell and Robertson pronounce judgment they should consider whether or not our national pride be an issue.