Fruit-flavored World – a Letter to Adam
Posted by Troy | Filed under Faith
I know a teenager who’s got a big heart. He’s the oldest of about a dozen kids (ok maybe not quite that many) in a family that I love very much.
They are the kind of friends who live nearby and you should see regularly but almost never do… but when you do get together it’s like family (only you all get along and enjoy each other’s company).
Adam also has big faith and is putting it into practice. Right now he’s writing a couple blogs including a new collaborative effort dedicated to giving a voice to children worldwide suffering abuse of various kinds.
Not the kind of hobby you generally expect from an almost-eighteen-year-old.
This past week he shared some of his thoughts about the spirit of judgement that he was starting to recognize had been a part of his life (a common side-affect of anyone growing up in an evangelical world) and his commitment to grow out of it (a rare position for anyone growing up in an evangelical world). Even though there is a bit of naivety in his writing (I mean he’s 17 years old for crying out loud), there is a voice of wisdom that seems to be penetrating his soul and is starting to pour out of him onto anyone willing to listen.
I saw that some critics on Facebook were picking at some of the peripheral issues that he just happened to mention as part of his post and that Adam reacted with an “I’m sorry, I was wrong about that.”
The fact is that he was not wrong about the peripherals, but more importantly, the critics were so busy reacting to interjections that they failed to hear his central message. And for that, I was sad that he felt it necessary to apologize.
I wanted to write a letter of encouragement to Adam and he was willing to let me share it with everyone. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: original illustration, religion, writing
Freakiest Puritan Ever
Posted by Troy | Filed under Faith, TV
I just started watching God in America, a PBS Frontline documentary mini-series that’s been airing all week.
That guy who played Ben Linus on Lost is Puritan leader John Winthrop.
Freakiest Puritan ever!
This shot is actually from a really interesting scene about the trial of the colony’s rabble-rousing woman Anne Hutchinson, who was eventually banished for openly sharing her personal theology.
I’m looking forward to watching the rest of the series online.
Tags: Faith, pbs, religion, tv
To Evangelicalism: “You need to get saved!”
Posted by Troy | Filed under Faith, politics
It seems that most the people I know (in real life, not Twitter or Facebook friends) are both evangelicals and Republicans.
So often so, that the lines between the two are typically blurred for the individual (like Health Care reform is somehow an issue of personal and corporate morality and may or may not be a sign of the end times.)
and (this is sad but really true) most evangelicals I know are better versed in The Gospel according to Rush than any of the ones that happen to be about Jesus.
Evangelicals for Legal Pot
Posted by Troy | Filed under Culture, Humor
I almost always love the Diane Rehm Show.
Last week I caught a really interesting segment in which she and her guests discussed medical marijuana. If you’ve got time I’d really recommend listening.
Apparently I got cancer in the wrong decade…
Throughout the segment though, it became very clear just how unclear this issue is… really murky and muddled, even when legal.
Seemed like most of the show’s guests agreed that legalizing marijuana would really be the best solution… quite often comparing its current taboo status to prohibition.
I’ve never smoked pot and never had strong feelings about it in any way… but as a cancer survivor I’m always intrigued when this issue is up for discussion.
And here’s something you don’t see everyday, an article calling for evangelicals to rally around the cause of legalizing marijuana in an attempt to remove the political weight that comes from the stigma of the drug.
I can see it now… Rick Warren throwing the first annual ELP (Evangelicals for Legal Pot) conference.
