Typical

So, I've had a bit of a band crush on these guys for a while and for some reason I only just now stumbled across their YouTube music videos and Vlog.



Thankfully, I'm finding it a helpful preoccupation to distract my anxious anticipation of their next album.

Micah (& Co.?)

I've been writing a paper comparing writing style, content, and message of the books of Amos and Micah in the Old Testament. It was a fascinating study, but the most unexpected result was the inconsistencies in timeline that seemed to jump out of the text in Micah. I'll summarize a couple to give an idea.

Micah is introduced as receiving his prophecy during the time of king Hezekiah. Judah still stands as a kingdom and the people have not been taken away in exile at that point. Even in Jeremiah (80+ years later - Jer.26:18) the leaders in King Jehoiakim's court reflect back on Micah's prophecies.

The book starts with a mourning because of Judah's sin and anticipates God's punishment by sending the people into exile (1:16). But 2:12-13 speaks of Israel already in exile. And it breaks the flow of an address and rebuke to false prophets.

Chapter 6 and 7 are the same way. 6 calls for a shift in motive and behavior. It calls out sin and threatens the kingdom to be ruined and the people to be divided among the nations (exile). There also appears to be a natural end in 7:7. But then another passage of hope is tacked on speaking as if Israel is already in exile and prophesying hope of rescue.

At this point, I've become pretty convinced that the version of Micah we have now isn't the original version of the text. It appears to have been written first to the people in Judah who were complacent and concerned with selfish gain (at the expense of those in need). But after the kingdom was conquered by the Babylonians, it was revised (maybe just added to) to be relevant for the destitute people who had been dragged off in exile and to give them a source of hope.

Opinion

A great Op-Ed from the New York Times on Saturday.

The Palin-Whatshisname Ticket

Thanks Wess.

Politically Wary

In light of the last 8 years of presidency, I have become politically wary of the tie between politics and religious beliefs (in a supposed government that separates politics and religion - which in reality is impossible). This finds relevance in the latest popular obsession of Sarah Palin's conservative Christianity.

I'm not convinced politicians really have appropriate grounds in appealing to their Christian tradition as means for their decision making. First of all, what real Bible training do most politicians have? This calls into question their interpretation. Not that the lay reader can't simply read the Bible and derive personal meaning from it. I do believe they can. However, to claim it as an influential tool in making decisions that impact millions of people and run one of the most powerful countries in the world is downright foolish. The Bible is an incredibly difficult text. It should not be used as a decision-making tool for someone who doesn't carefully study its context and contemporary application.

Second, I've seen the way conservative Christians run my church, manage my coworkers, treat my neighbors... and frankly, I just don't trust them. To have another conservative Christian running my government scares me.

Third, religious practice is the farthest things from important at this point in our nation's history. I'm more concerned with our economy, home mortgages, dependence on depleting energy resources, education, and foreign policy. What help is being ultra pro-life on those matters?!

To base an argument that Sarah Palin is the best choice for VICE president based on her conservative christian faith and the fact that she makes decisions in light of her beliefs (as a recent news article, with multiple interviews of her staff and personal relations reported) seems ludicrous. I have no reason to trust her biblical interpretation for making valid decisions and influencing her political leanings. She walks a party line just like everyone else, despite her religious leanings. It's a personal choice, not a religious compulsion.

To vote for her simply as a politician... it's worth considering. To vote for her as a Christian politician... NO WAY!

The Escalator

Jared sends an empty email titled, "Democrats On An Escalator," with the following video:

Alex:

I feel as if I should make a video responding to this video. Here is the script:

In a random office building three obviously rich white men stand by an escalator. They are clad in suits with American flag pins on their lapel. They only let other rich white men pass through. Only after 100 rich white men pass through they let a rich white woman pass through. After 1000 rich white men and 10 women pass through they allow one rich black man on the escalator. After 10,000 rich white men, 100 women, and 10 black men pass through they allow one rich black woman on the escalator. After a black woman rides the escalator a Bolivian male who can't speak English tries to ride the escalator. The rich white men say that they don't let Mexicans ride the escalator. They do ask him to mow their lawn though. They then erect a wall around the escalator to keep the Mexicans out.
Movie ends.

Jared:

Nice. So what would the name of the video be?

Deanna:

I always wondered why those men made me take the stairs.

Jason:

Oooh, so I've got a movie:

Three Leftist walk by and say, "what's so great about the second floor?" They pass by the escalator to set up an egalitarian society free from hatred, violence, oppression, and imperialistic mentalities. Then they live together in peace and harmony with nature - eventually setting fire to the escalator, the second floor, and the office building. Then they smoke copious amounts of marijuana, and grill fresh vegetables over the burning corpse of capitalism.
Movie ends.

"Barak"

People do realize that the name "Barak" is a Bible name, right?

It's ancient Hebrew.

(And yes, that is very random... but was on my mind.)

"Save Me"

CT did an article on an indie movie coming out called,"Save Me."

In an effort to advance that conversation, Allen and some colleagues—some gay, some straight—have made Save Me, an indie film opening in limited release this week. The movie concerns a homosexual young man named Mark who, addicted to sex and drugs, hits rock bottom and ends up at Genesis House, a Christian "ex-gay" ministry, where he finds compassion, hope, sobriety, self-respect, and God.

What Mark (played by Allen) does not find at Genesis—an apparent reference to Exodus International—is a "cure" for his gayness. At the end of the film, Mark has changed for the better in many ways. But he's still gay.

I'm very intrigued and will see it.