Jared Bridges

The “H” Word

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The weather is nice, and I’m going outside to play. Due to travel, other writing projects, the need for a brief blogging sabbatical, and the general busyness of life, TruePravda will be on hiatus from regular posting until June 6th. I’ve never really taken a break longer than a week since I started this two … Read more

Jane and Moby: Two Reasons Not to Go it Alone

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One of my favorite songs of the past couple of years is Brad Paisley’s “Celebrity,” a mockingly humorous jab at the talentless-yet-notable crowd that makes up 90% of our entertainment culture. The chorus says:

Cause when you’re a celebrity
It’s adios reality

Sadly enough, this notion is especially true when it comes to celebrities and Christianity. Two recent celebrity expressions of Christianity—one by Jane Fonda, the other by Moby (who, in case you’re wondering, has nothing to do with the great white whale)—reveal such a detachment from reality.

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For Once, I Agree With the Democrats

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According to the AP, it seems that the East Waynesville Baptist Church has dismissed nine members because they didn’t support President Bush in the 2005 election. This is, for lack of better words, stupid and wrong. The head of the North Carolina Democratic Party sharply criticized the pastor Friday, saying Chandler jeopardized his church’s tax-free … Read more

Around the ‘Sphere

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And around the blogosphere we go… The blogosphere needs more savvy theologians blogging, and blogging they are. If the prolific Albert Mohler and the all-too-infrequent Russell Moore aren’t good enough for you, intelligent design expert William Dembski has joined the ranks of the pajamahadeen with his blog, Uncommon Descent. New Testament scholar Scot McKnight is … Read more

The Russian Inquisition

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A story that has been floating beneath the radar which deserves a little more attention is that of an incident in Izhevsk, Russia a couple of weeks ago. Apparently a Pentecostal church was harrased by the local police force: Twenty masked special and plain clothes police raided an evening seminar on 14 April at the … Read more

Sherlock’s House?

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Although I don’t watch a great deal of television, I’ll have to admit I’ve recently become addicted to Fox’s House. If you haven’t seen it (perhaps you’re one of those Amazing Race watchers), it’s about an eccentric-genius physician who solves medical mysteries that would stump the average M.D. Dr. House generally isn’t too fond of … Read more

The Unimpressive Press Redux

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Is it just me, or is the press at White House press conferences becoming increasingly less-than-cerebral with their questioning? Taking their cues from a press conference a year ago, the group on hand last night bordered on the silly at times. While last year’s questions dealt with whether or not President Bush felt sorry (for … Read more

Does TV Make Us Smarter?

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Steven Johnson argues in the New York Times Magazine that watching TV makes you smarter. Oddly enough, he chooses a magazine—a thoroughly word-based media—to make his point. The article is long, but the crux of the Johnson’s point is that TV shows today have plot lines that are so complex, a person can’t help but … Read more

A Few Thoughts on Reading

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Those of you with children are probably aware that one’s habits of personal study tend to be affected upon the arrival of the little one(s). In my case, the birth of our son caused my rate of reading to take a drastic downturn, especially in the first month. Now that things are beginning to settle … Read more

The Terrible Twos?

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For those of you who were sleeping, yesterday marked the two-year “blogiversiary” of TruePravda. I celebrated by giving the editorial staff the day off. In return, they extended their contract for another year. Wow. Two years. 595 posts. 575 comments. While it pales in comparison to others, its way more than I ever thought I’d … Read more