Quality interweb mischief from Jared Bridges
S. M. Hutchens has some good thoughts on television and the mass media: I have found that many people who have to maintain their minds at top form have an intuitive dislike of having them manipulated by the organs of the mass media, which they find not only stupid, but having a drug-like quality that … Read more
I haven’t weighed in on the Terri Schiavo matter on this blog, due largely to the fact I’ve been preoccupied with things other than the blog. I think, however, that an issue like this deserves to commented on—even if my position echoes countless others. Sadly, the media focus has confused many into thinking that Terri … Read more
Douglas Kern writes a follow-up to the Andrew Sullivan “iPod article” which I commented on a while back. Ostensibly, Kern disagrees with Sullivan, but then, ends up agreeing for the most part. At least that’s how I read it.
Echoing Christine Rosen, Andrew Sullivan has a thoughtful article on the cult of the iPod. He wonders just how good for society is the isolation that comes with personal technology: Walk through any airport in the United States these days and you will see person after person gliding through the social ether as if on … Read more
As regular readers will note, I’m not Catholic, and neither do I observe Lent (although I know many Protestants who do). I grew up in heavily evangelicalized East Tennessee, where Lent was known as something that accumulated in one’s belly button. Since I moved to heavily-Catholic Louisville, I’ve been confronted with the vast number of … Read more
Will Smith has worn many different hats, from rapper to TV star to the big screen. A few years back, he had hit song devoted to his son called “Just the Two of Us,” in which he gave his son words of wisdom amidst Smith’s divorce from the child’s mother: I pledge to you I … Read more
A surprisingly well-informed article in Sunday’s Washington Post notes the trend of a rise in environmental concern among American evangelicals. I say well-informed because the reporter, Blaine Harden, actually did his homework and got a number of perspectives on the issue. He writes: There is growing evidence — in polling and in public statements of … Read more
For moment—albeit a brief one—I wondered whether or not I was going overboard by posting several sets of photos of our newborn on this blog. After all, the youngster didn’t exactly give me permission to release his strikingly handsome mug to the world. Nevertheless, I published them without regret, hoping that he would later forgive … Read more
Ken Myers highlights a needed area of improvement in the church: I meet many students who struggle with keeping their faith intact while in college. There are numerous ministries devoted to encouraging them in that struggle. That encouragement often takes the form of well-crafted arguments defending basic Christian beliefs, and these are obviously valuable resources. … Read more
I’ve already referenced it my “On the side” miniblog, but it’s worth mentioning again here. Christine Rosen’s essay in the latest issue of The New Atlantis, “The Age of Egocasting,” is a must-read. You’ll never look at your remote control the same again. Rosen delivers a probing critique of the way we have increasingly personalized … Read more