Archive for December, 2007
Did Huckabee Make Christmas Greetings OK Again?
Jenn December 21st, 2007
There has been tremendous controversy surrounding Mike Huckabee’s Christmas ad. So much so, that is seems as though when other candidates themselves have started to say, “Merry Christmas” is goes unnoticed.
Yesterday, after being released from the hospital for flu like symptoms, Rudy Giuliani made these comments:
“I feel great. Take care. Merry Christmas, I’m feeling fine thanks to the hospital. They did a great job,”
Maybe Rudy would have said it anyway, but since he wasn’t the first to say it, it has gone unnoticed.
No Quid Pro Quo for Bush
Jenn December 21st, 2007
[youtube qUZycsIQfi4]
President Bush declined the opportunity to respond to Mike Huckabee’s criticism regarding foreign policy when asked by a reporter to respond during a White house press conference. President Bush indicated that he would not comment on the primaries but would look to support his party (the GOP) any way he could after the primaries. Good for him- I think he is right and smart to stay out of the primaries.
One Down: Tancredo Bows Out
Jenn December 21st, 2007
Opponent of illegal immigration ends White House bid - CNN.com
Romney on Huckabee II: Romney attacks Huckabee again with false and misleading claims.
Jenn December 20th, 2007
Romney on Huckabee II | Newsweek Politics | Newsweek.com
This article is worth the read. If you were still thinking about voting for Romney, this article should send you packing.
Eisenhower Office Building on Fire
Jenn December 19th, 2007
The Eisenhower Office Building, which is adjacent to the East Wing of the White House, has a small fire burning on the third floor. The building has been undergoing major renovations. The fire is reportedly under control and damage is expected to be limited because of the way the building was constructed (they knew how to build them!)
We had the opportunity to visit the building when we toured the White House in early 2005. Below are pictures from the visit.
“Paul is Dead”
Jenn December 19th, 2007
Mike Huckabee was harassed all day yesterday about his Christmas advertisement. Some people have mistaken part of the set as intentional symbolism featuring a “floating cross” (I laugh as I type it – these are probably the same people bidding on the grilled cheese sandwich that showed an apparition of Mary). Huckabee was asked to comment on the accusation of the cross being intentional and he jokingly responded that if you played the message backwards it says, “Paul is dead.” This was clearly a reference to the big brouhaha that surfaced in the 1970’s about secret backwards messages on Beatle’s albums.
** Side Note – I can still remember my mother playing my brother’s Beatles albums backwards to listen for those messages.
The Ron Paul supporters never cease to amuse me. They have an uncanny talent of making everything a criticism or slight of Ron Paul. This was no exception. His supporters actually believe that Huckabee’s comment was a reference to Ron Paul’s campaign being dead. There concern was only fueled when Glenn Beck scrolled the message “Paul is Dead, Paul is Dead, Paul is dead” during a Ron Paul interview.
I am not sure if Ron Paul’s supporters are really that out of touch or just that clueless. Nonetheless, it was extremely amusing.
My thoughts on posting comments to on a blog
Jenn December 19th, 2007
The Latin phrase “non sequitur” means, it does not follow. That is what I have noticed about most comments posted on blogs in general, but especially political blogs these days. Over the last month, I have been amazed (and annoyed) at the types of comments people post on blogs. I find more often than not people are using the comments section of a blog to reflect their own agenda rather than comment on the post itself. For example, I have a post refuting Dr. Wayne Grudem’s endorsement of Mitt Romney. Many of the comments (before my was deleted and re-launched) were attacks on me for questioning the logic of the Mormon religion and one comment was simply urging readers to go visit Hillary’s website. None of those comments addressed the true topic of the post. It isn’t just my blog, it is almost every blog you read. And it is more often the case when the comments are negative.
It seems that people do not know how to appropriately discuss opposing points of view rationally or civilly. It can be difficult, I will grant that. More importantly, it usually takes some time and research to craft a rational, civil argument. I think it is partly because American schools do not teach people how to “argue”. By argue, I don’t mean a rash, haste, disagreement marked by anger. By argue I mean present a different point of view as in a formal debate (not the presidential debates – they don’t qualify) or as in a court of law.
If people want a forum for airing their opinions, there are plenty of options for a free blog out there. Next time you post a comment to the blog – make sure it is relevant to the post.
My Thoughts on Christian Blogs
Jenn December 18th, 2007
It seems as though blogs are a dime a dozen these days. Look, I even have one. There are blogs on every topic imaginable. Some blogs have clever names, some are tributes to their families, and some are meant to be provoke debate. What has caught my attention as of late is the quantity of Christian blogs. Although from time to time I do discuss spiritual matters on my blog, it is definitely not the primary focus. As a matter of fact, my blog has no single primary focus. Just when you think it’s a Mike Huckabee blog, there is a post about the weather or Microsoft Zune. I have been intentional in both not making it a single focus blog and not making it primarily a spiritual blog. I will post something related to faith if it particularly strikes me as “blogworthy”, but those times are few.
Why have I chosen this route? I think that Christian blogs are an emerging form of parachurch ministry. Even if the blog is the by the leader of a related church or an organization that we respect, when the time we spend studying the blog surpasses the time we spend reviewing last Sunday’s message given at our local church, the function (even though the intention may be otherwise) of the blog becomes parachurch. It is functioning as supplemental to your local church. It is easy to get caught up in blogs that seem to have the right message, have great graphics, and even nice sounding buzz words. However, do I have more affection for those blogs than I do my own local church? Do I allow my children to spend time on certain blogs primarily because they are “safe” or seem to have decent doctrine?
I recently heard a prominent Christian leader may soon start his own blog. I thought, “No! Stop! Don’t do it!” What this leader may or may not expect is that like moths to a flame, Christians will pour onto his blog, and it won’t be in addition to the time they are investing in benefitting from the teaching of the their own local churches, it will be in lieu of that time.
In particular, I am concerned with Christian blogs that are single focus blogs. Think of all of the single focus blogs you visit regularly. Now think of all of the groups of people, situations, spiritual disciplines, or other biblical things that blog does not address. How does that affect your perspective? The Bible tells us that, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt 6:21). So, if my blog time is spent solely focusing on singles or women’s issues, my heart will incline towards those things. Those are not bad things to read about or areas to pursue growth. However, those blogs rarely represent balance. Sometimes I wonder if people spend so much time on a single subject because there is an ounce of doubt that Scripture has addressed an issue sufficiently. I think that blogs are even more dangerous in this area because once you read a book you are done. When you read a blog, it keeps coming and coming. The side effect of a lack of balance can be an interruption of church unity.
Christian blogs are not bad. We shouldn’t stop reading them. We should evaluate how we view them, though.
