NBC banned this ad from the SuperBowl. I would have rather seen this than that garbage GoDaddy ad ANYDAY of the week. Especially on SuperBowl Sunday.
Here it is. What do you think?
Technology has always advanced because of two societal linchpins – religion and sex. These new technologies have also pused the boundaries and even redefined the boundaries of ethics. You might remember my last about sexting asking about how it should be viewed.
Well, law enforcement also has some ideas about how it should be viewed. Check out this story about teens who sexted some boys at school being charged with child pornography!
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2009/01/15/pn.sexting.teens.cnn
What do you think? Did they go to far? Is this a literal definition of the law?
So, I’ve thought for a while that the Republican party has been pimping Christians for their votes for a while now. “Vote for me, I believe like you. I believe the bible is God’s word like you…’ yadayadayada…
It always looked like I was being told whatever I wanted to hear to win my vote. Being a salesman, I know when I’m being sold something that’s not as advertised.
Well, President G. W. Bush was recently interviewed on ABC and revealed that he may not necessarily believe like you.
Here is David Brody, correspondent for Christian Broadcast Network’s take on it.
You might want to keep this kind of stuff in mind when we talk about “putting God’s man in office.” If this kind of stuff influenced your vote – unfortunately, you’ve been pimped.
I’ve had my eye on this clothing line called 3sixteen for quite some time. I REALLY dig graphic tees and these guys knock it out the box with there designs and use of color. BUT, despite how much I liked them, I still hadn’t purchased anything. For a while, 3sixteen was the cute girl who sat across the classroom; I liked her, but I never had the courage to do anything about it. Until now!
I saw they were running a RIDICULOUS sale on their website last month so I decided to bite the bullet and make a purchase. I got 5 shirts, a fitted hat and some stickers for $60 bucks. That’s about a third of the normal price!
These guys get it RIGHT! the fit, the colors, the styling, the feel – everything you like in a graphic tee these guys have it! Not many Christian labels get the graphic tee right. Most of them are corny designs and cheesy Christian gimmicks. (Remember this one?)
I wanted to post some pics of the clothes I got but most of the stuff is SOLD OUT online so I couldn’t find any. Check back to this post and I’ll post some pics of me sporting the new gear.
Go check them out. Get you some!
Check out this movie trailer:
Finally, a movie that challenges Darwinism. This will be good!
Also check out the blog associated with the movie
I just started reading Tim Stevens’ book and so far (the introduction) is GREAT! On his blog, there is a fantastic discussion going on about Jesus, the Bible and culture.
This is my favorite topics of discussion. The reason being is because in the urban church, this debate is ongoing in the context of hip-hop. Should we run from culture? Should we be just like the culture? Should we use the culture to reach the lost?
Its especially been a strong debate in the context of musical styles for a long time. Should the church use instruments? Should the church use rock music? Should the church use r&b music? Should the church use rap music?
Now, with churches like Willow Creek, Northpoint, Granger Community Church, Life Church, Fellowship Church, NewSpring, Elevation and others- the debate has increased. These churches use all out cultural references to preach the gospel. Want to do a sermon series about sex, have a series called “Sex in the City” and have each week titled after one of the women in the show. Want to do a series about idolitry? Do a series called “American Idols” – Simon Cowell impersonations included!
Now, before you get judgemental – read here for some Biblical examples I brought up at Tim Stevens’ blog.
So what do you think? Have we become too “worldly” in reaching the world?
but my world has been rocked in a different way.
I’ve recently become a fan of Erwin Raphael McManus. I like his communication style and all that. Plus, anybody chill enough to refer to himself by his FULL name is worthy of some attention. Not his 1st two initials – but his full name – he’s a “g.” (Retro 90’s hip-hop term for those not in the know. To be a “g” is a good thing, just trust me.)
Anywho, I read one of his postings about broken people and he mentioned the concept of our “ethos” in our local churches. So I got to researching the word ethos and found a profound definition of the word.
e·thos [ee-thos, ee-thohs, eth-os, -ohs] –noun
the fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group or society; dominant assumptions of a people or period: In the Greek ethos the individual was highly valued.
WOW! The fundamental character or spirit of a culture! That REALLY got me thinking “what is the fundamental character of the culture in my church? What is the culture of my church?” Now, when I say culture, I don’t mean color or economic background. In the context of my church and youth ministry, those barriers aren’t there. Our church and youth ministry has bypassed the barriers of color and even denominational history to allow people to come together under the banner of Jesus! So when I mean culture I don’t mean black or white or even hip-hop or rock. I mean the values, the closely held beliefs that influence the regular decisions. Is the culture of our church inviting for people who are messed up with tons of baggage and want help? Or are closed to just the people who already have it together? Are we a culture of authentic expressions of faith or do we as whole promote the ideas of just going through the motions? Do we genuinely love people or do we just tolerate them until they cross us? Are we a culture of servitude and generosity or are we selfish Christians and the world can suffer for all we care? Can people come in with problems and see people getting free and being whole or are we just a gathering place for hurting people making no progress? What kind of culture do we promote? What kind of culture do we live in and (as leaders) create in our church?
For me, this was earth shaking. So, I have begun to explore my own culture. As a leader, its my job to create the culture that I want see in my setting. If I leave it to the people, I may have a culture that I don’t want. A culture that doesn’t promote the fullness of God in the lives of people. A culture that doesn’t encourage people to “get into the presence of God, to grab hold of His plans, purposes and promises and to go show every race and culture a living picture of God’s love.”
The next year will for me, my leaders and my youth ministry will be a year of a journey. A journey of culture. A journey to define culture and in many ways defy culture at the same time! This will be exciting!
Czar Thoughts 