Monthly Archives: July 2009

A Documentary or Three

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Last night I watched this documentary .  Friends of God: A Road Trip with Alexandria Pelosi.  She visited some of the same places that Bill Maher did in Religulous notably, The Holy Land Amusement Park.  She also had clips from the founder of the Creation Museum.  In my opinion, she is very respectful of the people she interviews.  She may show surprise by some of their answers, but not in a mocking tone.  She was looking for an answer to “Who are the Evangelicals?”  There… Continue reading →

Dating Jesus

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I recently read Dating Jesus: A Story of Fundamentalism, Feminism, and the American Girl by Susan Campbell.  As soon as I heard about it and read the Amazon reviews, I knew I had to read it. I have a lot in common with Campbell.  I grew up in small towns and in my early years attended a church of Christ.  Also, like in my family, it was her stepfather that brought the family into the church of Christ, though he seemed less committed to it… Continue reading →

What is church?

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In the recent discussions here on putmeinabox, church affiliations have been debated.  What do those affiliations say about a person?  Does one have to support the denomination as a whole to be a happy member of a certain church?  I don’t think so. I admit to being a Baptist.  I find a personal heritage within the Baptist tradition.  I find comfort in the familiar aspects of tradition in some ways.  I like the memories hymns trigger.  I grew up a GA and my girls are… Continue reading →

Jimmy Carter Leaves the SBC

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Here’s some big news today–especially for the three of us as we have all been Southern Baptist at some point, though I am now Episcopalian.  Jimmy Carter has declared he’s leaving the Southern Baptist Convention after 60 years of membership, because of the SBC’s treatment of women and stance on wives being submissive to their husbands.  Amen, brother, was of course my first response.  I only left the SBC 7 years ago when we moved overseas and there was no nearby Baptist church, but I’d… Continue reading →

Crazy for God–book review

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The title itself seems controversial: Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back by Frank Schaeffer.  I somehow managed to grow to adulthood in an evangelical faith without knowing anything about Francis Schaeffer ( father of Frank).  Since reading this book, I notice Francis Schaeffer as a source in many other books. I first heard of this book when the author was a guest on… Continue reading →

Going to Heaven

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Lainie’s recent writings on the ongoing debates in the Episcopal Church reminded me of an excellent book I read a few years ago–a biography of Bishop Gene Robinson.  My review… Going to Heaven: The Life and Election of Bishop Gene Robinson Elizabeth Adams Soft Skull Press, 2006 On November 2, 2003, Gene Robinson garnered national media attention as he became the first openly gay bishop ordained in the Episcopal Church.  Elizabeth Adams offers readers a look inside the man who—though far from ordinary—would be an… Continue reading →

Doubt–the movie

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I watched the movie Doubt tonight. It is a compelling story. How much are we fueled by our own judgements or perceptions? The movie is remarkable beyond the story.  The actors are perfectly cast in their roles.  I found the use of light throughout the film captivating. I know I am guilty of making quick judgements that can be hard to overcome.  They may not be of the magnitude portrayed in the movie–but perception is capable of overshadowing reality. Social Bookmarking

The Episcopal Church

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I struggled with how to title this post and what exactly I wanted to focus on, but decided just to start by talking about my church, the Episcopal Church, before getting on to the issue at hand.  I grew up in a variety of conservative fundamentalist evangelical churches.  If that’s not enough labels for ya, some of them were also Pentecostal.  It was a decent amount of variety within a basically fundamentalist Biblical literalism framework.  I’ll save my struggles and questions for another post, but… Continue reading →

To Think I Found this on Facebook

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Ah, facebook links. What I found the most inspiring about the MJ service apparently was the most offensive.  Ever been to a funeral where the minister didn’t mention that the deceased was in a better place?  I haven’t.  Odd timing and disrespectful to me to offer not the glimpse of peace with God–but to preach condemnation and eternal suffering to those in grief. Social Bookmarking

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