Never Ever Ever, Like Ever

Illustration by Tim Sheaffer (Vanity Fair).

Never Ever Ever, Like Ever: What the Billboard Charts are telling us about culture on this day

As of today, Taylor Swift’s “We are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” is the number one song on Billboard’s “Top 100”. In 2012 she became Billboard’s “Woman of the Year”.  What’s the message that makes her number one? For starters, the message is clear: grammar don’t matter. Never ever ever, like ever. 

If you have followed my blog for very long, you know I never ever ever agree with Christopher Hitchens, like ever. But, back in 2010, he wrote an article for Vanity Fair criticizing the new use of the word like. “Since, like, the 60s, and definitely since Clueless, one word has been, like, everywhere.” 

Dad, It's Been a Month Since You've Been Gone

Dad, It's Been a Month Since You've Been Gone: And that puts me on a morning train

Today makes it one month since my dad died. He died. He did not pass on, pass away, or move on to the other side. He died and that is the reality of it all. He did profess faith in Jesus in the weeks leading up to his death, but there is no way around the ugly fact that it was death. Too often we skirt around that language to make things more bearable, but I am afraid that when we do so we are trying to cover up reality. Reality tells us that death is real and it is real because of sin.

My dad would not have denied being a sinner. Matter of fact that was the biggest obstacle for him to profess faith in Christ (from his perspective). He feared that he sinned too much, that his offenses were too great to be forgiven. And that very view point is sin as well. Paul says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth (Romans 1:18 ESV).”

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

He has shown his people the power of his works 

in giving them the inheritance of the nations.

- Psalm 111:6

The opening verses of the book of Psalms reads: “Blessed is the man… [whose] delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night,” (1:1a, 2). Recently my small group went through JD Greear’s “Gospel Revolution” study. This is one of the key points Greear brings up throughout the study. Our obedience should not be primarily out of obligation (though we are obligated), but a result of desire, or as the Psalmist says, “delight.”

Same-Sex Marriage and the Basis for Morality

Photo taken from www.barackobama.com

WHAT IS MORALITY ANYWAY?

The worldwide webernet is ablaze with discussion regarding same-sex marriage right now. Surely you have noticed that much. President Obama has unveiled his support for it, though it’s a bit late for the North Carolina election and a number of people are torn. Some say the president should have done more while others applaud him for doing more than any other president. Some are accusing North Carolina voters of being bigots while others are commending them for their vote.

Not too long ago Joel Osteen actually revealed his feeling on an issue. Even Joel Osteen says same-sex marriage isn’t “God’s best” for a person. Whatever that means. Evangelicals and political conservatives have taken a verbal beating from the other side. Either way, Christians and supporters of “traditional marriage” are not going to win this debate. I say that hesitantly so let me define that statement. 

He-Man: Masters of the Universe [1987]

Recently I have been struggling with some issues. Sometimes it seems as if things are a little hopeless. So I turned to Psalm 88 for some encouragement. Heman, a musician for King David, is the psalmist, but he was in moments of despair. Now, Psalm 88 has absolutely nothing to do with Masters of the Universe, but the psalmist, Heman, made me think back to He-Man. 

I'm not saying you or I should seek refuge in movies, but we were made in the image of God so we can enjoy the act of creating because God is the ultimate creator. We get our creative abilities directly from him. And He-Man: Masters of the Universe certainly did a great job of cheering me up tonight. In a way, the movie wraps up a lot of the '80s in general.

Book Review: The Necessity of an Enemy

THE NECESSITY OF AN ENEMY
HOW THE BATTLE YOU FACE IS YOUR BEST OPPORTUNITY

Ron Carpenter, Jr.

WaterBrook Press, 2012

Ron Carpenter, Jr.’s book, “The Necessity of an Enemy,” is broken up into eight sections: (1) The Necessity; (2) The Plan; (3) The Target; (4) The Enemy Within; (5) Weapons of Mass Destruction; (6) Prowling Your Neighborhood; (7) How to Fight to Win; and (8) The Spoils of Victory. Carpenter's thesis is that we have an enemy and we need to fight that enemy with all we have because we can, because it's necessary.

Book Review: 40 Questions About the End Times

40 Questions About the End Times
By: Echard Schnabel
Series Editor: Benjamin L. Merkle
Kregel Academic and Professional, 2011

Thanks to Benjamin Merkle, the Series Editor for Kregel’s “40 Questions” books, evangelicals now have a quick and concise tool for understanding end times. The book’s author, Echard Schnabel, is an evangelical and takes a very conservative look at all end times scripture throughout the Bible.

Perhaps the most helpful thing he has done is not begin with Revelation. I believe folks are guilty of going straight to the end of the Bible to understand what will happen in the end times which is not beneficial unless you have a good idea of the rest of the Bible’s metanarrative. To understand apocalyptic writing in scripture, one must understand the genre in general, but also understand the book of Daniel.