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March 27, 2008

In Defense of Rev. Wright

Thanks to the rancor of Sen. Clinton, there seems to be no end to the controversy surrounding Rev. Jeremiah Wright. And, thanks to the media coverage of this issue, there seems to be no one in this country who doesn't think that they have seen this sermon. But how many have seen the actual sermon, as opposed to tightly control snippets? Below is a ten-minute clip from that sermon. It is worth your time to listen to it. What I am most struck by is the fact that it sounds no different than anything I have written on this blog countless times. I welcome your thoughts:

March 18, 2008

Quaker Summer Wins CT's "Book of the Year" Award

Quakersummer_2I have thought that Lisa's book from last year, Quaker Summer, was one of her best. Apparently, the folks at Christianity Today thinks so as well, since they just awarded her the 2008 Book of the Year for Fiction. Woohoo! Congratulations, Lisa!

Check it out: The 2008 Christianity Today Book Awards

March 08, 2008

Levels of Knowledge

I am preparing for a lecture next week, and I wonder if you all could help me with my data gathering. I am looking for a good statistic on increases in level of knowledge since:

  1. The invention of Gutenberg's printing press
  2. The publication of "The Origin of the Species"
  3. The invention of the computer
  4. The commercialization of the Internet (1992)

I am sure that data is out there somewhere, but I have had a hard time finding it. So, I turned to the wisdom of the crowds. Any help you can give would be appreciated.

March 07, 2008

This Sunday @ Joseph-Beth: You're Invited

Creation and Kingdom:
A Discussion on Everyday Christian Ethics

Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Sunday, March 9th at 4pm

Does living in the suburbs make it harder to follow Christ? How is care for the Creation related to the right worship of God? How can believers offer the blessings of God’s reign to their neighbors? How can the lessons of Christian history teach us to care for others? Join us for a panel discussion with noted local authors on diverse ways of following Jesus and serving others in contemporary life. Topics will include

  • Care for creation
  • Sabbath keeping
  • Christian hospitality
  • Poverty and Christian Mission
  • Urban ministry
  • Suburban spirituality

Participants will include

Dr. Christine Pohl is Professor of Church in Society at Asbury Theological Seminary. She is the author of Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition and co-author of Living on the Boundaries: Evangelical Women, Feminism, and the Theological Academy. Dr. Pohl has extensive experience in urban ministry, and specializes in Christian Social Ethics.

Lisa Samson is an author of “grown up” inspirational fiction. Her newest book is Embrace Me, and her 2007 Quaker Summer was named one of Publishers Weekly’s “Best Books of the Year.” Her other recent titles include Hollywood Nobody, Straight Up, Club Sandwich, and The Living End. She wrote Justice in the Burbs: Being the Hands and Feet of Jesus Wherever You Live with her husband Will.

Will Samson is a doctoral student of sociology at UK, and recently the co-author of Justice in the Burbs with his wife, Lisa. Will’s particular interests include social justice and ethics, mountaintop removal, and local food production.

Dr. Norman Wirzba is presently Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown College. A Christian theologian focusing on the doctrine of Creation and agrarian philosophy, Dr. Wirzba is most recently the author of Living the Sabbath: Discovering the Rhythms of Rest and Delight and The Paradise of God: Renewing Religion in an Ecological Age. He has written several articles for the Christian Century, and is the editor of Art of the Commonplace and co-editor of the Essential Agrarian Reader.

Kyle Potter will moderate the discussion. He oversees the Religion section at Joseph-Beth and holds an M.Th. in Applied Theology. Kyle’s research interests include Christian mission, hospitality, and monasticism.

British Coverage of Don Blankenship

Interesting story in a British paper about Don Blankenship, the Chairman of Massey Energy and the evil genius behind mountaintop removal mining. Here is the opening paragraph:

Is Don Blankenship the baddest guy in America? He is the chairman of Massey Energy, the company that blows up the mountains of West Virginia because that is the cheapest way of mining coal. A big man of 58 with a jutting moustache, he is a real-life version of Daniel Day-Lewis as the ruthless oilman of There Will Be Blood, nominated for an Oscar.

Click here to read the whole story.

March 06, 2008

Atlantic Monthly Article on Suburbia

There is a fascinating article in this month's Atlantic Monthly on the coming changes to American Suburbia: The Next Slum?