Culture
What’s going on, who we are, and what the big deal is.
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Ghettoed Suffering: a Reflection on World AIDS Day
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4 min read
I drove across town to Maple Avenue United Methodist Church. It was dark, cold; the streets were wet. I was running late, but thankfully it started late. The room was nowhere near full. But it was diverse. Wide variety in ages, including college students and some much older. There was also ethnic and gender diversity.…
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Why The Walking Dead Is Not As Cynical As You Are
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7 min read
or The Gospel According to The Walking Dead [NOTE: Some series and season 5 spoilers follow.] It seems as if The Walking Dead brings out the most cynical side of us. It shouldn’t surprise me that a show about the post-apocalyptic world of zombie infestation would tread regularly into the hopelessness of nihilism. This was particularly true…
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When Subtraction Mimics Progress
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5 min read
Whenever the U.S. holds a national election, there is much evaluation, haranguing, and prediction. We are reminded often that midterms always have a different character than presidential elections, but that knowledge is thrown out the window in the fever of gloating and sorrow. The most popular prediction this time, and the one I have often subscribed…
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How Generosity Could Save the Church
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7 min read
I’m going to come right out and say it. The economics of future-proofing the church are directly dependent on the generosity of older generations. If the church as we know it is to survive the next two decades, it’ll be because something changed. Either we changed or the culture changed. Or maybe the circumstances changed. Or all…
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Why TV Needs Father Gabriel
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5 min read
Warning: mild spoilers of The Walking Dead follow. The Walking Dead. I haven’t read the comics, though I should have by now. I’m a geek, I used to be a comic geek at that, and I love the show, so this is totally in my wheelhouse. Maybe I love the suspense of watching the show as it comes on: of waiting until…