Doctor Pepper and the Non Sequitur
12 November 2013
“Why do you always drink Doctor Pepper?” asks the greasy grade seven.
“Have you ever tried it?” I counter
“No I’ve never heard of it before”
“It’s nice you should try it some time.”
“Why? It looks like it would taste horrible. I mean it’s not even for sale in Australia. Yuck!”
What I’m trying to illustrate (perhaps badly) is this;
Just because something is unfamiliar or new doesn't necessarily mean it is bad.
In logic this is what is called a non sequitur. A Non sequitur is an argument in which the conclusion does not follow from its premises. In the example of the grade seven the non sequitur is, “If something is new or unknown it is therefore it is bad”.
The problem is that when things are labelled as “bad” they are rejected out of hand. This occurs without first experiencing, thinking or being open persuasion. I’ve noticed this in myself and others as I’ve grown older. When new products, pieces of technology and forms of popular culture come out I instinctively assume they aren’t worthwhile.
Back to my Doctor Pepper. In Australia it can only be found in specialty shops and low rent bargain stores. It’s quirky and it’s different. But it’s not bad. Different doesn’t equal bad. Sure to try it for the first time did require some effort. The idea of Cherry Cola is not too far removed from us in Australia.
When I tried it I loved it. I loved it’s fake cherry smell. Often tastes and or smells remind you of a particular life event or location. For me Doctor Pepper reminds me of America... the good bits of America. In conclusion if you’re open to something new you might just enjoy a Doctor Pepper too.
You’re a whinging old person, you just don’t know it yet
04 August 2013
“Music just isn’t the same as it used to be,” moans Facebook.
“Back in my day the music was so much better... I don’t know what the world is coming to.”
I disagree. My central thesis is that personal music taste has to move, adapt, and evolve, reflecting that music, and musical taste is fluid, changing over time. This means what is “good” or worth listening to changes over time, as new music is released. To close your mind to this is to risk being an old bore, who moans after “the classics” not realising this is exactly what their parents and grandparents did before them.
Behind this moan, is the danger of each new generation seeing its interpretation of the world and music as superior to what has gone before, and what will come in the future. Therefore, what I think is best... is best... Not realising that what is “best” is more likely to be centered around a particular point in time, most likely during the late formative teenage years and early adulthood.
Now I’m not saying there isn’t a place for classic and enduring songs (I strongly believe there is) rather that this list is ever growing as new musical styles etc are discovered. As listeners we need to be open to hearing new music, and dare I say learning to like what is new. Quick pop quiz when was the last time you “liked” a new song or band that was released in the last 12 months? (I’m not talking about U2 and Coldplay. They are bands for old people). When did you last find a new piece of music to buy?
I’m not suggesting you run out and buy the latest number one hit far from it. History teaches us that what is and what is good don’t always go hand in hand. Far better to seek to educate yourself especially if you don’t have good taste (which I don’t). Ask people around you especially if they’re younger, ask them why they like what they do. Be open to listening to things that you don’t like, seem childish, feel uncomfortable or stupid. Be open minded to being persuaded, suspend judgement until you’ve heard a song a number of times. Even be prepared to read lyrics and bios on Wikipedia and the like before making a conclusion. Read music reviews from people who know about these kind of things there’s truckloads of them on the internet. Expand. Your. Mind.
You need to do this, otherwise you risk sounding like another old person who sits in judgement over all generations before and after you. The danger is you could end up being a whinging old person without knowing it.
On Memes and the internet
21 June 2013
Memes go bad...
When they aren’t true - It’s frustrating when things are passed around that aren’t true. Lies are the enemy of truth. Christian or not we should be people about truth. Social media being what it is means ideas can spread fast. This means good or bad true or untrue they all spread fast. A quick check of Snopes if something seems too incredible, is not that much to ask. Don’t just read, believe, and repost.
When they are smug - The overall tone of many memes is smug or worse still self righteous. At worst they dichotomise opinion, identifying the reader/liker/re-poster as a “goodie” in the narrative. In debate smugness is neither constructive or loving.
When you do it all the time - Please don’t be one of these people. People aren’t just an endless stream of memes and you shouldn’t be either. Better to post a few carefully chosen pieces rather than endlessly bombard people’s Newsfeeds with spam.
Memes are good when they...
Are actually funny or original - If you’re not a good judge of this then it’s probably best to avoid re-posting.
Challenging and thoughtful - I like to write challenging things, and I like it when other people challenge my ideas. This often helps me to think more deeply about issues, people, politics and the world.
You think of others before re-posting - I’d call this one the smugness test. Calling to mind a bunch of friends before posting something is a helpful check to see if what you’re doing is just destructive and alienating to the relationships you have.
Accurately reflect shared culture and experience - This is essentially the heart of what a meme is. This means friends will actually get your joke. If it’s obscure it’s less likely to be successful.
Look nice - In the world of the Internet aesthetics is becoming more and more important. There is already enough ugly things in the world without you sharing another one. I realise the word "nice" is very subjective. I’m referring a quality picture and readable font. Note also the irony of some memes that intentionally subvert this requirement.
*Picture is from one of my favorite Memes. See here for an explanation.
The stupidity of Steven Conroy and the Daily Telegraph
18 March 2013
See what I did there?
If you disagree with my title, your mind has probably already skipped to thinking how much you disagree with what I said. In fact, you might be tempted to skip down to the bottom of the page and just state your contrary opinion in the comments section without reading further. Perhaps your blood pressure has raised slightly...
On the flip side if you agree with my post’s title you’re probably experiencing feelings of smugness and perhaps even self-righteous congratulation and which will now shape how you understand and perceive what I’ve written...
My point is simple.
"The way in which an idea is communicated has an effect on how people respond."
If it’s overly simplistic and inflammatory, this has the effect of causing strong reactions, which push people deeper into already intrenched beliefs. This low brow approach appeals to people who think more simply, with others having neither the education, skills or impetus to read deeply on an issue. Rather they adopt what seems “right” and fits with how they already think about the world.
There are also other problems with this. The more inflammatory the tone, the more polarised the debate becomes. Instead of working toward ideas we have in common, we move away from a more centrist position and wind up adopting an extreme positions. In my experience (and upon reflection) I have found myself fighting for extreme positions, which when I’m thinking calmly and rationally, I don’t really agree with. This approach also stifles discussion, so rather than sitting round a table discussing things like adults we end up shouting one liners and ad-hominem arguments at each other across the playground.
Now of course now provocative headlines and commentary can be ok. Good examples of this include blogging and editorials where opinion is designed to spark discussion. Often I’ve seen that very effect here on my blog. But that’s a far cry from the front page of a newspaper where an Australian Senator is compared to a bunch of Military Dictators.
Important aside - While inflammatory opinion is generally unhelpful, I don’t think the media should be censored from printing such stuff. Part of living in a free and democratic society is that we allow people to express views we don’t agree with and even allow them to be presented in ways that are unhelpful.
What I do want to see is for the media (in this case the Daily Telegraph), take seriously the responsibility to present news in a fair and balanced manner and tone rather then seeking to push an unhelpful inflammatory agenda. Personally I think that reform and regulation of some sort is needed in the Media industry in Australia (more here), however I also agree the timeliness and manner in which Senator Conroy has gone about the issue of reform is counter productive and silly (I haven’t actually looked at the detail of what’s proposed).
However it’s one thing to do something unhelpful, naive, even stupid, but it’s another thing entirely to respond in an even stupider manner. As is so often the case, two wrongs don’t make a right. In this case the Telegraph has overreached in a childish, unhelpful and irresponsible way. They’d do better to sit down at the table with a cup of tea, talk calmly, and treat people like rational thinking adults.
UPDATE: It's also worth watching Media Watch's take on this from Monday.
tags blog, linkage, rant, stupid award, thinking
I hate any facebook quiz*
09 January 2010
I’ve recently been alerted to a new scourge that is tearing at the very fabric of society and the social and communicative norms on which the great Internet itself was founded. I’m talking about the facebook quiz. You probably think it’s harmless bit of fun but how wrong you are. I am convinced that every time someone takes a facebook quiz somewhere in the world a small cute cuddly furry animal dies**.
“Mike has just taken the ‘Which Couch are You Quiz’…” Really? Are you serious? Since when has a human being ever looked like a couch? How has knowing this useless piece of information enriched my life? Will I be able to sit on my friend next time I visit or bump into them in the street? I don’t think so. My life will continue just the same whether little Jonny is a leather armchair or a bar stool.
If you want to share useless information with the world, start a blog that’s what I did.
*I think I originally wrote this about a year ago
**I have no evidence for this
tags rant
Battling...
09 May 2009
To whom it may concern
In February 2009 I bought a Uniden cordless phone as an addition my existing cordless system. In March, having heard nothing I patiently sent the email (below) and was informed of a further delay and that the shipment was expected in April. Having heard nothing in late April I rang Uniden and spoke with a representative on the phone, who informed me that my shipment had been delayed further and was due in May
As you no doubt are aware it is now well into May and still I am yet to see any evidence of my phone ordered and paid for in full back in February.
Frankly I think this is a disgusting way to treat a valued customer. For a shipment to be delayed for this length of time is to my mind unacceptable. It is especially disappointing that I have not been kept up to date as to the expected arrival of my goods. Instead I have had to take the responsibility of chasing you for goods that I paid for. This is just not good enough.
In my years of successful Internet shopping I have never experienced such disappointing service. As it stands at the moment I cannot possibly recommend you, your products or services to friends and acquaintances
I look forward to hearing how I can be adequately compensated for my wasted time and money.
Regards Mike Jolly
tags rant, shameless self promotion
Some random reflections on birth
01 March 2009
- I don't think anything can prepare you for the birth of your own child. In spite of all the gruesome videos and books and parenting classes. Having a kid changes everything.
- Everyone is an expert when it come to raising children. "Sleep for 3 hours feed for 1... you must get routine." "I can't believe you let other people hold her." "I can't believe..," the list goes on.
- Everyone has their own little bit of advice about what to do. Very often most of the advice is contradictory other advice you will receive. I've tried to pick what I reckon is right. Trying to weigh it up make a wise choice.
- Listening to your own child cry really chills you to the bone in a way that listening to to other people's kids crying doesn't.
- I have a new appreciation and respect for women especially those who go through child birth.
- You don't always do things the way your parents did. You can set your mind to do stuff differently... and succeed.
- Don't be afraid to break conventions. There seem to heaps of unwritten rules when it come to child rearing. It always feels like someone is judging you for the decisions you make, push on they are your child.
- In the parenting DVD I watched, men were made to look pretty useless when it came to helping Mums out. I was disappointed. I'm trying hard to be the bathing and nappy changing ninja. I am not some useless male oaf.
- I've found the need to be confident and strong even when I don't feel it. I need to do this to support my wife and child. They are both vulnerable at the moment.
- I'm glad I haven't got a job yet as it's meant I've been able to spend heaps of quality time with Olivia and Christine.
- It's been nice having people drop by and give presents. It's much appreciated.
- I promise I will not use a picture of just Olivia as my profile picture... anywhere. Just as I promised I wouldn't use my wedding photos as profile pictures. To be honest I find this practice a little lame*.
- It's not possible to spend too much on a pram.
Phil you legend...
07 November 2006
My mate Phil wrote this poem on his blog.
Pop over and give him e-props... but here is the poem for your enjoyment.
-----
Today, it would seem
That Mike & Christine
will for the first time meet.
Although, on the web
it has often been said
they'd talk for hours untold
So Mike packed his “swag”
said “good bye” to his Dad
& kissed his Mum on the cheek
He's gone to the States
to meet face to face
without the old Internet screen
There's no vegemite there!
Their cupboards are bare
of that spread we're willingly share
But he's gone anyway
for nothing will sway
this mike that is a machine
So, it's “thanks to the modem!”
that she's gotten to know him
and does seem to be rather keen
Will he propose?
Well, no body knows
for it all seems much like a dream.
----
supportMIKE salutes Phil
Respect.. these guys?
13 October 2006
I don’t like George Bush in fact I don’t really like John Howard either. In fact most politicians make me frustrated and angry. I don’t agree or like many of their rules and policies. The war in Iraq, asylum seekers, the environment, the funding of universities and schools… I could go on but I wont.
However I am sick of two things.
Firstly a blatant disrespect for our nations leaders. At this point I want to again affirm I my strong disagreement with many of John Howard’s policies and more of George Bush’s.
As a Christian I am called to respect the leaders that I have over me even if I disagree with them*. Bands such as The Herd on Triple J, do nothing to endear themselves to the listening audience with their pejorative language… phrases like “John has a taste of George’s d--k”. The bottom line is that our leaders have difficult jobs and are called upon to make decisions daily that can’t please everyone. Even if I disagree I should respect the decision they make.
Romans 13 teaches us that we must respect them not because we like them or even agree with them but because they are placed over us by God**. Similarly in 1 Timothy 2 we must pray for our leaders that they would make Godly and wise decisions.
The second thing that gets my goat up is the attribution of a leaders personal failure to a people as whole. For example George Bush is a w----r therefore all Americans are w----rs. This sort of language is stupid when you think about it if only for the reason that not all Americans voted for Bush… (in fact not even all Americans voted).
So for the record I’ll make it clear Americans don’t all agree with what George Bush says anymore than all Australian’s agree with what John Howard says. So next time you see an American or talk to one don’t assume they subscribe to George Bush’s worldview.
Rant over.
*Not to say there isn’t room to protest, write letters, lobby, sign petitions etc. These would be all things that as a Christian I would be happy to do.
**It’s also worth pointing out that slaves were commanded to respect masters who were not only good and considerate but also harsh (1 Peter 2:18).
tags christian, linkage, music, rant, thinking
I hate smokers...*
09 October 2006
Now before you get your nickers in a knot... I don't actually hate smoking in fact I've been know to have the odd puff now and again (shock horror). In fact I don't even hate all smokers.
Why do I hate smokers you ask? Well dear reader because of this....
Cigarette butts. If you are going to smoke put your freaking butt in the bin and don’t be a lazy slob. If I see you throw it on the ground I'll be forced to take drastic action… maybe even ask you to put it in the bin or give it back to you.
supportMIKE is on his soapbox
* Someone is sure to object. "Hate is not a very nice Christian attitude Jolly”... and they'd be right but this is a rant and is only supposed to be taken semi seriously so stop over analysing everything I write.
tags pictures, rant, stupid award
Church and stuff
28 September 2006
When thinking about how to run a church that is friendly to newcomers we often look to the best and coolest new programs. We allocate special welcomer people with shiny introductory packs. We even have people on the door who shake hands with everyone as they come in.
I think this falls short for two reasons…
Firstly a large proportion of people I believe choose a church because it is a loving welcoming community.
They look for a place where people have a genuine love and care for each other. These things speak powerfully to a new Christian or non Christian visitor. I reached this conclusion while chatting to a couple of people (independently) last week. I asked them for the reasons why they choose/joined their particular church.
In both cases the reason given had nothing to do neither with programs, nor great Bible teaching, “inspiring worship” or fearsome evangelistic zeal. They choose their church because they felt welcomed into a loving caring environment. In my past church experience we have worked at having great teaching but neglected to work at having a warm loving environment where newcomers and members could feel at home.
You might be feeling a little smug at this point “My church does community very well thank-you very much.” But I’d want to bring you to my second reason… Often we do community in a way that isn’t welcoming.
I’ll explain what I mean with a question. “How easily and readily is a new person incorporated into your community?” So often I have seen communities and been to churches that reassemble impenetrable fortresses where trying to join the “in crowd” is like your Grandma turning up to a rock concert.
I’ve visited churches in Hobart even where I know many of the people but still feel very much left out of the clique and in group (maybe cause I’m not cool). It should also be noted that I’m generally an outgoing person.
To address the situation I have two action points. Firstly we’d do well to learn from some more of the (dare I say it) Pentecostal churches that are warm and friendly and really work at having more caring environments. Secondly we must work on opening our cliques up to new people, watch for them and welcome them in.
supportMIKE wants you to think about how to do church community better.
tags christian, ministry tips, pictures, rant, thinking
Kinder Surprise... an epic tale of woe
23 September 2006
I bought a Kinder Surprise… and I got this toy...
You can tell I was upset...
...And posted it (this is my "Mum wouldn't approve" look)
I’ll let you know how it turns out...
tags pictures, rant, shameless self promotion, stupid award
How to be better at Evangelism Part 3*
15 September 2006
If you start by praying for deeper relationships, if you start actively getting to know people better, you will end up loving them more, desiring their salvation more, praying for them more often and praying for them more passionately.
If you have deeper relationships with Christians it will be more natural to pray with each other for one another's friends and family. In doing so you will end up growing in your relationship with God and your brothers and sisters in Christ.
(*My good friend Emma (aka "The Poo") guest posts about evangelism for the final time. Thankyou Emma.)
tags christian, friends, guest post, ministry tips, rant
Stop. Look. Listen and speak...
10 September 2006
Most people would know about Steve Irwin’s death earlier this week. Fewer people will know about Peter Brock’s untimely death. For my international readers "Brockie" was the most popular and well known Australian motor sport identity.
What I noticed was the level of public grief for these two celebrities. Their deaths shocked us, left us numb. This shouldn’t surprise because we convince ourselves that death has no part in everyday life. We spend stacks of money on the anti-ageing cream and hair dye to cover the fact we’re slowly dying. Death rarely enters our suburbs, let alone our streets or homes. It is a stranger—an unwelcome one.
When death does break into our circle of celebrity or family, it comes as a rude shock. It's unfair, it's not time (it's never time) it's too soon, it's too much, it's more than we can bear. Seeing a celebrity die reminds us that we are truly fragile that even power wealth health and prosperity cannot protect us from the final realities of this life.
As I walked around this week I noticed society struggles to come to terms with these deaths. I over heard this just yesterday.
“I mean what can you do or say... I guess he went out doing the very thing that he loved.”If doing the thing you love most is life is all there is, it is the pinnacle of your existence, then I’d agree that is definitely it is the best way to die… But is this all there is? It seems to fall short and is… well inadequate. My feeling is that people comments (for example my mate’s) show this. It just doesn’t explain the pain, the death, the finality of it all.
At this point I want to say affirmatively that there is a point. There is far more to life than just the here and now and the pursuit of what I love. God exists and he himself gives life, meaning and purpose. He gives me the reason to live. It is him I live for not the endless pursuit of enjoyment and doing what I want. It’s him to whom I owe my life in this world and the next. Now what about you?
tags christian, rant, thinking
How to be better at evangelism... Part 2*
09 September 2006
Have deeper relationships with those inside the church.
The more your church is your family, not just on Sundays, the more your friends and family outside the church will get to know that family. As you yourself get to know your Christian brothers and sisters better, you will probably end up meeting and befriending more of their friends and family as well. A relative who might never have been to church on a Sunday may end up having so much contact with Christians that they begin to see the body of Christ in action all the same. Don't segregate your church family from the rest of your life, let them overlap and intertwine.
(*My good friend Emma (aka "The Poo") guest posts about evangelism. Thankyou Emma.)
tags christian, friends, guest post, ministry tips, pictures, rant
Men should lead…please. Further reflections
01 September 2006
As promised I thought I’d post about my own struggles to apply these clear Biblical principles to my life.
There were many excuses I had for not being a leader. I didn’t like putting forward my opinion publicly where it could get shot down. I was and still am particularly sensitive to criticism. Similarly I used to lack the confidence in myself and my own abilities in spite of the fact people told me otherwise.
To make matters worse the male leadership models I grew up with in weren’t particularly styled in a way that I wanted to imitate. Consequently when I became a Christian I was heavily influenced by the blokes around me at the time. We were by all accounts fairly extreme and took what the Bible said seriously.
This was certainly the case with the roles of men and women. I was a bloke and it was my job to lead. However in an earnest sense to apply these principals and correct against the prevailing feminist view of relationships, I and many others ended up over correcting. Consequently many of the girls at our church were crushed, some left and we began to get a reputation for being ultra-conservative.
In my own life I had begun to date a girl. Things initally went well however once we were engaged and began looking at marriage the problems began. I tried to the best of my ability to lead her, asking her to submit to me in areas I thought were important. I asked for her to submit to me in areas that didn’t matter and wound up being incredibly selfish and unloving.I made many mistakes. The relationship unsurprisingly broke down and while it wasn’t totally my fault, I still bore ultimate responsibility for what happened.
So what has changed you ask? I wouldn’t say that my theological conviction has changed nor my certainty that men should lead in God’s created order. The application of it however has changed a great deal. I have spent the last two years thinking carefully about the whole issue, sorting out what battles are worth having. More importantly what battles aren’t worth having. I have been greatly changed and humbled. I have sort forgiveness from my ex and from God. I believe that I’m far better person for it. Our church has also undergone a time of repentance for the mistakes we made.
What does this now look like practically in the future? By God’s grace I won’t seek to crush my wife* into submission. Rather seek to earn her love and respect and engage in selfless action (just as Christ did for the church), laying down my life. I would seek to put my wife’s needs first, putting aside my wants, investing time, surrendering money and effort to work at the relationship. I would treat her with great tenderness, sensitivity not misusing my position to abuse, frustrate and embitter.
There would be an acknowledgement of equality in our relationship, at the same time recognizing the different roles we each have to play. My responsibility as the leader would mean ultimately I am accountable to God for the decisions we make together as a couple.
May God help all godly married men to be like this.
*More about single blokes leading later.
tags christian, rant, thinking
You will need a bucket for this one...
30 August 2006
I’m not usually a gushy sort of person… well not on this blog particularly. But I thought I’d take some time to talk about Christine in a serious way.
(This might be a time to either stop reading or grab some tissues.)
Christine means the world to me. She is one of the best things to have ever happened to me. I would gladly sell everything that I own to be with her. (And for a while it looked like I might have to). Although it might sometimes seem from this blog I don’t take things seriously this isn’t the case. I take matters of faith and relationships very seriously as people who know me personally can vouch.
I’ll be 26 this year and I’ve been in relationships before and been badly hurt. These experiences have taught me much and I know exactly what I’m doing and what I want out of life. I know my strengths and weaknesses and my many struggles and failings. I’ve made many mistakes in past relationships and I am determined not to repeat them.
Earlier this year I had reached the conclusion that never again would I meet a person who I would be prepared to give up all my hopes, dreams and aspirations for. Then I met Christine. She blew me away. Christine is very different to any other girls I have dated. I always from day one thought that she was a person I could marry. (Not trying to jump the gun here).
This is no boyish crush and I have a strong belief that chicks shouldn’t be stuffed around by guys. I know and have known exactly what I’m doing with this relationship all along. I’ve always been one to plan and think about the future and this was something that I carefully considered before I asked Christine out.
It may sound a little crazy but to be honest I didn’t consider the fact she lived so far away as particularly crucial in my thinking. To me it makes no difference if the girl I love lives on the other side of the world. The bottom line is that I love her and I’d move heaven and earth so we can be together.
Most important of all Christine has a caring and committed spirit to God and her savior Jesus. Her trust and belief in God and the salvation offered by Jesus have always been the thing that most attracted me to her. I still remember reading her blog for the first time and how impressed I was to find a girl who not only expressed a biblical view of human relationships but wasn’t afraid to proclaim them and challenge the dominant paradigm in society (such courage and strength). This was a girl who demanded my respect. This was a girl who I could lay down my life for.
Since then I have learned there is much more to Christine. I love her artiness. I love her annoying American accent. I even enjoy listening to her friends. She has been blessed with beautiful good looks (heck she can even look me in the eye). I like what she wears. I love her passion and drive to inspire people. I love her energy. I love the way she respects and loves her parents. I respect her intellect. I love that she loves me despite my faults. I love the way she helps me to think about things in a clear way. I love that she respects me and takes to the time to understand me. We’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together we’ve prayed together, we’ve read the Bible together and we’ve discussed most issues of doctrine.
All this and we still haven’t met in person. It’s my prayer that things continue to work out in our relationship for God’s glory in his good time. Please keep us both in your prayers.
supportMIKE loves Christine
tags christian, christine, rant
Review - Quarterly Essay
19 August 2006
It’s morning 6am. I look in the mirror. I have sleep in my eyes and a face that resembles crinkled newspaper. I don’t like what I see.
This brings me to Amanda Lohrey’s article in the Quarterly Essay* entitled “Voting for Jesus - Christianity and Politics in Australia”. I enjoyed reading this essay. These sort of “intellectual” essays aren’t usually my thing however this one was particularly well written. I found the description of our very own David Jones as a “Charismatic preacher… a fundamentalist” quite amusing.
However what interested me most were the candid portrayals of two groups of students. Lowrey firstly interviewed three Hillsong “Cool girls”. The description of the Pentecostal movement through Lohrey’s eyes as she interviews the girls was particularly vivid.“Yes it’s… like, it’s the relationship with Jesus that they offer you not the religion… like ultimately he died for me and I think that’s really awesome.” Says Skye.
While she doesn’t openly critisise the movement she gives such a strikingly accurate reflection of what this form of Pentecostalism looks like to the average Aussie.
What interested me more was her meeting with three AFES (Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students) students handing out Luke’s gospels. Their responses were generally quite good (I could see a great deal of myself a couple of years back). While I agreed with the sentiments the students expressed what most struck Lowery (and me) was their negative almost self righteous tone. Lohrey writes“When I asked them about Hillsong they were wary of sounding negative but the looks between them said it all…”
Why should you read this article let alone be interested in it I hear you ask?
“With the very mention of the word Muslim a chill comes into the room, and both quietly and economically it is made clear that nothing that is Muslim could possibly be of value.”
Lohrey simply holds a mirror to how Christians (Evangelical and Pentecostal) often come across. When we look and see a reflection we don’t like we must look very carefully at ourselves. May we learn how to better reflect God’s love and grace as we spread his word to those in the world.
*(Issue 22 2006 $14.95 from your Newsagent or See Ben at Fullers Bookshop Hobart)
tags christian, rant, review, thinking
Oh men Lead... Please!
05 August 2006
Often as Christian blokes we get caught up in arguments about what a Christian woman's role should be. I think most of these arguments miss the point. It's my belief that it is a man's duty to lead and teach and take initiative in male female interaction generally.*
Unfortunately we very often fail at this. Why is it that girls are the ones who are first to share and want to take initiative in a Bible study? Why is it that so often women eagerly pray in public and small group contexts while the men cower in silence? Why is it that women are always keen to preach while men we cringe in the corner? Why are we so often silent?
Here are some excuses I have heard
- "I can't” or “I don’t want to". This is an unacceptable excuse and amounts to laziness. We must repent. If we are men we lead.
- "I don't feel like it". This is a pathetic excuse; Don Carson rightly points out that our obligations as Christians to lead [my words] are never diminished by how we feel. "This is to assign what I feel or do… determine my obligations. This is in effect is to say I am my own God."
- "I can't do it or I'm not capable or gifted". While I personally have some sympathy with this view it really isn't a particularly good excuse. The fact that you are a bloke means that leading is in your blood so to speak. That's the way God made you.
- "It's not acceptable in our culture". Society has seemingly over-corrected against the patriarchal framework of yesteryear so that now men who lead are seen as egotistical and arrogant. The Bible's picture of leadership is never like this (See 1 Corinthians 11 Ephesians 5.)
Most of all we let down God who in his created order ordained that men should take initiative and responsibility for leadership in his world. Being a bloke means being proactive in leading. We should be the first to put our hand up in church when someone is asked to pray. We should be the ones taking the initiative in leading small groups and
asking the questions. We should be the ones seeking to eagerly lead the church.**
supportMIKE wants you to lead!
* (I'm not going to outline or discuss Biblically what a woman's role should be here.)
** (One important caveat. I don't think we should do this because women are incapable leaders, are unable to take initiative or even lesser citizen in God's Kingdom. Rather I am convinced that in God's created order men should lead).
tags christian, ministry tips, rant, thinking
Blogsphere
21 July 2006
One of the questions I was asked after visiting Christians in the Media was “What were people like in real life?” The answer is quite simple really. People’s personalities were the same as they were online and exactly how I expected them. What was weird was that people looked different to how I had imagined them (Not in like a bad way mind you).
Blogging is such an honest upfront medium people’s personalities come across really clearly. The Blogging world is not a shallow way of meeting people as many think. You make friends with people in a deep and meaningful level. Superficialities never have a chance to take over or at least take time to develop. In the Blog world everyone is average in height, accents don’t matter, the Pacific Ocean seems a small puddle and I care about some kid hearing the gospel on a camp in the USA.
supportMIKE would like to know what you like about blogging?
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