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Arrogance in Action

As most folks know by now the MA state legislature, acting in constitution convention, voted to kill a proposed homosexual marriage ban last week. This proposed constitutional amendment was brought forward by petition IAW state laws and certified as a valid petition by the state AG. The next step would have been for a state-wide public referendum on the proposed amendment.

What the legislature did was legal, according to the laws of the state, however that does not make it acceptable or conscionable. The arrogance in attitude that came through, "We know best what's good for you", was disgusting.

Many of the politicians that voted against this said they voted their conscience: Good for them that they got a chance to do so, too bad their conscience did not include the concept of have the people vote democratically on this issue. It was imposed upon us by an appointed court and we should have our say.

Personally I think it would have failed at the ballot box, but the point is that we the people did not get to vote. For something this important we should have that right.

p.s. Voting is a real right; unlike marriage, be it homsexual or hetrosexual.

Kellogg Co. Goes Fruity

More political correctness craziness from the Food Nazis:
"Kellogg to raise nutrition of kids' food".
Here some random quotes to illustrate the nanny-state, sue-happy, blackmail-oriented mindset of the Food Nazis and the French-like corporate reaction:

The Threat (note the assist from the democracy-loving MA politicos):

"Jacobson's nutrition advocacy group, along with two Massachusetts parents and the Boston-based Campaign For A Commercial-Free Childhood, had served notice in January 2006 of intent to sue Kellogg and the Nickelodeon cable TV network under a Massachusetts law to stop them from marketing junk food to kids."

The Offer:

"Center spokesman Jeff Cronin said Kellogg contacted the plaintiffs shortly thereafter and began negotiating the new standards, so the lawsuit was not filed and will not be filed."

and The Payoff

"The Battle Creek, Mich., company avoided a lawsuit threatened by parents and nutrition advocacy groups worried about increasing child obesity."

Now That's Interesting

Via Captain's Quarters: CAIR membership plummets (Wash. Post). They are down to less than 1,700 from a high of 29,000 in 2000. Most of there money comes from about 24 "individual donors". Hmmm, AQIA,?

There is a God - Part 2

Paris Hilton Ordered Back to Jail
Judge Sauer strikes a blow against "celebrity (in)justice". Way to go your honor!

"Coupe" Deval on Education

Optimistic Patriot over at New England Republican has put together a nice succinct review of King Cadillac Coupe Deval Free 'Em All Patrick's education "reform" proposal; "Governor Patrick, vision without funding is hallucination". Read and heed.

My only addition would be to point out that the 2 hour increase in school day part is clearly a salary for teachers increase not a kids education reform proposal; in other words a real stinker.

It's About Time!

"Feds say La. congressman to be indicted"
I wonder what they were waiting for, the start of hurricane season?

Morning Commute Rants

It was raining this morning driving to work. It seemed to bring out the crazies.

• To 25% of the drivers: It's raining, turn on your lights. The idiot that gets seen before they get hit may be you.
  
• To the woman in the Mazda: I don't mind you using your cell phone, just keep driving, or move over into the right hand lane.
• To the lady in the white Infinity: Smooth move, ex-lax, cutting across traffic to get into the left hand turn lane.
• To the guy in white work van: Thank you for cutting me off when the right hand lane was wide open; it let me swerve around you on the right. Hint: There was nobody behind me; If you had stayed over in the right lane for, say 5 seconds, you could have easily moved over and saved us both some blood pressure points.
• To the truck drivers at the entrance to the base: Don't try to come through the barriers until the inspection area is open. You just end up blocking the whole entrance for everyone.
• To the rent-a-cops in the inspection area: Your job is to inspect the trucks, then get them moving, not chat up the driver then walk around it kicking the tires like you're on a used car lot.
  

[rant off]

Thoughts on the Emerging/Emergent Church

This post over at the World Magazine Blog got me thinking (and researching and writing). The premise of the post was that the Christianity Today magazine has moved from an evangelical perspective to a Emerging Church perspective. Personally I've always considered Christianity Today to be pretty liberal to the point that I would not really have called it an evangelical magazine. To see it more further in that direction would not be a surprise. But this is not the real subject of my post here.

I would like to give my take on what I've found out about the Emerging Church movement. (And yes I will call it a "movement" because that is what it is, contrary to their claims.) For this I'll use the outline of the basic characteristics from the Emerging Church entry in Wikipedia. I researched a variety of sources, but this one is as good a list as I found elsewhere. I'll not define their terms in depth, go read the article for that, but I will give my take on each aspect.

• Postmodern worldview: The existence of the Postmodern worldview is a reality, however it is not a valid basis for defining Christian belief. Neither is Modernism or any other previous worldviews. Christianity is it's own worldview. I can see Evangelicalism as an expression of how to relate the Christian worldview to a modern world, but contrary to claims from the Emerging Church, Evangelicalism is not "based on" a Modern worldview.
  
• Narrative theology: Storytelling can be a good technique for conveying the gospel message, but it is not how the gospel is defined. The gospel is defined in God's Word.
  
• Generous orthodoxy: This smack of relativism and the rejection of the truth of God's Word as the definition of the gospel message. There are absolutes in the Christian faith which means it is possible to be outside them and therefore not Christian. I fear that the Emerging Church is throwing out the baby in the bath water in their rush to be relevant.
  
• Postmodern Hermeneutics: Look up the term. In short it is the rejection of knowable, absolute truth. Dangerous, see above.
  
• Authenticity: There is some good in this area, in learning how to apply Christ in all areas of one's life, but again it smacks of emotionalism and legalism. "I feel saved, I act saved, therefore I am saved".
  
• Conversation/dialog: Again, a good technique for relating to people and sharing the gospel: It does not replace the gospel.
  
• Missional living: The way one lives should reflect one's beliefs, not be the determinant of them.
  
• "Fluid" ecclesiology or "deep" ecclesiology: See above, Postmoderm Hermeneutics.
  
• Creative spirituality: See above, Generous Orthodoxy.
  
• "Non-Legalistic" conduct: Sounds good, but is actually contradictory in practice with the definition of Authenticity above.
  
• Use of new technologies: Using new technologies to share the gospel and relate with people is fine, as long as the technology does not become the object of worship.
  
• Postmodern terminology: Using the terminology is fine, as long as Christian terms and more importantly Christian beliefs are not redefined as well.
  
• Justice: Social justice is a good thing, but again it is not the primary purpose of the gospel. The "social gospel" path practiced by many mainline denominations has been shown to ultimately be contradictory to Christ.

The overwhelming sense I got from researching the Emerging Church movement was one of fuzziness and anti-definition. It is not clear exactly what many in the movement do believe, although there is much that they apparently do not.

The bottom line is that I think there are things to be learned from the Emerging Church movement about how to relate and share the gospel message to people with a postmodern worldview. It could become the next Evangelicalism, but the gospel message cannot be redefined in order to relate it to people and still be called "Christian." Evangelicalism did not redefine the gospel message and neither should the Emerging Church.