Articles about Religion
Leading Off (2/6/12)
DART Light Rail Ridership High, But Bus Numbers Falter: Last year was the busiest year ever for Dallas Area Rapid Transit light rail, but ridership on bus lines as well as the oldest light rail lines decreased by a combined 5 million trips (paywall). Why the drop? Officials say it is due to 1) DART bus passengers switching to new light rail service, and 2) the reduction in the frequency of blue and red line trains during rush hour. Both claims I believe, point again to how simple public transit really is. People will take public transit if it is fast and convenient. That’s why DART’s bus system needs an overhaul.
Horse Thieves Hit Camp For Disabled Kids: In the latest installment of crooks who are worse than crooks, two horses have been stolen form Camp El Har, a camp that offers therapy for kids with various disabilities, like autism. Now owners of two other horses on loan to the camp have removed their animals out of fear of further thefts, which has forced the camp to postpone its classes indefinitely.
Will ‘Black Atheist’ Billboard Ruffle Feathers? A group called African Americans for Humanism and the DFW Coalition of Reason will unveil a billboard today which voices support for atheists during African American history month. But while the billboard has already prompted some push-back from South Oak Cliff pastors, pre-event controversy also led to an unexpected act of community service: members of the DFW Coalition of Reason turned out at Pastor Kyev Tatum’s church garden Sunday to help harvest their greens, which will be donated to local food banks. Tatum reconciled the art of charity like this: “the devil might have picked it, but the good lord sent it.”
Is Ed Young Really “Sexually Stunted”?
Over the last few weeks, pastor Ed Young and his wife Lisa, of Fellowship Church in Grapevine, have received a lot of international attention for their book, Sexperiment: Seven Days to Lasting Intimacy with Your Spouse, and their 24-hour bed-in on the church roof–promotion for said book. Most of the coverage has been relatively positive, because who doesn’t want to see a Southern Baptist preacher encouraging more sex? Well, the writer of this Salon book review, that’s who. The reviewer, Tracy Clark-Flory, is a self-described “arrogant, unrepentant atheist and fornicator” and she has major problems with both the content of the Youngs’ book (and another Christian “sex advice” book released this month) and with the way the media has covered them.
Says Clark-Flory: “Having actually read these books, I can tell you they are not the wild sex manuals the media frenzy suggests — in fact, they are treatises against homosexuality, pornography and premarital sex. None of this is exactly surprising, but amid the sexy buzz surrounding these books, it’s important to underscore just how sexually stunted they are.”
That’s just the beginning. She goes on to rip several Sexperiment metaphors as well as the anti-porn message. But she concludes the books “also answer questions that most Christians are too afraid to ask their pastors about whether particular sex acts are God-approved and, according to them, masturbation, anal sex, oral sex, menstrual sex and sex toys are A-OK (again, within the context of straight, married sex).” She sees that as “a slam against the Santorums of the world.”
Cathedral of Hope’s Jo Hudson Responds to Robert Jeffress Article
Unlike your writer, I don’t want to hate Robert Jeffress. On the contrary, I realize that his arrival at First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, has ushered in a revival. A person who leads a church like that can’t be all bad.
The revival of any Christian church is a good thing. It means that people are hearing the Christian message and being transformed by the love of God. Overall, the recent developments at First Baptist Church of Dallas would appear to be great news for the greater body of Christ in the Dallas area.
But then, the writer quotes the words of Dr. Jeffress from the sermon he delivered “Gay is not OK:”
“What they (homosexuals) do is filthy. It is so degrading that it is beyond description. And it is their filthy behavior that explains why they are so much more prone to disease.” Dr. Jeffress went on to suggest that members of the LGBTQ community are destined for hell.
Better Golf Partner: Tim Tebow or Tony Romo?
Plenty of reports about Tiger Woods potentially being paired with either Tim Tebow or Tony Romo for an upcoming pro-am. It got me wondering, if you had the choice, who would you prefer as a golf partner? I broke it down this way.
Robert Jeffress On the Death of Christopher Hitchens
If you haven’t heard, Christopher Hitchens died last night. You can read about it here, here, and here. I didn’t realize until today that one of the last things he wrote–he was as prolific as he was eloquent–was about Dallas’ own Robert Jeffress, and his controversial comments on Mormonism. Hitchens kind of agreed with Jeffress.
Turns out, Dr. Jeffress has actually been reading through some of Hitchens’ work recently, in preparation for his next book, which will be a research-heavy book addressing atheism. I asked Jeffress over email how he feels at a moment like this, when a prominent atheist dies. This is what he told me: (more…)
No Grinch Alert or “Naughty List” This Year from First Baptist Dallas
Last year it “took on a life of its own,” Robert Jeffress told me recently. The church was trying to find a “fun way to make a serious point that Christmas is unique.” But a lot of people — many local Evangelicals included — didn’t think it was so fun. When Jeffress started the site GrinchAlert.com, it made national headlines and, as Jeffress put it, “caused more of a controversy than the Muslims or the homosexuals or anything else that I have talked about in the last few years.” He said he was genuinely surprised by the strong reactions, especially from Christians. This is what Jeffress told his congregation about it at the time. This is what he told CNN. The “Naughty List” was never supposed to be about boycotting. He still takes his family to Mi Cocina, even though the local chain appeared early on the list, Jeffress explained. “I just check my enchiladas twice.”
Either way, this year: no list. The site, as you can see, is down. It would appear that, for at least a few people, Christmas has come early this year.
Southlake Church 3D Christmas Display Makes My Heart Grow Three Sizes Today
Speaking of Southlake having more money than they really need, when I clicked on this CBS 11 video of how the White Chapel United Methodist Church has a 3D Christmas display that costs about $100,000 a week I was prepared to respond to it with full-on snark about the huge waste of resources that it is. But damned if that doesn’t look like a fun show:
Mason Crumpacker Is the Most Adorable 9-Year-Old Agnostic Ever
Depending on your own beliefs, this (behind-the-paywall) Q&A with Mason Crumpacker, the incredibly intelligent McKinney 9-year-old who drew headlines earlier this month when she publicly asked Christopher Hitchens for reading suggestions, will either make you smile and give you hope for the future or confirm your worst fears that End times are nigh.
Question For Members of Fellowship Church in Grapevine
When joining, are you informed of the 11th commandment: Thou Shalt Set a Google Alert for “Fellowship Church Grapevine” and Over-Run the Comments Section of Any Internet Article/Forum/Blog Post Which Make Mention?
Rev Run to Preach at Fellowship Church in Grapevine
Rev Run, aka Joseph Simmons
Two months after hosting Soul Surfer’s Bethany Hamilton, Fellowship Church in Grapevine is bringing in another big-name guest speaker: Rev Run, founding member of the influential hip-hop group Run-D.M.C. (and, yes, a practicing minister). It’s part of a new series led by Ed Young, founding pastor of Fellowship, a local megachurch. (Full disclosure: I’m a member.)
The two initially connected via Twitter (@RevRunWisdom, @edyoung), after re-tweeting things the other had posted. “He’s an amazing guy, and we thought it would be a great way to get his life-change story out there,” Young said.
Leading Off (10/10/11)
This Week’s Perry Controversy: You have to question the judgment of any politician who willingly stands within 200 yards of the ever-controversial Dallas First Baptist pastor (and our neighbor!) Robert Jeffress. Last Friday, Jeffress introduced Perry at a “Values Voter Summit,” and then proceeded to dismiss Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Mormonism as “false religions” (which, I suppose, means they don’t have “values?”). Never mind that GOP front-runner Mitt Romney is Mormon. Oh wait, yes, mind it a lot, as the rest of the GOP pool spent the weekend tangled in Jeffress’ comments. Perry? No comment, but his campaign did say that the Texas governor doesn’t think Mormonism is cult. Well, that’s nice of him.
What’s The Most Important Thing to Happen to the Texas Economy: Economist Ray Perryman runs down the top ten things that impacted the growth of Texas’ economy, including some obvious factors, like DFW Airport and the high tech industry, and some not as much, such as the oil embargo and air conditioning.
Rangers Rained Out, First Pitch Today at 3:19 p.m.: Game two of the American League Championship Series was postponed yesterday due to rain, even though Arlington didn’t actually see a drop Sunday night, prompting some to question whether or not The X-Factor had anything to do with the dubious decision to push off the game. The postponement screws Rangers fans who can’t skip work today to catch the game, which was a boon to quick-actors on the secondary ticket market, but those wild deals seem to have dried up. As for today’s weather? Looks like a 10 percent chance, but better yet, Rangers baseball can stand up ratings-wise to the double feature of Judge Joe Brown and Judge Judy, the shows which normally occupy the Monday afternoon slot.
What Happens When Your Priest Tries to Friend You on Facebook?
Here’s some more stuff from the September issue that didn’t make it online till here and now, with this up-to-the-minute update: I still haven’t approved Father Roch’s friend request. But I did call him to let him know about the story, in case he hadn’t read it yet. I told him I loved him and that I hoped he’d read it in the spirit in which it was intended. Still haven’t heard back from him. So, you know, see you hell, friends.
First Baptist Dallas Says America is Dying Soon
This is happening across the street from where I sit:
And their ranks are, apparently, growing.
Muslims Converge at Convention Center
The DART trains this morning were the most crowded I’ve seen them since the Mavericks’ victory parade. And today’s extra people were dressed quite differently than the masses of Mavs fans. That’s because today is the last day of Ramadan, and the Islamic Association of North Texas is hosting a Eid prayer event at the Dallas Convention Center. The prayers were scheduled to begin sharply at 9:30, so everyone on my train is probably going to be late.
Obama is a Muslim Probably, Says Robert Jeffress (Sort Of)
Sorry I’m just getting around to making this proclamation: Every day it bums me out that our building is so close to Robert Jeffress’ church. (Via.)
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