CHICAGO, IL (October 3, 2014) — Many Covenanters routinely share links to social media articles and videos with one another that Covenant News Service believes may be of interest to others. Each Friday we post five of them. Following is a sample of those submissions—their inclusion does not represent an endorsement by the Covenant of any views expressed.
The star quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks describes how becoming a Christian at age 14 changed his behavior. Now what he wants to fight is domestic violence. His new foundation would like you to “Pass the Peace.”
When you get the chance, read this article about why procrastination might not be about you.
As the author states, “But if procrastination is so clearly a society-wide, public condition, why is it always framed as an individual, personal deficiency? Why do we assume our own temperaments and habits are at fault—and feel bad about them—rather than question our culture’s canonization of productivity?”
Can I get an amen?
When White Friends Don’t Believe What Blacks Go Through, They’re Not Friends
I’m pretty sure that if I told a friend I had been stopped unfairly by a police officer and received a response like those the author mentions, I’d be angry. If I got that response from multiple friends, I would be beyond angry.
From the article: “Yet whites are, frequently, disappointingly, incredulous. Very often a ‘friend’s’ reaction goes something like this: ‘I don’t think a police officer would stop anyone for no reason at all.’ Or: ‘You must have done something suspicious.’ Or my favorite: ‘If you haven’t done anything wrong, you don’t have anything to worry about.’ I am not some child coming home with some tall tale, and I am certainly not a delusional liar.”
The Politics of Bible Translation
Scot McKnight does an excellent job of discussing why many modern biblical translations are very good, yet all are driven by political agendas. For example, “The NRSV is the Bible of Protestant mainliner” and “The NIV 2011 is the Bible of conservative evangelicals.”
McKnight notes, “The politics of Bible translation is a sad case of colonizing the Bible for one’s agenda. There is lots of stone throwing about translations as if one is wildly superior to the others, but often that is about tribes and not the translation.… Each group has its Bible, has its translation, and you declare your allegiance to your tribe by carrying and citing the Bible of your tribe.”
Deconversion: Some Thoughts on Bart Campolo’s Departure from Christianity
Bart Campolo may think no Bible is worth the paper its printed on. Campolo says he is no longer a Christian, and he now is working as a “humanist chaplain” at the University of Southern California and a speaker for the Secular Student Alliance (SSA).
Stetzer raises questions about what parents and churches can do to keep kids from walking away from the faith. He makes some good points, but I wish he had emphasized more that parents and churches can do all he suggests, and people still may decide Christianity is not for them.
There is a link to a talk given by Campolo to an SSA gathering. In the video he exhorts the students that it is through love rooted in rationality that they will win the battle against Christians and show people of faith that they are wrong. But, I wonder, why do they want to fight Christians, and why are they wanting to do secular evangelism (which I realize is an oxymoron)? And why are there secular chaplains? Aren’t those called counselors with perhaps a little motivational speaker thrown in?
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I believe you have overstated assumptions about Bart. I see no evidence that he believes the Bible is not worth the paper it is written on. Also I watched the video that you mentioned. You have an inaccurate statement “In the video he exhorts the students that it is through love rooted in rationality that they will win the battle against Christians and show people of faith that they are wrong” Bart does not talk about winning the “battle against Christians” nor does he seek to “show them they are wrong.” The focus of his talk was that he was led to become a Christian through community and love. He would like for those without faith to also build a community of love. I am a Christian and I deeply believe in God. I met Bart when he was a practicing evangelical minister. I recently exchanged personal emails with him. He is not against Christianity. His beliefs have changed, yet he wants to have community and love.
There is a significant difference between a good, sound reason and a reason that sounds good! Don’t get snookered. Man can talk himself into any kind of foolishness and convince himself he is right. Thank the Lord for the counsel and wisdom of His Holy Spirit!