Stephen Lewis was at Redeemer. If you know anything about who he is, or what he stands for, you can understand where the controversy comes from. So if you are interested to know what has made headline news, please feel free to check out all the links.
As someone on the editing staff of the Crown, I would like to remind readers that this viewpoint is not that of the Crown, or any of its staff. Controversy needs to be printed sometimes. If you are angry at the article, I am too. But consider why you are angry.
I encourage you to read them all. Read the comments that go with them.
The basic information on the night with Stephen Lewis can be found here.
The article that has recieved much response can be found here.
Another viewpoint, perhaps more relevant, is by Jan Korevaar, found here.
Now, consider Stephen Lewis as a world figure. His website, www.stephenlewisfoundation.org offers more information on who he is. He is an advocator of Pro-Choice. He is also a significant figure in the fight for world justice, AIDS in Africa, and an advocate of human rights.
Now, consider the articles. As Christians, in response to all of those articles, perhaps casting stones, as Christ condemns, isn't the way to go about things. After all, haven't we all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God? Is our anger justified? Is Redeemer really to be scolded for asking a man of such world influence into its school to speak at the Social Justice conference?
Now that is a little bit of controversy.
Word of the Day: Dream
Quote of the Day: "Hey Chad, have you seen Haas's shirt? It's almost as loud as you are!"
Big plans for this weekend. I have finished a week's worth of intense homework, finished 2 books, wrote 2 essays (on those books) and started off the week with a nasty case of the flu, which I later deemed as just exhaustion.
So, this weekend is going to be restful. I have no laundry to do, no pressing homework. I plan to clean my room (which has been incredibly neglected these last few days), maybe make a few cards this afternoon and tomorrow, and finish the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Peter Jackson did a wonderful job on those movies. For all the special effects, ability to follow the story line and well done interpretation of Tolkien's books, it's sad that they couldn't have remembered Legolas's contact lenses. Watch the movies again. Notice that in the Fellowship of the Ring, Legolas's eyes are brown. Then, watch The Twin Towers. His eyes are blue for most of that movie, except for one scene in Rohan. I wonder if they watched those movies after they were released and thought to themselves, 'ah, CRAP!'...
Last night Lauren, Kait, Hilbert and myself took a trip out to Swiss Chalet for dinner. It was cheaper than doing groceries. Afterwards, we hung out at Hilbert's place with Charl, Alex and Greg. We played this card game called 'Bang' (it involves shooting people...) and then enjoyed some conversation regarding the Disney vault. Good for laughs. And, of course, this little treasure,
I'm not a fan of Family Guy at all, but I have definitely had this sung to me in the DriveThru.
Word of the Day: positive
Quote of the Day: "I wish I could just break into the Disney Vault!" -Charl
I'm quite pleased with the re-arranging of the Crown office. It went from cluttered to, well, less cluttered. In fact, I do enjoy being able to walk from one end of the office to the other without tripping over an old computer, a table, Jordan's newest (or oldest) lesson plan. I have my own corner, chalkboard space, and an entire table...with drawers, paperclips, stickynotes, and eventually a mug with writing utensils. For really, where else would things like pens and pencils go?
And, I am jamming out to the Backstreet Boys. Tim, our Digital Editor is rolling his eyes at me.
Word of the Day: precisely
Quote of the Day: "Canadian literature seems to be so dark!"
I'm sitting in the quiet of my dorm, chore done, living room cleaned. The quiet of my playlist is keeping me company while I make my way through a Margaret Atwood book. I must start the essay on it tonight.
Its quite the playlist, I realize. Subtle and reverent (Bart Millard's rendition of old hymns) to convincing and convicting (Switchfoot and Casting Crowns), I'm struck by the ageless praise that comes from the old and the new.
And then, as I pay for the semester, I hear my bank account cry a little.
Word of the Day: Attractive (thanks to Joel)
Quote of the Day: "I'm saying that Eowyn is Aragorn's female equal, not that she deserves him!" Emily, on LOTR (specifically in a debate between Arwin and Eowyn as possible mates for Aragorn)
I'm sitting in my dorm, and my roommate just walked in. I don't know what it is about this semester, but my dormmates always have the television on. It gets turned on at 9 in the morning, and only gets shut off for dinner (so about 30 minutes). The day begins with Regis and Kelly, rounds up the afternoon with daytime T.V., Dr. Phil, Oprah, and Dr. Oz. After dinner, there's usually a wide selection of unnecessary and crude movies, complete with The Hangover, Step Brothers and every scary movie you could possibly think of. All I can think of is: WHAT A WASTE OF TIME!
I have homework to do, and chances are, so do the girls in my dorm. I sit in my room, at my desk and do homework (also, as I am writing this, my roommate has turned on the T.V. to watch Dr. Phil...something about cheating husbands...honestly, whose business is this?!). The irony is that what I am reading about is contextualizing Christianity in our secular world.
Our world is secular because of the media. Shows like the O.C., Dr. Phil, Oprah, Gossip Girl, and yes, even LOST, are saturated with our pagan, anti-Christian culture. We, as human beings, are porous. We absorb everything we hear, see, touch, etc. This is why propaganda is such a powerful thing. This is especially true with television shows, radio music, and even the books we read. Ask yourself while you're watching television what it is that you are watching.
I'm tired of bad television. And let's face it, Dr. Phil, Oprah, Daytime TV, Gossip Girl, etc., is bad television. I don't even know what good television is anymore. We escape into these shows and block out our own lives, but at the same time, we absorb everything they are trying to 'teach'. Eventually the morals of our media become our own morals. As a Christian, I have a problem with this.
Now, I'm as guilty as the next person for sitting in front of the TV and just being there, not doing anything but 'watching'. I'm also guilty of having the TV on for background noise. We don't realize that this is equally dangerous. I've been trying to replace the TV in the background for Christian music (I must have background noise). But encouraging the girls I live with to do the same is a problem, since a few of them are 'morally' against Christian music. Seems ironic, since Redeemer is a Christian university...
I'm tired of polluting my mind with crap. I don't need to be watching a movie where the 'f-bomb' is dropped every other word. To me, a script with that proves illiteracy. Even that word dropped in every day life isn't proof of intelligence. In fact, if the only vocabulary you possess is the ability to say 'fuck' every few words, you will not be able to sustain a job anywhere for very long.
So, amidst this pagan culture we live in (because it has not been Christian for a very long time), it is hard to find a way to stand up. I'm not saying that watching these shows is bad, but you have to be aware of what they teach, what their morals are, what having them on in the background as 'noise' is teaching your children, or those you live with. Are their morals Christian?
Some are skeptical of Rob Bell, but I think this clip shows what I am talking about.
In our skeptical society, soaking up everything, and believing nothing, having the TV on as background noise is dangerous.
Take a glance through Tim Keller's book "The Reason for God." How is Christianity showing face in our culture? Is it at all? It's a secular world we live in now. The biggest danger is denying that.
Word of the Day: Contextualize
Quote of the Day: "You are like pineapple. Prickly on the outside, but sweet and sincere on the inside." Peter Frieswick
Sometimes, I wonder what I got myself into when I went to University. Here's the thing. This semester is going to be tough. I have a lot of reading, a lot of writing, and I feel slightly overwhelmed.
And I caught a head cold.
Word of the Day: Advil
Quote of the Day: "Well, at least we know you're not crazy in the aspect of school." Joel
