Everybody wins with Capitalism!

"I suspect ignorance about economics leads many to believe that when two people exchange goods and money, one wins and the other loses. If rich capitalists profit, the poor and the weak suffer.

That's a myth.

How many times have you paid $1 for a cup of coffee and after the clerk said, "thank you," you responded, "thank you "? There's a wealth of economics wisdom in the weird double thank-you moment. Why does it happen? Because you want the coffee more than the buck, and the store wants the buck more than the coffee. Both of you win."
-John Stossel

American Coins: Honoring Lincoln, Washington, Roosevelt...and the Silver Surfer

ummm...yeah

Why Evangelism Doesn't Work Anymore

So I don't necessarily agree/believe with this guy on some of his theological/soteriological views...but he has a point:

"So maybe we should just keep our mouths shut and forget about the whole evangelism thing. Perhaps we should just incarnate the Gospel and hope in quiet desperation that somebody sees a difference in us and takes time out of their meeting-packed day to ask us about Jesus. Maybe St. Francis was right: "Preach the gospel; if necessary, use words."

Or, just maybe, evangelism doesn't work anymore because Christians have lost their faith in the power of the Gospel message. As I travel the nation speaking to youth leaders and students, I see Christians, especially adults, who have lost their faith in the Gospel's ability to truly transform lives. Most sing about its power on Sunday morning but don't carry that melodic confidence into the workplace on Monday.

When we stop proclaiming Jesus with our lives and our lips, what is the result? America is falling apart morally. That's right—I place the blame for America's demise at our feet. We are keeping the cure to the cultural cancer of sin locked away in our hearts."
-Greg Stier, Christianity Today

That Jesus...what a nice fella...

Jason Lee Steorts on Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong's Non-Theistic God

"This Jesus would be unrecognizable to most Christians. The largest section of the book is an attack on "the supernatural forms of yesterday's Christianity." Spong executes this attack by means of a lengthy textual criticism of the Gospels, sprinkled with occasional undeveloped thoughts on the incompatibility of traditional belief with a modern worldview. ("The ability of anyone to walk on water exists in our world not in reality, but only in very bad golf jokes.") Along the way, he jettisons the following claims, among others: that Mary was a virgin at the time of Jesus's birth; that Jesus performed miracles; that Jesus atoned for the sins of mankind; that Jesus was resurrected; and that the resurrected Jesus ascended to Heaven.

Spong's analysis is interesting as far as it goes, though his tendency to dismiss all disagreement as "hysterical" -- his adjective of choice for traditional believers -- is unbecoming, morally and intellectually. I offer here no evaluation of his textual criticism, as literary sleuthing is rarely dispositive. Instead, let's assume for the sake of argument that his thesis is correct: Jesus performed no miracles, wrought no atonement, and rose from no tomb. When one is left with such a Christ, what does it mean to say -- as Spong says of himself -- that one is "a believing Christian"? What does one believe in? How could one persuade anyone else to share this belief?"

-Jason Lee Steorts, National Review

Sixteen Days Later....

Re-emerging?

Let's see...I finished the MS...I got a job...I graduated...now I'm back in Florida for a MUCH needed vacation away from it all (there are palm trees here!).

~Steve

Re-emerging

The thesis has been accepted!

I averaged 4 hours of sleep a night for 2 weeks. I revised it 4 times. I lived under a pile of diet coke cans, starbucks cups, bottles of Poland Spring water, and my own supply of caffeinated drinks. In fact, I drank 5 red bulls in a 16 hour span. But, I did it! After a grueling 2-hour thesis defense, I passed, I submitted, and I'm going to get on with the rest of my life! I'll post the abstract soon for your reading enjoyment. I'll be better with this blog from now on. God is good! I have one more exam left so pray for me.

~Steve K.