Memoir on faith lost

William Lobdell, formerly the religion writer the Los Angeles Times, has written a fascinating memoir about his journey into and out of the Christian faith. I won't spoil his story for you by summarizing it, but rather will share one quote. Near the end of the work, entitled Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America - and Found Unexpected Peace (Collins, c. 2009), Mr. Lobdell writes about getting asked a question for which he was unprepared:

I recently spoke about my de-conversion to a group of students at Biola
University, a Christian college in Southern California. At the end of my talk,
one student asked what had taken the place of God in my life. The question
caught me off-guard because I'd felt no vacuum created by God's exit . . . So
what has taken the place of God in my life? A tremendous sense of
gratitude. I sense how fortunate I am to be alive in this thin sliver of time in
the history of the universe. That give me a renewed sense of urgency to live
this short life well. I don't have eternity to fall back on, so my focus on the
present has sharpened. (275, 278)

I greatly appreciated the complete honesty the author shared about his spiritual life. Regardless of whether or not you draw the same conclusion he has, I recommend it as one of the best books I have read so far this year.

Christians and Art

Michael Spencer posts this picture of Titian's Adam and Eve and asks:

Are you offended? Why or why not? Would you show this painting to your congregation (including children and young people) or Bible class as an illustration? Explain. If someone said this was offensive to them as a illustration, what would you do?

How would you respond?

Proposed Warning Label for Christian Rock Albums

A rather cynical, but quite still quite amusing suggestion from Yankee Pot Roast.

UPDATE: Me fix grammar gooder.

What if Starbucks Marketed Itself Like the Church?

[Video Link] A parable by Beyond Relevance. Run time: 5 and a half minutes.

HT: ThinkChristian via Dave Faulkner

Christian Warriors vs. Christian Disciples

Michael Spencer offers an excellent warning to evangelicals who are too focused on American culture wars.

A Parody of Christian Radio

From a church in Minneapolis.

[Video Link]

Is Prosperity Gospel Responsible for the Financial Crisis?

Here's an interesting premise: Prosperity Gospel teaches irresponsible financial decisions, and is therefore a key contributor to the overextension of credit markets in the U.S.

Fascinating.

Decoding Christianese

Provocative Church has a great post up listing various phrases commonly used by Christians that obscure true feelings behind God-talk. It's pretty funny. Here are the first ten:

1. I'll pray about it = NO!
2. We need to pray for so and so = Guess what I just heard?!
3. I'm waiting for God to open some doors = I'm living in my parent's basement.
4. God gave me a word for you = I have advice to help you with your disaster of a life.
5. I'm going to have my quiet time = Leave me the heck alone!
6. God is good = My life sucks.
7. Bless his/her heart = What an idiot.
8. I have the gift of discernment = I can judge people without even talking to them.
9. I was having fellowship with them = We had beer and pizza and watched the game instead of going to church.
10. I'm saved by grace, not works = I can do whatever the heck I want.

As I said, it's funny. But it's also disturbing. I've far too often witnessed -- and been on the receiving end of -- weaponized prayer and pastoral care. By that I mean subtle insults and degradations disguised as Christian love. What's worse is when prayer is used to hurt other people -- that's just plain blasphemy, as well as spiritual abuse.

I believe in a God who is holy above all things, and worthy of our adoration more than anything else in this universe. And consequently, I refuse to use him as a prop. And it drives me nuts when others do.

HT: Smart Pastor

UPDATE: In the comments, truevyne points us to this excellent spoof on the Christianese phenomenon:

[Video Link]

I have no objection to cultures and groups developing their own jargon. What galls me is the dishonest manipulation of spiritual experience for personal gain.

Praise Music for the Prosperity Gospel

[Video Link] HT: Internet Monk

Parody of TBN

The televangelist network TBN is hard to parody, as it is almost one itself. But this is quite good. Hat tip to Internet Monk.

[Video Link]

Have You Thought About Your Long-Term Spiritual Security?

A comedy sketch with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie.

[Video Link]

Christian Radio Found to Be on Continuous Loop for Past 20 Years

PONTIAC — Listeners of Christian talk radio were surprised and dismayed to learn that the same slate of programs has been playing on Christian radio stations since 1988, and that the entire façade of Christian radio has been run out of a basement complex in Michigan.

"I always found the programs very comforting and familiar," says Kathy Reynolds, a regular listener in Columbia, Mo. "Now I know why."

The 365-day-long loop, which has been running continuously since January 1, 1988, includes programs by ministers such as James Dobson and Chuck Colson who dispense parenting and marital advice, Bible answers and non-specific calls to political action. The loop followed the calendar’s rhythms, with programs about creating lasting family traditions at Thanksgiving, back-to-school prayer programs in August and cloyingly sweet programs about home, hearth and "the reason for the season" at Christmas. A layer of conservative concern over the direction of the country was included throughout the year.

Story Link

It's About Time: Christian-Themed Lingerie

From the company Victorious Secret, founded by a Candler School of Theology graduate, no less.

I guess that Asbury just doesn't produce ministers as forward-thinking as that. My blog sometimes gets pinged with the search terms "theresa coleman playboy", and I've never understood why, but now it makes a lot more sense.

Poor Customer Service at Chuck E. Cheese

Bill Fentum:

I’ll reserve judgment on which of them went through the biggest change—though I will say that the one or two trips I’ve made to a Chuck E. Cheese restaurants did nothing at all for my spiritual life.

Self-Denial in the Christian Life

John Meunier writes about a homosexual man who almost killed himself over the conflict between his sexual desires and traditional Biblical teaching. John writes:

Self-denial is hard. The self is fierce and tireless. When told to be subordinate to another - to God - the self is endlessly inventive in coming up with arguments and battling against such a claim.

Lord knows it is the work of a lifetime with God’s grace to put all that in its place. Should - because it is so hard or even impossible - should we stop teaching self-denial?

Is the church wrong to teach self-denial? If not, then how should we approach it?

How would you answer?

Hilarious Lenten Post

It's not Lent right now, and this is a couple of years old, but it's sheer brilliance.

The Grumpy Christian

Michael Spencer writes about the pervasiveness of the fake smile in American evangelicism:

Millions of unbelievers are far more emotionally healthy than we are because we have a crowd running around telling us we can’t be human, can’t feel human emotions, can’t be emotionally honest and so on. Instead, we have to be high, giddy and smiling like we’re possessed by grinning aliens so that we have a “testimony.” Ugh.

I’m so not going there. This, friends, is the person Jesus loves. I’m fat. I’m not giddy. I don’t feel the least bit of responsibility to telegraph to anyone that I’m full of happy thoughts, because I’m not.

A Beauty Contest for Nuns

But of course. Maybe it's time for me to drag out my old idea of the Methoblogosphere producing a swimsuit issue in order to raise money.

HT: This+That

Emerging Trend: American Christian Circumcisions

This is an interesting Washington Post article. It says that increasing numbers of American Christians are circumcising their baby boys for religious reasons -- and in the home, by a mohel no less. I think that Paul put to rest any theological justification for circumcision, although he circumcised Timothy.

Before we found out that we were having a little girl, I researched the subject and determined that there was barely any medical justification for infant circumcision, and certainly none to offset the potential risks.

Well, enough of the serious talk. This is Locusts & Honey after all. Here is a great clip on circumcision from the Mel Brooks film Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

[YouTube Link]

What do you think of the practice of routine infant circumcision?

A Great Christian Humor Site

I've only just discovered The Sacred Sandwich. Brilliant, brilliant stuff.

Be sure to check it out. Especially The Gallery of Dubious Photojournalism.

HT: Growing Vertical