A Christ-centred three months – and counting!
I thought it appropriate for another summary of content from my new co-blogging venture over at The Aristophrenium. Between us, the writing staff have produced a number of good thought-provoking articles (a total of 52 in our first three months, no less!); but perhaps most exciting of all is that we have added a fourth member to our team: Adam. With Adam now joining us, and the rest of us firing on all cylinders, the next quarter at The Aristophrenium is set to be amazing. Come check us out and subscribe to our RSS Feed. We hope to continue to present our readers with a Christ-centred, intellectually honest forum that welcomes engagement from a great variety of people – even… Continue reading ...
A month at The Aristophrenium
I haven’t made it overly clear – apart from the occasional hint here and there during January and February – but I am now producing content for another blog as well here at thoughts out !oud. Late last year I developed a partnership with two other fine Christian bloggers – David and Duane; between the three of us, we relaunched David’s existing blog into a new masterpiece to which the three of us now regularly co-author. This new venture is called The Aristophrenium.
If you’ve enjoyed some of my writings here, I’ve no doubt you’ll enjoy the wider variety and depth of writings over at The Aristophrenium. Between David, Duane and myself, we’re able to provide more content… Continue reading ...
Abstinence at the movies
The recent media attention on the issue of sexual abstinence of the past two to three weeks – which I wrote a commentary piece on over at The Aristophrenium – led me to watch a movie that I would not have ordinarily have watched. Not 15 minutes into the film I was beginning to regret watching it – I wasn’t expecting it to be as crude and as base at it actually was. In hindsight, knowing our culture and the way in which it views sexual topics and issues, perhaps I shouldn’t have been so surprised. In any case, I got the kids off to bed and settled down with my wife to watch The 40 Year Old Virgin
Excerpt: Abstinence arouses displeasure Down-under and State-side
[The following is an excerpt of an article I published on The Aristophrenium. As indicated in my two-year anniversary post, I will be writing both here at thoughts out !oud and The Aristophrenium.]
“One thing that hasn’t been abstaining from the news in the past fortnight is culture’s attitude towards sex. There are two counts in particular that caught my interest: one was State-side, aroused by curious questions from Oprah Winfrey on her namesake’s show; the other was a reactive orgasm from Australia’s media and some members of it’s Federal Government (including the Deputy Prime Minister, no less) towards remarks made by the Opposition Leader.
Both instances concerned the topic of sexual abstinence and, while both were… Continue reading ...
Celebrating two years online … now there’s a thought
Today marks the 2nd year anniversary of thoughts out !oud.
It really doesn’t seem all that long ago when I first figured out how to install Wordpress, chose an appalling Wordpress theme (I dunno what it was … some garishly bright yellow and orange sun-thing), cobbled together my first post and delved right on into the blogosphere. The two years have gone quick, have been an interesting journey – full of lessons and growth – and during the time there are many people I’ve come to know and to whom I’ve been grateful for along the way.
Following are just some of the highlights, reflections and learnings for me over the last two years.
Small beginnings
How to spark revival in your church
If your church is wanning in the Spirit and is in need of a rejuvenation, all your congregation may need is the blessing of a squirrel-lead revival.
Praise God!
(Enjoy.)
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(H/Tip to Dennis G Hurst, via Facebook.)… Continue reading ...
Top 10 thoughts for 2009
There’s something about the end of the calendar year that causes us to reflect on the year that has just casually slipped us by. Typically celebrated in a fluttering of fireworks (or dazzling summer lightening storms and resounding thunder – as was the case in Melbourne, Australia, this last New Year’s Eve) most people take the time to spend with family and friends, among who a great many of them still remember “last year’s New Year’s Eve” (or should that be “the year before last’s New Year’s Eve”?) as though it were yesterday.
Memories can be a curious thing. So it’s with similar curiosity that I’m posting a listing of my most viewed articles for 2009 on thoughts out !oud
Corporatising unhealthy values to our youth and society
Marketers. An interesting bunch. If it weren’t for the fact that their sole job is to promote or sell something to you, you may actually just admire them for the creativity. But when marketers produce advertisements for their client’s products, the manner in which they do so promotes not only the product or service but, inevitably, a certain worldview as well. Whether or not it is intentional, all media – particularly television and film – promotes a certain worldview. As Christians and members of a concerned public, we ought to be aware of the messages that are permeating our TV sets, newspapers, magazines and bus-stop billboards; we ought to be better prepared to counter act the influences found in these mediums… Continue reading ...
“Gay marriage like incest” or “how to take quotations completely out of context”
In the wake of the repeal of same-sex marriage legislation by the constituents in Maine last month, the Australian Senate was presented with a private members bill to amend the traditional definition of marriage. The Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2009, seeking to replace the words “a man and a woman” with “any two persons”, attracted the largest number of submissions from the public – in excess of 28,000, a record number for any Bill.
Australian Senate rejects Marriage Equality Bill
The amendment was rejected by the Senate with a 2/3 majority of the submissions opposing the Bill.
These facts and figures would be amazing by themselves if it were not for the comments made by Family First Senator… Continue reading ...
Twurch Marriages – ur vows on teh intawebs
From the “world has gone crazy” basket, US resident Dana Hanna takes out his mobile phone during a wedding service to update his Twitter followers and Facebook friends of the proceedings. Where’s the twist? Dana was the groom!
As the minister presiding over the wedding said: I now pronounce you husband and wife. It’s official on Facebook … and it’s official in my book.
Thinking back, for those of you have already taken the plunge to tie the knot, was there anything ‘out-of-the-ordinary’ you did for your wedding? I was plain and boring for the most part but, in hindsight, if Twitter was around you may have found my updates something along the lines of:
Whodve thght… Continue reading ...
Quote: people who don’t understand a social institution should be last to advocate its change
In the matter of reforming things, as distinct from deforming them, there is one plain and simple principle; a principle which will probably be called a paradox. There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected across a road. The more modern type of reformer goes gaily up to it and says, “I don’t see the use of this; let us clear it away.” To which the more intelligent type of reformer will do well to answer: “If you don’t see the use of it, I certainly won’t let you clear it away. Go away and think. Then, when you can come back and tell me that you do see the use of it, I… Continue reading ...
Senator X takes Church of Scientology to task
South Australian Independent Senator, Nick Xenophon, brought Scientology back to Australian political and public headlines last Tuesday (17th Nov), by accusing the Church of Scientology of being a deceptive, malicious commercial enterprise, masquerading as a religion for protection.
And … he’s right. In the very words of Scientology founder, Ron L Hubbard, the organisation exists to “Make money. Make more money. Make others produce so as to make money . . . However you get them in or why, just do it.”. There is no religious function at all, really. The practices of the organisation as a whole is nothing short of being just a spectacular rort.
Rather than Senator Xenophon’s address regarding the evils of Scientology being taken… Continue reading ...
Record high submissions received by Senate Inquiry indicate 67% oppose the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill
Lodged as a private members Bill by Greens Senator Sarah-Hanson Young, the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2009 expressly seeks to alter the legal definition of marriage from “one man and one woman” to “any two people”.
Reported in a recent AAP article, the Bill had received a number of submissions in excess of 26,000 – a record for any Senate inquiry, indicating that the definition of marriage is of a key concern to many in the Australian constituency.
Approximately 67% of the submissions received were opposed to the Bill.
The report implies that the one-sided opposition may in fact be due to two factors: duplicate submissions and a large number of “formula emails sent by Christian groups”… Continue reading ...
One for your calendar: International Blasphemy Day, 30 Sept 2009
Wednesday, 30 September 2009 will mark the inaugural International Blasphemy Day, a day on which the people are called to, well, blaspheme anything religious through whatever show of irreverence they can conjure. Organised by the Center for Inquiry International, an organisation dedicated to fostering “a secular society based on science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values”, claims that the day has been set aside “to encourage free expression” the world over and are even running a contest to mark the date.
Says the Center for Inquiry: “How can we come to our own conclusions about religion if we can’t freely examine and discuss it?” Apparently, in order to do so, you need to have a t-shirt, which 5 lucky… Continue reading ...
Things that us dads just cannot do
This reminded me of just how privileged I am to be a dad. Father’s Day, to me, is not about being celebrated for being a dad but rather celebrating the responsibility and the accountability of the role (and it’s importance) that I play in the lives of my children. I pray that I live up to the task as best I’m able.
(But even so, I won’t refuse a bit of pampering on the day – you reading this, kids?)
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To all you dads out there – Happy Father’s Day!… Continue reading ...
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