A lawsuit has been launched against a school teacher who showed Brokeback Mountain to a class of young students. Twelve-year-old Jessica Turner and her grandparents, Kenneth and LaVerne Richardson, are seeking $500,000 against the Chicago Board of Education after the movie was shown at Ashburn Community Elementary School. The lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court on Friday claims Turner “suffered psychological distress” after viewing the R-rated film, which was viewed by the class without permission from the student’s parents or legal guardians. IMDB
Umm. Wow. Where to begin? On second thought, I don’t think I can say anything to top this one..
Combine Christianity with Politics and what do you get? A bunch of mixed messages.
This is an excellent video on the Acquire the Fire: Battle Cry movement. It’s very even handed and brings up some good points.
My favorite moment: watch Ron Luce squirm as he’s asked about telling kids not to sell out on culture and ATF cashing in on it with their own merchandising. The funny thing is, I actually like Ron Luce. I just think that things have gotten off track.
Here’s my main beef:
The Battle Cry becomes an agenda to push Christian values and less about following Christ. This is where the danger lies. They are teaching the kids to strike out against the world because it’s immoral. I’m not arguing this fact. The world has always been immoral, that’s what sin is all about. This immorality is nothing new.
Why aren’t we teaching the youth to change the world through the power of Christ. Christ is the one who changes lives, not agendas or protesting. We’re becoming more militant and less loving. As we walk down this road, we become less and less like Christ.
Are we in a battle? Yes, but it isn’t against flesh and blood (Eph 6:12). If this is true, then why fight against flesh and blood? Where is pursuit of the Lord? Where is prayer? Christianity isn’t about morality, it’s about a revolutionary, all-encompassing, life change. Christ came to free, liberate and ransom the hurting and lost - not to condemn them.
In this video, are we any step closer to sharing Christ with the people who are protesting against the Battle Cry kiddos? News flash: we’re all sinners and no better than anyone else. Christ came to save us all, and some of us have stumbled upon His grace and live in it. It’s not about anything we did, it was a free gift for all. Some are in the light and some aren’t. It’s our job to love those who aren’t in the light, to share with them what Christ has done for them. That is it.
Our battle cry? Follow Jesus with every ounce of your being. Fight out the battle within ourselves versus our flesh. Love others. Love God. Share Christ. If we want a movement to change things, this is the only recipe. Otherwise we’re just angry and ranting with sweet Christian rock music playing.
I thought about commenting on the recent killing of students on the VA Tech campus, but I’ve read so many great posts on the topic - I didn’t feel I had anything poignant to add that hadn’t already been done better. Here are the best I’ve read (great and different perspectives):
When thinking back upon Palm Sunday and Easter, I began to think about Jesus and His views on politics. Christians have long tried to figure out which side he would be on. I read this great quote about “American Jesus” and his beliefs (not sure who said it).
“Several times during the week, I thought about telling my family what’s happened to Jesus in the United States - how he’s been kidnapped by politicians and preachers who decide what he does and doesn’t think. They speak for him, and it doesn’t always make sense. They say Jesus is ‘pro life,’ but he doesn’t seem to have a problem with the death penalty. And he thinks stem cell research - something that would save lives - is no different from murdering babies. They say he’s the embodiment of kindness, love, decency and compassion. But he hates gays, lesbians and Muslims. And he’s not too crazy about Buddhists, Hindus and the rest. Jews? He can put up with them if he has to.”
If you really boil politics down it is simply the pursuit of power and authority. Christ was pretty clear who has the power and authority: God. It’s his authority and power we should concern ourselves with. What happened to “seek ye first the kingdom of heaven…” Do we do that? How many times we use Jesus as a platform for our own agendas.
So it comes to this: is your life driven by an agenda or a calling?
We are called to follow Christ. Anything short of that is an fallible, self-serving agenda. It’s it about ’my way vs. your way’. But what about His way?
All I know is this - He’s less concerned with any of the political issues of the day and more concerned with the state of our hearts.
Will politics save our country? Nope. They never will. Our only hope is prayer and a pursuit of Christ. His way will always lead to the hurting people, not towards picketing or pushing policy. That was his way. Jesus didn’t concern himself with politics, only people.
Are we a Christian nation? Ha ha. Don’t even get me started on that one…
Yes, I said it. Walter Kelley is evil and he controls the weather with his evil eyebrows!
I noticed it a while back, but didn’t give it much thought. Each week Miriam and I watch 24 and then promptly afterwards the local news comes on. First off, Seattle is a lame city for news. Not much crime happens, so they actually give local crime reports for other cities. We’re just too clean and nice of a city. But that’s besides the point.
My point:
The weather man, Walter Kelley, for Q13 (the Fox affiliate) is pure evil.
I’ve been watching closely. He looks innocent enough, like a young Hasslehoff but less bronze. Upon closer look, his eyebrows are possessed and control him along with the weather in Seattle. I think he may be the Antichrist. See how they point upward like horns… evil! He seems to delight in bad weather as his eyebrows bounce in delight as he reports it… evil! He frequently does segments with cute animals to distract his truly sinister plans of world domination through meteorological malevolence … evil! He also has a birthmark in the shape of an upside down cross to which he says is “groovy”… evil!
So to all of you who reside in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, watch 24, and love Jesus (yes all 5 of you!)… please turn off the TV as soon as the 24 ends. Skip the “scenes from next week’s episode of 24” it’s a ploy to lure you into his evil relm of the Q13 news! Be careful. Stay awake, stay alive! I am praying for your souls.
I’ve tried to find video for you to sample and all I can find is this short clip - which is only moderately evil. It seems all footage and info on this man have been destroyed in some sort of vast Satanic Mormon conspiracy.
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