Christmas Data

An interesting little tidbit from http://mises.org/daily/3953

It also turns out that Christmas in America is not all that commercialized compared to other nations. We are the 21st lowest in spending out of the 31 OECD countries; and we spend only $3 of every million dollars of GDP, ranking us the 6th most Scrooge-like country of the 26 major economies. Since 1935, Christmas-related spending has been reduced by 50 percent (when adjusted for inflation and GDP). We spend more, but Christmas spending is actually becoming less important in the bigger scheme of things.

Kent comments:

So why does Christmas seem so overly commercial?  Here are a few thoughts on that and some other matters.

First, even though we are 21st on the list, that is a ‘rich list’ so that’s still a lot of money devoted to Christmas stuff.  (By the way, this OEDC appears to be one of those innumerable international coagulations of people who milk governments for money to tell them how to try to implement command-and-control economies.)

Second, Christmas probably impresses us as more commercialized than it in fact is simply because of the extent of marketing devoted to it.  At least two full months of Christmas advertisement, plus ‘black’ shopping days and ‘gray’ shopping days and so on cannot help but start ideas about commercialism dancing in our heads like Christmas sugar plums.  (I find some Christmas TV ads very entertaining.  My favorite this year is the clinking glasses of beer that clink out a Christmas tune.  And I don’t even much enjoy beer!)

Third, the adjusted-for-inflation decrease since 1935 probably reflects a decrease of the influence of the Christian faith since then.  Christmas will probably tend to be a bigger deal when Christ is a bigger deal with more people – like it or not.

Fourth, I thank God that I live in a time and place where – for the time being at least – people are free to make money and ‘go nuts’ on black Friday and other maniacal shopping times if they wish.  That same freedom means that the rest of us can be self-restrained in these matters.  In my opinion, the second greatest freedom after freedom from the penalty and effects of sin is political-economic freedom.  You can’t wrap that one up and put it under a tree, but it’s the second greatest gift of all.

Mix & Match Religion

 

Eastern, New Age Beliefs Widespread

Dec. 9, 2009

The religious beliefs and practices of Americans do not fit neatly into conventional categories. A new poll by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life finds that large numbers of Americans engage in multiple religious practices, mixing elements of diverse traditions. Many say they attend worship services of more than one faith or denomination -- even when they are not traveling or going to special events like weddings and funerals. Many also blend Christianity with Eastern or New Age beliefs such as reincarnation, astrology and the presence of spiritual energy in physical objects. And sizeable minorities of all major U.S. religious groups say they have experienced supernatural phenomena, such as being in touch with the dead or with ghosts.

Kent comments:

As one commentator said, “"That kind of religious individualism is the American religion."  While having choices is good, that can never mean that all choices are equal.  Put another way, having choices does not mean that the alternatives from which we may choose are equal.

But beyond that, the situation here is that of people trying to produce new options by mixing the choices available to them.  In many areas, this is fine.  Mixing fashion styles, food styles, etc. is harmless and fun.  American culture is, almost by design, an amalgamation of sources.

But when we come to the matter of religion, a new dynamic comes into play.  This is because, by its very nature, Christianity is not “mixable.”  It is about “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”  It is about Jesus Christ Who is famous for His claim to be the Way, the only Way to the Father.  I could go on but you get the idea.  It is about there being no other name than Jesus given to us by which we must be saved.

When you attempt to “mix” Christianity, because of it’s very nature, you can expect only a spiritual mess.  It is rather like the color experiments that I remember trying when I was in grade school – something I think most people have tried.

It probably started with finger paints.  You mixed blue and yellow to get green.  Perhaps you tried stirring up some red with some yellow to get orange.  But at some point, you surely tried something I did:  mix all  the colors together.  What do you get?  I got a hideous pool that was grayish-purple.  It was horrid, simply horrid as far a colors go.

Something very similar happens when you attempt to ‘mix’ Christianity with other religions.  The ‘mixture’ will always be a horrible distortion of all the elements that are mixed, a frightful shade of grey spirituality that is both ugly and worthless.  Some things just don’t mix well.  The Christian faith is one of those.

The Gospel In Parking Tickets?

Christian Group to Pay Off $10K in Strangers' Parking Tickets

The Associated Press reports that a Christian group in Boise, Idaho, will offer those guilty of traffic violations a special Christmas gift. Last year, the Grace Gift Parable giveaway paid off almost $7,500 in unpaid parking tickets for passerby at City Hall. This year, thanks to area businesses and various churches in Treasure Valley, the group hopes to give away up to $10,000. Organizers plan to gather on Dec. 12 in front of City Hall and see what happens.  Montie Ralstin, Jr., the pastor at Boise Valley Christian Communion, says the event is to help people understand that even though they've made mistakes, forgiveness is available.

Kent comments:

Try as I might, I can’t help seeing this sort of thing as lame.  It seems that some Christians must spend their time dreaming up these cutesy ideas to try to bribe people into thinking about their spiritual condition or the Christian faith.  But the more I think about such things, the more desperation-driven they appear.

What about the cross as a way to help people understand the forgiveness is available?  (Not trendy enough, I suppose.)

I suppose there is some remote gospel analogy in paying off parking tickets for people.  (Christ pays the penalty for our sin and so forth.)  But the analogy, even if it exists, breaks down at a key point.  We must come to God in faith and repentance in order to receive forgiveness of sins.  I’m not sure how you work that into the parking ticket scheme.

It’s as though many have decided that the gospel has lost enough of its “power of God to salvation” that it needs some help.  We supply that ‘help’ with a slick marketing scheme, we execute that scheme, and then we “gather in front of City Hall and see what happens.”

Well, I suppose it’s their money, and I hope it makes some parking ticket recipient think about God’s forgiveness.  But I’m sorry to say that, on further review, it still seems lame.

Eat That Pancake

An Arizona woman said she was given peace and comfort from an unlikely source -- a pancake bearing an image she said resembles the Virgin Mary.

Bianca Lopez said she was cooking Batter Blaster pancakes for her family a few days before Thanksgiving at their Glendale home and she noticed the image of Jesus' mother looking back at her from the final pancake of the batch, KNXV-TV, Phoenix, reported Thursday. "I think it's God's way of telling us that the holidays aren't just about presents. It's about... spending time with your family and friends and telling us to not forget about him, that he's always there watching over us and taking care of us,"

Lopez said. Lopez said she is keeping the pancake safe in her freezer until she can decide what to do with it.

Kent Comments:

I know it’s never safe to say “never” – but just this once, I will!

I always have to wonder in these cases.  How does this lady know that the image “looking back at her” from the pancake (I’m trying to contain myself here) is that of “Jesus’ mother”?  Has she ever seen Jesus’ mother?  Who on earth could have the slightest idea of her appearance?  Enough of that . . .

God has a way of telling us what we ought to be and do.  It, thankfully, does not depend upon trying to find images in pancakes.  When the Word became flesh that event was predicted, announced, and interpreted by the words of prophets and Apostles, the collection of which we call the Bible.

So my advice is this:  while you are eating the pancake, read your Bible.  I know that sounds far too simple for many, but what can I say?

To Video Clip, or Not to Video Clip

I was asked to comment on this:

I see preachers who believe deeply in preaching use visual images as one more resource for effective communication. When it is used well, it is simply another illustrative tool that helps engage young adults with truth in a visual language they understand. In that sense, it follows in the tradition of Jesus' own preaching and teaching, which was not only packed with word-crafted images, but filled with object lessons (coins, wheat fields, fig trees and so on) that would be quite comparable to the use of a brief video clip in our own age. . . let's not attack or belittle those faithful preachers in a new generation who find such tools helpful as they seek to proclaim the Word of God.

Kent comments:

I don’t think it is an attack on anyone to point out that reliance on multi-media presentations could threaten preaching.  Multi-media presentations are always designed at some level to be entertaining.  But that is not the heart of the problem.  As many have pointed out, when we watch video clips our minds become passive.  This is significantly and qualitatively different from the active engagement required when we listen to a live presentation by a human speaker or when we read.

While I would not claim that this distinction means preachers should never use video clips, for example, it does suggest that we must be very careful indeed with a medium that makes us passive, and that (especially in our culture) signals ‘entertainment’ to most people.

Your counter-claim is that this ‘follows in the tradition of Jesus’ own preaching and teaching’ because he used object lessons.  But object lessons are not in the same category as video clips.  Jesus’ object lessons did not place people in the passive mode that our video-TV-movie medium does – in fact, Jesus approach did just the opposite.

The mere fact that some people ‘seek to proclaim the Word of God’ does not by itself mean that any technique they might use is neutral.  The claim that ‘a new generation finds such tools helpful’ could just as well be explained by the observation that some in recent generations are addicted to entertainment and do not like to engage in the mental effort required to follow preaching.  How much to pander to that attitude when preaching is debatable, but the existence and dangers of that attitude cannot be denied.

Campus Contradictions

The Northerner > Viewpoints

Apology from the newsroom

By Tim Owens
Print Editor-in-Chief

Published: Wednesday, November 11, 2009

In the last two issues, The Northerner ran an ad for a business called Resistance Records. The ad was cut-and-dry. It listed all of the types of music it sells and listed its URL at the bottom. But after this past weekend, we found the intent behind the ad was not so cut-and-dry.

Via an inquiry from Channel 12 News, who got the tip from a concerned reader, we found that Resistance Records is a business that promotes white supremacy.

After investigating the validity of this right after I got the call, I made the decision to immediately halt all business with Resistance Records. While it is not illegal to run ads of this nature, we at The Northerner see it as an ethical issue.  We do not wish to be in business with groups or organizations that promote any form of racism, sexism, ageism, or any other form of discrimination. While issues of this nature are dependent on who runs The Northerner each semester, it was my decision that the paper, for this semester, will not advertise with this business or other businesses like it.

Kent comments:

The Northerner is a college newspaper.  They can run the ads they want, of course.  But on college campuses there has been and remains a glaring contradiction.  Universities often loudly proclaim that they are places where ideas, even unpopular ones, can be explored.

The problem is that only some unpopular ideas are allowed an airing on most campuses.  For example, a few years ago at the university referred to in this article Angela Davis was a speaker.  When leftist statists air their views on campus and any objection is made, the reply comes that, while we don’t necessarily endorse these views, the university is a place where any idea can be explored.

But if the idea in question approves of ‘racism, sexism, ageism, or any other form of discrimination’ it is instantly squelched when discovered.  While I do not approve of any of these views, universities cannot have it both ways.  Either we can explore all ideas on campus, or we cannot.  If we can, then even very distasteful, even ethically objectionable, ideas must be allowed on campus.  If we cannot explore all ideas on campus, then universities must be just as quick to squelch any idea that anyone finds objectionable for the sake of making campuses comfortable for everyone.

This continuing attempt by universities to proclaim free expression while at the same time prohibiting a certain category of ideas (bad as they may be) is a bit of hypocritical inconsistency that someone should have the courage to correct.

 

Not Interested?

Yawning at the Word

It's really hard to listen to God when there are really interesting things to think about.

Mark Galli | posted 11/05/2009 10:33AM [Christianity Today]

When I preach, I often quote the Bible to drive home my point. I think it more persuasive to show that what I'm saying is not merely my opinion but a consistent theme of Scripture. And to avoid the impression that I'm proof-texting or lifting verses out of context, I quote longer passages—anywhere from 2 to 6 verses.

When I did this at one church, a staff member whom I'd asked for feedback between services told me to cut down on the Scripture quotations. "You'll lose people," he said.

I understood the reality he was addressing, and so I scratched out the biblical references for the next sermon. But lately I'm beginning to question that move, and wondering, Why have we become so impatient and bored with the Word of God?

Kent comments:

While the author of this article goes on to deplore this situation in his own way, I would like to offer a slightly different perspective.  Why do we assume that most people will be interested in hearing the word of God?

Of course, they should be but that is a very different matter from will be.

This is a theme that is found throughout the (and I hope no one will be bored when I say this) the Bible.  When Jesus sent out the disciples on their little ‘mission tour’ of Israel, He knew that some places would find few who were interested.  He told the disciples in those cases to move on to those who were interested.  Jesus one time told a story about seed falling on different kinds of ground.  On some kinds of ground – and the kinds of ground map to kinds of people – the word is not well-received.  Jesus made this very clear.

Of course, in the article from CT the author is talking about people at a church.  You might think people at a church would be intensely interested in the word of God.  Here is a little advice for people at a church who are put off by hearing ‘too much’ of the Bible:  go home.

Go home or to the ball game or to the restaurant, or wherever it is you would rather be.  You don’t belong at a gathering of the church.  Should you become intensely interested in the word of God, then come back to the assembly of the saints.

But if six verses of the Bible is too much at once for you at church, you have no business being there in the first place.  While you are waiting to meet the Author of that word, parked in front of the TV might be a better place for you.  At least you will be entertained while you are waiting.