It Could Be Worse

The blogosphere is hotting up in the wake of the Jerry Springer – The Opera "scandal" — mostly free-speech advocates equating Christian=Right Wing Nutjob and not-outraged Christians actually looking beyond the swearing and so-called blasphemy to the message that was actually in the show.

Maggi Dawn goes into the issue in some length, but here’s a snippet. As usual, her blog is well worth a read.

The tragedy the opera highlights is the moral vacuity of a society that in the end, does nothing much more than "Eat, excrete and watch TV", and looks to celebrities for their hope and inspiration. Rather than an offence against God, I thnk it’s a strong statement against a Godless, individualistic, celebrity-obsessed society.

To any non-Christians stopping by (especially of the free speech / anti-censorship persuasion): please remember that Christian Voice don’t speak for all of us. Thanks.

Hey, y’all. By trying to get the BBC transmission of Jerry Springer: The Opera stopped, you’ve done the following:

1. Given the show far more publicity than it previously had, or arguably deserved. There are people who didn’t know about the show before the protests but who will now be watching, with some relish, I would have thought.
2. Confirmed the opinion in many non-Christians’ minds that we’re just a bunch of whinging killjoys.
3. Made us look, well, silly.

So stop it, OK? God’s big enough to take some criticism, so why can’t we be too? After all, why aren’t we so visibly offended that 6 million children under the age of 5 die every year as a result of hunger?

Keith (colleague) pointed me in the direction of BeliefNet, and their Belief-O-Matic questionnaire. Belief-O-Matic asks a series of questions, and then determines your compatibility with various belief systems.

I am 100% Orthodox Quaker, apparently.

Downtrodden Christ, to you we pray
who at the third hour of the day
were led away and nailed up high
in naked shame beneath the sky:
Show through the pain that scars your face
the love of God, and man’s disgrace.

Uplifted Christ, to you we pray
who at the sixth hour of the day
took all our guilt upon that tree
in darkness, blood, and agony:
Look on our pride and unbelief,
grant us repentance and relief.

Outstretching Christ, to you we pray
who at the ninth hour of the day
alone dismissed your final breath
and opened heaven by your death:
Come to our dying world and reign,
that we with you may live again.

© Christopher Idle (b. 1938)

The Stations of the Cross are a series of meditations based on the final journey of Jesus from his sentencing by Pilate to his burial. The original stations are in Jerusalem on the Via Dolorosa, the road along which Jesus carried his cross. The stations normally consist of 14 pictures although in Cookham we plan to use 9 stations.

goodfriday.org

There’s an interesting discussion (well, lots of interesting discussions, actually) going on over at cre8d, particularly about sermons: cre8d : journal.

Dear Dad & Mom,

Thanks for praying for my son Joshua NIYONZIMA, please receive a photo of Joshua that was taken at hospital just one day before we left the hospital on February 7, 2003. Thanks for your wonderful support of prayer.

Thanks,

Yours in Christ,

Deogratias’ Family.

I’ve just cleared out my inbox (my real – paper – one, that is) and I found a leaflet about World Vision’s 24-hour Famine, which was happening yesterday and today. We would have got our church youth group involved, had we known. http://www.worldvision.org.uk/church