Samantha Pierce

So I'm hearing that some folk, displeased with the recent name change for Campus Crusade for Christ International's stateside campus ministry , are threatening to cut off financial support for the international ministry in protest. Okay. So my first thought upon hearing this was to wonder if the people threatening to cease their financial support realize that students across the US have been calling Campus Crusade for Christ "Cru", the new name they find so objectionable, for about 15 years now? My second thought was, do they realize that Campus Crusade for Christ International has a wide variety of ministries with many different names that do not specifically name Christ but nonetheless manage to represent Christ quite ably? Then I wondered if a simple name change was all it would really take for some people to abandon an organization that has faithfully operated with integrity for more than half a century. Campus Crusade for Christ International has ministri...

To mind my this is the only viable way to view autistic individuals. Wonderful, beautiful, gifted, challenged, a gift from God. Mike Huckabee and the Colsons: Beautiful, Christian Autism Segment on Fox News I love the commitment to family and to love beyond oneself that faith often awakens in others. This segment from Mike Huckabee's show on Fox News demonstrates how Christian values can open up a deeper and more meaningful conversation about people with autism than what we usually see on TV. The story of how Emily Colson and the people of her congregation figured out how to make her son Max not only feel included, but actually be an important part of their community isn't just about feeling good-- it's a great model. Start with the part that works well, then expand from there. Find what the autistic person can do and let him do it. Pay attention and create opportunities based on what he expresses interest in. and this is from someone who describes themselves as a...

I'm a bit late to the discussion about the scary evangelicals trying to take over the government. Honestly it seems like the usual boogie man created to scare people who want all of their worst stereotypes about evangelical Christians confirmed. Same old same old. This comment caught my eye the other day though. Bill Keller, Fiscal Conservatives and fear of a past that never existed “Unemployment is 9.1%, the economy is in the tank and you’re worried about a candidate’s position on how old the planet is?” After all to a guy who has just finished his 99 weeks of unemployment and is on food stamps no issue is more vital than if the world is 6000 or 600,000,000,000 billion years old! Well when you put it that way... Here's hoping that people recognize all of the fuss for the smoke and mirrors show that it is.

Evangelicals Question The Existence Of Adam And Eve ...some conservative scholars are saying publicly that they can no longer believe the Genesis account. Asked how likely it is that we all descended from Adam and Eve, Dennis Venema, a biologist at Trinity Western University, replies: "That would be against all the genomic evidence that we've assembled over the last 20 years, so not likely at all." "Evolution makes it pretty clear that in nature, and in the moral experience of human beings, there never was any such paradise to be lost," Schneider says. "So Christians, I think, have a challenge, have a job on their hands to reformulate some of their tradition about human beginnings." To many evangelicals, this is heresy. "From my viewpoint, a historical Adam and Eve is absolutely central to the truth claims of the Christian faith," says Fazale Rana, vice president of Reasons To Believe, an evangelical think tank that questions evolution...

Funny how political opportunists have such a hard time believing someone would do something because they think it's the right thing to do rather than the politically expedient thing to do. Gov. Perry Tries To Keep Focus On God, Not Politics In the weeks leading up to it, the gathering had been widely criticized as a cynical creation of the governor to get an early lock on the religious right. Critics took note of the involvement of religious/political activists — men like David Lane and David Barton, well known in the Lone Star State for their talents at mobilizing Christian voters. Perry shrugged off such talk. "He's a wise God and he's wise enough to not be affiliated with any political party," he said to applause. Outside, protesters lined the sidewalk, holding signs that read slogans like, "Pastor Perry Must Resign." Some of the demonstrators belonged to an atheist organization that sued unsuccessfully to stop the event, called The Response. ...

Beijing police halt unapproved church service . I take a certain amount of pleasure in the knowledge that despite all of the machinations of the Chinese government there is still a thriving christian community in China. The NPR story on this, China Cracks Down On Christians At Outdoor Service , reports the following: As the worshippers prayed, a policeman appeared in the distance, speaking into his walkie-talkie. I asked the young man whether it would be worth it getting arrested for this, "As long as they don't hang any other labels on me," he replied. "If they say I was detained for my faith, it would be worth it. But if they say there are other political factors, that would be far from the truth." *** The young man spoke up in prayer. "Our brothers and sisters have been detained," he said, but he went on to thank God for this place to worship. All the while, the net of security was slowly closing in. As the service ended, the inevitable happe...

At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Phillipians 2:10, 11 A stunningly beautiful collision of cultures. 2000 year old religion, rooted in Judaism, practiced by Asians, in a style developed by the descendants of Africans and Europeans in the North American continent. Fascinating on so many levels.

Exodus 20:16 (English Standard Version) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Some weeks ago I read some excerpts from the blog of someone who identified as a Christian and was a leader in their church. This person indulged in the kind of conspiracy fear mongering that is so prevalent on the internet. It struck me that making baseless clams that the entirety of the medical profession (except for a few brave souls who agree with you), the government (except for a few brave souls who agree with you), and research scientists (again except for the few who agree with you) are in a global conspiracy to harm people is a clear violation of the commandment that believers not bear false witness against others. This kind of behaviour , conspiracy fear mongering, seriously damages our Christian witness. Christians really ought to know and behave better.

I'm in the 270th Christian Carnival this week. Check it out.

I cringed when I heard the opening lines of this story on NPR, In Quiverfull Movement, Birth Control Is Shunned . I don't consider myself one of the quiverfull but with four kids I've gone over the arbitrary limit of two that some consider acceptable. I always have to resist the urge to roll my eyes whenever someone incredulously comments on how many children I have. One of these days I am going to respond to, "Why do you have so many kids?" with, "Well killing them or abandoning them for someone else to raise weren't really options for me so I had to suck it up and raise them myself." (I really wish that people would stop and think before interrogating me about to my choice to have the children I have about how they sound to someone who may not be able to have any.) Those confused as to why I have "so many" kids certainly don't understand the nuances of allowing for divine intervention in family planning. If God really really wants you to...

This is a distinction I wish more people would comprehend, The pope, the president and politics of faith A religious leader must say, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," while a head of state must follow the maxim, "Do unto others before they do unto you." There are also the following observations, For the first time, perhaps, since the time of Mohammed, large parts of the Islamic world are vulnerable to Christian efforts to convert them, for tens of millions of Muslims now dwell as minorities in predominantly Christian countries. The Muslim migration to Europe is a double-edged sword. Eventually this migration may lead to a Muslim Europe, but it also puts large numbers of Muslims within reach of Christian missionaries for the first time in history. The Lord works in mysterious ways, no? Muslims are in dialogue with a pope who evidently does not merely want to exchange pleasantries about coexistence, but to convert them. This no doubt will offend Mu...

Increasingly more and more business owners and religious groups are up against the wall so to speak regarding their views on gay marriage ( Gay Rights, Religious Liberties: A Three-Act Story ). More often than not in court cases religious convictions with regard to this issue take a back seat to what are deemed to be gay rights. With the recent California court decision striking down a ban on gay marriage going into effect ( Gay Marriages Begin in California ) more and more religious entities and individuals will find themselves caught in the conflict between their religious convictions and gay rights. This leads me to this question, should the current trend to put gay rights (how ever they are defined) before religious freedom continue are religious individuals and entities willing to suffer for their convictions? Is the business owner ready to loose their business rather than violate their religious convictions? Is the church ready to be beaten with whatever stick the government choo...

Cross posted at Say Anything: Reader blogs . Below are two recent posts from Autism Vox . One is about the refreshing recognition that autistic individuals and other individuals with disabilities should be included in religious communities. The other is a disturbing demonstration that not everyone is willing to make that happen. Autism and Faith: A Journey into Community Autism and Faith: A Journey into Community is a new resource for clergy, religious educators, and families of autistic children to develop “inclusive spiritual supports” for autistic individuals in religious settings. The 52-page guide was developed by the Autism and Faith Task Force of COSAC , New Jersey’s main autism organization, and the Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities , which is in the Department of Pediatrics at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Priest Files Restraining Order Against Parents of Autistic 13-year-old This story about a Catholic priest filing a restraining order agai...

Cross posted at Say Anything: Reader blogs . The cold weather and the recent remarks by Jeremiah Wright have enticed me to break my blog fast. The short version of my thoughts is that Wright is trying to hijack Christianity for his own purposes and he is trying tar and feather black Christians in America specifically with his views. The long version is thus. The things that Wright has been saying recently are not new. I've heard them many times before, usually right before someone starts laughing. Anybody seen the movie Undercover Brother ? Pay close attention to the character Conspiracy Brother. He and Wright would get along famously. I can't take credit for coming up with that comparison. I adapted it from a commenter on this post . But I digress. Wright's proclamation that the negative reactions to his remarks are an attack on the "black church" was just too much. To attempt to tar black Christians in America with his views is...I'm trying to find the righ...

Today is supposed to be the day of reckoning for a select group of prosperity gospel megachurches. 'Prosperity Gospel' Churches' Spending Reports Due . Monday is the deadline for some popular mega-churches to report to Congress on how they spend their money. These churches all preach wealth as an essential part of faith. Steve Inskeep speaks with religion professor Anthea Butler about "prosperity gospel." These churches have long been critisied for unethical financial practices. I'm not expecting much. There is something firmly planted in the American mind that the government can't hold religious types accountable for their actions. Things never go well when religious folk think themselves above or outside of secular law and responsibilities. That's the same kind of attitude that perpetuates the Catholic priest child sex abuse scandals. Previous posts: What are they doing with the church people's money? Televangelist Scandal for a new generation

Cross posted at Say Anything: Reader blogs . So much for striving to be above reproach. Televangelist refuses to turn over more financial documents Georgia televangelist Creflo Dollar is refusing to turn over any more financial documents to the Senate Finance Committee, even though they are overdue. Five of the six ministries have either turned over documents or asked Grassley for more time, which the senator readily agreed to give them. But Dollar and his World Changers Church have refused, and he's hired a lawyer. He said if Grassley wants more information he'll have to subpoena him to testify before the committee. The Iowa senator is surprised by Dollar's ultimatum. "If he sticks to his guns," Grassley said, "this will be the first nonprofit that I know of that hasn't cooperated with us over the last five or six years." Norman: Grassley runs into resistance from preachers The deadline arrived on Thursday for six televangelists to respond to Sen. C...

Cross posted at Say Anything: Reader blogs . Whatever they've been doing with it they are starting to get noticed by the government, Senator Probes Megachurches' Finances . I imagine some folk are mighty uncomfortable with the light that's about to hit their lives. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, expects responses this week from half a dozen of the country's largest churches to questions about their finances. Grassley has taken on megachurches, where millions of dollars are raised with little oversight. In letters that Grassley sent to the churches last month, he wonders whether the lavish lifestyles of the ministers violate the churches' tax-exempt status. Before anyone gets too giddy with claims of religious persecution remember that the Bible calls all members of the Body of Christ (aka Christians everywhere and everywhen for those who don't speak the Christianese too good), including the leaders of megachurches, ...

Cross posted at Say Anything: Reader blogs Iowa's Christian Conservatives Seeking Candidate I'm not sure which is more irritating, media stories framing religious involvement in politics as religious leaders telling their followers who to vote for or the religious leaders, particularly Christian religious leaders, who think that is appropriate to tell their followers who they should vote for. The pastor interviewed was very careful to note that what he was talking about was what was important to him in deciding who to vote for and to note that those are likely to be things that are also important to other Christians. As much as the media spends time talking about how religious leaders, particularly Christian leaders, instruct their followers who to vote for I wonder how often that actually happens. The whole notion bespeaks the stereotype that religious people just follow along where they are lead. Any Christian religious leader is free to stand up and say which candidate they ...

Today I am thankful for this reminder: But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Matthew 5:44-47 Back to work then.

I made costumes for the kids tonight. I'm not a big fan of Halloween. In fact I'll be glad when the Sci Fi channel gets back to science fiction after the glut of bad monster/zombie films that they have been playing lately. But the kids like dressing up. Since we watched Prince of Egypt a gazillion times this summer and since Ethan has been carrying around a stick demanding that various friends, family members and inanimate objects let his people go I decided to dress the kids up as characters from the Exodus story in the Bible. Ethan gets to be Moses since he's the one with the stick. Isaiah gets to be Aaron since he's a brother and all. Sophia had a choice of being either Miriam or Zipporah and she chose to be Zipporah. That leaves me as Miriam I guess. I suggested to hubby that he could be Jethro, Zipporah's father, but his only response was, "I have to teach tomorrow." I riffled through my stash of fabric and clothes to find something to make costumes ...