A Few Scattered Thoughts

So instead of going too in-depth into any of some of my thoughts, I thought I'd just list out a few that have been going through my mind recently:

1) I've been realizing how people's geographical setting/ubringing, as well as the time period in which they grew up in affects their theology. Without pointing to specifics, I have pinpointed one Christian author/pastor/leader as coming from the hippy-era. He is pro-love, pro-peace, pro-everyone has their own thoughts/relativism. His age matches up and it makes perfect sense with what his ministry surrounds and focuses on. The second person I started thinking about came from the Cold War-era. His views on issues of good and bad are clear. He sees a specific thing as being the bad thing, and then goes about making the bad thing as bad as possible (just like the crisis between America and the then USSR). It's kind of funny that the movie Watchmen sparked this revelation, but then you don't really ever know where thoughts will come from.

2) I heard a guy say the other day that he was tired of "just" reading the Bible. Coming from a guy that has heavily debated the relevance of the Bible and its authenticity, I can say from experience that anyone that says they are tired of just reading the Bible...to me that yells out the fact that they were never really reading the Bible intently in the first place. That they gave it a shot, didn't get the right response/outcome they wanted and gave up on it, discrediting the importance to reading the Bible.

And lastly...
3) I'm reading Dinesh D'Souza's What's So Great About Christianity? right now. It's a very interesting book that I'm juggling with a handful of other books (including a book written by a Muslim analyzing American history since the Vietnam war, as seen by the Islamic communtiy). And within the first three chapters a phrase that he used struck a chord with me that has been reverberating since. The phrase is "practical atheism", and it is when those that admit they believe in God live as if they don't believe in his existence. I feel as if this is a very accurate way to label a lot of Christians. I am hoping to be a small group leader at one of the groups on campus next year, and this theme may come up a few times: without any religious jargon, without any moralistic reasoning (as Christian morals are not solely Christian), why do you believe what Jesus says is true? Should be an interesting discussion, and I'm sure one that will make a few people sqirm in their chairs.

So here are the thoughts at present. Hope to be writing more soon.