I have been highly entertained this week, thanks to an old Saturday Night Live video and the #rickwarrentips Twitter meme. Of course, there were other good things this week as well.
1. On anger, Young Life camp, and love
Registered Runaway is one of my favorite bloggers. Three(!) posts grabbed my attention this week:
The Importance of Getting Angry
But maybe, if just for a spell, it can be the splash of water our hearts desperately need. Maybe sometimes, we’re just not angry enough. Maybe growth isn’t possible until we scorch the earth.
Same Sex Couples and Smokers Rock
When condoning and encouraging the illegal use (we were all under 18) of a harmful substance is okay, but two girls holding hands is a conflict of faith, you know there is something wrong with evangelicalism.
I am convinced that saying you love someone doesn’t count as love. I am also convinced that willing your mind to love someone that you’ve never reached out and touched, doesn’t add up to much.
Actually, you should probably just go subscribe to the blog.
2. On the rape of Bathsheba
Two great posts on the subject of David and Bathsheba highlight the skewed way in which contemporary conservative Christianity views womanhood and consent. Sarah Moon talks a little about her work on Christian dating books and recalls an appalling bit of dialogue from a Mother’s Day production in which she participated. Crystal S. Lewis breaks down the differences in two different commentaries on the story of David and Bathsheba and how the perception of “inviting rape” continues to permeate modern culture.
3. On Rick Warren, memes, and tweets gone horribly awry
The whole thing started with this tweet:
New churches: Buy land as soon as you can but delay building for as long as you can. Cant explain all the reasons here.
I have no idea whether all the retweets and favorites came before or after the meme started, but the above tweet sparked a days-long series of #rickwarrentips that all feature the phrase “Can’t explain all the reasons here.” For your entertainment, I’ve compiled my favorites into a Storify page. You can also read Tony Jones’ explanation (once the servers are functioning again; I’m assuming that there is a high traffic volume at the moment). Even Rick Warren himself got in on the fun with a few tweets bearing the hashtag.
4. On the culture of applause
Here’s the YouTube video of the SNL sketch I mentioned above. Yes, it’s old-ish; my excuse is that I don’t watch SNL anymore. Heck, I don’t watch any television anymore, other than the occasional episode of Phineas and Ferb or My Little Pony with my kids. Anyway, enjoy. It’s safe for work and/or children.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSjLiQxEZlM]
5. On my other blog
This week’s story was inspired by a tweet. Any resemblance between the characters and persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
6. On poetry and ebooks
Several of my fellow writers are sending submissions for a poetry ebook. If you write poetry and are interested in contributing (you know who you are), here is the submission form.
Have a great weekend!
