Postmodern Renaissance Culture Revolutionary

Okay, I need to explain that quite a bit. There is not a Power Ranger Bible. But there is a new line of Bibles that are related to the Power Rangers. Let's go back a few years. A guy named Walt Disney really changed the way the world looked at cartoons. From Mickey Mouse to Snow White, animated art became a major cultural machine. In Japan, Osamu Tezuka was influenced by Disney and brought those techniques, with a uniquely Japanese flavor, to Japanese reading audiences. This art form, called manga, became a huge cultural medium and remains so today. Manga is also more than just comic strips. They are visual storytelling. This form of story telling easily translated to animated medium. "Cartoons" based on manga art form, called anime, began to be popular in the 1970's. Some of those shows were shown in the U.S. and gained a following here. One of the earliest that I remember was Battle of the Planets. There was also Voltron, Defender of the Universe. This show in par...

I was perusing the local Cokesbury store yesterday. And if you read the last blog then let me reassure you that I did NOT buy any new books. But in wandering up and down the aisles I saw a couple of new titles that just struck a dissonant chord with me. For some strange reason, the "Gospel According to..." are popping up all the time. I had a copy of the "Gospel According to Peanuts" from a few years back (it went into the pile). There are perspectives on the Gospel from Harry Potter, Star Wars (which really confuzzles me), and Science Fiction available. Well this morning I queued up my son Andrew's favorite series: The Superfriends. Yep, the 1970's/1980's television depiction of the Justice League: Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Robin, Aquaman, and the Wonder Twins. Andrew likes the later shows with some of the other DC heroes (his current favorites are Green Lantern and Firestorm). Fortunately Cartoon Network's Boomerang Channel provides plenty of...

One of the downsides of moving is, well, moving. Lisa and I have spent some wonderful quality time packing boxes of, ahem, "treasured mementos". As I sit in my office, I am faced with the overwhelming task of packing books. Lots of books. Multiple bookcases of books. And the only comfort I have is in knowing that other ministers are faced with the same task. As I was hitting my morning blog rounds, I stumbled across this blog post via lifehacker.com . Bringing Your Bookshelves Back to Order There are some great tips about going through your bookcase and determining what to keep and what to discard. I just had a conversation with Lisa about gleaning the bookcases. I have already made one pass on books I know that I don't want or need anymore. But I knew that there is a second pass that needs to happen. And this one will be a little more painful. It's funny what we get attached to over time. I have books that I really don't have any need for (old college textbooks ...

We observed MLK day last week. Has this made everyone racial sensitive? This is what I saw first thing this morning as I went through my morning hot sheets: United Methodist News Service: Commentary: An invitation to evangelical white males A UMNS Commentary By Bill Mefford* April 9, 2008 Bill Mefford A few months ago, I attended a conference in Memphis, Tenn., where a Texas judge, who identified himself as a white, evangelical male, made a remarkable statement. He called himself "the most discriminated-against person on the face of this earth!" United Methodist video examines ‘white privilege’ A UMNS Report By Kathy L. Gilbert* April 9, 2008 In a church fellowship hall, a long line of people are beginning to realize that many of them live with "an invisible, unearned advantage" based on the color of their skin. They listen and respond as the Rev. Marion Miller, pastor at St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, reads a list of commands in an exercise...

One of the top news stories of the last 24 hours has been the raid on the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints property in Texas. The raid by authorities was prompted by an anonymous phone call from a caller identifying herself as a 16 year old who had been married when she was 15, had a child, and had been abused. The authorities removed women and children from the compound while detaining male members of the organization at the compound. The authorities still have not been able to identify the girl who made the initial phone call. I do not know the whole story of this situation. But as I watch the reaction to this group, I'm getting a little edgy. There is a lot of use of the words abuse and brainwashing. And all of this is coming from people outside of the organization. Those outside of the group have a different standard, a different world view, than those inside the group. Perhaps I am worried how far the definitions of abuse and brainwashing will be appl...

A week ago, I got the call that informed me that I will be appointed to a new church. My family will be moving to the Panhandle of Oklahoma. I will be serving the Turpin and Baker UMChurches. Lisa and I are excited about the possibilities. But moving into a new setting always brings questions. So, for anyone from the new churches who may end up reading this, here are some of the answers you will be wanting to know. What do we call you? Pastor, preacher, brother, Hey You? What you call a pastor depends on your background and tradition. I don’t expect anyone to call me anything specific. But here are some helpful guidelines: • Reverend is a formal title best used for official address and invitations or business letters • Pastor is what I do and my relationship to the church. It is fine for people to call me Pastor Todd. Or even just Pastor. • Preacher is also what I do. I don’t mind people calling me Preacher. • “Hey, you” is perfectly fine until you get to know me. • Above all...