Christianity & July 4th

I stumbled upon an article today about Independence Day & Christianity. The article challenges some of our assumptions and understanding of what we are really celebrating and the implications of it. Though hard to swallow, I find myself agreeing with the author. Here is a quote from the article:

No matter what position you hold in regards to being a Christian and war (I happen to hold to nonviolence), I believe we cannot justify glorifying the ‘winning’ of our independence from our friends across the pond. How can we celebrate that we killed thousands upon thousands of people because they were taxing us without giving us representation in parliament?

What do you think? Jump over to Sojourners for the full article.

Redesign: Simplifying

On July 3, 2010
By James
In Etc., Web
0

A new design for a new season! It had been too long with a design that I didn’t like much. So, I decided to simplify. Cutting out unintentional graphic elements, the new design focuses on what is important: content. That is one thing that I’ve learned recently. Design choices must be intentional to be effective.

What inspired my choice is that in the past I’ve worried about something that looked good and never wrote much. And now I’m going to start to write. But not about what I think I should be writing about. I’m going to write about me, my life, and what I happen to be interested.

And I’m excited for the change.

For those who may not know what the old design looked like, here are before and after screenshots.

Power of Being Maladjusted

“But there are some things in our social system to which I am proud to be maladjusted and to which I suggest you too ought to be maladjusted. I never intend to adjust myself to the viciousness of mob-rule. I never intend to adjust myself to the evils of segregation and the crippling effects of discrimination. I neve intend to adjust myself to the tragic inequalities of an economic system that takes necessities from the masses to give luxuries to the classes. I never intend to become adjusted to the madness of militarism and the self-defeating method of physical violence. I call upon you to be maladjusted….

The Best Part of iTunes Store

On June 2, 2009
By James
In Etc.
1

Right now, everyone is talking about all the cool and fun iPhone apps that are available, but no one is talking about arguably the best thing you can do on iTunes: reading song reviews.

Where else can you get hours worth of entertainment from people bashing popular music, while having a live preview of the junk? I don’t know. I spent about 20 minutes reading the great reviews for the Black Eyed Peas’ single “Boom Boom Pow.”

Here is probably my favorite review to date:

Journey to the Cross

On February 24, 2009
By James
In Etc.
0

Growing up, I thought Lent was just something that the Catholics did. For the past three years, I’ve been coming back to this website for the Lenten season. There has been something profoundly spiritual and meaningful in taking part in this rich Christian tradition.

Journey to the Cross is a daily devotional website that walks through Lent through it’s individual devotions. The simple, serene environment of the website encourages a meditative and reflective demeanor. For those who are searching for a way to take part in the Lenten season, you’ll want to visit journeytothecross.org.