Category: Culture
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What really happens at Hume Lake
Read more: What really happens at Hume Lake[vc_row full_width=”” parallax=”” parallax_image=”” animation=”” animation_delay=”” fullwidth=”no” bg_type=”solid_color” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” video_texture=”” fw_columns=”” fw_same_height=”” border=”” waved_border_top=”” waved_border_bottom=”” top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”0″][vc_column width=”1/1″ animation=”” animation_delay=””][vc_column_text]This past week I had the opportunity to experience Hume Lake as a counselor. With nervous excitement, I made the almost 5 hour trip on a bus full of ecstatic kids aging from 4th grade to…
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Why I Kissed Christian Fiction Goodbye (Part One)
Read more: Why I Kissed Christian Fiction Goodbye (Part One)I grew up, like most Christians, immersed by Christian culture. Left Behind books, Kirk Cameron movies, Tee-shirts with Christian knock-off slogans. Half of me lived in this realm, the other half lived in secular culture. Stephen King, Jim Carey movies, and non-knock off tee-shirts. All people, Christian or not, care about culture. We want our…
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Five Reasons Thesis Writing is Nothing Like Running a Marathon
Read more: Five Reasons Thesis Writing is Nothing Like Running a MarathonTime and again, through the course of my studies at the PhD level, I have heard the phrase “Remember, it’s not a sprint but a marathon” used metaphorically to describe the process an individual engages in when writing a PhD thesis (especially here in the UK). I thought, as part of an exercise of writing…
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#Love
Read more: #LoveUnless you have been off-line for the last few weeks, the 21st century equivalent of living under a rock, it would be hard to miss the ongoing celebration of love that has swept America. The context of this is, of course, the recent SCOTUS ruling on same-sex marriage. Pithy sayings well worthy of the hashtag…
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The American Church: Ark or Kingdom?
Read more: The American Church: Ark or Kingdom?At many points in its colored history, the church’s unity and its holiness have appeared to come into conflict. On one side, people argue, “The only way we can call ourselves holy, is by staying united. Unity is holiness.”
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Inside Out and the Power of Emotions
Read more: Inside Out and the Power of EmotionsJoy. Sadness. Anger. Disgust. Fear. These emotions are the key figures in Disney’s film, Inside Out. Last week, I watched the movie and enjoyed the interplay between the different emotions as characters inside Riley’s head. The movie shows how the different emotions operate and communicate inside of her, and how each of her memories are…
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The Age of Angst and the Death of Calvinism
Read more: The Age of Angst and the Death of Calvinism[vc_row full_width=”” parallax=”” parallax_image=”” animation=”” animation_delay=”” fullwidth=”no” bg_type=”solid_color” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” video_texture=”” fw_columns=”” fw_same_height=”” border=”” waved_border_top=”” waved_border_bottom=”” top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”0″][vc_column width=”1/1″ animation=”” animation_delay=””][vc_column_text]I became what some might call a Calvinist my junior year in High school. Going to a Dutch Reformed private school where I took a “Reformed Perspectives” class certainly aided this process. I had resisted of…
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The Power of Social Media
Read more: The Power of Social MediaHave you ever thought twice about posting something on social media? Maybe it was a not-so-flattering picture of yourself, or maybe it was a random thought that would be best to keep to yourself. It’s interesting how much we try to shape and manage our image on social media. Recently, I’ve been reading, So You’ve…
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Days of Dross and Deeper Poetry
Read more: Days of Dross and Deeper PoetryThere are so many weddings in June. The arrival of the long-expected day and the celebration of unity contains, in part, a kind of poetic enchantment that lingers like the small flames of tea lights on the banquet tables. I taste, if just for an evening, a sip of greater beauty. Then I drive home, change…
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Russell Moore and the Culture Wars
Read more: Russell Moore and the Culture WarsLiving in the UK for the last few years has given me a lot of time and space to observe the relationship between the church and politics in the Unites States with a bit of breathing room. I don’t have any profound thoughts to share just now, but I have been greatly encouraged reading the…