TheMorningFive 06/16/08
Political debates, Darwinists, drama clubs and more ...
Hope everyone had a good weekend and a great Father's Day. Here's your Monday edition of the Morning Five ...
1. Acts of God
The L.A. Times has posted this story about the Christian theater movement that is on the rise with faith-based writers and performers gaining more prominence in the world of drama. The story talks about a new, creative generation that is producing plays that are more than just the Easter productions and Passions plays of the past.
2. Darwin Debates
A United Church of Christ pastor is making news for a new book in which he says that God used evolution as a means of creation. According to this story in The New York Times (provocatively titled “Darwinist for Jesus”), the book Thank God for Evolution has garnered criticism from traditional creationists like Creation Museum founder Ken Ham who said the writings are “no different from what an evolutionary atheist would preach”. But author Michael Dowd says he offers a “God-glorifying, Christ-edifying, Scripture-honoring way of thinking about evolution.”
3. Political Showdown
Speaking of hot-button debates, Beliefnet’s latest Blogalogue is a debate between social activist Jim Wallis and David Klinghoffer, author of the new book How Would God Vote? Why the Bible Commands You to Be a Conservative (now that’s a zinger a of title!). The two have squared off in a pretty heated dialogue over what party of affiliation most closely aligns with scripture.
4. Give It Away
How does our slipping economy effect American’s charitable giving? Accord to this story, though Americans still give lots of money away to people in need, disaster victims and select causes (more than $295 billion in 2006), that number may be sliding until the economy is corrected.
5. What's in Name?
And finally, on a lighter note, an Illinois-based artists, who is also a local bus driver, has legally changed his name to “In God We Trust.” The 57-year-old said that he wanted to changed his first name to “In God” and his last name to “We Trust” to show people how God helped him through tough times in his life. This, according to his friend “One Nation.”
1. Acts of God
The L.A. Times has posted this story about the Christian theater movement that is on the rise with faith-based writers and performers gaining more prominence in the world of drama. The story talks about a new, creative generation that is producing plays that are more than just the Easter productions and Passions plays of the past.
2. Darwin Debates
A United Church of Christ pastor is making news for a new book in which he says that God used evolution as a means of creation. According to this story in The New York Times (provocatively titled “Darwinist for Jesus”), the book Thank God for Evolution has garnered criticism from traditional creationists like Creation Museum founder Ken Ham who said the writings are “no different from what an evolutionary atheist would preach”. But author Michael Dowd says he offers a “God-glorifying, Christ-edifying, Scripture-honoring way of thinking about evolution.”
3. Political Showdown
Speaking of hot-button debates, Beliefnet’s latest Blogalogue is a debate between social activist Jim Wallis and David Klinghoffer, author of the new book How Would God Vote? Why the Bible Commands You to Be a Conservative (now that’s a zinger a of title!). The two have squared off in a pretty heated dialogue over what party of affiliation most closely aligns with scripture.
4. Give It Away
How does our slipping economy effect American’s charitable giving? Accord to this story, though Americans still give lots of money away to people in need, disaster victims and select causes (more than $295 billion in 2006), that number may be sliding until the economy is corrected.
5. What's in Name?
And finally, on a lighter note, an Illinois-based artists, who is also a local bus driver, has legally changed his name to “In God We Trust.” The 57-year-old said that he wanted to changed his first name to “In God” and his last name to “We Trust” to show people how God helped him through tough times in his life. This, according to his friend “One Nation.”