The Monday Tour: 2/13/06

Here is a positively incredible thing: a nine part (or is it 11) - and growing - series on "Jesus and Homosexuality" at Jesus Creed. Scot McKnight wrote a book by the same title. Anyway, the incredible thing is the civility and intelligence of the discussion in the comments - no flame wars. A must read: I think you should start at "Context: Defining Homosexuality 1" and work your way through in order. [Oh no, it's the "Emergent" Church! :-) ] (HT: Hannah Im)

Hannah is, BTW, "A Culture Warrior Gone AWOL"
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I almost cruised by this; but I will repeat Ashley's 5 Random Questions for her reason - to "leave you all with some silly and perhaps interesting questions to answer":

1. If you could name yourself something else than your name, what would it be and why?
2. What is one thing that continually frustrates you and why?
3. What's your favorite thing to eat for lunch?
4. How do you know when you've made the `right' decision when you come to a decision-making crossroads, so to speak?
5. What's the first thing you think of when your alarm clock goes off on a Monday?

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At Bagdaddee:

• "Man alsunnah wa man alshia: Historical Analysis", by Aldoctor, o the historical roots of the Shia - Sunni split
• For geeks, or just those interested in deeper understanding of some issues: "Re-engineering Iraq"

  U.S. and Iraqi officials have spent billions on restoring Iraq's electrical system. So why is Baghdad getting just 6 hours of electricity a day?

• "Bonfire of the Pieties" takes on one of the assumptions in the cartoon controversy and says "Islam prohibits neither images of Muhammad nor jokes about religion."

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Jeremy at Parableman takes on . . .

[Warning: people with even a modicum of intelligence should not click the kinism link without restraining their ability to throw their keyboard through a window. Also, reading on a full stomach is not recommended]

. . . kinism in "Neither Male nor Female, Jew nor Greek"
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"Has BYU prof found AIDS cure?" (HT: Sun Comprehending Glass.) That would be very, very nice.
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Important last minute advice to guys for Valentine's Day (pssst - its tomorrow) from Evangelical Outpost on "How to Write a Love Letter"
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This argument for abortion makes me cringe (to put it mildly): "The Rights of the Born" where Anne Lamont concludes:

But as a Christian and a feminist, the most important message I can carry and fight for is the sacredness of each human life, and reproductive rights for all women is a crucial part of that: It is a moral necessity that we not be forced to bring children into the world for whom we cannot be responsible and adoring and present. We must not inflict life on children who will be resented; we must not inflict unwanted children on society.

That is pure Orwellian "newspeak" - each life is sacred so we must not "inflict life on children" if they might be "resented"; or "inflict unwanted children on society". As the hat tip reporter asked:

"Lamott's reasoning - death is better than resentment - should come as a surprise to most normal human beings who have faced resentment and lived to tell about it. Should we be disappointed that life was inflicted on us?"

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Until next week