On Praise and Worship Music: An Essay to its Cultured Despisers
“Praise and worship” music is one of the most oft-evoked and heavily contested markers of evangelical Protestantism in the United States. Its most vocal advocates herald praise and worship and its meteoric rise since the 1960s as nothing less than the rebirth of Western Christianity, citing its unique ability to attract an entire generation of “lost sheep” into the fold. On the other hand, its most virulent critics condemn praise and worship as dangerous or blatantly... Read More
I “Like” Christianity
When Mark Zuckerberg (and others) developed Facebook some 7 years ago, part of the vision behind its creation was to transform the way people related and interacted. The newly developed Facebook was a venue of sorts, which afforded people an opportunity to openly give and receive information. It is more than obvious that Zuckerberg has succeeded in his efforts (though one may challenge the use of the word “succeed”). In any event, Facebook has (almost) singlehandedly... Read More
Christmas, Community, & Meaning
In the land of the network shows, almost every show has an annual Christmas episode. There is little surprise in most of these. Recurrent themes of family, giving, and peace run rampant through these episodes, and all are assigned to be part of the Christmas spirit. Very little new ground is explored. However on the Christmas episode of the show Community, the minefield of our society’s fascination with Christmas is traipsed upon. The episode, “Abed’s Uncontrollable... Read More
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