Stranger in a Strange Land

The Associated Press has released an article in response to an 18 minute “rant” (for lack of a better word) by Jimmy Dobson broadcast on his “Focus on the Family” radio program. As the AP has a record of suing bloggers over using their articles, you can read the article yourself via the Denver Post website here.

This troubles me in a couple of places. First, and I need to make this perfectly clear, I can’t stand Jimmy D. He’s arrogant, judgmental, hateful and disparaging, all in the name of protecting the American family and taking back America for God. I believe, in my heart of hearts, that Jimmy is saved by grace and that he is loved by God and his mother. Other than that, I don’t have a whole lot good to say about him. I grew up on “Focus” broadcasts. They were always on the radio and my dad and I did the “Preparing for Adolescence” tape series on a road trip the summer after I completed 5th grade. I know that “Focus” materials have done wonders in families across the nation and around the world and I do not wish to detract from the work God has done through them. But, Jim Dobson is a political force in this country and that is a very scary thing. Read Gil Alexander-Moegerle’s book about Dobson. The book has an unfortunately inflammatory title, James Dobson’s War on America, but it chronicles many stories from the “Focus” underbelly. Gil was a founder, along with Dobson, of the Focus on the Family organization and served as co-host on the weekly radio broadcast. He was a friend and ministry partner with “Dr.” Dobson and he was fired, disowned, and publicly humiliated, seemingly because Dobson didn’t like a choice he had made in his personal life. This from a man who claims to be a moral compass for this country.

Here is where I see the conflict happening: Where the modernist mindset meets the postmodernist mindset.

I consider myself to be a postmodern thinker. Where the modernist says “Prove it to me”, the postmodern says, “Tell me.” We want to hear the stories, we want to see how you live your life and how your history matches your words. We value the narrative over the speech. Moderns are also very excited about categories. They like to label things. They like to pick an aspect of something or someone and deduce from that label other characteristics. Let’s look at this example:

What do Jimmy Carter, Ronald Regan, George HW Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, John McCain and Barrak Obama all have in common? Nothing? How about this: Each and every one of them has professed having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. They have all claimed to be Christians as most of us understand that word.

Now some of my modernist friends would point to Carter, Clinton, and Obama and say, “Well, those are Democrats. According to that label, they can not be Christians.” Or, “Clinton was a philanderer. He can’t be a Christian.” I choose to listen to a man’s words and take the sum total of his experiences into account and I think this goes more to the root of the current issue of Obama and McCain and Faith.

Postmodern Christians are supporting Obama at this point in the election. They feel more genuine connection to Obama’s faith/life. I have read many blogs and articles where the following items have been pointed out: Obama - Family man, married to the same woman for 16 years, open and honest about his faith; McCain - cheated on his first wife, divorced/remarried, evasive about his faith

Now, I am not about to say one of these men has more or deeper or better faith than the other, but that is exactly my point. We postmoderns are reticent to pass those kinds of judgments. What do you think, gentle reader? Am I off target? Do I misunderstand what’s going on here?

SDG,
Matty

Here is a new ad put out by the McCain for President Campaign:

I found this after hearing about it on a radio interview with someone from the McCain campaign. This man said something about how the McCain camp admits that Barrak Obama is a celebrity. He then said, “He’s a bigger celebrity than Brittney Spears, we’ll give him that.” Seriously? Brittney Spears? Ohhh, I get it… John McCain and his people think it’s the 2000 campaign…

Brittney Spears and Paris Hilton who appear in this ad are in no way “big celebrities” unless you are a tween girl or you’ve had your head up your… um… ranch in Arizona.

One blog I read said, “Seeking to both elevate and diminish his rival’s status, John McCain is up with a new ad featuring images of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears but declaring that they take a back seat to Barack Obama.” (Jonathan Martin’s Blog, Politico.com) I’m in the front seat compared to Brit and Paris. If this is the best the McCain campaign has to offer, they are showing 4th quarter desperation in the 1st quarter.

Thoughts, Dear Readers?

SDG,
Matty

Well, I got the redirection set up and we are ready to go at blog.thestrangeland.net!

Everyone who is reading this in a feed reader, please resubscribe at: http://feeds.feedburner.com/thestrangeland

Thanks, everyone for being so patient while things are in upheaval… more soon

possible upcoming topic: modernism vs post-moderninsm in the 2008 Presidential election

Cheers,

Matty

Is anybody checking out the new blog? What do you guys think? I’m eager to hear some feedback!

Cheers,
Matt

A couple of posts back I mentioned in a postscript that you should all stay tuned for a big announcement!

Well… here it is…. (drum roll)

This blog is moving to http://blog.thestrangeland.net! As of Aug 1, 2008 all posting will cease at this address mattythestranger.wordpress.com and will continue at the new one!

Isn’t that cool! If you click on the link above you will see a mirror of everything before this post, all the old articles, posts, pages and comments are there (Wordpress has an AWESOME import/export feature) and you can browse to your heart’s content. I have uploaded my custom header image (i love the beach, have i mentioned that?) but I will continue to customize for the next couple weeks. By Aug 1, however, I hope to be posting exclusively on blog.thestrangeland.net!

at this point, www.thestrangeland.net is not a viable site… but it’s coming soon!!!!

Peace,

Matty

Click here to read the article.

This month, Christianity Today Magazine published an article entitled Evangelical Leaders to Support McCain. I encourage you to go read the article, not because it is at all profound or surprising, but because many of the comments and reviews of the article are.

I will be voting for Barak Obama in November. I do not believe this is a sin. I do not believe God has an opinon. God’s Kingdom is separate from the United States of America. You may passionately believe in conservative politics or liberal politics, but do not confuse your passion with God’s passion. God’s passion is for people. God’s passion is for the saving of souls into a right relationship with Him through His son, Jesus Christ. The person who will be POTUS for the next 4 years has little to no bearing on God’s passion. Here, in the United States, a country founded on “religious liberty”, the church is in decline. In the 2/3 world, where many live under cruel dictators and harsh laws, the church is flourishing. God’s Kingdom is about people. God’s Kingdom is about Love. Love and politics are not even in the same ballpark.

Thoughts?

SDG,
Matty

Hello Dear Sweet Readers,

I am posting this from the ScribeFire extension for Firefox (Firefox is the ONLY web browser in the world… if you aren’t using Firefox, there is something seriously wrong with you…. I still love you and all, but… I mean c’mon!)

This is really cool because the ScribeFire extension pops up a text editing window and allows me to write a blog post without having to actually log in to my blog!! How F***in’ Cool!

Ok… back to work….

SDG,
Matty

ps - stay tuned for a big announcement!

pps- I’m nuts for social networking stuff so, go get a twitter account and follow me… and check out jott.com… and twitpic.com… and get plugged in to the 21st Century!!!

ppps- Check out my Flickr Pics and my YouTube Page !

pppps - just seeing if you’re still reading…. i love you!

Ok all you music junkies… I want to recommend the best music podcast out there. Go to www.boredagainchristian.com and subscribe to the podcast there or check it out in iTunes.

Hosted by “Just Pete, your indie sweetheart”, this podcast is full of uplifting, family-friendly songs that just make you happy!

Give it a listen… you’ll be glad you did!

The Bored-Again Christian Podcast 6/28/2008

SDG,
Matty

So this is what I have been breathing for the last week… My throat is irritated and my sinuses are full. I praise God, however, that where we live is in a VERY low danger area. We are surrounded by mostly other houses and not very near to any wild land. Others have not been so fortunate.

I also praise God because my Ethan has arrived safe and sound and we are having SO MUCH F-U-N!

Don’t you wish you were here, playing with us! Come on over!

We’ve even been washing the car!

I haven’t had a lot of time to write, lately. To be perfectly honest, I haven’t had a whole lot on my heart to write about. Politics, theology, life in general is leaving me flat lately… at least when it comes to writing. I started a post on Obama and Dobson but it just sorta fizzled out… we’ll see.

I love you all and I appreciate the encouraging words!

In Him,
Matty

Bug @ Kids Kingdom - Redding, originally uploaded by mcgraw.m75.

Bug @ Kids Kingdom - Redding