Young Adults Leaving Christianity

Here is an interesting article posted on-line at CT.

The only thing I'd add to the article is to note an irony: The young adults who leave Christianity are young adults who, as youth, received the treatment of an unprecedent focus of manpower and resources on "youth ministry."

Now, perhaps all of this expenditure and manpower focused on youth ministry in fact reduced an even greater outflow of youth from the church that would have occurred without it. But somehow I doubt it.

Now I'm open to empirical evidence, but every VBS about trains or the Australian outback or whatever signals one thing consistently: that Christianity is not something to be taken seriously. After all, if Christianity were something to take seriously, adults would not truss it up with all of the infantilizing accouterments that seem de rigeur for VBS.

Don't get me wrong. I do not believe that serious stuff needs necessarily to be boring stuff. But engaging children in serious matters is not the same thing as trying to sneak serious matters in for them under the guise of entertainment.

Bin Can Can

Jack and I were playing a (very simple) string bass/piano duet of the "Can Can" this evening. (More accurately, the "Can Can" is The Infernal Galop from Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld). Looking around youtube for a version of the "Can Can," I found this Bin Can Can. It's pretty well done.




Here's another amusing version of the "Can Can," borrowed from Offenbach by the composer Saint-Saëns for his Carnival of the Animals - Tortoises.

Too Funny

I saw that Tim Burton was making a film out of this book. If the movie is half as funny as the title, it'll be pretty funny.

A Few 2010 NIV Comparisons

I've never been a huge fan of the NIV - almost always prefering the NAS. Nonetheless, BibleGateway recently moved to the NIV 2010. Already I've noticed several differences - all for the better. Here are a few examples:

Old Eph 2.3
"All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath."

New Eph 2.3
"All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath."

Old Mt 26.64
"'Yes, it is as you say,' Jesus replied. 'But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.'"

New Mt 26.64
"'You have said so,' Jesus replied. 'But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.'"

Old Eph 2.14
"For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace . . ."

New Eph 2.14
"For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace . . ."

On Eph 2.14, I suspect that "new man" is likely closer to the Greek, but "new humanity" highlights Paul's Adam theology better than "new man." (And, yes, the shift to "humanity" probably resulted to make the passage less gender specific. But I think that "new humanity" still draws bolder attention to Paul's argument in that passage relative to "new man.")

"Real Clear Religion"

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