Christian Piatt's Blog, page 71

Is the Future of Church in Fantasy Faith Leagues?

I used to be in a fantasy league, but the fanaticism of the whole thing wore me out. The guys would gather online for an evening-long draft event, debate rules ad nauseam and haggle over trades through the wee hours. I considered myself to be a fan, but these guys had practically made, well, a [...]

Christian & Jordan Go Commando on the Homebrewed CultureCast

This week, Christian and Jordan go commando, filling an hour with material from their own grey matter without the assistance of a guest to make them look good. They hit lots of current topics, including the Romney “47 Percent” video, the “Innocence of Muslims” trailer and the subsequent attack on the American embassy in Libya, fall TV sweeps, church [...]

Church Sign Epic Fails, Reader Submissions (Part 2)

Here’s a second batch of the best morsels plucked from the streets of America by the readers of this “fine” blog. Thanks to all who participated in the book giveaway, and stay tuned for more giveaways soon. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled and your cameras ready for more wonderfully terrible church signs.

My Spirited Debate on “Christ and the City” Radio Show

I was invited to appear on a Detroit radio show this past week called Christ and the City, hosted by Christopher Brooks. It’s a right-leaning talk show with an evangelical focus, but I was energized and encouraged by the conversation because it was respectful and substantive. We didn’t see eye to eye on much (as [...]

Is Democratic Optimism Grounded in Reality?

I’m a fan of TIME Magazine. It offers concise, intelligent summaries and opinions on the news that help keep me up with current events. They had an interesting article in the last few weeks about the factors that seem to affect a political party’s election results in the upcoming cycle. From their findings, it’s the [...]

Some “Humor” About Religious Membership

Though the way this comc strip is phrased, I think it’s intended to be a bit of a jab at religion on the whole, it’s a great window into the relative absurdity of our perspective on “membership” in today’s world. Do we even need membership anymore? Does it mean anything? Amy and I grew a [...]

New “Hellbound?” Movie explores, Challenges Christian Doctrine of Hell

I first heard about the movie “Hellbound?” (coming out this fall) at Wild Goose Festival. They were offering an advance screening of the movie, and although I was just passing by the tent at the time, the subject matter stopped me where I was. A thoughtful, well-researched, accessible discussion about the history, purpose and prospects [...]

Did Jesus Get Married and Have Children?

It’s amazing what a difference six words can make in our understanding of a figure as central as Jesus to the lives and faith of so many. Even historians and others who don’t claim Christianity personally are intrigued by the scrap of text recently discovered to contain, in Coptic, the sentence fragment: “Jesus said to [...]

Church Sign Epic Fails: Reader Submission Special Edition

Recently, I got a request from Thomas Nelson publishers to give away ten copies of “Red Letter REvolution,” the new book by Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne, through my various networks. What better way to give then away, I decided, than to solicit church signs from the public at large! And you guys came up [...]

Libyan Ambassador Stevens’ Death Tragic, Hopeful, Ironic

I’ve been reflecting on the recent events in Libya involving the death of Ambassador Chris Stevens, and every time, I arrive at a different feeling about it all. There’s the obvious tragedy of a life unnecessarily lost. By all accounts, Stevens was a humble, passionate man who had invested his life in the betterment of [...]