Christian Piatt's Blog, page 75

Sikh Calls for Peace Reminiscent of Amish Shooting Response

I, like most people, was deeply troubled by news of another mass shooting, this time at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, just outside of Milwaukee. This, on the heels of the tragic massacre in Aurora, Colorado, seemed all the more savage to me, given that it took place in a house of worship. [...]

Church Sign Epic Fails, Volume 25

That’s right, we’ve reached the quarter-of-a-hundred mark with our church sign posts. And you know what that means…do you? Seriously, because I have no clue.

Jesus Phelps: Why Miracles Aren’t Enough

I was fascinated by Jesus’ miracles as a kid. I pictured him alongside the Green Lantern and Batman stickers, adorning my canary yellow toy box. There he’d be, fists on his hips, a giant, red “J” on his chest and his long, blond locks, flowing in the wind. It’s Super-Jesus! The older I’ve gotten, the [...]

Are the Culture Wars Real? A Case for Heresy

Growing up, I heard things at camp and in youth group about how “the world” thought and acted one way, and how “we” were not like that. In fact the world, it seemed, was intent on unraveling everything I valued as good and true, leaving me with a smoldering pile of ideals and beliefs, all [...]

God Loves Losers: Reflections on the Olympics

I’m an Olympics junkie. Not only that, but I’m also  most ardently pro-American when watching them. My wife, Amy, and I were watching synchronized platform diving two nights ago (honestly, when else would we do that??) and she said she was kind of pulling for the team from Mexico to medal, even though it might mean pushing the [...]

Billy Graham: Punish America or Apologize to Sodom & Gomorrah

The following is from a letter by Billy Graham posted recently on the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website: Some years ago, my wife, Ruth, was reading the draft of a book I was writing. When she finished a section describing the terrible downward spiral of our nation’s moral standards and the idolatry of worshiping false [...]

Church Sign Epic Fails, Vol XXIV

For all you Arabic number snobs, that’s volume 24 of your favorite cringeworthy church signs. Order up!!! Church Sign Epic Fails, Christian T-Shirt Edition Church Sign Epic Fails: “Festival of Tolerance” Edition Church Sign Epic Fails, Volume XXI Church Sign Epic Fails, Volume Twenty Church Sign Epic Fails, Volume Nineteen Church Sign Epic Fails, Volume [...]

What Christians Mean When They Bless You

Christians toss out blessings like beads at Mardi Gras. They get offered so often and in so many contexts that it’s hard to know what exactly it means. So I thought I’d break down at least some of the kinds of blessings floating around out there. The Post-Sneeze Blessing: This is a weird one, because we [...]

Muhammad Ali vs. Mitt Romney (Video)

This is a pretty great commentary on war, privilege, politics and power, all done my favorite way: with acerbic, biting humor!

Five Reasons Why Failure is Awesome

When I was in preschool, I was insanely jealous of the kids who were given speaking parts in the Christmas play. I actually “repeated” preschool because I was too young for Kindergarten after year one, so I figured at least by the time I was a red-shirt preschooler, I’d get more props. No luck. First year, [...]