Sunday - erm - Saturday Stuff 11/02/2012

I'm pootling off for an intense study week so won't be surfing much over the next week. And as I have just had a bundle of homework put on my desk to do before Monday and the course I am procrastinating wildly. So this weekend's Sunday Stuff comes to you a day early. As for the random cat picture - see 'Fun Stuff' down the bottom!

Krish K respectfully Thanks God for John Piper, and reviews Piper’s ‘Masculine Christianity” from a particular viewpoint.

“Why should the Christian faith take on a particular gender? Should it also take on a particular cultural form? Say an Asian flavor? Should it take on a class too? Should it take on a middle class flavor? Should it have an accent? No. Surely it should contextualize and follow Paul’s desire to become all things to all people?”

See also In A Mirror Dimly’s similar, a somewhat more sarcastic take on the same subject: “The Kitchen has a Feminine feel about it.”

Natalie & Matthew Bowers continue their series on Fruits of the Spirit with Goodness:

“But in the Word of God, goodness is not just OK – the greek word used by Paul conveys something much stronger – it’s about integrity, honesty and compassion. It’s not about just being nice but about actively living for what’s right and true and Godly. Goodness is doing the right thing even when it does not feel like we should.”

I’m biased about this series because it is my sister and brother in law’s creation. But this installment is of particular use to me this week as I have struggled greatly with doing something good in the last couple of weeks, because I really didn’t want to do it. I do feel I have learned something about humility and can develop some habits in this area.

Rachel Held Evans writing for Relevant magazine: When Jesus meets TMZ

“When Christians look to pastors for wisdom on how to better love God and love one another, they become better disciples of Jesus and better lights of hope in a dark world…. When Christians look to pastors to tell them how to dress, what to eat, what hobbies to have, what systematic theologies to prefer, how to vote and what personality to adopt, they become creepy, unthinking clones of broken people—and big red warning flags to a culture that has grown increasingly suspicious of authority figures.”

I’ve been gearing myself up to write something on this topic, but Rachel nails what I feel about the whole Celebrity Christian Culture issue.

Favourite Tweets of the Week:

Bishop Wilson (and a zillion others) tweet from the General Synod’s debate on allowing women to serve as bishops…you can tell how I feel about it from my choice of tweets!

@alantwilson: How simply wrong to think that discriminatory views could never be sincerely and conscientiously held? They were in South Africa...

@AnnamDrew: So, speaker, you're a loyal anglican? Well, so am I and I'm sick of being a second class citizen in my own church #synod

@archaicdamsel: You should be making decision for the generations to come. Not protecting the minority of today. #synod

@womenbishops:  #synod Forcing women bishops to have specified male counterparts is like saying women can drive - but only accompanied by a man. Patronising

Fun Stuff:

This made my day: cat on pitch at Liverpool Tottenham game

It is my birthday soon. If anyone has a lot of money to spare I’d like a Nikon D700 as used by my fave photographer Lily Sawyer.