Archive for August 2005

Liberalism and Poverty

Aug 31st

The Motor City

I was born in Detroit and raised in the Detroit area. I still love the city. But it is distressing to hear about all of it’s problems. Earlier this summer there was a report from the Bay Area Center for Voting Research that said Detroit was the most liberal city in the nation. And then today I read about a report from the U.S. Census Bureau that said Detroit is the poorest city in the nation. This begs the question:

Are liberalism and poverty related?

I wonder if there has been any study done in this area? Perhaps there are conservative cities that are high on the poverty list and liberal cities that are enjoying prosperity. History seems to indicate that liberalism (high taxes, out-of-control spending, redistribution of wealth) does not lead to prosperity, but just the opposite. Now, at this point someone will always bring up Bill Clinton’s presidency — saying that he was a liberal and we enjoyed prosperity under his regime. Well, Clinton embraced some conservative policies during his presidency — like welfare reform and frugal spending (thanks to a conservative congress). We also had the dot com boom on his watch. The last time we had a liberal president with a liberal congress was Jimmy Carter. If you lived through those years, you know they were anything but prosperous.

So what do you think — does liberalism lead to poverty? It seems to be the case in Detroit. I wish the leaders and citizens of that great city would embrace a new paradigm. Perhaps if they did, there would be brighter days ahead.

Attack of the Nannies

Aug 29th

Posted by Jeff Slater in General

1 comment

Read this column by John Leo of U.S. News and World Report concerning the do-gooders in our society who think they know what’s best for us.

Excellent, just excellent.

A different take on The War on Terror

Aug 24th

Posted by Jeff Slater in General

3 comments

Melanie Morgan, a radio talk show host on San Francisco’s KSFO, visited Iraq recently, conducting interviews and talking with the troops. The San Francisco Chronicle had promised to run her written account of the experience upon her return. The paper reneged (I suppose her article didn’t fit their agenda). Melanie’s take is quite different from what you hear day-to-day in the Mainstream Media.

After reading this, it really angers me when I hear Cindy Sheehan say that the deaths of our brave soldiers over there are “meaningless.” Is she not spitting on her own son’s grave when she says that?

Read the article here.

Is it time to Rethink this thing?

Aug 23rd

Posted by Jeff Slater in General

6 comments

Below is something I posted on a Bible Discussion list. I don’t know how many people read my blog, but I am interested in your thoughts on this. It’s something I’ve been thinking about lately.

===========================

Perhaps (and this is a big perhaps) we need to rethink
how we do church in our rapidly changing culture. We
could make some radical changes and still be biblical.

Is owning a building and scheduling a few services per
week (that we EXPECT the faithful to show up for)
while sending a few bucks to a missionary in Africa
each month and maintaining a small food
pantry/clothing bin for the poor while sending a few
dollars to a children’s home…etc, etc., etc. really
working anymore? Are we impacting our communities?
Do our communities even know we exist? Are we doing
Matthew 25 stuff, or are we just taking care of our
own, defending our long-held positions, singing songs
about heaven and waiting to go home to our mansion?

I think we need a few brave souls willing to rethink
this whole thing, and a lot more folks willing to step
out of their comfort zones and get on board.

I talk to a lot of young people who desperately want
to serve the Lord and do His will — more so than a
lot of folks who are “life-long, faithful members of
the church” — but they are not excited about serving
Him in the tired, old forms we are all so used to.

Now, let me make clear that I am speaking in
generalizations. I know that some congregations are
doing just fine. And I know what I’m suggesting
probably sounds like it’s coming from way out in left
field. I do believe we must remain true to Scripture.
But I believe we could make some big changes in how
we do church and still be “Scripturally sound.”

I see a definite problem, and I am just thinking out
loud about solutions.

What do you think?

Great Post

Aug 18th

Posted by Jeff Slater in General

2 comments

Patrick Mead hit a home run on his blog today. Check it out here.

We’re Back!

Aug 16th

Posted by Jeff Slater in General

4 comments

We’re back after spending a week at the beach (Emerald Isle, North Carolina). We had a great time — the sun was hot, the ocean was nice, and the waves were great. We go every other summer with my wife’s family. I had the chance to do some reading. I read Velvet Elvis: Repainting The Christian Faith by Rob Bell. It was excellent — really made me think. If you are familiar with the Nooma DVDs, you know who Rob Bell is (if you are not familiar with the Nooma DVDs, get familiar with them — it’s good stuff). I’m teaching a class using the Nooma series this fall. I also made a lot of headway in The Chronicles of Narnia. I never read “Chronicles” when I was younger. What a great story.

Best of all, we got to spend a lot of time doing nothing. What a blessing to run a few miles in the morning and then jump in the ocean. It was a nice break. It’s been a long time since I got to take two consecutive Sundays off. But I’m ready to get back to work (and catch up on my blog reading!)