Inappropriate Conversations

20: Reading ‘Chapter And Verse’ on what I don't believe

A poetry reading sets the tone for the first of a two-part focus on religious beliefs. Negative part first: what I don't believe.  In some ways, the state of Christianity in America today is so shameful that you almost have to share your faith by distancing yourself from aberrant views that many people expect to hear from what I call "Politically Active Christianity" or PAC. Different Drummer: C.S. Lewis

15: Declaring war on ‘Just Say No’

When it comes to drugs and drug policies, we'd better say much more than just "no."  In many ways, the "just say no" campaign invested its power in the simplicity of ignorance. After all, if you merely abstain then you never have to understand what you are abstaining from. Or do you?  Education is crucial because knowledge is the only way to avoid being duped ... or doped. Different Drummer: Steven D. Levitt

14: Sex education the Protestant way; then, not now

Knowledge is power, and it is very difficult to resist temptations that come out of nowhere. Being prepared and understanding consequences are crucial ways of making good choices when other options are very tempting.  When I was growing up, 10 years old, education was the approach my parents and my church used for sexuality. And it wasn't "abstinence only" either.  I openly wonder whether my Protestant denomination would handle sex education the same way today, or at all. Different Drummer: Alex Comfort

10: Happy Mother's Day and ‘A Handful of Hair’

Few relationships are as complex as mother and child. Even from the first few days of life, a connection is evident that lasts a lifetime in the best circumstances. Family and friends have shared their grief in recent years at the death of mothers. It speaks volumes about what is missing when we feel so left behind. Different Drummer: Corrie ten Boom

8: Christian response to the Sexual Revolution … or Not

Here is an old saying I agree with: It is wrong to make “best” the enemy of “better.”  I’m on board with the argument that there never was a real Christian response to the Sexual Revolution in 1960s and 1970s America.  The reason is certainly a reckless refusal to compromise, even to the extent of shutting down discussion. Different Drummer: David R. Mace