I was having dinner with some friends a couple nights ago, and the issue of guns came up. In such situations I often insist (jokingly, with tongue in cheek) that I just wish Obama would burst through our doors with a battering ram and personally confiscate all our guns so that we'd finally be safe. Once my conversation partner's hyperventilating has subsided, we can usually have a pretty healthy discussion. The point I made that night, which I also made on episode #49 of our podcast (click above to listen), is that we simply don't get to be "the gun country" on the one hand and lament mass shootings on the other. To be more clear, while those who favor serious and strict firearm regulations can genuinely grieve over schools and … [Read more...]
Happy Columbus Day!
I have a hard time believing that people are still celebrating Columbus Day. For whatever reason, it’s still officially a federal holiday. Not a “you get a paid day off of work” national holiday, but a “there won’t be mail in your mailbox” national holiday. With the spread of knowledge as to what really transpired in 1492 and thereafter, it seems inexcusable that Columbus Day would still be a national holiday or even more surprising that people are attacking the "politically correct" movement to change Columbus Day to Indigenous People Day. (Although, I do think we can come up with a better name.) I can only imagine that, for those people, “In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue...” is about the extent of their … [Read more...]
Racism: For Whites Only?
In podcast #8 (available for streaming and download below), one of the topics we discuss is racism. Jason brings up a quote from the first season of MTV’sThe Real World where Kevin Powell (a black cast member) is accused of racism and in response says, “Black people cannot be racist. We don’t have the power to control. . . .” At first hearing, I dismissed Kevin’s statement as ignorant. After all, racism, to me (a white male), means considering someone to be inferior in some way simply because of their race. While this is a valid definition of racism, it’s not the only definition of racism and not even the main definition. A quick search through the various definitions of racism will show that racism also has to do with the exercise … [Read more...]
Podcast #7: Scary Movies, Dead Americans, and Mark Driscoll’s Penis
In our seventh episode of Drunk Ex-Pastors, Jason explains why he doesn't like movies containing red-headed twin children or the Holocaust; Christian reveals some sobering facts about ISIS and their plot to take over America (or just kill us all, we're not sure at this point); we take some listener feedback asking about Mark Driscoll's penis and who it really belongs to; and lastly, Christian complains about the insensitivity of certain drivers' parking habits, while Jason laments all progress in general. … [Read more...]
Say Hello to My Little Friend!
It’s a fact that America has more guns per 100 people (88.8) than any other developed nation. It’s no surprise then that America also has more gun deaths per 100,000 people (10.2) than any other developed nation. Coming in second is Switzerland with 45.7 guns per 100 people and 3.84 deaths per 100,000 people. I find it interesting that while we have less than twice as many guns per 100 people, we have 2.5 times more deaths per 100,000. In other words, not only do we have more guns, but we kill more people with them! (Twenty times more than the average of other developed nations, to be exact!) Go ‘Merica! Number one! These numbers are taken from ABC News and it also went on to say, “that the U.S. has 88 guns per 100 people and 10 … [Read more...]
Does ISIS Speak for True Islam?
The latest episode of Drunk Ex-Pastors deals in part, again, with the issue of ISIS (you can click below to hear our full discussion). I just read a very interesting article by Sam Harris called “Sleepwalking Toward Armageddon” in which the author argues a few controversial points, among which are (1) the idea that as long as the West is invoking the “true religion” to combat Islam’s false one, we’ll have no choice but to also and forever combat our enemies with missiles as well, and (2) those who deny that ideas like martyrdom, armed jihad, and hatred of infidels are central tenets of the Koran are as misguided as those who would say that the resurrection of Christ is some secondary or tertiary doctrine of Christianity. I would highly … [Read more...]
Podcast #5: Alcohol, Guns, and the ISIS Threat
In this episode of Drunk Ex-Pastors, Jason and Christian keep their promise to do a shot in honor of all those who shared their podcast on social media this past week, and go on to extol the many benefits of alcohol, and how the moderate enjoyment of various libations can help (in the immortal words of Pink) "get this party started." They also take some listener feedback and discuss issues like gun control, ISIS, and why Jason hates animals. God, he really is just a horrible, horrible person. … [Read more...]
Stop! Colaborate and Listen….
As I indicate in our latest edition of Drunk Ex-Pastors, I have always been something of a skeptic about the issue of “raising awareness” of a disease. In most cases, it is some form of cancer of which awareness is attempting to be raised, and yet I can’t remember the last time I heard about a form of cancer I was not already aware of (with the possible exception of Al Pacino’s portrayal of Lefty in Donnie Brasco, who insists he has “cancer of the prick”). I will admit, though, that a huge amount of awareness has been raised this summer about Lou Gehrig’s Disease, due in no small part to the Ice Bucket Challenge that has been sweeping social media of late. And along with this awareness has come millions of dollars for research of the … [Read more...]
Extremism, Flowers, and the Powers that Be
If you take a strong position on some issue, or on cultural/political matters in general, it is easy to label those on the other side as “extremists” or “reactionaries” (while failing to see that they might be passing the exact same judgment on you). For example, I remember when the O.J. Simpson verdict was about to be read, the police in Los Angeles were out in full force, decked out in riot gear, ready for the worst. But when the jury decided to acquit, the cops breathed a sigh of relief, packed up their tear gas and rubber bullets, and went home. Being very evangelical and somewhat racist at the time, I said, “Hey, wait! Why aren’t the police going to stay out and deal with the inevitable white-people riots and looting and … [Read more...]
Police and Wannabe Soldiers
Piggybacking on our latest podcast, I thought I’d post this clip from John Oliver’s HBO show, Last Week Tonight. In it he addresses the shooting of Michael Brown and chides the Ferguson Police Department and mayor’s office both for their deplorable handling of the situation, but also for ridiculous weapon-envy: “The police are troublingly dressed like they’re about to launch an assault on Fallujah. . . . The police are NOT soldiers, so why, in. . . Ferguson, are they wearing f***ing camo? They are northwest of St. Louis, not northwest of the Amazon! If they want to blend in with their surroundings, they should be dressed as a Dollar Store.” You can stream the podcast below. … [Read more...]