Kyria's Culture Blog

May 14, 2012

The Tablets Are Broken Again

by JoHannah Reardon

You may have heard recently of a lawsuit filed by a high school student from Narrows, Virginia, that demanded the Ten Commandments, which are displayed on school property, be removed. Giles County School Board defended the display, saying that it also contained historical documents, such as the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. Thus, Judge Michael Urbanski, who was hearing the case, suggested that the school remove the first four commandments, since they’re the ones directly referring to God and leave the remaining ones that deal with human faults and foibles.

“If indeed this issue is not about God, why wouldn’t it make sense for Giles County to say, ‘Let’s go back and just post the bottom six?’” Urbanski asked during a motions hearing in U.S. District Court in Roanoke. “But if it’s really about God, then they wouldn’t be willing to do that.”

Removing the Ten Commandments from schools and other public buildings is nothing new. Courts have only allowed them to remain under very limited circumstances, so the precedence is set. But the press loves to bring it to the fore because it makes great headlines. Robert Knight, of the Washington Times, began his article, “Taking a chisel to the Ten Commandments” (subtitled: Obama judge wants to delete the four rules that mention God) by stating, “God Almighty needs an editor, according to a federal judge in Virginia.” Pretty inflammatory beginning!

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posted by Ashley Moore | Comments (0)

May 7, 2012

A Surprising Lesson from a Women’s Conference

by Amy Simpson

I’m an idealist. I try to be realistic, and I’ve come a long way since my childhood, when I spent about 80 percent of my time with my head either in a book or in the clouds, almost believing I was one of the Little Women or planning to build my Swiss Family Robinson tree home with a few boards and some Tupperware, sure it would work among the scraggly mulberry trees I was certain were much taller and stronger than they appeared.

I now spend most of my time grounded in reality, but when my right brain is left to its own devices, I still enjoy indulging my idealism and constructing ideas, visions, and plans that don’t actually stand much of a chance in the real world.

Because of this thing called reality, like a lot of idealists, I actually spend a lot of my time feeling cynical. It’s one of the hazards of being an idealist. Ideals are fragile in a world like this one—so when reality comes crashing through another of my pretty glass walls, it’s hard to keep my spirits up while I’m cleaning up the shards.

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posted by Ashley Moore | Comments (2)

April 30, 2012

Desensitized Christians

by Debbie Jansen

On April 2, 2012, One L. Goh, a former student walked into a small Christian college, killed seven people, and wounded three others. Newscasters scoured the scene for details that might answer the question “why?”

I was at a conference when those precious lives ended. The conference center was secluded with only small links to the outside world, so I didn’t hear the news until the following day while I was on a shuttle to the airport.

While the news took my breath away, I was surprised to discover that the shock lasted only a few minutes. Information was limited and after a moment of silence, the bus filled with laughter and friendly chatter. It wasn’t until later when I read the account on the internet and saw pictures of innocent faces that a lump formed in my throat. When I read about a young mother and her goals for her child, a tear finally rolled down my cheek.

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posted by Ashley Moore | Comments (0)

April 24, 2012

Groupon, Torture Porn, and our Response

by Ashley Moore

Last week, Groupon released a deal: $28 for Armory and Adult-Film Set Tour for Two at San Francisco Mission Armory.

You read that right—guests 18 and older are lead through five floors of historic armory . . . and elaborate adult film sets, possibly during filming. Groupon’s release of this tour coupon set into motion a public boycott against the daily deals website.

The Mission Armory, the building offered for tour, was once meant for national security—it housed the California National Coast Guard Artillery, the naval militia, and later, was a social center for the city’s national guardsmen. But eventually it fell out of use, and after being left vacant for several decades, it was converted into an adult film studio in 2007—specializing in “torture porn.” According to the boycott site, www.waronillegalpornography.com, Kink’s studios touts their videos for specializing in:

“Live filming of ‘young sexy teens who are overwhelmed and outnumbered . . . who need to learn a lesson by multiple men’; of women being ‘bound, whipped, objectified, and humilated. They are immobolized, caged, and humiliated as objects’; of women ‘suspended and tied in rope bondage . . . tormented beyond all reason’; and of women ‘naked, tied up, bound, punished, exposed in public . . . who are taken to public bars for public sex and public humiliation. . . .’ ”

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posted by Ashley Moore | Comments (0)

April 18, 2012

Praising Earth’s Maker

by Kelli B. Trujillo

“Ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature” (Romans 1:20). From awe-inspiring vistas to wondrous constellations of stars to the stunning biodiversity of earth’s plant and animal life, the created world reveals God to us.

Long before the launch of Earth Day or modern-day debates over environmental politics, God’s people joined in song to declare truths like . . .

“The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; everything in the world is yours—you created it all” (Psalm 89:11).

And, “Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! . . . Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise before the LORD” (Psalm 96:11–13).
And, “He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains. . . . Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker” (Psalm 95:4, 6).

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posted by Ashley Moore | Comments (0)

April 10, 2012

Why Donald Miller Thinks Life Should Be Hard

by Ashley Moore

Donald Miller is a busy guy. He’s a bestselling author, widely-sought speaker, and founder of The Mentoring Project, which partners with churches across America to mentor fatherless boys. This week he also releases a film based on his spiritual narrative, Blue Like Jazz. I spoke to Donald while he was on the road—literally—promoting his film. When his cell phone service broke up, he explained, “I’m lying in a bunk in the back of a tour bus. Had to find some privacy; this bus is crazy!” Thankfully, he stayed in service long enough to talk about his upcoming film, to share his heart for God, and to talk about the importance and simplicity of writing truly meaningful stories with our lives.

When Steve Taylor and Ben Pearson initially came to you with the idea of making Blue Like Jazz into a movie, what were your initial thoughts?

I wasn’t sure at first, since the book is a series of topical essays. But when we decided to fictionalize a story loosely based on the principle characters of the book, tackling the issues we wanted to discuss, it flowed naturally.

What would you like people to take away from this movie?

Hopefully that we’ll be a less stuffy culture. God is interested in helping people connect and not be so lonely, and in helping people confess and not hide who they really are. The church often creates a culture that encourages hiding. I think the movie will encourage people to admit their struggles and help them connect with one another. It’s good for people to process their doubt. I don’t want them to doubt their faith but not be able to tell anyone.

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posted by Ashley Moore | Comments (1)

April 3, 2012

Viewing the Crucifixion in a Different Light

by By Frederica Mathewes-Green with Amy Simpson

When I joined the Eastern Orthodox church, I gained a different perspective on the mystery of Jesus’ crucifixion and his suffering. Before, I’d looked at Jesus’ suffering as an index of how severe our sins were and how much suffering was necessary for the Son of God to go through to balance our sin. Then I found that the early church looked at it differently.

In the writings of Athanasius of Alexandria, written in about 320 or 321 A.D., is a whole passage on the incarnation. In it, he talked about the mystery, the question of why Jesus had to die the way he did. What it comes down to is this: “The Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). He had to die in order to go into the lair, the domain of the evil one, the devil, in order to destroy the devil.

Theoretically, Jesus could have died by any means. Why couldn’t he have died in bed? Why couldn’t he have died of old age, or of an illness? St. Athanasius said that because Jesus was going into a contest against the evil one, he was like an athlete, allowing his challenger to choose the mode of contest. So Jesus didn’t choose how he would die. He let evil be the one to choose.

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posted by Ashley Moore | Comments (6)

March 27, 2012

Responding to the Trayvon Martin Tragedy

by Kelli B. Trujillo

On February 26, 2012, 17 year old Trayvon Martin walked to a store to get Skittles and iced tea then headed back home. A short time later, he was dead—shot in the chest at close range by a volunteer neighborhood watch captain who’d been following him because, as he told police, Martin—a skinny black teen wearing a hoodie—looked “suspicious.”

Though Martin was unarmed, police haven’t arrested the shooter—11 years Martin’s senior—accepting his claim of self-defense. Witness reports and 911 tapes have muddied the waters as investigators and the public try to unravel what happened that day. Martin’s girlfriend, who was on the phone with him right before the shooting, reports that Martin was agitated and frightened because an adult man he didn’t know was following him through the neighborhood. The 911 tapes include frightening screams but the voices cannot be identified. Some witnesses support the shooter’s claim that he was violently assaulted by Martin before the shooting, while others question how any actions taken by the unarmed minor could justify an armed pursuit of him or the use of deadly force against him.

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posted by Ashley Moore | Comments (13)

March 19, 2012

What Do You Mean I’m Not Good?

by Debora M. Coty

One of the most fascinating mysteries of the Christian faith, and one I’ve long pondered, is how to achieve that illusive virtue, goodness, when we’re actually told in Scripture that it’s unachievable. On the one hand, goodness is a choice fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22), the evidence of Papa God’s dynamic work in our lives. But the conundrum is presented in Romans 3:12: “No one does good, not a single one.”

Really? Not even one? Then how are we, as Christ-following women, supposed to harvest goodness as a ripened spiritual fruit in our lives?

A few years ago, through an unexpected encounter, I stumbled across a clue to solving this mystery.

It all started the day after my ski accident-induced knee surgery when I awoke to local newspaper headlines heralding, “Monkees Concert Tonight.” As a young teen I’d been a huge Monkees fan.

“Wouldn’t it be awesome to see them again after all these years?” I wondered aloud. But then I stared glumly at the ugly metal brace engulfing the bandages swathing my aching left leg.

My husband, Chuck, shook his head. “You’re not allowed to put any weight on that leg for six weeks. There’s no way you can go.”

I burst into tears. A grown woman weeping over a Monkees’ concert, of all things. Must have been the Oxycodone.

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posted by Ashley Moore | Comments (5)

March 13, 2012

Disrespecting Ourselves

by Amy Simpson

“Hey, girlfriends!” the speaker called out, in a tone usually reserved for the hallways of suburban middle schools. “Are you ready to have fun with just us girls tonight? Don’t forget to put on your bling. We’re going to play Dress Up!”

Seriously? I looked at the bright plastic ring and the bead necklace I had been handed as I’d walked through the door. No way was I putting on the childish costume jewelry. I looked around the room and saw some women giggling over their girlish trinkets, others staring at them with the same revulsion that my face must have shown. It was another “what planet am I on” moment.

Later in the evening, when a speaker had given a stirring presentation of her story, and God’s faithfulness through incredible hardship, the emcee stood up teary-eyed and apologized: “Sorry, my hormones are acting up.”

As I left the event, designed to encourage women in their spiritual growth, I felt tremendously discouraged by the way women so often speak publicly of themselves and each other. For people who claim to want more respect than we get, we sure don’t seem to respect ourselves.

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posted by Ashley Moore | Comments (6)

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