JC Penney’s new ad for Father’s Day
The text reads:
“First Pals: What makes Dad so cool? He’s the swim coach, tent maker, best friend, bike fixer and hug giver—all rolled into one. Or two.” The text at the bottom reads: “Real-life dads, Todd Koch and Cooper Smith with their children Claire and Mason.”
A++
Reasons why JC Penny kicks ass.
this is amazing. Did you see that they did this for Mother’s Day, too?
(via revocate-animos)
I think this guy and I will get along quite well. A very short, poignant message about gay marriage. It’s well argued and introduced some things I hadn’t thought about before.
‘I have never met a more loving community in my life than the GLBT community. Obviously there are exceptions in any community, but in general I’ve found that GLBT people don’t care if you’re skinny, hairy, fat, pimpled, a millionaire or dead broke; there is room for everyone. All they want is to give the same love to others as they want to receive themselves. When I first immersed myself I was completely taken aback by the way I was treated. I was welcomed and included in everything, like I had belonged my entire life. I continued to experience this over and over, and the more it happened to me, especially at the beginning of my immersion, the more upset I became. Their actions were supposed to be me - I was getting out-Jesused by gays and lesbians! They put a bullet in my soul. To be honest, that was the furthest thing from what I thought would happen. I expected the exact opposite.’
- Andrew Marin, Love is an Orientation, p.166.
forever reblog. Also, I love this so much because I can’t wait for more Christians to experience this. We should seriously challenge our straight friends to this.
“Great,” I thought. “He’ll get fired and I’ll get crucified. Who could refuse an offer like that?” I saw absolutely nothing redemptive in it for me. I’ve been involved in public debates about gay rights and gay marriage in which I actually got the better of my opponent. But once the exchange was over, I came to realize few minds had been changed, and that some hearts had actually hardened.
This is a crucially important lesson to learn.
He also writes:
As a gay man, I have several versions of my story, depending on what the occasion might call for. There is the political “I pay taxes, too,” version, and the religiously challenging “Jesus never mentioned it” version. I have an aggrieved “Look how you’ve oppressed me” presentation, and a militant “I’m queer and get over it” one. But Betsy was suggesting something different: that I get beyond the urge to use my story as a strategy. Instead, as writer John Cournos advises, I should relate my personal truth to a more universal one, what theologian Miroslav Volf calls “a moral obligation to remember truthfully.” That means telling my story without embellishing it, tidying it up, or turning it into a morality play with clear-cut villains, victims, and saints. It meant including unresolved tensions and all, even if my doubts and mistakes would give others ammunition to use against me. And so I accepted the invitation.
Yeh. Not sure how I’m going to process this. But it has a lot of implications for the more robust advocates…
The article is EXCELLENT, and I know someone like thislilblogofmine will enjoy it.
you need an emergency kitchen and you happen to have a block of wood and a chainsaw?
ALL OF THE AWARDS TO THIS GUY.
not because everything he said was perfect or not, but because of THAT sentence. And because I think, about 6 paragraphs in, he begins to proffer an incredibly flawed argument, and in paragraph 7, just goes way past where I could ever imagine even being comfortable. In fact, he’s speaking to an audience where it’s likely very few Christians actually sit. I think he would be better received at a Universalist church than any Christian church in the nation.
However, he does begin to make a bit more sense when he begins talking about the history of debating slavery. But I’m not sure that the comparisons are too much the same like the writer wishes them to be.
But I do like this:
In my book Scripture and Discernment: Decision-Making in the Church, I have discussed how the New Testament provides another important witness to the same process of faithful obedience to God’s direction in human stories. I refer to the account of the Acts of the Apostles (chapters 10–15) concerning the church’s decision to include Gentiles in the church without requiring them to be circumcised or to observe the Mosaic law. Luke’s narrative shows how God moved ahead of the human characters in accepting Gentiles as righteous, and how difficult it was for the church’s leaders to learn what God was up to. It shows, however, that Peter and Paul and James were open to the truth God wanted them to learn. They paid attention to human narratives—testimonies—that spoke of God at work among Gentiles in ways that not even Jewish believers in a crucified messiah could appreciate. The apostles had to be shown how the same Holy Spirit who had come upon them also came to those very unlike them, people whom they regarded as unclean by nature and evil in their practices. When shown the evidence of transformed lives, they saw and accepted what God was doing.
And I don’t think he’s totally crazy.
The last several months have been a roller coaster, and, although there is still a long way to go, particularly with my family, I’m grateful that I’ve found some equilibrium in the last month or so. In reflecting on what these months have brought, I’ve started using the phrase “Coming Out 2.0.” My…
I love this story. And I totally believe it to be exactly true—-an honest reflection of what people who come out as Side B then decide they have to come out as Side A go through. Thinking about the way I come out, it often sounds a lot like Side B, then I talk about Side A stuff and what all that feels like, as he writes, and then I talk about how it’s terrifying.
And yeh, very isolating. : / In most coming out talks, I include that because it’s such a big deal.
this is what i should pray for. guys, straight or gay, who are my besties, just like that.
“I just want to go bake her some cookies.”
“Cars are so big, you guys.”
they’re four boys from colorado.
and they’re trying to change how they see the world. it’s amazing what Jesus compels us to do.
(Source: youtube.com)
One of the things I adore about my mother is the way she adamantly refuses to let Santa die. Now that we have a third generation of children in my family, it makes sense to perpetuate stories about a jolly, round man who brings presents through our chimney, but there was a long period before the…
Odd Man Out will always be one of the best bloggers in the gay Christian “genre.” Academically, he’s on point. Spiritually, he allows for anyone to feel like his writing is accessible. And emotionally, he challenges us to think about why we’re doing what we’re doing, no matter where we sit.
just got back from an emergency run to the grocery. my best friend called and was seeking a place to stay tonight. her family’s dog got sprayed by a skunk, so she peaced out ASAP and is staying here. unfortunately, even though she didnt even touch the dog, she brought the skunk smell with her. so 3 massive cans of tomato juice later, she’s bathing and i’m continuing my laundry.
I can understand your reasons for putting me on church discipline, but please listen to my plea. I can understand your care and concern, but please close your mouths and open your ears. I understand you view my “lifestyle” as an abomination and as sin, but I am a very real person with real…
my words are not necessary.
go read.
