It is hard to say if engaging in arguments like this ever bear fruit. Maybe they do and we never see it, but after months of investing my time I am tired of actively trying. I know that others will pick up the slack, as many already have. However, based on my experiences it seems like the medium does less to convince than it does to alienate. I could be wrong about this and next week jump right back into the melee, but right now this is how I feel.

Update, 9:15AM – So here you have postmodern and traditional reformed Christians debating 1) if the local church is homophobic, and 2) whether or not it is akin to racism. Then, because all posts on Chattablogs get listed on a public forum page, you get comments like this:

I am aghast at this post and at every comment. What in the name of all that’s holey is a “repentant homosexual”? How can you honestly, rationally label a personal attribute as “sin”?

Being gay does not constitute some sociopathic disorder that only “repentance” can heal. It’s a simple biological fact. I don’t know about the exact differences between the race-related civil rights actions of the mid-twentieth century and the sexual-orientation-related civil rights actions of the late 20th and early 21st, as I am neither black nor gay. However, I draw a parallel with the aspect of being left-handed. Left-handed people make the world more complicated, you know? Why don’t you pray for all the left-handed to realize the error of their ways and to join the rest of us normal right-handed people?

I know there are Christian congregations where GLBT persons feel very much at home, but I think that in general, there is no reason for a gay person to participate in a Christian setting. One is likely to encounter either the directly inhospitable, or worse yet, the “love the sinner, hate the sin” type whose hypocrisy (backhanded compassion) is even more damaging.

Again, I ask the question, is this a healthy debate to have on the internet? Is it good for the Church? Is it edifying? Certainly one could argue that it is good whenever the truth is proclaimed, regardless of how it is received. On the other hand, must one not consider his audience? I am curious about how some of the people currently engaged in the debate will respond. What will they say to someone who does not believe that homosexuality is a sin to begin with?

I almost forgot until I saw this on Michelle’s blog, but I have a Gmail account. I created it back when Google was offering them to people with Blogger accounts. Apparently you cannot just get one, but must receive an invitation from a current user. Let me know if you want one by leaving a comment to this post.

I just finished reading How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb Rebuilds the Heart, by Chuck DeGroat, on the PCA’s web magazine. The article takes an in depth look at the spiritual element behind U2’s music. DeGroat’s feeling of being at a U2 concert reminded me of my trip to Cleveland to see the Elevation Tour. It was not worship, but there definitely a charge in the air (and I am not referring to the pot smoke three rows in front of us).

The fourth season of Alias is in full swing. I saw the two hour premiere at my brother-in-law’s house, along with Willa and Steve (check out Willa’s review here). Pam and I watched the second episode last week. Tonight I missed it because I was at an officers’ training class at church (which BTW is meeting from 8:00-8:55 for the next twelve weeks). I would have had time to make it home, but I needed to run to the grocery store. So, instead I recorded the show on my PC and burned it to a DVD. I will either watch it in bed later on our portable DVD player, or at lunch tomorrow at work.

I am not sure what to think yet of the new season, but there has already been some controversy stirred up in the Chattablogs circle. I do not fault anyone at all for fleeing from temptation. The comments I made in this thread were largely in response to the comments that came after the actual post. I chose not to make any follow-up comments on Bob’s blog, but there are a few things that actually bother me personally about Alias this season.

One item is the seemingly endless cold-blooded killing. Every episode some evildoer gets whacked Hollywood style. Those who meek out this justice — Vaughn, Sydney, and Nadia — do it with expressionless faces. They never show any remorse. Instead, they just go right back to what they were doing as if nothing happened. I think that this is just as dangerous to the Christian mind as the temptation to lust. A lot of people say that violence does not bother them, but I think we have to be careful when it devalues human life in such a repetitive way.

Another other issue that I see, which is related to the first, is this sense of the ends justifying the means. In Jack Bristow’s world how many wrongs does it take to make a right? For him the number seems infinite. Maybe the whole covert op plot plays into this style of justice, but once again I think it is warped. You find yourself rooting for the good guys, only to find out that they are continually crossing the line between cop and criminal.

My last big complaint is that there is no evil kingpin. Sloan is now the fearless leader. The Covenant is (and has always been) somewhat intangible. Both the Japanese assassin and the British playboy have met violent ends. Where’s my Dr. Evil? Of course I have not yet watched tonight’s episode, but so far Alias is becoming as predictable as a Scooby Doo cartoon.

I underdressed this morning. My base layers were fine — khaki pants, long sleeve shirt, undershirt, etc. Upon checking the temperature (40°F) I decided on my Northface Light Mountain Parka (sans liner). It is so hard to dress for the weather around here lately, because it may start out in the forties and by 3:00PM hit as high as seventy.

Walking into work I quickly discovered that it was too windy to not have grabbed a polartec vest or jacket to line my coat. It was not terrible, but I could have been more comfortable. When I got to my office I noticed a number of people with less outer protection, such as a simple vest or more surprisingly no outer protection at all.

This is something that I have noticed on several occasions. Is there something about the South that makes it uncool to wear a coat in winter? Do people hope that if they do not cover up it will feel warmer? Or do they think to themselves, “It’s just short walk from the car to the building?”