I’ve been reading a book: The Unlikely Disciple, by Kevin Roose. It’s the account of a non-evangelical who spent a semester at Liberty University, to attempt to understand the Christian sub-culture. Since I am part of that sub-culture in many ways – and am an “evangelical” Christian, I thought it would be valuable to hear an outsider’s perspective.
It’s fascinating.
Anyhow, that is not the point of my post.
Jerry Falwell, the man who started the university, had a lot of good intentions. I like some of what he did, in spite of all the bad press he received. (And I also admit he did a fair amount of harm, prior to his death in May 2007.)
But the thing that offended me most about him from the book is that he insisted on being called “Dr. Falwell” – even though the highest degree he earned through studying was a bachelor’s degree. He had three honorary doctorates. Those can be cool – but if you insist on being called “Dr.” – make sure you earned it the real way.
Disclaimer: if you pick up the book and are an evangelical, there may be parts that will offend you. And I’d rate it R; some parts are just not appropriate for the under-18 set (with a few possible exceptions). Mostly there’s just a lot of stuff that teenagers shouldn’t have to think about yet. But it could prepare them for life in college. I guess I’m not prepared to have those discussions yet. Maybe next year.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia and used under Wikimedia Commons.
This lovely shopping bag was crafted by a friend of ours in rural Kenya. She gave it to us as a gift.
This summer Ben is in a suburban swim team. The parents plan all sorts of parties and events surrounding the team’s activities. Sadly, we don’t volunteer much for the team. Ben isn’t interested in many of the activities – and we aren’t much either.
So our son Ben is on swim team for our local suburban subdivision. (He’s the swimmer on the right.) He goes to practice 3-5 mornings a week. They start at 7:00 am! Anyhow, this past Saturday was a swim meet at another suburban pool. We were surrounded by suburban parents and their suburban kids. Some were really intense – yelling like their kids were about to win the Olympics. Others were simply lounging under their pop-up canopies.
Today is a bank holiday in America – Memorial Day. I’ll let others write about its significance.
Hiba Ibrahim spoke at at Ben’s graduation ceremony (or continuation ceremony). Her family immigrated from Sudan to Littleton, Colorado, about five or so years ago. Her speech reflected complete adjustment to life here. Her delivery showed confidence and poise. She had a totally American accent.
