Palestinian leader: Arabs erred on 1947 partition

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Palestinian president says the Arab world erred in rejecting the United Nations' 1947 plan to partition Palestine into an Arab and a Jewish state.

President Mahmoud Abbas also told Channel 2 TV in a rare interview with the Israeli media on Friday that he and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert were "very, very close" to reaching a peace agreement in 2008.

"If he stayed two, three months, I believe that time we could have concluded an agreement," Abbas said.

He confirmed reports that Olmert had agreed to withdraw from 93.5 percent of the West Bank.

Abbas also said it was not clear the Palestinians could muster the requisite nine votes in the U.N. Security Council to approve the statehood bid they submitted last month.

Palestinian leader: Arabs erred on 1947 partition

Christ at the Checkpoint 2012 Conference Attempts Sounding Evangelical

Recently, according to Stephen Sizer, Vicar of Christ Church in the UK, the 2012 Evangelical Affirmations for the Christ at the Checkpoint 2012 Conference have been agreed upon and published. Sizer, an outspoken critic of Israel and Christian Zionism, according to his own words, is among the authors of this affirmation.

Last years drafters of the 2011 Affirmations included Paul Alexander, Christine M. Anderson, Brother Andrew, Alex Awad, Bishara Awad, Mubarak Awad, Sami Awad, Gary Burge, Tony Campolo, Steven Haas, Lynne Hybels, Manfred Kohl, Jonathan Kuttab, Paul Johnson, Salim Munayer, Stephen Sizer and producer Porter Speakman, Jr.

The affirmations for this coming year are intended to reflect the views and hopes of the organizers of the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference to be held at Bethlehem Bible College in Bethlehem March 5-9.  The participants in the conference include Palestinian Christians, messianic Jews and an assortment of evangelical speakers and writers.

These affirmations state, "As Palestinian Evangelical Christians at Bethlehem Bible College, we seek to learn, through following the example of the life and teachings of Jesus, how to honor Christ and how to honor Palestinians and Israeli Jews, by accepting them as two peoples who have the right to live in justice, peace, security and dignity."

Yet as we read through the affirmations, it is clear only one entity is to blame for the Middle East crisis and it's not the Palestinians.

Here is the text of the Christ at the Checkpoint Affirmations from their website with my comments included.

Affirmation #1: Israelis and Palestinians

We affirm that all people are created in the image of God. In turn we are called to honor the dignity of every human being and to respect their inalienable rights. We affirm that Jews and Palestinians are loved by God and capable of living together within peace, justice and security. This is God’s view toward all of humanity, residing in any political boundary and manifested through the mission of Jesus in bringing to everyone, “life to the full” (John 10:10).

Affirmation #2: Theology and Land
The New Testament clearly teaches that God continues to invite Jews and Arabs into His kingdom and in no way is finished with any people group. Further, Scripture speaks of Jesus as its ultimate fulfillment. For example, the need for animal sacrifices, Levitical priesthood, and expectation of a rebuilt Temple, find their ultimate fulfillment and completion in Jesus Christ.

I find Affirmation #2 to be written in a way that permits the leadership and participants in the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference to slip in their adherence to Replacement Theology. The second affirmation reads, "and in no way is finished with any people group."  

These words can be meant to say, "God is not finished with the Jewish people since He offers them salvation through their acceptance of Jesus as their Messiah."  However, the statement provides freedom to the conference participants to advocate that God is no longer committed to the provisions of the Abrahamic Covenant which gives the people of Israel possession and ownership of the land of Israel.  

This covenant relationship does not eliminate the Palestinian from living in the land as over a million Arabs do today in Israel proper. However, to deny the continuance of the Abrahamic Covenant for the Jewish people today is a major bone of contention for theologians and individuals connected to the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference and the drafters of the 2011 Affirmations such as Gary Burge, Stephen Sizer and Sami Awad.  The fact the drafters of these affirmations skirt around God's continued covenant with Israel is obvious in their refusal to believe the God of Israel would allow a temple to be rebuilt in Jerusalem. 


Affirmation #3: The Palestinian-Israeli conflict

As followers of Jesus Christ we regret more than 60 years of conflict. We look forward to the time when the conflict will end and both peoples will enjoy genuine reconciliation. We commit ourselves to be peacemakers and to this ministry of reconciliation. As such we stand resolutely against all forms of violence and racism, regardless of the perpetrators.

Other than in words, where are any attempts on the part of Palestinian Christians to be peacemakers towards Israeli soldiers and citizens? To affirm this agreement we would need to see Palestinian Christians condemn the use of terrorism against Israelis by Palestinian Muslims.  

The terrorist Hamas group governing the Palestinian territories is committed to a doctrine in which they seek the destruction of the Jewish state and annihilation of the Jewish people.  Why aren't Palestinian Christians condemning Hamas? 

Instead, most of the Palestinian Christian groups in their literature and speeches place the responsibility of the Middle East conflict on Israel.  Having a conference where messianic Jews are invited to speak is a drop in the ocean when it comes to the reality of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Affirmation #4: The Second Coming of Christ

There are several views which Christ followers hold to explain the future. Rather than focus on the signs of the return of Christ, our reading of the New Testament indicates that our primary mandate is to proclaim the “Good News” to the entire world. 

Palestinian Christians and their supporters  do not want to focus on the Second Coming since the New Testament scriptures place the people of Israel on center stage of the events of the last days as seen in Matthew 24, Mark 14 and Luke 21.  Christ at the Checkpoint theologians do not want to consider Jesus as the Messiah of the Jewish people and returning to earth to set up His kingdom in Jerusalem to rule as the last Davidic King.  Then they would have to acknowledge the continuance of the Abrahamic covenant with the modern state of Israel.

Affirmation #5: Zionism

Modern Zionism is a political movement created to meet the aspirations of Jews around the world who longed for a homeland. It has become ethnocentric, privileging one people at the expense of others. Christianity calls believers in Jesus to focus on building God’s kingdom on earth.

It is interesting that a group consisting largely of Palestinian Christians seeks to define Zionism without consulting Jewish sources. Rather than being a "political movement . . . privileging one people at the expense of others", the Encyclopedia Britannica defines Zionism, 

Zionism is a movement of national liberation, seeking self-determination for the Jewish people within a sovereign Jewish nation located in their ancient homeland. Zionism is a direct continuation of the Biblical religious attachment of the Jews and Judaism to this specific historic holy land. Zionism is non-partisan, trans-denominational, and not related to the policies of any Israeli government.

Affirmation #6: Messianic Jews

Messianic Jews are the brothers and sisters of all who follow Jesus or Yeshua. We are one family bound together in a fellowship of love. Although diversity in political opinions as well as theological emphasis inevitably exist, we refuse to allow these views to hinder our fellowship in Jesus.

I find this affirmation hard to swallow. Vicar StephenSizer in a recent blog condemns the human rights violation by Israel towards Palestinians without placing any responsibility on Palestinian terrorists. I would have liked to see Sizer condemn the brutal attack on the Israeli family who had their throats cut in the middle of the night in the Ithamar back in March 2011. While they were sleeping Palestinian terrorists stole into the settlement, killing a husband and wife, and an 11-year-old, a 3-year-old and a baby girl. Where is Rev. Sizer's condemnation of such atrocities committed by Palestinians? 

Does Sizer think this affirmation is going to smooth over the differences between messianic Jews and Palestinian Christians? Does he think messianic Jews are going to sit by in silence while any Israeli retaliation to Palestinian acts of terrorism are condemned by Palestinian followers of Christ?  

In his blog Stephen Sizer quotes theologian John Stott who says of Zionism, "I myself believe that Zionism, both political and Christian, is incompatible with biblical truth." Sizer thinks he can embrace messianic Jews as brothers in the Lord while stabbing us in the back with his condemnation of Zionism - Christian and Jewish.  

Affirmation #7: Palestinian and Israeli Authority
The Bible teaches us to pray for all in political authority. We are called to obey them, whether they are Israeli or Palestinian, as an expression of our faith in God’s sovereign rule. We are also called to be a prophetic voice, challenging injustice creatively and non-violently.

As I stated above, I am waiting for a prophetic voice to come from the Palestinian Christians pointing out  the evils committed by their Palestinian brothers in their terrorist attacks on Israel and stop placing all the blame on the Israelis.  

Will Palestinian Christians obey Hamas in desiring the destruction of the Jewish state and the annihilation of the Jewish people in Israel?  I'm anxious to hear an affirmation from the Christ at the Checkpoint leadership in which they condemn the evil goals of their own government.  Until these affirmations are just empty words. 

Rather than seeking true  peace with Israel, many in the Palestinian leadership of the Christ at the Checkpoint are mostly dedicated to bringing young American evangelicals to live among Palestinian families to indoctrinate them against Israel, produce propaganda films such as With God on Our Side to show in evangelical churches to turn Christians against Israel and produce books that attack Christian Zionism and advocate replacement theology. 

Christ at the Checkpoint 2012 Conference Attempts Sounding Evangelical

It's Those Zionist Jews Again!

It was bound to happen. Put a bunch of lefties together in the streets calling for revolution and soon enough someone is going to blame the Jews for all the ills of society. Ho hum!

Tonight on Fox TV News, a video was shown of a black woman, Patricia McAllister who works for the Los Angeles Unified School District being interviewed.

This misinformed woman stated that the corrupt heads of corporate banks and the Federal Reserve are Jewish Zionists who need to be run out of this country.  Well, I'm a Zionist Jew and I'm not the head of a bank and I'm not leaving this country!

Why did I mention she is black?  Why did she mention the heads of banks and the Federal Reserve are Jewish?

Of course, this was one voice out of hundreds of thousands who made an anti-Semitic remark. I'm not as stupid as this woman.  I did read one more sign that equated corporate bank heads with the Rothchilds - another anti-Semitic comparison. A white person was holding the sign.

My point is to show my readers how ignorant people are.  Here are the names of the CEOs of three major banking corporations:

Jamie Dimon - of Greek descent and Chairman and CEO at JP Morgan Chase and Company

John G. Stumpf - from Minnesota and Chairman, President and CEO of Wells Fargo and Company

Brian Moynihan - President and CEO of the Big Monster of them all -  Bank of America. 

Ben Bernake - Chairman of the Federal Reserve and he is Jewish!  Ah ha! A Jew is behind all this corporate greed after all.

Let's speak about the significance of Patricia McAllister's statement.  First, it was anti-Semitic. As an employee of the LA Unified School District, she should be fired for her antisemitism. If a white employee of the LAUSD make a derogatory comments about blacks on national TV, he or she would be canned on the spot - a boot in the butt. 

Second, this woman's comments sound strangely familiar.  I wonder if she's been listening to Minister Louis Farrakhan, head of the Nation of Islam?  Farrakhan is noted for his Jew hatred and for making similar comments about Zionist Jews.  

Don't forget that Minister Farrakhan was awarded a lifetime achievement award by Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the pastor of the church where President Barak Obama attended for twenty years.

Yes, I almost forgot.  Out of twenty years of attendance at Rev. Wright's church, the president never heard his pastor say anything derogatory about Jewish people or America. 

Last, if antisemitism starts to make inroads into the largely leftist Occupy Wall Street movement, then the Democratic Party - whose members make up the largely liberal protest -  is in for a lot of trouble.

President Obama will have no choice but to distance himself from this movement lest he lose the Jewish vote and a huge chunk of his credibility as someone who does not belong in the White House.

Once again, Obama's feet will be put to the fire as he will be forced to distance himself from the beliefs of black leaders like Louis Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson and Rev. Wright who have made similar anti-Semitic comments to Patricia McAlllister.

I prefer not to see anti-Semitism rear it's ugly head in  the Occupy Wall Street movement. Ironically, Jewish individuals have been largely associated with left wing movements - Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman, Karl Marx and others. Yet in the majority of situations, most left wing movements started by Jewish people end up turning against Jewish people as they are vilified and demonized as "rich Jews who control the world's banks." 

Racist charges were thrown at Tea Party participants, but no one was quick enough to put the evidence on tape. As far as I am concerned, those racist comments allegedly made by Tea Party members never happened. It's also very ironic since there are a lot of black people in the Tea Party movement and many Tea Party members support the presidential bid by black leader Herman Cain.

In the case of Patricia McAllister, her hatred for Jewish people is recorded, posted on You Tube and available for everyone to watch.  In fact, if you want to tell Ms. McAllister what you think of her racist stunt, here is her email address: PatriciaMcAll@yahoo.com. 

It's Those Zionist Jews Again!

Jewish Group Urges Starbucks to Take Down Anti-Israel Post

SWC Urges Starbucks to Remove Misleading Middle East Posting from its Digital Network

October 12, 2011

Various members of the Simon Wiesenthal Center have alerted the SWC to this (see graphic) misleading posting on the history of the Land of Israel which ran on Starbucks Digital Network. The Center immediately contacted Starbucks headquarters.

The Center wrote in part, “…we'd like to hear from Starbucks about what steps you are taking to remove it and what steps… you'll be taking to assure that Starbucks won't serve as a platform for such material in the future.

The propaganda presentation called Palestine: A Century of Shrinking present maps that falsely assert that the historic Land of Israel belonged to the Arabs.

“The material presented on the Starbucks Digital Network is similar to other anti-Israel propaganda being promoted by extreme anti-Israel groups. We urge our members to join us in urging Starbucks not to allow itself to be a platform by extremists, “ said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, SWc Associate Dean.

Go to info@starbucks.com to let Starbucks know what you think of this, site case #7361732 in your email.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).

For more information, please contact the Center's Public Relations Department, 310-553-9036, join the Center on Facebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent direct to your Twitter page or mobile device.

Jewish Group Urges Starbucks to Take Down Anti-Israel Post

Starbucks Takes Pro-Palestinian Stance on Website

As customary I unlatched my Mac Book Pro at my favorite Starbucks, with a Grande Iced Coffee at my side, ready for work.

Once I moved past the opening Starbucks Connection page, I was directed to a Splash page sponsored by Starbucks. Featured on the portal page was a five panel Cartographic Regression of the Map of Palestine that portrayed the idea that in 1917 only Palestinians were living in Israel at that time, which is historically inaccurate since Jewish people have always been living in the land of Israel.

The chart of maps went on to demonstrate all the land the Israelis "stole" from the Palestinians.

The accompanying text reads, "The battle over Palestine has lasted for most of the 20th century and all of the 21st, causing the region's borders to change several times over the years. Here's a look at how Palestine has shrunk since 1917."

"The battle over Palestine" is a loaded statement since the Palestinians during the 1947 UN Partition plan were offered the Transjordan as a Palestinian state, a span of land three times the size of Israel.  Not until the aftermath of the Six Dat War were Palestinians even concerned about a "Palestinian state." Who are they kidding?

No explanation is offered by Starbucks/Good Politics about the 1947 and 1967 maps that the shrinking "Palestine" was due to Arab inspired and initiated attacks on the Jewish people at which time the Israelis won the land from the Arab bloc due to superior military prowess.

Starbucks is being deceptive and presenting itself as anti-Israel by featuring this misleading chart in this morning's opening portal page. Shame on Starbucks. To be fair, perhaps tomorrow's splash page should
include an historical cartograph of the terrorist attacks by individuals, Palestinians terrorist organizations and Arab nations against the civilians of Israel since 1917.

Starbucks Takes Pro-Palestinian Stance on Website

Feds To Close Down California Pot Shops

I awoke this morning totally bummed knowing the NY Yankees lost the ALDS to the Tigers.  And I don't want to wait to next year. I'm a Yankee fan.  Next year is always NOW!

However, the headlines in this morning's Ventura County Star lifted my spirits:
FEDS TARGET CALIFORNIA POT DISPENSARIES FOR CLOSURE

Yes, I support federal law superseding the stupid state law of California that made medical marijuana legal.  Now the feds are going to close down federally illegal pot shops in the land of fruits, nuts, twigs and seeds.  Here is the essence of what Big Brother is going to do to medical marijuana dispensaries in CA: 

'Under United States law, a dispensary's operations involving sales and distribution of marijuana are illegal and subject to criminal prosecution and civil enforcement actions,' according to the letters signed by U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy in San Diego. 'Real and personal property involved in such operations are subject to seizure by and forfeiture to the United States ... regardless of the purported purpose of the dispensary.'

Plenty of reasons exist why pot shops need to be shut down.  

First, the so-called doctors that prescribe marijuana for patients are mostly incompetent. I've sat in on a session where someone was getting a card to enable them to purchase pot.  The doctor asked a few basic fifth grade level medical questions, took the person's blood pressure and the exam was over. The encounter with the doctor was a perfunctory procedure in order for the patient to get pot. 

Second, the regulations for obtaining pot are virtually absent. I can obtain pot right now simply because I often have trouble staying asleep.  I can call a medical marijuana "doctor" with the questionable diplomas on his wall, tell him I have sleep issues and in two hours, I'm toking on a doobie.  But that's not all.

In another hour or so, I can go to another dispensary and buy more pot and keep repeating the same action until the clinics close for the day. What's to stop me from purchasing all the pot I want? I cannot do that in a regular medical pharmacy.  If I am prescribed Oxycontin, a physician normally prescribes a 30 days supply and the patient cannot get anymore of the drug until after the thirty days are over. 

Third, young adults who underhandedly obtain pot from a clinic because of "back pain" or "insomnia" often sell their stash to younger kids.  If you don't believe me, call the narcotics division of your county's sheriff's department, and ask them about the illegal activity taking place with minors obtaining weed from legitimate card holders.  It's a racket. 

Let's be honest. People who have legitimate cards to purchase grass really just want to get high. 

Pot is not the only painkiller on the face of the earth or sleep aid.  The medical benefits of pot are highly contested, but the motivation to obtain pot at one of these clinics is never questioned:  to get high.  

Finally, I am against the legalization of marijuana period. Why?  I admit I smoked grass for five years of my life or maybe more. I forgot . . . which is the problem.  Pot destroys brain cells. 

In addition, individuals who smoke pot at an early age usually slow down their emotional maturity process.  Smoking dope stunts a person's emotional growth. Hang around a bunch of twentysomething dopers, and you'll witness this phenomenon for yourself. They laugh at everything that isn't always that funny. 

The majority of pot smoker share the same personality traits. Talk the same. Laugh the same. If I was looking for Big Brother, I say look no farther than a lit joint being passed around at a party. 

Neither are pot smokers the smartest bunch on the planet.  School grades start to plummet once a student starts indulging with a bong. 

Pot smokers are often listless, incoherent, slow in reacting while driving a vehicle (as many studies have proven) often unambitious. 

The police can't really arrest someone for driving under the influence of pot since THC stays in a person's system for 30-40 days.  A pothead could have smoked two joints right before entering his vehicle or he may have smoked a reefer two weeks ago and is just a bad driver. 

My biggest complaint about dopers is that they are narcissistic.  Their main concern is their need to get high and then relax or seek entertainment and food.  

 I've spoken to owners of medical marijuana dispensaries and challenged them to visit drug rehabs where kids who started smoking pot soon graduated to cocaine or a harder drug. These pot professionals could care less. I was told, "It was their choice to stop smoking pot and move on to crack cocaine"  That was not the answer I was looking for.  I was seeking some human compassion. Instead, I receive the same old pot smoker narcissistic answer - I don't want anyone infringing on my right to get high.

Will closing the dispensaries solve the marijuana problem here in LA? Not really. Most likely, the closure of these dispensaries will boost the sales of pot among drug dealers and black market drug cartels. 

Still I applaud President Obama for taking a bold step in overriding state law to impose federal law.  I think a few other presidents did the same thing throughout history, such as President Lincoln regarding the ugly sin of slavery.

If closing dispensaries serves as a deterrent to some from smoking pot, then this federal action is worth it.  I've seen enough kids ruin their lives due to entering into the world of drugs through the gateway drug of marijuana.  

Feds To Close Down California Pot Shops

My Tribute to Steve Jobs is My Job

I started using Apple computers in 1984 when they were first made available to the general public.

For me computers were never used for play, but for work purposes. Even though I love the iPod, the iPad, the iPhone, Apple laptops and desktop computers - and I used them all - I didn't incorporate the use of Steve Job's genius for play.

With the Apple Macintosh I compiled articles and blogs and edited and organized photos.

I researched sermon materials and wrote hundreds of biblical messages using the current version of Apple's operating system. I wrote countless emails, listened to endless hours of music and once in a while I watched a YouTube video.

I changed and influenced lives through the messages and articles I wrote while using Apple computers.

Thanks to the expertise of Jobs,  I never had to deal with viruses and only occasionally tinkered with a crashed PC. I learned to fix at least 90% of the problems I ran into with an Apple product. Jobs made computing easy.

 When I ran out of problem solving ideas, I would break down and call AppleCare.

Apple computers have always been reliant for me and made computing fun. I read all the boring manuals and Macs For Dummies books, and soaked in everything I could using this incredible product.

To Steve Jobs I tip my hat for using his genius to not merely improve our lives, but to make it possible for a person like me - devoted to sharing the Word of God with others - to have an eternal impact.

My greatest joy was not switching from a PC to a Mac - which I never had to do. My greatest joy was switching from a Smith Corona typewriter to a Macintosh computer and never needing to switch to anything else.

As an Applephile I shall ever remain thankful to Steve Jobs. His yearly keynote speeches will be missed but knowing Steve, he used his genius once more in leaving his company in good hands.

My Tribute to Steve Jobs is My Job

Texting For Dummies

If you're thirty years of age or younger, you're in danger of becoming a "texting dummy".

I admit I am not a heavy texter. I find it annoying and a potential source for face-paced emotionally packed misunderstandings between two plugged in iDroids.

Yet what irks me the most is the grammar and spelling errors that accompany those two liners that appear on the screen of our iPhones and Droids.  Here are some examples: "What's" has become "wuts." "When" is now spelled "wen." Punctuation marks are a thing of the past.  "To" is now a number.

Then there are the codes of which I know very little: AAP - Always a pleasure; AAK - Asleep at keyboard; BBS - Be back soon; ACK- Acknowledge; BOYF - Boyfriend; DF- Don't even go there; BIH- Burn in hell; BAY- Back at ya.

Recently I came across an article entitled "Uptight Texter"  by Ventura County Star columnist Starshine Roshell. Ms. Roshell is a journalism professor, magazine writer and an award-winning contributor.  I enjoyed Sunday's column since it "hit the spot" on one of my pet peeves:  texting illiteracy.  

I'm no stickler for rules — at least, not most of them. I've always favored whimsy, irreverence, and originality over propriety, decorum, and tradition. I'm the mom who lets my kids run naked in the front yard, sneaks massive snack sacks into movie theaters under my shirt, and is proud to demonstrate my belching skills at the dinner table. As I type this, I'm staring at a recent moving-violation ticket for rolling through a stop sign (I'm sorry, but some rules just beg to be broken). 

Why, then, do I find myself stiffly — stubbornly — adhering to fusty old spelling and grammar rules when I'm texting my tech-savvy 8th grader? 

I can't fire off a "Heads up: I'm running a few minutes late," or bang out a "How did you do on today's geometry test?" without spelling out every word in its inconvenient entirety, and punctuating each trivial missive impeccably.

Regardless of the rush I'm in — or my hair-tearing frustration over the diabolically obscured tilde and discriminatory lack of an em dash on my phone's treacherously tiny keypad — I'm incapable of embracing the medium's abbreviated style and typing "c u @home in 10".
Not to my son.

For one thing, I don't want to be perceived as trying to co-opt "his" lingo. Every generation needs its own nearly inscrutable vernacular and parents who try to clamber aboard by lauding their kids' new Vans as "sick kicks" or texting "ikr dont b a h8r g2g ttyl" only embarrass the rest of us. To me, Textese is like one of those damned pashminas that's supposed to look effortlessly twisted and tossed about the neck and shoulders; I just don't wear it well.

But the main reason for my reverent texting is plain fear. With the amount of time my kid spends communicating in abridged, thumb-pecked snippets, I'm afraid he might forget what true written English looks like. 

As a writing instructor myself — who once had a student type "lol" in an essay for my class — I can't run the risk that my son might one day offer up "2b r not 2b" on a literary response.

My inner rule-thwarter has to wonder: Why should it matter? Why cling to old-fashioned practices in a modern age? If technology is rapidly evolving for the better, why can't we let language follow suit, slipping and sliding down the wide and inviting slope of casual convenience?

As a parent, I'm hoping to impart some life lessons to my son by modeling proper English in my texts. I want to squelch laziness and encourage attention to detail. I want to remind him that it's important to adjust one's communication style to one's audience — just as he ought not try to fist-bump grandma or test out fart jokes on his junior-high principal.

If I'm being honest, though, I must admit that my persnickety texting is a passionate if pathetic attempt to push back against society's increasing carelessness with the written word. On Facebook and Twitter, in emails and ads, no one seems to recall the distinction between there, their, and they're. Why else would my son's school have invited parents (I wish I were kidding) to Back to School Nite?

At the very event in question, I stealthily took a Sharpie to some anti-bullying posters in the halls that were sorely missing a semicolon; my child was mortified.

But don't you see? I don't have a choice! I may be the last holdout, the only person left unwilling to trade "Don't be late for dinner" for "dont b L8 4dnr." If I give up, who'll teach the next generation how to spell and punctuate? What happens then?

I'll tell you what: we r scrood

Texting For Dummies

Pastor Rob Bell Turns Christian "Rock Star"

From Christianity Today I learned author and pastor Rob Bell is stepping down from the pulpit of the church he founded, Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan.  The best selling author is moving his family to the brighter lights of Los Angeles, CA.

Pastor Bell is joining the ranks of other Christian rock stars who hit the evangelical circuit with their driving metal guitars of false theology and adoring clueless fans.  Rock on, Pastor Rob!

Having been a pastor in Los Angeles for over twenty six years, I can safely say Bell may either sink or swim in So Cal as he tries to broaden his audience with his controversial beliefs.

Remember . . . Bell is the pastor that ignited a hot debate over the existence of heaven and hell.  But that's not all.  He questions the meaning of salvation, the whereabouts of heaven and the entry fee to gain access to eternal life. After reading Love Wins I called StubHub and managed to scalp two tickets in the Loge section of the New Jerusalem Section 104, Row G, Seats 3-4.

Since LA is an eclectic playground for the likes of Rob Bell, he'll most likely fit in and then slowly fade away after he's spent a few years spraying the bullets of his drive-by false theology throughout Southern California.

According to CT Bell:

  . . .  will launch his "Fit to Smash Ice Tour" in Canada in November and continue the tour in the U.S. "We serve a big God and none of this is shocking to him,” WZZM reports Bell said during his sermon. “All we can do is embrace a future that is going to be brilliant."

One another bit of juicy evangelical gossip comes from CT:  David Vanderveen, editor of the Mars Hill Review announced the completion of the Love Wins companion study guide due from HarperOne in November.  So now the erroneous theology of Rob Bell will be propagated in more and more unsuspecting churches and among more and more clueless Christians as they study a book I call a "masterpiece of confusion and theological uncertainty."

Why should I even report on such an a potentially insignificant event as a pastor leaving a church?  I admit it. I was inspired by Pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life.  Upon the news that Bell is departing his pulpit to take his show on the road, Pastor Rick tweeted:

 "Always less. No base 4credibility @LarsRood Do u think well-known pastors who leave their churches have more or less impact?" and "Speaking tours feed the ego=All  applause&no responsibility.It's an unreal world. A church gives accountability& validity" after tweeting "Bell resigns."

Thank you, Pastor Warren.  Now it all makes sense.  Without any accountability to a church board and without any need for validity from older and wiser Christians, Rob Bell can let his theology all hang out.

Rob Bell, the Christian rock star has arrived, tight leather pants and all.   I can see it now - speaking tours sprinkled across the U.S. as adoring fans scream for more theological junk from an ego driven former pastor from Mars Hill Bible Church.

The good news?  Once Bell leaves Mars Hill Church, perhaps they will hire a pastor who will help them put the word "Bible" back into the name of the church.

Pastor Rob Bell Turns Christian "Rock Star"