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Maybe We Should Blame God for the Subprime Mess
Has the so-called Prosperity gospel
<http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1533448,00.html>  turned its followers into some of the most willing participants - and hence, victims - of the current financial crisis? That's what a scholar of the fast-growing brand of Pentecostal Christianity believes. While researching a book on black televangelism, says Jonathan Walton, a religion professor at
the University of California at Riverside, he realized that Prosperity's central promise - that God will "make a way" for poor people to enjoy the better things in life - had developed an additional, dangerous expression during the subprime-lending boom. Walton says that this encouraged congregants who got dicey mortgages to believe "God caused the bank to
ignore my credit score and blessed me with my first house." The results, he says, "were disastrous, because they pretty much turned parishioners into prey for greedy brokers."
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Commentary
We all know people of all kinds are greedy in one form or another. Bankers and brokers don't have the corner on that market. While there is no excuse for anyone taking advantage of another, Christians must be aware of reality. They must be aware of greedy brokers, greedy preachers who give them a message that contradicts the Scriptures, and indeed they must be aware of the greed that lurks in their own hearts. The root of the whole mess lies in an entitlement mentality that has crept into the American consciousness. It is that mentality that compels the government to force lenders to make high-risk loans to people who cannot afford homes but who are believed to be entitled to own a home. When things go well, greed takes root in the hearts of all involved: the government
officials greedy for votes and the perpetuation of themselves in office; the greedy bankers who make loans they know they should not make; and individuals who know they cannot really afford what they want.
Christians especially should be responsible enough to say "no" to something beyond their means. Moreover, they must be satisfied with true treasure and not the fleeting and worthless treasure of this world. They must never blameshift when they are part of the problem.
With particular reference to the prosperity gospel and those who preach it, as one looks at what Christ has to say to those religious leaders who take advantage of ignorant people, it is safe to say they will incur a stricter
judgment than any greedy banker. They've been warned.
In the end, it is not God who is to be blamed for the subprime mess. It is man. It is sinful man. The reality is that God is the only one who can fix the mess because He is the only one who can remove a heart of greed and
replace it with a heart of giving.

Paul J. Dean, Jr.

Sarah Palin and Evangelical Pragmatism
"The Palin selection is the single most dangerous event in the conscience of the Christian community in the last 10 years at least," said Doug Phillips, president of Vision Forum, a Texas-based ministry. "The unabashed, unquestioning support of Sarah Palin and all she represents marks a fundamental departure from our historic position of family priorities -- of
moms being at home with young children, of moms being helpers to their husbands, the priority of being keepers of the home."
 
<http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-evangelical1-2008oct01,0,3525229.st
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Commentary
The debate surrounding Sarah Palin's nomination highlights at least three critical issues facing evangelicals today: male headship; the role of women in all contexts; and a confusion of priorities in the church. It is the third issue that is of greatest concern. Regardless of one's interpretation of a watershed text like Titus 2:5, which is of vital import to say the least, evangelicals must wrestle with the prioritization of politics over gospel advance; pragmatism over truth;
having a seat at the world's table over being a voice in the wilderness; fear of temporal circumstances over rest in divine providence; and earthly desires over scriptural authority.  Winning an election is an earthly pursuit of little value in the context of eternity and is secondary to maintaining a focus on the specific commission our Lord has given us to make disciples. To adopt a political strategy for gospel advance, assume that government is the answer to our problems, act as if morality is our goal, or justify a politically consumed focus as being salt and light, is to place the easy work of expedience over the hard work of spiritual transformation and miss the point of our calling completely. The temptation to have an influence on the world's stage is large and often militates against the position of marginalization to which Christians are often called by God. Having a prophetic voice that is pleasing to God is far more important than having a welcome voice among other earthly voices in mundane deliberations. While individual Christians should certainly have preferences with regard to political candidates, they must realize that no political candidate or public policy can change hearts. They must also realize that God is the one who raises up and deposes kings and that regardless of who is on the earthly throne or in the Oval Office, the Lord of the Universe has not stepped away from His post. The sad reality is that we are often so self-focused and consumed with fleshly desires that might include earthly power or even revenge, we fail to see that Scripture must be our authority in every circumstance and that we must never substitute form
for substance if we are to have true peace in our on hearts and true peace in a world that has indeed been cursed.

Paul J. Dean, Jr.

Study Finds That 35 Percent Of BlackBerry And PDA Users Would Choose TheirDevice Over Their Spouse

Of all the possible things that can come between spouses, you can now add BlackBerrys -- or more precisely -- BlackBerry addiction to the list. A new study reveals BlackBerry's are becoming -- among  other things -- the 800-pound gorilla in the bedroom. 'Berry, 'Berry, addictive? "I live with it. I can't live  without it," one New York City resident told CBS 2 HD.

Celebrity Worship: Good for Your Health?

Shira Gabriel, a psychologist at the University at Buffalo, conducted a series of three studies on celebrity worship, focusing specifically on howadmiration from afar may affect the admirer's self-esteem. "It was seven or
eight years ago during the Michael Jackson trial," she says, "and I was fascinated by the people who were obsessed with him, who flew to the trial and made banners. I thought, What would bring somebody to do something like that?" One possible reason, which Gabriel decided to explore, was the vicarious pleasure that regular people get from following the lives of famous people; for some fans, there is something uniquely satisfying about carrying on an intense, albeit unrequited, relationship with celebrities. "Perhaps some people who don't feel good about themselves and are not ableto get what they want out of a real relationship because of a fear of rejection can feel a connection with a celebrity and get something positive out of that," says Gabriel