by Candice Watters on 04/30/2007
A New America Media study released Friday shows American young people are marked by optimism. The study, called "California Dreamers: the most diverse generation the nation has known," queried 600, 16-22 year olds. The interviews, conducted by cell phone -- this demographic's primary mode of communication -- focused on perceived problems, plans for the future and attitudes about race. "Though they view the breakdown of the family as the biggest challenge facing their generation, California young people hope and expect... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 04/30/2007
Last year I was a first-time attendee to New Attitude. I agree with Ted that following the conference, "I found myself more in love with the Lord, more in wonder of the cross, and more challenged in my faith." I wrote the following blog after hearing Joshua Harris' opening message about embracing a humble orthodoxy. Orthodoxy: the practice of observing established social customs and definitions of appropriateness. Saturated. That is how I would describe my state of mind having passed... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 04/30/2007
The Daily Transcript reports that as the most praised generation heads into the workforce, bosses are scrambling to compliment twentysomethings enough to keep them motivated. Employers are dishing out kudos to workers for little more than showing up. Corporations including Lands' End and Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) are hiring consultants to teach managers how to compliment employees using e-mail, prize packages and public displays of appreciation. The 1,000-employee Scooter Store Inc., a power-wheelchair and scooter firm in New Braunfels,... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 04/27/2007
I found Carolyn McCulley's commentary on Candice Watters' recent Boundless article, "Misguided Compassion," very balanced. As a refresher, Candice proposed that some singles groups could do better at preparing and enabling their members for the next season of life, marriage. Sometimes they focus so much on affirming the state of singleness and encouraging their members to simply "wait on God" that they end up discouraging singles from taking steps to move from that state. Carolyn elaborated on the article, wisely... Read more.
by Denise Morris on 04/27/2007
Ted's last post was very interesting to me because it brought up a lot of things I've been thinking about lately when it comes to faith, evangelism and the Christian life in general. I have not read the book he's talking about, so I'm not going to comment on what he said about the author or his views. However, I do want to share my thoughts about the Great Commission and the Great Commandments. To be honest, the evangelism I've... Read more.
by Motte Brown on 04/27/2007
Whenever The Line posts a blog questioning the actions or words of, well, anyone -- Rosie O'Donnell, Hip Hop artists, Islamic jihadists, etc. -- our readers typically respond in favor of being non-judgemental. We read things like, "well, he/she isn't a Christian" or "we're all sinners" or "I've done worse" or "we should just forgive." And while these sentiments have merit, I believe the compassion behind them is often misapplied. Let me explain. I ran across a broadcast from talk... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 04/26/2007
As editor of Boundless, I receive a number of books from publishers interested in my evaluation. One landed on my desk a couple of weeks ago, sent from a large Christian publishing house, that shocked me. While it asked some legitimate questions and raised some valid points, the take-away was stunning: "Maybe it's simply time to take our focus off of evangelism." With twisted logic, the author encourages us to put the Great Commission on the backburner, and instead focus... Read more.
by Denise Morris on 04/26/2007
Hey Friends, I wanted to let you know about an article Lauren F. Winner wrote for TrueU. It's about the Virginia Tech shooting and tragedy in general. It's only been a bit more than a week since the massacre, and pain is still very fresh for most people. Lauren takes the time to acknowledge this pain and to ask questions about it. Where was God when this was happening? How on earth could He allow it? In the midst of... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 04/26/2007
We've talked a little bit about global warming, but what about the more imminent threat of disappearing bees? The Independent reports this month that cell phones may be contributing to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) among bees. It seems like the plot of a particularly far-fetched horror film. But some scientists suggest that our love of the mobile phone could cause massive food shortages, as the world's harvests fail. They are putting forward the theory that radiation given off by mobile... Read more.
by Motte Brown on 04/26/2007
A while back, when I first heard Christian artist Chris Rice was going to produce a more "secular" brand of music, I was disappointed. I don't know why exactly. I guess it's because I thought it would be the end of his doctrinally rich lyrics that always made me think, and wonder, and praise God. I would describe Chris's music as contemporary soulful with a touch of jazz. It's a sound that can be popular with a more secular audience,... Read more.
by Candice Watters on 04/25/2007
A few weeks ago I finished reading Miss Manners On {Painfully Proper} Weddings by Judith Martin. Aside from making me cringe over all the faux pas in my own wedding, it reminded me what weddings are for and how we, as a culture, have totally missed the point of late. Take this recent Q&A in Dear Abby's newspaper column: DEAR ABBY: Is it socially correct to have a housewarming party for someone who has lived in the home for more... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 04/25/2007
OK, that's misleading on three points. It's not a Boundless conference, it's not sponsored by Boundless, and it's not just a singles conference. But three of us (Motte, Suzanne, and myself) will be there at New Attitude, surrounded by thousands of twentysomethings, most of them single. Speakers include Boundless authors C.J. Mahaney, Joshua Harris, Al Mohler, Bob Kauflin and Eric Simmons. So the title is kind of non-misleading. Some of you've suggested we sponsor a conference or meeting for the... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 04/25/2007
I'm sure few are surprised that Rosie O'Donnell is leaving daytime talk show "The View" after using offensive language in front of an audience that included high school girls. According to Fox News, O'Donnell uttered the obscenities at the annual luncheon of New York Women in Communications. Among those in the audience, were 17 high school girls who had scholarships to pursue media careers. "I was offended by how vulgar and common O'Donnell was," Robert Zimmerman, a Democrat active in... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 04/25/2007
If you're not a subscriber to our free e-newsletter, you really should be. Let me tell you why: You are notified of the week's freshest articles, sometimes before those articles even appear on the Boundless.org homepage. You get a bit of "backstory" to the articles. Sometimes I give our e-newsletter subscribers a heads-up on what we're working on for the coming week. We've offered product giveaways only available to e-newsletter subscribers. You express your appreciation for our work in a... Read more.
by Candice Watters on 04/24/2007
Last Thursday's lineup included what I think may be the best article we've yet published for men. "Blinded by the Sight" by Gary Thomas made me feel valued as a woman for the very things I most want to be esteemed. He wrote, One of the things I love about marriage, as God designed it, is that it can free us up from viewing women as potential sex objects, in which appearance is the most desirable trait. If I'm committed... Read more.
by Motte Brown on 04/24/2007
Gary Thomas's article "Blinded By the Sight" is an instant Boundless classic. His focus on how men view women as objects to be enjoyed rather than sisters to be protected cuts right to the heart of sin -- the exulting gratification of self. Here's an excerpt (from many worthy of excerpting): If I'm committed to not have sex before marriage, I won't relate to young women based on whether they would be good in bed. Who I spend my time... Read more.
by Motte Brown on 04/24/2007
In the wake of deadly suicide bombings in Baghdad, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., NV) announced last week "this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything." Aside from the question of whether or not Reid's declaration undermines the mission, is he right? The short answer is "no" according to U.S. Navy Lt. Jason Nichols. In today's National Review Online article "Baghdad Calling," columnist W. Thomas Smith, Jr. writes of his conversation with Nichols before Reid's statement... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 04/23/2007
It's honestly not a priority for us here at Boundless. It's frankly not something I think we need to spend much time discussing. But for the sake of truth, I think it's become necessary to address head-on some misunderstandings about this divisive issue. 1) So-called "greenhouse gases" really shouldn't be considered "pollutants." "Greenhouse gases" include water vapor, CO2 and a miniscule amount of methane and nitrous oxide and other things. Forests thrive on water and CO2, so we shouldn't think... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 04/23/2007
As a children's magazine editor, I love teaching kids about God. I recently heard someone say, "It's a sin to bore a child with God's Word." While I'm not sure you could find a passage to back that up (exactly), I agree with the concept. God's Word is exciting and compelling and life giving. It should never be boring. At the same time, sometimes we take this idea too far, feeling a need to dress up the Scripture to make... Read more.
by Steve Watters on 04/20/2007
What difference does age make in getting married? Are people who marry young too immature for such a serious commitment? Are older couples better prepared for the challenges and costs of marriage? A commentary this week by the Times Online makes the interesting point that a twentysomething is more likely to approach the responsibility of marriage with the valour of youth vs. the risk adverse calculation of maturity that is more typical of those past their twenties. Here's the best... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 04/20/2007
And now for something completely different.... It's recently come to my attention -- and I'm surprised more people aren't expressing their concern over this -- that we're daily exposed to the potentially very dangerous chemical compound Dihydrogen Monoxide. This colorless, odorless chemical can cause a number of maladies. The Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division reports the following perils associated with DHMO: Death due to accidental inhalation of DHMO, even in small quantities. Prolonged exposure to solid DHMO causes severe tissue damage.... Read more.
by Denise Morris on 04/19/2007
According to an article on Newsweek.com, Korean-Americans are afraid of possible backlash from Monday's massacre at Virginia Tech University. Because the shooter, Cho Seung-Hui, was Korean, many people are worried that Koreans in general will be stereotyped or face physical backlash. Some have already taken pro-active measures to try to prevent any possible threat: Inside the United States, social-network users set up online forums with names like "Don't Hate Koreans Because of Cho Seung-Hui" and "Cho Seung-Hui Does NOT Represent... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 04/19/2007
I had considered the title "Faith Painting," but went with something a little less ... lighthearted: "Faith Imitates Art." In her article, Enuma Okoro explains that, yes, she's affected deeply by art that includes Christian imagery. But she goes on to show how even artwork devoid of Christian imagery can affect her spirit in positive ways. What do you think? Have you seen your soul lifted by such art? Are there dangers to your spirit inherent in some seemingly innocuous... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 04/19/2007
We published an article this morning, "Men and Friendship." In his article, author Thabiti Anyabwile challenges men to consider the depth of their relationships with other men, offering pointers on how to enrich them. He concludes with the following sentences: Intimacy created by sharing with godly friends is the path to deep friendships. And such friendships are not only manly, they are necessary and wise. Without them, we are more vulnerable than we think. And with them, we are more... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 04/18/2007
I'll admit, I am an optimist. But a step in a moral direction — even a tiny one — is worth praising the Lord for. Motte makes an important point: Today's Supreme Court decision offers piteously little actual protection to preborn children. But it is a step away from the tide of evil. I am reminded of the article by Drew Dyck on William Wilberforce: Success didn't come quickly. When it came to slavery, Wilberforce had his work cut out... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 04/18/2007
Though many might think of him primarily as the genius inventor of sudoku, after looking into his rich life I now have a broader view of Leonhard Euler as a spirited man who loved the Lord and loved his family. Born 300 years ago this week, Euler spent his youth preparing to be a minister, just like his father. His aptitude for math was discovered in college, where he was sent to study biblical languages and theology. He completed a... Read more.
by Candice Watters on 04/18/2007
Buried in the comments on my post "Women Don't Work Like Men" was this question from Claire Jones: Hi Candice. What should I do when my boyfriend has trouble discerning the secret will of God regarding our relationship? He often tells me he is deeply in love with me, and longs to be with me, but he "hasn't heard from God" about what step to take regarding marriage. Have other Christian girls longing for marriage had this problem? What should... Read more.
by Motte Brown on 04/17/2007
My immediate thought was, It's an Islamic Jihadist. Who else would want to kill so many innocents? In the aftermath of heinous acts like yesterday's Virginia Tech massacre, I inevitably look for someone or something to blame. And an ideology bent on killing innocent Americans would allow me to bring some sense to the senseless. But often, there's nothing to make sense of. I think it's also why everyone wants to see a picture of the killer. We think, There's... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 04/17/2007
In regard to the Barna research I blogged about yesterday, Laura S. wrote: My two cents worth is this: the reasoning behind "Revolutionary Parenting" seems to suggest that if parents will do "A, B, and C" in parenting, they *will* have godly kids who grow into adults with a desire for God. Most parents I know that raise their kids with this philosophy end up being very controlling who are parenting with the motivation of pride: wanting good kids for... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 04/17/2007
I came across a blog yesterday that got me thinking about adding "social bookmarking"-type links at the bottom of each post. Here are some examples: Digg This! Discuss on Newsvine Add to del.icio.us Reddit Share on Facebook Furl Would any of you find these kinds of links on The Line useful, or are they just clutter? Are there other kinds of links you'd like to see at the bottom of our posts in addition to or instead of these? Read more.
by Candice Watters on 04/16/2007
It's tempting to think, as one commenter to my last post did, that whatever your viewpoint about mothers in the workforce, it's "me and my friends journalism." I said Leslie Bennett's book, The Feminine Mistake, falls into this category and Jethro said my post about her book did, too. But such thinking overlooks one thing: facts. The fact is that most women do take time away from the office to care for children and increasingly, aging parents. So says Sylvia... Read more.
by Denise Morris on 04/16/2007
"At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.'" (Job 1:20-21, NIV) Across the country from me, 32 people have been murdered at Virginia Tech University. There aren't many details yet -- it seems as though one... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 04/16/2007
New Barna research explores the connection between parenting approaches and kids who grow up to become devoted Christians. In his book Revolutionary Parenting, Barna examines three styles of parenting. Parenting by default, or the path of least resistance, is characterized by parents doing whatever comes naturally with the motive of keeping everyone happy. Trial-and-error parenting is based on the idea that every parent is an amateur at raising children, and that parents must experiment, observe outcomes and improve based on... Read more.
by Candice Watters on 04/13/2007
Solomon wrote "of the making of many books there is no end and too much study wearies the bones." And that was when books were written and copied by hand. With quills. On papyrus. Thanks to Salon.com's review of The Feminine Mistake I can get author Leslie Bennetts' point and still save my strength and self-respect for books I want to read. Books that don't make a mockery of my commitment to my husband, our marriage and our children. The... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 04/13/2007
Jonathan from Canada provided a subtle hint that we should start a thread on The Imus Situation. I really don't want to, since there are so many complex issues surrounding what's happened, and as a result it's inevitable that there are going to be misunderstandings among those commenting. And tempers will likely flare. That said, it does puzzle that one person can lose his job for saying something that's ignorant and racist, while others make millions of dollars for saying... Read more.
by Candice Watters on 04/13/2007
It's better to be single and wish you were married than be married and wish you were single. So says a host of columns, blogs and books for singles. I've seen it stated subtly by many Christian authors and most recently, boldly, in USA Today's "Free as a bird and loving it: Being single has its benefits." This article, by Sharon Jayson, reports that not only are singles a growing segment of the population, they're increasingly happy to stay that... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 04/13/2007
Several months ago I read an intriguing article at True U. In "Guarding Your Heart … From What?" Lindy Keffer talks about the mistake of guarding one's heart against the wrong thing. She writes: When we talk about guarding our hearts, we usually mean being super careful about how much personal stuff we disclose to someone in whom we're romantically interested. We think of it as a way to save our emotional intimacy for our future spouses. There's only one... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 04/12/2007
It doesn't take much to misspell someone's name. It's pretty common, for example, for people to misspell Candice's name with an extra "a" and my wife Ashleigh's name with a "y" and Motte's name without the "e." It's even harder to correctly spell (let alone pronounce) the names of Boundless authors Thabiti Anyabwile and Enuma Okoro and J. Budziszewski. There's really no point to this post. I'm just competing for the distinction of having written this week's oddest Line post. Read more.
by Motte Brown on 04/12/2007
Here's some data I ran across which may be of interest to our readers. It's from an article on the ad-laden Forbes.com Website titled "Men's And Women's Fertility Facts -- Explained." First, the women's fertility facts: [A] woman's fertility starts to measurably decline around age 27, due to the depletion and aging of her eggs. For those under 30, it's estimated that the chance of getting pregnant in any one cycle is 20% to 30%. And for the men: Men... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 04/11/2007
When I think about the future, I often wonder how I will someday equip my children to stand for truth in a culture that rejects it. Gina at the Point references this story of a mother's quest to guide her 7-year-old son when a Lesbian couple moves in across the street. An excerpt from the the article: Early one Saturday morning the doorbell rang. It was a young girl -- taller than I am, heavily built, but still a young... Read more.
by Steve Watters on 04/11/2007
Last month, I was drawn to an engaging full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal. It was a long checklist with the heading "Things to do while you're alive." Among the 40 items in the list were entries such as "read and finish Moby-Dick," "find the big dipper," "write a screenplay" and "eat an insect." These were among the few items in the list that didn't require a reasonable outlay of money. Then I noticed the promotional message: "Life Takes... Read more.
by Motte Brown on 04/11/2007
Author Robert Samuelson leads today's Real Clear Politics article on the coming health care crisis with excerpts from Christopher Buckley's satirical novel Boomsday. He highlights a fictional blogger in the novel, Cassandra Devine, who becomes famous for her "incendiary rhetoric," suggesting the government should pay Boomers to kill themselves before the age of 70 so that "Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid will be solvent." Here's more Devine: "Someone my age will have to spend their entire life paying unfair taxes, just... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 04/10/2007
We have a number of Boundless and Boundless Line readers from around the world, including Canada, the UK, Australia, the Philippines, New Zealand, India, South Africa, Malaysia, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, France, China, Mexico, Ireland, South Korea, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Turkey, Brazil, Jamaica, Spain, Switzerland, Israel, Italy, Poland, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Romania, to name a few. (If you're from a country I haven't listed, please forgive me; I'd have to type 150 more country names to include each of you.)... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 04/10/2007
Babies need dads, but they also need moms. Al Mohler leads an interesting discussion on motherhood and combat, focusing on the recent capture of British sailors by Iran. Among those captured was Leading Seaman Faye Turney, the mother of a 3-year-old daughter. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, "Why is it that the most difficult work like patrolling at sea should be given to a woman? Why is there no respect for motherhood? Why does the West not value its women?"... Read more.
by Steve Watters on 04/10/2007
Any readers of Wizard of Id or B.C. in the Boundless community? If so, you probably heard that Johnny Hart, the creator of those scripts died over the weekend at the age of 76. Hart , an adult convert, didn't mind stirring up controversy every once in a while by injecting bold Christian messages in the Christmas and Easter versions of B.C. -- a habit that not only annoyed people who believed in "the separation of the church and comics,"... Read more.
by Motte Brown on 04/10/2007
I just finished reading The Chronicles of Narnia to my 7-year-old daughter. She loved it of course and had a hard time letting go as we neared the end of the series. In the final chapter of The Last Battle, she asked if we could read just a few pages at a time. I could tell she wanted more of Aslan. Before the movie premier of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis's step-son, Douglas Gresham, came to... Read more.
by Candice Watters on 04/10/2007
Columnist Leonard Pitt has a standout article in Tuesday's Chicago Tribune. In "I'll say it again: Dad's shouldn't be optional," Pitt talks about the firestorm he's encountered for criticizing Mary Cheney's decision to have a baby with her lesbian "life partner." Pitt's certainly no conservative -- he writes that he'll be receiving an award from PFLAG in a few weeks. Still he's adamant: it's bad news for babies born without dads. He writes, My objection to Cheney and Poe is... Read more.
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 04/09/2007
Roberto Rivera y Carlo's recent article, "Ordinary People," got me thinking about the growing problem of narcissism. The aversion to "ordinariness" carries a lot of nasty side effects. This Boston Globe article considers a recent study showing that today's college students are the most narcissistic and self-centered in decades. And experts are saying: "We have no one to blame but ourselves." "Things went too far," says psychologist Jean Twenge, lead author of the study and a professor at San Diego... Read more.
by Ted Slater on 04/09/2007
We've received a couple of comments and e-mails recently accusing us of "censoring" reader comments. The truth is that we publish the vast majority of comments, whether they agree with the original post or not, and whether the tone is cordial or not. We consider comments a wonderful way to allow our readers to provide their feedback (both positive and negative), to expand the discussion and to get to know each other. Perhaps this is a good time to reiterate... Read more.
by Denise Morris on 04/07/2007
This past Wednesday, I led a Seder with my Bible study. Seder is a dinner to commemorate the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. Now, I'm not Jewish (although I am fascinated with learning more about the culture of biblical Israel). I like to celebrate Passover because there is so much to learn about the ways the Jewish people worship God -- the way Jesus worshiped God when He was here on earth. Passover is celebrated by the Jews... Read more.
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