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By Richard Hamilton, June 19, 2007 2:42 pm

It seems for many people anonymous confession is quite liberating and cathartic. Sometime back, I was at my friend Jordan Clark’s house when I discovered, what I thought at the time to be, an interesting coffee table book: Post Secret.

Basically, Post Secret is a community art project started by Frank Warren. People anonymously send original art, which reveals a secret, to Frank and he composes books and runs a blog to display them. Each week, Frank posts dozens of new pieces. So far there are the volumes of Post Secret with a forth scheduled for this October.

The art (a secrets behind them) range from funny to frightening. People have confessed social faux pas and criminal activity alike. While I have not submitted art to the project, I must admit I am enthralled in it. I find myself being consumed with the secrets of others. Anonymous confession seems to be a social phenomenon. People says thing on the web, under a pen name, that they would likely never say even to their closest confidant. Sometime back I stumbled across a site built off the Blue October song, “Hate Me” where people posted [mostly anonymous] apologies to those they have hurt. Of course I couldn’t find it when I sat down to type this post. You do not have to look hard to find a YouTube Video with the face in the shadows.

I guess this all leaves me asking, as a culture have we traded transparency for anonymity?

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By Richard Hamilton, April 23, 2007 10:48 pm

Living Responsibly: Somewhere Between Strip Malls and Carbon Credits April 23, 2007

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:26-28 (NASB)

Subdue is not an ambiguous term. This Hebrew word is used to talk about conquest (Numbers 32:29) and even slavery (2 Chronicles 28:10). The question for us is, “how do we understand God’s mandate to ‘subdue’ the earth, especially in light of Jesus’ teachings on stewardship?”

I think the problem for me is that the issue of environmental responsibility has become so polarized and politicized.

On one side are the radical environmentalists who quite often are more interested in redistribution of wealth and political gain than they are responsible living. It is difficult at best to say that enviro-friendly politicians like John Edwards (who’s family of 6 lives in a 28,000-square-foot mansion) or Al Gore (who averaged a monthly electricity bill of $1,359 for using 18,414 kilowatt-hours in 2006) are conservationists. Environmentalists have clearly picked their side (with much political power to gain). Which is more important, lower greenhouse gas emission or lower fossil fuel consumption? To the detriment of auto manufactures, environmentalists chose lower emission and now complain about fuel consumption. I believe decisions like this are politically motivated.

On the other side are the decadent consumption-ists. You do not have to look far to find them in American culture. Americans eat 815 billion calories of food each day, which is about 25%, more than needed. (I mention this only because it is the area of consumption that I struggle with the most) Since, the 50′s, the average American house size has more than doubled (more than 2,349 square feet, which is amplified since the size of families has decreased during the same period). The average American generates 52 tons of garbage by age 75. I’ve even read that there are more shopping malls than high schools in America (I was surprised anyone still goes to a shopping mall). Greed is the soup de jour.

Environmentalism can be just as much a scam as pop-Christian paraphernalia. For brevity sake, I site only three examples: Carbon offset credits. Catalytic converters. Hybrid cars. This however does not give us permission to live irresponsibly.

I don’t have it figured out, but I would love to see a positive non-partisan Christian movement of responsible living.culture

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By Richard Hamilton, March 27, 2007 10:44 pm

The practice of fasting in protest, holding a “hunger strike,” is not new. It is thought by some that the practice has roots in ancient hospitality customs. The accuser would take up residence at the door of the offender’s home and refuse to eat and drink until the wrong was set right. The high value of hospitality in these cultures would force the offender to either besmirch their good name by admitting wrongdoing or, through the ultimate act un-hospitality, letting someone die of starvation at their home. This precarious position would often force the offender’s hand.

Political prisoners have successfully used starvation to create awareness of their cause and turn the tide of popular opinion. During his frequent incarcerations, Mohandas Gandhi used hunger strikes to tarnish the image of Britain. The British could not let Gandhi die in their custody; this afforded him much political leverage. Gandhi’s cause: the end of British occupation in India. Akbar Ganji, an Iranian journalist, was imprisoned in Evin prison for his participation in a conference in Berlin held by Heinrich Boell Foundation under the title “Iran after the elections” which was labled “Anti-Islamic.” Ganji was on a hunger strike for mid-May until mid-August 2005 (with the exception of the 15 days he was granted leave). Ganji’s cause: freedom of speech, justice, human rights, and democracy. Ganji wrote of himself, during his hunger strike, “I am now the symbol of justice.”

What cause will motivate Americans? What will be their fight? Civil liberties? Economic freedom? Ecology? Ending AIDS or poverty?

One American activist, who goes by the moniker “J,” has found a cause worthy of her energy. She is currently 11 days into her hunger strike. J’s cause: the integrity of American Idol. She writes, “This to us is a form of passive resistance to support a cause! It’s more about preserving the goals of American Idol.” According to the “freedom fighter,” “the talent-less American Idol contestant Sanjaya needs to be voted off the show so other talented contestants who deserve a chance to win are being eliminated because there are other people that think it would be funny to try to sabotage American Idol by voting for a lesser contestant.” She has launched myspace.com/starvationforsanjaya to track the progress of her hunger strike.

Is there a vast tone-deaf conspiracy keeping talent-less hacks like Sanjaya in the running to be the next American Idol? Yes. Votefortheworst.com was established for exactly that purpose. “American Idol is not about singing at all, it’s about making good reality TV and enjoying the cheesy, guilty pleasure of watching bad singing.”

Is this a fight worth fighting? In response to her detractors, J writes, “Many people have also brought to our attention that there are many causes more important in the world to be concerned about other than American Idol. Yes, we know this. It’s not that we don’t care about or don’t support these other causes (I in fact, am a big supporter of Bono’s RED campaign), however this cause is something we are also passionate about and can see that many people also feel the same way.”

Starvation for Sanjaya has 1927 friends.

I guess Americans don’t have anything better to do with their time.

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By Richard Hamilton, March 23, 2007 10:40 pm

Here are a few things to keep in mind (I must admit, these are not original):

People need a spiritual friend not a spiritual adversary. Think back to when you became a Christian. For many of you, there was a person or a group of people you credit for their involvement in your becoming a Christian. Maybe they cared for you in ways you had not experienced before. Maybe they were there for you when you needed them. If we were listening, we would hear people talking about spiritual things, often ever deep spiritual things, at work, around the house, in the coffee shop or at the grocery store. Sometimes the best thing we can do is just be there to listen to them and their concerns and struggles. Most people are looking for meaningful friendship.

People need honest conversation not easy answers. I do not know about you, but it is my tendency to want to answer everyone’s questions, often before they even finish asking. I find myself plotting my response while they are talking. The result: I do not hear what they are actually saying. Even worse is the fact that, in many cases, they are not even looking for an answer but I am shoving one down their throats. People are not looking for Christians to be “Bible Answer Man.” They are looking for someone to be real with them. Someone to sympathize with them and not belittle their doubts…doubts that often lead seekers to faith. Evangelists need to be involved with open and honest dialogue.

People need to see Christ modeled. Read through one of the Gospels sometime and check out what Jesus did and said. He healed even when it was socially unacceptable. He embraced the outcasts. He shared life. Sadly, most Christians (myself included) cannot say they same about themselves.

Matthew 28:18-20, is quoted by many Christians as their evangelizing mantra. Matthew 28:16-17 are however a little less known. A some years back, I heard the late Mike Yaconelli talking about this passage and it has stuck with me to this day. Not that his words were profound or that I agreed with what he was saying. I just think it was the first time I had taken the time to notice these verses. “But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.” Did you catch that? Some were doubtful. Doubt?!? These people had been with him since the beginning. They had seen the miracles; they were standing on a mountain with the resurrected Jesus and some doubted. Instead of calming their fears or answering their doubts, Jesus makes them his representatives. He sends them out. How is this possible? Evangelism, in Jesus’ estimation, must have been something other than what we have made it.

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By Richard Hamilton, March 22, 2007 10:38 pm

Because most people do not feel up to entering the debate arena, many Christians retreated to what I call “hit and run” evangelism. Christian bookstores are full of products to help these endeavors. My favorite product: the “Testamints.” Maybe you have seen them. Admittedly, I have even eaten a few. They are the mints, usually located by the register, that are wrapped with a Bible verse. Christians who do not feel qualified or prepared to debate can simply leave a punily named mint with a morsel of God’s Word for their unsuspecting friend or coworker to discover. This type of evangelism, although well intended, lacks the genuine connection many people are seeking. A church I once worked with decided to get groups together on a weekday evening to go visit people in the community. As a gesture of goodwill and with the intention of being friendly, they made sand-art cookie jars. Attached to the jars were usually a Bible verse and the contact info for the church. I thought it was a great idea. This small southern community was still very open to people coming to their homes and the combination of cookies and art was genius. The first night I showed up, we grabbed a few cookie jars and headed on our way. When I read the tags, I was stunned. A few of the jars had something like “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. -Luke 13:3″ written on the card. With some tweaking, the visits proved to be very successful for that church, but it makes me wonder what these well-intentioned people were hoping to accomplish. I think we hope that if we leave tidbits of faith around, we will not have to win over our friends with eloquent arguments and we will have still done our evangelistic duty.

Evangelism does not have to be like this. In fact, these approaches usually are not very effective because they do not take into account what people really need.

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By Richard Hamilton, March 21, 2007 10:37 pm

I often wonder what thoughts enter people’s minds when they hear the word “evangelism.” Often, evangelism is a thing of dread and terror. It causes many Christians to break out into cold sweats. To feel nauseous. To get all tongue-tied. Maybe a more important question is what thoughts enter the minds of those on the receiving end of Christian evangelist efforts. It’s quite likely they have been on the receiving end of a failed evangelistic attempt more than once. Often, the very thought of someone talking to them about Jesus makes them want to run for the hills.

Why is this? Why has evangelism become such a negative idea for so many people?

I believe it is partly because of what we [Christians] have made evangelism. Usually when churches “teach” evangelism, they teach how to debate and argue their points. “Be sure and cover this list.” “Argue this point.” “Throw in this Bible verse here.” “And never admit you don’t know or you were wrong.” Even the language we use brings to mind Court TV (“apologetics” and “evidence that demands a verdict”). Do not misunderstand me. There are times to defend Christian faith. There are times to discuss and even debate, but in many cases, debate is the only evangelism people know. I see two problems with this. First, a debate is a win-lose situation. When we enter a debate over faith and religion, it is with the unspoken understanding that someone will lose. Evangelism should be win-win. Second, debating takes a certain set of skills and a lot of prep-time. In High School I was on the debate team for a year. My event was called “Congress.” Each student submitted their legislation in advance and we came together to debate each document’s merit at competitions. At my first debate match, I came with a printout of each bill neatly tucked in a file folder, assured I was well prepared. As I passed through the classroom door, into the room where the debate was to be held, I noticed that everyone there had boxes upon boxes of material. Newspaper clippings. Computer printouts. Books. Magazines. Statistics. Analysis. Boxes and boxes of debate prep. Then, the debates started. High School students would stand behind a podium and rattle off quotes and statistics a mile a minute, all the while judges as stern as Simon Cowell (although luckily for me their criticisms were written not verbalized) critiqued your every word. I learned something that day: formal debate is for a select few. This is may be why many Christians leave evangelism to the “professionals”: paid church staff.

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By Richard Hamilton, March 19, 2007 10:32 pm

Last fall I came home and turned on my television to find that my networks (CBS, NBC, ABC, and FOX) were no longer on my Dish package. In their place was a message from the CEO of my provider, reassuring the public and giving up instructions on how to help remedy this issue. When someone has a mini-dish, they may receive networks from another area. The networks sued the dish providers, claiming that this is illegal distribution of their product. Our civil servants in Congress were working hard to pass a bill to remedy this disservice to the American public.

The implications began to dawn on me: no 24, Lost, The Office. It would have to find a place other than my home to watch my OSU Buckeyes play in the national championship game (I wish I had missed the game altogether.)

So I did something I had never done before: I called my representative and senator and urged them strongly to remedy this situation as quickly as possible.

Several thoughts dawned on me later.

How sad is it with all the things that should motivate me to apply pressure to political leaders, the only thing that ousted me from my apathy were the loss of four channels on my TV.

As disturbing as that may be, I vote every election and many people don’t even do that. The 2006-midterm elections marked a rise in voter turnout because just over 40% of registered voters voted. That number doesn’t even include those who are not even registered. It is always a mistake to rely on the government for anything, but it is an arena where we can influence what takes place in our country and around the world.

Equally as disappointing was the trivial nature of the things that motivate me. I didn’t call anyone about foreign policy, civil rights, disaster and hunger relief, or even the war on terror, because those things are only a mild irritant to a selfish person like myself. It was only when my routine was interrupted as I spurred to action.

I know there are many people like me, but justifying my apathy does not change it.

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By Richard Hamilton, January 17, 2007 10:29 pm

Sony launched their latest gaming system with promises of revolutionizing the industry. With a host of new features (massive hard drive, wireless controllers, and a user friendly interface) and improved game play the future seemed bright. Lines of faithful geeks and hopeful parents camped out at their local Best Buy or Circuit City waiting to get their hands on the future of video gaming.

This hype was short-lived.

According to the research group NPD, this past November, prime Christmas shopping time, Sony sold less than half as many PS3s than Nintendo sold Wiis and Microsoft sold year old Xbox 360s. Sales have not fared well to date. Two factors fueled this tech-fizzle: 1) the overextended price point and 2) impotent technology. The two are related. Between research, development, and production, the Blu-Ray drives tack on a hefty price to the PS3. Much of this cost was passed on to the consumer. To make matters worse, Sony has not been able to conquer the Blu-Ray technology for gaming application, effectively turning the PS3 into a big, over-priced PS2. Throw in the mix the limited number of features available on Blu Ray, and Sony has a costly disaster on their hands.

Is there a future for Sony? There will always be a spot for Sony in the gaming industry. There will need to be some delivery on the hype the next go around. How about for the PS3? Is there any hope? If the Blu-Ray technology becomes useful, or if Hollywood settles on Blu-Ray over HD (which seems unlikely), PS3 has a chance. But these advances need to come soon. If Sony does not get the inks worked out of their Blu Ray, you can always convert the system into a grill (no joke, check out therealps3grill.com)