Thoughts on Gaga's "Judas"

For most folks inclined to hate Gaga, I think she spoon feeds them material in her song Judas. Once people hear the following lyric, I bet many will nod with a self-satisfied grin and say "told ya so!":

"In the most Biblical sense,
I am beyond repentance
Fame hooker, prostitute wench, vomits her mind..."

But is there more to this song than sheer shock? Perhaps. I think a lot will be revealed when we see the video that goes with the song. But, in lieu of the video, I will say this:

Ode to Infotainment

Ode to Infotainment
2011. Nathan L. Bostian

In an age of simple slogans and blustery books / How shall we show an argument's lame?

Some resort to snide sneers and haughty looks / But that only fans the emotional flame.

Some complain of ad hominems and ad hocs / But that sounds like an unending whine.

Some argue with evidence and logic / But that only casts pearls before swine.

Of all the ways one may disagree / With a pundit's pride and brawn:

I suppose the most effective may be / To simply shrug and yawn.

Developmental Revelation and Divine Violence

Copyright 2011 © Nathan L. Bostian | natebostian@gmail.com

1. The Puzzle of Developmental Revelation:

I have long puzzled over the problem of so-called "progressive revelation" in Scripture. This is the fact that clearly, certain concepts about God, and God's relation to the world (especially in judgement), seems to change radically over the course of Scripture. In particular, we glimpse an often messy trajectory that goes from the divine sanction of violence in the early Hebrew Scriptures, to divine rejection of violence in Christ.

The Sacrament of Servanthood

Based on Matthew 25.31-46
Copyright 2011 © The Rev. Nate Bostian

I want to start today by doing something that every preaching manual, and every good preacher, will agree is something you should never do: I want to start by talking about a word that many people find confusing, many others think of as boring, and almost everyone will agree has nothing to do with the subject of hunger.

That word is "sacrament".

When I say the word sacrament, what images and ideas come to your mind?