Month: September 2014

Happy Constitution Day 2014!

A bit late but nonetheless, I want to post this link to the government’s site observing the event.

On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met for the last time to sign the document they had created. The National Archives and Records Administration celebrates this important day in our nation’s history by presenting the following activities, lesson plans, and information. We encourage teachers and students at all levels to learn more about our Constitution and government.

The U.S. Senate’s page on Constitution Day is here.
Here is a link to the Constitution. I urge you to read it.
Finally, this page is a great resource with the founding documents available for review.
 
 

Seattle Weekly on The Reckoning of Mars Hill Church

Nina Shapiro, writing for Seattle Weekly, has penned an intriguing article filled with interviews of former Mars Hill members.  Shapiro was invited to a Wednesday night meeting where many ex-Mars Hill members and attenders gather to find community.
Here is a taste:

For those here tonight, the downfall has been long coming. Many left years ago, some voluntarily, others after being ousted. And yet the scars seem fresh, the effect lasting.

“Some of us were abused and ostracized,” Thoen continues. “So for some of us, it’s not safe to walk into a building with ‘church’ on the front door.” Thoen himself isn’t one of them. Warily, after leaving Mars Hill two years ago, he and his wife soon joined a new church. Yet his reference to these weekly gatherings as analogous to “church” hints at an unwillingness to devote himself wholly again to a religious organization—an attitude shared by Dwayne Forehand, owner of this backyard.

“I think it’s hard for me to trust the church I’m at, and I’ve been there for five years,” Forehand says. He attempts to explain: “Mars Hill was one of the only places in my whole life where I was . . . ” Forehand casts about for words.

“Vulnerable?” asks Rob Smith, a generation older than many of these men and the instigating force behind these gatherings.

“Yeah, extremely vulnerable,” Forehand says. “Since then, I haven’t been that vulnerable with anyone.”

Go read much more at the Seattle Weekly.

Lots of Similar Retweets on the Mars Hill Letter to the Editor

A letter to the editor was published in the Seattle Times in defense of Mars Hill today. My point now is not to discuss or debate the contents of the letter; regular readers should be able to see the factual problems. I am glad the Times prints letter with a variety of opinions. Discuss it if you want in the comments.
What seems odd is what was happening on Twitter with the link. Many of the accounts don’t appear to be legit or at least they seem suspicious. Note the repetitive nature of them in this screen cap. TwitterLetterEditor Take this one for instance: twitterbedjy The account follows no one, only has 16 followers but 103k tweets.  A search for witch hunt and mars hill finds a lot of accounts like this. I don’t know what to make of it, but like a lot of issues surrounding this story, it is interesting, and you never know where something will lead. Does anyone have any ideas? Can retweets be purchased? And if so, what good would it do?