In the wonderful world of the internet, a Troll is someone who intentionally interrupts an online conversation with a post so controversial that others feel compelled to respond. The atheist comment posted to a Christian blog. The inappropriate racist photo posted on a chan site. The political comment posted just about anywhere. Online hell breaks out, and the Troll sits back and enjoys the mayhem he or she has initiated.
The current flap over President Obama's inclusion of Sitting Bull in his new book proves once again that FOX News is a Troll in the world of journalism. Make the on-air statement that is so absurd that people have to take the bait, and sit back and enjoy the ratings.
"Of Thee I Sing, A Letter to My Daughters" is the title in question. President Obama praises a number of famous Americans, including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller, Georgia O'Keeffe, Billie Holiday and Albert Einstein. But when he includes Lakota Chief Sitting Bull, FOX headlines read "Obama Praises Indian Chief Who Killed U.S. General." And in hot response, the salivating Obama-haters come out from under their respective rocks to accuse the President of delivering his "newest attack on America."
First, this statement overlooks the facts that not only was Sitting Bull too old to participate in the battle at the Little Big Horn (Crazy Horse lead the warriors), had Custer survived, he most certainly would have been court marshaled for disobeying a direct order not to engage the tribes camped in the Greasy Grass Valley.
Second, it implies that Sitting Bull was not an American. That is like saying the Robert E. Lee was not an American because he fought against General Grant.
And finally, if we are looking for faults in this list of famous Americans, we don't have to look far. Billie Holiday was a heroin addict who died as a result of her addiction. And why do so many of Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings look like female genitalia?
So the Trolls at FOX strike again. And we (this writer included) take the bait. And the Trolls feed and grow. Yes, the extreme viewpoints must be called out and debated. Otherwise too many gullible people will believe nonsense. But there are times when we should just call it for what it really is. A Troll looking to use the bait of the absurd to lure unsuspecting victims into an unnecessary dialogue.
The Trolls are fat enough already. Let's just walk away.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
When All Else Fails, Try Persecution
I own dozens of books that claim the secret to growing the Church in America. Looking up at my bookshelf and reading the first seven titles my eyes fall on, all we need for growth is to become the emergent, transformational, contagious, purpose-driven, upside down, simple, comeback church (I'm not making this up...those were part of the titles of seven books, in order). Its working great so far, isn't it?
Perhaps our brothers and sisters in Christ living in the Sudan have found a church-growth scheme that actually works. It's called "persecution."
The civil war that raged throughout the Sudan from 1983 to 2005 left over two million dead, entire villages destroyed, hundreds of thousands of refugees, and established a brutal Shar'ia-based government. Tens of thousands were executed or sold into slavery simply because of their Christian faith. And yet, despite the fact that Western missionaries were expelled from the Sudan in 1964, the country has emerged to boast a church twice the size of the Episcopal Church in the United States. (and that doesn't include the millions of Catholics living in the Sudan).
Earlier this week, President Barack Obama announced that the United States would renew economic sanctions against Sudan for another year. Our decision, in part, is the result of Sudan's continued support for Islamist terrorists. It may also reflect the genocide in Darfur. The conflict between the Muslim north and the Christian south will certainly continue. And the Sudanese government will still ignore its own slave trade.
But the growth of the Christian community in the Sudan rivals anything we see in the world today. Just as persecution of the early Church fanned the flames of growth and expansion, so have the incredible hardships and dangers imposed upon all who profess Jesus as Lord in the Sudan. On January 9, 2011 the country will vote on a referendum that could grant freedom to Southern Sudan.
As we pray this weekend for the persecuted Church, we should all lift up the upcoming election in Sudan. Let us pray for the freedom of those who have endured so much for their faith. The words of a Sudanese praise chorus go like this:
For I'm building a people of power
and I'm making a people of praise,
That will move through Sudan by my Spirit,
and will glorify my precious name.
While our own recent election was little more than clueless people voicing a rage that they are not able to define, the January election in Sudan could profoundly change the lives of millions of believers. If only we could be so blessed.
Perhaps our brothers and sisters in Christ living in the Sudan have found a church-growth scheme that actually works. It's called "persecution."
The civil war that raged throughout the Sudan from 1983 to 2005 left over two million dead, entire villages destroyed, hundreds of thousands of refugees, and established a brutal Shar'ia-based government. Tens of thousands were executed or sold into slavery simply because of their Christian faith. And yet, despite the fact that Western missionaries were expelled from the Sudan in 1964, the country has emerged to boast a church twice the size of the Episcopal Church in the United States. (and that doesn't include the millions of Catholics living in the Sudan).
Earlier this week, President Barack Obama announced that the United States would renew economic sanctions against Sudan for another year. Our decision, in part, is the result of Sudan's continued support for Islamist terrorists. It may also reflect the genocide in Darfur. The conflict between the Muslim north and the Christian south will certainly continue. And the Sudanese government will still ignore its own slave trade.
But the growth of the Christian community in the Sudan rivals anything we see in the world today. Just as persecution of the early Church fanned the flames of growth and expansion, so have the incredible hardships and dangers imposed upon all who profess Jesus as Lord in the Sudan. On January 9, 2011 the country will vote on a referendum that could grant freedom to Southern Sudan.
As we pray this weekend for the persecuted Church, we should all lift up the upcoming election in Sudan. Let us pray for the freedom of those who have endured so much for their faith. The words of a Sudanese praise chorus go like this:
For I'm building a people of power
and I'm making a people of praise,
That will move through Sudan by my Spirit,
and will glorify my precious name.
While our own recent election was little more than clueless people voicing a rage that they are not able to define, the January election in Sudan could profoundly change the lives of millions of believers. If only we could be so blessed.
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