In 1953 and '54 races, fast cars whizzed around Bergstrom Air Force Base

Really fascinating article about motor-racing historically, in Austin and Texas generally, in the context of the U.S. Formula One Grand Prix now being set to happen in Austin for 2012 thru 2021!

In 1953 and '54 races, fast cars whizzed around Bergstrom Air Force Base

Telling Secrets: Lessons and Hymns for Independence Day #3

Telling Secrets: Lessons and Hymns for Independence Day #3

Came across this two days late, but wanted to save it for the future. Maybe there's room at Emmanuel, Athens - not to mention some of other great congregations of our city - for a bit of this kind of creativity at next year's July 4th commemoration?

‘Heretical’ Rev wins at BAFTAs | News | The Christian Institute

‘Heretical’ Rev wins at BAFTAs | News | The Christian Institute

At first I found myself wondering (hoping?) if this series - which I have not seen - would soon be translated to American television a la 'All In The Family' and 'The Office' and a host of shows in the intervening 30 years. And what I mean, of course, is 'translated' just enough to retain the same dry & off-kilter British wit that some of us enjoy so much.

Then I finished reading the article...and saw the concluding paragraphs, the likely 'angle' this apparently conservative news site was after all along:

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In 2009 a Church of England document about the BBC’s portrayal of Christianity made reference to the proposed show, which had a working title of “Handle with Prayer”, saying the church would “wait and see” whether it relied on “stereotypes”.

In January this year a former BBC news anchor warned that Christians are “fair game” for insults at the broadcaster whilst Muslims must not be offended.

Peter Sissons, whose memoirs were being serialised in the Daily Mail, said: “Islam must not be offended at any price, although Christians are fair game because they do nothing about it if they are offended.”

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Ah! So in the UK, where folks are much more on the front lines of how to live together in a truly religiously plural society, this is partly about some Christians feeling they're treated unfairly. They see their faith and Church being parodied or at least used as the context for parody when they feel like British Muslims would never allow British culture to 'get away with' a similar 'use' of Islam. Well, they probably have a point.

But isn't this in part due to what Christians, themselves, have allowed to happen to their faith - once the homogenizing factor across all Europe, once the huge kingdom of 'Christendom' - over the years? That is, as Christians have taken their faith less seriously; and (19th-cent.) liberal philosophy & politics have pushed it into the fake ghetto of 'religion' and 'spirituality' as something merely to be kind-of tolerated, but not really lived out; and as it descended into a purveyor of simple bourgeois moralism, it's become much easier - even imperative? - to make fun of it.

So I wonder how "Rev." would translate onto the American television scene? I don't suppose we have any self-righteous, bourgeois moralists to make fun of on this side of The Pond, do we?

@Comradebecks