A modern person takes a car apart and claims they can understand the car in terms of its constituent parts alone. A postmodern person comes along and asks the modernist, "Who owns this car? What does it mean to them? Do they have teenage children? Can they borrow the car? How does the plant that made this car treat its employees?"

For young postmoderns the issue with homosexuality is huge, but not for the reasons Christians think. They are not so much trying to defend immorality as they are trying to defend basic human decency. We're thinking about flaming pornographers, and they're thinking about Matthew Shepard. When you criticize the gay right movement, you're criticizing politeness.

In the January 20 issue of the Leadership Weekly newsletter (from the editors of Leadership Journal), Ben Patterson writes, "Few issues portend so much for the future of the church, because none carries so much potential to fly in the face of the spirit of the age. I speak of the infatuation with pluralism and inclusivism and certain brands of multiculturalism; the belief in the egalitarianism of opinions and feelings — that it is not only wrong, but rude and bigoted to this that some people's ideas and feelings may not be as good or as valid as others. It's the "Who's to Say?" syndrome: Who's to say what is right? The answer is everyone, or no one, or both. Whatever. It's cool. "Faithful stewards of the household of God must practice the discipline of saying both yes and no. It's hard, it's not fun, and it doesn't usually preach to packed houses. But believers in every age have had to learn it or lose the faith. It wasn't enough for Nicea to say that Christ was begotten of the Father. It had to say, 'begotten, not made.' It wasn't enough for the signers of the Barmen Declaration to declare that Christ was Lord; they had to add that Hitler was not. "Without declaring the no, we become the church that Machen observed in his day: 'conservative in an ignorant, non-polemic, sweetness-and-light kind of way, which is just meat for the wolves.' "Saying no is part of the nature of our faith, a faith that Alan Watts, the Anglican-turned-Hindu, found to be 'a contentious faith . . . uncompromising, ornery, militant, rigorous, imperious, and invincibly self-righteous.' So be it. But its narrowness is the narrowness of the birth canal, or of a path between two precipices-or of a lifetime spent loving one woman."

A List of Actual Quotes Taken From the Directions and Mission Statements of Organic Products Belonging to My Vegan Roommate. BY KATE BROWN - - - - "For us, it's about a deep respect for the herbs we share with you." "May each cup bring us in touch with our inner faith, and may its authentic flavors remind us of the wisdom of Ganesha." "With this, every human being created on God's spaceship Earth can evolve united." "Discontinue use if rash or irritation occurs." "Made with 71% organic ingredients!" "Migratory waterfowl: not only are the majestic flocks beautiful to behold, they provide natural fertilizer." "Help unite mankind, or we're wandering clowns!" "Inspired by a conversation between the program's co-founder and gang members." "The present never ages. Each moment is like a snowflake." "Persons with allergies to the Daisy family may be sensitive." "To simplify and enjoy life more, mix 1/2 oz. with 2 gallons hot water." "We have succeeded in liquefying crystal deodorant stones, which are 100% effective." "Don't drink soap! Dilute! Dilute! OK!" "This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration."

When I was chairman of the national Youth for Christ I asked a young man why they were trying to destroy the traditions of the church with contemporary music and casual dress, he replied "Mr. Smith, we are not trying to destroy the traditions of the faith but we're not willing to perpetuate them without the experience that created them." Excellent answer.

A team of US physicists has proved a theorem that explains how our objective, common reality emerges from the subtle and sensitive quantum world... The Los Alamos team define a property of a system as 'objective', if that property is simultaneously evident to many observers who can find out about it without knowing exactly what they are looking for and without agreeing in advance how they'll look for it." The full article "Natural selection acts on the quantum world" is fascinating (and accessible to non-scientists). http://www.nature.com/news/2004/041220/full/041220-12.html