Today I read up on the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 16-18, and there are several things of note here. The first is the merging of the Hametic (Hagar of Egypt) and the Semitic (Abraham) lines. Sarah, Abraham's wife, had the idea of allowing her husband to "marry" her handmaid. This unholy merger produced Ishmael, who… Continue reading Notes on Genesis 16-18
Category: Society
Notes on Genesis 12-15
The “law of first mentions” is an interesting perspective to take when reading the Bible. This law, some call it a rule, is essentially that the context of the first usage of a word or doctrine is maintained in every subsequent mention throughout the Bible unless there is additional clarification. For instance, Abel was the… Continue reading Notes on Genesis 12-15
Testing the Law of First Mention
I was asked by a sweet lady from church to expand on the Law of First Mention that I talked about earlier this week. She specifically wanted to know about wine. I had not yet looked into this fully, so I was more than happy to put this “law” to the test. LAW OF FIRST… Continue reading Testing the Law of First Mention
A Masculine Manifesto
The patriarchy is alive and well. Men are the highest paid group in the United States. Over 95% of the Fortune 500 has a man as CEO, and most of the other executive positions are held by guys as well. The richest woman in the world, Liliane Bettencourt, is still only the 14th wealthiest person… Continue reading A Masculine Manifesto
Taking God for Granted
Think of all the things we take for granted in life. The concepts of white privilege and patriarchy are that white males have certain historical advantages that they never actually think about. Things are becoming more egalitarian, for sure. However, Western civilization has been, for better or worse, a product of straight white men exploiting… Continue reading Taking God for Granted
The Privileged Pilgrim’s Progress
The subject of "privilege" for straight, white, Christian males is once again rearing its ugly head. Whenever this topic arises, those who are accused of privilege insist that they are not, while those who are doing the accusing refuse to see their own culpability in the structural problems that face the downtrodden in our American… Continue reading The Privileged Pilgrim’s Progress
The Triune Self
My name is Alex Simmons, but what does that really mean? Who am “I”? I am a Christian, a husband, the father of four lovely girls, a sociologist, a drummer, a UNLV graduate student, and a UNLV employee. These are roles and statuses, but is that all I am; the sum of roles and statuses?… Continue reading The Triune Self
A Conundrum
Let's pretend that there is an ideology that, if practiced according to its fundamental document, would encourage pedophilia, abuse of women, killing homosexuals, and murder of those who disagree with said ideology. Let's pretend that for 1500 years, those who follow their fundamental document have engaged in violent conquest leaving behind a trail of corpses… Continue reading A Conundrum
The Myth of Modern Masculinity
Let’s assume that we understand what a “man” is. If using the word to describe those who XY chromosomes offends you, then go ahead and stop reading. This is not a critique of transgenderism or the social construction of masculinity. This is a critique of Christian heteronormative masculinity as it relates to the 21st century.… Continue reading The Myth of Modern Masculinity
Transreality.
A little girl born with girl parts grew up liking other little girls with girl parts. Now that little girl is a boy with girl parts who likes other boys with girl parts. Soon, that little girl will be a boy with boy parts who likes other boys with boy parts. Yet we are… Continue reading Transreality.
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