A principal in Long Beach kicked out three girls–one of them an honor student–after dressing up like Captain Underpants on Superhero Day at the high school.

“Yes, I know they weren’t naked,” Restivo said. “But the appearance was that they were naked.”

Good thing this didn’t happen to me when I dressed up as Quailman back in high school. More here.

I find it hard to explain to people what the Net Neutrality debate is actually about. The Daily Show makes it funny and understandable:

Here’s a short excerpt from this morning’s newscast. Click to watch the Quicktime movie.

One of my fellow protesters has been communicating with the Collegiate Ministries Coordinator for the TBC since the protest and has posted some of that correspondence:

Essentially, I would just like to discuss questions that were related to the heart issues behind the matters, questions on philosophy of action, biblical connections, questions on how the parties were communicating or not communicating, etc (which is really all students are concerned about anyway). James wouldn’t go into any of that and in fact said it was irrelevant.

In fact, in response to questions raised regarding Paul’s instruction in 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 he said, “I am well aware that Scripture says we should not sue. But sometimes circumstances and other parties leave no alternative.” Scripture can just be sooo inconvenient sometimes, can’t it Dr. Porch?

There seems to be a bunch of religiosity divorced from the gospel; hearts held hostage by shallow compartmentalized faith that only reaches so deep.

…and then the plea:

Assuage my doubts. Let me know that a bunch of old men are not playing chess with other people’s lives. Let me know that they’re pondering both grace and justice in light of God’s Word alone and not secular wisdom. Let me know that there is hope in joining the world of adults and not just more of which to despair.

That’s exactly what I was concerned about, so thanks Matt. Read more, it’s important.

Today I traveled with a group of about 25 or 30 other Belmont students down to the Tennessee Baptist Convention headquarters to peacefully hand them letters showing our concern in regards to the lawsuit against Belmont. We’d used Facebook to organize ourselves, and according to the confirmed attendees on the website, we expected to see at least 86 people involved. As it turned out, fewer actually attended, but those that did had some great things to say.

Belmont’s legal council apparently contacted the protest’s organizers–Nicole Loveless, Nick Williams, and Melody Drushal–last night to discourage the event from actually taking place. In a meeting today, the three students spearheading the protest ironed out some of the details with Belmont’s legal council, and though there was still discouragement and a firm stance from the lawyers that Belmont was not in any way supporting the protest, the decision whether or not to proceed was left up to the students. After prayer and consideration, they decided to continue as planned. More…

My dear leaders,

I write this letter not as an angry student of Belmont University, but as a member of a Tennessee Baptist Convention church. I was born and raised in the Southern Baptist Church, and many of my greatest childhood memories come from time spent with those I met and loved at my home church. I am so glad to see that the TBC represents a church that refuses to sit back and passively exist in our world today.

But I am concerned that perhaps we have lost our true focus in search of vindication of a contract with Belmont. My heart is grieved to hear that money given by those with a heart for missions has been redirected to finance a lawsuit against another body of believers. We know from mainstream media coverage that Americans are notorious for lumping together all Christians in their negative judgments, from swindling televangelists to Billy Graham–it’s all the same to them. When someone like Jerry Falwell makes a statement on national television, the nation assumes he speaks for all Christians. It is, therefore, so crucial we conduct ourselves in all matters in a manner pleasing to Christ, especially in dealing with conflicts within the church.

I have no doubt you’ve had committees scour over passages such as 1 Corinthians 6:1-8, but I personally have a difficult time reconciling the latest efforts by my state’s Baptist Convention with that scripture. Perhaps there is some chance I do not fully understand what Paul was saying here. But of all passages in the Bible, this one seems least likely to be cryptic. When Paul charges us to not sue our Christian brothers in a secular court in front of unbelievers, how have the members of the Tennessee Baptist Convention convinced themselves it is the right and just thing to do. My heart is saddened at this effort if only for the fact that reflects so poorly on the church and undermines the Great Commission.

In both love and sorrow,

Kevin

Tomorrow, a group of 80 or more concerned students will meet around Belmont’s tower and pray. From there, they will travel down to Brentwood, to the Tennessee Baptist Convention’s headquarters and deliver a silent protest. The plan is to walk in single file and place letters in one stack and a dollar each in the other. I’m writing this post before the scheduled event, but I will withhold my own letter from being published on here until immediately after the protest. Shortly after the protest, I will have more information on how the protest went down and how some of us felt about it.

We should keep in mind that the purpose of this event is to show the Tennessee Baptist Convention just how disheartening this lawsuit really is, and exactly who it’s going to be affecting.

The United Nations Security Council is preparing to issue more severe, in fact the most restrictive, sanctions toward North Korea following yesterday’s alleged nuclear test. But there’s a problem with sanctions: how can the world expect a man who cares so little about human life to be leveraged by the prospect of his own citizens suffering. And exactly how is this route–namely the depravation and starvation of a whole nation of people that have not a wink of input into this fiasco–any more humane than outright war?

A lovely food analogy, using one of my favorite beverages, from The Refugee Baptist:

What we need is an officially endorsed Baptist coffee: Bitter enough for fundamentalists, smooth enough for moderates, and weak enough for liberals. Then we could get an “overwhelmingly” supported creamer from a B&R poll..short on substance, easy to write about, and luke-warm journalistically.

…except for that part about not suing fellow believers. From Burning Screams:

Even while directly contradicting its belief in the “inerrancy” of scripture by disobeying the command to not sue your Christian family, I find it ironic Belmont’s endowment is approximately the amount the SBC (sic) is asking.

In the case of a SBC victory, how many scholarships will be cut? How many programs will be lost? How many people will lose their job? But the truest question and maybe the only one that matters is how many non-Christians will be completely repulsed by this Baptist action of selfishness and greed. How many non-Christians on that campus will swear off Jesus Christ forever because of pettiness of the Christian church.

…instead, one Christian sues another–right in front of unbelievers! - 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 (NLT)