by Bret Capranica | May 23, 2005 | Culture
To tan or not to tan, that now is the question. The report has now emerged: being out in the sun is good for you and will help you avoid cancer. Wow! Just the opposite of what we have all been told. So says a new report advocated by Dr. Edward Giovannucci, a Harvard University professor. Dr. Giovannucci is convinced that the sun is really good for our skin and if we have enough vitamin D, we will not only cut the risk of cancer but protect ourselves from it also. A dermatologist, Dr. Michael Holick slams the conventional thinking that has fueled the sunscreen industry for years saying, “The problem has been that the American Academy of Dermatology has been unchallenged for 20 years,” he says. “They have brainwashed the public at every level.” Dr. Holick, former chief of endocrinology, was stripped of his professorship when the head of his department noted that he had been paid over $150,000 from the Indoor Tanning Association. Ah, objectivity driving science. I love it. This story ranks up there with the back and forth commendations and condemnations of coffee. I write this with a large cup of Starbucks in front of me. My interest in this story comes from the once again sham of those who claim that science is purely objective and therefore completely authoritative. Does it bother anyone that scientists can’t make up their minds? Is anyone intrigued by the fact that many so-called scientific facts are tainted by agendas, grants, academic stardom and public status? Science is not amoral because it is observing a sin-stained world through sin-tainted...
by Bret Capranica | May 22, 2005 | Blogging
I am often asked, “what nationality is that name?” In my quick browse around the world-wide web, I’ve found some very interesting stuff about “Capranica.” Here’s a sampling: It is a medieval city in central Italy. Note the city emblem. Capranica in the winter. It is a theatre in Rome. Check out the great pictures. It is a restaurant in Rome. As noted previously, it is a college, or residence for Vatican seminary students. So, yes, the name is of Italian origin, making me, therefore, a Roman...
by Bret Capranica | May 22, 2005 | Culture, General Theology
No, I am not one of those who attempts to find Christian or moral themes in movies like Star Wars in order to commend them to you and your family’s viewing. The article referenced, however, uses the recent release of George Lucas’ final movie in the Star Wars’ saga to discuss the age old theological (it is more theological than philosophical) issue about a person’s essential nature. Are we born good or evil? Popular culture postulates ideologies, not just entertainment, even through entertaining movies like Star Wars. The article notes, How about it, George? Was Anakin born bad? “No,” Lucas told The Associated Press. “That”™s why most people got upset about “˜Episode I.”™ They said, “˜Well, he should be a monster.”™ But he”™s not a monster. He has sort of heightened skills and awareness, and he”™s smarter than most people, but at the same time, he makes rather bad decisions.” Lucas’ response about his movie character reflects the idea that many have about our human nature. Many believe that we are essentially good, but our environment and personal “bad decisions,” lead us astray. One psychologist quoted in the article says, No one is born with a Napoleon complex. Yet our genetic raw material does establish tendencies for how each person will respond to environmental factors, said Alan Hilfer, a child psychologist at Maimonides Medical Center in New York. “We come into the world with a personality, a character. Some kids are more irritable, some more sensitive, some kids are easygoing,” Hilfer said. “We all come in with a particular set of biological pieces to make up who we are....
by Bret Capranica | May 20, 2005 | Church History, Ecclesiology, Seeker-Sensitive
Do we need another reformation within Christianity? Rick Warren says we do. However this time, the new reformation needs to be one not based on belief, but on behavior. In a recent gathering of over 12,000 people in Dallas, Warren spoke about how the Reformation of the sixteenth century divided the church, but how a new reformation centered on planting churches, developing servant leaders, feeding the poor, curing the sick and educating the uneducated will unify the church. And with whom will we be unified? The meeting was a gathering of “Baptists, charismatics, nondenominational evangelicals, and others [I wonder who these folks are] at Dallas’ Reunion Arena for a Global Day of Prayer rally May 15.” Warren commented about the first reformation and the new reformation, “The first one was about creeds; this one’s going to be about our deeds. The first one divided the church; this time it will unify the church.” Warren led the assembly in “praying against the global giants” that lead to fear, loss of direction, and lack of purpose, noting spiritual emptiness is the greatest giant.” This push for a global response of the Church to issues such as health, education and poverty is a necessary one. My concern is that we are approaching such issues without a common conviction about what is actually most basic: the gospel. To link arms with religious groups who do not agree on the content of the gospel in order to cure societal ills is eternally meaningless. In my estimation, Warren’s approach is picking up the ball where the Promise Keepers left off: unity without theology. He seems...
by Bret Capranica | May 20, 2005 | Ecclesiology, Seeker-Sensitive
What will the results of Rick Warren’s blockbuster book The Purpose Driven Life (PDL, over 20 million copies sold) look like? George Barna has conducted a recent review of what “Purpose Driven” currently looks like in America. From the article: More than four out of every ten adults – 44% – said their top priority in life is having a satisfying family life. This was nearly three times as popular as the second-most common response and more than four times as prolific as the third-most popular reply.” Despite Warren’s opening appeal in PDL that “it’s not about you,” I found much of the remainder of the book to be “much about you.” Thus Barana’s research, showing that “The second-most common life priority, listed by 18% of all adults, was that of understanding and carrying out the principles of their faith,” should not be shocking. As a matter of fact, even Barna’s concluding comments about his survey indicate that he also believes that faith is really a means to live a better life. His survey states, The survey results raise some questions, however, about the faith commitment of many church-going and born again adults. One must wonder,” he continued, “if the struggles evident in so many marriages and parent-child relationships are connected to the fact that people are generally more interested in pursuing a fulfilling family life than in understanding the principles for meaningful living that may help shape such a family experience.” Does “Purpose Driven” (capital “P” “D”) result in being God-centered? Barna’s research suggests it does not. We live in a culture that sees God as valuable as...
